This is a play on the ATLANTA BRAVES for our Divisional Game of the Month. The Phillies came through for us last night with a 3-2 win despite getting outhit 9-5 as their three runs came from two sacrifice flies and an RBI groundout. While it snapped a two-game losing streak, it was a fortunate victory and the offense continues it struggles. Through July 21, the Phillies were ripping the cover off the ball as they were No. 3 on wOBA at .328 and No. 3 in OPA at .755 while tied for No. 2 with a .259 BA. Since then it has been a different offense as they are No. 18 in wOBA and No. 18 in OPS and their BB/K of .33 is No. 22 which is not ideal against the starter tonight. We mentioned the Braves injury issues yesterday and while a concern, it depends on the matchups and they have a good one tonight. They had their three-game winning streak snapped with the loss last night and they are now seven games back in the National League East and this is big game to not fall back further. Going back to the same time frame as mentioned, the Braves offense has been a lot better as they are No. 9 in wOBA at .327, tied for No. 8 om OPS at .756 while their .196 ISO is No. 4. Cristopher Sanchez is having another very good season with a 3.46 ERA through 24 starts but he has been going the wrong way. After his start on June 28, his ERA was a season low 2.41 but he has been inconsistent since then as he has an ERA of 5.55 which is No. 70 out of 75 starting pitchers that have gone at least 40 innings since the start of July. His problem has been contact as he has been inducing too much of it as his K% over this stretch is 14.2% which is No. 74 out of those 75 starters and this is big for Atlanta as they have been a strikeout prone team this season at 24.5% which is seventh highest in baseball. They will not have issues here and facing a lefty makes it even better as the Braves have a .760 OPA against left-handed pitching which is tied for No. 6 in the league. Spencer Schwellenbach got into the rotation in late May as a fill in because of injuries and it was unsure if he would last after a rocky start as he had a 5.86 ERA through his first six starts. He has completely turned it around as he has a 2.86 ERA over his last seven starts since the start of July which is No. 18 among 78 qualified starters and what has really stood out is his command. He has a K% of 31% which is No. 10 and even more impressive is his BB% of 2.9% which is No. 5 and overall, he is No. 3 in baseball in K-BB%, trailing only Blake Snell and Chris Sale. 10* (958) Atlanta Braves

This is a play on the MILWAUKEE BREWERS for our MLB Afternoon Dominator. Milwaukee had its six-game winning streak snapped with a 10-6 extra inning loss last night off a walk off grand slam. The Brewers had allowed just 2.3 rpg during the winning streak which had picked up for a poor offense as they had averaged only 3.0 rpg over that stretch but they did manage six runs last night and have an elite matchup tonight. They were surprising underdogs last night despite coming in with a 10-game lead over the Cardinals and today they are the small chalk. The Cardinals have played their way out of the postseason even though last night may have given them a little confidence as they are still five games out of the final Wild Card spot in the National League, sitting two games below .500. They have been a much better team at home but have gone only 4-7 in their last 11 home games against teams in current playoff spots. The offense has been middle of the pack in August but they are one of only six teams with an ERA of 5.00 or higher. Miles Mikolas is having his worst season since his 2014 rookie year with Texas when he made 10 starts and posted a 6.44 ERA as through 25 starts this season, he has a 5.51 ERA. He opened the season with an awful outing and he has not been able to get his ERA under 4.76 at any point this season and it has been truly bad of late. Since June 17, he has an ERA of 6.71 over 10 starts and that puts him No. 93 out of 94 starting pitchers that have thrown at least 50 innings. The one thing he has none well is limit walks as his 3.0% BB% is No. 2 but Milwaukee is No. 2 as a team in BB%. The Brewers are No. 4 in the National League in OPS against righties and they are 58-34 against right-handed starters. Freddy Peralta is not having his best season either but it is far from horrible with a 4.00 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 25 starts. He has pitched better away from home as Miller Park has not been great to him despite coming off a solid outing against Cleveland. Over that same time frame since June 17, he has a 3.52 ERA which is over three runs less than Mikolas and that is No. 30 out of those 93 starters while his K% of 25.1% is No. 24. 10* (953) Milwaukee Brewers

This is a play on the MILWAUKEE BREWERS for our MLB Afternoon Dominator. Milwaukee had its six-game winning streak snapped with a 10-6 extra inning loss last night off a walk off grand slam. The Brewers had allowed just 2.3 rpg during the winning streak which had picked up for a poor offense as they had averaged only 3.0 rpg over that stretch but they did manage six runs last night and have an elite matchup tonight. They were surprising underdogs last night despite coming in with a 10-game lead over the Cardinals and today they are the small chalk. The Cardinals have played their way out of the postseason even though last night may have given them a little confidence as they are still five games out of the final Wild Card spot in the National League, sitting two games below .500. They have been a much better team at home but have gone only 4-7 in their last 11 home games against teams in current playoff spots. The offense has been middle of the pack in August but they are one of only six teams with an ERA of 5.00 or higher. Miles Mikolas is having his worst season since his 2014 rookie year with Texas when he made 10 starts and posted a 6.44 ERA as through 25 starts this season, he has a 5.51 ERA. He opened the season with an awful outing and he has not been able to get his ERA under 4.76 at any point this season and it has been truly bad of late. Since June 17, he has an ERA of 6.71 over 10 starts and that puts him No. 93 out of 94 starting pitchers that have thrown at least 50 innings. The one thing he has none well is limit walks as his 3.0% BB% is No. 2 but Milwaukee is No. 2 as a team in BB%. The Brewers are No. 4 in the National League in OPS against righties and they are 58-34 against right-handed starters. Freddy Peralta is not having his best season either but it is far from horrible with a 4.00 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 25 starts. He has pitched better away from home as Miller Park has not been great to him despite coming off a solid outing against Cleveland. Over that same time frame since June 17, he has a 3.52 ERA which is over three runs less than Mikolas and that is No. 30 out of those 93 starters while his K% of 25.1% is No. 24. 10* (953) Milwaukee Brewers

This is a play on the PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES as part of our MLB Wednesday Triple Play. It has been a rollercoaster of late for the Phillies as they went on a 1-8 run before winning four of five only to drop four more games in a row but got it right back with four consecutive wins prior to their recent two-game losing streak. Their lead in the National League East is down to six games over the Braves while they still have an 9.5-game cushion in the Wild Card standings so there is nothing to get worried about but they just need to get that consistency back on offense and they have the matchup tonight to do so. The Braves are coming off their third straight win and are 6-2 over their last eight following a horrible 1-7 stretch as the offense continues to struggle. Atlanta cannot avoid the injury bug as they got Michael Harris back last week but now are without Austin Riley who has a fractured wrist after getting hit with a pitch and he joins Ozzie Albies with Ronald Acuna, Jr. already out for the season so they have not had a stable lineup for quite come time. Aaron Nola is coming off a solid outing against Washington which may not be saying much but it did put an end to a three-game non-quality start streak. He has been criticized that he is starting to fade the wrong way in his tenth year with the Phillies but he is in the midst of his fourth best season with Philadelphia as far as ERA goes which is at 3.45 to go along with a 1.14 WHIP while pitching to a 3.88 xERA and he is still considered a top level arm. Out of 62 qualified starters, his 3.62 xFIP in No. 23 while his .279 BABIP is tied for No. 25. Max Fried has been led consistent and since returning from injury, he has not looked the same as he has a 7.90 ERA and 1.98 WHIP in three starts while posting a 20:11 K:BB ratio. His struggles go back further with his command as since June 11, he has a 10.5% BB% which is No. 111 among 122 starters that have gone at least 40 innings. This is not the matchup he needs to get right against as the Phillies are No. 1 in baseball in OPS against left-handed pitching at .796 and prior to their two-game skid, they faced three straight lefties and won them all by scoring 21 runs to put them 29-20 on the season against left-handed starters. 10* (905) Philadelphia Phillies

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This is a play on the CLEVELAND GUARDIANS as part of our MLB Wednesday Triple Play. The Guardians broke through with a six-run 12th inning to beat the Yankees 9-5 to get right following getting swept by the Brewers over the weekend. The win increased their lead to 3.5 games in the American League Central over both Minnesota and Kansas City and last night was a huge win and again, this line is completely overinflated. Cleveland is now a half-game ahead of the Yankees for the best record in baseball yet this line is saying the difference is much greater. The offense had been struggling up until that 12th inning but the Guardians have their sweet spot here. The Yankees were coming off a 3-3 roadtrip which was disappointing as they should have blown through the White Sox and Tigers and have now seen their lead in the American League East disappear as they are now a half-game behind Baltimore. New York has been pretty average at home where it is four games over .500 compared to being 41-25 on the road yet come in as massive favorites behind a pitcher that is going the wrong way. The offense has been above average at Yankee Stadium but New York has a 3.96 ERA here which is No. 18 including No. 10 in the American League. Nestor Cotes was all over the place early in the season with some gems but also some poor outings and he looked to have gotten more consistent with five straight starts of allowing three runs or less in mid-June through early-July but he then went backwards with a five games stretch without making it out of the fifth inning in four of those while posting a 9.26 ERA over 23.1 innings. He is coming off one of his best starts of the season as he allowed no runs on three hits with no walks and nine strikeouts but that came against the White Sox, the worst offense in baseball. He faces a Cleveland offense that is tied for No. 9 in OPS against left-handed pitching and the Guardians are 26-9 on the season against left-handed starters. Joey Cantillo made three starts which were not great but they got progressively better and after a short stint at Triple-A following his last outing, he is back in the rotation, taking the place of the injured Alex Cobb. He has a full bullpen behind him following an off day Monday. 10* (911) Cleveland Guardians

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This is a play on the TORONTO BLUE JAYS as part of our MLB Wednesday Triple Play. Toronto has won five of its last eight games following a 10-3 win last night as the Blue Jays blasted five home runs off Carson Spiers and we think they can keep that offense going tonight. It has been a totally lost season for Toronto as it remains nine games under .500 and come into tonight as the underdog in some spots but this looks to be another favorable matchup. The Blue Jays are middle of the road on offense but since the trade deadline when they have settled into their current offense, they have been solid with a 117 wRC+ which is No. 8 in baseball while their .331 wOBA, .439 SLG and .767 OPS are also No. 8. The Reds were making a run to stay alive in the National League Wild Card as they were on a four-game winning streak but went to Kansas City and got swept while scoring a total of three runs in the three-game set. Cincinnato has dropped four of five and are now back to four games under .500 while sitting 6.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot. While Toronto has been swinging it well, the Reds are not as they are ranked No. 18 or worse in those four aforementioned hitting categories and it bottom out with an 88 wRC+ which is No 25 in baseball. Nick Martinez has put some life into the Reds rotation as he has made three starts since coming out of the bullpen and has posted a 1.50 ERA and 0.82 WHIP as he has not walked a single batter over this stretch. We are far from sold however as he opened the season with five spot starts wrapped around his bullpen work and those were horrible and the issue here is how far can he go coming off an 80-pitch start. The reason for the concern is the Reds bullpen has been logging a ton of innings the last four games without a break and since August 13, they are dead last in baseball with a 6.28 ERA. Yariel Rodriguez has settled into the rotation and he has been great. In 14 starts, he has a 3.86 ERA and 1.29 WHIP while allowing three runs or less in 12 of those games. The two exceptions were against the Cubs and Guardians but both of those were on the road and he brings in a 2.49 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in four home starts so his work has been road heavy and three of those home outings were against elite offenses in Oakland, Houston and Kansas City. 10* (926) Toronto Blue Jays

This is a play on the ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS RL as part of our MLB Tuesday Triple Play. After getting swept in Tampa Bay, Arizona bounced back with a 9-6 win last night to temporarily stop the bleeding. They have won 21 of 29 games since the All Star Break and they are 31-13 over their last 44 games and remain one game behind the Padres in the National League Wild Card standings. They are just four games behind the Dodgers in the National League West as the offense remains one of the best in baseball as they lead the league in runs scored and are tied with the Dodgers in the National League in wOBA at .330. This is the auto fade Miami spot as the Marlins are averaging 3.8 rpg over its last 24 games and the offense has been bad all season as the Marlins are second to last in baseball with a .288 wOBA, .658 OPS and a .128 ISO. Going back to May 19, Miami has scored three runs or less in 44 of 77 games and this includes getting shut out nine times over this span. The Marlins facing a left-handed starter has been bad news as they are 9-33 while averaging 3.0 rpg with a .226 average, third worst in the league and a .630 OPS, second to last in baseball and of those 33 losses, 28 have been by two or more runs and by an average of 4.1 rpg. Eduardo Rodriguez has made just two starts since getting into the Arizona rotation as he is expected to play a big part in the playoff push. Both have been average as he has allowed three runs in each of those while going 5.2 and 5.0 innings but he increased his pitch count from 65 to 83 and he has his best matchup so far. Additionally, his command was much better in his second start as in his first outing, he was in Cleveland so that was a brutal road opener. Edwardo Cabrera was on a solid run as he went five straight starts of allowing three runs or less before the Phillies got to him last time out as he gave up six runs on six hits over four innings. He was coming off a pair of encouraging shutout performances but he has now made it through five innings only six times in 14 starts and he faces another potent offense. Overall, he has a 5.76 ERA and his xERA is now 4.93 and trending downward and the matchups have made a huge difference in his results. 10* (951) Arizona Diamondbacks -1.5 Runs

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This is a play on the BALTIMORE ORIOLES as part of our MLB Tuesday Triple Play. Baltimore has dropped three of its last four games including a 4-3 walkoff loss last night to fall a half-game behind New York in the American League East. The Orioles still have a seven-game cushion in the Wild Card standings and this is a game they could use to get the offense back on track after scoring more than five runs over their last eight games. They are still 11 games over .500 on the road where they have a .768 OPS, third best in baseball and it is in a smash spot tonight. New York has won three of its last four games to keep pace with the Braves in the National League Wild Card standings, trailing Atlanta by a game and a half for the final spot. There has been no huge home field edge for the Mets which are now two games over .500 at Citi Field and the pitching has been the spotlight of late, allowing just runs over these last four games and while they shut down a potent offense last night, the first three games came against the Marlins which have one of the worst offenses in baseball. We are rolling with Dean Kreamer again who is coming off a quality outing against Washington following a pair of poor starts. The matchup is more difficult here but two encouraging signs are that his pitch counts have been over 92 in his last four starts and since coming back into the rotation in early July, he has made eight starts while giving up only five home runs after allowing 10 home runs through his first nine starts before hitting the shelf in late May. He has a .249 BABIP which is No. 11 out of 105 starters that have tossed at least 90 innings. The Mets are just No. 15 in home OPS. Jose Quintana continues to pitch above expectations. He has a 4.26 ERA but a 4.96 xERA and he has been fortunate with career best numbers in BABIP and Strand Rate which are both above league averages. He has a 5.00 FIP and 4.64 xFIP which are both No. 56 among 61 qualified starters. Baltimore remains one of the best offenses in baseball as it is No. 2 in OPS at .769, trailing only the Yankees, while also sitting No. 2 in wOBA at .331 and wRC+ at 117. They lead the American League by a wide margin and are No. 4 overall in OPS against left-handed pitching at .772. 10* (969) Baltimore Orioles

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This is a play on the MINNESOTA TWINS as part of our MLB Tuesday Triple Play. San Diego took the opener of this series last night following a series loss in Colorado over the weekend but the Padres remain the hottest team in baseball over the last month as they are 20-5 over their last 25 games. San Diego is three games behind the Dodgers in the National League West and remain one game up on the Diamondbacks in the Wild Card standings for first place and the matchup is tougher than last night. Minnesota has dropped two straight games following a three-game winning streak and it is now tied with Kansas City for second place in the American League Central, 2.5 games behind Cleveland. Both the Twins and Royals are safely in the Wild Card standings as they are 4.5 games clear of Boston and Minnesota comes in as the slight favorite but it is for good reason as the home/road numbers are fairly equal and the Twins have the pitching edge. Martin Perez has been hit or miss since June when he starting throwing again but he is moving the right way as he has tossed four straight quality outings, allowing four runs over 24.1 combined innings. The last three starts have been with San Diego since coming over from Pittsburgh at the trade deadline but he has had some juicy matchups in those games as they were against the Rockies, Marlins and Pirates. The one road game was against Miami which has a .679 home OPS, No. 26 in baseball while Colorado and Pittsburgh have road OPSs of .645 and .666 which are No. 28 and No. 26 respectively. Minnesota is No. 14 in road OPS but against lefties, it has dominated with a .755 OPS, second best in the American League. Bailer Ober is part of a strong Minnesota rotation and he has quietly gone about his business for a third straight season as he has a 3.49 ERA which is right in line with his 3.36 xERA. He has tossed 10 straight quality outings going back to June 16 and has a 1.87 ERA which is second best in baseball among qualified starters and his BAA of .165 is also No. 2. He is ranked No. 8 in K-BB% over this stretch and this has been a strength as over the last two full seasons, 58 starters have gone at least 250 innings and he is No. 9 in K-BB% and he is No. 3 in WHIP at 1.03. 10* (975) Minnesota Twins

This is a play on the ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS RL as part of our MLB Tuesday Triple Play. After getting swept in Tampa Bay, Arizona bounced back with a 9-6 win last night to temporarily stop the bleeding. They have won 21 of 29 games since the All Star Break and they are 31-13 over their last 44 games and remain one game behind the Padres in the National League Wild Card standings. They are just four games behind the Dodgers in the National League West as the offense remains one of the best in baseball as they lead the league in runs scored and are tied with the Dodgers in the National League in wOBA at .330. This is the auto fade Miami spot as the Marlins are averaging 3.8 rpg over its last 24 games and the offense has been bad all season as the Marlins are second to last in baseball with a .288 wOBA, .658 OPS and a .128 ISO. Going back to May 19, Miami has scored three runs or less in 44 of 77 games and this includes getting shut out nine times over this span. The Marlins facing a left-handed starter has been bad news as they are 9-33 while averaging 3.0 rpg with a .226 average, third worst in the league and a .630 OPS, second to last in baseball and of those 33 losses, 28 have been by two or more runs and by an average of 4.1 rpg. Eduardo Rodriguez has made just two starts since getting into the Arizona rotation as he is expected to play a big part in the playoff push. Both have been average as he has allowed three runs in each of those while going 5.2 and 5.0 innings but he increased his pitch count from 65 to 83 and he has his best matchup so far. Additionally, his command was much better in his second start as in his first outing, he was in Cleveland so that was a brutal road opener. Edwardo Cabrera was on a solid run as he went five straight starts of allowing three runs or less before the Phillies got to him last time out as he gave up six runs on six hits over four innings. He was coming off a pair of encouraging shutout performances but he has now made it through five innings only six times in 14 starts and he faces another potent offense. Overall, he has a 5.76 ERA and his xERA is now 4.93 and trending downward and the matchups have made a huge difference in his results. 10* (951) Arizona Diamondbacks -1.5 Runs

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This is a play on the BALTIMORE ORIOLES as part of our MLB Tuesday Triple Play. Baltimore has dropped three of its last four games including a 4-3 walkoff loss last night to fall a half-game behind New York in the American League East. The Orioles still have a seven-game cushion in the Wild Card standings and this is a game they could use to get the offense back on track after scoring more than five runs over their last eight games. They are still 11 games over .500 on the road where they have a .768 OPS, third best in baseball and it is in a smash spot tonight. New York has won three of its last four games to keep pace with the Braves in the National League Wild Card standings, trailing Atlanta by a game and a half for the final spot. There has been no huge home field edge for the Mets which are now two games over .500 at Citi Field and the pitching has been the spotlight of late, allowing just runs over these last four games and while they shut down a potent offense last night, the first three games came against the Marlins which have one of the worst offenses in baseball. We are rolling with Dean Kreamer again who is coming off a quality outing against Washington following a pair of poor starts. The matchup is more difficult here but two encouraging signs are that his pitch counts have been over 92 in his last four starts and since coming back into the rotation in early July, he has made eight starts while giving up only five home runs after allowing 10 home runs through his first nine starts before hitting the shelf in late May. He has a .249 BABIP which is No. 11 out of 105 starters that have tossed at least 90 innings. The Mets are just No. 15 in home OPS. Jose Quintana continues to pitch above expectations. He has a 4.26 ERA but a 4.96 xERA and he has been fortunate with career best numbers in BABIP and Strand Rate which are both above league averages. He has a 5.00 FIP and 4.64 xFIP which are both No. 56 among 61 qualified starters. Baltimore remains one of the best offenses in baseball as it is No. 2 in OPS at .769, trailing only the Yankees, while also sitting No. 2 in wOBA at .331 and wRC+ at 117. They lead the American League by a wide margin and are No. 4 overall in OPS against left-handed pitching at .772. 10* (969) Baltimore Orioles

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This is a play on the MINNESOTA TWINS as part of our MLB Tuesday Triple Play. San Diego took the opener of this series last night following a series loss in Colorado over the weekend but the Padres remain the hottest team in baseball over the last month as they are 20-5 over their last 25 games. San Diego is three games behind the Dodgers in the National League West and remain one game up on the Diamondbacks in the Wild Card standings for first place and the matchup is tougher than last night. Minnesota has dropped two straight games following a three-game winning streak and it is now tied with Kansas City for second place in the American League Central, 2.5 games behind Cleveland. Both the Twins and Royals are safely in the Wild Card standings as they are 4.5 games clear of Boston and Minnesota comes in as the slight favorite but it is for good reason as the home/road numbers are fairly equal and the Twins have the pitching edge. Martin Perez has been hit or miss since June when he starting throwing again but he is moving the right way as he has tossed four straight quality outings, allowing four runs over 24.1 combined innings. The last three starts have been with San Diego since coming over from Pittsburgh at the trade deadline but he has had some juicy matchups in those games as they were against the Rockies, Marlins and Pirates. The one road game was against Miami which has a .679 home OPS, No. 26 in baseball while Colorado and Pittsburgh have road OPSs of .645 and .666 which are No. 28 and No. 26 respectively. Minnesota is No. 14 in road OPS but against lefties, it has dominated with a .755 OPS, second best in the American League. Bailer Ober is part of a strong Minnesota rotation and he has quietly gone about his business for a third straight season as he has a 3.49 ERA which is right in line with his 3.36 xERA. He has tossed 10 straight quality outings going back to June 16 and has a 1.87 ERA which is second best in baseball among qualified starters and his BAA of .165 is also No. 2. He is ranked No. 8 in K-BB% over this stretch and this has been a strength as over the last two full seasons, 58 starters have gone at least 250 innings and he is No. 9 in K-BB% and he is No. 3 in WHIP at 1.03. 10* (975) Minnesota Twins

This is a play on the OAKLAND ATHLETICS for our American League Game of the Year. We have been high on Oakland over the second half of the season as it has been under the radar but its 53 wins are already three more than all of last season with 38 games still remaining. The Athletics are coming off a weekend split against the Giants and they are again in an undervalued spot being a non-public play. Since July 1, the Athletics are 23-15 which is the fourth best record in baseball, sitting behind only Arizona, San Diego and Houston. Overall, they have been much better at home than on the road as they are just one game under .500 in Oakland. Tampa Bay is coming off a sweep over Arizona following a rollercoaster 7-6 win in extra innings on Sunday after blowing a 6-0 lead. The Rays have moved a game over .500 but remain 6.5 games behind the Royals for the final American League Wild Card spot. The offense came to life against the Diamondbacks pitching with 18 runs scored but they have struggled over the last three weeks as they are No. 29 in both wOBA at .283 and OPS at .649 and No. 26 in wRC+ at 87 since July 31. Taj Bradley was supposed to start on Sunday but was scratched the night before to get an extra day of rest as he is struggling. He went nine starts between June 8 and July 25 allowing two runs or less each time out, posting a 0.82 ERA but the wheels have come off. He has put up a 9.64 ERA over his last three outings and while his overall numbers remain strong, he has been below average on the road all season with a 4.50 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in seven starts. The Athletics have had one of the top offenses in baseball over the last six weeks as since July 1, they are No. 4 in wRC+ at 122 and No. 5 in wOBA at .337. Joe Boyle was a late callup last season and he put up a 1.69 ERA in three starts and he ended up making the opening day roster. He did make four solid starts but he has three blowups and was eventually demoted to work on his stuff. He was recalled earlier this month and has made one start and while it was not a good one, it was on the road against the Mets and has a much better matchup. He has the better bullpen behind him tonight as well with Oakland and Tampa Bay dead even with a 3.76 xFIP with active arms and the difference here is that Tampa Bay used 16 relievers against Arizona including seven on Sunday. 10* (908) Oakland Athletics

This is a play on the GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS for our CFB Opening Kickoff. The 2024 season gets under way in Dublin, Ireland for a third straight season and it will be the conference opener for both teams. Florida St. made a CFP run last season and it ran the table but did not get in despite being undefeated as quarterback Jordan Travis was lost in the final regular season game which is why they were left out. It was unfortunate and the Seminoles embarrassed themselves in the Orange Bowl in a 63-3 loss against Georgia and they will be out to repeat but it will not come easy. Besides Travis, it lost running back Trey Benson, and receivers Keon Coleman, Johnny Wilson and Jaheim Bell and those four playmakers accounted for 2,910 yards of offense. The defense has only five starters back and while still a strength, this is not an easy matchup. After going 10-28 under head coach Geoff Collins, who was fired four games into the 2022 season, Georgia Tech has been a different team under new head coach Brent Key as it has gone 11-10, which is nothing spectacular, but the culture change is evident. The Yellow Jackets went to their first bowl game since 2018 and defeated Central Florida 30-17 in the Gasparilla Bowl to secure a winning season that included a 5-3 record in the conference with two of the losses coming against Clemson and Louisville. When you think of offense, Georgia Tech is not going to be an answer from anyone but last season, the offense was the strength as Georgia Tech finished No. 14 in the country in total offense led by quarterback Haynes King who has huge upside as long as he considerably cuts down on his 16 interceptions. Additionally, 1,187-yard running back Jamal Haynes is back as well as the two leading receivers so this offense should not miss a beat. Key overhauled the defensive staff in the offseason and focused on improving via the transfer portal while bringing in new defense coordinator Tyler Santucci who had that position at Duke last season. The Blue Devils led the ACC in scoring defense with 19.0 ppg, good for No. 16 in the country. While it will not be a massive turnaround, the defense will show some big improvements. 10* (306) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

This is a play on the B.C. LIONS for our CFL Division Game of the Month. After starting the season 5-1, the Lions have lost three straight games, including an embarrassing 25-0 loss against the Bombers earlier this month. During that stretch, BC has been outscored 83-40 and managed just three touchdowns. Quarterback Vernon Adams, Jr. was hurt in that game and they could get nothing going against Edmonton last week in another embarrassing loss 33-16. Now it is a homecoming for quarterback Nathan Rourke as during the 2022 season with B.C., he completed 255 of 325 passes for 3,349 yards, 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 10 games while rushing for 304 yards and seven touchdowns and was named the 2022 CFL Most Outstanding Player. He then made the move to the NFL where he was with Jacksonville most of last season but released in December and was claimed by New England where he was eventually released in May and then after short summer stints with the Giants and Falcons, he has returned to the Lions in what will be a seamless transition. Winnipeg is coming off a bye week following that shutout victory and it probably came at the wrong time because it killed any momentum it might have gained in what has been a rough season. The Blue Bombers are now 3-6 and are back on the road where they are winless at 0-4. The Winnipeg defense limited the Lions to just 129 total yards and four first downs but again, Adams went down with an injury so they were cooked anyway. Winnipeg has struggled with turnovers and this is a bad spot to come into and try and curb that as this is a big revenge game for B.C. and one that Rourke will want bad in his return. 10* (788) B.C. Lions

This is a play on the LOS ANGELES DODGERS as part of our MLB Sunday Triple Play. St. Louis came away with the big win last night behind a solid effort from Andre Pallante who went seven innings which gave the overused bullpen a break and that snapped a five-game losing streak. It was more of a play against Bobby Miller than anything. The Cardinals are back to a game under .500 and remain 10 games behind the Brewers in the National League Central and as mentioned, they are still very much alive in the Wild Card race, sitting four games back but has a tough matchup today facing a lefty. The Dodgers are 1-3 over their last four games with the offense scoring just 10 runs in the three losses but this is the spot to get the bats going. Los Angeles had its lead in the National League West fall to two games over the Padres so they are far from comfortable. Despite going through a lot of roster moves because of injuries, the Dodgers are still no. 3 in wOBA, wRC+ and ISO. While he has not been overpowering and totally dominant, the return of Clayton Kershaw has been reassuring to the Dodgers as he has looked good while not being pushed. He has gotten better in each of his four starts, namely the last two where he allowed a pair of runs in each while going 10.1 innings with an 11:2 K:BB ratio. Overall, he has a 3.01 FIP and 3.50 ERA and has a K% of 21% while posting a 6.2% BB%. St. Louis is No. 26 in baseball in OPS against left-handed pitching at .656. Sonny Gray got off to a great start in his first season with the Cardinals as he posted a 2.81 ERA through his first 13 starts but it has been downhill since then. He has a 5.89 ERA over nine starts since June 29 and while there has been some bad luck along the way with his 59.2% LOB% which is No. 79 out of 83 starters that have gone at least 40 innings, he is has a .352 BABIP which is No. 76 and his 1.90 HR/9 is No. 77 and now goes up against the team with the most home runs in the National League and is back to near full health. 10* (955) Los Angeles Dodgers

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This is a play on the ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS as part of our MLB Sunday Triple Play. Arizona was our only letdown yesterday and we will back them again today as the Diamondbacks look to avoid the sweep. They have won 20 of 27 games since the All Star Break and they are 30-12 over their last 42 games but have fallen one game behind the Padres in the National League Wild Card standings. They are just three games behind the Dodgers in the National League West as the offense remains one of the best in baseball as they lead the league in runs scored and are tied with the Dodgers in the National League in wOBA at .330. The Rays snapped a three-game slide with the win on Friday and are just 6-9 over their last 15 games as they are right at .500. They are fading in the American League Wild Card and are still 6.5 games behind Kansas City for the final spot and have gone 1-6 in their last seven games following consecutive victories. Even though the offense has scored 11 runs in the first two games of this series, the offense has been the issue, as they are dead last in wOBA at .279 and wRC+ at 84 since July 31. Taj Bradley was supposed to get the start but he was pushed back after three straight poor outings. Drew Rasmussen will serve as the opening pitcher which will be his second start of the season, though he is expected to pitch just one or two innings before handing the ball off to Tyler Alexander in this bullpen game. He has been better since rejoining the roster but we cannot be sold against this offense as of 142 pitchers to toss at least 70 innings, he is No. 139 in HR/9 at 1.90. Merrill Kelly is coming off his first start since April and it was effective as he allowed two runs on three hits over five innings and that was against a strong Phillies lineup. It was encouraging that he threw 85 pitches and even he said he was nervous in his return with the two runs coming in the first inning before he settled down and stated that it felt like riding a bike from the third inning on. 10* (971) Arizona Diamondbacks

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This is a play on the CLEVELAND GUARDIANS as part of our MLB Sunday Triple Play. Cleveland has dropped the first two games of this series following a five-game winning streak and with Minnesota having won three in a row, the Guardians lead in the American League Central is down to just two games. The offense has quieted down considerably as they have scored three runs or less in eight of their last 11 games and while we prefer to play Cleveland against left-handed starters, they are facing a bottom of the rotation starter today. Milwaukee remains 10 games up on the Cardinals in the National League Central as it has now won four straight games and another division crown is inevitable. The Brewers own offense has also seen a dip in production of late and has a tougher than expected matchup here. Their bullpen is second best to Cleveland but two of their best arms will be unavailable today so the Guardians could have the latter innings advantage but that might not even come into play. We played on Colin Rea in his last start against the Dodgers which just proved his overall top line numbers are a façade. Despite allowing seven runs, he is still putting together the best season of his career as he has a 3.72 ERA and 1.20 WHIP through 23 games but he has a 5.05 xERA and that negative regression looks to be settling in. His 4.36 SIERA is No. 51 out of 63 qualified starters which has given him terrible Stuff+ as he relies on soft contact and with a 19.2% K%, which is No. 53, this is not the offense to face that is in a drought. Ben Lively has quietly put together a great season with a 3.71 ERA and 1.21 WHIP through 21 starts. His metrics are pretty much in line with his top line numbers and he has a 4.01 xERA so he is pitching to expectations and will be a key part going forward. His splits are pretty equal and the one thing that has hurt him has been the long ball but Milwaukee is not a power team against righties and Lively has a wOBA under .290 with his sweeper and sinker so it is all about location. 10* (973) Cleveland Guardians