Cubs Can Use a Win Against Nationals

Cubs Have Work to Do Against Nationals

It looks like the Chicago Cubs (82-57, +03.90 betting units) will win the NL Central again. Nothing is etched in stone with a month left. A win Thursday over the Washington Nationals (69-71, -20.98 units) would be most welcome indeed.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, NBCS Chicago, MASN (Washington)

Odds: Nationals are -110-moneyline favorites. The total is 8.5 Under -115.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs RH Kyle Hendricks (11-10, 3.77 ERA) vs. Nationals RH Stephen Strasbourg (7-7, 4.09)

Going into the season, this weekend's series looked like it would be a pivotal one between pennant contenders. It turns out it's a big one for the Cubs. The Nationals are barely clinging to their slim postseason hopes as the series begins.

The Cubs hold the best record in the National League. They have a four-game lead over Milwaukee in the NL Central after a 6-4 win over the Brewers on Wednesday. Chicago has won 11 of its last 15 overall and took two of three from Washington last month.

It helped to help sink the Nationals' playoff hopes. Washington has lost five of its last seven to fall two games below .500. They are 7 1/2 games behind Atlanta in the NL East. The Nationals dropped the finale of their three-game series against visiting St. Louis 7-6 despite 16 hits Wednesday.

Cubs Have Slim Lead Over Brewers

Kyle Hendricks is on the mound for the Cubs. They try to increase their four-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers in a tight NL Central race. The St. Louis Cardinals are 4.5 games behind.

Hendricks has pitched well this year. He’s down 9.06 units on a team record of 14-14, with the Under at 19-9. On the bright side, Chicago’s recent bullpen improvements have helped the Cubs win six of Hendrick’s last seven starts.

Hendricks has posted three straight quality starts. He has allowed three runs over 20 innings during that stretch. He held Philadelphia to one run over six frames in a win last time out. Hendricks tossed seven scoreless innings to beat Cincinnati in his previous start.

Hendricks is 2-2 with a 2.72 ERA in six career starts against the Nationals.

Kyle Schwarber hit his 25th home run Wednesday. He joins Anthony Rizzo and Billy Williams as the club's only left-handed hitters with multiple 25-homer seasons before age 26.

Strasburg is Still a Primadonna

Washington will go with Stephen Strasburg tonight. Strasburg has pitched better than his pedestrian ERA would indicate. He’s still not his usual All-Star self this year. The Nats have dropped eight of his 17 starts for a loss of 3.50 units.

The Over is 11-6 when Strasburg takes the mound, spurred in part by one of the worst bullpens in baseball.

Strasburg struggled in his return from the disabled list Aug. 22. He has pitched better his last two times out. The 30-year-old didn't get a decision Saturday against Milwaukee. He held a potent Brewers lineup to two runs over six innings for his second straight quality start.

Strasburg is 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA in five regular-season starts against the Cubs.

Trea Turner (11-for-31) and OF Adam Eaton (11-for-34) are riding seven-game hitting streaks.

PREDICTION: Cubs 5, Nationals 4

Recent Form

Team	record	money	vs LHP	vs RHP	Fave	Dog	O/U	Diff
Chi Cubs	82-57	$390.00	19-11	63-46	73-41	9-16	61-74-4	0.82
Washington	69-71	-$2,098.00	14-23	55-48	57-55	12-16	63-73-4	0.46

Pitchers Last 3 Starts

K Hendricks (11-10) ERA: 3.77

event date	Opponent	Result	score	OU Result	ip	money
Sep 1, 2018	PHI	W	7-1	U	6	$79.00
Aug 26, 2018	CIN	W	9-0	U	7	$38.00
Aug 21, 2018	DET	L	1-2	U	7	-$100.00

S Strasburg (7-7) ERA: 4.09

event date	Opponent	Result	score	OU Result	ip	money
Sep 1, 2018	MIL	W	5-4	O	6	$79.00
Aug 27, 2018	PHI	W	5-3	U	6	$88.00
Aug 22, 2018	PHI	W	8-7	O	4	$67.00

Bullpen

Chi Cubs's relievers have pitched 9 innings in the last 3 games.
Washington's relievers have pitched 11 innings in the last 3 games.

Pitcher Recent Starts Vs Opponent

Chicago Cubs - K Hendricks

Date	score	Winner	ip	hits	Runs	Earned Runs	walks	strikeouts	Decision
Aug 10, 2018	3-2	CHC	6	8	2	2	0	5	No Decision
Oct 12, 2017	9-8	CHC	4	9	4	4	1	7	No Decision
Oct 6, 2017	3-0	CHC	7	2	0	0	3	6	Win
Aug 4, 2017	4-2	WSH	7	5	3	3	2	5	Loss
Jun 13, 2016	4-1	WSH	5.1	6	4	3	4	4	Loss

Washington Nationals - S Strasburg

Date	score	Winner	ip	hits	Runs	Earned Runs	walks	strikeouts	Decision
Oct 11, 2017	5-0	WSH	7	3	0	0	2	12	Win
Oct 6, 2017	3-0	CHC	7	3	2	0	1	10	Loss
Jun 28, 2017	8-4	WSH	7	4	3	2	1	13	Win
Jun 15, 2016	5-4	WSH	7	6	1	1	1	8	No Decision
Aug 22, 2013	5-4	WSH	8.2	7	4	4	2	8	No Decision

Supergrid

Title	Stat	Rank	Stat	Rank
Away Team Overall Scoring vs Home Team Overall Defense	4.81	5	4.18	12
Away Team Away Scoring vs Home Team Home Defense	4.59	9	4.54	21
Home Team Overall Scoring vs Away Team Overall Defense	4.64	12	3.99	6
Home Team Home Scoring vs Away Team Road Defense	4.90	7	3.49	2

Head To Head Detail

Date	Away	away score	Home	home score	line	O/U	Away Pitcher	Home Pitcher	Away Hits	Home Hits	Away Walks	Home Walks	Away Strikeouts	Home Strikeouts
Aug 12, 2018	WSH	3	CHC	4	127	7.5	U	Max Scherzer (R)	Cole Hamels (L)	3	6	3	1	12	11
Ag 11, 2018	WSH	9	CHC	4	-135	9	O	Tanner Roark (R)	Jon Lester (L)	13	11	5	2	12	8
Aug 10, 2018	WSH	2	CHC	3	-139	8.5	U	Jeremy Hellickson (R)	Kyle Hendricks (R)	9	4	2	6	8	5
Oct 12, 2017	CHC	9	WSH	8	108	7.5	O	Kyle Hendricks (R)	Gio Gonzalez (L)	9	14	6	9	9	12
Ot 11, 2017	WSH	5	CHC	0	-104	7	U	Stephen Strasburg (R)	Jake Arrieta (R)	5	3	9	3	7	14
Oct 9, 2017	WSH	1	CHC	2	100	7.5	U	Max Scherzer (R)	Jose Quintana (L)	3	4	1	4	9	8
Ot 7, 2017	CHC	3	WSH	6	-118	8.5	O	Jon Lester (L)	Gio Gonzalez (L)	6	6	3	3	8	4
Oct 6, 2017	CHC	3	WSH	0	-145	7.5	U	Kyle Hendricks (R)	Stephen Strasburg (R)	5	2	2	3	13	9
Aug 6, 2017	WSH	9	CHC	4	-192	9.5	O	Erick Fedde (R)	Jon Lester (L)	10	10	2	4	11	10
Aug 5, 2017	WSH	4	CHC	7	-162	11	P	Edwin Jackson (R)	John Lackey (R)	7	9	5	2	9	14

MLB Betting Odds and Trends

Chicago Cubs
Chi Cubs is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
ChiCubs is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games
Chi Cubs is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Chi Cubs's last 16 games on the road
Chi Cubs is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Washington
ChiCubs is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi Cubs's last 6 games when playing Washington
Chi Cubs is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington

Washington Nationals
Washington is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games
Washington is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games
Washington is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Washington is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games at home
Washington is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Chi Cubs
Washington is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Chi Cubs
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games when playing Chi Cubs
Washington is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs

Team Vs Division Or Conference

Chicago Cubs

	record	Home	Away	Fave	Dog	O/U	vs LHP	vs RHP
Overall	82-57	44-24	38-33	73-39	13-17	61-74-4	19-11	63-46
Last 10	6-4	2-1	4-3	4-2	3-1	6-4	0-2	6-2
vs Div	34-29	18-8	16-21	34-19	2-9	26-34-3	3-1	31-28
vs AL	11-6	7-3	4-3	10-4	1-2	8-9	3-0	8-6
vs NL	71-51	37-21	34-30	63-35	12-15	53-65-4	16-11	55-40

Washington Nationals

	record	Home	Away	Fave	Dog	O/U	vs LHP	vs RHP
Overall	69-71	35-35	34-36	57-52	12-19	63-73-4	14-23	55-48
Last 10	5-5	2-4	3-1	4-3	1-2	7-3	1-0	4-5
vs Div	31-30	16-14	15-16	28-23	3-7	31-26-4	7-6	24-24
vs AL	9-11	5-5	4-6	6-7	3-4	6-14	1-4	8-7
vs NL	60-60	30-30	30-30	51-45	9-15	57-59-4	13-19	47-41

Team Last 5 Games

Chicago Cubs

Date	Opponent	score	Result	line	Total	starter	ip	opposing starter	Location
Sep 5, 2018	MIL	6-4	W	-103	8.5	J Quintana	6.2	J Chacin	A
Sep 4, 2018	MIL	1-11	L	-105	9	Mike Montgomery	4	W Miley	A
Sep 3, 2018	MIL	3-4	L	-121	8.5	C Hamels	6	Zach Davies	A
Sep 2, 2018	PHI	8-1	W	117	8	J Lester	6	Aaron Nola	A
Sep 1, 2018	PHI	7-1	W	-126	9	K Hendricks	6	Zach Eflin	A

Washington Nationals

Date	Opponent	score	Result	line	Total	starter	ip	opposing starter	Location
Sep 5, 2018	STL	6-7	L	-113	9	T Roark	5	M Mikolas	H
Sep 4, 2018	STL	8-11	L	-122	9.5	Erick Fedde	5	John Gant	H
Sep 3, 2018	STL	4-3	W	-190	7.5	M Scherzer	7	Jack Flaherty	H
Sep 2, 2018	MIL	4-9	L	101	9.5	Jefry Rodriguez	4.2	Junior Guerra	H
Sep 1, 2018	MIL	5-4	W	-127	8.5	S Strasburg	6	C Anderson	H

Get all your MLB Odds at Bovada Online Sportsbook!!

Braves vs. Diamondbacks MLB Betting Preview

Braves and Diamondbacks are Both in Thick of Playoff Race

Two teams desperate for a win clash when the Atlanta Braves start a four-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Braves lost three in a row to the Red Sox while the Diamondbacks are 1-4 in their last five games.

Thursday, September 6 at 9:30 PM ET

Chase Field

Dome

Odds: Arizona is -160-moneyline favorites. The total is 8 Under -115

Sanchez after first win since August 3

Anibal Sanchez (6-5, 2.98 ERA, 1.09 WHIP) allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits in his last start. He also had a walk with six strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings to get a no-decision in a 3-2 loss against the Pirates last Friday.

Sanchez is 1-2 with a 2.93 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP in his last six starts. He's 5-2 with a 2.85 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP in 10 road starts.

The Braves have scored 656 runs (9th in the majors). They are putting up 4.72 runs per game (8th), hitting .259 (3rd) with 156 home runs (18th).

Atlanta ranks 8th with a 3.72 ERA, 12th with a 1.27 WHIP and 10th with 1220 strikeouts. Their bullpen ranks 17th with a 4.06 ERA. 

Ronald Acuna Jr. is hitting .289 and he leads the Braves with 24 home runs, Ozzie Albies has 22 home runs and 66 RBI and Freddie Freeman has 21 home runs, 83 RBI and a team-best .388 OBP.

Greinke losses to the Dodgers

Zack Greinke (13-9, 2.97 ERA, 1.05 WHIP) gave up three earned runs on six hits (two home runs) in his last start. He also had a walk with five strikeouts over 7 1/3 innings in a 3-2 loss against the Dodgers last Friday.

Greinke has a 2.97 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP in his last six starts. He threw 7 2/3 scoreless innings against the Braves on July 14. He surrendered just four hits and no walks with seven strikeouts. 

The Diamondbacks have scored 607 runs (18th in the majors), putting up 4.37 runs per game (18th), hitting .238 (27th) with 150 home runs (20th). Arizona ranks 3rd with a 3.51 ERA, 5th with a 1.21 WHIP and 7th with 1244 strikeouts. Their bullpen ranks 2nd with a 3.14 ERA. 

Paul Goldschmidt leads the Diamondbacks with a .295 batting average, 31 home runs, 80 RBI, a .396 OBP and 153 hits and David Peralta has 26 home runs and 74 RBI.

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MLB Trends:

The Under is:

7-0-1 in Atlanta's last eight road games

7-0 in Atlanta's last seven road games against a right-handed starter

6-1 in Atlanta's last seven games against National League West opponents

8-2 in Atlanta's last 10 games following a loss

14-4 in Atlanta's last 18 games against a right-handed starter

6-2 in Atlanta's last eight when their opponent allows two runs or less in their previous game

13-5 in Atlanta's last 18 overall

4-1-1 in Sanchez's last six starts against a team with a winning record

5-2 in Sanchez's last seven starts during game 1 of a series

7-2 in Arizona's last nine during game 1 of a series

20-6-1 in Arizona's last 27 overall

18-6-2 in Arizona's last 26 against National League East opponents

16-5-2 in Greinke's last 23 starts following a team loss in their previous game

20-7-1 in Greinke's last 28 starts against a team with a winning record

Look for both starters to have solid outings tonight. Anibal Sanchez and Zack Greinke have pitched well in their last six starts and their home/road split tell us that this is a high total.

MLB Pick: Under 8 (-115) at Jazz Sportsbook

 

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Falcons and Eagles Kickoff NFL 2018 Season

Eagles Open Defense of Super Bowl Championship

The Atlanta Falcons and the Philadelphia Eagles play their season openers Thursday Night. Lincoln Financial Field hosts the Week 1 contest. Kickoff is set for 8:20 pm EST on NBC's Thursday Night Football.

Oddsmakers opened the Eagles as -5.5-point favorites versus the Falcons, while the game's total opened at 46.5. The game is now down to a PK and the total is down to 45.

The Eagles have had a 6-month party since winning the city's first NFL Championship.  They are ready to defend that title.

The Eagles began their postseason journey last season with a 15-10 triumph over the Falcons in the NFC divisional round. They embraced the "underdog" role despite being the top seed. They played it to the hilt. Becoming David who kept knocking off Golaith's.

Foles is Starting for the Eagles

Nick Foles has been named the starter for Thursday's matchup. He famously relieved the injured Carson Wentz late in the season.  He steered Philadelphia to a 41-33 win over New England in the NFL's signature game. Foles also garnered Super Bowl MVP honors in the process.

He has a wide receiver corps in flux due to injuries to start the season. The Eagles scored a league third-best 28.6 points per game in 2017. That may not be possible early this season.

They may need to rely on Jay Ajayi, Corey Clement and a ground game that ranked third with an average of 132.2 yards per contest. The Eagles boasted the NFL's stingiest pass defense in 2017.

Philadelphia became the 11th team in NFL history with three players score at least eight touchdown receptions last season. Zach Ertz led all NFC tight ends with 74 receptions and 824 yards to go along with a career-high eight scores. Alshon Jeffery had nine TDs. Wideout Nelson Agholor had eight TDs.

Agholor is ruled out for Thursday's contest as he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery.

Defensive end Brandon Graham had a career-high 9.5 sacks in 2017. He had a huge sack on Brady in the Super Bowl, as well as one in the last encounter against Atlanta.

Linebacker Nigel Bradham also registered a sack in the last meeting versus the Falcons. He had a team-leading 88 tackles in the regular season.

Falcons Need to Have a Balanced Attack

Atlanta's Matt Ryan  is a Philly area native. He followed his 2016 NFL MVP season by eclipsing 4,000 yards for his franchise-record seventh consecutive campaign. He signed a five-year, $150 million contract on May 3.

Five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Julio Jones led the NFC with 1,444 receiving yards in 2017. He has four straight 100-plus receiving yard performances versus the Eagles.

Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman fueled Atlanta's eighth-ranked offense last season. They kept defenses off balance by combining for over 2,100 yards from scrimmage and 16 touchdowns.

Atlanta LB Deion Jones joined Carolina's Luke Kuechly and Jacksonville's Telvin Smith as the lone players to record 100-plus tackles and three-plus interceptions last season.

PREDICTION: Falcons 24, Eagles 14

Recent Form

Name	Record	ATS	Offense	Defense	Diff	ATS Home	ATS Away	OU Record	OU Home	OU Away
Atlanta	11-7	8-10	21.61	19.06	2.55	5-3	3-7	5-13	2-6	3-7
Philadelphia	16-3	13-6	29.00	18.16	10.84	7-3	6-3	10-9	4-6	6-3

Power Stats

Yards Per Point

Name	Offense	Defense	Differential
ATL	16.56	16.87	-0.31
PHI	13.03	17.77	-4.74

Yards Per Pass

Name	Offense	Defense	Differential
ATL	11.35	9.57	1.78
PHI	11.21	10.42	0.79

Yards Per Rush

Name	Offense	Defense	Differential
ATL	4.21	4.17	0.04
PHI	4.42	3.87	0.55

Team Records

Atlanta Falcons

Name	Record	Home	Away	ATS	ATS Home	ATS Away	Offense	Defense	Diff
Overall	11-7	5-3	6-4	8-10	5-3	3-7	21.61	19.06	2.55
vs Conf	10-4	5-1	5-3	8-6	5-1	3-5	23.07	18.36	4.71
vs Div	4-2	3-0	1-2	3-3	3-0	0-3	21.67	18.50	3.17
Last 3	2-1	1-0	1-1	2-1	1-0	1-1	19.33	12.67	6.66

Philadelphia Eagles

Name	Record	Home	Away	ATS	ATS Home	ATS Away	Offense	Defense	Diff
Overall	16-3	9-1	7-2	13-6	7-3	6-3	29.00	18.16	10.84
vs Conf	12-2	7-1	5-1	10-4	6-2	4-2	28.14	16.29	11.85
vs Div	6-1	2-1	4-0	4-3	1-2	3-1	29.00	20.29	8.71
Last 3	3-0	2-0	1-0	3-0	2-0	1-0	31.33	16.67	14.66

Supergrid

Title	Stat	Rank	Stat	Rank
Away Team Overall Scoring vs Home Team Overall Defense	21.61	15	18.16	4
Awy Team Road Passing vs Home Team Home Passing Defense	241.20	9	214.70	14
Away Team Road Rushing vs Home Team Home Rushing Defense	109.50	11	71.20	2
Home Team Overall Scoring vs Away Team Overall Defense	29.00	1	19.06	6
Hme Team Home Passing vs Away Team Road Passing Defense	223.10	19	226.10	14
Home Team Home Rushing vs Away Team Road Rushing Defense	128.10	9	111.90	14

Head To Head Summary

Name	Record	ATS	OU	Score	Rush	YPR	PA	CP	PY	TY	TO +/-
Atlanta	4-6	4-5-1	3-7	18.50	108.50	3.97	34.80	59.20	222.40	330.90	1.70
Philadelphia	6-4	5-4-1	3-7	23.70	113.40	4.25	36.10	65.37	272.40	385.80	1.40

Head To Head Detail

Date	Away	Home	Score	Line	Total	OU Result	ARY	APY	ATY	ATT	HRY	HPY	HTY	HTT	Away Team Attempts	Home Team Attempts	Away Team Completions	Home Team Completions
Jan 13, 2018	ATL	PHI	10-15	86	195	281	0	96	238	334	2
Nov 13, 2016	ATL	PHI	15-24	48	255	303	1	207	221	428	1
Sep 14, 2015	PHI	ATL	24-26	63	336	399	2	105	290	395	2
Oct 28, 2012	ATL	PHI	30-17	146	246	392	0	92	178	270	0
Sep 18, 2011	PHI	ATL	31-35	133	314	447	3	138	180	318	2
Oct 17, 2010	ATL	PHI	17-31	65	228	293	2	154	320	474	1
Dec 6, 2009	PHI	ATL	34-7	103	277	380	0	61	234	295	3
Oct 26, 2008	ATL	PHI	14-27	77	258	335	3	192	240	432	1
Dec 31, 2006	ATL	PHI	17-24	159	219	378	1	43	350	393	1
Sep 12, 2005	PHI	ATL	10-14	51	250	301	3	200	119	319	3

NFL Betting Odds and Trends

Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Atlanta's last 5 games
Atlanta is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
Atlanta is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Atlanta's last 6 games on the road
Atlanta is 4-12-1 ATS in its last 17 games when playing Philadelphia
Atlanta is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Atlanta's last 13 games when playing Philadelphia
Atlanta is 1-7-1 ATS in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
Atlanta is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Atlanta's last 8 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia

Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia is 12-4 ATS in its last 16 games
Phil is 15-2 SU in its last 17 games
Philadelphia is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games at home
Phil is 11-1 SU in its last 12 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games at home
Philadelphia is 12-4-1 ATS in its last 17 games when playing Atlanta
Philadelphia is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Philadelphia's last 13 games when playing Atlanta
Philadelphia is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta
Philadelphia is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Philadelphia's last 8 games when playing at home against Atlanta

Team Last 5 Games

Atlanta Falcons

Date	Opponent	score	Result	line	ATS Result	offensive rush yards	offensive passing yards	offensive total yards	defensive rush yards	defensive passing yards	defensive total yards	turnovers	Location
Jan 13, 2018	PHI	10-15	L	-2.5/40.5	L/U	86	195	281	96	238	334	-2	A
Jan 6, 2018	LAR	26-13	W	6/48	W/U	124	198	322	115	246	361	-2	A
Dec 31, 2017	CAR	22-10	W	-5/44.5	W/U	60	311	371	87	161	248	-3	H
Dec 24, 2017	NO	13-23	L	5/51	L/U	67	264	331	86	229	315	1	A
Dec 18, 2017	TB	24-21	W	-7/49.5	L/U	201	209	410	84	289	373	-1	A

Philadelphia Eagles

Date	Opponent	score	Result	line	ATS Result	offensive rush yards	offensive passing yards	offensive total yards	defensive rush yards	defensive passing yards	defensive total yards	turnovers	Location
Feb 4, 2018	NE	41-33	W	4.5/49	W/O	164	374	538	113	500	613	0	A
Jan 21, 2018	MIN	38-7	W	3/39	W/O	110	346	456	70	263	333	-3	H
Jan 13, 2018	ATL	15-10	W	2.5/40.5	W/U	96	238	334	86	195	281	2	H
Dec 31, 2017	DAL	0-6	L	3.5/40	L/U	70	149	219	129	172	301	1	H
Dec 25, 2017	OAK	19-10	W	-10/46	L/U	78	138	216	137	137	274	-3	H

Next up:
Atlanta home to Carolina Sunday, September 16
Philadelphia at Tampa Bay Sunday, September 16

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FSU Seminoles (19) Host Va Tech Hokies (20) Monday Night

Seminoles and Hokies In Early Season ACC Play

The Virginia Tech Hokies and the Florida State Seminoles play their season openers on Monday. Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium has the Week 1 contest. This game could do a long way in determining who plays in the ACC Championship Game.

Oddsmakers opened the Seminoles as -6.5-point favorites versus the Hokies, while the game's total opened at 52. The line is now Florida State -7 and the total is at 54. ESPN will televise the game at 8 pm EST.

No. 19 Florida State begins the Willie Taggart era tonight. The 20th ranked Virginia Tech Hokies come to Tallahassee for an ACC showdown. Taggart coaches his third team in three years as he comes over from Oregon to replace Jimbo Fisher.

The Seminoles look to build off a four-game winning streak that ended 2017. They extended their streak of winning seasons to 41. Virginia Tech begins play after going 19-8 in the first two years under coach Justin Fuente.

Seminoles Have Lots of Question Marks

Taggart hands the quarterback reins to junior Deondre Francois. He beat out sophomore James Blackman for the job after missing most of 2017 with a knee injury.

Sophomore running back Cam Akers told reporters of the Seminoles' offense: "A lot of weapons, a lot of big plays, a lot of touchdowns, and a lot of points. That's all you can expect." Akers is back after rushing for 1,024 yards. That was the most ever by a Florida State freshman.

Akers also had seven touchdowns in 2017. The Seminoles are experienced along the offensive line as well. Francois threw for 210 yards against Alabama in last year's opener before going down with the injury.

He will look to senior receiver Nyqwan Murray who had 40 catches and 604 yards. Junior Keith Gavin chipped in 27 catches and 278 yards.

Hokies Return Some Key Starters

The Hokies will lean on talented quarterback Josh Jackson. He threw for a freshman school record 2,991 yards along with 20 touchdowns last year. They also boast a load of talent that they are excited to test on the big stage early on.

Jackson looks to take a step forward after registering 3,315 yards of total offense. He completed 59.6 percent of his passes last year. He will have plenty of weapons at his disposal.

Sophomore Deshawn McClease had 530 yards and  three TDs last season. He is the leading rusher that returns. Junior Eric Kumah and sophomore Sean Savoy combined for 67 catches for 778 yards in 2017.

Long-time defensive coordinator Bud Foster must introduce seven new starters on his unit. Senior defensive tackle Ricky Walker had 4.5 sacks last year. Junior defensive back Reggie Floyd had 72 tackles and three interceptions return to lead the way.

PREDICTION: Florida State 34, Virginia Tech 27

Recent Form

Name	Record	ATS	Offense	Defense	Diff	ATS Home	ATS Away	OU Record	OU Home	OU Away
Virginia Tech	9-4	6-7	40.00	14.77	25.23	4-3	2-4	3-9-1	1-5-1	2-4
Florida State	7-6	4-8-1	14.00	21.23	-7.23	3-4	1-4-1	6-7	4-3	2-4

Power Stats

Yards Per Point

Name	Offense	Defense	Differential
VTECH	12.68	21.64	-8.96
FLAST	22.57	15.59	6.98

Yards Per Pass

Name	Offense	Defense	Differential
VTECH	15.01	14.96	0.05
FLAST	11.90	10.46	1.44

Yards Per Rush

Name	Offense	Defense	Differential
VTECH	4.55	3.39	1.16
FLAST	2.72	3.78	-1.06

Team Records

Virginia Tech Hokies

Name	Record	Home	Away	ATS	ATS Home	ATS Away	Offense	Defense	Diff
Overall	9-4	6-1	3-3	6-7	4-3	2-4	28.15	14.77	13.38
vs Conf	5-3	3-1	2-2	3-5	2-2	1-3	23.13	15.13	8.00
Last 3	2-1	1-0	1-1	1-2	0-1	1-1	17.00	14.67	2.33

Florida State Seminoles

Name	Record	Home	Away	ATS	ATS Home	ATS Away	Offense	Defense	Diff
Overall	7-6	4-3	3-3	4-8-1	3-4	1-4-1	27.85	21.23	6.62
vs Conf	3-5	1-3	2-2	0-7-1	0-4	0-3-1	19.50	25.13	-5.63
Last 3	3-0	2-0	1-0	3-0	2-0	1-0	40.67	15.00	25.67

Supergrid

Title	Stat	Rank	Stat	Rank
Away Team Overall Scoring vs Home Team Overall Defense	28.15	69	21.23	30
Awy Team Road Passing vs Home Team Home Passing Defense	245.50	44	221.00	75
Away Team Road Rushing vs Home Team Home Rushing Defense	175.50	44	117.00	28
Home Team Overall Scoring vs Away Team Overall Defense	27.85	71	14.77	4
Hme Team Home Passing vs Away Team Road Passing Defense	219.71	79	219.83	51
Home Team Home Rushing vs Away Team Road Rushing Defense	204.86	35	136.50	26

Head To Head Summary

Name	Record	ATS	OU	Score	Rush	YPR	PA	CP	PY	TY	TO +/-
Virginia Tech	2-5	3-4	6-1	27.71	128.29	3.10	30.43	54.46	251.14	379.43	1.86
Florida State	5-2	4-3	6-1	30.71	60.57	2.07	31.43	56.82	257.71	318.29	1.43

Head To Head Detail

Date	Away	Home	Score	Line	Total	OU Result	ARY	APY	ATY	ATT	HRY	HPY	HTY	HTT	Away Team Attempts	Home Team Attempts	Away Team Completions	Home Team Completions
Nov 8, 2012	FLAST	VTECH	28-22	-15	326	311	2	87	298	385	3
Dec 4, 2010	FLAST	VTECH	33-44	53	288	341	2	179	263	442	0
Oct 25, 2008	VTECH	FLAST	20-30	82	161	243	2	89	159	248	0
Nov 10, 2007	FLAST	VTECH	21-40	116	151	267	3	188	207	395	1
Dec 3, 2005	FLAST	VTECH	27-22	47	225	272	0	41	335	376	2
Jan 1, 2002	VTECH	FLAST	17-30	43	269	312	2	104	326	430	2
Jan 4, 2000	VTECH	FLAST	29-46	278	225	503	3	30	329	359	1

College Football Betting Odds & Trends

Virginia Tech Hokies
Virginia Tech is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
VTech is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Virginia Tech's last 6 games
VTech is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Virginia Tech is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Virginia Tech's last 5 games on the road
Virginia Tech is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Florida State
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Virginia Tech's last 5 games when playing Florida State

Florida State Seminoles
FState is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Florida State is 4-8-1 ATS in its last 13 games
FState is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Florida State is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
FState is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Virginia Tech
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Florida State's last 5 games when playing Virginia Tech

Team Last 5 Games

Virginia Tech Hokies

Date	Opponent	score	Result	line	ATS Result	offensive rush yards	offensive passing yards	offensive total yards	defensive rush yards	defensive passing yards	defensive total yards	turnovers	Location
Dec 28, 2017	OKLAST	21-30	L	6.5/60.5	L/U	248	270	518	141	351	492	2	A
Nv 24, 2017	VIRGNA	10-0	W	-6.5/48.5	W/U	202	143	345	5	186	191	0	A
Nov 18, 2017	PITT	20-14	W	-14/48.5	L/U	157	218	375	55	311	366	-1	H
Nv 11, 2017	GATECH	22-28	L	-3/47.5	L/O	105	153	258	261	140	401	-1	A
Nov 4, 2017	MI-FL	10-28	L	2.5/49.5	L/U	102	197	299	219	210	429	1	A

Florida State Seminoles

Date	Opponent	score	Result	line	ATS Result	offensive rush yards	offensive passing yards	offensive total yards	defensive rush yards	defensive passing yards	defensive total yards	turnovers	Location
Dec 27, 2017	S.MISS	42-13	W	-11.5/48	W/O	214	238	452	131	129	260	-1	H
Dec 2, 2017	UL.MON	42-10	W	-25.5/63.5	W/U	305	199	504	38	262	300	2	H
Nov 25, 2017	FLA	38-22	W	-5/43.5	W/O	88	128	216	96	184	280	-3	A
Nv 18, 2017	DELAST	77-6	W	-51/		246	236	482	15	177	192	-2	H
Nov 11, 2017	CLEM	14-31	L	16/44.5	L/O	21	208	229	227	151	378	0	A

Next up:
Virginia Tech home to William & Mary Saturday, September 8
Florida State home to Samford Saturday, September 8

Get Your Early Bird Promo Bonus at BetPhoenix Online Sportsbook!!!

Mets vs. Dodgers MLB Betting Preview and Pick

Dodgers Now Lead NL West

Jacob deGrom looks to continue his phenomenal season when the Mets open a three-game series against the Dodgers. The Dodgers now lead the National League West.

Monday, September 3 at 8:10 PM ET

Dodger Stadium

Mostly Cloudy 67°F

Wind: 1mph Blowing Out

 Odds: Dodgers -140-moneyline favorites. The total is 7 Under -125.

deGrom has been almost unhittable

Jacob deGrom (8-8, 1.68 ERA, 0.98 WHIP) allowed one earned run on eight hits and a walk with 10 strikeouts over eight innings to get a no-decision in a 2-1 loss against the Cubs last Tuesday. 

deGrom has allowed just six earned runs over his last six starts (43 2/3 innings) to lower his ERA from 1.82 to 1.68. Opponents are hitting just .208 against deGrom and he's second in the National League with 182 innings pitched, second with 224 strikeouts and third with an 0.98 WHIP.

The Mets have scored 562 runs (24th in the majors). They are putting up 4.13 runs per game (24th), hitting .235 (30th) with 140 home runs (23rd).

New York ranks 18th with a 4.21 ERA, 15th with a 1.29 WHIP and 3rd with 1194 strikeouts. Their bullpen ranks 28th with a 4.98 ERA. 

Michael Conforto leads the Mets with 20 home runs and 55 RBI, Todd Frazier has 16 home runs and 53 RBI and Brandon Nimmo has 15 home runs, 40 RBI and a team-best .387 OBP.

Wood has dominant outing in Texas

Alex Wood (8-6, 3.42 ERA, 1.17 WHIP) threw seven scoreless innings in last Wednesday's 3-1 win against the Rangers. He surrendered just four hits and two walks with five strikeouts. Wood has a 2.05 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in his last four starts.

The Dodgers have scored 644 runs (9th in the majors). They are putting up 4.70 runs per game (9th), hitting .244 (20th) with 191 home runs (2nd).

Los Angeles ranks 2nd with a 3.41 ERA, 2nd with a 1.16 WHIP and 4th with 1313 strikeouts. Their bullpen ranks 12th with a 3.85 ERA. 

Max Muncy leads the Dodgers with 31 home runs, Yasmani Grandal has 22 home runs and 60 RBI and Cody Bellinger has 21 home runs, 63 RBI and a team-best 124 hits.

 

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MLB Trends:

The New York Mets are:

10-1 in their last 11 when their opponent allows two runs or less in their previous game

4-1 in their last five after allowing two runs or less in their previous game

18-6 in deGrom's last 24 starts during game 1 of a series

The Los Angeles Dodgers are:

2-5 in Wood's last seven starts when their opponent allows two runs or less in their previous game

0-4 in Wood's last four home starts

Jacob deGrom has a 1.78 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP in 13 road starts. He has a 1.24 ERA and an 0.99 WHIP with a complete game in his last six starts. deGrom will continue to make his case for the National League Cy Young. 

MLB Pick: Mets +130 at Jazz Sportsbook

Check odds here: https://goo.gl/dVwAAb

Odds as seen on ESPN Chalk: https://goo.gl/ji6GJZ

 

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