Art Aronson Handicapper at AAA Sports

This is a 10* play on PETTIS

The mercurial Nate Diaz is back in the Octagon for the first time since splitting a pair of fights with Conor McGregror in 2016. That's a long layoff and as a result, he's an underdog for this fight with Anthony Pettis, who has been alternating wins and losses going back to 2016. Both fighters are used to high level competition. But to us Diaz's long layoff is the difference maker here. He's always a slow starter. In a three-round scenario here, that is likely to cost him. Pettis stopped Stephen Thompson in March with a second round knockout. Stopping Diaz, who has a reach advantage, will not be as easy, but look for Pettis to grind out a victory here. Play on PETTIS

AAA

This is a 10* on the RAMS

We know the Rams basically showed up to Oakland only because they had to last week, turning in a non-existent effort in a 14-3 loss to the Raiders. But the line for this week's game with Dallas (in Hawaii) has jumped the fence and moved dramatically more than what you typically see for any NFL contest - regular season or preseason. It's opened up some nice value on the Rams as their opponents this week, the Cowboys, haven't won a preseason game since 2017. Cowboys coach Jason Garrett has a 12-22 SU record in the preseason, so him being bet to the role of favorite seems confusing. Rams coach Sean McVay didn't play a single starter last week. Because of the poor effort, we're likely to see some this week, even if it's not the Pro Bowlers. Dallas didn't score a touchdown in its preseason opener. QB Dak Prescott may be limited here due to injuries on the offensive line. Ezekiel Elliott remains a hold out and WR Amari Cooper is injured. Take advantage of this line move, which makes no sense. Play on LA RAMS

AAA

This is a 10* play on MINNESOTA

The Twins got a "2 for 1 special" Friday night. Not only did they win, but the Indians lost. That means Minnesota's advantage in the AL Central is now 1.5 games, nothing compared to what it once was (11.5 games!), but it's breathing room. Seeing as the Indians are in New York playing the Yankees this weekend, it's paramount for Minnesota to keep beating up on the floundering Rangers. They also won 13-6 Thursday, which was a lot more lopsided than last night, but a win is a win. It should be another easy win tonight with Jose Berrios pitching. Berrios has a good WHIP, especially on the road (1.08) and when compared to opposing starter Jurado, whose WHIP is a terrible 1.50. Lately, Jurado has been worse with a 7.98 ERA and 1.77 WHIP in his last three starts. Texas has lost all three of those games.The last one saw him allow eight runs in only 3 2/3 IP. The Rangers have now lost eight of 10 and have no shot at making the playoffs at this point. Minnesota has everything to play for and will continue to assert its dominance. Play on MINNESOTA

AAA

This is an 8* play on the CUBS

The Cubs failed to come through for us last night as their road woes continued. A 3-2 loss here in Pittsburgh leaves the Cubs not only 23-39 outside of Wrigley, but also out of first place in the NL Central as St. Louis won yesterday to go up a full game in the standings. The Cubs can't afford to drop anymore games in Pittsburgh this weekend and we see them bouncing back Saturday afternoon against a still struggling side that has gone just 7-25 in the second half. It being an early game today works in the Cubs favor as they're 33-17 in day games this year. Pittsburgh is giving up almost six full runs per game at PNC Park, so expect the Cubs bats to wake up after being held to only five hits last night. Jon Lester obviously needs to be better than he has been recently for Chicago. It's a good thing then that he's 3-0 with a 1.31 ERA his last four starts in Pittsburgh. The Pirates will start Steven Brault, who has also been used as a reliever at times. No matter if he's started or come on in relief, Brault has had no career success against the Cubs as is evident by 7.53 ERA in 12 appearances against them. Play on the CUBS

AAA

This is an 8* on the UNDER

We called for the Yankees to bounce back from an ugly 19-5 defeat on Friday and that's exactly what they did, beating Cleveland 3-2. As you can tell from the respective scores, it was a much different game Friday night as the Indians were held to only four hits as opposed to the 24 they unleashed on Thursday. New York also got 6 1/3 strong innings from Masahiro Tanaka. We think Saturday starter James Paxton is in line for a similar performance as he's gone 3-0 over his last three starts with a 2.89 ERA and 0.96 WHIP. The problem for the Yankees though is that Cleveland's Zach Plesac has not lost since being recalled from Triple-A Columbus in June and the Indians are 7-0 his last seven starts. Plesac has a 3.12 ERA in those seven starts and has allowed no more than three runs in six of them. The Under has hit in the third games of the Indians last five series. Play UNDER Cleveland-New York 

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