Ben Burns

How was your weekend? Ben Burns was an AWESOME 12-3 on Fri/Sat/Sun, winning in EVERY (NFL, CFB, CFL,MLB) single sport. Top-rated releases were 6-1. Ben's top NFL plays are on a 51-25 HEATER & his #1 GAME OF THE MONTH goes tonight. Burns will also be testing his PERFECT 7-0 STREAK on totals. You in?

Both these teams were involved in low-scoring games on Sunday. We should see the bats come back to life this evening though. Shields has struggled all season. He got hit hard again last time out, giving up seven runs (six earned) in 5 2/3 innings. He's now 5-18 with a dreafrul 5.98 ERA and 1.624 WHIP on the season. Smyly was better last time out but hasn't been all that much better overall. Through 29 starts, he's got a 4.86 ERA. On the road, that climbs to 5.44 with a 1.465 WHIP. Smyly has been "money" for 'over' bettors on the season, as the 'over' is 18-8-3 when he takes the mound overall, 10-3-2 on the road. Yesterday notwithstanding, Chicago games have been sailing over the total all month long. (Seven of their past eight have finished above the total.) With the Sox hitting considerably better against southpaws than they do against right-handers, this one should have an excellent shot at hitting double-digits. 

In addition to having nailed five of this week's six college plays, Burns is now 8-3 the L2 weeks in the "pros." He enters tonight's Monday Night Football game (Saints/Falcons) riding a SUPERB 64-37 ATS streak w/ his L101 NFL selections, dating back to last season. Tonight, he'll be going for EIGHT STRAIGHT O/U WINNERS. Ben also has a big play going at the ballpark tonight. He's enjoying a MASSIVE 2016 and the best is yet to come. Hop on board and ride the wave!

I'm playing on HOUSTON. The Astros snapped their 3-game skid with a much needed victory yesterday afternoon. I expect them to carry the positive momentum into this evening's game and look for them to make it two in a row. McHugh took awhile to get going but he's currently in excellent form. Over his last three starts, he's 3-0 with a superb 1.53 ERA an 0.962 WHIP. The Astros won those three games by a combined score of 14-6, one of those a 6-0 victory over Felix Hernandez and these same Mariners, at SafeCo. With that victory, McHugh is an impressive 9-3 against the M's. That includes a perfect 4-0 record and a dominant 1.08 ERA in four meetings this season. Iwakuma has been solid, but far from spectacular and he's not in nearly as good form as McHugh. Last time out, he allowed six runs (5 earned) in just 3.3 innings, serving up a pair of longballs. These starters opposed each other twice back in the spring and McHugh got the better of Iwakuma both times. With the Astros at 10-4 (20-11 overall) when McHugh starts at home, I'm expecting "more of the same" tonight. 

I'm playing on New Orleans and Atlanta to finish OVER the total. When these teams met at "Domecoming," the Saints return to the SuperDome after being away for nearly a year due to Hurricane Katrina, it was the Saints' defense which took center stage. Now, 10 years later, I expect the offenses to grab the spotlight. The Saints scored 34 points in their only game here, throwing for 419 yards in a 35-34 shootout loss against the Raiders. Facing those same Raiders, the Falcons scored 35 in their lone road game, throwing for 389 yards. Including the Raider game, the Saints have seen the OVER go 11-6 at home the last 2+ seasons, 9-4 when the O/U line here was greater than 49 and 6-1 when they were listed as home favorites of three or less. I expect those stats to improve Monday night. 

I'm playing on NEW ORLEANS. This game will be played almost 10 years to the day that the Saints played "Domecoming," their first game back home after missing nearly a year due to Hurricane Katrina. Their opponent that Monday night? These very same Atlanta Falcons. (The Saints cruised to a 23-3 victory.) While the Falcons have gone through various coaches and QB's - Jim Mora (JR) was Atlanta's coach that night, Michael Vick their QB - both Sean Payton and Drew Brees, who went 20 of 28 that night, remain for the Saints. The significance of this game won't be lost on either of them, just as it wasn't that night. Looking at some more recent history and we find that the Saints, who have started the season at 0-2, are 6-2 ATS the past couple of seasons, when off b2b SU losses. Needless to say, the Saints know they can't afford to fall to 0-3. Not when they're playing in the same division as Newton and the Panthers, who they'll face in Week 5, after returning home from a trip to the West Coast in Week 4. They beat the Falcons by 10 points here last season; I expect them to "rise to the occasion" with a "statement win" on Monday night.