Big Al McMordie Sports Picks & Handicapper Review

At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the San Francisco Giants.  The Giants upset the Brewers on Saturday by an 8-7 score and now they go for an unlikely sweep this afternoon in Game 3 of the series. But the Brewers' batsmen and RHP Chase Anderson may have something to say about that.  Anderson is 3-1 with a 3.80 ERA in 12 games, including seven starts.  But with the way Milwaukee's rotation has performed lately, including Jimmy Nelson yesterday, Anderson's part time starting job may become permanent.  More relevant to today's game is the fact that in his last three starts against the Giants -- all with the Brewers -- Anderson has allowed just three earned runs in 18 2/3 innings, with 12 strikeouts and two walks.  Not surprisingly, the Crew is 3-0 in those three.  Giants' RHP Jeff Samardzija has had just two winning campaigns in his 11+ MLB seasons and, with the way things are going in 2019, he isn't likely to add to that number (3-5 in his first 13 starts).  He's also won just once in six starts here at Oracle Park.  The Crew is 9-3 in its last 12 road games vs. a RHP starter, and it's 100-56 (+32 games on the money line) priced as a favorite of -150 or less, while the Giants are 95-145 (minus 17 games on the money line) as an underdog.  Take Milwaukee.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Chicago Cubs.  Yesterday, we played on the Chicago Cubs +181, as I rated the pitching relatively equal, and calculated the price to be a huge overlay.  Not so with tonight's game, given the pitching match-up.  Interestingly, the preseason odds for the National League Cy Young award would have had names like Max Scherzer, Aaron Nola, and Jacob deGrom as the favorites.  But the starter for the Dodgers tonight -- LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu -- would've been so far down on the list that he would have been considered part of the "field."  But two-and-a-half months can change a lot of things and right now Ryu -- 9-1 with a 1.36 ERA in 13 starts -- is the clear favorite for top pitching honors and a mortal lock to make his first All Star team.  Tonight, Ryu gets to showcase his talent on National TV on the Sunday night ESPN prime time game against the Cubs and LHP Jose Quintana.  As solid as Ryu has been, that's how inconsistently Quintana has pitched.  In 14 games -- 13 starts -- the 30 year-old southpaw is 4-6 with a 3.89 ERA and 1.31 WHIP.  Over his last four starts, Quintana has allowed 13 earned runs on 27 hits in just 21 1/3 innings.  And more importantly, the Cubs are 0-4 in those.  The Cubs are also 3-9 in Quintana's last 12 road starts, and 4-14 as a road underdog this season, while LA is 23-5 as a home favorite of -150 or more this season, and 20-6 as a home favorite with Ryu on the hill the last 3 seasons.  Take the Dodgers.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.