Matt Fargo Sports Handicapper Picks

YESTERDAY'S PLAYS
Matchup	Selection	W/L
NHL \| May 20, 2013 CHICAGO GM3 vs. DETROIT GM3	DETROIT GM3 +122 at 5 DIMES	Won $122
Detroit was able to steal a game in Chicago to even up the series and grab the home ice advantage. The Red Wings dominated Game Two and it was the first time all season that the Blackhawks lost a game at home by more than one goal as their three regular season losses in regulation all came by just one goal. That will obviously have Chicago fired up to return the favor but it also gives Detroit a huge boost of confidence heading back home where it is 15-8-4 on the season. This includes a 0-1-1 record against Chicago and going back to last season, the Red Wings have lost four straight home meetings with the Blackhawks so while that seems to favor the visitor, we are seeing that in the line. Plus this is a different Red Wings team that lost all four regular season meetings as it came into the season young and inexperienced but gained valuable experience and the chemistry success is showing. Getting that first win against the Blackhawks this season was huge for the Red Wings' confidence, especially for the younger guys. Momentum has played a big role for Detroit over the last couple seasons as it is 16-2 in its last 18 home games following a win by two or more goals. Conversely, the Blackhawks are 4-11 in their last 15 games following a loss by three goals or more. *9 (22) Detroit Red Wings**
MLB \| May 20, 2013 Boston Red Sox vs. Chicago White Sox	Chicago White Sox +135 at BOOKMAKER	Won $135
Matt went 1-2 in MLB Sunday but the losses were minimized thanks to the Underdog Betting System. Still, he is on a SWEET +$6,388 MLB run and the RAMPAGE continues on Monday with another Three-Game Underdog Pass! Overall, Matt is a SMOKING +$10,270 in profits since December 8th! and today he is gunning for the PERFECT 3-0 SWEEP! The Red Sox lost their opener on this roadtrip at Tampa Bay but when on to win the final two games of that series and then swept the Twins over the weekend to make it five straight victories. They are now 14-7 on the road for the season which is tied with the Cardinals for the best road record in baseball. They continue to be the surprise in baseball while Jon Lester continues his solid comeback. After posting a 4.82 ERA in 33 starts last season, he has come strong out of the gate this year and has not slowed up. He has a 2.72 ERA through nine starts and has yet to lose, going 6-0 with the Red Sox going 7-2 in his nine outings. It may not seem plausible to go against him but he has had his share of troubles against the White Sox as he has a 5.20 career ERA against them including a 7.22 ERA in the last five. Chicago opened its most recent roadtrip with a 4-1 record but lost the final two games against the Angels as the pitching was pounded for 18 runs over the weekend after allowing just 10 runs total in its previous four games. Overall, the pitching has been the strength as the White Sox have a 3.12 ERA at home including a 2.86 ERA from the starters. Dylan Axelrod is part of that success as he has a 3.42 ERA at home in four starts with only one of those being a bad outing. His first three starts at home resulted in a 2.04 ERA and he came up just one-third of an inning short in his opener for all three of those resulting in quality starts. He faced Boston once last season and allowed just one run on seven hits in 6.2 innings. Going back to last season, he has allowed three runs or fewer in eight of his last 10 starts. Play (974) Chicago White Sox
MLB \| May 20, 2013 Kansas City Royals vs. Houston Astros	Houston Astros +159 at 5 DIMES	Won $159
Kansas City is on a bit of a slide as it got swept in Oakland in its three-game set to fall to 10-12 on the road overall. The Royals have been road favorites only once this season and that was at a price of -111 so this number they are laying tonight is something they have not seen before and I do not think it is justified. The Royals are 7-23 in their last 30 road games against teams with a home winning percentage of less than .400. Jeremy Guthrie has been hit or miss this season and he is coming off a miss. In his eight starts, he has five quality outings but he has also allowed four runs or more in the other three games including giving up five runs on 11 hits against the Angels where he surrendered four home runs. The Astros are still tied for the worst record in baseball but they have been competitive. They are coming off a 2-4 road trip but the two wins came over their last four games while the tow losses over that stretch were by just a single run. The pitching has seen improvements as Houston has a 3.22 ERA over its last five games and with Dallas Keuchel taking the hill, I see an extension of that. His overall numbers look pretty bad but this is just his third start of the season after opening in the bullpen. He tossed a quality outing against Texas at home and followed that up with a decent start at Detroit that was better than the line showed. The Royals have been struggling against left-handed pitching of late and they are 0-5 in their last five games against left-handed starters. *9 (972) Houston Astros**
MLB \| May 20, 2013 St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Diego Padres	San Diego Padres +138 at 5 DIMES	Won $138
St. Louis is coming off a very successful homestand where it went 7-3 capped off with a win on Sunday against the Brewers to capture all three of the home series. Now the Cardinals hit the road where they have been awesome all season with a 14-7 record, which is tied for the best road record in baseball, including wins in eight of their last nine. That is a big reason they are favored so big here as is the fact that Shelby Miller is on the hill. He has been outstanding this season, posting a 1.40 ERA and 0.88 WHIP, both of which are top five in the National League. He has not allowed a run over his last two starts but we are going contrarian here as San Diego has been solid here, going 8-1 in its last nine home games against right-handed starters. After dropping the first two games against Washington to open their homestand, the Padres won the final two games over the weekend to improve to 11-3 over their last 14 home games. While Miller is the story here, Jason Marquis has held his own and then some. He has a 3.49 ERA through eight starts but it is just one bad start that has inflated that as take out his outing against the Brewers and his ERA drops to 2.44. He has allowed two runs or fewer in six of those other seven starts ad he has pitched good enough to win his last four trips to the mound. Three of those have been in the role of underdog and the Padres are now 5-2 in his last seven starts as an underdog of +150 or less. *9 (960) San Diego Padres**
MLB \| May 20, 2013 Cincinnati Reds vs. New York Mets	New York Mets +147 at BETONLINE	Lost $100.0
We played against the Reds yesterday and after taking a 2-0 going into the eighth innings, they allowed a run and then two in the ninth to lose the game and the series against the Phillies. Cincinnati opened its roadtrip with a sweep at Miami but it still two games under .500 on the road as the offense continues to struggle with a .238 average on the highway. Johnny Cueto will be making his first start since April 13th after landing on the disabled list. He looked solid in his lone rehab start but he will be on a short leash tonight and facing the Mets has been far from a pleasure as he is 1-3 with a 5.45 ERA and 1.67 WHIP in six starts with the Reds losing four of those games. After losing six straight games, the Mets closed their roadtrip by winning three of their final four games and the pitching was the story as they allowed just seven runs total in those three victories. Overall, the starting pitching at home has kept things respectable as New York's starters have a 3.42 ERA and it hopes Shaun Marcum can keep that going. He started slow in his return from the disabled list but he is coming off his best start last time out as he tossed a quality outing, holding the Cardinals to two earned runs on five hits in 6.2 innings. He threw a season high 96 pitches so his endurance looks to be finally be back. He has a 3.42 ERA in four career starts against the Reds including three straight quality outings where he posted a 2.84 ERA. Cincinnati is hitting just .236 on the road against right-handed pitching. *9 (954) New York Mets**