Sports Handicapper Frank Sawyer's Picks & Predictions

Take Over the Total in the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves listing both starting pitchers Nick Pivetta and Julio Teheran. Atlanta (85-68) won the opening game of this series last night with an 8-3 victory. The Braves have then played 6 of their last 8 games Over the Total after scoring at least five runs in their last game. Atlanta has also played 11 of their last 12 home games Over the Total against teams with a winning record. Philadelphia (78-74) has seen the Over go 15-5-1 in their last 21 games after a loss. The Phillies have also played 5 of their last 6 road games Over the Total against teams with a winning record at home. Take the Over while listing both starting pitchers. Best of luck — Frank.

Frank Sawyer’s Hollywood Sports DELIVERED their 25* NFL Thursday Night Football Total of the Month last night with the NY Jets/Cleveland Under as part of a SIZZLING 5 of 8 (63%) run in All-Sports this week! Now Frank UNLEASHES his 25* MLB Divisional Game of the Year that is backed by COMPELLING 78-21 TEAM TRENDS for this SUPER SIDE SITUATION! DO NOT MISS OUT!

Frank SWEPT THE BOARD LAST NIGHT with BOTH FOOTBALL TOTALS PLAYS — CA$HING WINNING TICKETS with the NY Jets-Cleveland Under and the Tulsa-Temple Under — to further a SCORCHING 13 of 18 (72%) FOOTBALL TOTALS TEAR along with a longer-term 44 of 67 (66%) Football Totals run! Now Frank furthers his 4 of 6 (67%) CFB Game of the Month/Year run along with his 52 of 85 (61%) Football Game of the Year/Month long-term mark with his 25* CFB Friday Night ESPN Total of the Year! DO NOT DARE MISS THIS ONE!

At 7:05 PM ET on Friday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the Milwaukee Brewers (953) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (954) listing both starting pitchers Jhoulys Chacin and Ivan Nova. THE SITUATION: Milwaukee (87-66) has won two of their last three games with their 7-0 win over Cincinnati on Wednesday. Pittsburgh (77-74) has won five straight games after they defeated Kansas City by a 2-1 score on Wednesday.

REASONS TO TAKE UNDER THE TOTAL: The Brewers have played 4 of their last 5 games Under the Total after a win — and they have played 5 of their last 7 games Under the Total after scoring at least five runs in their last game. Additionally, Milwaukee has played 5 straight games Under the Total against fellow NL Central opponents — and they have played 5 of their last 7 games Under the Total on the road. They give the ball to Chacin who is 14-8 with a 3.54 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP in thirty-two starts. The right-hander has been more effective on the road where he owns a 3.36 ERA with a 1.12 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .215 in nineteen starts. The Brewers have played 6 of their last 8 road games Under the Total with Chacin facing a team with a winning record. He faces a Pirates team that is scoring only 3.6 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games. Pittsburgh has played 20 of their last 26 home games after winning five or six of their last seven games — and they have also played 28 of their last 40 games Under the Total in the month of September. Additionally, the Pirates have played 10 of their last 11 games Under the Total after scoring two runs or less in their last game — and the Under is 11-5-1 in their last 17 games after not allowing more than two runs in their last game. Furthermore, the Under is 13-2-1 in Pittsburgh’s last 16 games at home which includes them playing seven straight home games Under the Total when facing a team with a winning record on the road. They counter with Nova who is 9-9 with a 4.07 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP in twenty-seven starts. The right-hander has been better at home where he enjoys a 3.04 ERA along with a 1.13 WHIP in thirteen starts. The Under is 13-2-1 in the Pirates’ last 16 home games with Nova facing a team with a winning record — and Pittsburgh has also played 10 of their last 11 home games with Nova pitching as an underdog. Furthermore, the Pirates have played 5 straight Unders with Nova pitching against Milwaukee. Together, these team trends produce our specific 146-36-8 combined angle for this situation.

FINAL TAKE: Expect a low-scoring game between these two teams that should see both their starting pitchers perform well. 20* MLB Over/Under Sabermetrics Special with Under the Total in the game between the Milwaukee Brewers (953) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (954) listing both starting pitchers Jhoulys Chacin and Ivan Nova. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:10 PM ET on Friday, we will be playing the money-line on the Cleveland Indians (970) versus the Boston Red Sox (969) listing both starting pitchers Trevor Bauer and Chris Sale. THE SITUATION: Boston (104-49) clinched the AL East title last night with their 11-6 win in New York against the Yankees. Cleveland (85-67) looks to bounce-back from a 5-4 loss in Chicago to the White Sox.

REASONS TO TAKE THE INDIANS WITH THE  MONEY-LINE: I would not be surprised if the Red Sox are all suffering from some sort of variation of what I call the “jager flu.” Jager is short for Jagermeister —and whatever the beverage of choice is for the Boston players, they probably had a bunch of it last night after finally clinching the AL East crown to close out that series with the Bronx Bombers in New York. As it is, the Red Sox have lost 6 of their last 7 road games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% at home. Boston has also lost 11 of their last 15 games played in Cleveland — and they have lost 4 straight games played on a Friday night. They give the ball to Sale who is 12-4 with a 1.92 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP this year. But the Red Sox have lost 7 of their last 10 games with Sale pitching against a team with a winning record — and they have also lost 5 of their last 7 road games with Sale facing a team with a winning record. Cleveland has bounced-back to win 5 of their last 7 games after a loss. The Indians have also won 5 straight home games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% on the road. They counter with Bauer who comes off the disabled list with a 12-6 record along with a 2.22 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP in twenty-five starts. The right-hander has been outstanding at home where he owns a 1.87 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP along with an opponent’s batting average in twelve starts. The Indians have won 16 of their last 21 home games with Bauer on the bump — and they have won six straight home games with Bauer facing a team with a winning record. Together, these trends produce our specific 59-17 combined angle for this situation. He should fare well against this Cleveland team that is scoring only 3.9 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .243 batting average along with a .301 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .679 over that span.

FINAL TAKE: Manager Alex Cora may choose to rest some of his key regulars as a small reward for clinching the AL East title last night while knowing that a day off may offer these players a night of needed rest. With nothing more at stake for the Red Sox, expect Cleveland to win this game. 10* MLB Friday Daily Discounted Deal with the money-line on the Cleveland Indians (970) versus the Boston Red Sox (969) listing both starting pitchers Trevor Bauer and Chris Sale. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:35 PM ET on Friday, we will be playing the money-line on the Atlanta Braves (958) versus the Philadelphia Phillies (957) listing both starting pitchers Julio Teheran and Nick Pivetta. THE SITUATION: Atlanta (85-68) has won two straight games after winning the opening game of this series last night with their 8-3 victory over the Phillies.

REASONS TO TAKE THE BRAVES THE MONEY-LINE: Atlanta has won 6 of their last 7 games after a win. Atlanta has also won 11 of their last 13 home games against teams with a losing record on the road. They give the ball to Teheran who is 9-8 with a 3.97 ERA with a 1.19 WHIP in twenty-eight starts. The right-hander has raised his level of play as of late as he owns a 2.73 ERA in his last five starts. Teheran has also been more effective at home where he owns a 3.84 ERA in sixteen starts as compared to his 4.13 ERA when on the road. The Braves have won 8 of their last 10 home games with Teheran facing a team with a winning record — and they have won 4 of their last 5 home games with Teheran facing the Phillies. Atlanta has also won 13 of their last 18 games with Teheran pitching with the Total set in the 8 to 8.5 range. He should fare well against this Phillies team that has lost 20 of their last 27 games against right-handed starting pitchers. Philadelphia has lost 4 of their last 5 games on the road — and they have also lost 4 straight games against teams with a winning record. They counter with Pivetta who is 7-13 with a 4.67 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP in thirty starts. The right-hander has not registered a win since August 7th while losing his last four starts. Pivetta has also struggled when on the road where his ERA rises to a 5.14 ERA with a 1.43 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .276 in thirteen starts as compared to his 4.34 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP and a .249 opponent’s batting average in seventeen starts at home. The Phillies have lost 8 of their last 11 road games with Pivetta facing a team with a winning record. Together, these team trends produce our specific 78-21 combined angle for this situation. He faces a Braves team that is scoring 5.3 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games.

FINAL TAKE: With the Braves up six games in the NL East standings with just over a week to go, they look locked to make the National League playoffs. These are two teams moving in the opposite direction at this point of the season — but we are still getting the opportunity to take Atlanta at a nice price. 25* MLB National League East Game of the Year with the money-line on the Atlanta Braves (958) versus the Philadelphia Phillies (957) listing both starting pitchers Julio Teheran and Nick Pivetta. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:00 PM ET on Friday, we will be playing the Florida Atlantic Owls (305) plus the points versus the Central Florida Golden Knights (306). THE SITUATION: FAU (2-1) has won two straight games after their blowout 49-28 win over Bethune Cookman last Saturday. Central Florida (2-0) takes the field again after a bye week following their 38-0 shutout over South Carolina State two weeks ago.

REASONS TO TAKE THE OWLS PLUS THE POINTS: Central Florida has now won fifteen straight games with their two wins tacking on to their perfect 13-0 record last year. But the Golden Knights returned only twelve starters from that team and have a new Air Raid-influenced offensive system under new head coach Josh Heupel. While Central Florida still has their junior quarterback McKenzie Milton under center, this new offense asks him to stay under center more often in passing situations rather than the horizontal option schemes that previous head coach Scott Frost designed for him to run to accentuate his speed. This will be Milton’s biggest test so far this season after an easy schedule against UConn and then an FCS opponent before this game. Last year’s team benefited from a +17 net turnover margin which is a primed for a visit from the Regression Gods while also surviving all four of their games decided by one scoring possession. Yet the Golden Knights are just 1-3-1 ATS in their last 5 games after a win by at least 20 points. Central Florida has also failed to cover the point spread in 4 of their last 5 games at home. FAU (2-1) has rebounded with two straight wins after the opening week lesson they were served in Norman. Oklahoma at the hands of the Sooners. Head coach Lane Kiffin will have his team ready for this game and they should build off their momentum as they have covered the point spread in 7 of their last 10 games after a straight-up win. The Owls seized a 36-14 lead at halftime last week — and they have covered the point spread in 13 of their last 17 games after scoring at last 24 points in the first-half in their last game. The FAU offense cranked out 559 yards in that victory — and they have covered the point spread in 6 of their last 7games after gaining at least 450 yards in their last game. Now the Owls go back on the road where they have covered the point spread in 13 of their last 16 road games against teams with a winning record at home — and they have also covered the point spread in 13 of their last 16 road games after a game where at least 70 combined points were scored. And while Kiffin’s team is an underdog of almost two touchdowns, FAU has covered the point spread in 7 of their last 10 road games as an underdog of 7.5 to 14 points.

FINAL TAKE: FAU should offer a tough challenge to Central Florida’s fifteen game winning streak — especially since the Golden Knights do not enjoy a significant home-field advantage. Expect a close game. 10* CFB FAU-Central Florida ESPN Special with the Florida Atlantic Owls (305) plus the points versus the Central Florida Golden Knights (306). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:30 PM ET on Friday, we will be playing the USC Trojans (310) minus the points versus the Washington State Cougars (309). THE SITUATION: Washington State (3-0) won their third straight game last Saturday with their 59-24 win over Eastern Washington as a 20-point favorite. USC (1-2) has lost two straight games after they lost at Texas last Saturday night by a 37-14 score as a 3-point underdog.

REASONS TO TAKE THE TROJANS MINUS THE POINTS: The Cougars may be due for a letdown after starting the season a perfect 3-0. Washington State had come off a 31-0 shutout win over San Jose State the previous week before easily dispatching of their FCS opponent — but they have then failed to cover the point spread in 5 of their last 6 games after winning their last two games by at least four touchdowns in each game. The Cougars generated 565 yards of offense last week but they have failed to cover the point spread in 9 of their last 13 games after gaining at least 450 yards in their last contest. Now after playing their last two games at home, Washington State goes back on the road where they have failed to cover the point spread in 7 of their last 10 games. The Cougars have also failed to cover the point spread in 6 of their last 9 games after winning their last two games at home by at least two touchdowns. Washington State has also failed to cover the point spread in 5 of their last 6 games played on Friday night. USC needs a win after losing two straight games at Stanford and then last week in Austin against the Longhorns. Returning home will help this Trojans team as they have covered the point spread in 5 of their last 7 home games against teams with a winning record on the road. USC has also covered the point spread in 14 of their last 19 games after a straight-up loss. This team remains one of the most talented groups in the nation — they returned thirteen starters from their team that was 11-3 last year. Too often this team plays uninspired football for head coach Clay Helton. But I expect a very spirited effort from this team on a two-game losing streak yet with the opportunity to avenge a 30-27 upset loss to this Washington State team from last September.

FINAL TAKE: Motivated by revenge and redemption from a two-game losing streak, don’t be surprised if the Trojans play their best game of the season. 10* CFB Friday Late Show Bailout with the USC Trojans (310) minus the points versus the Washington State Cougars (309). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:30 PM ET on Friday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the Washington State Cougars (309) and the USC Trojans (310). THE SITUATION: Washington State (3-0) won their third straight game last Saturday with their 59-24 win over Eastern Washington as a 20-point favorite. USC (1-2) has lost two straight games after they lost at Texas last Saturday night by a 37-14 score as a 3-point underdog.

REASONS TO TAKE OVER THE TOTAL: The Cougars offense under head coach Mike Leach has not missed a beat despite moving on from their graduated quarterback from last year in Luke Falk. Graduate transfer Gardner Minshew came in from East Carolina and has stepped in to continue to run the Washington State Air Raid offense at a high level. He completed 45 of 57 passes for 470 yards last week with two touchdowns. The Cougars are scoring 43.7 PPG while averaging 501.0 total YPG so far this season. Washington State should keep their momentum going on offense as they have played 4 of their last 5 games Over the Total after both a straight-up win as well as after a point spread victory. The Cougars have also played 5 of their last 6 games Over the Total after gaining at least 450 yards in their last contest. Washington State has raced out to 18 and 24 point leads in their last two games — and they have played 9 of their last 13 games Over the Total after holding at least two touchdown leads at halftime in each of their last two games. The Cougars defense has also been stout so far this year as they have held their three opponents to just 229 total YPG — but they have then played 6 of their last 8 games Over the Total after not allowing more than 250 total YPG in their last three contests. The Washington State defense was 16th in the nation last year by allowing only 323.3 total YPG — but regression is likely for this team after their outstanding defensive coordinator Alex Grinch left to join the Ohio State defensive staff in the offseason. This defense also lost their elite defensive end in Hercules Mata’afa who took his pass rushing talents to the NFL. Now after playing their last two games at home, the Cougars go back on the road to place their most potent offense so far on their schedule. Washington State has played 5 straight games Over the Total on the road — and they have played 20 of their last 26 road games Over the Total as an underdog of fewer than 7 points. USC lost their second game in a row with that loss at Texas — but now they return home for the first time in three weeks where they have played 4 of their last 5 games Over the Total while also seeing the Over go 20-7-2 in their last 29 home games against teams with a winning record on the road. This has been a tough early gauntlet for their true freshman quarterback J.T. Daniels but the former 5-star recruit is showing glimpses of his vast potential. After a tough assignment in Palo Alto against Stanford, Daniels completed 30 of 48 passes for 322 yards in Austin last week against a talented Longhorns defense. The Trojans have played 5 of their last 7 games Over the Total after a point spread loss — and they have played 6 of their last 8 games Over the Total after a loss by at least 20 points. Furthermore, while USC has only scored 17 combined points in their last two games, they have then played 5 of their last 6 games Over the Total after not scoring more than 17 points in each of their last two games while also playing 4 straight games Over the Total after failing to score more than 20 points in their last contest. Lastly, the Trojans have played 5 of their last 7 games Over the Total against teams with a winning record — and they have played 5 of their last 7 games Over the Total against fellow Pac-12 opponents.

FINAL TAKE: USC will be playing with desperation tonight after losing their last two games. Expect a shootout in Los Angeles tonight between these two teams on national television. 25* CFB Friday ESPN Total of the Year with Over the Total in the game between the Washington State Cougars (309) and the USC Trojans (310). Best of luck for us — Frank.

Take the Penn State Nittany Lions minus the points versus the Illinois Fighting Illini. Penn State (3-0) comes off a 63-10 blowout win over Kent State last Saturday. The Nittany Lions are then 21-5-1 ATS in their last 27 games after a straight-up win. Penn State is also 11-1-1 ATS in their last 13 games after scoring at least 40 points in their last game. Illinois (2-1) looks to bounce-back from a 29-15 loss to South Florida last Saturday. The Fighting Illini have questions at quarterback with their graduate transfer A.J. Bush questionable with a leg injury which caused him to miss that game against the Bulls. Freshman M.J. Rivers was under center last week — and he might have to start again in this contest which is not a good sign for an Illinois team that has failed to cover the point spread in 7 of their last 10 games after failing to score more than 20 points in their last game. The Illini has also failed to cover the point spread in 4 of their last 5 home games against teams with a winning record on the road. I don’t like laying four touchdowns — especially with road favorites — but the Nittany Lions should roll on national television.  Lay the points with Penn State. Best of luck — Frank.

Frank Sawyer’s Hollywood Sports SWEPT THE BOARD LAST NIGHT with BOTH FOOTBALL TOTALS PLAYS — CA$HING WINNING TICKETS with the NY Jets-Cleveland Under and the Tulsa-Temple Under — to further a SCORCHING 13 of 18 (72%) FOOTBALL TOTALS TEAR along with a longer-term 44 of 67 (66%) Football Totals run! Now Frank furthers his 4 of 6 (67%) CFB Game of the Month/Year run along with his 52 of 85 (61%) Football Game of the Year/Month long-term mark with his 25* CFB Friday Night ESPN Total of the Year! DO NOT DARE MISS THIS ONE!