Sports Handicapper Matt Fargo's Picks & Predictions

The Chargers were embarrassed last week in their first game in front of the new fanbase and they will be out to make amends for that tonight on national TV. The first unit offense and the first unit defense did their jobs against Seattle but it was the backups that played horrible with costly turnovers and non-execution leading to a 31-point loss. Head Coach Anthony Lynn is nothing if not direct, which is why he has been quite blunt that the second and third string players must elevate their games. While pleased with the performance of the starters, Lynn did not like what he saw from the depth players and he wants better production. A win prior to hitting the road for the final two preseason games and the first regular season game is a must. As much as there is a desire to win these games, the Saints are keeping the preseason losses in perspective as they approach Sunday's game against the Chargers. "I hadn't really paid too much attention to it," coach Sean Payton said Thursday after joint practices with the Chargers. "Obviously, there are some things that we prioritize in the preseason." This is brought up because Payton could care less as witnessed by the 10-game losing streak in the preseason that the Saints are currently on. The line is not on the side of the Chargers based on typical preseason numbers but the situation overtakes that as they get their first win in their new city. 10* (430) Los Angeles Chargers

We played against Seattle on Friday and won with San Antonio but the Storm did win their third straight game with interim head coach Gary Kloppenburg after firing coach Jenny Boucek last week. They are right in the playoff mix as they are currently in the No. 8 spot but it is not a safe lead as they are ahead of Chicago by just a game and a half and head into Sunday with a lot on the line. The fact they are underdogs here may surprise a few but they come in with a 3-10 road record, winning just two of seven games as road underdogs. Additionally, they are just 1-4 ATS this season when getting fewer than five points. Anyone who bet on Chicago Friday had one of the worst beats ever as the Sky were getting seven points at home against Los Angeles and were covering the entire game until double-overtime when they were outscored 16-7 to lose the game and cover. After a horrible 3-12 start to the season, Chicago has gotten itself back into the playoff picture with an 8-5 run over its last 13 games which includes a 4-3 record at home. The three losses all came against winning teams with all coming down to the wire so the Sky have held their own here. This is a must win with only five games left, three of which are on the road against teams a combined 56-27. Chicago has covered four straight games against losing teams while Seattle is 1-10 ATS in its last 11 games against the Eastern Conference. 10* (676) Chicago Sky

The Blue Jays first trip to Wrigley Field since 2005 has not gone well as they have dropped the first two games in frustrating fashion. They trailed by a run going into the bottom of the eighth inning on Friday and lost another one-run game yesterday to fall five games under .500 and slipping to four games back in the American League Wild Card standings. The Cubs are just 8-9 over their last 17 games as both pitching and hitting have been inconsistent over this stretch. They are just five games over .500 at home and are overpriced today as they put their most unprofitable pitcher on the hill. Kyle Hendricks has been pitching well but has received no run support as Chicago has lost his last three starts while scoring just four runs in total. Going back, the Cubs have scored two runs or less in six of his last seven starts. Marco Estrada got off to a terrible start this season but put together a nice run prior to his last start against Tampa Bay. Chicago is hitting just .246 against right-handed pitching this season which is ahead of only the Padres in the National League and while they are +7.8 units against lefties, they are -26.6 units against right-handed starters on the season. The Blue Jays salvage the series finale on Sunday. 10* (929) Toronto Blue Jays

The Tigers could muster out only four hits last night as they got shut out by the Dodgers and wasted another strong home effort from Michael Fulmer. They are again catching a solid home number and we will back them a second straight day as they look to snap a six-game losing streak against the hottest team baseball has seen in a long time. The Dodgers are 52-9 over their last 61 games and they have already locked down another series win so we will step in front of them here in what looks like another pitching advantage for the home team. While Kenta Maeda is third on the team with 11 wins, he is No. 6 in the rotation of starters in ERA, ahead of only Brandon McCarthy. He has a 4.44 ERA on the road which is in fact the worst of the starting rotation and only one of his 10 road outings have been a quality performance. Justin Verlander counters for Detroit and he is coming off a rough outing against the Rangers but that was in 94-degree Texas heat where the humidity only added to it. He had tossed five straight quality starts prior to that including three straight starts at home where he has a 2.93 ERA and nine of his 12 starts have been quality. The Tigers are 12-5 in his last 17 home starts. 10* (926) Detroit Tigers