Scott Rickenbach

Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach Free Pick MLB Thursday Pittsburgh Pirates Money Line (+) @ Milwaukee Brewers @ 2:10 ET - The Pirates lost yesterday's game 4-3 but had ton the first two games of the series and had won 8 of their 11 prior games overall. Though the Brewers got the win yesterday they had previously lost 17 of their last 30 games. This line may look a little 'off' considering that the Pirates are such a small road dog here even though they are only 14-21 in road games this season. However, don't be fooled by the small offering on the Brewers money line at home here. Milwaukee has averaged just 2.5 runs per game in their last 4 games and Ivan Nova gets the start for the Pirates here and he has a stellar 2.25 ERA and 0.75 WHIP in his two career starts against the Brewers. Milwaukee has Chase Anderson on the mound and he has been on a strong run of late. However, he did allow 2 homers to the light-hitting Padres in his most recent start and the Pirates had averaged 5 runs per game in their last 11 games before being held to just 3 runs yesterday. Also, the Bucs faced Anderson 3 times very late last season so they have some familiarity with Anderson and I like the fact that Pittsburgh is 15-9 in day games this season. The Brewers have a losing record in day games this season and the Pirates have a .342 on base percentage in day games. They'll manufacture some runs in this one and that should be plenty of run support the way that Nova has been pitching. The Brewers were outhit again yesterday but rallied for 3 runs in the later innings for a win. The Pirates get payback today! Free Pick on PITTSBURGH on the money line EARLY Thursday afternoon. Best of luck, Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach Thursday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Miami Marlins vs Chicago Cubs @ 7:10 ET - The Cubs lost 3-2 yesterday and truly haven't been overly impressive at the plate of late. However, facing Jeff Locke should bring out the best in them. They just faced him at Wrigley Field earlier this month and they really forced him to labor in that outing. Overall, Locke has been unimpressive with a 5.79 ERA and 1.64 WHIP in his last 3 starts. Now the Cubs get a quick second look at him and they'll be ready to crush the ball today after a disappointing home loss to the Padres yesterday. As for the Marlins, they were no-hit late into yesterday's match-up against Max Scherzer of the Nationals but then they managed to rally late for the 2-1 win. There is reason to believe the Marlins will fare much better against the Cubs Jake Arrieta. The right-hander did enjoy success against Miami earlier this month but that outing was at Wrigley Field. On the road this season, the Cubs are 3-6 in Arrieta's starts and he has a 5.07 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in those outings. Arrieta has allowed 4 earned runs or more in 5 of his last 7 road outings. His most recent start stayed under the total but, prior to that, 9 of Arrieta's last 12 starts went over the total. The Marlins are 29-13 to the over in night games this season and I expect another one here as both lineups respond after poor performances at the plate yesterday. The pitching match-up today is very conducive to an over. The Cubs lead the National League in homers (28) versus left-handed pitchers. Miami is hitting .263 in night games which ranks 5th in the NL this season. Their high-scoring trending under the lights continues in this one Thursday. 10* OVER the total in Miami

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach Thursday MLB 10* Top Play Colorado Rockies Money Line (-) vs Arizona Diamondbacks @ 3:10 ET - The first line that came out on this game had the Rockies as a -145 favorite. As of early gameday morning, this line is all the way down to a pick'em price range! I will gladly grab the Rockies in this price range as they look to bounce back off of last night's ugly 16-5 loss where the Diamondbacks had a ridiculous 10-spot in the top of the 4th. Yes, Coors Field can be 'crazy good' for the hitters at times but that was an insane inning. Needless to say, the Rockies will be looking for payback this afternoon. Lets not forget that Colorado had won 6 straight games before yesterday's loss. The big edge they have here is that Antonio Senzatela is used to starting at Coors Field and is a stellar 7-1 this season with a 3.68 ERA in home games! As for the Diamondbacks Zack Godley, he will be making his first ever start at Coors Field. He has made relief appearances here and the Rockies gave him trouble each time. As for the Dbacks facing Senzatela, this will be the first time ever as a starter or out of the bullpen. That said, Arizona's lineup is likely to struggle with his offerings. The Diamondbacks are only 11-11 in day games this season while the Rockies are 22-8 in day games. Look for a big response form the home team this afternoon after last night's ugly debacle. In my opinion, for the reasons note above, the Rockies have a huge pitching edge in this one and I love the extra value afforded by the line move here. 10* COLORADO

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach Thursday MLB 8* OVER the total in Minnesota Twins vs Chicago White Sox - The only thing that can stop us here is the weather. There is a chance of thunderstorms in Minneapolis today but this situation is too strong to pass up on. First off I did lose with the over in this match-up yesterday as the game died out after being 4-2 through 3 innings. Needless to say I am not too happy about it but I won't hesitate to come right back with the same play here. Jose Quintana is on the mound for the White Sox and he's been struggling in day games again this season. This is nothing new as he went 0-5 with a 5.49 ERA in day games in 2015. Then, last year he did have a good overall year but had a losing record in day games. This season he is an awful 1-6 with a 6.45 ERA in day games! Also, Quintana has allowed 12 earned runs in less than 11 innings of work spanning his last two starts at Minnesota. He'll be opposed by Nic Turley for the Twins. The fellow southpaw has been rocked in both his starts since moving into the rotation. Turley has given up 12 earned runs in less than 9 innings of work spanning his two starts. The over is 6-1 in Chicago's Thursday games this season and Minny is 16-7 to the over in home games with a money line between +125 and -125 this season. Look for a slugfest early Thursday in this one. 8* OVER the total in Minnesota

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach Thursday CFL 8* Montreal Alouettes (-) vs Saskatchewan Roughriders @ 6:30 ET - This is the biggest line on the board in Week 1 but the big number is absolutely justified. Don't be fooled just because the Roughriders had a late season winning streak last year. Saskatchewan is still a team in rebuilding mode and let's not forget they allowed 530 points last season! By comparison, Montreal only allowed 415 points on the season. The fact that the Alouettes only went 3-6 at home last season but opened up as a 6 point favorite here tells you all you need to know. The odds makers know what they're doing and this is certainly no mistake. The Als are the much better team on defense and they also rate the big QB edge here as the Roughriders Kevin Glenn is 38 and certainly his better years are long gone. Montreal has Darian Durant at the pivot and he is 34 but he definitely still has more left in the tank than Glenn. Also, Durant lost some weight heading into this season and he is moving well in the pocket. The Riders are going to struggle to contain Durant and the Montreal offense. Remember the Alouettes thrashed them here last year by a 41-3 count. The O/U on this game opened up at 50.5 and Saskatchewan is 1-8 SU (and 2-7 ATS) the past 2 seasons in road games with a posted total between 49.5 and 52 points. More of the same to open up the 2017 season and the Als make the most of hosting the opening night game. 8* MONTREAL minus the points Thursday evening