Sports Handicapper William Burns's Picks & Predictions

(#954) Miami Marlins | ML | . 

Jake Irvin (2-7, 5.80 ERA) vs. Eury Perez (6-9, 3.23 ERA) . 

I'm expecting a complete beatdown in this matchup here on Saturday. Even though Eury Perez owns a 6-9 record this season, he's been fantastic, especially at home. Perez owns a stellar 2.90 ERA in these contests & has completely dominated his opponents as of late, allowing no earned runs in 13 straight innings. 

On the other hand, Washington will have Jake Irvin on the mound. He's allowed 16 runs over his past four starts and just doesn't seem to have it once again this season. Not to mention that the Nationals also have the 4th worst bullpen ERA in the big leagues (2nd worst in the National League.) Expect a blowout. 

Burns' Prediction: 7-2 Marlins.

(#961) Toronto Blue Jays | ML | . 

Dylan Cease (7-5, 2.42 ERA) vs. Ryan Weathers (5-7, 3.56 ERA) . 

Even with Vladdy Jr still in the minor leagues rehabbing, the Blue Jays remain in the hunt for a playoff spot. They will have their ace on the mound this evening in Dylan Cease, who's been absolutely dominant this season. As a matter of fact, he was the All-Star starter for the winning team in this year's all star game as well. 

On the other hand, the Yankees will turn to Ryan Weathers. Although I have appreciated what Weathers has done this season as well, his numbers have not resulted in wins (5-7 record.) While his most recent outing against the Jays was strong, Weathers has allowed 12 earned runs in three starts against the Jays this season. Give me Toronto in this one. 

Burns' Prediction: 4-2 Blue Jays.

(#201865) Real Madrid | ATS | . 

With some teams having played already in La Liga, this will be the opening game for Los Blancos on Saturday. With a revamped roster & a new (well known) manager in Jose Mourinho, Real Madrid will be expected to be back in the title conversation again for this upcoming season. Madrid was outclassed by Barca for the most part of last season. That should give some motivation to be better for the entire squad. 

Looking at Espanyol, it may be at home this weekend. However, it finished mid-table a year ago, missing out on European competitions. Espanyol has already played a match and won it this campaign. But, this is a much more difficult encounter than the likes of Levante. Expect Madrid to have the ball the entire match and ultimately win by at least a pair of goals. 

Burns' Prediction: 3-0 Madrid. 

(#203206) RC Lens | 3-Way ML | . 

Opening weekend is upon us and there's no doubt that RC Lens is going to be looking for a repeat of last season's 2nd place finish. One of my favorite  players to watch, Florian Thauvin, is back in the team and expected to do even more damage off the wing this year. I believe that this is a very good opening fixture for Lens to get off to a good start. 

Auxerre went downhill last season, finishing near the bottom of the table. I wouldn't be surprised if it was down there again this time around. While Auxerre didn't concede too many goals last season, it doesn't score much at all. With this match being in Lens, give me the UCL bound team here on Saturday in the opener. 

Burns' Prediction: 2-0 Lens. 

(#200021) Tottenham Hotspur @ (#200022) Brentford F.C. | OVER | . 

Coming into the new season, there's always a bit of question on who's going to play in the opening game. That being said, I believe that we're going to see a Tottenham team ready for a new campaign this weekend. It was a very disappointing year for the Spurs a year ago who very nearly were relegated. They should be much better this year with a revamped roster with plenty of talent offensively. 

Talking about offense, Brentford's forward line could pose some threat to this attacking minded Spurs defense. With the gaps that will be created at the back, I could see this becoming a shootout on Saturday afternoon (evening in England.) Therefore, there's no question that I expect both teams to get on the scoreboard, with maybe even two goals for each side here today. Give me the "over." 

Burns' Prediction: 3-2 Tottenham.