STEVE MERRIL
Scren Shot Sunday
Reds @ Pirates — Pittsburgh needs to win to clinch a home game against the Cubs in the NL Wild Card. They can still play a home with a Cubs loss, but they’d rather take care of it themselves. J.A. Happ is 6-2 with a 2.04 ERA over his last ten starts for Pittsburgh. He had 10 strikeouts in Cincinnati back on September 9th which resulted in a 5-4 Pittsburgh win. Cincinnati’s Josh Smith’s last outing in Pittsburgh was a rough one. He gave up 4 runs and three hits in three innings back on June 23rd. I’d only look at the Pirates in this game, but the -225 price tag is too high for me.
Cubs @ Brewers — Chicago’s Dan Haren is 5-6 with a 4.13 ERA in 16 road starts this season. Haren has lost just once to the Brewers in five career starts. Milwaukee has scored just 2 runs in their last three games, and they haven’t been the same since Ryan Braun went out. I lean to the Cubs (-150) in this game.
Nationals @ Mets — The Mets don’t have anything to play for other than trying to get win number 90 and snapping a 5-game losing streak. Jacob deGrom figures to be in for a little bit as they get him ready for Game 1 of the NLDS. deGrom’s last home start was a rough one; he lost to the Marlins in a game in which he allowed 6 runs and 10 hits. He should pitched much better here, so I lean to the Mets (-150).
Angels @ Rangers — The most intriguing game of the day is in Texas. Cole Hamels looks to push the Rangers into an AL West championship. He’s 12-8 with a 3.72 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 31 starts. The southpaw has won three straight starts, and he will be facing the Angels for just the second time. Garrett Richards will make his first ever start off just three days of rest. In his last three outings against the Rangers, he has allowed 5 runs and 14 hits in three LA wins. I lean Under 8.5 (+100) in this game.
Yankees @ Orioles — The Yankees are looking for homefield in the AL Wild Card game, so this game in Baltimore is ultra important. Michael Pineda has been a mixed bag against the Orioles. He struck out 16 back in May at home, but he followed that up a month later with an 11-3 loss in Baltimore; he allowed 6 runs and nine hits in just over four innings. Chris Tillman has been a disappointment for Baltimore, posting a 4.83 ERA. I like Over 8 (-105) in this game.