Bobby Conn – Sports Handicapper

50* Powerhouse Play on Diamondbacks +108

After dropping seven of their past eight games, the Padres (69-84) will play host to the Diamondbacks (78-75) in San Diego this evening.

Right-hander Merrill Kelly (11-14, 4.49 ERA) will start for Arizona. His last time out, Kelly pitched seven innings and gave up no runs on three hits against the Reds. Over his last three starts, Kelly is 2-1 with an ERA of 1.35. In his four starts against the Padres, Kelly is 2-1 with a 5.03 ERA.

Left-hander Eric Lauer (8-9, 4.60) is scheduled to start for the Padres. Thankfully for San Diego, this contest is at home, where Lauer has posted a 3.08 ERA. On the road, Lauer has an ERA of 6.27. Although Lauer is 2-2 against Arizona, D-Backs hitters are batting .307 against the Padres left-hander.

The Diamondbacks will be excited to play division rivals. In Kelly’s last four starts versus NL West competition, the D-Backs are unbeaten. Arizona is also 8-1 in its last nine games against teams within the division.

Meanwhile, the Padres haven’t won a series opening game in their last five tries. In its last eight games against right-handed starting pitchers, San Diego is just 1-7.

50* Powerhouse Play on Reds +140

While the Mets (79-73) were closing out a series against the Rockies with two straight wins, the Reds (72-81) were doing the same thing to the Cubs. Tonight, the Mets and Reds will kick off a brand new series in Cincinnati.

A pair of All-Star right-handers will be on the mound tonight as Jacob DeGrom (9-8, 2.61 ERA) takes the mound for New York and Luis Castillo (15-6, 3.22 ERA) takes the mound for Cincinnati.

Continuing a wonderful second half in his last outing, DeGrom pitched seven innings of shutout baseball while allowing only three hits, but didn’t factor into the decision. Over his last 21 starts, DeGrom is posting a 2.09 ERA. Since the All-Star break, DeGrom ranks first in strikeouts and third in ERA in the National League.

Aiming to improve his career-best 15 wins, Castillo will be victorious in five of his last six starts if he gets the W tonight. Castillo pitched against the Mets in April, throwing 6 2/3 innings while allowing two runs. In two career starts against New York, Castillo is 1-0 with a 2.92 ERA.

Reds slugger Joey Votto has enjoyed a great September, batting .321 with two homers and seven RBIs.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Red Sox +174

As the 2019 season nears its close, the Red Sox (80-72) are looking up at both the Rays (90-63) and Yankees in the AL East. Tonight, Boston aims to play spoiler as the team goes into Tampa Bay with the hope of dragging the Rays down in the Wild Card race.

This matchup features a hitting-versus-pitching dynamic. With 845 runs scored on the season, the Red Sox are more than 100 runs better than the Rays, who’ve scored 732. But when it comes to pitching, the 3.66 team ERA of Tampa Bay is far superior to Boston’s 4.63.

Right-hander Rick Porcello (13-12, 5.77 ERA) will be on the mound to start for the visiting Red Sox. In his last outing, Porcello held the Phillies to two runs over five innings in a win. In 167 starts at Tropicana Field in St. Pete, Porcello is 8-5 with an ERA of 2.87.

The Rays will be starting 35-year-old right-hander Charlie Morton (15-6, 3.16 ERA). In 15 home starts, Morton is 7-3 with a 2.74 ERA. In eight career starts against the Red Sox, Morton has posted a 4.26 ERA.

Mookie Betts, who’s been on the injured list, could return for this one. On the season, Betts is batting .293 with 28 homers and 78 RBIs.

1* Free Play on Braves -195

While the Giants (74-79) are coming off a 5-4 loss to the Red Sox, the Braves (94-60) are coming off a win over the Phillies by the same score. Tonight, the Braves will host San Francisco in Atlanta.

To put it flatly, the Braves have been the better team this season. With 816 runs scored, Atlanta ranks sixth in the majors. San Francisco ranks 27thin the league with just 656 runs scored. The Braves are better on the mound, too, where they hold an advantage in team ERA (.421 – 4.35).

Much of the Braves’ offensive production has come from the duo of Ronald Acuna Jr. and Freddie Freeman. Acuna Jr. leads the club with 40 home runs, and Freeman leads the team with 119 RBIs and his .299 average.

The visiting Giants will send out Tyler Beede (5-9, 5.02 ERA) to start. The San Francisco right-hander pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings his last time out, but it was against the lowly Marlins. Before his last two victorious starts, Beede was on a six-game losing streak.

At home, right-hander Mike Foltynewicz (7-5, 4.80 ERA) is set to start. Over his past five starts, Foltynewicz has posted a 1.52 ERA. In his last outing, Foltynewicz held the Nationals to one run over six innings.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Air Force +8½ -110

A pair of undefeated teams will face off on the blue turf of Boise State as the #20 Broncos (3-0) host the Air Force Falcons (2-0). This game could have big implications for the Mountain West Conference standings at the end of the year.

The visitors are coming off an impressive overtime win against Colorado. Before that, the Falcons demolished Colgate in their season opener. The old-school Air Force offense has produced 454 yards per game while a strong defense is holding opponents to an average of 243 yards.

Don’t expect Air Force quarterback Donald Hammond to rack up a ton of yardage through the air. On just seven of 12 passes, Hammond threw for 155 yards, two touchdowns, and a pick. The Falcons’ offense relies much more heavily on the run game, which is led by Kadin Remsberg, who rushed for 146 yards against Colorado.

Boise State has started the year strong, taking down FSU in the opener before earning a close win against Marshall and blowing out Portland State. In contrast to an Air Force team led by defense, the Broncos want to outscore opponents. Boise State is averaging 516 yards of offense while giving up 280.

Averaging more than 300 yards a game, Boise State quarterback Hank Bachmeier has thrown for 927 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions on the season. Bachmeier’s favorite target is Khalil Shakir, who’s reeled in 17 balls for 237 yards and a TD.

Against a triple-option team that will wear any opponent down throughout the course of a game, Boise State will need its freshman QB to protect the ball and be efficient through the air. A relentless Air Force defense will love getting 8.5 points against a Broncos team that only managed 14 points against Marshall.