Mike Lundin – Sports Handicapper

SUNDAY NIGHT BASEBALL

The slumping Los Angeles Angels have lost six straight games, and I think they're in for another tough matchup at Houston Sunday night. 

The Astros hand the ball to Lance McCullers (7-3, 3.97 ERA) who is 4-0 with a 2.87 ERA home at Minute Maid Park on the season. He has struggled through his last couple of starts, but should come out fresh here as he will make his first start since Sept. 6. McCullers has held the Halos to one unearned run in 13 2/3 innings this season. 

The Angels turn to Tyler Skaggs (2-6, 4.30 ERA) who is 1-5 through his last nine starts. He's 0-3 with a 3.93 ERA in seven starts on the road and the Angels are 2-5 in those games. 

The Astros have won 10 of their last 11 home games and six of the last seven meetings with LAA. 

My selection is an 8* play on Houston Astros. 

MLB MONEYMAKER

The St. Louis Cardinals run for the 2nd Wild Card position in the National League took a tumle on Saturday. They still scored six runs, and I think they would have had that game if Lance Lynn had not been lit up for eight runs in the first inning. 

I like the Cards to bounce back here as they get a look at Jameson Taillon (7-7, 4.73 ERA). The 25 year old right-hander is just 3-5 with a 5.25 ERA in 14 starts home at PNC Park on the season and he has surrendered 10 runs on 19 hits in 16 innings against the Cards on the year. 

St. Louis hands the ball to John Gant (0-0, 3.86 ERA), a 25 year old right-hander who will make his sixth appearance (first start) this season. The Pirates have struggled at the plate lately (last night excluded), and I think Gant will do well enough for the Cardinals to win this game. 

My selection is an 8* play on St. Louis Cardinals. 

#NFL FREE PICK FROM MIKE LUNDIN

The Cleveland Browns won just one game all of last season and they're heading into Week 3 of the current season still eyeing their first win. The Indianapolis Colts are in the same spot after back-to-back losses to the Rams and the Cardinals, but I think the Browns will be the team to come out of this contest with the W.  

The Colts failed to hold onto a 13-3 fourth quarter lead in a tough 16-13 overtime home loss to the Cardinals last weekend. They'll once again be without QB Andrew Luck and his replacement Jacoby Brissett completed just 20-of-37 passes for 216 yards with no touchdowns and one interception against Arizona. They couldn't get their running game going either as the team amassed just a total of 76 yards on 29 carries Here they'll face a Cleveland D that has held two tough opponents in Pittsburgh and Baltimore to an average of 313.5 yards per game on the season.

The Browns actually outgained the Ravens 386-337 in last week's 24-10 defeat but gave away the ball way to easy and five turnovers ruined any chance of winning the game. Starting QB DeShone Kizer threw three picks before leaving the game with migraine, but I expect the rookie to be healthy for this game do much better. 

Cleveland has not been favored on the road since giving five points at Jacksonville back in 2014. The books have made the Browns a favorite here for a reason, and I'm backing the Browns to win outright. 

My free pick is on the Cleveland Browns.

Mike Lundin is entering Sunday on a PERFECT 5-0 NFL RUN that he's putting to the test with THREE PREMIUM PICK WINNERS. The action starts early with Ravens/Jaguars at London, England and Mike's NFL GAME OF THE WEEK features the Sunday night game Oakland Raiders vs. Washington Redskins. Get on board with an all sports subscription now to ensure you don't miss a single winner. 

NFL NO-BRAINER

The Carolina Panthers have allowed just a total of six points and an average of 196.5 yards through their first two games. While impressive, let's note that they've faced San Francisco and Buffalo, far from the offense they'll face here in the Saints.

New Orleans is third in the league with 773 total yards through the first two weeks of the season and and that's despite facing a pair of solid defenses. The Saints fell 29-19 at Minnesota in Week 1 and took a 36-20 beating by the Patriots last week. 

The Panthers have scored just a total of 32 points in their two games and QB Cam Newton is just 34-of-57 for 399 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Here he'll have to do without his most reliable target as tight end Greg Olsen is out with a broken foot. I think the Panthers will win outright, but I think the Saints will keep it reasonably close and taking the points here is a no-brainer to me. 

The Saints are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 road games and 9-2 ATS in their last 11 vs. NFC South rivals. The Panthers are 1-4 ATS in their last five home games and 1-5 ATS in their last six vs. NFC South.

My selection is an 8* play on New Orleans Saints. 

TOP RATED 10* NFL GAME OF THE WEEK

The 1-1 Washington Redskins will host the 2-0 Oakland Raiders at FedEx Field Sunday night. These are two teams relying on their explosive offense to win games, and I think we'll see plenty of scores for both sides in this contest. 

The Raiders have averaged a league-best 35.5 points per game in defeating the Titans and the Jets. Derek Carr has yet to throw and interception and has connected on 45-of-60 passes for a total of 492 yards with five touchdown passes. Carr has plenty of go-to playmakers and offseason RB signing Marshawn Lynch has done a lot of damage on the ground. This is without a doubt one of the most balanced offenses in the NFL, and Washington does not have the defense to stop it. 

The Raiders have some defensive woes of their own though. They may have held the Jets' Josh McCown to 166 yards passing in last week's 42-20 victory but here they'll face a much more competent QB in Kirk Cousins. who has completed 41-of-67 passes for a total of 419 yards with two touchdowns on the season. The Skins pounded the ball on the ground in last week's 27-20 victory against the Rams and ran the ball 39 times for a total of 229 yards. Note that the Raiders gave up 126 yards on the ground last week, so there are definitely holes to exploit. 

Over is 7-2 in Raiders last nine games in September. Over is 5-1 in Redskins last six games in September.

My NFL Game of the Week is a 10* play on OAK/WAS Over. 

EARLY RAVENS/JAGUARS AT LONDON

The Baltimore Ravens are perfect 2-0 SU and ATS on the season after comfortable victories against Cincinnati (20-0) and Cleveland (24-10). I think they'll remain perfect after this matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday. 

The Ravens have allowed just a total of 10 points and 607 total yards through the first two games. They've forced 10 turnovers and here they'll face a Jacksonville side that turned the ball over three times (two picks, one fumble) in last week's 37-16 home loss to AFC South rival Tennessee. 

The Jaguars had opened the season with a 29-7 win at Houston and probably felt a little bit too good about themselves heading into Week 2. They'll face a really tough defense in this contest, and I really don't think quarterback Blake Bortles or rookie RB Leonard Fournette have the keys to unlock it. 

Baltimore is far from an offensive powerhouse, but QB Joe Flacco is heating up and completed 25-of-34 passes for 217 yards with two TDs last week.

My selection is an 8* play on Baltimore Ravens.