Handicapper Big Al McMordie Free Sports Picks

At 1:35 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Boston Red Sox.  The Rays lost a tough one on Saturday, getting a complete game dose of Garrett Crochet -- the Red Sox ace and one of the best starters in the game.  But Tampa's pitching was pretty darn good too as the combination of Shane Baz and Edwin Uceta allowed just one run on five hits the entire game -- a 1-0 loss.  They'll send out another very good young starter this afternoon at Fenway Park in RH Ryan Pepiot.  The 27-year-old is 6-6 with a 3.32 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 19 starts covering 108 1/3 innings.  Pepiot was part of the trade that sent Tyler Glasnow and Manny Margot to the Dodgers and it's beginning to look like the Rays got the better of that deal.  Pepiot has really stepped it up lately as in his last nine starts, going back to May 25, he is 4-1 with a 2.60 ERA with 60 strikeouts and 18 walks in 52 innings.  And Pepiot is 3-2 with a 2.31 ERA in six afternoon starts this season (vs. 3-4 and 3.80 in 13 starts under the lights).   Take the Rays.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the San Diego Padres.  Last night, the Padres handed Philly its second straight loss.  We'll take the Phils to bounce back this afternoon, as they're a stellar 45-25 (+8.3 net games) as a favorite this season, as well as 40-22 (+8.6 net games) when favored with Cristopher Sanchez on the hill.  Meanwhile, Nick Pivetta's teams are a putrid 34-56 (minus 9.3 net games) as an underdog when he toes the rubber.  Finally, Philly has excelled vs. righty starters (106-69, +16.7 net games) compared to lefties (45-42, minus 12.7 net games).  Take the Phillies.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7 pm, on Sunday, our selection is on the UNDER in the British Columbia/Edmonton game.  The Elks put up 39 points last week in an upset win over Ottawa.  And that was the most points the Elks have scored at home in over 6 years.  The Elks are back home this week to face British Columbia, and we'll look for a much lower-scoring game on Sunday evening.  Indeed, the Under is 5-1-1 in the last seven meetings between these rivals, including a 31-14 Lions win to open this season.  The Elks are 8-1-1 Under their last 10 after scoring more than 36 points in their previous game, while the Lions are 15-7-1 Under their last 23, overall.  Take the UNDER.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.