Winning Picks from Sports Handicapper Sean Murphy

Saturday MLB Free play. My selection is on Chicago over Milwaukee at 7:10 pm et on Saturday.

The Cubs have seen their N.L. Wild Card hopes all but vanish during a four-game slide that included a back-breaking 4-3 extra innings defeat in the opener of this series last night. This becomes a must-win game but Chicago will need some help as well. I do like the Cubs chances of snapping their losing streak here, even if it will probably be all for not as far as the playoff chase goes. Jordan Wicks has impressed for Chicago down the stretch, logging a 3.00 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in six starts. The Cubs certainly appear to be a confident team with Wicks on the mound, going 5-1 in his six outings to date. His counterpart on Saturday will be veteran left-hander Eric Lauer, who will be making his first big league appearance since May. It's been a lost season for Lauer due to injuries and general struggles. Even at the minor league level, he's had a tough time getting outs, recording an ERA north of five to go along with a 1.75 WHIP. In 42 2/3 innings of work with the Brewers earlier this season, he posted a ridiculous 6.70 FIP and 1.52 WHIP. Look for the Cubs bats to finally come alive on Saturday at American Family Field. Take Chicago.

A.L. East Game of the Month. My selection is on Baltimore over Boston at 7:05 pm et on Saturday.

The Red Sox were shutout victors in last night's matchup between these two teams, evening the series at a game apiece. I look for the Orioles to answer back on Saturday. Kutter Crawford will take the ball for Boston. He's lasted six innings just once in his last six starts and checks in sporting a 5.69 ERA and 1.41 WHIP in 13 nighttime starts this season. Current Orioles hitters have had plenty of success against Crawford, reaching him for 11 hits in 22 at-bats with only three strikeouts to go along with three walks. Kyle Gibson will counter for Baltimore. He's given the O's a big lift when it counts this season, logging a 3.18 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in eight starts against A.L. East opponents, with Baltimore winning six of those contests. He's also closing out the regular season in excellent form, posting a 2.45 ERA and 1.04 WHIP over his last three starts. For his career, Gibson has recorded a 3.72 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in nine previous starts against Boston. The Orioles own a slight advantage in terms of the bullpen matchup. Baltimore's relief corps has posted a collective 1.86 ERA and 0.62 WHIP over the last seven games, being called into duty for only 19 1/3 innings over that stretch. Take Baltimore (10*).

My selection is on Los Angeles over San Francisco at 9:05 pm et on Saturday.

Clayton Kershaw will get his final start of the regular season for the Dodgers on Saturday and while this is a meaningless game in the grand scheme of things, I do expect the future Hall-of-Famer to keep the same approach and take care of his business the way he always does. Kershaw will undoubtedly be happy to be facing the Giants, noting that he owns a 1.98 ERA and 0.90 WHIP in 56 career starts against them. He most recently tossed five shutout innings in a 7-0 victory over San Francisco one week ago tonight. San Francisco will give the start to Tristan Beck. He's been reasonably effective out of the bullpen this season but not so much as a starter. In two previous starts, Beck has allowed nine earned runs in seven innings. Note that the trio of Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and J.D. Martinez have gone a combined 5-for-9 off of Beck without a single strikeout. The Dodgers bullpen doesn't own as much of an advantage as you might think in this game as the Giants relief corps has been fairly reliable if not overworked (they're approaching 700 innings pitched on the season). With that said, the Los Angeles bullpen is easy to trust away from home, where it has converted 21 saves while blowing only six this season. Take Los Angeles (8*).

My selection is on TCU minus the points over West Virginia at 8 pm et on Saturday.

Everyone was quick to point out that TCU was in line for a down year following its season-opening loss to Prime's Colorado Buffaloes. Of course, it was always going to be extremely difficult for the Horned Frogs to match last season's success but that doesn't mean it has to be a 'down year'. I like how TCU has responded since that setback, reeling off three straight wins in blowout fashion (with little fanfare). The fact that few are paying much attention to the Horned Frogs right now gives us the opportunity to back them at a reasonable price at home against West Virginia on Saturday. The Mountaineers have also responded to a season-opening loss with three straight victories. All three of those came at home, however. I suspect they're in for a rude awakening here as they run into a TCU team that has found its rhythm on offense and appears to be locked-in defensively, allowing just 2.5 yards per rush this season. Given the way the Horned Frogs have snuffed out opposing ground attacks, if West Virginia can't get its passing game going early it's likely to be a long night. Note that the Mountaineers have only thrown for 636 yards in total through four games. Take TCU (8*).

Saturday CFB Free play. My selection is on the 'over' between Michigan and Nebraska at 3:30 pm et on Saturday.

Michigan's offense has barely broken a sweat through its first four games. That's a product of playing all four games at home as massive favorites (not to mention the fact that the Wolverines have allowed a grand total of only 23 points). Here, I do think we'll see the Wolverines push the envelope a little more as game script should dictate in what figures to be their most competitive contest of the season to date. Nebraska could only muster three points in last year's matchup with Michigan. That was in the Big House. The last time we saw the Cornhuskers host the Wolverines they put 29 points on the board in 2021. Note that the 'over' is a long-term 51-27 with Michigan coming off consecutive ATS losses, which is the case here, resulting in an average total of 53.7 points. Take the over.

Big 12 Game of the Month. My selection is on Texas minus the points over Kansas at 3:30 pm et on Saturday.

I'm just as high on Kansas as most but I think it's in the wrong place at the wrong time on Saturday as it travels to Austin to face the Longhorns. Both teams check in a perfect 4-0 on the season but as you know, all records aren't created equal. The Jayhawks best win arguably came last week at home against BYU but the Cougars are a much easier opponent to handle when you get them away from Lavell-Edwards Stadium. Texas has a 10-point win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa to its credit and absolutely lambasted Baylor in Waco last week, rolling to a 38-6 victory. The Longhorns took a wild 57-56 home loss to Kansas in 2021 personally, responding with a 55-14 demolition in this matchup last year. That was on the road. Things certainly won't get easier for the Jayhawks in enemy territory this time around. Call me crazy but I actually like Kansas' offense a little more with QB Jason Bean at the helm. That's not a knock on Jalon Daniels. I simply think Bean should be more involved in the offseason, even with Daniels QB1. Here, we'll note that Kansas is a long-term 2-11 ATS when priced as a road underdog between 14 and 17.5 points, as is the case at the time of writing, outscored by an average margin of 27.0 points in that situation. Take Texas (10*).

My selection is on Boston College minus the points over Virginia at 2 pm et on Saturday.

It's been a tough stretch for Virginia both as a football program and a school community in general following the events of last Fall. The Cavaliers are off to a predictable 0-4 start this season (they were priced as underdogs in all four games) and I'm not convinced this is the spot where they'll earn their first win of the campaign (that likely comes next week at home against FCS opponent William & Mary). Still searching for answers at the skill positions on offense, they'll have their hands full against a Boston College defense that will undoubtedly be in a foul mood after getting wrecked for 56 points on the road against Louisville last Saturday. That was an awful spot for the Eagles. This is a favorable one as they return home where we last saw them give potential national title contender Florida State all it could handle in an eventual 31-29 defeat. Here, we'll note that Boston College is a perfect 7-0 ATS the last seven times it has played at home after trailing its previous game by 24 points or more at halftime, which is the situation it is in on Saturday, outscoring opponents by an average margin of 13.3 points in that spot. Take Boston College (8*).

SEC Game of the Year. My selection is on Kentucky over Florida at 12 noon et on Saturday.

Kentucky has defeated Florida in each of the last two seasons and there's little reason to believe that this is the Gators squad to rise up and end that streak. Florida has turned things around with three straight victories but I haven't forgotten its toothless performance on the road against Utah in its season-opener. The Wildcats have predictably dismantled all four of their opponents to date (they were favored by double-digits in all four games). I think we'll see Kentucky keep it rolling here, knowing it is likely headed for its first loss of the campaign by way of a trip to Athens to face the number-one ranked Georgia Bulldogs next week. For the Gators, they can likely pick back up on their winning ways over the next two weeks as they host Vanderbilt before travelling to face South Carolina (those two games precede their own annual showdown with mighty Georgia). Kentucky has had a tendency to start fast in recent years, going 14-4 ATS in the first half of the season going back to 2021. In those games, it has outscored the opposition by an impressive average margin of 12.5 points. Florida falls into a tough spot here, noting that it has gone a miserable 2-10 ATS in its last 12 games following a home victory. Take Kentucky (10*).

My selection is on the 'under' between Utah State and Connecticut at 12 noon et on Saturday.

Everyone is waiting for Utah State to repeat its 78-point explosion earlier this season against Idaho State but it's just not going to happen. The Aggies did put up 38 points (in a losing effort) on the road against James Madison last week but that was thanks in large part to five Dukes turnovers. I expect Connecticut to take care of the football at the very least on Saturday (turnovers aren't really something we can accurately predict) as it looks to salvage something from this three-game homestand. The Huskies are 0-4 to start the season, topping out at 17 points in a game. While Utah State has given up its share of points this season, this is no gimme matchup for a sputtering UConn offense. Remember, the Aggies did hold Iowa to 24 points on fewer than 300 total yards of offense in its season-opener on the road, so they're capable of rising to the occasion defensively here. The Huskies gave up 31 points in last year's matchup with Utah State but that was on the road against a more talented Aggies offense than the one they'll face on Saturday. Utah State's top two contributors on that day were RB Calvin Tyler Jr. and WR Brian Cobbs. Both have since moved on and were late cuts at NFL training camps in August. Take the under (8*).