Wednesday 5-23-18 Free Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Etc

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Atlanta Braves vs. Philadelphia Phillies Preview and Predictions 05-23-2018

22nd May 2018 by Gracenote
ozzie albies has scored more runs than any player in the national league during his first full season with the atlanta braves, and the 21-year-old looks to lead his team to a series victory in the finale of a three-game set wednesday against the host philadelphia phillies. albies scored all three atlanta runs in a thrilling 3-1 victory tuesday, as the braves topped philadelphia for the seventh time in 11 meetings this season to extend their lead over the phillies in the nl east to 1 ½ games.

in a tight game tuesday between two teams that have surpassed expectations to rise to the top of the division, the braves handled the pressure better. albies (who leads the nl with 45 runs scored) belted his 14th homer in the third inning and, after collecting a ninth-inning single and moving to second on a passed ball, scored a critical insurance run on 20-year-old ronald acuna's base hit. albies scored his second run in the fifth inning with the help of carlos santana's throwing error - the fourth consecutive game in which the philadelphia first baseman has recorded an error. philadelphia second baseman cesar hernandez drove in the phillies lone run with a fifth-inning single, extending his on-base streak to 26 consecutive games.
tv: 7:05 p.m. et, fs southeast (atlanta), nbcs philadelphia
pitching matchup: braves lh luiz gohara (0-0, 1.29 era) vs. phillies rh jake arrieta (3-2, 2.82)

gohara impressed in making five starts last september, but endured a miserable offseason in which his father died and his mother fell ill, then suffered groin and ankle injuries that scuttled his spring training. but after four rough rehab starts in the minors in which he posted a 6.89 era, the fourth-ranked prospect in the organization by mlb pipeline has posted a 1.29 era with five strikeouts across seven innings in three relief appearances. gohara, who will return to his native brazil to be with his mother after the start, struck out 31 in 29 1/3 innings last season.
arrieta has provided the phillies exactly what they hoped when they signed the 32-year-old to a three-year deal, giving up two earned runs or fewer seven times in his first eight starts. he lost friday at st. louis, allowing four runs (two earned) in three innings with two walks, seven days after firing 7 1/3 shutout innings in a no-decision against the new york mets. arrieta, who has walked two hitters in each start this season, is 3-1 with a 2.76 era in five career starts against atlanta.
walk-offs

1. philadelphia 3b maikel franco snapped a 0-for-13 skid with a fifth-inning single, and added a single in the seventh.
2. atlanta struck out three times with the bases loaded in the fourth inning and 14 times overall tuesday - four by ss dansby swanson - just two off its season high of 16 set april 11 at washington.

3. the phillies are 17-7 with a plus-50 run differential at home, but three of those home defeats have come against the braves.

prediction: phillies 6, braves 3

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New York Yankees vs. Texas Rangers Preview and Predictions 05-23-2018

23rd May 2018 by Gracenote
rookie sensation gleyber torres belted three home runs over the first two contests of the series and looks to continue his power surge when the new york yankees conclude their three-game set against the host texas rangers on wednesday. torres went deep twice in the opener and once on tuesday, giving him seven homers in 26 major-league games.

the 21-year-old torres, who has hit four shots over his last four games, has gone 4-for-7 in the series to raise his batting average to .330. miguel andujar and austin romine also homered for the yankees on tuesday, but they dropped a 6-4 decision for just their fifth setback in 27 games. texas won for only the third time in 10 contests and never trailed as jurickson profar hit a three-run homer in the opening inning to set the tone. nomar mazara is mired in an 11-game home-run drought but still ranks second on the club to joey gallo (14) with 10 blasts.
tv: 7:05 p.m. et, mlb network, yes (new york), fs southwest (texas)

pitching matchup: yankees lh cc sabathia (2-1, 2.40 era) vs. rangers rh doug fister (1-4, 3.43)
sabathia is coming off his first loss of the season as he gave up four runs - two earned - and four hits over five innings against kansas city on friday. the 37-year-old issued a season-high four walks after handing out five free passes over his initial 36 1/3 innings this year. sabathia is 11-6 with a 5.12 era in 22 career starts against texas.

fister has gone 0-4 over his last seven turns but is coming off a fantastic effort on thursday, when the bullpen was unable to protect his lead. the 34-year-old was moved up a day in the rotation when cole hamels was scratched and scattered six hits over seven scoreless innings but settled for a no-decision against the chicago white sox. fister is 3-4 with a 5.56 era in eight career appearances (seven starts) versus the yankees.
walk-offs

1. the yankees have hit eight homers in the series and 17 over their last four contests.

2. new york lf giancarlo stanton is 12-for-28 with two blasts during his seven-game hitting streak.
3. gallo struck out three times in four hitless at-bats on tuesday and is just 1-for-14 over his last four games.

prediction: rangers 5, yankees 4

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Los Angeles Angels vs. Toronto Blue Jays Preview and Predictions 05-23-2018

22nd May 2018 by Gracenote
kendrys morales hadn't done much to distinguish himself this season before a productive start to his week saw him excel in an impromptu pitching performance and notch back-to-back multi-hit efforts. morales aims to continue his recent surge against his former team as the blue jays (23-25) bid for their first series victory in over a month when they host the los angeles angels (26-22) on wednesday.

morales did his best to silence the masses that are clamoring for top prospect vladimir guerrero jr. to cut into his at-bats by belting a two-run homer to highlight a five-run first inning in tuesday's 5-3 triumph. the 34-year-old cuban has answered a career-worst 0-for-29 stretch earlier this month by collecting five hits in his last three games heading into wednesday's tilt versus left-hander tyler skaggs, against whom he is 2-for-6 in his career. while toronto had lost four in a row and eight of 10 prior to the opener of the three-game series, los angeles opened a 10-game road trip with its eighth loss in 11 outings while mustering just 29 runs in that stretch. mike trout has scored five of those runs in the last four games heading into a matchup versus right-hander aaron sanchez, against whom he is 1-for-4 in a small sample size.
tv: 7:07 p.m. et, fs west (los angeles), sportsnet (toronto)
pitching matchup: angels lh tyler skaggs (3-3, 2.88 era) vs. blue jays rh aaron sanchez (2-4, 4.47)

skaggs turned in his fifth straight strong outing on thursday but saw his winless skid extend to four games after allowing just one run in six innings of a 7-1 setback versus tampa bay. the 26-year-old has permitted just seven runs on 25 hits with 32 strikeouts in his last five outings (29 2/3 innings). skaggs picked up the win against toronto last season after permitting two earned runs in seven-plus innings, improving to 2-2 with a 3.86 era in four career starts.
sanchez permitted four runs for the third time in four outings on thursday, as he allowed four walks to drive up his pitch count to lead to an exit after four innings in a 10-5 setback versus oakland. the 25-year-old has struggled with his control, issuing multiple walks in each of his nine trips to the mound for a total of 29 in 50 1/3 innings this season. justin upton is 5-for-7 with a pair of doubles against sanchez, who owns an 0-1 mark in two career meetings with the angels despite limiting the club to a .200 batting average.
walk-offs

1. los angeles ss andrelton simmons has reached base safely in 27 of his last 28 games.
2. toronto owns a 14-6 mark this season when scoring the game's first run.

3. angels c martin maldonado has two extra-base hits in his last two games to improve to 17-for-44 in may after going 7-for-56 last month.

prediction: angels 4, blue jays 2

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Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays Preview and Predictions 05-23-2018

22nd May 2018 by Gracenote
mookie betts had a terrific april and he has been even better in may as his boston red sox visit the tampa bay rays on wednesday night for the middle contest of a three-game series between the american league east rivals. betts, who leads the majors with a .368 batting average and 16 homers, is at .395 in may after going 2-for-4 with a three-run blast in tuesday's series-opening 4-2 victory.

betts is 12-for-25 with three long balls during a six-game hitting streak for the red sox, who have won five of six overall and eight of 11 against the rays this season after stranding three runners on base in the ninth inning tuesday. boston's david price will get the start in wednesday's contest versus his former team - against whom he is 4-4 overall - and tampa bay's chris archer hopes to improve on a 2-12 record and 5.49 era against the red sox in 20 career games. shortstop willy adames, who was acquired by the rays from detroit in the trade for price in 2015, made his major league debut tuesday and the 22-year-old prospect went 1-for-4 with a solo homer off chris sale. tampa bay is 6-2 since getting routed 17-1 at baltimore, but catcher wilson ramos left tuesday's game with a left hand contusion and starting pitcher jake faria came out of the contest in the third inning with a left oblique strain.
tv: 7:10 p.m. et, nesn (boston), fs sun (tampa bay)
pitching matchup: red sox lh david price (4-4, 4.38 era) vs. rays rh chris archer (3-3, 5.01)

price comes in off his first complete game since 2016 and 17th of his career when he limited baltimore to two runs on five hits and zero walks with eight strikeouts last thursday. the 32-year-old vanderbilt product has earned two straight wins after a three-game losing streak - one against tampa bay - in which he allowed 19 runs in 17 innings combined. ramos is 4-for-11 with a homer versus price, who blanked the rays in his first two starts of 2018 while yielding seven hits in 14 innings.
archer registered his first scoreless outing of the season last thursday, giving up two hits and four walks over 6 2/3 innings against the los angeles angels. the 29-year-old north carolina native has allowed two or fewer runs in four of his last six trips to the mound after permitting at least four in his first four starts of 2018. betts is 12-for-34 with four homers and 10 rbis versus archer, who gave up four runs over six innings in a no-decision against boston on march 29 in the season opener.
walk-offs

1. adames, who is batting .311 at triple-a durham, was recalled after inf joey wendle was placed on the paternity list.

2. the red sox boast 70 homers, a franchise record through 48 games, and have gone deep in 13 consecutive contests.
3. rays of johnny field had a single in the series opener and is 8-for-19 during a five-game hitting streak.

prediction: rays 5, red sox 3

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Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Cincinnati Reds Preview and Predictions 05-23-2018

22nd May 2018 by Gracenote
scooter gennett didn't make much of an impact in the cincinnati reds' first series with the pittsburgh pirates, but he sure packed a punch to start the next encounter. the cincinnati native looks to follow up his season-high six-rbi performance on wednesday when the reds (17-32) vie for a series victory against the pirates (26-21) at great american ball park.

gennett, who went 1-for-16 as cincinnati dropped three of four to pittsburgh in april, launched his fifth grand slam in two seasons to highlight tuesday's 7-2 romp. the 28-year-old has 23 hits - including six homers - to go along with 19 rbis and 11 runs scored in his last 14 games overall heading into a meeting with wednesday starter chad kuhl, against whom he is just 1-for-12 with five strikeouts. pittsburgh has answered an 8-1 stretch with losses in four straight, which is one shy of its season high for losses set from april 19-25. austin meadows went deep for the second time in as many outings to highlight a 6-for-15 run with three rbis in his first four career games.
tv: 7:10 p.m. et, at&t sportsnet-pittsburgh, fsn ohio (cincinnati)
pitching matchup: pirates rh chad kuhl (4-2, 4.53 era) vs. reds rh homer bailey (1-6, 6.11)

kuhl recorded his second straight no-decision on thursday after allowing four runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings against san diego. the 25-year-old struggled with his control by tossing just 50 strikes on 85 pitches to drive up his pitch count. kuhl also received a no-decision in his last meeting with cincinnati on april 7, although he yielded just two runs and struck out seven in five innings.
bailey has taken his lumps of late to the tune of surrendering 24 runs on 41 hits in his last five outings, during which he owns a 1-3 mark while seeing his era balloon from 3.68 to 6.11. the 32-year-old surrendered six runs for the second time in three trips to the mound despite keeping the ball in the park for the first time since april 10. bailey was blitzed for five runs while issuing three walks in 4 2/3 innings of a 5-2 setback at pittsburgh on april 5.
walk-offs

1. pittsburgh 3b colin moran belted a solo homer on tuesday to hit safely in eight of his last 10 games.

2. reds 3b eugenio suarez had a pair of hits in the opener to improve to 7-for-17 against the pirates this season.

3. pittsburgh 2b josh harrison has four hits in two games since returning from a month-plus-long absence due to a hand injury.

prediction: pirates 7, reds 2

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Miami Marlins vs. New York Mets Preview and Predictions 05-23-2018

23rd May 2018 by Gracenote
aside from one abbreviated start due to a hyperextended elbow, new york mets right-hander jacob degrom is on an incredible roll. the surging degrom will try to keep his hot streak alive when he leads the mets into the rubber match of a three-game series against the visiting miami marlins on wednesday.

degrom has allowed one run in 26 1/3 innings over his last five outings and he struck out a season-high 13 in a dominant win against arizona his last time out. that was the beginning of a four-game winning streak for new york that came to a halt with tuesday's 5-1 loss to the marlins, who snapped a three-game slide with the victory. derek dietrich slugged a two-run homer and scored twice while j.t. realmuto had three hits and two rbis to pace miami's attack. the mets signed veteran slugger jose bautista earlier in the day and saw him go 1-for-3 with a double in his debut with the team.
tv: 7:10 p.m. et, fs florida (miami), wpix (new york)

pitching matchup: marlins rh dan straily (2-0, 3.60 era) vs. mets rh jacob degrom (4-0, 1.75)
straily had a 5.54 era through his first three starts of the season before spinning seven scoreless innings in a win at atlanta on friday. he yielded three hits in the outing and opponents are batting .208 overall against the 29-year-old. straily posted a 1.76 era in three starts against the mets a year ago.

degrom has 39 strikeouts in his dominant five-start stretch, during which opponents have managed three extra-base hits - all doubles. one of his rare non-quality starts came at miami on april 10, when he gave up four runs over six innings of a no-decision. the florida native is 4-4 with a 3.94 era in 13 career meetings with the marlins and has had major issues with justin bour, who is 7-for-15 with two homers, one double and two walks against him.
walk-offs

1. the first four hitters in new york's starting lineup combined to go 0-for-13 in tuesday's loss.

2. realmuto has three three-hit efforts in his last 10 games.

3. marlins cf lewis brinson is 2-for-27 with seven strikeouts over an seven-game stretch.

prediction: mets 4, marlins 2

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Cleveland Indians vs. Chicago Cubs Preview and Predictions 05-23-2018

22nd May 2018 by Gracenote
After seeing their pitchers get banged up in the series opener, the Chicago Cubs will ask a reliable veteran to turn things around in the finale of their two-game interleague set against the visiting Cleveland Indians on Wednesday. Jon Lester takes the mound for the Cubs hoping to continue his outstanding month and help Chicago salvage a split of the season series.

The Indians roughed up Chicago's pitching staff in Tuesday's opener, pounding out 11 hits - including Jose Ramirez's team-leading 14th homer - in a 10-1 rout. Cleveland can earn a split of its eight-game road trip with a win before heading home for seven contests. The Cubs were 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11 in the opener, and they were scoreless until pinch-hitter Ian Happ led off the ninth inning with his eighth homer of the season. The nine-run loss matched Chicago's most lopsided defeat of the campaign.
TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, SportsTime Ohio (Cleveland), NBCS Chicago

PITCHING MATCHUP: Indians RH Adam Plutko (1-0, 3.68 ERA) vs. Cubs LH Jon Lester (4-1, 2.52)
Plutko is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Columbus to make his second start of the year - and his career. The 26-year-old turned in a strong outing against Toronto in the second game of a doubleheader on May 3, allowing three runs and six hits over 7 1/3 innings to record the win. He did serve up three solo homers, however, which could be cause for concern.

Lester is 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA over his last four starts and hasn't allowed more than two runs in any of those outings. The 34-year-old was dominant at Cincinnati on Friday, striking out eight while giving up one run and two hits over six innings for his second straight victory. Lester is 7-2 with a 3.09 ERA in 16 career starts against the Indians.
WALK-OFFS

1. Cleveland LF Michael Brantley is 17-for-49 with four homers and 12 RBIs during his 11-game hitting streak, the longest active run in the majors.

2. The Cubs have hit 27 home runs in 19 games this month, including two or more in nine contests.
3. Chicago is 14-for-93 with runners in scoring position over its last nine games.

PREDICTION: Cubs 4, Indians 2

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Baltimore Orioles vs. Chicago White Sox Preview and Predictions 05-23-2018

23rd May 2018 by Gracenote
after staging a late rally to even the four-game set, the chicago white sox attempt to gain the upper hand when they host the baltimore orioles on wednesday. chicago dropped a 3-2 decision in the series opener but turned the tables on tuesday, scoring three runs in the eighth inning en route to its fourth win in six contests.

yolmer sanchez registered the decisive hit, a one-out rbi single that capped his 3-for-5 performance, while jose abreu recorded his fourth multi-hit effort in five games. baltimore collected seven hits in the loss, four of which came off the bat of mark trumbo. the 32-year-old, who also drove in a run, enters wednesday with a five-game hitting streak during which he has gone 8-for-22. adam jones has hit safely in 16 of his last 17 contests for the orioles, who are 2-4 on their 11-game road trip.
tv: 8:10 p.m. et, masn2 (baltimore), nbcs chicago plus

pitching matchup: orioles rh alex cobb (1-5, 6.56 era) vs. white sox rh dylan covey (0-1, 6.00)

cobb is coming off his first victory as an oriole, a triumph in his native boston on friday during which he limited the red sox to three runs on 10 hits over a season-high 6 1/3 innings. the 30-year-old has allowed three earned runs or fewer in each of his four turns this month after surrendering at least five in each of his three outings in april. cobb lost both of his previous career starts against chicago as he was tagged for 12 runs and 17 hits over eight innings.
covey remains in search of his first major-league victory as he has gone 0-8 with a 7.58 era in 13 starts and six relief appearances. the 26-year-old californian lost his lone outing of 2018 on april 28, when he yielded four runs on seven hits and three walks in six innings at kansas city. covey lost his only career start against the orioles as he surrendered six runs and 10 hits in four frames at baltimore on may 6, 2017.
walk-offs

1. white sox c welington castillo was back in the lineup tuesday after being pulled from the series opener for not running out a pop-up and went 3-for-4 with an rbi.
2. baltimore lhp zach britton (achilles) threw 20 pitches in a one-inning simulated game on tuesday and will work two frames on saturday before beginning a rehab assignment at triple-a norfolk next week.

3. chicago ss tim anderson was not in tuesday's lineup due to legs that manager rick renteria said were "a little bit tired."

prediction: white sox 7, orioles 5

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Seattle Mariners vs. Oakland Athletics Preview and Predictions 05-23-2018

23rd May 2018 by Gracenote
the seattle mariners look to extend their winning streak to five games when they visit the oakland athletics on wednesday for the middle contest of their three-game series. after sweeping a three-game set against detroit, seattle rallied from a two-run deficit in the opener versus oakland to post a 3-2 victory in 10 innings.

mike zunino belted a two-run homer in the seventh inning to knot the contest before guillermo heredia delivered an rbi double in the 10th as the mariners matched their longest winning streak of the season, which was ended by oakland on april 15. the win came at a cost, however, as mitch haniger exited the game after being hit on the left wrist by a pitch in the fourth inning and is day-to-day. marcus semien recorded two hits and an rbi for the athletics, who had their four-game winning streak halted as they kicked off a 10-game homestand following a 7-3 road trip. semien has registered three straight two-hit performances and eight in his last 13 contests.
tv: 10:05 p.m. et, root northwest (seattle), nbcs california (oakland)
pitching matchup: mariners lh marco gonzales (3-3, 4.66 era) vs. athletics rh daniel gossett (0-1, 11.05)

gonzales settled for a no-decision against detroit on thursday after allowing an unearned run and five hits over 5 2/3 innings. the 26-year-old native of colorado has demonstrated good control this season, issuing only nine walks over 46 1/3 frames while registering 43 strikeouts. gonzales made his second career appearance - and first start - against oakland on april 14, when he yielded four runs and five hits over 3 1/3 innings in a no-decision.
gossett is expected to be recalled from triple-a nashville to make his third start this season after yielding nine runs and 11 hits over 7 1/3 innings in his first two outings - both against the los angeles angels. the 25-year-old from south carolina has enjoyed success with the sounds, however, going 4-0 with a 1.63 era and 42 strikeouts over 38 2/3 frames in five starts and two relief appearances. gossett lost all three starts against seattle as a rookie last year, surrendering 13 runs on 18 hits and nine walks over 12 1/3 innings.
walk-offs

1. athletics dh khris davis missed the series opener after suffering a right groin strain in sunday's win at toronto but hopes to avoid a trip to the disabled list.

2. seattle placed cf-2b dee gordon (toe) on the 10-day disabled list tuesday and recalled 1b daniel vogelbach from triple-a tacoma.

3. oakland may recall rhp kendall graveman from nashville to start the series finale on thursday.

prediction: mariners 6, athletics 2

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Colorado Rockies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Preview and Predictions 05-23-2018

23rd May 2018 by Gracenote
the los angeles dodgers are on the upswing with five victories in six games, and they look to win the three-game series when they host the colorado rockies in the rubber match on wednesday. los angeles recorded a 5-3 victory on tuesday and looks to further reduce its deficit in the national league west behind the first-place rockies.

chris taylor hit a two-run homer and yasiel puig followed with a solo blast during the decisive sixth-inning uprising on tuesday as the fourth-place dodgers climbed within 4 1/2 games of colorado. the suddenly hot puig has gone deep five times in his last eight games after not homering in his first 28 contests. the rockies have registered only 10 hits over the first two games of the series and are anticipating that nolan arenado soon will arise from a 15-game home-run drought. arenado, who recorded a run-scoring single on tuesday, has collected just five rbis during the power slump.
tv: 10:10 p.m. et, at&t sportsnet-rocky mountain (colorado), sportsnet la (los angeles)
pitching matchup: rockies lh kyle freeland (4-4, 3.17 era) vs. dodgers rh kenta maeda (3-3, 3.89)

freeland has given up just three runs and 13 hits over 20 innings while winning three consecutive decisions. the 24-year-old defeated san francisco in his last turn as he allowed one run and five hits over 6 2/3 frames. freeland went 1-2 with a 4.26 era in four starts against the dodgers as a rookie last season.

maeda received an extra day of rest after a stellar effort in his last turn, when he gave up two hits over eight scoreless innings against miami on thursday. the 30-year-old hadn't worked more than six frames in any of his first seven starts and lasted five or fewer in four of them. maeda is 4-2 with a 2.56 era in seven career appearances (five starts) versus the rockies and has limited arenado (2-for-14) while struggling with charlie blackmon (4-for-11, homer).
walk-offs

1. dodgers 3b justin turner, who is just 1-for-13 over his last three games, is 6-for-11 with three doubles against freeland.
2. colorado 2b dj lemahieu (left thumb) played catch from 50 feet on tuesday and caught balls with a glove but still isn't ready to swing a bat.

3. los angeles lf matt kemp has recorded three straight two-hit performances and is 10-for-20 with five doubles over his last six contests.

prediction: rockies 4, dodgers 3

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Mike Wynn

Free Play: Free Baltimore w/Cobb -125 Over Chicago Wsox

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Free Selection from Jim Feist

Jim Feist's Comp Pick, Wednesday, May 23, 2018

5/23 04:05 PM PT / 7:05 PM ET

MLB (967) LOS ANGELES ANGELS VS (968) TORONTO BLUE JAYS

Take: (967) LOS ANGELES ANGELS

Your free play for Wednesday, May 23, 2018 is in the MLB scheduled contest between the LA Angels and the Toronto Blue Jays. Your free play is on the ANGELS

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Razor Sharp

YOUR RAZOR SHARP FREE PICK FOR WEDNESDAY: Take ARIZONA (Godley) +105 over Milwaukee

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Totals4U

Wednesday's Free Selection: Baltimore Orioles/Chicago White Sox over 9 1/2

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John Anthony Sports

Wednesday's Free Selection: Boston Red Sox - 125