Larry Ness

My 8* Late-Breaking Play is on the Atl Braves at 9:45 ET.

The Atlanta Braves fell Sunday at home to Milwaukee 3-2 in 10 innings to end a four-game winning streak but have won four of their last five series and seven of their last nine games overall. The 25-22 Braves open a seven-game road trip Monday at San Francisco and hope to continue their strong play of late. The 20-25 Giants have also played better of late, winning four of their last six, after winning two of three in Arizona over the weekend, getting a pinch-hit HR from Pablo Sandoval for the game winner in Sunday 3-2 win (also in 10 innings)..

The pitching matchup for the opener of this four-game set features Atlanta rookie Mike Soroka (4-1, 0.98 ERA), going against San Francisco left-hander Andrew Suarez, who is making his first appearance for the Giants this season. Soroka takes the mound in the opener after allowing one earned run or less in all SIX starts this season and doing so NINE times in his 11 career starts. He has given up just four ERs over 36.2 innings this season (six starts) and in his 11 career starts (Braves are 8-3), is 6-2 with a 2.02 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. Can we agree, he's NOT a fluke? Wait, how about this? He has not surrendered a HR in 57 innings, the longest current streak in the majors that dates back to his big-league debut last May.

As for Suarez, he failed to make the Giants roster out of spring training, one season after starting 29 games in the majors (7-13, 4.49 ERA and 1.30 WHIP / team was 12-17). He's missed time at Triple-A Sacramento with a hamstring injury and in six starts, is 2-3 with a 6.33 ERA. He heads into this game having allowed seven ERs on 14 hits over just 8.2 innings in two starts since returning from the injured list (7.27 ERA).

Suarez's numbers are hardly a ringing endorsement and give little reason to expect he can hold down an Atlanta lineup led by 1st baseman Freddie Freeman . Freeman is batting .425 with a 1.302 OPS over the last 10 games and has homered in a career-best four straight games. Freeman has 11 HRs, eight coming over his last 83 at-bats. What's more, not only his Suarez matched up against the red-hot Soroka but the Gianst haven't hit right-handers well, especially in home night games. The Giants are averaging just 2.4 RPG in seven home night games vs righties in 2019. A small sample size, you say? Fair enough but in 30 home night games against righties in 2018, the Giants averaged just 3.6 RPG. Take the Braves and Soroka.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Weekly Wipeout Winner is on the Por Blazers at 9:05 ET.

The Warriors coasted to a 116-94 win in Game 1 but had to overcome a 17-point deficit in Game 2, before escaping with a 114-111 victory. "We stole that game," Golden State head coach Steve Kerr told reporters. Golden St was down 15 at the half in Game 2 but a 39-24 third quarter put them back in position to win it in the 4th. Fast-forward to Game 3 in Portland. The Blazers opened a 66-53 halftime lead but once again, the Warriors dominated in the third quarter, outscoring the Blazers 29-13, before pulling away in fourth en route to a 110-99 triumph.The Blazers WILL NOT come back and win four in a row but the question here is, can they win this Game 4?

Draymond Green scored a postseason-high 20 points to go with 13 rebounds and 12 assists on Saturday (his third triple-double of the playoffs), setting the tone for a Warriors team that fell into an 18-point hole in the first half and was down 14 with 8:08 left in the third quarter. His ability to push the tempo and get the rest of his teammates to feed off his energy propelled the Warriors to a victory. That said, let's NOT forget Curry, who scored a team high 36 points, his fourth straight 30-plus effort since K.D. was lost to a calf injury.

Portland didn't just fold in the third quarter, as they totaled just 33 points in the entire second half, after putting up 63 points in the first half. "Our offense fell apart," Portland coach Terry Stotts told reporters. "We missed some shots. Took some tough shots. Didn't move the ball as well. They were scoring, so we were taking it out of the net. Didn't get any transition. So, I said at the beginning of the series, to beat Golden State, you've got to be able to score. Scoring 33 in the second half is not going to do it." Damian Lillard has yet to get rolling offensively in the series (he's shooting 32.6 percent from the floor and has committed 14 turnovers in the first three games, plus he and McCollum have been totally outplayed by Curry and Thompson. in the series.

Is this "All she wrote?" The Warriors are just one win shy of earning their FIFTH straight NBA Finals appearance, something that hasn't been done since the 1960s Boston Celtics. As to the team's back-to-back wins in Games 2 and 3, the Warriors have become the first team in NBA history to rally from at least a 13-point deficit in consecutive playoff wins. However, SF Andre Iguodala (lower leg) left Saturday's game and is the Warriors don't expect him to play here. As for K.D, word is he only plays if the Warriors are forced to a Game 7 (fat chance that happens). That said, I am not tasked to "look ahead," just focus on the here and now.

Portland has shown it can play with Golden State in Games 2 and 3 but the team has NOT been able to "close he show." I've had the Blazers in Games 2 and 3 and will "go to the well" with them again, here. Portland lost its first home game after the calendar turned to 2019 (Jan 4  to OKC) but then ended the regular season on an 18-2 SU run at home. The Blazers are 5-2 at home in the postseason, so that means they are on a 23-4 SU run on their home floor. Portland closed a three-point favorite in Game 3 but there has been a line 'swing' of right about a 'TD!". I'm 'barking' with the home dog!

Good luck...Larry