Mike Lundin

#MLB Free Pick from Mike Lundin

Two struggling teams will do battle at Citi Field Monday night when the New York Mets host the Arizona Diamondbacks for the opener of their four-game series. The Mets are 1-6 in their last seven overall while the Diamondbacks are 1-5 in their last six overall. The D'Backs are still in postseason contention though, and this looks like a good series for them to get back on track. 

Tonight Taijuan Walker (6-7, 3.83 ERA) will take the ball for Arizona. The D'Backs have lost each of his last seven starts and the 25 year old is 0-4 with a 4.33 ERA in those games, but note that he's 4-4 behind a solid 3.30 ERA in 11 road starts this season. He held the Mets to two runs on two hits and six walks over five innings in the lone career meeting while with the Mariners back in 2014. 

The Mets turn to Robert Gsellman (5-5, 5.98 ERA) who is set to make his second start since being activated from the DL after missing more than six weeks with a hamstring injury. He was tagged with three runs (two earned) on four hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings against the Yankees his last time out, and I think the D'Backs will feast on the right-hander tonight. 

My free pick is on the Arizona Diamondbacks ML. 

If you're looking for a consistent winner on the gridiron, Mike Lundin's your guy. He had a solid NFL season 2016/2017 (+$5,250), and he is looking to defend and improve on his PERFECT 3-0 NFLX YTD record with an 8* selection on Giants/Browns Monday night. Mike's BIG PLAY for the night comes from the American League, don't miss out on Mike's Top Rated 10* MLB *BOOKIE BREAKER*. 

Top Rated 10* AL *BOOKIE BREAKER*

The Los Angeles Angels return home from a successful 7-2 road trip, but they're just 1-4 in their last five home games following a road trip of seven or more days and I think they'll run into trouble here against the Texas Rangers. 

Cole Hamels (8-1, 3.48 ERA) takes the ball for the visitors. The 33 year old southpaw is 3-1 with a 2.45 ERA in seven career starts against the Angels, and he's allowed just one run on seven hits in 14 2/3 frames vs. LAA on the season. He has the current Halos roster limited to a combined .217 AVG over 226 at bats. 

The Angels turn to Tyler Skaggs (1-3, 3.63 ERA) who missed his last start as he was placed on the bereavement list. Skaggs is 2-1 despite a somewhat bloated 5.46 ERA in six career starts against Texas, and he's been tagged with six runs on 12 hits in 10 innings on the season. The current Rangers are batting a combined .292 over 72 at bats against the left-hander. 

The Halos are hot, but the Rangers have also played pretty well of late, winning eight of their last 11. The price is right to back the Rangers in this matchup. 

My selection is a 10* play on Texas Rangers ML. 

NFLX *BANKROLL BUILDER*

The Cleveland Browns will host the New York Giants here in Week 2 of the NFL preseason. The Giants fell 20-12 to the Steelers last week while the Browns defeated the Saints 20-14. I'm not quite sure who will win this game, but I'm pretty confident we'll see a tight and low-scoring contest. 

Both teams are short on talent on the offensive side of the ball, and note that the Giants had the second best D in the league last season, allowing an average of just 17.8 points per game. 

The Browns ranked 31st in the league in yards allowed and 30th in points conceded last season, but they've upgraded their defense during the summer. They limited the Saints to 238 yards passing and 82 yards rushing last week, and they should be able to contain the Giants subpar offense (26th in scoring, putting up just 19.4 ppg last season). 

My selection is an 8* play on Under 39.5 points.