Sean Murphy

My selection is on Toronto over Tampa Bay at 1:10 pm et on Thursday.

I'm not sure if any teams has displayed as much resilience as the Toronto Blue Jays over the last month or so. Off a frustrating but encouraging 7-6 loss last night (they trailed that game 7-1), we'll call for them to bounce back once again on Thursday. The starting pitching matchup isn't daunting as Toronto sends Shane Bieber to the hill against Ian Seymour. On a night when they were hoping to get their bullpen some rest, the Rays were forced to put a number of high-leverage arms in action on Wednesday. I simply feel the price is too steep for a Rays team that has been scuffling along on this homestand - yet to win consecutive games through the first six contests. Take Toronto (8*).

Interleague Favorite Game of the Year. My selection is on Milwaukee over Seattle at 2:10 pm et on Thursday.

The Brewers laid a 22-0 beat down on the Mariners two nights ago so you knew Seattle would come out looking to make amends last night and they did. We’ll back the Brewers to take the series finale at a very reasonable price on Thursday. Robert Gasser pitched 6 1/3 quality innings against the Dodgers last time out. Milwaukee still lost that game 3-1 but that was on the road. The Brewers have won each of Gasser’s last five home starts. Seattle starter George Kirby looks like a pitcher that’s running out of gas. He’s mired in a disappointing 8-9 season with an ERA approaching four. Not very Kirby-like in other words. Most alarming is that he’s topped out at three strikeouts over his last four outings. Take Milwaukee (10*).

My selection is on Dallas plus the points over Indiana at 8 pm et on Thursday.

The Wings have had a couple of days off to stew over an 0-2 road trip that included a double-digit loss against the same Fever squad they'll host on Thursday. Dallas certainly hasn't been playing its best basketball as it checks in a miserable 2-7 SU and ATS over its last nine games including a current 0-6 ATS slide. With that being said, the fact that it lost by 'only' 11 points despite a poor shooting performance in Indiana last week, not to mention the fact that the Fever shot the lights out in that game, is encouraging. Last time out, the Wings got off only 58 field goal attempts against an elite Valkyries defense but still lost by 'only' eight points. In other words, I don't think they're far off from turning things around. The Fever didn't look like they had much in the tank in the fourth quarter of their 101-95 win in Toronto on Tuesday. They'll be playing their fourth game in seven nights in a fourth different city. Take Dallas (8*).

East Division Game of the Month. My selection is on Ottawa plus the points over Montreal at 7:30 pm et on Thursday.

While these two teams couldn't sit any further from one another at opposite ends of the CFL spectrum this season, I don't think for a second the Alouettes will go into this game expecting it to be a cakewalk. The Redblacks are still winless on the campaign and one of their best shots at a victory actually came on this field against the mighty Als back in late June. Ottawa is into uncharted territory from a betting perspective as it has dropped the cash in a season-high three straight games. The same goes for Montreal as it has reeled off five consecutive ATS victories since that ATS defeat against Ottawa on June 28th. The Als come off their bye week so they've had a little extra time to pat themselves on the back leading up to this game. The Redblacks were actually right there for the ATS cover were it not for a critical drop on their final drive in Winnipeg last week. They took care of the football better than we've seen in recent weeks and also did a better job defensively even if the final scoreline didn't show it. Look for the Redblacks to stay inside the number on Thursday. Take Ottawa (10*).

Non-Conference Total of the Week. My selection is on the 'over' between San Francisco and Los Angeles at 10 pm et on Thursday.

San Francisco showed little offensively in last week's 19-13 loss to the Titans. I expect to see the 49ers get going offensively in this matchup, however, noting that they did produce 30 points - with a QB rotation of Tanner Mordecai and Carter Bradley - in last August's exhibition matchup against the Chargers. Los Angeles has a serviceable preseason QB rotation with Trey Lance and DJ Uiagalelei serving as backups to Justin Herbert. Both QB's got plenty of run in last year's 30-23 preseason loss to the Niners and figure to again here. Los Angeles got its preseason slate off to a terrific start with a 27-7 victory in Houston last week. The Texans attempted only 22 passes in that game, helping to prop up the Chargers defensive effort. I expect a different story to unfold here. Take the over (10*).