8* Green Bay (8:00 ET): The Raiders are 2-0 in the preseason, but don't look for that to carryover into the regular season. Making more headlines right now in Oakland is Antonio Brown's act, which is rapidly wearing thin. With or without Brown, the Raiders are probably destined to finish last this year in the AFC West. For the first time this preseason, expect them to taste defeat as they face the Packers at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg, Manitoba (home of the CFL's Blue Bombers) Thursday. The Packers will be motivated here coming off a 26-13 loss to Baltimore last week. Lay the points.

While they lost last week, Green Bay's 1st preseason game was a success as they won for 1st year HC Matt LaFleur in his Lambeau debut, beating the Houston Texans 28-26 as one-point favorites. The Pack actually led that game 28-10 going into the 4th quarter. Less should be made of last week's loss as, for whatever reason, Baltimore always tries very hard to win these preseason games. Last week marked the Ravens' 11th consecutive preseason win. The Raiders don't have that same kind of attitude and it's already been a challenging week dealing with Brown.

For Green Bay, this will be the first of two consecutive games where they'll be playing a team they meet again in the regular season. Raiders HC Jon Gruden has been notorious with his disdain for that situation and thus I'm not convinced the Silver and Black will treat this "dress rehearsal" game w/ the same sense of urgency that you'd normally see. The word out of Raiders' camp is that health is the primary concern right now as several players are injured. Meanwhile, for the Pack, Aaron Rodgers may very well see the field for the first time. LaFleur has previously said he wants to get Rodgers some game experience before the regular season starts. Regardless if Rodgers plays or not, expect the Packers to win easily. 8* Green Bay

10* Cincinnati (7:00 ET): Based on the first two preseason games, concerns over the Giants' 2019 fortunes may be all for naught. Of course, we know better and wouldn't want to make any premature claims based on two exhibitions. That said, you probably should expect the G-Men to improve upon LY's 4-win total. Rookie QB Daniel Jones will at some point replace two-time Super Bowl winner Eli Manning. But we're months from that now. The Giants did beat the Jets 31-22 and the Bears 32-13 the L2 weeks, but both games were at home. Let's see how they play on the road, in front of a crowd eager to see what it's new head coach has in store. Lay the points.

Marvin Lewis was finally run out of Cincinnati after 16 seasons. Those 16 seasons may have brought more highlights to Bengals' fans than the 16 that preceded Lewis' tenure, but ultimately they brought no playoff wins. You shouldn't expect any playoff wins this year under 1st year HC Zac Taylor either. But Thursday should certainly bring a motivated effort as it's the team's first time playing in Cincinnati under Taylor. The Bengals opened the preseason by splitting a couple road games. They lost 38-17 at Kansas City, but were a lot better last week in a 23-13 win in Washington. Not only did the defense obviously play better, but the offense turned it over three fewer times as well, which always helps.

In the past, I've constantly harped on the motivational edge a home team enjoys in the preseason when playing for a new coach. We saw it w/ our 10* Game of the Week in Week 1 (Arizona) and last week Tampa Bay may not have covered, but they did come back and win for Bruce Arians. Expect the same out of the Bengals for Taylor. Backup QB Ryan Finley has looked good so far in the preseason. The rookie out of Boise State has completed 33 of his 44 pass attempts for 259 yards and three touchdowns. With this being the third game, Andy Dalton and the starters will see the field more. The same holds true for the Giants, but it likely comes down to the fact that the Bengals' backups will be more motivated than their Giants' counterparts. 10* Cincinnati

7* Chi Cubs (2:20 ET): Finally, the Giants got a "taste of their own medicine," losing a one-run game last night and a wild one at that. Early on, it appeared as if the Cubs were coasting to a second straight victory as they were up 6-2 after three innings. But as they are known to do, the Giants stormed back and eventually look the lead in the sixth and again in the seventh. But Kris Bryant's two-run shot in the bottom of the eighth put the Cubs ahead for good, 12-11. Now, with a quick turnaround, look for the Cubs to finish off the sweep Thursday afternoon.

If you wonder what my "fuss" is about w/ the Giants, you must not be a regular reader. Even though they're now a game below .500, this is a club that has totally overachieved this year as they've been outscored by 55 runs. The key for them has been an extremely fortunate 29-12 record in one-run games and a 12-2 mark in extra innings (obviously some overlap there). The Giants' second half has been especially ridiculous as they're 8-0 in extra inning games. That's simply not a sustainable blueprint from where I sit as a team's record in close game "should be" a lot closer to .500.

It's been well-established that the Cubs are a far better team at Wrigley Field than they are on the road. Their home record is 43-19 w/ a scoring differential of +1.2 rpg. One pitcher who always tends to do well at the Friendly Confines is tonight's starter Kyle Hendricks, who has a 1.98 ERA and 0.849 WHIP here in 10 starts this season. Hendricks has given up 2 ER or fewer in eight of his past nine starts overall. I know that Jeff Samardzija has pitched well for the Giants lately, but my overall disdain for the team trumps that. Also, in three career starts vs. his former team, Samardzija is winless w/ a 6.35 ERA. 7* Chi Cubs

10* Under Brewers/Cardinals (7:45 ET): It would seem as if Milwaukee forgot to bring their bats for this series. Not that they've had much success at Busch Stadium anyway. Yesterday was their fifth consecutive loss here, dating back to a sweep in April. The Brew Crew couldn't even manage a hit until the eighth inning in Monday's 3-0 loss. They actually scored four runs last night, but it was not nearly enough as they gave up nine. Quietly, the Cardinals have allowed the second fewest runs in the entire National League (trailing only the Dodgers). They'll keep the Brewers in check again tonight. Look for the Cards to not score that many either. Take the Under here.

Almost every starter on the St. Louis staff performs better at home than on the road. Wednesday starter Adam Wainwright is very representative of this. He has a 2.19 ERA at home as opposed to 6.87 on the road. Also, the Under is 8-2 in his 10 home starts. His last three have seen him give up only 2 ER in 18 IP. Note that the St. Louis' pitching staff has given up more than four runs in a game only twice in the L11 games. Three of those, including Monday, were shutouts. Wainwright's only start against the Brewers this year was here at home and he allowed just one run in six innings.

Don't blame the starters for last night's game going Over. The game was 1-0 after five innings. Once again, I expect a strong effort out of not only St. Louis' starter (Wainwright), but also Milwaukee's. Adrian Houser has given up only 1 ER in three of his previous four starts. His last one saw him go seven innings and allow just two hits to a Washington team that's since hit the cover off the ball. The Brewers still ended up losing, 2-1. It was the sixth straight Houser start where the team scored two runs or fewer. I can certainly see that happening again here. The Under is 35-16-4 in the Cardinals' last 55 games. 10* Under Brewers/Cardinals

8* NY Mets (7:10 ET): Turns out that the Indians were drastically mispriced for last night's game. I found that out the hard way as they lost 9-2 to the Mets. Interestingly, there's a pretty significant price change for tonight's game. That's not just because of Tuesday's result either. The pitching matchup is slanted in the Mets' favor here w/ Marcus Stroman going against Adam Plutko. While I poked holes in the Mets' recent run (now 19-5 L24 games), the same can be said for a Cleveland team that has cleaned up against the Tigers & Royals (20-3 head to head!) while having a rather pedestrian record against everyone else the L2 months.

The Mets are very much alive in the NL Wild Card hunt. They're two games back of whomever doesn't end up winning the NL Central - the Cubs or Cardinals. Acquring Stroman at the trade deadline was a clear sign the team is "going for it" and thus far the deal has proven fruitful. The Mets have won all three games he's started for them. While Stroman's numbers haven't been that great as a Met, he does have a 3.21 ERA overall (24 starts). Ironically, his final start as a member of the Blue Jays came against the Indians. He went seven innings and allowed just one run on five hits in a hard-luck loss.

This time around, Stroman will be backed by a better offense. Tuesday was the third time in the last five games that the Mets scored at least nine runs. While they clearly benefited from an ill-time Indians' error last night, they'll gladly take it. Plutko was the beneficiary of some serious run support in his last start as the Indians won 19-5 at Yankee Stadium. But he'll be lucky to get that much support his next three starts combined. Plutko still has a 4.56 ERA and 1.41 WHIP on the road. With last night's win, the Mets are now 13-5 in Interleague Play this year. 8* NY Mets

8* NY Mets (7:10 ET): Turns out that the Indians were drastically mispriced for last night's game. I found that out the hard way as they lost 9-2 to the Mets. Interestingly, there's a pretty significant price change for tonight's game. That's not just because of Tuesday's result either. The pitching matchup is slanted in the Mets' favor here w/ Marcus Stroman going against Adam Plutko. While I poked holes in the Mets' recent run (now 19-5 L24 games), the same can be said for a Cleveland team that has cleaned up against the Tigers & Royals (20-3 head to head!) while having a rather pedestrian record against everyone else the L2 months.

The Mets are very much alive in the NL Wild Card hunt. They're two games back of whomever doesn't end up winning the NL Central - the Cubs or Cardinals. Acquring Stroman at the trade deadline was a clear sign the team is "going for it" and thus far the deal has proven fruitful. The Mets have won all three games he's started for them. While Stroman's numbers haven't been that great as a Met, he does have a 3.21 ERA overall (24 starts). Ironically, his final start as a member of the Blue Jays came against the Indians. He went seven innings and allowed just one run on five hits in a hard-luck loss.

This time around, Stroman will be backed by a better offense. Tuesday was the third time in the last five games that the Mets scored at least nine runs. While they clearly benefited from an ill-time Indians' error last night, they'll gladly take it. Plutko was the beneficiary of some serious run support in his last start as the Indians won 19-5 at Yankee Stadium. But he'll be lucky to get that much support his next three starts combined. Plutko still has a 4.56 ERA and 1.41 WHIP on the road. With last night's win, the Mets are now 13-5 in Interleague Play this year. 8* NY Mets

8* Under Angels/Rangers (7:05 ET): These AL West rivals split a doubleheader on Tuesday with the second game (won by Texas) going 11 innings. So there's probably "not much left in the tank" for the position players, not to mention the respective bullpens either. A poor second half is what essentially took Texas out of the running as far as making the playoffs go, but tonight they have a chance to win just their second series out of the last 15 tries (they won Monday's game). They'll send All-Star Mike Minor to the bump, which should ensure the Angels don't score much, but I have my concerns about the Rangers' offense here as well. Take the Under.

Minor has gone 11-7 in his 25 starts this season (13-12 TSR), but probably deserves a better record in light of a 2.94 ERA. He wasn't at his best against Minnesota last Friday, but the Twins happen to be one of the highest scoring teams in all of MLB. Note that in the two starts prior, Minor didn't allow a single run in 15 IP, shutting out both Cleveland and Milwaukee. Overall, Minor is 3-0 w/ a 2.70 ERA in eight career appearances vs. the Angels, six of those being starts. The Under is 18-7 in all Minor starts this year, including 5-1 in the L6 and 3-0 the L3.

Both games in yday's doubleheader also went Under w/ the Angels winning the day game 5-1 and the Rangers taking the nightcap 3-2. While the Rangers got off to a hot start to the season and faded, the Angels continue to be perpetually mediocre. In many ways, splitting a doubleheader is a metaphor for how this franchise has played the last several seasons. Patrick Sandoval will make his third start tonight for the Halos, looking for better results than what he's experienced thus far. In 9 IP, he's allowed 7 runs. But with the Under 23-10 the L33 head-to-head meetings between the Angels and Rangers, look for the scoring to again be minimal. 8* Under Angels/Rangers

6* Chi Cubs (8:05 ET): Let's continue to fade the Giants, who have been one of baseball's biggest overachievers this season. Obviously, I'm still a little bitter over them ruining my 10* Game of the Year on Arizona Friday. They took three of four overall in that series, but lost Sunday 7-1 (I faded them in all four games). Despite their 63-62 record this season, the Giants have been outscored by 52 runs. They've experienced some ridiculously good fortune by going 29-11 in one-run games and 12-2 in extra innings. We've been through all this many times before, so it should be nothing new to my regular followers.

The Cubs finally return home after a tough 4-6 road trip. One of the wins (Sunday night) actually came at a neutral setting as they beat the Pirates 7-1 in Williamsport, part of the League League World Series celebration. But at Wrigley, this is a completely different team. The Cubs' record at the Friendly Confines is 41-19 (as opposed to 25-39 on the road). The only teams w/ better win percentages at home are the Dodgers, Astros and Yankees. The previous homestand saw them take five of six from the Brewers and A's, two teams that are both better than the Giants. The Cubs absolutely deserve to be priced this high on the money line for Tuesday.

Cole Hamels hasn't factored into too many decisions here at Wrigley (just 2-0!), but he has a 7-2 TSR, 2.35 ERA and 1.081 WHIP. His last two starts were poor, but both also on the road. The last time Hamels started at home, he tossed five shutout innings against Milwaukee. For the season, the Cubs are allowing just 3.8 rpg at home, third fewest in MLB. Hamels is being opposed here by Tyler Beede, who has allowed at least four runs in each of his last five starts. The Giants have lost all five times as Beede has given up 8 home runs in 23 1/3 IP. His ERA and WHIP in the last three starts are 9.94 and 1.894 respectively. This is a total mismatch. 6* Chi Cubs

10* Cleveland (7:10 ET): The Indians have really gathered "steam" over the last two months, going an incredible 45-21 the L66 games. Not only are they out in front in the AL Wild Card race, they are also now just two games back in the AL Central after the Twins lost to the White Sox last night. While the Tribe could only split four games w/ the Yankees over the weekend, they'll gladly take it given the opponent and that it was on the road. They get to stay in the Big Apple for three more days, shifting to Queens, as it's time for an Interleague series w/ the equally hot Mets. I like Cleveland a lot more here, especially tonight w/ Shane Bieber on the mound.

The Mets have come back from the dead to win 18 of their last 23 games. The NL Wild Card is very wide open and the Mets are very much alive in it (just two games back). While Cleveland's schedule hasn't exactly been daunting over the last month or so, the same can said for the Mets. They split six games against the Braves and Nationals while going 15-2 against the the Royals, Marlins, Pirates and White Sox. All four of those teams have been outscored by at least 110 runs this season. This series is the start of six in a row against .500 or better opponents for the Mets. Let's see how they do before making any offical proclamations that "they're back."

Bieber has been outstanding for the Indians this year. He has a 17-8 TSR, 3.26 ERA and 0.998 WHIP. He also leads the American League in complete games w/ three. Two of those have come in his L5 starts. He's also top five in strikeouts. Facing an NL lineup should prove easy for Bieber. He'll be opposed by Steven Matz, who has not suffered a defeat here at Citi Field all season (7-2 TSR). But overall Matz simply has not been as good as Bieber this season. Two of the Mets' five losses over the last 23 games have come w/ Matz on the mound. Cleveland is a very good road team (35-25 record) and the Mets are a money-burning 7-25 as ML home underdogs of +125 to +175 the L3 seasons. 10* Cleveland

10* Under Nationals/Pirates (7:05 ET): Playing this matchup Under the total certainly did not work out well yesterday as Washington's red hot offense jumped all over Pittsburgh starter Trevor Williams and scored eight runs in the first two innings. From there, it was "all over but the shouting." The Nats would go onto win 13-0, the third straight game they've scored at least 13 runs! They've scored 13+ in four of the last five games as well, but facing a Pirates team that has managed to score only four runs in its last four games (shutout twice), I still have faith in the Under in this matchup. Take it Tuesday!

As hot as this Nationals lineup may be right now, don't look for them to jump on Chris Archer the way they did Williams last night. Archer hasn't had much success of late (0-7 TSR L7 starts!), but his individual numbers remain respectable. He's got 19 strikeouts in his past two starts and a 3.18 ERA in the last three. The biggest problem he faces here is his own offense, which is barely scoring at all of late. In fact, had the Pirates not scored a meaningless run in the bottom of the ninth Sunday (lost 7-1 to the Cubs), they would be coming into tonight having been shutout in three consecutive games! They have just 26 hits in the last 45 innings.

The Pirates' overall ineptitude should make it easy for Stephen Strasburg to get back on track tonight. Strasburg had an ugly showing in Arizona that got August off on the wrong foot, but has been better in two subsequent starts. He's 8-1 his L10 starts (8-2 TSR) and will be going for his 16th win of the season, which would be a new career-high. Strasburg's 1st career start came vs. the Pirates and he's 6-2 w/ a 2.40 ERA in nine all-time starts against them. All of a sudden, Washington's bullpen now looks a lot better too as it delivered 6+ scoreless innings last night. The Pirates are 7-28 since the All-Star Break and won't provide much competition in what promises to be a lower-scoring game compared to yday. 10* Under Nationals/Pirates