Scott Rickenbach

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #921 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Tampa Bay Rays vs Boston Red Sox @ 7:10 ET - This total opened up at a 9 but dropped to an 8.5 which has a lot to do with Charlie Morton's long-term reputation. However, the key word there is long-term because Morton has not been the same pitcher since the All Star break. The last time he faced the Red Sox was in late July and Morton allowed 4 earned runs in less than 5 innings of work. Morton has been far from dominant since mid-July as he has allowed 3 earned runs or more in 7 of his last 11 outings. In 4 of the 7 Morton allowed 4 earned runs or more. As for Red Sox starter Rick Porcello, it has been a forgettable season. The right-hander has a 5.77 ERA in his 30 starts and it is truly amazing that he is 13-12 on the season given those numbers. Porcello is 0-2 in his last two starts against the Rays and has allowed 10 earned runs in less than 12 innings of work spanning those two outings. In his last two starts against American League foes, Porcello has allowed 6 earned runs in each of the two outings even though he lasted only 4 innings in each start. More the same on tap here. The over is 5-1 in the last 6 games between these teams. The over is a perfect 3-0 in Boston's last 3 games. The over is also 3-0 in the Rays last 3 games. After 3 consecutive games versus an interleague opponent, the Red Sox over is 7-2 this season. After allowing 7 runs or more 2 straight games, the Rays over is 7-3 this season. Also, the Boston bullpen has been every shaky lately. 10* OVER the total in Tampa Bay

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #901 Friday 8* OVER the total in Chicago Cubs vs St Louis Cardinals @ 2:20 ET - It is hard to trust either starter in this match-up and we should see plenty of runs on a warm afternoon at Wrigley Field. Though the winds will not be strong, what little winds we will see will be out of the southeast which does favor the hitters. Note that Michael Wacha is 4-6 with a 5.35 ERA and opponents hitting nearly .300 against him in his road starts this season. The Cardinals Wacha also has a 5.73 ERA in his 9 day game starts this season and opponents also are hitting nearly .300 against him in his day game starts. As for the Cubs Alec Mills, he has pitched well out of the bullpen in 5 appearances. However, in his two starts this season Mills has been hit a .300 clip and he also has hit 4 batters in just 10 and 1/3 innings of work. He has been shaky in his starts and the red hot Cardinals can take advantage. The Cards have scored an average of 5.5 runs per game their past 8 games. The Cubs have scored an average of 9 runs per game in their past 7 games. 8* OVER the total in Chicago Cubs

Conference Clash - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #310 Friday 10* Top Play Boise State Broncos (-) vs Air Force Falcons @ 9 ET - With this line having dropped to a solid painted 7 across the board as of early Friday morning it is "go time" with Boise State in this one. Air Force is off a huge effort on the road at Colorado last week in an emotionally charged OT win over the Buffaloes. Now the Falcons are in the 2nd of B2B road games while Boise State is enjoying the comforts of home. The Broncos are enjoying an entire month at home actually as they haven't been on the road since their season opening win over the Seminoles down in Florida at the end of August. Boise State has a bye week on deck before traveling to UNLV for their first game of October. From a situational standpoint, this one favors the Broncos in a big way. Also, even though Air Force would like to get payback for losing at home to Boise State last season, the fact is that the Falcons are 0-7 ATS when they are on the road and playing with revenge and are coming off consecutive SU (and ATS) wins. That is the case here and I like the fact that the Broncos return 7 starters on defense this season, are doing a great job against the run this season, and also have done a solid job against Air Force's option attack the past two seasons. The Falcons have covered just 2 of their past 7 Mountain West road openers. The Broncos, as a home favorite of 7 points or less, are 9-3 ATS! This one has definitely dropped into their sweet spot and I especially like this after oddsmakers had opened this one up at nearly a double digit line! 10* BOISE STATE

Total of the Month - Rickenbach CFL Rotation #681 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Argonauts vs Calgary Stampeders @ 7 ET - I am aware of the injury to wide receiver Reggie Begelton for the Stamps. However, Calgary also is going to be without their leading tackler, linebacker Cory Greenwood. That said, Toronto is going to score their fair share of points in this one. This is particularly true because they are at home for this one also. But I just don't see the Argos being able to stop a potent West Division offense even with the Stampeders being with a top wide receiver. Calgary still have plenty of firepower all over the field and the Stamps enter this game off a low-scoring win. Rarely do the Stampeders ever have back to back low-scoring performances. Prior to the tight win over Hamilton, Calgary had averaged 31 points per game in their 3 prior games. As for the Argonauts offense, they seemed to respond to their "wake-up call" of a late July shutout loss to Edmonton. Ever since then Toronto has scored an average of 30 points per game and 4 of their 5 games since being shutout by the Eskimos have gone over the total. Look for the Stampeders over to improve to 3-0 in their past 3 road games with a high-scoring contest expected here. The past two seasons, when Calgary is facing a team with a losing record in a game played in the second half of a season, the over is 3-1. Toronto's over is 4-1 this season when facing a team with a winning record. Also, in September games the Argonauts are 9-1 to the over. All these trends continue Friday. 10* OVER the total in Toronto