The  high octane Jays were embarrassed by the Twins yesterday and now have starter woes.  Berrioz is not one of them.  He has been very good lately and was lights out against the Twins recently.  The Jays have had success vs. Ober, and desperately need a win today.  Look for a rebound from the  Jays offense. Take the Jays to win.

Mariners (Gilbert, 6-5, 4.74) vs Angels (Suarez, 7-8, 3.67)

Gilbert and Suarez have been equally viable for their respective teams in September, but hitting and relief are strongly in Seattle’s favor. Add to that, the impetus of a wild card run and 5 straight wins, and it looks a good prospect for a Mariners victory. The Mariners have had success vs. Suarez in past, and are effective against left-handed pitching. The Angels are at the bottom of the pile in offense and their bull pen is over used and ineffective of late.

I am wagering on the Mariners to win outright today.

Mariners (Gilbert, 6-5, 4.74) vs Angels (Suarez, 7-8, 3.67)

A pair of achieving youngsters are on the mound in the Mariners/ Angels match up. Rookie Logan Gilbert has settled down to be a very strong starter, especially in September. He is 1-0, with an ERA of 2.01 in 4 starts, and has worked his way up to 6 and 7 innings lately. The Angels have had no luck against Gilbert. 23 year old lefty, Jose Suarez is 2-1 in his last three games, giving up 5 runs over his last 20+ innings. The Mariners have hit Suarez well this season.

The Mariners are still in the thick of the wild card race, and have won 5 straight. Their bullpen has been lightly used and effective of late. They are a very good road team and solid vs left-handers.

The Rangers are 1-6, and basically out in the pasture, looking over the fence. Their hitting is in the bottom 10% of the league at the moment, and they struggle against the right. Add to that, an overused and ineffective bullpen (5.67 of late) and you do not have a recipe for success.

I like many aspects in this game but the total in the first half stands out. Take the Under in the first five innings.

Cardinals (Happ, 9-8, 6.02) vs Cubs (Steele, 3-3, 4.20)

The Cards and Cubs meet up for a double header on Friday. Happ starts the first game for the Cardinals. It looked like Happ had re-found his form in August, finishing the month with a 2.22 ERA. September has been much crueler; he had an 8.22 Era in 4 games. He still delivers 5 innings a game.

Justin Steele has been effective in September, allowing 9 runs over 14 innings. He averages 4 to 5 innings per start. The problem for Steele is that the Cubs’ bullpen has been very poor (6.61 Era in the last 7 games), and short starts won’t win many games in Chicago.

The Cardinals are the hottest team in baseball and have been scoring a ton of runs. The Cubs have been pretty average in offense and are 2-8 in their last ten games. Basically going through the motions. The Cards are a very good road favorite, and a strong 22-13 vs left-handers.

I like the Cards’ chances here but Happ can give up a lot of runs in a hurry. The total is average for 7 innings. Take the total to go over.

Liberty @ Syracuse

Liberty will look to keep the momentum rolling here after starting off 3-0 and coming off of a 45-17 victory over Old Dominion last weekend. Look for Malik Willis to have another big day, he was 21 of 28 for 242 yards and four touchdowns.

Syracuse is 2-1 so far and it's off a 62-24 victory over Albany. RB Sean Tucker is the featured offensive player for the Orange, he already has 367 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns, while also adding seven catches for 148 yards and another receiving TD.

These have been two decent defenses, but that's been mostly due to the level of competition. Look for this one to fly well over before the final whistle sounds. 10* Play Take OVER