Stu Feiner
Stu's 50 DIME World Series Game 2 Winner(SF1)
Philadelphia (Myers) at Tampa Bay (Shields) - 8:20 p.m. EST
Bottom line here is that after dropping Game 1 last night, if the Rays want to have any chance of capturing this Fall Classic then tonight is an absolute must win. And they will get it. We?re talking about a team that has won 57 of its last 77 home games and every time this year when its backs were against the wall, the Rays responded. And they will tonight in Game 2 behind James Shields. They have won 15 of his last 22 starts overall and 20 of his last 27 at home. He has surrendered three earned runs or less in 18 of his last 22 starts, including the last five straight. In 20 starts this year at Tropicana Field, he went 10-4 with a 2.74 ERA. For the Phils, it?s Brett Meyers, who has a losing record (12-13) and a bloated ERA (4.59). He hasn?t pitched since Oct. 10 when he got rocked by the Dodgers for five runs on six hits and four walks in five frames. He has a 5.25 ERA in two playoff starts and went 3-8 with a 6.21 ERA on the road this year. The Phils won just five of his 19 road starts and they?re not winning this one as the Rays bounce back and take this Game 2.
TAMPA BAY (Shields) (-150) 50 Dimes
Stu's Thursday 50 DIME CFB Winner #1 (SF2)
Auburn (38) at West Virginia (-2') - 7:45 p.m. EST
Points will be at a premium tonight in Morgantown and this SEC-Big East game is destined to stay under the posted price. Both teams are struggling on the offensive side of the football and but getting the job done defensively. Auburn ranks 107th in the country in total offense and 97th in scoring offense. But defensively, the Tigers are big and fast and rank ninth in the country in scoring defense. A big reason for that is they ranked second in the country in third down defense. The Mountaineers rank 79th in total offense and 82nd in scoring offenses, while their underrated defense ranks a solid 15th in scoring defense. Auburn has already fired in offensive coordinator this year as this Tiger offense is totally out of sync. They scored just three points at Mississippi State and 13 at Vanderbilt. Tonight, they?re changing quarterbacks as the hardly-tested Kodi Burns gets the start under center. His stats for the season aren?t impressive as he is 17-for-43 for 198 yards with no scores and three picks. Look for Auburn to turn to its running attack and play ball-control offense. The Mountaineers have a solid QB in Pat White, but he?s back from a concussion and did not play in West Virginia?s most recent game, a lackluster 17-6 win over Syracuse when the Mountaineers needed a long TD run late in the game to ice it. Even with White playing, the Mountaineer passing game this year has very sub-par. Auburn?s defense will come to play tonight. Oh, and the Tigers defensive coordinator, Paul Rhoads, served in that same capacity last year at Pittsburgh when he developed a game-plan that limited a far more potent Mountaineer offense to just 183 yards and nine points in Pitt?s upset win in the regular season finale. Auburn has stayed under in seven of its last nine overall, six of eight on the road and five of seven non-conference games. The Mountaineers have stayed low in all five lined games this year and six of their last seven non-conference tilts. This too will be a low-scoring affair as it stays under with ease.
UNDER (38) 50 Dimes
Stu's 50 DIME Mountain West GOW (SF3)
New Mexico (+5) at Air Force (45') - 8 p.m. EST
Key Mountain West Conference game tonight as the winner will have the inside track to the conference?s fourth bowl tie-in behind league heavyweights Utah, TCU and BYU. This game will be close, but take the points as New Mexico will be in this one throughout and will have an opportunity in the fourth quarter to steal this one outright. Everyone knows how potent the Falcon rushing attack, but the Lobos face this offense every year and they?ve been stout against the run this season. New Mexico, which has won three of its last four (played gamely in 21-3 loss at BYU) with last week?s 70-7 trashing of San Diego State, is allowing just 104.4 yards per game and 3.2 yards per rush. They?ve also come up with 17 sacks and 17 takeaways this season as this is unit that has come up with big plays all yaer. Coach Rocky Long has a very fast defense and look for them to stretch the Falcons? triple-option attack more east-west than north-south. The Lobos, who have covered four straight, can run the football rather well, too, as they piled up 419 yards on the ground last week and are averaging 293 yards on the ground the last four weeks. Air Force key defensive end Jake Paulson injured his shoulder in last week?s comeback win at UNLV. He should be able to go tonight, but he?s not 100 percent by any means and that hurts the Falcons? defense. The Lobos have also found they can pass it some too as QBs Brad Gruner and Tate Smith can make plays downfield if the Falcons bottle up the Lobo run game. Air Force has also been sub-par on third down defense (41%). New Mexico got to rest a lot of starters in last week?s 63-point win over the Aztecs and they enter this game on series? runs of 3-1 SU and 4-0 ATS after last year?s three-point home win over Air Force. They?re on ATS runs of 4-1 in MWC play, 19-9-2 on the road and 18-8 as a highway pup. Long knows how to get his troops to play well away from home. The Falcons have failed to cover in seven of their last 10 of a non-covering victory and this is just too many points for them to cover tonight. The Lobos have their swagger and they will stay inside this price.
NEW MEXICO (+5) 50 Dimes