Bryan Power Sports NBA Picks

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

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