Matt Fargo Sports Handicapper Review & Free Picks

This is a play on the PITTSBURGH PIRATES for our MLB Sunday Sweet Spot. After taking the opener of this series on Thursday, Pittsburgh has been shut down on offense the last two days by scoring just two runs in each game and ended up losing both. Still, the Pirates are 8-3 over their last 11 games and on the season, they are 15-8 at home. They have fallen a game and a half behind Milwaukee in the National League Central but look for the series split today in a good pitching matchup. The Padres have been playing better the last couple weeks, but the offense remains a work in progress as their .229 average is tied for third worst in baseball. San Diego is 6-12 following a win this season and going back, it is just 8-26 in its last 34 games after having won three of its previous four games. The Padres have gotten some solid pitching performances from arms you would not expect and one of those was from Jordan Lyles in his last start. He took a perfect game into the eighth inning before a one-out single broke it up in what ended up being the best start of his career. This is the time to fade that however. Trevor Williams have been the Pirates most consistent starter as he has a 2.72 ERA and 1.13 WHIP through nine starts, six of which have been quality. He has allowed more than three runs only once, which came on the road, and going back to last season he has allowed two runs or less in eight straight home starts. His ERA is a spectacular 1.43 over that eight-game stretch. The Padres are 0-6 in their last six games against starters with a WHIP less than 1.15. 10* (908) Pittsburgh Pirates

This is a play on the SEATTLE STORM for our WNBA Sunday Supreme Annihilator. Seattle exceeded expectations last season as in a rebuilding year, it snuck into the playoffs only to get bounced in the first round for a second straight season. Last year, that loss came against Phoenix so there will be some added motivation tonight for some early season payback. This is the first game for new Seattle head coach Dan Hughes, but he is far from a rookie as he is the most experienced coach in WNBA history (524 games) and the third-winningest with 237 victories. The Storm have one of the greatest points guard in WNBA history in Sue Bird, but it is their youth that has everyone excited highlighted by Jewell Loyd and Breanna Stewart who won the WNBA Rookie if the Year award in 2015 and 2016 respectively. Seattle won just five road games last season, but its 10 home wins were tied for sixth most in the league. We won with Phoenix on Friday as it took car of business at home against Dallas, pulling away in the second half. The Mercury were 24-27 from the charity stripe against the Wings which ended up being the difference and we cannot ignore the fact that they only shot 40.6 percent from the floor and that was against one of the worst defenses in the league. As mentioned, we expect the Mercury to have a solid season with its core group back plus a number of newcomers that adds a lot of depth. Playing their first road game against a hungry Seattle team will not be easy and we expect the Storm to get their revenge. 9* (612) Seattle Storm

This is a play on the NEW YORK LIBERTY for our WNBA Sunday Enforcer. The Sky came through for us yesterday as they won in Indiana by 18 points. They had a big edge at the free throw line which was a big difference as was the fact the Fever once again showed how bad of an offense they have going back to last season. Things will get a lot tougher tonight and we will be fading Chicago despite this being its home opener and in a brand new home as well as they are now actually playing in Chicago at Wintrust Arena as opposed to playing their games in Rosemont. New York opens its season on the road and gets a good draw with Change having played on Saturday. In each of the past two years with the new playoff format, the Liberty have finished as the No. 3 seed behind Minnesota and Los Angeles, giving New York an opening round bye. However, the Liberty have lost in the single-elimination second round both years. Making the early exit from last season even tougher is the fact they closed the regular season with 10 consecutive victories. This is a team that will be playing with a chip on its shoulder all season long under the leadership of new head coach Katie Smith who the players will respond very well to. New York took care of its top priority in the offseason by re-signing franchise star Tina Charles (2012 MVP, 8-time All-WNBA), while also resigning Kia Vaughn, Bria Hartley, Lindsay Allen and Rebecca Allen so the core group is back to take that next step. 10* (609) New York Liberty

This is a play on the HOUSTON ROCKETS for our NBA Sunday Enforcer. With the Rockets winning Game Two by 22 points, people are already giving Game Three to Golden St., but it is not going to be as easy as they think. While the Warriors responded from defeats in the first round to San Antonio and then against the Pelicans in the Western Conference semifinals, this is a much tougher opponent and you cannot ignore the fact Houston won a league-high 31 road games during the regular season and are 3-1 on the road in the postseason. Houston is just 1-4 this season as a road underdog which sounds unappealing but three of those losses came with no Chris Paul in the lineup and the other came when everyone rested in the season finale at Sacramento. The victory was here against Golden St. in the season opener for both teams. The Warriors are 21-5 following a loss but they have only covered 14 of those 26 games due to inflated prices which we again have here. This is another odd betting scenario as 65 percent of bets and 78 percent of money is on Golden St., yet this line had not moved since it came out after Game Two on Wednesday night and has moved only a half-point in some spots. Houston cannot allow Golden St. to get out in transition and that ended up being a big part of the Warriors being able to pull away in Game One as they outscored Houston 18-3 in fast break points. Game Two was a completely different story as the Warriors finished with just seven fast break points and this will again be key in Game Three. 10* (503) Houston Rockets

This is a play on the WINNIPEG JETS for our NHL Sunday Power Play. The Golden Knights can close out this series today and be the first expansion teams since the 1967-68 St. Louis Blues made it. However, the NHL expanded from six teams to 12 in 1967 and the format guaranteed that one of the six new franchises would reach the Final, so an asterisk goes on that. Do not expect the Jets to go down without a fight however as their season is on the line and while coming back from a 3-1 deficit is slim, they stay alive for at least one more game. Winnipeg opened the series with a win here last Saturday, but it has been Vegas that was unfazed and has gone on to win the last three games, Game Four being the biggest blow to the Jets. The game was tied late in the third but a turnover led to an unassisted goal and Winnipeg lost despite holding a 37-29 shots on goal edge. That has been the case the entire series as they have had more shot attempts in all four games and that I going to cash in eventually although time is running out. Two betting factors favor the Jets here as first, despite 53 percent of tickets being on Winnipeg, the line has gone the other way. Second, while tickets slightly favor the Jets, the amount of money placed on Winnipeg is at 85 percent which is where the large, smart money has come in. Situationally, we play on home favorites after three or more consecutive losses, when playing their 3rd game in five days. This situation is 178-88 (66.9 percent) over the last five seasons. 9* (8) Winnipeg Jets