Will Rogers

My ROUND-TRIPPER play is on the LA Angels at 9:35 EST. The Angels' hot start is now in the rear-view mirror after losing the first two games of ths series and falling to 11-12 overall. The good news for the Angels though is that Pittsburgh is still only 10-15. The bottom line for this series finale though is that this is a starting pitching matchup that greatly favors the Angels, and I believe that factor will be more than enough to tip the scales in favor of the home side. Carmen Mlodzinski (1-3, 7.41 ERA) has struggled for the Pirates, most recently coming off a loss to the Guardians on Friday, giving up five runs off nine hits over four innings. He'll be opposed by the red-hot Tyler Anderson (2-0, 2.08 ERA), who went six scoreless with five strikeouts in a dominant win over the hard-hitting Giants in his last outing. Based upon the current form of these starters, I feel we're getting great value here on LA to bounce back. The play is on the Angels.

My SLAP-SHOT play is on the over between the Jets and the Blues at 8:30 EST. The Blues are on the ropes and must play with desperation here to match Winnipeg if they have any hopes of getting back into this series. The Jets, though, have scored seven goals over the first two games, and I don't see their offense slowing down here. Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele have led the way for Winnipeg by combining for four goals and five assists so far. St. Louis has only scored three goals over the first two games. Pavel Buchnevich, Jordan Kyrou, and Robert Thomas should have a much better game at home here though in my estimation. Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington though has struggled so far and he'll once again have his hands full with this aggressive Winnipeg offense. This number is low in my opinion, so the play is on the over.

My ROUND ONE WESTERN CONFERENCE TOTAL OF THE YEAR is on the over between the Denver Nuggets and the LA Clippers at 10:00 EST. The first two games of this series went under the number, but now all tied up and with the shift in venue for Game 3, I'm finally anticipating a much more wide-open and ultimately higher-scoring offensive battle once it's finished. Look for Denver Nikola Jokic, who is averaging 27.5 points and 10 rebounds, to have another big game here on the road. The Nuggets' defense hasn't looked great in either game and now back at home the healthy Clippers will be looking to push the pace. Kawhi Leonard appears fully recovered from his injury now and has rolled back the clock after his incredible Game 2 performance and he and James Harden will now look to take a 2-1 series lead. But with each side pushing the pace in this important game like I believe it will be, the over is the correct call as far as the total is concerned, and it becomes my ROUND ONE WESTERN CONFERENCE TOTAL OF THE YEAR.