Mike Lundin Sports Picks

SATURDAY NIGHT MLB RUNLINE RIPPER TOP PLAY

The New York Yankees are riding a nine-game winning streak after coming back from a four-run deficit to defeat Boston in extra innings on Friday. They have covered the runline in all but two of those nine triumphs and I like them to win big Saturday. 

Yankees southpaw J.A. Happ (1-2, 3.96 ERA) is 12-4 with a 2.95 ERA in 26 outings (25 starts) against the Red Sox. He held them to one run on three hits through 5 2/3 innings of a 4-2 Yankees win back in August. 

Chris Mazza (1-1, 5.57 ERA) will take the ball for Boston for his fifth career start. He faced the Yankees twice in the Bronx back in August, allowing a total of four runs on nine hits over 5 2/3 innings of work. Boston lost both games, 5-2 and 4-2.

10* play on New York Yankees -1.5. 

CELTICS VS HEAT ECF GAME 3 BOOKIE BREAKER

The Boston Celtics are 9-2 to the under in their last 11 games, both games that went over the total doing so because of overtime. The Miami Heat are 7-4 to the under in the playoffs. 

The Celtics have managed to fall behind 2-0 in the Eastern Conference finals after late collapses in both games. I think they'll make it a point to stay consistent on defense through the whole game in this one. 

8* play on UNDER. 

LOUISIANA TECH @ SOUTHERN MISS BOOKIE BLA$TER

I like the Southern Miss Golden Eagles to bounce back strong from a 32-21 home loss as an 11.5-point favorite against South Alabama in their season opener. They'll face a Louisiana Tech Bulldogs team that will play its season opener after having last weekend's scheduled matchup postponed. Additionally, they will be replacing all-conference quarterback J'Mar Smith with sophomore Aaron Allen, so there are a lot of uncertainties where the Bulldogs stand at the moment. 

Southern Miss' head coach resigned after last week's debacle, but I think the players will rally around inexperienced interim coach Scotty Walden, to make him and themselves look as good as possible. The Bulldogs were one of the worst teams in the nation against the pass last season, and Southern Miss QB Jack Abraham has a good arm. 

8* play on Southern Miss. 

SYRACUSE @ PITTSBURGH NCAAF BANKROLL BUILDER

The No. 25 Pittsburgh Panthers put up 456 total yards while limited Austin Peay to 137 yards of offense in a 55-0 win as a 30.5-point favorite last week. The Syracuse Orange mustered 202 yards of total offense in a 31-6 loss as a 24.5-point dog at North Carolina in their season opener. The Orange managed to hang around for three quarters before falling apart in the fourth, getting outscored 21-0 in the last period.

This is another complete mismatch in talent. Pittsburgh's defense is elite (Syracuse gave up seven sacks last time out) and I expect Pitt's balanced offense to wear down their opponent and finish off the Orange much earlier than the Tar Heels did. 

8* play on Pittsburgh Panthers. 

GAME OF THE WEEK (NCAAF) - NAVY @ TULANE TOP PLAY

The Navy Midshipmen got absolutely obliterated in their season opener when they lost 55-3 to BYU, in what was expected to be a close, game closing as just a 1-point underdog. Navy had no physical practices and no hitting preparation for their season opener, but now with a game under their belt, I expect a much better performance from Navy. We can also note that the Midshipmen are 10-1-1 ATS in their last 12 games following a straight-up loss of more than 20 points.

Tulane opened the season with an unconvincing 27-24 win as an 11.5-point favorite at South Alabama. A 14-0 fourth-quarter sealed the deal, but they were outplayed for three quarters and QB Keon Howard was just 14-of-30 passing for 191 yards and no touchdown passes. 

10* play on Navy Midshipmen.