After opening a 2-0 lead in this series, the Blues were unable to score despite taking 34 shots in Game Three and they are now a loss away of going back home tied. It is a similar situation from last year that St. Louis wants to avoid as it won the first two games against Los Angeles only to go on and lose the next four games. The Blues are getting a better number here than they did in Game Three yet despite the higher favorite line, the public is lining up behind the Blackhawks as they appear to have a big home ice advantage. Not so fast though. St. Louis' 24 road wins during the regular season were fourth most in the NHL so winning here is far from out of the question and it was able to do it once during the regular season. Granted, the Blues have now dropped four straight road games but they had won seven of their previous nine before this and with two evenly matched teams, the value is on their side. Chicago certainly does not want to go back to St. Louis down 3-1 but I expect the Blues to come out with greater energy tonight and they were actually the better team for the majority of Game Three despite the shutout loss. The Blues are 42-20 in their last 62 games after allowing two goals or less in their previous game while the Blackhawks are 2-5 in their last seven games when their opponent scores two goals or less in their previous game. 10* (21) St. Louis Blues

You will hear me talk about the bounce angle, or the zig zag, during the NBA playoffs and while it relates a lot to sides, it has become a lot more powerful with totals as we can catch some excellent value along the way. Dallas and San Antonio square off tonight for Game Two and the Mavericks still have to be hurting from blowing a 10-point fourth quarter lead as the Spurs went on a 14-0 run to take the opener. That game stayed well below the total, by 28 points to be exact, and because of that we are catching a great number in Game Two. The first game total closed at 203 and for tonight, we are seeing a lot of 198 totals out there so we can use the bounce angle to our advantage. This is a move we often see as when games go over or under, the next game will take that into account to avoid the public bet of a recurrence. While this is a purely situational theory, the matchup is on our side as well. Three of the four regular season meetings went over the total and the one game that did stay under, enough points were scored to surpass what we are given tonight. These are two of the highest scoring teams in the NBA and during the regular season, the Spurs and Mavericks ranked second and fourth in shooting percentage respectively and that was not on display in Game One but we should see a significant improvement tonight. Rest is key as Dallas is 8-0 to the over in its last eight games playing with two days rest while the Spurs are 7-2 to the over in their last nine games playing with two days rest. 10* Over (729) Dallas Mavericks/(730) San Antonio Spurs

The White Sox fell behind 8-1 against the Tigers last night and made a gallant comeback effort but fell just short. They were significant underdogs last night against Justin Verlander and tonight, they are once again heavy underdogs despite facing a bottom of the rotation pitcher. After beginning the season with six scoreless innings in the Tigers' bullpen, Drew Smyly struggled in his first start since 2012, allowing four runs on six hits in three innings against the Angels. Even when he was starting on a somewhat regular basis, he was not very efficient so laying this type of price is simply too aggressive. The Tigers are 3-7 in his last 10 starts as a favorite. Part of the reason is the opposing starting pitcher as Andre Rienzo gets the call for the White Sox, the second replacement starter in two nights but at least he has significant starting experience as opposed to Charles Leesman from Tuesday. Rienzo was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte on Saturday as starter Felipe Paulino was placed on the 15-day disabled list with right rotator cuff inflammation. He made 10 starts last season and while he was pretty average overall, six of those starts were quality outings including his lone start at Detroit where he allowed two runs in six innings. Detroit is just 1-5 in its last six games following a win. 9* (973) Chicago White Sox

We lost with the Mets last night as the pitching came through but they were unable to generate any offense against Adam Wainwright who finally backed up a shutout performance with another solid outing. We will be backing New York again however as we are again catching a good price in a better matchup. Michael Wacha burst onto the scene last season by posting a 2.78 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 15 appearances including nine starts. He has started this season right where he left off as he has put up a 1.73 ERA and 0.88 WHIP through four starts, all of which have been quality outings. The big difference is venue though as the Cardinals are 2-0 in his two home starts but 0-2 in his two road starts as they have scored a total of just one run in those away games. While Wacha has pitched solid on the road this season, he struggled at times last year, posting a 4.34 ERA and 1.55 WHIP. New York counters with Jon Niese who has been nearly as good but does not have a win to show for it. He has a 2.84 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in three starts and going back to last season, he has allowed three runs or less in seven straight starts. He has been spectacular against St. Louis with a 2.00 ERA in five starts and the Cardinals are hitting a mere .178 against lefties this year. 9* (960) New York Mets

The Astros have won the first two games of this series and while many will be backing the Mariners to avoid the sweep, I am not one of them. Seattle has lost eight straight games as the offense has done nothing and that should continue Wednesday afternoon. Jarred Cosart is coming off the worst start of his young career and it was ugly. He lasted just one-third of an inning against the A's as he allowed seven runs and while he gave up only three hits, two were home runs in addition to issuing four walks. He came into that game with a career ERA of 2.42 through his first 13 start so we will chalk that one up as an aberration. He tossed a quality outing in his last start following a poor performance and I expect the same here. Despite the rough time in Oakland, his road ERA is still a very solid 2.81 in nine starts and now he heads to pitcher friendly Safeco Field. The Mariners counter with Chris Young who is making just his third start since 2012. His Seattle debut was great as he tossed six shutout innings against Oakland but last time out, he was hit hard, allowing four runs on seven hits and three walks in just three innings. The comeback story is nice but he cannot be trusted quite yet, especially at this price. 10* (967) Houston Astros