Free Play – Take #920 N.Y. Yankees -130 over Toronto (7:05 p.m. ET, Tuesday, May 19)

The Yankees lost eight of 13 meetings in the regular season to Toronto and were outscored by 34-19 in the four-game AL Division Series by the Blue Jays. New York took the first step toward redemption as the Yankees rallied and held on for a 7-6 victory Monday. Toronto has dropped nine of 14 and is only one game ahead of last-place Boston in the AL East. The Yankees have not played any better in losing seven of 10. The Jays will start Dylan Cease (3-1, 2.41 ERA), who leads AL pitchers in strikeouts, and he has a 2.14 ERA in his last three outings, all Toronto wins. Will Warren (5-1, 3.42) has allowed two earned runs or fewer in eight of nine starts and will start for the Pinstripes. Take note, the Bronx Bombers are #1 in home runs in MLB, while Toronto is next to last in stealing. That comes into play this evening as home favorites like the Yankees, with a ML of -125 to -175, averaging 1.25 or more homers per game, against an opponent averaging 0.35 or fewer stolen bases, are 52-14.

DOUG UPSTONE is rolling at 77-50 the last 40 days on all picks. Doug’s doing great in hockey, on sharp runs of 14-5 and 61-33, plus a 26-15 surge in baseball, at 85-59 on ML picks long-term run! And a superb 18-9 in the NBA and 28-14 in the playoffs!

>NBA East Finals Game 1 Winner! Super Run of 18-9!

>AL Game of the Day! 26-15 Run

Upstone is a highly decorated betting expert with 29 monitored titles in various sports and 114 Top 10 finishes in his stellar 23-year career. Get Doug’s Best Bets, Top Plays, Super Systems and terrific trends.

With the spread having come back down, my interest in New York perked up. Could the Knicks be a little flat with all the time off? Sure. But for a whole game, likely not. Cleveland has played two grueling seven-game series, and this will be their 10th straight contest playing every other day. Note that playoff home favorites with 4+ days off facing a team on two or fewer days' rest are 28-15 ATS. If this home favorite has a week or more off in the same scenario, they are 10-3 ATS and on a 3-0 ATS move in the Conference Finals. The Knicks by 9 or more. 

Boston cannot hit, ranked #29. However, it's not like Kansas City is right behind the Braves when it comes to touching home plate at #25. The Red Sox have a distinct pitching edge with Ranger Suarez (2-2, 2.44 ERA). After the Royals announced that scheduled Tuesday starter Kris Bubic was placed on the injured list with elbow soreness, they'll look at a bullpen game. Bailey Falter (0-0, 10.13 ERA), a longtime starter turned reliever, is expected to pitch first, and he’s been nothing but faulty for some time now.  Suarez is 23-5 in road starts on the RL in the first half of the season in his career. I don’t trust Boston’s offense to win by two or more, but I do trust Suarez to win. 

Baseball’s best offense was blanked Monday, 12-0, as Miami ambushed Atlanta. The Braves’ offense has been a little off-kilter of late, scoring three runs or fewer in four of its past five outings. They will look to turn that around against the Marlins Braxton Garrett (0-1, 33.75). Garrett has made just one start after UCL surgery, and even when he’s been at full strength, he has a 6.86 ERA in five starts vs. Atlanta. At home, Garrett’s ERA is 8.00 vs the Bravos in four losses. Atlanta's Martin Perez (2-2, 2.31 ERA) will toe the rubber first for his club. With the Braves 9-1 in road games against LH starters, they take care of business.