This is a play on the WASHINGTON NATIONALS for our MLB Thursday Ultimate Underdog. The playoff hopes for Washington are getting bleak following its fourth straight loss as it is now a game under .500 for a team that was supposed to win the National League East and be a serious World Series contender. The Nationals have a nine-game deficit behind the division-leading Braves in the National League East and seven games out in the Wild Card chase. They will have to win 71 percent of their remaining games, which is a 115-win pace, to reach 90 wins on the season and even that is no playoff guarantee. St. Louis meanwhile has won eight straight games to pull within four games of the Cubs in the National League Central and to move within a game of the second spot in the Wild Card standings. The Cardinals have been solid at home this month, but they are 1-4 in their last five home games against teams with a losing record. Tanner Roark gets the ball for Washington and after a rough stretch between mid-June and mid-July, he has settled back down to post a 1.21 ERA over his last four starts, all being quality outings. His numbers have been better on the road than at home and we see that continuing here. Luke Weaver is back after missing his last start because of a cut on his right index finger. Even though it is supposedly healed, it could still affect him, and he has been pretty inconsistent of late. He has a 5.13 ERA in 10 home starts, with only four of those being quality outings and the Cardinals are 1-5 in his last six starts following a quality outing in his last start. 9* (957) Washington Nationals

This is a play on the TORONTO BLUE JAYS for our MLB Thursday Sweet Spot. We won with Toronto last night as it won its second straight 6-5 game and looks to take the series tonight. The Blue Jays are now 20-7 in their last 28 games against teams with a winning percentage below .400 and thy are in good position to keep the offense rolling tonight before heading to New York for a three-game set with the Yankees. They were able to get to Jorge Lopez who was making just his third Major League start and tonight they will be facing a pitcher making his first ever Major League start. Kansas City remains a half-game ahead of Baltimore for the worst record in baseball as the Royals are now 48 games under .500 which almost seems unfathomable considering they won the World Series just three years ago. The Royals are 19-46 in their last 65 games when their opponent scores five runs or more in their previous game. Sam Gaviglio takes the hill for Toronto and he has been having an inconsistent season and while it may be surprising that he is favored on the road because of his numbers, it is not surprising. His numbers on the road are not good but it has been a brutal slate as all eight of his road starts have come against teams with winning records including five against teams currently holding down playoff spots. Glenn Sparkman has pitched in 10 Major League games, all in relief, and has an 8.47 ERA and 2.12 WHIP over 17 innings. We just cannot see him being able to have much success here. 10* (969) Toronto Blue Jays

This is a play on the PITTSBURGH STEELERS for our NFLX Thursday Enforcer. Once news came out Ben Roethlisberger was out on injury protocol, this line went from 2.5 to 5.5 which is a huge overadjustment considering he would not have played much to begin with. Additionally, on the same day, Packers head coach Mike McCarthy confirmed that Aaron Rodgers would in fact be starting which helped drive up the line, but the Rodgers info means little. He will see a series, maybe two, as health is the bigger issue for Green Bay. Rodgers played three series and 26 plays last preseason and two series and 26 plays in the 2016 preseason. That is down from five series and 45 plays in 2015, eight series and 69 plays in 2014 and 16 series and 93 plays in Rodgers first season as the starter in 2008 so priorities are changing. Mike Tomlin said that Mason Rudolph and Josh Dobbs will be featured exclusively in the Steelers second game of the preseason and that is not a bad thing after seeing last week. Dobbs went 9-of-13 with a touchdown and an interception against the Eagles while Rudolph, who played the entire second half, went 7-of-12 for 102 yards. This was with no scheming but this week, both quarterbacks got a taste of the Packers defense and they were able to do some gameplanning. The Packers played a vanilla defense last week and defensive coordinator Mike Pettine confirmed they will be doing the same again this week. We will back the value as a line move of three points for a preseason game is absurdly too much. 10* (405) Pittsburgh Steelers