San Diego will host Arizona on Wednesday night.  The Padres will send Brandon Morrow to the mound.  Morrow allowed just four hits in seven innings pitched at home against the Giants in his lone outing of the season.  Morrow did not give up any runs in that game while striking out seven batters.  Morrow was formerly with the Toronto Blue Jays, so only four Arizona hitters have faced him before.  Cliff Pennington (2-12) has faced Morrow the most, and his results are poor.  San Diego’s bullpen has been fantastic so far this season; they own a terrific 1.19 WHIP as a unit.

Arizona will start Chase Anderson in this game.  Anderson gave up 3 runs and five hits in five innings pitched to the Dodgers in his lone outing this season.  He earned a terrible 5.40 ERA and an ugly 1.60 WHIP in that start.  Overall, Anderson has a 4.20 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP in three career starts against the Padres.  All of those starts came in Arizona which makes those numbers even worse.  San Diego holds all the edges in this game, so we’ll lay the price with the Padres in this game on Wednesday night.  

9* Play PADRES (-) (action).

Washington and Boston will play Game 2 of their 3-game series on Tuesday night.  Justin Masterson won in his return to the Red Sox; he was with Boston before pitching for Cleveland and St. Louis.  Masterson gave up just 2 runs and three hits in six innings pitched against the Phillies in Philadelphia.  The Red Sox won that game 6-2.  Masterson will now pitch against a Washington team that he held to just one run and two hits in seven innings of work the last time he faced them.  The Nationals’ offense has scored 4 runs or less in every game this season; they just haven’t gotten on track offensively yet.

Boston’s offense has been terrific this year.  The Red Sox have scored 43 total runs in their seven games this season.  They have scored at least 4 runs or more in six of their seven games so far, including scoring 6+ runs in five of those seven games.  Boston’s lineup should feast upon Stephen Strasburg who will get the start for Washington.  Strasburg was rocked by the Mets his last time out; he gave up 6 runs and nine hits in just 5.1 innings of work.  Last year, Strasburg was much weaker on the road with a 5-8 record and 3.82 ERA and .262 opponent's batting average, compared to at home where he had a strong 9-3 record with a 2.56 ERA and .231 opponent's BA.  The Red Sox present solid value as a small home favorite on Tuesday night.

9* Play RED SOX (-) (action).

San Francisco will play their home opener against Colorado on Monday afternoon.  Chris Heston will make his second start of the season.  Heston won his first start in Arizona after giving up just 2 runs and three hits in six innings pitched against the Diamondbacks.  Heston had five strikeouts and just two walks in that game.  Heston is backed by a solid San Francisco bullpen that is holding opponents to just a .258 batting average this season with a solid 1.29 WHIP and a 19/6 strikeout/walk ratio.  The Giants are also excited to get home after playing their first seven games on the road.

Colorado will start Eddie Butler for the second time this year.  The Rockies' pitcher gave up two runs and four hits + four walks in just 5.2 innings of work in Milwaukee last week.  Butler was not stretched out in the spring, so his innings were maxed out in his first outing.  Butler had control issues last Wednesday as evident by his four walks and a weak 1.41 WHIP.  The Giants are 12-7 in their last 19 home games against the Rockies, and we expect them to add another solid home win this afternoon on Monday.

9* Play GIANTS (-) (action).

New York and Atlanta will play Game 2 of their series on Saturday night.  Atlanta’s Jose Teheran already has a win under his belt after giving up just 1 run and eight hits in six innings pitched to the Marlins in Miami.  Teheran has given up 2 earned runs or less in six of his last seven starts against the Mets with three of those outings coming last year.  

Dillon Gee will get the start for the Mets.  Gee didn’t have that good of a preseason as he allowed 25 hits and 10 walks in just over 26 innings of work.  The righty also struggled to finish the 2014 season on a good note, and he will have a difficult time in this game against the Braves.  Atlanta’s lineup had a solid showing in Miami against the Marlins; they scored 16 runs in three games.  Atlanta holds all of the edges in this game, so we’ll back the Braves in this game on Saturday night.

9* Play BRAVES (-) (action).

Detroit will go for the series sweep of Minnesota on Thursday afternoon.  The Tigers will face Kyle Gibson who has a terrible 6.00 ERA and an ugly 1.63 WHIP in five career starts against Detroit.  Gibson lost two of his last three starts against Detroit last year while giving up 12 runs and 19 hits in those outings.  Gibson had a mediocre spring as he gave up 22 hits in 25.2 innings of work.  Miguel Cabrera (5-11), Ian Kinsler (6-14), and JD Martinez (4-11) all have had success against the Minnesota pitcher.  

Detroit’s Shane Greene will make his first start for the Tigers.  He will also make his first start against the Twins, and that gives him a nice advantage in this game.  Only Torii Hunter (1-4) has faced Greene before, so again, his unfamiliarity to the Twins’ lineup is a major edge in this game.  Minnesota has not scored a run yet this season, and their offense hasn’t put together too many solid at-bats either.  Detroit is simply the superior team, so we’ll back the Tigers in this game on Thursday afternoon. 

9* Play TIGERS (-) (action).

The Los Angeles Dodgers will host the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night.  Brandon McCarthy will start for Los Angeles.  McCarthy had a terrible spring as he gave up 13 runs and 22 hits in five starts.  McCarthy only struck out 10 batters in those outings while walking three.  Last season, McCarthy went just 10-15 with a 4.05 ERA and 1.28 WHIP while pitching for the Yankees.  

San Diego’s Andrew Cashner is 1-1 with a terrific 1.32 ERA and a tremendous 1.10 WHIP in six career starts against the Dodgers.  His win against Los Angeles came at Dodger Stadium back on September 9th of last season.  Cashner has good numbers against Andre Ethier (3-13), Chris Heisey (1-7), Yasiel Puig (2-14), and Jimmy Rollins (0-6).  Cashner pitched much better than McCarthy in the preseason, so there’s some good value in taking the Padres as an underdog in this game on Wednesday night.

9* Play PADRES (+) (action).

The Milwaukee Brewers welcome the Colorado Rockies to town for their season opener on Monday afternoon.  Colorado went just 21-60 on the road last year while hitting .228 in those games and scoring just 3.1 runs per game.  The Rockies will start Kyle Kendrick.  He went 10-13 with a 4.61 ERA in 32 starts for Philadelphia last season.  Kendrick faced the Brewers twice and he gave up 13 runs and 20 hits in those outings.  Kendrick is 2-4 with a 5.22 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP in seven career starts against Milwaukee.  Ryan Braun (9-19), Jonathan Lucroy (6-12), Gerardo Parra (5-14), and Aramis Ramirez (4-11) all hit him hard.  

Milwaukee’s Kyle Lohse went 13-9 with a 3.54 ERA in 31 starts for the Brewers last season.  Lohse allowed just 4 runs and 14 hits in two starts against the Rockies in 2014.  Colorado’s lineup struggled mightily against Lohse, especially Charlie Blackmon (1-7), Drew Stubbs (4-19) and Brandon Barnes (1-6).  Milwaukee also owns a significant bullpen edge in this game as well.  We expect Milwaukee to start their season off with a solid win over Colorado in this early game on Monday afternoon. 

9* Play BREWERS (-) (action).

Kansas City will host San Francisco in Game 7 of the World Series on Wednesday night.  The Royals will start Jeremy Guthrie while the Giants will counter with Tim Hudson, but it will essentially be all hands on deck for this game.  Guthrie beat the Giants in Game 4 after giving up just 2 runs and four hits in five innings of work.  He’s backed by an incredible Kansas City bullpen that owns a terrific 3.27 ERA and 1.24 WHIP on the season.  The Giants are only hitting .251 on the road this season, and they’ve picked a bad time to go into an offensive slump.  

San Francisco’s Tim Hudson lost to Guthrie in Game 4 after giving up 3 runs and four hits in 5.7 innings of work.  Hudson also lost to the Royals in Kansas City back in August when he gave up 3 runs and six hits in six innings of work.  Kansas City has scored 17 runs in their last two home games in this series, and they will have success against Hudson once again.  The Royals have put up double digit hits in three games in this series, including last night when they scored 10 runs on 15 hits.  Kansas City holds all of the advantages in this game, so we’ll take the Royals to win Game 7 and the World Series on Wednesday night.

10* Play ROYALS (-) (action).

Kansas City will host San Francisco in Game 6 of the World Series on Tuesday night.  The Royals are down 3-2 in the series, and they’ll start rookie Yordano Ventura in this game.  Ventura gave up just 2 runs in 5.3 innings of work in Game 2 of this series; the Royals won that game 7-2.  Overall, Ventura has a solid 3.27 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 17 home starts for Kansas City this season.  San Francisco is only hitting .252 on the road this season, and they will struggle with Ventura in this game. 

San Francisco will start Jake Peavy in this game.  Peavy continued his struggles with the Royals in Game 2 as he gave up 4 runs and six hits in five innings of work.  Peavy owns a terrible 5.09 ERA in 15 career starts against Kansas City.  He has allowed 10 runs and 16 hits in his last two road starts against the Royals.  Kansas City is 5-1 at home in the playoffs, and we expect them to win Game 6 of the World Series on Tuesday night. 

10* Play ROYALS (-) (action).

Kansas City has a 2-1 lead in the World Series as they play Game 4 in San Francisco on Saturday night.  The Royals will start Jason Vargas in this game.  Vargas is 5-4 with a solid 3.04 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 15 road starts this season.  He pitched well in his only start of this postseason, giving up just 1 run and two hits in 5.3 innings of work.  Vargas faced the Giants back on August 8th, and he gave up just 2 runs in five innings; Kansas City won that game 4-2.  San Francisco is only hitting .248 against left-handed starters this season, and they are hitting just .240 in the playoffs overall.  Kansas City’s bullpen is terrific, especially on the road where they own a fantastic 2.32 ERA and 1.11 WHIP on the season.  

San Francisco’s Ryan Vogelsong has had a rough postseason, giving up 5 runs and nine hits in 8.7 innings of work.  Vogelsong owns an ugly 5.14 ERA and an awful 5.00 WHIP over his last three starts.  Kansas City is 52-34 on the road this season while averaging 4.4 runs per game.  The Royals are an incredible 10-1 in the playoffs while scoring 4.8 runs per game.  We expect Kansas City’s hot run to continue, so we’ll back them in Game 4 of the World Series on Saturday night.

9* Play ROYALS (+) (action).

Kansas City will look to bounce back at home in Game 2 tonight after losing 7-1 to San Francisco in the World Series opener last night.  The Royals will start Yordano Ventura in this game.  Ventura has a solid 3.27 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 16 home starts this season.  The righty has allowed just 6 earned runs in his last three home starts.  Ventura arguably has the best stuff on the Kansas City staff, so he is fully capable of shutting down the San Francisco hitters in this game.  Kansas City’s bullpen owns a terrific 3.19 ERA and 1.23 WHIP on the season, so they provide Ventura solid support on the backend.

San Francisco will start Jake Peavy in tonight’s game.  Peavy has pitched 5.7 innings or less in each of his past three starts, and he has been mediocre so far in the postseason.  On the road, Peavy owns an ugly 4.37 ERA in 18 starts this year.  He has had some rough outings in Kansas City where he has allowed 5 runs or more in three straight starts.  The Royals have crushed Peavy in the past as he owns a terrible 4.97 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in 14 career starts against Kansas City.  The Giants are just 14-20 SU in all games started by Jake Peavy this season, while the Royals are 20-12 SU in all games started by Yordano Ventura.  We expect Kansas City to bounce back strong at home and win Game 2 of the World Series on Wednesday night.   

10* Play ROYALS (-) (action).

St. Louis is now down 3-1 in this series, but they have an excellent chance of getting a road win tonight, especially with their ace on the mound.  The Cardinals will start Adam Wainwright who is 11-6 with a strong 2.07 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 19 road starts this season.  Wainwright also owns a solid 2.30 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 22 night games this year.  He had a strong outing against the Giants in San Francisco earlier this season when he allowed just one walk and four hits in 7.7 innings of work.  Wainwright has allowed 2 earned runs or less in his past four road starts in San Francisco.

Madison Bumgarner takes the mound for the Giants tonight.  Bumgarner is only 7-7 with a 3.92 ERA in 16 home starts this season.  He had a terrible home start against the Cardinals earlier this year; he gave up 5 runs and six hits in just five innings of work.  The southpaw has allowed 15 runs in his past three home starts against St. Louis.  The Cardinals have been a much stronger offensive team on the road this season against left-handed pitchers, averaging 4.2 runs per nine innings with a .265 team batting average, compared to just 3.4 runs and .234 versus RHP.  St. Louis presents excellent value at an underdog price in Game 5 of the NLCS on Thursday night.

10* Play CARDINALS (+) (action).

San Francisco took a 2-1 series lead after winning 5-4 in extra innings on Tuesday.  The Giants’ Ryan Vogelsong will face the Cardinals for the third time this season.  In his lone home start against St. Louis, Volgelsong allowed just 2 runs in seven innings of work.  Vogelsong has allowed 2 earned runs or less in four of his last five home starts.  Overall at home this season, Vogelsong owns a strong 2.81 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 17 games.

St. Louis will send Shelby Miller to the mound tonight.  Miller has a poor 4.14 ERA in 15 road starts this season.  Miller has pitched just 22.1 innings in his last four starts away from St. Louis, and overall this season, he’s only averaging 5.5 innings pitched per road start.  The Cardinals used four relief pitchers yesterday, so their bullpen might not be at full strength tonight to back up Miller if he has another short outing.  San Francisco is now an incredible 13-2 in their past 15 playoff games and they should carry momentum from yesterday's extra inning win into another home victory in Game 4 of the NLCS on Wednesday night.

10* Play GIANTS (-) (action).

San Francisco and St. Louis will play Game 2 of the NLCS on Sunday night.  The Giants will start Jake Peavy in this game.  Peavy is hot, having allowed 2 earned runs or less in each of his last 10 starts.  Over his last three starts, Peavy has allowed just 3 earned runs while earning a stellar 1.53 ERA and 0.96 WHIP.  Peavy will face a struggling St. Louis offense that is only hitting .202 while averaging just 3 runs per game over their past seven games.  The Cardinals have scored just 13 total runs in their last five home games against the Giants.

St. Louis will start Lance Lynn in this game.  Lynn got rocked by San Francisco back on June 1st when he gave up 7 runs and eight hits in 3.3 innings of work innings.  He has allowed 4 runs or more in each of his five starts against the Giants.  Lynn is 0-4 with a terrible 6.95 ERA and 1.82 WHIP in his career against the Giants.  There is value with San Francisco as an underdog tonight as they have won four of their past five games in St. Louis, and the Giants are now 12-1 in their past thirteen postseason games overall.

9* Play GIANTS (+) (action).

Baltimore will host Detroit for Game 1 of the ALDS on Thursday.  Chris Tillman will get the start for the Orioles.  Tillman was one of the hottest pitchers in baseball over the second half of the season.  Overall, Tillman is 13-6 with a solid 3.26 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 34 games for the Orioles.  At home, Tillman owns a strong 2.54 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 18 starts this season.  Tillman has not lost in six career starts against the Tigers.  He picked up a win over Detroit back on April 6th after he allowed just 1 run and five hits in 8.3 innings of work.

Detroit limped down the stretch, and they just edged out the Royals for the AL Central title.  The Tigers only went 25-21 in the second half of the season against teams with a winning record.  Max Scherzer will get the start for Detroit.  He has not faced the Orioles this season, but the Tigers did lose his last two starts in Baltimore last season.  Baltimore’s lineup has been one of the best in baseball all season, especially versus right-handed starters who they average 4.5 runs per game against.  Baltimore has the better bullpen and the better manager, and since they are at home, we’ll take the Orioles in this game on Thursday.

9* Play ORIOLES (action).

Pittsburgh will host San Francisco in the NL Wild Card game on Wednesday night.  Madison Bumgarner has been terrific on the road for the Giants this season.  Bumgarner is 11-4 with a strong 2.22 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in 18 road starts.  He is also in good current form, allowing just 6 runs and 16 hits in his last three starts, striking out 20 while walking only four.  The Giants’ lefty will face a Pittsburgh team that is only hitting .238 while scoring 3.7 runs per game over their last seven games.  The Giants’ bullpen is 32-14 with a solid 3.01 ERA and 1.07 WHIP on the season, so Bumgarner has solid support on the backend.

The Pirates will start Edinson Volquez in this game.  Volquez has control issues, especially at home where 43 of his 71 walks have come this season.  Volquez has poor career numbers against San Francisco.  Volquez has an ugly 5.72 ERA and 1.59 WHIP in 11 career starts against the Giants.  San Francisco’s offense is in good current form as they’ve scored 22 runs in their last four games.  The Giants are 58-44 against right-handed starters while scoring 4.4 runs per game this season.  Pittsburgh’s bullpen has 25 losses and 22 blown saves on the season, so they’ll provide Volquez little support on the backend.  We expect San Francisco to get a solid road win in this game on Wednesday night.

10* Play GIANTS (-) (action).

Atlanta and Philadelphia will play their final game of the season on Sunday afternoon.  The Phillies’ Cole Hamels will look to close out a great season.  Hamels is only 9-8, but he has a strong 2.47 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 29 starts this season.  The southpaw has allowed 3 earned runs or less in 22 straight starts.  He has won two straight outings against Atlanta while giving up just 1 earned run and four hits in those games.  Atlanta’s offense has packed it in this month; they’ve averaged just 2.3 runs during their past 19 games with a horrendous 4-15 team record.

The Braves announced they will not start Alex Wood in this game due to a shoulder ailment.  Atlanta will use a combination of bullpen arms in this game with James Russell getting the start.  Russell has allowed 6 earned runs in 20.3 innings pitched for the Braves since coming over from the Cubs at the trade deadline.  Philadelphia’s offense has been good down the stretch, and they hold the edge over a collection of Atlanta bullpen pitchers in this game.  We expect Philadelphia to notch a solid home win in this game on Sunday afternoon. 

9* Play PHILLIES (-) (action).

The New York Yankees will host the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday afternoon.  Shane Greene has two wins over Baltimore this season after giving up just 2 runs and 11 hits in those contests.  Both of those games were on the road.  Greene has 18 strikeouts and just three walks against the Orioles.  Overall this season, Greene is 5-3 with a solid 3.25 ERA in 13 starts.  Baltimore is only 23-29 in day games while hitting just .249 in those games this season.

Baltimore’s Bud Norris is 6-6 with a poor 4.83 ERA in 14 road starts this season.  The Yankees are in good current form as they’ve won five of their last seven games.  The Orioles have bigger games on the horizon, so they may rest a few players in this game, especially after playing last night.  We expect New York to notch a solid home win in this game on Wednesday afternoon.

9* Play YANKEES (-) (action).

Cleveland will host Kansas City for a 3-game series beginning on Monday night at 7 pm ET.  These teams will actually finish a suspended game beforehand at 6 pm ET, and Cleveland is likely win (91% chance) as the Indians will have a 4-2 lead in the middle of the 10th inning when that game resumes.  It was a game originally being played in Kansas City on August 31st.  Pending that result, the Royals are currently 1.5 games out of the AL Central playoff race, but they face a tough matchup tonight.  Cleveland’s Carlos Carrasco has been incredible in his second stint as a starter.  Carrasco has allowed just 4 runs and 13 hits in his last three starts, striking out 25 while walking only three batters.  Overall, Carrasco has a strong 2.84 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 12 starts for the Indians.  Kansas City is not in good current form as they are limping down the stretch with a 5-8 record over their past 13 games entering tonight.

Kansas City will send Danny Duffy back to the mound after last pitching to just one batter on September 6th.  Duffy is 7-10 in 22 starts for the Royals this season.  He lost his last start in Cleveland back on July 6th after giving up 4 runs and 10 hits in six innings of work.  The Indians are 45-30 at home where they average 4.1 runs per game.  Cleveland is 5-2 in their last seven games at home versus Kansas City, and we expect the Indians to notch another solid home win in this game on Monday night.

10* Play INDIANS (-) (action).

Pittsburgh has exhibited the most extreme home/road dichotomy in the league this season, going 49-29 at home, while just 33-41 on the road.  That is a net difference of 28 games.  The Pirates will begin a crucial 3-game weekend series at home against Milwaukee tonight and Pittsburgh enters in fantastic current form with an 11-2 record in their past thirteen games overall.  Jeff Locke will get the start for the Pirates and he has allowed just 3 runs and five hits in two starts against the Brewers this season.  Locke is 4-2 with a 3.60 ERA and a strong 1.12 WHIP in 10 home starts for Pittsburgh this year.  Milwaukee’s offense had a rough series in St. Louis; they scored just 5 total runs in three games.  The Brewers are only hitting .245 versus left-handed starters this season, so their struggles should continue against Locke in this game.

Milwaukee’s Yovani Gallardo is in poor current form.  Gallardo has lost three straight starts, giving up 15 runs while earning a terrible 7.36 ERA and 1.84 WHIP in those games.  Gallardo’s last start against the Pirates was a rough one, allowing 6 runs and eight hits in five innings of work.  Pittsburgh’s offense is in tremendous current form; they’ve scored 27 runs over their past five games.  We expect Pittsburgh to notch another solid home win on Friday night as they get closer to a playoff berth.

10* Play PIRATES (-) (action).

New York and Tampa Bay will finish their 3-game series on Wednesday night.  The Rays’ Alex Cobb has dominated the Yankees this year.  Cobb has allowed just 1 run and seven hits in two starts against the Yankees.  Overall, Cobb has a fantastic 1.69 ERA and 0.81 WHIP in nine career starts against New York.  The Yankees are playing their first game after being officially eliminated from the AL East title, and with the Wild Card virtually out of their reach as well, the Yankees are in a letdown spot tonight.  New York’s offense is in poor current form as they are only hitting .175 while scoring 1.7 runs per game over their last seven games.  

The Yankees’ Brandon McCarthy is 4-7 with a weak 4.16 ERA in 14 road starts this season.  McCarthy lost to the Rays in Tampa Bay back on August 15th after giving up 4 runs and seven hits in 6.3 innings of work.  The Rays are in good current form as they’ve won three straight games, and four of their last five games overall.  Tampa Bay has scored 13 runs in their last three games, and their offensive success will continue in this game versus McCarthy.  We expect Tampa Bay to notch a solid home win in this game on Wednesday night.  

10* Play RAYS (-) (action).

The Los Angeles Angels will host the Seattle Mariners for a 4-game series beginning on Monday night.  Matt Shoemaker is 13-3 with a solid 3.01 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 19 starts for the Angels this season.  Shoemaker is 6-2 at home where he has allowed just 4 earned runs in his past three starts.  Shoemaker beat the Mariners back in May after giving up just 3 runs and four hits to the Mariners.  Seattle’s offense is in poor current form; they’ve scored just 13 runs in their past seven games, averaging just 1.9 runs per game with an awful .194 team batting average and going 2-5 during that span.

Seattle’s Hisashi Iwakuma comes into this game in terrible form.  Iwakuma allowed 10 runs and 18 hits in his last three starts while earning an awful 5.75 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in those outings.  The Angels have the best record in baseball, including 10-1 in their past eleven games, and they should continue to win tonight against a struggling Seattle team.  Los Angeles presents solid value as a small home favorite in this game on Monday night.

10* Play ANGELS (-) (action).

Houston will host Cleveland for a 4-game series beginning on Monday night.  The Astros will start Collin McHugh in this game.  The righty has won three straight starts, giving up just 4 runs while striking out 18 batters in 22.7 innings of work.  McHugh earned a strong 1.59 ERA and 0.62 WHIP in those three outings.  Cleveland is in poor current form as they just got swept by the Tigers; their pitchers gave up 18 runs in three games.  The Indians are now a weak 31-42 on the road this season and they are just 2-5 in their past seven games overall.

Cleveland’s Zach McAllister is 3-6 with a terrible 5.91 ERA and 1.52 WHIP in 14 starts this season.  He has been pitching in the minors, and he made his last Major League start back on July 31st.  Houston won five of their nine games during their recent West Coast trip, winning their series in Oakland and their series in Seattle.  Cleveland’s bullpen is poor, and yesterday they picked up their 21st loss of the season to go along with their 20 blown saves on the season.  We’ll back Houston at home in this game on Monday night.

9* Play ASTROS (-) (action).

Baltimore will host New York on Sunday Night Baseball.  Baltimore is in good current form as they’ve won six of their past seven games.  The Orioles have also won six of their last eight home games in this series.  Chris Tillman will get the start for Baltimore.  Tillman is 12-5 with a solid 3.26 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 31 games this season.  Tillman has allowed just 5 runs and 16 hits in his last three starts against the Yankees.  New York’s offense is in poor current form as they are only averaging 2.9 runs over their past seven games with a horrendous .181 team batting average during that span.  The Yankees are a team on their last legs before being eliminated from the playoff hunt.

New York’s Hiroki Kuroda is coming off an awful effort against the Rays where he allowed 4 runs and nine hits in just 3.3 innings of work.  Kuroda tired down the stretch last season as well, and he’s repeating that pattern this year.  Baltimore is 45-29 at home this season, and they will be facing a short-handed Yankees’ pitching staff that stretched out their bullpen in Saturday’s game.  We expect Baltimore to notch a solid home win in this game on Sunday night.

9* Play ORIOLES (-) (action).

New York and Baltimore will play a double header on Friday, and this play is on the Orioles in Game 1 at 1:05 pm ET.  Baltimore is getting closer to clinching the AL East, so every win counts from here on out.  Kevin Gausman will get the start for the Orioles in this game.  Gausman gave up 1 run and four hits in five innings pitched at home to the Yankees back on July 13th.  Gausman is backed by a solid Baltimore bullpen that owns a 3.25 ERA on the season.  

This is a tough scheduling spot for New York as they are flying to Baltimore after a late game at home on Thursday.  Brandon McCarthy will get the start for the Yankees.  McCarthy has allowed 4 earned runs or more in his last four road starts, and he will get hit hard by the Orioles in this game.  Baltimore has won three straight games in the series, and six of their last seven games overall.  We expect Baltimore to notch a solid home win in this game on Friday afternoon.

9* Play ORIOLES (-) (action).

St. Louis wraps up their 8-game road trip in Cincinnati on Thursday afternoon.  Johnny Cueto is 10-4 with a fantastic 1.92 ERA and 0.87 WHIP in 15 home starts for the Reds this season.  He has 122 strikeouts to just 23 walks in 107.7 innings pitched at home.  Cueto faced St. Louis at home earlier this season, and he gave up just 1 run and three hits in seven innings of work.  The Cardinals’ offense is not the same on the road as they average just 3.6 runs per game.

The Cardinals’ Lance Lynn has allowed 3 earned runs or more in two of his last three starts against the Reds.  In nine career starts against Cincinnati, Lynn owns a poor 4.15 ERA and 1.31 WHIP.  Lynn doesn’t go deep in games, and that means the shaky St. Louis bullpen will come into play.  The Cardinals’ bullpen needed to cover a lot of innings in Wednesday’s game after John Lackey was ejected, so that unit will be limited in this game.  Cincinnati is 29-22 in day games while scoring 4 runs per game this season.  We expect Cincinnati to notch a solid home win in this game on Thursday afternoon.

9* Play REDS (-) (action).

Toronto will host the Chicago Cubs as they try and make a push for the AL Wild Card.  Toronto will face a familiar foe in Jake Arrieta who spent most of his career with Baltimore before joining Chicago.  Arrieta has an ugly 5.14 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in five career starts against Toronto.  The Blue Jays are playing good baseball right now as they are 7-2 over their last nine games.  Toronto is strong at home where they are 38-31 and scoring 4.6 runs per game this season. 

The Blue Jays will start Mark Buehrle in this game.  Buehrle is coming off a great outing where he gave up zero runs, five hits, and one walk in 8 innings pitched in Tampa Bay.  Buehrle has a solid 3.34 ERA in 28 starts this season, and he will face a Chicago team that is only 15-16 versus left-handed starters on the season.  We expect Toronto to notch a solid home win in this game on Tuesday night.

10* Play BLUE JAYS (-) (action).

The New York Mets will host the Colorado Rockies for a 3-game series beginning on Monday night.  The Rockies are an MLB worst 20-49 on the road this season, and they’ll be up against a strong home pitcher in this game.  Jon Niese has a solid 3.12 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 11 home starts for the Mets this season.  Colorado is hitting just .228 as a team away from home where they only average 3.3 runs per game.  New York’s bullpen has been good as they own a 3.35 ERA on the season.  

Colorado’s Jordan Lyles is not in good current form.  Lyles has allowed 12 runs and 19 hits in his last three starts while earning an awful 6.00 ERA and 1.61 WHIP.  The Mets are in good current form as they are 4-1 over their last five games.  New York’s offense has scored 4 runs or more in six of their last seven games overall.  The Rockies’ bullpen is a mess with 29 losses and 24 blown saves on the season.  We expect New York to notch a solid home win in this game on Monday night.

10* Play METS (-) (action).

Oakland will host Seattle on Tuesday night.  The Athletics’ Sonny Gray has allowed just 2 earned runs and 17 hits in his last three starts against the Mariners this season.  Overall, Gray is 8-4 with a solid 3.21 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 15 home starts for Oakland this season.  He has 85 strikeouts while only walking 32 batters in those games.  Seattle is in poor current form; the Mariners are just 1-4 over their last five games as they try to stay in the AL Wild Card race.  

Seattle’s James Paxton is coming off a career-high in pitches (118) which is concerning considering he returned from a back injury.  Paxton has allowed 16 hits and 6 walks in his last 16.7 innings of work.  Oakland is 25-17 versus left-handed starters while scoring 4.6 runs per game in those games this season.  The Athletics’ offense got a nice boost last night (6 runs scored) with the addition of Adam Dunn.  We expect Oakland to ride that momentum and notch a solid home win in this game on Tuesday night.

10* Play ATHLETICS (-) (action).

Baltimore can pick up a 4-game sweep of Minnesota with a win on Monday afternoon.  Kevin Gausman is in good current form for the Orioles.  The righty has allowed just 6 earned runs and 14 hits in his last three starts, earning him a solid 3.60 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in those outings.  Minnesota is not in good current form as they’ve lost three straight games, and seven of their last eight games overall.  The Twins are only 30-40 on the road this season, including a 1-5 mark on their current road trip.

Minnesota’s Phil Hughes has a poor 4.98 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in 19 career starts against Baltimore.  Hughes will face a Baltimore team that is 40-27 at home on the season.  The Orioles’ offense is in good current form as they’ve scored 24 runs so far in this series.  Minnesota’s bullpen is poor; they have 16 losses and 15 blown saves on the season.  The Orioles are 7-2 at home versus the Twins in their last nine meetings in this series.  We expect Baltimore to notch another solid home win in this game on Monday afternoon.

9* Play ORIOLES (-) (action).

This game is a case of two teams going in opposite directions in the AL West.  The Los Angeles Angels have won five straight games while the Oakland Athletics have lost three straight games, four of their last five, and five of their last seven games overall.  Oakland’s Scott Kazmir is coming off a horrendous home start against the Angels; he gave up 7 runs and 10 hits in three innings of work.  He is in poor current form with an ugly 6.19 ERA and 1.69 WHIP over his last three starts.  Kazmir has lost three straight starts to the Angels, and he has a 6.19 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in his career against Los Angeles.  The Angels are 46-24 at home where they are averaging 4.4 runs per game this season.

Los Angeles’ Matt Shoemaker is 5-2 with a solid 2.44 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in nine home starts this season.  He has allowed just 2 runs and seven hits in his last three starts.  Shoemaker will be facing Oakland for the first time, and that gives him a nice edge in this game.  The Athletics’ offense just hasn’t been the same since trading Yoenis Cespedes.  Oakland has scored just 10 runs over their last five games, including back-to-back shutout losses in their last two games.  We expect Los Angeles to notch another solid home win in this game on Sunday afternoon.

10* Play ANGELS (-) (action).

Cleveland will travel to Chicago and begin a 3-game series on Tuesday night.  The White Sox will start Jose Quintana who is 3-0 in his career against the Indians.  This season, Quintana has allowed just 3 runs and 10 hits in 12 innings pitched against Cleveland.  Quintana has a solid 3.24 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 11 home starts this season.  Cleveland’s offense has struggled versus left-handed starters this season as they are only hitting .240 while averaging 3.6 runs per game.  The Indians’ offense is also in poor current form as they averaging just 3 runs per game over their last seven games.  Cleveland is only 27-38 on the road this season.

The Indians’ T.J. House is 1-3 with a terrible 4.36 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in eight road starts this season.  Chicago has hit lefties well this season; they are averaging 4.3 runs per game versus left-handed starters.  The White Sox’ lineup may get a boost with the possible return of Adam Eaton tonight.  Chicago is 6-1 at home in their last seven meetings versus Cleveland, and we expect the White Sox to notch another solid home win in this game on Tuesday night.

10* Play WHITE SOX (-) (action).

Philadelphia will host Washington for a 3-game series beginning on Tuesday night.  The Phillies are in good current form as they’ve won four of their last five games.  Washington will start Gio Gonzalez in this game.  He is 6-9 (3-6 on the road) in 21 starts for Washington this season.  Gonzalez has given up 6 runs and 12 hits in 11 innings pitched against the Phillies this season; he lost both of those outings.  Philadelphia has scored 21 runs over their last four games while going 3-1 in those games.

The Phillies’ Cole Hamels has a strong 2.53 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 23 starts this season.  He has allowed just 3 earned runs and eight hits in two starts against the Nationals this season.  Washington’s offense struggles on the road where they are only hitting .235 as a team this season.  The Phillies' bullpen has been good at home where they own a solid 3.32 ERA and 1.15 WHIP on the season.  We expect Philadelphia to continue their winning ways with a victory in this game on Tuesday night.

9* Play PHILLIES (-) (action).

Arizona will go for the series sweep of San Diego on Sunday afternoon.  Chase Anderson has been terrific for the Diamondbacks.  He is 5-2 with a solid 3.27 ERA in nine home starts for Arizona this season.  One of those home victories came against San Diego who only scored 1 earned run in five innings against Anderson.  The Padres are only hitting .202 while scoring just 2.7 runs per game in 41 day games this season.  San Diego is also in poor current form as they are just 2-7 over their last nine games.

San Diego’s Ian Kennedy comes into this game in weak current form.  Kennedy has lost two of his last three starts after giving up 11 runs and 20 hits.  He lost to the Diamondbacks at home back in May after giving up 3 runs and 11 hits in five innings of work.  Kennedy owns an ugly 6.06 ERA and 1.84 WHIP in his career against Arizona.  The Diamondbacks are averaging 4.8 runs per game versus division opponents this season.  Arizona is 8-3 against San Diego this season, including 4-1 at home.  We expect Arizona to notch another solid home win in this game on Sunday afternoon.

9* Play DIAMONDBACKS (+) (action).

Wily Peralta is having a solid season for the Brewers as he goes for his 16th win tonight.  Peralta is 15-7 with a 3.32 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 25 starts this year.  He enters in excellent current form, allowing just four runs in his past three starts with a 1.89 ERA during that span.  Peralta has allowed just five earned runs in three career starts against the Pirates, striking out 14 while walking only four, with a strong 2.25 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in those games.

Pittsburgh is just 2-7 in their past nine games and they have scored three runs or less in four of the past six games and four runs or less in eight of their past ten games.  Edinson Volquez is coming off a start where he allowed four runs at Washington.  He also lost his last start against the Brewers back on June 7th when he gave up four runs in six innings.  He has a weak 4.57 ERA against Milwaukee in 15 career starts.  The Pirates have exhibited one of the most extreme home/road dichotomies in the league this season, going just 26-36 on the road, compared to 40-26 at home.  The Brewers also hold the bullpen edge tonight which should lead to a solid home win for Milwaukee.

9* Play BREWERS (-) (action).

Kansas City is one of the hottest teams in baseball, and they’ll begin a 3-game series in Texas on Friday night.  Yordano Ventura is 5-3 with a 3.62 ERA in 10 road starts for the Royals this season.  Ventura has 53 strikeouts and only 28 walks in those games.  He has never faced Texas before, and that gives him a nice edge in this game.  Texas is only 23-38 at home where they are scoring just 3.9 runs per game.  The Rangers’ offense is in poor current form, hitting .233 while averaging 3.3 runs per game over their last seven games.  The Royals’ bullpen has a solid 2.49 ERA and 1.16 WHIP on the road while converting 41 of 50 save chances this season.

Texas’ Colby Lewis is 2-7 with a terrible 7.29 ERA and an ugly 1.76 WHIP in 12 home starts this season.  Lewis has allowed 10 runs and 15 hits in his last two home outings against the Angels and Rays.  The Rangers’ starter has an awful 7.20 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in four career starts against Kansas City.  The Royals’ offense is in good current form, hitting .298 while averaging 5.9 runs per game over their last seven games.  Texas' bullpen is 16-21 with a poor 4.16 ERA on the season.  We expect Kansas City to get a nice road win in this game on Friday night.

9* Play ROYALS (-) (action).

Toronto will host Tampa Bay for a 3-game series beginning on Friday night.  Marcus Stroman is 5-1 with a strong 1.62 ERA and an incredible 0.81 WHIP in eight home starts for the Blue Jays this season.  Stroman has 46 strikeouts and only 10 walks in those games.  Stroman has not faced Tampa Bay before, and that gives him a nice edge in this game.  The Rays are only hitting .244 while scoring 3.8 runs per game away from home this season.  Tampa Bay scored just 16 total runs in their recent 6-game homestand.  

The Rays will start Drew Smyly in this game.  Smyly is 6-10 in 21 starts between Detroit and Tampa Bay this season.  The Blue Jays are 33-26 at home where they are averaging 4.7 runs per game.  Toronto has hit lefties extremely well lately.  In their last two games against southpaws, Toronto scored 12 runs on 30 hits.  Tampa Bay’s bullpen is just 6-10 on the road, so they’ll provide little support to Smyly on the backend.  Toronto is 3-0 against Tampa Bay at home this season, and we expect the Blue Jays to notch another home win in this game on Friday night.

10* Play BLUE JAYS (-) (action).

Cleveland and Minnesota will begin a 3-game series on Tuesday night.  The Twins’ offense is in good current form as they’ve scored 4 runs or more in four straight games, and in nine of their last ten games overall.  Cleveland will start Trevor Bauer in this game.  He is 1-5 with a terrible 5.82 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in eight road starts this season.  Bauer lost to the Twins in Minnesota back on July 23rd after giving up 3 runs in six innings of work.  

Minnesota’s Kyle Gibson has a solid 3.28 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in eight home starts for the Twins this season.  Gibson has allowed just 1 run and five hits in two starts against Cleveland this season with both of those outings coming on the road.  The Indians’ offense is in poor current form as they are only hitting .210 while averaging 2.7 runs per game over their last seven games.  The Indians are just 25-37 on the road this season, and they will struggle versus Gibson.  We expect Minnesota to get a solid home win in this game on Tuesday night.

9* Play TWINS (+) (action).

Pittsburgh will host Atlanta on Tuesday night.  The Braves will start Aaron Harang in this game.  Harang has allowed 8 runs in his last three starts, striking out just eight while walking nine batters.  Harang earned an ugly 4.15 ERA and 1.62 WHIP in those three outings.  In 26 career starts against the Pirates, Harang has a 4.19 ERA.  Pittsburgh’s offense has been terrific in night games; they are averaging 4.9 runs per game at night this season.  The Pirates are 39-25 at home, and Andrew McCutchen should be back in the lineup for this game.

The Pirates’ Francisco Liriano has allowed just 6 runs and 10 hits in his last three starts.  Liriano earned a solid 2.84 ERA and an incredible 0.84 WHIP in those three outings.  Liriano will have success versus Atlanta as the Braves are only averaging 3.8 runs per game against southpaws this season.  Pittsburgh has won five of their last eight home games in this series, and we expect the Pirates to notch a solid home win in this game on Tuesday night.

10* Play PIRATES (-) (action).

Oakland will play in Atlanta on Sunday Night Baseball.  Jon Lester has been a great acquisition for the A’s; he came over in a trade with Boston.  Lester has allowed just 6 runs in his last three starts, striking out 20 while walking just five.  Overall, Lester is 13-7 with a 2.51 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 24 starts this season.  He will face an Atlanta team that is scoring just 3.8 runs per game against left-handed starters this season.  The Braves are just 6-10 in interleague play, and their offense has been inconsistent all season long.  

Atlanta’s Mike Minor has been terrible this season.  He is 4-8 with a 5.33 ERA and 1.58 WHIP  in 18 starts for the Braves.  Minor has allowed a whopping 25 hits in his last three outings, and he is just 2-6 in 10 home starts this season.  Oakland is 23-14 versus left-handed starters while scoring 4.8 runs per game.  The A’s are 10-4 in interleague play while averaging 5.3 runs per game.  We expect Oakland to get a solid road win in this game on Sunday night. 

9* Play ATHLETICS (-) (action).

Boston will wrap up their 4-game series with Houston on Sunday afternoon.  The Red Sox are hot; they are 5-1 over their last six games.  Boston has scored 22 runs in this series, and they will face Houston’s Collin McHugh this afternoon.  The Astros’ starter is just 5-9 in 18 starts this season.  Boston’s offense is averaging 5.3 runs per game over their last seven games, and they will hit McHugh hard in this game.  The Astros’ bullpen is terrible, especially on the road where they are 5-12 with an ugly 5.66 ERA and 1.55 WHIP on the season. 

The Red Sox will start Joe Kelly in this game.  He will make his first start at home for Boston after getting traded from St. Louis.  Kelly has only allowed 3 runs and eight hits in 13 innings of work as a member of the Red Sox.  Kelly will face a Houston team that is 22-37 on the road, and 16-22 in day games this season.  Boston has a huge edge in the bullpen where they own a 3.31 ERA on the season.  We expect Boston to notch a solid home win in this game on Sunday afternoon. 

9* Play RED SOX (-) (action).

Tampa Bay can make a push in the AL East division race as they begin a 3-game series with New York on Friday night.  Alex Cobb has allowed just 4 runs and 16 hits in his last three starts for the Rays.  He had 22 strikeouts and just 6 walks in those outings.  Cobb is 4-1 with a 2.01 ERA and an incredible 0.85 WHIP in seven career starts against the Yankees.  New York's offense is struggling, hitting just .214 over their last seven games while scoring only 3.3 runs per game.  Tampa Bay has a solid bullpen that owns a 3.49 ERA on the year while converting 28 of 40 save chances.

New York’s Brandon McCarthy is 4-4 with a 4.30 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in 10 road starts this season.  He will be facing a Tampa Bay offense that is in good current form; they’ve averaged 5.0 runs during their past seven games.  The Yankees’ bullpen is poor as they are 17-21 on the season with a 3.95 ERA.  Tampa Bay is 14-8 at home versus New York in the last 22 meetings, and we expect the Rays to get another win in this game on Friday night.

9* Play RAYS (-) (action).

Pittsburgh continues their road trip on Friday night as they begin a 3-game weekend series in Washington against the Nationals.  Tanner Roark has a solid 2.40 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 11 home starts for Washington this season.  Roark will make his first career start against the Pirates, and that gives him a nice advantage in this game.  Pittsburgh is only 25-33 on the road this season where they average just 3.9 runs per game.  The Nationals’ bullpen owns a terrific 2.64 ERA and 1.23 WHIP at home where they have converted 13 saves in 18 chances on the season.

The Pirates’ Charlie Morton is 2-7 with a 4.91 ERA in 13 road starts this season.  Morton is in terrible current form, allowing 10 runs and 20 hits in his last three starts.  His last three outings have earned him an ugly 5.29 ERA and 1.65 WHIP.  Washington is 34-24 at home where they average 4.4 runs per game.  The Nationals are in good current form as they’ve won three straight games, and they are 6-2 over their last eight games.  We expect Washington to notch a solid home win in this game on Friday night.

10* Play NATIONALS (-) (action).

Boston returns home as they begin a 4-game series with Houston on Thursday night.  Allen Webster will make his fourth start of the season for the Red Sox.  Webster is coming off his best outing of the year as he beat the Angels on the road after giving up just 2 runs and four hits in 6.7 innings of work.  Houston is 21-35 on the road where they are only hitting .241 as a team this season.  Boston’s bullpen has been strong this year as they own a 3.34 ERA and 1.27 WHIP.

Houston’s Scott Feldman is just 1-4 in nine road starts this season.  He got rocked by the Red Sox at home back on July 11th, giving up 7 runs and 11 hits in 5.3 innings of work.  Feldman has a terrible 8.89 ERA and an ugly 2.16 WHIP in six career starts against Boston.  Houston’s bullpen is awful, especially on the road where they are 4-11 with a 5.65 ERA and 1.53 WHIP on the season.  The bullpen has converted just 8 saves in 17 chances away from home.  Boston is starting to heat up, going 4-1 during their past five games, and since they are 8-2 versus Houston in the past ten meetings, we’ll back the Red Sox in this game on Thursday night.

10* Play RED SOX (-) (action).

Baltimore will host the New York Yankees on Wednesday night after being rained out on Tuesday.  Michael Pineda returns to the mound for the Yankees after missing time due to a shoulder injury; he last started a game back on April 23rd.  Pineda is 0-2 on the road this season, and he’ll face a good Baltimore lineup in this game.  The Orioles’ offense is in tremendous current form, hitting .304 as a team while averaging 6.9 runs during their past seven games.  New York’s bullpen is poor as they have 20 losses and 13 blown saves on the season.

The Orioles will start Chris Tillman in this game.  Tillman has allowed just 5 earned runs and 14 hits in his last three starts, earning him an excellent 2.41 ERA and 0.86 WHIP during that span.  He has a 2.30 ERA since the All-Star break, and he has pitched well against New York this season.  The Yankees have managed only 3 runs and 11 hits in 13.7 innings against Tillman this year.  New York is struggling on offense right now, hitting just .213 and averaging only 3.3 runs during their past seven games.  Baltimore’s bullpen is 10-5 with a 3.11 ERA and a strong 1.17 WHIP at home this season.  We expect Baltimore to notch a solid home win in this game on Wednesday night.

10* Play ORIOLES (-) (action).

Baltimore will host New York for the first of a 3-game series beginning on Monday night.  The Orioles are in good current form as they are 6-2 in their last eight games.  Bud Norris is 4-2 with a 2.61 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in eight home starts for the Orioles this season.  He has allowed just 2 earned runs in his last two outings.  Norris beat the Yankees 6-1 in New York on June 21st, giving up just one run and three hits in five innings of work.  The Yankees’ offense is not in good current form as they’ve now scored one run or less in three of their past four games.

New York will start Chris Capuano in this game.  He had a poor outing in his one road start for the Yankees back on August 1st in Boston when he gave up 4 runs on 8 hits in 6.3 innings of work (5.69 ERA).  Baltimore’s offense is in good current form as they just scored 25 runs in their 3-game home series versus the Cardinals.  The Yankees’ bullpen has been poor this season with 20 losses and 13 blown saves.  The Orioles have won six of their last nine games against the Yankees, and we expect Baltimore to get another solid home win in this game on Monday night.

10* Play ORIOLES (-) (action).

Atlanta will host Washington on Sunday Night Baseball.  The Nationals’ Gio Gonzalez has allowed 9 runs and 14 hits over his last two games against the Mets and Phillies with a terrible 8.38 ERA and 1.76 WHIP during that span.  Gonzalez is just 3-5 in nine road starts this season.  He was rocked by the Braves in Atlanta during a 10-2 loss earlier this year (April 13th) when he gave up 6 runs and nine hits in just six innings of work.

The Braves’ Alex Wood has allowed only 2 earned runs in his past two starts for an excellent 1.38 ERA during that span.  Wood has great career numbers against Washington.  The lefty has allowed just 3 runs and 10 hits in two games pitched against the Nationals this season and overall Wood has a fantastic 1.57 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in his four career starts against Washington.  The Nationals are just not the same team away from home, batting nearly 30 points lower on the road (.235).  Atlanta's recent slump is a bit misleading as the Braves went 0-8 on their recent road trip, but the Braves are still a solid 4-1 in their last five home games.  Washington has had their problems down in Atlanta; they are just 1-4 over the last five meetings.  We expect Atlanta to notch a solid home win on Sunday Night Baseball.

9* Play BRAVES (-) (action).

Kansas City can continue to close the gap in the AL Central as they wrap up their series with San Francisco on Sunday afternoon.  Danny Duffy has allowed just 2 runs and nine hits in his last three starts for the Royals.  Duffy earned a solid 1.02 ERA and WHIP in those three outings.  Overall, Duffy has a 2.41 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 17 starts this season.  The Giants are only hitting .233 against left-handed starters while averaging 3.5 runs per game this season.

San Francisco’s Tim Lincecum is 3-4 with a terrible 5.40 ERA and 1.47 WHIP in nine road starts this season.  He has allowed 14 runs and 21 hits in his last three starts, earning him a horrendous 9.22 ERA and an ugly 1.83 WHIP.  Kansas City is 13-4 in interleague play while averaging 4.9 runs per game this season.  The Royals are hot right now; they’ve won six straight games and they are 9-1 over their last ten games.  We expect Kansas City to get another solid home win over San Francisco on Sunday afternoon.

9* Play ROYALS (-) (action).

A series victory is at stake when New York hosts Cleveland on Sunday afternoon.  Carlos Carrasco is 0-3 with a 6.95 ERA and an ugly 1.50 WHIP in four starts for the Indians this season.  He spent some time in the bullpen, but he’ll return to the rotation for this game.  Carrasco got shelled by New York last year in Cleveland as he gave up 7 runs in just 3.7 innings of work.  New York is 23-15 in day games this season, and they are 6-2 in their last eight games overall.  

New York will start Hiroki Kuroda in this game.  He has allowed just 3 runs in each of his last two starts against the Rangers and Tigers.  Overall at home this season, Kuroda has a solid 1.16 WHIP in 12 starts.  Cleveland is only 24-37 on the road, and they’ve scored 3 runs or less in four of their last five games.  The Yankees are 7-1 at home in the last eight meetings in this series, and we expect New York to notch a solid home win in this game on Sunday afternoon.

10* Play YANKEES (-) (action).

Kansas City will host San Francisco in an interleague battle on Saturday night.  The Royals will start James Shields who is 26-12 with a 3.15 ERA in the month of August in his career.  Shields has allowed just 5 runs and 16 hits in his last three starts, earning him a solid 1.71 ERA and 1.00 WHIP.  The Giants have never faced Shields before which gives him a nice edge in this game.  San Francisco is only hitting .249 against right-handed starters this season, so they will struggle against Shields.  

San Francisco’s Tim Hudson is 8-8 in 21 starts this season.  The righty has struggled on the road where he is just 3-4 in ten starts this season.  Kansas City is in good offensive form right now; they’ve scored 4 runs or more in five straight games.  The Royals have scored 30 total runs in those five games.  We expect Kansas City to notch a solid home win in this game on Saturday night.

10* Play ROYALS (-) (action).

San Diego will travel to Pittsburgh to begin a 3-game series on Friday night.  Vance Worley is 4-1 with a 2.18 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in eight starts for the Pirates this season.  He has allowed just 2 earned runs in his last three starts.  Worley is 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in two career starts against San Diego.  The Padres are 21-34 on the road while hitting .220 and scoring 3.1 runs per game.  San Diego is only hitting .226 against right-handed starters while going 39-49 in those games this season.  Pittsburgh’s bullpen is strong, especially at home where they are 17-6 on the season.  

The Padres’ Ian Kennedy is 8-9 in 23 starts this season.  Kennedy is in poor current form as he owns a terrible 4.50 ERA and an ugly 1.50 WHIP over his last three starts.  Kennedy has issued 13 walks in his last 16 innings pitched; he hasn’t been able to pitch deep in ballgames as a result.  Pittsburgh is 36-22 at home this season, and their offense is in terrific current form.  The Pirates have scored 36 runs over their last six games.  We expect Pittsburgh to notch a solid home win in this game on Friday night.

10* Play PIRATES (-) (action).

Cleveland and Cincinnati will finish their 4-game series on Thursday night.  The Reds have won two straight games against their in-state rival, and they’ve won their last six games at home versus the Indians.  Cincinnati’s Homer Bailey has allowed just 5 runs and 12 hits in his last three starts, earning him a solid 2.14 ERA and 0.86 WHIP.  Bailey has been strong at home this season where he is 5-2 with a 3.43 ERA and 1.20 WHIP.  He will be facing a Cleveland team that is 23-35 on the road this season. 

The Indians’ T.J. House is 0-2 with a terrible 5.06 ERA and an ugly 1.63 WHIP in six road starts this season.  House will be facing a Cincinnati offense that is in good current form.  The Reds have scored 26 runs over their last five games.  Cincinnati is 30-25 at home this season; they’ve scored 15 runs in their last three home games.  The Reds also hold the bullpen edge, especially at home where they own a solid 3.29 ERA on the season.  We expect Cincinnati to get another home win over Cleveland on Thursday night.

10* Play REDS (-) (action).

Detroit and New York will wrap their series up on Thursday afternoon.  The Yankees have won four of their last five games, so they come into this game in good current form.  Shane Greene is 2-1 with a 3.72 ERA and a solid 1.17 WHIP in five starts for New York this season.  He has 23 strikeouts to just seven walks in 29 innings of work.  Detroit’s offense is struggling as they’ve scored 4 runs or less in four straight games, and in six of their last seven games overall.

The Tigers’ Rick Porcello has pitched poorly against the Yankees.  He is 3-3 with a 4.86 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in eight career starts against New York.  He has never won in New York in his career.  The Yankees are 22-14 in day games this season, and their offense is in good current form.  New York has scored 24 runs over their last five games.  The Tigers’ bullpen is poor as they own a 4.53 ERA and 1.46 WHIP on the season.  We expect New York to notch a solid home win in this game on Thursday afternoon.

9* Play YANKEES (action).

The battle for Los Angeles shifts to Anaheim on Wednesday night as the Angels host the Dodgers.  Matt Shoemaker is 8-2 in 12 starts for the Angels this season.  He has been even better at home where he is 4-1 in seven starts with a 2.76 ERA and 1.21 WHIP.  Shoemaker has 16 strikeouts in his last three outings without issuing a walk.  He will be facing the Dodgers for the first time, and that gives him a nice edge in this game.  The Dodgers’ offense is struggling; they’ve scored just 15 runs over their last five games.  The Angels’ bullpen is 16-7 with a 3.21 ERA and 1.15 WHIP at home this season.

The Dodgers’ Dan Haren has allowed 15 runs and 20 hits in his last three starts which all resulted in losses.  Haren has a terrible 5.40 ERA and an ugly 1.49 WHIP in 12 road starts this season.  The Angels are 38-19 at home this season where they are averaging 4.6 runs per game.  The Dodgers’ bullpen is poor, especially on the road where they are 4-8 with a 4.37 ERA and 1.51 WHIP.  We expect the Angels to notch a solid home win in this game on Wednesday night.

10* Play ANGELS (-) (action).

Milwaukee returns home to host San Francisco for a 3-game series beginning on Tuesday night.  Jimmy Nelson will get the start for the Brewers; he has greatly improved after a slow start to the season.  Nelson has allowed just 5 runs and nine hits in his last two starts.  Overall, Nelson has 22 strikeouts in 23 innings of work this season.  Milwaukee’s bullpen is solid, especially at home where they own a 3.23 ERA and 1.17 WHIP on the season.  San Francisco’s offense is hitting just .236 in 69 night games while averaging 3.5 runs per game this season.

San Francisco’s Tim Lincecum has allowed 14 runs and 19 hits in his last three starts, earning him an ugly 8.59 ERA and a horrendous 1.64 WHIP.  Overall, Lincecum has a 5.52 ERA and 1.49 WHIP in eight road starts.  Milwaukee is 30-26 at home where they are averaging 4.2 runs per game this season.  The Brewers’ offense is in good current form as they’ve scored 21 runs over their last four games.  Milwaukee is 4-2 at home in their last six games versus San Francisco, and we expect them to notch another solid home win in this game on Tuesday night.

10* Play BREWERS (-) (action).

Baltimore will host Seattle for the second game of this three-game series on Saturday night.  James Paxton will make the start for the Mariners.  He is coming off the disabled list after getting hurt back in April.  Paxton was dealing with shoulder issues, and it’s hard to see him lasting long in this game after coming off such a long layoff.  Paxton will be facing a Baltimore team that is in good current form as they’ve won six of their last eight games, including last night’s 2-1 win over Seattle.

Miguel Gonzalez has allowed just 5 runs and 17 hits in his last three starts for Baltimore.  He had a solid 2.08 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in those outings.  Gonzalez’s last outing came in Seattle; the righty allowed just 1 run and eight hits in six innings while earning a 3-2 win.  Seattle’s offense continues to struggle on the road as they’ve scored just 12 runs in their past four games away from home, including 1 run or less in two of their past three games.  The Orioles are 14-6 in their last 20 meetings against the Mariners, including a 5-2 record at home.  We expect Baltimore to notch another solid home win in this game on Saturday night.

10* Play ORIOLES (-) (action).

Los Angeles will travel to Tampa Bay to begin a 3-game series on Friday night.  Jeremy Hellickson will get the start for the Rays.  He has pitched just 9 innings in two starts for Tampa Bay this season.  Hellickson will be facing a Los Angeles lineup that is scoring 5 runs per game against right-handed starters this season.  Hellickson’s lack of ability to go deep in games means a mediocre Rays’ bullpen will come into play in this game.  Tampa Bay’s bullpen has 16 losses and 9 blown saves on the season.  

Matt Shoemaker is 7-2 with a 1.19 WHIP in 11 starts for the Angels this season.  He is in good current form, allowing just 6 runs and 15 hits in his last three starts while earning a solid 2.89 ERA and 0.96 WHIP.  Shoemaker beat the Rays at home back on May 18th after giving up 1 run and two hits in six innings of work.  Tampa Bay is only 26-30 at home, and their offense is in poor form, hitting just .241 and averaging 3 runs per game over their last seven games.  The Angels are 3-1 versus the Rays this season, and we expect Los Angeles to notch a solid road win in this game on Friday night.

10* Play ANGELS (-) (action).

Boston will host New York for a 3-game series beginning on Friday night.  Anthony Ranaudo will get the start for the Red Sox.  Ranaudo went 12-4 with a 2.41 ERA in 21 starts in AAA this season.  The righty only allowed 88 hits in just over 119 innings pitched.  He held lefties to a paltry .186 batting average against and righties hit just .222 against him.  The Yankees have struggled with pitchers they’ve never seen before, so we expect them to have limited success against Ranaudo in this game.  Boston’s bullpen is 11-8 with a solid 3.59 ERA at home while converting 10 of 16 save chances this season.

New York’s Chris Capuano is 1-1 with a 4.30 ERA and an ugly 1.54 WHIP in 29 games this season.  The southpaw is making his second start for the Yankees.  Capuano faced the Red Sox last season and he gave up 3 runs and six hits in five innings of work.  The Yankees’ bullpen is poor with 19 losses and 13 blown saves on the season; they will provide little support for Capuano.  New York has lost four of their last five games, including two of three games in Texas against the lowly Rangers.  We expect Boston to get a nice home win on Friday night.

9* Play RED SOX (-) (action).

A series victory is at stake as Cleveland hosts Seattle on Thursday night.  The Indians have won seven of their last eight games versus the Mariners, and tonight they will start Zach McAllister.  The righty allowed just 5 earned runs in two starts against Seattle last season.  The Mariners are only 33-38 against right-handed starters this season, and their offense is in poor current form.  Seattle has scored just 15 total runs in their last eight games.  Cleveland’s bullpen is strong, especially at home where they are 13-6 with a 2.99 ERA and 1.13 WHIP while converting 16 of 24 save opportunities.  

Seattle’s Chris Young is 3-3 with a 4.25 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in nine road starts this season.  In his last road start, Young gave up 3 runs on 10 hits in 6 innings pitched to the Angels.  Only 26 of Young’s 76 strikeouts this season have come away from home, and that shows he struggles to get outs when pitching on the road.  Cleveland is 30-20 at home this season where they average 4.4 runs per game.  Seattle’s bullpen is 13-17 on the season, and they’ve blown 10 saves on the year.  We expect Cleveland to notch a solid home win in this game on Thursday night.

10* Play INDIANS (-) (action).

Los Angeles will go for the series sweep of their rival San Francisco on Sunday Night Baseball.  Jake Peavy will get his first start for the Giants after being traded from the Red Sox this week.  He went 1-9 with a 4.72 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in 20 starts for Boston this season while giving up 131 hits and 46 walks in 124 innings of work.  The Dodgers are 33-23 on the road this season where they are scoring 4.5 runs per game.  They enter in fantastic current form offensively, scoring at least 5+ runs in four of their past five games this week, and outscoring the Giants 13-1 so far in this series.

Hyun-Jin Ryu is 7-2 with a 2.73 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 10 road starts for the Dodgers this season.  He has won two straight outings, striking out 15 while walking just one.  Ryu beat the Giants in San Francisco back on April 17th after giving up just four hits and one walk in seven innings of work.  San Francisco is hitting only .231 as a team in 35 games against left-handed starters this season.  Their offense is in terrible form right now as they’ve scored one run or less in three straight games.  We expect Los Angeles to get a a solid road win in this game on Sunday night.

9* Play DODGERS (action).

New York will host Toronto for the final game of their three-game series on Sunday afternoon.  Shane Greene will make his fourth start of the season for the Yankees.  Greene has allowed just 6 runs and 13 hits as a starter for New York.  He earned a solid 2.84 ERA and a very good 0.84 WHIP in those three starts this year with 16 strikeouts to just three walks.  He will be facing a Toronto team that is 19-21 in day games while averaging only 4.1 runs per game which is their worst offensive subset of the season.

Toronto’s J.A. Happ has a weak 5.87 ERA and a terrible 1.73 WHIP in six road starts this season.  Happ has given up 9 runs and 14 hits in his last three starts against the Yankees.  New York is scoring 4.3 runs per game versus left-handed starters this season, and that is their best offensive subset of the year.  The Yankees are a strong 21-13 in day games, and they are an incredible 21-3 at home against the Blue Jays in the past 24 meetings, including a 4-1 record this season.  We expect New York to notch a solid home win in this game on Sunday afternoon.

10* Play YANKEES (-) (action).

Philadelphia will look for another win over Arizona on Saturday night.  Cliff Lee has a strong 2.83 ERA in six home starts for the Phillies this season.  He is coming off a rough start, but he had to shake off two months of rust, so we’ll give him a pass for the poor performance.  Lee should produce a supreme effort in this game as he is potentially auditioning for a new team before the trading deadline.  The southpaw is 4-1 with a 3.12 ERA and a strong 1.02 WHIP in seven career starts against Arizona.  The Diamondbacks are just 8-15 versus left-handed starters this season.

Arizona’s Josh Collmenter is 2-3 with a 5.17 ERA and an ugly 1.60 WHIP in seven road starts this season.  Collmenter has given up 13 hits in 12 innings pitched to the Phillies over the last three years.  Philadelphia is scoring 4 runs per game versus right-handed starters this season, and that is their best offensive subset of the season.  The Phillies are 11-6 in their last 17 meetings against the Diamondbacks, and we expect them to notch a solid home win in this game on Saturday night.

10* Play PHILLIES (-) (action).

A divisional battle will take place in New York when the Yankees host the Blue Jays on Friday night.  Toronto’s Mark Buehrle has allowed 27 hits over his last three starts, and he has struggled after a strong start to the season.  The southpaw is a terrible 1-11 with a 5.81 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in 18 career starts against New York.  He has allowed 7 runs and 14 hits in two starts against the Yankees this season.  New York is averaging 4.3 runs per game against left-handed starters this season, and they are in good current form as they’ve won seven of their last nine games.  Toronto’s bullpen is poor on the road where they are 7-8 with an ugly 4.70 ERA.

New York’s Hiroki Kuroda has allowed just 2 earned runs in his last two starts against the Reds and Orioles.  Kuroda has walked just 11 batters in 10 starts at home this season.  He won in Toronto back on June 25th, moving his career record against the Blue Jays to 5-3.  Toronto is 24-26 on the road, and their offense is only hitting .249 in those games.  New York is an incredible 20-2 at home in their last 22 meetings versus Toronto.  We expect New York to notch a solid home win in this game on Friday night.

9* Play YANKEES (-) (action).

The Chicago Cubs beat the San Diego Padres 6-0 last night, and we expect more of the same on Wednesday night.  Tsuyoshi Wada will make his second start of the season for the Cubs.  Wada allowed 1 unearned run and five hits in five innings pitched against the Reds back on July 8th.  The southpaw went 10-6 with a 2.77 ERA in 18 AAA starts, striking out 120 while only walking 28.  Right-handed batters hit just .238 against Wada in AAA.  San Diego is hitting an ugly .192 versus left-handed starters this season while only scoring 2.5 runs per game.

San Diego’s Ian Kennedy is just 7-9 in 21 starts for San Diego this season.  He has a terrible 5.80 ERA in nine career starts against Chicago.  The Cubs’ offense is in good form as they’ve scored 24 runs in their past four home games.  They have won six of the last eight meetings against the Padres in Chicago.  San Diego has been a poor road team all season (17-30), so we expect Chicago to notch a solid home win in this game on Wednesday night.

10* Play CUBS (action).

San Francisco and Philadelphia will play Game 3 of their 4-game series on Wednesday night.  Madison Bumgarner has been fantastic on the road for the Giants this season.  He is 7-2 with a 1.94 ERA and an incredible 1.01 WHIP in 11 starts away from home.  Bumgarner has 74 strikeouts on the road to just 15 walks.  He will face a Philadelphia team that is only 10-12 versus left-handed starters this season while hitting just .225 in those games with only 3.2 runs scored on average.

A.J. Burnett has allowed 11 runs and 20 hits in his last three starts for the Phillies with a poor 5.03 ERA during that span.  He’ll be facing an improving Giants’ offense that has scored 5 runs or more in four of their five games on this current road trip.  The bullpen edge definitely goes to the Giants, especially since the Phillies dipped deep into their bullpen on Tuesday night.  San Francisco holds all the edges in this game, so we’ll take them on the road over Philadelphia on Wednesday night.

9* Play GIANTS (-) (action).

Milwaukee beat Cincinnati 5-2 last night, and we expect more of the same on Tuesday night.  Heralded prospect Jimmy Nelson will make his third start of the season for the Brewers.  Nelson has 11 strikeouts in 10 innings of work this season.  He’ll be facing a Cincinnati team that has yet to win a game (0-4) after the All-Star break.  The Reds have scored just 8 runs in those four games as they continue to struggle without Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto in the lineup.  Milwaukee’s bullpen has been solid this season, especially with Francisco Rodriguez as the closer.

Cincinnati’s Homer Bailey is 3-3 with a 4.65 ERA in 10 road starts this season.  He is 4-8 with a weak 4.96 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in 19 career starts against the Brewers.  Bailey has allowed 5 runs and 13 hits in his last two starts against the Brewers.  Milwaukee’s offense has been consistent, scoring at least 3+ runs in each game since the All-Star break.  The Reds’ bullpen will provide Bailey with little support as they are just 10-15 on the year with 14 blown saves in all games, including a weak 4.23 ERA and 1.42 WHIP on the road.  We expect Milwaukee to notch a solid home win in this game on Tuesday night.

10* Play BREWERS (-) (action).

Washington will be on the road as they begin a 3-game series in Colorado on Monday night.  Franklin Morales is 4-4 with a 5.47 ERA and a terrible 1.54 WHIP in 13 starts for the Rockies this season.  He has struggled to go deep in games, averaging just 5.6 innings per start.  Because of that, Colorado’s poor bullpen will come into play in this game.  The Rockies’ bullpen has 19 losses and 15 blown saves on the season, including an awful 5.34 ERA and 1.56 WHIP at home.  Washington is 15-10 while hitting .275 against left-handed starters this season which is their best offensive subset overall.

Doug Fister is 8-2 with a 2.90 ERA and a solid 1.07 WHIP in 12 starts for the Nationals this season.  One of Fister’s wins came over the Rockies back on July 2nd when he allowed just 3 runs and seven hits in seven innings of work.  Washington’s bullpen is one of the best in baseball, especially on the road.  They are 8-4 with a 2.83 ERA and 1.10 WHIP on the road while converting 11 of 15 save chances this season.  Colorado is just 24-25 at home, and the Nationals are a perfect 3-0 against them this year.  We expect Washington to notch a solid road win in this game on Monday night.

9* Play NATIONALS (-) (action).

Pittsburgh is riding high after sweeping a 3-game series at home against Colorado over the weekend.  The Pirates will now host the Dodgers for three games beginning on Monday night.  Edinson Volquez is in good current form, having allowed just 2 runs and 18 hits in his last three starts with an incredible 0.82 ERA and 1.14 WHIP during that span.  He beat Los Angeles back on June 1st after giving up 2 runs and five hits in five innings of work.  The Dodgers’ offense is struggling as they’ve scored just 16 total runs over their past eight games (2.0 runs per game).  Pittsburgh’s bullpen has been strong at home where they own a fantastic 17-5 record this season.

The Dodgers’ Hyun-Jin Ryu has allowed 9 runs and 19 hits in his last three starts (5.28 ERA) with his worst outing coming on the road when Ryu gave up 7 runs on 10 hits in 2.3 innings pitched in Detroit.  Ryu allowed 10 hits to the Pirates in six innings back on May 31st.  Pittsburgh is seeing their fourth consecutive lefty after beating three Colorado lefties in a row.  The Pirates have won three of four games against the Dodgers this season, and we expect Pittsburgh to beat Los Angeles once again on Monday night, especially since this is a difficult scheduling situation for the Dodgers as they just played the Sunday Night ESPN game in St. Louis last night.

10* Play PIRATES (-) (action).

Washington will host Milwaukee on Sunday afternoon.  The Nationals’ Gio Gonzalez has allowed just 4 runs and 12 hits in his last three starts.  Overall, he is 3-1 at home this season with a strong 3.18 ERA and 1.15 WHIP.  The southpaw beat the Brewers back on June 23rd after giving up just three hits in six innings of work.  Gonzalez has not allowed an earned run to Milwaukee in his last two starts against them, and he has not lost in three career outings as well.  

Milwaukee’s Yovani Gallardo has allowed 15 runs and 25 hits in his last three starts.  He got smoked by the Nationals the last time he pitched in Washington; he gave up 8 runs and nine hits in three innings of work.  Washington is 29-20 at home this season, and they own a massive edge in the bullpen.  We expect Washington to notch a solid home win in this game on Sunday afternoon.

10* Play NATIONALS (-) (action).

The American League will look for back-to-back All-Star Game wins after beating the National League 3-0 last year.  The starting lineup edge definitely goes to the American League.  Miguel Cabrera, Mike Trout, Jose Bautista and Nelson Cruz form a formidable lineup.  Adam Jones is also a very solid hitter, and Robinson Cano can also do some damage.  Coming off the AL bench will be Jose Abreu, who is on his way to a potential Rookie of the Year award as well as Jose Altuve, who is one of the best hitters in baseball that not many people know about.

The National League’s starting lineup doesn’t have the power that the AL does.  Yasiel Puig is a solid hitter and Andrew McCutchen is the reigning MVP, but the NL is also starting Chase Utley, Aramis Ramirez, and Jonathan Lucroy.  Those three guys are solid hitters, but they do match up with the AL.  The National League has six pitchers who are making their debut in the All-Star Game.  Pat Neshek and Tony Watson are good stories, but they will struggle against the potent American League lineup.  The American League holds all the edges in this game, and since they are playing in an American League park (Minnesota’s Target Field), we’ll back them in the 2014 All-Star Game.

9* Play AMERICAN LEAGUE (-) (action).

Baltimore hosts New York on Sunday Night Baseball as a pair of young pitchers take the mound.  Chase Whitley has struggled this season for the Bronx Bombers with a 5.14 ERA and 1.49 WHIP in ten starts.  He has allowed 17 runs and 27 hits in his past three starts alone for a horrendous 14.81 ERA and 3.20 WHIP during that span.  Baltimore is hitting .267 against right-handed starters and .272 in night games this season which are their two best offensive subsets overall.  Whitley is backed by a bullpen that has 17 losses and 12 blown saves already this year.

Kevin Gausman is 3-2 with a 3.51 ERA and 1.32 WHIP in six starts for the Orioles.  He has allowed just six runs and 16 hits in his past three starts.  The youngster is backed by a solid Baltimore bullpen that is 9-4 with a 3.30 ERA and 1.20 WHIP at home this season.  Despite yesterday's loss, the Orioles are still 9-3 in their past twelve games, including 16-8 in their past 24 games, while the Yankees have struggled this season and are just 8-13 in their past 21 games overall.

9* Play ORIOLES (-) (action).

The New York Mets will go for the series sweep over the Miami Marlins on Sunday afternoon.  Jacob DeGrom has a 1.95 ERA in five home starts for the Mets this season.  He got a road win win in Miami against the Marlins earlier this season after he allowed just five hits in seven innings of work.  The Marlins fell to 12-20 in day games after losing 5-4 to the Mets on Saturday afternoon.  Miami comes into this game with a poor 17-27 record on the road where they only average 3.7 runs per game.

Brad Hand is 0-1 with a 5.61 ERA and an ugly 1.87 WHIP in four starts for Miami this season.  He has allowed 15 hits in 11.3 innings pitched since returning to the Majors earlier this month.  Hand lost in New York last year after giving up 4 runs in 5.7 innings of work.  The Mets’ offense is in good current form as they’ve scored 4 runs or more in six of their last seven games.  Miami’s bullpen is weak, and they picked up their 19th loss of the season in Saturday’s game.  New York has won 16 of the last 23 games at home in this series, including four of five games this season.  We expect the New York Mets to notch a solid home win in this game on Sunday afternoon.

9* Play METS (-) (action).

Shane Greene will make his second Major League start for New York as the Yankees play in Baltimore on Saturday afternoon.  Greene faced Cleveland in his first start, but he’s taking a big step-up in class against the Orioles’ lineup in this game.  Baltimore’s offense is in good current form as they’ve scored 31 runs over their past six games.  They have too many weapons for Greene to contain, and a mediocre Yankees’ bullpen (12-17 on the season) will not provide much relief.

Baltimore’s Chris Tillman has allowed just 7 runs and 16 hits in his last three starts for a solid 2.61 ERA and 1.06 WHIP during that span.  He has been strong at home where he owns a solid 2.74 ERA on the season.  Tillman already owns a win over the Yankees this season, and that win came on the road.  He allowed just four hits in seven innings pitched in that win in New York.  The Yankees’ offense is in poor current form as they’ve scored just 13 runs over their past four games.  Baltimore holds all the edges in this game, so we expect them to notch a solid home win on Saturday afternoon.

9* Play ORIOLES (-) (action).

Los Angeles will host San Diego for the second game of their four-game series on Friday night.  The Padres’ Jesse Hahn is coming off a losing effort at home against the Giants in which he allowed three runs in seven innings of work.  Hahn’s solid seasonal numbers are skewed because he has faced a slew of weak offensive teams this season.  That will not be the case tonight against a solid Dodgers’ offense that is in good current form right now.  Los Angeles has scored 32 runs over their past six games (5.3 runs per game).

Dan Haren has pitched much better at home this season.  Haren is 4-1 with a 2.96 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in eight home starts for the Dodgers.  Haren has 29 strikeouts to just five walks in 51.7 innings pitched at home.  The righty allowed just 4 runs and nine hits in two road starts against the Padres earlier this season.  San Diego is only hitting .219 against right-handed starters while scoring just 3.0 runs per game this season.  The Padres are simply a weak offensive team, and they will struggle versus Haren tonight.  We expect Los Angeles to notch a solid home win in this game.

10* Play DODGERS (-) (action).

Jeremy Hellickson will make his season debut for Tampa Bay when they host Kansas City on Tuesday night.  Hellickson’s last start came on October 8th of last year when he threw one inning against the Red Sox.  The righty went 1-4 with a terrible 7.23 ERA in five starts for AAA Durham.  He gave up 38 hits in just over 18 innings of work.  Hellickson is 1-2 with a 6.18 ERA and 1.63 WHIP in five career starts against the Royals.

Kansas City’s Jason Vargas is 4-0 with a 1.52 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in eight road starts this season.  Vargas beat the Rays at home back on April 7th after giving up just 1 run and four hits in eight innings of work.  He has a solid 3.14 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in nine career starts against Tampa Bay.  The Rays are only 10-16 against left-handed starters this season while hitting just .245 in those games.  Kansas City has won 13 of the last 17 games in this series, including five of eight games in Tampa Bay.  We expect Kansas City to get a solid road win in this game on Tuesday night.

10* Play ROYALS (+) (action).

San Diego heads to Colorado to begin a three-game series on Monday night.  The Padres have the worst offense in baseball, and they will face Tyler Matzek for the first time.  Matzek has allowed just 4 runs and 11 hits in his past two outings with a solid 2.92 ERA and 0.97 WHIP during that span.  The southpaw struck out nine while walking only one in those two games.  Matzek has gotten better with each start, especially his off-speed pitches.  San Diego is only hitting .191 versus left-handed starters this season, and they are hitting just .209 on the road.  The Padres are 15-24 away from home while averaging a meager 2.9 runs per game.

Ian Kennedy has allowed 10 runs and 23 hits in his past three starts for San Diego with a poor 4.67 ERA and 1.56 WHIP during that span.  He lost to the Rockies at home back on April 17th after giving up 3 runs in seven innings of work.  Colorado’s lineup is getting healthier with Nolan Arenado returning.  The Rockies are averaging a strong 6.1 runs per game at home this season with an excellent .317 team batting average.  Colorado has won 14 of their past 22 games at home in this series, including two of three games earlier this year.  We expect Colorado to notch another solid home win in this game on Monday night.

10* Play ROCKIES (-) (action).

Sunday Night Baseball has Detroit hosting Tampa Bay.  The Rays have picked up two straight wins in this series, and overall they have won 9 of their past 11 games.  Tampa Bay has actually been a better team on the road this season and they are 8-2 on this current road trip.  Rick Porcello gets the start for Detroit.  He lost in Tampa Bay last season after giving up 3 runs and eight hits in six innings.  Porcello is running into a Tampa Bay offense that is hot right now; they’ve picked up nine hits or more in eight of their past ten games.  Detroit’s bullpen is a mess (4.51 ERA and 1.40 WHIP) as they’ve struggled to keep their opponents from reaching base and scoring runs.  The bullpen has been even worse at home with a 5.28 ERA and 1.56 WHIP this season.

Tampa Bay’s David Price is 7-7 with a 3.50 ERA, but he has a strong 1.08 WHIP in 18 starts this season.  The southpaw has 153 strikeouts to just 17 walks on the year.  He has allowed only 4 runs and 15 hits in his last three starts with an excellent 1.54 ERA and 0.94 WHIP during that span.  Price is 4-1 with a 2.41 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in five career starts against the Tigers.  Tampa Bay also holds a big bullpen edge over Detroit in this game; the Rays' relievers own a 3.74 ERA and 1.20 WHIP on the season.  We expect Tampa Bay to get a solid road win in this game on Sunday night.

9* Play RAYS (-) (action).

A series victory is at stake on Sunday afternoon as Cincinnati hosts Milwaukee.  The Reds will send Mat Latos to the mound.  Latos has allowed just six hits in his last two starts against the Padres and Cubs.  He threw six scoreless innings versus Milwaukee back on June 14th, and overall he has a 3.28 ERA and 1.08 WHIP against the Brewers in nine career outings.  Milwaukee’s lineup may be without Ryan Braun who left Saturday’s game with back spasms.  His absence would be a major loss for the Brewers, especially since they’ve scored just 8 runs in their past four games.

Milwaukee’s Yovani Gallardo is just 5-5 in 17 starts this season.  Gallardo has made two starts against Cincinnati this season with the worst of the two outings coming in Cincinnati back on May 3rd when he gave up 4 runs on nine hits in six innings of work.  Overall, Gallardo has a 4.26 ERA and an ugly 1.51 WHIP in 22 career starts against the Reds.  Cincinnati is 19-12 in day games this season, and their offense has been stronger statistically in daytime games (vs. night games) this year.  The Reds have won 17 of their last 24 games at home against the Brewers, including four of six games this season.  We expect Cincinnati to notch a solid home win in this game on Sunday afternoon.

10* Play REDS (-) (action).

The hot Detroit Tigers (12-2 their last 14 games) take aim at Alex Cobb and the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night.  Detroit’s offense is in good current form as they’ve scored 4 runs or more in five of their last six games.  Cobb is 3-6 with a 4.20 ERA in 11 starts for the Rays this season.  He has allowed 10 runs and 14 hits in his last two starts against Pittsburgh and Baltimore.  Cobb has a 4.76 ERA and an ugly 1.47 WHIP over his last three starts.  The righty does not own a win against the Tigers in three career starts.  Detroit is hitting .274 while averaging 4.8 runs per game against right-handed starters this season.  

Drew Smyly has a 3.51 ERA in six home starts for the Tigers this season.  He has pitched much better in Detroit than on the road.  The Rays are only hitting .245 while averaging 3.5 runs per game against left-handed starters; they are just 9-16 against lefties on the year.  Tampa Bay is 19-25 on the road where they only score 3.3 runs per game.  Detroit has won five of their last seven games at home versus Tampa Bay, and we expect the Tigers to notch another win over the Rays in this game on Friday night.

10* Play TIGERS (-) (action).

Pittsburgh will host Arizona on Tuesday night.  Wade Miley is 3-6 with a 4.78 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 17 starts for the Diamondbacks this season.  He has allowed 12 runs and 20 hits in his last three starts while earning a terrible 5.94 ERA and an ugly 1.68 WHIP.  Miley will face a Pittsburgh team that is hitting .270 at home while scoring 4.4 runs per game.  The Pirates are 24-19 at home, and they’ve won eight of their last eleven games overall.  Arizona’s bullpen has 12 losses and 10 blown saves on the season.  

Jeff Locke has allowed 14 runs and 29 hits in his five starts for Pittsburgh this season.  He has 23 strikeouts and four walks in those outings.  Locke is facing an Arizona offense that is in poor current form.  The Diamondbacks are only hitting .221 while scoring 3.0 runs per game over their last seven games.  Arizona is also just 6-12 versus left-handed starters.  The Pirates’ bullpen is 13-5 with a 2.89 ERA at home.  We expect Pittsburgh to notch a solid home win in this game on Tuesday night.

10* Play PIRATES (-) (action).

Texas and Baltimore will play Game 2 of their 4-game series on Tuesday night.  TJ McFarland will get the start for the Orioles.  He is 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 14 games for Baltimore this season.  He will face a Texas team that is not hitting the ball well right now.  Texas is struggling without Prince Fielder and Mitch Moreland in the lineup; the Rangers have scored just 3 total runs in their last two games.

Nick Martinez is 1-4 with a 5.54 ERA and an ugly 1.77 WHIP in 10 starts for Texas this season.  He has just 19 strikeouts to 25 walks, so control is also an issue.  Martinez gave up 6 runs and nine hits to the Orioles back on June 4th.  Baltimore’s offense is hot right now, scoring 4 runs or more in four straight games, and in five of their last six games overall.  The Rangers’ bullpen has 14 losses and 9 blown saves on the season with seven of those blown saves coming on the road.  Baltimore presents some solid value at home in this game on Tuesday night.

9* Play ORIOLES (-) (action).

Cincinnati has won five straight games and eight of their last nine games overall as they begin a 3-game series in San Diego on Monday night.  The Reds scored 20 runs on 42 hits in their 4-game sweep of the Giants.  Tonight they will face Jesse Hahn who is 1-1 with a 3.37 ERA and 1.41 WHIP in two home starts for San Diego this season.  Hahn’s overall seasonal numbers are skewed due to the lack of good opponents he has faced.  Hahn has started against the Pirates, Mets, Mariners, and Giants who all have much weaker offensive units than the Reds.  Cincinnati has scored 4 runs or more in eight of their last ten games.

Mat Latos has allowed 6 runs and 16 hits in three starts for the Reds this season.  He gave up just 2 runs and six hits in six innings pitched in San Diego last year.  The Padres’ offense is in poor current form as they’ve scored 4 total runs in their last four games, and only 7 runs in their last five home games overall.  Cincinnati’s bullpen is fresh after getting yesterday off due to Homer Bailey throwing a complete game.  Cincinnati is in good current form, so we’ll back the road team in this game on Monday night.

10* Play REDS (-) (action).

It’s interleague play in Los Angeles as the Dodgers host the Indians on Monday night.  Dan Haren has a 5.51 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in his last three starts for Los Angeles.  He gave up five home runs in those three games.  Haren will face a Cleveland team that is hitting their stride offensively.  They have scored 21 runs in their last five games.  Cleveland has scored 4 runs or more in seven of their last nine games overall.  The Dodgers’ bullpen has an awful 6-15 record on the season.

Corey Kluber is 7-5 with a 3.09 ERA in 17 starts for Cleveland this season.  He has allowed just 4 earned runs in his last three starts, and tonight he will face a weakened Dodgers team.  Los Angeles is without Carl Crawford, Chone Figgins, and now Justin Turner.  Hanley Ramirez is not 100% right now either.  Cleveland’s bullpen is a solid 18-10 with a 3.33 ERA on the season.  We expect Cleveland to notch a solid road win in this game on Monday night.

9* Play INDIANS (-) (action).

The Red Sox and Yankees finish their three-game series on Sunday Night Baseball.  Boston will turn to John Lackey who is 1-2 with an awful 8.10 ERA in Yankees Stadium during his past four starts.  Lackey allowed six runs and 10 hits there on April 12th in a 7-4 road loss.  He'll be backed by a Boston bullpen that is just 3-9 on the road this season.  New York is hitting the ball much better against division opponents, averaging 4.7 runs per game this year, compared to just 3.5 runs versus non-division foes.

New York's Chase Whitley has pitched better than his overall 4.07 ERA would seem to indicate as Whitley has a solid 1.29 WHIP and 28/7 strikeout/walk ratio in his eight starts this year with the Yankees going 6-2 SU in those games.  Whitley has been solid at home with a 2.70 ERA and 1.10 WHIP.  He is coming off a rough outing six days ago, but it was his second straight start against Toronto and it also came on the road.  The Red Sox have never faced Whitley as a starter, so the right-hander will hold an edge tonight.  Boston is now playing their 10th straight road game and they have gone just 17-25 away from home this season where they average only 3.6 runs per game with a weak .227 team batting average.  The Yankees present solid value at home tonight.

10* Play YANKEES (-) (action).

Baltimore will host Tampa Bay in an AL East battle on Saturday afternoon.  Wei-Yin Chen is 3-1 with a 3.31 ERA and a solid 1.18 WHIP in eight home starts for the Orioles this season.  He has allowed just 6 runs and 16 hits in his last three starts.  Chen has a win in two starts against the Rays this season.  Overall, he has a 2.98 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 10 career starts against Tampa Bay.  The Rays are a terrible 7-16 against left-handed starters this season while hitting just .239 in those games.  

Erik Bedard is 1-2 with a 4.62 ERA and an ugly 1.62 WHIP in five road starts for the Rays this season.  He has allowed 10 runs and 19 hits in his last three starts.  Baltimore crushed Bedard earlier this month as they scored 5 runs on four hits in four innings.  Bedard has a 6.30 ERA and 1.63 WHIP in seven career starts against the Orioles.  Baltimore’s offense is in good current form as they’ve scored 4 runs or more in five of their last seven games.  We expect Baltimore to get a big home win in this game on Saturday afternoon. 

10* Play ORIOLES (-) (action).

Los Angeles and Kansas City will play Game 2 of their series on Saturday afternoon.  The Royals will start Yordano Ventura.  The righty has a 3.20 ERA in 14 starts for Kansas City this season.  Ventura is in good current form; he has won two of his last three outings.  The Royals’ starter has given up a total of 8 runs in his last four starts.  The Angels are only 10-10 in day games this season while averaging 4.7 runs per game.  That is their weakest offensive subset on the season.  

Hector Santiago is 0-7 with a 4.70 ERA and an ugly 1.44 WHIP in nine starts for the Angels this season.  He last took the mound as a starter back on June 15th; he allowed 4 runs and five hits in 5.3 innings pitched to the Braves.  Kansas City’s offense is in good current form as they’ve scored 17 runs over their last four games.  Santiago is backed by a poor Los Angeles bullpen that owns a weak 4.38 ERA and 1.37 WHIP on the season.  We expect Kansas City to notch a solid home win in this game on Saturday afternoon.

9* Play ROYALS (-) (action).

Los Angeles beat St. Louis 1-0 last night, and we expect the Dodgers to get another win on Friday night.  Carlos Martinez has allowed 4 runs and five hits in nine innings as a starter for the Cardinals this season.  Overall, Martinez is 1-3 with a 4.33 ERA in 32 appearances this season.  Los Angeles has hit right-handed starters well all season; the Dodgers are averaging 4.5 runs per game against them.  That is their best offensive subset of the season.  

Hyun-Jin Ryu is 9-3 with a 3.06 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 14 starts for Los Angeles this season.  He has allowed just 6 total runs and 13 hits in his last three starts.  Ryu only allowed 1 unearned run and eight hits in 14 innings pitched against St. Louis last year.  The Cardinals are hitting just .245 against left-handed starters this season, and hitting lefties has been their weakness over the last two seasons.  We expect Los Angeles to notch a nice home win in this game on Friday night.

9* Play DODGERS (-) (action).

Pittsburgh has won five of their last six games as they host the New York Mets on Friday night.  The Pirates’ Brandon Cumpton has won two of his last three starts while giving up 5 runs and 15 hits.  He pitched well in New York back on May 26th as he only gave up 1 earned run and seven hits in six innings of work.  The Mets’ offense is inconsistent, and they struggle to score runs.  New York only scored 2 runs in Game 1 of their series against Pittsburgh last night.  New York’s lineup simply does not have much talent, and against a solid pitcher like Cumpton, the Mets will continue to struggle.

Jacob DeGrom is 1-1 with a 5.16 ERA and an ugly 1.55 WHIP in four road starts for the Mets this season.  He held the Pirates to five hits in an earlier home start, but he’s a completely different pitcher away from home.  Pittsburgh has scored 5 runs or more in four of their last six games, and they will continue their scoring ways against DeGrom in this game.  We expect Pittsburgh to notch a solid home in this game on Friday night.

10* Play PIRATES (-) (action).

Washington continues their road trip on Thursday night as they begin a four-game series in Chicago against the Cubs.  Doug Fister has allowed just 4 runs and 20 hits in his past three starts for the Nationals.  He won two of those three games.  He will now be facing the Cubs for the first time in his career, and that gives him a nice advantage in this game.  Chicago is not in the best offensive form right now.  The Cubs have scored just 13 total runs in their past five games (2.6 runs per game).  Washington has one of the best bullpens in baseball; they own a 2.41 ERA and 1.16 WHIP on the season.

Travis Wood is 7-6 with a weak 4.55 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in 15 starts for Chicago this season.  He faced the Nationals last August, and gave up 4 runs and seven hits in just over six innings of work.  Washington is 11-8 versus left-handed starters while hitting a solid .280 and scoring 4.5 runs per game this season.  The Nationals have won 10 of their last 14 meetings against Chicago, including five of seven games played at Wrigley Field.  We expect Washington to notch a solid road win in this game on Thursday night.

10* Play NATIONALS (-) (action).

Detroit beat Texas 8-2 last night, and we expect a similar result tonight.  Anibal Sanchez has been the best starter for the Tigers as of late.  Tonight he will face a lowly Texas offense that is in poor current form.  The Rangers have scored 3 runs or less in five straight games.  Sanchez is 4-2 with a 2.33 ERA and a strong 0.93 WHIP in 12 starts for Detroit this season.  He has allowed just 3 earned runs in four road games.  The Tigers’ pitcher already earned a win over the Rangers this season after giving up just 2 runs and five hits in seven innings pitched at home back in May.

Joe Saunders has yet to win in six starts for Texas.  He has allowed 46 hits and 13 walks in 30.7 innings of work this season.  Saunders has a 5.21 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in ten career starts against Detroit.  The Tigers are hitting .284 in 21 games against left-handed starters this season.  They have scored 5 runs or more in four straight games.  The Rangers’ bullpen has been poor all season, so they will not provide Saunders with much help.  We expect Detroit to notch a solid road win in this game on Wednesday night.

10* Play TIGERS (-) (action).

Los Angeles will look for the series win over San Diego on Sunday afternoon.  Hyun-Jin Ryu is 5-1 with a 1.64 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in seven road starts for the Dodgers this season.  He faced the Padres in San Diego on March 30th and allowed just three hits in seven innings of work.  The Padres have been terrible versus left-handed starters this season.  They are only hitting .194 in those games while averaging a measly 2.9 runs per game.  San Diego is hitting just .197 in day games while scoring 2.6 runs per game.  The Padres have struggled on offense all season long.

Eric Stults has been awful this season.  He is 2-9 with a 5.76 ERA and 1.56 WHIP in 15 starts for the Padres.  He has allowed 14 runs and 22 hits in his last three starts.  Stults is 1-3 with a 4.30 ERA and 1.36 WHIP in five career starts versus the Dodgers.  Los Angeles’ offense is in good current form right now; they’ve scored 27 runs over their past five games.  The Dodgers’ hot offense will continue, especially against Stults who is struggling mightily this season.  We expect Los Angeles to notch a solid road win in this game on Sunday afternoon.

10* Play DODGERS (-) (action).

Seattle out-slugged Kansas City last night in their 7-5 win.  The Royals will send Jason Vargas to the mound this afternoon as they look to bounce back off the loss.  The southpaw is in good current form as he has won two straight starts; he is now 7-2 with a 3.25 ERA and 1.21 WHIP on the year.  Vargas has a win in Seattle already this season; he allowed three hits in seven innings while striking out six.  Overall, Vargas is 3-1 with a 1.59 ERA and 0.88 WHIP in four career starts against the Mariners.  Seattle is hitting just .239 in games started by left-handers this season.  Kansas City has an outstanding bullpen which is good at preserving leads.  

Chris Young is pitching well overall for the Mariners, but his road starts have been poor this season.  He is 2-3 with a 5.18 ERA and 1.64 WHIP in six road starts this season.  Young has just nine strikeouts while walking 17 in those games.  The Royals’ offense is smoking hot right now, scoring 5 runs or more in six of their last eight games.  Seattle’s bullpen is just 8-13 on the season, including eight blown saves.  We expect Kansas City to bounce back strong and notch a solid home win in this game on Saturday afternoon.

9* Play ROYALS (-) (action).

New York beat Miami 1-0 last night, and the Mets will send Daisuke Matsuzaka to the mound in Game 2 of the series on Friday night.  Dice-K has a 3.64 ERA in four starts for New York this season.  He was terrible in his lone road start this season; he gave up 4 runs in 4.3 innings pitched.  Dice-K only threw one inning his last time out at home against San Diego; he left the game with an upset stomach.  Matsuzaka has had control issues with 10 walks in his last three starts.  The Mets’ bullpen will be of no help to Matsuzaka as they have 17 losses and 11 blown saves on the season.  

Miami is 24-16 at home this season, and off last night’s loss, we expect them to bounce back strong in this game.  Henderson Alvarez is 3-1 with a 1.62 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in seven home starts for the Marlins.  One of those home wins came against the Mets back on May 6th after Alvarez allowed just six hits in a complete game shutout.  New York has scored just 19 total runs in their last nine games.  The Marlins’ bullpen is 10-5 at home while converting 8 of 11 save chances this season.  Miami has won 14 of their last 23 games at home against New York, including three of four games this season.  We expect Miami to notch a solid home win in this game on Friday night.

10* Play MARLINS (-) (action).

Houston and Tampa Bay just played a 3-game series last week with the Rays winning two of those games.  The Rays will now host the Astros for a 4-game series beginning on Thursday night.  Tampa Bay’s Chris Archer lost in Houston, but he only gave up 1 earned run in three innings pitched.  Archer is a much better pitcher at home where he has a 2.57 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in six starts.  The Rays’ starter owns a 1.50 ERA and 0.89 WHIP in three career starts against the Astros.  His best start against Houston was a complete game shutout at home on July 14th of last year.  Houston is 15-21 on the road where they only average 3.9 runs per game.  

Collin McHugh has been a good story for Houston, but he is coming off a home loss to Tampa Bay in his last start.  McHugh has allowed 7 runs in his last two starts.  He has allowed eight walks in his last 9.3 innings of work.  Tampa Bay was held scoreless on Wednesday, but prior to yesterday’s game, the Rays had scored 16 runs in their previous three home games.  McHugh won’t get much help from a terrible Houston bullpen that owns an ugly 5.36 ERA on the road this season.  We’ll take Tampa Bay in this game on Thursday night as they’ll bounce back with a nice home win over Houston.

9* Play RAYS (-) (action).

Washington will host Atlanta as they begin a 4-game series on Thursday night.  The Braves just got swept at home by the Phillies, and now they are running into a hot Jordan Zimmermann.  Washington’s starter has allowed just 1 run and 10 hits in his last three starts, striking out 21 while walking only two.  Zimmermann is 3-1 with a 2.98 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in eight career starts against the Braves.  He struck out nine Atlanta hitters in a five inning effort at home back on April 4th.  Atlanta is only hitting .237 on the road this season, and they are coming off a home series where they only scored 8 total runs in three games against Philadelphia.  

Gavin Floyd has allowed 10 runs and 20 hits in his last three starts for Atlanta.  Floyd lost at Washington last year after giving up 5 runs and nine hits in 5.3 innings of work.  Floyd is winless versus the Nationals in four career starts against them.  Washington’s offense just scored 12 runs against the Astros in their last 2-game series, so they come into this series in good current form.  The Nationals also have the bullpen edge as they own a 2.13 ERA at home compared to a 4.35 ERA for the Braves on the road.  We expect Washington to notch a solid home win in this game on Thursday night.

10* Play NATIONALS (-) (action).

New York beat Toronto 3-1 last night, and we expect the Yankees to get another win on Wednesday night.  Mark Buehrle gets the start for Toronto.  Buehrle has been terrible versus the Yankees in his career.  The southpaw is an awful 1-10 against New York with a 6.02 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in 16 career starts against the Yankees.  In his last three outings against the Bronx Bombers, Buehrle has allowed 12 runs and 19 hits.  Brett Gardner (7-17), Derek Jeter (14-38), Brian Roberts (16-50), Ichiro (24-57) and Mark Teixeira (15-44) all hit the Blue Jays’ starter hard.  New York is averaging 4.4 runs per game against left-handed starters this season, and they are also averaging 5.1 runs per game against division opponents.  Those are New York’s two best offensive subsets this season. 

Toronto used multiple pitchers out of the bullpen last night after Marcus Stroman failed to go deep into the game.  That will leave the Blue Jays short for this game, and that’s not a good thing with Buehrle on the mound.  Chase Whitley is 2-0 with a 2.41 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in six starts for New York this season.  He has allowed 9 runs and 31 hits on the year, and he is coming into tonight’s game off two straight road wins.  Toronto’s offense has only scored 24 total runs in their last 11 games; they’ve scored 2 runs or less in seven of those games.  New York has won 18 of their last 20 games at home in this series, and we expect that trend to continue on Wednesday night.

10* Play YANKEES (-) (action).

Washington returns home to begin a two game series with Houston on Tuesday night.  Tanner Roark has been stellar at home for the Nationals this season; he owns a 1.55 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in his six home starts.  He has allowed 3 runs and 17 hits in his last three starts, striking out 19 while only walking two with a fantastic 1.29 ERA and 0.91 WHIP during that span.  Houston is 15-19 on the road where they are hitting just .238 as a team.  Washington’s bullpen has a fantastic 1.88 ERA at home, and they have seven saves in nine chances.

Dallas Keuchel is having a good season for the Astros.  However, he hasn’t faced a good offense in a long time.  The last time the southpaw faced the Nationals, his results were poor.  He gave up 4 runs and 12 hits in just six innings of work.  The Nationals are hitting .285 in 17 games against left-handed starters this season.  Houston’s bullpen has been awful on the road this year, going 2-6 with a 5.12 ERA.  Washington has a big offensive edge and a solid bullpen edge over Houston in this game, so we’ll back the Nationals at home on Tuesday night.

10* Play NATIONALS (-) (action).

Two southpaws take the mound in Seattle as the Mariners host the Padres on Tuesday afternoon.  Roenis Elias has been solid for the Mariners in winning two of his last three starts.  Elias has 74 strikeouts to just 32 walks in 85 innings of work this season.  He has allowed just 75 hits over that span (1.26 WHIP) which shows he doesn’t put too many runners on base.  San Diego is only hitting .198 in 13 games against left-handed starters, and they are only hitting .199 in 22 day games this season, averaging just 2.7 runs per game.

Eric Stults has been terrible for San Diego.  He is 0-6 with a 5.44 ERA in eight road starts.  He’s in poor current form as well, allowing 14 runs in his last three outings overall.  Seattle is 17-11 versus left-handed starters, and they are 14-8 in day games this season.  The Padres are at a major disadvantage with Stults on the mound, especially against an efficient pitcher like Elias.  We expect Seattle to notch a solid home win in this game on Tuesday afternoon.

9* Play MARINERS (-) (action).

Boston begins a 3-game series with Minnesota on Monday night.  Rubby De La Rosa had his best start of the season for the Red Sox at home back on May 31st.  De La Rosa held the Rays scoreless while giving up just four hits in seven innings of work.  De La Rosa has 20 strikeouts to just four walks in 18.3 innings pitched over his last three starts.  The last time the righty faced the Twins in Minnesota, he allowed just 1 run and six hits in seven innings of work.  Minnesota is only hitting .240 in night games this season, and they are 17-18 on the road.  

Kevin Correia is 3-7 with a 5.60 ERA in 13 starts for Minnesota.  He has allowed 95 hits in just over 72 innings of work.  Correia was shelled by the Red Sox back in May.  The Twins’ starter allowed 5 runs and nine hits in four innings pitched at home.  Boston’s offense is starting to find their offensive form; they’ve scored 19 runs over their last four games.  Minnesota’s bullpen is worse than their numbers indicate, and they picked up their ninth loss of the season on Sunday.  We expect Boston to notch a solid home win in this game on Monday night.

10* Play RED SOX (-) (action).

Cleveland returns home after winning their series in Boston.  Tonight they will host Los Angeles who is coming off a road game in Atlanta on Sunday Night Baseball.  The Angels’ Jered Weaver has not been himself as of late, allowing 12 runs and 22 hits in his last three starts.  Weaver gave up eight hits to Cleveland back on April 29th at home.  The Indians’ offense has been much stronger at home this season where they are 21-11 while scoring 4.6 runs per game.  

Trevor Bauer pitches much better at home where he has a .250 ERA on the season.  In three home starts, Bauer has allowed 6 runs and 15 hits.  Bauer has 36 strikeouts to just 12 walks on the year, including a 21/6 K/BB ratio at home.  Cleveland also has the edge in the bullpen as that unit owns a 10-4 record with a 3.03 ERA at home.  We’ll back Cleveland over Los Angeles in this game on Monday night.

9* Play INDIANS (+) (action).