Baltimore will try to close the gap on Toronto once again as they wrap up this four game divisional series on Sunday afternoon.  Chris Tillman has pitched well at home this season; he has a 2.51 ERA in five home starts for the Orioles.  Tillman has allowed just 7 runs and 17 hits in his last three starts with 5 of those runs coming in one game at Texas.  Tillman allowed 2 unearned runs and three hits in his last home start versus the Blue Jays back on April 11th.  Toronto has scored just 18 runs in their last nine games as they continue to be in terrible offensive form.  The Blue Jays are definitely in correction mode after their incredible 20-4 SU run, going just 2-6 SU in their past eight games and averaging only 2 runs per game with an awful .200 team batting average during that span.

J.A. Happ has allowed 13 runs and 22 hits in his last three starts for Toronto.  He looks to be regressing back to his former poor form.  Happ is facing a Baltimore offense that has scored 4 runs or more in eight of their last thirteen games.  The Orioles have also hit left-handed pitchers well recently as they’ve put up nine hits or more in three of their last four games against southpaw starters.  Baltimore also holds the bullpen advantage in this game with a 3.64 ERA at home compared to Toronto’s 4.82 ERA on the road.  We expect Baltimore to notch another solid home win in this game on Sunday afternoon.

9* Play ORIOLES (-) (action).

Baltimore will once again host Toronto as these teams play another critical division game today.  Bud Norris has pitched fantastic at home this season.  Norris is 3-1 with a 2.38 ERA in five home starts for the Orioles.  He has 26 strikeouts to only 12 walks in those games, and he is coming off eight stellar innings against the Red Sox.  Norris has allowed just 3 runs and 10 hits in two starts against the Blue Jays; Baltimore won both of those games.  Toronto’s offense has been underwhelming as of late, scoring just 23 runs in their last nine games.  Despite a win last night, the Blue Jays are still in correction mode after their incredible 20-4 SU run, going just 2-5 SU in their past seven games and averaging only 1.9 runs per game with an awful .199 team batting average during that span.

Toronto’s R.A. Dickey is 1-3 with an awful 6.41 ERA in five road starts this season; he has an ugly 18/22 strikeout to walk ratio in those games.  Dickey gave up 3 runs and six hits to the Orioles at home back in April.  Baltimore is 16-10 against the rest of the AL East, and they are getting contributions up and down the lineup right now.  Toronto’s bullpen has been poor on the road where they own a 5.02 ERA on the season.  Look for the Orioles to bounce back with a solid home win in this game on Saturday afternoon.

10* Play ORIOLES (action).

Milwaukee welcomes Cincinnati to town for the first of a 3-game series beginning on Friday night.  Homer Bailey is 2-2 with a 5.35 ERA in six road starts for Cincinnati.  He is 4-7 with a 5.21 ERA in 17 career starts versus the Brewers.  Ryan Braun (9-25), Scooter Gennett (6-15), Khris Davis (5-11), Jonathan Lucroy (6-23), Mark Reynolds (4-12) and Jean Segura (5-18) all hit Bailey hard.  Milwaukee is 19-13 at home this season, and they are 19-13 against the rest of the NL Central.  Cincinnati’s bullpen has been terrible on the road this season where they are 1-6 with a 4.27 ERA.

Matt Garza is in better form now after winning two straight starts for Milwaukee.  He only allowed 3 runs and 12 hits in those games while striking out nine batters.  Cincinnati is 14-17 on the road this season while only hitting .237 as a team.  Milwaukee’s bullpen is rock solid at home where they own a 2.82 ERA.  The Brewers are 10-6 versus the Reds at home over the last 16 meetings, so we’ll take Milwaukee in this game on Friday night.

9* Play BREWERS (-) (action).

The Los Angeles Angels will take on the Braves in Atlanta in the lone interleague series of the weekend.  Aaron Harang has never beat the Angels in seven career starts, sporting a 7.59 ERA in those games.  In his last three starts against the Angels last season, Harang gave up 18 runs and 29 hits.  Erick Aybar (4-14), David Freese (5-9), Josh Hamilton (6-9), Albert Pujols (27-79) and Mike Trout (7-15) all hit Harang well.  The Angels are hitting .270 in interleague play this season, and they are scoring 5.9 runs per game in those contests.

C.J. Wilson is 7-5 with a 3.32 ERA in 13 starts for Los Angeles this season.  Wilson will take on a light-hitting Atlanta lineup in this game, so he will have a strong start.  The Braves have scored just 2.8 runs per game in interleague play this season; they lost all six of those games.  Atlanta is hitting just .251 versus left-handed starters this season, and they’ve struggled at home while hitting .244 and scoring 3.5 runs per game.  The Angels will strike first in this series with a solid road win over the Braves on Friday night.

9* Play ANGELS (-) (action).

Miami returns home after a winning road trip to begin a 3-game series with Pittsburgh on Friday night.  Nathan Eovaldi is 4-2 with a 3.27 ERA in 13 starts for the Marlins.  He has allowed just 7 runs and 15 hits over his last three starts, striking out 17 while walking only two.  Eovaldi has never faced the Pirates in his career so that gives him a nice edge for this game.  Pittsburgh is 12-18 on the road this season, and they are only hitting .232 in those games.  The Marlins’ bullpen is solid as they are 8-3 with a 3.35 ERA at home this season.  

Pittsburgh’s Jeff Locke is making his first road start of the season.  He has allowed 7 runs and 11 hits in his first two outings of the year.  Locke is 0-3 versus Miami in his career, and he will struggle versus the Marlins once again in this game.  The Marlins are 11-4 versus left-handed starters while hitting .296 in those games and scoring 5.8 runs per game.  They are putting up 5.1 runs per game at home where they are 22-11 on the season.  We expect Miami to notch another solid home win in this game on Friday night.

10* Play MARLINS (-) (action).

Baltimore will host division rival Toronto as the teams begin a 4-game series on Thursday night.  Kevin Gausman makes his third start of the season for the Orioles.  He is coming off a win over Oakland his last time out.  Gausman allowed just 1 run and four hits in seven innings of work in that game.  He struck out six batters while walking one in that outing.  Gausman has pitched better than his 4.91 ERA would seem to indicate as Gausman has a solid 1.18 WHIP in his two starts this season.  Toronto’s offense is struggling right now as they’ve scored just 10 total runs in their past six games.  The Blue Jays are in correction mode now after their incredible 20-4 SU run, going just 1-4 SU in their past five games, with shutout losses in three of those past five games.

Toronto’s Mark Buehrle is coming off his second loss of the season; the Cardinals beat him 5-0 on June 7th.  Buehrle did beat Baltimore on the road earlier this season, but that came against an Orioles' team that was not at full strength or in good form at the time.  That is certainly not the case now as the Orioles are 7-4 over their last eleven games while scoring 53 runs in those games.  Toronto’s bullpen is 5-6 with a weak 5.12 ERA on the road this season.  The Orioles have won 14 of their last 21 games at home in this series, and we expect Baltimore to notch another solid win in this game on Thursday night.

9* Play ORIOLES (-) (action).

San Diego and Philadelphia will play their second game of this three-game series on Wednesday night.  The Phillies' Cole Hamels enters in solid current form, allowing just 6 runs and 14 hits in his last three starts while striking out 19 batters.  Hamels has had great success against the Padres in his career going 8-2 with a 2.39 ERA in 14 outings against them.  San Diego struggles mightily against left-handed starters as they are scoring just 3.2 runs per game against them.  They are hitting only .201 in those games, and they continue to have issues scoring runs this season.  San Diego has scored just 28 runs in their last 11 games overall and the Padres average only 3.1 runs per game on the road this year with a .217 team batting average in all games away from home.

Tyson Ross has struggled a bit as of late.  He has allowed 13 runs and 19 hits in his last three starts.  Ross had an awful start in Philadelphia last year as he gave up 6 runs and five hits without making it out of the first inning.  The Phillies have scored 5 runs or more in three of their past four games, and they’ve won five of their past seven games at home against San Diego.  We expect that trend to continue on Wednesday night as Philadelphia gets another solid home win.

10* Play PHILLIES (-) (action).

Kansas City has won three straight games, and they’ll look to close out this homestand with another win over Cleveland on Wednesday afternoon.  Yordano Ventura has a 3.41 ERA in 11 starts for the Royals, striking out 60 while walking 21.  He is coming off a win over the Cardinals where he allowed just 2 runs and seven hits in six innings of work.  Ventura picked up a no-decision against the Indians at home last year after giving up 1 run and five hits.  Cleveland is only 12-21 SU on the road this season, and they have a losing record (13-14) in day games.

Cleveland’s Trevor Bauer has been poor away from home this season.  He has a 6.75 ERA in two road starts, and he has allowed 10 runs and 15 hits in his last three starts overall.  Bauer is up against it in this game as the Royals’ offense is in good current form.  Kansas City has scored 19 runs in their last three games.  We expect Kansas City to notch a solid home win in this game on Wednesday afternoon.

9* Play ROYALS (-) (action).

Madison Bumgarner has been dominant lately, and he’ll look to continue his excellent current form at home on Tuesday night versus Washington.  Bumgarner has allowed 1 run or less in five of his past seven starts.  He is 8-3 with a 2.68 ERA on the year; he has an incredible 0.82 ERA over his last three starts.  The southpaw allowed only 2 runs and nine hits in two starts against Washington last year.  Adam LaRoche (4-18), Scott Hairston (1-13), Tyler Moore (0-10), Jayson Werth (1-8) and Ryan Zimmerman (3-14) all struggle versus Bumgarner.  The Giants’ bullpen has an excellent 1.86 ERA at home this season.

Washington’s Doug Fister has pitched much better at home than on the road this year.  Fister is 0-1 with a 3.78 ERA in three road starts compared to 3-0 with a strong 2.70 ERA at home.  The Giants’ offense is in good form right now as they’ve scored 23 runs over their past five games.  San Francisco is 27-14 SU versus right-handed starting pitchers this season, averaging 4.6 runs per game which is their best offensive subset.  Bumgarner has been terrific this season, so we’ll back San Francisco as a small home favorite tonight.

9* Play GIANTS (-) (action).

Boston beat Detroit 5-3 on Sunday Night Baseball and now they must wheel right back and play in Baltimore on Monday night.  The Red Sox have had a rough road trip thru Cleveland and Detroit so far, and their struggles will continue tonight.  Bud Norris is 2-1 with a 3.12 ERA in four starts at home for the Orioles.  Norris has been a much better pitcher at home throughout his career, so the strong numbers this season are right in line.  He pitched in Boston back on April 19th and gave up just five hits in 6.1 innings of work.  He will face a Boston offense that is hitting just .234 on the road this season.  

Jake Peavy looks to be tailing off.  He has a 5.46 ERA in five road starts this season, and he is coming off a loss in Cleveland in which he allowed 5 runs and eight hits.  Peavy was shelled by the Orioles at home back on April 20th; he gave up 5 runs and 10 hits in 5.2 innings of work.  Baltimore’s offense scored just 1 run on Sunday, but prior to that, they were hitting .308 while scoring 42 runs over a seven game span.  Baltimore is 27-17 in the last 44 meetings with Boston, and since they own a huge starting pitching edge, we’ll take the Orioles in this game on Monday night.

10* Play ORIOLES (-) (action).

Toronto had their 6-game winning streak snapped yesterday, but the Blue Jays still remain the hottest team in the league with a current 20-5 SU run.  Drew Hutchison is 4-3 with a 3.50 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 12 starts for the Blue Jays.  He has won two of his last three starts while allowing just 6 runs and 16 hits in those games.  St. Louis has scored a total of 22 runs in their past eight games (2.8 runs per game) as their offense continues to struggle.

Jaime Garcia has a weak 5.47 ERA in his four starts for St. Louis this season, including allowing 6 runs and 8 hits in just four innings this past Tuesday versus the Royals.  The southpaw has a poor history on the road.  Prior to this season, he had a 4.53 ERA on the road while allowing hitters to have a .301 batting average against him.  Toronto is 12-7 against left-handed starters while hitting .276 against them this season.  The Blue Jays’ offense had scored 39 runs in their previous six games before yesterday's rare shutout.  Their offense is too good to repeat that poor performance today.  We expect Toronto to bounce back and notch a solid home win in this game on Sunday afternoon.

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

The Cubs enter today in solid current form, winning four straight and five of their past six games overall, including a 5-3 victory versus the Marlins yesterday.  Miami sends Randy Wolf to the mound for his third start of the season and his first start on the road.  He just beat the Rays, allowing only one run and three hits in six innings, however Tampa Bay was in the midst of an extreme offensive slump last week, so that result is not that meaningful.  Overall, Wolf is just 6-11 with a 3.87 ERA in 25 career starts against the Cubs.  Starlin Castro has seen the southpaw the most picking up eight hits in 24 at-bats.  The Cubs as a whole are hitting .262 against left-handed starters, scoring a solid 5.3 runs per game.  The Marlins' bullpen has been poor on the road this season with a 4-8 record and 4.35 ERA and awful 1.53 WHIP.

Chicago's starter Jeff Samardzija is only 1-5 this year, but that record is misleading as he has a strong 2.54 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in his 12 starts.  He has an excellent 1.49 ERA and 1.09 WHIP at home in six starts, striking out 36 while walking only 14.  He will now face a Marlins' team that is just 10-18 SU on the road, averaging only 3.9 runs per game.  Miami also enters in poor current form, scoring 3 runs or less in four of their past six games this week.  The Cubs' bullpen has a solid 3.17 ERA and 1.20 WHIP at home this season, so Chicago should have a solid pitching edge throughout this game today.

9* Play CUBS (-) (action).

The Braves begin a three game series in Arizona on Friday night.  Atlanta's starter Julio Teheran has been fantastic this season with a 1.83 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in 12 starts with a 9-3 SU team record.  He has allowed just two runs and 15 hits in his last three starts for an incredible 0.81 ERA and 0.85 WHIP during that span.  Teheran allowed only two runs and 11 hits in two starts against the Diamondbacks last year, striking out 13 while walking just one.  Arizona found their offense in hitter friendly Colorado, but now they return home where they are just 9-20 SU this season.  Atlanta's bullpen has been strong this season with a 12-7 record and 3.15 ERA, converting 19 of 25 save opportunities.

Brandon McCarthy is a horrible 1-7 with a 5.20 ERA in 12 starts for Arizona this year.  The Diamondbacks are just 2-10 SU in all of his starts and McCarthy has given up 27 runs and 50 hits in his seven home starts (1-6 SU team record).  Despite a shutout loss yesterday, the Braves had scored 18 runs in their three prior games and are still hitting .262 in their past seven games overall.  Atlanta has won nine of the past 13 games against the Diamondbacks, including four of seven in Arizona, and the Braves present solid value as a small favorite tonight.

10* Play BRAVES (-) (action).

The Blue Jays remain the hottest team in the league on a current 19-4 winning run.  Toronto returns home after sweeping Detroit on the road, winning all three games as an underdog.  St. Louis now comes to town for this three game interleague series and the Cardinals are in poor current form, losing 7 of their past 9 games.  Toronto's Marcus Stroman has struggled out of the bullpen this season, but he was brilliant in his first starting role last Saturday, allowing only one run and five hits in six innings.  Stroman has walked only one batter in just over 12 innings this season.  He's facing a Cardinals' offense that is inconsistent and has scored 2 runs or less in four of their past six games.  Toronto has a strong bullpen that has converted 21 of 28 save chances with Casey Janssen holding things down.

Lance Lynn is 6-3 with a 3.48 ERA in 12 starts this season, including a 2.95 ERA in his past three outings, but it is a bit misleading as Lynn has a poor 1.53 WHIP during that span.  Lynn was awful in his most recent start last Sunday, giving up seven runs and eight hits in just over three innings versus the Giants at home.  St. Louis also has a shaky bullpen that has already blown 10 saves this season.  Toronto is scoring 5.5 runs per game at home and hitting .275 and Edwin Encarnacion should be in the lineup after a day off on Thursday.  We'll back the hottest team in the league at a reasonable price tonight.

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

San Diego is home after a decent road trip to now host the Pirates who continue their West Coast swing.  Pittsburgh faces a possible letdown spot as they must travel after their Sunday night win as a +160 road underdog at Los Angeles.  San Diego's Tim Stauffer is making his third start of the season and he got rocked in his last start in Arizona, but he did pitch well in his one home outing this season when he allowed zero runs and only two hits versus the Cubs.  Pittsburgh's offense remains suspect on the road this season and the Pirates are averaging just 3.2 runs per game with a .227 team batting average away from home.  Stauffer will probably not pitch too deep in this game, but San Diego's bullpen has been strong this season with a 2.08 ERA and 1.03 WHIP at home.

Pittsburgh sends one of their weakest starters to the mound tonight as Charlie Morton is 1-7 this season, including 0-4 on the road with a 4.40 ERA and he's had control issues as of late with 8 walks in his past 11 innings pitched.  San Diego found some offense this past week and prior to yesterday's game, the Padres had scored 4+ runs in six straight games.  San Diego has won 9 of their past 13 games versus Pittsburgh, including four of six at home, and the Padres present value as a small home favorite tonight.

Play PADRES (-) (action).

Despite a fairly high line, there is still value with the Red Sox as my power ratings make them a -200 favorite in this game today.  Boston enters with fantastic momentum as they have now won 6 straight games since snapping their 10-game losing streak on Monday, including an easy 7-1 win versus Tampa Bay yesterday.

Jon Lester is on the mound today and he has a solid 3.45 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in his 11 starts this season.  He only has one win at home this year, but it has been due mainly to a lack of offensive run support.  Lester is 13-11 with a 4.26 ERA in 29 starts against the Rays, but he did beat them in his past two home starts which both came last year, allowing just 4 runs in 14 innings pitched.  He has had success against David DeJesus (1-17), Evan Longoria (11-50), Sean Rodriguez (5-24) and Ben Zobrist (9-48).  Tampa Bay is hitting just .242 against left-handed starters this season and the Rays continue to struggle on the road with an 11-19 SU record.

Tampa's Erik Bedard was awful in his most recent start, allowing 8 runs and 13 hits in just four innings at Toronto on Monday.  Now he's facing a resurgent Boston offense that is putting up almost five runs per game against left-handed starters.  We'll continue to ride the hot team as the Red Sox go for their 7th straight win today.

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

Jake Odorizzi gets his second straight look at the Red Sox on Saturday night.  Last time out he allowed one run and four hits in six innings at home.  However, it is unlikely he will repeat that performance as he is now on the road where he is 1-3 with an awful 6.29 ERA in five starts this season, allowing 17 runs and 29 hits in just over 24 innings of work.  The Red Sox have found their groove since snapping their 10-game losing streak on Monday and Boston enters tonight on a perfect 5-0 run after a 3-2 extra inning win last night as a +130 home underdog.

Rubby De La Rosa is making his first MLB start this season.  The righty was 2-3 with a 3.04 ERA in 10 starts in AAA.  He had 52 strikeouts and just 23 walks.  De La Rosa allowed righties to hit just .196 while lefties hit only .242.  Both of these teams have underachieved this season, but it appears the Red Sox are starting to heat up after five straight wins, while the Rays are still struggling.  Tampa Bay is just 23-32 (.418) in all games this season, including an awful 11-18 on the road, and the Rays are currently the biggest money burners in the league, standing -15 units versus the moneyline this season.

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

Milwaukee extended their streak to nine straight games with 10 hits or more as they pounded the Cubs 11-5 on Friday night.  Now the two teams are back at it on Saturday afternoon.  It is a pitching rematch from April 27th when the Cubs won 4-0.  Jason Hammel gave up three hits and two walks in seven innings in that one.  However, he now enters is suspect current form, allowing nine runs in just over 16 innings in his past three starts with a poor 4.86 ERA.  Milwaukee has won 30 of the past 43 meetings versus the Cubs, including 17 of 23 at home.

Wily Peralta lost that April 27th game although he allowed only three runs and eight hits.  Peralta has allowed just five runs in his last three starts with a solid 2.00 ERA and overall he is 3-2 with a 2.27 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in his six home starts this season.  The Cubs are now playing their ninth straight road game and their offense is beginning to struggle, going 0-3 SU and scoring just five runs total in the past three games.  Meanwhile, Milwaukee is in excellent current form, going 4-1 SU and scoring 39 runs in their past five games.

9* Play BREWERS (-) (action).

The Phillies have alternated wins and losses during the past week, including a perfect 3-0 record after a defeat, and they will look to bounce back after a 4-1 setback versus the Mets last night.  AJ Burnett takes the mound for the Phillies and he is 3-4 with a 3.51 ERA in 11 starts with a solid 3.07 ERA at home.  The righty pitched well against the Mets last year allowing just two runs and seven hits in just over five innings.  He has good numbers against Curtis Granderson (3-13), Daniel Murphy (2-10) and David Wright (3-21).  The Mets are struggling to hit with consistency against right-handed starters this season, averaging just 3.7 runs per game with a .226 team batting average in those games.

Rafael Montero gets his first road start of the season for New York.  He has allowed nine runs and 14 hits in just over 16 innings in three home starts so far.  The youngster has pitched six innings or less in all three starts this season, so New York's suspect bullpen (8 blown saves) will probably see extra action tonight.  The Phillies' offense has scored 20 runs in their past three games following a loss, so they should rebound with a better offensive performance tonight.

9* Play PHILLIES (-) (action).

San Francisco travels to St. Louis to begin a 4-game series with the Cardinals on Thursday night.  Ryan Vogelsong has good seasonal numbers for the Giants, but those numbers were built by facing weak teams.  Vogelsong has pitched well against the Twins, Marlins, and Braves who all have terrible offenses.  He also got to pitch all of those games at home.  Vogelsong has a 5.31 ERA in four road games this season, striking out 12 while walking 11.  The righty is 3-5 with a 5.40 ERA in nine career starts against the Cardinals.  Last year, he gave up 5 runs and nine hits in a 6-3 loss in San Francisco.  The Cardinals’ offense is in tremendous form as they’ve scored 24 runs over their last five games.

St. Louis’ Jaime Garcia has allowed 6 runs and 11 hits in his first two starts of the season.  He has 12 strikeouts and zero walks in those two games.  Garcia will face a San Francisco team that is hitting .232 versus left-handed starters while scoring just 3.8 runs per game this season.  The Giants are only hitting .233 on the road as well.  Garcia has great career numbers against the Giants; he has a 1.27 ERA versus San Francisco.  We expect St. Louis to notch a solid home win in this game on Thursday night.

9* Play CARDINALS (-) (action).

Los Angeles and Seattle have split the first two games of their 4-game series coming into tonight’s matchup.  C.J. Wilson is 6-3 in 10 starts for the Angels.  He owns a 3.60 ERA on the road where he has two wins in four starts.  Wilson has already lost to the Mariners this season after giving up 6 runs and eight hits in 5.2 innings of work.  Seattle is 13-8 versus left-handed starters while scoring 4.3 runs per game against them this season. 

Seattle’s Felix Hernandez is in good current form.  He has allowed 7 runs and 20 hits in his last three starts.  Over that span, the ace has 21 strikeouts and just two walks.  Hernandez beat the Angels in the season opener after allowing 3 runs and four hits in six innings pitched.  He has allowed eight hits in his last three starts against Los Angeles while striking out 31 batters in those games.  Erick Aybar (15-71), Chris Ianetta (2-17), Raul Ibanez (2-14) and Albert Pujols (6-29) all have bad numbers against Hernandez.  We expect Seattle to notch a solid home win in this game on Wednesday night.

9* Play MARINERS (-) (action).

This series will switch venues with Boston now hosting Atlanta for a 2-game set beginning on Wednesday night.  John Lackey is 5-3 with a 3.58 ERA in 10 starts for Boston.  He is coming off a great start in Tampa Bay where he allowed five hits and one walk in seven innings of work.  Lackey has had success against Gerald Laird (3-30) and BJ Upton (6-29).  Atlanta is only hitting .224 on the road where they are averaging just 3.2 runs per game.  Boston’s bullpen owns a 3.18 ERA at home while converting five of their seven save opportunities this season. 

Gavin Floyd is 0-1 in four starts for Atlanta.  He has not faced the Red Sox since 2012, and the last time he faced the Red Sox in Boston was back in 2011.  Floyd has pitched much better at home than on the road this season; 14 hits and 8 runs allowed in 11.7 inning of work away from home.  Boston’s offense is in good current form as they’ve scored 24 runs over their last four games.  The Red Sox have some momentum after taking two games in Atlanta, so we’ll back the home team in this game on Wednesday night.

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

Boston ended their long 10-game losing streak with an 8-6 win over Atlanta on Monday.  Jon Lester is 4-6 with a 3.36 ERA in 10 starts for the Red Sox this season.  Lester allowed 3 earned runs or less in eight of those ten starts.  He has also pitched better on the road this season where he owns a 3.03 ERA.  Lester is facing an Atlanta team that has seen only eight left-handed starters all season long; they have a .256 average in those games.  At home, Atlanta’s offense only hits .243 as a team while averaging 3.6 runs per game.

Aaron Harang is 4-4 with a 3.32 ERA in 10 starts for the Braves.  He has allowed 9 runs and 21 hits in his last three starts.  Harang got shelled by Boston last year as he allowed 7 runs and eight hits in five innings of work.  Jonathan Herrera (5-16), David Ortiz (5-9), David Ross (4-12), Grady Sizemore (9-22) and Shane Victorino (9-27) all hit Harang hard.  Boston’s lineup has come alive recently; they’ve scored 18 runs over their last three games after scoring a total of 16 runs over their previous eight games.  We expect Boston to notch another solid road win in this game on Tuesday night.

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

Toronto is in first place of the AL East as they host Tampa Bay on Monday night.  Drew Hutchison has allowed 4 runs and 12 hits in his last three starts for the Blue Jays.  He won at Tampa Bay back on April 1st after giving up just three hits and three walks in 5.1 innings of work.  The Rays are coming off an emotionally draining series with Boston, so they may be flat for tonight’s game away from home.  Tampa Bay is just 11-14 on the road while hitting .224 in those games.  Over their last seven games, the Rays are only hitting .227 while scoring just 3.4 runs per game.

Erik Bedard is pitching way over his head right now.  He is 2-2 with a 2.78 ERA in seven starts for Tampa Bay.  Bedard will face a Toronto team that is 11-6 versus left-handed starters while scoring 5.2 runs per game.  The Rays’ bullpen will be of no help to Bedard as they are 4-4 with a 4.76 ERA on the road this season.  Toronto is one of the hottest teams in baseball right now, and we expect them to notch a solid home win in this game on Monday night.

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

Washington is back at home and they will host Miami for a 3-game series beginning on Monday afternoon.  Tanner Roark allowed 3 runs and seven hits in 6.1 innings pitched to the Marlins back on April 16th.  Overall, Roark is 2-1 with a 1.01 ERA in four home starts for the Nationals this season.  He has allowed just 4 earned runs and 12 hits in his last three outings overall.  The Marlins are hitting .232 on the road where they are 6-17 on the season.  Washington’s bullpen owns an impressive 1.81 ERA at home this season. 

Nathan Eovaldi has allowed 11 runs and 26 hits in his last three starts for Miami; he only had seven strikeouts in those games.  The Marlins’ starter has a 6.00 ERA in three career starts against Washington.  Miami’s bullpen is 3-7 with a 4.67 ERA on the road while converting just five of their eight save opportunities.  Washington has won 18 of their last 22 home games versus Miami, including all three this year.  We expect that trend to continue as Washington gets another home win over Miami on Monday afternoon.

9* Play NATIONALS (-) (action).

Philadelphia’s A.J. Burnett is 3-3 with a 3.32 ERA in 10 starts this season.  He has allowed just 6 runs and 18 hits in four home starts for the Phillies.  Burnett pitched well in Los Angeles back in April when he gave up 2 runs and six hits in just over six innings of work.  The Dodgers are 7-7 in day games this season, and they are going back home after a long road trip thru Arizona and New York.  They may be looking ahead to that just a bit, so they could be flat for today’s game in Philadelphia. 

Josh Beckett is 2-1 with a 2.89 ERA in eight starts for the Dodgers.  However, he has an ugly 4.32 ERA in three road starts this season.  Beckett is 9-5 with a 4.09 ERA in 19 career starts against Philadelphia.  The Phillies’ lineup is in good form right now; they are averaging 5.6 runs per game over their last seven games.  They are also 10-5 in day games this season.  The bullpen edge also goes to the Phillies as the Dodgers’ unit has 12 losses on the season.  We expect Philadelphia to notch a solid home win in this game on Sunday afternoon.

9* Play PHILLIES (-) (action).

A series victory is at stake as Miami hosts Milwaukee on Sunday afternoon.  Jimmy Nelson will make his 2014 debut for the Brewers; he is considered by most to be Milwaukee’s best pitching prospect.  Nelson’s only start last year was a good one as he only gave up 1 run and one hit in five innings pitched against the Mets.  The righty was 5-1 with a 1.71 ERA in nine starts in the PCL this year, striking out 58 while walking 17.  He allowed just 37 hits in 58 innings, and he held righties to a .184 batting average against.  Miami has struggled in day games, hitting just .220 in that situation.  The Brewers’ bullpen has been solid this season, and they own a 3.18 ERA.

Miami’s Randy Wolf makes his first start since 2012 in this game.  He has made two long relief appearances so far this season, but he isn’t nearly stretched out enough for today’s game.  The Brewers are averaging 4 runs per game against left-handed starters this season, and they are a solid 15-11 on the road.  The Marlins’ bullpen will need to come up big in this game, but they can’t be trusted with a 3.94 ERA on the season.  We’ll back the road team in this game on Sunday afternoon.

9* Play BREWERS (-) (action).

Tampa Bay will host Boston on Saturday afternoon.  David Price is 10-6 with a 2.93 ERA in 20 career starts against Boston.  Price has had success against Jonny Gomes (4-20), Mike Napoli (7-27), Daniel Nava (2-20), David Ortiz (8-37), AJ Pierzynski (2-14) and Shane Victorino (4-19).  Boston has not scored more than 4 runs in eight straight games, and their offense simply looks lost right now.

Boston’s Jake Peavy has struggled as of late, giving up 14 runs and 24 hits in his last three starts.  He’s not striking anyone out either right now which indicates his stuff just isn’t working.  Peavy gave up 2 runs and three hits in just over six innings pitched against the Rays earlier this month; he did walk five in that game.  Tampa Bay has the starting pitching edge, and they are in much better form.  We expect the Rays to notch a solid home win in this game on Saturday afternoon.

9* Play RAYS (-) (action).

Miami welcomes Milwaukee to town for a 3-game series beginning on Friday night.  The Marlins continued their hot play at home by winning two of three games from Philadelphia.  Tom Koehler is 3-0 with a 0.64 ERA in four career home starts for Miami; he has allowed just 2 runs and 13 hits.  Koehler has never faced the Brewers before which gives him an edge.  Milwaukee’s lineup is banged-up right now; Ryan Braun left Thursday’s game early with upper body tightness and Carlos Gomez continues to deal with back issues.

Milwaukee’s Marco Estrada has allowed 9 runs and 17 hits in his last three starts.  Estrada last saw Miami back in 2012 when he split two starts against them with the worst of the two coming on the road.  Miami’s offense is in good current form as they’ve scored 4 runs or more in three straight games and in seven of their last eight games overall.  We expect Miami to notch a solid home win over Milwaukee in this game on Friday night.

10* Play MARLINS (-) (action).

Pittsburgh will send Charlie Morton to the mound tonight; he has not won in 14 consecutive starts.  He is 0-6 this season, and he has a 6-12 career record against NL East teams.  The Pirates’ starter has allowed 4 runs or more in seven of his last eight starts, and he is fortunate that his numbers aren’t worse.  Morton gave up 3 runs and six hits in just over six innings pitched against the Nationals last year.  Washington’s offense has scored 5 runs or more in five of their last ten games, and they will have success tonight versus Morton. 

Washington’s Jordan Zimmermann is 3-1 with a 3.70 ERA in nine starts this season.  He has allowed just 8 earned runs in his last four starts.  Zimmermann has 43 strikeouts and just 10 walks in 48.2 innings of work this season.  On the road, Zimmermann is 2-0 with a solid 3.32 ERA this season.  Washington also has the better bullpen in this game, especially since they own a 2.15 ERA on the year.  We’ll back the road team in this game on Friday night.

9* Play NATIONALS (-) (action).

Boston will look to avoid a series sweep at home tonight against Toronto.  Mark Buehrle is 7-1 with a 2.11 ERA on the season for the Blue Jays.  However, his lone loss came at home against Boston; the Red Sox have his number.  In that game back on April 25th, the southpaw allowed 7 runs and 12 hits in just 5.1 innings of work.  Buehrle has allowed 34 hits in his last four starts against Boston.  Jonny Gomes (10-30), Will Middlebrooks (8-18), Mike Napoli (6-21), Daniel Nava (4-12), David Ortiz (25-76), Dustin Pedroia (14-36) and AJ Pierzynski (9-22) all hit Buehrle hard.  Toronto’s bullpen has been over- performing in this series, and they can’t be counted on consistently as they own a 5.19 ERA on the season. 

Jon Lester is only 4-5 this season, but he has a 2.67 ERA in nine starts for Boston.  Lester has pitched much better at home, and he has allowed just 5 runs in his last three home starts against Toronto.  Jose Bautista (11-57), Edwin Encarnacion (8-39), Brett Lawrie (6-28), Adam Lind (3-29), Dioner Navarro (5-22), Colby Rasmus (3-15) and Jose Reyes (1-19) all have had their problems with Lester.  Toronto is hitting just .242 versus left-handed pitchers this season.  We expect Boston to notch a solid home win in this game on Thursday afternoon.

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

A series victory is at stake on Wednesday afternoon as Washington hosts Cincinnati.  The Nationals’ Tanner Roark loves pitching at home where he has allowed just 2 runs and 14 hits in three games this season.  He will face a Cincinnati team that has struggled to find their offense without Joey Votto and Jay Bruce in the lineup.  The Reds are averaging 3.8 runs per game in the daytime.  Washington’s bullpen continues to be a strength, especially at home where they own a 1.87 ERA on the season.

Alfredo Simon is 5-2 in eight starts for the Reds this season.  However, he has allowed 8 runs and 18 hits in his last three starts.  Simon only has 30 strikeouts in 51.3 innings of work as a starter.  Washington’s offense is in good current form as the Nationals have scored 18 runs over their last three games.  Cincinnati’s bullpen has been awful this season (5.09 ERA), and they are taxed a bit after the 15 inning game on Monday night.  Washington has won 7 of their last 10 games at home versus Cincinnati, and we expect another solid home win on Wednesday afternoon.

9* Play NATIONALS (-) (action).

Atlanta beat Milwaukee 9-3 last night, and they’ll look to carry over that momentum into tonight’s game.  Yovani Gallardo has struggled this season.  The Milwaukee starter has allowed 11 runs and 19 hits in his last three starts.  Gallardo has allowed six home runs this season, and that plays right into an Atlanta offense that relies on home runs to score.  The Braves’ offense is in good current form as they’ve scored 15 runs in their last two games.

Julio Teheran is glad to be home where he has a 1.75 ERA in 36 innings pitched.  The Atlanta starter lost a pitcher’s duel to Gallardo back on March 31st after giving up just 2 runs and seven hits in six innings.  The Braves have the better bullpen, especially when comparing home and road splits.  At home, Atlanta’s bullpen has a 2.55 ERA while Milwaukee’s bullpen has a 3.89 ERA on the road.  The Braves have won five of their last seven games at home over Milwaukee, and we expect them to notch another solid win in this game on Tuesday night.

9* Play BRAVES (-) (action).

Two southpaws will battle in Philadelphia as the Phillies host the Reds on Sunday afternoon.  Cincinnati’s Tony Cingrani was 2-2 with a 3.34 ERA in six starts before he went to the disabled list.  He has struggled with his control, walking 17 in just over 32 innings.  Cingrani has made one start against the Phillies in his career; he gave up 3 runs and five hits in five innings last year.  The Phillies picked up a 12-1 win on Saturday, and they are 8-4 in day games this season.  Philadelphia is hitting a solid .272 in those games while scoring 4.3 runs per game.  The Reds’ bullpen is poor, and they’ve yet to win on the road this season. 

Cliff Lee is 3-4 with a 3.23 ERA in nine starts for Philadelphia; he has a 1.55 ERA in four home starts this season.  Lee has 58 strikeouts to just eight walks on the year.  The Phillies’ starter is 6-2 with a 3.80 ERA in 13 career starts against Cincinnati.  Lee has had success against Zack Cosart (2-10), Todd Frazier (1-8), Chris Heisey (2-11), Ryan Ludwick (2-9) and Jack Hannahan (0-7).  The Reds’ lineup is weak without Joey Votto and Jay Bruce.  We’ll lay the price with Philadelphia in this game on Sunday afternoon.

9* Play PHILLIES (-) (action).

Pittsburgh and New York will play a doubleheader on Sunday.  We like the Yankees in Game 1.  Pittsburgh’s Charlie Morton is still looking for his first win of the season.  He is 0-5 with a 3.22 ERA in eight starts for the Pirates.  Morton has allowed 9 of his 18 earned runs away from home this season; he has a 4.42 ERA on the road.  The Yankees picked up another daytime win on Saturday, and they are now 8-4 in day games.  New York’s offense is in good current form as they’ve scored 26 runs over their last five games.

Hiroki Kuroda is 2-3 with a 4.62 ERA in eight starts for the Yankees.  He is in good current form, allowing just 8 earned runs and 19 hits in his last three starts.  Kuroda is 5-1 with a 1.84 ERA in seven career starts against Pittsburgh.  Ike Davis (2-11), Clint Barmes (2-9) and Gaby Sanchez (2-8) have poor numbers against the Yankees’ starter.  Pittsburgh is 5-13 on the road this season, and they are 5-10 in day games.  We expect New York to notch a solid home win in Game 1 of their doubleheader on Sunday afternoon.

10* Play YANKEES (-) (action).

Two lefties match-up tonight in Los Angeles as the Angels host the Rays.  Tampa Bay’s Cesar Ramos got lit-up his last time out; he gave up 9 runs and 11 hits in Seattle.  Ramos is 1-2 with a 4.03 ERA in six starts this season.  He has allowed 14 of his 17 earned runs on the road where he has as many walks (13) as strikeouts (13).  The Rays’ bullpen has been brutal on the road with a 5.05 ERA as a unit. 

C.J. Wilson is 4-3 with a 3.69 ERA in eight starts for the Angels this season.  He has allowed 9 runs and 15 hits in his last three starts.  The southpaw has had great success against David DeJesus (2-17), Desmond Jennings (2-18), Evan Longoria (3-19) and Jose Molina (3-16).  The Rays are only hitting .244 against left-handed starters this season.  The Angels’ bullpen is a lot better now that the back end has been stabilized with more consistent pitching.  We expect a solid home win by Los Angeles in this game on Saturday night.

10* Play ANGELS (-) (action).

St. Louis will host Atlanta on Saturday afternoon.  Shelby Miller is 5-2 with a 3.22 ERA in eight starts for the Cardinals this season.  Miller has won three straight starts while allowing just 7 runs and 16 hits over that span.  The Cardinals’ starter beat the Braves in Atlanta back on April 5th after giving up 2 runs and six hits in five innings of work.  Atlanta is only hitting .199 in 12 day games while scoring just 2.6 runs per game.

Atlanta’s Aaron Harang lost to the Cardinals back on April 5th after giving up 4 runs and nine hits in six innings.  Harang has allowed 15 runs and 25 hits in his last three outings.  Overall, he is 7-14 with a 4.38 ERA in 26 career starts against the Cardinals.  Peter Bourjos (6-13) and Jhonny Peralta (10-28) hit the righty hard.  St. Louis is starting to hit their stride offensively, and they’ve scored 25 runs over their last five games.  We expect St. Louis to notch a solid home win on Saturday afternoon.

9* Play CARDINALS (-) (action).

Colorado begins a 3-game series with San Diego after the Padres played a doubleheader on Thursday.  The Rockies will send Jorge De La Rosa to the mound where he has won three straight starts while allowing just 6 runs and 15 hits over that span.  De La Rosa is 7-2 in 16 career starts against San Diego.  Yonder Alonso (1-6), Everth Cabrera (4-21), Chris Denorfia (5-21), Chase Headley (8-36), Nick Hundley (2-13) and Will Venable (1-7) have all struggled against De La Rosa.  San Diego’s offense has been terrible against division opponents this season as they are only hitting .211 in those games.

Eric Stults is 2-3 with a 5.03 ERA in eight starts for the Padres.  He has not won on the road this season.  Stults gave up 4 runs and nine hits in five innings pitched at home against the Rockies back on April 14th.  Stults allowed 11 hits to the Rockies on the road in a start last season.  Colorado is hitting .355 at home while scoring an impressive 7.7 runs per game.  We expect Colorado to notch a solid home win in this game on Friday night.

10* Play ROCKIES (-) (action).

Chicago’s Jeff Samardzija continues to look for his first win of the season; he will face Milwaukee on Friday afternoon.  Samardzija has allowed 12 runs and 43 hits in eight starts this season.  He has not received much run support, and that explains his lack of wins.  Samardzija owns a 3.08 ERA in six career starts against the Brewers.  Jonathan Lucroy (1-15), Jean Segura (2-12) and Rickie Weeks (2-10) have had their problems with Samardzija.  Milwaukee is hitting just .230 against division opponents this season.

Milwaukee’s Kyle Lohse has struggled against the Chicago Cubs in his career.  Lohse is 5-6 with a 5.15 ERA in 20 career starts against the Cubs.  Emilio Bonifacio (2-7), Anthony Rizzo (8-17) and Junior Lake (4-8) have hit Lohse well.  Chicago’s offense is glad to be back at home where they’ve played much better; the Cubs average 4.1 runs per game at home.  Samardzija has pitched much better than his record indicates, and since he gets a favorable match-up in this game, we’ll back the Cubs on Friday afternoon.

9* Play CUBS (-) (action).

San Diego and Cincinnati will play a doubleheader on Thursday with Game 1 being an early start.  Johnny Cueto is 3-2 with a 1.43 ERA in eight starts for the Reds this season.  He has 68 strikeouts and only 16 walks.  The Reds’ pitcher has not seen the Padres since 2012 when he beat them twice.  Cueto went 19-4 with a 2.00 ERA in 30 starts in the daytime between 2011 and 2013.  San Diego is hitting just .197 on the road, and they are only hitting .211 in 12 day games this season.

Ian Kennedy is 2-4 with a 3.12 ERA in eight starts for the Padres.  He has good numbers as of late, but his better outings have come against weak-hitting teams like Miami, Arizona, and Washington.  Cincinnati’s offense will be a much stiffer challenge for Kennedy, especially in their home park.  We expect Cincinnati to notch a solid home win in Game 1 of the doubleheader on Thursday afternoon.

9* Play REDS (-) (action).

The Rockies and Royals will wrap-up a quick 2-game series in Kansas City on Wednesday afternoon.  Jhoulys Chacin makes his third start of the year for Colorado.  He has allowed 6 runs and 12 hits in 11 innings of work, and he’s coming off a solid effort in Cincinnati.  The Royals are hitting just .256 against right-handed starters this season; they are just 13-14 against them.  The Rockies’ bullpen has been solid all year despite the losing record; opponents are hitting .247 against Colorado’s relievers.

Kansas City’s Jason Vargas has had two straight rough starts at home; he gave up 12 runs and 21 hits against the Tigers and Blue Jays.  The Royals’ pitcher is 2-1 with a 4.44 ERA in four starts at home this season.  Vargas has an 11.43 ERA in four career starts against the Rockies.  Colorado is hitting .304 against left-handed starters, and they are scoring 5.4 runs per game in the daytime.  The Royals’ bullpen has a losing record (6-7) and a 6.02 ERA at home.  We expect Colorado to notch a solid road win in this game on Wednesday afternoon.

9* Play ROCKIES (+) (action).

Tampa Bay will play in Seattle on Tuesday night.  Hisashi Iwakuma has been great for the Mariners since coming off the disabled list; he has won his last two starts.  Iwakuma has allowed 4 runs and 10 hits, striking out 10 while walking one.  Seattle’s starter gets a Tampa Bay offense that has struggled away from home this season.  The Rays are hitting just .236 on the road while scoring 3.4 runs per game.

David Price just hasn’t been himself lately.  He has allowed 13 runs and 26 hits in his last three starts while taking losses to the Orioles and White Sox.  Seattle is 11-5 against left-handed starters while scoring 4.6 runs per game against them this season.  Price took a no-decision against the Mariners last year after giving up 4 runs and five hits in seven innings.  Seattle has won five of their last seven games at home against Tampa Bay, and they are in better current form.  We’ll take the Mariners in this game on Tuesday night.

9* Play MARINERS (+) (action).

Cincinnati will start a 3-game series with San Diego on Tuesday night.  Cincinnati will send Mike Leake to the mound where he is 2-3 with a 3.40 ERA in seven starts on the year.  The Reds’ pitcher has allowed just 5 runs and 12 hits in two home starts this season.  Last year, Leake had two no-decisions against San Diego after giving up just 2 runs and 10 hits.  San Diego is 6-10 on the road this season while hitting just .201 in those games.  They are also struggling against righties, hitting only .224 against them. 

Andrew Cashner is struggling for the Padres.  He has allowed 10 runs and 20 hits in his last three starts which all ended in losses.  Cashner is 0-3 with a 5.00 ERA on the road this season.  Last year, San Diego’s starter lost in Cincinnati after giving up 5 runs and seven hits in five innings of work.  Cincinnati has won 9 of the last 14 games in this series, including 5 of 7 games at home.  We expect Cincinnati to notch a solid home win in this game on Tuesday night.

10* Play REDS (-) (action).

An interleague battle between southpaws will take place on Sunday afternoon as Oakland hosts Washington.  Scott Kazmir is 4-1 in seven starts for the Athletics this season.  He has allowed 8 runs and 20 hits in his last three starts, and he’s coming off his first loss of the season.  Kazmir was rocked by the Nationals last year as he gave up 5 runs and four hits in just over two innings of work.  Washington is 7-5 in day games, and they are hitting .289 as a team against left-handed starters this season.

Gio Gonzalez is 3-2 with a 2.91 ERA in seven starts for Washington.  He has been fantastic recently, allowing just 6 runs and 13 hits in his last three starts.  Oakland is hitting just .246 in day games, and they’ve struggled a bit offensively as of late.  Washington’s bullpen continues to be a strong unit, especially on the road where they own a 2.83 ERA on the season.  Washington has the edge at starting pitcher, so we expect the Nationals to notch a solid road win in this game on Sunday afternoon.

9* Play NATIONALS (+) (action).

Matt Cain will make his first start for San Francisco since April 23rd as he returns from the DL after injuring his finger.  Cain is 0-3 with a 4.35 ERA in five starts this season, and he has allowed 16 of his 17 runs on the road.  The Giants’ starter already has a loss in Los Angeles this season after giving up 5 runs and six hits in six innings pitched back on April 6th.  He is 5-11 in 29 career starts against the Dodgers.  Carl Crawford (5-18), AJ Ellis (6-21), Andre Ethier (30-70), Adrian Gonzalez (21-72), Yasiel Puig (3-8), Hanley Ramirez (13-46) and Juan Uribe (5-15) all have good numbers versus Cain.

Zack Greinke is 5-1 with a 2.35 ERA in seven starts for the Dodgers.  He has allowed just 5 runs and 14 hits in three starts at home this season.  Greinke beat the Giants in that April 6th game versus Cain after allowing just 2 runs and six hits in six innings of work; he has yet to lose in three career starts against the Giants.  Brandon Belt (2-8), Michael Morse (2-8), Hunter Pence (3-13) and Buster Posey (1-9) have poor numbers versus Greinke.  The Giants are hitting just .230 as a team on the road this season.  We expect Los Angeles to notch a solid home win in this game on Saturday afternoon.

9* Play DODGERS (-) (action).

San Francisco’s Madison Bumgarner will get his third crack at the Los Angeles Dodgers this season on Friday night as the Dodgers host the Giants.  The southpaw has split his two outings against Los Angeles after allowing 2 runs in each game.  He has 16 strikeouts and four walks in those games.  Bumgarner is 9-4 with a 2.71 ERA in 13 career starts against Los Angeles.  He has had success against Andre Ethier (3-24), Adrian Gonzalez (4-26), Matt Kemp (4-24) and Hanley Ramirez (4-20).  The Dodgers are only hitting .230 while scoring 3 runs per game in nine games against left-handed starters this season. 

Los Angeles’ Paul Maholm is also seeing the Giants for a third time this season.  He has allowed 6 runs and 12 hits in his two outings against San Francisco.  Angel Pagan (9-28), Hunter Pence (16-55), Buster Posey (4-11), Pablo Sandoval (7-19) and Marco Scutaro (4-9) all have good numbers against the southpaw.  The Giants’ offense is averaging 4.4 runs per game on the road this season.  San Francisco has the starting pitcher edge and an edge in the bullpen, so we expect them to win this game on the road on Friday night.

9* Play GIANTS (-) (action).

Washington begins a 3-game interleague series with Oakland on Friday night.  Doug Fister is coming off an injury, and he’s making his season debut tonight.  He threw 59 pitches in his last rehab start, so who knows how deep he’ll be able to go in this game.  Fister is 5-5 in 14 career starts against Oakland.  Last year, he faced them twice and gave up 10 runs and 20 hits in 11 innings of work.  Alberto Callaspo (6-17), Coco Crisp (6-15) and Jed Lowrie (4-12) all have good numbers against Fister.  Oakland’s offense is averaging 5.2 runs per game at night this season.

Oakland’s Tom Milone doesn’t have the best numbers so far this season, but he’s taking a step-down in class tonight versus the inconsistent Nationals’ lineup.  Only three of Washington’s hitters have seen the southpaw before, so that gives Milone another edge.  The Nationals have inflated numbers against southpaws because they’ve seen a lot of poor lefties on the year.  Oakland’s bullpen is strong and they own a 2.28 ERA at home on the season.  We expect Oakland to notch a solid home win in this game on Friday night.

9* Play ATHLETICS (-) (action).

Seattle returns home after a successful 7-2 road trip.  The Mariners will host Kansas City on Thursday night.  Seattle’s Hisashi Iwakuma gave up 4 runs and six hits in his first start off the DL.  The ace pitcher will be much better tonight, especially with a start under his belt.  Iwakuma beat the Royals at home in his last start of 2013; he allowed four hits and one walk in eight innings while striking out nine batters in that game.  Kansas City has lost five of their last eight games, and they have struggled to hit during that stretch. 

Danny Duffy is making his second start of the year for Kansas City.  He allowed 1 run and two hits in four innings pitched at home against the Tigers.  Duffy had issues with control in that game as he walked four.  The southpaw faced the Mariners last September, and he only lasted three innings after giving up 1 run on five hits.  Seattle is 9-4 while averaging 4.6 runs per game against left-handed starters this season.  The Mariners have won eight of their last ten games overall, and they are in great form entering tonight’s game.  We expect Seattle to notch a solid home win in this game on Thursday night.

9* Play MARINERS (-) (action).

Cincinnati and Boston will wrap-up a quick 2-game interleague series tonight when the Red Sox host the Reds.  Jake Peavy is 1-1 with a 2.87 ERA in six starts for Boston.  He has pitched well in allowing 12 runs and 30 hits in 37.7 innings of work.  Peavy has not lost in 10 starts against the Reds in his career.  He has had success against Brandon Phillips (3-19) and Ryan Ludwick (0-4).  The Reds are just 7-10 on the road this season, and they are struggling on offense without Jay Bruce.  Boston’s bullpen owns a solid 3.23 ERA on the season.

Mike Leake is 2-3 with a 3.53 ERA in six starts for Cincinnati.  He has allowed 10 runs and 23 hits in his last three outings.  Overall, Leake has given up 3 earned runs or more in five of his six starts this season.  Boston’s offense produced another solid effort on Tuesday night when they scored 4 runs on 11 hits.  Cincinnati’s bullpen fell to 2-7 on the season as they got another loss in last night’s game.  We expect Boston to notch a solid home win in this game on Wednesday night.

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

Tampa Bay welcomes Baltimore to town to begin a 3-game series on Tuesday night.  Chris Archer is 2-0 with a 2.13 ERA in two home starts for the Rays this season.  He has revenge on his mind after giving up 7 runs and 12 hits in five innings pitched to the Orioles back on April 14th.  Archer pitched well at home in two games against the Orioles last season, and he had success against Adam Jones (0-9) and Nick Markakis (1-9).  Baltimore is hitting .241 while scoring just 3.3 runs per game over their last seven games.  Tampa Bay’s bullpen owns a solid 3.27 ERA at home this season. 

Baltimore’s Chris Tillman has allowed 13 runs and 22 hits in his last three starts.  Somehow he is 3-0 on the road this season despite giving up 11 runs in 19 innings of work.  Tillman is 2-6 with a 4.90 ERA in 11 career starts against the Rays.  Tampa Bay is hitting .284 at home while putting up 5.6 runs per game.  Baltimore’s bullpen is 1-2 with a 4.47 ERA on the road.  Tampa Bay has won 12 of their last 19 games at home in this series, and we expect them to win this game on Tuesday night.

9* Play RAYS (-) (action).

Pittsburgh will host San Francisco in Game 2 of their 3-game series on Tuesday night.  Tim Hudson has been incredible for the Giants this season; he is 4-1 with a 2.17 ERA, striking out 31 while walking only two.  Hudson owns a respectable 3.40 ERA in 13 career starts against the Pirates.  Clint Barmes (1-13), Ike Davis (4-18), Russell Martin (3-16), Andrew McCutchen (2-12) and Gaby Sanchez (4-22) all struggle with Hudson. 

Charlie Morton is still looking for his first win of the season.  He has allowed 13 runs and 19 hits in his last three starts for Pittsburgh.  Morton is 3-4 in nine career starts against the Giants.  Angel Pagan (9-12) and Hunter Pence (7-24) have hit Morton hard.  San Francisco is 11-5 versus right-handed starters this season while scoring 4.9 runs per game against them.  San Francisco holds a solid edge with Hudson over Morton, so we expect the Giants to get a nice road win in this game on Tuesday night.

9* Play GIANTS (-) (action).

Miami welcomes the New York Mets to town after taking a series from the Dodgers.  Nathan Eovaldi is 2-1 with a 2.58 ERA in six starts for the Marlins.  He has allowed 2 earned runs and 15 hits in his last three starts, striking out 16 while walking only four.  Eovaldi is 1-2 with a 3.58 ERA in five career starts against New York, but he pitched much better in those games than the record indicates.  The Mets are only hitting .212 in 13 games against division opponents this season.  Miami’s bullpen is 5-2 at home with a 2.88 ERA on the season.

Jon Niese is 2-2 in five starts for the Mets.  He has allowed 3 runs and 14 hits in his last three starts.  Niese has struggled with Miami, going 3-5 with a 4.17 ERA in 13 career starts against them.  Jeff Baker (6-12), Reed Johnson (7-18), Donovan Solano (4-11) and Giancarlo Stanton (7-18) all hit the lefty hard.  The Marlins are 7-2 against left-handed starters this season while putting up 6 runs per game against them.  They are hitting .307 at home, and they have won five of their last six games at home.  The Mets’ bullpen has been taxed lately, so they’ll provide little support for Niese.  We expect Miami to notch a solid home win in this game on Monday night.

9* Play MARLINS (-) (action).

A series victory is at stake as the Phillies host the Nationals on Sunday afternoon.  Gio Gonzalez is 3-1 with a 3.25 ERA in six starts for Washington.  He has allowed 6 runs and 13 hits in his last three starts, striking out 21 while walking only six.  The southpaw is 5-2 with a 2.66 ERA in eight career starts against the Phillies.  He has won his last two starts in Philadelphia as well.  He has good numbers against Dom Brown (1-8), Marlon Byrd (2-10), Ryan Howard (0-8), Jimmy Rollins (3-15) and Chase Utley (2-11).  Philadelphia is only scoring 3.4 runs per game against left-handed starters this season.

Roberto Hernandez will start for Philadelphia after Cole Hamels was scratched due to the flu.  He is 1-1 with a 5.81 ERA in five starts this season.  He has allowed 12 runs and 20 hits in his last three starts, striking out just 11 while walking nine.  Washington’s offense only scored 2 runs yesterday, but prior to that game, the Nationals had scored 16 runs in their previous three games.  We expect Washington to notch a solid road win in this game on Sunday afternoon.

9* Play NATIONALS (-) (action).

Two southpaws will go at it in Boston as the Red Sox host the Athletics on Saturday afternoon.  Jon Lester is 2-4 with a 3.10 ERA in six starts for the Red Sox this season.  He has 12 starts against the Athletics in his career, beating them at home last year.  Daric Barton (2-9), Alberto Callaspo (2-10), Coco Crisp (2-10), Craig Gentry (1-5) and Nick Punto (3-13) all have poor numbers against Lester.  Oakland is hitting just .251 in day games this season while averaging just 4.2 runs per game.  That’s their worst runs per game average this season in six different statistical categories. 

Oakland’s Tom Milone is 0-2 with a 4.56 ERA in four starts this season.  He has allowed 10 runs in his last three starts.  Milone got shelled in Boston in 2012 as he allowed 8 runs and eight hits in an 11-6 loss to the Red Sox.  Boston is hitting .265 against left-handed starters while scoring 5 runs per game this season.  The Red Sox scored 7 runs on 11 hits in last night’s win, and we expect another strong offensive output in this game.  We expect Boston to notch another solid home win in this game on Saturday afternoon.

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

Colorado won Game 1 (7-4) of their series with New York on Thursday.  The Mets’ Zack Wheeler will try to slow them down on Friday night.  Wheeler is 1-2 with a 3.99 ERA in five starts this season.  He has never started in Coors Field, and that is not a good thing.  Colorado is 9-4 at home where they score 7.4 runs per game.  The Mets’ bullpen has been erratic this season, and they own a poor 3.83 ERA on the year.

Jorge De La Rosa is rounding into form for the Rockies.  He has allowed 5 runs and 20 hits in his last three starts, picking up two wins in the process.  He is 3-1 in four career starts against the Mets.  The Rockies’ starter has great numbers against Chris Young who only has 5 hits in 26 at-bats.  New York is hitting a poor .216 in five games against left-handed starters this season.  Overall, they are struggling as an offense right now.  Colorado has won five of the last eight games at home in this series, and we expect another solid home win in this game on Friday night.

9* Play ROCKIES (-) (action).

Game 1 of a slated doubleheader between Pittsburgh and Baltimore will get underway on Thursday afternoon.  Bud Norris will get the start for the Orioles.  His best outing came at home this season when he did not allow a run on five hits in 7 innings pitched to Toronto.  Norris owns a solid 3.48 ERA in 10 career starts against Pittsburgh.  He has allowed just 2 runs and eight hits in his last two starts against the Pirates.  Norris has good numbers against Pedro Alvarez (2-14) and Andrew McCutchen (7-30).  Pittsburgh is only hitting .188 in their last seven games, and they are just 4-8 on the road.  Their offense is struggling big time as a unit, scoring just 2.3 runs per game over their last seven games.  Baltimore’s bullpen is 3-0 with a 3.78 ERA at home, and they are fully rested for this game. 

Charlie Morton is looking for his first win of the season in five starts for Pittsburgh.  Morton is 0-3 with a 4.35 ERA while giving up 13 runs and 18 hits in his last three outings.  Morton also has a bit of an issue with control, walking 10 batters in his last 19 innings of work.  Morton lost his last start versus the Orioles after giving up 7 runs and eight hits in two innings.  Baltimore hitters are a combined 8-for-17 against the Pirates’ pitcher.  Baltimore is hitting .274 and scoring 4.9 runs per game against right-handed starters this season.  Pittsburgh’s bullpen has six blown saves in ten chances on the season.  We expect Baltimore to get a solid home win in Game 1 on Thursday afternoon.

9* Play ORIOLES (-) (action).

Toronto and Kansas City begin a 3-game series on Tuesday night.  Jason Vargas will get the start for Kansas City; he is 2-0 with a 1.54 ERA in five starts this season.  At home, Vargas has allowed just 1 run and 11 hits in 15 innings of work.  Vargas has good numbers against Jose Bautista (1-10), Maicer Izturis (1-14), Brett Lawrie (2-8), Adam Lind (2-11) and Colby Rasmus (2-10).  Toronto is hitting just .237 in six games against left-handed starters this season.  The Blue Jays are only hitting .238 on the road as well.  Kansas City’s bullpen is solid as they own a 3.25 ERA on the season. 

Toronto’s Dustin McGowan has allowed 9 runs and 11 hits in his last two starts against the Orioles and Twins.  He admitted that he gets tired around 60 pitches into his outings, so that is a major negative for McGowan and the Blue Jays in this game.  Kansas City is 6-3 at home where they are hitting .291 as a team.  The Royals are averaging 4.4 runs per game over their last seven games.  Toronto’s bullpen has been poor as they are just 3-5 with a 4.48 ERA on the season.  We expect a solid home win by Kansas City in this game on Tuesday night.

9* Play ROYALS (-) (action).

San Diego picked up a 4-2 win on Sunday afternoon in Washington, and then they had to take a long flight out to San Francisco for a 3-game series with the Giants.  San Francisco’s Madison Bumgarner is turning things around a bit after a slow start this year.  He has allowed just 4 runs and 15 hits in his last two starts.  The southpaw is 6-3 with a 3.36 ERA in 16 career starts against San Diego.  He has allowed just 2 runs and 12 hits in his last three starts against the Padres.  Yonder Alonso (1-11), Everth Cabrera (0-16), Yasmani Grandal (1-7), Cameron Maybin (5-21) and Xavier Nady (2-12) have had their problems with Bumgarner.  San Diego is only hitting .221 in three games against left-handed starters this season.  San Francisco’s bullpen has been lights out at home where they own an incredible 0.45 ERA on the season.

Tyson Ross is 2-3 in five starts for San Diego.  He is coming off a loss in his last start as he gave up 5 runs and nine hits in six innings pitched in Milwaukee.  Ross did beat the Giants back on April 18th, but he was at home for that start.  On the road this season, Ross is 0-2 with a 5.56 ERA, giving up 7 runs on 14 hits in 11.3 innings of work.  The Giants are 8-4 at home this season; they just swept the Indians in a 3-game series.  San Francisco has won 13 of their last 18 games at home versus San Diego, and we expect the Giants to notch another solid home win in this game on Monday night.

9* Play GIANTS (-) (action).

Things have not gone Taylor Jordan’s way yet this season.  But Washington’s starter has a great opportunity to get a win this afternoon.  Jordan will pitch against San Diego today, and the Padres have one of the weakest offenses in baseball.  Jordan is taking a big step down in class after coming off a stretch of games against the Angels, Cardinals, and Braves.  San Diego has scored 3 runs or less in nine of their last ten games.  The Padres are only 4-8 on the road, and they are just dreadful offensively as they are hitting .204 as a team while averaging 2.2 runs per game away from home.

San Diego’s Ian Kennedy has just one win in five starts this season.  He is dealing with a thin margin because of his team’s weak offense, and today he will be facing a hot Washington offense.  The Nationals have 53 hits while scoring 23 runs over their last four games.  Ian Desmond (5-13) and Jayson Werth (4-11) have seen Kennedy the most and they’ve had good success.  Washington also has the bullpen edge in this game, especially at home.  We expect the Nationals to notch a solid home win in this game on Sunday afternoon.

9* Play NATIONALS (-) (action).

Two pitchers heading in different directions take the mound on Saturday night in Arizona as the Diamondbacks host the Phillies.  Arizona’s Bronson Arroyo has allowed 19 runs and 29 hits in four starts this season with just eight strikeouts and seven walks.  Reports indicate that Arizona hurried him back too quickly from his back injury sustained in the spring.  Arroyo is 4-7 with a 5.23 ERA in 13 career starts against the Phillies.  Dom Brown (6-11), Marlon Byrd (10-27), Jimmy Rollins (7-24) and Chase Utley (6-20) all hit Arroyo hard. 

Philadelphia’s Cliff Lee is 3-2 with a 3.09 ERA in five starts this season.  He has allowed just 4 runs in his last three starts, striking out 31 while walking just one.  Lee won in Arizona last year, and he is 4-1 against them in six career starts.  Lee has had success against Eric Chavez (2-19), Paul Goldschmidt (2-9), Miguel Montero (1-6) and Martin Prado (6-29).  Arizona is hitting just .233 in seven games against left-handed starters this season; they won just one of those games.  Lee holds a substantial pitching edge in this game, so we’ll back Philadelphia in this game on Saturday night.

9* Play PHILLIES (-) (action).

Chicago walked off with a 9-6 win over Tampa Bay on Friday night.  John Danks gets the start for the White Sox tonight.  Danks has allowed 8 runs and 20 hits in four starts this season.  Danks gave up 3 runs and five hits to the Rays in a start last year in Tampa Bay.  This year, the Rays are just 1-6 versus left-handed starters while only hitting .199 as a team in those games.  The Rays are hitting .199 on the road while scoring just 2.2 runs per game.

Tampa Bay’s Cesar Ramos is 0-1 with a 4.91 ERA this season.  He will be making his third start of the year while facing a Chicago team that is hitting .303 against southpaws.  Ramos isn’t expected to pitch too deep in this game, so the mediocre Rays’ bullpen will come into play.  Chicago is now 7-4 at home, and they have a lot of momentum after their walk-off win last night.  We expect Chicago to notch another home win in this game on Saturday night.

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

The Mets will host the Marlins for a 3-game series beginning tonight after winning three of four games over the Cardinals.  Zack Wheeler is only 1-2 in four starts for New York, but the righty has 21 strikeouts in just over 23 innings of work.  Wheeler faced the Marlins once last season, and he gave up just 2 runs and three hits in seven innings of work.  The Marlins are 1-8 on the road this season where they are hitting .220 as a team while scoring 2.4 runs per game.  Their lone road win this season came in Atlanta in a game they won 1-0.

Henderson Alvarez is 1-2 in four starts for Miami.  He has pitched much better at home than on the road.  Alvarez has allowed 18 hits in his two road starts this season; he also allowed five walks in those two games.  New York’s offense has scored 7 runs in their last two games which is a sign they are coming around; they scored just 11 total runs in their previous five games.  David Wright, Curtis Granderson and Chris Young are good hitters that are starting to produce for the Mets.  Miami’s bullpen has been awful as they are 0-5 with a 7.12 ERA on the road.  New York has won 12 of their last 18 games at home in this series, and we expect another solid win in this game on Friday night.

9* Play METS (-) (action).

Texas and Oakland wrap up their 3-game series on Wednesday afternoon.  The Rangers’ Martin Perez has solid numbers so far this season, but he has been pitching at home.  Things will be different this afternoon in Oakland, especially since Perez is 2-3 with a 5.79 ERA in five career starts against Oakland.  The Athletics are 8-1 in day games while putting up 5 runs per game; they are hitting .281 as a team.  The Rangers’ bullpen has been abysmal on the road posting a 4.94 ERA this season.

Normally, I do not look to play favorites in this high of a price range, however Oakland's Sonny Gray remains extremely underrated.  My power ratings make Oakland a -220 favorite in this game today, so we get tremendous value which equates to a 7% long-term expected ROI (return on investment) at the current line.  Gray has been the team ace so far this season and he has given up just 5 earned runs and 25 hits in 25 innings of work.  Gray has only faced one hitter in the Texas lineup, and that gives him the edge in this game.  Texas is too inconsistent of an offense to give Gray much of a struggle in this game.  The 24-year old has been incredible in his first 16 MLB appearances, dating back to his debut last July, with a 2.43 ERA and a dominating 1.18 WHIP and .226 BAA.  We expect Oakland to notch a solid home win in this game on Wednesday afternoon.

9* Play ATHLETICS (-) (action).

The Giants and Padres continue their series in San Diego on Saturday night.  Eric Stults is still looking for his first win of the year for the Padres; he has allowed 11 runs and 21 hits in three starts.  Stults is 6-4 with a 5.44 ERA in 15 career starts against the Giants.  Joaquin Arias (7-19), Brandon Crawford (3-9), Angel Pagan (5-18), Hunter Pence (8-25), Buster Posey (7-15), Marco Scutaro (5-17) and Pablo Sandoval (12-22) all smack the southpaw around.  The Giants are 4-3 versus left-handed starters so far this year, and they’ll get to Stults like they’ve done before.

San Francisco’s Tim Hudson is 2-0 in three starts this season.  He has pitched 23 innings without allowing a walk.  Hudson is 6-1 with a 2.84 ERA in 12 career starts against San Diego.  Everth Cabrera (2-11), Chase Headley (2-16), Xavier Nady (4-17), Seth Smith (0-8) and Will Venable (3-13) all struggle with the veteran.  The Padres have a woeful offense, and they will struggle to score runs against Hudson and the fantastic Giants’ bullpen.  We expect San Francisco to notch a solid road win in this game on Saturday night.

9* Play GIANTS (-) (action).

The Mets welcome the Braves to town on Friday night.  Jon Niese has pitched well in his two starts for New York, giving up 5 runs and 12 hits, striking out nine while walking two.  Niese is 6-4 with a 3.62 ERA in 15 career starts against the Braves.  He has had his success against Chris Johnson (3-13), Jordan Schafer (0-9) and BJ Upton (1-7).  Atlanta’s offense has struggled at times this season, and they scored just 10 total runs in their last series against the Phillies. 

Atlanta’s Aaron Harang is pitching over his head right now; he has allowed just 2 runs and nine hits in over 18 innings of work.  He lost to the Mets back on April 8th, and he is 4-5 with a 5.20 ERA in 11 career starts against New York.  Daniel Murphy (6-14), Ruben Tejada (6-12), David Wright (11-24), Chris Young (7-24) and Eric Young Jr. (5-8) all hit Harang hard.  The Mets are flying high after a road sweep of the Diamondbacks, and they’ll return home with a lot of momentum.  We expect the Mets to notch a solid home win in this game on Friday night.

10* Play METS (-) (action).

Two southpaws take center stage as the Giants and Dodgers take the field on Thursday afternoon.  San Francisco’s Madison Bumgarner already has a win over the Dodgers this season after giving up 2 runs and eight hits in just over six innings of work; he struck out ten batters in that game as well.  Bumgarner is 2-0 with a 3.31 ERA in three starts this season.  Overall, Bumgarner is 9-3 with a 2.63 ERA in 12 career starts against Los Angeles.  AJ Ellis (2-13), Andre Ethier (3-24), Adrian Gonzalez (3-23), Matt Kemp (4-22), Yasiel Puig (3-12) and Hanley Ramirez (4-20) all have had poor numbers against the Giants’ starter. 

Los Angeles’ Hyun-Jin Ryu gave up 8 runs and eight hits at home to the Giants in an 8-4 loss back on April 4th.  Ryu is 2-3 with a 3.89 ERA in six career starts against the Giants.  Angel Pagan (5-8), Hunter Pence (6-15), Buster Posey (4-15), Pablo Sandoval (4-14) and Marco Scutaro (5-12) all hit the southpaw hard.  The Giants are averaging 5 runs per game in five games against left-handed starters this season.  They are putting up 5.6 runs per game in the daytime, and they will get to Ryu this afternoon.  San Francisco also has a huge bullpen edge over Los Angeles.  We expect the Giants to notch a solid home win in this game on Thursday afternoon.

10* Play GIANTS (-) (action).

Cincinnati goes for the series victory over Pittsburgh on Wednesday afternoon.  The Reds’ Johnny Cueto has allowed 5 runs and 13 hits while striking out 23 batters in 21 innings this season.  Despite pitching well, Cueto has no victories in three starts.  The righty is 13-5 with a 2.51 ERA in 22 career starts against Pittsburgh; he has allowed 4 earned runs and 10 hits in his last three starts against them.  Clint Barmes (2-14), Russell Martin (1-11), Andrew McCutchen (9-39) and Neil Walker (6-28) have had their problems with Cueto.  Pittsburgh is only hitting .195 in five day games this season, and their offense continues to be a major problem. 

Pittsburgh’s Francisco Liriano is also winless, but unlike Cueto, he has been bad.  Liriano has allowed 8 runs and 15 hits in his three starts.  Liriano has just one win in five career starts against the Reds; he lost his last road game in Cincinnati back on July 19th.  Todd Frazier (3-9), Ryan Ludwick (4-9), Devin Mesoraco (2-6) and Brandon Phillips (3-11) hit the southpaw well.  The Reds are scoring 5 runs per game against left-handed starters, and their lineup is finally hitting consistently.  We expect Cincinnati to notch a solid home win in this game on Wednesday afternoon.

9* Play REDS (-) (action).

Oakland and Los Angeles continue their series on Tuesday night.  The Angels’ Garrett Richards has flashed great stuff so far this season, giving up just 1 run and four hits in two starts.  Richards also has 13 strikeouts in 12 innings of work.  The Angels’ starter has pitched well against the A’s despite lacking a win against them.  Yoenis Cespedes (2-9), Alberto Callaspo (0-6) and John Jaso (2-8) have poor numbers against Richards.  Oakland is only hitting .236 against right-handed starters this season, and we expect them to struggle against Richards in this game tonight.

Dan Straily is 1-1 for the A’s so far this season after facing the Twins and Mariners.  Straily is 1-3 with a 5.82 ERA in six career starts against the Angels; he lost three straight starts against them last year.  He allowed 10 runs and 22 hits in those outings.  Erick Aybar (6-12), Albert Pujols (6-14) and Mike Trout (6-15) have good numbers against Straily.  We’ll back Los Angeles in this game as we expect them to notch a solid home win over Oakland on Tuesday night.

10* Play ANGELS (-) (action).