White Sox -158 4.5* MLB POD
Iwakuma only pitched in relief against the White Sox last year, but facing the White Sox lineup that was 3rd in the league a year ago in HR could be a major issue for a guy that was among the league's leaders in HR/FB ratios at 17%. He'll have to contend with Adam Dunn, Konerko and Rios in the middle of the line up and do it all on the road where he has not been able to put up great numbers posting a 4.20 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP a year ago. The White Sox are 24-11 in their last 35 home starts vs. a RH starter.

On the flip side Chris Sale had a 2.30 ERA at home and a 2.79 ERA during the day. He'll face the Mariners line up that was ranked 24th in OPS vs. LHP and 30th with a .625 OPS during day games where they were 23-30. The White Sox were 31-23 during day games and ranked 12th with a .738 OPS. White Sox bullpen is also playing excellent and Sale should get to 7 innings as he had a 2.93 ERA in 2 starts vs. the Mariners a year ago with a total of 15.1 IP thrown. The White Sox have owned the Mariners going 40-15 in their last 55 home meetings with them.

[b]Nationals +107 3* MLB POD[/b]
The Reds will continue to struggle scoring runs vs LHP until Ryan Ludwick is back which won't be for a long time. Ludwick had a .936 OPS vs. LHP last year help leading the Reds to good stats vs. lefties. The Reds will face off against Ross Detwiler today who in 4 career starts has yet to earn a win against the Reds despite a 3.13 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. I think that win comes today as he's backed by the best bullpen in baseball. This will be one of the few games the Reds won't have the best bullpen and Detwiler has also been excellent during his day starts posting a 2.35 ERA over his last 10 day starts. Washington also had the 6th best OPS during day games last year with a .756 and their hitters have a ton of success against Mike Leake, who is making the start.

Leake is not a special pitcher. Won't blow you away with his stuff and he posted a 5.12 ERA this spring while opponents had a .333 average against him. Leake gave up 11 ER in 2 starts vs. the Nationals last year and I expect those struggles to continue today as they have a .904 OPS and 5 HR in just 81 combined at bats vs. him. Leake had a 6.25 ERA during 8 starts last year and posted a 5.54 ERA at home. Overall he has a 5.13 ERA in 6 starts vs. the Nationals in his career and his main issue is home runs. He had a 16.7% HR/FB rate last year which was one of the worst last year. The Nationals are just 14th in FB%, but they get the most bang for their buck ranking 4th in HR/FB a year ago with a 13.1%. This is a bad match up for the Reds and all signs are pointing towards a Nationals victory and we have crazy good value with the Nationals as an under dog.

White Sox -137 3.5* MLB POD
I think this is a good match up for a White Sox veteran led team facing Blake Beavan who is an extreme contact pitcher. He's got good control, but he was the 2nd lowest in K/9 (3.96) among pitchers with 150+ innings pitched in 2012. This is nothing new for Beavan who has a K/9 average of just over 5 in the minors. Beavan will return to the minors most likely when others get healthy. In two starts vs. the White Sox last year he was nothing special going 11 innings giving up 18 BR and 7 ER and Paul Konerko and Alex Rios are 6-10 with a HR against him. The White Sox are also 23-10 in their last 33 vs. a RH starter at home and I expect that success against RHP to continue where they were ranked 10th in OPS last year.

The Mariners on the other hand were 24th vs. LHP in OPS and have a .159 average vs. lefties through the first few games of 2013. They'll face Jose Quintana who is similar to Beavan in that he's not going to strike a lot of guys out as he lacks an elite pitch, but I like how he looked in spring posting a 2.03 ERA compared with Beavan's 6.52 ERA in spring. Quintana despite his ERA pitched better at home, struck more guys out, walked less guys and got more ground balls. I expect him to have a better ERA at home than last year and he'll be backed by a bullpen that could be one of the best in baseball. They are a mixture of young live arms and savy veterans which is usuallya recipe for success. Mariners are just 14-39 in their last 53 games in Chicago.

Phillies +117 3* MLB POD
I think we get great value here with Cliff Lee on the mound. Lee had a 3.16 ERA last year and only managed 6 wins so he'll be extra motivated to get wins early this year while he has a healthy line up to back him up for the first time in a while. The Phillies will have Utley, Rollins and Howard in the line up who are a combined 8-19 vs. Kris Medlen who was on fire to end the year last year. I think odds are high on Medlen because of last year and there is not a huge body of work and not a lot of success for him in the early season. He had a 7.23 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP this spring and I'll trust the more veteran pitcher in this situation.

It's also important to note the Phillies were 12th in OPS vs. RHP last year while the Braves were 23rd vs. LHP.

Dbacks -118 3* MLB POD
70% of the public are pounding the Cardinals here after losing game 1 in this series. The Diamondbacks had 15 hits yesterday and although their team is not full of a ton of power they have a lot of speed and contact hitters which should be a good match up for them today as they face off against Jaime Garcia. Garcia had a solid spring, but he's a pitcher I don't trust on the road where he posts a 5.02 ERA a year ago compared to his 2.82 ERA. That was no coincidence going back the last three years Garcia has a 4.46 ERA road and a 2.33 at home. Arizona also hits lefties hard ranking 8th last year in OPS where I think they can actually improve. Garcia is also just 0-7 in his last 7 starts when facing an opponent that is coming off a game in which they scored 5 or more runs. I expect the Dbacks to stay hot here tonight.

Trevor Cahill takes the mound for the Diamondbacks after posting a 1.86 ERA during the spring. He actually was rather dominant to close the season last year posting a 2.62 ERA over his last 5 starts. At just 25 years old there is no reason to believe that the ground ball pitcher can't continue to get better. This game may turnover to the bullpens where the Diamondbacks have a significant advantage where they could have the best bullpen in the league this year with David Hernandez, Brad Ziegler, Heath Bell and JJ Putz rounding out the group. They were 10th last year while the Cardinals were 20th in ERA. Cardinals are also without one of there better relievers in Jason Motte who posted a 2.75 ERA last year. Add in that David Freese is also on the DL and the Cardinals could get off to a very slow start.

Oakland A's -106 1* Free Play
A's had a great run last year and many doubt they can return to that great form in 2013. A lot of that will depend on the health of Brett Anderson, who when healthy can be one of the best. Anderson's last 8 starts vs the Mariners have been ridiculous posting a 0.85 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP. Seattle was 24th with .679 OPS vs. LHP and were not a very good road or hitting team. They did pick a couple offensive weapons in a trade, but Morales is just a .218 hitter vs LHP over the last 3 years so he's likely to not help them in this match up.

Of course the Mariners send their ace to the mound, but Felix Hernandez just signed a 175 million dollar contract. Pound for pound I've called him the best pitcher in baseball, but signing a contract like that sometimes sends players into a slump and I have to wonder where his concentration could be. Even if he's 100% focused I still like the As at home where they are 35-16 in their last 51 vs RH starter. Felix also has a higher ERA on the road and during night games and the A's are backed by a better bullpen.

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Reds -108 4* MLB POD (1-5*scale)
I think we are getting tremendous value here with the Reds if you look at all of the facts. First of all the Angels are getting a lot of pre season hype and rightfully so after signing Josh Hamilton to add to that line up. So naturally we are going to get an inflated line on the side of the Angels early this season as the public will back them.

In this match up the pitching match up is pretty even among the starters. Johny Cueto has been a dominant force and so has Weaver. Cueto though has a 19-5 day record over the last 3 years with a 2.03 ERA and also posts a 2.58 ERA at home over that period of time while the Reds have won 17 of his last 21 home starts. Cueto is backed by the best bullpen in the game from last year which likely won't change as the Reds kept Chapman in the bullpen instead of moving him to the rotation. Broxton, Marshall and Lecure make up a deep bullpen for this Reds team.

Jered Weaver is always in the running for the Cy Young and last year was no different when he posted an ERA below 3. However his xFIP was 4.18 as it seemed he was very lucky with a .241 BABIP. He is a fly ball pitcher which could be dangerous playing in Cinci. The Reds traded for Shin-Soo Choo to upgrade their offense and it could pay dividends right away as Choo is 13-29 vs. Weaver. The Angels are backed by a poor bullpen that did get a few upgrades from last season, but Ryan Madson will start the year on the DL so once again their bullpen will be a real weakness. The Angels are also 0-5 in Weaver's last 5 starts as an under dog and he has a 3.42 ERA on the road over the last 3 years which is nearly a run higher than Cueto's production at home over that period of time. Reds also were 9th in OPS during game days to the Angels 16th ranking last year while their pitching ERA is #1 compared to the Angels 4.11 ERA (22nd) during day games.

Cardinals +127 4* MLB POD
The Cardinals have won their last 6 elimination games dating back to last season. They are 11-4 in their history in game 7's while the Giants have never won a game 7 and that dates back to when they were the NY Giants. Their ace takes the mound for game 7, but Cain has no pitched like an ace and going up against the Cardinals who are struggling to hit shouldn't help as he has an ERA of 5.89 and a 1.42 WHIP over three starts this year. Jon Jay, Matt Carpenter and Carlos Beltran are red hot vs. Cain. It won't be the worst thing if Holliday can't play today as Carpenter has been great filling in for him and is 5-6 against Cain with a HR in game 3. On the flip side the Giants have come up with some timely hitting, but Pence/Posey are a combined 6-45 in the series. If the Cardinals can avoid Scutoro having a big day who is only 3-15 vs. Lohse they should be able to again win in the under dog role.

Giants +125 4* MLB Play I like the Giants here tonight in a series that looks destined to go 7 games. The Giants are backed by Lincecum tonight who looked like his old self against the Reds and it's looking like he may not have to go up against Carlos Beltran. I expect him to pitch well and for the Giants to get to Adam Wainwright because they have hit him hard over their careers.

Yankees -110 2.2* play; NYY/DET U7 -120 4.5* MLB POD Both pitchers come into this game pitching extremely well of late and both teams continue to struggle to hit. They play in a ball park where its cold and known for being pitcher friendly. The Tigers are far worse vs. LHP than they are than RHP and I think CC will throw his best game of the post season knowing the Yankees line up is struggling. MLB umpire Jeff Nelson will be behind the plate and is known for having a big strike zone. In games with a total of 8 or less he is 11-5-1 in favor of the under. He's also in the top 5 in fewest walks per game so you know both pitchers will have to give up runs to actual hits which just have not been abundant in this series.

Yankees +170 5* MLB POD
I think we are getting this line at great value right now considering all the facts. First of all Justin Verlander still in his career has a subpar ERA in post season play. It's one thing to shut down the A's, but now facing against a Yankee team that has over 300 career AB. It's clear that Joe Girardi is going to shake this line up up because they are not hitting and I think the day off is something that's going to benefit the Yankee players. Yankees are 16-5 in their last 21 games following an off day and are 21-7 in their last 28 following a loss. Yankees have plenty of success against Justin Verlander going 7-4 in his last 11 starts including post season play. Their line up has 13 combined HR against him and that includes 2 HR from Arod in 6 AB this year.

Phil Hughes out dueled Justin Verlander at Detroit back in June going for a complete game win allowing just 4 hits. Take Miguel Cabrera out who hit everyone and Johny Peralta who are just far enough apart in the line up where Hughes can pitch around and the line up is 7-44 against Hughes. I think he pitches well enough to get a win here tonight and the Yankees will pull out all the stops to make a series out of this one. After all they are 22-7 in their last 29 with Hughes starting following a teams loss.

Cardinals +108 4* MLB POD
There is a ton of value on the Cardinals once again tonight. Once this series goes back to St. Louis I see the Giants stealing a game or two depending on the match ups but right now this is one that does not favor a hot hitting Cardinals team that is full of confidence. I

Cardinals + 5* MLB POD
Adam Wainwright is a very bad match up for the Nationals who have already been struggling to hit the ball in this series. The Nationals score runs via the home run and it does not bode well for them against Wainwright who only averages 0.68 HR/9. Wainwright pitched like his old self down the stretch and should be fresh and ready to go for Game 5. Meanwhile Gio Gonzalez will have a hard time he gave up 7 BB

Reds -120 4.5* MLB POD
Despite the momentum being on the side of the Giants and the Reds haven

Reds -120 4.5* MLB POD
Despite the momentum being on the side of the Giants and the Reds haven

Yankees -164 5* MLB POD
This is a great spot for the Yankees facing a RH fly ball pitcher at home and we are not paying too much considering they have arguably their best pitcher in Hiroki Kuroda going at home tonight. Gonzalez has nice road starts, but the Yankees have already seen him twice and he gives up over a HR/9 and he also allows just 34.9 GB % which would be the third least among starters. His xFIP is 4.63 so his raw stats lead me to believe that he's not as good as he has pitched so far. This is a tough spot for the 28 year old rookie and he's been a bit lucky with a .260 BABIP and a 82.6% LOB. I think the Yankees at home where they are dominant 15-3 following an off day should be able to get to Gonzalez with runners on base or via the home run. They are 10-2 this year at home vs. RH starters who have a GB% under 45% and those starters posted a 5.54 ERA.

I looked at this stat because the Yankees win via the home run and they also win against RHP because they are a lefty heavy line up. They have good numbers against Gonzalez who is over achieving. Despite paying a hefty price of -164 I believe it's worth it and there is actually some value as I believe this line should be more like -180 where it opened, but the line has come down thus showing us value.

Giants +133 4.5* MLB POD
I see a ton of value in the Giants today facing elimination.

Cardinals -107 5**MLB POD I love the Cardinals to rebound here today. First of all Jamie Garcia is an excellent pitcher especially at home where he has a 2.82 ERA this season and dating back the last three years over 38 previous starts he has a 2.33 ERA here in St. Louis. He only gives up 0.52 HR/9 and that makes him a good match up for the Nationals who love to score with home runs. On the flip side Jordan Zimmerann over 5 career starts vs. the CArdinals has a 9.11 ERA. He pitched his best game vs. the Cardinals in his last start but still allowed 9 base runners over 6 innings pitched. Cardinals are still 24-8 in their last 32 home games vs. the Nationals and I think they bounce back here before heading to Washington.

Cardinals +100 5* MLB POD Tough loss last night with the under as 3 runs were scored in the 9th inning and a rare run given up by the Reds closer., but we move onto Sunday. The Cardinals are just on a roll right now and have been playing playoff baseball for quite a while now while the Nationals have known they been in the playoffs for a while. Cardinals are ranked 3rd in hitting vs. LHP and face Gio Gonzalez here today who has a stiff task because the Cardinals have scored 6.53 runs per 9 vs. LHP at home this year. Gonzalez had 18 road starts and posted a solid 3.31 ERA. He was so much better at home and in those 18 starts he only faced 3 top 10 OPS LHP NL teams and in those games he posted a 5.29 ERA. He's definitely taken advantage of weak opponents. Wainwright has a 2.27 ERA over his last 8 home starts and had a 6 inning 1 ER performance against the Nationals in his last start. Cards are 36-17 in their last 53 home games and 24-7 in their last 31 home games vs. the Nationals. The Nationals are the young team here and the Cardinals have a good mix of veteran leadership and young talent. I see the Cardinals taking game 1 here.

A's +180 2* play
What could I possibly like about the A's? With Justin Verlander on the mound and the first Triple Crown winner on the Tigers side? Well it's simple there is a lot of value on the A's and we all saw how momentum and that under dog role can carry a team. Well the A's fit the bill and they have 7 lefty hitters to challenge Verlander. Oakland has scored 5.72 runs per 9 in their last 10 games to the Tigers 3.79 and their bullpen has also been dominant 1.74 over that period to the Tigers 3.00. Parker had a decent game int he beginning of the season against the Tigers and pitched well down the stretch with a 2.31 ERA in September. Oakland is 17-6 in their last 23 road games.

Braves -170 4.5* MLB POD
I know we are not getting great odds here with a tall favorites, but I believe it

Cardinals -128 4* MLB POD
I like the Cardinals today with Chris Carpenter looking solid in his first two starts back from the DL. The Reds also are not nearly as powerful vs. RHP as they are against LHP. They are 18th in OPS on the road and 23rd in OPS vs. RHP. Meanwhile the Cardinals are pretty balanced and it just so happens they have dominated against Mat Latos who pitches tonight and has been red hot. Latos has an ERA under 3 and an 8-2 record over his last 10 starts, but hold on a minute he has not faced really anyone besides the Brewers and in his start against the Cardinals he allowed 7 ER. The other starts he faced teams ranked 25th, 20th, 27th, 25th, 24th, 26th, 11th, and 13th in OPS vs. RHP. The Cardinals line up tonight remains formidable with an active average of .393 against Latos and Beltran is 4-8 with 3 HR off Latos and has been red hot lately. The Cardinals have even out performed the Reds in the last 10 days in bullpen as the REds bullpen has a 4.76 ERA while the Cards have a bullpen ERA under 2. Reds have also struggled to his lately and are -1.04 runs per 9 on the road compared to what the Cardinals do at home. Cardinals are also 49-22 in their last 71 home games vs. the Reds.

Orioles +120 2* play
Orioles bats are just two hot and the Rays are now officially out of it. I don't see much motivation on the side of the Rays and it's not like they play in a park where there is major home field advantage. I see the Orioles bouncing back from losing yesterday as they have 3 key players with averages over .300 against Shields. Orioles are still playing for the division and home field advantage in the wild card if they don't get the division.

Nationals -142 4* MLB POD
I haven't bet on this team much this year and I still do not think they will make it very far in the playoffs. Yesterday I had the Cardinals dominating them as a max play for the very situation they are in tonight. A win tonight at home they clinch the NL East and they get to celebrate and guess what they will get it done tonight against Kyle Kendrick who they homered against 3 times in his last start. I see Kendrick struggling again and the gritty Nationals will get it done like they have all year long at home and we get pretty decent odds considering the Nationals have .299 and .912 OPS vs. Kendrick in 164 career at bats led by Ryan Zimmerman who is 10-30 and Bryce Harper who is 5-9. Both have been hitting well of late as the Nationals are scoring 5.59 runs per 9 vs. RHP over their last 10 games combined. The Nationals just .204 and 3.95 runs per 9. On the year the Phillies have struggled vs. lefties with just 3.53 runs per 9 on the road.

Cardinals -130 5.5* MLB POD Cards are off a loss and will face the Nationals who can clinch the NL East with a win. I think much of the Nationals would rather do that at home against Philadelphia on Monday and the Cardinals coming off a loss would like to keep their wild card spot and need this win. Lance Lynn is red hot with an ERA under 1 over his last 3 starts since rejoining the rotation after a brief stint in the bullpen. He's got an extra day of rest under his belt compared to Ross Detwiler. Detwiler has a stiff task against the Cardinals who are #3 in OPS vs. LHP and #3 in OPS during day games. The Nationals are also 8-17 in their last 25 road games with Detwiler on the hill and they are 7-23 in their last 30 in St. Louis. Cardinals are 18-6 in their last 24 at home vs. LH starter.

4** MLB POD

Rays -108 4.5* MLB POD I love the Rays in this spot here tonight as they are the hot team winning 8 straight and out scoring teams 55-17 during that span while the White Sox have lost 7 of 8 and are only averaging 2.5 runs per game as Konerko has really struggled in the middle of the line up going just 8-44 in his last 12 games and he has struggled big time vs. Shields just 4-23. Rays are just 3 games out and they are used to playing under pressure as they got into a wild card game jsut a year ago on the last day of the season as they played extremely well down the stretch. With a win they can come within 2 games of the A's who lost earlier today and they have their ace in Shields on the mound. Shields is 7-2 with a 2.04 ERA over his last 10 starts while Peavy is 4-7 with a 4.20 ERA since the All Star break and 2-1 with a 6.48 ERA in 3 career starts vs. the Rays. Upton, Zobrist and Pena are a combined 8-19 with 2 HR and 4 BB and they will be the catalysts for the win here today. Each of them has been quite success of late and throw in Evan Longoria and Jeff Keppinger who are a combined 20-45 over their last 7 days and this line up should get the job done. They are scoring over 8 runs per 9 vs. RHP over their last 10 and are led by the majors best bullpen that is nearly 1 run in ERA better than the Whites Sox.

Ravens -6.5/Over37.5 4.4* NFL POD TEASER
I don't like the middle point spreads of 10.5-13.5 when I like the favorite. Traditionally I like the dog in this match up when a team like Baltimore is coming off a dramatic win, but Cleveland is struggling and is just 2-6 ATS in their last 8 vs. Baltimore. Cleveland also is the same team that just comes off a poor performance at home against the Bills allowing 24 points. Going on the road against the Ravens who are scoring frequently I'm confident the Ravens will score in bunches. Baltimore is 1st in red zone conversions as far as TD% goes and although the Browns are tough against the pass they are not the same without Joe Haden. This is a different Ravens team than in years past as they slowly shift to a pass first mentality behind Joe Flaco who is quietly turning into a star (101 QB rating this year). Andy Dalton put up 318 yards on 24/31 against the Browns secondary and they managed 34 points and they were just 1-3 in the red zone. Just imagine what Flaco will be able to do along with his balanced rushing attack. Cleveland should be able to put up some points as the Ravens defense does look older and a step slower. I expect a score of 34-10 or 34-17, but I like the teaser a whole lot better than the spread.

Angels -136 4.5* MLB POD
The Mariners are losers of 11 of 16 while the Angels are winners of 23 of 32 and I feel confident we are getting good odds here based on the Angels success this year vs. King Felix who has yet to throw a quality start against them. Part of the difference has been Trumbo,Trout and Pujols who all have homered off Felix and are combined 16-51. The Angels have two other hitters that are hitting over .300 vs. Felix in Morales and Hunter. I expect that to be a difference maker with Wilson on the mound who should be fresh in this one. The Mariners are 25th in OPS vs. LHP this year and have struggled vs. Wilson who posts a 1.53 ERA over his last 5 starts vs. the Mariners. Seattle is also just 17-42 in their last 59 against the Angels.

Marlins +135 3* dog
Marlins in a rare spot to get a win for Josh Johnson who has absolutely dominated the Braves over his career. This line is way off and add in the fact that the Braves are in a hang over spot after clinching the playoffs after a walk off win and I feel confident that Johnson will pitch a gem tonight and get a win. Johnson has a 2.29 ERA in three starts this year anda 2.29 in 19 appearances vs. the Braves in his career including a career 1.49 ERA at Atlanta. How he's a +135 under dog is public perception.. I don't see Atlanta having a ton to play for down the stretch. 4 games out of the division they are unlikely to catch the Nationals. Atlanta also has not hit that well lately with just a .196 average in their last 10 vs. RHP.

Dodgers -114 4.5* MLB POD
A day off and the Dodgers should be mentally back in it as they are 15-7 following an off day over their last 22. Tuesday night they get to face Edinson Volquez who walks more guys per 9 innings than any other pitcher in baseball. I think that gets this team into good hitting counts and will allow them to put up some runs. Adrian Gonzalez finally snapped out of his slump and hit 2 solo home runs on Sunday so watch for him as he's 2-6 against Volquez. Victorino/Ellis/Ethier/ and Kemp are a combined 20-48 off Volquez and the team collectively shares a .430 OBP which is just huge.

I think Josh Beckett will benefit big time from playing in a big ball park like Petco where the Dodgers are 10-5 over their last 15 visits. Look for this to be a nice clutch game from him and look for the Dodgers to continue to hit Volquez who in 4 starts this year has pitched 5 innings in each game. Overall he has just a 6.30 ERA in those starts, but this game should get to the bullpen quick and his 2.00 WHIP suggests that his ERA should be much higher.

5**mlb play of the day

Arizona Dbacks -133 4.5* MLB POD
Colorado is losers of 13 of 15 and 4 of their last 5 to the Diamondbacks who are still playing for the wild card spot. Wade Miley is 3-0 with a 1.88 ERA in 4 appearances 3 starts vs. the Rockies who could be without Carlos Gonzalez their best hitter in tonight's game after leaving his last game with a leg injury. Arizona will go up against Drew Pomeranz and I think the Diamondbacks have a major advantage here in the pitching match up.

First of all the Dbacks are 7th in OPS vs. LHP this year and Pomeranz has not pitched well at home which is no surprise given his stat line. He' snot a guy that is over powering and he's walking nearly 4 guys per 9. He also has 13.5% HR/FB percentage which is not a good mix for Coors Field. To put things in perspective Wade Miley is 4th among starters with a 7% HR/FB and is walking less than 2 guys per 9. That's a major advantage here along with the bullpen of the Diamondbacks which has a 1.04 ERA over their last 10 compared to the Rockies 6.55. Diamondbacks bullpen actually has pitched extremely well all year on the road 2.68 ERA while the Rockies have a 4.94 at home. Colorado even with Gonzalez in the line up will struggle against Miley in 54 AB they have a .222 average and .615 OPS while in just 18 AB the Dbacks are 9-18 and post an OPS over 1.200.

Orioles +140 4* MLB POD
Getting points with the way this team has played is just kind of crazy to me even against Felix. Felix has not been the same ever since his perfect game and with good reason. He's got an ERA of 9 over his last3 starts combined and he hasn't pitched well in games vs. the Orioles of late with many of their hot hitters finding success against him. Markakis, Davis, Jones and Weiters are a combined 33-91 off him and Mark Reynolds is 1-4 with a HR.

On the flip side Joe Saunders goes for the Orioles and he goes up against a Mariners team that is 26th in OPS vs. LHP. Saunders also has had plenty of success over his career vs. the Mariners who are struggling to hit right now and were 0-17 with runners in scoring position last night. Saunders has an ERA of 0.83 in his last 5 starts at Safeco.

Brewers -138 2.5* play
Estrada has posted a 1.76 ERA in 4 career starts vs. the Pirates who are struggling big time today. I love his stat line going up against a Pirates team that has clearly struggled and he's backed by a bullpen that's red hot along with an offense that continues to be productive. The Brewers bullpen has a 2.04 ERA over their last 10 games while they are averaging over 5 runs per game. Estrada also has a 1.52 ERA over his last 5 starts and is averaging 9.34 K/9 with under 2 BB/9. I expect him to dominate in tonight's game and in a ball park as big as PNC Estrada won't be hurt by his tendency to give up a lot of flyballs.

On the flip side the Pirates are so desperate they are starting rookie McPherson and it's clear he won't be able to go deep into the game as he's been focusing on relief appearances lately. The Pirates have a 9.56 bullpen ERA over their last 5 games alone so that will be a key in tonight's game and it's a key I think the Brewers have an advantage on. McPherson also shouldn't be particularly hard to figure out as he has 2 pitches, fastball and a curveball.

Cubs -110 4* MLB POD
The Pirates have fallen into the tank and pretty quickly. The Cubs on the other hand have played really well of late winners of 7 of 9 while the Pirates have lost 8 of 9. There is clearly no pressure on the Cubs and the Pirates collectively are just playing awful baseball right now.

Kevin Correia has struggled vs. some of the Cubs hitters as Castro/Barney/Dejesus are a combined 17-43 against him and right now all three are batting over .300 in their last 7 days. The Cubs are scoring 6.22 runs per 9 over their last 10 vs. RHP and are 11-4 in their last 15 as a home favorites while the Pirates are 33-71 in their last 104 road games vs. a LH starter whom they face on Monday. Travis Wood has good stats as the Pirates have a .617 OPS and a .195 average in 77 AB against including McCutchen who is only 1-10.

Yankees -103 4* MLB POD
The Yankees are getting good value here even though Ivan Nova comes off the disable list he seems to be 100% and over his last 4 starts vs. the Rays he's got a 1.88 ERA while the Yankees are #1 in OPS vs. RHP and during day games the Rays are 26th in OPS vs. RHP and 20th during day games. The Yankees will face a familiar face in James Shields who is in hte top 25 in HR allowed this year and he's allowed 19 against the Yankees hitters in his career. He's also on extra rest following a complete game. In both of his road starts this year at Yankee Stadium he came off 5 days rest and it didn't help as he allowed 8 ER in 11 innings. Shields is red hot right now and you would think the Rays would -130 or so with Shields on the mound and Nova coming off the disable list, but his splits do not favor the match up with the Yankees. As left handed hitters dominate with 17 HR this year and he's also given up 13 HR on the road in less innings than what he's done at home. Well the Yankees are at home and will have a ton of lefties in the line up. Shields is also in the top 20 in HR/FB ratio with a 13.2% ratio... The Yankees are a fly ball hitting team and this is the match up they want and I think they'll win.

Phillies -140 4* MLB POD
The Phillies are already playing like it's October and I like their chances again here tonight. They have won 15 of 19 and they face Lucas Harrell who has pitched well at home, but the way the Phillies are hitting and playing he's going to have a tough time. First of all the Phillies will start it with 4 straight LH batters and that's going to be a challenge for RHP Lucas Harrell. Harrell also relies on the ground ball as he's third in the league in GB%. Actually the two guys ahead of him are Jake Westbrook and Trevor Cahill who have similar stats across the board. The Phillies are 4-1 in those 5 games they have faced the top 3 in GB%. Westbrook/Cahill have combined for a 5.10 ERA and they were even worse when the Phillies were the visiting team. I expect the Phillies to continue to pitch well out of the bullpen and for the Astros to continue being one of the leagues worst teams.

Yankees -150 5.5* MLB POD Max play tonight on the Yankees as they have a major advantage in their line up going up against Aaron Cook. The Yankees will put 7 left handed hitters in the line up and all have had success against Aaron Cook as they are a combined 20-47 for a .425 average and 3 HR. Cook in 2 career starts has allowed more than 2 runners on base per inning vs. the Yankees and has a 10.24 ERA. Cook also has struggled at home with a 5.15 ERA, but he's struggled vs. lefties who have a .315 average and an .823 OPS. The Red Sox did not look dead last night with a walk off win, but I think they will have a nice hang over today as the Yankees will dominate behind David Phelps who is striking out more than 9 guys per 9 and he's got great stats against the Red Sox key players - Ellsbury, Pedroia, and Ross are a combined 2-15. Phelps is set up to pitch well as he is on 5 days rest and should be able to hand the game over to an effective bullpen.

Cardinals -124 3* LNF Bonus
This team has been struggling, but this is the game they come out of it. They should have runners on base all game long with Edinson Volquez's inability to throw strikes. They have good numbers in 79 AB they have a 1.006 OPS with a .436 OBP vs. Volquez. Meanwhile we get great value because of Wainwright's struggles too, but against the Padres he's dominated in 64 AB the line up has .462 OPS against and Wainwright in 4 career starts posts a 3-1 record and a 0.58 ERA with a 0.83 WHIP. The Padres have been scoring runs, but they haven't faced a dominating RHP in a while. Actually since Matt Cain back on August 17th when they lost 1-10. This team struggles more vs. RHP than lefties especially at home so expect the Cardinals to dominate tonight!

Twins -129 4.5* MLB POD
Both of these lines are coming down to our advantage and I'm thinking we have great value.

The Twins will look to win 4 straight and continue their dominance over the Royals who are 7-20 in their last 27 @ Twins. Minnesota is also 41-19 in the last 60 meetings and will start their ace Scott Diamond who is extremely hard to score on because he never walks guys and gets a ton of ground balls. Diamond does not strike a lot of guys out but a 1.45 BB/9 and 56% ground ball ratio will keep you from giving up a lot of runs. There are a few guys that the Royals have faced like him. When you look at Tommy Milone he's up there in terms of BB/9 and Milone combined for 15 IP giving up just 2 ER to the Royals. More notably is Rick Porcello who is a righty and is closer to Diamond's stats. Porcello pitched 13 IP gave up 5 ER. But Diamond is a lefty and the Royals were not nearly as good vs. lefties this year ranking 20th in OPS and are only scoring 3.95 runs per 9 on the road while the Twins are scoring 5.40 runs per 9 at home vs. LHP.

They get Will Smith who if you ask me shouldn't be pitching. IN two starts vs. the Twins he's struggled giving up 17 hits and 10 ER along with 4BB's in 10.2 IP for an 8.44 ERA. The Twins have an OPS over 1.000 against Smith who hasn't started since September 1st. Smith carries a 4.97 ERA on the road with a 1.47 WHIP. He is nothing special looking at his stats with less than 6 K/9, over 3BB/9 AND A 43.7% GB rate with 13% HR/FB. The closest match is Jason Vargas and Ubaldo Jimenez who both struggled in Minnesota this year each gave up more than 5 ER. The Twins have been giving us good value for a long time now and I'll continue to back them especially with Diamond on the mound. It also doesn't hurt that he's getting 7.5 runs of support during his starts this year, the best in the majors!

Reds -166 4* MLB POD
Not a ton of value out there, but its hard to ignore the Reds success vs. LHP over the last few years. They are 22-8 in their last 30 overall vs. LH starter and their offense hasn't faced one in a while so this could be what they need to break out of their little slump. 2-4 hitters are a combined 36-106 off Wandy Rodriguez and the Pirates look dead after getting swept by the Cubs over the weekend. Not a lot of value in the line, but I believe Matt Latos success and the Reds bullpen should carry them through with a relatively easy win. Latos has held Pittsburgh hitters to a .478 OPS in 80 AB.

4.5* MLB POD

2* BONUS

Cardinals -132 4.5* MLB POD
Yovani Gallardo to me is an over rated pitcher and the Brewers are 1-10 when he pitches and they play the Cardinals. They are also 6-20 in his last 26 starts as an under dog which has not happened much this year that's why he's having a good year. That's because he has just 4 starts vs. a team with an OPS in the top 10 vs. RHP. 2 of them were against the Cardinals in which he got rocked twice allowing 14 ER in 5.2 IP. Take his other 24 starts and the average opponent's OPS vs. RHP has a rank of 19.7 and the 4 starts vs. the Reds brings that down a bit. Collectively the Cardinals have a .978 OPS against Gallardo who will also be one 4 days rest 1 day less than Kyle Lohse who has dominated the Brewers this year. Beltran, Holliday, Freese and Molina who are all in the line up are 10-14 with 5 BB's this year against Gallardo and all of them have hit a home run.

Lohse is the main reason the Cardinals are where they are and I don't see it changing he's on 5 days rest where he has a 2.40 ERA this year pitching on 5 days rest or more in 7 home starts all but 1 was a quality start. The Brewers have a road win % of less than .400 and the Cardinals are 40-14 in their last 54 home games when they play a bad road team. Lohse will also have the ability to face 7 of 9 righties who he has owned this year as they have posted just a .598 OPS against him. He won't have to up against Aramis Ramirez who won't be in the line up which is another plus. Overall Lohse has a 2.25 ERA on the year and the Brewers were slowed down by Josh Johnson yesterday to end their hot streak. I still think we are getting a nice number here considering how much better the Cardinals are. As they are scoring more than 1.14 runs per 9 at home than the Brewers on the road and we talked about the starting pitching advantage, but the Cardinals also enjoy a better bullpen. Brewers have a 5.06 bullpen ERA over their last 10 games combined.

Orioles +106 4** MLB POD
The Orioles are just locked in right now and a good portion of their line up has good stats against Brandon Morrow who gets the nod for the Jays on 4 days rest after 102 pitches his last time out. Morrow in his last 3 vs. the Orioles at home has given up 11 ER in just 16.2 IP and he's had plenty of starts against them in his career where he didn't get to the 7th inning. This is just his third start cominb back from the DL and I don't know how much length the Jays will get out of him before they turn it over to a bullpen that has an ERA 2.2 higher at home than the Orioles have on the road.

The Orioles starter Miguel Gonzalez is pitching beautifully and has a 2.51 ERA away and a 0.87 ERA in 10+ innings on turf this year. The Jays haven't really seen him so it will be a major challenge for a team that has a .581 OPS over the last 7 days. Morrow has the capability of being dominant but the Orioles bats are just too hot right now and they have plenty of LH hitters to get good looks.

White Sox -156 4* MLB POD I love the Sox here as they return off an awful road trip. They have been great at home winning 21 of their last 26 games and are 22-7 in their last 29 meetings with the Twins. This will be a must win type of series and they needed to play a team they have had a lot of success against. The White Sox will face Deduno for hte first time and he's just a different pitcher on the road with a 4.68 ERA and a .292 opponents average. He has major control issues with 5.74 BB/9 so the White Sox are going to get plenty of chances for good pitches to hit. Deduno only walked 1 guy in his last two starts, as he is being more aggressive as he put it, but being aggressive vs. an aggressive team like the White Sox will give him major issues. I have a feeling he will be off as this is just his 4th road start on only 4 days rest. He's got a 6.60 ERA in the previous 3 starts and the White Sox are scoring 5.65 runs per 9 vs. RHP at home while the Twins are only scoring 3.34 vs. LHP on the road. The White Sox have also had a lot of success vs. RH starters who walk a lot of guys. They beat Jiminez twice, Yu Darvish and took 2 of 3 from Justin Masterson forcing the trio of high walk per 9 guys to post a 6.68 ERA.

Tigers -160 4* MLB POD
For the rest of the season I will fade the young lefties of the White Sox in Chris Sale and Carlos Quintana it's just too much to ask of them to pitch this much and this is another situation where we have a major advantage with Verlander going for the Tigers who is 11-1 with a 2.32 ERA in his last 12 starts vs. the White Sox. He also does not have to face the big bat of Adam Dunn who will be sitting out and he has dominated tonight's clean up hitter Paul Konerko who is just 8-52 against him. Sale has already started to struggle particularly in his road starts allowing 18 runs over his last 4 starts on the road over 24 innings pitched. Look for him to struggle yet again tonight as he did last time in Detroit giving up 5 ER in 7 innings. Verlander is more experienced to pitch on 4 days rest and he loves pitching in his home ball park where he has a 1.75 ERA this year.

Jays -150 4.5* MLB POD Carlos Villanueva won

Tigers -127 4.5* MLB POD
The Tigers bats are starting to come alive as they have 18 runs in their last 3 games. They'll face Bruce Chen who has been nothing special and has struggled vs. lefties which is a rare thing for a LHP as lefties have an .844 OPS against him. Delmon Young, Santiago, Fielder, Cabrera and Andy Dirks are a combined 24-54 against Chen. Chen also has just 2 quality starts on 4 days rest when he's pitching at home and posts a 6.11 ERA combined on 4 days rest at home. I think he'll have his hands full in this situation. Anibal Sanchez meanwhile will be over 5 days rest and fresh for this start. When given extra rest he's pitched back to back quality starts with the Tigers. Sanchez also goes up against the Royals who are 19th in OPS in the month of August and 22nd vs. RHP on the season.

Rangers -122 4.5* MLB POD
I like the Rangers in this spot although they've struggled against scheduled starter James Shields during the regular season in his last two outings (1 post season) he went just 11 innings gave up 19 hits and 11 ER in two starts in Texas. Shields has been pitching great lately, but he faces a Rangers team that's red hot again and is already scoring over 6 runs per 9 vs. RHP , 6.82 over their last 10 due to Adrian Beltre's .520 average and 6 HR over the last 6 games. Rangers have shown they are a streaky team and right now they are hot and are 48-15 in their last 63 following a game where they scored 5 runs or more. They are also 54-23 in their last 77 home games vs. RH starter and Shields is on extra rest which is a bad thing.

Shields has just 2 quality starts on extra rest over 9 total starts. In those other 7 starts he posts a 7.61 ERA. He's coming into this start on extra rest and I'm confident that should throw him off a bit against the red hot Rangers. On the flip side Yu Darvis comes back completely fresh. He's been really streaky, but the Rays have never seen him and I think he matches up well against them.

White Sox -154 5* MLB POD
The White Sox will go for the sweep and they have their stars our there to go up against the veteran Millwood and to me it's a mismatch. Milwood has allowed a .393 average in 112 AB to the White Sox line up. Dunn is 9-22 with 6 HR. Wise is 3-5, Youkilis is 7-15, Konerko is 11-30, Rios is 9-24, it just doesn't stop and Millwood has struggled with a 7.00 ERA over his last 7 road starts. The White Sox are ranked 8th in OPS during day games while the Mariners are 30th with a .608 OPS during day games when they post a 18-23 record, The Sox are 25-17 and are in the middle of a pennant race.

They'll turn to Gavin Floyd who is on 5 days rest with some revenge on the Mariners who got 5 ER off his last home start, but in his previous 5 starts vs. the Mariners who are 30th in the league VS. RHP in OPS they hit 4 HR off him. That's a rare thing for the Mariners and I don't think it gets repeated especially since he's regularly dominated this team that collectively has just 9 hits in 59 AB for a .152 average. Floyd also has 8 quality starts over 12 total starts on 5 days rest. In those 8 starts he posts a 0.99 ERA so I expect him to dominate today.

Orioles -106 4* MLB POD
This game will come down to the bullpens with Brandon Morrow coming off the DL for his first start in over a month he's going to be limited to 85 pitches. The Orioles have 18 HR in 10 games against the Jays this year and there is bound to be more today as they have rocked Morrow at time with 8 HR in just 127 career AB. Hardy,Jones, and Markakis are a combined 16-47 and Chris Davis who is just 2-9 with a HR also has 3 BB's for .417 OBP and he's been red hot with a .350 average and 5 HR over the last 7 days. The Jays meanwhile have been in a hitting slump and even though they got Jose Bautista back last night I think it could be a while. Baltimore's pen should pick up for spot starter Steve Johnson who is too much of an unknown for Toronto to really get a grasp on him the way they've been struggling. It's not like they are hitting what they are seeing and now they have to face a pitcher they've never faced before on the road where they struggle anyway. To put things in perspective the Blue Jays are dead last with a .603 OPS this month. They are 20th on the season in OPS on the road.

Indians +163 2* play
To me there is tremendous value in this pick despite the Indians failure to score runs. It's not like the Yankees are putting up big numbers either as they have been regularly carried by Nick Swisher and Derek Jeter, but how long can that continue? Just in Masterson has an ERA under 3 against the Yankees in 5 career starts and collectively the group has a .595 OPS against him. He also has a 3.27 ERA at home and is on 5 days rest where he carries a 1.89 ERA over 3 home starts on 5 days rest this year. Hiroki Kuroda has been consistent this month, but in every month he's had at least one non quality start. I think this is his start to falter a bit. For on Cleveland actually hits RHP much better and Kuroda has an ERA of 4.23 on the road over 2 runs more compared to at home. He also is coming off a season high 112 pitches in his last start.

Red Sox -172 5* MLB POD; RL +110 2* BONUS
This is the perfect opportunity for the Red Sox to end their losing streak with David Ortiz back in the line up as well as Bruce Chen coming to town who has a 11.45 ERA over his last three starts at Fenway. The Red Sox are hot with the bats too scoring 7.06 runs per 9 at home this year vs. LHP and 6.51 in their last 10. While the Royals are only scoring 3.84 runs per 9 on the road and are hitting .243 scoring 1.88 runs per 9 in their last 10 vs. LHP.

John Lester takes the mound looking for another quality start and I think he's finally turned it around. He's 5-1 with a 1.35 ERA vs. the Royals in his career and he's on extra rest where he's performed well of late pitching to a 3.58 ERA over his last 5 starts on 5 days rest. The Royals line up has a .216 average with 0 HR (13-60) against him tonight while the Red Sox have been great against Chen with a .310 average and 4 HR (18-58). Red Sox are 24-10 in their last 34 home meetings with the Royals and the Royals are 22-56 in their last 78 road games vs. a LH starter. This is a big game for the Sox if they want to get back into the playoff talks this is the turning point with Ortiz coming back.

Rays -135 5* MLB POD
We have been struggling a bit lately with some close losses, but we are confident that we will be turning this around before the football season and it starts with the Rays on Thursday night.

Not only are the Rays just red hot right now, but they get an A's team that is flying across the country to play Thursday without a day off. They are also sending a pitcher to the mound in Tyson Ross who has major control issues with 4.33 BB/9. It just so happens the Rays are #1 right now in BB's and in 22 AB they have a 1.247 OPS against him. On the flip side Alex Cobb makes the start and he already has a 7 inning 1 ER performance vs. the A's who also like to get on base via the walk, but Cobb is only walking 2.52 guys per 9. Cobb has a better chance of pitching a quality game for his team as he has a 3.64 xFIP. I like the fact that he gets a lot of ground balls and he's supported by the Rays bullpen which has an ERA under 1 over their last 10 games and 2.18 at home on the year. The Rays as a team are hitting much better as they are 9th in the month of August with a .751 OPS. Oakland is 2-5 in their last 7 road games and 0-7 with Ross on the mound vs. a winning team.

2** BONUS

4.5* MLB POD

[b]Yankees -108 4.5* MLB POD[/b]
I love the Yankees in this spot nearly all of their hitters have had major success against Gavin Floyd who posts a 4.48 ERA at home and has a WHIP over 1.30 on the year. The Yankees are 28-12 vs. starters with a WHIP greater than 1.30 in their last 40. Also in 209 career AB, Yankee hitters have 13 HR and a .905 OPS. Floyd has struggled vs. LH batters and the Yankees are full of them. lefties have a .925 OPS against Floyd compared with a .639 vs. righties. ON the flip side Freddy Garcia continues to pitch under the radar and has held the White Sox hitters in check - Youkilis, Dunn, and AJ P are a combined 7-53. IF he can pitch around Konerko he'll be in line for another quality start.

Giants -129 5* MLB POD
The Giants have not skipped a beat since Cabrera was suspended scoring 18 runs in their last 2 games and that's just too much for the Padres to keep up with especially going up against Ryan Vogelsong. Vogelsong is on 5 days rest in this match up and he's had a quality start in all 9 starts this year when he's on extra rest where he has posted a 2.07 ERA and went 7 innings in 7 of those starts. He also has a 2.51 ERA during day starts and he pitched a 7 inning 1 ER game vs. the Padres already this year. He'll face them in San Diego where the Padres are hitting just .217 and scoring 3.05 runs per 9 vs. RHP. Over their last 10 they are even worst with a .180 average and a 2.39 runs per 9.

Ont he flip side the Giants bats are working right now and on the road they are scoring 5.17 runs per 9 vs. LHP and 6.62 overall in their last 10. They'll face Clayton Richard who they have hit hard all year long as Richard posts a 7.64 ERA in 3 starts with a 1.75 WHIP. Richard faces a Giants team who in 161 AB against him post a .917 OPS. Richard has been good at home, but not good enough and over the last three years he posts an ERA over 5 during day starts. He'll be on just 4 days rest and not as fresh as Vogelsong going up against a hot line up I'll take my chances with the road team.

Angels -138 2.5* play
I believe the Angels are good enough to avoid a 3 game sweep with Zach Greinke on the mound. After all the Rays are 25th in OPS vs. RHP this year and 24th during day games. The Angels have not been shy of scoring runs it's been there bullpen that's screwing up, but Greinke has the talent to go the distance and over his career he's dominated the Rays as in 172 AB the Rays own a .583 OPS. Greinke looked like himself in his last start and that's a sign of things to come. Matt Moore on the other hand has been a different pitcher on 4 days rest posting a 5.12 ERA this year. This is just his 3rd road start on 4 days rest as they've been very careful with the lefty. In his previous 2 road starts he posts a 9.00 ERA in just 11 IP.

Also the Angels have eaten up pitchers with control issues and are giving up a lot of fly balls. Moore stats are in the top 10 in both 4.13 BB/9 and 38.9 %GB. The closest pitcher to those stats are Ubaldo Jiminez who they have scored 11 ER in just 11.2 IP. Overall they have faced 7 pitchers like this and those starters post a 8.41 ERA. I think the Rays are satisfied going home with a 3-1 trip to LA and I think that's what we'll get.

Twins +119 4.5* MLB POD I love the Twins in this spot, first of all they are scoring just 2.81 runs per 9 vs. LHP at home and are 19-41 in their last 60 home games vs. LH starters. Scott Diamond is really up and coming and he's #1 in BB/9. The Mariners are 3-10 vs. LHP in the top 25 in BB/9 as those starters have posted a 2.92 ERA against them. The better the control the better they pitched and Diamond is one of the best at controlling his pitches. He's also on 5 days rest in this one facing a Mariners team that for the year is 28th vs. LHP in OPS and is 30th with a .615 OPS this August. Meanwhile Jason Vargas who has been great at home goes up against the Twins who are 9th with a .766 OPS vs. LHP and are 13th with a .742 in August. The Twins bullpen has a 2.88 ERA over their last 10 games while the Mariners come in at 4.61. I like this match up and the value we get here at +119.

Athletics -122 4.5* MLB POD The A's return home which should be a positive as they are 18-5 in their last 23 when facing a RH starter which they face on Friday night in Zach McCallister. They are also 26-12 at home in their last 38 meetings with the Indians who are in for a treat Friday night with Tommy Milone fresh. Milone took a start off and should be fresh for his home start where he posts a 2.13 ERA. He's a unique young pitcher who is in the top 10 in control (BB/9) among starting pitchers. The Indians are #1 in the league in BB/9 and that's how they win games, but when they face lefties who they struggle against already 25th in OPS on the year and they have control well they are just flat out not very good. They are a combined 0-7 against lefties in the top 25 in BB/9 while those starters have posted a 2.28 ERA. Milone is 10th in BB/9 behind only Scott Diamond who has thrown 23 IP and has allowed only 2 ER in three wins against the Indians this year. Cleveland has also lost 12 of 13 road games and those 12 losses have come on a 4.9 runs per 9 average. Zach McCallister makest he start for the Indians but it's his first on the West coast. If this game is close late the A's will have another major advantage in their bullpen.

[b]Angels +107 4* MLB POD[/b]
I like this match up a lot. David Price has not pitched nearly well on the road posting a .320 average and many Angels hitters have some good numbers off him and over his last 6 starts he posts a 4.37 ERA. The Angels are 3rd with a .833 OPS in August and have back to back victories scoring 17 runs and I think that will continue tomorrow! Dan Haren should be fresh pitching just 63 pitches in his last start. He also ended July with a 6 IP 1 ER performance at home vs. the Rays and over his previous 4 starts posts a 2.60 ERA vs. the Rays. The Angels have struggled in the bullpen but have been better at home with a 2.60 on the season compared to the Rays 3.98 on the road.

[b]Yankees -115 4.5* MLB POD[/b]
Freddy Garcia has held the Rangers hitter to a .495 OPS in 135 AB while Feldman has struggled mightily with the Yankees having a combined OPS over .900. Teixera, Cano, Granderson, Ibanez, and Jeter alone are 24-60 with multiple HR's. Granderson has 3 alone in 9 AB and it won't get easy for Feldman as the Yankees are red hot lately vs. RHP they have a .842 OPS in August and are the #1 team vs. RHP in terms of OPS. Feldman has 6.50 ERA on the road this year and he will make just his 4th start on 4 days rest posting a 4.40 ERA in the other 3. Over the last 3 years combined he has a 5.59 ERA on the road.

Cardinals -104 4.5* MLB POD I love the Cardinals in this spot not only do they have good numbers against Ian Kennedy they have eaten up pitchers like him. IN that regards I mean fly ball pitchers. Which is what Ian Kennedy is as he produces just 35% ground balls. The Cardinals have played in 5 games against baseballs lowest ground ball producers. Every single one of them they have been able to score runs including a game against Ian Kennedy where they scored 6 ER off him in 7 innings. Overall in those 5 combined games the starting pitchers have a 9.72 ERA. That includes two starts from Matt Cain who is nearly a mirror image of Kennedy. They both walk 1.86 guys per 9, while Cain is better at striking people out, and giving up less HR's and he's a bit tougher with guys on base. All the Cardinals have done against Cain is score 9 runs over his 11.2 IP this year for a 6.94 ERA. Overall the Cardinal hitters have good numbers too, Beltran/Halladay/Jay/Schumaker are a combined 14-34 with 2HR. Kennedy is on 5 days rest here, but that really hasn't seem to help him this year as he posts a 4.34 ERA on 5 days rest and a 4.00 ERA on the road. He's really only faced one elite hitting team on the road on 5 days rest and that was the Rangers and he gave up 6 ER in 5.2 IP. I don't think the extra rest will benefit him here tonight.

4* MLB POD

4.5** MLB POD

[b]Pirates -136 4.5** MLB pod[/b]
The pirates are back at home where they have dominated in 2012 going 35-18 a leagues best and they'll look to end a 9 game losing streak at PNC to the padres who are one of the worst road teams this year.

James McDonald makes a home start after struggling over his last five starts where ironically he was on the road for 4 of them. This pitching staff is far more dominat at home an McDonald follows that trend posting a 2.15 era at PNC. Hell face the padres owners of the 25th ranked ops bs RHP.

Volquez starts for the Padres and his 5.33 bb/9 are alone enough reason to fade him, but the pirates active hitters have a .922 ops against him. The Pirates are also scoring 6.65 runs per 9 over the last 5 games vs RHP. They are also 24-8 in their last 32 as a favorite.

Cardinals -135 4.5* MLB POD
The Cardinals have good odds to bounce back from an embarrassing 15-0 loss. They are the best team in terms of hitting vs. LHP with an .813 OPS and they have had success against Madison Bumgarner who has not pitched as well during the day or on the road with ERA

Padres -130 4* MLB POD
Clayton Richard goes up against the Cubs who are 29th in .635 OPS vs. LHP. They have only face dRichard once and struggled and Richard has been solid at home 3.46 ERA and a 3.33 ERA during the day. IN 29 AB they have a .588 OPS against Richard. On the flip side Jeff Samdzija has a 5.00 ERA on the road and a 6.03 ERA during the day. The Padres have 42 AB and they have a .820 OPS led by Carolos Quentin who is 3-5 with a HR. The Padres are also a better day team both pitching and hitting and they are red hot right now scoring 5.86 runs per 9 over their last 10 vs. RHP. Cubs on the road this year average 2.75 runs per 9 vs. LHP and they have a 5.09 bullpen ERA to the Padres 2.53 bullpen ERA at home. Cubs are 8-26 in their last 34 road games vs. LH starter and 15-41 in their last 56 road games.

Rangers +104 4.5* MLB POD
I like the Rangers here as under dogs particularly because they have roughed up Lester who has struggled big time at home and I don't see an end to that in site as he posts a 6.96 ERA at home including giving up 7 ER in 2 innings to Texas earlier in the year. He's on 4 days rest after throwing 105 pitches and the active line up for the Rangers has 40 hits and a .323 average with 5 HR. They'll start 7 right handed bats to whom Lester has allowed an .844 OPS too. The Rangers are one of the best vs. LHP and are scoring 9.62 runs per over their last 10 games alone. Boston meanwhile has not seen a lot of Dempster although he pitched a gem 7 innings 0 ER while with Chicago this year. Their line up is 8-49 with a .163 average. I'll take the odds and go with the Rangers tonight.

REDS +127 5* MLB POD
Bronson Arroyo has really dominated the Brewers who have lost 12 of 16 while the Reds have been red hot. In his last 4 starts in MIlwaukee he posts a 1.93 ERA winning 3 of the 4 and today's line up has a lot of holes against him in 195 total at bats they have just 40 hits for a .204 average. The Reds are also 20-7 in Arroyo's last 27 road starts vs. a losing team as they always seem to get a quality start out of him as he posts a 3.39 ERA on the road this year.

Yovani Gallardo has not been nearly consistent despite his 3.60 ERA at home. He has a 4.08 ERA in 3 starts vs. the Reds this year and a 4.76 in 3 starts last year. Tonight's line up has a lot of success sin 145 at bats they post a .331 average and 8 HR. The Brewers have nothing to back him up as their bullpen has a 5.92 ERA at home and a 6.59 over their last 10 games while the Reds are under 2.50 on the road and over their last 10 games. Reds are also scoring 5.5 runs per 9 vs. RHP over their last 10 games and are 8-2 in their last 10 match ups with Gallardo.

Angels -102 4.5* MLB POD
Francisco Liriano makes his second start as a member of the the White Sox and he'll face a team he has not done well against posting a 7.63 ERA in 3 starts this year. Liriano has also struggled during his day starts posting a 5.86 ERA and he'll go up against a line up that in 108 AB has a .962 OPS against him. On the flip side, Dan Harren is on some extra rest and has kept the White Sox and their hitters in check over his career holding them to a .620 OPS in 95 AB over their career. He's got a 4.25 ERA during the day this year but traditionally he's been a great day starter with a 2.92 ERA over the last three years combined. I see him pitching a quality start over Liriano who is only on 4 days rest.

Rays -134 4* MLB POD ; Rays/Giants Parlay +186 1* play
Jeremy Hellickson has 8 starts vs. the Orioles posting a 1.99 ERA. At home he's been even better with 2 complete games and a 0.88 ERA. He's on 5 days rest and should be fresh to go up against Wei-Yen Chen who is also on 5 days rest, but threw 22 more pitches in his last outing. Chen has a 4.27 ERA on the road compared to Hellicksons 3.25 ERA at home and he posts a 5.84 ERA in 2 starts vs. the Rays pitching even worst in Tampa on the carpet with an ERA over 7.

Hellickson will go up against the O's who have a .200 average and a .616 OPS against him. The Orioles have really fell off lately and are now ranked 21st IN OPS vs. RHP where they were in the top 10 for a majority of the season. While I like Hellickson in this match up along with the Orioles struggles in Tampa - 1-5 getting outscored by a 30-10 margin, I like the odds of the Rays getting Chen out early. The Rays have faced 8 top 25 fly ball pitchers at home. None of them have gone more than 6 innings and that includes Justin Verlander (6/4ER). Combined they posted a 4.70 ERA which is not impressive at all considering how the Rays have struggled. Chen is 10th in ground ball % and he'll give up a lot of fly balls there is a reason why he has a 4.37 xFIP thus far compared to his 3.65 ERA. He's not as good as that ERA and I think it shows again in his third start against Tampa who have now won 5 of 6 and are creeping back up into contention, just a 1/2 game out of the Wild Card behind Oakland and the Angels.

[b]REDS -131 4* MLB POD[/b]
Loving the Reds here the only thing that worried me was Wandy Rodriguez's on 1 extra day of rest than Latos, but Rodriguez tends to struggle in that situation posting a 4.60 ERA over his last 5 on 5 days rest. He also goes up against a Reds team scoring 5.30 runs per 9 vs. LHP and will have a healthy RH line up tonight to beat Rodriguez who over his last 3 vs. the Reds has a 6.35 ERA. Latos meanwhile has an ERA well under 3 in his 4 career starts vs. the Pirates and the active line up is just 7-44 against him. I don't anticipate much to change as the Pirates have really cooled down and even their bullpen which has been a rock all year has started to cool down.

Royals -119 4.5* MLB POD
I love the Royals in this spot despite them facing an unknown in Kluber, making the start for the Indians. It's not very easy for him to start against the Royals on the road. Kluber was walking 3.52 guys per 9 in AAA and he was also only leaving 66% of base runners on base. That won't get it done at the majors and that tells me he's not so cool under pressure.

On the flip side the INdians will face Bruce Chen and you can tell they are getting desperate against lefties with some first timers in there including Rottino. All in all there are a total of 94 at bats with just 24 hits for a .255 average and 7 of those hits come from Brantley. The Indians rely on getting on base via the walk and hitting RHP. They face Chen who is ranked in the top 20 in BB/9 among starters and that's the main struggle for them here today especially since he also throws lefty. They are hitting .186 and scoring 00.96 runs per 9 vs. LHP over their last 10 games. ON the road this year they are scoring nearly a run less per 9 vs. LHP and their bullpen ERA is a run higher than the Royals who are scoring over a run more per 9 vs. RHP. They are about to get swept in back to back series which you would think is hard to happen, but the Indians are 3-14 in their last 17 games facing a game 3 after losing the first two.

What I like most about this play is the Indians struggles vs. LHP who have control. They've faced 5 pitchers including Chen who are in the top 50 in BB/9 among starters resulting in 8 games where they are 0-8. Those pitchers have posted a 1.09 ERA. Chen has better control than Sale, Vargas and Price all who gave up a total of 3 ER combined in 26.2 innings pitched. Their most recent game was against the Twins Diamond who threw a complete game shutout.

4* MLB POD

[b]White Sox -130 2* free play[/b]
The White Sox have gotten to Nick Blackburn. That would be putting it mildly as he posts an 11.05 ERA over his last 3. That includes a 4.1 IP and 8 ER performance in his last start. Francisco Liriano makes his debut with the White Sox against his old team. That should make things more comfortable for him. Liriano has a 9.81 K/9 ratio this season despite an ERA over 5 his xFIP is 3.96. He

Tigers -122 (4.5* MLB POD)
Josh Beckett likely won

REDS -144 4.5* MLB POD
We rebounded nicely yesterday with the Dodgers 4-0 win and we return Monday with just 1 play. This play is on the Reds and Mike Leake who faces a Padres team that struggles to score runs as the Reds look win an 11th in a row. Leake has posted an ERA of 2.86 over his last 7 starts after struggling early and the Padres have never faced him. Volquez returns to Cinci where he pitched well in his career but lacked run support. The same thing has been true pitching for the Padres and he has not been that great. He posts a .862 OPS vs. the Reds in 31 AB, but it is his 5.12 BB/9 that concerns me and I think the Reds should be able to take advantage of that. The Reds are also 20-7 in their last 27 vs. a RH starter and 39-18 in their last 57 home games as a favorite.

Dodgers -106 4* MLB POD
Just one play today after yesterday's unfortunate 0-2 day. The Dodgers are just on a roll right now and I"m not going to shy away from them despite them having to face Ryan Vogelsong. Vogelsong vs. the Dodgers has given up a .310 average and a .771 OPS in 129 AB while the Giants have just a .589 OPS in 173 AB vs. Kershaw. Kershaw has been great during his day starts posting a 2.76 ERA and he's got two quality starts already vs. the Giants this year and over his previous 11 starts over the last three years posts a 1.27 ERA.

I expect the Dodgers to be able to do some work against Ryan Vogelsong whose 2.26 ERA does not tell the entire story. He's been quite lucky posting a 4.44 xFIP as he's been fortunate to leave 85.2% of runners on base. The Dodgers are 13th with runners in scoring position and since picking up Hanley Ramirez seem like a different team.

Angels -159 2* bonus
These odds are just right. TB has a .497 OPS in 128 AB with a .156 average vs. CJ Wilson who is 3-1 with a 2.67 ERA in 5 career starts vs. the Rays. TB is struggling of late going 1-19 with runners in scoring position over the last two games. Matt Moore makes a road start where he has a 5.36 ERA this year and he'll have to face an Angels team that's 2nd int he month of July in OPS and is 7th in OPS vs. LHP while the Rays are 24th vs. LHP in OPS. He's not helped by his bullpen at least on the road where it has a 4.64 ERA. The Angels have a 2.41 bullpen ERA at home but may not even need it. They are also +2.56 runs per 9 vs. LHP compared to the Rays over the last 10 games.

Indians -120 5.5*MLB POD
Two major reasons why I like the Angels today. First I was not surprised last night when they got shut out by the lefty Scott Diamond. The Indians have been awful vs. lefties, but they are scoring nearly 1.5 more runs per 9 vs. RHP as they are 3rd IN OPS vs. RHP this year while Minnesota facing the righty Justin Masterson is 19th. The Indians actually score more runs per 9 vs. RHP on the road at 5.03 than at home.

The second major reason is Twins starter Samuel Deduno despite the Indians never facing him they should be able to get on base plenty. Deduno has always struggled with control and he only throw two pitches for the most part. A fastball and curve ball and he's walking 6.19 guys per 9 in his 3 starts. Well the Indians can clean up today as they are 1st in the majors in walks and should be able to take advantage. Deduno likely won't go deep in the game meaning the bullpen will have to play a major part and the Twins bullpen has an ERA over 5 in their last 10. The Twins are also 17-40 in their last 57 home games as an under dog and 6-20 in their last 26 Saturday games. I look for Justin Masterson to improve on his last two starts in Minnesota where he posts a 0.66 ERA. He won't have to go against Trevor Plouffe who went on the DL yesterday and was 3-8 vs. Masterson. Masterson is 7th in GB% behind his teammate Derek Lowe who leads the league. I bring that up because in two starts against the Twins this year he has 15.2 IP and 1 ER. The Twins have faced a RHP in the top 13 in GB% 4 times. (Lowe 2x, Henderson Alvarez 1x, and James Shields). Those pitchers combined for a 0.88 ERA. I like Mastersons' chances on Saturday against the Twins.

Oakland A

Cardinals -133 (4.5* MLB POD)
We got absolutely slaughtered yesterday by the A

Jays -128 4* MLB POD
The A's have been red hot, but I think the Jays will take game #2 behind their former ace. Romero has struggled big time but he gets a chance to turn it around on Wednesday night vs. an A's team that's 24th in OPS vs. LHP this year and have struggled vs. Romero over their career. Romero posts a 1.70 ERA in 6 career starts vs. the A's and has held their line up to .632 OPS in 81 AB. AJ Griffin making his 6th start for the Jays does not go deep into the game and he's been particularly lucky thus far considering he has just 6K/9 as he has a .227 BABIP and 86.1 LOB%. His xFIP of 4.24 tells a more accurate story. The Jays are 6th in average with runners in scoring position with a .270 average and 7th with .809 OPS. Griffin is getting just 39.1% ground balls and the Jays love to hit the home runs. Something Griffin will have issues with in Toronto in his first game on turf.

I'm pretty excited for Tuesday's card considering there are ten pitchers with ERA's under 3.00 over their last three starts and only six cold starters with ERA's over 6.00 over their last three starts combined. I'm look forward to our free play below as it is a rare 3* mlb sports pick that we are giving away for free. We normally give away 1-2* on our free plays but there are certain things about tomorrow's match up that I'm digging.

Tigers -109 (3* FREE PLAY)
Doug Fister gets the call and he seems to have finally found what he had during the second half of last year. He's posted a 3-0 record, 0.86 WHIP, and a 2.57 ERA. Now he faces the Indians who continue to hit righties hard in the top 10 in the league, but they have struggled against Fister over their careers posting just a .600 OPS in a large sample of 193 AB. Why is Fister successful against the Indians, who lead the league in BB's. Well it comes down to his control and right now he seems to have a good grasp of it. Oh and he's on extra rest compared to Ubaldo Jiminez on just 4 days. Fister also over his last 4 vs. the Indians posts a 1.21 ERA while striking out 32 guys in 29.2 innings and walking just 4 for a 0.74 WHIP.

That's not the only reason why I like the Tigers on Tuesday. Their bats have also been great as they are 2nd with a .829 OPS in the month of July, 3rd overall vs. RHP and 6th on the road. Jiminez has been good at home despite walking over 4.5 guys per 9 posting a 3.66 ERA. He's allowed 5.48 guys to get on base via the walk per 9 on the season and at home he's also gotten a little lucky with a 82.1 left on base percentage. His xFIP is a clearer indicator on just how good his stuff is and at home he has a 5.29 XFIP. It's also going to be challenging considering the Tigers are 7th in OPS with runners on and #1 in average. They are also #1 in average and OPS with runners in scoring position something Jiminez won't want to hear considering the Tigers success of an .855 OPS and a .308 average in 182 AB. The Tigers are now 35-17 in their last 52 road games vs. a RH starter.

Notable Hot Starters:
Cliff Lee (1-2, 0.95 WHIP, 2.05 ERA)
Travis Blackley (2-1, 1.03 WHIP, 2.79 ERA)
Paul Maholm (3-0, 1.05 WHIP, 1.29 ERA)
Tim Hudson (3-0, 1.36 WHIP, 2.95 ERA)
Mark Buehrle (2-1, 1.07 WHIP, 2.29 ERA)
Carlos Quintana (2-1, 0.90 WHIP, 2.57 ERA)
Adam Wainwright (1-2, 1.03 WHIP, 2.79 ERA)
Felix Hernandez (2-1, 0.85 WHIP, 0.73 ERA)
Edinson Volquez (3-0, 1.10 WHIP, 1.71 ERA)

Cold Starter Of The Day:
Though this is not going to be any sort of a sports pick that is backed by our sports monitor we still like to give out the cold pitcher with the best shot at winning because often times there is a lot of value. Today's pitcher is Brett Cecil who posts a 6.62 ERA over his last three starts as he faces the Oakland Athletics at home. The A's have been a different team on the road and Cecil has two quality starts against them.

Notable Cold Starters:
Zach Greinke (2-1, 2.25 WHIP, 10.12 ERA)
Ubaldo Jiminez (1-2, 2.07 WHIP, 9.64 ERA)
R.A. Dickey (2-1, 1.71 WHIP, 6.05 ERA)
Will Smith (1-2, 1.53 WHIP, 6.88 ERA)
Garrett Richards (2-1, 2.04 WHIP, 6.89 ERA)

Pirates -158 (5.5* MLB POD)
Paul Maholm faces his old team on the road on Tuesday where he posts a 6.15 ERA this year. He

Indians -151 (4.5* MLB POD)
I look for the Indians to avoid a 3 game skid with their ace on the mound on Monday.

Nationals -133 4.5* MLB POD
I love the Nationals here today to even up the series up with the Braves. The Braves are 2-6 in their last 8 vs. LH starters and have dropped to 18th with a .713 OPS vs. LHP. They'll face Ross Detwiler, who may not be a big name, but is getting big results. Detwiler has held the Braves line up today to 15-63 with 0 HR, that's a .238 average. Take Prado out of the mix and that's 8-50, he's largely dominated this line up. That's something Jarr Jurjens can not claim this year or against the Nationals.

Jurrjens goes up against 5 hitters who have faced him today and are a combined 24-75 for a .320 average and a couple of home runs. Nationals have hist .309 vs. RHP over their last 10 games. Jurrjens has struggled big time during his day starts posting a 5.87 ERA while Detwiler in 2 day starts has a 0.75 ERA. Detwiler has also posted a 3.06 ERA during home starts while Jurrjens posts a 4.91 on the road and is only striking out 3.80 per 9 innings while walking 3.60 for an xFIP of 5.77. In his last three starts vs. the Nationals (all last year) he posts a 9.56 ERA and a 1.81 WHIP. The Nationals are 39-19 in their last 58 vs. a starter with a WHIP > 1.30.

Red Sox -130 4.5* MLB POD
Red Sox will face a pitcher in Carlos Villanueva who is on a hot streak posting a 1.59 ERA in his 3 starts, but against Boston the story has been far different as they have a .985 OPS in 41 AB vs. the reliever who is now starting. I mention he's a reliever because it's unlikely especially with his 4.83 BB/9 ratio that he'll go deep into this game. That means the game will likely fall in the hands of the Blue Jays 23rd ranked bullpen. That bullpen has been even worse since Villanueva left it and over their last 10 games they post a 5.47 ERA.

Boston will rely on Aaron Cook to continue to cook up some ground balls with his 58.8% ground ball percentage he would be among the top 3 if he qualified with enough innings. Toronto is now without Jose Bautista making it even easier for Cook to pitch effectively. The Jays have faced 2 pitchers in 3 games that are among the top 10 in GB% and those pitchers post a combined 1.35 ERA and all three starts were of quality. I expect the same from Cook who posts a 1.23 ERA over his last three starts w/ 0.77 WHIP. Toronoto is also 10-27 in their last 37 road games vs. a winning team while Boston is 8-2 in their last 10 home games as a favorite -110 to -150 and 15-6 in their last 21 overall. Lastly Andy Fletcher will be calling balls and strikes and the Jays are just 5-19 in their last 24 with him back there.

Pirates -152 2* bonus
I've been drinking the Pirates kool-aid for a while now and I'll continue with AJ Burnett on the mound who posts a 6-0 with a 2.10 ERA in 9 home starts. He's backed by an offense that has been tearing up the majors for nearly a month. Nobody really expected it but the Pirates are #1 in OPS in the month of July led by the trio of McCutchen, Walker and Alvarez. Alvarez 7 HR and 21 RBI last 17 games, Walker .459 average last 19 and McCutchen .451 12HR and 32 RBI in his last 33 games. Zambrano has had his struggles against the Pirates too as the lineup has .956 OPS in 88 AB off him. Garret Jones is 6-14 with 2 HR and McCutchen and Alvarez are 9-20 combined.

The real story here though is the bullpen of the Pirates which is so much better than the Marlins. If they get a lead past the 6 inning mark you can forget about it. I like the advantage the offense, the bullpen and the starting pitching in this match up which is why I made it a play. Over the last 10 games the Marlins are scoring +3.4 more runs per 9 innings vs. RHP and they both face righties on the mound to start. Zambrano has struggled overall before his start in WAshington posting an 8.00 ERA in his last 6 and a 6.50 ERA in his last 4 starts away.

Angels -137 4.5* MLB POD
The Angels return home after a disappointing road trip, but they get there ace on the mound on Friday night in a very important game against their division rival that

Angels -137 4.5* MLB POD
The Angels return home after a disappointing road trip, but they get there ace on the mound on Friday night in a very important game against their division rival that

Marlins -121 (4.5* MLB POD)
Two lefties face off in a day game at Wrigley Field in Maholm vs. Buehrle.

Padres -132 4* MLB POD
The Astros have been ice cold especially since losing Carlos Lee. They have gone 2-14 while getting outscored 78-37 while batting .157 with runners in scoring position. This being the rubber game and the fact that the Padres have hit much better of late (scoring at least 7 runs in 3 of their last 4 games), I think they

Rockies -120 4.5* MLB POD
All of a sudden the Pirates are sliding losing 3 of 4 since the break. The same thing happened last year and I just do not think this team will be able to hold up, particularly away from home where they are just not built to win. This is an interesting match up when you look at it closer as the Rockies are 7th vs. LHP in OPS and are scoring 5.58 runs per 9 vs. LHP at home as they face off against Eric Bedard. Bedard has struggled big time and posts a 7.99 ERA over his last 5 game starts and a 9.51 in his last 5 road starts and now he faces one of the better LHP hitting teams.

On the flip side Christian Friedrich has pitched a lot better of late and has been victim of some bad luck this year as is evident by his 3.66 xFIP and 8.79 k/9 stat. He's been victim of .367 BABIP and 66.3 LOB%. The Pirates have been hot with the bats, but I see that continuing to slow down. The Pirates are 26-69 in their last 98 road games vs. a LH starter and 5-12 in their last 17 in Colorado.

Indians +145 2* bonus
I love this pick, both offenses are oddly similar. Both are ranked 24th in terms of OPS and in terms of who they face today. The Rays are 24th vs. RHP, and the Indians are 24th vs. LHP. The difference however comes in the starting pitching. Josh Tomlin is much more polished walking just 2.27 guys per 9 while Matt Moore has been highly inconsistent with his 4.52 BB/9 and had 5 BB's and gave up 5 runs vs. the Indians before the All Star break. I don't see much changing here as the Indians are #1 in BB's and Moore has yet to proven he can go more than 5 innings with control. Add that with the fact that the Indians are second in OPS for July with an .865 OPS and the Rays are 25th with a .667 OPS and I don't think Moore will get his revenge tonight.

Reds -127 (4.5* MLB POD)
I think the Reds stay hot to defeat the Diamondbacks, a team not known for its road success.

Phillies -130 4.5* MLB POD
I like the Phillies here today as they have a major advantage in pitching with Cole Hamels going who has held the Rockies hitters collectively to a .611 OPS in 99 AB. Though Drew Promeranz, making the start for the Rockies, has never faced the Phillies I'd say they have a huge advantage. Promeranz has been largely lucky with an ERA just above 3 considering he is walking 5.09 guys per 9 and K'ng just 6.88 per 9. He's held teams to .51 HR/9 and .250 BABIP while allowing just 44% ground balls which all in all is pretty shocking considering where he plays. I think that luck starts to change today as the Phillies rough him up a bit. The Phillies are 55-23 in Hamels last 78 vs. a losing team and 13-3 in their last 16 with him on the mound as a favorite -110 to -150 so the oddsmakers usually get it right and I think they do again today with the Phillies knocking Promeranz out of the game early and they'll have success against the Rockies 4.13 bullpen ERA which is ranked 21st.