The San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies opened their four game series on Friday with the Phillies winning 4-3. The Giants have lost three of their last four games and sit in third in the NL West with a 15-18 record. They also have a -24 run differential. Keaton Winn makes the start today for the Giants. He's 3-3 in his six starts with a 3.18 ERA and 0.971 WHIP. He's pitched even better of late, allowing three total runs over his last three starts (18 innings) with 15 KO's and three walks. The Phillies are the hottest team in baseball having won seven of their last eight games and 14 of their last 17 games. They have taken over first place from the Braves in the NL East. They also have a +28 run differential. Ranger Suarez will toe the rubber for the Phils. He's 5-0 in his six starts with a 1.32 ERA and 0.634 WHIP. Suarez allowed his first and only run in his last game at San Diego making his total of just one run allowed over his last four starts (30 innings). Suarez has been almost unhittable and Winn has been hot too. I'll take the UNDER here ton Saturday.

 The LA Angels and Cleveland Guardians opened their three-game series last night and the Halos took that game one, 6-0. The Angels have lost seven of their last 10 games and are still in last in the AL West, five games back of the Mariners. They also are tied for the worst run differential in the division with a -32. Ben Lively will make his fourth start for the Guardians. Lively is 0-1 thus far with a nice 2.30 ERA and 0.958 WHIP. He's only allowed two runs over over his 11 innings of work with 12 KO's and just two walks. The Angels snapped a two game losing skid with that win last night. In addition they have lost 11 of their last 14 games. Reid Detmers will start for the Halos today. He's 3-2 in his six starts with a 3.12 ERA and 1.154 WHIP. He's not been very sharp of late, allowing nine runs and 15 hits over his last 12 innings. I don't expect the Guardians to lose two in a row to this very poor Angels team. Play Cleveland.

 The Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros begin a three game set here tonight. The Mariners are coming off a 3-game set at home vs Atlanta where they took two of three games. The Mariners have taken over 1st place in the AL West thanks in part to a 7-3 record their last 10 games. They lead the Texas Rangers by a half game. They also have a +9 run differential. George Kirby will make the start for the M's today. Kirby is 3-2 in his six starts with a 4.17 ERA. Kirby has been hot of late, allowing NO Runs and seven hits over his last 12 innings and just two runs and 12 hits over his last 18 innings of work. In addition, he has 25 KO's and just two walks during those 18 innings. The Houston Astros have finally started winning some games. After a horrible start, the Astros have won four of their last five games. They are still tied for last in the AL West with a 11-20 record, but just six back of the Mariners. They also still are in the red with run differential at -16. Ronel Blanco will toe the rubber today for the Astros. Blanco is 3-0 in his five starts with a 1.65 ERA and 0.918 WHIP. Blanco has not allowed more than two runs in any of his five starts thus far. I like this game to go under today as both pitchers have been very good of late. Play UNDER.

The San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox conclude their three-game series today from Fenway Park. The Red Sox look to sweep the series after holding the Giants to just two total runs over the first two games. The Sox have now won four straight games and have improved to 18-13 and third place in the AL West, just 1.5-games back of the Orioles. They also have a AL East best +41 run differential. Josh Winckowski will make his third start here today. He's 0-0 but has pitched very well with a 1.42 ERA and 0.948 WHIP. He likely won't go many innings as he's only gone 3 and 3 1/3 in each of his two starts. Still, he's allowed just six hits and one run during that time. This game likely turns over to the Red Sox bullpen early today. How have they been? Very good with a 3.43 ERA and over their last seven games a 1.95 ERA. The San Francisco Giants dropped to 14-17 and third in the NL West, 5-games back of the Dodgers. They also have a -25 run differential. The Giants will start Kyle Harrison here today. Harrison is 2-1 in his six starts with a 4.09 ERA and 1.242 WHIP. Harrison has been very consistent this year, allowing three runs or fewer in five of his starts. I'm sticking with the Red Sox though as they look for the sweep. Play Boston.

 The Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays play the final game of their three game set here on Wednesday. The teams have split the first two games with the Jays winning on Monday and the Royals winning yesterday, 4-1. The win improved the Royals to 18-13 on the season and a +45 run differential. They still trail first place Cleveland by 2-games. Seth Lugo will toe the rubber for the Royals today. Lugo has been great this season with a 4-1 record in six starts and a 1.66 ERA and 1.105 WHIP. He's coming off an excellent start at Detroit where he allowed just three hits and no runs over seven innings for the win. The Blue Jays dropped below the .500 mark with their loss to 15-16. They also have a -26 run differential. They are in 4th in the AL East, five back of the Orioles. The Jays are now 2-6 their last eight games. Chris Bassitt will toe the rubber for the Jays today. Bassitt is 2-4 in his six starts with a 5.64 ERA and 1.846 WHIP. He's coming off a bad start vs the Dodgers where he allowed nine hits and seven runs over just 2 2/3 innings of work. That included a monster home run by Shohei Ohtani, his hardest hit of the season thus far. I like the way Lugo has pitched and I'll take him and the Royals here in this rubber game. Play Kansas City.

The Atlanta Braves and Seattle Mariners play game two of their three-game set here on Tuesday. The Mariners took game one on Monday, 2-1. The Braves are now 11-3 over their last 14 games. They are 19-8 and in 1st place in the NL East by 1.5-games over the Phillies. The Braves also have a division best +46 run differential. The Braves start Reynaldo Lopez here today who is 2-0 in his four starts with a great 0.72 ERA and 0.880 WHIP. He's only allowed two total runs all season to go with 14 hits over his 25 innings of work. In addition, he has 24 KO's and eight walks. The Mariners have taken over 1st place in the AL West with their 16-13 record and thanks in part to a 7-3 run. They have a +11 run differential. The AL West is a weak division as only the Rangers and M's are above the .500 mark. Seattle will start Luis Castillo who is 2-4 in his six games with a 4.15 ERA and 1.298 WHIP. Castillo has won two straight games, allowing two runs and six hits over his last 13 innings. I'm still sticking with the Braves today with an almost perfect Lopez on the hill. Play Atlanta.

 The Twins and White Sox play game two of their three game set today from Chicago. The Twins have been red hot, not only taking yesterday's game 3-2, but now running their win streak to eight games. They have improved to 15-13 in the AL Central, but still trail the Guardians by four games. They have also improved to a +9 run differential. Simeon Wood Richardson will make his third start tonight. He's 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA and 1.000 WHIP. He's allowed three total runs over his 11 innings of work with 11 KO's and just two walks. The White Sox are tied for the fewest wins in baseball with just a 6-23 record. They also have a horrible -78 run differential. Mike Soroka will try and get his first win of the season tonight after six previous tries. He has a 6.83 ERA and 1.689 WHIP. Though he is coming off one of his best starts where he allowed two runs and four hits to these twins in a no decision on the 25th. He'll try again here tonight but I don't expect him to get much run support. Take the Twins even though the price is a bit high.

The Philadelphia Phillies travel to Anaheim to begin their three game set here on Monday with the LA Angels. The Phils are coming off a 3-game sweep of the Padres. They have won 11 of their last 13 games to climb to within just 1.5 games of the division leading Atlanta Braves. They also have a +25 run differential. Cristopher Sanchez will get his sixth start today for the Phillies. He's 1-3 on the season, but has a nice 2.59 ERA and 1.439 WHIP. He's also allowed just two earned runs over his last three starts (15 innings). Despite those three runs, he's taken two losses. The Angles were swept by the Twins over the weekend, losing all three by a 13-32 margin. That makes them 1-9 over their last 10 games. They are 10-18 on the season and in fourth in the AL West with a -36 run differential. Griffin Canning will toe the rubber today for the Angels. He's 1-3 on the season with a 7.50 ERA and 1.542 WHIP. While both these starters have losing records, Sanchez has pitched very well with some bad luck. I'll take the red-hot Phillies here on Monday.

The Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox begin a three-game series here on Monday. The Twins are coming off a three game sweep of the Angels in which they outscored LA 32-13 in the process. The Twins improved to 14-13 and shaved a game off of AL Central leader Cleveland's lead to just 4.5-games. The Wins are red-hot having won seven straight games. They also have a +8 run differential on the season. They will send Joe Ryan to the hill today. Ryan is 1-1 in his five starts with a 3.77 ERA and 1.012 WHIP. Ryan coming off a win over these White Sox where he went six innings and allowed four hits and three runs while striking out eight and walking one. The White Sox snapped a seven game losing streak by sweeping the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend. Still, the Sox are the worst team in the division and 2nd worst in baseball with a 6-22 record. They also have a horrid -77 run differential. They will start Garrett Crochet tonight with a 1-4 record in his six starts and a 6.37 ERA and 1.180 WHIP. He's allowed 17 runs over his last 11 2/3 innings. He also receives little to no run support, evidenced by the three total runs the White Sox have scored in his last three starts. I'll lay the price on the road with the Twins here tonight. Play Minnesota.

The Washington Nationals and Miami Marlins conclude their four game set here on Monday. It's been all Washington thus far with a 3-0 series lead. They have scored 26 runs in the process to just 14 by Miami. These teams won't be in the postseason but they are rebuilding and the Nats look to have the more talent and pitching. The Nationals are in fourth in the NL East and have a -10 run differential. The Marlins are in last in the division and have a -59 run differential. Jake Irvin will start for the Nats here on Monday. He's 1-2 in his five starts with a 4.55 ERA and 1.301 WHIP. Irvin had two excellent starts in a row and one of those he held the hard hitting Dodgers lineup to just four hits and no runs over six innings to get the win. But the Dodgers came back in his last start and got him for 12 hits and six runs over 4 2/3 innings for the loss. The Marlins will start Trevor Rogers today who is 0-3 in his five starts. He has a 4.10 ERA and 1.519 WHIP. To say run support is lacking in his starts would be an understatement. After his first start where the Marlins scored seven runs, he has since received 1,1,1 and zero runs of support. You won't win any games no matter how good you are with those kind of numbers. Sorry Marlins, I have to back the Nationals once again here today. Play Washington.

The Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs conclude their three game series here in Boston on Sunday. The Chicago took game one on Friday, 7-1, and the Red Sox won game two on Saturday, 17-0. The win improved the Red Sox to 15-13 and three games back of the leaders in the AL East. They also have a nice +32 run differential. The Cubs dropped to 17-10 and a half game back of the Brewers in the AL Central. They have a +15 run differential. Cubs could go either way on Sunday with their starter. First it could be Hayden Wesneski. The 6-foot-3 righty has pitched in only two games and has a 0.00 ERA with a 0.16 WHIP. The other option is Jordan Wicks who is 1-2 with a 4.70 ERA and 1.522. He's been good since his first start, allowing two runs or fewer in each of his last three of four starts. The Red Sox will send Tanner Houck to the hill. He's 3-2 in his five starts with a 1.65 ERA and 0.079 WHIP. He's coming off a six inning performance vs the Guardians where he allowed five hits and two runs. I usually like to go against a team that scores double digits the game before. And with a 17-0 win on Saturday, that will put me on the Cubs no matter who they start. Play Chicago.

Arizona and Seattle conclude their three-game set here on Sunday. The Mariners took game one on Friday, 6-1, and the game on Saturday, 3-1. The Mariners look for the sweep here on Sunday. The Mariners are 15-12 and lead the AL West by 1.5 games over the Rangers. They have also won eight of their last 10 games and have a +11 run differential. Logan Gilbert will start for the M's with a 2-0 record in his five starts. He has a 1.87 ERA and 0.802 WHIP. He's pitched great all season, allowing one run or no runs in four of his five starts. Arizona will start Brandon Pfaadt who is 1-1 in his five starts. He has a 4.97 ERA and 1.172 WHIP. He's also coming off a 5 1/3 innings vs the Cardinals where he allowed just two hits and two runs. I'll be on the Mariners today with Gilbert who has been great all season. Play Seattle.

The Oakland A's and Baltimore Orioles conclude their three-game set here on Sunday. the teams have split the first two games with the A's winning on Friday, 3-2 and the O's on Saturday, 7-0. The Orioles have jumped into a first place tie in the AL East with the NY Yankees both teams three games ahead of the Red Sox. The O's have the best run differential in the division with a +35. Albert Suarez will start today for the Orioles with his 1-0 mark in two starts. He's been great thus far, allowing seven hits and NO RUNS over his 11 2/3 innings of work. Despite no fan base in Oakland, the A's are actually in third place in the AL West with a 11-17 record, 4.5-games back of the Mariners. They do have the worst run differential in the division with a -44. The A's will start their Ace Paul Blackburn here today. Blackburn is 2-1 in his five starts with a 2.03 ERA and 0.968 WHIP. He suffered his first loss last outing at the Yankees where he went six innings and allowed five hits and four runs. That was the most runs he's allowed this year. Still, both starters are excellent and I'm going with the UNDER here today.

The NY Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers play game two of their three game set here on Saturday. The Brewers took game one on Friday, 7-6 in 11 innings. Joey Ortiz drove in four runs including the game winner in the bottom of the 11th for the Brewers. The loss coupled with a Baltimore loss kept the two teams tied in the AL East for first place. The Yankees also have a +21 run differential this season. Carlos Rondon will toe the rubber for the Yankees here on Saturday. Rondon is 1-1 in his five starts with a 2.03 ERA and 1.313 WHIP. He's coming off a no decision vs the A's where he went seven innings and allowed just one hit and no runs. The win by the Brewers kept them in 1st in the NL Central, a half game ahead of the Chicago Cubs. They also have a division best +36 run differential. The Brewers will start Joe Ross today. Ross is 1-2 in his four starts with a 4.05 ERA and 1.550 WHIP. Ross rebounded from his poor outing vs the Padres where he gave up nine hits and seven runs over 4. 2/3 innings. He came back at Pittsburgh and while he suffered the loss he did go 5 1/3 innings and allowed just one earned run. Ross has not received the best support as his defense has allowed at least one unearned run behind him in his last three starts. I'm going to take the Yankees to even this series at 1-1 here on Saturday.

The Washington Nationals snapped a three game losing streak with a win on Friday over the Marlins, 3-1. The Nats improved to 11-14 and fourth in the NL East, 7.5-games back of the Braves. They also have a -20 run differential. Mitchell Parker looks to continue his excellent season for Washington as he takes to the hill. Parker is 2-0 in his two starts with a 1.50 ERA and 0.583 WHIP. He's coming off an excellent start and win over over the Astros where he allowed three hits and no runs over seven innings. In addition, Parker has 12 KO's on the season with NO walks. Meanwhile, Miami lost its fourth game in a row and seventh in their last 10 games. The Marlins have a MLB worst six wins this season to go with their 21 losses. They also have a -49 run differential. Edward Cabrera will make his third start of the season today. He's 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA and 1.455 WHIP. Cabrera has pitched well and has one of the team's six wins this season. I'm sticking with Washington here on Saturday.

 The Washington Nationals and Miami Marlins begin their four game set here tonight. The Nats are coming off a three-game loss to the Dodgers at home where they were outscored 4-17 by LA. The Nationals dropped to 10-14 in the NL East but are five games ahead of last place Miami. They have a -22 run differential. Trevor Williams will start here today for the Nats with a 2-0 record in his four starts. He also has a nice 2.91 ERA and 0.970 WHIP. Williams coming off a no decision against the Astros where he went six innings and gave up just three hits and one run. Miami was swept by the Braves in their three game series, scoring just three total runs in the process and allowing 12 runs. The last place Marlins are 12.5 games back of division leading Atlanta and have a division worse -47 run differential. Only the Rockies have a worse run differential. Jesus Luzardo is 0-2 in his five starts with a 6.58 ERA and 1.423 ERA. The team is 0-3 in his home starts with a 5.87 ERA. Somehow the Marlins are around a 1.60 favorite here today. They are the worst team in the division and have a worse pitcher starting. Ok, I'll bite, give me the Nationals.

The St Louis Cardinals and NY Mets play game one of their three-game set here on Friday. The Cardinals are coming off a series vs the D'backs where they won two of three games. Still, they are slumping having lost five of their last seven games. The Cardinals are 11-14 and in last place in the NL Central, 5.5-games back of the Brewers. They also have the worst run differential in the division with a -26 number. They will send Miles Mikolas to the hill today. Mikolas has not been very good, posting a 1-3 mark in five starts and a 6.49 ERA. He's allowed 10 runs over his last 9 2/3 innings of work. The Mets salvaged the final game of a three game set at San Francisco with a 8-2 win on Wednesday. The Mets are 13-11 and in third place in the NL East, 4.5-games back of the Braves. They also have a +10 run differential. Jose Butto will toe the rubber for the Mets on Friday. Butto has no record after three starts. However, he's been very good with a 1.65 ERA and 1.041 WHIP. He has not allowed more than three runs in any of his starts. Moreover, he's allowed just two total runs over his last 10 1/3 innings of work with 15 KO's and six walks. Good price on the Mets at home here today. I'll take New York in this one.

The Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs conclude their three-game series here on Thursday. The Cubs have taken the first two games of the series, winning Tuesday 7-2 and then last night, 4-3. The Cubs have won seven of their last 10 games and climbed to just a half game back of first place Milwaukee. The Cubs are 15-9 and have a +27 run differential. The Astros have struggled since the season started. They have lost seven of the last 10 and are stuck in last in the AL West, six-games back of the Rangers. They also have a -34 run differential. Justin Verlander will make just his second start of the season here today. Verlander is 1-0 with a 3.00 and 0.667 WHIP. He pitched six innings for the win against Washington, allowing four hits and two runs. The Cubs will send Javier Assad to the hill. Assad is 2-0 in his four starts with a 2.11 ERA and 1.031 WHIP. He has two home starts and is 1-0 with a 0.84 ERA. Assad has been very good in all four starts, not allowing more than two runs in any one start. Houston a small favorite here today and even though they have Verlander on the hill, I'm taking the Cubs who have been much better and have an equally if not better starter going today. Play Chicago.

The Milwaukee Brewers and Pittsburgh Pirates conclude their four game set here today early on Thursday. The Pirates have taken two of the first three games of this series winning, 4-2, 2-1 and losing last night to the Brewers, 3-2. The Brewers lead the NL Central with a 15-8 record, just a half game ahead of the Cubs. They also have a +33 run differential. The Pirates dropped their seventh game of the last 10 with the loss. They also dropped to 13-12 overall, good for fourth in the NL Central with a -1 Run differential. The Brewers will start Freddy Peralta with a 2-0 record in his four starts. He has a very good 1.90 ERA and 0.760 WHIP. He's also allowed one total run over his last two starts (12 innings) with 18 KO's and just two walks. The Pirates will start Mitch Keller. Keller is 2-2 with a 4.80 ERA and 1.467 WHIP. He's coming off a loss to the Red Sox where he went six inning and allowed five hits and four runs. The Bucs have been struggling after that fast start to the season. I'll take the first place Brewers here on Thursday.

The Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs play game two of their three game series here on Wednesday. The Cubs took the opener on Tuesday, 7-2. The Astros continue to sputter in 2024 as they have not only lost three straight and seven of their last 10 games, but also are in last place in the AL West with a 7-17 record. In addition, they have a -33 run differential thus far. The Chicago Cubs have won seven of their last 10 games and have a +23 run differential to go with their 14-9 record. The Cubs are just a half game back in the NL Central behind the Milwaukee Brewers. The Astros will send Spencer Arrighetti to the hill today. He's 0-2 in his two starts with a 11.57 ERA and 2.286 WHIP. He's allowed 11 hits and nine runs over his seven innings of work. He also has five walks to just eight KO's. Jameson Taillon will toe the rubber for the Cubs. Taillon is 1-0 in his only start with a 1.80 ERA and 0.600 WHIP. He got the win vs the Marlins, going five innings and allowing just three hits and one run. A bit surprised the Cubs such a small favorite here tonight. The oddsmakers still giving lots of props to what the Astros could be and not are at this point. Take the Cubs.

 The NY Mets and San Francisco Giants conclude their 3-game series here on Wednesday. The Giants look for the sweep after holding the Mets to just three total runs in the previous two games. The Giants can get back to the .500 mark with another win here early on Wednesday. The Giants are 12-13 overall and two-games back of the Dodgers in the NL West. The Giants also have a -14 run differential. The Mets dropped to 12-11 with the loss and are 6-4 over their last 10 games. They have lost three straight and have an overall +4 run differential. The Mets will start Sean Manaea here today with his 1-1 record after four starts. He also has a 4.12 ERA and 1.373 WHIP. Other than one bad start where he allowed six runs over 3 2/3 innings to the Royals, Manaea has been very good allowing just three earned runs over his other three starts. Blake Snell came over from the Padres in the offseason but has yet to perform up to his standards of previous seasons. Snell is 0-3 in his three starts with a huge 11.57 ERA and 1.971 WHIP. He hasn't made it out of the fifth inning yet and has allowed 15 runs over just 11 2/3 innings. I'm taking the Mets to take game three and avoid the sweep. Play New York.

The Arizona Diamondbacks and St Louis Cardinals conclude their 3-game set here today. The D'backs look to take the series as the two teams have split the first two games with the D'backs clubbing the Cards last night, 14-1 and losing on Monday, 3-5. Arizona can get back to .500 with a win today. They are 12-13 and two games back of the Dodgers in the NL West. The D'backs do have the best run differential in the NL West at +39 as they can score runs in bunches. The Cardinals looking for something as they have lost seven of their last 10 games and are stuck in last in the NL Central with a 10-14 record. They trail first place Milwaukee by five-games. The D'backs will send Jordan Montgomery to the hill today. Montgomery is 1-0 in his only start. He went six innings at San Francisco and allowed just four hits and one run for the Win in a 17-1 blasting by the Padres. The Cardinals will send Kyle Gibson to the hill for the fifth time. Gibson is 1-2 with a 5.04 ERA and 1.200 WHIP. Gibson has started two games at home and is 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA. I'm sticking with the hard hitting D'backs in this one as I look for Montgomery to put up another great effort. Play Arizona.

The Baltimore Orioles and LA Angels play game two of their three game set here on Tuesday night. Thee Orioles look to extend their win streak to four games after beating the Halos on Monday, 4-2. Baltimore is 14-7 and in 2nd place in the AL East, just a half game back of the Yankees. They also have the best run differential in the division at +29. Meanwhile, the Angels dropped their fifth game in a row with the loss. They have scored more than two runs just one time during this five game losing streak. LA is 9-13 overall and third in the AL West, 2.5-games back of the Rangers. Good thing for the Angels is that the West is the weakest division thus far in the A.L. The Angels will turn to much maligned Griffin Canning today. Canning is 0-3 in his four starts with a 8.05 ERA and 1.579 WHIP. The O's will send Grayson Rodriguez to the hill. Rodriguez is 3-0 in his four starts with a 2.63 ERA and 1.167 WHIP. Even having to lay a bit of a price on the road here tonight, I'll take the Orioles with a much better starter on the hill and the momentum. Play Baltimore.

The Oakland A's and New York Yankees play game two of their four game set here tonight. The A's shocked the Yankees in game one as a +2.20 dog with the 2-0 win, shutting out the Bronx Bombers. The A's improved to 8-14 and fourth place in the AL West, just 3.5 games back of first place Texas. They do have the worst run differential in the division at -37. The Yankees still lead the AL East by a half game over the Orioles as they dropped to 15-7 overall and a +21 run differential. Zack Gelof broke open the 0-0 tie in the top of the 9th inning with a 2-run home run off Victor Gonzalez. That broke a 8-game losing streak by the A's. The A's send their Ace Paul Blackburn to the hill tonight. Blackburn is 2-0 in his four starts with a 1.08 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. He has only one start on the road, but that was a six inning, three hit shutout at Detroit as he got his first win of the season. In fact, the three runs he allowed to the Cardinals in his last start were his only earned runs allowed thus far on the season. The Yankees will send Marcus Stroman to the hill. Stroman is 1-1 in his four starts with a 2.42 ERA and 1.164 WHIP. Both these pitchers are excellent, but Blackburn has been amazing and an early Cy Young candidate. Plus we get a huge dog price on the A's today. Yes, they are a live dog because of Blackburn and for me, that's a shot I will take. Play Oakland.

The Miami Marlins have struggled thus far in 2024 with a 5-17 record and last place in the NL East. They also have a -41 run differential. The Chicago Cubs are 13-8 overall and in 2nd place in the NL Central with a +21 run differential. The Marlins and Cubs have split the first two games of this three game set. The Cubs winning on Friday, 3-1 and the Marlins and Saturday, 3-2. The Marlins will send Edward Cabrera to the hill on Sunday. Cabrera is 0-0 and only has one start where he went six innings vs the Giants and allowed five hits and one run. He also struck out 10 batters and walked only one. The Cubs will send Kyle Hendricks to the hill. Hendricks has struggled this year as he is 0-2 in his four starts with a 12.71 ERA and 2.235 WHIP. He's coming off a no decision at Arizona where he went 4 1/3 innings, allowed five hit and seven runs. It might be a lot to ask the Marlins to win a series, but I'm taking them here on Sunday as a small dog.

American League clash here on Sunday has the Baltimore Orioles taking on the surprising Kansas City Royals. The teams play the rubber game of their three-game set here today. The Royals took game one on Friday, 9-4 and then the Orioles took game two on Saturday, 9-7. The O's are 13-7 and in 2nd place in the AL East with a +24 run differential. The Royals are 13-8 and in 2nd place in the AL Central with a +43 run differential. Baltimore looks to win its sixth game in the last seven today and they will turn to Cole Irvin to do that. Irvin is 0-1 in is three starts with a 6.75 ERA and 1.704 WHIP. In his one road start Irvin went just five innings vs the Red Sox and gave up seven hits and five runs. The Royals continue to be the surprise team in the MLB. They will send Seth Lugo to the hill today. Lugo has been the Ace of this team thus far with a 3-0 record in four starts. His ERA is a blistering 1.05 and a WHIP of 1.052. He's coming off a shutout of the White Sox where he went seven inning and allowed just four hits and no runs. I like the Royals here today with Lugo on the hill. Play Kansas City.

The Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees play the rubber match of their three game series here on Sunday. The Yankees won on Friday, 5-3 and the Rays took the second game on Saturday, 2-0 in 10 innings. The Yankees dropped to 14-7 and remained in 1st in the AL East by just a half game over the Orioles. The Yankees also have a +20 run differential. The Rays improved to 12-10 and trail the Yankees by 2.5-games. They have a -10 run differential. Aaron Civale will toe the rubber for the Rays today. Civale is 2-1 in his four starts with a 2.74 ERA and 0.913 WHIP. Civale has been very consistent with three quality starts. He's allowed three runs or fewer in all four starts and has 26 KO's to just four walks. The Yankees will turn to Luis Gil. Gil is 0-1 in his three starts with a 3.86 ERA and 1.429 WHIP. Gil has been good, allowing three runs or fewer in each of his three starts. His problem is control. Gil allowed seven walks over just five inning his last start at Toronto. Overall, he has 14 walks and 20 KO's in his 14 innings of work. I'm sticking with the Rays here on Sunday as Gil continues to have control issues.

The Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants play the second of their four game set here on Saturday. The teams have split the first two games with the Giants winning game on 5-0 and the D'backs busting out on Friday for a 17-1 thrashing of the Giants. This NL West clash could get ugly today if the Giants look maybe for some payback. We'll see. But the D'backs are 10-11 on the season and 1.5 games back of the Dodgers while the Giants are 9-12 and 2.5 games back. The D'backs pumped up their run differential with that Friday outburst, now at +30. The Giants meanwhile dropped to -23. Zac Gallen looks to improve to 4-0 today as he takes to the hill. Gallen has a nifty 1.64 ERA and 1.136 WHIP in his four starts. He is coming off a six inning performance vs the Cardinals where he allowed no Runs and four hits to go with two walks and seven KO's. The Giants will counter with Kyle Harrison today. Harrison is 2-1 in four starts with a 4.70 ERA and 1.261 WHIP. Harrison has been consistent, not allowing more than four runs in any starts. He's coming off a win at the Miami Marlins, where he allowed eight hits and three runs. I don't expect another offensive outburst today, but I'm sticking with the Diamondbacks and Gallen on the hill. Play Arizona.

The Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates play game two of their three game set here on Saturday. The Red Sox cruised to the win on Friday, 8-1. The Red Sox are still in last place in the AL East, but they are 11-10 with a +11 run differential. The AL East looks once again to be the best overall division in baseball with all five teams above the .500 mark. The Pittsburgh Pirates have cooled off after they started the season hot. They have lost seven of their last 10 games to be 11-9 overall and in third place in the NL Central. They have lost four games in a row and have a +4 run differential. The Bucs offense has gone South in recent games as they have scored only one run in each of their last three games while giving up 20 runs. They will turn to Mitch Keller here today. Keller is 2-1 in his four starts with a 4.50 ERA. Keller has allowed just two runs in each of his last two starts after 10 in his first two starts. The Red Sox will start Kutter Crawford today. Crawford doesn't have a record in his four starts but he's been great. Crawford is 0-0 with a 0.42 ERA and 0.797 WHIP. He's allowed NO runs over his last two starts (10 2/3 innings) with just four total his, four walks and 12 KO's. In fact, he's allowed just two total runs over his 21 2/3 innings of work this year. I'm taking Crawford and the Red Sox here on Saturday.

AL East matchup here today has the Tampa Bay Rays taking on the Yankees in New York. The teams opened their three game set on Friday with the Yankees taking that game, 5-3. The Yankees are in 1st place in the AL East with a 14-6 record and +22 run differential. The Tampa Bay Rays are 11-10 and in 4th place in the division and have a -19 run differential. The Rays have alternated wins and losses over their last eight games. Zach Eflin will try and break that streak here today. Eflin is 1-2 in his four starts with a 4.63 ERA and 1.200 WHIP. He's only had one start on the road and that wasn't good as he went five innings vs the Angels and gave up nine hits and five runs in the loss. The Yankees bounced back from their three-game losing streak with two wins in a row. They will send Nestor Cortes to the hill today. Cortes is 1-1 in his four starts with a 4.50 ERA and 1.136 WHIP. He did well in his lone home start vs the Marlins, going eight innings and allowing just two hits and no runs. I'm sticking with the 1st place Yankees here on Saturday.

 NL Central clash here today has what I like to refer to as the "Penthouse vs the Outhouse" matchup. Or the 1st place Milwaukee Brewers vs the last place St Louis Cardinals. The Brewers are 11-6 on the season with a +25 run differential while the Redbirds are just 9-10 with a -9 run differential. Milwaukee lost two of three games to the Padres in their recent set as they begin this three game series today. Freddy Peralta will get the start with a 2-0 record in his three starts. He also has a nifty 2.55 ERA and 0.679 ERA. He's allowed only 10 total his in his 17 2/3 innings with five runs, 25 KO's and just two walks. The Cardinals coming off their series at Oakland where they took two of three games from the A's. Kyle Gibson will toe the rubber for the Cards. Gibson is 1-2 in his three starts with a lofty 6.16 ERA and 1.211 WHIP. He's allowed 11 runs over his last 12 innings and has six walks to go with just 11 KO's. I'm taking the Brewers with a very solid Peralta on the hill. Play Milwaukee.

Interleague action here on Friday has the Boston Red Sox playing at the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Red Sox are last in the AL East with a 10-10 record and +4 run differential. The Sox coming off a four-game set at home vs Cleveland where they lost three of the four games with the Guardians. Brayan Bello will make his fifth start of the season for the Red Sox. Bello is 2-1 with a 3.92 ERA and 1.210 WHIP. Bello has pitched well in all four starts but hasn't gone past 5 1/3 innings in any of those outings. The bullpen has been ok with a 4.30 ERA. The Pittsburgh Pirates are 11-8 on the season and in third place in the NL Central, one game back of leader Milwaukee. They also have a +11 run differential. The Pirates will start Quinn Priester tonight. Priester makes his first appearance of this season after a 3-3 mark and 7.74 ERA last year. This will be his first big league start for Priester after being recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis to take the spot of Marco Gonzales. Priester was 3-0 in the preseason with a 5.87 ERA and made a bid for the opening day roster spot. He was 1-1 in the minors this year with a 3.95 ERA and holding batters to a .226 batting average. While Priester might be a good future MLB'er tonight I'm sticking with the Red Sox and Bello. Priester just hasn't shown enough success at this level for me. Play Boston.

The LA Angels are 9-9 on the season and just a half game back of Texas for the AL West division lead. The Angels have a -5 run differential. They face the AL East Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays are 10-9 and ties for third in the division. Every team in the East division has at least a .500 record or better. These teams have split the first two games of this three game set. The Angels took yesterday's contest, 5-4, while the Rays won on Wednesday, 7-6. Both games have gone over. The Angels have gone over in three straight games and are 7-5 OV/UN on the road this season. The Rays have gone over in five straight games and are 9-4 O/U in their 13 home games. Ryan Pepiot will start for the Rays. He's 1-2 in his three starts with a 5.40 ERA and 1.020 WHIP. He's coming off a start where he went five innings and allowed five hits and four runs in a loss to the Giants. The Angels will send Griffin Canning to the hill today. Canning is 0-2 in his three starts with a 9.88 ERA and 1.829 WHIP. He's coming off a loss at Boston where he allowed nine hits and six runs over his four innings of work. Neither pitcher likely around long in this contest. I'll take the OVER.

GAME 2: The Royals and White Sox got postponed on Tuesday so lets try this again today in a twin bill. The Kansas City Royals continue to impress everyone, especially with their pitching. They shut out the White Sox two nights ago in game one of this three game set, 2-0. The Royals have now won nine of their last 11 games. Moreover, during that streak they have allowed more than three runs just two times in those 11 games. The Royals are 11-6 and just one game back of Cleveland in the LA Central. Pulling up the bottom rung in the AL Central are the White Sox. The Sox are 2-14 and have the worst Run differential in baseball at -53 runs. The White Sox will send Erick Fedde to the hill today. Fedde is 0-0 in his three starts with a 4.29 ERA and 1.431 WHIP. He's coming off a no decision at Cleveland where he allowed four hits and four earned runs over five innings. Michael Wacha will start game two for the Royal and is 1-1 in his three starts with a 4.00 ERA. I'm sticking with the run line here today on the Royals in game two of their doubleheader.

St Louis and Oakland playing a short 2-game set here as the Cardinals took game one on Tuesday, 3-2. Lance Lynn earned his first win in his second stint with the Cardinals. The A's had a season-low 3,296 fans as they play their last season in Oakland. The Cards improved to 9-9 on the season and while they are last in the NL Central, they are just two-games back of first place Milwaukee. They also have the only negative run differential in the division at -6. Steven Matz will get the start for the Red birds here on Wednesday. Matz is 1-0 in his three starts with a nifty 1.80 ERA and 1.333 WHIP. Oakland dropped to 7-11 on the season and they actually are not in last in the AL West. That belongs to the Houston Astros who are 6-13. Good news for the A's is that their Ace is back on the hill today. What can you say about poor Paul Blackburn. He will likely be trade bait before the deadline and rightfully so. Blackburn has started three games and while only 1-0, he's allowed NO RUNS and just 11 hits over his 19 1/3 innings of work. He also has 11 KO's and just three walks. To say he's been outstanding is an understatement. That being the case, neither team will likely get many runs here today. I'm taking UNDER in this game.

The Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros continue their three-game set here tonight with game two. The Braves took the opener on Monday, 6-1. That made two straight wins for the Braves who are in 1st place in the NL East with a 10-5 overall record and +24 run differential. The Braves also have an excellent road record at 6-3. Reynaldo Lopez will start his third game of the season tonight. Lopez is 1-0 with a 0.75 ERA and 1.000 WHIP in his first two games. He's allowed just seven hits and one run over his 12 innings of work. The Astros have struggled out of the gate to a 6-12 record and -18 run differential. They are also in last in the AL West. The Astros had their two game win streak snapped last night by the Braves. Otherwise, they have lost five of their last seven games. Hunter Brown makes his fourth start tonight for Houston. Brown is 0-2 with a lofty 16.43 ERA and 3.911 WHIP. Brown started the season ok, going four innings and allowing four hits and no earned runs to the Yankees. However, his last two starts he's gong just 3 2/3 innings, allowed 19 hits and 14 earned runs. Have to take the Braves here tonight against Browns and a struggling Astros club.

The Milwaukee Brewers are tied for 1st place in the NL Central with a 10-4 record. They have a +31 run differential. The San Diego Padres just took two of three games from the Dodgers and are 9-9 overall with a +6 run differential. The Padres have a potent lineup with many big hitters. However, their starting pitching leaves something to desire. Case in point is today's starter, Joe Musgrove. Musgrove is 1-2 in his four starts with a 6.87 ERA and 1.745 WHIP. He's coming off a game vs the Cubs where he allowed five hits and four runs over four innings of work for the loss. The Brewers have won four of their last five games. They will start Joe Ross here today. He's 1-0 in his two starts with a 1.80 ERA and 1.300 WHIP. Ross has allowed just seven hits and three runs over his 10 innings of work. Brewers are a small home dog and they have the much better starter on the hill. I'll take Milwaukee today.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been one of the surprise teams thus far to the MLB season. The Pirates are tied for 1st in the NL Central with a 11-5 record and +24 run differential. The New York Mets can get back to the .500 mark today with a win. The Mets are 7-8 and in third place in the AL East. They also have a +1 run differential. The Pirates will send Martin Perez to the hill. Perez is 1-0 in his three starts with a 1.89 ERA and 1.211 WHIP. He's also allowed just 18 hits and four runs over his 19 innings of work. The Mets will send Adrian Houser to the hill today. Houser is 0-1 in his two starts with a 5.40 ERA and 1.600 WHIP. He's allowed 11 hits and six runs over his 10 innings of work. But what is also of concern with Houser is that he's allowed more walks (5) than KO's (4). I'm taking Pittsburgh here today with the better starter on the hill.

Early start here on Monday has the Cleveland Guardians taking on the Red Sox from Boston. The Red Sox are 9-7 and tied for third in the touch AL East. Every team in the East division has at least a .500 record. The Sox have a +12 run differential. Cleveland is first in the AL Central with a 10-5 record and +29 run differential. Cleveland is coming off a set at the Yankees where they lost two of their three games. They did salvage the final game on Sunday, 8-7. Today they send Xzavion Curry to the hill. Curry makes his first appearance this year. He was in the bullpen last year with a 4.07 ERA and .135 WHIP. The Sox come into this game winning two games in a row and taking two of three from their set with the Angels. Kutter Crawford will start for Boston with a 0-0 record in his three starts. He's been very good though, posting a 0.57 ERA and 0.957 WHIP. Crawford has allowed just seven total hits and one run over his 15 2/3 innings of work. I'm sticking with the Red Sox here today with a very good Crawford on the hill. Play Boston.

The St Louis Cardinals and Arizona Diamondbacks conclude their three game set here today. The teams have split their first two games with the Cardinals taking Friday's game, 9-6, and the D'back winning on Saturday, 4-2. The Cards are last in the NL Central with a 7-8 record. They also have a -4 run differential. Miles Mikolas will toe the rubber for the Cards today. Mikolas is 1-1 in his three starts with a 4.76 ERA. He's coming off a no decision vs the Phillies where he went 6 2/3 innings and allowed just six hits and two runs. The Arizona Diamondbacks are third in the NL West with a 7-8 record and +16 run differential. Zac Gallen will start for the D'back. Gallen is 2-0 in his three starts with a 2.25 ERA and 1.188 WHIP. He's allowed just one run over his first two starts and three runs to the Rockies in his last a start. Gallen looks to be in fine form early and I'll take the UNDER in today's game. Play the UNDER

A Interconference clash here today has the Chicago Cubs making the trip to the Northwest to face the Seattle Mariners. The Cubs are 8-6 on the season and tied for third in the NL Central. They are coming off a win over the M's last night and have a +12 Run differential on the season. The Cubs and Mariners have split the first two games of this series with the M's winning on Friday, 4-2 and the Cubs last night, 4-1. Javier Assad will start for the Cubbies. Assad is 1-0 in his two starts with a 1.64 ERA and 1.000 WHIP. He's allowed just seven hits and two runs over his 11 innings of work. Seattle is 6-9 on the season with a -22 Run differential. The Mariners are in third place in the AL West. Luis Castillo will start for the Mariners. Castillo is 0-3 in his three starts with a 6.89 ERA and 1.851 WHIP. Castillo has allowed 12 runs and 25 hits over his 15 2/3 innings of work. I'll take the Cubs today wit a much better starter on the hill in Assad. Play Chicago.

The Washington Nationals are off to a 6-8 start to the season with a -13 run differential. The Nats and A's have split the first two games of this series with the A's winning on Friday, 2-1 and the Nationals on Saturday, 3-1. The Nats will send Trevor Williams to the hill. Williams is 2-0 after two starts with a 2.61 ERA and 1.065 WHIP. He's allowed just three runs and six hits over 10 1/3 innings of work. The A's are 6-9 to start their season with a -23 run differential. The A's will send Alex Wood to the hill with a 0-1 record in his three starts. He has a lofty 8.03 ERA and 1.946 WHIP. I like the Nationals here with a much better starter on the mound. Play Washington.

The LA Angels and Boston Red Sox conclude their three game set here today in Boston. The teams have split the first two games with the Angels taking Friday's contest, 7-0 and the Red Sox coming back for the win on Saturday, 7-2. The Angels are 7-7 on the season with a -8 run differential. They are 2nd in the AL West, just a half game back of the Rangers. Tyler Anderson looks to start here today for the Halos. Anderson is 2-0 in his two starts with a perfect 0.00 ERA and very good 0.786 WHIP. Anderson has worked 14 innings with no runs allowed and just eight hits. He also has eight KO's to just three walks. The Sox are 8-7 and have a +11 run differential. They will start Bryan Bello here today. Bello is 1-1 in his three starts with a 4.11 ERA and 1.109 WHIP. Bello is coming off a loss at home to the Orioles where he allowed four hits and three runs over his 5 1/3 inning of work. I'm sticking with the Angels today to see if Anderson can keep his scoreless inning streak going. Play the Angels.

Another rivalry game here on Saturday has the Pittsburgh Pirates taking on the Philadelphia Phillies. The two teams have split the first two games of this four game set with the Phillies winning on Thursday, 5-1, and the Pirates winning yesterday, 5-2. The Phillies are 7-7 and in 2nd in the NL East, two back of the Braves. The Pirates are 10-4 and tied with Milwaukee for the NL Central lead. The Pirates will send Marco Gonzales to the hill today. Gonzales is 0-0 in his two starts with a 2.45 ERA and 1.000 WHIP. He's allowed nine hits and three runs over his 11 innings of work. The Phils will send Spencer Turnbull to the hill. Turnbull is 1-0 in his two starts with a 0.00 ERA and 0.545 WHIP. Turnbull has been outstanding with just five his allowed and no earned runs over his 11 innings of work. In addition, he has 13 KO's to just one walk. Two very good pitchers on the hill today. First two games of the series have gone under, I look for that to continue here today. Play UNDER.

 Rivalry game here as the Houston Astros welcome their intrastate foes, the Texas Rangers for the 2nd game of this three-game set. The Rangers took game one on Friday in a slug-fest, 12-8. That was just the Rangers 2nd win in their last six games. Texas is still in first in the AL West with a 8-6 record, a half-game ahead of the LA Angels. The Astros pull up the bottom spot in the AL West at 4-11. The Astros also have the division's worst run differential at -23 runs. The Rangers will send Andrew Heaney to the hill today with a 0-2 record in his two starts. He has a 7.55 ERA and 1.319 WHIP. He's allowed eight hits and nine runs over 8 1/3 innings of work. One of those losses was vs these Astros where he allowed four hits and six runs over 3 2/3 innings of work. The Astros looking to snap a four-game losing streak here today. Ronel Blanco will toe the rubber. He's been outstanding for the Astros with a 2-0 record and 0.00 ERA and 0.467 WHIP. He's allowed one hit over his 15 innings of work with no runs allowed. Blanco pitched a NO HITTER in his first start of the season vs Toronto with just two walks and seven hits Then against these Rangers he went six innings and allowed one hit and no runs. It was in the 6th inning that he lost the no hitter as he went for back-to-back no-no's. I'm taking Houston here today. I know they haven't played well, but you don't have to play too good when Blanco is on the hill. Play Houston.

The Twins and Tigers opened their four game series on Friday and the Tigers took game one, 8-2. The Twin are 4-7 and in 4th place in the AL Central with a -15 run differential. The Tigers are 8-4 and in 2nd place with a +5 run differential. The Twins have lost five of their last six games and will look to get back on the win side today with Joe Ryan. Ryan is 0-1 in his two starts with a 3.18 ERA and 0.794 WHIP. Ryan has allowed just eight hits and four runs over 11 1/3 innings. He also has 12 KO's to go with just one walk. The Tigers have won two straight after losing three straight. They will send Kenta Maeda to the hill. Maeda is 0-1 in his two starts with a lofty 9.00 ERA and 1.556 WHIP. Maeda has allowed nine hits and nine runs over his nine innings of work. He also has five walks to go with five KO's. I'm sticking with the Twins here today with the better pitcher on the hill. The Tigers are hotter, but Maeda just hasn't looked all that good yet. Play Minnesota.

The Oakland A's are 5-8 and in 4th in the AL West division. They have a -22 run differential and coming off a win on Thursday over the Rangers, 1-0. They took two of three games with their Rangers as they begin this set with the Nationals. They will send Paul Blackburn to the hill today. Blackburn is the Ace of this team, with a 1-0 record and 0.00 ERA and 0.538 WHIP. Blackburn has not give up a run in either of his two starts and just six total hits. He also has seven KO's and no walks. The Washington Nationals are 5-7 to start the season with a -14 run differential. The Nats have won three of their last four games but are coming off a loss to the Giants on Thursday, 1-7. They just have to cross the Bay to face the A's here today. Jake Irvin will get his third start of the season. Irvin is 0-1 with a 5.73 ERA and 1.364 WHIP. He's allowed 12 hits and seven runs over his 11 innings of work. I really like Blackburn for the A's as he's putting up early Cy Young numbers. Play Oakland.

The Kansas City Royals look to extend their win streak to eight games here on Friday as they head to New York to face the Mets. The Royals are in 2nd place in the AL Central, just a half game back of the Guardians. They also now have the best run differential in baseball with a +39. The Royals are coming off a sweep of the Astros, outscoring Houston 28-6 in the three game series. That includes yesterday's win where they scored nine runs in the first inning en route to a 13-3 victory. Michael Wacha will make his third start of the season with a 1-0 record and 2.25 ERA and 0.583 WHIP. Wacha has allowed just five hits and three runs over his 12 inning of work. In addition, he has 13 KO's to just two walks. The New York Mets are 5-7 to start the season with a -1 run differential. They are in 3rd in the NL East, 2.5-games back of the Braves. The Mets blew out the Braves on Thursday, 16-4 as they took two of the three games from the Braves. Luis Severino will toe the rubber for the Mets. Severino is 0-1 in his two starts with a 6.30 ERA and 1.70 WHIP. He's allowed 15 hits over 11 inning with eight runs. The Royals are just red hot right now and have plenty of pitching to go around. I'll stay with the hot Royals here on Friday. Play Kansas City.

The Houston Astros have lost two straight games and have dropped to last in the AL West with a 4-9 record and -9 run differential. Meanwhile the Kansas City Royals improved to 8-4 and 2nd in the AL Central, just one game back of the Cleveland Guardians. They also have a +29 run differential. The Astros have been outscored by the Royals 5-15 in the first two games of this set. Hunter Brown will take the mound for the third time this season. Brown is 0-1 with a 6.43 ERA and 2.571 WHIP. He's allowed 12 hits and six runs over his seven innings of work. The Royals have now won six straight games and their pitching has been outstanding. Not only has the bullpen allowed just 1.66 ERA during it's last seven games, but the Royals have not allowed more than three runs in any of the games during this win streak. Brady Singer will toe the rubber today. Singer is 1-0 in his three starts with a nifty 0.68 ERA and 0.525 WHIP. He's allowed just five total hits and one run over 13 1/3 innings. I like the Royals a lot here today. Take Kansas City.

The Kansas City Royals continue to surprise as they are 7-4 on the season and in 2nd place in the AL Central, 1-game back of the Guardians. The Royals have won five straight games and have a +20 run differential. Seth Lugo will toe the rubber here today for the Royals. Lugo is 1-0 in his two starts with a 0.71 ERA and 1.026 WHIP. Lugo has been very good, allowing 10 hits and one run over his 12 2/3 innings of work. The Houston Astros have struggled out of the gate to a 4-8 record and a zero run differential. They lost to the Royals in game one of this set last night, 3-4. They will send Spencer Arrighetti to the mound for his first start. The 24-year old righthander was promoted to take injured Framber Valdez spot here tonight. He will be making his major league debut. As for me, I'll stick with the hotter team and a very good pitcher. Take Kansas City.

 The AL East is always one if not the top division in baseball. That looks to be the case again this year as all five teams right now are .500 or better. That includes the Reds Sox who are 7-4 to start the season and 2.5 games back of the Yankees. They also have a +20 run differential this year. Kutter Crawford will make his third start of the season for the Sox. Crawford has no record but just a scant 0.84 ERA and 0.843 WHIP this year. He's allowed only five hits and two runs over 10 2/3 innings of work with 12 KO's and four walks. The Baltimore Orioles are in 3rd in the division, a half game back of the Red Sox. The O's have lost two of the last three games. They will send Cole Irvin to the hill today. Irvin is 0-1 in his only start with a 7.20 ETA and 1.80 WHIP. He allowed seven hits and four runs to the Royals in his first start of the season. I'm sticking with the Red Sox here tonight and a very good pitcher on the hill.

The Tampa Bay Rays are in that tough AL East division and every team has at least a .500 record and that includes the Rays who are 6-6 on the season. They have a -13 run differential. The Rays and Angels have split the first two games of this series with Tampa Bay winning last night, 6-4. Tampa Bay sends Zack Littell to the mound tonight with a 1-0 record after his two starts. Littell has a nifty 0.82 ERA and 1.000 WHIP. He's allowed nine hits and one run over his first 11 innings of work. The LA Angels are 6-5 and tied for first in the AL West. They have a -8 run differential and are tied with the Ranges. The Angels will send Jose Soriano to the hill this afternoon. The 6-foot-3 righthander has seen limited action from the bullpen this season. He was moved into the rotation when Chase Silseth was put on the injured list. Soriano showed promise as a starter during the spring and that's why he's been moved into the rotation tonight. I'm sticking with the Rays though in this one. Play Tampa Bay.

The Philadelphia Phillies had to go to extra innings but they took their game on Monday vs the Cardinals, 5-3. That evened the Phillies record to 5-5 on the season as they are 2nd in the NL East, 1.5-games back of the braves. They also hve a -6 run differential. The Phils will start Zack Wheeler today who is 0-1 on the season. Wheeler makes his third start today with a 0.75 ERA and .75 WHIP. He's allowed just eight hits over 12 innings of work with just one earned run. The Cardinals dropped to 5-6 with their loss on Monday to the Phillies. They have -7 run differential and are in last place in the NL Central. Sonny Gray makes his first start for the Cardinals after coming over from the Twins in the offseason. Gray was 8-8 with a 2.79 ERA and 1.15 WHIP last year. I'm sticking with the Phillies here on Tuesday. Wheeler has been great and not sure what we will see out of Gray yet. Play Philadelphia.

The Miami Marlins continue to flounder as they are off to a 1-10 start after losing to the Yankees on Monday, 0-7. The Marlins also have a AL worst -32 run differential. They did finally win a game on Sunday at St Louis with a 10-3 win, but have gone right back to losing. A.J. Puk will make his third start after a 0-2 start. Puk has a lofty 9.00 ERA and 2.833 WHIP. He's allowed eight hits and eight runs after only 6 innings of work. Bad news today as they face the 9-2 Yankees who have won three straight after Monday's shut-out win. The Yankee also have a +17 run differential. Soto and Volpe both hit 3-run home runs to boost the Yankees to the lead in the AL East. Carlos Rondon makes his third start of the season. Rondon is 0-0 but has a nifty 2.80 ERA. He's allowed 12 hits and three runs over just 9 2/3 innings. Have to lay the Run line here today as the Yankees blowout the Marlins again. Play NY Yankees -1.5 runs. 

The White Sox and Guardians play a three-game set as the Guardians took game one on Monday, 4-0. White Sox manager Stephen Vogt made his home debut and it was a good on with the win for the Guardians. Cleveland was 7-2 after nine games on the road and improved to 8-2 with their win last night. The Guardians are in 1st place in the AL Central and have a +36 run differential. Logan T Allen will make his third start tonight after a 2-0 start. Allen has a 2.31 ERA and 1.114 WHIP. He's allowed just 10 hits and three runs over his 11 2/3 inning of work. The White Sox are off to a horrible start at 1-9. They have lost five straight games and have a -30 run differential. Mike Soroka will make his third start after a 0-1 record. He has a 4.91 ERA and 1.455 WHIP. Soroka has allowed 13 hits and six runs over his 11 innings of work. Have to side with the Guardians today and Allen who both have been great. I'll lay the Run Line with Cleveland.

The Tigers and Pirates play just a two game series and last night they Pirates took game one of this set, 7-4. That loss dropped the Tigers to 6-4 on the season as they have lost three straight games and now have a -2 run differential. The Tigers will send Casey Mize to the hill today. Mize is 0-0 after one start. He went 4 1/3 innings vs the Mets and allowed just five hits and three runs. The Pirates have been off to a great start as they are now 9-2 and won three straight games with a +21 run differential. Martin Perez will make his third start today. Perez is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA. He's allowed 12 hits and just three runs over his 11 innings of work. I like the Pirates, they are hot and they play a struggling Detroit team again. And as Drew Carey says, "The Price is Right" so come on down and win with the Pirates early on Tuesday.  

 NL West clash here tonight has Arizona taking on Colorado. The Diamondbacks are 4-6 to start the season and have a +16 run differential. They are coming off a loss on Sunday to the Braves, 2-5. They lost two of three games in their set to the Braves. They opened the season with four games against Colorado and took three of the four games while outscoring the Rockies 32-14. Zac Gallen makes his third start of the season. Gallen is 2-0 and has been in excellent form. Gallen has allowed just six total hits and one run over his 11 innings. And, he's received a lot of run support with the D'backs scoring 23 runs in the two games. That includes a 16-1 win over these Rockies where he held them to just three hits and run one over five innings. The Rockies once again look to be the bottom team in a tough NL West. The Rockies are 2-8 to start the season and have a MLB worst -34 run differential. The Rockies are coming off a loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday, 2-3. They have now lost six of their last seven games. Kyle Freeland will make his third start after a 0-2 beginning. Freeland has allowed 19 hits and 17 runs over his 6 1/3 innings of work. Freeland and the Rockies have both been horrible thus far. Don't see any change tonight against a very good Gallen. I'll lay the Run line with the D'backs here tonight.

The LA Dodgers have already opened up a 3-game lead over the Padres in the NL West. The Dodgers are 8-3 on the season and have scored 68 runs while allowing just 52 runs. The Dodgers and Cubs have split their first two games of this series with the rubber game today. Their big offseason pitcher acquisition of Yoshinobu Yamamoto showed just how good he is when he shut down the Cubs on Saturday, going five innings and allowing three hits and no runs to get his first win in the Major leagues. Gavin Stone will make his second start for LA today. Stone went five innings vs the Cardinals in his first start, allowing seven hits and three runs in a no decision. The Cubs are 5-3 on the season. They had their string of nine runs or more in a game snapped yesterday at three in a row by the Dodgers. Still, this team has shown they can score runs in bunches. Shota Imanaga will get his second start today. He was excellent in his debut, going six innings and allowing two hits and no runs to the Rockies to get the win. We'll see if he is that good here today against this potent LA lineup. I'll take the Cubs here today and see if he is that good. Play Chicago.

The Miami Marlins envisioned a better to start to their season. They couldn't have imaged a 0-9 start. The Marlins have scored just 30 total runs while allowing 62 runs for a -32 Run Differential. The Marlins look to avoid the sweep here today at the hands of the Cardinals. St Louis won game one of the series on Friday, 8-5 and then yesterday, 3-1. Today, the Marlins will send Max Meyer to the hill for his second start. Meyer went five innings and allowed two hits and two runs in a no decision against the Angels in his first start. The Cardinals are 5-4 to start the season, yet find themselves in last in the NL Central as all the teams in the division have had excellent starts. The Cardinals have a +2 Run differential. The Cardinals will send Kyle Gibson to the hill today. Gibson had a very good first start, going seven innings and allowing just four hits and two runs in a win over the Padres. I can't play the Marlins until they show they can win and I don't see that happening today vs Gibson and the Cards. Play St Louis.

The Seattle Mariners look to get back to the .500 mark in this early MLB season as they play the third of this four game set vs the Brewers. The Mariners lost to the Brewers on Friday, 5-6, then came back yesterday to take the game, 5-3. Today they will send Emerson Hancock to the hill. Hancock is 1-0 on the season and makes his second start here today. He went 5 1/3 inning in his first start vs the Guardians, allowing four hits and three runs to get the win. The Brewers are off to a good start as they are 5-2. They have scored just 29 runs but allowed just 27 runs on the season. The Brewers will send Colin Rea to the hill today. Rea is 1-0 after beating the Mets in his first start where he allowed just five hits and one run over five innings. I'm sticking with the Brewers here today as I give the edge to Rea. Play Milwaukee.

The Chicago Cubs off to a good start at 5-2 on the season. They did start the season 0-2 and have now won five games in a row after beating the Dodgers in game one of this set yesterday, 9-7. The Cubs have been an offensive tear too, scoring at least nine runs in each of their last three games and four of their last five games. Jordan Wicks will get his second start of the season today. Wicks went four innings and gave up five hits and two earned runs in his start at Texas for a no decision. The Dodgers are highly favored to win it all this year and they are 7-3 out of the gate. Their four game win streak was snapped yesterday by the Cubs. They will send one of their prized off season signings to the hill today in Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Yamamoto is 0-1 after two starts. He got roughed up by the Padres in South Korea, but rebounded by going five innings and allowing just two hits and no runs to the Cardinals in game 2 for a no decision. I love the way the Cubs are hitting the ball and I look for them to give the Dodgers all they can handle as a live dog. Play Chicago.

Early AL game on the schedule has the Oakland A's at Detroit Tigers. The A's not off to a good start, but then again no one really expected much from them this year. They are playing their final season in Oakland before moving to Sacramento for three years and then their final home in Las Vegas. The A's gave the Tigers all they could handle in yesterday's first game of this series, losing by just one run, 4-5. The pitcher with their only win goes again here today in Paul Blackburn. Blackburn got no decision in his first game vs the Guardians but the team got their only win thus far, 4-3. Blackburn was very good, going seven innings with just three hits and no runs allowed. The Tigers rebounded from their loss to the Mets with that win yesterday. They will send Kenta Maeda to the hill today. Maeda got hit hard in his first start, going 3 1/3 innings and allowing seven hits and six runs to the WHite Sox. The A's might not win many games but they will win at times. They are a huge dog here today and they have the better pitcher on the hill. They have a good shot today. Play the A's.

Not a lot of expectations in LA with the Angels, especially after Ohtani scooted across town to the Dodgers. Still, they are 4-2 to start the season and tied with the Rangers for the AL West lead. They will face the Red Sox today. Boston in that very tough AL East and they are 5-2, one game back of the Yankees. The Sox getting great pitching as they have held four teams to one run or no runs. They are coming off a sweep of Oakland, taking the last game 1-0. Kutter Crawford will make his second start for the Red Sox. Crawford went six innings in his first start vs Seattle, allowing three hits and no earned runs with seven KO's and just one walk. The Angels coming off a win on Wednesday at Miami, 10-2. That makes four straight wins for the Halos. Griffin Canning will make his second start tonight. Canning went five innings in his opener at Baltimore, allowing seven hits and five runs for the loss. Both teams playing well, but I will take the Red Sox who have the better starter going tonight.

AL Central foes matchup here on Friday as the Chicago White Sox take on the Kansas City Royals. Both teams off to slow starts with the White Sox at 1-5 and the Royals at 3-4. The White Sox finding runs difficult to come by as they have scored 1 or no runs in three of their six games thus far. They are coming off a loss to these Royals yesterday, 1-10. Erick Fedde will get his second start of the season for the Sox. Fedde went 4 2/3 innings vs the Tigers in his first game, allowing five hits and two runs for a no decision. The Royals started the season 0-2 but have since won three of five games. They are coming off that win over the Sox, 10-1 and have won two of their last three games. Brady Singer gets his second start after a nice seven inning, three hit and no run performance vs the Twins in his first start. I like the Royals here today, but with the high price I'll lay the Run Line with them.

The Detroit Tigers started the season 5-0 and finally lost a game to the Mets on Thursday, 1-2. They have held five of their first six opponents to 3 runs or fewer. Tarik Skubal gets his second start of the season here today vs the Oakland A's. Skubal had an excellent first start going six innings and allowing just three hits and no runs for the win vs the White Sox. The Oakland A's have fans protesting outside the stadium and wanting the team sold. The A's have decided this is their last year in Oakland before they move to Sacramento for three years and then their new home in Las Vegas. Still, the A's look like a team with little interest in these games. The A's are just 1-6 to start the season and just got swept by the Boston Red Sox. They scored four total runs vs the Red Sox and allowed 15 runs. JP Sears will make his second start of the season. He went just 3 2/3 innings vs the Guardians in his first start. He allowed six hits and five runs to take the loss. The Tigers playing with a lot of confidence and Skubal looking very strong. I'll lay the Run Line here today with the Tigers in what should be a blowout win.

 The Pittsburgh Pirates off to one of their best starts in recent memory with a 5-0 beginning to the season before they lost their first game last time out. The Nationals are 2-3 in their five games and have scored 23 total runs while allowing 31 runs for a -8 run differential. The Pirates have scored 42 points and allowed 26, for a +16 Run Differential. The Pirates lost their first game of the season on Wednesday to these Nationals, 3-5. They have scored at least five runs in all six games this year. Mitch Keller gets his 2nd start of the season. Keller opened the season for the Bucs at Miami and went 5 2/3 innings, allowing seven hits and four earned runs for a no decision. The Nats rebounded from a pair of losses with a in over the Bucs today. They have allowed at least six runs in their first four games before today's three runs. Josiah Gray gets his second start of the season for the Nationals. Gray got hit hard in his debut, allowing eight hits and allowing seven runs over just four innings. I'm sticking with the Bucs today as they not only are hot but we get them at a small price too. Play Pittsburgh.

The Toronto Blue Jays looks to get above the .500 mark today as they travel to Houston to play the struggling Astros. The Jays are 3-3 thus far and have allowed 31 runs while scoring 25 for a -6 run differential. The Jays are coming off a win at Houston yesterday, 2-1, after trailing most of the game. They lost the opener to the Astros 0-10. They will start Chris Bassitt for the second time this season. Bassitt is 0-1 after losing at Tampa Bay in his first start, 2-8. Bassitt went five innings and allowed six hits and five runs. Houston thought maybe their early struggles were over after a 0-4 start to the season. They beat Toronto 10-0 in game one of this series but then lost last night 1-2. Cristian Javier will get his second start tonight. He got a no decision in after his first start vs the Yankees. Javier went six inning and allowed four hits and no runs in that start. The Astros have scored 22 runs with 10 of those coming last night. They are -1 in run differential for the season. I'm taking the over here today as the Astros look to get back to winning. Play OVER.

The Oakland A's are the lame duck of baseball. They will be waiting to move to Las Vegas. However, in the meantime they have to endure the wrath of the home town fans. In fact, those fans have been boycotting A's games as attendance is that of a minor league game at best. The A's have given up the 2nd most runs thus far in baseball at 38. Only the Padres have given up more. The A's are just 1-4 to start the season and coming off a 0-9 loss to Boston yesterday. Alex Wood makes his second start of the season. Wood opened the season with a loss to Cleveland, 0-8. He went just 3 1/3 innings and gave up seven hits and six runs. He will face the Red Sox who are 3-2 thus far and coming off that win over the A's yesterday. Brayan Bello will make his second start this year. Bello opened the season with a win over Seattle, 6-4. Bellow went five innings and allowed five hits and two runs. I look for a high scoring game here on Tuesday as the A's allow a lot of runs thus far. Take the OVER.

The Baltimore Orioles host Kansas City as both teams begin their second set of the season. The Orioles went 2-1 in their opening series, scoring 25 runs in the process while allowing 11 runs to the Angels. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O's today. Kremer had an excellent season last year going 14-5 with a 4.12 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. The Kansas City Royals salvaged the final game of their three game set with the Minnesota Twins, winning 11-0. The 11 run outburst coming after the Royals scored just two total runs in the first two games vs the Twins. Michael Wacha will start here today for the Royals. Wacha was 14-4 last year with a 3.22 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. Problem is, despite that 11 run outburst, the Royals still have an anemic offense and will have little support for Wacha. I'll take the Orioles here today at home on the Run Line.

The Chicago Cubs still looking for their first win of the season as they have lost both games thus far to Texas. They lost their opening game on Thursday, 3-4 and then lost yesterday at Texas, 2-11. Jordan Wicks will get the start today for the Cubs. Wicks was 4-1 in limited action last season for the Cubs with a 4.41 ERA and 1.27 ERA. Jon Gray will counter for the Rangers. Gray was 9-8 last year with a 4.12 ERA and 1.29 WHIP. The Rangers look to have picked up where they left off last season. I'll take them to win again here on Sunday.

 The Twins look for the sweep in their first series of the season as they play the final game at Kansas City here on Sunday. They have had little difficulty thus far with the Royals, winning the season opener on Thursday, 4-1 and then yesterday 5-1. They have scored nine runs to the Royals two thus far. Bailey Ober will start for Minnesota after a 8-6 record last year and a 3.43 ERA with a 1.07 WHIP. The Royals will turn to Brady Singer who was 8-11 last year with a 5.52 ERA. I'm going to stick with the Twins here today as they sweep the Royals.

The Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers meet in this Interconference game. These teams met on Thursday wit h the Rangers taking that game, 4-3. Kyle Hendricks will toe the rubber for the Cubs. Hendricks was 6-8 last year with a 3.74 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. Cody Bradford will go for the Rangers. Bradford was 4-3 in 2023 with a 5.30 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. I expect another fine season from this Rangers team, especially on offense where they will have production throughout the lineup. The Cubs will still have issues this year, like they did last. Don't see much changing for this version of the Cubs. I'll take the Rangers here today as they look to go 2-0 on the season.

The Yankees and Astros play their second of this four game set here on Friday. Both teams will be battling for their division titles. The Yankees made a big off season move by acquiring Juan Soto. The Astros are looking to rebound after losing to the Rangers in the AL Championship series last year. Carlos Rondon will toe the rubber here for the Yankees. Rondon looking to make a comeback after a horrid 2023 season that saw the southpaw go 3-8 with a 6.85 ERA. Cristian Javier will go for the Astros. Javier was 1-5 with a 4.56 ERA for Houston. Houston at home here on Friday and I also give the pitching edge to Javier over Rondon. It's still early, but I'm taking Houston at home here on Friday at a very good price.

Opening day of the season for these two teams as the Minnesota Twins travel to KC to take on the Royals Pablo Lopez will toe the rubber for the Twins here on opening day. Lopez was 11-8 with a 3.66 ERA last season. The Royals will send Cole Ragans to the hill. Ragans was 7-5 with a 3.47 ERA last year. The Twins won the AL Central last year and where shocked in the playoffs by the Astros. The Royal lost a franchise record 106 games last year and finished last in the division. They Twins pretty much stood pat over the offseason, though they lost starters Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda. Minnesota had one of the best pitching staff's last season with a 3.83 ERA and opposing batting average of just .236 which was sixth in the AL. The Royals made a number of offseason moves to improve a team that had a horrible year. They brought in Hunter Renfroe and Adam Frazier to help with the offense. I think the Royals will be better this year, but that isn't saying much. I still like this Minnesota pitching staff and Lopez should have another excellent season. I'll take the Twins to start the season with win here in KC.

Game 4 of the World Series tonight and the Diamondbacks in a must win spot as they are already down 1-2 in the series. They can ill afford to go down 1-3 and then have to return to Texas for possibly the last two games. Though they did just that in the Philly series. The D'backs got a decent start last night from Brandon Pfaadt as the rookie went 5 1/3 innings and allowed just four hits. It was the 3-run inning that hurt him and in particular the Seager home run. Just one mistake and it was a big one. Joe Mantiply will go tonight for the D'backs. Mantiply only has four starts and the team is 3-1 in his starts with a 2.25 ERA. He's really going to be just an opener tonight as he will only go about one inning. His job is to get the top three or four batters out and then bring in the relievers to take over from there. The Rangers will turn to Andrew Heaney who is 9-6 this year with a 4.21 ERA. Heaney has two postseason starts and has allowed just six hits and four runs but over just 4 1/3 innings. Don't expect Heaney long for this game either. This looks to be a battle of the bullpens tonight. I'm taking Arizona to even the series and stay in it tonight. Play Arizona.

The Arizona Diamondbacks return home for the Series after splitting their two game in Texas. They have gained home field advantage and have received some excellent pitching. Kelly gave them a strong outing in game two as they held a big hitting Rangers team to just one run in their win, 9-1. The D'backs had 16 hits in game two while holding the Rangers to just four hits. Brandon Pfaadt will start today and while his season numbers are not going to impress with a 3-9 record and 5.23 ERA. However, he's been their rock in the postseason, winning all four starts and allowing just five total runs over 16 2/3 innings. And, aside from that first start in Milwaukee, he's allowed two runs over the last 14 innings. The Rangers hope their road magic continues tonight. They were 4-0 on the road in the Houston series. Max Scherzer makes his third postseason start. The rust really showed in after his long layoff in that first game vs Houston as he allowed five runs over four innings. Then in his second start he went just 2 2/3 innings and allowed four hits and two runs. I'm not sold on Scherzer's readiness. Yes, he has the pedigree and experience, but this youngster for the D'backs has shown that the big stage doesn't bother him. I'll take Arizona tonight.

Game one of the World Series. Both teams had to win game seven on the road. The Rangers won all four games in Houston while the Diamondbacks won games six and seven in Philly. Zac Gallen gets the nod here in game one for Arizona. Gallen is 19-11 overall on the season with a 3.64 ERA. Gallen is 2-2 in the playoffs, winning his first two game and then losing both games against Philly Ace Zack Wheeler in the NLDS. He allowed 13 runs over his four playoff starts (22 23/ innings), striking out 13 and walking nine. Nathan Eovaldi will start for the Rangers with his 16-5 overall record and 3.44 ERA. Eovaldi is 4-0 in the playoffs, going 26 innings and allowing seven total runs. He also has just four walks with 28 KO's. I like Eovaldi a lot here in game one. We have to fade a price in the -1.60 range, but what choice do we have at this point. Play the Rangers .I look for Gallen to struggle here tonight against this Texas lineup. Should be plenty of runs on the Texas side here. Play the Rangers and the OVER.

Game one of the World Series. Both teams had to win game seven on the road. The Rangers won all four games in Houston while the Diamondbacks won games six and seven in Philly. Zac Gallen gets the nod here in game one for Arizona. Gallen is 19-11 overall on the season with a 3.64 ERA. Gallen is 2-2 in the playoffs, winning his first two game and then losing both games against Philly Ace Zack Wheeler in the NLDS. He allowed 13 runs over his four playoff starts (22 23/ innings), striking out 13 and walking nine. Nathan Eovaldi will start for the Rangers with his 16-5 overall record and 3.44 ERA. Eovaldi is 4-0 in the playoffs, going 26 innings and allowing seven total runs. He also has just four walks with 28 KO's. I like Eovaldi a lot here in game one. We have to fade a price in the -1.60 range, but what choice do we have at this point. Play the Rangers .I look for Gallen to struggle here tonight against this Texas lineup. Should be plenty of runs on the Texas side here. Play the Rangers and the OVER.

Another game seven tonight, this time in the NLCS as the Phillies having trouble closing out the D'backs. Arizona didn't have much trouble last night in game six to force this game seven tonight. Arizona got 10 hits as they won game six, 5-1. Brandon Pfaadt gets the start in the biggest game tonight for Arizona. Pfaadt has three postseason starts, and while he has no decision in all three the D'backs won all three of his starts. Pfaadt had a rough start vs Milwaukee, going just 2 2/3 innings and gave up seven hits and three runs. Since then though he's allowed just four hits and no runs over 10 innings. Ranger Suarez will start for the Phillies. He also has three postseason starts with the Phils going 2-1. He beat Atlanta twice and got a no decision to Arizona in this series. He pitched very well vs the D'backs, allowing three hits and not runs over 5 1/3 innings with seven KO's. Expect all pitchers (expect last night's starters) to be on call here tonight. I'll take the Phillies to win this series finale at home.

Game 7 of the ALCS here tonight has the Houston Astros looking to win a game at home after dropping all previous three. The Astros trailed 0-2 as the series headed back to Texas where the Astros won all three games. Then back to Houston for game six where the Rangers won last night in a rout, 9-2. The Rangers will start Max Scherzer tonight. Scherzer had over month off before his start against the Astros in this series. That didn't go well as he allowed five hits and five runs over four innings of work. He hopes to have the rust out tonight for game seven. The Astros will turn to Cristitan Javier. Javier is 2-0 in the playoffs, going 10 2/3 innings and allowing just four hits and two runs. I like the Astros to close out this series tonight with Javier. Play Houston.

Arizona had no answer for Zack Wheeler in game six of the NLCS as the D'backs fell to the Phillies, 1-6. They now face elimination as the venue switches back to Philly with the Phillies leading the NLCS 3 games to two. It will be up to Merrill Kelly tonight to keep the D'backs alive. Kelly is 13-9 overall and 1-1 in playoffs. He beat the Dodgers in a excellent outing, going 6 1/3 innings and allowing three hits and not runs. He then lost to the Phillies in game two, going 5 2/3 innings, allowing three hits and four runs. The Phillies will start Aaron Nola who is 15-9 overall and 3-0 in the playoffs. Nola has gone 18 2/3 innings and allowed just two earned runs overall. He has also struck out 19 and walked just two batters. I'm taking the Phillies where they have dominated at home. Play Philadelphia.

The Rangers looked to be in the drivers seat in the ALCS as they headed home for games three, four and five. Up 2-0, the Rangers were flying high. However, the Astros turned the table with wins in games three, four and then a 5-4 win in game five. Now the Astros return home up 3-2 and looking to punch their ticket to another World Series. Nathan Eovaldi will try and keep the Rangers in this series here on Sunday evening. Eovaldi is 15-5 on the season and 3-0 in the playoffs. He has gone 19 2/3 innings with just five runs allowed, one walk and 24 KO's. The Astros will counter with Framber Valdez. Valdez is 12-13 on the season and 0-2 in the playoffs. He lost to the Twins in the divisional series, going 4 1/3 innings and allowing seven hits and five runs. Then he lost to the Rangers, going just 2 2/3 innings, allowing seven hits and four earned runs. I look for the Rangers to stay in this series and force a game seven. Play Texas.

The Phillies have to be kicking themselves about this point. They came to Arizona leading the NLCS two games to none. They played a very lackadaisical game three, which you can excuse. However, game four last night they pretty much gave away in another loss, 5-6. Their relievers let them down with walks, the manager made some very bad moves and the team just looked like they wanted to give game four away. And they did. Now the NLCS is tied at 2-2 and the Phils face the real prospect of going back to Philly down 2-3 and facing elimination. Philly does get their Ace on the hill tonight in the person of Zack Wheeler. Wheeler is 15-6 on the season and is 1-0 in his two playoff starts. He faces Gallen again as he did back in Philly where he allowed three hits and two runs over six innings. Gallen is 2-1 in the playoffs (all on the road), allowing nine runs over 16 2/3 innings. However, Gallen gets his first start at home where he was excellent this year. Gallen was 12-3 at home on the season with a 2.47 ERA. I'll take Gallen at home and the D'backs to go up 3-2 in this series. Play Arizona.

Game four of the NLCS here on Friday has the Phillies leading 2-1 over the Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks in a must win spot on Thursday and they got the win, 2-1. Arizona got a walk off single from Ketel Marte to win the game. After scoring 10 runs in game two back at Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies offense decided to take the night off in game three. The Phillies will start Cristopher Sanchez today. Sanchez gets his first postseason start today. He was 3-5 on the season with a 3.48 ERA. Arizona will counter with Joe Mantiply, who is 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA in his three starts. His last start coming back on September 10th. Both teams hoping they can get these pitchers into the fifth inning today. I look for the Phillies to get the offense back in gear after that lackluster performance last night. I'll take Philadelphia here in game four.

Things looked bleak for the Houston Astros as they headed to Arlington to face the Rangers down 0-2 in the series. But things have turned around after two straight road wins for the Astros, including yesterday's win, 10-3. Now with the series tied 2-2, Houston has regained home field advantage as we play game five here on Friday. Justin Verlander gets his second start of this ALCS and third of the playoffs. Verlander has allowed just two runs and 10 hits over 12 2/3 innings of playoff action. He lost to Texas in game one of the series, allowing two runs over 6 2/3 innings. The Rangers will counter with Jordan Montgomery who is 1-0 in the playoffs after two starts. He was the winner in game one vs Verlander, going 6 1/3 innings, allowing five hits and no runs. Another great pitching matchup here today. I'm taking the Astros as I still give an edge to Verlander. Play Houston.

The Houston Astros were in a must-win situation in game three and they came through. They jumped all over a very rusty Scherzer on Wednesday to a 5-0 lead before winning game three, 8-5. The Astros had 12 hits and one HR in the win. Houston can even the series and regain home field advantage with a win tonight. Jose Urquidy will get the start. He was 4-3 overall with a 4.82 ERA. However, he was excellent vs the Twins in the ALDS, going 5 2/3 innings and allowing just three hits and two runs with six KO's. The Rangers suffered their fist loss of the postseason after sweeping the Rays and Orioles and taking the first two in this series. That snapped the win streak at seven games. Andrew Heaney will start for the Rangers with a 9-6 overall record and 4.04 ERA. In his lone postseason start he went 3 2/3 innings vs the Orioles, allowing two hits and one run. Heaney likely won't be around long in this one no matter how well he pitches. The bullpen has a 4.67 ERA this year so they could be good or bad. I'm taking the Astros here in game four to even the series.

There might have been some speculation that the Phillies huge win over the Braves might cause a bit of a letdown entering this NLCS. Nope, didn't happen. The Phillies beat the D'backs in game one, 5-3 and then steamrolled them in game two, 10-0. That's a 15-3 score difference. The series moves back to Arizona tonight, but I don't think it will make much of a difference. The Phillies will start Ranger Suarez today. Suarez is 5-6 overall on the season with a 3.97 ERA. He faced off twice against the Braves Ace Spencer Strider and beat him twice in a row here in October. He held the Braves to four total hits and one run over 8 2/3 innings in October. After using their top two starters in the first two games of this series, they will have to start Brandon Pfaadt today. Pfaadt was only 3-9 on the season with a 5.57 ERA. He did beat the Dodgers in the NLDS, going 4 1/3 innings and allowing two hits and no runs. The Phillies are hitting the ball too well and that will not be good for Pfaadt today. Play Philadelphia.

 Houston Astros in a must win position here on Wednesday after dropping both games at home to the Texas Rangers. Down 0-2, the Rangers face almost impossible odds with another loss here on Wednesday. The Astros will start Cristian Javier here tonight. Javier is 10-5 on the season with a 4.56 ERA. In his one postseason start, Javier went five innings vs the Twins and allowed just one hit and no runs for the win. That makes 11 straight inning with just four total hits and no runs allowed for Javier. He will face Max Scherzer tonight. Scherzer is 13-6 overall this season with a 3.77 ERA. Scherzer has not started a game since September 12th. Have to think Scherzer might struggle a bit here tonight after such a long layoff. Also likely he will not go very deep into this one either way. The Rangers bullpen has a 4.87 ERA and they walk batters at a nearly 13% clip. Both offenses are explosive and this one likely comes down to a battle of the bullpens. I have to give the nod there to the Astros. I'll take Houston as they are in that spot of needing a big win. Play the dog here on the Houston Astros.

The Phillies took game one in the NLCS yesterday with an easy 5-3 win over the D'backs after jumping out to a 5-0 lead. They had their Ace on the hill in Zack Wheeler. They come back today with another hot pitcher in Aaron Nola. Nola is 14-9 on the season with a 4.27 ERA. However, in the playoffs he is 2-0 and has allowed just two runs over his 12 2/3 innings of work with 12 KO's and just two walks. The Diamondbacks shocked every with a sweep of the Dodgers in the divisional series. However, they have come back down to earth after that game one loss in Philly yesterday. They will send Merrill Kelly to the hill today. Kelly had a very nice season with a 13-8 record and 3.28 ERA. In his one start this postseason he got the win over the Dodgers in game one of the NLDS, going 6 2/3 innings and allowing just three hits and no runs. The Phillies are still hot and at home they should have little trouble vs the D'backs. Play Philadelphia.

Game one of the AL Championship series has the Texas Rangers taking on the Houston Astros. The Astros had a tough series vs Minnesota but won the series 3-1. Texas Rangers had little trouble in either their Wildcard or the Divisional series. The Rangers swept the Rays in two games and then swept the Orioles in three games. They got great pitching, allowing more than two runs in one of the playoff games thus far. The Rangers will start Jordan Montgomery who was 11-11 on the season. Montgomery was very hot down the stretch. He got wins in both playoff series. Justin Verlander will get the start for the Astros. Verlander has allowed one total run over his last three starts (19 innings) including holding the Twins to no runs and just four hits over six innings in his one playoff start. I like Verlander here on Sunday. The Rangers are tough, but the Astros have proved they are too and I give the pitching edge to Verlander in this one. Play Houston.

The Phillies took home field away from the Braves by winning game one of this series in Atlanta, 3-0. Then the Phils blew a huge opportunity in game two. Leading 4-0 with their Ace Wheeler on the hill and throwing a no hitter through six innings, the Braves rallied and got the go ahead two-run home run in the 8th to pull out the win and even this series 1-1. Now the Phillies return home for game three and while they are happy for the split in Atlanta, they have to be kicking themselves for the lost opportunity. The Phillies will start Aaron Nola here today who is 13-9 on the season with a 4.31 ERA. He beat Miami in the Wildcard with a nice seven inning performance, allowing just three hits and no runs. The Braves look to go with Bryce Elder who was 12-4 on the season with a 3.81 ERA. Elder hasn't started since Sept 26th and that's a long layoff. No matter which pitcher goes for the Braves, I'll be on the Phillies here in game three.

The Minnesota Twins and Houston Astros are tied 1-1 in this best of five series. The Twins have gained home field advantage with their split in Houston. And today they get their Ace on the mound in Sonny Gray. The Astros took the opener 6-4 and the Twins game two, 6-2. Gray is 9-8 on the season with a 2.67 ERA. He has been great though of late, allowing three total runs over his last five starts. That includes his dominating performance in the Wildcard game vs the Blue Jays where he allowed five hits and not runs over five innings for the win. The Astros hope to regain home field behind starter Cristian Javier. Javier has had a fine season with a 10-5 record and 4.50 ERA. This will be Javier's first postseason start. His last start was on October 1st vs the Diamondbacks where he allowed three hits and no runs over six innings for the win. Fine pitching matchup here today but the Twins faithful will be in full force. I'm taking the Twins in this one.

Arizona swept Milwaukee on the road in the NL Wildcard and now into LA and tame game one in huge fashion with a win, 11-2. They have won three straight now as they look to take a commanding lead in this best of five series. Zac Gallen will toe the rubber for the D'backs. Gallen is 18-9 on the season with a 3.46 ERA. In his Wildcard game at Milwaukee he went six innings, allowing five hits and two runs to get the win. The Dodgers in a must win spot here will send Bobby Miller to the hill. Miller has been great for LA with a 11-4 record and 3.76 ERA. Miller is coming off a fine outing at San Francisco where he allowed just one hit and no runs over four innings. I'm taking LA here as they have to win or be forced into a sweep event. Take LA Dodgers.

Reason: Game two of this best of five series as the Rangers took the opener on Saturday, 3-2. They have taken home field away from the Orioles and now can take a commanding lead in this series with a win on Sunday. And they have their hottest pitcher going in Sunday's game, Jordan Montgomery. Montgomery has allowed just two total runs over his last five starts, including a dominating performance over the Rays in the Wild Card game. He allowed six hits over seven innings with no runs and no walks vs the Rays. The O's will counter with Grayson Rodriguez who is 7-4 with a 4.35 ERA on the season. He's been very good of late, going 4-1 in his last seven starts with a 2.20 ERA. Getting Montgomery as a small dog here is too much for me to pass on. Take Texas.

The Arizona Diamondbacks swept the Milwaukee Brewers in the Wild Card round of the NL playoffs. Now it's on to LA to face the Dodgers in a best of five Divisional series. Arizona beat Milwaukee 6-3 in game one and 5-2 in games two, going under one game and pushing the total in the other game. Merrill Kelly will make his first postseason appearance here on Saturday. Kelly was 12-8 in the regular season with a 3.39 ERA. He struggled a bit down the stretch, going 2-3 in his last seven starts with a 4.35 ERA. The Dodgers got to 100 wins on the final day of the regular season with a win over the Giants, 5-2. It wasn't sure who would start game one of the Dodgers, but they are going with veteran lefty Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw was 13-5 on the season with a 2.46 ERA. He was 3-1 in his last seven starts with a 2.30 ERA. In fact, Kershaw allowed just two runs over his last three starts (14 1/3 innings). Kershaw looks in fine form and Kelly is one of the D'backs best. I'll take the UNDER here in game one.

The Minnesota Twins can end this first round of Wildcard playoffs with win today over the Blue Jays. The higher seed has a big advantage in this best of three series as all three games would be at home. The Twins took the first game on Tuesday, 3-1. They got a great pitching performance from Pablo Lopez who went 5 2/3 innings, with five hits and one run. Sonny Gray will start game two. Gray is 8-8 in the regular season with a 2.74 ERA. He was even better down the stretch with a 2-2 record and 1.54 ERA. The Blue Jays will start Jose Berrios who is 11-12 on the season with a 3.65 ERA. He was 2-4 in his last seven starts with a 4.53 ERA. I look for the Twins to send the Jays home after this game today. Play Minnesota.

The Tampa Bay Rays opened the season with one of the hottest starts every and led the AL East for a good part of the season before Baltimore over took them. Now the Rays face elimination from the playoffs after losing game one here on Tuesday, 0-4. Part of the issue is their defense, they commit errors and that was on display Tuesday. The good news is that they keep home field advantage here on Wednesday and on Thursday if they win today. Zach Eflin will try and keep them alive today. Eflin is 16-8 on the season with a 3.50 ERA. He's been their Ace of the staff this year. Texas will counter with Nathan Eovaldi who is 12-5 on the season with a 3.63 ERA. However, he was just 2-2 in his last seven starts with a 7.18 ERA. Unlike the Rays, the Rangers are one of the best defensive teams in baseball and that was on display yesterday. If the the Rays can cut out the mistakes with the leather they should win here today with their Ace on the hill. I'll take the Rays.

This round of the Wildcard now is a three game set, but the higher seeds holds a distinct advantage as they host all three games. The Diamondbacks will start Brandon Pfaadt today. PFaadt struggled a good part of the year to a 3-9 record in his 18 starts and a 5.70 ERA. Though he did finish better with a 3-3 record in his last seven starts and a 3.82 ERA. The Brewers will start veteran hurler Corbin Burnes. Burnes was 10-8 in his 32 starts and had a 3.39 ERA. Burnes also finished strong, allowing no runs over his last two starts (9 innings). He also allowed no runs in three of his last four starts. I'll take the veteran pitcher and the Brewers here in game one.

Rangers and Rays meet in the Wildcard round here on Tuesday. This round of the Wildcard now three games, but the higher seeds holds a distinct advantage as they host all three games. The Rangers will start Jordan Montgomery here in game one. Montgomery is 10-11 on the regular season with a 3.20 ERA. He finished very strong, allowing just two earned runs over his last four starts, though the team lost two of those starts. Tyler Glasnow will toe the rubber for the Rays with a 10-7 record in the regular season and a 3.60 ERA. Glasnow finished the season with a two hit, no earned run performance vs the Red Sox. I'll take the home squad here in game one. Play Tampa Bay.

The final games of the season are here and four teams still have a shot at an NL Wildcard spot. The Cubs right now hold the third and final spot, but Miami is a half game back and the Reds are 1.5 games back. The Braves have the best record in the NL locked up and will have a bye in the first round of the playoffs. So these games mean little if anything to them. That being said, they are still a moderate favorite here over the Reds. Jameson Taillon is 8-10 for the Cubs with a 5.30 ERA. However, he's coming off a excellent start where he allowed four hits and no runs over six innings to the Rockies. He also has a 4.02 ERA over his last seven starts. The Braves start Darius Vines for just the second time. Vines started August 30th vs the Rockies and allowed two runs over six innings. Not sure if Vines will repeat that effort, but not enough data to back him here on a team with nothing to play for. I'll take the underdog Cubs and see if they have enough life to fight for that playoff spot. Take the Cubs.