The Wild Wild NL West has just gotten closer with the Dodgers closing to one game of the division leading Giants. The loser of this division will get the top NL Wild card and host that game, but neither want that one and done position. The Dodgers begin a 3-game set here tonight at Arizona before returning home for their last games of the regular season against San Diego and then Milwaukee. LA Starts Tony Gonsolin tonight who is 2-1 in his 11 starts with a 2.43 ERA. Gonsolin has been very good, allowing two runs or fewer in 10 of his 11 starts. He will face Humberto Castellanos tonight who is 2-0 in his five starts with a 4.63 ERA. Gonsolin just too dominating for me to pass on him here tonight. I'll take the Dodgers and lay the Run Line.

 Dodgers dropped to 2-games back of the Giants with a loss last night to Colorado coupled with the SF win at San Diego. The Dodgers will send their best and red-hot starter Max Scherzer to the hill. Scherzer has been amazing, allowing just two total runs over his last six starts. His ERA over his last seven starts, a paltry 0.57 with a team record 7-0. The Rockies will start their best pitcher here today in Kyle Freeland. Freeland is 6-8 on the season with a 4.50 ERA. He's been slightly better of late with a 3-2 record and 4.21 ERA. He's also coming off a six inning, no run performance against Washington. Bad spot here for Freeland going up against the hottest pitcher in baseball. I'll take the UNDER.

The St Louis Cardinals hold a 4-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds and a 4.5-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies for the 2nd and last NL Wildcard spot. The Cards have been hot, winning 10 straight games and 12 of their last 13 games. The Brewers have the NL Central locked-up with a 9.5-game lead over the Cardinals. Miles Mikolas will start for the Cardinals. Mikolas is 1-2 in his seven starts with a 4.50 ERA. He is coming off his best start though, allowing just three hits and no runs over 5 2/3 innings against the Padres. He will face the Brewers' Brett Anderson who is 4-8 with a 4.18 ERA. Cardinals are red-hot and I'm sticking with that here tonight. Play St Louis.

While the Seattle Mariners and Oakland A's are pretty much done for the AL West title, both teams still in the hunt for a Wild Card. Right now, the A's are 4th in the Wild Card race, 2-games back, while the Mariners are fifth at 3-games back. So it's a jumble between all five teams in the Wild Card with three teams missing out. Marco Gonzales starts today for the M's with a 8-5 record and 3.98 ERA. He's been slightly worse on the road where he is 4-3 with a 4.39 ERA. The A's will send Paul Blackburn to the hill. Blackburn is 1-2 in his six starts with a 4.94 ERA. I don't expect either starter to be very effective tonight. I'll just take the OVER in this one.

Houston has a comfortable 7-game lead in the AL West over the Oakland A's and 8-games over the Mariners. They have won seven of their last 10 games and two in a row. They face the fourth place Angels today who are on a four-game losing streak and have also lost seven of their last 10 games. Jose Urquidy starts for the Houston and is having a fine season with a 7-3 record and 3.38 ERA. He's been better of late, going 3-0 with a 2.78 ERA in his last seven starts. In fact, he hasn't allowed over two runs in any of his last six starts. Packy Naughton makes only his fourth start for the Angels. Naughton is 0-2 with a 5.56 ERA. Naughton won't likely be around long, going past the fourth inning just once thus far and that was five innings. The Astros should score at will here today and may get this game over by themselves. Play the OVER.

The Cincinnati Reds still have a shot at that 2nd Wild Card spot. They trail the Cardinals by three-games for that playoff position. The Padres are one game back of the Reds and the Phillies 1.5-games back. So these games against the last place Pirates are important. Mitch Keller starts today for the Pirates with a 4-11 mark. He has a overall ERA of 6.14, but has been much better of late. Keller has a 4.80 ERA over his last seven starts and allowed six runs over his last 16 innings. Tyler Mahle will toe the rubber for the Reds. Mahle is 12-5 with a 3.58 ERA. He's been better of late, going 3-2 with a 3.02 ERA over his last seven starts. I'm going to take the UNDER here today with two decent starters.

Tampa Bay has a fairly sizeable lead in the AL East of 6.5 games and doesn't look like that will be in trouble. Tonight they take on the third place AL East Toronto Blue Jays who are 7.5 games back. More import though is that the Jays hold that 2nd Wild Card spot right now with a 1 1/2-game lead over the Yankees. Robbie Ray will start tonight for the Jays with a 12-5 record and 2.64 ERA. Ray has been even better of late with a 3-0 record and 1.91 ERA in his last seven starts. The Rays will start their No. 1 prospect in Shane Baz, who last played for the USA in the Tokoyo Olympics and helped his team to a Silver Medal. Baz has been impressive in the minors. Baz is 5-4, 2.06 overall this season with Montgomery and Durham, striking out 113 in 78 2/3 innings and walking only 13. At Triple-A, he is 3-0. 1.76 in 10 games, with 69 strikeouts and 11 walks in 46 innings. I have to take a wait and see for the Rays starter, but Ray I know and will take a chance with. Play Toronto.

If the NY Yankees hope to make the postseason they will have to better then they have of late. The New York Yankees are now 1.5-games back of that final Wild Card playoff spot in the American League. They have lost two straight games and are 5-5 in their last 10 games. The Yankees will look to get a bit closer on the back of today's young start, Nestor Cortes. Cortes is 2-2 on the season with an overall 2.70 ERA. What impresses me is that in his 11 starts he's allowed three runs or fewer in 10 of those outings. And, in that other start, just four runs. Today, the Yankees will face Rangers starter A.J. Alexy who is 2-0 in his two starts with a 0.00 ERA. Alexy has look excellent, allowing just two total hits over his 11 innings with five walks and 11 KO's. I'm impressed with both these young starters and if they hold form this game will be an under. Play UNDER

The Yankees have now dropped to 9-games back of the Rays in the AL East and 4th overall in the division. They are just a 1/2 game back in the Wild Card race so they need to win. The Indians are 11 games back in the AL Central and 10 back in the Wild Card. Eli Morgan starts for the Indians. He's had a tough season at 2-7 and a 6.03 ERA. However, his six starts on the road haven't been bad at 1-1 with a 3.31 ERA. Gerrit Cole goes the Yankees. Cole is 15-7 with a 2.75 ERA. He's allowed just four runs over his last five starts (27 2/3 innings). Don't see Cleveland getting much if anything here today. Play the UNDER.    

Huge wild card series here as the Padres and Cardinals both fighting for that last playoff spot. First round goes to the Cardinals as they won last night over the Padres, 8-2. The Cardinals now lead the Reds by 1-games and the Padres by 1.5-games for that final spot. I'm sure we'll lots of movement in this are in these final games of the regular season. Yu Darvish starts today for the Padres. He's 8-10 on the season with a 4.32 ERA. He's been much worse of late, going 1-5 with a 7.86 ERA over his last seven starts. The Cards will send Adam Wainwright to the hill. Wainwright is 16-7 with a 2.88 ERA. Unlike Darvish, he's improved lately with a 6-1 record and 1.24 ERA over his last seven starts. I look for the Cardinals to take today's game and increase their Wildcard lead. Play St Louis

The Phillies and Mets both fighting for that last NL Wildcard slot. The Phillies in better position though as they are just 2.5-games back of St Louis while the Mets are 5-games back. The Phils are 3-games back of the Braves for the NL East lead while the Mets are 5.5-games back. The Mets will try to snap a 3-game losing skid here tonight. They will send All-Star pitcher Taijuan Walker to the hill. Walker is 7-9 overall with a 4.24 ERA. He's been better at home with a 4-3 record and 3.41 ERA in 13 starts. Philly will send Zack Wheeler to the mound. Wheeler is 13-9 on the season with a nifty 2.86 ERA. He's allowed only one run over his last two starts (12 2/3 innings). I look for this game to be a close, low scoring affair. Take UNDER.

 The Yankees have been slumping and it's seen them fall from 2nd to tied for 3rd with the Blue Jays in the AL East. They are in a dog fight for one of those AL Wildcard spots with the Jays and Red Sox. The Yankees start Nestor Cortes today who is 2-2 in his 10 starts with a nifty 2.85 ERA. He's allowed more than three runs just one time in his 10 starts. John Means will toe the rubber for the O's with a 5-7 record and 3.42 ERA. Means has allowed two runs in each of his last three starts and that includes against these Yankees on Sept 3 in a 3-4 no decision. Both pitchers are very good and should keep this score in check. Play the UNDER.

The San Francisco Giants just won't lose these days, much to the dismay of 2nd place LA that is trying to catch them. The Giants won again on Monday over the Padres, making them winners of eight straight games and they are 10-1 their last 11 games. The Padres have lost four straight games and seven of their last 11 games. Jake Arrieta starts today for the Padres. Arrieta is 5-12 on the season with a lofty 7.03 ERA. That goes way up in his last seven starts as he's 0-4 with a 12.17 ERA. Anthony Desclafani starts for the Giants. He's 11-6 with a 3.33 ERA on the season. Doesn't get any easier here tonight for the Padres who will once again struggle to score runs. Take San Francisco on the Run Line.

Miami Marlins are 6-4 in their last 10 games and look to extend their win streak to two games here tonight. The Marlins beat the Nationals on Monday night, 3-0. The will send Jesus Luzardo to the hill tonight. Luzardo is 4-6 on the season with a 6.25 ERA. He's been way worse on the road, posting a 0-2 record and a 9.64 in three away starts. The Nats will counter with Erick Fedde tonight. Fedde is 6-9 with a 5.31 ERA. He's been slightly worse of late with a 6.03 ERA and 2-2 record. Both starters likely not around long in this one. I'll take the OVER.

The St Louis Cardinals closed out their series with the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday with a 2-0 win. Meanwhile, the Mets finished their Subway series with the Yankees. Both teams are still in the race for that final NL Wild Card slot. The Dodgers have the top spot locked at this point with a 16-game lead over the pack. The Padres and Reds are tied for the 2nd spot with the Cardinals one game back and the Mets 3.5-games back. The Cardinals start their best pitcher tonight in Adam Wainwright. Wainwright is 15-7 with a 2.98 ERA on the season. He's been even better recently, going 6-1 with a 1.57 ERA over his last seven starts. The Mets will start Rich Hill who is 6-6 on the season. Hill has a 3.71 overall ERA and slightly worse 4.01 home ERA. I like Wainwright and the Cardinals tonight who can get one step close to that Wild Card spot with a win.

Toronto and Baltimore played only 7 innings on Saturday, but there was no lack of runs with the Jays winning 11-10. Toronto is tied for the 2nd Wild Card slot right now with the Yankees. But there are two teams nipping at their heals so they can't let their guards down. Toronto has been hot, winning nine of their last 10 games and 12 of their last 14 games. Toronto starts Steven Matz here today. Matz is 11-7 on the season with a 3.70 ERA. He's been very good of late, going 3-1 with a 1.63 ERA over his last seven starts. The ORioles will start Zac Lowther here today. Lowther has started just two games and he's allowed eight runs over 8 2/3 innings. Not much to go by with Lowther at this point. But I do know what I'm getting with the Blue Jays and Matz. Take Toronto on the Run Line.

The Cincinnati Reds have been slumping. They just lost two of three games to the Cubs and are now 3-7 in their last 10 games. Their road trip continues here tonight in St Louis. The Cardinals are in third place right behind the Reds, but both teams are double digits back in the race for the AL Central. The Card have won two straight games. They send veteran leftie Jon Lester to the hill tonight. Lester is 5-6 on the season with a 4.89 ERA. He's pitched well of late, allowing just one run in each of his last three starts and four of his last five starts. The Reds start Tyler Mahler who is 11-5 with a 3.70 ERA. Mahler is the Reds best pitcher, but consider Lester's good run and the Reds recent troubles, I'll take the home dog in this one. Play St Louis.

The Kansas City Royals look to snap a 2-game losing streak here tonight against the Baltimore Orioles. These teams play the fourth game of their set with the Royals taking game one and then losing the next two. Carlos Hernandez will start tonight for the Royals. Hernandez is 4-1 in his eight starts with a 3.11 ERA. He's been good in his two road starts, going 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA. John Means starts today for the O's with a 5-6 record and 3.47 ERA. Means has not allowed more than three runs in any of his last three starts. I like this game to go under the total tonight. Play UNDER.

Cincinnati and Chicago have split the first two games of their series with the Cubs winning on Monday and the Reds on Tuesday, 4-3. The Reds have lost seven of their last 10 games while the Cubs have won eight of their last 10 games. Vladimir Gutierrez starts today for the Reds with a 9-6 record and 4.17 ERA. Alec Mills will toe the rubber for the Cubs with a 4-6 record and 3.57 ERA. The Cubs a small dog here tonight and they are even in pitching and are the hotter team. Play the Cubs.

Giants came out of the weekend with the Dodgers and are still 1-game ahead of the Dodgers in the NL West. They have won two straight games as they continue to keep the Dodgers at bay. The Rockies are 25-games back of the Giants and have lost two straight games. The Rockies have been a very good home team, but have lost two straight at home and three of their last five. Logan Webb starts for the Giants with a 8-3 record and 2.59 ERA. He's been very good of late, going 4-0 with a 1.39 ERA over his last seven starts. Chi Chi Gonzalez starts for the Rockies with his 2-5 record and 6.20 ERA. Despite the Rockies decent home record I'm taking a very good Webb here today on the Run Line.

 Interleague action here today as the Detroit Tigers take on the Pittsburgh Pirates on this Labor Day Monday. The Tigers are coming off series at Cincinnati where they took two of three from the Reds. The Twins scored 26 runs over the three games to just 10 by the Reds. The Tigers will start Tarik Skubal today who is 8-11 with a 4.31 ERA. Skubal is coming off a poor start, allowing six runs to the A's over five innings. However, prior to that game he had allowed just four runs over his previous four starts (22 2/3 innings). The Pirates will start Bryse Wilson. Wilson is 2-6 on the season with a 4.61 ERA. He's worse of late, going 0-4 with a 4.78 ERA over his last sevens starts. Take the Tigers here on Monday.

 The Yankees have won just five of their last 10 games and because of that have slipped to 7.5-games back of 1st place Tampa Bay after having close to 5.5-games. The Orioles are one of the worst teams in baseball, yet they beat the Yankees on Saturday 4-3, thus splitting the first two games of this series. Keegan Akin starts for the Orioles today. Keegan is 2-8 with a 7.33 ERA and that goes up to 8.55 on the road. Corey Kluber makes his second start for the Yankees since coming off the disabled list. Kluber didn't fare to well in his first outing, going just four innings vs the Angels and allowing five hits and five runs. Still, the Orioles are just horrible with a terrible starter today. I'll take another shot with Kluber today on the Run Line.

Tampa Bay has extended its lead in the AL East over the NY Yankees to 6.5-games, thanks in big part to a 8-2 run over their last 10 games. The Twins, well they are in last in the AL Central and that doesn't look to change. They have lost three straight games and six of their last 10 games. The Twins start Andrew Albers here today for just his second start of the season. Albers did well in his first start, going 5 1/3 innings vs the Brewers, allowing three hits and no runs. Chris Archer makes just his third start since returning from the IL list. Archer has allowed just two runs over his six innings with 10 KO's and just two walks. Rays just too tough to pass on here today. Lay the Run Line with the Rays.

 The Colorado Rockies came up a bit short at home last night against Atlanta, losing 5-6 despite leading early in the game. The Rockies still have one of the top home team records in baseball at 43-23. The Braves are in first place in the NL East. They have lost six of their last 10 games on a difficult West Coast trip that has included the Giants and Dodgers. The Braves were swept by the Dodgers but took two of three from the Giants. The Braves start Huascar Ynoa tonight who is 4-4 on the season with a 2.95 ERA. The Rockies start Antonio Senzatela who is 3-9 overall with a 4.18 ERA. However at home that drops to 3.89 ERA and over his last seven starts it drops to 3.09 ERA. Senzatela has been very good of late and at home he's worth the dog price shot here. Play Colorado.

The AL Central last place Minnesota Twins take on the AL East leading Tampa Bay Rays here tonight. The Twins lost both games of their 2-games series with the Cubs and have split their last six games. The Rays saw their 9-game winning streak come to an end against the Boston Red Sox. They lost the last two games to the Sox as they still lead the Yankees by 6.5-games in the LA East. The Twins start Randy Dobnak tonight. Dobnak is 1-3 in his five starts with a 6.25 ERA. Michal Wacha starts for the Rays. Wacha is 2-4 on the season with a 4.93 ERA. He's been slightly worse of late, going 0-2 over his last seven starts with a 6.48 ERA. I'm going to take the OVER here today.

The San Francisco Giants have given up first place in the NL West to the Dodgers. The Giants are now a half game back of the Dodgers. The Giants can thank a four-game losing skid for the drop. The Giants offense has gone South too, with just five total runs over their last games. The Brewers have taken the first three games of this four-game set with dominating pitching. Eric Lauer starts today for the Brewers with a 4-5 record and 3.20 ERA. He's been better of late, going 2-2 with a 2.04 ERA. The Giants will try and stop their skid with one of their best pitchers in Logan Webb. Webb is 8-3 on the season with a 2.67 ERA. He's been great at home with a 5-09 record and 1.75 ERA. I can't play the Giants, but I do like the UNDER here tonight.

The Red Sox are in some Covid trouble right now, with eight members of their team having tested positive. That doesn't include the other two who are in quarantine for close contact. Kike Hernandez didn't play on Tuesday due to Covid along with four members of the bullpen. Xander Bogaerts was pulled after one inning after his latest test came back positive. And after all that the Red Sox lost 5-8. Now they have to play the first place Rays again tonight. They are already shorthanded. For me, doesn't matter who pitches in this game, a team can't be handcuffed like that and beat a first place team like Tampa Bay. Take the Rays.

Colorado has lost back-to-back games to the Texas Rangers by the same score, 3-4. The Rockies will try to take the third game of this set that goes early here on Wednesday. The Rockies will send Kyle Freeland to the mound today. Freeland is 5-6 with a 4.17 ERA. He's been better of late, going 4-2 over his last seven starts with a 2.79 ERA. Freeland has given up two runs or fewers in six of his last seven games and has won five straight decisions. The Rangers will send Kohei Arihara to the hill. Arihara is 2-3 on the season with a lofty 6.59 ERA. He is 0-2 in his three home stars with a 11.32 ERA and 2.031 WHIP. Colorado is a very good home team, not so good on the road, but this is spot I can play them on the road. Take the Rockies.

The Dodgers edge ever closer to the Giants for 1st place in the NL West. LA is now 1.5 games back after beating Atlanta on Monday. The Dodgers have won seven of their last 10 games. The Atlanta Braves are still in 1st place in the AL East, 3.5 games ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies. The Braves are the only team in the East with a positive differential number of +90. The Dodgers are a MLB best +211 run differential. Charlie Morton starts today for the Braves with a 12- record and 3.54 ERA. He's been slightly better on the road where he is 7-2 with a 2.94 ERA. The Dodgers will start Walker Buehler who is 13-2 on the season with a nifty 2.02 ERA. He's been great of late, going 3-1 with a 1.13 ERA over his last seven starts. Tough side to call here, so I'll stick with the total. Play UNDER.

The first place Tampa Bay Rays have baseball's current longest win streak at seven games. Despite the Yankees being red-hot, the Rays have kept them at bay by winning nine of their last 10 games and 12 of their last 13. Unfortunately the Red Sox are stuck in the same division with the Rays and Yankees and therefore are 8-games back in the division. Boston starts Nick Pivetta here today. Pivetta is 9-6 on the season with a 4.57 ERA. He's been slightly worse of late with a 2-2 record and 5.34 ERA over his last seven starts. Luis Patino will toe the rubber for the Rays. Patino is 2-3 in his 10 starts this year with a 4.82 ERA. He's been better at home going 2-2 with a 2.28 ERA. I'm sticking with the red-hot Rays here on Monday. Play Tampa Bay.

The Tampa Bay Rays have won 6-straight games and nine of their last 10 games. They have needed it too in order to hold off the surging NY Yankees that have closed the gap in the AL East to just 5-games. The Orioles snapped their 19-game losing streak last week and now have another two-game losing streak started. The O's have dropped the first two games of this set with the Rays, 3-6 and then last night 3-4. The Rays have welcomed back Chris Archer to the rotation. Archer has no record after his one start since April 10th. That was just two innings, but he allowed just one hit and no runs. The O's will start Spenser Watkins who is 2-6 on the season with a 7.24 ERA. He's been slightly worse lately with a 1-6 record and 8.81 ERA over his last seven starts. Archer likely won't go to much farther today, but the O's are bad and they have a bad starter on the hill. Play Tampa Bay on the Run Line.

The SF Giants have been hot, but the Dodgers even hotter. The 1st place Giants have seen their lead in the NL West shrink to just 1.5-games after losing to the Braves in game one of their set on Friday, 5-6. That loss snapped a five game win streak for the Giants. The Braves are also in 1st place in the their division, the NL East. They lead the Phillies by 6-games. The Braves had won nine-games in a row before they ran into the NY Yankees buzzsaw. The Yankees took both games vs the Braves so it was nice to get back to the winning ways here last night over the Giants. The Giants will start Logan Webb. Webb is 7-3 on the season with a nifty 2.87 ERA. He's been even better of late, going 3-0 with a 1.91 ERA over his last seven starts. The Braves will start Huascar Ynoa tonight. Ynoa is 4-3 with a nice 2.95 ERA. His home ERA is slightly better at 2.15. I like both these teams to be in a pitcher's battle tonight. I'll take the UNDER.

The Houston Astros have opened up a 6.5-game lead in the AL West thanks in part to 2nd place Oakland slumping to 2-8 over their last 10 games. The Rangers are last in the division with a 44-84 record and have lost three straight and eight of their last 10 games. Framber Valdez starts for the Astros today. Valdez is 8-4 on the season with a 2.94 ERA. Kolby Allard starts for the Rangers with his 2-10 record and 5.29 ERA. He's been even worse of late, going 1-4 with a 6.87 ERA in his last seven starts. I'm going to lay the Run Line here today with the Astros.

The Cardinals and Pirates play game three of their set here tonight from Pittsburgh. The Pirates took game one on Thursday, 11-7 and the Cards took last night's game, 4-3. Adam Wainwright starts for the Cardinals tonight. Wainwright is 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA. He's been very good of late, posting a 5-1 record and 1.76 ERA and 0.843 WHIP over his last seven starts. The Bucs will start Steven Brault who is 0-2 in his four starts but has a nice 1.93 ERA. All four of Brault's games have gone UNDER. I like both these pitchers here tonight and I will take the UNDER.

The Baltimore Orioles snapped their 19-game losing streak with a win over the Angels on Wednesday. Now, they have won two straight games after beating the Angels twice. Tonight they face AL East leader in Tampa Bay. The Rays need to win since the Yankees have won 12 games and shaved four games off the Rays lead here just recently. Shane McClanahan starts tonight for the Rays. He's 8-4 on the season with a 3.63 ERA. Matt Harvey will start for the Orioles. Harvey is 6-13 with a 6.27 ERA. He's 2-8 at home with a 6.62 ERA. I look for the Rays to take these games serious and therfore I'll lay the Run Line here tonight with Tampa Bay.

The Dodgers and Padres played the longest game of the season in baseball, a 16-inning contest the Dodgers won on A.J. Pollock's 2-run home run in the top of the 16th to win the game for LA, 5-3. The Padres found themselves without any position players early in extra innings and it cost them dearly. The Dodgers remained 2.5-games back of the Giants for 1st place in the NL West while the Padres dropped to 15-games back. The Padres have also lost three straight games and eight of their last 10. Max Scherzer starts for the Dodgers with a 11-4 record on the season and 2.65 ERA. Scherzer hasn't allowed more than two runs in his last five games. The Padres start Yu Darvish. Darvish had a good start to the season but has fallen on hard times. He's 7-7 on the season, but 0-5 in his his last seven starts with a 7.13 ERA. I'll take the Dodgers again here on Thursday.

The Mets keep finding ways to lose these days. They led the Giants on Wednesday 2-1 going into the 7th inning before the Giants rallied for the win 3-2. The Giants held their 2.5 game lead in the NL West over the Dodgers. The Mets have fallen to 7-games back in the NL East after losing eight of their last 10 games. Alex Wood starts for the Giants today. Wood is 10-4 on the season with a 4.11 ERA. Wood has allowed just two earned runs in each of his last two starts. The Mets will turn to Carlos Carrasco today. Carrasco is 0-2 in five starts with a 8.82 ERA. The Mets woes will continue tonight. Take the Giants.

The Dodgers are inching closer to NL West leader San Francisco. The Dodgers have won nine of their last 10 games and now trail the Giants by just 2.5-games in the NL West. The Padres are pretty much out of the race in the NL West, now 14-games back after losing eight of their last 10 games. The Dodgers start Walker Buehler tonight with his 13-2 record and 2.11 ERA and 0.930 WHIP. The Padres will start Yu Darvish or Snell tonight. Either starter will have a tough go tonight. Darvish is just 7-7 with a 3.70 ERA. Darvish is 0-5 in his last seven starts with a 7.13 ERA. No matter who the Padres start, I will take the Dodgers here on Wednesday. 

The LA Angels are now sitting in 4th in the AL West, 11.5 games back of the 1st place Houston Astros. The Angels beat the Orioles in game one of this set, 14-8. that win snapped a three game losing streak to the Indians. What can you say about the Orioles. They have now lost 19 straight games as they go for number 20 tonight. The Orioles look to start newly acquired pitcher Chris Ellis. The O's claimed Ellis off waivers from the Rays. Ellis wasn't very good at the Triple-A level with a 6.32 ERA in 57 innings. The Angels will start Shohei Ohtani who is 8-1 on the season with a 2.79 ERA. Ohtani hasn't allowed more than two runs in any of his last six starts. I'll lay the Run Line here tonight with the Angels.

Tampa Bay continues to hold onto that first place lead in the AL East, now 4-games ahead of the surging Yankees. With the Yankees having won 11-straight games they have closed the gap in a hurry. The Phillies have lost seven of their last 10 games and dropped to 4.5-games back of 1st place Atlanta Braves. The Rays will start Ryan Yarbrough today. Yarbrough is 4-4 on the season with a 4.91 ERA. Zack Wheeler will start for the Phillies. Wheeler is 10-8 with a 2.77 ERA. He's been slightly worse of late, going 4-3 with a 4.04 ERA over his last seven games. I'll take the Rays here today against a struggling Phillies team.

The Yankees are 6.5-games back in the AL East after splitting their last 10 games. They opened this IL series with the Braves with a win on Monday, 5-1. The Braves lost their first game in their last 10 with that loss last night to the Yankees. Still, they are 9-1 over their last 10 and have increased their lead in the NL East to 4.5-games over the Phillies. The Yankees start Andrew Heaney tonight, who is 8-8 on the season with a 5.51 ERA. Charlie Morton will start for the Braves. Morton is 12-4 with a 3.41 ERA. I look for the Braves to rebound here tonight. Play Atlanta.

Another IL contest here today on Tuesday has the 1st place AL East Tampa Bay Rays taking on the 2nd Place NL East Philadelphia Phillies. The Rays have won two straight games and seven of their last 10-games as they opened up a 4-game lead on the Yankees. Philadelphia has lost six of its last 10 games and dropped to 4.5-games back of the Braves. Drew Rasmussen will start for the Rays. Rasmussen makes just his fifth start with no record and a 2.77 ERA. Ranger Suarez starts for the Phillies with a 0-1 record in his four starts this year. Suarez has a 2.45 ERA. Both starters have small resumes, but the Rays are the better team right now. Play Tampa Bay.

The Rockies are a excellent home team, however, they are not good on the road. Away from Coor's the Rockies are just 14-45 with the fewest road wins in baseball. The Cubs are not good since they traded away most of their high priced talent. They have lost three straight and eight of their last 10 games. The one bright spot is tonight's starter, Kyle Hendricks. Henricks is 14-5 on the season with a 4.04 ERA. He's coming off an excellent outing at Cincinnati where he allowed just one run and three hits over six innings for the win. With the Rockies so bad on the road and the Cubs best pitcher on the hill, I'll take Chicago tonight.

The Tampa Bay Rays continue to hold onto 1st place in the AL East, now 4-games ahead of the Yankees. The Rays have won seven of their last 10 games. They lost the opener of this series with the White Sox, 5-7 and won last ngiht, 8-4. The White Sox are running away with the AL Central, comfortably leading the 2nd place Indians by 10.5 games. The Sox will start Reynaldo Lopez today. Lopez is 1-0 in his three starts with a 0.82 ERA. Lopez has been good, but he's only gone 3,3 and 5 innings his his three starts. The Rays will start Chris Archer. Archer returns since making his first start back on April 10. Archer missed all of 2020 after having surgery. Tampa re-acquired Archer from the Pirates in a one-year deal. Should be interesting to see how far Archer goes in this one. Don't expect either starter to be around long. I'll take the Rays pen in this game. Play Tampa Bay.

The Baltimore Orioles have seen their losing streak reach 17 games after losing to the Braves on Saturday, 4-5. The O's have generated very little offensively during this losing streak, while the pitching has been ok at times, but not good either. The Braves have taken the first three games of this four game set with Baltimore. The Braves have a 8-game win streak and lead the Phillies by 5-games in the NL East. The Braves start Touki Toussaint today who is 2-2 in his six starts with a 4.01 ERA. He has allowed over two runs just one time in his six starts. John Means will toe the rubber for the Orioles today. Means is 5-5 in his 18 starts with a respectable 3.44 ERA. He's been worse of late though, 1-4 with a 6.54 ERA over his last seven starts. I'm sticking with the Braves again here today. 

The Colorado Rockies continue to prove why they are one of the best home teams in baseball. Not only are they now 42-21 at Coor's Field, but they have won four straight on this homestand including a 3-game sweep of the San Diego Padres. They beat the D'backs last night, 9-4. The D'backs are one of the worst if not the worst teams in baseball with a 41-82 record. They are just 14-46 on the road. Azc Gallen starts for the D'backs with a 1-7 record and 5.03 ERA. He's been worse lately, going 0-4 with a 6.55 ERA his last seven games. Kyle Freeland will start for the Rockies. Freeland is 4-6 with a 4.40 ERA. However, he's been better of late, going 3-4 with a 3.38 ERA. I'm sticking with the heavily home favored rockies here. Play Colorado.

How bad have things been for the Baltimore Ravens? How about 16-straight losses and a MLB worst 38-83 record. The Braves have won the first two games of this series, 7-2 and then last night 3-0. Drew Smyly will start today for the Braves. Smyly is 8-3 on the season with a 4.50 ERA. HE's 5-2 on the road with a 4.52 ERA. Veteran Matt Harvey will toe the rubber tonight for the Orioles. Harvey is 6-12 on the season with a 6.25 ERA. Harvey hasn't been horrible, but with these Oriole bats behind him he has to almost be perfect to get a win these days. I'm going to stick with the play I've made the last two nights and that's the Braves run-line.

Rockies are one of the best home teams in baseball with a 41-21 record at Coor's Field. In fact, they are coming off a 3-game home sweep of the Padres, scoring 20 runs in the 3-game set. Today they face one of the worst road teams in baseball in the Arizona Diamondbacks who are just 14-45 away from home. Tyler Gilbert makes only his second start here for the D'backs. In his first he threw a no-hitter for the Diamondbacks. What a way to make your debut. However, that was at home and now he has to go to the unfriendly pitcher park of Coors. Austin Gomber will start for the Rockies. He's 9-7 on the season, but 5-1 at home with a great 1.70 ERA. I think Gilbert will find life less enjoyable here today in this park. Play Colorado on the Run Line.

The Atalanta Braves are in 1st place in the NL East, thanks in big part to their six-game win streak and winning nine of their last 10 games. Today, they play an IL Game against the worst team in the junior circuit. Baltimore is just 38-82 on the season and has lost 15 straight games. Max Fried gets the start for the Braves with a 10-7 record and 3.86 ERA. He's been even better of late, going 5-2 with a 2.36 ERA over his last seven starts. Keegan Akin still looking for his first win of the year for the O's with a 0-7 record in his 10 starts. He has a lofty 9.29 ERA and as hard as it is to believe it's even worse of late with a 0-6 record and 12.67 ERA over his last seven starts. Braves should feast on this team and pitcher here today. Lay the Run line with the Braves.

 The Atalanta Braves are in 1st place in the NL East, thanks in big part to their six-game win streak and winning nine of their last 10 games. Today, they play an IL Game against the worst team in the junior circuit. Baltimore is just 38-82 on the season and has lost 15 straight games. Max Fried gets the start for the Braves with a 10-7 record and 3.86 ERA. He's been even better of late, going 5-2 with a 2.36 ERA over his last seven starts. Keegan Akin still looking for his first win of the year for the O's with a 0-7 record in his 10 starts. He has a lofty 9.29 ERA and as hard as it is to believe it's even worse of late with a 0-6 record and 12.67 ERA over his last seven starts. Take this game over in what should be a wide open affair.

The Twins and Yankees begin a four game set here on Thursday. The Twins enter tonight's game having won seven of their last 10 games. They just took two of the three games from Cleveland and have won four of their last five games and six of the last eight. The Yankees have gotten hot, sweeping the Red Sox and holding them to five total runs over three games. They have won six straight games and eight of their last 10 games. The Twins will start John Gant tonight. Gant is 4-6 on the season with a 3.76 ERA and a 5.93 ERA over his last seven starts. Jameson Taillon is 7-4 on the season with a 3.89 ERA. He's been very good of late, going 3-0 with a 1.74 ERA over his last seven games. I'm taking the Yankees here on Thursday.

The Seattle Mariners are not out of the race in the AL West, just 5.5 games back of Houston. They have taken the first two games of this set with the Rangers, both games by the same 3-1 score. The M's have now won six of their last seven games. The Rangers have lost 11 of their last 13 games and find themselves in last place in the AL West. The Mariners start Chris Flexen who is 10-5 on the season with a solid 3.78 ERA. The Rangers start Spencer Howard who is still looking for his first win of the season after nine starts. Howard has a 4.88 ERA and a 7.15 ERA at home. Mariners playing well and the Rangers, well this is always next year. Play Seattle.

The Red Sox have lost two straight games and that has dropped them to 5-games back of the Rays in the AL East. The Yankees 5-game win streak has moved them into a 2nd place tie with the Yankees and 1 percentage point ahead of them though both teams are 5-back in the race. Nick Pivetta starts for the Red Sox with a 9-5 record and 4.20 ERA on the season. Andrew Heaney will counter for the Yankees. Heaney is 7-8 on the season with a 5.78 ERA. He's been slightly worse of late, going 3-2 with a 6.51 ERA over the last seven games. The Yankees have taken that 2nd Wild Card spot away from the Red Sox, at least for now. I look for a high scoring game here today. Play the OVER.

 The Red Sox have lost two straight games and that has dropped them to 5-games back of the Rays in the AL East. The Yankees 5-game win streak has moved them into a 2nd place tie with the Yankees and 1 percentage point ahead of them though both teams are 5-back in the race. Nick Pivetta starts for the Red Sox with a 9-5 record and 4.20 ERA on the season. Andrew Heaney will counter for the Yankees. Heaney is 7-8 on the season with a 5.78 ERA. He's been slightly worse of late, going 3-2 with a 6.51 ERA over the last seven games. The Yankees have taken that 2nd Wild Card spot away from the Red Sox, at least for now. I look for a high scoring game here today. Play the OVER.

Interleague action here on Wednesday has the Toronto Blue Jays taking on the Nationals from Washington DC. The Blue Jays are dropping in the AL East, losing six of their last 10 games has them now 9-games back in the division. The Jays lost to the Nationals on Tuesday, 6-12. Toronto has gone over in five of their last six games. Jose Berrios starts for the Jays today. Berrios is 8-6 with a 3.52 ERA on the season. Josiah Gray starts for the Nationals. Gray is 0-1 in his three starts with a 3.15 ERA. Washington is 8-1-1 O/U in their last 10 games as a home dog. These teams have gone over three times in their last four meetings with one pushing. I'm taking the OVER here today.

A pair of AL Central teams meet here on Wednesday, though both likely out of the race. The White Sox are running away with the division, now 11-games ahead of the Indians. The Indians and Twins have split the first two games of this series with Cleveland winning last night 3-1. Zach Plesac starts for the Indians today with his 7-4 record and 4.64 ERA. The Twins counter with Lewis Thorpe. Thorpe is 0-2 in his three starts this year with a 4.15 ERA. Plesac a much more seasoned veteran than Thorpe who has just three starts. I'll take Cleveland here today. Play Cleveland.

The Colorado Rockies are one of the biggest Home/Away teams in baseball. First, the Rockies are 24-games back in the NL West with a 53-66 record. The Rockies have a 14-45 road record, tied for the least road wins in baseball. However, at home in Coors field they are 39-21 after beating the Padres on Monday night. Only a few other teams in baseball have more home wins then the Rockies. For me, I don't really even care who the starters are going to be here today. I'll take a action play on the Rockies when they are playing at home. Play Rockies.

The Chicago Cubs slide continues. Ever since they cleaned house at the trade deadline this team looks to be done. They have now lost 12 straight games after dropping Monday's game to the Reds, 4-15. Don't expect things to improve for the Cubs going forward. Kyle Hendricks will start today for the Cubs. He's been the loan brightspot with a 13-5 record on the season. His ERA is 4.15 and slightly worse of late with a 4.95 ERA. Vladimi Guierrrez starts for the Reds with a 8-3 record and 3.95 ERA. He's been better of late, posting a 5-0 record in his last seven starts with a 3.05 ERA. Still going against the Cubs here on Tuesday. Play Cincinnati.

The Blue Jays are 4th in the AL East, 8-games back of 1st place Tampa Bay. The Jays took the final game of their three game set with the Mariners, 8-3. They will play this IL contest here today at Washington. The Nationals Have lost seven straight games and nine of the last 10 games. Toronto starts Alek Manoah today who is 5-1 in his 11 starts this year. Manoah has a nifty 2.59 ERA and 1.017 WHIP. Erick Fedde is 4-8 in his 19 starts for the Nationals. Fedde has a 5.12 overall ERA and a 6.25 ERA over his last seven games. I'm going to lay the Run Line here today with the Blue Jays against a poor Washington team. Play Toronto on the Run Line.

The Colorado Rockies are one of the biggest Home/Away teams in baseball. First, the Rockies are 24-games back in the NL West with a 52-66 record. The Rockies have a 14-45 road record, tied for the least road wins in baseball. However, at home in Coors field they are 38-21. Only a few other teams in baseball have more home wins then the Rockies. Ryan Weathers starts for the Padres here on Monday. Weathers is 4-5 with a 4.72 ERA and 1.33 WHIP. Weathers only went 4 2/3 innings in his last start at home vs Miami, allowing seven hits and six earned runs. Antonio Senzatela starts for the Rockies. He's 2-9 on the season with a 4.71 ERA. However, those two wins came at home where he has a 4.04 ERA. The Rockies are 4-0 the last four games against the Padres in Colorado and 7-3 overall the last 10 meetings. Big home field advantage to Colorado and I plan to take advantage of it. Play Colorado.

The Toronto Blue have lost three straight games and have dropped 8.5-games back in the AL East. The Jays have dropped the first two games of this 3-game set, losing Friday 2-3 and then yesterday 3-9. Meanwhile the Mariners have won four straight games and are 8-games back of the Astros with a respectable, 63-55 record. The Jays will start Steven Matz with a 9-7 record and 4.28 ERA. He's been slightly worse on the road with a 2-4 record and 4.31 ERA. Logan Gilbert will toe the rubber for the M's. Gilbert is 5-3 on the season with a 4.05 ERA. He's been better of late with a 3-1 record and 3.86 ERA. I'll take the Mariners in the sweep today. Play Seattle.

The Cubs losing streak has now grown to 10-games after losing Saturday's contest to the Marlins, 4-5. It looked like they would break their streak last night, but couldn't hold a late lead. The pitching has been horrible, the hitting horrible, this team is just bad right now. The Marlins may be in last place in the NL East, but they have won three straight games and are now tied with the Nationals in the division. Alec Mills will start for the Cubs with a 3-4 record and 3.46 ERA. The Marlins will counter with Elieser Hernandez who will make just his third start of the year and first since June 3rd. Hernandez gave up just one run in his last start at Pittsburgh but has no decisions on the season. Really I don't care who the Marlins start, they are playing the Cubs who look to have no desire to be on the field. Play Miami.

The Oakland A's have won eight of their last 10 games as they now sit just 2.5-games back of 1st place Houston Astros. The A's need to win games like today against last place Texas, who is just 2-8 over their last 10 games. The A's lost last night's opening game of this series to the Rangers, 6-8. James Kapreilian starts for the A's with his 6-4 record and 3.22 ERA. He's coming off a very good start vs these Rangers, allowing just two runs over six innings in the win. Jordan Lyles will toe the rubber for the Rangers. Lyles is 5-9 with a 5.58 ERA. He's been slightly worse of late with a 2-4 record and 6.15 ERA over his last seven starts. Furthermore, he's allowed 12 runs over his last 11 innings. Take the A's today on the Run Line.

The White Sox walked off the Field of Dreams with a 9-8 exciting win over the Yankees in what might have been the best game of the year. The White Sox have a comfortable 11-game lead in the AL Central. The Yankees are 7.5-games back in the AL East. Jameson Taillon starts today for the Yankees with a 7-4 record and 3.82 ERA. Dylan Cease will toe the rubber for the Sox. Cease is 9-6 on the year with a 3.99 ERA. He's been better at home with a 5-2 record and 2.20 ERA. Excellent game here today with two good pitchers. Take the White Sox.

The Miami Marlins have won two straight games, including last night's scorefest over the Cubs in game one of their series, 14-10. The Cubs have now lost nine straight games after cleaning house at the trade deadline. Zach Davies gets the start for the Cubs today. Davies is 6-9 on the season with a 5.26 ERA. He's been worse of late, with a 1-4 record and 7.76 ERA over his last seven starts. Additionally, he's allowed 14 runs over his last six innings. Zach Thompson will start for the Marlins. Thompson is 2-5 with a 3.28 ERA. He's been even better at home with a 2-2 record and 2.80 ERA. Take the Marlins today.

The Chicago Cubs cleaned house at the trade deadline and it shows, now having lost eight straight games and 18.5-games back of 1st place Milwaukee. The Marlins are in last place in the NL East, 12-games back of the Phillies. The Marlins lost two of three to the Padres, taking the final game last night 7-0. Adbert Alzolay will start for the Cubs with a 4-12 record and 4.71 ERA. He's 1-7 on the road this year with a 5.06 ERA. However, he's did come off a very good start vs the White Sox, allowing just two runs over 6 2/3 innings. Jesus Luzardo will start for the Marlins. Luzardo is 2-4 in his eight starts with a 6.69 ERA. He's been better at home with a 2-2 record and 4.95 ERA. The Cubs offense has not been good since losing their biggest offensive stars. Despite two poor starters, I'm going to take the UNDER here tonight. Play UNDER. 

Field of Dreams game here tonight as these teams meet in the Iowa cornfield made famous in the Field of Dreams movie. The Yankees and White Sox begin their series here today with the Sox. The Yankees took two of three games from the Royals, including last night's 5-2 win. The White Sox are leading comfortably in the AL Central with a 10.5-game lead over the Indians. The White Sox are the only team in the division with a positive run differential of +129 runs. The Yanks start Andrew Heaney who is 7-8 on the season with a 5.45 ERA. He's been worse lately, with a 3-3 record and 6.88 ERA over his last seven starts. The White Sox start Lance Lynn. Lynn is having an excellent season with a 10-3 record and 2.04 ERA. He's been even better of late, going 3-0 with a 1.85 ERA over his last seven games. The White Sox look to be the play I like best tonight. Play Chicago.

The Tigers took game one of this series with the Orioles on Tuesday, 9-4. It was their fifth win in their last eight games. The Orioles have now lost six straight games after dropping Tuesday's contest. The Tigers will start Tarik Skubal tonight. Skubal is 7-9 on the season with a 4.39 ERA. He's coming off a start where he allowed no runs over five innings to the Red Sox in a win. The well traveled Matt Harvey starts for the O's. Harvey is 6-10 on the season with a lofty 6.13 ERA. I'm sticking with the team I had last night and that's the Tigers. Play Detroit.

 The Cardinals took game one of this series with the Pirates on Tuesday, 4-1. The pitching staff combined for a 1-hitter vs the Pirates. That was the team's third win in the last four nights. The Pirates have now lost six straight games. Adam Wainwright starts for the Cardinals tonight with a 10-6 record and 3.48 ERA. Wainwright is 4-1 with a 3.26 ERA over his last seven games. William Crowe starts for the Bucs tonight. Crowe is 3-6 on the season with a 5.40 ERA. I'm going to take the visitors in this one. Play St Louis.

 AL West clash here today has the 3rd place Mariners taking on the last place Rangers. The Mariners still in the hunt with a 59-54 record and 7.5-games back of the Astros. The Rangers are done, now 27-games back after losing their 6th in a row last night. Kolby Allard will start for the Rangers with a 1-10 record and 5.69 ERA. Logan Gilbert will start for the M's with a 5-3 record and 4.14 ERA. I'll lay the run and half here with the Mariners. Play Seattle -1.5 runs

The Giants continue to lead the NL West, now 4-games ahead of the Dodgers. They have won two straight and seven of their last 10 games. They get to feast on the D'backs right now who are a whopping 36.5-games back in the West. Zac Gallen will start for the D'backs with his 1-6 record and 4.62 ERA. He's been worse of late, posting a 0-4 mark and 5.18 ERA over his last seven starts. Alex Wood will start for the Dodgers with a 9-3 record and 4.03 ERA. He's got a 3-0 record and 3.93 ERA over his last seven starts. Giants should have no trouble here tonight. Lay the Run Line with SF.

The Detroit Tigers sit in third place in the AL Central with a 54-60 record, now 13.5-games back of the White Sox. The Orioles are in last place in the AL East, 29-games back of the Rays. The O's have lost five straight games and seven of their last 10 games. Casey Mize will start today for the Tigers. Mize is 6-6 on the season with a respectable 3.57 ERA. Keegan Akin is still looking for his first win of the season for the O's after eight starts. Keegan is 0-5 with a 8.82 ERA and 1.990 ERA. You won't win many games with those kind of numbers. Tigers have the much better starter on the hill against a poor O's team with a terrible starter. Take Detroit.

The Atlanta Braves just two-games back of the Phillies in the NL East as they have won seven of their last 10 games to close in on 1st place. The Reds are in 2nd in the NL Central, just 5.5-games back of the Brewers. The Reds have won seven of their last 10 also. Sonny Gray starts for the Reds with a 4-6 record and 4.44 ERA. He's been a bit worse over the last seven starts with a 5.56 ERA. Drew Smyly will toe the rubber for the Braves. Smyly is 7-3 on the season wwith a 4.50 ERA. He's been better last seven starts with a 3-0 record and 3.41 ERA. I'll take the Braves here tonight in this battle of 2nd place teams. Play Atlanta.

The Yankees trying to get back into the AL East race, now trail 1st place Tampa Bay by 6.5 games. They have won eight of their last 10 games, but so have the Rays. The Royals are 4th in the AL Central, now 17-games back of the White Sox. Jameson Taillon will start tonight for the Yanks. Taillon is 7-4 this season with a 4.04 ERA. He's slightly worse on the road where he is 3-3 with a 5.27 ERA. Carlos Hernandez will start for the Royals. Hernandez is 2-1 in his four starts with a 3.57 ERA. He is 1-1 at home with a 4.26 ERA. These two teams are 6-0-2 O/U in their last eight meetings and 4-0-1 O/U in their last 5 meetings in KC. I'll take the OVER today.

The Oakland A's are closing the gap between themselves and the 1st place Houston Astros. The Astros lead the A's by 3-games, but have seen two games shaved off that lead here lately. The A's have won three straight and seven of the last 10 games. The Rangers are in last place in the division and have now lost five straight games. Jordan Lyles will start for the Rangers. Lyles is 5-8 with a 5.37 ERA. James Kapreilian will go for the A's with his 5-4 record and 3.23 ERA. He's been very good at home with a 3-2 record and 1.13 ERA. I like the A's a lot here today. I'll lay the Run-Line with the A's.

Freeway series here has the LA Angels at Chavez Ravine to take on their cross-town rivals, LA Dodgers. Can't say both teams having same success this year. The Angels are in 4th place in the AL West with a 56-54 record. They have won four straight games though. The Dodgers are 65-45 and in 2nd in the NL West, 4-games back of the Giants. The Angels will start Jaime Barria who is 2-0 in his only two starts this year. Barria has allowed just two runs over 13 2/3 innings for a 1.32 eRA and 0.805 WHIP. The Dodgers will start Julio Urias who is 13-3 on the season with a 3.40 ERA and 3.88 ERA at home this year. If Barria pitches the way he has in his first two starts, this has the makings of a excellent pitcher's duel tonight. I'll take the UNDER between these two starters. Play UNDER.

Freeway series here has the LA Angels at Chavez Ravine to take on their cross-town rivals, LA Dodgers. Can't say both teams having same success this year. The Angels are in 4th place in the AL West with a 56-54 record. They have won four straight games though. The Dodgers are 65-45 and in 2nd in the NL West, 4-games back of the Giants. The Angels will start Jaime Barria who is 2-0 in his only two starts this year. Barria has allowed just two runs over 13 2/3 innings for a 1.32 eRA and 0.805 WHIP. The Dodgers will start Julio Urias who is 13-3 on the season with a 3.40 ERA and 3.88 ERA at home this year. If Barria pitches the way he has in his first two starts, this has the chance for a major upset here on Saturday. I'll take that shot. Play the Angels.

The Blue Jays have won four straight and eight of their last 10 games to move within 6.5-games of 1st place in the AL East. The Red Sox have dropped to 2.5-games back of the Rays in the East after losing two straight games and eight of their last 10. Today, it's a doubleheader and in game one Jim has his play set to win. Nick Pivetta will go for the Sox in game one, he's 8-5 on the season with a 4.57 ERA. Robbie Ray will toe the rubber for the Jays in the first game. Ray is 9-5 with a 3.04 ERA and slightly better 2.47 ERA in his last seven starts. I'm sticking with the hot team here. Take the Blue Jays in game one with Ray.

AL West game here today as the Oakland A's host the Texas Rangers. The Rangers are dead last in the division with a 39-70 record and 26-games back of the Astros. The Rangers have lost three straight games and six of their last 10 games. The A's are holding strong in 2nd place, just four games back of the Astros. Mike Foltynewicz starts tonight for the Rangers with a 2-10 record and lofty 6.00 ERA. But it gets even worse on the road where he is 1-6 with a 8.38 ERA. Chris Bassitt will start for the A's with a 11-3 record and 3.28 ERA. He's been very good at home with a 2.70 ERA. I'm going to lay the Run Line here with the A's.

Battle of bottom dwellers here as the last place Miami Marlins take on the 2nd to last Colorado Rockies. The Marlins are 5-5 in their last 10 games and have a 20-35 road record. The Rockies are one of the worst if not the worst road teams at 13-40. However, at Coors field they are pretty good with a 35-21 record. Miami starts Sandy Alcantara who is 6-9 on the season with a 3.05 ERA. He's slightly worse on the road with a 3.57 ERA. German Marquez starts for the Rockies who is 9-8 on the season with a 3.51 ERA. He's been very good at Coors with a 6-2 record and 3.29 ERA. This one is all about home field for the Rockies who win at home. Play Colorado.

Cleveland and Detroit are two and three in the AL Central, but have a lot of work to do as the Indians trail first place White Sox by 9.5-games and the Tigers trail by 11-games. The Tigers will send Matt Manning to the hill today. Manning is 2-4 on the season with a 5.58 ERA and is much worse on the road at 0-3 with a 8.19 ERA. Cleveland starts Cal Quantrill who is 2-1 on the season with a 4.18 ERA. He's been even better his last seven starts with a 2-0 record and 3.11 record. I'll take the host in this one. Play Cleveland.

Blue Jays have been hot of late, winning eight of their last 10 games and three in a row. They are trying to stay in the AL East as they are 4th, but only 6.5-games back of the Rays. Red Sox are 2nd in the division, now 1.5-games back of the Rays after losing seven of their last 10 games. The Sox will start Nathan Eovaldi who is 9-6 on the season with a 3.63 ERA. He isn't quite as good on the road where he is 4-3 with a 4.25 ERA. The Jays will start Alek Monoah who is 3-1 on the year with a nifty 2.47 ERA. He's been very good at home with a 2-0 record and 1.54 ERA. I'll take the host here today, play Toronto.

NL East leader NY Mets will play a pivotal series here with the second place Phillies in Philadelphia. The Mets lead by just a half game and the Phillies have been hot, winning their last five games. Marcus Stroman starts for the Mets with a 7-10 record and 2.80 ERA. He's been not too good of late, posting a 1-5 record and 3.93 ERA over his last seven games. Kyle Gibson will go for the Phillies. Gibson is 7-3 on the year with a 2.86 ERA. He's been great at home with a 5-1 record and 1.77 ERA. I'm taking the Phillies here tonight as they take over 1st place in the East.

The Boston Red Sox have lost six of their last 10 games and dropped to 1-game back of the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East. Detroit is in 3rd in the AL Central, 12-games back of first place Chicago White Sox. Martin Perez starts for the Sox today. Perez is 7-7 on the season with a 4.56 ERA. He's been better on the road with a 4-3 record and 3.40 ERA. The Tigers will start Tarik Skubal who is 6-9 on the season with a 4.61 ERA. He's been slightly worse over the last seven games with a 2-3 record and 4.80 ERA. I'll take the Sox here today as they fight for first place. Play Boston.

The Braves and Cardinals have almost identical records, however the Braves are just 2.5-games back of the Mets in the NL East while the Cardinals are 10-games back of the Brewers in the NL Central. Both teams are 5-5 over their last 10 games. The Braves took the opener in this series on Tuesday, 6-1. The Braves start Drew Smyly who is 7-3 on the season with a 4.40 ERA. He will face JA Happ who came over from the Twins in a trade. Happ was just 9-10 for the Twins with a 6.77 ERA. I like when pitchers come over from the AL to the NL in their first start. I'll take a shot here tonight with Happ and the Cardinals.

The Yankees have won seven of their last 10 games and still sit 6-games back of the Rays in the AL East. They demolished the Orioles on Tuesday, 13-1 after losing the opening game of the set, 1-7. The Orioles are last in the division, 25-games back. They also have the worst run differential in the AL with a -143 runs. Matt Harvey starts today with a 6-10 season record and 6.20 ERA. Jameson Taillon will go for the Yanks with a 7-4 record and 4.11 ERA. Both starters have been doing good lately, but I'm still going with the OVER as both pens are suspect. Play OVER.

The Chicago Cubs pretty much cleaned house at the trade deadline, moving most of their high priced talent to other teams. Most visible being Chris Bryant, who was sent to the Giants. The Cubs are obviously playing for the future as they sit 13-games back in the NL Central and have little hope for closing that distance. The Rockies aren't in any better position. Colorado is 21-games back in the NL West. The Rockies have a horrible road record of 13-40, but respectable at home with a 33-20 record. Zach Davies starts today for the Cubs with a 6-7 record and 4.39 ERA. The Rockies start Kyle Freeland who is only 1-6 on the season with a 4.52 ERA. However, Freeland has been much better of late with a 1.98 ERA in his last seven starts. I'll take the Rockies at home tonight where they have been very good. Play Colorado.

The top two teams in the AL East battle it out for first place here today. The Rays lead the Red Sox by just a half game, so a Boston win puts them back into the lead. The Rays have taken over the top spot thanks to a three-game win streak coupled with a 3-game Boston losing streak. Nick Pivetta starts today for the Red Sox with a 8-4 record and 4.51 ERA. Shane McClanahan starts for the Rays. McClanahan is 4-4 with a 3.80 ERA and slightly better 3.13 ERA over his lat seven starts. I'm sticking with the home team here today. Play Tampa Bay.

The NL leading SF Giants got a welcome addition to their lineup with the big trade deadline acquisition of Chris Bryant from the Cubs. He should provide a much need punch to this lineup. The Giants beat the Astros last night in a homerun slugfest, 8-6. The Giants hit 5 Home runs in the win. Luis Garcia starts today for the Astros. Garcia is 7-4 with a 3.20 ERA on the season. Though he is coming off a outing where he allowed five runs over 4 2/3 innings to the Mariners. Logan Webb starts for the Giants. Webb is 4-3 with a 3.41 ERA and a nifty 2-0 record and 1.67 ERA at home. I'll take the Giants here in game three of this series.

Very rare win for the Rangers on Saturday, just their second in their last 16 games. They needed extra innings to win 5-4 after trailing in the bottom of the 10th. Jonah Heim hit a walk-off home run for that very rare of wins lately. Can the Rangers win two in a row? I don't believe they can. Marco Gonzales will start for the M's here today with a 3-5 record and 5.35 ERA. Mike Foltynewicz gets the go for the Rangers. Foltynewicz has not been good with a 2-10 record and 6.11 ERA. He's 1-3 with a 7.30 ERA over his last seven starts. I'm betting the Rangers can win another in a row today. Play Seattle.

The Mariners beat the Rangers in last night's series opener, 9-5. It was the team's fifth win in their last seven games. The Rangers have lost two straight and 14 of their last 15 games. The M's will start Tyler Anderson tonight with a 5-8 record and 4.35 ERA. The Rangers will start Taylor Hearn with a 0-1 record in his two starts with a 9.81. Rangers just having a world of issues these days and it doesn't look to improve tonight. Play Seattle.

The Oakland A's win over the Angels on Friday extended their win streak to three games. They still trail the Houston Astros by 5.5-games. The Angels have lost two straight games and are 12.5-games back of the Astros. Cole Irvin starts for the A's with a 7-9 record and 3.62 ERA. He's been better of late, going 3-2 with a 3.46 ERA over his last seven starts. Jaime Barria will toe the rubber for the Halos. Barria has only one start and that was a win last week at Minnesota where he allowed four hits and two runs over seven innings. Good first start for Barria. In fact, both these pitchers look very good. I'm taking the UNDER tonight.

The Colorado Rockies looking towards next year as they sit 20.5-games back of the Giants in the West. The Rockies have lost two straight and six of their last 10 games. They will face the 3rd place Padres. The Padres have a excellent 60-55 record that would be good for 1st place in most divisions, but in the NL West it's 3rd place, 5.5-games back. Colorado starts Jon Gray who is 6-6 on the season with a 3.76 ERA. The Padres counter with Ryan Weathers, who is 2-1 in 12 starts with a 3.02 ERA. Both pitchers are good and I'll be on the under tonight. Play UNDER.

The Oakland A's have won two straight games, though they still trail 1st place Houston by 5.5-games. They will take on the 4th place Angels, who trail Houston by 11.5-games. The A's will start Chris Bassitt, who is having a great season with a 10-3 record and a 3.46 ERA. The Angels will counter with Patrick Sandoval who is 3-4 on the season with a 3.36 ERA and slightly worse 4.41 ERA at home. I'll take the visitor in this one. Play Oakland.

The Seattle Mariners look to snap a 2-game losing skid here tonight. The M's are 8-games back in the AL West with a 55-48 record. They will take on last place Texas tonight. The Rangers have lost nine of their last 10 games as these teams open their 3-game series. The Rangers are 26.5-games back in the West. The Rangers will start Kolby Allard, who is just 1-8 on the season. Allard has a 5.30 ERA and slightly worse 6.29 home ERA. While the M's are officially undecided on their pitcher, it looks like it could be Logan Gilbert who is 4-2 on the season. Gilbert has a 3.81 ERA and a nice 2.35 road ERA. No matter who starts for the Mariners I'll be on that side here tonight. Play Seattle.

Interleague action here on Friday has the Miami Marlins hosting the NY Yankees. The Marlins are last in the NL East, but they still have a +4 run differential. The Yankees have a -6 run differential and are in 3rd place in the AL East, 8.5-games back of the Red Sox. The Yankees will start Jameson Taillon who is 6-4 on the season with a 4.36 ERA. He's been much worse on the road with a 6.08 ERA in eight starts. Zach Thompson may only be 2-3 in his seven starts, but he has a nice 2.73 ERA and is 2-1 at home with a 2.81 ERA. Marlins a big dog here and a live one with Thompson on the hill. Play Miami.

The Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs finish their four game set here today. The Reds are up 2-1 in this series. The lost the first game 5-6, but have since outscored the Cubs by a 15-6 margin. Luis Castillo will start for the Reds. Castillo is 4-10 with a 4.20 ERA. However, he's improved greatly with a 2-1 record and 1.61 ERA over his last seven starts. Alec Mills will start for the Cubs. Mills is 2-3 with a 3.58 ERA. Cubs likely will be dumping some high priced talent as the trade deadline looms closer. I'll take the Reds here today as they have the hitting and Castillo is improving. Play Cincinnati.

Yankees have won two straight games and seven of their last 10 games. They have closed the gap between themselves and 1st place Boston to 8.5-games. Gerrit Cole starts today. Cole is 10-5 on the season with a 2.74 ERA and 0.968 WHIP. He will face off against Luis Patino. Patino is 0-2 in his five starts with a 6.10 ERA. Patino has allowed 11 runs over his last 11 1/3 innings. Cole may not be having the great year, but he's still one of the best and faces a poor pitcher here today for the Rays. Take the Yankees.

Cincinnati in 2nd place in the NL Central with a 52-49 record, 7-games back of the 1st place Brewers. The Cubs are in 4th place, 9.5-games back of the Brewers. Cubs looking to start dumping high priced players as it looks like they won't make the postseason. Zach Davies starts today for the Cubs with a 4.30 ERA and slightly worse 4.84 ERA over his last seven starts. Tyler Mahle will toe the rubber for the Reds. Mahle is having a fine season with a 7-3 record and 3.83 ERA. He's been very god on the road with a 5-1 record and 2.11 ERA. I'll take the Reds here today. Play Cincinnati.

Interleague action today has the St Louis Cardinals playing at the Cleveland Indians. The Cardinals are 51-50, finally climbing back over the .500 mark. They have won seven of their last 10 games. The Cleveland Indians may be in 2nd in the AL Central, but they trail first place Chicago by 9.5-games. Kwang-Hyun Kim will start for the Cards. Kim is 6-5 on the season with a 2.88 ERA. HE's been even better of late with a 5-1 mark and 1.88 ERA. The Indians will start Zach Plesac. Plesac is 5-3 on the season with a 4.30 ERA. He's been slightly better at home with a 4.07 ERA and 0.952 WHIP. I like this to be a lower scoring game. Play UNDER.