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.

The Cincinnati Reds still in the hunt for a Wildcard spot with the final week of the season on tap. The Reds are 1.5 games back in the race but also have the Marlins, Cubs and D'backs to contend with. Three teams make the Wildcard now so with Philly having locked the top spot, two more teams have a shot. That makes every game essential to the Reds. The Reds have won two straight, including yesterday's game over Cleveland, 11-7. Andrew Abbott gets the start today with a 8-5 record and 3.70 ERA. He's allowed three runs or fewer in seven of his last eight starts. Shane Bieber will start for the Guardians with a 5-6 record and 3.91 ERA. He's 1-3 in his last seven starts and a 4.57 ERA. I'll take the small dog on the Reds here today as they can ill afford even one loss right now. Play Cincinnati.

Rivalry here so no matter what these teams always have something on the line. The Cincinnati Reds still have a shot at a playoff spot, but at 2.5-games back in the Wildcard they need to win every game. The Reds will start Hunter Greene here today with his 4-6 record and 4.24 ERA. Greene coming off a very good start of seven innings, three hits and one run vs the Twins. Lucas Giolito will toe the rubber for the Guardians. Giolito is 8-14 in his 31 starts with a 4.70 ERA. He's been worse of late, going 1-6 with a 5.85 ERA in his last seven starts. Every game important to the Reds. Take Cincinnati

The Houston Astros just concluded one of their worst home seasons in recent memory. And to cap it off, they were just swept at home by the Kansas City Royals. They also lost first place to the Texas Rangers. The Rangers opened up a 2.5 game lead over the Astros and a 3-game lead over the Mariners in the AL West. Tampa Bay has the top Wild Card locked up, but the 2nd one is being fought for by Toronto, Houston and Seattle. The Astros are two games back and the M's 2.5 games back. That makes this series between these two teams very important. Justin Verlander will start for the Astros with a 11-8 record in 25 starts this season between the Mets and Astros. He's 4-2 in his last seven starts with a 4.07 ERA. However, the Astros have lost his last two starts. Luis Castillo starts for the M's. Castillo is 14-7 with a 3.11 ERA. He's 6-0 and the team is 7-0 in his last seven starts with a 2.80 ERA. I like Castillo here tonight and I'll go with the Mariners in this one.

It's a heck of a race in the AL West with Houston leading by a half game over the Rangers and Mariners. That makes this series between these two teams very big. Tampa Bay has the top AL Wildcard locked up, but Toronto, Texas and Seattle are all a half game within each other for that 2nd and final wildcard spot. Bryce Miller starts for the Mariners with a 8-5 record in 23 starts and a 3.88 ERA. He's a bit worse on the road with a 3-3 record and 4.59 ERA. The Rangers will counter with Dane Dunning who is 8-6 in his 23 starts and a 3.70 ERA. He has a 4.14 ERA and a 1-2 record over his last seven starts. I'm taking the OVER between these two playoff battling teams.

The Red Sox not officially eliminated from the playoffs but with 8.5 games back in the Wildcard race they are pretty much done. Chris Sale will try and build off an excellent start last time out. Sale went six innings and allowed just two hits and one run at Toronto. He's 6-4 on the season with a 4.66 ERA. Touki Toussaint will toe the rubber for the White Sox. He's 4-7 on the season with a 6.05 ERA. Those numbers are a bit worse of late at 7.12 over his last seven starts. I'll lay the Run Line here on Friday with the Red Sox.

The Braves and Nationals begin their last set against each other this season with Thursday's contest at Washington. The Braves lost on Wednesday at home to Philadelphia in 10 innings, 5-6. The Braves have now lost five of their last six games. The only thing the Braves have left to play for is home field advantage and they lead the Dodgers by four games. Thing is, do you want home field? The winner likely plays a very dangerous Philadelphia team if they win their Wild Card series. The Nats are playing out the season and would like nothing more than to beat the best of the N.L. Washington has won three of their last four games. They will start Jake Irvin today who his 3-6 in his 23 starts with a 4.41 ERA. The Braves counter with Max Fried who is 7-1 in his 13 starts with a 2.64 ERA. That number has been a bit higher in his last seven starts with a 3.40 ERA. Even though Fried is a very good pitcher, his games have gone over in four straight and six of the last seven. I'll take OVER here on Thursday. The Nationals won at home over the White Sox on Wednesday, 13-3.

The Tigers playing out the season while the Dodgers prepare for their first round of the playoffs. The Tigers are not officially eliminated from the playoffs but in reality it's over for them. The Tigers have lost two straight games including the last two night's in LA, 3-8 and last night 2-3. That snapped a four game win streak for Detroit. Reese Olson starts tonight for Detroit with a 4-7 record and 4.73 ERA. He has pitched well of late, allowing three runs over his last three starts. The Dodgers will start Bobby Miller tonight who is 10-3 in his 19 starts with a 4.02 ERA. He's been better of late with a 5-2 record and 3.68 ERA in his last seven starts. I'm going to lay the run line with the Dodgers here on Wednesday.

It's been a disappointing season for the San Diego Padres. They were expected to compete with the Dodgers for the NL West, but instead are 20-games back. They officially haven't been eliminated from the playoffs though because they are 5.5 games back in the Wildcard race. However, with six teams ahead of them that looks like a longshot too. Seth Lugo starts for the Padres today with a 7-7 record in his 24 starts and a 3.83 ERA. He's been even better of late with a 3-1 record and 2.97 ERA over his last seven starts. The Rockies will send Chase Anderson to the hill with a 0-5 record in his last 15 starts and a 6.43 ERA. He's been worse on the road with a 0-3 record and 8.78 ERA. I'll lay the run line today with the Padres.

Final days of the regular season and the Padres might be the biggest disappointment of the season. A huge payroll and super stars on the team and they are 20-Games back of the Dodgers. The one player who hasn't been a letdown is today's starter, Blake Snell. Snell is 14-9 on the season with a 2.43 ERA. He's been even better of late, going 6-1 in his last seven starts with a 1.88 ERA. He's also allowed two total runs over his last four starts (25 innings). The Rockies are in last in the NL West, 36.5-games back of the Dodgers. They will start Ryan Feltner today who is 2-3 in his eight starts with a 5.86 ERA. He's also allowed eight runs over his last five innings. I'll take the Padres today and lay the Run Line.

The LA Angels just waiting for the season to end. They made a lot of trade deadline pickups in order to try and make the playoffs. They all bombed as they floundered in the second half of the season. The Rays have clinched a playoff spot, but they still can take the division. They trail the Orioles by just 2.5 games and have won seven of their last 10 games. The Angels will start Patrick Sandoval on Tuesday with a 7-13 record and 4.86 ERA. That goes up in his last seven starts with a 1-5 record and 6.15 ERA. The Rays will start Taj Bradley today. Bradley is 5-7 in 19 starts with a 5.46 ERA. While Bradley isn't one of the better starters on this team. He has a very good bullpen behind him which has a 3.68 ERA. They have been better of late with a 1.11 ERA over their last seven games. I'll lay the Run Line here today with the Rays.

Washington coming off a win in 10 innings at Milwaukee on Sunday, 2-1. The White Sox were shut out at home on Sunday by the Twins, 0-4. Both teams officially eliminated from the playoffs, just looking to play out the season now. The Sox will start Mike Clevinger who is 7-8 in his 21 starts with a 3.61 ERA. The Nats will start Joan Adon tonight who is 2-2 in his seven starts with a 6.00 ERA. Both teams should score some runs with the Nationals pitching Adon. I'll take the OVER on Monday.

The season enters its final few weeks and every game is important to those in the playoff hunt. The Boston Red Sox are not one of those teams. They are coming off a big rivalry series with the Yankees where they lost three of the four game set. They are also 3-7 over their last 10 games. The Jays have no shot at the AL East, but they are in the midst of a Wildcard race. Toronto is 1.5-games back in the AL Wildcard race with just three teams ahead of them. However, one of those teams is Tampa Bay and they have a lock on the top spot as they lead by nine-games. So right now the second spot is between Texas, Seattle and Toronto. The Sox will start Brayan Bello today who is 12-8 on the season with a 3.68 ERA. The Jays will start Jose Berrios who is 10-10 with a 3.63 ERA. Berrios has allowed just four total runs over his last two starts (13 innings) both wins for the Jays. Every game is important to Toronto and that means they need this game tonight. Play Toronto.

The Reds and Tigers finish their set and final meeting of the season against each other here on Thursday. The Reds look to sweep the series after taking Tuesday's game 6-5 and yesterday's 4-3. They will start Derek Law for the third time and first time since May. Law will only be the opener here as he went 1 1/3 innings in his other two starts. So how is the bullpen? It's actually quite good with a 3.86 ERA and over the last seven games a 1.34 ERA. Detroit will start Reese Olson today who is 2-7 in his 15 starts with a 4.99 ERA. I like the Reds bullpen which will be in this game early. Take the Reds today.

Two teams not going anywhere this postseason meet for the final time as the White Sox host the Royals. The Royals took game one of the series 11-10 and then lost yesterday, 2-6. The Royals called up Steven Cruz from Triple-A Omaha to start tonight's contest. Cruz likely just an opener here today. Cruz has been on the big club before, giving up four runs in five innings in late August. Don't expect Cruz more than an inning or two. The Bullpen has a 5.30 ERA so that isn't great news either. The Sox will stick with a conventional starter in Mike Clevinger who is 7-7 in his 20 starts with a respectable 3.64 ERA. I expect the Royals to all quite a bit of runs here today. Take the OVER.

With just weeks left in the regular season the Cleveland Guardians are 7.5 games back of the Twins in the AL Central and 11.5-games back in the AL Wildcard race. Looks like the Guardians won't be going anywhere this postseason. The Giants have no chance of catching the Dodgers in the NL West, but they are only 1.5 games back in the NL Wildcard race that sees six teams with a chance (all 1.5 games of each other) to get the two spots. The Guardians will start Logan T Allen today who is 7-7 in his 22 starts with a 3.68 ERA. The Giants can ill afford any losses right now so Kyle Harrison will try to get them a win today. Harrison is 1-1 in his four starts with a 4.87 ERA. He has two home starts with the Giants 2-0 in those games and a 2.38 ERA. I'll take the Giants here on Wednesday.

These teams playing the second of their set here on Tuesday after the Orioles took game one on Monday, 11-5. The Cardinals had gone over in six straight before a couple of Unders vs the Reds. The Overs got back on track last night with 16 total runs scored. Adam Wainwright has had a tough year for the Cardinals at 3-11 with a 8.19 ERA. Hard to believe he's been even worse of late, going 0-7 in his last seven starts with a 9.74 ERA. John Means will make his first start for the Orioles after joining the team in Boston over the weekend. Means makes his first MLB start in nearly 17 months here on Tuesday. Means, a one time All-Star, was runner up to rookie of the year in 2019. This will be a big test for the young pitcher to see if he's making it back from his long recovery from surgery. For me, I'll wait and see. But no matter what, Wainwright has been horrible and I'll take the OVER here on Tuesday.

The San Diego Padres visit Chavez Ravine to face the LA Dodgers in what many thought would be a late season battle for the NL West. But a poor season by the Padres have them 21 games back of the Dodgers. They have also lost two straight games. The Dodgers were red hot out of the All-Star break, but have cooled down a bit, going 4-6 in their last 10 games. They have a comfortable 13-game lead over Arizona though in the division. The Padres will start Pedro Avila who is 1-2 in his four starts with a 3.50 ERA. He has two starts on the road and is 0-1 with a 6.48 ERA. The Dodgers will start Gavin Stone who will make his fourth start today. He's had issues in his prior three, allowing 16 total runs for a 14.40 ERA. Walks have also been a issue with seven free passes in just 10 innings. Two good hitting teams and two suspect pitchers on the hill. I'll take OVER tonight.

The St Louis Cardinals continue their torrid tear with the bats. The Cardinals just came off a 3-game set vs the Braves where they scored 26 runs and went over all three games. They opened vs the Reds on Friday and it was another hit fest with nine more runs and another over. That put a dent into the Reds playoff hopes as they are close to Milwaukee in the NL Central and within a game of the NL Wildcard. The Cardinals will start Zack Thompson here on Saturday with a 2-2 record with a 3.60 ERA. The Reds will start Carson Spiers who has no record after one start and a 6.75 ERA. Don't really care who pitches here on Saturday, I'm sticking with the hot bats of the Cardinals and taking the OVER.

The Cincinnati Reds have won seven of their last 10 games and still within striking distance of 1st place Milwaukee in the NL Central. The Reds trail by just two games. They are also in the hunt in the NL Wildcard race, just a half game back in those standings. So every game is big for the Reds. They face a Cardinals team that just took two of three games from the Braves and scored 26 runs in the three game set. The Cards have also gone over in five straight games, scoring at least five runs in each of those. The Cardinals start Drew Rom today who is 0-2 in his three starts with a 7.24 ERA. The Reds will start Andrew Abbott who is 8-4 in 17 starts with a 3.22 ERA. Not quite so good lately, going 2-2 in his last seven starts with a 5.67 ERA. I'm sticking with the OVER in these Cardinals games as they continue to hit the ball well with little pitching on the other end. Play OVER.

Yikes! What in the world is going on with the Braves. Did they change uniforms with the A's or something?? The Braves have gotten their butts kicked the last two nights by the Cardinals. Both games the Braves were North of a two dollar favorite and they gave up 10 runs on Tuesday and 11 runs on Wednesday. They fell way behind in both games and never came close. Even their Ace, Striker, was rocked last night in a 6-11 loss after the Cards jumped out to a 5-0 lead. Today they start Max Fried who is 6-1 with a 2.52 ERA. Adam Wainwright will start for the Cardinals with a 3-10 record and 8.10 ERA. The way this series is going, I won't be surprised at all by the Cardinals scoring big again here tonight. I'll just play the OVER.

Wild game between these two teams on Tuesday as the Royals rallied in the bottom of the 9th inning for two runs to beat the White Sox, 7-6. The Sox jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the 2nd inning but couldn't hold on as the Royals chipped away and finally won. Neither team going anywhere this postseason so these games are just for enjoyment right now. That doesn't mean there isn't money to be made. The White Sox start Touki Toussaint who is 2-7 in his 11 starts with a 5.54 ERA. He's been slightly worse on the road with a 2-3 record and 6.35 ERA. It's been a rough season for Royals starter Jordan Lyles. Lyles is 4-15 in 26 starts with a 6.17 ERA. He's been slightly better at home where he is 2-6 with a 4.81 ERA. Either way, two bad pitchers on two bad teams with bad bullpens. I'll take the OVER and let them score at will today.

The Twins have opened up the AL Central lead to seven games over today's 2nd place Cleveland Guardians. The Twins have won two straight and six of the last 10. They are also the only team in the Central with a positive run differential (+70). The Guardians have lost three straight as they fade in the AL Central race. It isn't any better in the Wildcard as they trail by 11 games. Joe Ryan starts today for the Twins with a 10-8 record and 4.20 ERA. Ryan has allowed just two runs total over his last two starts (11 innings). Cleveland will start Gavin Williams who is 1-5 in his 13 starts with a 3.46 ERA. Twins can really put this division away with a sweep and today they come one step closer. Play Minnesota

The Phillies jumped out to a huge lead in Monday's game at San Diego, but had to hold on late for the win 9-7. While the Phillies have no shot in the NL East, they are the leader right now in the NL Wildcard race with a 5.5 game lead. The Padres fell back to 6.5-games back in the Wildcard race and with six teams ahead of them, the odds don't look good. The Phillies start Michael Lorenzen tonight. It's been three starts since Lorenzen threw his no hitter vs the Nationals on Aug 9th. Since then he's allowed 13 runs over 15 innings. The Padres will start Pedro Avila. Avila is 0-2 in his three starts with a 5.56 ERA. Phillies just might be the scariest team right now in the Wildcard race and I look for them to increase their lead here on Tuesday. Play Philadelphia.

It's an early start to your holiday winning with Jim today as the Chicago Cubs host the San Francisco Giants. The Giants coming off a three-game set at San Diego where they were swept by the Padres. The Giants are in second place, but that doesn't mean anything since they are 14.5 games back of the Dodgers. However, the Wildcard still in striking distance as they are just 3-games back of today's opponent, the Cubs. That being said, the Cubs have the 2nd Wildcard spot right now with the Marlines, Giants, D'backs and Reds are three games back of them. Logan Webb starts for the Giants with a 9-11 mark and 3.64 ERA. He's been slightly worse on the road with a 4-5 record and 4.63 ERA. Justin Steele having a great season for the Cubs with a 15-3 record and 3.06 ERA. He's 5-0 in his last seven starts with a 3.35 ERA. Steele is a steal at this price today. Play Cubs.

Two teams playing out the season meet in the final game of this set here on Sunday. The Detroit Tigers look to win their fourth game in a row and sweep this series with the White Sox after Saturday's blowout win, 10-0. The Tigers will start Tarik Skubal today who is 3-3 in his 10 starts with a 3.93 ERA. The White Sox will start Michael Kopech who is 5-12 in his 25 starts with a 5.08 ERA. He's been worse of late, going 1-4 in his last seven starts and a 7.39 ERA. I look for a Tigers sweep here on Sunday. Play Detroit.

Baltimore's lead in the AL East has dropped to just 1.5 games over the Tampa Bay Rays. The Orioles lost on Friday at Arizona, 2-4. That makes two straight losses for Baltimore. The D'backs have won six of their last 10, though they still have a negative run differential of -19. Kyle Bradish starts for the O's tonight. Bradish is 9-6 in his 24 games with a 3.03 ERA. He's been very good of late too, going 5-2 in his last seven starts with a 2.98 ERA. Slade Cecconi starts for the D'backs, making just his four start. He has no record with a 3.14 ERA. Cecconi has gone into the 5th inning just one time. I like the first place Orioles here tonight. Play Baltimore.

 Both these clubs had Monday off as they begin this set from Kansas City. The Red Sox have no shot in the AL East as they trail by 14 1/2 games. The Wildcard isn't too easy either as they trail by 6.5 games. The Royals are one of the two AL teams already eliminated from the playoffs. James Paxton will start for the Red Sox with a 7-4 record in his 18 starts and a 3.99 ERA. He's been worse of late, going 2-2 in his last seven starts and a 4.80 ERA. He's also allowed 10 runs over his last two starts (8 1/3 innings). Jordan Lyles will start for the Royals with a 3-15 record and a 6.39 ERA. He's also been worse of late, going 2-4 in his last seven starts with a 7.71 ERA. I like this game to go OVER here on Friday.

The Tigers won on Thursday, beating the Yankees 4-3 in 10 innings. They led 3-0 in the top of the 9th with two outs before giving up the game tying home run. However, they were able to prevail in the bottom of the 10th inning for the win. They open this series with the White Sox. Both teams just looking to play out the rest of the season as neither will make the postseason. Detroit starts Eduardo Rodriguez here today who is 9-7 with a 3.21 ERA. Touki Toussaint will counter for the White Sox. He is 2-6 in his 10 starts with a 5.59 ERA. Both pitchers have been inconsistent of late, but I'll take the Tigers here on Friday.

The Cincinnati Reds look to snap a 3-game losing streak here tonight at San Francisco. The Reds have dropped to seven games back in the NL Central behind the Brewers. The Reds have a better shot at the NL Wildcard as they are just 2-games back in that race. The Giants are 1-game back in the Wildcard race and 13.5-games back of the Dodgers in the NL West. Hunter Greene starts for the Reds with a 2-6 record in his 16 starts and a 5.06 ERA. He's allowed 13 runs over his last two starts (6 2/3 innings). The Giants will start Logan Webb who is 9-10 in his 27 starts with a 3.67 ERA. He's been a bit better at home with a 5-5 record and 2.78 ERA. I'm taking the Giants here on Wednesday and laying the Run Line. Play Giants -1.5 Runs.

Reason: The AL West is a 3-team race as the Rangers, Mariners and Astros are all tied right now for the lead. That leaves the Angels the odd man out as they sit 12.5-games back of those three teams. They are also 12.5-games back in the AL Wildcard race. The Phillies are in 2nd place in the NL East but have no shot at first place Atlanta as they are 12.5 games back in the race. However, the NL Wildcard is a different story. The Phillies hold a 5-game advantage as they are the top NL Wildcard team right now. The Cubs are four games back and the Giants five games back. Reid Detmers starts today with a 3-10 record in his 23 starts and a 5.03 ERA. He's been worse of late, going 1-4 in his last seven starts with a 6.82 ERA. Cristopher Sanchez starts for the Phils with a 2-3 record in his 13 starts and a 3.33 ERA. He's allowed two runs in each of his last three starts, going six innings in each. I'm taking the Wildcard leading Phillies here today in this IL Game and laying the run Line. Play Philadelphia -1.5 Runs.

It's a tight race in the AL West as one game separates the top three teams. One of those are the Houston Astros, who are 1 game back of the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners have surged into first place thanks to a 9-1 run. Meanwhile, Texas has been struggling to 2-8 their last 10 and Houston 5-5. The Red Sox are in 4th in the AL East, 13.5-games back of the Orioles. The Sox still have a shot at a AL Wildcard as they are 4.5-games back with four teams ahead of them. Houston will start J.P. France today. France is 8-5 in his 18 starts with a 3.62 ERA. He's coming off a horrible start, where he allowed 11 hits and 10 runs over just 2 1/3 innings to the Red Sox. Now he has to face them again here today. Boston will start Brayan Bellow who is 10-7 with a 3.56 ERA in 22 starts. He's been slightly higher with the ERA in his last seven starts, having a 4.46 mark. Both these teams can score as they both average five runs per game. The Houston bullpen has been bad of late, posting a 6.37 ERA in his last seven games. Boston has been even worse, allowing a 7.07 ERA over their last seven games. Two struggling pens and two very good scoring teams. I'll take the OVER today.

The San Diego Padres arguably the biggest disappointment of the 2023 season. After a bunch of high profile signings and moves the Padres were expected to contend with the Dodgers for the AL West title. However, here they sit, 19 games back in the West. The Wildcard even a longshot at this point, as they sit eight games back with six teams ahead of them. Blake Snell has been a bright spot though for this team, especially since the All Star break. Snell is 10-9 overall in 26 starts with a 2.73 ERA. However, he has allowed more than two runs in a start just one time dating back to May 25th. He has been very good and the teams best starter. The Cardinals also a disappointment this season as they are in last in the NL Central, 16.5-games back of the Brewers. The Cardinals have lost two straight games and eight of their last 10. Adam Wainwright has not been good either, going 3-9 in his 17 starts with a 8.61 ERA. That number is even worse lately with a 0-6 record in his last seven starts and a 10.55 ERA. Huge difference in starters here today. I'll take the Padres with Snell and lay the Run Line.

It's been a long time since the Yankees have been this far under .500 at this juncture of the season. Yet, here they sit at 62-67, 19 games back in the AL East. They have lost eight of their last 10 games and have the only negative run differential in the division at -20 runs. Detroit sits third in the AL Central, 7.5 games back of the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central. They can pretty much forget the AL Wildcard as they are 14 games back in that race. The Yankees will start Luis Severino today with a 3-7 record and a 6.97 ERA. He's been horrible on the road, posting a 0-5 record in eight starts and a 9.08 ERA. Reese Olson will toe the rubber for the Tigers with his 2-5 record in 12 starts and a 6.11 ERA. He's allowed 10 runs over his last two starts (7 2/3 innings). With these two starters on the hill today I'll be on the OVER.

Interleague action has the Colorado Rockies playing on the East Coast at Baltimore. The Rockies have lost six games after dropping the first two of this series at the Orioles. The Orioles have taken both the first two games by the same score, 5-4. The Rockies have been a good over team, with a 8-1-1 O/U mark their last 10 games. The Rockies will start Ty Blach here today who is 1-1 in his six starts with a 3.25 ERA. The Orioles continue to lead the AL East by three games over the Rays. Baltimore has won four straight and seven of their last eight games. They are also 6-3-1 O/U in their last 10 games. Jack Flaherty makes his first start since Aug 15th. He is 8-8 in his 23 starts with a 4.73 ERA. He is coming off a bad start on the 15th where he allowed seven runs over three innings to the Padres. I like this one to go over today. Play OVER.

The Guardians are losing ground in the AL Central as the now trail the Twins by six games. The news is even worse in the Wildcard as they are 11.5-games back. As for the Jays, they are in the race for the Wildcard, just 2.5 games back despite losing three straight games. The Guardians will start Logan T. Allen who is 6-6 in his 19 starts with a 3.31 ERA. He's been very good of late, allowing five total runs over his last four starts (23 innings). The Jays will start Hyun-Jin Ryu who is 2-1 in his four games since coming off the DL. Ryu had a rough outing in his first start, allowing four runs over five innings. However, Ryu has gotten his form back since then, allowing no runs over his lat three starts (14 innings). Both starters are very good and I'll be on the UNDER here today. Play UNDER.

The Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres begin their set here tonight. The Brewers are in 1st place in the AL Central, three games ahead of the Cubs. The Brewers have won five straight games and seven of their last 10. They will face a Padres team that had huge expectations entering the season but have fallen flat. The Padres are 18 games back of the Dodgers in the AL West and six games back in the NL Wildcard race. While they may have a shot at the Wildcard, they have six teams ahead of them in that race. Yu Darvish starts for the Padres with a 8-9 record in his 23 starts and a 4.35 ERA. He has allowed eight runs over his last two starts (12 innings). Brandon Woodruff will start for the Brewers with a 2-1 record in his five starts and a 2.89 ERA. Woodruff has allowed two runs or fewer in four of his five starts. I like the Brewers here tonight against a struggling Padres club. Play Milwaukee.

The Cleveland Guardians have lost two straight games and six of their last 10 to drop six games back of the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central. The Toronto Blue Jays are 3rd in the AL East with a 70-58 record and have also lost two straight games as these teams begin their new set here on Friday. The Jays are just 1.5 games back in the AL Wildcard race and right now that looks their best avenue to make the postseason. The Guardians will start Tanner Bibee today who is 9-3 in hi 20 starts with a 3.01 ERA. He's been even better of late, going 4-1 in his last seven games with a 2.47 ERA. The Jays will start Chris Bassitt today who is 12-6 with a 3.92 ERA. He's also been good his last seven starts with a 4-1 record and 3.21 ERA. Two very good starters here today should keep this game lower scoring. Play the UNDER.

A battle of AL first place teams as the Central leading Twins host the East leading Rangers. The Twins have lost two straight including last night in 10 innings at Milwaukee, 7-8. Their lead over 2nd place Cleveland is 4.5-games. The Rangers lead over the Astros has dropped to one-game after Texas is in the midst of a 6-game losing streak. The Rangers start Andrew Heaney here tonight who is 9-6 in his 24 starts with a 4.27 ERA. The Twins will counter with Pablo Lopez who is 9-6 in his 25 starts and a 3.51 ERA. Lopez has gone three straight starts without allowing a run (19 innings). As long as the Rangers are in this losing skid I will take the Twins and a very hot Lopez here tonight. Play Minnesota.

Tampa Bay has won two straight games and seven of their last 10 games to close back within two games of first place Baltimore Orioles. The Rockies are in last in the NL West and have the second worst run differential in baseball with a -177 mark. The Rockies have lost two straight games and seven of their last 10. Colorado will start Austin Gomber who is 9-9 in his 25 starts with a 5.52 ERA. The Rays will counter with Aaron Civale who is 6-3 in his 16 starts and a 2.44 ERA. He's been even better of late, going 3-1 in his last seven starts with a 2.27 ERA. I'll lay the Run line here today with the Rays.

This game scratched from Monday because of lingering effects of tropical storm Hillary. They get it underway here tonight. The Cincinnati Reds have lost two straight games and six of their last 10 as they play today in this Interleague game at the LA Angels. The Reds are four games back of the Brewers in the NL Central and now trail the Cubs by one game for 2nd place. The Reds are just one game back in the NL Wildcard race. However, there are six teams all within 1 game of those top two spots. The LA Angels were buyers instead of sellers at the trade deadline as they were within striking distance of a playoff spot. That has change though as they are now in 4th in the AL West, 11.5-games back of the Rangers and 8.5 games back in the AL Wildcard race. The Reds will start Graham Ashcraft today who is 6-8 in his 23 starts with a 4.89 ERA. One of those players the Angels picked up was today's starter Lucas Giolito who has not done well in his short stint with the Halos. Overall he's 7-9 in his 25 starts with a 4.44 ERA. Last seven games he's 1-4 with a 7.12 ERA. I'll take the OVER here today.

AL East battle here on Tuesday has the division leading Baltimore Orioles taking on the third place Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays are 8.5 games back of the O's and have won two straight games and five of their last 10. Baltimore has won three games in a row and seven of their last 10 games. Toronto is also just a half game back in the AL Wild Card race. The Jays will start Yusei Kikuchi today who is 9-4 in his 24 starts and a 3.44 ERA. Grayson Rodriguez will start for the O's with a 3-3 record and 5.44 ERA. That number goes down a bit of late to 4.62 over his last seven starts. What I like most though is that he's allowed two runs or fewer in each of his last five starts. I'm taking the O's at home here tonight.

The Boston Red Sox look to keep their modest 3-game win streak going here today as they start a set at the Houston Astros. The Sox have also won seven of their last 10 starts and have a plus 36 run differential. While the Red Sox are 11-games back of the Orioles, they are just 3-games back in the AL Wildcard race. The Astros have lost three straight and missed a great opportunity to retake first place in the AL West. The Astros trail the Rangers by just 2.5-games but gained only a half game during the Rangers four-game losing streak. Good news is that Houston holds the 2nd AL Wildcard spot, a half game lead over Seattle. James Paxton starts for the Red Sox today with his 7-3 record in 16 starts and a 3.34 ERA. Those numbers are up of late with a 3-2 record in his last seven starts and a 4.21 ERA. The Astros will start Cristian Javier today who is 8-2 in his 23 starts and a 4.49 ERA. Like the Sox starter, his numbers get worse of late with a 1-1 record in his last seven starts and a 6.37 ERA. I'll take the OVER here today.

Two teams that this time of the year are usually figuring in the playoff picture just playing out the rest of the season at this point. The Mets are 58-66 and 23 games back in the AL East. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are in last in the AL Central. The Mets will start Carlos Carrasco today who is 3-6 on the season with a 6.40 ERA. He's been even worse lf late, going 1-3 in his last seven starts with a 7.18 ERA. The Cardinals will start Dakota Hudson who is 3-0 in his four starts with a 4.15 ERA. Not a lot to see on Hudson, though the team has won all four of his starts. I'm taking the OVER in this one on Sunday.

The Minnesota twins opened their series with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday with a 5-1 win. The Twins now lead the AL Central by five games over the Cleveland Guardians. Minnesota also is the only team in the division with a positive differential of runs at +44. The Pirates have dropped two straight and seven of the last 10 games. They are 11 and 1/2 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central. They will start Mitch Keller here today who is 9-8 on the season in his 25 starts with a 4.27 ERA. Keller has been even worse of late going 0-4 in his last seven starts with a 6.35 ERA. Sonny Gray will take the hill for the twins with 6-5 record in 24 starts. Gray has an excellent 2.97 ERA. He's also coming off an excellent start at Philadelphia allowing just two hits and no runs over six innings for the win. I'm taking the twins today on the run line

The Minnesota Twins are benefiting by arguably the worst division in baseball as they lead the AL Central by 4.5-games over the Guardians despite a 63-59 record. The Twins will take on NL Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates are in 4th in the NL Central with a 54-67 record. They lost yesterday and have dropped six of their last 10 games. The Pirates will start Andre Jackson who makes just his second start. In his first he went 3 2/3 innings vs the Reds and gave up five hits and three runs. The Twins will start Pablo Lopez who is 8-6 in his 24 starts with a 3.66 ERA. He's been very good of late, going 4-1 in his last seven starts with a 2.36 ERA. I'm taking the Twins here today and laying the Run Line.

Two teams not heading to the postseason meet here tonight as the St Louis Cardinals host the NY Mets. The Mets are 23.5-games back in the NL East while the Cardinals are in last in the NL Central, 11 games back. The Mets coming off a 2-1 series win over the Pirates and scored 19 runs in the three game set. Jose Quintana starts today with a 0-4 record and 3.03 ERA in his five starts. The Cardinals took two of three at home over the A's, scoring 13 runs in the first two games before getting shutout in game three, 0-8. Adam Wainwright will get the start today with a 3-7 record in his 15 starts and a very high 8.77 ERA. That number is horrible over his last seven starts, as he is 0-6 with a 14.87 ERA. I'm taking these two teams to score plenty of runs and go OVER the total.

The Red-hot LA Dodgers look to run away with the NL West as they now lead the Giants by nine games after a 9-1 run. They beat the Milwaukee Brewers in game one of this series last night, 6-2. The Brewers are 3.5-games in first place in the NL Central. Wade Miley starts today for the Brewers and he's been one of their best this year. Miley is 6-2 in his 15 starts with a 2.90 ERA. He's been better of late, going 3-0 in his last seven starts with a 2.00 ERA. He's also allowed just two total runs over his last three starts (16 innings). Clayton Kershaw makes his second start since coming off the DL. He pitched well in his return to the rotation, going five innings vs the Rockies and allowing just three hits and one run. That win made Kershaw 10-4 on the season with a 2.51 ERA. He's been great at home with a 4-1 record in seven starts and a 1.71 ERA. I like both these pitchers and I'll take the UNDER here tonight at Chavez Ravine.

The Toronto Blue Jays look to make it three wins in a row after their win over the Phillies on Tuesday, 2-1. The Jays are 7.5 games back of the Orioles in the AL East. However, they are just two-games back of the Astros in the race for that 2nd Wild Card spot in the AL. Philly has no chance at the NL East, as they trail the Braves by double digits. However, they are in 1st place in the NL Wildcard race, leading the Giants by one game and the Marlins by 2.5-games. Aaron Nola will start today for the Phils. Nola is 9-8 on the season with a 4.49 ERA. He's 5-5 on the road in 14 starts with a 5.15 ERA. The Jays will send Kevin Gausman to the hill. Gausman is 9-6 in his 23 starts with a 3.04 ERA. He's been very good at home with a 3-2 record in 11 starts and a 2.71 ERA. Two very good pitchers, but my nod goes to the Jays in this one.

The Minnesota Twins took two of three games from the Phillies, outscoring them 11-1 in the last two games of that set after giving up 13 runs in game one. Today, they begin a series with the Detroit Tigers. The Twins have increased their lead to 4.5 games over the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central. The Tigers are in third in the division, 8-games back. The Tigers have no shot for the AL Wildcard as they are 12-games back with eight teams above them. The Tigers start Alex Faedo who is 2-4 in his eight starts with a 5.80 ERA. The Twins start Bailey Ober who is 6-6 in his 19 starts and a 3.40 ERA. I'll go ahead and lay the Run line here today with the Twins.

The Toronto Blue Jays are 66-54 in the AL East but still 8.5-games back of the Baltimore Orioles. Their best shot to make the postseason looks to be the AL Wildcard. The Jays trail the Astros by just 2-games for that second spot. Meanwhile, the Phillies have no shot for the NL East crown as the Braves hold a 11.5-games lead. However, the Phillies are the top NL Wildcard team right now with a 2.5-game lead. The Phils will start Zack Wheeler today who is 9-5 in his 23 starts with a 3.68 ERA. He will take on Yusei Kikuchi who is 9-4 in his 23 starts and a 3.53 ERA. Kikuchi has allowed one or no runs in each of his last five starts (4 total runs over 29 innings). I like the way Kikuchi is pitching. I'll take the Blue Jays tonight.

The Seattle Mariners chasing the Texas Rangers in the AL West. The Mariners are 63-54 and 6.5-games back of first place. Their odds of getting a Wildcard are better as they are just 1.5-games back of one of the two playoff spots with just three teams ahead of them. The KC Royals are 38-81 and a lock for last in the AL Central. They have one of the worst run differentials in baseball with a -160 mark. Brady Singer has been the one bright spot for the Royals this year with a 8-8 mark in his 23 starts and a 5.05 ERA. Those numbers a bit better at home with a 5-4 mark and 4.12 ERA. The Mariners will start one of their best here today in Logan Gilbert. Gilbert is 10-5 in 23 starts with a 3.66 ERA. The M's have won Gilbert's last seven starts. During those seven games Gilbert is 5-0 with a 2.58 ERA. We get a decent price on Seattle here today because of Singer on the hill for the Royals. I'll take the Mariners as they need to beat teams like this to stay in the WildCard race. Play Seattle.

 The Pittsburgh Pirates are 11.5 games back in the NL Central behind Milwaukee Brewers. The news is a bit better in the NL Wildcard race as they sit 8.5-games back. However, with seven teams to climb over that doesn't look good either. The Mets cleaned house before the trade deadline as they sit 22.5 games back of the Braves in the NL East. They have also lost seven of their last 10 games. Little bit of question who the Pirates start today, but for it doesn't matter. I'm taking the over no matter who starts. Quinn Priester looks to be the likely candidate. Priester is 2-1 in five starts with a 8.75 ERA. Carlos Carrasco will start for the Mets with a 3-6 record in his 17 starts and a 6.42 ERA. Either way, either starter, take the OVER.

The San Diego Padres have dropped to 14.5 games back in the NL West as they lave lost six of their last 10 games. Despite their losing record, they still have a plus 58 run differential, which is odd for a losing team. They play the third place Diamondbacks today. Arizona has been one of the worst teams in baseball since the All star break. A big drop for a team that led the division for most of the first half of the season. The Padres start Seth Lugo today who is 4-6 on the season with a 4.19 ERA. Lugo had a excellent run of starts before the Dodgers pounded him for eight runs over 3 1/3 innings his last outing. Before that Lugo had allowed two runs or fewer in six of his last eight starts. Brandon Pfaadt will go for the D'backs and he's still looking for his first win in 11 starts. Pfaadt is 0-6 with a 7.16 ERA. That number is worse at home where he's 0-4 in six starts with a 8.65 ERA. I'm taking the Padres here today. Play San Diego.

 The Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants wrap up their Interleague set here on Sunday. The Giants have lost the first two games of this series, 1-2 on Friday and 3-9 on Saturday. They turn to Logan Webb to salvage game three here today. Webb is 9-9 on the season with a 3.56 ERA. He's been better at home with a 5-4 record and 2.58 ERA. Webb has also allowed just three total runs over his last two starts (12 2/3 innings). The Rangers lead the AL West by 2.5-games over the Astros and have won nine of their last 10 games. Dane Dunning starts today with a 7-4 record in his 17 starts and a 3.59 ERA. He hasn't been as good of late, going 2-3 in his last seven starts with a 4.24 ERA. Looks to be a good game here on Sunday. I just don't see the Giants being swept at home. Take San Francisco.

A battle of last place teams here on Saturday has the AL West last place Oakland A's taking on the NL East last place Washington Nationals. The Nationals have a bullpen that has allowed a 5.01 ERA this year. That doesn't bode well for starter Jake Irvin. Irvin is 3-5 on the season with a 5.04 ERA. Irvin has gone into the 6th inning twice in his last six starts. The A's bullpen isn't any better with a 5.48 ERA and a road mark of 6.28. Luis Medina will start for the A's with a 2-7 record and 5.55 ERA. Two average to poor starters and neither backed up with a good pen. I'll take the OVER here today.

Some Interleague action here on Saturday has the 1st place AL Central Minnesota Twins playing at the NL East 2nd place Philadelphia Phillies. The Twins are 3.5-games ahead of the Guardians. However, the Twins have lost four straight games and have a 27-34 away record. The Phillies are 65-52, but trail 1st place Atlanta by 9.5-games. The Phils have won three straight games and seven of their last 10 games. The Twins will start Pablo Lopez who is 7-6 in his 23 starts and a 3.81 ERA. Lopez has been one of the Twins more consistent starters this year, despite his almost .500 record. Taijuan Walker will toe the rubber for the Phillies with his 13-4 record and 4.05 ERA. He's been better at home this year with a 6-1 record (9-2 team record) in his 11 starts and a 3.06 ERA. I'm sticking with the Phillies here on Saturday.

The first place Texas Rangers make the trip to the Bay area to take on the NL West 2nd place San Francisco Giants. The Rangers holding onto a slim 2.5 game lead over the Astros. The Rangers have the best run differential in baseball with a +175 mark. The Giants have lost two straight games and fallen to 6.5-games back of the red-hot Dodgers. The Giants have only a +24 run differential this season. Good news for the Giants, they hold the 2nd NL Wild card spot right now by 2.5-games over the Marlins. The Rangers will start Jon Gray today who is 7-5 in his 20 starts with a 3.72 ERA. The Giants will counter with Scott Alexander who is 0-2 in his five starts and a 10.37 ERA. Alexander looks like just an opener at this point as he goes little over one inning of work. I'll take the Rangers here today.

The Chicago Cubs are just 2.5 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central. They are 3-games back of the NL Wild Card. They will take on the AL East Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays are seven back in the division and only 1.5 games back in the AL Wildcard race. The Cubs will start Javier Assad who has just two starts this season with a 5.40 ERA. Toronto starts Jose Berrios who is 9-7 in 23 starts with a 3.37 ERA. He's been slightly better at home with a 2.71 ERA in 10 starts. I'll take the Jays here tonight at home.

 Two last place teams face off here today as the last place AL East Red Sox host the last place AL Central Royals. Boston has won two of the three games in this series after Wednesday's 4-3 win. The Sox will start James Paxton who is 6-3 in his 14 starts with a 3.60 ERA. The Royals made a early Thursday pitching change to Austin Cox. Cox is 0-1 in his two starts with a 7.55 ERA. Cox has allowed seven runs in his 8 2/3 innings but has six walks against just six KO's. Cox hasn't made it out of the fifth inning in either start. That likely means the Royals will rely on their pen a lot here today and that has not been good. The pen has a 8.10 ERA over their last seven games and a 5.26 ERA on the season. The Boston bullpen isn't much better, especially lately where they have a 9.00 ERA over the last seven games. This one has all the appearances of an over play today. Play OVER.

Reason: After suffering through a 3-game losing streak, the Atlanta Braves have won two of three vs the Pirates as they play this final game of the set early here on Thursday. The Braves took Wednesday's game, 6-5 and have scored 20 runs in the three games. However, they have also allowed the Bucs to score 18 runs. Bryce Elder starts for the Braves with a 8-3 record in his 22 starts and a 3.43 ERA. The Pirates will start Bailey Falter who is still looking for his first win of the season against six losses. Falter has a 5.40 ERA on the season. I'm taking the Braves and laying the run line here today.

 The LA Dodgers have won seven of their last eight games after taking Tuesday's opener of this set with the Diamondbacks. The Dodgers gained a game on Arizona, San Diego and the Giants - all of whom lost on Tuesday. LA now leads by five games in the NL West. As for Arizona, this was a team that lead the division for most of the first half of the season. However, since the All Star game, they have the worst record in baseball with just five wins. LA starts Bobby Miller today who is 6-2 in his 12 starts with a 4.26 ERA. He's been excellent on the road with a 4-0 mark in six starts and a 2.61 ERA. The D'backs start Merrill Kelly who is 9-5 in 19 starts with a 3.38 ERA. Arizona has lost three of his last four starts despite good efforts by Kelly. The Diamondbacks just not playing good and the Dodgers look to do no wrong right now. Play LA.

The Chicago Cubs beat the Mets on Tuesday 3-2, snapping a three game over run. They are 59-55 and in 2nd in the NL Central, just 1.5-games back of the Brewers. They are also the only team in the division with a positive run differential (+67). The Mets are just playing out the season as they are 21-games back in the NL East and 7.5 games back in the Wild Card. They have eight teams ahead of them in the Wild Card. And, they cleaned the roster of high priced talent at the trade deadline. Kyle Hendricks starts today for the Cubs with a 4-6 record and 4.21 ERA. That number goes up of late with a 1-3 record in his last seven starts and a 5.44 ERA. He is coming off a game vs the Braves where he went just four innings and gave up eight hits and seven runs. The Mets start David Peterson who is 2-7 in his 12 starts with a 6.12 ERA. Peterson has pitched better of late, going 1-4 in his recent seven starts and a 5.12 ERA. However, neither pitcher all that good and I'll take the OVER here today.

 The Blue Jays took game one of this set with the Guardians on Monday, 3-1. That makes the Jays winning streak at four games as they are seven games back of the Orioles in the AL East. The Blue Jays are one game bac of the Astros for the 2nd Wild Card spot in the AL. The Guardians have lost three straight and eight of their last 10 games. They only trail the Twins by 5.5-games so they aren't out of the race yet. They do trail in the AL Wildcard by 8.5-games with seven teams on top of them. So their best bet looks to catch the Wins right now. Yusei Kikuchi will start for the Jays with a 9-3 record in his 22 starts and a 3.67 ERA. Kikuchi has allowed just three total runs over his last four starts (23 innings). Tanner Bibee will start for the Guardians with a 7-2 record and 3.14 ERA. He's been very good in his last seven starts with a 4-0 record and 1.96 ERA. Both pitchers have been at their best of late, but Toronto so much better of the team. I'll take the visitor in this one. Play Toronto.

The Braves and Pirates play game two of this set here on Tuesday as the Bucs took Monday's game from the Braves, 7-6. The Braves have a huge cushion in the AL East as they lead by 10-games over the Phillies. The Braves also have the second best run differential in baseball at +162. The Bucs are fourth in the NL Central, nine games back of the Brewers. They are also 7.5-games back in the NL Wild Card race with a lot of teams in front of them. The Braves will start Yonny Chirinos today who is 2-2 in his six starts with a 6.67 ERA. The Bucs will counter with Mitch Keller who is 9-8 in his 23 starts and a 4.35 ERA. He's been worse of late, going 1-5 in his last seven starts and a 6.58 ERA. He's allowed 24 runs over his last four starts 21 2/3 innings. Don't expect either of pitchers to be around long. I'm taking the OVER.

Two teams in the thick of the Wild Card race matchup here on Monday. The Marlins are in 5th place, a half game back of both the Cubs and Reds. The Reds are in 3rd place, 3-games back of both the Phillies and Giants. There are seven teams all within three games of the top two wild card spots. The Marlins will start Eury Perez who is 5-3 in his 11 starts with a 2.36 ERA. Perez has allowed one run or no runs in six of his last seven starts. The Reds have lost six straight games as the Washington Nationals came to town and swept Cincinnati. They will turn to Brandon Williamson to snap the losing streak here today. Williamson is 3-2 in his 14 starts with a 4.85 ERA. He's coming off a poor start where he allowed five runs over 4 1/3 innings to the Cubs. I like the matchup here with Perez on the hill. Add to that the slump the Reds are in and I'll take the Marlins.

The Dodgers and Padres have split the first two games of this four game set from San Diego. The Dodgers used a big, late rally on Friday to win and the Padres returned the favor on Saturday. The Padres trailed 1-3 in the eighth inning before scoring seven runs to win the game, 8-3. That snapped a five-game winning streak by the Dodgers over the Padres. The Padres are now three-games back in the NL Wild Card race. The Dodgers will start newly acquired Lance Lynn. Lynn makes his second start for the Dodgers after beating Oakland in his LA debut, 7-3 for the win. The Padres will also show off their new arm in Rich Hill. Hill brings a 7-10 record over to the Padres with a 4.84 ERA. Both games have been high scoring with 15 runs on Friday and 11 runs on Saturday. The Dodgers have gone over in four straight games while the Padres have seen two of their last three go over. I don't think either of these pitchers will go much past five in this one. I'll take the OVER.

The Texas Rangers look to extend their winning streak to six games here today as they hold onto first place in the AL West by 2.5-games over the Astros. The Rangers Also have the 2nd best run differential in baseball with a +164 mark. The Miami Marlins are in third place in the NL East, 14 games back of the Braves. However, they are just a half game back in the NL Wild card race, now obviously their only path the playoffs. The Marlins will start Sandy Alcantara who is 4-9 this season in his 22 starts with a 4.27 ERA. Alcantara definitely down this year after that great season he had last year. Andrew Heaney will toe the rubber for the Rangers with a 8-6 record in 21 starts and a 4.36 ERA. Heany coming off a excellent start where he allowed just two hits and no runs over six innings to the White Sox. I'll take the Rangers here. They have this great run differential for a reason and it's their hitting that leads the way. Play Texas.

The Milwaukee Brewers lost to the Pirates in game one of this 3-game series, 4-8. Despite the loss, the Brewers hold onto a slim 1/2-game lead in the NL Central. The Reds are right behind them and the CUbs have moved to within 2.5-games. The Cubs are the only team in the division with a positive run differential (+71). The Pirates are in 4th in the division, 9-games back of the Brewers. The Bucs will start Bailey Falter today who is 0-6 in his seven starts with a 5.75 ERA. Falter has allowed nine runs over his last eight innings of work. The Brewers will start Corbin Burnes who is 9-6 in his 22 starts with a 3.44 ERA. He's been better of late, going 4-1 in his last seven starts with a 2.42 ERA. Burnes has not allowed more than two runs in any of his last six starts. I'm taking the Brewers here on Saturday and laying the Run Line.

The Tampa Bay Rays still sit in 2nd place in the AL East, 2-games back of the Orioles. The Rays won their game with the Tigers on Friday, 8-0. That makes them 6-4 over their last 10 games and a division leading +145 run differential. The Tigers are in 3rd place in the AL Central, eight games back of the Twins and on a 3-7 streak their last 10 games. The Rays will start Aaron Civale today who is 5-2 in his 13 starts with a 2.34 ERA. He's been very good on the road with a 2-1 record in his seven away starts and a 1.66 ERA. Civale has been a model of consistency, not allowing more than two runs in any of his last six games. The Tigers will start Tarik Skubal who is 1-1 in his five starts and a 4.57 ERA. He's allowed 11 runs over his last three starts. Big difference in quality of these two teams from the hitting to pitcher. I'm taking the Rays to keep the pressure on the Orioles. Play Tampa Bay.

The Rockies travel to St Louis to being this set with the Cardinals. The Rockies have lost two straight games and are in last place in the NL West. They also have the worst run differential (-160) in the National league. The St Louis Cardinals are also in last place in the NL Central. They will send Adam Wainwright to the hill today. Wainwright is 3-5 with a 7.18 ERA in 13 starts. He's 1-4 in his last seven starts with a 8.42 ERA. The Rockies will star Chris Flexen who is 0-5 this year with a 10.71 ERA. Two bad pitchers on two last place teams. That's a recipe for a lot of runs here on Friday. Play the OVER.

 The Astros came up just short in their game with the Yankees on Thursday, losing 3-4. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Houston. The Astros trail first place Texas by 1.5-games. The Yankees won their second straight games but still trail first place Baltimore by 10-games. The Astros will start Hunter Brown today. Brown is 7-7 in his 20 starts with a 4.12 ERA. Brown has put good back-to-back starts together, allowing four total runs over 12 innings. The Yankees will counter with Luis Severino who is 2-5 in his his 12 starts with a lofty 7.49 ERA. Those numbers are up over the last seven starts with a 2-4 record and 8.26 ERA. Severino has allowed seven or more runs in three of his last five starts. I'll take the Astros to rebound here on Friday. Play Houston.

The Astros and Yankees begin a four game set here tonight from Yankee Stadium. Both teams coming off wins on Wednesday. The Yankees took the last game vs the Rays, 7-2. The Astros coming off a sweep of the Guardians, holding Cleveland to a total of five runs over the set. Houston has also closed to within just a half game of the 1st place Texas Rangers in the AL West. The Yankees still in last place in the AL East, 10-back of the Orioles. Houston starts Cristian Javier tonight who is 7-2 in his 20 starts with a 4.33 ERA. He's struggled a bit of late, going 0-1 in his last seven starts with a 7.02 ERA. The Yankees will turn to Clarke Schmidt tonight who is 7-5 in his last 21 starts with a 4.41 ERA. Schmidt has been very good of late, going 5-0 in his last seven starts with a 3.89 ERA. I'll take the Yankees and Schmidt tonight.

NL West clash here has the 3rd place Arizona Diamondbacks taking on the 2nd place SF Giants. The Giants have taken the first two games in this series with excellent pitching. The Giants have won six of their last 10 while the D'backs have lost seven of their last 10. Arizona starts Brandon Pfaadt today who is 0-4 in his eight starts with a 8.19 ERA. The Giants start Scott Alexander who is 0-1 in his three starts with a 5.39 ERA. While the first two games have been of a pitching duel, I look for tonight's to have plenty of runs. Take the OVER.

The Orioles have won three straight games after their win over the Jays on Monday, 13-3. They maintained their 1.5 lead over the Rays who have also won three straight games. The Blue Jays look to snap a three-game losing streak today as they are 7.5-games back of the O's. The Jays are also two-games back in the AL Wildcard race. The Orioles will start Grayson Rodriguez here today who is 2-2 in his 13 starts with a 6.21 ERA. He hasn't been any better of late, going 1-2 in his last seven starts with a 6.82 ERA. The Jays will counter with Yusei Kikuchi who is 8-3 in his 21 starts and a 3.79 ERA. He has been better of late, going 2-1 in his last seven starts and a 2.82 ERA. I look for the Blue Jays to snap their small losing streak here today. Play Toronto.

Early action here on Wednesday has NL Central 2nd place Milwaukee Brewers taking on the NL East last place Washington Nationals. The Brewers took Tuesday's game, 6-4 and kept them just a half game back of the Reds in the division. Wede Miley will start for the Brewers with a 6-2 record in his 13 starts and a 3.06 ERA. Miley has allowed just six total runs over his last five starts (26 innings). Mackenzie Gore will toe the rubber for the Nationals. Gore is 6-8 in his 21 starts with a 4.42 ERA. He's been worse of late, going 3-3 in his last seven starts with a 6.03 ERA. I'll take the Brewers as they need to beat these bottom dwellers if they hope to win the division. Play Milwaukee.

NL West division game here as the 2nd place San Francisco Giants take on the 3rd place Arizona Diamondbacks. The D'backs trail the Giants by just one game and the 1st place Dodgers by 3.5 games. That makes this a very important series for both teams. The Giants made some trades this week, acquiring OF AJ Pollock and IF Mark Mathias from the Mariners. They also picked up RHP Marques Johnson from the Boston Red Sox. The Diamondbacks have been more quiet, picking up RP Paul Sewald from the Mariners and IF Jace Peterson from the A's. Zac Gallen starts for the D'backs. Gallen is 11-5 in his 22 starts with a 3.36 ERA. He hasn't been as good on the road with a 2-4 record in his 11 starts and a 4.97 ERA. Alex Cobb will start for the Giants with a 6-3 record in his 19 starts and a 2.97 ERA. He's been very good at home with a 6-2 record in his eight starts and a 1.09 ERA. I'll take the Giants here tonight.

AL East clash here as the NY Yankees host the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays held first place in the division for all the first half of the season. However, they have fallen 1.5-games back of the Orioles. The Rays have the best run differential by far with a +139. The Jays are the next closest at +51. The Yankees have lost two straight games and are 10-games back of the Orioles. The Rays hold the top AL Wildcard right now with the Yankees 3.5-games back of both the Jays and Astros for that 2nd spot. Zach Eflin will start today for the Rays. Eflin is 11-6 in his 20 starts with a 3.64 ERA. The Yankees will start Carlos Rodon who is 1-3 in his four starts with a 5.76 ERA. I'm taking the Rays here as they look to climb back into that top spot in the division. Play Tampa Bay.