The Atlanta Braves have cruise control set as they are 11.5 games ahead of 2nd place Miami in the NL East race. The Braves have won three straight games and six of their last 10 games. They also have a run differential of +151, which is best in baseball. The Angels have been a major player in the trade deadline as many thought they would unload, instead they have been buyers. The Angels are just five games back of the Rangers in the AL West. They are also four games back in the AL Wildcard race. So thoughts in LA are that they will make a push to get one of those playoff spots. The Angels start Griffin Canning today who is 6-4 in his 16 starts with a 4.46 ERA. The Braves counter with Charlie Morton who is 10-8 in his 20 starts and a 3.57 ERA. I like the Braves in this one and by a decent margin. I'll lay the Run Line today with Atlanta.

The Milwaukee Brewers three game skid has dropped them into 2nd place in the NL Central, a half game back of the Reds. The Brewers are 57-49 and are tied for the 2nd Wild Card spot with the Marlins. It's a very crowded NL Wild Card race so the Brewers might be better just trying to win their division as this point. The Nationals are in last place in the NL East, 24.5-games back of the Braves. They lost on Sunday and have a -94 run differential. The Brewers start Corbin Burnes today who is 9-6 in his 21 starts with a 3.46 ERA. Burnes has been very good on the road, posting a 5-3 record in his 11 away starts with a 3.00 ERA. In addition, Burnes has allowed just two runs over his last three starts and no more than two runs in any of his last five starts. Jake Irvin will start for the Nats with a 3-5 record in 15 starts and a 5.08 ERA. He's allowed 11 runs over his last three starts (14 2/3 innings). I like the Brewers with Burnes here today. I'll lay the Run Line with Milwaukee.

The Chicago Cubs go for the sweep here today against their bitter rivals, the St Louis Cardinals. The Cubs took Thursday's game, 10-3, Friday's game, 3-2, and Saturday's games, 5-1. The Cubs also have a eight game winning streak going. They also are the only team in the NL Central with a positive run differential (+60). The Cardinals have lost three straight and seven of their last 10. They are in last place in the NL Central with a 46-58 record. The Cubs have closed to within 3.5 games of the 1st place Brewers and are three-games back in the Wild Card race. Kyle Hendricks starts today with a 4-4 record in his 12 starts and a 3.58 ERA. Steven Matz will go for the birds with a 1-6 record in his 14 starts and a 4.69 ERA. Not really sure the reasoning behind a 1-6 pitcher and a team in a losing streak being the favorite here today. Oh well, I'm taking the red-hot Cubs. Play Chicago.

The Phillies lost to the Pirates on Saturday and that drops them to 11 games back of the Atlanta Braves in the NL East. However, the Phils do hold the 2nd Wild Card spot with Cincinnati and a half game ahead of Miami and Arizona. The Pirates are done, despite leading the division for most of April and May. They are now 10.5 games back of the Brewers in the NL Central and 10 games back in the Wild Card race. Cristopher Sanchez starts today for the Phillies with a 0-3 record in eight starts and a decent 2.98 ERA. He has not allowed more than three runs in any of his starts this year. Rich Hill gets the nod for the Pirates. Hill is 7-10 in his 21 stars with a 4.89 ERA. He's just 1-4 with a 5.89 ERA in his last seven starts. I'm taking the Phillies here today.

The rivalry continues here tonight between these two NL clubs as the Cardinals host the Cubs. The Cubs have taken the first two games of this four-game set with wins on Thursday, 10-3, and then again on Friday, 3-2. The Cubs are only 4.5 games back in the NL Central after winning seven straight games and nine of their last 10 games. The Cardinals are now 11.5 games back in the division after losing two straight and six of their last 10. The Cardinals might be dropping big players here before the trade deadline since they look dead in the playoff picture. The Cubs start Jameson Taillon today who is 4-6 in his 17 starts with a 5.85 ERA. Taillon has been pretty good of late, allowing four total runs over his last three starts (19 2/3 innings). Adam Wainwright starts for the Cubs with a 3-4 record in his 12 starts and a lofty 7.31 ERA. Wainwright has allowed six runs or more in three of his last four starts. I like the Cubs today as they are red-hot and have the better pitcher on the mound. Play St Louis.

The Minnesota Twins look to snap a 3-game losing streak here today at Kansas City. The Twins lost the opening game of this set with the Royals on Friday, 5-8. That has them in 1st place in the AL Central, still one game ahead of 2nd place Cleveland. The Guardians also lost on Friday. The Royals are in last in the Central with a 30-75 record and have lost seven of their last 10 games. The Twins will start Bailey Ober today who is 6-4 in his 16 starts with a 2.76 ERA. He's been very good on the road with a 4-1 record in six starts and a 2.41 ERA. Jordan Lyles will start for the Royals with his 1-12 record in 19 starts and 6.02 ERA. Lyles had a couple of very good starts before getting hit up for nine hits and five runs in his five innings at the Yankees in his last start. I'll take the Twins today and lay the Run Line.

AL East clash here on Friday has the top team in the Division, Baltimore, taking on last place NY Yankees. However, this is the best division in baseball as every team is at least 6-games over .500 and every team has a plus run differential. The Yankees are 8-games back of the O's. The Yankees will send their Ace, Gerrit Cole to the hill. Cole is 9-2 in his 21 starts with a 2.78 ERA. He's been just as good on the road with a 3-1 away record and 2.59 ERA. Cole has allowed two runs or fewer in seven of his last nine starts. The O's will send Grayson Rodriguez to the hill. Rodriguez is 2-2 in his 12 starts with a 6.91 ERA. That number is worse at home with a 1-2 record and 9.11 in six starts. Come on down, the price is right on the Yankees today. Play New York.

Interleague action between two close city rivals as the Phillies host the Orioles in the final game of their set. The O's took game one on Monday, 3-2 with the Phils taking game two on Tuesday, 4-3. The rubber game here today. The O's remain in first place in the AL East after overtaking the Rays. They lead by 1.5-games over Tampa Bay. Still the best division in baseball is the AL East with all five teams having winning records and plus run differentials. The Phillies likely eyeing a Wild Card at this point. They are in 2nd in the NL East, but 11.5-games back of the Braves. The Phils are tied for the 2nd wild card spot in the NL with three other teams. Baltimore starts Kyle Bradish here today with a 6-5 record and 3.05 ERA. Bradish has been very good of late, going 4-3 in his last seven starts with a 1.62 ERA. He hasn't allowed more than two runs in any of his last seven starts and has allowed just two runs total over his last three starts. Ranger Suarez starts for the Phils with a 2-5 record and 4.07 ERA. He's allowed 16 runs over his last four starts (22 innings). I like the O's to stay hot especially with Bradish on the hill. Take Baltimore.

The Pittsburgh Pirates not all that long ago where in 1st place in the NL Central. Now, they sit in last place, 11.5-games back of the 1st place Brewers. They have also lost seven of their last 10 games. They did open this three game series with a win vs the Padres on Monday, 8-4. The Padres have been a big disappointment this year and now sit in 4th in the NL West, 10-games back of the Dodgers. Today's starter, Blake Snell, is in the mix for a player that could be traded before the looming MLB trade deadline. While Snell's season has been underwhelming, like the Padres, he's been very good of late. Snell is just 6-8 on the season with a 2.67 ERA. However, he's 4-2 in his last seven starts with a 0.69 ERA. Rich Hill will start for the Pirates with a 7-9 record in his 20 starts and a 4.92 ERA. He's been worse of late, going 1-4 in his last seven starts with a 6.03 ERA. I'll take San Diego here today and I'll lay the Run Line.

The Kansas City Royals don't have the worst record in baseball, but that's only because the Oakland A's are in the league. The Royals are 29-73 and 25-games back of the Twins in the AL Central. They also have a -167 run differential. The Guardians are 2nd in the AL Central, four games back of the Twins. The Guardians look to snap a two game losing streak here tonight. Zack Greinke will start today for the Royals with a 1-10 record in his 19 starts and a 5.40 ERA. That number is worse on the road where he is 0-6 in nine starts and a 7.42 ERA. Aaron Civale will toe the rubber for the Guardians with a 3-2 record in 11 starts and a 2.71 ERA. Civale has not allowed more than two runs in any of his last four starts. Big edge here today in pitching and the team to the Guardians. I'll take Cleveland and lay the Run Line.

 NL Central clash here today has the top two teams in the division playing for first place. The Milwaukee Brewers are in 1st place, but only by a half game over the Reds. The Reds have won five straight games to pull within a half game. Still, both teams have run differentials in the negative values. The Reds will start Graham Ashcraft here today. Ashcraft is 5-7 in his 18 starts with a 5.76 ERA. The Brewers start Colin Rea with a 5-4 record in his 16 starts and a 4.57 ERA. Both teams can hit the ball and neither pitcher is all that good. I'll take the OVER here today.

d their lead in the AL Central to 2-games over 2nd place Cleveland. The Twins are the only team in the division with a winning record at 52-48. The White Sox are 4th in the division with a 41-59 record and 11-games back of the Twins. They have lost two straight games and lost seven of their last 10 games. They also have a -75 run differential. Lucas Giolito will start today for the Sox with a 6-6 record in his 20 starts and a 3.96 ERA. His numbers are worse on the road where he is 3-4 in 10 starts with a 5.74 ERA. Bailey Ober will toe the rubber for the Twins with a 6-4 record and 2.74 ERA. Ober has not allowed more than three runs in any of his last six starts. I'll take the Twins here at home on Sunday.

The Orioles and Rays are tied for 1st place in the AL East as they play this weekend set. The Rays won on Friday 3-0 to pull back into a tie in the division. Grayson Rodriguez will start for the Orioles with a 2-2 record in his 11 starts and a 7.33 ERA. He's allowed 22 runs over his last four starts (16 2/3 innings). The Rays will counter with their best here on Sunday in Shane McClanahan who is 11-1 in his 18 starts with a 2.56 ERA. He's been very good at home with a 5-0 record and 1.89 ERA. I'm taking the Rays here on Sunday and laying the Run Line.

The Texas Rangers and LA Dodgers opened their three game set on Friday with the Dodgers taking the first game, 11-5. The Rangers have still won seven of their last 10 games and remain three games ahead of the Astros for the lead in the AL West. They also have the best run differential in baseball at +160 runs. The Dodgers increased their lead in the NL West over both 2nd place Arizona and third place San Francisco. The Dodgers start Bobby Miller today who is 5-1 in his nine starts with a 4.25 ERA. The Rangers will counter with Dane Dunning who is 6-2 in his 13 starts and a 3.20 ERA. The Dodgers have been installed as the small favorite here today. For me, I'll take the best run differential team in baseball, at home with a good pitcher on the hill. Play Texas.

The Padres have won two straight games and six of their last 10 games, but still are 9.5-games out in the NL West behind the Dodgers. They are also 6.5-games back in the NL Wild Card race. The Blue Jays have lost two straight games, but still are just 5.5-games back of the Rays in the AL East. They also hold onto the 2nd spot in the AL Wild Card race. Snell has a 0.66 ERA in his last seven starts and is 4-1. Snell could be the best pitcher in baseball right now as he's allowed just two runs total over his last six starts and just FOUR runs over his last 10 starts. The Jays will counter with Chris Bassitt today. Bassitt has had a fine season thus far with a 9-5 record in his 20 starts and a 4.12 ERA. I expect Snell to have the Padres ahead before he leaves this game and if the bullpen can hold we have a "W." Play Padres.

The Toronto Blue Jays look to rebound after their throttling they took from the Padres on Tuesday, 1-9. Toronto is 53-42 but in third place in the AL East, 5.5-games back of the Rays. However, the Blue Jays do hold the 2nd spot in the AL Wildcard race by one game. The Padres are still 10.5-games back of the LA Dodgers in the NL West. We could see some big moves leaving the Padres before the trade deadline. The Padres start Yu Darvish today who is 6-6 in his 16 games with a 4.65 ERA. The Jays will counter with Jose Berrios who is 8-6 in his 19 starts and a 3.41 ERA. He's been better at home with a 4-2 record and 2.83 ERA. He's also allowed just one run over his last two starts (12 1/3 innings). I'm going to take the Jays to rebound here on Wednesday. Play Toronto.

Cleveland had little issues with the Pirates in game two of their series on Tuesday, winning 10-1. That makes the Guardians having won both games of this set by a combined 21-1 score. Will things change here in the final game of the series? The Guardians are just one game back of the Twins now in the AL Central. Today they will start Aaron Civale who is 3-2 in his 10 starts with a 2.65 ERA. Those numbers are even better on the road where he has a 1.69 ERA In his five away starts. It wasn't that long ago the Pirates where in first place in the NL Central. Now, they are in last, 11-games back of the Brewers and having lost nine of their last 10 games. Rich Hill will start today for the Bucs with a 7-9 record in his 19 starts and a 4.85 ERA. I'm sticking with the Guardians here in the final game of this set. Play Cleveland.

A pair of AL first place teams meet again here on Tuesday as the AL East leading Tampa Bay Rays take on the AL West leading Texas Rangers. Texas took game one on Monday 3-2. The Rangers have a 3.5-game lead over the Astros. In addition, they have a +160 run differential. To put that into perspective, the Astros have the 2nd best number in the division with a +51. The Tampa Bay Rays have lost seven of the last 10 games and have the Baltimore Orioles breathing down their backs. Taj Bradley starts for the Rays with a 5-5 record in his 13 starts and a 5.28 ERA. Bradley has allowed 15 earned runs over his last three starts (12 1/3 innings). Nathan Eovaldi will toe the rubber for the Rangers. Eovaldi is 10-3 in his 18 starts with a very nice 2.83 ERA. I like the Rangers to keep winning here on Tuesday. Play Texas.

The first place LA Dodgers continue their IL East coast swing here today vs the 2nd place AL East Baltimore Orioles. The Dodgers took game one of his set on Monday with a 6-4 win. Michael Grove will start for the Dodgers with a 0-2 record in his eight starts and a lofty 7.20 ERA. That number goes up in his three road starts to 11.92! Tyler Wells will start for the O's with a 7-4 record in his 17 starts and a 3.34 ERA. That number goes down more at home with a 2.57 ERA. Grove might be a good prospect, but I like the O's and Wells here on Tuesday. Play Baltimore.

The Detroit Tigers are just 41-51 but by virtue of playing in the worst division in baseball, trail the Twins by just six runs. This is their best option since they trail in the Wildcard by 10-games with many teams to jump over. The Royals are last in the division with a 27-67 record and have lost eight of their last 10 games. The Royals also have the 2nd worst run differential in baseball with a -158 mark. The Tigers start Matt Manning today who is 3-1 in his five starts with a 3.72 ERA. The Royals will counter with Jordan Lyles who is 1-11 in his 17 starts with a 6.24 ERA. Lyles and the Royals are not good and even though the Tigers aren't great either, I'll take them here today with Manning on the hill. Play Detroit.

The Dodgers dropped their third game vs the Mets on Sunday in extra innings, 1-2, snapping their six-game winning streak. The streak did put the Dodgers back into first place with a 1.5-game lead over the Giants and 2-games over Arizona. The Orioles are still chasing Tampa Bay in the AL East, now just one-game back of the Rays. The O's are the top AL Wild Card team too, holding a nice six-game cushion. LA will start Emmet Sheehan today who is 2-0 in his four starts with a 4.35 ERA. That number goes up in his one road start to 5.40 ERA. The O's start Grayson Rodriguez today who is 2-2 in his 10 starts with a 7.35 ERA. That number is 9.56 ERA in his five home starts. I look for plenty of runs to be scored here today. Play the OVER.

The Miami Marlins look to be a longshot to catch the Braves in the AL East as they are now 9.5-games back. However, the Marlins do have the top spot in the NL Wild Card race by 1-game. The Orioles have closed the gap with 1st place Tampa Bay to just 2-games thanks in big part to a 7-game winning streak. The Marlins will start Steven Okert here today. Okert will make his first start of the season. Okert moves from the pen after a 2.43 ERA and 46 K's this season. Wheather or not his role is that of an opener today remains to be seen, but is likely. The Orioles will start Kyle Bradish who is 5-4 in his 16 starts with a 3.32 ERA. He's been a bit better at home in his seven starts with a 2.81 ERA. Bradish has also not allowed more than two runs in any of his last five starts. I'll lay the Run line here today with the hot Orioles.

Interleague action here on Saturday has the Boston Red Sox visiting Wrigley field to take on the Cubbies. These two teams opened the 2nd half of the season on Friday with Boston taking the game, 8-3. Bost has now won six games in a row and nine of their last 10 games to move into a last place AL East tie with the Yankees, both teams at 49-43. The Cubs are in 3rd in the NL Central with a 42-48 record, seven games back of the Brewers. The Cubs have lost six of their last 10 games. James Paxton will start for the Red Sox with a 5-1 record in his 10 starts and a nice 2.73 ERA. Paxton is 4-0 in his last seven starts with a 1.93 ERA. The Cubs will start Marcus Stroman who is 9-6 in his 19 starts with a 2.96 ERA. Stroman struggled into the break, giving up 15 runs over his last three starts (14 innings). I'm going to take the Sox here today with a very good Paxton on the hill.

First game of a doubleheader here on Saturday morning has the San Diego Padres taking on the Philadelphia Phillies. The Padres opened the 2nd half of the season with a win over the Phillies on Friday, 8-3. The Padres are 8.5 games back of the Dodgers in the NL West despite winning three straight games and seven of their last 10 games. The Phillies are 13 games back of the Braves in the NL East after losing their third straight game. As for the NL Wildcard race, the Phillies are 1.5 games back and the Padres are six games back. The Padres will start Blake Snell today who is 6-7 in his 18 starts with a 2.85 ERA. Snell has been very good of late, going 5-1 with a 0.64 ERA over his last seven starts. The Phillies start Ranger Suarez who is 2-4 in his 11 starts with a 3.77 ERA. That number goes up at home where he is 0-2 in his five starts with a 5.92 ERA. I like the way the Padres are playing and Snell has been as good as anyone of late. Play San Diego.

A pair of 1st place teams meetup here to start the 2nd half of the season. The Cleveland Guardians are in 1st in the AL Central, a half game ahead of the Twins. The Texas Rangers are in 1st in the AL West, 2-games ahead of the Astros. The Rangers finished the 1st half of the season by losing two straight and seven of their last 10. Aaron Civale will start for the Guardians today with a 3-2 record in his nine-starts and a 2.56 ERA. He's been even better in his four road starts with a 1.25 ERA. In addition, he's allowed just one run over his last two starts (both wins) over 13 innings. Jon Gray will toe the rubber for the Rangers. Gray is 6-5 in 16 starts with a 3.29 ERA. At home Gray is 2-3 with a 4.27 ERA. Gray has also allowed eight runs over his last two starts (12 innings). I like Cleveland here today with Civale on the hill.

The 2nd half of the MLB season starts today and two teams that both have ground to make up are the Padres and Phillies. The San Diego Padres won their last two games of the 1st half of the season. They are 5.5-games back of the Dodgers and Diamondbacks in the NL West. The Phillies are in 3rd in the NL East, 12-games back of the Braves. The Phillies do have a plus run differential though of +9. Yu Darvish starts today for the Padres with a 5-6 record in his 15 starts and a 4.87 ERA. That number goes up on the road to 6.16 ERA. Cristopher Sanchez will start for the Phils with a 0-2 record in his five starts and a 2.84 ERA. Sanchez has pitched well of late, allowing just two earned runs over his last two starts (12 innings) and five runs over his last four starts (21 innings). I'll take Sanchez at home today over the Padres.

This series has been a under series for a long time now. The Oddsmaker has dropped this number to 7.5 under knowing just that. So there isn't a lot of value left in the number since you don't find many games under at least a 7 any more. Last year the AL won 3-2, going UNDER. In 2021 the AL won 5-2 with the UNDER or some pushes. No game was played in the 2020 Covid year. In fact, only the 2018 game (14 runs) and the 2014 (8 runs) and 2015 game (9 runs) have really been higher scoring games. Five of the last six games would have gone under this posted total tonight. For me, not a lot of value in any of the lines, but for fun we'll take the UNDER tonight. Play UNDER.

Baring any kind of miracle 2nd half turn around, the NY Mets likely won't be going to the playoffs this year as they are in 4th place in the NL East, 18-games back of the Braves. They sit a more manageable 7-games back in the NL Wildcard standing. However, they have a lot of teams in front of them to get there. The Padres are a big disappointment this year as they are 6.5-games back in the NL Wild card race and nine games back of the Diamondbacks in the NL West. The Mets will start Justin Verlander whose season has mirrored the Mets. Verlander is just 3-4 in his 11 starts with a 3.66 ERA. He's been better at home with a 2-2 record in six starts and a 2.19 ERA. The Padres will start Yu Darvish who is 5-6 in his 14 starts and sports a 4.84 ERA. Darvish has allowed 14 runs over his last three starts (15 1/3 innings). The Mets manhandled the Diamondbacks on Thursday and I look for another win here on Friday at San Diego. Play the Mets.

The Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers battle it out in the NL Central for first place. The Reds hold a two-game lead over the Brewers and have a five-game winning streak as they begin this big series. The Brewers are coming off a win on Thursday and have won six of their last 10. Strangely, both teams have negative run differentials though. Andrew Abbott looks to keep his record perfect as he's 4-0 in his six starts with a nifty 1.21 ERA. That number is even better on the road at 0.51 in his three away starts and good for a 3-0 record. Corbin Burnes will toe the rubber for the Brewers with a 6-5 record and 4.00 ERA. Burns settle down last start after allowing 11 runs over a two game stretch (10 2/3 innings) to deliver a find one hit performance vs the Pirates to get the win. Until Abbott shows he more human, I'll stick with him here today at the small dog price. Play Cincinnati.

The Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox have split the first two games of this series with the Rangers taking game one and the Sox taking game two yesterday, 4-2. Both gams have gone under. The Rangers lead in the AL West has dropped to 2-games over the surging Houston Astros. The Red Sox have climbed over the .500 mark in the AL East at 44-43. Every team in the AL East has a winning record and plus run differential. The Rangers will start Nathan Eovaldi today who is 10-3 in his 17 starts with a 2.64 ERA. He's coming off a very nice start over Houston where he allowed no runs over seven innings for the win. Kutter Crawford will toe the rubber for the Red Sox with his 3-3 record in eight starrts and 5.30 ERA. If you throw out the seven runs in his first start, he hasn't allowed more then four runs in any start. Moreover, he's allowed two runs or fewer in five of those eight starts. I'm going to take UNDER here today with two above average pitchers. Play UNDER.

Miami rallied late last night to take another game from the Cardinals, 10-9. That makes three straight with the final game of this set here today and the fish looking for a sweep. Miami has scored 30 runs over the three games while holding the Cards to 15 runs. Miami will start Eury Perez today who looks to rebound from a horid outing last time where he allowed seven hits and six runs over just a third of an inning pitched. That terrible outing was so out of character, because he had just come off a stretch where he allowed one earned run over six starts (33 innings). Even with those seven runs allowed in less than an inning, Perez has a 5-2 record and 2.47 ERA. That number is even better at home where he has a 3-0 record and 1.01 ERA. St Louis starts Jack Flaherty today who is 5-5 in his 16 starts with a 4.61 ERA. The Cardinals terrible season continues as they likely will be dumping talent as the trade deadline looms. I'm going to take Perez to rebound here today and the Marlins to sweep the series. Play Miami.

The Pirates and Dodgers have split the first two games of this series from LA with the Dodgers taking game one and the Pirates game two on Tuesday, 9-7. The Dodgers are back in 2nd place in the NL West, 2.5-games back of the Diamondbacks. Despite going just 5-5, the Dodgers have gained some ground thanks to a 4-6 run by the Diamondbacks. The Pirates have passed the Cubs in the NL Central as they moved into third place, 6.5-games back of the Reds. Osvaldo Bido will get his fifth start of the season here on Wednesday. Bido is 0-1 with a 4.74 ERA. The Dodgers will counter with Bobby Miller who is 4-1 in his seven starts and a 4.23 ERA. That number goes up a bit at home to 5.81. Neither pitcher all that great with the ERA and for me that's an OVER play here on Wednesday.

 The 1st Place Texas Rangers are 51-35 and have 4-6 over their last 10 games. They won yesterday over the Red Sox, 6-2. The Rangers have the best run differential in baseball at +159 runs. The Red Sox are 43-43 and in last in the AL East. They have lost six of their last 10 and like every other team in the AL East, they have a positive run differential. The Rangers will start Jon Gray tonight with his 6-4 record in 15 starts and a 3.21 ERA. His road numbers are even better at 4-1 in seven starts with a 1.99 ERA. Brayan Bello will start today for the Sox. Bello is 5-5 with a 3.08 ERA. He's been excellent of late, allowing just three total runs over his last three starts (20 2/3 innings). I like both these pitchers tonight and will go with the UNDER.

Reason: St Louis still floundering in last place in the NL Central division with a 35-48 record and 10.5-games back of the Milwaukee Brewers after losing to the Marlins on Monday, 4-5. Miami having a very nice season as they are 49-37. However, that's only good for second in the NL East and 9-games back of the Braves. However, the silver lining is that the Marlins are the top Wild Card team at the moment with a 1.5-game cushion. The Cardinals will start Adam Wainwright here today with his 3-3 record and 7.45 ERA. Things haven't been good for Wainwright of late either, allowing 13 runs over his last two starts (4 2/3 innings). The Marlins will start Jesus Luzardo today who is 6-5 in his 17 starts and a 3.53 ERA. That ERA improves at home to 2.65 in his nine starts. I like the Marlins again here on Tuesday, but today I'll lay the Run Line with them.

St Louis still floundering in last place in the NL Central division with a 35-48 record and 9.5-games back of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cardinals won on Sunday and have gone 5-5 their last 10 games. Miami having a very nice season as they are 48-37. However, that's only good for second in the NL East and 9-games back of the Braves. However, the silver lining is that the Marlins are the top Wild Card team at the moment with a 1.5-game lead. St Louis will start Miles Mikolas who is 4-5 in his 17 starts and a 4.44 ERA. Mikolas has allowed 18 runs over his last four starts (24 2/3 innings). Miami starts Braxton Garrett who is 4-2 in his 15 starts with a 3.43 ERA. Garrett has been very good over his last four starts with just three runs allowed over 23 2/3 innings. I like the Marlins today, especially with Garrett on the mound. Play Miami.

The Chicago Cubs are watching their season slowly run away as they have lost two straight and six of their last 10. The Cubs now sit in 4th place in the NL Central with a 38-44 record. Milwaukee is tied for first place in the division after winning two straight and seven of their last 10 games. Drew Smyly will start for the Cubs with a 7-5 record in his 16 starts and a 4.17 ERA. Smyly is coming off his worst start of the season where he allowed nine hits and seven runs over just 3 2/3 innings vs the Phillies. Julio Teheran will go for the Brewers with his 2-3 record after seven starts and a 2.85 ERA. That number goes down at home where he is 1-1 in four starts and a 1.57 ERA. Teheran also coming off his worst start of the season. Both pitchers looking to rebound here today, but I look for that to be Teheran and the Brewers.

The Padres snapped their losing skid with their win over the Reds on Saturday. Still, that was only their third win in their last 12 games. San Diego still hasn't announced their starter for today's contest. Yu Darvish looks to be a candidate with his 5-6 record and 4.84 ERA. The loss by the Reds yesterday, couple with a Brewers win, have the two teams both with 44-39 records and tied for first in the NL Central. The Reds will start Andrew Abbott today who is 4-0 in his five starts with a 1.21 ERA. Abbott has allowed no runs in three starts, one run and three runs. I'll take the Reds today against any San Diego starter.

Interleague action here on Saturday has the Cleveland Guardians taking on the Cubs from Wrigley Stadium in Chicago. The Cubs took the first game on Friday in easy fashion, 10-1. The Guardians have now lost two straight games and have dropped to one-game back of the Twins in the AL Central. In fact, the AL Central is the only division in baseball where no team has a .500 or better record. While the Cubs are in fourth place in the NL Central, they are also the only team in the division with a positive run differential (+32). The Guardians will start Tanner Bibee who is 4-2 in his 11 starts with a 3.79 ERA. Those numbers aren't as good on the road where he is 1-1 in five away starts with a 5.68 ERA. Marcus Stroman will toe the rubber for the Cubbies. Stroman is 9-5 in his 17 starts with a nifty 2.47 ERA. He's 5-3 at Wrigley with a 2.25 ERA. I like the Cubs once again here on Saturday. Play Chicago.

 Key NL Central clash here today between 2nd place Milwaukee and third place Pittsburgh. The Pirates slide seems to have corrected itself as they have won four straight games. The Brewers are 43-39 and one game back of the Reds. The Pirates are 4.5 games back of the Reds. Corbin Burnes starts for the Brewers with his 5-5 record after 16 starts and a 4.10 ERA. Burnes has been hit pretty hard lately, giving up 11 runs over his last 10 2/3 innings. Johan Oviedo will toe the rubber for the Pirates. Oviedo is 3-8 in his 16 starts with a 4.06 ERA. However, unlike Burnes, he's allowed just three runs over his last two starts (13 innings). The Pirates as Oviedo seem to be playing much better so I'll take them here today.

 The two best teams in the NL East face off here on Saturday as the 1st place Braves host the 2nd place Marlins. The Braves sit comfortably in first place at 54-27 and 7-games ahead of the Marlins. The Marlins are 48-35 and hold the top spot in the NL Wild Card standings, 1.5-games ahead of the Dodgers. Eury Perez gets the start for the Marlins today. Perez has been very good this year at 5-1 and a great ERA of just 1.34. He's been even better in his last seven starts, going 4-1 with a 0.96 ERA. Perez has not allowed a run over his last three starts and four of his last five starts. Charlie Morton gets the ball for the Braves. Morton is 7-6 in his 15 starts with a 3.81 ERA. Ok, the Braves are the top dog in the division. But is there a better pitcher right now in baseball than Perez? I'll take a nice shot here today with Perez and the fish. Play Miami.

The San Francisco Giants continue to hold onto 2nd place in the NL West, 2.5-games back of the Diamondbacks. The Giants have won seven of their last 10 games, though they did drop yesterday's game to Toronto, 1-2. Now they begin a set against the reeling NY Mets. The Mets have dropped to four place in the NL East, 17-games back of the Braves. The Mets horrific first half say them drop another game on Thursday as a big favorite to the Brewers. They have lost four of their last five and are 18-24 their last 42 games. Alex Cobb will start today for the Giants with a 5-2 record and a 3.09 ERA. He will be opposed by the Mets Carlos Carrasco. Carrasco is 2-3 in his 10 starts with a 6.19 ERA. That number has gone up at home with a 8.19 ERA. The Mets are finding ways to lose these days and the Giants continue to challenge in the NL West. Take San Francisco.

Reason: The Boston Red Sox have dropped four straight and six of their last 10 to fall below the .500 mark at 40-41. They are the only team in the AL East to fall below .500. Though all five teams still have positive run differentials. The Blue Jays are just one spot ahead of the Sox at 44-37 and 10 back of the Rays. They are coming off a win over the Giants on Thursday, 2-1. The Sox will James Paxton who is 3-1 in his eight starts with a 3.19 ERA. Jose Berrios will start for the Blue Jays with a 8-5 record in his 16 starts and a 3.60 ERA. That number goes down at home where he is 4-1 in six starts and a 2.48 ERA. Both pitchers are solid here today and I'll be on the UNDER in this one.

The Miami Marlins have won four straight games and seven of their last 10 games. They are in 2nd place in the NL East, 6.5-points back of the Atlanta Braves. The Boston Red Sox play in the best division in baseball. They are 40-41 and in last place in the division but still have a positive run differential. Miami will start Jesus Luzardo today who is 6-5 in his 16 starts with a 3.77 ERA. That number goes up on the road to 5.45 ERA. The Sox will counter with Brayan Bello who is 5-4 in his 12 starts and a 3.27 ERA. Bellow has allowed just two runs over his last two starts (13 2/3 innings). Moreover he's allowed more than two runs just one time in his last 10 starts. I like the way Bello has pitched of late and will take the Red Sox here at this good price. Play Boston.

The Cincinnati Reds took Tuesday's contest from the Baltimore Orioles even with a slight rain delay, 3-1. The Reds continue to hold onto 1st place in the NL Central with a 42-38 record and 1/2 game lead over the Brewers. The Reds are the only 1st place team in baseball with a negative run differential as their sits at -20 runs. The AL East 2nd place Orioles have a +30 run differential as they chase first place Tampa Bay. Good news is they sit atop the Wild Card standings in the AL with a 5.5-game lead over the Yankees and Angels. The Reds will start Luke Weaver here today. Weaver is 1-2 in his 12 starts with a lofty 6.86 ERA. Moreover, he's allowed 10 runs over his last 8 1/3 innings. The O's will counter with Kyle Gibson who is 8-5 in his 16 starts and a 4.30 ERA. Gibson has allowed eight runs over his last nine innings. I look for a lot of runs scored in this matchup. I'll be on the OVER.

 St Louis makes the long trip back from London, England after their set with the Cubs. This could be an issue with time changes and long trips. They will face the Astros who will start Framber Valdez who is 7-5 in his 15 starts with a nifty 2.27 ERA. Valdez has allowed over two runs just twice in his last nine starts. Jordan Montgomery makes the start for the Cardinals today. He hasn't been very good with a 4-7 record in his 15 starts and a 3.69 ERA. That number goes up a bit at home to 4.62 ERA. I'm taking the Astros here today not only because they are the better team with the better starter, but also because of the Cardinals long trips in recent days. Play Houston.

The Milwaukee Brewers took game one of this series with the Mets on Monday, 2-1. The Brewers are just holding onto first place in the NL Central with a half game lead over the Reds. The Brewers have won two straight games and seven of their last 10 games. The Mets slide continues as they have lost two straight and seven of their last 10 games to drop to 4th in the NL East. They are 35-43, 16 games back of the Braves. The Brewers will start Julio Teheran today who is 2-2 in his six starts with a nifty 1.53 ERA. Teheran has yet to allow more than two runs in any of his six starts this season. The Mets will start David Peterson. Peterson has struggle in his eight starts, going 1-6 with a 8.08 ERA. He's allowed 21 runs over his last 18 1/3 innings. I like Teheran a lot here today and yet he's a dog to a struggling team and terrible pitcher. Play the Brewers.

The Cincinnati Reds and Baltimore Orioles play game two of their IL set here on Tuesday. The O's took game one on Monday, 10-3. After a huge run that saw the Reds take over 1st place in the NL Central, they have lost three straight games to drop back into 2nd place, a half game back of the Brewers. The Orioles continue to chase Tampa Bay in the AL East, baseball's toughest division. The O's have a solid hold right now on a Wild Card spot though at 48-29. In fact, that record would be good for first place in every division in baseball except the AL East and NL East. The Reds will start Andrew Abbott here on Tuesday. Abbott is 3-0 in his four starts with a very nice 1.14 ERA. Moreover, in his two road starts he's 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA over 11 2/3 innings. Tyler Wells will counter for the O's here today. Wells is 6-3 in his 14 starts with a 3.42 ERA. Both pitchers have had excellent success and both teams are very good. I'll take a shot though with the dog in this game. Play Cincinnati.

The Minnesota Twins have lost six of their last 10 games but still hold onto 1st place in the AL Central with a 39-39 record. They are also the only team in the division with a .500 or better record and a positive run differential (+31 runs). The Tigers are 3rd in the division with a 33-42 record, 4.5-games back of the Twins. They have won six of their last 10 games. Bailer Ober will start today for the Twins with a 4-4 record in his 11 starts and a 2.83 ERA. That number goes down more on the road where he is 2-1 in three starts with a 1.96 ERA. The Tigers will send Michael Lorenzen to the mound today. Lorenzen is 2-5 in his 12 starts with a 4.00 ERA. I like the Twins here today with the better starter on the hill. Play Minnesota.

 Early start from London, England as the Chicago Cubs and St Louis Cardinals meet for the second game in this series. The Cubs took game one on Saturday, 9-1. The Cardinals are in last place in the NL Central with a 31-45 record and 9.5-games back of the Reds. The Cubs are in 3rd place with a 37-38 record and 3-games back of the Reds. The Cubs start their best pitcher this season in Marcus Stroman who is 9-4 in his 16 starts with a nifty 2.28 ERA. In addition, he has not allowed more than two runs in any of his last seven starts. The Cardinals will counter with Matthew Liberatore who is 1-2 in his five starts and a 5.63 ERA. His is 0-2 on the road with a 9.00 ERA. I like the Cubs again here on Sunday to take this game from their rivals. Play Chicago.

IL Action here today has the Milwaukee Brewers travelling to Cleveland to face the Guardians. The Brewers are in 2nd place in the NL Central, 1.5 games back of the Reds. Cleveland is also in 2nd place in the AL Central, two games back of the Twins. The Brewers will start Freddy Peralta who is 5-6 in his 14 starts with a 4.60 ERA. That number goes up on the road where he's 1-3 in five starts and a 6.04 ERA. Tanner Bibee will toe the rubber for the Guardians. Bibee is 3-2 in his 10 starts with a 4.05 ERA. That number is better at home where he is 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA. I'll be taking the Guardians at home here today.

The Boston Red Sox play in the toughest division in baseball. It's the only division where all five teams have winning records and all five teams have positive run differentials. The Red Sox might be in last place, 12 games back of the Rays, but they have won seven of their last 10 games and have a 40-37 record. Not bad for a last place team. The White Sox play in one of the worst divisions Only division leading Minnesota has a winning record and that's barely at 39-38. The Twins are the only team that has a positive run differential also. The White Sox are in 4th place with a 32-45 record, seven games back of 1st place. The Sox start Lance Lynn with a 4-8 record and 6.51 ERA. James Paxton will go for the Red Sox with a 3-1 record in seven starts and a 3.28 ERA. Everything for me lines up on the visitors in this one. Play Boston.

The top two teams in the NL West meet here today as the first place D'backs take on the 2nd place Giants from San Francisco. The Giants have been surging in the NL West, winnings of nine of their last 10. They over took the Dodgers for 2nd and now trail Arizona by just 2.5-games. The Giants will start an opener here today with Ryan Walker. Don't expect Walker to go much past the first inning. In his previous two starts he's gone one inning and 1 2/3 innings. Arizona will start one of their best in Merrill Kelly. Kelly is 9-3 in his 15 starts with a 3.10 ERA. He's been even better on the road with a 6-0 record in seven starts and a 1.98 ERA. I'll take the D'backs here in game one of this key NL West series.

The Houston Astros try to close the gap in the AL West as they sit in 2nd place in the division, 5.5-games back of the Rangers. The Astros have won two straight games as they begin this set at the Dodgers. The Dodgers just swept intracity rival, LA Angels. That coming after they themselves were swept at home by the Giants. The Dodgers have thus dropped to third in the NL West, 4-games back of the Diamondbacks. The Astros will start J.P. France today. France is 2-2 in his eight starts with a 3.42 ERA. Emmet Sheenan became the third rookie to make his major league debut for the Dodgers this season. He went six no-hit innings in his MLB Debut last Friday vs the Giants. Sheehan should make at least one more start here tonight before maybe going back to the minors. The way the Dodgers bullpen has performed, you just can't trust them. I'll take Houston here tonight.

The Milwaukee Brewers held 1st place for most of the season in the NL Central. However, a 11-game win streak by the Reds now has them 1.5 games back of Cincinnati. The Brewers hope to get back to their winning ways with Wade Miley taking the hill today. Miley is 4-2 in his nine starts with a 3.28 ERA. Miley has allowed just one run over his last two starts. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Guardians have closed to just one-game of the Twins in the AL Central. The Guardians have won four straight games. Shane Bieber will toe the rubber today for the Guardians. Bieber is 5-4 in his 15 starts with a 3.50 ERA. He had his one-run streak of 12 2/3 innings busted last start after allowing five runs over 7 1/3 innings. Despite the poor outing, I still like this game UNDER today. I expect both pitchers to put up good numbers. Take UNDER.

NL East battle here on Friday has the Mets and Phillies meeting in Philadelphia. The Phillies are in third place in the division with a 38-36 record while the Mets are in 4th with a 34-40 record. Both teams come into today's series opener losers of two straight games. The Mets will start Kodai Senga who is 6-4 with a 3.53 ERA in his 13 starts. That number goes up on the road as his ERA jumps up to 4.78. Taijuan Walker gets the start for the Phils with a 7-3 record in his 15 starts and a 4.31 ERA. He's much better at home with a 3-0 record in six starts and a 2.25 ERA. In addition, Walker has allowed just one total run over his last three starts (20 innings) with 21 KO's and 5 walks. I like Walker a lot here on Friday. Play Philadelphia.

It's the Penthouse vs the Outhouse today as the AL East Division leading Tampa Bay Rays vs the AL Central last place Kansas City Royals. The Royals will send veteran righthander Zach Greinke to the hill today. Greinke is 1-7 overall with a 4.81 ERA. Those numbers are worse on the road with a 0-4 record in seven starts and a 6. 15. The Royals start Zach Eflin today, who is one of their best. Eflin is 8-3 in his 13 starts with a 3.26 ERA. He's been almost perfect at home, 7-0 in seven starts with a 1.85. I don't see much chance for the Royals here today. I'll lay the Run Line with Tampa Bay.

The Yankees and Mariners playing game two of this quick two-game series. The Yankees are still 9.5 games back of the Rays in the AL East, despite a decent 40-33 record. The Mariners are in 4th place in the AL West, nine games back of the Rangers. They are 35-36. The Yankees will start Domingo German. German is 4-4 in his 13 starts with a 4.30 ERA. That number goes down at home to a 2.92 ERA in his six starts. The M's start Bryan Woo who is 0-1 in his three starts with a 7.29 ERA. Woo's first start resulted in six runs and he's allowed four runs over his last to starts. Still, good price here for the Yankees at home. I'll take the hosts in this one. Play the Yankees.

It wasn't that long ago that we were calling the Pittsburgh Pirates the NL Central division leading Pirates. How the mighty have fallen. The Pirates are now 34-38, have the worst run differential in the division (-36) and in fourth place. They have lost eight straight games to get to this position. Meanwhile the Miami Marlins have been solid, winning seven of their last 10 games and in 2nd place in the NL East. The Bucs will start Mitch Keller who has had a fine season at 8-3 in 15 starts. Keller has a 3.62 ERA and slightly higher on the road with a 4.44 ERA. He did allow four runs in five inning in his last start at Milwaukee. The Marlins will start Braxton Garrett who is 3-2 in his 13 starts with a 3.78 ERA. Garrett has allowed just one run over his last two starts (11 1/3 innings). I like the Marlins here today against the reeling Pirates. Play Miami.

The Brewers found themselves down 0-4 after the top of the 2nd inning to the Diamondbacks on Tuesday. However, they came roaring back to win the game, 7-5. The Brewers still a half game back of the Reds in the NL Central with their 38-35 record. The D'backs dropped to 44-30 as they continue to hold onto slim leads over the Giants and Dodgers. Zac Gallen will start for the D'backs and he's been their best this year with a 8-2 record and 2.96 ERA. However, that ERA jumps to 5.78 on the road in his seven away starts. The Brewers will start Julio Teheran who is 2-2 in his five starts and a very nice 1.78 ERA. Teheran has not allowed more than two runs in any of his five starts. Nice live dog here today with the Brewers who have just as good a pitcher on the hill. Take Milwaukee.

 Cubs and Pirates continue their NL Central clash here on Wednesday. The Cubs took the game yesterday with a shutout win, 4-0. The win improved the Cubs to 35-38 overall and 3.5-games back of the Reds in the division. The Cubs are the only team in the Central with a positive run differential at +21. Kyle Kendricks get the start today for the Cubs with a 2-2 record in his five starts and a 3.18 ERA. Kendricks have been very good over his last two starts, winning both and allowing just two total runs (13 innings). The Pirates will start Rich Hill today. Hill is 6-6 in his 14 starts with a 4.42 ERA. Hill has been inconsistent at best with just six quality starts in his 14 outings. I'll take the Cubs here on Wednesday.

The Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays battling for top dog in the AL East division. The Rays have lost three straight games after they dropped Tuesday's contest to the Orioles, 6-8. Their lead in the East down to four-games over the Orioles who have won seven of their last 10 games. Tyler Wells will start today for the O's with his 6-2 record and 3.40 ERA. Wells hasn't allowed more than two runs in any of his last four starts. Taj Bradley will counter for the Rays with a 4-3 record and 4.19 ERA. That number goes way up to 7.13 ERA in his four home starts. I like the live dog in this one as the O's look to close that gap in the AL East. Play Baltimore.

Reason: A pair of NL Central teams square off here in Pittsburgh as the Pirates host the Cubs. The Cubs are 34-38 and 3.5-games back of first place Cincinnati. The CUbs are also the only team in the division with a plus run differential at +17 runs. Marcus Stroman will start today for the Cubs with a 8-4 record in his 15 starts with a nice 2.45 ERA. He's allowed three total runs over his last three starts. Johan Oviedo will counter for the Bucs with a 3-6 record in his 14 starts and a 4.40 ERA. He's allowed six runs over his last 10 2/3 innings. I'm taking the Cubs with a very good Stroman on the hill. Play Chicago

IL Action here today has the NL East's Miami Marlins taking on the LA East Toronto Blue Jays. The Marlins are in 2nd place in the East with a 42-31 record and have won five straight games. They will start Eury Perez who is 4-1 in his seven starts with a nifty, 1.80 ERA. He's allowed just one total run over his last four starts. The Jays will counter with Yusei Kikucho who is 6-2 in his 14 starts with a 4.31 ERA. I really like Perez today who has looked unhittable in his last four starts. Play Miami.

The Giants have won seven straight games and moved into 2nd place in the NL West after sweeping the LA Dodgers. The Giants look to keep the winning going here tonight with Ryan Walker. This will be Walker's first start of the season. Actually, Walker will serve as an opener, which means he likely won't go more than a few innings. Walker has been a reliever in all 11 of his MLB appearances with a 1.23 ERA in 14.2 innings. The Padres have also been playing well, winning two straight and seven of their last 10 games. Michael Wacha will start today with a 7-2 record in his 13 starts and a 2.89 ERA. Wacha has not allowed a run over his last two starts (12.2 innings). I'm taking the Padres today with a very good Wacha on the hill. Play San Diego.

The Guardians look to take the final game of this series with Arizona as they trail 0-2. The Guardians are in 2nd place in the AL Central with a 32-38 record and 3.5 games back of the Twins. Arizona still holding onto first place in the NL West, four games ahead of the Dodgers. Cleveland will start Tanner Bibee today. Bibee is 2-2 on the season with a 3.91 ERA. Zach Davies will start for the D'backs. Davies is 1-2 with a 5.46 ERA. Arizona with the momentum in this series and I will take them to sweep here on Sunday. Play Arizona.

The Texas Rangers are just 3-7 in their last 10 games but still hold onto 1st place in the AL West with a 43-27 record and 4.5-game lead over the Astros. The Blue Jays are 39-33 but that's only good for 4th place in the tough AL East division. They trail first place Tampa by 11-games. The Jays will start Chris Bassitt here today. Bassitt is 7-5 in his 14 starts with a 4.02 ERA. That number goes up on the road where he's 4-4 away with a 5.77 ERA. Jon Gray will toe the rubber for the Rangers. Gray is 6-2 in his 12 starts with a 2.32 ERA. Gray has been great of late, allowing one run or no runs in each of his last six starts. I like the way Gray is pitching and the Rangers are a tough division leader. Play Texas.

San Francisco took the opening game of this series with the Dodgers on Friday, 7-5 in extra innings. The Dodgers blew a great start by Sheehan who no-hit the Giants for 6 innings and had a 4-0 lead. But the bullpen blew it as the Giants rallied for five runs before the Dodgers forced extra innings. The Dodgers trail the Diamondbacks in the NL West by 2.5-games while San Francisco is in 3rd place 5-games back. Normally I don't like laying this much with a team, but I really am high on Bobby Miller for the Dodgers. He's 3-0 this season with a 0.78 ERA. In his four starts he's allowed two total runs and no runs over his last two starts. Alex Wood will start for the Giants with a 1-1 record in his seven starts and a 4.66 ERA. He's coming off his worst start of the season, allowing six runs over 4 1/3 innings. Like I said, I'm high on Miller and I'll lay the bigger price. Take the Dodgers.

The Cincinnati Reds won their 6th game in a row on Friday with a win over the Astros, 2-1. I had the Reds on Friday at the nice dog price of +1.65. Meanwhile the Astros have lost two in a row and seven of their last 10 games. The Reds start Hunter Greene today who is 1-4 in his 13 starts with a 4.01 ERA. He's been better on the road with a 1-1 record in eight starts and a 3.35 ERA. In addition, Greene has allowed a total of four runs over his last three starts (17 1/3 innings). The Astros will start Brandon Bielak today. Bielak is 3-3 in his seven starts with a 3.96 ERA. He has allowed eight runs over his last two games, 11 2/3 innings. The Reds have lots of young talent on their club and they have been winning too. Can't say the same for the Astros. I'll take another shot with the underdog Reds.

The Cincinnati Reds are in third place in the NL Central and have won five straight games to pull within one game of the .500 mark at 34-35. They will travel to Houston for Friday's game. The Astros are in 2nd place in the AL West at 39-30, 3.5-games back of the Rangers. The Astros are just 4-6 in their last 10 games. The Reds will start Andrew Abbott tonight with a 2-0 record and 0.00 era in his two starts. He has looked very good, allowing six total hits and no runs over 11 2/3 innings. His control is a bit iffy since he's allowed seven walks and just 10 KO's. Houston will counter with J.P. France who is 2-1 in his seven starts with a 3.54 ERA. He has been worse at home in his three starts with a 5.94 ERA. The Reds look like a very live dog here tonight. I'll take a shot with them. Play Cincinnati.

AL East action here on Thursday has the 2nd place Baltimore Orioles taking on the 4th place Toronto Blue Jays. The East is arguable the toughest division in baseball with only the Red Sox below .500 at 34-35. In addition, it's the only division in baseball where all five teams have a positive run differential. The Orioles having a fine season at 42-25, five games back of the Rays. Tyler Wells will get the start today. Wells is 5-2 in his 12 starts with a 3.47 ERA. He's been even better at home with a 3-2 record and a 2.49 ERA. Wells has not allowed more than two runs in any of his last three starts. Toronto is 38-31 and 10 games back of the Rays. Yusei Kikuchi will start today for the Jays with a 6-2 record and a 4.34 ERA. He's a bit worse on the road as the ERA goes up to 5.00 ERA. I like both the O's and their pitcher here today. Take Baltimore.

The Phillies and Diamondbacks play the third game of their four game set here today in Arizona. The D'backs won game one, 9-8 and dropped game two, 3-15. The Phillies will start Ranger Suarez here tonight. Suarez is 1-2 in his six starts with a 4.70 ERA. Suarez has improved of late, allowing two runs over his last two starts (13 innings). Arizona continue to hold onto 1st place in the NL West, three games ahead of the Dodgers. The D'backs will start Merrill Kelly tonight. Kelly is 8-3 in his 13 starts with a 3.16 ERA. Kelly has eight quality starts and has allowed more than three runs just once in his last eight starts. I'll take the Dbacks here tonight with Kelly. Play Arizona.

The Cincinnati Reds have won four straight games and seven of their last 10. They have closed to within two games of the .500 mark at 33-35 overall and just 2.5 games back of Pittsburgh in the NL Central. The Royals now own the worst record in baseball at 18-49 overall and have lost eight straight games. The Reds will start Ben Lively today who is 2-3 overall in his five starts. He has a 4.64 ERA and has not been very consistent this year. But he does start against the MLB's worst team tonight so that should bolster his confidence a bit. The Royals will start Daniel Lynch who is 0-2 with a 4.41 ERA in his five starts. Like Lively, he hasn't been too consistent this year. Neither pitcher all that good, but I'll take the young Reds who have been playing very well. Play Cincinnati.

The Cleveland Guardians are in 2nd place in the AL Central with a 31-34 record, 1.5 games back of first place Minnesota. The Guardians beat Houston on Sunday, 5-0, taking two of three games against the Astros. Cleveland will start Tanner Bibee tonight who is 2-1 with a 3.04 ERA. Bibee has allowed more than three runs in just one of his last eight starts this season. The San Diego Padres look to move up the ranks in the NL West as they sit in 4th place right now with a 31-34 record. The Padres start Joe Musgrove tonight. Musgrove is 3-2 in his eight starts with a 4.36 ERA. He's been better at home with a 3.00 ERA in three starts. Musgrove has been especially good of late, allowing just three total runs over his last three starts (17 1/3 innings) with 17 KO's and just four walks. Both pitchers looking very good. For me, I'll take this game UNDER the total.

The Philadelphia Phillies took two of three games from the Dodgers as they head West now to play the first place Arizona Diamondbacks. The Phillies have also won seven of their last 10 games and moved into third in the NL East, still eight games back of the Braves. Matt Strahm starts today for the Phils with a 2-3 record in eight starts and a 3.64 ERA. He looks likes he's been in the role of opener lately not going more than 3 1/3 innings in any of his last three starts. That includes last game where he went two innings and gave up no hits and no runs. Arizona is coming off a sweep of Detroit that included a five run 9th inning on Sunday to get them the come from behind win. That also makes five straight wins and 11 of the last 13. They have opened up a 3.5-game lead over 2nd place LA Dodgers. Tommy Henry gets the start today with a 3-1 record in eight starts and a 4.50 ERA. He's been better at home with a 1-1 record in four starts and a 2.63 ERA. I'm sticking with the hot D'backs who seem to find ways to pull out games these days. Play Arizona.

 The Cincinnati Reds took two of three games from the Cardinals in their weekend series. That made the Reds 5-2 over their last seven games. They have also scored at least four runs in their last five of six games. Luke Weaver will start today for the Reds with a 1-2 record in his nine starts and a 6.28 ERA. Weaver has been inconsistent of late, allowing seven runs in his last start and eight total in his previous four starts. He will face the 2nd worst team in baseball, the Kansas City Royals. The Royals are just 18-47 and lost six straight and nine of their last 10 games. They also have a very high -102 run differential. Veteran Zack Greinke will get the start for the Royals with a 1-6 record in his 13 starts and a 4.59 ERA. Neither team all that good, but at least with the Reds they are showing off some very good rookie talent of late that has resulted in series wins over the Cardinals and Dodgers. I'll take the Reds here tonight.

NL Central clash here today has the Cincinnati Reds taking on the Cardinals from St Louis. The Reds are in 3rd place in the division with a 30-35 record. They are coming off a win over the Cardinals on Saturday, 8-4. The teams have split the first two games of this series as they play the rubber game here on Sunday. The Cardinals find themselves in the unfamiliar spot of last place in the division with a 27-38 record. They have lost seven of their last 10 games too. Hunter Greene will start for the Reds. Greene has a 1-4 record in his 12 starts and a 3.92 ERA. He has been very good his last two starts, allowing just one total run over 12 innings with 19 KO's and five walks. Adam Wainwright will start for the Cardinals. He is 2-1 in his six starts with a 5.97 ERA. He has no quality starts in the six outings though. I like Greene's recent starts and the Reds today. Play Cincinnati.

 Arizona has won four straight games while the Detroit Tigers have lost eight straight. Diamondbacks surprising everyone as they sit in first place in the NL West with a 39-25 record. Zac Gallen will start today with a 7-2 record and 2.75 ERA. Gallen ha allowed more than two runs just two times in his last 11 games. Joey Wentz starts for the Tigers with his 1-6 record in 12 starts. He has a 7.49 ERA on the season. No doubt the D'backs are the hot team in baseball and today they have their best on the hill. For me, I'll lay the Run Line and expect a blowout win from Arizona.

AL West division game here on Saturday has the Seattle Mariners taking on the LA Angels. The Mariners are in 4th place at 30-32 and have lost two straight and seven of their last 10 games. The Angels are in 3rd place at 35-30 and have won five straight games. The Angels will look to make it six straight as they send Patrick Sandoval to the hill. Sandoval is 3-5 in his 11 starts with a 4.14 ERA. He's been a bit better at home with a 3.60 ERA. The Mariners will send Bryan Woo to the hill for just his second start. He's hoping this one is better after going just two innings in his first start, allowing seven hits and six runs. I'll take the streaking Angels here on Saturday. Play LA Angels.

Toronto Blue Jays are dealing with some team issues after pitcher Anthony Bass apologized for his LGBTQ boycott. While his stance remains same, he met with local Pride leaders and realized he should not have shared those thoughts on social media. Still, sends some issues on this team as they face the Twins here on Saturday. Trevor Richards will make his first start for the Blue Jays after 21 games out of the bullpen. Richards has a 3.67 ERA this year. The Twins will counter with a red-hot Joe Ryan. Ryan is 7-3 in his 12 games with a 2.76 ERA. Ryan has allowed more than two runs just one time in his last eight starts. Not sure how long Richards will go hear today, but Ryan should give us a solid outing. I'll take the Twins.

The Chicago Cubs looks to break a four game losing streak here today at San Francisco. The Cubs are 26-36 overall and in 4th place in the NL Central. The SF Giants have won three straight games and are in 3rd place in the NL West with a 32-30 record. The Cubs will start Marcus Stroman here tonight. Stroman has a 6-4 record in his 13 starts with a 2.39 ERA. In addition, he has a 15 inning scoreless streak going into tonight's contest. Stroman has also not allowed more than two runs in seven of his last eight starts. The Giants will counter with Anthony Desclafani who is 4-5 in his 12 starts with a 3.97 ERA. He's allowed 12 runs over his last 15 innings. I'll take Stroman and the Cubs as a small dog here on Friday. Play Chicago.

Interleague action here on Saturday has Miami taking on the White Sox from Chicago. The Marlins are having a nice season thus far with a 35-28 record and in 2nd place in the NL East, 3.5-games back of the Braves. The Marlins have also won six straight and eight of their last 10 games. Meanwhile, the White Sox are 28-36 and in 3rd place in the AL Central, 3.5 games back of the Twins. The Marlins will start Eury Perez here today who is 3-1 in his five starts with a 2.25 ERA. He's give up no runs over his last two starts (10 innings). The Sox will counter with Dylan Cease who is 3-3 in his 13 starts with a 4.63 ERA. Miami has been hot and has a good pitcher on the mound. I'll take them here today. Play Miami.

 NL West clash here on Thursday has the San Francisco Giants playing in Colorado to face the Rockies. The Giants are 30-30 on the season and 5.5-games back of the first place Diamondbacks. The Rockies are in last place in the NL West with a 26-36 record. The Giants will start Alex Cobb who is 5-2 on the season with a 2.71 ERA. Cobb has been one of the bright spots here this year. Though now he has to pitch his fist game this year in the altitude of Denver. The Rockies will start Chase Anderson who is 0-0 in his four starts with a nice 2.08 ERA. He's been even better in his three home starts with a 1.72 ERA. Giants a big favorite here today and Anderson gives us a shot as he's pitched well in Denver. I'll take the big dog here. Play Colorado.

Interleague action here on Wednesday has the AL 4th place Seattle Mariners taking on 4th place NL West San Diego Padres. The Padres having a disappointing season after some big off season free agent pickups. They were expected to contend for the NL West title. But so far, just a 28-33 record and losers of four of their last six games. The M's have also lost six of their last 10 games but are 30-30 overall on the season. George Kirby will start for the M's with a 5-4 record and 3.04 ERA. Kirby coming off his best start of the season, going eight innings with just three hits and no Runs in a win over the Yankees. Michael Wacha will start for the Padres. Wacha is 5-2 with a 3.48 ERA. He has been very good of late, allowing two runs or fewer in six straight games. I'm going to take the Padres here with a surging Wacha on the hill. Play San Diego.

The Texas Rangers continued their hot streak, winning their fourth game in a row and eighth of their last 10 games with their win over St Louis on Monday, 4-3. The Cardinals just can't seem to put anything together as they are in last in the NL Central with a 25-36 record and have lost four straight and seven of their last 10 games. The Cardinals start Matthew Liberatore tonight who is 1-1 in his two starts and a decent 3.60 ERA. After a nice first start where he allowed three hits and not runs over five innings to the Brewers, things went downhill in start two. He allowed five hits and four runs in five innings to the Guardians last time out. The Texas Rangers will start Dane Dunning who is 2-1 in in his five starts. Dunning has a 2.28 ERA and has not allowed more than three runs in any of his starts. In fact, he's allowed one run or no runs in three of those starts. I'm sticking with the 1st place team here with momentum. Take Texas.

Interleague action here on Monday has the Penthouse vs the Outhouse as 1st place Texas Rangers take on last place St Louis. The Rangers are 1st in the AL West, on a 3 game win streak and have won eight of their last 10 games. The Cardinals are reeling right now, as they have lost three straight and seven of their last 10 games. The Redbirds will start Adam Wainwright who is 2-1 in his five starts but has a lofty 6.15 ERA. The Rangers starting Martin Perez who is 6-1 in his 11 starts with a 4.43 ERA. He's been great at home with a 3-0 record and 1.93 ERA. Only reason I feel this line is as short as it is on the Rangers is because they are giving underperforming St Louis more credit than they deserve. Don't be fooled, this game goes to the Rangers.

Reason: The Arizona Diamondback and LA Dodgers are not only tied for 1st in the NL West, but they have the best records in the National League. Right behind them is the Atlanta Braves who are 1st in the NL East. The Braves and Diamondbacks have split the first two games of this series with the Braves winning on Saturday, 5-2. Today, the Braves will start Mike Soroka who makes only his second start of the season. In his first he went six innings vs the A's, gave up five hits and four runs for the loss. Arizona starts one of their best in Zac Gallen. Gallen is 7-2 in his 12 starts with a 2.72 ERA. He's been great at home with a 6-0 record in his six starts and a 0.66 ERA. I love Gallen here at home where he's been almost unhittable.

The Texas Rangers continue to hold onto first place in the AL West division, 2.5-games ahead of the Astros. Right now it looks to be a two-team Texas races for the division as the Mariners are 7.5-games back. Texas has won seven of their last 10 games. The Mariners could cut into the Rangers lead, but it will be a tall order on the road. The M's lost game one of this series on Friday, 0-2. Seattle has now received three total runs of support for their pitchers in their last three games. The Mariners have promoted their No 6 prospect, Bryan Woo, to start today's game in place of the injured Marco Gonzales. Woo comes up from Double-A to get the start today. Not a lot has been seen from Woo on the pro level, but he was a college standout before Tommy John surgery. Woo might be the real deal, but I'm taking first place Texas here in game two. Play the Rangers.

The Atlanta Braves holding onto first place in the NL East with a 33-23 record, 3.5-games ahead of the Mets. The Braves are the only team in the division with a plus run differential as they sit at +58 runs. They have lost six of their last 10 games though. The Arizona Diamondbacks continue to shock everyone as they have climbed into a first place tie with the LA Dodgers at 34-23. They have won five straight games and seven of their last 10 games. Charlie Morton starts today for the Braves. Morton is 5-5 in his 10 starts with a 3.59 ETA. He is coming off a good start where he allowed two runs over 5 1/3 innings vs the Phillies. That on the heels of a terrible start where he gave up six runs over five innings to the Dodgers. Merrill Kelly has been excellent for the D'backs with a 6-3 record and 3.11 ERA. Kelley has allowed two runs or fewer in five of his last six starts. I like the D'backs and Kelly here tonight. Play Arizona.

A battle of last place teams here tonight has the AL Central last Kansas City Royals taking on the NL West last place Colorado Rockies. The Colorado Rockies look to snap a four game losing streak tonight at Kansas City. The Royals have lost seven of their last 10 games and have a -70 run differential. The Rockies will start Chase Anderson who has no record after three starts. He has pitched very well, with a 1.72 ERA, allowing three total runs over his 15 2/3 innings. Jordan Lyles still looking for his first win of the season as he sits 0-9 after 11 starts. Lyles has a 7.01 ERA. He also hasn't allowed fewer then four earned runs in each of his last seven starts. Anderson looks much the better here today in this battle of bottom dwellers. Play Colorado.

The Cleveland Guardians are in the AL Central and in that division only the Twins have a winning record. That's good news for the Guardians as they are just 3.5 games back of first place with their 25-30 record. That makes this series a big one as they can close that gap. Cleveland will start Tanner Bibee today with his 1-1 record after six starts. Bibee has a nice 2.88 ERA. In addition, he's allowed two runs or fewer in five of his six starts. Minnesota counters with Pablo Lopez who is 3-3 in his 11 starts with a 4.11 ERA. I like the Guardians here today with an edge in starting pitching. Take Cleveland.

Milwaukee Brewers still just holding onto first place in the NL Central with a one game lead over the Pirates. The Blue Jays are in 4th in the AL East, nine games back of the Rays. The Jays are 29-26 and while winning their last two games they are also 4-6 over their last 10 games. The Brewers will start Julio Teheran for only the second time this year. His first start was last week vs the Giants where he went five innings and allowed one run. The Blue Jays will counter with Alek Manoah who is 1-5 in his 11 starts with a 5.53 ERA. Brewers and Teheran are worth a good look here today at this nice dog price. Play Milwaukee.

The San Diego Padres still trying to live up to expectations for this year. They are in 4th place in the NL West, eight-games back of the Dodgers. They are just 5-5 over their last 10 games. The Marlins are 28-27 and just four games back of the Braves in the NL East. The Padres start Blake Snell today. Snell is kind of a microcosm of the Padres season thus far. Snell is 1-6 in his 10 starts with a 5.04 ERA. The Marlins will counter with Braxton Garrett today who is 1-2 in his nine starts with a 4.40 ERA. Garrett has pitched very well of late, allowing just three runs over his last three starts (16 2/3 innings). No way Snell and Padres should be the favorite here today over the Marlins and a improving Garrett. I'll take the dog here. Play Miami.

The Texas Rangers have won two straight games and eight of their last 10 games. They sit in first place in the AL West, three game ahead of the Houston Astros. They also have the best run differential in baseball with a +132 mark. Dane Dunning starts today for the Rangers with a 2-0 mark in his four starts and a 1.59 ERA. He's 1-0 in three road starts with a 1.62 ERA. Dunning has allowed more than one run just once in his four starts and that was two runs. The Tigers will counter with Joey Wentz today who is 1-5 in 10 starts with a 7.80 ERA. Wentz has allowed 11 runs over his last two starts (6 innings). Big edge today to the visitors, take Texas.

No matter what the standings for these teams it's always a rivalry when Kansas City and St Louis matchup. The Royals are in last the AL Central while the Cardinals are in last in the NL Central. The Royals start Zack Greinke who is 1-5 on the season with a 4.55 ERA. He's been much better of late, allowing three earned runs over his last two starts. Miles Mikolas starts for the Cardinals with a 3-1 record and 4.23 ERA. He's allowed five total runs over his last four starts. Both pitchers pitching well and I will take the UNDER here today.

 The Yankees will start Domingo German today who is two and three overall on the season with a 3.75 ERA. German has pitched better of late allowing just three total earned runs over his last three starts, that's 13 and 2/3 innings. The Seattle Mariners will start Bryce Miller who is three and one with a 1.15 ERA on the season. He's been even better at home with a 2-0 record and 0.00 ERA. In fact in all five of his starts this year he's only allowed one run or more one time. Yankees are 32 and 23 on the season but still trail first place Tampa Bay by seven games. Meanwhile Seattle is 28 and 25 on the season 5 and 1/2 games back of the Texas Rangers. The Mariners have won two straight and seven of their last 10 games. I'll be on the home team here today on Seattle Mariners.

The Pittsburgh Pirates coming off a loss on Sunday at Seattle 6-3, as they lost two of their three-game set to the Mariners. Today they will send Rich Hill to the mound who is 4-4 with a 4.44 ERA. Hill has done better on the road this year with a 3-1 record and 2.31 ERA. The San Francisco Giants lost on Sunday at Milwaukee 7-5, as they took three of four games from the Brewers. Today they will start Anthony Descalfani who is 3-4 on the season with a 3.43 ERA. That goes up slightly at home at 4.25 ERA. He's also coming off a game where he allowed seven runs over just five innings to the Twins in a loss. Pirates a good dog I'll take that price here today. Take Pittsburgh.

Game three between these teams here on Sunday as the teams have split the first two games. The Rays took Friday's game, 9-3 and the Dodgers took Saturday's, 6-5. Both games have gone over. For the Dodgers, they have gone over in six of their last seven games. LA starts Gavin Stone for just the third time here today. Stone has no record but a lofty 10.13 ERA. The Rays have gone over in eight straight games. They will start Josh Fleming here today. Fleming has no record after two starts with a 5.63 ERA. Not much to know about Fleming, but Stone has not been good. I'm taking the over here today.

AL Central matchup here today has the Cubs hosting the Reds. The Cubs are in 3rd place in the NL Central with the Cardinals right behind at 5-games back. In fact, top to bottom in the division are separated by just five games. The Reds will start Brandon Williamson who has no record in two starts with a 3.60 ERA. The Cubs will start Jameson Taillon who is 0-3 in his seven starts with a 8.10 ERA. He has allowed16 runs over his last three starts (9 2/3 innings). Somehow though Taillon and the Cubs a big favorite, not sure how that came to be. I'll take a show with the Reds here at this nice price against a poor pitcher. Play Cincinnati.

These two last place teams continue their set here on Saturday. The Nationals took game one here on Friday in a shootout, 12-10. The Nats used a eight-run 6th inning and then had to hold on as they allowed eight runs over the last four innings. Josiah Gray gets the start on Saturday for the Nats. Gray is 4-5 in his 10 starts with a very nice 2.65 ERA. He's been even better on the road with a 2.21 ERA in six away starts. The Royals counter with Brady Singer who is 3-4 in his 10 starts with a 7.48 ERA. I had the Nats yesterday and I will stick with them here today. Play Washington.

Battle of last place teams here on Saturday as the AL Central last place Royals host the NL East last place Nationals. The Nats are 21-29 on the season, now 10-games back of first place Atlanta. Pat Corbin will toe the rubber today for the Nats with a 3-5 record in his 10 starts. Corbin has six quality starts this year with a 4.47 ERA. He's been very good of late too, allowing just two runs in each of his last four starts and nothing over three runs in his last seven starts. The Royals are just 15-36 overall and 11.5-games back of the Twins. They lost yesterday to the Tigers, 4-6 and have lost seven of their last 10 games. Jordan Lyles will take to the hill today for the Royals. Lyles is 0-8 in his 10 starts with a 6.83 ERA. Lyles has only one quality start and his run support has been less than stellar. I'm sticking with the Nationals and Corbin here today. Play Washington.