I'll take my chances here and lay the big juice with the Mariners in Saturday's road contest against the Rangers. I see a massive edge here for Seattle on the mound, as they will send out one of their prized young talents in James Paxton against over-hill veteran Bartolo Colon. Since struggling in his season debut, the hard-throwing lefty is 1-0 with a 2.65 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 17 innings over his last three starts. He has really turned the corner of late. In his last 2 starts he's allowed just 3 runs on 9 hits with 17 strikeouts in 12 innings of work. Colon has pitched well in each of his first two starts in 2018, but I'm not buying it and he is coming off a huge effort on Sunday night. Back to the norm here as Seattle gets the win on Saturday night!

10* AL GAME OF THE WEEK 

Noah Syndergaard dominated Milwaukee in his last outing, striking out eight straight and 11 overall, and I expect that to carry over into this start against the Braves. Atlanta is off to a nice start but we have a major pitching mismatch here. The Mets have won the season series with the Braves three of the last four years and I look for the METS to get a comfortable win on the road Friday night!

5* 

The Pirates are an away favorite here because Jameson Taillon has a 0.89 ERA and 0.69 WHIP in his 3 starts this season. While Taillon has certainly improved in his third season his body of work comes against Minnesota, Cincinnati and Miami teams that are current #26, #24 and #22 in BA versus righties. Pittsburgh also comes into this game 12-6 but they are 8-0 in day games and only 4-6 in nighttime action. Philly is 4-0 at home at night this year and come in 7-2 overall their last 9. Arrietta is making his third start and after only lasting 4 innings in his first we say him go 6 2/3 in his last and what caught our eye was the 14-2 GB-FB ratio.

5*

SunTrust Park is the site of the matchup between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, April 18, 2018. The probable starting pitchers are Vince Velasquez for the Phillies and Brandon McCarthy for the Braves. We like Philly here as Velasquez lost to the Braves earlier this year and has revenge and likely will get it. The Philly lineup likely has huge revenge from losing against McCarthy earlier this year and likely has big revenge on their minds as well. 5*

5* 

Tropicana Field is the site of the matchup between the Texas Rangers and the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, April 18, 2018. The probable starting pitchers are Cole Hamels for the Rangers and Jake Faria for the Rays.

I am backing the TB Rays with Jake Faria here on Wednesday afternoon after he yielded just two hits, a career low as a starter Friday vs. the Phils. His seven K's were a season high and his command was great. The only run he allowed scored after he left the game. The Texas hitters have never faced him and that advantage goes to the pitcher and Tampa Bay here on Wednesday as our daytime dominator.

5*

We are backing the former Cy Young Winner in Keuchel to bounce-back and pick up his first win here. We like that Dallas only pitched 4 innings in his last game and he is in need of a much needed bounce-back. He is 4-0 L4 team starts in this series and 5-1 L6 team starts during April. Mariners are 0-5 L5 home games in this series and 0-6 L6 games overall in this series. The Astros have won five straight in Seattle. Look for Seatle to fall to 2-7 in James Paxton's last nine starts.

5* 

This game features the 9-9 Rockies at the 11-4 Pirates. Pirates are smoking hot 7-3 in their last 10 and off a nice winning road trip. Gregory Polanco keeps getting big hits for this team. Pitt is 13-4 in their last 17 overall and their starting pitcher Steven Brault is off to a nice start 2-0 with a 3.46 ERA. Lay the small juice here and back the Pirates at home on Monday night.

10* NL GAME OF THE WEEK 

The Oakland A's offense has been on fire.

We roll with Oakland A's here as they hook up against Seattle because we are also a believer of Andrew Triggs. Here is a guy that has faced 2 tough lineups in Texas and the Angels and has done very well giving up 3 runs in 10.2 innings and most impressive he has given up 1 just homerun and has given up just 4 walks.

The Oakland lineup is hot and they scored 16 runs yesterday and I like the A's pitcher Triggs  with better control in a pitchers ballpark here on Friday night.

5*

Trevor Williams is 2-0 but faced a couple of weak teams. The Cubs at home are a different story. This will be Hendricks' first 2018 start at Wrigley Field. The right-hander does not have a decision in his first two outings. In his last game, he served up multiple homers for just the seventh time in 101 career starts in a loss to the Brewers. Look for Kyle Hendricks and the Cubs to get a win at home here on Thursday afternoon in a low scoring game by my predictions.

5* 

The Yanks only had 1 less hit than Boston last night but fell way short on the scoreboard 14-1. The Red Sox are, by record, the top team in MLB. But consider more than half of their wins have come by a single run, and all were against either the Marlins or Rays. Against Boston’s David Price, the Yankees’ current roster is batting .357 over 115 career at-bats. Meanwhile, Masahiro Tanaka has held current Red Sox batters to .234 hitting average and has a solid 1.79 ERA over 30-plus career innings at Fenway. Look for the Yankees to bounce back with a win here on Wednesday night.

5* 

This is a great spot here for the Dbacks given the pitching matchup b/c they get a pitcher in Robbie Ray who is 9-1 with a 1.84 era dating back to last season and has traditionally performed very well against West Rival San Francisco. He has some very good numbers against the team.

Ray is 4-1 with 2.53 against the Giants Suarez is the same pitcher that had put up a 7.62 era in 13 innings in Triple A before bouncing back recently with a 3.35 era in the minors. Look for Arizona to bounce back in a big way on Wednesday afternoon.

10*

I like the SF Giants here behind Tyler Beede who will make his first start tonight. Beede was the organization's 2014 first round draft pick and he's made 72 starts in the minors. The ARZ offense has been awful with just 7 home runs in 10 games. DBacks starter Patrick Corbin who was 5-9 with a 5.09 ERA on the road last season and he's given up 11 runs (six earned) on 17 hits in 17 2/3 innings the last three years at AT&T Park. The Diamondbacks are 5-15 in Corbin's last 20 road starts. Look for San Francisco to bounce back with a win here on Tuesday night.

5* 

Tyler Skaggs of the Angels will make his third start of the season on Tuesday, the middle of a three-game series against the Rangers. Skaggs has gone 1-0 over his first two starts, with 10 strikeouts and a 1.64 ERA in 11 innings. LA is riding an emotional high with Shohei Ohtani starting 2-0 retiring the first 19 batters on Sunday plus hitting 3 HR’s. Ohtani will be in their lineup tonight and that will help the Angels mentality and guide them to another win.

10* 

This Royals team that doesn't have a great offense right now and I think the Seattle team is much better with their lineup. Royals are off to a rough 2-5 start and it’s not surprising. This is going to be a tough season after losing leaders Eric Hosmer and Lorenzo Cain. To make matters worse, catcher Sal Perez is out for the first month after a freak knee injury. There’s just not much left offensively for the Royals. Mariners starter Marco Gonzalez was good in his opener and a very solid lefty pitcher. The 26-year-old gets his second start of '18, now against the Royals after Sunday’s postponement in Minnesota. Gonzales made his Mariners debut in KC last year, giving up seven hits and five runs in four innings.

5* 

On Saturday the Chicago Cubs stole a game from their NL Central division rivals, the Milwaukee Brewers. That’s a noticeable momentum boost heading into Sunday’s series finale. I am backing Cubs lefty Jose Quintana here on Sunday.

He threw a three-hit shutout in his previous outing against Milwaukee.

5*

Vince Velasquez lasted just 2 2/3 innings Saturday in a loss to the Braves. He needs to start pitching deeper into games and expect that here at home against the weak hitting Marlins team. Vince also has very good numbers versus this Marlins team. Play the PHILLIES. 

5*

Home opener for the Rockies, and the Atlanta Braves are completely overmatched. Due to a hot start to the season, the Braves are receiving too much credit here and I expected this line would be much closer to -180. In McCarthy's last three starts against this Rockies team, he has struggled not picking up a win in any of those outings. German Marquez on the other hand getting the nod for the Rockies, is coming off a very successful season at Coors field and will take advantage of these Braves batters who have never faced off against him.

I'm on the Rockies this afternoon in their home opener in chilly Denver.

5*

The Diamondbacks beat Tyler Anderson in his opening start, allowing seven runs in just over two innings. But I think he will bounce back here against a weaker San Diego team that he's had a lot of success against. Anderson has just a 2.00 ERA in his three career starts against the Padres, winning two of them. The Padres are going with Joey Lucchesi. Lucchesi made his first career start on Friday and wasn't very good. He is not an MLB-caliber starter and was a surprise addition to the roster this year. His highest level prior to this season was a stint at Double-A. And now he's facing a tough Colorado lineup that should bat him around. Colorado had the highest batting average in the Majors against left-handed pitching last year and they are off to a solid start this season. The Rockies are 10-3 in the last 13 games in this series and they are 5-2 in their last seven in San Diego.

5* 

Colorado starter Jon Gray 4-1 career team starts during April, including 3-0 the last three. On the other hand the Padres -Richard: 4-8 L12 team starts in this series and 4-8 L12 team starts during April. In four starts against Colorado last year, Richard posted a 6.75 ERA while allowing 38 hits in 22 2/3 innings. With Gray off a solid spring camp in which he has 22 strikeouts and only 5 walks. SD got their 1st win of the year last night, and back to the norm for the Padres as I like our chances with the Colorado Rockies here on Wednesday night!

5* 

Rangers starter Cole Hamels hasn't look himself. I have no idea if he's unhealthy or just getting old, but there's some alarming stuff here as he is losing a lot of his velocity on his fast ball.

Kendall Graveman was not especially effective in his first outing, but it was more about location than anything else, and that's correctable. No edge either way in the bullpen. My main focus is going against Cole Hamels for the aforementioned reasons. I'm taking the A's to win this one.

10* 

Jaime Garcia is a pitcher I've had loads of early success with over the years. The Blue Jays lefty is not as dominant as he used to be, but he's still capable with his five-pitch mix. Garcia can be very effective against free-swinging lineups and the White Sox fit that aggressive mode. He is now in the A.L. so teams aren't used to seeing him.

 Control has been an ongoing issue for WSox starter Lopez and that problem was still on display in the spring games. Both teams are off to good starts, though let's just say I'll put more into Toronto winning the last two from the Yankees then the Chisox handling the awful Royals. Garcia is rightfully a big favorite here, but there are good reasons why and I look for the Blue Jays to win their 3rd straight.

5*

I like the Arizona Diamondbacks in this matchup on Saturday night.

Zach Greinke would have started on Opening Day, but he suffered a groin injury on March 14th, which set him back a bit. Greinke bounced back from a disappointing 2016 season to go 17-7 with a 3.20 ERA in 32 starts last year. He always pitches well at home and this is a good spot for him.

For the Rockies German Marquez has really struggled in spring training games. In four starts he struggled with a 9.82 ERA while trying to figure out his changeup.

Arizona should be able to take care of business in this one.

5*

The New York offense is looking good as Giancarlo Stanton hit two home runs in his first game with the Bronx Bombers.  Just look at their first 6 batters- Gardner-Judge-Stanton-Sanchez-Hicks-DD. That is a tough lineup to face.

Masahiro Tanaka has good numbers pitching versus the Toronto hitters, who have a collective .189 batting average against him and just a .360 slugging percentage. In four seasons, Tanaka is 52-28 with a 3.56 ERA.  

Tanaka was 3-1 versus Toronto with a .216 opposing batting average in five starts in 2017.  Aaron Sanchez is trying to recover from 4 DL appearances last season.

 In four starts at home, Sanchez allowed 14 runs on 19 hits in 13 innings. The Yanks have won eight of Tanaka's last 11 starts and five of his last six starts versus the Blue Jays.  I believe the Yankees are the far dominant team here on Friday night and at a good price.

10*

This is a matchup of two teams that don't have very high expectations going into this season. The Pirates are in full sell mode after getting rid of McCutchen and Gerrit Cole, who would have started in Ivan Nova's place. Nova struggled mightily on the road last year going 3-12 with a 5.03 ERA. He struggles even more against the Tigers, losing all three starts with a combined ERA of 8.35 in this stadium. 

Tigers starter Zimmerman Zimmermann has a new focus on two-seamers has tweaked his game and I like him and Detroit to get a win on Friday afternoon.

5*

I like the Phillies to come out strong  here on Opening Day Thursday.  Their lineup is very youth but good.  We also have the pitching edge here.

Julio Teheran has struggled the last two years at home and in the first season of Sun Trust Park, which is more of a hitters park. 

Gabe Kapler wasted no time naming Aaron Nola his Opening Day starter early in camp. He earned it. The Phillies expect Nola to take another step forward in 2018, creating a tough 1-2 punch atop the rotation with Jake Arrieta. Last season Nola's  ERA in day games last year was 2.98.

I'm on the Phillies as my season opening 5* PLAY OF THE DAY!

This is the only pick I am using in MLB on Thursday. A few other opinions are the BlueJays, Athletics, and DBacks.

5*

We had a great run in the MLB Playoffs and Darvish has some revenge from a horrendous start in Texas which is a hitters ballpark. He also gets to make amends from the racist gesture made by Gurriel. I also like the cooler temps tonight in LA and that favors the Dodgers and the UNDER for the ball not flying out. The LA Dodgers went 57-24 at home during the regular season, and is 6-1 at Dodger Stadium in the playoffs. Dodgers win game 7 and the World Series.

5* 

The Dodgers did hit 2 homeruns off Verlander last time and remember, Verlander is also 34 years old and now has to face the Dodgers again who will get another really good look at him today and they have seen quite a few pitches of his now. The Astros also lose their DH here in the NL ballpark. Both bullpens are completely gassed heading into game 6, where the Dodgers face a must win game on their home field. Rich Hill was awesome in four innings in game two and I'm projecting a similar performance when the Dodgers ask him to toss 4-5 more innings in game six. We simply think the Dodgers will rise to the occasion with a quality pitcher and one who are able to hit fastballs well which is Verlander's strength and LA has the better bullpen. After 25 runs scored on Sunday, I expect a lower scoring game and the LA Dodgers to even up the series and force a game 7.

10* GAME OF THE YEAR 

Houston has got the momentum in there favor now. I really like their odds in tonight's game. Glad to see there bats come alive finally.

Darvish is 5-5 lifetime against Houston, with a 3.44 E.R.A. The Astros are 18-2 their last 20 games here at home.

This is an Astros team that has a ton of experience against Yu Darvish who no longer has the luxury of pitching in the National League and faces an Astros lineup that finally woke up and will be absolutely thrilled to play at home in Houston.  The Astros also get their DH back in the AL ballpark and I think that will also help them.

Take the Astros tonight and look for Altuve and Springer to have big nights!

10* MLB GAME OF THE WEEK

This is a Dodger team that steamrolled the Diamondbacks and then lost just 1 game to the hands of the Cubs en route to a fantastic postseason. The offense is good and so is their defense and pitching. This team has not been to the world series since the 80's and LA will be rocking today. I look for Clayton Kershaw to be focused and geared up for this game. Astros starter Dallas Keuchel has been inconsistent at times this year and he has struggled on the road in the playoffs. Remember that Houston also loses their DH in the National League ballpark. The Astros are 1-6 in their last 7 Playoff Road Games and the Dodgers are 47-9 in Kershaw's last 56 starts. The 95 degree weather isn't scaring me and I'm back LA here on Tuesday night. Finally, I love Dave Roberts, and give him the edge in the managerial department. I love his decision-making. If you listen to his press conferences and interviews, you can feel the passion he has for HIS PLAYERS.

5* 

Justin Verlander has been essentially unhittable and he is 8-0 over his last series of starts with under a 2 ERA. 

The Yankees have been great at home all season and under .500 on the road.  The Houston weather is also warmer and I think the Astros bats will wake up a bit.

This is the main reason why the veteran Verlander was brought to Houston and he is a workhorse and will throw as many pitches as needed.

 It's hard for us to believe that this team will lay over and lose 4 straight with their ace on the mound back. I'm backing the Houston Astros here at home on Friday night.

10* GAME OF THE WEEK

Five innings were all the Dodgers needed from Kershaw in Game 1, as the bullpen twirled four perfect innings after his exit. The Dodgers can ill afford to take this series back with them to LA after seeing what the Yankees have done to the Astros after being up 2-0 as nothing can be taken for granted in any of these series. The Dodgers only managed a few hits yesterday, have Kershaw on the hill and that offense likely gets back on track today as we like the Dodgers to punch their ticket to the World Series Tonight. The Dodgers are 8-1 when they face a team with a winning record and the Cubs are 0-4 in their last 4 games following a win.

5* 

Kyle Hendricks excelled over seven scoreless innings vs. the Nats in NLDS Game 1 but gave up four runs on nine hits in four innings in NLDS Game 5. Hendricks is 2-1 with a 3.15 ERA in three career starts against the Dodgers, whom he will face for the first time this year on Tuesday night.

He is a very good pitcher and I expect him to bounce back in a big way here at home.

This is a must win for the Cubs and I believe they will play much better at Wrigley.

5*

We roll with the Cubs here as they only had 3 hits yesterday and Gio Gonzalez always seems to struggle in big games. Now, the Cubs send Hendricks who has been nothing short of lights out and who has come through repeatedly in this same element as he has already pitched 2 elimination games for the Cubs for Maddon including beating the Dodgers last year.  Dusty Baker is a terrible in-game manager and give Joe Maddon a major managing edge in an elimination game.

He has a sub 2 ERA in the post-season and with Gio giving up more than 17 runs over his last 21 innings, that will make an impact here and the Chicago Cubs will get the win on the road.

5*

Tonight is the reason Dodgers starter Yu Darvish was brought to this team. This is the very reason why he is paid the big bucks is to close this team out. He held San Diego to 2 hits in 7 innings in his last start and the Phillies to 1 in 5.1 innings. He even held the Giants to 3 hits in 7 innings prior to that. So, over his last 3 starts he has given up 1 run in 19.1 innings. Arizona starter Greinke seems to have a tired arm as he has given up 14 runs in 11.2 innings in his last 3 starts and has been hittable and in elimination games he has always had a tendency to struggle. We like Darvish and the Dodgers to get it done on Monday night!

10* MLB PLAYOFFS GAME OF THE WEEK 

The Houston Astros strong lineup only scored in the 1st inning on Sunday and I look for them to get the bats rolling and get the win on Monday afternoon in Boston. They are 33-16 in day games as well and coming off of a day-time loss yesterday. The Astros are hot, 24-9 in their last 33 overall and they have played exceptionally well on the road lately too, 7-2 in their last nine away games. They also play well against great teams, 7-2 in their last nine against opponents with winning records. Pitching is always the key to the postseason, and Morton is also hot, 5-1 last six starts. Take the Astros on Monday afternoon.

5* 

I like NY with Tanaka on the hill here at home on Sunday night. The Yankees are 9-0 in their last 9 when their opponent scores 5 runs or more in their previous game. Also, the Yankees are very good at home sporting a 14-3 in their last 17 home games. I look for them to grab the win here on Sunday night.

5* 

Astros starter Peacock who just secured himself a spot in the rotation is unlikely to give it up or get shelled here. Remember, Houston is one of the most well prepped teams in all of Baseball prior to a game with Nolan Ryan's imprinting all over this team. Peacock is no slouch as he is 13-2 with a 3 era this year and just held Boston to 2 hits in 5 innings in his last start en route to a 12-2 win. Boston's Doug Fister has been nothing short of highly questionable over his last few starts and with a potent Astros lineup that is just rolling right now, look for them to get more offense to get it done here and look for Peacock to settle down as the Astros end the series. The Astros are 7-1 in their last 8 games versus a team with a winning record and the Astros are 5-1 when facing a winning team with Peacock on the mound.

5* 

 If there is one game the Red Sox must have, it's Game 1 of this series. Boston ace Chris Sale is tabbed with the daunting task of shutting down a lineup that led the majors in batting average (.282), on-base percentage (.346), and slugging percentage (.478).

 Quite a task, in defeating Verlander, and quieting the bats. But if one guy can do its Sale.

Chris Sale is 5-1 with a 1.31 ERA over six starts while producing 65 strikeouts against five walks in 48 innings.

 Now, after 260 regular-season trips to the hill, Sale will make his first postseason start. I think he thrives with confidence here on Thursday afternoon. Take the RedSox.

5*

 Arizona was very good at home posting a 52-29 record led by Paul Goldschimdt and JD Martinez.

They also have their Ace on the hill and playing at home.

Zack Greinke went 13-1 with a 2.87 ERA at home for the Dbacks. The Rockies batted .208 as a team at Chase Field so I don't see them scoring many runs on Wednesday night.

Lay it with the Diamondbacks on Wednesday evening.

10*

Several of the NY Yankees starters have very good numbers vs Ervin Santana including Gardner, Bird, Ellsbury, and Headley. The Yankees are at home with their ace Luis Severino will be making his first career postseason appearance at any level in Tuesday's AL Wild Card Game, after going 9-2 with a 2.28 ERA since the break. He is 2-0 with 19K's in his last 3 starts. I don't like the price but in a one-game playoff with their ace and playing at home I'll on the Yankees here Tuesday night. 

5*

The Nationals are 47-28 vs the NL East this year. They are coming off of a rare loss where they only had 4 hits.

Since the start of 2016 season, Roark is 4-0 with a 1.87 ERA and 0.97 WHIP against the Phillies. He has not given up more than three earned runs in a start since July 29.

Bryce Harper is back in the lineup adding extra punch to a already hard-hitting Nationals lineup, and it showed in his last start against the team. 

The PHILLIES Mark Leiter carried a 3.88 ERA into September, but he has struggled this month. He has a 7.17 ERA in four starts, allowing 17 earned runs over 21 1/3 innings. He seems to have a dead arm.

I like the Nationals in this one and don’t expect it to be very competitive at all. 

10* GAME OF THE WEEK

 The Orioles opened the 2017 season 22-10 but quickly fell into a funk. The team got back into contention by late-August but Baltimore's long-shot playoff hopes were officially snuffed out this past Saturday night. 

 The pitching matchup: Kevin Gausman (11-10 & 4.61 ERA) will go for Baltimore and Trevor Williams (6-9 & 4.18 ERA) for Pittsburgh. Gausman has been excellent in his last two starts, allowing just 1 run on nine hits over 15 inning (0.60 ERA) with a 13 Ks and just two walks. 

The Pittsburgh Pirates clearly have their sights fixed on 2018, as five of the eight position players who started for them on Sunday were rookies. In this one, I'll back the suddenly hot Gausman and the Orioles. 

5*

Oakland is 11-3 their last 14 games and their offense is red hot.
Graveman's last start was cut short due to a long rain delay in Philadelphia. He had allowed just one hit in two innings before the delay. He is 2-0 with a 2.61 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in three starts vs. Texas this season and he is well rested.

Texas starts Nick Martinez who is 3-6 with a 5.47 ERA in 16 starts this season and 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA in two starts vs. the A's. The A's are coming off a rest day and I like them to get this win here on Friday night.

5*

SD is playing with revenge after losing last week 16-0 with this same pitching matchup.

San Diego has found a knack for beating playoff-contending teams.

 I'll take a shot with the home underdog who have won three of four, catching money from a Rockies team that has lost three straight.

 5* PADRES

The Nats should be even bigger faves in this spot, with Gio Gonzalez facing Lucas Sims. Sims has not started since Sept. 2 and his last two starts resulted in 11 earned runs over 9 1/3 innings. Lay it. This is a big park, great for pitchers, and Washington has red-hot Gio Gonzalez (14-7. 2.68 ERA). He is off a bad game at home against this Atlanta squad, but is 10-4 with a 3.04 ERA on the road. Daniel Murphy is also expected back in the lineup this evening for Washington. Take the Nats to get the cash here on Wednesday night.

10* NL GAME OF THE WEEK

The Yanks are 13-3 in CC Sabathia's last 16 starts on extra rest. Back the Bombers here at home as if CC can give them 5 solid innings the bullpen will take care of the rest.
Twins starter Berrios has struggled this year on the road and the Yankees just beat their ace last night.
Sabathia is 2-0 with a 3.14 ERA since returning from a brief DL stint and I'll back him here on Tuesday night in the Bronx.

5*

Andrew Cashner is 6-2 with a 2.49 ERA in his past 11 starts. One of those wins was a 5-1 victory on Aug. 2, when he allowed one run in six innings. He is 1-1 with a 2.60 ERA in three starts against the Mariners this season and has had 9 of 10 quality starts. Seattle pitcher Felix Hernandez of late has struggled giving up 10 hits and 5 walks in 11 innings (that's 15 baserunners in 11 innings). He has also given up a homerun in each of his last 4 starts including 2 homeruns against Texas. Let's roll with the more consistent pitcher, go against the pitcher coming off the DL as it takes some time to get some rhythm, and take a Rangers team who has been run out of their stadium the last 2 games who likely get up to face King Felix. Texas got outscored 18-4 the past 2 games and I look for the RANGERS to BOUNCE BACK BIG here on Thursday night.

10*

On Tuesday we saw the Phillies come back from down 7-2 to win 9-8, tying the game in both the bottom of the 9th and bottom of the 10th. That's a tough loss to bounce back from for the Marlins and it's not like they have been playing well of late, as they are just 2-13 in their last 15 games. On top of that, Miami sends out a struggling Dan Straily, who has a 5.06 ERA and 1.812 WHIP in his last 3 starts. Philadelphia will send out Aaron Nola, who is a quality guy at home. The Marlins are out of the playoff hunt as their recent losing streak of where they have lost 13 of their last 15 games. The Phillies scored 9 runs yesterday and have shown prowess in their ability to score runs as each game for them is a success as they look forward to next season and building into next season so they are playing with a lot of pride and purpose. Phillies are 13-4 in their last 17 games after scoring 8 or more runs, while Miami is a mere 8-17 in their last 25 after putting up 8 or more runs and 7-24 in their last 31. The Marlins are 1-7 in their last 8 road games and Philadelphia is 7-1 on Nola's last 8 starts with 5 days of rest. I'm backing the PHILLIES here on Wednesday night.

10* NL GAME OF THE WEEK

Carlos Martinez threw a three-hitter and struck out 10, Yadier Molina hit a two-run single and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres 2-0 Monday for their fourth victory in five games. Travis Wood has an ugly 1.66 WHIP and 5.47 ERA entering Tuesday's home start against the Cardinals. Michael Wacha snapped out of his funk last time out, and I'll back the STL Cards to extend their dominance over San Diego with another win on Tuesday night.

5*

Tyler Chatwood gets the calls for the Rockies in this one and he has been a Giant killer. Chatwood has been strong in his last 70.67 innings against the San Francisco Giants posting a 6-1 record with a 3.68 ERA. The big left-hander Ty Blach will take the hill for the San Francisco Giants. Blach has a 8-11 record and a 4.68 ERA with 70 strikeouts. The San Francisco Giants are 31-40 when playing a team with a winning record. They are 21-37 on the road this season. Take the Colorado Rockies here on Tuesday night.

10*

New York is off a late Sunday night WIN over the RedSox and this is letdown spot for them.
Yankees pitcher Jordan Montgomery has not lasted more than 5 1/3 innings in any of his last five starts. He'll face an Orioles team that's 15 games over .500 at home and hits lefties well and playing some very good ball in the past few weeks.
I'll take Baltimore here at home on Monday afternoon.

5*

Kansas City starter Ian Kennedy is struggling mightily, allowing 24 earned runs over his last five starts and 13.5 in his last 3 starts. He'll be going on five days' rest, and the Royals are 1-6 in his last seven starts in that scenario.

Ervin Santana had a strong August, posting a 2.95 ERA over six starts. He gave up three runs over 6 2/3 innings in a win against the White Sox on Tuesday and I like him and the Twins bats at home to get the win here on Sunday.  Back Minnesota.

5*

Cole Hamels has excelled against the Angels this season, going 2-0 with a 1.25 ERA in three starts. He has held Angels slugger Mike Trout to a .135 average with 0 HR's the past few years as well. Tyler Skaggs, on the other hand, has struggled against the Rangers, going 0-1 with a 5.87 ERA in three starts. The Los Angeles Angels are coming off a three-game sweep of the A's, but they've had a day to cool down (LAA 1-7 in its last eight games following an off day) and I think they're in for a tough matchup against another AL West rival at Texas Friday night. The Rangers are 24-6 in Hamels' last 30 home starts. Texas is only 4 back in the Wild Card and need to continue to win and at this reasonable price at home here on Friday night I like their chances.

10* AL GAME OF THE WEEK

Texas has taken the first two games of this series and I don't see a sweep here. Houston has a huge advantage on the mound this afternoon and also with their bats in the lineup. The Astros will hand the ball to Collin McHugh, who has a 1.53 ERA over his last 3 starts. McHugh has been dominant of late, going 2-1 with a 1.53 ERA over his last three starts, but has yet to face the Rangers this season. He struck out eight and allowed one run over six innings to pick up a win over the Angels on Friday. Houston is also 15-2 behind McHugh in division games, while Texas has lost Nick Martinez' last three starts. I'm backing the Astros here on Thursday afternoon.

5*

SD has not much spent much time at home as this is their 10th game in the last 21 days. They played 6 games at STL and Arizona before returning home on Monday and losing to the Giants. SD won last night and have been solid at home lately posting a 14-8 record as a home favorite. Travis Wood is 3-3 on the season but his team is 3-0 when he is at home with a 2.00 ERA and 0.89 WHIP. Ty Blach, meanwhile, is 3-5 on the road (team is 3-6) with a 5.50 ERA and 1.47 WHIP. Both are lefties and SD is 9-8 at home versus Southpaws while SF is 8-14 away. I'm on the SD Padres again here Wednesday night.

5*

I like RA Dickey and the Atlanta Braves to snap their losing streak and get the win here on Wednesday in game 1 of the Doubleheader. Despite a 4.59 road ERA, Dickey has found success away from SunTrust Park. In his last two road starts, he allowed two runs over 14 innings and he has been very solid lately. He fired seven scoreless innings against the Phillies on July 30.

The Colorado Rockies dropped the opener of this three-game series with the Detroit Tigers 4-3 on Monday. The Tigers are still just 2-9 in their last 11 road games while the Rockies have one of the best home records in baseball, and this looks like a fair price on the home team to bounce back with a win.
Detroit had entered the series having lost 16 of their previous 21 and owned the AL's second-worst record.

 Colorado hands the ball to German Marquez (10-5, 4.18 ERA). The Rockies are 8-0 in the right-handers' last eight home starts and he's 6-0 with a 3.12 ERA in those games.

 The Tigers have allowed an average of 5.45 RPG away from home, while the Rockies are averaging 6.09 RPG at home.

 The Tigers are 3-9 in the last 12 meetings at Colorado, and think the Rockies will give Fulmer a really hard time here in his first career start at Coors Field while Marquez knows what it's all about already. I'll play the home team.

5*

Marcus Stroman continues to chew through innings for the Blue Jays.

Stroman has been on of the few bright spots in what has been a season wasted in Toronto. He is truly emerging as one of the best young pitchers in the American League, and it looks like Toronto will be building around him to form another contender in the years to come. As a young pitcher I expect him to be fired up to face the division leading RedSox at home. I think its a very safe bet for Marcus and the BJays to bounce back while the Redsox have only averaged 2.5 runs/game in their last 4 games.

5*

A rapid unexpected decline has occurred for Rays pitcher Jake Odorizzi. Over his last six starts, he has produced just one quality outing.
He has lost all three of his starts since returning from the 10-day DL, his longest losing streak since May 15-25, 2015. He is 3-5 with a 6.03 ERA in his last 12 starts.

For the Cardinals, Friday starter Michael Wacha has lost consecutive starts for the first time since late May. I look for him to bounce back here at home as he has some very solid numbers vs. the Rays.

5*

The Mets Montero has been getting lucky with double plays in recent starts.  I think the DBacks get to him here on Thursday afternoon.

Robbie Ray returns to action for the first time since being struck in the head by a 108-mph line drive on July 28. Ray suffered a concussion and is ready to roll again. Arizona is 6-1 in road starts by lefty Robbie Ray against losing teams. The Mets have dropped seven straight home games against left-handed starters. Play on ARIZONA.

5*

The Rockies own the top spot in the National League wild-card race by a half-game over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Royals, who sit 1 1/2 games back of the second American League wild-card spot, are among eight teams within five games of the league's final playoff position. The KC Royals hand the ball to Danny Duffy (7-8, 3.82 ERA). The 28 year old has been solid at home all season, posting a 3.14 ERA through eight starts. The Rockies turn to Jon Gray (5-2, 4.74 ERA). The 25 year old right-hander has a 4-11 mark with a 4.93 ERA in 26 career starts on the road, and he's 1-2 with a 6.34 ERA in seven road starts on the season and Colorado is just 4-9 their last 13 games.

The Rockies are on the road again as they visit the Kansas City Royals for the opener of a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium Tuesday night. They're coming off a disappointing 3-4 homestand, and we can note that the Rockies are just 6-21 in their last 27 road games overall and 3-14 in their last 17 interleague road games vs. a left-handed starter. KC has been playing great defense and the Rockies bats have cooled off. I'll back the KC ROYALS

10*

Tyler Skaggs has a 2.53 ERA in his last 3 starts. He received a loss Tuesday at Washington after allowing two earned runs on seven hits over five innings. The Angels are 9-2 their last 11 games and their bats have been hot. Despite returning home from a 9 game road trip I like the Angels to stay hot and get this win at home and stay in the hunt for the Wild Card. Take the Angels here.

5*

Seattle is 8-1 their last 9 road games. The Mariners jumped out early on the Rays Friday with three first inning runs. On Saturday they’ll attempt to keep their bats hot against veteran Rays pitcher Jake Odorizzi. Odorizzi’s recent woes are compounded with the fact that the Rays have lost seven of eight. Look for the Mariners to get another win here in Tampa. 

Zack Godley took the loss his last time out against the Cubs despite allowing just two runs over 5 2/3 innings. In his last four starts, he is 2-1 with a 1.78 ERA and he has been pitching great. This will be his first start against the Twins Friday which also benefits the pitcher. In yesterdays win over the Astros Arizona did not need to use its bullpen. That’s a prime factor against a Twins team that played in a home double-header Thursday against the Indians. PLAY the Diamondbacks.

5*

The Orioles took the 3-1 loss yesterday but previously had won 6 of their 10 prior games and recorded double digits in hits in 7 of those 10 games. Marco Gonzalez gets the start for the M's here and he is winless with an 8.49 ERA in his 3 starts this season. The Orioles will have Ubaldo Jimenez on the mound for this one. Although his season numbers are sub-par, Jimenez has been pitching very well of late with a 2.50 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 18 innings over his last 3 starts. The Orioles get my call here on Wednesday afternoon.

5*

The Royals let one slip between their fingers last night after a five run eighth inning, they allowed the Athletics to score six in the bottom half of that inning. Danny Duffy gets the call in this one. He is 7-8 on the year with a 3.68 ERA. Paul Blackburn will counter for Oakland. He was just hammered in his last outing, giving up four runs, two walks and ten hits in just over five innings of work against the Orioles. That was a career worst for him. He has alternated bad and good starts in his last 8 starts. We'll look for Oakland and Blackburn to get the win at home here Wednesday afternoon.

5*

Back the Rockies here on Tuesday night against visiting Atlanta, as Colorado has Kyle Freeland on the mound as he rejoins the rotation after sustaining a left groin strain that landed him on the disabled list on Aug. 5th. He has been lights-out at Coors Field, where he’s 6-4 with a 3.19 ERA in 11 starts. The Braves have won just four of their past 18 games overall and one of their last 11 at Coors Field. Sean Newcomb isn't going deep in this one as he has been awful in August and has only won twice in his last 8 starts.

10*

The Twins with Jose Berrios are 7-1 when he starts against losing teams and the price is right to back Minnesota on Saturday against Detroit. Tigers starter Jordan Zimmermann who has a 5.36 ERA in daytime starts, and the team is 3-8 when he faces AL Central opponents. The TWINS bats are hot and they are playing well on the road. THe offense pounded out 16 hits, the bullpen was great for 4.1 innings and the Twins have won six in a row. They clawed back over .500 and back into the thick of the wild-card race and I'll back them here on Saturday evening..

10* GOW.

5*

The St. Louis Cardinals are the hottest team in baseball right now. They have won 6 straight games while scoring a combined 50 runs over their last 5 games, or an average of 10.0 RPG. 

Adam Wainwright has been his best at Busch Stadium, posting a 7-1 record and 3.19 ERA in 10 starts this season. He had control issues in his last start and I ecpect him to get back on track tonight.

Look for them to stay hot at the plate against the Atlanta Braves, who are 3-10 in their last 13 games overall, including 0-5 in their last 5 road games. The Cardinals are 9-2 in their last 11 home games.

Take St. Louis.

The Cardinals have won four straight when Lance Lynn starts against winning teams. The Cardinals have won five of Lynn’s past six starts, with Lynn posting a 1.21 ERA during that stretch. He has finished at least six innings in each of those games. The Royals have dropped four straight interleague games against right-handed starters. Lets play on STL

5*

Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings against the Rays on Friday, becoming the fifth Brewer to make a scoreless start in his MLB debut. He loaded the bases in the first two innings but was able to escape the jams and struck out six batters. THe game tonight is in Milwaukee and the Twins lose their DH and I also like the Brewers bats to get to Colon who is coming off a complete game. Colon is 4-3 with a 4.89 ERA in 10 career starts vs the Brewers. I'm backing Milwaukee here at home to get the cash over the Twins as Colon is just 3-9 on the season with a 7.32 ERA.

10* GAME OF THE WEEK

Kenta Maeda is having a pretty solid 10-win season and he was dealing in Atlanta, pitching seven scoreless innings on two hits. He is 5-1 with a 2.20 ERA in his past six starts. Anytime I can get the best team in baseball at this type of a price, I am going to jump all over it. The latest winning streak stands at a modest 4 in a row, and they have also won 13 of their last 14 games overall heading into this divisional matchup! Arizona is just 3-4 over their last 7 games, and starter Zack Godley's lone start against the Dodgers last season ended in a Diamondbacks 9-7 loss The LA Dodgers are 47-21 overall the past 68 meetings against their division-rivals. Its rare you can get the Dodgers at this price and I'll back them here on Tuesday night.

5*

I like Pittsburgh here on Monday as they will send out Trevor Williams, who has allowed 2 runs or less in 4 straight home starts. You also have to factor in that PNC Park is a pitchers park and with mild conditions expected, the ball doesn't figure to be flying out of the park in this one and the Tigers lose their DH playing in an NL ballpark.  This all favors the Pirates on Monday night as our 5* Best Bet Play of the Day.

5*

Cleveland goes with Carlos Carrasco who is coming off one of his worst career outings and didn't even last 2 innings. For the Yanks Luis Severino could be in for a shortened outing after going five straight starts with at least 100 pitches and could be tired. I think we are getting some good value here as the Yankees bats have been cold and the Indians are tough at home.

5*

Alex Cobb experienced his worst outing of the season Monday against the Astros when he allowed eight runs on nine hits in three innings en route to his seventh loss of the season. TB was shutout last night and the Rays are a PERFECT 6-0 in their following game after getting shutout this year.
Cobb is also very good at home with a 2.59 ERA in nine starts at Tropicana Field this season.
Take the Tampa Bay Rays as our 10* Winner for Saturday evening.

10*

Marlins lefty Adam Conley has been dynamite over his last three starts, allowing four earned runs over 20 2/3 innings. On Friday he'll face a Braves team on a 4-13 skid. Back Miami at plus money to win for the eighth time in its last 10 road games. MIAMI has the hotter bats and we'll back them on Friday night.

5*

Newly acquired, Jaime Garcia has been giving up opposing hitters a .255 opposing batting avg, and that combines with his 7k/9 innings strikeout ability, he has promise. Garcia is a decent enough pitcher on the mound. Over the last few seasons the 31 year old veteran can easily be called up and down in his career - but he is now a lefty pitcher for New York, and still has some abilities that are getting better. When the Yankees have runners in scoring position they need to make sure they deliver the big hits to score the runs they will certainly need to beat Cleveland, at home. The real X-Factor is if Garcia will be able to keep it up for New York and the Yankees bats to come thru tonight and get a much needed win.

5*

Baltimore has been hot and SP Chris Tillman  always pitches well against the Tigers. Baltimore has won Tillman's last eight starts versus Detroit. The Orioles have been dominant in their current five-game win streak, and this is a reasonable price on them at home. The Tigers are primed for a letdown here in a trip down to Baltimore after winning a series vs the NY Yankees. Matt Boyd has still given up at least three runs in 10 straight starts and he has a 5.30 ERA on the season. The Orioles lit him up for seven runs in just over two innings the last time they saw him back on May 16, and I think they will hit him hard here as well. Take the ORIOLES in this one and our Friday update for Baseball will be available at 3pm ET.  Sorry for the delay but I will be traveling.

5*

Washington certainly has a high ceiling for years to come, and when talking about their future, how can you not mention Anthony Rendon and his sneaky power game? Rendon hit .400 in the month of July - including a multitude of multi-hit games. However the Nationals bats have cooled off. Washington enters having split their last eight games, giving up five or more runs four times. The Marlins are on a healthy 8-4 run and the bats have come alive on several occasions, including seven runs scored in last night's win. Vance Worley owns strong numbers in 38 1/3 career IP against the Nationals. Miami's on a 5-1 run against righthanders and we'll back them here. Lastly, The Nats have called up Cole for the series finale in Miami tonight, with a 6 ERA in the minors so I expect the Miami bats to get to him early and often.

5*

This season has been a tale of two stretches for Baltimore. In the first half of the season in 2017 - Jonathan Schoop was getting to the plate with a confident approach. He dropped a batting avg of .295 with 18 home runs, 54 RBI's, and picked up 19 walks. In the last half of games it has gone to even better levels, with 4 home runs, 18 RBI's, and 2 walks in a handful of games, along with a .352 batting avg. He is someone who is genuinely feeling the game right now, on all levels. Vargas was not so good giving up 6 runs when playing Detroit a few days ago. Kansas City seems to put together 2-3 good starts and then 3-4 terrible starts. This team is not capable of having a stretch of decent well played baseball. They have a real lack of talent. The Royals seem to have been on the brink of becoming a decent team, for too long, their success window is shutting. Baltimore and their bats are heating up as they've now won 4 straight. Play the ORIOLES here on Wednesday night.

5*

The Houston Astros are 16-8 vs the AL East this season. Even though they are missing a few players due to injury, this is a very good hitting Astros team.  They are tough at home and I like them behind Mike Fiers tonight who has a 2.89 ERA in five July and he also has 27 K's in his last 3 starts.
 He’s 1-0 with a 3.93 ERA in three career starts against the Rays, and I'll gladly back Houston tonight at home in a pick'em situation while the public loves the Rays and Archer.

10* AL Game of the Week

The A's are big favorites for a reason here and we'll back them on Monday night. The Giants are coming off playing a weekend series on the road, against their hated rivals LAD. Their showcase Sunday Night game also went into extra innings, where they lost in devastating fashion. I can definitely see the Giants lacking motivation for this game. The Giants are 3-8 in Matt Cain's last 11 starts and have gone 10-30 facing a team with a losing record when Cain starts. Although the Athletics are in a down year, this team has played surprisingly well at home, going 29-24. They have also taken 13 of the last 18 meetings here and 4 straight against Matt Cain. Paul Blackburn was sensational in his first month of big league action, allowing just eight earned runs in 32 innings. Blackburn threw seven scoreless innings in Toronto July 26 in his last start and he has an ERA around 3.60.

5*

The Orioles broke a three-game losing streak in impressive fashion on Saturday while the Rangers were shutout and they also had 3 errors. Now on Sunday, Texas pitcher Martin Perez looks to finish off the Orioles here this afternoon. Perez will be looking to bounce back from a poor start against the Orioles on July 19th. With offensive support, they’ll get the job done here at home and bounce back with a win.

5*

The Reds have one of the worst records on the road in baseball. They are 16-35 away from home, have dropped 6 straight and 10 of their last 11. Miami starter Dan Straily comes off his worst start of the year, giving up six runs on 10 hits (three homers) at Texas. I expect him to bounce back especially here at home, where he's 3-2 (2.82) in 11 starts with 57 strikeouts. Play the MIAMI MARLINS here on Sunday to get the 4-game sweep of the Reds.

5*

Arizona Zach Greinke allowed two runs over eight innings, striking out six, in a win over the Braves on Monday. He has not allowed more than three runs in a game since June 20. Look for the DBacks to bounce back with a win after getting shutout on Friday night.

5*

Jose Quintana has posted a quality start in both of his outings with the Cubs. He admitted to being a little nervous in his first home start but settled down to work six innings. This will be his second career start at Miller Park and first since 2015. Brewers start Brent Suter struggled the last time he faced the Cubs on April 8th, allowing four earned runs on four hits and two walks in one inning of relief. The Cubs are 8-2 their last 10 winning 3 straight and also 17-6 this season versus left-handed starters. The Brewers have dropped 2 in a row and just 2-8 their last 10 games. I'm back the Chicago Cubs in this one tonight.

10* NL GAME OF THE WEEK

Jeff Samardzija picked up his fourth win of '17 earlier this month against the Pirates. He spun six innings of two-run ball while striking out five batters. Over his career, Pirates batters have hit just .233 vs. the righty. Look for Belt, Posey, and Crawford to lead the way for SF and the Giants to get a win this afternoon.

5*

Alex Cobb was three outs away from throwing a complete game against the Rangers in his last outing. He has recorded eight straight starts of at least six innings pitched. He is 4-1 with a 2.35 ERA during that stretch. I'm backing the Tampa Bay Rays in early daytime action on Wednesday. Orioles starter Ubaldo Jimenez has been a disaster, including both on the road and in daytime outings and he owns a 9.95 ERA & 2.11 WHIP in four July starts. The Rays have hit he 6th most home runs in MLB this season and could tee-off here. Take TB this afternoon to grab another win on Wednesday afternoon.

5*

Brad Peacock is 3-0 with a 1.85 ERA in his last 3 starts.
He has gotten the win in six of his last eight outings. In that span, the righty has a 2.70 ERA. On the road, he has a 2.62 ERA while holding batters to a .211 average.
Last time out, Peacock allowed one run in seven innings vs. Seattle.
The Astros are a perfect 7-0 in Interleague action while the Phillies are just 3-8. Also, Houston has not lost back-to-back games in over a month. There are off a rare loss on Sunday vs. Baltimore.
I'm backing the hard hitting Astros here to get a big win on the road on Monday night!

10*

Kyle Freeland returns to the rotation after a brief stint in the bullpen to limit his innings. He nearly made Rockies history in his last start on July 9, coming up 2 outs short of the Rockies’ first no-hitter at Coors Field. I don't see that happening on Sunday as the Pirates have won 9 of their last 12 and only had 6 hits in the game last night.
Play Pittsburgh.

5*

Steven Matz endured the worst statistical start of his career last time out, allowing a career-high-tying seven runs in one-plus innings against the Rockies. The majority of the Athletics hitters have never faced him and I expect him to have success and bounce back tonight. Oakland is just 15-29 on the road and just 2-8 in Interleague play.
The Mets at home are my call to get the cash on Friday night.

10* MLB GAME OF THE MONTH

Danny Duffy just recorded a great game vs Texas - and has rang up 17 Ks in his last 3 appearances. Duffy has been getting some quality bump time - during that span while dropping his ERA to 3.51 and his WHIP to a respectable 1.25. Kansas City  has some arms to contend with here - they have been slightly tougher to deal with in Kansas City  - the Tigers wont stop that trend.

Detroit's Michael Fulmer needed a rather inefficient 101 pitches to get the job done when they played Toronto. And he left with his 4th straight win - after a terribly bad stretch where he lost 5 of 6 games. The big righty now ranks 13th in the MLB in wins with 10, and a hearty 3.06 ERA along with a frenzied amount of hits though - he has his games where he loses focus, gives up a ton of hits and gets shelled.

 Kansas City gets my call on Thursday night.

5*

The Astros are just 1-4 in their last five home games against left-handed starters and their lineup is hitting just .216 against Seattle starter James Paxton. I like Seattle in this matchup on Wednesday afternoon. The Mariners are also 5-1 when Paxton faces winning teams, and are 7-2 when he starts Game 3 of a series. Look for Seattle and Paxton to keep the Astros in check in this one.

5*

In all likelihood, Bartolo Colon is making the last stop of his MLB career. The 44-year-old struggled mightily as a starter in Atlanta before latching on recently with the Twins. The Yankees bats were cold yesterday scoring just 2 runs. The Minnesota Twins finished last season with the worst record in the major leagues at 59-103, the lone team with triple-digit losses. Luis Cessa (0-3, 4.18 ERA) will get the start for New York in this one and Bartolo Colon (2-8, 8.14 ERA) will get the start for the Twins. Cessa remains in search of his first victory of the season as he makes his fourth overall start and first since June 29. Cessa came out of the bullpen to face Minnesota once last year, yielding a solo HR and a walk in 1 2/3 innings. Colon is getting another chance to prove he still can pitch in the major leagues after a horrendous 13-start tenure with Atlanta that resulted in his release on July 4. If he struggled with NL teams I think the Yanks should have their way with him on Tuesday night. Colon owns a 7-8 record and 5.28 ERA in 21 career starts against the Yankees (teams are 11-10). Take the YANKEES here.

5*

Marcus Stroman put his season’s worst start behind him with three solid outings in a row. He allowed one run in seven innings his last time out against the Astros. Against Boston in April, he gave up six runs in a loss so I expect him to be focused as well. On the other hand the Red Sox gotta be tired playing 16 innings on Saturday night and a double-header on Sunday and the bullpen was spent.

I'm on the TORONTO BLUE JAYS on Monday night.

5*

10* NL Game of the Week:

In his first appearance since injuries sustained in an April 20 dirt-bike accident sidelined him, Bumgarner will resume his season in a spot where he has had mixed success. Look for him and the SF Giants to start the 2nd half here with a win on the road. The Giants also have the better offensive punch with their stronger lineup in this one.

 We like the Cardinals and Mike Leake to get it done over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night. Note the Cardinals are in need of a big stretch run, as they are two games back from .500, which is not that far away from a wild card spot if things work in their favor.

The Cardinals starting pitcher Leake gave up a season high in homeruns of 3 in his last start.
Prior to that he had put together 3 straight quality starts including giving up just 1 earned run to Washington, 3 to this very Pittsburgh team and 1 to Philadelphia. We like Leake to bounce back and the Cardinals to get some revenge and have more success against him this time around as a small road underdog.

5*

It's not just the increase in power numbers, it's the awesome velocities and the deep crushing distances we're seeing from the Colorado bats. Colorado has 98 HRs on the year - and 2 guys who can absolutely smash it, with Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Arenado. No pitcher wants to stare them down all game long.



Chicago simply has struggled with some bottom ended breaking stuff when it's pitched to them. They have some legit run scoring potential - but until there is a defensive change on this team, they are not creating much of a worry in anyone. Chicago are now sitting solid at the bottom, after ending only 3 games out from 3rd in their division last year



Colorado wins this one heading into the All-Star Break.

5*

With an ability to hold their own against poor pitching - Verlander doesn't fall into a huge concern for the Indians. Verlander has been getting shelled lately - this wont be different. Their skilled eyes has have allowed the Indians to take their opportunity when it presents itself. Cleveland has to win this game, in a huge game - for the Indians, who are trying to keep a grip on their division - I trust Cleveland over Detroit here.

Verlander had just another typical performance for the struggling Tigers, allowing the lineups of Kansas City and Cleveland to 18 hits and 10 earned runs over 10.1 innings. Cleveland is going to tear them apart from the plate, with their good base running and smart hitters here at home.

Cleveland wins this one on Saturday night.

5*

 Dan Straily has been one of the most undervalued starters in the National League. He’s won four straight starts and seven of his past nine. He has a sub-4.00 ERA and he has a 3-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Miami's most consistent starter in the first half, Straily has 95 innings pitched and 94 strikeouts. Opponents are hitting .215 off him, and his WHIP is just 1.09. Of his 441 sliders, he's induced 84 swinging strikes.

Also, this Miami Marlins can hit. They are No. 6 in the Majors in team batting. I think we have a mismatch here as Matt Moore is scheduled to start and his ERA is up near 6.00. He’s been a mess and is just 2-6 in his last eight outings. I'm backing the MARLINS here on Friday night.

5*