Taking the PIRATES here. Right off the bat I am fading STL off their ESPN game last night. Westbrook has terrible career numbers vs the Pirates (1-7 4.81). STL 1-5 his last 6 starts vs Pitt and 0-5 last 5 here at PNC. Liriano easily the comeback POY in the NL. The guy is 10-4 2.23 ERA. He isn't sexy, but the guy keeps runners off base and the ball in the park (4HR 88 innings). He has a 1.67 ERA in 6 home starts this year. Westbrook is having a nice year, but the stats tell a different story. On the road, 2-4 4.50 ERA in 8 starts with a .315 BA Against. STL 1-8 in Westbrooks last 9 starts on the road vs teams with winning records. 8* Sure Shot PITT PIRATES

Taking the RAYS here. Lost with these guys yesterday, but will come right back with them here. Even dropping yesterday's game in the bottom of the ninth, TB is 8-2 last 10. Price has been great when pitching at Fenway going 5-1 1.96 ERA in 9 career starts here. Since coming off the DL he has been great with just one bad outing on his resume. Rays are 8-2 last 10 on the road. 4* Road Warrior TAMPA BAY RAYS

Taking the RAYS here. We didn't play these guys yesterday after cashing with them Friday night but will gladly back Matt Moore here even at this price. If some guy in Detroit was mowing down batters like he is, then this youngster would be in Cy Young talk. Moore is 14-3 3.17 ERA on the year. Hitters batting just .204 against and he is striking out almost a hitter an inning. As nice as his season has been, he has pitched better on the road than at home. Moore 7-1 2.77 ERA in 10 starts with a .187 BA against. Rays 10-1 in Moore's last 11 road starts, 14-3 last 17 when he's listed as a fave, 12-3 last 15 vs teams with winning records and 18-4 his last 22 overall. As a team, Tampa 21-5 last 26 when listed as road faves and 7-1 last 8 on the road. Clearly NYY is struggling. Even adding Soriano and maybe with Jeter back this team has huge offensive holes. Holes the size of the grand canyon! Enter Phil Hughes. The kid has been BRUTAL at home this year. 1-7 5.63 ERA in 10 starts. Hitters batting .292 against him. Yanks 3-9 last 12 when Hughes starts and 0-6 his last 6 home starts. Can't see that changing today. 5* Best Bet TB RAYS

Taking the INDIANS here. This is a scrappy bunch. Clinging to playoff hopes as they are on the Tigers heels for the AL Central. They rallied back after blowing a big lead last night. They should have a Cleveland version of the rally monkey! I do like Darvish, but not in this spot. I think Masterson is a bit underrated. The all-star has 3 SHOs this year and teams are hitting just .219 against him. He also strikes out a guy an inning and has allowed 30 less hits then innings pitched. Again, Darvish has some great numbers and that I can't easily dismiss. But I think this a good spot for the home team. 4* Money-Maker CLEVELAND INDIANS

Taking the METS here. Mets playing with some spark lately. Gee posting solid numbers over his last 3 starts. He is 6-1 2.57 ERA career vs Nats. Washington 3-13 in Haren's last 16 starts. They are 2-7 their last 9 overall. Mets 8-3 last 11 Gee road starts as underdog. 4* Dog of the Day NY METS

Taking STL here. How can I not take Wainwright at this price. Yes, Minor is having a nice season at 9-5 2.98. But STL has hit him as in 9+ innings he has an ERA of 9.31 vs the Cards. Wainwright is 6-1 2.98 ERA career vs the Braves. STL 6-1 in his last 7 starts vs ATL. Cards 13-3 his last 16 road starts, 11-1 last 12 as a road fave and 20-7 last 27 starts overall. Can't pass on those numbers even as a small fave. 4* Money Maker STL CARDINALS

Taking the RAYS here. Face it Yankee fans. This team is done. Time to wrap things up here in 2013. Let's just talk about the terrible line-up. Do they think adding another 36 year old or however old Soriano is will help. Forget about the extra 15 million they will pay him. Just another old, average player joining the clubhouse. CC has 6.50 ERA his last 3 starts. His ERA continues to grow as the season goes on. It normally gets lower here in the dog-days. Yanks are 1-5 his last 6 starts vs TB and he is just 11-11 3.57 career vs Rays. Hellickson pitching better of late and is 3-1 3.19 career vs the Yanks. Tampa is 6-0 in his last 6 starts and are hot as they are on a 22-5 run last 27 overall. 4* Road Warrior TB RAYS

Taking the REDS here. A pair of pitchers who are nothing special here. For me, this is about the better team. I think this SF team has run its course. Their pitching is just not there. Lincecum has been at the center of the problem. Yes he has a no-no. So what. I am not buying. His velocity has been going down for years. He is 0-2 with a 6.85 ERA career vs Cincy. I just feel the Reds really need to turn it on if they have any shot of making the playoffs. They have the Cards and Pirates ahead of them in the Central. Reds are 4-1 last 5 here in Frisco. 4* Road Warrior CINCY REDS

Taking the DODGERS here. Like our Cliff Lee selection, we have to go with the better starter here. Kershaw is having a fine season posting a 1.98 ERA. He is just 9-8 but you can't blame these losses on his .118 BA against. Zimmerman clearly having a break-out year as he is 12-4 2.58 ERA. He has also been excellent at home (9-0 1.75). But I just have to go with the guy with a more proven track record, and a team that is surging behind him. LAD 8-2 last 10 and 20-7 last 27. Nats have dropped 5 of 6 and 7 of their last 10. Dodgers 4-1 in Kershaw's last 5 starts vs Washington. 4* Money-Maker LA DODGERS

Taking the PHILLIES here. Anytime I can get Cliff Lee at a price like this I will gladly accept. Yes, Matt Harvey has been a beast his rookie season. Here though, I think Lee's track record vs the Mets (5-1 2.09) is the difference maker. I think the Phillies are a tad better than the Mets. Phillies 11-4 last 15 in the series and 7-1 last 8 games in NY. Lee is a perfect 4-0 his last 4 road starts here in NY. 4* Road Warrior PHI PHILLIES

Taking the DODGERS here. Nats have been struggling much of the year. I just don't believe in them offensively. As good as Strasburg is, he is over-valued every time he steps on the mound. He has a 6.60 ERA his last 3 starts. LAD 8-3 last 11 vs the Nats. Dodgers also 17-5 last 22 overall. They are just playing well right now. Nats limped into break dropping 5 of 7. 4* Dog of the Day LA DODGERS

Taking the RAYS here. The Price has been right since David has returned from the DL. B2B CGs and a 7 inning scoreless game his first. 3 earned in 25 innings since coming of the DL. Price is 12-2 2.28 ERA career vs Jays. Rays are 14-2 in his 16 career starts vs Toronto and have won 7 straight here on the road with Price on the hill. 4* Road Warrior TB RAYS

5* Best Bet

Taking the PADRES here. Will back the Pods here off that no-no last night. Anytime a team gets shutout, I like to look into playing them the next game. Add in a no-no where they were totally dominated by a guy throwing nearly 150 pitches and I am doubly interested. Stultz has struggled lately but has pitched well so far this year. He has been excellent at home going 4-1 2.56 ERA in 8 starts with batters hitting just. 194 against him and a .85 WHIP. Giants 0-7 in Zito's last 7 road starts. Batters also wrapping Zito around to the tune of .310 on the year. He has been flat out UGLY on the road going 0-5 with a BRUTAL 9.38 ERA. Batters seeing the ball vs Zito as they are crushing him hitting .422 in 31 innings while getting 65 hits! Perfect storm here. 10* Money-Bomb SD PADRES

4* Money-Maker

4* Money-Maker

4* Road Warrior

4* Dog of the Day

Taking OAKLAND here. Lester hasn't been sharp. He is 2-5 his last 10 starts with a 6.49 ERA. Sox 1-5 in his last 6 road starts. Griffin is 14-3 his last 17 home starts. A's 4-1 vs Lester last 5, 9-3 last 12 in the series and 24-9 last 33 at home vs Boston. 8* Sure Shot OAKLAND A's

Taking the REDS here. Bailey struggled in his start after his no-no. That was a given and we cashed with the Brewers in that spot. Reds have won 4 straight in ATL and are 9-4 last 13 in the series. Somehow this Braves team is in first place. But they now have injuries to their entire starting OF. The Upton brothers join ailing Jason Heyward on the banged up list. But let's be honest here. BJ is hitting .177. Anyone will be an upgrade there. Justin after his fast start is at .255 and has hit 1 HR the last 28 days. Heyward has been brutal at .227 and injured most of the year. Uggla is hitting HRs (16) and hitting .199. I think ATL has some serious lineup problems. Will back Cincy here. 4* Money-Maker CINCINNATI REDS

4* Dog of the Day

4* Dog of the Day

4* Dog of the Day

Taking the REDS tonight. Reds 8-3 last 11 in this series. I think Hudson is starting to show some age. He finally got a win last start after going nearly 2 months (May 10th) since his last one. Latos has been sharp all season (8-2 3.18). His ERA is half a run lower on the road. Reds 9-4 in Latos' last 13 road starts and 4-1 his last 5 road games when listed as underdogs. 8* Sure Shot CINCINNATI REDS

Taking the ROCKIES here. SD has lost 9 of 10. They are 3-9 last 12 vs Colorado. DeLaRosa is 10-1 his last 11 starts vs the Pods and has won 4 straight here in SD. Rox 9-3 in DeLaRosa's last 12 starts overall. 4* Dog of the Day COLORADO ROCKIES

Taking the PIRATES here. Pitt has lost a couple close ones here. I think they avoid the sweep and bust out offensively tonight. First, Liriano is having a great year and can easily be a Comeback Player of the Year winner. He has been nearly perfect his last 3 outings posting a 1.66 ERA in 21.2 innings. The A's have won 11 straight vs Pitt. That has to end here. Millone isn't the best of A's starters. He has a 4.74 ERA his last 3 starts and sits at 8-7 4.11 on the year. He is 4-4 4.83 on the road this year. Pitt has lost 4 straight but I think this team has the heart to end this streak tonight. 10* Money-Bomb PITTSBURGH PIRATES

Taking the DODGERS here. Had LA yesterday and will ride them again. LA has won 3 straight and 8 of 10. LAD 14-3 last 17 overall and 8-2 last 10 on the road. LA just playing extremely well lately. 5* Best Bet LA DODGERS

4* Road Warrior

4* Dog of the Day

4* Money-Maker

4* Money-Maker

8* Sure Shot

4* Dog of the Day

4* Money-Maker

4* Money-Maker

4* Dog of the Day

4* Money-Maker

4* Money-Maker

4* Money-Maker

4* Money-Maker

4* Dog of the Day

4* Money-Maker

Taking the MARLINS here. Fish playing well 8-2 their last 10. Turner has been rock solid in his 6 starts posting a 1.76 ERA and a .229 BA against. STL in a bit of a slump dropping 8 of 11 and Westbrook hasn't been sharp off the DL with a 5.29 ERA last 17 innings. He has walked 26 and struck out 27 on the year. Hitters at a .280 clip vs the veteran. I will take the big dogs here who just happen to be playing inspired ball right now. 4* Dog of the Day MIAMI MARLINS

Taking DETROIT here. How can I pass up the best pitcher in MLB at the moment at this price? Scherzer is 12-0 in 16 starts. An ERA of 3.10 and a BA against of just .190 and a WHIP of .90. I can't even believe his ERA is that high. The guy has 131Ks in 110 innings. He has been at his best on the road. 4-0 with a 2.08 ERA, .149 BA against and .69 WHIP. Scherzer 4-1 last 5 vs Jays and Tigers 7-2 last 9 in the series. Johnson has been roughed up his last 2 outings. Looks like he is shaking off the rust. At this price, how can we not go with the likely Cy Young winner at this point. 4* Money-Maker DETROIT TIGERS

Taking the ANGELS here. LAA looks like it is finally putting it together. They have won 6 straight and 7 of 10. Weaver hasn't been sharp, but is off one of his better performances of the year. Lynn's ERA significantly higher on the road 4.72 than at home, 2.42. He also has a 5.79 ERA his last 3 starts (2 on the road). Will lay the short number here. 5* Best Bet LA ANGELS

Taking the ORIOLES here. We cashed with these guys over the weekend and will continue to ride the hot bunch. They have won 4 straight and off a sweep of the NYY. White Sox have dropped 5 in a row and 7 of 10. O's 4-1 last 5 in the series and 6-2 last 8 here in Chicago. Sox just 8-23 last 31 overall. Baltimore 7-2 in Hammel's last 9 road starts. 4* Road Warrior BALTIMORE ORIOLES

Taking the INDIANS here. Tribe have been playing well winning 4 straight and 7 of 10. They now lead the Central by half a game over the Tigers. Indians have won 4 of the last 5 in this series. At this price, we can't pass up. 4* Money-Maker CLEVELAND INDIANS

Taking the METS here. NYM got shelled yesterday 13-2. I like playing on teams off of beat-downs like that. Mets are still 6-4 their last 10. They are also 5-1 their last 6 vs ARZ. DBacks have lost 3 straight and 6 of their last 10. Arizona 1-6 last 7 and 1-8 last 9 on the road. Marcum has been no prize at 1-9 with a 5+ ERA, but is off his best outing of the year. I think he builds off that and the Mets bounce back from yesterday's spanking. 4* Money Maker NY METS

Taking the MARLINS here. Will ride the rookie here. Jose Fernandez has been great. A .203 BA against, a sub 3 ERA, striking out a guy an inning. The kid looks like the real deal. Jason Marquis is 9-3 on the year and the Padres are 10-2 his last 12 starts. But reality is setting in for the veteran and he is 1-1 5.82 ERA his last 3 outings. Marlins playing well winning 7 of their last 10. Pods have dropped 2 straight and 6 of their last 10. Will ride Miami here. 10* Money-Bomb MIAMI MARLINS

Taking the RAYS here with Hellickson. I like Hell-boy. I thought he would be better than his 5+ ERA on the year. He is 6-3 so the team does hit when he takes the hill. Tampa is 8-2 in his last 10 home starts. He is 1-3 with a 1.96 ERA career vs the Tigers. Rays tied up Verlander late and ended winning in extra innings. Maybe Detroit is flat off that loss. Porcello is their weakest starter in my eyes. 4* Money-Maker TAMPA BAY RAYS

Taking the TIGERS here. Verlander on the hill tonight. Now, he does have a 3.90 ERA. Not exactly great. But he is 6-3 3.86 career vs the Rays. Tigers 5-1 last 6 in Tampa and 9-3 in Verlander's last 12 starts vs them. Can't really tout any of Verlander's stats here. Teams are hitting .260 against him. I just feel the guy is too good to be just 'average.' Tigers offense much better than Rays and like yesterday should be the difference. 4* Money-Maker DETROIT TIGERS

Taking STL here. Much like our win last night on the Tigers, we are going with a clear edge on the hill in Wainwright. The guy is a beast. What more can I say. Add in he is on a 2 game losing streak. STL is 11-1 his last 12 road starts and 11-4 last 15 overall. 4* Road Warrior STL CARDINALS

Taking the TIGERS here. Will lay the small fave here with Scherzer. A .192 BA against, 122Ks in 103.1 innings. 11-0 in 15 starts. On the road, 3-0 .148 BA against 1.80 ERA. TB struggles to score as is. Facing this guy, doubly difficult. 4* Road Warrior DETROIT TIGERS

Taking the BLUE JAYS. Jays 8-2 last 10 vs Boston. They got beat up last night, but I think they are finally finding themselves after a difficult start to the season. 4* Money-Maker TORONTO BLUE JAYS

4* Dog of the Day

4* Dog of the Day

4* Dog of the Day