Washington at San Diego 4:40 ET

Padres over Nationals- The Nationals after taking the first two games of this series fell 3-1 to the Padres Saturday as the were without four key components of an eight-man line-up. Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Jason Werth will also miss Sunday;s contest with only slugger Daniel Murphy to return after taking a day-off on Saturday. San Diego will start Dinelson Lamet (704, 4.78 ERA) who has won his last four starts and is 4-1 with a 3.75 ERA in six starts at Petco Park. Take SAN DIEGO!

N.Y. Yankees at Boston 1:35 ET

Yankees over Red Sox- I don't remember the last time I saw a Yankees/Red Sox encounter on a Sunday that was not the featured game on ESPN. Well, this battle between baseball's fiercest rivals will be starting early in Fenway Park where the first-place Red Sox are 39-22. The Sawx will be starting Cy Young Award holder Rick Porcello (7-14, 4.59 ERA) who has dropped all three starts against New York this season as he has received little offensive support from his teammates. The Yankees will start Sonny Gray (7-7, 3.37) who broke into the win column for the Yanks last time out and has surrendered two runs or fewer in each of his last nine starts. Take NEW YORK!

Miami at N.Y. Mets 7:10 ET

Mets over Marlins- With the power surge of Giancarlo Stanton (44 homers) the Marlins have moved with two-games of .500 having won six of their past seven. New York meanwhile has sent five veteran players since July 27 to other clubs and have lost five straight and are 14-games under .500. Miami will start Vance Worley (2-2, 4.97ERA) who is 4-4 with a 5.59 ERA in 13 appearances against the Mets while New York will start Rafael Montero (1-8, 5.85) who is coming off a solid effort against the Yankees. This time around it's the METS!

Seattle at Tampa Bay 6:10 ET

Mariners over Rays- With three straight wins Seattle has moved 1-game over .500 and is now just one-game behind Minnesota for the final playoff spot in the AL while Tampa Bay has dropped 11 of their last 14 and have fallen 3-games back in the Wild Card hunt. The Mariners will start Ariel Miranda (7-6, 4.75 ERA) who is making his second career start against Tampa Bay and he threw a complete game 4-hit shutout June 4 with nine strikeouts and only one walk. Jake Odorizzi (6-6, 4.30) is 1-2 against Seattle with his last start lasting only 2.1 innings. Take SEATTLE!   

St. Louis at Pittsburgh 4:05 ET

Pirates over Cardinals- Talk about teams heading in opposite directions the Cardinals have come alive with 10 wins in their last 13 contests while Pittsburgh is on a six game losing streak. St. Louis has scored 11 runs in each of the two games played in their four game series while the Pirates have managed 17 runs and 25 hits. Michael Wacha (9-5, 3.85 ERA) is 6-2 with a 2.68 ERA in his last eight starts but his last start was a dude against Atlanta. Pittsburgh will start Chad Kuhl (5-8, 4.64) who is 3-2 with a 3.35 ERA in his last nine starts and is 4-2 lifetime against the 'Red Birds.' Tis time out it is the PIRATES!

Arizona at Minnesota 8:10 ET

Diamondbacks over Twins- With about forty games remaining in the regular season Arizona is in position to make the post season with a 4.5-game lead in the NL Wild Card chase and the Twins are just one-game out in the American League. The D'backs will start Zack Godley (5-5, 2.95 ERA) who has been masterful in his last four starts going 2-1 with a 1.78 ERA with no career record against Minnesota. Ervin Santana (12-7, 3.28) will get the nod for the home team who is 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA in four career starts against Arizona. With these kind of numbers it's difficult to see why the Twins are an underdog at home. Take DIAMONDBACKS!

Washington at San Diego 10:10 ET

Padres over Nationals- The Washington Nationals are running away with the NL East as they have a 13.5 game lead and are playing one of weakest teams in the League. The Nats have had some injuries to deal with and one of them is to Stephen Strasburg and the other to Bryce Harper. In Strasburg's place they will start Edwin Jackson (3-2, 3.86 ERA) who pitched for the Padres last year. It looks as though Jackson would rather pitch for San Diego then against them as he is 0-6 with a 6.63 ERA in his career against them. Jhoulys Chacin (11-8, 4.06) is 3-2 lifetime against Washington and gets the win here. Take the PADRES!

St. Louis at Pittsburgh 7:05 ET

Pirates over Cardinals- Now, this is one of my 'Don't Make Sense' plays as the 'numbers' just don't add up. Here we have Adam Wainwright (12-5, 4.87 ERA) who has gone two months without a loss (5-0) and is up against a club that has lost four straight and he is an underdog. He is also 13-7 with a 4.11 ERA against Pittsburgh lifetime. The Pirates blew a 4-0 lead yesterday to Milwaukee and will start Jameson Taillon (7-5, 4.50) who will be seeking his third straight quality win. He gets it here. Take PITTSBURGH!

Baltimore at Seattle 3:40 ET

Orioles over Mariners- Well, so much for home field advantage! The Mariners came home las week for a seven game stay at Safeco Field and proceeded to lose their first five as hosts until yesterday's 3-1 win over Baltimore. Today, Seattle will start Marci Gonzalez (0-0, 8.49 ERA) who is starting for the third time as a Mariners as he was acquired form St. Louis July 21. In his two previous starts he failed to finish five innings and has had problems with control. Ubaldo Jimenez (5-7, 6.25 ERA) is a weak 2-3 with a 5.85 ERA in seven starts against the Mariners but is 1-1 with a 2.63 ERA in his last four starts with 32 strikeouts in 24 innings. Take BALTIMORE!

Pittsburgh at Milwaukee 7:40 ET

Pirates over Brewers- Milwaukee spend most of the first-half of the season in first place in the NL Central but have fallen off the pace as the Cubs have made a mini-run and the Brewers has fallen off their early pace. They will start their winningest hurler tonight as Zach Davies (13-6, 4.40 ERA) takes the hill and he was ripped for seven runs and 11 hits in his last start against Minnesota. Davies was also ripped for seven runs in five innings against Pittsburgh in June. The Pirates will start Ivan Nova (10-9, 3.87) who has struggled since the All-Star break with a 6.67 ERA in five starts. He is 2-1 with a 3.60 ERA in four starts against the Brewers. Take PITTSBURGH!  

L.A. Angels at Washington 7:05 ET

Angels over Nationals- It is hard for me to fathom that the Angels are currently 'in' the playoffs as they have won six straight and have moved 3-games over .500 (61-58). Washington of course is running away with the NL East with a 13.5 game lead over second place Miami. It is surprising to me to see the 'price' as low as it is with Gio Gonzalez (10-5, 2.59 ERA) on the hill as he has been dominate in his last two outings allowing only one run and just eight hits in 15 innings. He is also 7-3 with a 2.92 ERA lifetime against the Angels but was pounded for four runs in 5.2/3 innings on July 19 this season. Los Angels will start Tyler Skaggs (1-2, 3.63) and is 1-0 in his ony appearance against the Nats. Take the ANGELS!

N.Y Mets at N.Y. Yankees 7:05 ET

Yankees over Mets- The Mets will start the prize ace in Jacob deGrom (13-5, 3.21 ERA) and he has been dominate since being keep off the All-Star team and is 1-2 with a 3.12 ERA in three career starts against the Yankees. The Bronx Bombers will start Sonny Gray (6-7, 3.39) who has allowed just two runs or fewer in eight straight starts but with little run support from neither the A's or Yankees has gone 4-4 in those starts with a 1.75 ERA. The 'line' seems a bit high to me considering how effective deGrom has been of late, but Gray is equal to the task. Take the YANKEES!

Baltimore at Seattle 10:10 ET

Orioles over Mariners- Seattle came home and entered into a four-game series with the Angels with a two-game lead in the Wild Card race and dropped four straight to drop two-game behind Los Angeles. Baltimore is another club that is in the Wild Card hunt and now trail the Mariners by just a half-game. Add to Seattle's woes is their starting pitching especially tonight when Yovanni Gallardo (5-7, 5.38 ERA) who has failed to complete six innings in five straight starts. The Orioles will start Kevin Gausman (8-8, 5.21) was 3-0 with a 0.65 ERA in a four-start stretch that ended his last time out his first loss since June 21. He bounces back here. Take BALTIMORE!   

Kansas City at Oakland 10:05 ET

Athletics over Royals- Kansas City is off much needed wins defeating the White Sox over the weekend as they had lost 10-of-12 before coming to life against Chicago. Oakland meanwhile, resides in last place in the AL West but have a 33-29 winning record at home and will be starting Jharel Cotton (5-9, 5.72 ERA) who is winless in his last four starts but is 1-0 allowing just one earned run in 12.2/3 innings against the Royals. KC will start Jake Junis (4-2, 4.70) who has made multiple trip between the 'Bigs' and Triple-A this season and has one-inning of career work against the A's. Tonight it is OAKLAND!

Cleveland at Boston 6:10 ET

Indians over Red Sox- A pair of 'hot' opponents will face-off in Fenway where the Red Sox who have won 10 of their last 11 will have Andrew Benintendi (13-of-27) who has hit four homers with 11 RBI's in his last seven games batting against Trevor Bauer (10-8, 4.79 ERA) who is 3-0 in his last four starts. Boston will start Doug Fister (2-5, 5.03) who didn't post his first win until July 31 and is 6-4 with a 3.07 ERA in 17 starts against the Indians. Bauer who is 0-2 1ith a 12.91 ERA against Boston is the Las Vegas favorite here and it seems a bit odd to me. Take CLEVELAND!

Chicago at Arizona 4:10 ET

Diamondbacks over Cubs- The Cubs have fallen back into a tie for the lead in the NL Central as they have dropped 7-of-10 while St. Louis has won 8-of-10. Chicago will start Jake Arrieta (11-8, 3.83 ERA) who had a shaky first half of the season but has had five straight quality starts since the All-Star break while Arizona has won the last four starts made by Zack Godley (5-4, 2.94) who has defeated the Cubs 3-0 pitching seven shutout innings while Arrieta is 2-3 lifetime against the D'Backs. Take ARIZONA!  

Minnesota at Detroit 1:10 ET

Tigers over Twins- What a 'wild one' Saturday's meeting between these two became as the Tigers scored five runs in the first inning and then had to rally from an 11-6 deficit to become our Power Play winner. There are some interesting 'numbers' surrounding this game which start with Minnesota's starting pitcher Ervin Santana (12-7, 3.27 ERA) who is 9-5 lifetime against Detroit with a 3.36 ERA in 20 career starts but did have his shortest start of the season against the Tigers four weeks ago. The Tigers will start Matthew Boyd (5-6, 5.64) who is 5-1 with a 3.52 ERA in eight starts against the Twins and has had two straight poor stats. It just doesn't add up right. Take DETROIT!

Colorado at Miami 1:10 ET

Marlins over Rockies- Two of the 'hottest' (hitting wise) players in baseball will take the field in Miami where Charlie Blackmon of the Rockies who had four hits Saturday and has more homers then any other MLB player in the past year to date. But, Giancarlo Stanton has been on a home run tear of his own hitting 20 home runs in his last 32 games to now lead the major by six homers. After a 24-10 start on the road earlier in the season the Rockies have now lost 20 of 26 away from Coors Field. Take MIAMI!

Baltimore at Oakland 9:05 ET

A's over Orioles- It is difficult to comprehend that the Orioles who are one-game under .500 at 57-58 are just two-game behind Minnesota for the second AL Wild Card spot. Baltimore has dropped 3-of-4 but will send their 'hottest' hurler to the mound. Dylan Bundy (11-8, 4.15 ERA) will be making his first career start against Oakland and is 3-0 with a 3.42 ERA in his last four starts. The A's will send their 'best' Sean Manaea (8-6, 4.15) will be facing the Orioles for the first time and has had four straight winless outings. That changes today. Take OAKLAND!

Chicago at Arizona 8:10 ET

Diamondbacks over Cubs- Both these clubs the Cubs and D'backs can feel the heat of the Cardinals chasing them both down as St. Luis has won their last seven while Arizona has dropped their last three as Chicago has dropped seven of their last 10. Jon Lester (8-6, 3.97 ERA) is unbeaten in his last five starts and has not lost on the road since May 28 against the Dodgers. Patrick Corbin (8-11, 4.76) gets the starts against the 'Baby Bears' and is 3-1 lifetime against them. Take ARIZONA!

Minnesota at Detroit 6:10 ET

Tigers over Twins- Here come the Twins winners of six straight who started the season so hot and now find themselves in the Wild Card second spot with a 2-game lead over Baltimore. Pitching has been the key for the Twins of late allowing just 3.2 runs during their winning streak while the Tigers who have lost six of their past seven. Minnesota will start Jose Barrios (10-5, 3.86 ERA) who is making his first start this season against the Tigers went 0-1 with a 19.06 ERA against the last season. Jordan Zimmermann (7-9, 5.27) gets the nod for Detroit and is 3-2 lifetime against the Twins. Take DETROIT!

Houston at Texas 8:05 ET

Astros over Rangers- 'Deep in the Heart of Texas' there are problems winning baseball games of late as the Astros who are running away with the AL West have lost their last three and seven of nine in August while the Rangers have lost seven of 11. Injuries to Houston's starting rotation has hampered their plight as their ERA has risen from 3.83 in the first half of the season to 5.76 since the break. Charlie Morton (9-4, 3.78 ERA) has had three straight quality starts as he tries to match his career high in wins tonight. Cole Hamels (6-1, 3.59) is 6-3 lifetime against the Astros but the Rangers have lost seven of the last 10 meetings. Take HOUSTON!

Colorado at Miami 7:10 ET

Marlins over Rockies- Colorado is the 'surprise' club in the National League and are currently 16-games (65-49) over .500 and have a 5.5 game lead in the Wild Card chase ahead of St. Louis. The Rockies will start Jon Gray (4-2, 4.94 ERA) who is 0-2 with a 9.31 ERA in two career starts against the Marlins while Miami starter Jose Urena (10-5, 3.70) is 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA in two career starts against Colorado. The power hitters will balance out here as Stanton can match Blackman and Arenado. Take MIAMI!  

New York Mets at Philadelphia 7:05 ET

Phillies over Mets- New York has dominated this series the past three seasons winning 33 of 48 gams played including 4-0 this season. The Mets were 3-10 in their previous 13 games but exploded for four home runs and have hit 51 homers in their last 23 games in Philadelphia. However, they have traded their leading home run hitter Jay Bruce two days ago. The Mets will start Seth Lugo (5-3, 4.55 ERA) /and has had problems allowing home runs while Phillies starter Nick Pivetta (4-7, 5.89) who had his best MLB start against the Mets July 2 giving up one run to New York in seven innings. Take NEW YORK!  

L.A. Dodgers at Arizona 9:40 ET

Diamondbacks over Dodgers- The Dodgers are on one of the more incredible streaks in all of baseball history as they have won 14 of 16 and 45 of their last 53 and now they have added Yu Darvish (7-9, 3.81 ERA) who won his first start for 'Da Bums.' Los Angeles has not lost a series since losing 2-of-3 against Washington in June 7. Arizona has dropped 3-of-4 but owns a 6.5-game lead for the second Wild Card spot in the NL. The D'Backs will start Anthony Banda (1-1, 3.86) who won his first MLB game last time out allowing one run and just three infield singles. Take ARIZONA!  

L.A. Dodgers at Arizona 9:40 ET

Dodgers over Diamondbacks- A pair of 13-game winners face-off in Arizona where the Dodgers will start Alex Wood (13-1, 2.33 ERA) who is 4-3 lifetime and 2-0 this season against the Diamondbacks who will start Zack Greinke (13-4, 3.10) who is 3-3 lifetime against Los Angeles. The Dodgers have had an incredible two month winning 14 of 17 series with three splits and had won 13 of 14 before Tuesday's late loss. Look for LA to bounce back here with a win. Take the DODGERS!

Kansas City at St. Louis 8:15 ET

Cardinals over Royals- This I-70 rivalry has been once sided for a while as St. Louis has dominated the Royals winning 34 of 53 at Kansas City and now return home after pounding the Royals for 21 runs in their last two victories. The Royals will start Trevor Cahill (4-3, 4.13 ERA) for the third time since coming over from San Diego and his ERA is 7.27 in those two starts and he is 1-3, with a 3.56 ERA against the Cardinals. St. Louis will start Mike Leake (7-10, 3.34) is 0-1 making just his second career start against Kansas City but gets the win here. Take ST. LOUIS!

Boston at Tampa Bay 7:08 ET

Red Sox over Rays- The Red Sox are starting to put a little distance between themselves and the rest of the AL East as they have opened a 4-game lead over New York and are riding a 7-game win streak. Tampa Bay is 6½ game behind Boston and have lost three of their last four getting shutout in all three of those losses. Rick Porcello (5-14, 4.70 ERA) ended a six start winless streak last time out and had his best outing of the season against Tampa Bay on Juky 8 when he allowed one run in eight innings and he is 10-7 lifetime against the Rays. Jake Odorizzi (6-4, 4.47) is off the DL for two weeks and is 3-4 lifetime against the Red Sox he was pounded for seven runs and eight hits last time facing Boston. Take the RED SOX!

St. Louis at Kansas City 8:15 ET

Cardinals over Royals- Major League baseball is the longest and most grueling of all major sports and the season (6-months of regular season) has plenty of time for twists and turns. The Cardinals who has won their last three games are on a roll right now and have a chance to move about .500 for the first time since June 1. Kansas City on the other hand has won just 3-of-10 and have always struggled against St. Louis at home. The Cards are 33-19 at Kauffman Stadium and will be starting Michael Wacha (8-4, 3.66 ERA) who is 2-1 with a 2.42 ERA lifetime against the Royals. Kansas City will start Jason Varge (13-5, 3.10) who;s season has taken a turn for the worse as he is 1-3 with a 6.85 ERA since the end of June whereas Wacha is 5-1 with a 1.90 ERA in his last seven starts. Take ST. LOUIS!

New York Yankees at Toronto 7:07

Blue Jays over Yankees- New York just hasn't been the same since the All-Star break as they have three of the five lowest batting averages in the weeks since the Mid-Summer Classic. Aaron Judge stands out the most as he had 30 homers at the break and has hit .182 with 35 strikeouts after hitting those 'soft' tosses in the Home Run Derby. The Yankees will start CC Sabathia (9-4, 3.81 ERA) who is 8-2 with a 2.80 ERA at Rodgers Center while his mound opponent J.A. Happ (4-8, 3.92) who is 7-2 with a 3.63 ERA in 15 career starts against New York. Take TORONTO!

Milwaukee at Minnesota 8:10 ET

Brewers over Twins- Both Milwaukee and Minnesota are still bringing playoff hopes to the park everyday as the Brewers trail the Cubs by just a ½-game while the Twins are just 3½ behind the Wild Card leading Royals. The Brewers will start Brent Suter (2-2, 3.04 ERA) who after making five straight quality starts was pounded by St. Louis last time out and is facing the Twins for the first time but is 2-1 with a 2.55 ERA in his last six starts. Minnesota's Ervin Santana (12-7, 3.28) is leading the league in complete games with five (didn't Gibson has 29 complete games in 1971) but is 0-2 with a 7.41 ERA in three career starts.   

Philadelphia at Colorado 3:10 ET

Phillies over Rockies- Okay. Let's bite our lower lip as 'we' play this game because they are conflicting trends that we must weed through. To start with Colorado has won three straight and is 4-1 on their current homestand while the Phillies are in the mist of a five-game losing streak. Looking st the starting pitchers give us two hurlers moving in opposite directions. Right-hander Aaron Nola (8-7, 3.16 ERA) has by far been the Phillies best this season allowing two or fewer runs in eight straight starts going 5-2 with a 1.66 ERA in that span holding opposing batter to a .205 average. On the other side of the coin for the 'hot' Rockies Jeff Hoffman (6-3, 5.38) and has struggled mightily of late. Take PHILADELPHIA!   

Toronto at Houston 2:10 ET

Blue Jays over Astros- Although Houston is 30-games (70-40) over .500 their line-up is being depleted because of injuries it seems almost on a daily basis. On the DL are George Springer, Carlos Correa, Evan Gattis, along with pitchers Lance McCullers, Jr. and Dallas Keuchel. At some time these missing starters will start to have an effect of the rest of the line-up. Toronto will start Marcus Stroman (10-5, 3.19 ERA) who is 2-1 with a 3.09 ERA against the Astros in four career starts including limiting Houston to one run on six hits in seven innings on July 8th for a 7-2 win. I expect more of the same today. Take TORONTO!  

Atlanta at Miami 1:35 ET

Braves over Marlins- For two also-rans it is unusual for one club to dominate another the way Atlanta has owned Miami. Not only have the Braves won the first two games of this series and are 7-3 on the season against the Marlins but they are also 18-of-28 in the last 46 meetings. Atlanta will start former #1 draft pick Lucas Sims (0-1, 4.50 ERA) who was called up from Triple-A last week. Jose Urena (9-5, 3.82) has been the bright spot in the Marlins rotation and is 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA making two starts against the Braves this season. Once again it is ATLANTA!

St. Louis at Cincinnati 7:10 ET

Reds over Cardinals- This one seems a little 'off' to me as the Cardinals are an underdog to Cincinnati here. Sure the Reds are at home but they are 20-game below .500 and St. Louis is sending this season's best Lance Lynn (9-6, 3.20 ERA) who has gone 3-0 in his last five starts with a 1.15 ERA striking out 19 and allowing just one home run. It looks like the oddsmaker likes Luis Castillo (2-4, 3.56) who has had a WHIP of just 0.92 in his last five starts. Perhaps it's enough...I think it is! Take CINCINNATI!

Washington at Chicago Cubs 2:20 ET

Cubs over Nationals- With the Dodgers running away with the West most understand that one of these two teams could present a stumbling block to the World Series. Chicago will start veteran John Lackey (8-9, 4.74 ERA) is 3-0 since the All-Star break who will be making his eighth appearance against the Nationals and he is 2-0 with a 3.49 ERA all-time against them. Washington who are forced to go with Edwin Jackson (2-1, 2.84) who is with his 12th big league team. The Cubs are 14-5 in their last 19 games and 9-4 over Washington in the last 13 meetings. Take CHICAGO!

Seattle at Kansas City 8:15 ET

Mariners over Royals- There is hot and then there is HOT! Seattle's James Paxton (11-3, 2.68 ERA) is coming into his own as he posted six wins in July with a meager 1.37 ERA. Kansas City will counter with Jason Hammel (5-8, 4.75) who ended a six-start winless streak with a win over Boston last time out and is 3-2 with a 3.41 ERA in seven career starts against the Mariners. The Royals are 4-0 against Seattle this season and yet are such a heavy underdog here at home. It's PAXTON! Take SEATTLE!

Texas at Minnesota 8:10 ET

Twins over Rangers- Both these sub .500 clubs are still in the AL Wildcard hunt trailing Kansas City by 4.5 games for the final playoff spot. Starting pitching will not be the high-lite tonight as both hurlers have struggled this season. Texas will start Martin Perez (5-9, 5.13 ERA) who has dropped three consecutive starts with an ERA of 8.31 and is 0-2, in three career starts against the Twins. Minnesota will start veteran and former Cy Young Award winner Bartolo Colon (2-9, 7.70) who has improved in each of his three starts for the Twins. Colon is 20-9 with a 3.57 ERA against Texas and gets the nod from me tonight. Take MINNESOTA!

Miami at Atlanta 7:35 ET

Braves over Marlins- These two clubs aren't going anywhere bit the golf course when the regular season ends as both are struggled to reach the breakwater mark. Atlanta got there at 45-45 but have won just four of 17 games since while the Marlins have won six of their past eight. Miami will start Adam Conley (4-3, 5.11 ERA) who is 2-0 with a 1.74 ERA since being recalled from Triple-A while his mound opponent former Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey (6-7, 4.01) who was winless in six July starts. But, don't blame him as his ERA was 2.45 for the month and he is 10-3 lifetime against Miami.

Take ATLANTA!

Arizona at Chicago Cubs 2:20 ET

Cubs over Diamondbacks- This is the rubber game of a three game set between these two playoff bound clubs (if standings remain the same). Arizona will send ace Zack Greinke (13-4, 2.84 ERA) to the hill to face newly acquired Jose Quintana (6-9, 4.16) who have both been st their best of late. Greinke hasn't lost since June 20 winning five straight decisions with a 2.08 ERA while Quintana has posted three straight quality starts since coming for from across town (White Sox) going 2-1 with a 2.37 ERA. At home I give the advantage to the Cubs. Take CHICAGO!

Seattle at Texas 8:05 ET

Mariners over Rangers- As the season moves on the better teams rise to the top and the also-rans fade and it looks like the Rangers are fading fast. They have lost four straight and are six games under .500. Seattle meanwhile has won four straight and will be sending Ariel Miranda (7-4, 4.31 ERA) to the mound and he has gone four consecutive starts without a decision and has faced the Rangers just once going six innings without allowing an earned run. Andrew Cashner (6-8, 3.48) has won three of his last four decision but is 0-1 against Seattle this season and is 0-3 lifetime against them. The Mariners are 8-3 against Texas this season and have won 11 of the last 15 meetings. Take SEATTLE!

Washington at Miami 7:10 ET

Marlins over Nationals- I'm wondering how the Nationals are going to react to Matt Scherzer being removed with neck and back spasms as he was removed after one-inning and with a 6-0 lead before the Nats blew the lead and the game 7-6. Washington is going with rookie A.J Cole (1-0, 1.50 ERA) who was called up from Triple-A Syracuse where he struggles with a 5.56 ERA. Miami will start Vance Worley (0-2, 6.42) who returns to the rotation after seven weeks and is 4-2 with a 3.29 ERA lifetime against the Nationals. Take the MARLINS!

Kansas City at Baltimore 7:05 ET

Orioles over Royals- Baseball is a long season where clubs have many good and bad steaks and just when it seems they have put it together or are about to collapse altogether things change. Kansas City is a prime example as they have now dropped their last two after winning 10 of 11 to take charge in the AL Wild Card hunt. Baltimore has struggled all season and now has won their last four to pull to with 3.5 games of the Royals. Jason Vargas (13-4, 3.00 ERA) who is 6-2 on the road is just 2-3 in eight career starts against the Orioles while Jeremy Hellickson (6-5, 4.73) gets the start for Baltimore and he is 2-2 lifetime against the Royals. But, the streaks continue here. Take the ORIOLES!

Philadelphia at L.A. Angels 10:05 ET

Phillies over Angels- Fresh off a four-game sweep of Atlanta and winners of their last five the Phillies invade Los Angeles with their ace Aaron Nola (8-6, 3.17 ERA) starting against the Angles who are off a devastating loss at Toronto where they allowed seven runs in the bottom of the ninth to lose 11-10. Los Angeles will start Ricky Nolasco (4-12, 5.07) who not only has pitched poorly this season but has had poor run support to boot. Against Philadelphia he is 8-7 with a 3.83 ERA while Nola will be facing the Angles for the first time. Take the PHILLIES!

San Francisco at Oakland 10:05 ET

Giants over A's- San Francisco has the worst record in the majors (40-67) while Oakland is in last place in the AL West so that the Bay area hasn't seen much quality baseball this summer. The A's may appear to have the advantage here with Sean Manaea (8-5, 3.82 ERA) on the hill who has lost just two of his last 13 starts. The Giants meanwhile will start Jeff Samardzija (5-11, 4.85) who posted eight strikeouts or more for the 11th time this season last time out. He once pitched for Oakland where he was 5-2 with a 3.15 ERA in 10 career starts. Take SAN FRANCISCO!

Tampa Bay at Houston 8:10 ET

Rays over Astros- Everyone seems so surprised that Houston the team with the best record in the American League failed to make a major move before the trade deadline passed as they ended up with Francisco Liriano from Toronto and missed out on the prized starters in Yu Darvish and Sonny Gray. So, the Astros whose GM said that he was disappointed will move on with Mike Fiers (7-5, 3.71 ERA) who is 1-0 with a 3.93 ERA in three career starts against the Rays. Tampa Bay will start Chris Archer (7-6, 3.80) who is 4-2 with a 1.68 ERA in seven career starts against Houston. He has had sic straight quality starts and has gone at least six innings in 13 straight starts. Take TAMPA BAY!

Cleveland at Boston 7:10 ET

Red Sox over Indians- I have to laugh at the way the media is projecting this series talking about how the Red Sox want revenge for getting killed by the Indians swept of a series in Cleveland. I'm wonder why they would be so concerned, after all Boston trailed the Indians 3-1 and won the playoff series with three straight wins. The Red Sox will start winless Doug Fister (0-5, 7.46 ERA) who is getting the nod in place of David Price (who doesn't cover 1st base) is 5-4 with a 3.13 ERA lifetime against Cleveland when he was with Detroit. Mike Clevinger (5-3, 3.20) is starting for the Tribe and he was pounded last time up. Only one side for me...Take BOSTON!

New York Mets at Seattle 4:10 ET

Mets over Mariners- This is the final game of a 10-game homestand for Mariners as they send their best James Paxton (10-3, 2.84 ERA) to the hill to try and even-up at 5-5. Paxton has been perfect in July going 5-0 with a 1.62 ERA with 38 strikeouts and only six walks in 33.1 innings. New York will counter with Seth Lugo (5-2, 4.10) who has won four of five road starts while working at least six innings in three straight starts with the Mets winning 13 of his past 15 starts. Neither pitcher has a record of any sort against today's opponents but to me it looks like New York has a legitimate shot here. Take NEW YORK!

Chicago at Milwaukee 2:10 ET

Cubs over Brewers- Like two ships passing in the night the Cubs and Brewers have been moving in opposite directions since the All-Star break. Chicago has won 12 of 15 since the break while Milwaukee has lost 10 of its last 13 including a 2-1 defeat to the Cubs in 11 innings Saturday. The 'Baby-Bears' have picked up seven games in the standings in that time and now hold 1.5 game lead in the NL Central. Veteran John Lackey (7-9, 4.97 ERA) will get the nod for Chicago and he has picked up the pace of late going 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA in July and is 5-3 with a 3.49 ERA in 12 career starts against Milwaukee. The Brewers will start their winningest hurler in Zach Davies (12-4, 4.45) who has benefited with 6.05 runs per start support. With an ERA of 4½ per game the wins won't continue for long. Take CHICAGO!

Houston at Detroit 1:10 ET

Tigers over Astros- A pair of interesting story-lines surround today's pitching match-ups as the Tigers start Justin Verlander (5-7, 4.50 ERA) and the Astros start Lance McCullers Jr. (7-2, 3.67). Verlander of course is the biggest name on the potential trading block but his $28 salary in each of the next two season my be the stumbling block to his moving elsewhere while McCullers Jr. won his first start upon coming off the disabled list but has failed to get through five innings in each of his last three turns and is winless in his last four starts. Verlander is 4-0 with a 2.83 ERA lifetime against Houston and will get the win here. Take DETROIT!  

Minnesota at Oakland 9:05 ET

A's over Twins- Oakland's Chris Smith (0-1, 3.32 ERA) had to wait until he was 36 before he got to make his first MLB start and hasn't won a game in the 'Bigs' since June of 2008, but, if anything he has had a world of experience even most of it was in the minors. Minnesota will start Adalberto Mejia (4-4, 4.10) who is winless in his last three starts and will be making his first road start in over a month. The A's have dropped their last five contests and need just one win to get manager Bob Melvin to 1,000 career wins. He gets it here. Take OAKLAND!

Pittsburgh at San Diego 8:40 ET

Padres over Pirates- The Pirates appeared to be making a run toward respectability went they reached the 50-50 mark but their current 3-game losing streak has them moving in the wrong direction. Pittsburgh will start their biggest winner in Ivan Nova (10-7, 3.62 ERA) who gets the nod in San Diego tonight. Nova has defeated the Padres once when he was a member of the Yankees and that is his only decision in two starts against them. San Diego will start hard throwing Dineslson Lamet (4-4, 5.92) who is improving on his control issues and is off a win over the Giants where he allowed just one walk and two runs. Pittsburgh has dropped their last three and the Padres have won their last three. Take SAN DIEGO!

Baltimore at Texas 8:05 ET

Orioles over Rangers- This contest has caught my eye because of the the fact that the Orioles who are six games under .500 and have lost five of their last seven come up favored at Texas against a Rangers team that has a better record ever so slightly at 2-games under the breakwater mark. Texas is reaching into their bullpen with starter Auston Bibens-Dirkx (3-0, 4.53 ERA) who hasn't had a start since June 30 and I expect some rust as he has pitched just twice in the past 30 days. Kevin Gausman (7-7, 5.79) has pitched better since being threatened with a trip to the minors and is 2-2 lifetime against the rangers with a 3.68 ERA. The line doesn't fit the situation. Take BALTIMORE!  

Minnesota at Oakland 10:05 ET

Athletics over Twins- Minnesota who started the season so hot have returned to earth as they are now 2-games under .500 as they have lost 10 of their last 14. Oakland hasn't been much better of late getting swept in a four-game series at Toronto to complete a 1-6 road trip. The Twins will start newly acquired Jamie Garcia (4-7, 4.30 ERA) who has faced the A's just once in his career losing that decision allowing five runs in seven innings for a 6.43 ERA. Rookies Daniel Gossett (2-5, 5.40) was on the mound in Oakland's last win and is looking for his first win at home. He gets it here. Take OAKLAND!

Arizona at St. Louis 8:15 ET

Diamondbacks over Cardinals- This encounter should be an excellent pitching match-up as Arizona's All-Star starter Robbie Ray (9-5, 3.15 ERA) goes up against Michael Wacha (7-4, 3.93) of the Cardinals. If you pay attention to stats and trends it would appear that St, Louis has the advantage as the Cards have won 18 of the last 25 meetings and the D'Backs are 3-7 in their last 10 road games. But, remember statistics never lie but they can be very miss leading. Arizona is averaging over five runs per game and have defeated Wacha in his only decision against them. Ray has a 1.51 ERA on the road this season although he is 0-2 with a 7.88 ERA against St. Louis. Despite these 'stats' I'll take the DIAMONDBACKS!

Tampa Bay at New York Yankees 7:05 ET

Rays over Yankees- A pair of come-back kids will be starting tonight's important (Wild Card ramifications) in New York where the Yankees host Tampa Bay. The Rays will start Chris Archer (7-6, 3.77 ERA) who lost 19 games last season is 6-6 against New York but has dropped six of his last seven decisions against them. CC Sabathia (9-3, 3.44) is 16-14 with a 3.73 ERA in 43 career starts against Tampa but, since coming over to the Yankees he is 9-13 with a 4.23 ERA and is 4-6 with a 4.69 ERA at Yankee Stadium. These two clubs have switched places in the AL Wild Card hunt since the All-Star break with the Yankees tied with red-hot Kansas City currently holding a 1-game lead over the Rays entering this four game series. The current Rays own a .335 ERA against CC and will get the money here. Take TAMPA BAY!  

Kansas City at Detroit 7:10 ET

Royals over Tigers- After a long mediocre run of 3½ months Kansas City is playing like the Championship teams of the recent past. The Royals have won seven straight and are closing in on first place Cleveland and still are holding on to the second wild card spot in the AL. Detroit meanwhile is ready to pack it in by selling off their assets and have lost five of their last seven. The Royals will start Ian Kennedy (3-6, 4.61 ERA) who started the season with six straight losses and didn't ick-up a win until June 16 but won in Detroit surrendering two runs in seven innings in late June. Anibal Sanchez (2-0, 5.95) has been called out of the bullpen and has no record against the Royals. Take KANSAS CITY!

Boston at Seattle 10:10 ET

Mariners over Red Sox- Boston who leads the AL East have as usual struggled on the road but will face a Seattle clubs that has struggled at home of late winning just three of their last 15 as hosts. In another crazy stat that may not carry much weight the Red Sox are 19-7 in their last 26 Tuesday games while the Mariners have gone 5-17 in their last 22 on Tuesday. But, they send a rejuvenated Felix Hernandez (5-4, 3.88 ERA) to the hill and he will be up against Drew Pomeranz (10-4, 3.51) who has had great run support this season getting an average of six runs per start. Tonight, the runs won't come that easy. Take SEATTLE!  

Oakland at Toronto 7:07 ET

A's over Blue Jays- It might come as a surprise to many people but the A's and Blue Jays have identical records of 44-54. Most understand Oakland being 10-games under the breakwater mark but Toronto was expected to at least make other in the AL East uncomfortable. The Jays are off a wicked road trip losing their last three and seven of their last nine and return home with a youngster going to the mound as Cesar Valdez (0-0, 6.05 ERA) who has worked just 19 innings allowing 23 hits and 13 runs. Oakland will start former ace Sonny Gray (6-4, 3.65) who is beginning to show signs of life coming back from injury and is 3-0 with a 1.96 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP in his last three starts. Take the ATHLETICS!

Colorado at St. Louis 8:08 ET

Cardinals over Rockies- Colorado may have fallen off the pace maintained by the Dodgers but with seven wins in their last 10 contests have moved in front of the NL Wild Card hunt. St. Louis just completed a 10-game road trip of their own losing four of their last five (4-6 overall) and are looking forward to their six game home stand starting with the Rockies. The Red Birds will be starting Mike Leake (6-8, 3.39 ERA) who is among the the NL leaders in ERA but has only one win in his last 10 starts but he gets the brass ring today. Take ST. LOUIS!

Pittsburgh at Colorado 3:10 ET

Pirates over Rockies- The Rockies may not have won the bench clearing fight Saturday but they did manage to beat 'us' with their 7-3 win over Pittsburgh. The Pirates will try and bounce back and take the 'rubber' game of this series by starting their biggest winner Ivan Nola (10-6, 3.27 ERA) who has pitched at least six innings in 18 of his 19 starts but is 0-2 against Colorado (with the Yankees). Kyle Freeland (9-7, 3.67) has one career start against the Pirates and allowed five runs on nine hits is 5.2 innings in a 7-2 loss. Expect more of the same here. Take PITTSBURGH!

Detroit at Minnesota 2:10

Tigers over Twins- The Tigers and Twins mix it up again today in the 'rubber' game of this three-game series after a wild encounter Saturday. Minnesota ran out to a 6-0 lead and then had to sweat out a five-run eighth inning as Detroit came roaring back before falling short by one run. The Tigers will start Matthew Boyd (3-5, 5.58 ERA) who is 4-1 with a 3.38 ERA in seven starts against the Twins while Minnesota will start Adalberto Mejia (4-4, 4.22) who is facing Detroit for the first time. This time it is...the TIGERS!

Milwaukee at Philadelphia 1:35 ET

Phillies over Brewers- The Phillies are looking to win the rubber game of this series and will start Jerad Eickoff (1-7, 4.83 ERA) who has struggled the entire season and is 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA in 12 career innings against Milwaukee. The Brewers will start Junior Guerra (1-3, 4.77) has had one start against the 'Wiz Kids' and received no decision after allowing three runs in six innings in his only appearance against them. Milwaukee has fallen off of late and now trails the Cubs by one-game in the loss column. They stumble here. Take PHILADELPHIA!  

Pittsburgh at Colorado 8:10 ET

Pirates over Rockies- The Pirates were expected to contend for their division title and ML Wild Card spot have come alive with six straight wins including their 13-5 rout of the Rockies Friday night. Oddly enough Pittsburgh have won nine of their last 10 at Coors Field a place where the Rockies have a distinct advantage going 29-19 on the season. Chad Kuhl (3-6, 4.85 ERA) gets the nod for the Pirates and he has a 3.41 ERA in his last six starts and has an ERA of 3.69 on the road. German Marquez (7-4, 4.34) is 4-2 at home with a 4.57 ERA an has no decisions against the Bucs. Take PITTSBURGH!

Miami at Cincinnati 7:10 ET

Reds over Marlins- When it come to an All-Ugly match-up this is it. The Reds enter this contest with eight losses in their last nine home games while Miami has won just twice in seven games since the All-Star break. Saturday's starters for both clubs have been a horror show. The Marlins Chris O'Grady (1-1, 5.23 ERA) in his two big league starts and Cincinnati will start Robert Stephenson (0-2, 8.03) who will be making his first start of the season. Things being what the are it's CINCINNATI!

Oakland a New York Mets 7:10 ET

A's over Mets- It was three years ago when I went to see the Mets #1 Draft pick Zack Wheeler (3-7, 4.98 ERA) throw for New York's Triple-A squad in Las Vegas and I was totally underwhelmed by his performance. Now, it is three years later and after surgery I haven't noticed much improvement. Wheeler has dropped five straight decisions and is winless in his last eight starts. His mound opponent Sean Manaea (8-5, 3.68) has lasted seven innings in each of his last three starts nad owns a 2.67 ERA over his last four starts. Add that Wheeler is 1-1 with a 9.39 ERA in two career starts against Oakland. Take the ATHLETICS!

San Diego at San Francisco 10:15 ET

Giants over Padres- Sometimes in sports there are anomalies that are difficult to explain and the Padres having won 15 of the last 20 games against San Francisco including 7-of-10 this season is one of them. The Giants are second only to Philadelphia for most losses (60) in the 'Bigs' this season and will send the biggest loser of the season to date Jeff Samardzija (4-11, 4.86 ERA) who was rocked for seven runs and nine hits while matched up against Trevor Cahill (4-3, 3.14) on Sunday while Cahill struke out eight Giants while giving uo just one run. Samardizija is 4-1 lifetime against San Diego and turn-about-is-fair-play here. TaKe the GIANTS!   

Texas at Tampa Bay 7:10 ET

Rangers over Rays- Tampa Bay is coming off a rear successful West Coast road trip winning 4-of-6 and are in position to make the AL Wildcard having won 6-of-8 overall. Texas meanwhile has lost five straight and yet come up a strong favorite at Tampa Bay. Yu Darvish (6-8, 3.45 ERA) deserves better then what has happened this season and is 4-0 with a 1.09 ERA in five career games against the Rays. Tampa will start Alex Cobb (8-6, 3.59) who is 1-0 with a 2.77 ERA against the Rangers in four career starts. This time it is...TEXAS!

Milwaukee at Philadelphia 7:05 ET

Phillies over Brewers- It looks like the Brewers are making it easy for the Cubs to pass them in the standings as they have dropped five straight and have fallen one-game behind Chicago in the loss column. Tonight's opponent the Phillies own the worst record in MLB as they are 32-61 but have won three of their last four games their best run since June 3-6. Milwaukee's Matt Garza (4-4, 3.84 ERA) is 1-0 with a 1.66 ERA in his last three starts but comes up an underdog against the Major's worst as Aaron Nola (6-6, 3.54) gets the nod and he is 3-1 with a 1.78 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP in his last five starts. Take PHILADELPHIA!  

New York Yankees at Seattle 10:10 ET

Yankees over Mariners- Since the All-Star break these two clubs have moved in opposite directions as the Mariners have won six of their last seven while New York is going so bad that they are 0-10-2 in their last 12 series and they are 6-14 in their last 20 road games. With this info at out finger tips I find it a bit odd that the Yankees are favored here considering their starter Luis Severino (5-4, 3.40 ERA) is winless in his last six starts. Add that former Cy Young Award winner Felix Hernandez (5-3, 4.20) is hurling for Seattle and he is 10-6 with a 3.13 ERA lifetime against the Yankees. Something is not 'kosher' here. Take NEW YORK!

Detroit at Kansas City 8:15 ET

Tigers over Royals- 'We' have had the first three games of this series right and I expect that 'we' will be correct again. The Royals rallied in the bottom of the ninth after surrendering the lead in the top half of the inning for a 4-3 Megabucks win. Detroit will be starting 2016 Rookie of the Year in Michael Fulmer (10-6, 3.06 ERA) who is 4-0 in his last four outings. Fulmer has allowed just 105 hits in 124 innings and has a WHIP of 1.07 while Royals starter Danny Duffy (5-6, 3.51) has lost three of his last four starts. He is 5-7 lifetime against the Tigers and falls here. Take DETROIT!

Texas at Baltimore 7:05 ET

Orioles over Rangers- The Texas Rangers have dropped their last four games and will be sending ace Cole Hamels (4-0, 3.05 ERA) to the hill to face a Baltimore club that he has traditionally struggled against. Hamels is 1-3 with a 4.32 ERA against the Orioles in five career starts. Meanwhile, the Orioles will start Wade Miley (4-8, 5.40) was rocked by the Cubs his last time out and is 1-4 in his last five starts but the O's starters have had three straight quality starts for the worst starting rotation (6.02 ERA) in MLB. The tune here is the the 'Birds' are hot and the Rangers are not. Take BALTIMORE!  

Detroit at Kansas City 8:15 ET

Royals over Tigers- Just when the Tigers bats have come alive and they have won four straight the 'brass' has decided to break up this group and move on to better things. Detroit traded All-Star J.D. Martinez yesterday to Arizona and are looking to unload today's starter Justin Verlander (5-7, 4.66 ERA) who is 0-3 with a 5.87 ERA the past month allowing 1.83 runners per inning. Although he is 23-10 lifetime against Kansas City the former Cy Young and MVP just doesn't cut it anymore. The Royals will start Jason Hammel (4-8, 5.02) and he is looking for his first win in five starts. He gets it here. Take KANSAS CITY!

Chicago Cubs at Atlanta 7:35 ET

Braves over Cubs- Well, we were all waiting for it to happen and the Cubs have taken off since the All-Star beak and have won four straight and has won five straight on the road. John Lackey (5-9, 5.20 ERA) who seems to be the weak-link in the Cubs rotation will be activated from the disabled list and he is 1-1 in four career starts against the Braves. Atlanta will counter with Sean Newcomb (1-4, 4.26) who is looking to bounce back from two bad outings. He will and so with the Braves. Take ATLANTA!

Tampa Bay at Oakland 10:05 ET

A's over Rays- I find it hard to believe that Tampa Bay is just two game behind Boston in the AL East but with the current collapse of the Yankees they have moved up the ladder. The Rays will start Blake Snell (0-5, 4.85 ERA) who is winless in 10 starts and has allowed 16 runs in 15.2 innings in his last three starts. Oakland will start Chris Smith (0-0, 4.50) who is also looking for his first win after allowing just three runs in six innings in his first MLB start against Seattle 10 days ago. This time he gets the win. Take the ATHLETICS!

Detroit at Kansas City 8:15 ET

Tigers over Royals- Detroit who has been terrible outside the Motor City (17-28) have now won three straight on the road as their bats have come to life since the break. Kansas City meanwhile h is heading in the opposite direction as they have dropped six of their last seven overall. Matthew Boyd (2-5, 5.69 ERA) was racked by the Royals the final day of May and is looking for a small measure of revenge here. Kansas City will give Travis Wood (1-2, 6.06) the nod as he makes just his second start in two years. Take DETROIT!  

St. Louis at New York Mets 7:10 ET

Mets over Cardinals- It has been a 'Tale of Two Cities' for St. Louis starter Adam Wainwright (10-5, 5.20 ERA) who is 7-1 at home and is 3-4 on the road with a horrid 8.36 ERA in eight starts. Wainwright hasn't been so stellar against New York as he is just 4-5 with a 4.66 ERA against the Mets. New York who won two of three against the Rockies to start the second half but were never in it Sunday as Colorado rocked the Mets 13-4. Struggling Zack Wheeler (3-6, 4.86) is winless in his last seven starts and is just 2-4 with a 5.35 ERA at Citi Field. Add that the Cardinals are 6-14 in their last 20 road games while the Mets are 31-13 when starting the week on Mondays. Take NEW YORK!

Milwaukee at Pittsburgh 7:05 ET

Brewers over Pirates- Milwaukee continues to lead the NL Central as their third-best road record (24-18) has been a factor. The Brewers are 8-2 in their last 10 games overall and will be starting Brent Suter (1-1, 2.96 ERA) who has posted two quality outing since moving into the rotation in place of injured Chase Anderson. Pittsburgh will start Chad Kuhl (3-6, 4.96) who has the hard luck of pitching for the Pirates today as they are 3-13 on Mondays. Take MILWAUKEE!

Texas at Baltimore 7:05 ET

Orioles over Rangers- The Orioles were expected to give Boston a run for the AL East but have imploded for the moment they chose Chris Tillman (1-5, 7.90 ERA) as their Opening Day starter. Baltimore dropped their first three contests after the break and were outscored 18-3 in their last two losses to the Cubs. Tillman may be the worst starting pitcher in baseball as he has allowed 80 hits in only 49 innings and has a WHIP of 2.14 and this will be his first start since June 30th as he is coming off the DL. Texas is 4-9 in their last 13 games at Camden Yards and might just catch Tillman healthy. Take BALTIMORE!  

Cleveland at Oakland 4:05 ET

Indians over Athletics- Sometimes it take a club a couple of games to get into the groove after the All-Star break and the Indians are are prime example as they try and keep from getting swept in their opening series in the second half. Cleveland will start Trevor Bauer (7-7, 5.24 ERA) who is 6-3 lifetime against Oakland while the A's will start Sean Manaea (7-5, 3.76) who is 2-0 against Cleveland including a win this season when he allowed one runs in seven innings. I look for the Indians to breakout offensively as they totaled just nine hits in the first two games since returning for the second half. Take CLEVELAND!

Tampa Bay at L.A. Angels 3:37 ET

Angels over Rays- The Angels have Mike Trout back and it doesn't seem to have made any difference as Los Angels has lost their two contests since the All-Star break while Tampa Bay has won their last four two since the break and two wins before the break. Chris Archer (7-5, 3.95 ERA) who lost 19 games last season gets the nod for Tampa Bay and he is 5-1 with 2.48 with six career starts against Los Angeles. The Rays have won seven straight in Anaheim out-scoring the Angels 32-15 and yet are an underdog here against LA's rookie starter Parker Bridwell (3-1, 3.24). Today it's LOS ANGELES!

Toronto at Detroit 1:10 ET

Blue Jays over Tigers- This one falls into my famous 'Don't make sense' contests where it appears they have the wrong team favored. Marco Estrada (4-6, 5.17 ERA) who hasn't won since late May and has failed to get through five innings in five of his last seven starts and is 0-4 with a 9.46 ERA those seven starts for Toronto who had only two hits Saturday. Detroit will start Anibal Sanchez (1-0, 5.89) who has had three straight quality starts but has allowed 51 hits in only 44 innings. The Tigers are just 8-20 in Sanchez's last 28 starts and fall here. Take the BLUE JAYS!

Colorado at New York Mets 7:10

Mets over Rockies- Colorado who spent over two months on top of the NL West and were a season high 21-games over .500 three weeks ago have dropped 14 of their last 19 including their worst loss of the season(14-2) to the Mets last night. Tyler Chatwood (6-10, 4,42 ERA) has been part of the problem for the Rockies losing his last three starts and is winless in his last five starts. Seth Lugo (3-2, 4.59) will get his second home start for New York as the Mets own a .656 winning percentage at home against Colorado. Take the METS!  

Arizona at Atlanta 7:35 ET

Diamondbacks over Braves- The All-Star break came at the right time for Arizona who still barely holds a two-game lead over Colorado for the top NL Wild Card spot after dropping eight of their last 11. Sluggers Paul Goldschmidt and Jake Lamb will be ready to assault the NL in the second half as both tied with 67 RBI's as the D'backs who are 35-19 against sub .500 teams and play 19 of their next 22 against losing teams. They will start Taijuan Walker (6-4, 3.65 ERA) who has posted a 2.65 ERA while going 4-2 in seven road starts. I don't care who starts (R.A. Dickey 6-5, 4.23) or who plays for the Braves I want Arizona. Take the DIAMONDBACKS!

St. Louis at Pittsburgh 7:05 ET

Cardinals over Pirates- St. Louis enters Pittsburgh winning their final two games before the break taking down the New York Mets while the Pirates won their last two over the World Champion Chicago Cubs. The Cardinals will start All-Star Mike Leake (6-7, 3.12 ERA) whose 'sticky' fingers have had two quality start against Pittsburgh already this season as he is 10-5 lifetime against the Bucs. Pittsburgh will counter with Gerritt Cole (7-7, 4.43) who has been hit hard all season. Take ST. LOUIS!  

San Diego at Philadelphia 1:35 ET

Phillies over Padres- Two of the NL's bottom feeders match-up in Philadelphia where the Phillies host the San Diego Padres who are 21-games off the pace in the NL West. The amazing thing about Saturday's 2-1 victory for the Padres is that their were only nine hits combined between these two clubs and five of them were for extra bases. Today the Phillies Eickhoff (0-7, 4.81 ERA) get his first win of the season. Take PHILADELPHIA!

Boston at Tampa Bay 1:10 ET

Red Sox over Rays- Okay here we go. Yesterday 'we' posted the Rays as our Megabucks Best Bet release and they rewarded 'us' with a 1-0 victory. Sunday, Boston will start free-agent signee David Price (4-2, 4.02 ERA) who 2-1 in his last three starts and is 3-3 lifetime against the Rays. Tampa Bay will start Chris Archer (7-5, 4.02) who was baseball's biggest loser last season with 19 losses is just 2-11 lifetime against the Red Sox. Take BOSTON!

Houston at Toronto 1:10 ET

Blue Jays over Astros- How simple it was Saturday when we just posted Toronto over Houston and the Jays responded with an easy 11-6 win over the hottest team in MLB. Sunday the Astros will start heavily touted Brad Peacock (6-1, 2.97 ERA) who will be facing Blue Jays lefty J.A. Happ (3-5, 3.47) who has an ERA of 1.89 in his last three starts and is 9-5 lifetime against the Astros. Take TORONTO!  

Miami at San Francisco 10:05 ET

Giants over Marlins- The Giants are looking to the return of Madison Bumgarner off the disabled list next week as they close this week 20-games under .500. San Francisco will start Jeff Samardzija (4-9, 5.54 ERA) who has pitched six innings or more in each of his last six outings and is 5-1 with a 3.43 ERA against Miami. The Marlins will start Chris O'Grady who makes his major league debut and they are just 2-7 in their last nine games after a win while the Giants are 7-3 in their last 10 overall. Take SAN FRANCISCO!

Boston at Tampa Bay 4:10 ET

Rays over Red Sox- With the Yankees in free-fall the Red Sox have moved securely into first-place in the AL East despite being last in the AL in home runs with just 90. Tampa Bay who is second in the AL with 132 homers will send Alex Cobb (6-6, 4.01 ERA) to the hill and he is 4-3 with a 3.84 ERA lifetime against Boston. Reigning Cy Young Award winner Rick Porcello (4-10, 5.01) has surrendered nine long-balls in his last seven starts and is 0-2 with a 9.58 ERA against the Rays this season. He has been so bad this season that he has allowed 141 hits in just 111 innings...not good. Take TAMPA BAY!

Houston at Toronto 1:07 ET

Blue Jays over Astros- The Houston Astros are beginning to make a joke of the American League pennant race as they have moved 31-games over .500 and lead the West by 16.5 games. This afternoon they will start Mike Fiers (5-3, 3.80 ERA) who has been strong his last five outings allowing just 16 hits in 30 innings, but allowed five runs in 4.2 innings in his only start at Rogers Centre. Toronto meanwhile will start Marcus Stroman (8-5, 3.43) who has a 2.87 ERA in nine home starts and has allowed three runs or fewer in 13 of 17 starts. The Blue Jays are 9-2 on Stroman's last 11 Saturday starts they are 9-3 over the Astros in the last 12 meetings in Toronto. Take the BLUE JAYS!

Miami at San Francisco 10:15 ET

Giants over Marlins- The Giants return home to host Miami after their first winning road trip of the season as they have won seven of their last nine. The Marlins are 3-4 on their current 10-game road trip and will send their most consistent starter Dan Straily (6-4, 3.51 ERA) who won all three of his career starts against the Giants posting a 2.25 ERA and has yielded three runs or less in 10 of his last 11 starts. San Francisco will start Matt Moore (3-8, 5.78) and he has been hit for 25 runs in his last five starts and has won just once in his last nine starts. For some un-explained reason the Giants are the side tonight. Take SAN FRANCISCO!   

New York Mets at St. Louis 8:15 ET

Cardinals over Mets- The Cardinals are still struggling to get to the break-water mark as they are 3-games under level with the All-Star break looming. New York has even more problems as injuries has decimated their starting rotation and position players are falling to the DL left and right. Two of the Mets wounded will return tonight as Curtis Granderson and Yoenis Cepedes get into the line-up. The Mets have lost their last three and will start Jacob deGrom (8-3, 3.55 ERA) who has shut down four straight opponents but had his last start rained-out on Wednesday. deGrom has struggled against St. Louis going 1-2 with a 5.82 ERA in three starts. The Cardinals will start All-Star Carlos Martinez (6-7, 3.15) who is 3-1 lifetime against New York. Take ST. LOUIS!  

Houston at Toronto 7:07 ET

Blue Jays over Astros- Toronto streaks like so many MLB teams and has won their last three after a five-game slide and will host the best team in Baseball in the Houston Astros. Houston just had their four-game winning streak stopped and lowered their road record to 20-4 in their last 24 on the road. Tonight, they will start Charlie Morton (5-3, 4.06 ERA) is making his first start after six-weeks on the disabled list and Toronto will start Aaron Sanchez (0-1, 3.33) is also returning for the DL and he is 3-0 lifetime against Houston. Take the BLUE JAYS!

Kansas City at Seattle 10:10 ET

Mariners over Royals- The Royals are starting to remind people that they were World Series Champions not long ago having won three straight and 10 of their last 13 on the road. American League wins and ERA leader Jason Vargas (12-3, 2.22 ERA) will get the start for the Royals and he has allowed two or fewer runs in six of his last seven start. Seattle has dropped seven of their last nine and have lost six straight at home scoring just 14 runs in that span. So, with those 'numbers; so one sided is Seattle favored? Ariel Miranda (7-4, 3.82) posted his first win in five starts last time out and is 7-2 with a 2.80 ERA in 15 appearances at Safeco Field. That's why! Take SEATTLE!  

Boston at Texas 8:05 ET

Rangers over Red Sox- it may have taken three month of action but the Red Sox are playing their best ball of the season and have won their last five moving ahead of the Yankees into first-place in the AL East. Scoring runs has been the key for Boston as they have scored at least six runs in each of their last five games. Texas, meanwhile will take an counter the Sox attack with Yu Darvish (6-6, 3.11 ERA) who has received just 3.6 runs of support per start. Darvish has been one of the most difficult hurlers to hit against allowing just 79 hits in 107 innings. David Price (3-2, 4.61) starts for Boston and he has struggled in his career against the Rangers going 4-9 lifetime. Take TEXAS!

Chicago White Sox at Oakland 4:05 ET

Athletics over White Sox- Now, this match-up is an eye-opener as the A's who have lost six straight are heavily favored over the White Sox who have won their last two contests. I believe the odds-makers are looking deep into the starting pitching as Chicago will send James Shields (2-1, 3.98 ERA) to the mound and he has had little success against Oakland going 6-6 with a 4.53 ERA including a pounding he took 10 days ago when the A's lumped him up for six runs and seven hits in three innings. Take the ATHLETICS!

Toronto at New York Yankees 1:05 ET

Blue Jays over Yankees- At the start of the season CC Sabathia (7-2, 3.46 ERA) was considered the 'weak link' in the Yankees starting rotation but he has proved to be their most effective pitcher as New York is 10-3 in his starts. He has allowed just 70 hits in 75+ innings. CC has had great support from his teammates as the Yankees have averaged six runs per game in his starts and he is an outstanding 16-9 lifetime against Toronto. The Blue Jays will start J.A. Happ (2-5, 3.71) who has thrown four straight quality starts since coming off the disabled list and starting the season 0-4 in his first five starts. Happ is 6-2 lifetime against New York while the Yankees are 2-6 in Sabathia's last eight starts against the Blue Jays and NY is just 6-14 in their last 20 games overall. Take TORONTO!

Pittsburgh at Philadelphia 7:05 ET

Phillies over Pirates- These two Pennsylvania teams clash in Philadelphia and neither can be considered a playoff club as both their offense fall short. The Phillies are last (by a far margin) in scoring runs in the 'Bigs' and the Pirates are right behind them and is last in the NL Central scoring runs. Pittsburgh showed signs of life a week ago but have sputtered since getting swept this weekend by the Giants while the Phillies have won three of their last five. The pitching match-up is just about a toss-up as Ivan Nova (8-5, 3.08 ERA) gets the nod for Pittsburgh and Aaron Nola (5-5, 4.13) for Philadelphia. This time it's PHILADLEPHIA!

N.Y.Yankees at Houston 2:10 ET

Yankees over Astros- The strength of the Yankees team is supposed to be their bullpen but they have been blowing games in relief with Joe Giardi failure to use Aroldis Chapman properly as at have blown 15 save opportunities. New York will try and go as far as they can with Luis Severino (5-3, 3.15 ERA) who was dominate his last time out striking out 12 White Sox in seven innings allowing one run and has pitched at least six innings in seven straight starts with the lone negative appearance was against the Astros on May 14. Houston will start Mike Fiers (5-3, 3.98) who surrendered two homers to the Yankees in his April start. This time it's the Yankees...take NEW YORK!