This is a shockingly low price to get Sonny Gray at home. Gray is one of the best pitchers in baseball with a 12-5 record and 2.04 ERA. The A's have beaten the Rays the past four times Gray has faced Erasmo Ramirez. 

The Rays haven't been a good road team. They went into Friday night having lost the last seven times when on the road against a foe with a losing home mark. They were 19-47 in their last 66 games in Oakland. 

The prideful Royals have lost the first two games of this series. That losing streak should end here with a pitching matchup of revitalized Yordano Ventura against Matt Barnes.
Ventura briefly was banished to the minors, but has come back to pitch well carrying a five-game unbeaten streak.
Matt Barnes will be making his second big league start. He was buried in his first start. Barnes was shelled by the Indians this past Monday giving up six runs on six hits and three walks in five innings.
Barnes is a converted reliever, who had a 5.64 ERA in 21 relief appearances for Boston this season.
The Royals own the best bullpen in the majors and it's in good form having not allowed a run during the past 18 2/3 innings. 

Texas is 7-2 in its last nine games. The Tigers are in rebuilding mode although you wouldn't know it by who they are pitching in this game.
Detroit has resurrected 39-year-old lefty Randy Wolf. When last spotted in the majors, Wolf was pitching for the Marlins last year.
Wolf is well past his prime. He hasn't been effective in four years.
The Rangers have won their last six games against a lefty starter and hold a big starting pitching edge with Yovani Gallardo.

Oakland has won its last five home games. After sweeping the Dodgers at home, the A's now host the Rays, who have lost 19 of their last 26 road contests.
Tampa Bay starter Drew Smyly is trying to shake the rust off after being out with a torn labrum for much of the season. He's allowed five runs in 16 2/3 innings this season. He has not fared well historically at the Oakland Coliseum where's 0-2 with a 7.11 ERA in three appearances. All together, Smyly has faced Oakland five times and has a 9.95 ERA.
Oakland starter, righty Chris Bassitt, has been outstanding since emerging on the big league scene posting a 2.34 ERA while holding foes to a .200 batting average. In seven home games, including five starts, Bassitt has recorded a 1.91 ERA.
The Rays have dropped 23 of their last 34 games against right-handed starters.

Expect a lot of randomness with two young pitchers going making the underdog Phillies worth an investment.
Philadelphia is playing loose. The Phillies are 18-12 in their last 30 games. Miami is 9-16 in its 25 games.
The Phillies' Jerad Eickhoff is making his major league debut. He was part of the Cole Hamels deal with the Rangers. Eickhoff was 2-1 with a  2.49 ERA in three starts for the Phillies' Triple A team earning his first big league start.
The Marlins' starting staff has been decimated by injuries and trades. They are now going to let reliever Kendry Flores make his first big league start. The Marlins may be without closer A.J. Ramos, who has pitched in four of the last five days including throwing 17 pitches last night.  

This is a tremendous value play getting Shelby Miller at this price.
Miller's 2.43 ERA on the season ranks fifth in the National League. Only Zach Greinke, Jacob deGrom, Jake Arrieta and Clayton Kershaw have lower ERA's.
Only once during his past six starts has Miller given up more than two earned runs. He has a 2.51 career ERA versus the Cubs in six games.
Atlanta's offense should pick up with Freddie Freeman back in the lineup. The Braves have beaten the Cubs 12 of the last 16 times and are facing a cold Kyle Hendricks.
Hendricks has a 5.17 ERA in his last three starts. He has a 4.45 ERA in day games. 

The Nationals are getting well and their confidence up against the Rockies, losers of eight of their last nine games. Every one of the Rockies' losses during this span have been by at least two runs.
Washington has won the first two games of this series by an average of six runs and now has its best pitcher going, Max Scherzer. The Nationals are 8-3 the past 11 times Scherzer has been a road favorite. Scherzer's road ERA this season is 2.41.
The Rockies are going with a bottom of rotation guy, Yohan Flande, who has a 4.19 ERA and owns a 5.87 lifetime ERA against the Nationals in three starts.
Colorado may have the worst bullpen in the majors and Flande hasn't thrown more than 87 pitches in a game all season. Colorado is 2-9 the last 11 times Flande has been an underdog.
The Nationals' last five victories have been by an average of 5.4 runs.
Simply put, this is a kill spot for the Nationals.

Two struggling offenses here that don't figure to get well. Buffalo has too many running back injuries and the Browns' quarterback rotation remains too weak. 

Buffalo is going to be without their top FIVE running backs. The runners they have left for tonight aren't expected to even make the team. The Bills also will be without their best receivers as Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods and Percy Harvin aren't expected to play either. 

The Browns' strength is their defense. Same with the Bills, who have one of the NFL's best defenses. The team's had a joint practice on Wednesday and the Bills held the Browns without a touchdown. Even though it's preseason, the Bills defense will be well prepared for the Browns' weak offense. 

Jeremy Guthrie on the mound is bad enough. Jeremy Guthrie pitching on the road is even worse, especially in a great hitter's park like Great American Ball Park.
Guthrie shouldn't even be in the Royals' starting rotation. His 7.66 ERA in 10 road starts is the second-worst among pitchers with at least 50 innings away from home.
Before his last start, Guthrie had given up 17 earned runs, including six homers, in three previous starts spanning 18 innings. Guthrie held the Angels to one run in six innings during his last outing, which came at home.
You have to go back to late June/early July to find the last time Guthrie pitched well in back-to-back games. The over is 15-5-1 (75%) in Guthrie's last 21 starts after he allowed two runs or less in his previous game.
Rookie Keyvius Sampson has pitched surprisingly well during his first three big league starts. However, this is the first time he's facing an American League team. The Royals rank fourth in batting average and ninth in runs scored.
Both bullpens have some wear, too, after last night's 13-inning game.

The Nationals regained their confidence by smashing the Rockies, 15-6, last night. 

Colorado is down in the dumps losing seven of its last eight. The Rockies aren't likely to have Carlos Gonzalez, who departed last night's game due to knee soreness. They might also be without center fielder Charlie Blackmon, who has been battling the flu. 

Stephen Strasburg can be dominant when healthy and he's healthy again. Strasburg has allowed three runs in 13 innings with 20 strikeouts in two starts since returning from an oblique injury. He has a 2.77 lfetime ERA in six starts versus Colorado.

Rockies starter Jorge De La Rosa is having a down season particularly at Coors Field where his ERA is 6.62. De La Rosa has a 4.12 ERA in nine career starts against the Nationals. 

Don't get fooled by Joe Kelly's 3-0 August. He's been blessed with strong run support that is going to dry up against ace Corey Kluber. Kelly's ERA this month is 4.41 with a 1.53 ratio despite his 3-0 record. Kelly walks too many batters and the Indians lead the AL in bases on balls percentage. 

Kluber has been matching his Cy Young Award season of a year ago since the All-Star break with a 45-to-34 strikeout-to-hit ratio. He also has a 27-to-3 strikeout-to walk ratio during his past four games. 

A day of rest and stepping way down in class - not to mention having a huge pitching edge - should do wonders for the Nationals.
Washington and stud pitcher Jordan Zimmerman face the Rockies, who have a bad starter going backed by a bad bullpen.
Look for the Nationals to take out their frustrations and end their six-game losing streak by smashing the Rockies. Washington has gone against Zach Greinke, Clayton Kershaw and Madison Bumgarner in three of their last six losses.
Now the Nationals go from the Dodgers and Giants to the Rockies and David Hale. Colorado is 8-24 the past 32 times it has been a 'dog.
Don't expect Hale to raise that low percentage. He hasn't started since July 4. He's been out with a groin strain and hasn't looked good rehabbing in the minors. Before the injury, Hale was winless in his last five starts. Only once did he go longer than six innings during this time frame, which likely puts the horrible Colorado bullpen into play.
The Rockies couldn't continue with overmatched Eddie Butler in the rotation so the call went out to Hale. It's a call of desperation.
Zimmerman is 5-0 lifetime versus Colorado with a 2.10 ERA in eight starts. Washington is 23-10 in Zimmerman's past 33 road outings versus below .500 opponents.

Jacob deGrom versus Kevin Gausman is a mismatch. The Mets have upgraded their offense enough to where they an elite team. The Mets have won the past six times deGrom has pitched. It's easy to see why as deGrom has a 1.32 ERA during that span averaging close to 11 strikeouts per nine innings. Only Zach Greinke has a lower ERA in the majors than deGrom. The Mets have won 17 of the last 21 times deGrom has been chalk. During his last seven road starts, deGrom is 5-1 with a 1.42 ERA. The Mets' offense is much improved following several trades and they are expected to have Lucas Duda back in the lineup for the first time in seven games. Gausman has pitched much better at home, but has a 4.48 ERA on the season and can't compare to deGrom. 

Big class difference here. The Royals are better than the Reds offensively, defensively and have far better bullpen depth. So this is a low price to back Kansas City.
Royals starter Edinson Volquez is 3-0 with a 2.96 ERA in four interleague starts. Kansas City is 4-0 all together in interleague starts made by Volquez.
The Royals have won 14 of Volquez last 19 overall starts.
Volquez will be pumped to pitch against his former team. The righty has held the opposition to three or fewer earned runs in seven of his last eight starts. Cincinnati is 7-21 in its last 28 interleague matchups against a righty.
Reds rookie Raisel Iglesias has a 4.70 ERA. I don't see him getting the better of the crafty Volquez and the Royals' disciplined and professional hitters.
 

The Cardinals' 44-18 home record can not be overlooked. Only four times have the Cardinals lost consecutive home games.
St. Louis should be super fired-up after losing to the lowly Marlins at home on Sunday and now drawing the Giants, who defeated the Cardinals in the National League Championship Series last season.
The Cardinals have their best pitcher going, Michael Wacha. He's in outstanding form giving up just two runs in his last three starts all victories. Wacha's ERA during this span is 0.90. He's 6-2 at Busch Stadium this season with a 2.56 ERA.
If this isn't enough, Wacha is backed by the best bullpen in the National League.
Opposing Wacha is Chris Heston, who is not in good form and has been much worse on the road that at home. Heston is 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA in three starts this month. Heston has a 2.48 home ERA, but has a 4.45 road ERA. He's yielded eight runs in 8 2/3 innings in two road outings this month.
The Giants have been home for the last week. They were fortunate to draw the Astros, who have been struggling on the road, and the fading Nationals, who are at low ebb right now.
These teams were unable to take advantage of the Giants being down three starters - second baseman Joe Panik and outfielders Angel Pagan and Norichika Aoki. The last time the Giants were on the road they were swept four games by the Cubs. They are just a .500 team away from AT&T Park and ripe to be exposed in this matchup.

Look for the Red Sox to come crashing back to Earth after their high-scoring emotional weekend.

Matt Barnes isn't a great prospect and Boston's bullpen is minus Koji Uehara and carries a huge fatigue rating. That's key because Barnes does not figure to go deep in this game. Barnes has bounced back and forth from the Red Sox to the minors. In 10 appearances as a reliever at Fenway he's given up 10 earned runs in just 6 2/3 innings. 

Indians starter Danny Salazar has been hot and cold and now he's hot again. He's averaged seven innings during his last six starts. His ERA during this span is 1.48 with a 43-to-21 strikeout-to-hit ratio. Salazar has held his last 3 opponents to one or fewer earned runs. 

Question: Which team has the worst record since July 22? Go to the head of the class if you answered the Angels. They are 6-16 since then. The Angels have lost 20 of the past 26 times they've been a road 'dog.
I don't expect the Angels to get well tonight against the Royals in a pitching matchup of Hector Santiago versus Yordano Venutra. The Royals are 12-5 in Ventura's last 17 home starts.
Yet some bettors are scared off because Ventura walked six batters in his last start and has been inconsistent since the All-Star break. But Ventura was just missing on his walks. He wasn't nearly as wild as the box score shows.
Royals manager Ned Yost liked Ventura's aggressiveness and believes he is back on track. Ventura is backed by one of the best and deepest bullpens in baseball. The Royals' bullpen also is rested thanks to Johnny Cueto's strong pitching performance on Saturday.
Santiago has tailed off for the Angels giving up 15 runs in his last four starts spanning only 21 1/3 innings. He's facing a hot KC lineup averaging 5.6 runs in its last eight games. Santiago has been more effective when pitching at home. 

Look for the Mets to get back untracked in a pitching matchup of Jeff Locke versus Matt Harvey.
Harvey has regained his pre-injury dominance. He's 3-0 with a 0.91 ERA in his last four overall starts. Harvey has been brilliant at Citi Field going 4-0 with a 1.05 ERA in his last six starts there.
The Pirates can't match that with the weak link to their starting staff. Locke has a 6.53 ERA in his last four starts. Locke gives up the third-most walks per nine innings of any starter. The Mets have improved their offense through trades and are in a lot better position to take advantage of walks.
Locke also doesn't go deep into games, which is a problem for the Pirates because of bullpen fatigue.

Pitching, not offense, has dominated this huge series so far. I don't see that changing today.
Luis Severino is a highly touted prospect who has a 2.45 ERA since coming up from the minors. Only once in their last six games have the Blue Jays scored more than four runs and that came in a seven-run inning against overmatched Aaron Brooks.
The Yankees have the superior bullpen and won't be afraid to use it as this is a key matchup.
Drew Hutchinson has been dominant at home this season with a 9-1 record and 2.68 ERA. He's also 3-1 with a 1.90 ERA in his last four starts versus the Yankees.

The Rockies are deserving of more respect than being a home 'dog to a team as bad as the Padres.
Colorado is far more dangerous at Coors Field where it has scored seven or more runs in six of its last 11 home games.
San Diego is 3-7 in its last 10 games and also has lost seven of the past 10 times to the Rockies at Coors.
Padres starter Andrew Cashner has regressed this season. He's been at his worst away from Petco Park with a 2-6 road mark and 4.37 ERA. Cashner isn't in good form either with a 5.09 ERA during his past three starts.
Cashner has won just once in his last six starts. The righty is 1-3 with a 5.91 ERA in 10 career appearances versus Colorado. The Rockies have won six of their last eight home games against right-handers.
The Rockies are starting their prize pitching prospect, Jonathan Gray. This will be his third big league start. Opposing batters are hitting just .162 against him. 

Dallas Keuchel is 10-0 with a 1.26 ERA at home. Every one of his victories have been by more than one run. The Astros' average win this season during Keuchel's home starts is by 3.6 runs.
On the flip side, the Tigers have to go with Alfredo Simon, who has given up at least four earned runs in eight of his last nine starts. He hasn't been effective in two months now.  

Not only do the Steelers have the advantage of having played one game already this preseason, but Mike Tomlin wants to win this matchup after Pittsburgh lost 14-3 to the Vikings during the Hall of Fame Game this past Sunday.
Tomlin held out his offensive stars against the Vikings, but Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell, Antonio Brown, Maurkice Pouncey and Heath Miller are all going to play against the Jaguars. Backup Pittsburgh quarterback Landry Jones should show better, too, after playing the entire Hall of Fame game.
The Steelers have had more time to get into place their system and schemes thanks to having played in the Hall of Fame game. They won't be so vanilla. Jacksonville is 2-6 in preseason during the Gus Bradley era.
The Jaguars lack depth to do well in preseason. That's the situation again with the Jaguars, especially in their defensive line where they already are dealing with an abundance of injuries.
If there was a plus to the Steelers' first preseason game it was the play of their defense, which has gotten considerably younger but now plays faster. The Steelers held the Vikings to an average of three yards per run and stopped them on 10 of 13 third downs.
One of the Jacksonville's priorities is to find a ground game, something it has failed to accomplish during Bradley's coaching tenure. Rookie TJ Yeldon may be the Jaguars' best runner and he might get held out of this game because of a sprained finger.
There is no reason for the Jaguars to risk Yeldon and quarterback Blake Bortles in this their first preseason game.

This is just too low of a total even given the fact that it's the first preseason game for both teams.

The Panthers are expected to play Cam Newton and its offensive starers for a quarter. The Panthers have good backup quarterbacks in Derek Anderson and Joe Webb. 

The Bills will be looking to pass a lot as they have a three-way quarterback battle going between Matt Cassel, Tyrod Taylor and E.J. Manuel. 

Both Taylor and Webb are excellent athletes who can make plays with their legs. 

The Bears are home, have the better backup skill position players and a better coaching staff than the Dolphins.
New coach John Fox is anxious to get the Bears pointed in the right direction after last season's disaster under Marc Trestman. Fox brings an all-star collection of assistant coaches with him - offensive coordinator Adam Gase and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
I'm not a fan of Dolphins coach Joe Philbin. The Dolphins are experiencing offensive line problems and have nothing to prove here. The Bears do.
Chicago also has the better second-stringers at the skill position spots
Jay Cutler is expected to play a little and he should be fired-up to show the new coaching staff that he can be counted on. Backing up Cutler is veteran Jimmy Clausen, David Fales and Shane Carden, who the Bears like a lot. Ka'Deem Carey and Jeremy Langford are underrated backup running backs to Matt Forte.

My handicap is to Oakland because of Sonny Gray. If the A's win it's going to be because of Gray. They certainly aren't going to outslug Toronto. So therefore I'm going to take the under with my play on Oakland.
Gray is having an awesome, Cy Young Award type season. He has a 2.06 AL-best ERA. Gray has been particularly impressive in day games going 5-1 with a 0.97 ERA.
Toronto starter Mark Buehrle is one of the most consistent pitchers in baseball, but he's far from dominant. He can keep the A's under four runs. But Gray can keep Toronto under three runs.
The under is 12-4-2 the past 16 games in this series.

Sonny Gray. That's why Oakland.
Gray leads the AL in ERA at 2.06. The Athletics have won during Gray's last seven road starts.
Gray is in great form yielding only four runs during his last four starts spanning 32 innings an average of eight innings per start.
Gray has a 2.25 lifetime ERA versus Toronto in three starts. He has been at his best during the day, too, going 5-1 with a 0.97 ERA in day games.
If there is one pitcher who can slow down the Blue Jays it's Gray. I can't turn him down getting this plus price.

As great as Clayton Kershaw is, the Dodgers are just 12-10 in his starts this season. If you give the opponent 1 1/2 runs, the Dodgers are 11-11 with Kershaw on the mound.
Runs are going to be extremely hard to come by in this matchup so asking the Dodgers - the home team - to win by more than one run is a tall order.
The left-handed Kershaw wasn't sharp in his previous outing against Pittsburgh. The Nationals' key right-handed bats are all hot right now with Ryan Zimmerman, Ian Desmond and Jayson Werth picking up their games. They can cause problems for Kershaw. It's an added plus for Washington if Bryce Harper returns to the lineup today as expected.
If Kershaw can't reach the ninth inning the Dodgers are extremely vulnerable as their setup relievers have not been good.
Jordan Zimmerman is one of the better pitchers in the NL and has been for the last several seasons. Washington has won 67 percent of Zimmerman's last 104 starts. Zimmerman has a 2.51 ERA in his last three stars against the Dodgers, who have lost six of the past seven times they've faced Zimmerman. 

Beating the Giants with Madison Bumgarner pitching at home is a tall order.
The Astros are not in good form to pull it off having lost 13 of their last 15 games, including six of their last seven.
The Astros have yet to prove they can beat a good team on the road, while the Giants are 45-17 during their last 62 interleague home games. Houston, with its homer or bust offense, is not a good fit for spacious AT&T Park.  
The Astros lack big-game road experience and confidence right now. This is a cheap enough price to get involved with the Giants and Bumgarner, who has held four of his last five opponents to two or fewer earned runs. He has a 2.93 lifetime ERA versus Houston in four starts.  
Astros starter lefty Scott Kazmir has a 3.20 road ERA, which isn't nearly as good as his home ERA. San Francisco is 15-10 versus lefties this season. 

Taylor Jungmann keeps defying his critics. He has a 2.26 ERA on the season and is 4-2 with a 1.90 ERA during his last six starts.
Jungmann is a better fit to pitch at Wrigley Field than Dan Haren, an extreme fly ball pitcher who has a history of getting worse as the season progresses and is past his prime at 34. Haren has a 5.86 lifetime ERA in five starts at Wrigley Field.
Haren has given up 23 homers already this season, including eight during his last four starts.
This is a rivalry series so expect a strong effort from the Brewers.

The worst pitching matchup of the series goes today and the over/under number is reasonable.
Kendall Graveman hasn't won in more than five weeks. Graveman faced the Blue Jays at home and gave up six earned runs - including three homers - in 5 1/3 innings. Now he's throwing at a much more hitter-friendly ballpark against the league's top offense.
Graveman pitches to contact. He doesn't get a lot of strikeouts. That's rough when facing the Blue Jays, who rank No. 1 in runs and OPS and are No. 2 in homers.
I don't trust Blue Jays starter Drew Hutchison either. He's the weak link in Toronto's starting rotation with a 5.42 ERA. Hutchinson is not in good form giving up 17 runs on 21 hits in his last three starts spanning 14 innings. 

Baltimore starter Wei-Yin Chen has been in terrible form since the All-Star break and Seattle starter Vidal Nuno just isn't very good.
Both bullpens have fatigue issues and are not strong even at full strength.
The two teams each rank among the top six in home runs. Safeco Field is a pitcher's park, but the oddsmaker has overcompensated for that. This low total is more proof. The over is 16-2-3 (89 percent) during Seattle's past 21 home games.
Chen has a 6.30 ERA in four starts since the All-Star break allowing five homers in 20 innings during this span. Foes are batting .353 against him during this time frame. Chen is going to have to deal with Nelson Cruz, the hottest hitter in baseball with a 19-game hitting streak. Cruz is batting .422 during his hitting streak and is tied for the major league lead in homers with 33.
Nuno is more suited to long relief than starting. Last year, Nuno was 2-12 with a 4.29 ERA in 28 starts with the Yankees and Diamondbacks. This is just his second start with the Mariners.

Different motivations for these two teams. The Vikings and their pugnacious coach, Mike Zimmer, want to keep proving themselves. Zimmer is stressing winning early even talking Super Bowl.
That talk is crazy, but the Vikings are improved and Zimmer wants to establish a winning mindset early. So I see the justification in Minnesota being favored.
The Steelers returned to the playoffs last season. Their early-season priorities are different than Minnesota's. Mike Tomlin wants to find out who his main running backs are going to be with Le'Veon Bell suspended for the first two games.
Pittsburgh is undergoing massive defensive changes, too, while the Vikings are in the second year of Zimmer's defensive scheme. Long-time defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau no longer is with the Steelers. The Steelers are transitioning to youth on defense and will be going through growing pains early.
Backup quarterbacks are huge when getting involved in preseason and the Vikings own the edge there with veteran second-stringer Shaun Hill, one of the best backups in the league. 

Normally I wouldn't recommend laying a price this high with the rebuilding Braves. However, the spot, pitching matchup and how poorly the Marlins are playing makes this a strong recommendation on Atlanta.
The Marlins are the worst team in baseball right now. They are 5-17 since the All-Star break, have dropped nine of their last 11, including their past six games.
Miami is last in the majors in runs scored, third from the bottom in homers, plays terrible defense and has a bad bullpen made worse by underrated setup man Carter Capps being on the DL.
Braves starter Shelby Miller should dominate a punchless Miami lineup that desperately misses Giancarlo Stanton. Miller has the fifth-lowest ERA in the National League at 2.44. His ERA is even better at home (1.97) and in day games (1.87).
Miller has faced the Marlins three times this year and held them to one run in 19 innings giving up just nine hits. Miller is aided by the return of defensive whiz, shortstop Andrelton Simmons.
It can be a sweat backing the Braves because of their lack of offense especially with Freddie Freeman hurt again. But Atlanta is averaging 5.4 runs this month and draws Brad Hand in this matchup. Hand is a fill-in starter more suited as a long reliever. He has a 4.58 ERA in 35 career starts. The Marlins are 7-21 in Hand's last 28 starts, a winning percentage of 25 percent.
The Marlins are at low ebb. They have lost to Atlanta 10 of 12 times this season and are concerned and distracted by the condition of franchise pitcher Jose Fernandez, who returned to Miami to have his sore shoulder looked at.
The Marlins are idle on Monday as they travel back home. I can't see them caring and putting out too much effort in this game giving all their negativity and facing a very good pitcher. This is a mail-in spot for them.

I'm expecting the Diamondbacks to do plenty of damage against rookie Keyvius Sampson, who is making just his second big league start. Sampson made his debut this past Sunday against the Pirates where he gave up three runs on three hits in five innings. All but three hits were for extra bases, including a homer.
Arizona ranks among the top nine teams in baseball in runs, batting average and OPS. Sampson only is in Cincinnati's rotation because the Reds are playing for next season having dealt Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake.
The Reds have gone 27 innings without scoring. However, I see them breaking out against southpaw Robbie Ray, who has dropped five of his past six decision. Ray has pitched six or fewer innings during six of his last eight starts.
Both teams have good closers, but the rest of their bullpens are weak. Adam Hamari is scheduled to be the home plate umpire. The over has cashed at a rate of 56 percent during the past two seasons when he's been behind the plate.

There is plenty that points to this total going over.
The Rangers have scored the fifth most runs in the majors. They are facing rookie lefty Mike Montgomery, who is finding life difficult as he goes through the league a second time around.
Montgomery, a career minor leaguer, shocked people by going 4-2 with a 1.62 ERA during his first seven big league starts. Since then, though, he's gone 0-2 with a 5.81 ERA during his past five starts.
The over is 7-1-1 the past nine times the Rangers have gone against a southpaw starter.
Seattle is an underrated power team. Only five teams have slugged more homers than the Mariners. The over is 15-4-3 in Seattle's last 21 home contests.
The Mariners draw Martin Perez, who will be making his fifth start following Tommy John surgery. Pitchers usually are up and down in their first year back from elbow surgery and Perez has been no exception. He has a 7.04 ERA in his last three starts.
There is some bullpen fatigue with both teams. The weather forecast is for a slight wind to blow out to right field and the slated home plate umpire is Dale Scott, whose had 67 percent of his 18 games behind the plate this season go over the total. 

Don't outthink yourself. Yes, the A's lose a lot of one-run games like they did last night and have a bad record against lefties and are facing a good one in Dallas Keuchel. But taking Sonny Gray as a home 'dog is a no-brainer for me.
Despite their extra-inning victory last night, the Astros are struggling on the road. They are 2-11 during their past 13 away contests. The Astros rely heavily on the home run and the venue here. Spacious O.co Coliseum, is not a good fit for the Astros.
Gray is having that breakout season. Not only does he have a 2.12 ERA, but his metrics are highly impressive, too, including a 2.89 FIP and one of the lowest line drive rates in baseball. Gray's ERA in his last three starts is 1.08. That trumps Keuchel. Houston has lost in five of Keuchel's last six road starts. 

There is a strong home/road factor here worth investing in. The Angels have one of the better home marks at 34-22 while the Orioles have struggled on the road going 23-32.
The Angels have won 13 of their past 18 home contests and are 6-0 when Andrew Heaney has been favored like he is in this game.
Heaney is living up to his highly touted potential. He's made seven big-league starts and hasn't given up more than two runs in any of those games. He's been particularly strong at Angel Stadium going 3-0 with a 2.08 in four home starts. Opposing batters are hitting just .183 against Heaney at Angels Stadium.
Now couple this with Orioles starter Kevin Gausman's struggles on the road. He's made three starts on the road this season and has a 6.46 ERA in those games.
Going back to last season, the Orioles are 4-9 in Gausman's past 13 starts, including 1-5 during his last six road outings.

The Mets have won six in a row and are in first place in the NL East. They always had the pitching and now their hitting is up to speed with the additions of Yoenis Cespedes, Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson to go with hot hitting Lucas Duda. New York just amassed 25 runs and 39 hits in three games against the Marlins. Now the Mets have Jacob deGrom on the mound. He just might be their best pitcher, which is saying a heck of a lot. deGrom has actually improved upon his Rookie of the Year season of last year. He's giving up less walks and fewer line drives. deGrom has held the opposition to two earned runs or less in 12 of his last 13 starts. The righty has a 2.69 road ERA. Tampa ranks 27th in WOBA against right-handers. Rays starter Jake Ordorizzi is tough at home. This isn't a fade on him, but he doesn't go deep into games and the Rays don't have the hitting the Mets have now.

The Astros have been a great story this season, but pennant race pressure could be getting to them as they haven't been able to handle the road. They've dropped five in a row and 11 of their last 12 away games, including getting swept at Texas by the Rangers.
Now the Astros face another difficult road assignment. They have to travel to the West Coast after having playing a night game on Wednesday against the Rangers that finished around 10:30 p.m. local time. Oakland had a home day game on Wednesday thus highlighting even more of a home field advantage.
The A's also are helped against this opponent by the large dimensions of O.co Coliseum. It's the seventh toughest park in the majors to hit home runs in making this a bad matchup for the homer-or-bust Astros. Houston leads the majors in homers, but ranks 25th in batting average.
Houston opened as road favorites. The Astros have lost 21 of the last 27 times they've been road chalk.
The pitching matchup is Scott Feldman versus Aaron Brooks. Feldman is a bottom of the rotation starter, an innings-eater mediocre type. He has made three starts since coming off the DL following knee surgery and is 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA. Only one of those outings was a quality start.
Houston has lost 12 of the last 15 times Feldman has pitched on the road. The Astros also are 1-5 in Feldman's last six starts against Oakland.
Brooks is 25. He came to the A's recently from the Royals in the trade that sent Ben Zobrist to Kansas City. Brooks isn't a highly touted prospect, but he has good control and is coming off a strong debut this past Saturday when he beat the Indians, 5-1, limiting the Indians to one run on five hits with five strikeouts and no walks in seven-plus innings.
I like Brooks much better pitching at home in spacious O.co Coliseum. The Astros are playing tight and have the weak link in their rotation going. The spot is good for Oakland and so is the value getting a plus price.

Dan Haren is 34 and has a history of pitching his worst ball during the second half of the season. Haren is away from Marlins Park, which was the third-hardest park in the majors to hit homers.
Haren makes his Cubs debut in Pittsburgh. Haren has a 4.16 ERA this season and has given up 14 of his 21 homers away from Marlins Park. In 10 career starts versus the Pirates, Haren has a 5.28 ERA.
Pittsburgh starter Jeff Locke doesn't match up well either here. The southpaw has a 4.21 ERA and is below the league average in strikeout and walk ratios. The Cubs rank first in walks against lefties and are fifth in on-base percentage against them.
Chicago already has faced Locke three times this season and tagged him for 15 runs, of which 14 were earned, in 12 2/3 innings. Locke has given up 21 hits and nine walks to the Cubs in those 12 1/3 innings.

This is one of the few times where the Rockies will be highly motivated. It's the major league pitching debut of Jon Gray, their much heralded top prospect.
Highlights are few these days in Colorado, but this is a big deal. Gray is 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA and 38 strikeouts in his last six outings at Triple A Albuquerque. The Rockies didn't want to rush Gray, but deem him ready now.
He opposes journeyman Vidal Nuno, who hasn't made a start this season. Nuno is filling in for J.A. Happ, who was dealt to Pittsburgh. Nuno has made 31 big league starts for the Yankees and Diamondbacks and has a 3-13 record with a 4.08 ERA.
The Rockies nearly beat Felix Hernandez last night losing, 8-7. They got to Hernandez for 11 hits and four runs. Hernandez couldn't get out of the seventh inning. Now Colorado steps way down in class.
The Rockies can hit at home. They are averaging 7.8 runs during their last five games at Coors Field. They also are 11-5 at home against opponents with a losing record. Seattle has been terrible following a victory going 5-21 the past 26 times that has happened.

The Mets are on a roll. They are playing with a lot of confidence and energy. The Marlins are at the other end of the spectrum just playing the string out.

Mets starter Jon Niese gets overshadowed by the young superstars on the staff. But he's solid giving up three earned runs or less in all but one of his last 10 starts. 

New York has upgraded its hitting and bullpen. The Marlins are 0-8 in the last eight games not started by Jose Fernandez, losing those games by an average of 3.6 runs. 

The Marlins are forced to turn to Brad Hand to start this game with Mat Latos and Dan Haren no longer on the team. Hand is rusty and lacks the credentials to be a starting big league pitcher. The Marlins' bullpen is at low ebb, too, due to injuries, fatigue and ineffectiveness.  

I'm expecting double-digit runs in a pitching matchup of Matt Cain versus Mike Foltynewicz in a hot, humid muggy evening in Atlanta.The Braves finally got their offense rolling on Sunday. It should stay picked up with Freddy Freeman back in the lineup. Cain is making his sixth start of the season since missing April, May and June because of a flexor tendon strain in his right pitching arm. Cain isn't the pitcher he once was. Injuries and more than 1,800 career innings have taken their toll. Cain is now reduced to being effective only in extreme pitcher's parks. Luckily for him, four of his five starts have come in the three best pitcher's parks in the majors - Petco Park, AT&T Park and Marlins Park. Cain has pitched in only one hitter's park this season - Chase Field in Arizona - and he was reached for four earned runs on eight hits in five innings. Turner Field in Atlanta isn't as good for hitters as Chase Field, but it's far better than Petco, AT&T and Marlins Park for offense. Playing there in August when the humidity is at its highest also is good for hitters. Rather than fade Cain, I believe over the total is the best way to go in this matchup because I don't trust Foltynewicz and San Francisco's offense has been hot. The Giants were inexplicably held to two runs by the Rangers on Sunday. Prior to that, however, they had been averaging 5.8 runs while batting .311 during their past 17 games. Buster Posey is the Giants' key hitter and he loves to hit at Turner Field where he's batting .486 during the past four years. Foltynewicz has a 4.97 ERA in 10 starts this season. If you count his bullpen work, his ERA is above 5.00. He's surrendered 10 homers in 58 innings. The league figured out the right-hander during his second go around. The Giants faced him in late May. The Braves had sent Foltynewicz to the minors, but just brought him up again after Alex Wood was traded. The Giants have gone over the total 69 percent of the time during their last 51 road contests when going against a right-handed starter.

Noah Syndergaard is another of the Mets' young outstanding pitchers. But Jordan Zimmerman is no slouch. He's an established ace with more big-game experience. He is at excellent value in this plus price range. Washington has won 69 percent of Zimmerman's last 102 starts. There are not many pitchers who have such a high win percentage over such a large sampling.
Zimmerman is 5-0 with a 2.70 ERA in his last seven starts versus the Mets. The Nationals have beaten the Mets 13 of the last 16 times Zimmerman has pitched against them, including six of the last seven at Citi Field. Zimmerman is in excellent form, too, with a 2.33 ERA in his last six starts.
This is a pivotal game for the Nationals, who would be swept by the Mets and tied for first place in the division by them if they lose. The Mets' offense has improved following a bunch of pickups at the trade deadline.
However, the Nationals' lineup finally is at near full strength. Bryce Harper is the best player on the field. Washington just faced Syndergaard on July 22. So they won't be taken by surprise.
The Mets have some bullpen fatigue, while the Nationals now have a dominant back end of the bullpen with Jonathan Papelbon and Drew Storen.  

Step to the head of the line if you knew that it's the White Sox who have the best record in the American League since June 30 going 19-10. That includes victories in eight of their last 10 games.
I like the White Sox to win again today with a pitching matchup of Ivan Nova versus Jeff Samardzija. Nova is on the comeback trail after being out most of the season. The Yankees' bullpen carries a heavy fatigue rating. New York has lost the past five times Nova has been an underdog.
The right-handed Samardzjia should be relaxed now that he wasn't traded. He's a solid No. 2 type starter who has pitched better at home this season with a 4-2 record and 2.86 ERA. The Yankees have lost 17 of the past 25 times they've faced a righty on the road. 

The Twins and Kyle Gibson have dominated at home versus weaker competition and I expect that will be the case again today.
The Mariners may be without Robinson Cano and Logan Morrison. Their weak offense doesn't have the hitting depth to make up for the loss of those two players if they sit out again due to injuries.
Seattle starter Mike Montgomery, a career minor leaguer, was a nice story when he first came up, but he's getting hit hard now surrendering 16 earned runs in his last four starts spanning 20 1/3 innings for an ERA of 7.08. The rookie is giving up both homers and walks. He's been lit up for seven homers in his last five stars. He's yielded nine bases on balls in his last two starts.
Despite a 1-0 loss to the Mariners and Taijuan Walker on Friday, the Twins are 20-7 in their last 27 games at Target Field. Seattle has lost 25 of the past 32 times following a victory.
The Twins also are 9-1 the last 10 times Gibson has faced below .500 opponents. Gibson is 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA in three lifetime starts against Seattle.  

The Astros lead the majors in homers and have added Carlos Gomez, who is expected to be in uniform today.
The Diamondbacks are a very good offensive, team. They are made even better playing in a hitter-friendly AL park such as Minute Maid Park and with a DH.
The pitching matchup favors a lot of runs here.
Arizona's Rubby De La Rosa has talent, but command issues. He is prone to the long ball, especially on the road where he's surrendered 13 homers in 55 1/3 innings. Houston is No. 1 in homers with 141. De La Rosa has a bad matchup here.
De La Rosa, who pitched for Boston last season, has a 9.28 career ERA versus the Astros in four appearances, including two starts.
Houston is going with the weak link in its rotation, journeyman Scott Feldman. He has a 4.54 ERA. His metrics aren't impressive either and neither is his command. His line drive rate ranks among the highest of starters with 70 or more innings pitched.

Seattle ranks 26th in batting average and runs. Minnesota is averaging 3.7 runs in 11 games since the All-Star break.
These are not good offenses and I don't expect a high-scoring game here.
The pitching matchup is J.A. Happ against Phil Hughes.
Happ has a lifetime 2.89 ERA in his previous two starts against the Twins. He's eager to redeem himself after a poor start in his last outing. He's liable to avoid Robinson Cano, who isn't expected to play because of an abdominal strain.
Hughes is pitching well after a slow start. He's 5-0 with a 2.44 ERA in his last seven starts spanning 48 innings. He's allowed just three walks during this time frame. Hughes has held the opposition to two or fewer runs during five of his past seven starts.
Hughes also has a strong history versus Seattle posting a 2-1 mark with a 0.81 ERA during his last three outings against the Mariners. 

For just the second time all season, the Nationals are at full strength offensively. Anthony Rendon, Ryan Zimmerman and Jayson Werth are all healthy joining Bryce Harper and Ian Desmond to help boost the Nationals' offense. The last time Harper faced Marlins starter Tom Koehler he homered three times off him. That was on May 6 when the Nationals won, 7-5. Koehler has been pitching well lately, but he is who he is and that's a journeyman. I like Nationals starter Doug Fister better especially now that the Nationals have fortified their bullpen adding Jonathan Papelbon to go with Drew Storen. Papelbon and Storen are a combined 46 for 48 in save opportunities this season. Fister has a strong history versus the Marlins with a 2-0 career mark and 1.09 ERA in four career appearances. Fister hasn't pitched well this month, but that should change here facing a team he has dominated and with an extra day of rest. Washington is 10-3 when Fister has pitched on five days rest. The Marlins lack power without injured Giancarlo Stanton.

Oakland is a dead team, but the A's are very much live here thanks to Sonny Gray being on the mound and being in a good situational spot.
The A's have won Gray's last six road starts. That's not a surprise considering Gray is 7-1 with a 1.84 ERA in 11 road outings this season. I expect him to pitch his best game since All-Star break now that he's making his third start since then and is back in rhythm.
This is the Dodgers' first game back on the West Coast after playing 10 consecutive games - three road series - all on East Coast time. LA's offense hasn't been any better than the A's as the Dodgers are batting only .223 during their last six games.
Brett Anderson hasn't been sharp in his last three starts going 0-1 with a 5.52 ERA. He also suffered an Achilles injury when pitching this past Tuesday against the Braves. The fragile Anderson's health always is a concern.

Faced without an off day during their current 10-game road trip, the Yankees are in trouble with this matchup. That's because manager Joe Girardi is forced to give a spot start to washed-up journeyman Chris Capuano. Capuano posted an 0-3 mark and 6.39 ERA in his last three starts, which happened back in May. The Yankees saw enough to keep him out of the rotation putting him in the bullpen where Capuano wasn't any better with a 5.09 ERA in 12 appearances. New York is 1-5 the past six times Capuano has started. Rangers starter Martin Perez is making his third start since recovering from Tommy John surgery. He'll be pumped for this, his first home start since returning from injury. Perez didn't have good stats during his last start this past Wednesday against Colorado, but he was hurt by pitching at Coors Field and having ground balls find holes. 

Rookie Mike Montgomery has been a compelling story for the Mariners. The lefty had been pitching great with a 1.62 ERA during his first seven big league starts after spending seven seasons in the minors. But regression has caught up to Montgomery, who had been pitching way over his head.
In his last three starts, Montgomery is 0-2 with a 9.22 ERA. The Diamondbacks are more dangerous playing in an American League park - where they can DH their only defensive liability Yasmany Tomas. They rank seventh in weighted on-base average (WOBA) versus southpaws.
Robbie Ray also has looked good since his call-up from the minors. He didn't look good in his last start this past Wednesday, but he had a 1.42 ERA in his previous two starts and has a 2.72 ERA on the season. He'll be helped pitching in spacious Safeco Field.
Ray has yet to yield an earned run during two starts versus AL clubs this season spanning 14 2/3 innings. He's backed by an Arizona defense that ranks second to the Royals in defensive runs saved.
The Mariners are 5-13 the past 18 times when favored between $1.10 and $1.50. 

Saskatchewan is 0-4 because of lack of defense not offense.
The Roughriders have the most potent offense in the CFL entering this week ranked No. 1 in total yards per game at 504. Kevin Glenn came into Week 5 ranked No. 1 in passing yards while running back Jerome Messam was tops in yards from scrimmage. Saskatchewan also has a great kicking weapon in Paul McCallum, who is 8-for-9 in field goals with three of his field goals coming from 49 years and longer.
Now the Roughriders' offense should be even better with the expected return of big-play wide receivers Ryan Smith and Nic Demski. All of Saskatchewan's losses have been close. The Roughriders are a frustrated team. They aren't going to hold back anything offensively.
Hamilton entered the week as the No. 2 offensive team in the CFL and have had nine days to prepare their offensive game plan. No doubt the Tiger-Cats are scheming to take advantage of the Roughriders' cluster injury problem in their secondary.
Saskatchewan is down four defensive backs, including three starters. The Roughriders are giving up an average of 33.5 points per game, highest in the CFL entering Week 5. They've allowed the second-most passing yards and only have two takeaways with no interceptions. Opposing quarterbacks have completed a league-high 76.6 percent of their passes versus the Roughriders.
Hamilton has a very potent offense that has been slowed at times by turnovers. The Roughriders, though, are last in takeaways. 

Oakland is a dead team. The psyche of the team has to be affected with the realization that management has decided to throw in the towel and play for next year. That was made evident when Scott Kazmir was dealt to Houston earlier this week.
The A's have lost three in a row, averaging only two runs per game during this span. They are at low ebb, while the Giants are 10-1 during their past 11 games, clicking on all cylinders.
San Francisco owns edges on offense and in the bullpen. The starting pitching matchup is more even pitting Kendall Graveman against Tim Hudson. Neither is in good form.
Hudson may be at the end of the line. This is his second start, though, since returning from a shoulder strain. He should pitch better than he did in his first outing back this past Monday, a 4-2 road loss to San Diego. Following that game Hudson was quoted as saying, "Once I get (on) the mound more, my fastball command will definitely come."
Graveman has turned cold with an 8.18 ERA in his last two starts.

The under has cashed a stunning 70 percent of the time the last 63 times Johnny Cueto has been favored.
Look for that trend to hold up again Saturday in what may be Cueto's last start in a Reds uniform. Cueto is sure to be pumped and he can handle a Colorado offense that is down from previous seasons.
Since late May, Cueto has been his normal dominant self with a 2.51 ERA. Just three games ago, the Rockies were shut out at home by Matt Harrison. Cueto is backed by a rested Aroldis Chapman, perhaps the best relief pitcher in baseball.

Colorado starter Chris Rusin has shown he can pitch effectively at Coors with a 2-0 mark and 3.24 ERA in four starts there this season. Rusin has a 2.50 ERA during his past three appearances.

Note, too, that Marvin Hudson is slated to be the home plate umpire. The under has cashed 61 percent of the time he's been the home plate umpire during the past two years spanning 51 games.

The Braves certainly can hang here - especially getting 1 1/2 runs. The oddsmaker believe so, too, with this low total.

Carlos Martinez is off his normal routine having last pitched in relief during an emergency situation. 

Miller, meanwhile, has been strong nearly the entire season. If you discount his start at Coors Field, he's allowed more than one earned run twice since the start of June. 

Used to be that you would fear the Rockies at Coors Field. Not this season, though. Colorado is 22-26 at home and hasn't shown any signs of life.  The Rockies are the only team in the National League surrendering more than five runs per game and their offense isn't coming close to bailing out their poor pitching. Both teams are weak in middle relief. However, the Reds have the better starting pitcher going and certainly the better closer with Aroldis Chapman. Cincinnati starter Anthony DeSclafani has cooled off considerably since allowing only three earned runs during his first four starts. But he still has a higher ceiling than Colorado's Eddie Butler. DeSclafani has fared much better on the road with a 2.53 ERA during his past nine away outings. DeSclafani also has done a decent job of keeping the ball in the park, which is saying a lot in that he pitches at Great American Ball Park. So he shouldn't be intimidated, nor adversely affected, pitching at Coors Field. Butler doesn't get a lot of strikeouts, has issues with command and lacks good control. Those are all serious problems when pitching at Coors. It's reflected in Butler posting a 6.59 ERA during his last three starts at Coors, all losses.
 

Clayton Kershaw is showing serious signs of matching last year's out-of-this-world pitching numbers. The 27-year-old still is in his absolute prime. He's only given up two earned runs with 43 strikeouts during his last four starts spanning 31 innings.
Kershaw is enjoying the best strikeout rate of his career with a 33.7 percent strikeout rate. He hasn't surrendered a home run in his last four games.
The Mets are in the argument for weakest offense in the majors. They rank last in batting average, second-to-last in OPS and third-from-the-bottom in runs.  
Making this such a strong run line play is the Dodgers offense should do plenty of damage against Mets starter Bartolo Colon and a Mets bullpen that has fatigue issues.
The 42-year-old Colon pitches his best early in the season before he begins to wear down, which is the case now. Colon has yielded 21 runs on 37 hits during his last four starts - all losses - spanning 20 2/3 innings.
Colon doesn't have a good history versus the Dodgers either. The righty has a 2-4 lifetime mark with a 6.03 ERA. The Dodgers trail only Colorado in slugging percentage against right-handers. 

All rookie Cody Anderson has done in his first four big league starts is post a 0.89 ERA while proving absolutely dominant. Yes, some regression is in store. But there's no way Anderson should be priced in this low range going against Kyle Lohse. The Brewers are playing much better lately. However, they can't be respected when they still allow the washed-up Lohse to take the mound.The 36-year-old Lohse is 5-10 with a 6.17 ERA. He has been one of the least effective starters in baseball. Making matters worse for Lohse is this is a day game at Miller Park. Lohse is 1-5 in day games this season with a 7.68 ERA. Lohse's home ERA this season is 8.06.Lohse also has struggled versus Cleveland with an 8-9 lifetime record and 5.45 ERA. The Indians lost to Milwaukee last night, but still are three games above .500 on the road. The Brewers are eight games under .500 at home.

Question: What team has the best record in the American League since May 23?

Answer: Oakland. The A's are 29-21 since then.

Yet the A's don't get much respect because of their slow start. Oakland starter Kendall Graveman isn't getting a whole lot of respect either for his slow start.

But Graveman is 5-3 with a 2.17 ERA in his last 10 starts. Graveman also hasn't given up a run during his last two starts in Oakland spanning 15 innings.

The Blue Jays' big offense is going to have problems not only facing Graveman, but also dealing with spacious O.co Coliseum. They are not used to this type of West Coast ballpark.  

Toronto starter Mark Buehrle is having a nice season. However, he doesn't have a good history in Oakland going 3-8 with a 4.15 ERA in 15 starts.

This is a huge series for the Orioles. Baltimore has outscored New York by 11 runs during their 10 games this season and has the better starting pitcher going.
Wei-Yin Chen is under-the-radar because of a 4-5 record. Nathan Eovaldi is overrated because of a 9-2 mark.
Chen, though, has a 2.78 ERA. He's given up two runs or less in his last seven starts. Chen has a 1.95 ERA in his last five outings. He is1-0 versus the Yankees with a 2.08 ERA in two starts against them this year. I regard him as the Orioles' top pitcher.
I envision Eovaldi struggling with a tough Orioles lineup that packs plenty of power.

Matt Harvey is one of the best young pitchers in baseball. But Gio Gonalez is the hotter pitcher, Washington has the stronger offense and the Mets are caught in a horrendous situation.
Let's start with the spot. The Mets are traveling after playing 18 innings, nearly six hours, in humid St. Louis yesterday. Their bullpen went more than 10 innings and their is a high fatigue level through the entire roster. The Mets are particularly vulnerable at catcher.
Gonzalez is pitching his finest ball of the season going 2-0 with a 0.90 ERA in his last three starts. Gonzalez has been much better at home where he's 4-1 with a 2.44 ERA at Nationals Park this season. He is 8-4 lifetime against the Mets with a 2.87 ERA.
The Nationals are 9-3 in Gonzalez's past 12 starts versus the Mets. Washington also is 8-1 during Gonzalez's last nine starts at Nationals Park against foes with a winning record.
The Mets rank last in the majors in batting average and are second from the bottom in runs and OPS.
Harvey is 3-4 with a 3.22 ERA on the road this year as he continues to work his way back from last year's Tommy John surgery. New York has won only once during Harvey's last six road starts.
The Mets have dropped 20 of their past 30 road contests and are 4-13 in their last 17 road matchups when taking on a foe with a winning home mark.

Miami has lost 13 of its last 15 road games and is having problems scoring minus Giancarlo Stanton and Dee Gordon, its two best offensive players.
The Marlins were only able to manage two runs in 11 1/3 innings facing Adam Morgan and Chad Billingsley during the first two games of the series. Now they draw lefty Cole Hamels, by far the Phillies' best pitcher.
Hamels has given up two or fewer runs in 12 of his 18 starts with a 123-to-37 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
The Marlins have lost seven of the past eight times when facing a lefty starter and also have the second-worst road mark in baseball.
Miami starter Dan Haren always has been a better first-half pitcher. The Marlins have dropped four of his last five road starts. Haren is just 2-6 with a 4.24 ERA in 12 career outings versus the Phillies.

The Mariners have won 67 percent of their 18 games Felix Hernandez has started this season. Once again, King Felix is stating his case of being the best pitcher in the American League.
Hernandez is in outstanding form with a 1.56 ERA in his last five starts. He is 5-1 with a 1.37 ERA in seven career starts at the new Yankee Stadium.
Robinson Cano finally looks untracked and Seattle should do damage against over-the-hill CC Sabathia, who has a 5.04 ERA during the past 2 1/2 seasons.
The price is low to take advantage of Seattle's huge pitching advantage.

The Angels are hot winning 12 of their last 15 and have a huge pitching edge in this matchup with Garrett Richards going against Rick Porcello.
Richards is 5- with a 2.25 ERA in seven home starts this season. The Angels are 23-8 (74%) in Richards' last 31 home starts.
Porcello is having a terrible season. The sinkerball pitcher has been giving up too many fly balls as evident by surrendering 16 homers in 100 2/3 innings this season. Porcello's 5.90 ERA is the worst in the American League for any full-time starter.
Porcello hasn't just been victimized by pitching at Fenway Park. He's 0-4 in his last five road outings with a 9.59 ERA during this span. The two key Angels - Mike Trout and Albert Pujols - are batting a combined .323 against him.
This will be Porcello's fourth career start in Anaheim. He's 0-2 there with an 11.25 ERA. The Angels have beaten Boston seven of the last 10 times they've hosted the Red Sox.

No doubt the Cubs have a lot of talent. They also have a lot of youth and may not be fully focused in their first game following the four-day All-Star break.
Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks is on a 22 1/3 inning scoreless streak. But he'll be without Chicago's No. 1 catcher, and sometime cleanup hitter, Miguel Montero. He's out with a thumb injury.
The Braves entered All-Star break having dropped five in a row. All of those losses, though, were on the road. They're now back at Turner Field where they have won seven of their past nine.
Braves starter Julio Teheran has been terrible on the road with a 1-4 mark and 6.95 ERA, but has been great at home going 5-0 with a 2.04 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in eight starts. Teheran has a string of 14 scoreless innings going at Turner Field.
Atlanta has won five of the last six times it has been a home 'dog and also is 11-2 during its past 13 meetings versus the Cubs. 

So what if Tuesday's All-Star Game is just a star-studded exhibition game. There are numerous factors that make the National League a worthy favorite to back at a low juice price.
Simply put, the NL has more stars going than the AL. The National League's starting lineup is stronger and more powerful especially since Miguel Cabrera, who leads the majors in batting .350, is out.
The National League is home and has the better starting pitcher going. The American League's composition is relief pitchers - some who doesn't deserve to be at this game - several mediocre hitting infielders and six Royals, most who are not All-Star worthy.
From top to bottom, the AL can't match the NL's starting eight of Andrew McCutchen, Todd Frazier, Bryce Harper, Paul Goldschmidt, Buster Posey, Anthony Rizzo, Jhonny Peralta, Joc Pederson and D.J. LeMahieu.
Dallas Keuchel has become an elite pitcher this season, but he's not in Zack Greinke class, or as hot as Greinke is. Nobody on this planet is. Greinke has the lowest ERA in the majors at 1.39 and a scoreless streak of 35 2/3 innings. No All-Star game starter has had a lower ERA since 1968.

The defending Grey Cup champion Stampeders have not looked good during their first two games. Their lackluster play caught up to them last week as they were upset by Montreal as a 9 1/2-point road favorite.
Toronto, on the other hand, is riding high posting upset victories against Edmonton and Saskatchewan.
Expect things to get back into a natural order with this matchup. Toronto is off an emotional overtime victory and on the road a third straight week. The Argonauts are stepping up in class. They are 1-5 ATS the past six times following a victory.
Bo Levi Mitchell and Calgary's offense are out of the gates slow. But the Stampeders have proven offensive talent, which should pick up now that Mitchell has gotten some of the kinks out and will have speedy wide receiver Jeff Fuller back.
Toronto fill-in quarterback Trevor Harris has been playing well above his head. Expect him to come back down to Earth.
The Stampeders have covered eight of the last nine times they've played a foe with a winning mark and are 23-7 (77%) ATS in their last 30 games following a loss so they have a good history in these type of spots.

Oakland and Cleveland are two of the most disappointing teams through the first half. The A's at least have somewhat of an excuse having gone 8-22 in games decided by one run. They have outscored their opponents by 42 runs. Cleveland, by contrast, is minus 17 in run differential.
The A's have been playing better winning 26 of their last 46 games. They finally won a one-run game on Saturday, which is a morale booster.
The pitching matchup is Sonny Gray versus Corey Kluber. I like Kluber, but I like Gray better.
Kluber had his magical season last year when he won the Cy Young Award. He's been dogged by bad luck this season. He's just 4-9. He's won only twice since May 28. His ERA is up a full run higher than last season at 3.45. Kluber also has struggled against Oakland with an 0-3 career mark in four appearances. The A's are batting .324 against him.
Gray hasn't been at a plus price all season. There's good reason for this. He's 9-3 with a 2.20 ERA. His strikeouts are up from his career number and his walks are down. He also has one of the lowest line drive rates.
Gray has been outstanding on the road posting a 6-1 mark with a 2.10 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. The Indians have been terrible all season at not driving in runners in scoring position.

James Shields shouldn't be an underdog to Colby Lewis.
San Diego is a huge disappointment, but the Rangers have cooled off going 5-13 in their last 18 games.
Shields is one of the few San Diego pitchers to receive excellent run support. He's 7-3 and enjoying the best strikeout season of his distinguished career averaging more than 10 per nine innings.
What has hurt Shields is giving up the long ball. However, he's surrendered only two homers during his past seven starts.
Lewis has a 4.83 ERA. He was torched in his last start, giving up 10 runs on 12 hits to the Angels in just four innings.

Matt Harvey still is very good, but he hasn't regained his pre-Tommy John surgery dominance. Harvey walked five in his last start this past Saturday losing 4-3 to the Dodgers.
The Mets need a great pitched game because their offense is so putrid. If you discount an eight-run performance against the Dodgers, the Mets are averaging 1.8 runs in their last nine games.
The Diamondbacks are much improved, have a far better offense and have been resilient going 8-3 the past 11 times following a defeat.
Patrick Corbin is making his second start since returning from Tommy John surgery. He was throwing strikes in his first game back, a 7-3 win over the Rockies. Corbin is a native New Yorker and will be pumped for this start. The Diamondbacks are 25-9 in Corbin's last 34 starts.

Matt Wisler is a nice prospect, but he's going to have problems pitching at Coors Field.

The Rockies are starting to hit and they have their best home pitcher going, Jorge De La Rosa.

De La Rosa is 6-1 with a 2.96 ERA in his last nine starts. 

Colorado is 52-13 in De La Rosa's last 65 starts at Coors Field. The Braves have dropped nine of their last 12 road games. 

I'm expecting to see fireworks. Neither pitcher is in good form. Jimmy Nelson remains inconsistent as he learns to become a pitcher and not just a thrower while Mike Bolsinger is suffering as he goes through the league a second time around with opponents now knowing his tendencies.

The Brewers' offense finally is at full strength with the return of Khris Davis to go with Ryan Braun, Carlos Gomez and Jonathan Lucroy. Gerrardo Parra is having a surprisingly strong season ranking among the top 10 in batting. The Dodgers' hitting is back on track, too. 

Lance Lynn is having a good season, but he's trumped by Gerrit Cole, who has twice as many wins and a lower ERA and WHIP.
This is a far more important game for the Pirates - and they have their ace going. St. Louis is 3-7 in Lynn's last 10 road starts. Pittsburgh is 19-7 in Cole's last 26 home outings.  
The Cardinals may have Matt Holiday available to pinch-hit, but they still are an injury-riddled team.
Despite losing the opener of the series, the Pirates still have the best record in baseball since May 9 going 37-19. They have won 10 of their last 13 and six of their past seven.
Pittsburgh is 29-16 at home this season. St. Louis traditionally struggles at PNC Park losing 15 of the last 23 there.

Rookie quarterback Rakeem Cato stepped up big last week to spark Montreal to a 29-11 upset win over Calgary, the defending Grey Cup champions. That win came at home and the Alouettes caught the Stampeders in a flat spot.
Now Montreal is in the flat spot and on the road, too. Winnipeg isn't going to take Montreal lightly like Calgary did. The Blue Bombers are off an embarrassing loss to the Tiger-Cats.
The line isn't that high because Blue Bombers quarterback Drew Willy Cato got banged-up last week. He's expected to be fine this week, though. Montreal's defense has been tough the first two weeks but I'm not sold on it. Winnipeg has some dangerous skill position players that I see the Alouettes having problems covering.
Note, too, that Montreal is 2-6 ATS in its last eight trips to Winnipeg and has failed to cover the past four times overall when playing the Blue Bombers.

Anytime Kyle Kendrick takes the mound at Coors Field it's not surprising to see a total above 10. Kendrick has surrendered the most homers in the league. He's really a bad fit for any team's rotation, especially pitching at Coors Field with his fly ball tendencies.
Still, in analyzing this matchup the under appears to be a solid play.
Kendrick catches a break because the Braves have hit the fewest homers in the majors. Freddie Freeman leads Atlanta in batting average and homers. He's the key to the Braves' offense. Freeman has been out, though, since June 18 with a wrist injury.
During the 19 games that Freeman has missed, Atlanta has been held to four or fewer runs 15 times. If you discount a nine-run game against the Phillies and their discarded starter, Kevin Correia, the Braves are averaging 2.3 runs during their past 15 games.
Atlanta's lineup is very weak without Freeman especially the bottom three spots. Journeyman Kelly Johnson bats cleanup against right-handed pitchers.
Kendrick also has good lifetime numbers versus Atlanta going 9-4 with a 3.44 ERA in 20 career starts.
Braves starter Alex Wood showed a lot of promise last season. He got off to a slow start this year, but has come back to give up three earned runs or fewer in nine of his last 11 starts.
The Rockies' offense is down with Corey Dickerson and defending batting champion Justin Morneau on the DL. Carlos Gonzalez is having a terrible season. Colorado is averaging a puny 2.3 runs per game during its last 10 games.

The won/lost record is skewed by bad run support, but Clayton Kershaw not initially being picked to the NL All-Star team is a joke.
Kershaw is going to be pitching against the Phillies, the worst team in the majors, with a chip on his shoulder. And the Dodgers won't be taking the Phillies lightly after losing, 7-2, to them last night.
If ever there was a kill spot in baseball this is it.
The Phillies are 11-32 on the road, worst in the majors. They are 1-14-1 in their last 16 away series. The Dodgers have won 68 percent of their last 59 home games going 40-19.
Philadelphia has lost 41 games by more than one run. There are 10 teams who haven't lost 41 games all season.
Kershaw still is the best pitcher in baseball. The three-time Cy Young Award winner leads the NL in strikeouts with 147 and has his highest career strikeout-per-nine inning ratio at 11.6. His walks per nine innings are down from his career average of 2.7 and his FIP, a metric that determines the quality of a pitching performance, is No. 2 in the National League.
The southpaw has dominated the Phillies with a 1.73 ERA against them in his last six starts. Philadelphia has lost seven of the past nine times facing a lefty.
The Phillies are starting rookie Adam Morgan, who has a 2.13 ERA in his first two starts. Expect a huge regression from Morgan as the league sees more of him. Morgan was 13-28 in 69 minor league games with a 3.53 ERA.

I can't see this game being close. The Phillies have the worst road record in baseball and have a huge pitching disadvantage here. They are demoralized having lost seven of their last eight.
Brett Anderson is having a huge comeback season. He's always had the talent, but has been held back due to injuries. Now he's healthy. He has a 17-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his last two games - road wins against the Marlins and Diamondbacks - and is the top groundball pitcher in baseball.
The weak-hitting Phillies are unfamiliar with Anderson, which is to their disadvantage. Only Ben Revere has faced Anderson.
The Dodgers should jump all over Phillies starter Chad Billingsley and a battered Philadelphia bullpen. Billingsley has been beset with injury problems and struggled in the minors with a 4.85 ERA. Billingsley is a righty. The Dodgers lead the majors in OPS versus righties.
Billingsley has made four starts this season. Opposing hitters are batting .363 against him. However, the Phillies are desperate for pitching after Sean O'Sullivan proved unworthy of holding a rotation spot.

Colorado is far more dangerous at home, especially when taking on young fly ball pitchers such as Andrew Heaney, who is unfamiliar with pin ball Coors Field.
The Rockies have a dangerous lineup. It's underachieved on the road, but is potent at home.
The key for Colorado is its pitching. Closer John Axford, the Rockies' top reliever, is back and the Rockies are starting Chad Bettis.
Bettis is under the radar screen. He has a 2-1 record with a 2.84 ERA in five home starts. The Angels have never faced him. Colorado is 4-1 in Bettis' five home starts and 7-3 during his past 10 overall starts.

Playing in an American League park is a huge plus for Arizona, who can now DH Yasmany Tomas while improving their outfield defense to go with strong infield defense.
The Rangers have lost six in a row at home. They are 4-11 in their last 15 overall games following a three sweep against the Angels where they were outscored, 33-8.
The price is high here because of a pitching matchup of Robbie Ray versus Yovani Gallardo. Ray has started to pitch better, while Gallardo is due for a regression. Gallorado also is pitching on less rest as the Rangers are going to give him two starts this week leading up to the All-Star break.
Arizona has shown signs of life. I like their mixture of power and speed. It should play well here.

Sonny Gray is a top pitcher who is not in top form. Gray has given up eight earned runs in his last two starts spanning 12 innings. Then he caught food poisoning and hasn't pitched since June 25. He may only go six innings at most due to lack of stamina, putting Oakland's vulnerable bullpen into heavy play.

Yankee starter Nathan Eovaldi doesn't go deep into games either. The Yankees' bullpen isn't as good as it was minus Andrew Miller. The A's lineup supports good career numbers against Eovaldi, who isn't as good as his 8-2 record may indicate with a 4.52 ERA.
It's a hitter's night, too, with temperatures in the low 80's and the wind blowing out.

Milwaukee has won eight in a row. The last seven of those victories have come on the road against the Phillies, the worst team in baseball, and the slumping Reds.

Now the Brewers return to Miller Park. The first home game following a long road trip often is not a good spot because of the travel and personal distractions. This is made worse for the Brewers because they also own the worst home record in baseball.
Not only is the situation vulnerable for the Brewers, but the pitching matchup isn't good for them. 
That's because it's Kyle Lohse's turn in the rotation. He's been one of the worst starters this year with a 6.25 ERA and a fat 8.16 home ERA. Yet the Brewers keep trotting him out in hopes he'll pitch a decent game so they can trade him. 
The fastball-hitting Brewers are likely to encounter trouble facing Atlanta rookie Matt Wisler for the first time. The 22-year-old Wisler is one of the better pitching prospects. This will be his third big league start. The Brewers have no experience with his slider and sinker, which are his two best pitches. 

Cleveland's Carlos Carrasco is pitching well, but he's trumped by southpaw Dallas Keuchel and a more power Astros offense.
Keuchel hasn't allowed a run in winning his last two starts spanning 17 innings. His strikeout-to-walk ratio during this span is 19-to-1.
The Astros have won 17 of the last 22 times (77%) Keuchel has been an underdog and are plus 27 runs on the road. 
The Indians can struggle versus lefties dropped six of their last seven when facing a southpaw starter. Keuchel has been dominant versus left-handed hitters this season.  

The All-Star break can't come soon enough for the Rockies.
Colorado has dropped seven of its last eight and is on the verge of being swept four games by the Diamondbacks in the desert. Judging by the Rockies' body language of last night and their brutal bullpen, they are a dead team. Only the Phillies have fewer wins than Colorado.
Arizona has won five of its last seven. The Diamondbacks are in a much better place right now than the Rockies. They have defeated Colorado eight of 11 times this year and are 16-6 versus the Rockies at Chase Field.
It's the battle of the De La Rosa's and I like Arizona's Rubby De La Rosa. He's always had good stuff, but now he's become a better and more savvy pitcher. He is pitching his finest ball going 2-0 with a 1.30 ERA in his last four starts. De La Rosa is 2-0 with a 2.14 ERA in five outings, including three starts, lifetime against the Diamondbacks.
Jorge De La Rosa traditionally struggles at Chase Field with an 0-7 lifetime mark and 4.36 ERA in nine starts.

David Hale is a groundball pitcher, who isn't keeping the ball down. He's given up 11 homers in 42 innings, which is the highest of any pitcher with at least 40 innings. Pitching at hitter-friendly Chase Field certainly isn't a plus for him.
Hale has an 8.10 ERA during his last three starts and an 11.81 career ERA in two career appearances versus Arizona. The Diamondbacks just saw him on June 24 banging him for five runs on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings.
At the rate he's going, Hale isn't long to keep his starting spot in the Rockies' rotation, weak as it is.
Making matters worse for Hale is Colorado's bullpen carries a high fatigue rating.
The Diamondbacks are averaging 5.6 runs in their last six games.
Patrick Corbin is going to make his first big league start in more than 21 months so there's a wild-card factor about Arizona's pitching. The Diamondbacks' middle relief has some soft spots and Corbin will be limited to 90 pitches. The lefty has a 4.09 ERA in seven lifetime starts against Colorado.
The Rockies rank a respectable eighth in the majors in slugging percentage against lefties despite having to face Madison Bumgarner, Dallas Keuchel, Cole Hamels and Clayton Kershaw in four of their last five games versus southpaws.
Both Colorado and Arizona rank in the top seven in the majors in runs scored and batting average. The over is 10-4-1 (71 percent) during the past 15 meetings in the series.
The Rockies have gone over the total 17 of the last 25 times that Paul Schrieber, the slated home plate umpire, has been behind the plate.

It's just Week 2 of the Canadian Football League season, but already Montreal is down to its fourth and fifth-string quarterbacks in rookies Rakeem Cato and Brandon Bridge.
The Alouettes are missing Dan LeFevour, out for the season following shoulder surgery, and Jonathan Crompton, who is on the six-game injured list also with a shoulder injury. These injuries would have resulted in Tanner Marsh becoming the starter, but he's out with a sprained knee leaving Cato and Bridge.
Montreal could manage just 16 points in its opener, a 20-16 loss to Ottawa. The Redblacks are just in their second season having won two games a year ago.
Now the Alouettes step way up in class taking on the defending Grey Cup champion Calgary Stampeders.
Montreal knows it can only stay in this game with an outstanding defensive effort. So expect a conservative offense and prime defensive effort. Being at home should help. Calgary also is in a flat spot having just defeated Hamilton in what was a rematch of last season's title game.
Note that the under has cashed in 18 of Montreal's last 25 games for 72 percent.

The Pirates have won 26 of 37 games since May 22 and starting pitcher Charlie Morton is a good fit against Cleveland.
Morton is a ground ball pitcher, doesn't walk many batters and can be tough on lefties. He also is a much better nighttime pitcher.
Morton is on an Interleague scoreless streak of 12 innings. The Indians have never faced him.
The Indians are going with Trevor Bauer, who is close to being the opposite of Morton. Bauer can strike out a lot of batters, but command remains a huge concern. He is 1-3 with a 7.40 ERA during his last four starts.
The Pirates have won their last seven Interleague games.

This is more than a fair price to get behind Gio Gonzalez, who has a 2.51 home ERA. Gonzalez is backed by a fresh bullpen and a Giants offense that is missing key outfielder Hunter Pence and has a banged-up Angel Pagan.

Jake Peavy is coming off the DL to make his first start since April 17. Peavy is well past his prime and not pitching in a spacious West Coast park. He's vulnerable here. He was just 0-2 with a 9.39 ERA before suffering a bad back that put him on the DL. 

I'm not sure if Peavy is physically even ready. He had an 0-3 mark with a 6.12 ERA in Triple A trying to work his way back. But the Giants are desperate with Tim Lincecum on the DL and Tim Hudson not 100 percent. 

Arizona is a better team than Colorado, has the more dependable closer with John Axford out for the Rockies and the Diamondbacks also have a superior starter going in Jeremy Hellickson against Chris Rusin.
Colorado's offense is exposed away from Coors Field where the Rockies suffer against righties minus Corey Dickerson and Justin Morneau. The Rockies managed only four runs in three games against the A's during their last series.
Hellickson can get strikeouts. Rusin can't. The league is not fooled by Rusin, who has a 7.48 ERA in his last four starts. Rusin has an 8.62 road mark in three away appearances.

The Royals return home after being swept by Houston. I want Kansas City going for me here off that sweep and am willing to lay this price.
Kyle Gibson has a 3.30 ERA for the Twins, but he's due for a regression. He's not good enough to sustain that ERA. His metrics of 4.30 FIP and 4.00 xFIP point to a regression happening.
Kansas City's Chris Young could be in for a regression, too, but he has a great defensive team behind him and is in a good ballpark being a fly ball pitcher. I see Young taming a weak Twins offense

I won an easy totals winner on Wednesday with these teams over 8 and I'm coming back on the same play today.
The Brewers are swinging hot bats scoring 20 runs and banging out 43 hits during the first three games of this series. They should do plenty of damage against brittle Chad Billingsley, who has been out since May 15. Billingsley had a 5.06 ERA in three Triple A rehab appearances. Billingsley missed all of last season and much of 2013 with elbow injuries.
Brewers starter Matt Garza is having a down season with a 5.52 ERA and facing an underrated Phillies offense in a hitter's park.  Garza's strikeout rate has declined five straight seasons now and he's not making up for it with his command.

There is a lot of randomness and a short total here with Matt Cain facing Jose Fernandez. Both pitchers are making their season debuts after being hurt.
Cain has been good, but Fernandez has superstar upside. However, he's going to be rusty and the Marlins are going to be extra careful with him. I doubt he goes deep into the game.
The Giants are nine games better than the Marlins, who remember are without their best power hitter by far, Giancarlo Stanton.
So taking the underdog here makes sense.

The Cubs have beaten the Mets seven consecutive times, have the better offense and the superior pitcher going in a matchup of Jon Lester versus Bartolo Colon.
Chicago has a lot of young, promising hitters while the Mets rank in the bottom four in runs, batting average and OPS. New York has scored two or fewer runs in 10 of its last 12 games.
Lester is far better than his pitching numbers have shown so far this season. He's been hurt by the switch to the National League where he has to bat and deal with more running teams. The Mets, though, are not a running team lacking stolen base threats. The Mets are just average against lefties.
I see Lester holding the puny Mets offense in check while the Cubs do damage against 42-year-old Colon. By now we know Colon's pattern. Start out strong and then fade as his body and velocity wear down.
This is holding up again this season. Colon had a 3.31 ERA in April. But his ERA climbed to 6.00 in May and was 5.40 in June with batters hitting .303 against him for the month. Colon has surrendered 11 runs on 19 hits during his last 10 1/3 innings.

Value play here as Oakland isn't good enough this season to lay this big price against a team's No. 1 pitcher.
Colorado starter Jorge De La Rosa is 2-1 with a 1.86 ERA in three road starts this season. The Rockies are 47-20 in his last 67 starts against under .500 opponents.
De La Rosa is a southpaw and Oakland has lost 12 of its past 16 home games versus a lefty.
Oakland is such a big favorite because Sonny Gray is pitching. The Rockies, though, have plenty of firepower and Gray hasn't been dominant during his last two starts allowing nine runs in 12 innings.

I'm not sold on the Indians' hitting nor on Danny Salazar, who I believe is regressing. The Indians just were shut out in both games of a doubleheader two days ago.
Cleveland bounced back with a big offensive game against Tampa Bay's relievers last night, but are 9-23 the last 32 times following a victory. Tampa Bay, by contrast, is 8-3 the past 11 times following a defeat.
Salazar is off his shortest outing of the season after giving up seven runs (six earned) in 4 1/3 innings this past Tuesday against Detroit.
Rays starter Erasmo Ramirez has come on to go 6-1 with a 2.24 ERA during his last 15 appearances, including nine starts. Tampa Bay has won four of his past five home starts.

In 2015 a Gerrit Cole versus Justin Verlander matchup is a huge mismatch.
Cole has already become one of the elite pitchers in baseball in just his second season, while Verlander is in sharp decline.
Cole is 11-3 with a 2.16 ERA and 2.72 FIP. Cole is 6-1 in his last eight interleague starts and also is 6-1 on the road this season with a 1.71 ERA. The Pirates have won during each of Cole's last six interleague starts.
The Tigers are 3-7 in Verlander's last 10 starts against a team with a winning record.

LA can't be this high of a road favorite with Mike Bolsinger on the mound. The Diamondbacks know Bolsinger, a former teammate, well. Bolsinger beat the Diamondbacks three weeks ago, but does not have a good record when facing a team a second time with a  6.59 ERA in three games against foes he pitched against earlier.
Bolsinger also has a 3.81 ERA in five road starts this season.
Diamondbacks starter Allen Webster has been struggling, but the price is high enough to back him. The Dodgers could come in flat as this is their third different venue in five days and third different time zone. They have played 31 games during the last 31 days, too.

I don't see rookie Cody Anderson duplicating what he did during his first big league start. Anderson beat the Rays, 1-0, holding them to six hits in 7 2/3 innings. That was on June 21.
Anderson has not pitched since. That's too long for a pitcher to go between starts. This also will be the Rays' second look in eight days at Anderson. Tampa Bay has professional hitters. They are going to be far more prepared.
Cleveland is not playing well dropping seven of its last nine. The Indians were shut out in both games of their doubleheader loss to the Orioles last night not finishing the second game into late into the evening. So not only is there a loss of confidence for the Indians, but also a bullpen and physical fatigue factor that comes into play.
Tampa Bay starter Nathan Karns has become a solid middle-of-the-rotation guy. He's in excellent form with a 1.04 ERA in his last three outings spanning 17 1/3 innings. He's more trustworthy than the largely untested Anderson, who is backed by a punchless offense.

There is a lot of history and factors to back Felix Hernandez and the Mariners not to mention a fair price on the line.
King Felix is truly a king on Sunday. Seattle is 9-0 during his past nine Sunday starts. Hernandez also has beaten the Angels five straight times posting a 1.04 ERA in these games. Two of those five consecutive victories have occurred this season.
Hernandez is pitching on five day's rest. The Marines are 16-5 the past 21 times that has happened. Seattle also is 6-1 the past seven times following a loss.
Angels starter Hector Santiago hasn't won this month. He has a 4.57 lifetime ERA versus the Mariners in 10 appearances. The Angels are 5-11 the last 16 times Santiago has been a 'dog and also are 0-5 the last five times he's pitched on Sunday.

Edmonton had the top defense in the CFL last year and gets to face Toronto backup quarterback Trevor Harris, who is replacing injured starter Ricky Ray.
The Eskimos led the league in fewest points allowed per game last year. The Argonauts have gone under 10 of the past 12 years in their opening game. They are breaking in new receivers to go with their backup quarterback.
Toronto has a strong pass rush and won't have to worry about Edmonton's star running back, John White, who suffered a season-ending injury in training camp.