Game of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #905 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in St Louis Cardinals vs San Diego Padres @ 8:15 ET - This total dropped from an 8.5 to an 8 and that is adding some additional value here. The Padres game stayed under the total yesterday but their 3-1 win gave them the series win. That was the 4th straight series win for San Diego and, as a result, this is a team playing with a lot of confidence right now. The Padres have won 9 of their last 12 games. Also, the over is 9-4 their last 13 games as San Diego has averaged 5 runs per game their last dozen games. Jordan Lyles gets the start for the Padres here and he has struggled in both of his road starts this season. He has been roughed up in his last 4 starts overall as Lyles has compiled a 7.89 ERA in those outings. As you would expect with numbers like this, the over is 4-0 in his last 4 starts. The Cardinals game stayed just under the closing number yesterday but the over was 4-1 in their 5 prior games. The Cards did pound out 11 hits yesterday and they're averaging 9.5 hits per game their last 6 games. St Louis will have Jack Flaherty on the mound for this one and he is winless with a 4.21 ERA (and a .294 BAA) in his night starts this season. He also was winless with a 6.06 ERA (and .290 BAA) in night action last season so this is a long-term trend. Flaherty enters this start having been roughed up in each of his last two outings and both of those starts were at home too! 10* OVER the total in St Louis

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach MLB Game #901 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Miami Marlins vs San Francisco Giants @ 7:10 ET - The Giants Madison Bumgarner is still trying to get back to 100% and this will be just his 2nd start. Though he allowed only 2 earned runs in his first start back he did have only 3 strikeouts plus allowed 8 hits in his 6 innings of work. The southpaw faces a Marlins team that hasn't been hitting great overall on the season but had averaged a respectable 9 hits per game in their dozen games prior to Sunday's action. Miami has averaged 5 runs per game their last 6 games even after a poor performance at the plate Sunday. They should bounce back against Bumgarner as he continues to try to work back into top form. We also can expect big runs from the Giants offense here. Wei-Yin Chen has given up 6 earned runs in 6 innings spanning his last two starts. The fact Chen hasn't been able to work deep into starts is also likely to be a major issue here because the Miami bullpen ranks deadlast in the National League with a 5.34 ERA on the season! Chen and the relievers will be exposed again here as they take on a Giants team playing with a lot of confidence right now. San Francisco has suddenly gotten hot and they've won 8 of their last 10 games. The Giants have averaged 5 runs per game their last dozen games and 10.3 hits per game in these 12 contests. San Francisco had 3 straight overs before yesterday's low-scoring shutout win. Also, the Giants are 15-9 to the over this season against left-handed starters. The Marlins were 8-4 to the over their last dozen games prior to yesterday's low-scoring loss. 10* OVER the total in Miami

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #975 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Texas Rangers vs Houston Astros @ 3:05 ET - Dallas Keuchel is known in recent seasons for pitching much better at home than on the road. That trend has held true versus the Rangers too as Keuchel has often shut them down at home but struggled on the road. Since the 2015 season, the Astros southpaw has a 4.71 ERA in starts at Globe Life Park in Arlington and Texas has hit well over .300 against him in those starts. Not only that, Keuchel enters this start in poor current form as he had a 6.75 ERA over his last 4 starts. He won't be the only lefty getting roughed up here as the Rangers hand the ball to Matt Moore. The Texas southpaw went winless in 5 May starts while compiling a 10.80 ERA. Moore than began this month by allowing 8 hits in 6 innings with only 2 strikeouts. He has given up 7 earned runs in 7 innings versus the Astros this season and the Astros have averaged scoring 5 runs per game in their last 13 games. The over was 6-1 in Houston's last 7 games before yesterday's game stayed under the total. The Rangers have averaged 4.6 runs per game in their last 5 games. Texas has gone 9-2 to the over in Moore's 11 starts this season and the Rangers over is 8-1 (89%) in his starts when they are an underdog. 10* OVER the total in Texas

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach MLB Game #911 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Colorado Rockies vs Arizona Diamondbacks @ 7:15 ET - With last night's game flying over the total, Colorado is now on a 9-0 run to the over their last 9 games. Yes, this total is a big one and that is what will make many uncomfortable with the over here but these are the kind of situations that win. Where others fear to tread is often where you find the best path to tread in your quest for a winning ticket. The Rockies Chad Bettis has a 7.24 ERA at Coors Field in his 5 starts there this season. The Colorado right-hander might rather be facing a team other than the Diamondbacks too! In his 10 games (7 starts) versus Arizona in his career he has an 8.44 ERA. The good news for Bettis and Rockies fans alike is the fact that he should get plenty of run support in this match-up. That is because the Colorado lineup will be "teeing off" against Matt Koch. It will be the first-ever start at hitter-friendly Coors Field for the inexperienced 27-year old right-hander. First starts at Coors Field rarely go well for young (or inexperienced MLB pitchers) and I expect Koch will receive a rough introduction here on a hot day at Coors Field with very dry air and an early start (5:15 PM local time) meaning the ball should carry very well here with temperatures still in the 90s at first pitch here and ultra dry air. Koch is off of his best start this season but he faced a Miami team that is struggling badly. In his 3 prior starts the Diamondbacks right-hander gave up 14 earned runs on 23 hits in 14 and 2/3 innings! Arizona has averaged 6.1 runs per game in their last 10 games. Colorado has averaged 6.3 runs per game in their last 13 games. The over is 14-4 this season in Diamondbacks games where Arizona's money line ranges from -125 to +125. Look for another one here! 10* OVER the total in Colorado

Game of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #907 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cincinnati Reds vs St Louis Cardinals @ 4:10 ET - Yesterday's game totaled 13 runs and the over is now a perfect 8-0 in the Reds last 8 games. Yes, the Cardinals Michael Wacha had a no-hitter going until the 9th inning of his most recent start but pitchers often fall well short in their next start after a stellar outing like that. Yes, the Reds Luis Castillo has good stuff but the full-season numbers don't lie and he has a 5.64 ERA on the year and the over is 8-4-1 in his 13 starts YTD. Castillo gave up 7 hits and walked 4 in just 5 innings when he faced the Cards earlier this season. Also, Wacha will be giving the Reds a 3rd look at him as he has already had 2 starts versus Cincinnati this season. With that said, it could be a tough one too for Wacha as Cincy is really swinging the bats well right now. Cincinnati has averaged 5.1 runs per game their last 8 games but, even more impressive than that is the fact they've averaged 11.2 hits per game their last dozen games! The Cardinals have scored at least 6 runs in 3 of their last 4 road games versus a right-handed starter. The Reds are 78-48 to the over in games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs. The over is now on a 39-18 in Reds June games after another high-scoring one last night. Look for another one this afternoon as it will be a hot one at Great American Ball Park and the ball carries particularly well in day games at this ball park. 10* OVER the total in Cincinnati

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach MLB Game #957 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cincinnati Reds vs St Louis Cardinals @ 7:10 ET - Hitter friendly park and a match-up of two pitchers likely to struggle. Don't be fooled by the big total posted on this one. It is justified fully. The Reds Matt Harvey enjoyed a brief resurgence when he first came over to the Reds from the Mets. However, he has quickly faded in Cincinnati. With yesterday's 7-5 Reds win over the Rockies, the over is now 7-0 in Cincinnati's last 7 games. As for Harvey, he had a good start versus Pittsburgh but, in his other 3 starts since mid-May, he has allowed 11 earned runs on 22 hits in just 15 innings of work. Luke Weaver gets the start for St Louis here and he is off of a solid start. However, he previously had allowed 4 earned runs or more in 5 of his 8 prior starts. He'll be facing a Reds lineup that is much more confident when at home. As for the Cardinals lineup, they should have no trouble with the offerings of the very inconsistent Harvey. The Cards game stayed under the total yesterday but that was with a solid Miles Mikolas on the mound. Today their hurler, Weaver, gives up plenty but the Cards also strike for plenty against Harvey. The result should be a back and forth slugfest at hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park. The weather will be very warm and the ball should carry well, as per usual, in Cincinnati. Look for the Reds OVER to make it 8 in a row. 10* OVER the total in Cincinnati

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #911 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Blue Jays vs Baltimore Orioles @ 7:05 ET - The Blue Jays went 13 innings without scoring yesterday as they lost 3-0 to the Yankees. That was certainly an "ugly" over play for me but I am coming right back with it today. The Jays are happy that the Yankees have left down and will welcome a struggling Orioles team to Toronto tonight. The over is 11-6 this season in Blue Jays games versus teams with a losing record this season. Also, the over is 3-1-1 this season when Toronto is a home favorite in a range of -125 to -175. Only 2 of the Jays 8 Thursday games so far this season have stayed under the total. The Orioles are also off of a pitchers duel yesterday (a free pick winner for me with the under) as they beat the Mets 1-0 Wednesday afternoon. However, Baltimore is 9-4 to the over this season in road games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs. Also, the Orioles David Hess certainly has respectable numbers on the season but he doesn't get a lot of strikeouts and he was roughed up in a road start at Boston. This will be just the 3rd road start for the rookie right-hander and I expect another ugly one like he had at Fenway Park. As for his counterpart tonight, lefty Jaime Garcia gets the start for the Blue Jays. He has struggled badly this season, particularly against right-handed hitters and the Orioles are loaded on that side of the plate. Also, he has a 6.47 ERA on the season including an ugly 8.02 ERA in his last 3 starts. After all those zeroes for inning after inning for each of these two teams' games yesterday, I will go contrarian today and look for a ton of runs as that is so often what happens after game like that. This is particularly true when the pitching match-up is like this one. Hess is still an unproven rookie and Garcia is "proven" but he is proven in this way: he struggles more often than not! 10* OVER the total in Toronto 

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #957 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cincinnati Reds vs Colorado Rockies @ 7:10 ET - The under is 2-0 in Sal Romano's 2 starts versus the Rockies and 2-1 in Jon Gray's 3 starts versus the Reds but I am going contrarian here with the over. The fact is that both of these pitchers are in poor current form and that is resulting in great line value here with the low total posted on this game. Romano has an ugly 11.21 ERA in his last 4 starts. Gray has an ugly 9.33 ERA in his last 4 starts. With yesterday's game totaling 15 runs, Cincinnati is now on a 5-0 run to the over and Colorado is on a 6-0 run to the over. The Rockies have averaged 6.7 runs per game in their last 10 games. The Reds have averaged 5.5 runs per game in their last 4 home games. The ball is known for carrying well at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. The over is a long-term 77-48 in Reds game with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs. June games for Cincy are now 36-18 to the over the past 2+ seasons. Only 1 of Gray's 5 road starts this season have resulted in an under. The over is 4-2 in Romano's 6 home starts this season. Also, these guys just faced other at Coors Field and each of them gave up at least 4 earned runs in that one. I expect more of the same here based on the way these two pitchers are currently throwing. 10* OVER the total in Cincinnati

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #963 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Blue Jays vs New York Yankees @ 7:05 ET - Even though there were not a lot of hits in yesterday's game (particularly from the Blue Jays) the teams did combine for 4 homers as each team hit a pair of long balls. There should be a lot more of that coming Wednesday with this pitching match-up. The Blue Jays Sam Gaviglio has allowed a pair of homers in each of his last two starts and now faces the Bronx Bombers. The Yankees Sonny Gray has allowed a round-tripper in each of his last two starts and also has struggled versus Toronto. In his last two starts versus the Blue Jays, Gray has given up 12 hits plus walked 7 as he has allowed 6 earned runs in just 7 and 1/3 innings. None of Gaviglio's 3 starts have resulted in an under and only 3 of Gray's 11 starts this season have stayed under the total. Despite yesterday's game staying just under the total, the over is still 6-2 in the Jays last 8 games and that was just the 4th under in the Yankees last 11 road games. Toronto has played 35 games versus a right-handed starter this season and only 12 stayed under the total. The Yankees are 18-7 to the over this season in their games against teams with a losing record. Look for another one here as the homers keep flying at the Rogers Centre. 10* OVER the total in Toronto 

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #913 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Blue Jays vs New York Yankees @ 7:05 ET - The Yankees are off of a double header yesterday so some will shy away from having anything to do with them here. That is where the contrarian aspect to this comes in. That's because I fully expect a very focused effort from the Yankees at the plate in this one after they lost the 2nd game of yesterday's twin-bill by a score of 4-2. The Yankees had won 5 straight games and averaged scoring 6 runs per game before that loss last night. Tuesday they'll take advantage of facing a struggling Marco Estrada. The Blue Jays right-hander hasn't won a game since April 20th. Also, in his last 4 starts he has taken the loss in all 4 while compiling an ugly 6.53 ERA. Going even further back, note that Estrada has allowed at least 4 earned runs in 7 of his last 9 starts. The good news for Blue Jays fans is that they also should enjoy a lot of success at the plate in this one. Toronto will take advantage of facing a struggling CC Sabathia. The Yankees left-hander has given up 20 runs (16 earned) in his last 18 and 1/3 innings! In his last 3 starts Sabathia has walked 9 in only 14 and 1/3 innings of work. The lefty has only gone more than 5 innings 3 times in his 10 starts. The over is 18-6 this season in Yankees games versus teams with a losing record. Also, the over is 24-13 in Yanks games versus a right-handed starter. This will be the 30th game this season in which the Blue Jays have faced a team with a winning record and so far ONLY 10 of those games have resulted in an under. Look for a slugfest north of the border. 10* OVER the total in Toronto

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach MLB Game #953 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in San Francisco Giants vs Arizona Diamondbacks @ 10:10 ET - Both teams are off of series sweeps as the Diamondbacks faced the miserable Marlins and the Giants faced the slumping Phillies. That said, there is great value here because we have a low total to work with and yet both of these lineups are loaded with confidence right now. Arizona had been slumping badly at the plate but they've now won 5 of their last 6 games and have averaged scoring 7 runs per game during this solid stretch. The Giants have won 4 straight and have averaged a respectable 4.5 runs per game and a solid 10.3 hits per game in their last 8 games. San Francisco should enjoy success against Zack Godley here. The Giants will be getting their 2nd look at him this season. Though Godley was successful in the first meeting, he was hit hard by San Francisco when he faced them in late September. Considering he has a 5.81 ERA in road starts this season he is unlikely to again enjoy success at AT & T Park here. The Diamondbacks also should have a big day at the plate here as they face lefty Derek Holland. Arizona has a .469 slugging percentage versus southpaw pitchers this season and that ranks them #1 out of all 30 MLB teams! Holland is 1-5 with a 5.93 ERA in his 8 night starts this season. This is no fluke either as the 3 prior years he went a combined 10-18 with a 6.40 ERA and a .303 BAA in evening outings. He was matched up with Godley in that prior start which did stay under the total but the rematch, as you can see per the above, is likely to turn out much different. Neither pitcher is currently in good form. The over is 11-4 this season when Arizona is on the road and the money line ranges from +125 to -125. Look for another one here as both starters struggle and both lineups get revenge in the rematch from April 9th. 10* OVER the total in San Francisco

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #921 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Kansas City Royals vs Oakland A's @ 2:15 ET - I was handed a tough push with this match-up yesterday but won't hesitate to come right back with the over today. Jakob Junis gets the start for the Royals and the A's did face him in August so this won't be their first look at him. Also, the KC right-hander gave up 6 hits and 4 walks in 6 innings in his most recent home start plus allowed 7 hits in 5 and 1/3 innings in his prior start at Kauffman Stadium. Oakland has averaged 9 runs per game in their last 3 games so they've got plenty of confidence at the plate right now. The Athletics issue however will be their starting pitcher. Even though the Royals have never faced Daniel Gossett it will prove not to matter because he is struggling. Gossett is now 4-14 with a 6.10 ERA and a .305 BAA in his 22 MLB starts. Though he has pitched well at the AAA level, like so many other hurlers before him, he is finding out just how tough it is to make the jump from the minors to the majors. The A's have played 15 road games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs this season and, so far, only 3 (20%) have resulted in an under! There have been 3 pushes and the other dozen games went 9-3 (75%) to the over and this match-up is conducive to yet another one flying over the total. The Royals have now scored 5 runs or more in 7 of their last 11 games. 10* OVER the total in Kansas City 

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #957 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Colorado Rockies vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 7:15 ET - This total moved down from an 11 to a 10.5 which means we just need 5 runs from each team and we've got a guaranteed winner. Of course that's because the game can't end with anything less than a 6-5 once we're knotted at 5 apiece. Why would I expect each team to get to 5 runs here? Well the Rockies have averaged nearly 7 runs per game so far on this homestand and only 1 of the 7 games thusfar has seen Colorado score less than 5 runs. As for the Dodgers, their bats are starting to heat up and they've scored at least 5 runs in 5 of their last 7 games. We're getting value because Los Angeles rookie Walker Buehler is having a great season and German Marquez is off of back to back solid outings for the Rockies. The key here is to dig a little deeper though and there is much more "under the surface" of this one. Buehler has made only 2 true road starts as the 3rd one was really a neutral site game in Mexico. That said, note that he allowed 13 hits in 10 innings spanning the two true road starts and those were at Miami and San Francisco. Neither the Marlins or Giants are nearly as imposing (not even close) as the Rockies at Coors Field. This is such a hitter friendly venue and tends to be very tough on rookie hurlers. It also helps the Colorado lineup that they just saw Buehler less than 2 weeks ago in LA. As for Marquez, he was great against Los Angeles in that same outing Buehler pitched in 2 weeks ago but that was at pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium. However, now Marquez is back home and even after a RARE strong home start (versus a horrible Reds team I might add), he still has an ugly 7.54 ERA and 1.99 WHIP in home starts this season. The over is 3-0 in the last 3 road games for Los Angeles and 3-0 in Colorado's last 3 home games. Also, the over is 24-12 in LA's games versus right-handed starters this season and I look for the over to improve to 8-4 in Dodgers Saturday games this season. 10* OVER the total in Colorado

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #971 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Tigers vs Toronto Blue Jays @ 4:10 ET - This total opened up at a 9 and, as expected, markets are jumping on the under and that has this total down to an 8.5 and we might even see a few spots end up at an 8 on this one. I will gladly fade the masses here. The Tigers pen has performed surprisingly well the past two days and the Blue Jays pen was called into play in the 2nd inning yesterday and had an unusually strong performance. Toronto and Detroit both are near the bottom of the majors for batting average allowed by relievers as both bullpens are allowing .262 BAA on the season. The Tigers bullpen has a 4.40 ERA which is better than only 2 other American League teams. The starters in this match-up are J.A. Happ and Matthew Boyd. I know Happ has good numbers this season and of late. However, in his last visit to Comerica Park he gave up 6 earned runs in 5 innings. Happ will be dealing with a confident Tigers lineup as Detroit is on a 7-2 run and has averaged 5 runs and 10 hits per game during this solid run. As for Tigers starter Boyd, the Blue Jays lineup (just like the Detroit lineup) is facing a left-handed starter for the 3rd straight game. This type of repetition tends to favor the hitters. The Jays slugging percentage in day games this season is .424 which is 9th out of all 30 teams. Boyd's career began with the Toronto organization and sometimes pitchers try to "overdo it" when facing their former team. He has walked 10 plus allowed 4 homers in his 3 starts spanning just 16 and 1/3 innings versus the Blue Jays. So the Jays will surely "get theirs" this afternoon and one final note about the Tigers - they are hitting .279 versus lefties this season and that ranks them #1 in the American League! Happ will have his hands full with this confident lineup today and none of his four road starts have resulted in an under this season. The over is 16-9 in Toronto's road games this season and 10-6 in Tigers games versus left-handed starters. 10* OVER the total in Detroit 

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #917 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Tigers vs Toronto Blue Jays @ 7:10 ET - This total opened up at a 10 and has dropped to a 9 and, in typical contrarian fashion, I am on the other side of the move! This game should fly over the total. The reason that Blaine Hardy has been a reliever for most of his MLB career is because he can't get right-handed batters out consistently. Seriously they have given him hell through his career so he has been better used as a "lefty specialist" out of the bullpen. Now, as a starter, certainly match-ups come up that will again "give him hell" and this is one of them. The Blue Jays lineup is loaded with right-handed bats and switch-hitters so Friday it is likely that he'll face almost all right-handed sticks and that is not going to turn out well for him. Yes, Hardy had a good start in his most recent outing but prior to that he was hit hard in each of his first two starts and the betting markets are over-reacting to one good start for him and one good start for Jaime Garcia. The Blue Jays southpaw pitched surprisingly well versus the Phillies but previously had walked 8 batters in less than 9 innings of work spanning his two prior starts. Even with the strong road start at Philadelphia, Garcia has a 7.30 ERA on the road this season and he'll struggle at Detroit this evening. The Tigers have averaged scoring 5 runs per game in their last 8 games. The over is 10-5 in Tigers games versus left-handed starters this season. The over is 7-3 in Toronto's road games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs this season. 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Friday

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Game #961 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Tigers vs Los Angeles Tigers @ 1:10 ET - As a general rule, I particularly like to look for overs in games where the home team is pitcher is likely to struggle. That's because home teams do tend to hit better in their own venue and so if the road team is also putting up big runs these are generally the types of games that get "crazy" and that is what I am expecting at Comerica Park early Thursday. The Angels are starting southpaw Andrew Heaney and he has had a strong campaign thus far. However, the Tigers do rank 5th in the majors (out of 30) with a .267 batting average versus left-handed pitching on the season. Very warm in Detroit this afternoon with the wind pushing toward the left-field corner so the ball should carry quite well off of right-handed bats in particular and there will be plenty of those in the lineup for both teams as the Tigers are also starting a southpaw here. Ryan Carpenter gets the call for Detroit and the 6'5 lefty has an 8.31 ERA in limited MLB action this season but also has struggled in the minors. His ERA this season with AAA Toledo is a 5.72 and the two prior seasons with AAA Albuquerque Carpenter compiled a 5.17 ERA. All those stats against minor league hitters keep in mind so it is no wonder he has struggled at the MLB level. Behind him is a Tigers bullpen whose 4.53 ERA ranks them 27th out of all 30 MLB teams. While the Angels pen ranks higher, the Los Angeles relievers do rank in the lower half of MLB for BAA as opponents have hit .254 against them on the season. Yesterday the Angels pen got roughed up but the game still managed to stay under the total. Today don't be surprised if both starters "give it up" and so too will the pens! In Angels road games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs this season, only 4 of 12 have stayed under the total. The Tigers are 11-6 to the over this season against teams with a winning record and also 10-4 to the over when facing a left-handed starter! 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #903 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Arizona Diamondbacks vs Cincinnati Reds @ 3:40 ET - The Reds bullpen has improved as the season has gone on but I still don't trust them. Couple that with the fact that Sal Romano is likely to get knocked out early in this one and you have a great situation for taking advantage of a low total and grabbing the over. Cincinnati's Romano is 0-3 with an insane 12.80 ERA and 2.69 WHIP in his last 3 starts. He won't be able to stop a Diamondbacks offense that has taken advantage of facing the Reds sub-par pitching by exploding for 17 runs in the first two games of this series. Yes, it is true that Arizona only had 4 hits yesterday (but 5 runs) and overall the Diamondbacks had been struggling at the plate for an extended stretch. However, facing Romano in a severe down cycle is going to allow Arizona to again explode at the plate. Keep in mind, they rocked him last July for 6 earned runs in just 4 innings of work. Unlike Romano, the Dbacks Pat Corbin has been very strong on the mound this season. However, he has allowed 22 hits in 15 and 1/3 innings spanning his last 3 starts versus the Reds. Cincinnati was averaging 5 runs per game in their 7 games prior to last night's game in which they managed only 2 runs. Look for the Reds (#5 in the NL for on base percentage versus left-handers) to bounce back against the southpaw Corbin. The over is 4-0-1 in Corbin's 5 starts this month! Each of Romano's last 3 starts have been games that have totaled at least 9 runs. The over is a long-term 35-23 in home games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs and I am calling for another one here on Wednesday afternoon. 10* OVER the total in Arizona

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach MLB Game #957 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Colorado Rockies vs San Francisco Giants @ 8:40 ET - Yesterday's game was another game at Coors Field filled with wasted opportunities. The total did drop to an 11 at most spots yesterday but I did release at 11.5 and I lost the play. That said, I am coming right back with the same play today as all the "close calls" at Coors with the overs have led to value here. Yes, the Rockies have trended under of late and on the season. However, this total opened at an 11.5 and has already drop to 11 which, as we saw yesterday, is a key number with baseball totals. That's because a 5-5 game can't end with anything less than a 6-5 final and, once again today, I expect both teams to get at least 5 runs. The Giants just saw the Rockies Kyle Freeland and Colorado just saw San Francisco's Jeff Samardzija. Both hurlers fared well in their respective starts but that was at pitcher-friendly AT & T Park. Now, at hitter-friendly Coors Field (and having just seen these hurlers) the lineups hold a big edge tonight. The last time Freeland faced the Giants at Coors Field he allowed 5 runs (3 earned) on 7 hits in just 3 and 1/3 innings. The last time Samardzija faced the Rockies at Coors Field he allowed 8 earned runs on 11 hits in 6 innings of work. Both of these outings occurred within the past 12 months so it is not as if it is "ancient history" either. The over is 5-1-1 in Samardzija's 7 starts this season. The Rockies are one of the top hitting home teams in the majors and the Giants are among the top teams in the National League for batting average versus lefties. The over is 13-8 in San Franisco's games versus left-handed starters this season. More of the same here. 10* OVER the total in Colorado

ESPN Smash Pass Late - Rickenbach MLB Game #911 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Colorado Rockies vs San Francisco Giants @ 7:10 ET - 2013: 8.10 ERA, .345 BAA; 2014: 10.06 ERA, .367 BAA; 2015: 4.99 ERA, .302 BAA; 2016: 4.44 ERA, .291 BAA; 2017: 3.45 ERA, .256 BAA; 2018: 6.89 ERA, .317 BAA. Think it is tough to pitch at Coors Field? Just ask the Rockies Chad Bettis. Those stats above are his season by season numbers when pitching at Coors Field. I have gotten burned recently with overs involving Colorado but won with the Giants over yesterday and I am coming right back with the Rockies over today. San Francisco sends rookie southpaw Andrew Suarez to the mound for this one. This will be his 7th start of the season. None of those first 6 starts were at hitter-friendly Coors Field and yet Suarez checks in with a 1-4 record and 5.69 ERA in his rookie campaign. Even more concerning is the fact that he is 0-3 with a 9.00 ERA in his last 3 starts. Suarez is having trouble getting the proper movement on his pitches to fool major league hitters. Now, pitching in the thin air of Colorado, that task for the lefty becomes even more daunting! The Giants game yesterday "only" had 11 runs but 23 men were left on base in that game! The Rockies game yesterday had "just" 10 runs but the teams combined to go an ugly 3 for 13 with runners in scoring position and the Reds lined into a double play to end the game with the bases loaded in the top of the 9th inning. All 3 in the series with the Reds were "close calls" with Colorado's games not going over the total. Admittedly that series was not kind to me but with this pitching match-up Monday and with the way these two teams have swung the bats the last couple days, this evening's match-up should fly over the total. Neither starting pitcher has had an under in any of their last 3 starts. San Francisco is 7-3 to the over this season in road games with a money line between -125 and +125 this season. This is the Rockies 8th Monday game so far this season and so far only 2 have stayed under the total. This one won't stay under either! 10* OVER the total in Colorado

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach MLB Game #961 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Chicago Cubs vs San Francisco Giants @ 8:05 ET - We had to wait for the total to come out on this one because of the game being played at Wrigley Field and it was worth the wait as the value here demands the Top Play rating. Amazingly, yesterday's game didn't go over the total despite the Giants scoring 5 runs. The Cubs bats should bounce back today and there is every reason to believe the Giants again push across at least 5 runs here. The San Francisco sticks will take on a struggling Tyler Chatwood. The Cubs right-hander has a 1.85 WHIP in his last 3 starts as walks have been a major issue. Too many free passes on a warm hitter-friendly evening at Wrigley Field will likely lead to trouble and Chatwood also has averaged just 4 and 1/3 innings per start his last 3 starts. The Giants also are sending a struggling hurler to the mound for this one. San Francisco left-hander Ty Blach gets the start and he is also averaging only about 4 innings per start his last 3 starts and he has a 7.11 ERA and 1.90 WHIP over these 3 outings. Neither of Blach's two career starts versus the Cubs have stayed under the total. Each of Chatwood's two starts where his team hosted the Giants last year went over the total. Also, the over is 4-1 in Chatwood's home starts this season and all signs point to another one here! 10* OVER the total in the Chicago Cubs game

Game of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #957 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Colorado Rockies vs Cincinnati Reds @ 3:10 ET - Really brutal beats for "over players' in the first two games of this series. That said, don't let the even bigger number on Sunday's total scare you away. It is fully justified as the Rockies German Marquez is winless with a 10.34 ERA and 2.43 ERA in his 4 home starts this season! As for Cincinnati's Matt Harvey, he has enjoyed "new life" with the Reds but he did allow 3 earned runs on 7 hits in just 4 innings of work in his most recent road start as a Red. Also, he allowed 5 earned runs on 11 hits in less than 6 innings of work in his most recent start at hitter-friendly Coors Field. The good news for Cincinnati fans is that Harvey has his confidence back since coming over from the Mets as he needed a new environment. The bad news for Reds fans is that Coors Field is the worst possible place for a "fragile" pitcher to start. This is not a knock on Harvey overall but I am merely stating that things are likely to unravel quickly for him here given his past. This should quickly turn into a slugfest based on warm afternoon conditions, very dry air, and two pitchers destined to struggle. Look for the over to improve to 6-3 in Reds Sunday games and 4-1 in Harvey's road starts as the home struggles for Marquez continue as well. 10* OVER the total in Colorado

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #959 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Colorado Rockies vs Cincinnati Reds @ 8:40 ET - High temperatures in the upper-80s expected in Denver this afternoon. That means a very mild evening at Coors Field for this one and the air, as is typically the case, will be very dry with great carry on balls put into play! The Rockies Jon Gray is off of back to back rough starts and his most recent outing was at pitcher-friendly San Francisco so that certainly doesn't bode well for his odds of a decent start at hitter-friendly Colorado tonight. Gray has now given up 11 earned runs on 19 hits in 9 innings spanning his last two starts. He allowed 8 hits in less than 6 innings of work in his last start versus the Reds. Cincinnati comes into this game having swung the bats quite well in taking 2 of 3 from the Pirates in a series that wrapped up yesterday. The Rockies bats have not fared well recently but they were on the road. Results at the plate will improve now that they are back at home. Facing a struggling Sal Romano should certainly help matters. The Reds right-hander has allowed 13 earned runs in just 7 and 1/3 innings spanning his last 2 starts. Romano was hit hard plus walked 6 in just 5 innings in his most recent start. He has struggled with fastball command while Gray has struggled with his fastballs simply being too hittable of late - .591 batting average against his fastballs last two starts! The over is 3-0-1 in the Reds last 4 road games. More of the same here. 10* OVER the total in Colorado

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #913 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Tampa Bay Rays vs Boston Red Sox @ 7:10 ET - This total has gone from an 8 to a 7 as of early game day morning and let me remind everyone this is an American League game, these are good pitchers but certainly not Cy Young candidates, and there is reason to believe both could struggle some here. Boston's Rick Porcello has a 6.75 ERA in his last 3 starts. Now I know he has enjoyed success against the Rays this season but they have gotten to him for 3 earned runs in each of the past two starts and he is now facing them for a 4th time this season! A lot of repetition tends to favor the hitters much more than the pitchers. As for Tampa Bay's Blake Snell, he has a 6.30 ERA in his last two starts. Now I know those outings were on the road and this one is at home where he has enjoyed success this season. However, the Red Sox are now getting a 3rd look at Snell on the young season and their lineup has been surging of late. Boston has won 8 of its last 11 games and that is thanks in part to run production of at least 4 runs in 10 of those 11 games. Though the TB sticks have been quieter so far in this series, they are still averaging 4.5 runs per game their last 11 games. There is truly no reason this games shouldn't end up being a 5-4 type game and of course that means great value with this low total. The over is 9-2 this season when the Rays enter a game on a losing streak of 3 or more games. There have not been any unders in Porcello's last 3 starts and the over is 6-3 in Snell's last 9 starts. 10* OVER the total in Tampa Bay

Rickenbach MLB Game #909 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Milwaukee Brewers vs Arizona Diamondbacks @ 7:40 ET - This is a classic contrarian pick for me but of course my big play on this match-up certainly doesn't come without good reason. The fact is that the Diamondbacks have been struggling badly at the plate and the Brewers really haven't fared much better of late. That said, why did the odds makers hang a 9 on this O/U involving a pair of struggling lineups? Precisely! This is one of those situations where it is important to dig a little deeper and there are a number of key factors supporting the over in this one. Matt Koch gets the start for the Diamondbacks and he got absolutely crushed by the Brewers when he faced them Wednesday. Not only that, he has now struck out just 6 in his last 18 and 2/3 innings on the mound. Over this same amount of time he has allowed 7 homers. When a starter is striking out less hitters than home runs allowed over a 3-start period there is definitely cause for concern. As for Milwaukee's Jhoulys Chacin, he is off of a strong start at Arizona Wednesday but, previously, he allowed 11 earned runs in 11 innings in his last 2 starts versus the Diamondbacks. Both of those were just last season so it is not as if this is "ancient history" either. The over is 9-3 this season in Arizona's road games when their money line range is between -125 and +125. The Brewers have scored 4 or more runs in 8 of their last 11 games. 10* OVER the total in Milwaukee

Rickenbach MLB Game #951 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Nationals vs San Diego Padres @ 7:05 ET - This total was as high as an 8.5 and it briefly dropped as low as a 7 in some spots this morning before settling in at a 7.5 across the board. Another contrarian play for me but, of course, it is certainly not without merit. Of course the Padres are known as a poor hitting team but they actually have a .412 slugging percentage which ranks them 6th in the National League this season. Also, San Diego has some extra confidence at the plate since they have won 3 straight games and 6 of their last 8. In fact, the Padres have averaged scoring 5 runs per game their last 7 games. Another edge is that they just saw the Nationals Gio Gonzalez less than two weeks ago. The Nats southpaw enjoyed success that day but he followed that up by struggling in his start last week. He allowed 6 hits and 4 walks for a 2.00 WHIP in his 5-inning stint in a game that got suspended. Look for the Padres to enjoy some success at the plate against Gonzalez plus they'll take advantage of a Nationals bullpen that ranks as one of the worst in the majors with a 4.72 ERA. Of course San Diego is going to need all the runs they can get here because Washington is angry off of a 3-game sweep at the hands of the Dodgers and they are going to crush Robbie Erlin. The Padres southpaw is making a spot start here. His only other start this season saw him get crushed by the Dodgers. Also, in his only two starts at Washington in his career he has been absolutely hammered both times! Take advantage of the low total here. Look for the over to improve to 8-4 this season when the Nationals are a home fave in a range of -175 to -250. Also, the Padres are 7-0 to the over in Monday games this season! 10* OVER the total in Washington

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Game #917 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Blue Jays vs Oakland A's @ 1:05 ET - The A's Daniel Mengden has some solid overall numbers on the season but note that the road has given him some trouble. Away from Oakland this season, he has compiled a 5.40 ERA with an ugly 1.65 WHIP. Speaking of ugly, the Blue Jays Joe Biagini is winless in his 3 starts this season and has compiled a 7.98 ERA and a 1.84 WHIP. He's facing an A's team that has won 5 of their last 6 games plus has averaged 5.7 runs per game their last 9 games. The Blue Jays have averaged 5.5 runs per game their last 4 games. The over was 5-3 in Oakland's last 8 games and 3-1 in Toronto's last 4 games prior to yesterday's push. The A's are 13-6 to the over including 7-3 to the over in road games, when their game has a posted O/U of 9 or 9.5 runs this season. The A's are averaging 5 runs per game on the road this season and the Blue Jays are averaging 5.3 runs per game versus right-handed starters on the year. Add it all up and this one gets to double digits early Sunday. 10* OVER the total in Toronto

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #953 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in San Francisco Giants vs Colorado Rockies @ 4:05 ET - The Giants have, overall, struggled at the plate this season. But they entered this series having averaged 11.5 hits per game in their 6 prior games. Look for them to get back on track against Jon Gray this afternoon. Yes the Rockies right-hander has been piling up strikeouts but he also gave up 6 earned runs on 10 hits in just 5 and 1/3 innings in his most recent start. Also, Gray's last 2 starts at AT & T Park have seen him allow 9 hits and 5 walks for a total of 14 baserunners in just 8 and 1/3 innings of work! The good news for Rockies fans today is that Gray should get plenty of run support! Colorado will tee off against Chris Stratton. The Giants right-hander was hit hard by the Rockies last September (8 hits in 4 innings) and he is struggling this season. Stratton has a 6.89 ERA in his last 3 starts and 2 of those were on the road. At home this season he has struggled with a 7.00 ERA in his 4 starts thus far. Only 1 of Gray's 4 road starts has resulted in an under. Also, the over is a perfect 4-0 in Stratton's last 4 starts as he has allowed 18 earned runs in 17 innings spanning those 4 outings. Even though AT & T Park is a pitcher-friendly park, afternoon games here do tend to feature more runs and the total on this one has dropped from an opener of an 8 to a 7.5 so even more value is available now. The over is 6-2 in Giants Saturday games and look for the over to go to 8-4 this season in their home games with a money line range of -125 to +125. Big value here raises this one to top rating. 10* OVER the total in San Francisco

Rickenbach MLB Game #915 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Blue Jays vs Oakland A's @ 7:05 ET - The odds makers opened this one up at a 10 and it has dropped to a 9.5 as of early game day morning. I'll gladly take advantage of the additional value here. The A's are red hot at the plate right now and the Blue Jays Marco Estrada continues to be plagued by giving up too many homers. As for Oakland starter Brett Anderson, he wrapped up 2017 as a member of the Blue Jays and will likely be guilty of trying to over-throw here as he hopes for revenge versus Toronto. This won't end well for Anderson and he enters this start having allowed 13 runs (11 earned) on 18 hits and 5 walks in the 8 innings spanning his last two starts. The over is 5-2 in Oakland's last 7 games as the A's have averaged scoring 6.1 runs per game during this hot streak. The Blue Jays haven't been knocking the cover off of the ball but, since getting no-hit by James Paxton of the Mariners, Toronto has averaged about 5 runs and 9 hits per game their last 8 games. They're very likely to enjoy success against a struggling Anderson. Look for the over to improve to 4-0 in Toronto's last 4 games. Each team has played 7 Friday games this season and only 2 of the Jays games stayed under and only 1 of Oakland's games stayed under the total. Plenty of Friday night "fireworks" in this one. Estrada winless with a 6.75 ERA and 3 homers allowed in his 3 career starts versus Oakland. 10* OVER the total in Toronto

Top Play Special - Rickenbach MLB Game #953 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Pittsburgh Pirates vs San Diego Padres @ 7:05 ET - I know the Padres are certainly one of the weaker hitting teams in the league. However, so do the odds makers and they opened this game up with a total of 8.5 runs and the markets have forced a drop to 8 runs. Grab the additional value here because the Pirates Chad Kuhl has allowed 6 homers in his last 3 starts! Also, in his two career starts versus San Diego, the Pittsburgh right-hander has walked 9 in 11 and 1/3 innings. As for the Padres Eric Lauer, he is struggling badly. The southpaw has seen the velocity on his fastball dip and plus he is having trouble locating the pitch. Lauer gave up 4 homers versus the Cardinals in his most recent start and he didn't even complete 3 innings. Even more concerning is that the start was at home. Note that on the road this season Lauer has a 10.12 ERA! He has been very hittable of late and now he faces a Pirates team that is averaging 6.5 run per their last 8 games. The Padres, as noted above, aren't known for their offensive production but winning leads to confidence and San Diego has won 3 of their last 4 games plus has scored 4 or more runs in 4 of their last 5 games. The over is 14-6 this season when Pittsburgh is off of a win. Also, when the Pirates have faced a left-handed starter, the over has gone 6-2 this season. More of the same here. 10* OVER the total in Pittsburgh

NOTE: Pitching Change for the Marlins but still going with this play on the over. In fact the change arguably strengthens what was already a Top Play. Elieser Hernandez is now expected to start for Miami. Though the 23-year old has some decent minor league numbers on his resume, he has only made 2 starts above the Single A level in the minors in his entire career! So now he jumps all the way from AA (2 starts) past AAA (0 appearances) to make a MLB start! I don't expect this to go well as Hernandez also has been hit hard in his 2 relief appearances this season for the Marlins. Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #905 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Miami Marlins vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 7:10 ET - This is certainly a contrarian play but I love spots like this. As I have said before and I'll say it again here...the odds makers are quite sharp! Of course this is common knowledge but yet so often many people do underestimate this very important key factor. That said, this game is a prime example as the very first total that came up on this game was an 8 and the markets quickly pushed it to a 7.5 and now it is a 7 in almost all shops. This is a great value as each team just has to get to 3 runs and then we can't lose this play as it can't end any less than a 4-3 final. I am well aware that the Dodgers are struggling bad and that the Marlins haven't hit well this season either. However, this is not a match-up of top tier pitchers ladies and gentlemen. Yes, Caleb Smith has pitched very well for the Marlins but he is still off of a start where he was quite fortunate as he gave up only 2 earned runs despite allowing 7 hits in just 5 and 1/3 innings of work. Earlier this season he went through a 3-start stretch where he allowed 11 earned runs in just 10 and 1/3 innings of work. Look for the Dodgers sticks to get going here as Smith's most recent start is a sign of a another mini-slump coming for him. Walker Buehler gets the start for the Marlins here and his numbers on the season look great but this will be the first time he is giving a team (Miami) a 2nd look at him and his other starts have been against the Reds, Padres, and Giants. He has not faced a powerhouse of opposition and I look for the Marlins to enjoy some success as they get a second shot at him today. Look for the over to improve to 5-2 in Wednesday games for Los Angeles this season. Also, the Marlins are 3-0 to the over the last 3 times they were off of a win. 10* OVER the total in Miami

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Game #951 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in San Diego Padres vs Colorado Rockies @ 3:40 ET - Jordan Lyles gets the start for the Padres here. He used to pitch for the Rockies. As a result, it certainly is noteworthy that he has had struggles with facing Colorado since he game to San Diego. Last season he faced them twice in starts late in the season and he struggled in both outings including allowing 4 homers in those two games and 3 of the home runs came right here at pitcher friendly Petco Park. That is a key element today because even though this is regarded as a pitcher friendly venue the ball does carry a little better in day games here. Also, Lyles has faced the Rockies a few times out of the bullpen this season so they are very familiar with him. Though Colorado's German Marquez has good numbers on the road this season, his last two road starts were against the injury-depleted Mets and the light-hitting Marlins. He still gave up 12 hits in 12 innings versus those two struggling teams and now Marquez has allowed 15 earned runs on 32 hits in 20 innings of work in his last 4 starts overall. In other words, don't be surprised if his struggles continue today. I know that, entering Monday's action, these teams have trended under. However, this pitching match-up is not conducive to a low-scoring game. Look for both teams to enjoy plenty of success at the plate and I'll gladly take advantage of a day game with a low total as early market moves have dropped this one to only 7.5 runs. 10* OVER the total in San Diego 

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Game #911 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs Oakland A's @ 7:10 ET - Mild temperatures in the forecast for Boston Monday evening and the wind expected to be blowing out toward left center field at Fenway Park. This should lead to plenty of runs as both of these lineups have been quite hot. Before being held to just 2 runs in yesterday's loss Oakland had scored 16 runs in the first two games of their 3-game set with the Yankees in the Bronx. As for the Red Sox, they are off of a 5-3 win at Toronto. That brings Boston to 6-3 their last 9 games and, over their last 13 games, the Red Sox have averaged 5.3 runs per game! The A's Sean Manaea was throwing very well earlier this season but he has allowed 4 earned runs in each of his last two starts. Boston's Rick Porcello is 5-0 this season but he allowed 5 earned runs in 5 and 1/3 innings in his most recent start. Oakland's Manaea allowed 7 earned runs on 11 hits in less than 4 innings of work in his most recent start at Fenway Park. As for Porcello, it is still "early" this season and looking at his last full season numbers, note that in 2017 he went 7-11 with a 5.43 ERA in home games and 8-12 with a 5.47 ERA in night games. Of course this is a night game and it is at home and he got rocked in the Bronx in his most recent start. Signs of things to come Monday in my opinion! The over is 11-5 this season in A's games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs. The over is 9-5 in Red Sox home games this season. These trends continue Monday. 10* OVER the total in Boston

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #977 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Los Angeles Angels vs Minnesota Twins @ 4:05 ET - Yesterday Yankees pitcher Domingo German struggle in what was essentially his 3rd start after dominating a game he entered early and went 4 innings replacing Jordan Montgomery and then delivering another shutout performance in a start in his next outing. The point is the "3rd time was the charm" in terms of MLB hitters eventually getting to the rookie. I expect that to be the case now that "the book is out" on Angels rookie Fernando Romero today. This will be his 3rd start at the MLB level and he has yet to allow an earned run but he had guys on base in each of the first 5 innings of his most recent start and he also never pitched above the Double-A level of the minor leagues until this season. Also, Romero will be facing an Angels lineup loaded with some very dangerous hitters with plenty of experience. Shohei Ohtani has also found out what it is like when MLB hitters get to see a little more of a rookie hurler. After his stellar start to this season he has a 6.08 ERA and 1.88 WHIP in his last 3 starts. With the Twins extra inning win yesterday, they have now won 8 of their last 10 games, are playing with a lot of confidence, and have averaged scoring 5.3 runs per game their last dozen games. The Angels are 8-3 to the over this season as a home favorite in a range of -125 to -175. Minnesota is 13-7 to the over on the road this season including a PERFECT 5-0 to the over when they are a road dog in a range of +125 to +175 on the money line. 10* OVER the total in Los Angeles Angels

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Game #907 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Miami Marlins vs Atlanta Braves @ 7:10 ET - First off lets talk about the bullpens here. Miami's pen has a high ERA (5.34) on the season. Atlanta's pen has a lower ERA but they've been fortunate in working out of jams because the Braves bullpen has walked more batters than any other pen in the majors. Guess who is the 2nd worst team for walks surrendered...Marlins of course! That is why both of these bullpens have a very high WHIP so far this season. That certainly could come into play in this one because both starting pitchers are likely to run into some trouble. The Braves Mike Soroka has averaged just 5 innings in his first two starts at the MLB level and he is only 20 years old and had never pitched above the AA level of the minors until this season. As for the Marlins Jarlin Garcia, the southpaw is off of a rough start at Wrigley Field. This is his first year as a starter and last year (his first in majors) working exclusively out of the bullpen he had a solid 2.45 ERA in day games but a 5.49 ERA in night games! The Braves .287 batting average versus left-handed pitching ranks #1 in the majors! As for the Marlins, they will be buoyed by yesterday's confidence-building win in which they pounded out 14 hits. 10* OVER the total in Miami

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #967 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Yankees vs Oakland A's @ 7:05 ET - Had to wait for the total to come out on this one since there was a delay in the A's announcing a starting pitcher. It was well worth the wait and it is now "go time" with this one. The total is a 9.5 and Oakland's Kendall Graveman has struggled badly this season plus the Yankees will be fired up off of a loss. I also like the flip side of this equation in that Sonny Gray will be facing his former team for the first time and, though he has pitched a little better recently, Oakland will have great familiarity on what to expect from him here. Also, Gray has had some struggles this season and might put extra pressure on himself in his first shot against his former club. Gray has a 6.00 ERA and 1.76 WHIP on the season. I know the A's have not been hitting well lately but when you look at the pitchers they've been facing that certainly has had a lot do with it. Their sticks should enjoy a breakout game versus Gray. As for the Yankees sluggers, they should feast on Graveman as he enters this start 0-5 with an 8.90 ERA and 1.84 WHIP on the season. Oakland is 3-1-1 to the over this season after an off day. New York is 8-2 to the over when off of a loss this season. Also, the Yankees are 11-2 to the over when facing a team with a losing record. Look for the over to improve to 3-1 in Graveman's last 4 starts and 4-1 on the season in Gray's home starts! 10* OVER the total in New York Yankees

Game of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #917 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Blue Jays vs Seattle Mariners @ 7:05 ET - As you would expect, Blue Jays southpaw J.A. Happ has a lot more success against left-handed hitters than right-handed bats. Not only will the Mariners be loaded up on the right-handed side of the plate, the only left-handed bats likely to be in the lineup for Seattle here are guys that have had some success against Happ. Also, the Mariners .266 batting average away from home this season is one of the top marks in the majors. Yesterday's game stayed under the total but the Blue Jays had a dozen hits in the game. As for the Mariners, they had averaged 6.3 runs and 11 hits per game in their 3 games prior to struggling at the plate yesterday. The problem for the Mariners is that, other than the no-hitter by Paxton, they have allowed double digits in hits in each of their other games dating back to Friday of last week! The Blue Jays should enjoy plenty of success against a struggling Mike Leake. The Mariners right-hander has an 8.79 ERA on the road this season and he also has an ugly 9.21 ERA in his last 3 starts overall. The over is 6-1 in Leake's starts this season and only 2 of Happ's 7 starts this season have resulted in an under. Prior to yesterday's under, the over was 12-6 in Seattle's road games this season. Only 2 of the Blue Jays last 9 games versus a right-handed starter have stayed under the total. More of the same here. 10* OVER the total in Toronto

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach MLB Game #967 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Yankees vs Boston Red Sox @ 7:05 ET - This is a contrarian play as most will be looking at the under here because both of these pitchers have great numbers this season. The key here is that Red Sox/Yankees always brings a bit of a different "element" to the equation and I expect both starters to run into trouble here. The Yankees Masahiro Tanaka was pounded for 6 earned runs in 5 innings against the Red Sox last month. Boston's Rick Porcello was pounded for 6 runs (5 earned) the last time he faced the Yanks at Yankee Stadium. The over is 14-6 in Yankees home games this season and this includes 7-1 when New York is a favorite in a price range of -125 to -175. The over is 15-8 in Yankees games versus right-handed starters this season and that includes 3 of the last 4 going over the total. The Red Sox managed only 2 runs in yesterday's loss but they had previously averaged 6.1 runs per game in their last 7 games and scored 5 or more in all 7 games! The Yankees, with yesterday's win, have now won 7 straight. Though that was a low-scoring win, the Yanks previous 6 wins in the streak saw them average 5.5 runs per game. I am looking for a 6-5 type game here and certainly expecting nothing less than a 5-4 result which also puts in the winners circle! 10* OVER the total in the New York Yankees game

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #914 Tuesday 10* Top Play UNDER the total in Baltimore Orioles vs Kansas City Royals @ 7:05 ET - Many will be looking at the over in this match-up because the O's Dylan Bundy is off of back to back tough starts and the Royals Danny Duffy has had a tough start to this season. However, this is actually an ideal spot for an under. Back to the pitchers in a minute but, first off, the Royals are averaging only 3.1 runs per game versus right-handed starters this season. The Orioles are averaging just 2.9 runs per game at home. Baltimore is averaging just 7.2 hits per game their last 9 games. The Royals have averaged just 3.3 runs and 6 hits per game in their last 3 games. Bundy had a 1.42 ERA in his first 5 starts this season and 3 of the 5 were at home. Look for him to bounce back here at home as he went 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA and 0.64 WHIP in his 2 starts versus the Royals last season. As for KC's Duffy, he is 2-1 with a 2.28 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in his 7 starts versus the Orioles in his career. The O's are loaded with free swingers and Duffy works off of deception as his key attribute. Don't be surprised when the Orioles struggle again to make good contact tonight. Duffy is off of a tough start at Boston but, prior to that he was quite solid in 4 of his previous 5 outings. In those 4 starts the Royals southpaw allowed only 15 hits while piling up 22 strikeouts in 23 innings of work. More of the same expected here as Duffy gets right back on track. The under is 6-1 in his 7 starts versus the Orioles and the under is 2-0 in Bundy's two lifetime starts versus the Royals. The under is 12-4 when Kansas City faces a team with a losing record this season and also the under is a perfect 5-0 when the Royals are playing after a day off. The under is 10-4 in Orioles home games this season. 10* UNDER the total in Baltimore

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #919 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Texas Rangers vs Boston Red Sox @ 8:05 ET - Yesterday's game flew over the total and the Rangers bats continue to heat up. Texas has won 5 of its last 8 games. The Rangers have averaged 6 runs per game their last 7 games and have reached double digits in hits in 4 of those 7 games. Rick Porcello has great numbers for the Red Sox so far this season. However, last season he did go 8-12 with a 5.47 ERA in his night starts. Though he was successful at Texas last season he did allow 2 homers in that game and, in his two prior starts versus the Rangers, Porcello was rocked for 23 hits in less than 13 innings of work. He'll be opposed by Bartolo Colon tonight. The veteran right-hander is finally coming back down to earth in his two most recent starts. Colon has allowed 7 earned runs on 13 hits including 3 homers in less than 13 innings of work. He also had just 2 strikeouts in each start. The Red Sox will be putting the ball in play all night as the Rangers bullpen has allowed a .264 batting average which ranks them in the bottom five of the majors! This total opened up at a 9.5 and dropped to a 9. I am going contrarian and going with the over in this one. The Red Sox have averaged 6 runs per game their last 6 games and 4 of the 6 have gone over the total. Boston is 15-8 to the over versus right-handed starters this season and 5-1 to the over in games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs. The Texas over is 50-31 in home games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs and the Rangers are also 8-3 to the over this season when off of a win. 10* OVER the total in Texas

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #903 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in San Francisco Giants vs San Diego Padres @ 3:45 - Last night's game stayed under the total but, prior to this, both of these teams had been trending over the total. Also, the ball tends to carry better in day games at AT & T Park. Even though temperatures will only be around 60 degrees today in San Francisco, the wind will be picking up and blowing toward left center at a good clip. This will help the "carry effect" even more on balls hit well and we should see plenty of those this afternoon given this pitching match-up. The Giants Derek Holland is winless on the season and he has a 7.07 ERA in his last 3 starts. The Padres Clayton Richard is off of back to back losses and has a 5.35 ERA on the season and his ERA is 6.30 on the road this year. The over is 4-1 the last 5 times San Francisco has faced a southpaw starter. The over was 3-0 in San Diego's 3 games prior to last night's low-scoring win staying under the total. The over is 7-4 in Giants day games, 10-6 in their home games, and 11-6 when facing a left-handed starter. Coming into yesterday's game the Giants had averaged scoring 6 runs per game in their 5 prior games and the Padres had averaged 11.3 hits per game in their 3 prior games. The hot hitting for both clubs is likely to resume Wednesday given the pitching match-up and the favorable hitting conditions in an afternoon game by the bay. 10* OVER the total in San Francisco

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Game #913 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cleveland Indians vs Texas Rangers @ 6:10 ET - The Rangers Cole Hamels has only 1 win in 6 career starts versus the Indians as he has compiled a 6.11 ERA versus Cleveland. Not surprisingly, given those numbers, the over is 5-0 in Hamels 6 career starts versus the Tribe. The Texas southpaw got crushed at Cleveland in his most recent start here which was in late June last year. The Indians send Trevor Bauer to the mound for this one. The Indians right-hander has decent numbers versus the Rangers in his career but only 1 of the 4 games has resulted in an under. Look for the over to improve to 4-1 in Rangers Monday games on the season. Texas road games have resulted in just 1 under in their last 6 games away from home. Cleveland is 7-1 to the over in their last 8 home games and that includes 4 in a row after yesterday's 10-4 loss the Mariners. I know both of these starting pitchers have decent numbers this season but their long-term history points to overs when matched up with the opponent they'll be facing today. Also, this is a low total of 8 runs and the Rangers, prior to yesterday's ugly loss, had scored at least 4 runs in 6 of their last 7 games. The Indians have scored at least 4 runs in 5 straight games. The significance in this is that a 4-4 game guarantees us of no less than a 5-4 final and that puts us in the winners circle tonight! 10* OVER the total in Cleveland

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #979 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Twins vs Cincinnati Reds @ 2:10 ET - Strong south wind and mild temperatures at Target Field this afternoon. It will make for a nice day for the hitters. The south wind blowing out toward the left field corner. The key here is that Jose Berrios is coming off of a rough start for the Twins as he got hit hard by the Yankees in his most recent start. As great as his overall numbers have been last season and so far this year, he is much more susceptible to left-handed sticks than righties. That will prove to be an issue here as the Reds are loaded with left-handed lumber and also have a couple of switch-hitters. Cincinnati is likely to load their lineup from that side of the plate in this one and should enjoy success on a hitter-friendly day at Target Field. As for the Twins hitting in this one, they are likely to pound Tyler Mahle. The Reds right-hander has a 6.51 ERA and 2.17 WHIP in his two road starts this season. He has allowed 5 homers in his last 3 starts. The over was 7-1 in the Twins last 8 games prior to yesterday's game staying under the total. The over was 5-1 in the Reds last 6 games prior to Saturday's low-scoring loss. Long-term the over is 88-53 when the Twins are facing a team with a losing record. 10* OVER the total in Minnesota

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #963 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Texas Rangers vs Oakland A's @ 8:05 ET - The Rangers Matt Moore is 0-3 with an 8.76 ERA in his 3 career starts made at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Facing the A's is unlikely to help him as the Texas southpaw has only 1 win in his 5 career starts versus Oakland and he has compiled an ugly 7.07 ERA in those outings. The Athletics will have Trevor Cahill on the mound for this one. Over the past 3 seasons he is 2-8 with a 5.21 ERA in road games. Also, Cahill compiled a 4.89 ERA in night games the past 3 seasons. He has been a better pitcher at home and in day games. That said, a road outing at night at hitter-friendly Globe Life Park is not going to do him any favors. The line opened up at a 10 but dropped to a 9.5 in some spots already as some saw the 10 as being "too much" in this one. I certainly don't see it that way and am going contrarian and going with the over in this match-up. The over is 7-3 in the A's last 10 games as they've averaged scoring 7 runs per game during this solid long-term stretch. I won't be surprised to see this total stay at 10 in a lot of shops and then possibly even move up to a 10.5 later in the day. Note that the Rangers are 3-0 to the over this season in home games with a posted total of 10 or 10.5 runs. Look for that record to stay perfect on the year but I am happy to grab the 9.5 while we can. 10* OVER the total in Texas

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #909 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Colorado Rockies vs Chicago Cubs @ 3:10 ET - Temperatures will warm into the mid-60s this afternoon in Denver and the air will be in drier than it was last night plus the warmer temperatures certainly will be nice for the hitters. I know that Jose Quintana blamed his struggles versus Atlanta on pitching in cold temperatures but remember he also struggled at Miami (no cold air there!) earlier this season. He has now had 1 good outing but been awful in the other two starts and I don't think an afternoon start at Coors Field is going to do him any favors. As for German Marquez, he is off of a fantastic starts in his most recent outing but that was on the road. At home this season he has an 8.21 ERA. Keep in mind, he finished up last season with a 5.25 ERA over his final 4 home starts and Coors Field is simply not an easy place to pitch. After the Cubs lineup produced only 2 runs yesterday look for them to have a breakout game today. Marquez walked 6 in less than 5 innings of work in his first home start this season. He then benefited from facing light-hitting San Diego in his next start but he is not so fortunate here. Chicago had averaged scoring 10.3 runs per game in their last 4 games prior to last night's dismal effort. Look for the Cubs to bounce back big and the over was 4-0 in Chicago's 4 games prior to yesterday and 4-1-1 in the Rockies last 6 prior to yesterday's 5-2 win. 10* OVER the total in Colorado

Game of the Month - Rickenbach MLB Game #959 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Colorado Rockies vs Chicago Cubs @ 8:10 ET - After combining for 21 runs yesterday's game, don't be surprised if we see another wild one tonight. Temperatures in the upper 40s not bad for this time of year in Denver and the winds, though light, are also expected to be shifting around to the south or southeast which will be pushing balls to left field. Ton of extra base hits in yesterday's game and more of the same expected here. Yu Darvish will be making his first ever start at Colorado. In his most recent start he got frustrated by a balk call and then unraveled from there. Wait until he gets frustrated by pitching in conditions where his pitches just don't have the same movement they normally would. Look for Darvish to get frustrated here and struggle like many hurlers do in their first starts at Coors Field. The Rockies did see him (and hit him hard) in September and now they get a shot at him at home. Darvish has struggled in 2 of his 3 starts this season. Tyler Anderson gets the start for the Rockies here and the southpaw was hit hard in his lone start versus the Cubs in his career. Also, he is coming off of a start in which he walked 6 batters in 6 innings. Prior to that he benefited from facing the light-hitting Padres twice this season. Now he faces a powerful Chicago lineup coming off of a 16-run outburst yesterday and this gets ugly quick in my opinion. The Cubs have gone over in 4 straight games and the Rockies have just 1 under in their last 6 games. Look for Chicago's over to improve to 6-2 in night games this season. 10* OVER the total in Colorado

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #901 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Philadelphia Phillies vs Pittsburgh Pirates @ 7:05 ET - The Phillies and Pirates have hit very well this season with runners in scoring position and this is why they've fared as well as they have so far on the young season. That type of clutch hitting is also key to cashing overs and I love going contrarian in this match-up. The total has gone from an 8.5 to an 8 as of early Friday and the fact is that this should fly over. I know the Phillies shut out the Pirates yesterday but tonight they have Ben Lively going. Even though his last two starts were against two of the weakest hitting teams in MLB (Reds and Rays near dead last in slugging %), Lively has been hit at a .372 clip in his last two outings. Now he faces a Pirates team that hit him well when they faced him last season. As for Pittsburgh starter Ivan Nova, I know he has been throwing fairly well and has piled up some strikeouts in his last two starts but he also has allowed 4 homers while compiling a 5.21 ERA in his last 3 starts. Plus the Phillies got to him for 7 earned runs on 16 hits in just 13 and 1/3 innings last season. Look for Nova to struggle here as the Phils confidence is sky high thanks to a 10-3 run their last 13 games. The Phillies have averaged scoring 6.2 runs per game during this stretch. Just 3 unders in Pittsburgh's 10 road games this season and the Phillies have had just 7 unders the last 19 times they've been off of a shutout win. 10* OVER the total in Philadelphia

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Game #963 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Yankees vs Toronto Blue Jays @ 6:35 ET - It will be a chilly evening in the Bronx. Certainly the weather is not necessarily conducive to an over but the wind will be blowing out toward the right field corner and the earlier rains will have moved out of the area. What sets this one up so well is that the Blue Jays already faced CC Sabathia this season and the Yankees also already faced Aaron Sanchez as well. Though Toronto's Sanchez has some decent numbers on the season, he has been issuing too many walks and actually has issued more free passes than "punch-outs" via the strikeout in 2 of his 3 starts this year. Also, he gave up 4 earned runs in less than 6 innings of work versus the Yankees early this season. Additionally, in the last start Sanchez made at Yankee Stadium he allowed a pair of homers. As for Sabathia, he left his last start (nearly two weeks ago) due to hip soreness. He has given up 15 hits (including two homers) in less than 14 innings of work spanning his last 3 starts versus the Blue Jays. In his only home start this season the southpaw allowed 3 homers in just 4 innings of work. The over is a perfect 8-0 (one push) in the Yankees last 9 games. Also, the Blue Jays head to the Bronx with plenty of confidence at the plate after scoring 39 runs in their last 4 games. The over is a perfect 3-0 (one push) in Toronto's last 4 games. The Bronx Bombers are a perfect 7-0 to the over off of a loss this season and also 3-0 in home games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs. That's a combined 21-0 mark to the over! I'll take it! 10* OVER the total in New York Yankees

Game of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #909 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Atlanta Braves vs Philadelphia Phillies @ 7:35 ET - I had this same play yesterday and it was unbelievable as the teams had stuff going on all night long but combined to ground into FIVE double plays plus left 21 men on base! Needless to say it was a game filled with wasted opportunities. Now on another great night for hitters at SunTrust Park, I expect these teams to make up for it with a slugfest. The air will be quite dry in Atlanta tonight and the wind will be blowing toward the left-field corner with warm temperatures too. Vincent Velasquez gets the start for the Phillies and he got crushed by the Braves in his first start this season as he gave up 7 runs (4 earned) in less than 3 innings of work. Brandon McCarthy gets the start for Atlanta and he has allowed 6 earned runs on 14 hits in just 10 and 1/3 innings spanning his last two starts versus the Phillies. Also, he faced Philadelphia in that same game that Velasquez pitched in and he was able to work out of some jams but he likely won't be so fortunate this time around. The over is 2-1 in each of these hurlers 3 starts this season. Also, yesterday was just the 2nd under the Braves have had in 8 home games this season. Look for tonight's game to resume the normal higher-scoring trend at SunTrust Park. 10* OVER the total in Atlanta

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Game #955 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Atlanta Braves vs Philadelphia Phillies @ 7:35 ET - This total opened up at a 9 and has now dropped to low as an 8 as of game day morning. Temperatures will be mild in Atlanta this evening with the wind blowing toward the left field corner. The wind not necessarily a big help but the temperatures certainly good with rather dry air too which helps the hitters. The biggest key here is that the Phillies Nick Pivetta looks great with his last two starts being dominant but both of those were at home and against very bad teams. In his first start this season he was on the road and faced this very same Braves team and I expect them to get to him even more in the rematch. Last season Pivetta was 4-7 with a 6.65 ERA on the road where he got hit at a .298 clip. Also, in night games last season the Phillies right-hander went 2-6 with a 7.78 ERA and got hit at a .309 clip. As for the Braves Mike Foltneywicz, he has given up 8 runs (7 earned) on 12 hits (including 3 homers) in his last 9 innings versus Philadelphia. None of Foltneywicz last 3 starts versus Phils have stayed under the total. As for Pivetta, only 1 of his 4 starts versus the Braves have resulted in an under. This season the Braves have had just 1 under in 7 home games and, keep in mind, the Phillies faced Foltynewicz already in that same start Pivetta pitched in. These lineups are very familiar with the starter their facing today! 10* OVER the total in Atlanta

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Game #953 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cincinnati Reds vs St Louis Cardinals @ 6:40 ET - The Cardinals rolled 13-4 over the Reds yesterday. Cincinnati is 6-3 to the over this season when off of a loss including 2-0 to the over when they gave up 10 or more runs. The Reds are also a long-term 30-18 to the over as a home dog in a money line range of +125 to +175. The Cards Luke Weaver is off of back to back solid starts to open the season but both of those games were pitched in cold weather which certainly wasn't good for the hitters. Tonight's game at Cincinnati will feature temperatures up near 80 degrees at first pitch and the wind will be blowing toward the left field corner. The Reds sends Tyler Mahle to the mound. The right-hander got rocked for 5 earned runs on 9 hits (including 2 homers) in less than 5 innings of work in his most recent start. St Louis hitters are "feeling it" right now and that continues today while the Reds sticks had notched 11 hits or more in 4 of their 6 games prior to yesterday's beatdown. They should respond today and I am expecting a slugfest tonight at Great American Ballpark. 10* OVER the total in Cincinnati

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #909 Thursday 10* OVER the total in Cleveland Indians vs Detroit Tigers @ 6:10 ET - These two teams are the bottom two teams in the majors for batting average so far this season. However, much of that has to do with the cold weather they've played in for so many games. This evening in Cleveland the temperature will likely be in the mid-60s at first pitch with the wind blowing out to right field. That's part of the reason you've seen this total climb from a 7.5 to an 8 even though both teams have trended under this season. The other key reason is that the lineups have plenty of familiarity with the pitchers they are facing today. I know that Michael Fullmer has good numbers on the season but he was constantly working out of jams in his most recent start. That is hidden by his low ERA and I expect a breakthrough game for the Indians against him. Fullmer has a 6.04 ERA and 1.82 WHIP versus Cleveland. As for the Indians Trevor Bauer, he has an ugly 7.97 ERA and 1.92 WHIP in his career versus the Tigers. Also, though both of these teams are at the bottom in terms of batting average, their strikeout rate is not bad (each averaging 8 Ks a game) compared to others in the league. They've been putting the ball in play and, finally, on a mild evening at Progressive Field, I look for that to pay off big on Thursday with both lineups enjoying a breakout game. Lets take advantage of the low total in this one. 10* OVER the total in Cleveland

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #955 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Colorado Rockies vs San Diego Padres @ 3:10 ET - I am coming right back with the same play I lost with yesterday. Yes, neither team looked overly impressive last night at the plate but both southpaw starters did pitch much better than I expected. However, now we have a day game with temperatures into the upper 70s, the wind blowing out to right, and a match-up of right-handed starters whom both should struggle. The Padres Luis Perdomo had good success with his slider in his last start at Houston but he won't get the same break on that pitch in the thin air of Colorado. Also, he has now walked 7 in his 9 innings on the mound so far this season. You don't want to give free passes at Coors Field where the ball carries so well. As for the Rockies German Marquez, has had 10 walks in less than 10 innings on the mound so far this season. Again, this leads to issues and he allowed 7 earned runs in less than 5 innings of work versus the Braves in his most recent start. Marquez has a 5.94 ERA in 3 starts versus San Diego. Perdomo is winless with a 7.40 ERA in his 5 starts versus Colorado. The Rockies had just 2 unders in their 8 divisional games prior to yesterday's poor effort at the plate. Things return to "normal" this afternoon at Coors Field and this one flies over the total. 10* OVER the total in Colorado

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Game #909 Tuesday 10* OVER the total in Colorado Rockies vs San Diego Padres @ 8:40 ET - Perfect set up here. These teams are getting their sticks going now that they're facing each other at hitter-friendly Coors Field instead of pitcher-friendly Petco Park. In addition to the bats combining for 13 runs yesterday, temperatures are expected to rise to about 70 this afternoon in Denver. It will likely be close to 70 for first pitch in this game. Warmer temperatures and this pitching match-up are going to lead to a lot of runs. These guys, Rockies Tyler Anderson and Padres Joey Lucchesi just squared off in San Diego and that was a low-scoring pitchers duel. Neither starter was charged with a run in the eventual 3-1 Rockies win. Now that they match up in Colorado and with these lineups having just faced these pitchers, the hitters are going to rule the day in this one. This will be Lucchesi's first career road start and it couldn't come at a worse venue. Pitchers are known for struggling in their first ever visits to Coors Field. As for Anderson, he has struggled versus right-handed batters throughout his career. The Padres will load up from that side of the plate tonight with their lineup. The over is 5-2 in San Diego's night games this season and the over has gone 7-4 the past two seasons in Padres road games with a posted total of 10 or 10.5 runs. Only 2 of the Rockies 8 divisional games this season have stayed under the total. More fireworks again at Coors tonight. 10* OVER the total in Colorado

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach MLB Game #957 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in St Louis Cardinals vs Milwaukee Brewers @ 7:05 ET - The Cardinals Miles Mikolas hit a homer in his first start after spending the past 3 years in Japan but he also allowed 3 homers and it was against the same Brewers team he's facing today. That doesn't bode well for the rematch as Milwaukee gets a quick "second look" at Mikolas. As for the Brewers starter, Jhoulys Chacin, he also made his most recent start versus the same team he is facing today. Giving the Cardinals a quick "second look" at him is unlikely to help as they hit him hard last week. Also, Chacin got hit hard in his first start this season too. Having allowed 10 runs (7 earned) in 9 innings in his first two starts this season, the Milwaukee righty is likely in trouble here. Couple that with the fact that this total has dropped from an 8.5 to an 8 and great value is being offered here. Yes  I know it will be chilly at Busch Stadium this evening but it will not be brutal. Temperatures should be in the mid-40s and neither one of these starters is going to find it easy facing the same hitters that just gave them trouble last week. 10* OVER the total in St Louis

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #955 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in San Diego Padres vs Colorado Rockies @ 3:40 ET - There is reason to believe that both of these hurlers will struggle on Thursday afternoon. The Rockies Tyler Anderson struggled with command in his first start this season and got absolutely crushed at Arizona. Last season the Colorado southpaw went 3-5 with a 6.11 ERA before the All Star break and that included a very rough April. Also, he is now 3-7 with a 5.72 ERA in road games in his career after another rough road outing versus the Diamondbacks to begin this season. He did lose his only start at Petco Park last season and that was actually during a time when he was pitching better. In other words, he's likely in trouble here. As for San Diego's Joey Lucchesi, he did settle down after a rough first inning in his MLB debut. However, it is still concerning that a guy known as a strikeout specialist throughout his minor league career did record only one strikeout in nearly 6 innings of work. That said, he could find the going rough with the Rockies making plenty of contact. Colorado and San Diego entered their Wednesday late night match-up each with a mark of 4-1 to the over on the season. The Padres had averaged 5.3 runs per game their last 4 games and the Rockies had averaged the same over their past 4 as well. The ball does carry better in day games at Petco Park and we're getting a low total here because it is known as a pitcher-friendly park. I'll take advantage as this pitching match-up is very conducive to a high-scoring game here! 10* OVER the total in San Diego

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #975 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Miami Marlins vs Boston Red Sox @ 6:10 ET - This is definitely a contrarian play because Chris Sale pitched fantastic in the season opener for Boston. However, the Red Sox southpaw did get roughed up in his lone start at Miami (a loss in 2016) and I expect him to have some struggles against at Marlins Park. One of the issues will be that Miami's lineup will be facing a southpaw starter for a 3rd straight game. They faced Brian Johnson in the opener of this series and remember they closed out the series with the Cubs by facing Jose Quintana. In that series with Chicago, the Marlins bounce back for 6 runs in each of the last two games and though this team has pitching issues (among other things) they are showing the ability to put up some runs. About those struggles on the mound, Jose Urena gets the ball here and he was shaky in the season opener versus the Cubs and now faces a potent and confident Red Sox lineup. I know Boston didn't score many runs in the series with the Rays but they did leave 20 men on base in the final two games so they did have some solid scoring opportunities they simply failed to convert on. We're getting a low total on this game because Sale is on the mound for the Red Sox and, keep in mind, Boston's bullpen had a 5.73 ERA heading into last night's game. The Marlins entered yesterday's series opener with a record of 23-15 to the over in interleague action the past two seasons. Look for this one to surprise many and climb over the low total. 10* OVER the total in Miami

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Game #967 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Texas Rangers vs Houston Astros @ 3:05 ET - Gerrit Cole makes his debut for the Astros and in a very hitter friendly ballpark. That doesn't bode well for a guy that gave up nearly 3 times as many homers as he had in any other season last year. Though the Rangers did not hit well yesterday, remember that they did get to Dallas Keuchel on Friday and if Cole leaves some up in the zone (as I suspect he will) don't be surprised if Texas puts up some crooked numbers on the scoreboard in this one. Of course they'll need all the runs they can get because they're handing the ball to Mike Minor whom hasn't started at the MLB level since 2014! That spells trouble against an Astros lineup that was certainly "feeling it" yesterday as they piled up 9 runs. Houston now gets the luxury of facing a left-handed starter in back to back games. That always tends to help the lineup, especially when off of a big day. Even if Minor enjoys some early success here, I expect him to quickly fade and the Astros will continue pounding on the Rangers bullpen. Nice weather here in Arlington with an interesting dynamic that could help us as well (not that we necessarily need it) but a wind shift is on the way that could happen during the game depending on the timing of a weather front. Either way, the ball carries well here at this park and look for another high-scoring match-up just like yesterday but this time with a little more balanced scoring between the teams as Cole gives up some big extra base hits including dingers. The odds makers tried to hang a 10 on this game and the markets quickly got it down to a 9.5 and I'll gladly take advantage! 10* OVER the total in Texas

Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach Sunday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Houston Astros vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 8:15 - As a handicapper or bettor if you always think you're the smartest guy in the room you're setting yourself up for trouble. The point I am making is there are a lot of very smart people with very sharp minds connected to this industry. The reason I am mentioning that as it pertains to Game 5 of the World Series is because I find it surprising this total has actually held at a 7 today. It is now after Noon ET as I prepare this write-up and we're still staring at 7 across the board on this one. Keep in mind that, were it not for extra innings in Game 2, none of the first 4 games of this series would have gone over the total. Now you have a rematch of Game 1 pitting southpaw ace versus southpaw ace (a game with very few hits and that ended 3-1) and yet this total has been held at a 7. Yes, I know this one is in an AL park and the DH certainly is a factor but, still, the way these guys have pitched makes it surprising to see this total at a 7. It tells me that some very sharp people are expecting this one gets to at least 7. Keep mind we have 3 ways to win this. The lineups are getting a 2nd look at these starting pitchers so perhaps 1) Kershaw gets hit hard or 2) Keuchel gets hit hard or 3) Either bullpen caves - the Astros bullpen is a weakness and the Dodgers bullpen was proven not invincible in Game 2. I like the OVER here for a contrarian play. Los Angeles is 5-2 to the over in road games with a posted total of 7 runs this season. The Astros are 19-6 to the over in Sunday games this season. 10* OVER the total in Houston 

Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach Friday MLB 10* OVER the total in Houston Astros vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 8:05 ET - Both teams have plenty of confidence at the plate after the slugfest that saw a record 8 homers hit in Game 2 of this series Wednesday. Their confidence here is also boosted by the fact that the Dodgers hitters who have experience against Lance McCullers have hit a combined .500 against him in their meetings with him the past 5 seasons. Also, the Astros are very familiar with Yu Darvish because of his time spent with the Rangers - Texas a division rival of Houston. The Astros did lose to Darvish in his most recent visit to Houston. However, in his two prior starts versus the Astros (both within the past 14 months) Darvish was rocked for 8 earned runs on 14 hits in just 9 innings of work! Look for more of the same here with the Astros very happy that the roof will be closed for Game 3 (temps in the 50s outside) and this creates a raucous atmosphere that tends to bring out the best in this Astros lineup. The over is 15-8 this season when Houston is playing after a day off. Both lineups off powerful performances at the plate in Game 2 and now get the added benefit of a DH since the series has shifted to an AL park for games 3 through 5. Additional value too in this one thanks to the drop from an 8.5 to an 8 on this total. I'll take it! 10* OVER the total in Houston

Total of the Year - Rickenbach Wednesday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Los Angeles Dodgers vs Houston Astros @ 8:05 ET - The Astros Justin Verlander is 0-3 with a 7.20 ERA in the 3 World Series starts he has made in his career. He has averaged just 5 innings per start in those 3 appearances. Should Verlander have another short outing here, that exposes what is perhaps the Astros biggest weakness (bullpen) in comparing how these two teams match up. Even though the Dodgers do have a solid bullpen, starter Rich Hill is likely to get roughed up here. The Dodgers southpaw has allowed 4 homers and 12 walks plus has hit 3 batters in the 6 post-season starts he has made in his career. With this being his first-ever World Series start it would not surprise to see him a little shaky in this one. It will be another "hot one" in LA with high temperatures again around the century mark today. That means the homers should again be flying but the reason yesterday's game did not get over the total is the fact that there was little else in the way of offense other than 3 homers that accounted for all 4 runs. That changes with these two hurlers today. These are two very potent lineups and the Astros now facing a southpaw for a 2nd straight game and Hill is definitely a big step down from Kershaw. The Astros have been held to 1 run or less twice this month. Each time their next game went over the total. This season, Houston is 27-20 to the over against southpaw starters and 49-30 to the over in road games. The over is 3-1 in Verlander's last 4 starts and 5-3 in Hill's last 8 starts. 10* OVER the total in Los Angeles Dodgers

Total of the Week - Rickenbach Sunday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Los Angeles Dodgers vs Chicago Cubs @ 7:35 ET - With high temperatures reaching into the 90s today and a start time of 4:35 local time, this game will have the feel of a mid-summer day game! That is likely to be bad news for Jon Lester of the Cubs as the southpaw had a 5.42 ERA in day games this season and was hit at a .281 clip. As for Rich Hill of the Dodgers, his ERA was nearly a run and a half higher (and BAA nearly 45 points higher) in day games than night games this season. Lester pitched at Dodger Stadium in May this season and gave up 6 earned runs in just 3 and 1/3 innings. The over is 9-1-1 in Lester's last 11 starts. The over is 4-1 in Hill's last 5 home starts. I am certainly cognizant of the fact that there have been a lot of unders in recent post-season games after a hot start for the hitters early on. However, this pitching match-up coupled with the weather make this one a prime situation for the bats to come back to life in a HUGE way Sunday. 10* OVER the total in LA Dodgers

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach Saturday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Houston Astros vs New York Yankees @ 4:05 ET - The Yankees Luis Severino faced the Astros twice this season and he got crushed in both games and compiled a 10.57 ERA in the two outings. He enters this start having allowed 5 homers in his last 13 and 1/3 innings. The Astros counter with Justin Verlander who has allowed 5 homers in his last 3 starts versus the Yankees. Though he was successful in his start versus Boston in this post-season, he did only strike out 3 in that outing. That is significant because if the powerful Yankees sticks are making contact they can be ultra dangerous. Dealing with an ultra low total here means I have no hesitation in stepping in and taking advantage. These are two of the most potent lineups in baseball and, just because they were held "in check" in yesterday's pitchers' duel it does not mean they won't come right back to life here. Only 19 of the Astros 51 day games this season have stayed under the total. The over is 12-2 in Severino's last 14 starts. 10* OVER the total in Houston

ALCS Game 1 Crusher - Rickenbach MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Houston Astros vs New York Yankees @ 8:05 ET - Even though Masahiro Tanaka is coming off of a great start in the Yankees series with the Indians, he was at home for that one. That is noteworthy because Tanaka was an entirely different pitcher away from Yankee Stadium this season. The Yankees right-hander went 4-7 with a 6.48 ERA in his 15 road starts and the over went 11-4 in those games! The Astros should pound him here and note that he is 0-3 with an 8.86 ERA in his 5 starts versus Houston in his career. However, the reason the play here is the over rather than the Astros is two-fold. First off, Houston's price is quite big here and, as long time followers know, I don't like to lay big juice! Secondly, the Yankees have a ton of momentum considering they are coming off of a huge comeback against the Indians. That said, New York will have a lot of confidence at the plate. Keep in mind, the Yanks have now scored 21 runs in their last 4 games and they've scored 7 runs or more in 3 of their last 6 games. Though Dallas Keuchel is certainly a top pitcher, the Astros southpaw will be making just his 2nd start in a span of nearly 2 and 1/2 weeks! Too much rest can lead to "rust" for a pitcher and the Yankees have a ton of pop in their lineup! Also, the over is 6-2 in Keuchel's last 8 starts. The over is a perfect 5-0 in Tanaka's last 5 road starts! Factoring in all of the above with the fact that this line has dropped from an 8.5 to an 8, we have great line value here! 10* OVER the total in Houston

NOTE: Still going with this 10* Top Play. Stephen Strasburg has been ill but he over-ruled manager Dusty Baker and is now making the start. We shouldn't be surprised at this as Baker made multiple managerial errors in the loss to the Cubs Monday that NEVER should have happened. In summary, this is STILL a 10* Top Play for me as Strasburg is not 100% and I believe we'll see that firsthand as this game goes on. Baker got over-ruled and ends up making another poor choice here in my opinion. So Strasburg gets hit hard and, as noted below, Arrieta struggles again.

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach Wednesday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Chicago Cubs vs Washington Nationals @ 4:05 ET - The weather will be overcast and chilly with the wind blowing in. From that standpoint, this is not a good situation for an over. However, the pitching match-up is plus those weather conditions have served to give us great line value here. Even though Jake Arrieta has great numbers on the season, he has not been the same since he got hurt on September 4th. His hamstring is still bothering him and Arrieta went 0-2 in September with a 6.10 ERA and a .333 BAA in his 3 starts. He'll be opposed by Tanner Roark. With yesterday's rainout, if it wasn't for Stephen Strasburg being under the weather, Roark would likely not be getting this start. The Nationals truly are only using him because they don't really have a better option. The fact is that Roark has allowed 9 earned runs in 11 and 2/3 innings of work spanning his last two road starts. Also, the Nats right-hander has allowed 4 homers in his last 3 starts versus the Cubs. By the way, Arrieta faced Washington just once this season and the Nationals got to him for 6 runs (5 earned) in only 4 innings of work. Arrieta also gave up 5 homers in his 3 September starts and those outings spanned only 10 and 1/3 innings. Only 4 of Arrieta's last 12 starts have stayed under the total. More of the same here. 10* OVER the total in the Chicago Cubs game Wednesday afternoon.

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach Monday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs Houston Astros @ 1:05 ET - Boston got their sticks going in their 10-3 win over the Astros yesterday. Coincidentally, the Red Sox also scored 10 runs and got a win the last time Rick Porcello started. The fact that this was nearly two weeks ago means Porcello may be a little "off" in this start and, keep in mind, he allowed 7 earned runs in 6 innings in his lone start versus the Astros this season. Also, Porcello gave up 9 earned runs in less than 10 innings of work in his last two starts of the regular season. The Astros Charlie Morton finished up the regular season strong and had a good start versus the Red Sox in his final start of the campaign. However, his overall road ERA this season was a 4.17 ERA and I expect Boston's success at the plate yesterday to carry right into today. It will be another hitter-friendly afternoon with warm temperatures and winds blowing out to left field. We just need to see the rain stay away from Fenway Park and hopefully that will be the case although any showers are expected to be rather light. The over is 3-0 in this series and the over is now 47-27 in Houston's road games this season. Look for another slugfest here. 10* OVER the total in Boston

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach Sunday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs Houston Astros @ 2:35 ET - Very mild air in Boston with a strong southwest wind expected for this afternoon's game. That means the wind will be blowing out to left field at Fenway Park and the ball should be carrying very well. With Doug Fister and Brad Peacock having just faced these opponents in last week's season-ending series, the hitters have a huge edge in getting another second look at them. Also, certainly neither was dominant in those meetings. Also, the over trend simply continues to be the theme here in the post-season. With both of yesterday's games going over the total, the over is now 8-2 in this post-season! By the way, the over is 8-4 in Peacock's road starts this season and also 4-0 in all his starts made against Boston in his career. As for Fister, he wrapped up the regular season by allowing 17 earned runs in 16 and 2/3 innings! The over is 49-28 when the Astros are a road favorite in a range of -125 to -175. Also, the over is 18-6 in Houston's Sunday games this season. In road games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs, the over is 43-19 in Astros games. The Red Sox trended as an "under team" this season but they did go to 11-4 when playing after a day off. That is the case here and with the weather helping the cause I am looking for another slug-fest here. 10* OVER the total in Boston

Total Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Nationals vs Chicago Cubs @ 5:35 ET - The calendar says it is October but it will feel like anything but that for this game in DC Saturday. Temperatures in the 80s at first pitch with a south wind blowing out makes this the perfect recipe for a slugfest Saturday. The Nationals Gio Gonzalez has struggled recently with 9 earned runs given up in 9 and 1/3 innings in his final two starts of the season. The southpaw also walked 8 in those two starts. Though the Washington lefty had a solid start versus the Cubs this season, his two prior starts saw Gonzalez allow 8 earned runs in 12 innings versus Chicago. The Cubs send Jon Lester to the mound for this one and the lefty compiled a 4.41 ERA on the road this season. Also, each of his last 7 starts have gone over the total and, overall, the over is on a 9-1 run in Lester's last 10 starts! The over is also 5-2 in the last 7 starts Gonzalez has made. Look for Lester's over streak to reach 8-0 here in ideal conditions for an over in Washington as the Nationals respond after yesterday's shutout loss! 10* OVER the total in Washington

Total Dominator - Rickenbach Friday MLB 10* Top Play UNDER the total in Washington Nationals vs Chicago Cubs @ 7:30 ET - Even though this total is low (making the over very enticing of course) the fact is that this is shaping up to be a pitchers duel. Stephen Strasburg gets the start for the Nationals and he has a 0.86 ERA in his 10 starts since the All Star break. Kyle Hendricks gets the start for the Cubs and he returned (from a hand injury) in July. From late July through the end of the season, Hendricks compiled a 2.19 ERA. Also, Hendricks has a 2.67 ERA in his career versus Washington and Strasburg has a 2.08 ERA in his career versus the Cubs. The under went 17-9 in Strasburg's starts this season and Hendricks road starts produced a 9-2 mark in favor of the under this season! Overall, the under is 8-1-1 in Strasburg's last 10 starts and the under is 10-3 in Hendricks last 13 starts including a current streak of 5 straight unders. More of the same here. 10* UNDER the total in Washington

Wild Card Wednesday Top - Rickenbach MLB 10* Top Play UNDER the total in Arizona Diamondbacks vs Colorado Rockies @ 8:05 ET - The Rockies season finale on Wednesday stayed under the total and the under finished up the regular season on a 13-3 (81%) Run in Colorado's games. Though Arizona's regular season finale on Sunday went over the total their 3 prior games all resulted in unders and this Wednesday Wild Card match-up has the makings of a pitchers duel. Jon Gray gets the start for the Rockies and, though he has no playoff experience, he is in fine current form and is also his 3rd year in the majors. Gray has gone 13 straight games without allowing more than 3 earned runs in a start. Also, the two times he faced the Diamondbacks in Arizona this season he allowed just 2 earned runs each time plus he recorded a total of 20 strikeouts in the 13 innings spanning those two sparkling outings. Gray is on a 7-2 run and recorded a 2.57 ERA in September and a 2.30 ERA in August. Of course he'll be opposed by Zack Greinke here whom is the staff ace for Arizona. He is a post-season veteran who only struggled in his first year in the post-season. In subsequent seasons Greinke has been "lights out" in play-off action. Also, the Dbacks veteran right-hander enters this start with a 13-1 record and 2.87 ERA in his home starts this season. He has a 3.15 ERA in his 3 starts hosting the Rockies this season and he allowed only 15 hits in the 20 innings spanning those 3 starts. Only 4 of Greinke's last 18 starts have resulted in an over. This should be quite the pitchers duel here. 10* UNDER the total in Arizona

Wild Card Tuesday Top - Rickenbach MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Yankees vs Minnesota Twins @ 8:05 ET - The Twins are going with veteran Ervin Santana. Though I certainly respect the veteran hurler he did allow 7 hits in less than 6 innings versus the Yankees in his most recent appearance versus them and that was only 2 weeks ago. In other words the Yanks just saw him and, keep in mind, they now have 13 hits in their last 10 and 2/3 innings facing Santana. The Twins right-hander has allowed 4 homers in his last 4 starts versus the Yankees. As for the New York starter Tuesday it is Luis Severino. Not only is he only 23 years old but this will be his first ever post-season appearance at any level. This wild card match-up is a lot of pressure for him and he allowed 3 earned runs on 5 hits in 3 innings of work in his first ever start versus the Twins and that was less than 2 weeks ago. That means this Minnesota lineup is getting a quick second look at him. Certainly the Yankees have a solid bullpen but this is a low total considering that both of these starters are likely to "get touched up" in this one. I know it's playoff baseball but two potent lineups here facing two "questionable" starters. This is not likely to be a pitchers duel. Also, a light breeze likely to be blowing out to left field with fairly moderate temperatures too. 10* OVER the total in New York Yankees Tuesday

Rickenbach MLB 10* Top Play Sunday OVER the total in Miami Marlins vs Atlanta Braves @ 3:10 ET - Of course the big story here is Stanton going for his 60th home run and he will actually bat leadoff for the Marlins in this one to get as many plate appearances as possible. He and Miami have a good chance of success against Max Fried. The right-hander got roughed up by the Marlins two weeks ago and he has allowed 13 hits in the 9 innings spanning his last two starts. Miami counters with Jose Urena here and I know he has had a good season and been tough at home. However, this will be the 4th time in about 3 and 1/2 months that the Braves are facing him. Also, Urena did allow 6 earned runs in his most recent start and Atlanta has averaged 9.1 hits per game in their last 9 games against right-handed starters. The Marlins have been on a red hot run at the plate that continued with yesterday's 10-2 win as they've averaged 7.4 runs per game in their last 12 games. The Marlins have won 3 straight and the over is 10-5 when Miami is on a winning streak of 3 games or more this season. The Braves have now lost 6 straight and they're 19-11 to the over this season when on a losing streak of 3 games or more. Look for one more wild one involving the Marlins this afternoon as they help Stanton chase his 60th homer! 10* OVER the total in Miami

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach Thursday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Kansas City Royals vs Detroit Tigers @ 8:15 ET - With "playoff pressure" now gone for the recently eliminated Royals, their bats have come to life. They scored 7 runs yesterday in a 7-4 win and I look for more of the same today. Of course the Tigers are on a long losing streak right now but that has not prevented them from being an "over machine" of late. With yesterday's game totaling 11 runs, the over is now 8-2-1 in Detroit's last 11 games. With Daniel Norris on the mound for the Tigers tonight, I expect those numbers to add another "over" by the time this one is in the books. Norris has a 10.94 ERA in his last 3 starts. Also, the Detroit southpaw has given up 10 earned runs in the 14 and 1/3 innings spanning his last 3 starts versus the Royals. Kansas City will have southpaw Danny Duffy on the mound in this one. The lefty has given up 11 earned runs in the 15 innings spanning his last 3 starts versus the Tigers. Although his overall numbers are good this season, he is not 100% healthy. This is just his 3rd start since returning from the DL and he allowed 8 hits in 6 innings versus the White Sox in his most recent start. The over is 6-1-1 in the 8 road starts Norris has made this season and the over is 12-6 this season in games between these teams. Also, the Tigers are on a 48-27 run to the over in September games and Detroit is 15-3 to the over in Thursday games this season. I'll take advantage of the downward move on this total too as that has opened up even more line value in this one. 10* OVER the total in Kansas City

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach Wednesday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs Toronto Blue Jays @ 7:10 ET - Though Boston's Rick Porcello has pitched better since the All-Star break he still certainly hasn't been great. He was hit at a .270 clip in August and a .279 clip in September. Also, on the season, Porcello has gone 7-12 with a 5.37 ERA night games while opponents have hit him at a .293 clip under the lights. The Blue Jays pounded him for 7 earned runs in 5 and 1/3 innings the last time they faced him and that was only 3 weeks ago. The Blue Jays Marco Estrada has been pitching well of late but he has allowed a career-high 30 homers this season. It will be a warm evening at Fenway Park with a light breeze blowing out as well. He has a 4.96 ERA on the road this season and a 4.89 ERA in night games this season. Estrada had a great start against the Red Sox earlier this month but he has been "up and down" in starts versus Boston in his career. Also, the Red Sox have averaged 5.7 runs per game in their last 14 games. The Blue Jays are 7-4 in their last 11 games and they've averaged 5.6 runs per game during this stretch! The Red Sox are 3-1 to the over the last 4 times they've been off of a loss. Look for the over to improve to 7-3 in the Blue Jays last 10 games as this one flies over the total. Both bullpens got a little "touched up" last night and that's a good sign for what to expect tonight after each of these starters get a little roughed up too! 10* OVER the total in Boston Wednesday evening

Earliest Cash Triple Play - Rickenbach Tuesday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cleveland Indians vs Minnesota Twins @ 7:10 ET - Not sure how much longer Bartolo Colon will be pitching at the MLB level but, while he still is, I want to continue to take advantage. Colon has a 13.09 ERA in his last 3 starts. Even when it "looked" like he was pitching better (August stats), he did get hit at a .292 clip for the month so he was basically a "fortunate" pitcher. That good fortune ran out this month as he is 0-4 with a 9.17 ERA in September. The Indians are still trying to lock up home field for the AL playoffs while the Twins are still trying to lock down a wild card spot so there is plenty to play for here. That said, the offenses are likely to rule in this one as Cleveland's Josh Tomlin has a 5.35 ERA at home this season. Even though he's allowed just 2 earned runs in each of his last 3 starts, he has allowed 13 hits in the 11 innings spanning his 2 most recent starts. The Twins are seeing Tomlin for the 4th time already this season and the repetition has paid off for Minnesota hitters as they really pounded him when they most recently faced him. The Twins have won 8 of their 13 games and they've averaged 6.5 runs during this hot stretch. Of course the Indians recently wrapped up an epic winning streak and they're at it again. They've won 7 of their last 8 and averaged 6 runs per game in the 7 victories. The over is 9-3 in Colon's last 12 road starts. I expect another crazy slugfest here. He gave up 3 homers in his last start versus the Tribe and he comes into this outing having given up a pair of homers in each of his last two starts. 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cleveland 

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach Monday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Philadelphia Phillies vs Washington Nationals @ 7:05 ET - I am well aware of the fact that the Nationals just clinched home field in the NLDS yesterday. However, I am also aware that Bryce Harper is coming back and even if he does not end up being in the lineup tonight, Washington is getting a boost with the good news that Harper is back. Ryan Zimmerman is also expected to be back in the lineup for the Nats Monday. Though they've clinched their playoff position these top hitters need to be in top form as the post-season approaches so don't be surprised if the Nationals are fielding a strong lineup tonight. Although Aaron Nola has been fantastic for the Phillies, he has given up 20 hits in his 16 and 1/3 innings versus Washington this season. Also, the Nationals are starting AJ Cole whom allowed 10 baserunners in 6 innings (6 hits and 4 walks) in his lone start at Philly this season. Also, when Cole faced the Phils last season he gave up 4 earned runs in 5 innings. The right-hander has a 1.74 WHIP in his road starts this season so his ERA away from home could easily be much higher than it is. The Phillies are off of a shutout win and in the 25 times they've been off of a shutout win the past 3 seasons combined, they've had just 9 unders. Odds makers had this total set at a 9 for a reason and the markets have pushed it down. I'll take advantage of the added value now being offered. 10* OVER the total in Philadelphia

ESPN Smash Pass Top Play - Rickenbach MLB 10* OVER the total in Houston Astros vs Los Angeles Angels @ 8:05 ET - The Astros Lance McCullers has not been healthy for some time now. He has only made one start since late July and it was not "smooth" to say the least. Overall, McCullers has an 8.40 ERA in his last 3 starts and, as he is trying to work out the kinks before the post-season I would not be surprised to see him struggle against a solid Angels lineup. While it is true that McCullers has been solid against the Angels in recent meetings, this situation is different with him "tuning up" for the post-season and truly not 100% healthy. As for the Los Angeles starter, Tyler Skaggs, he recently faced the Astros and enjoyed success. However, that start was at home and now he faces them in Houston and I look for the Astros to enjoy success in what is a quick "second look" at Skaggs. Note that the Angels southpaw is winless in his 7 road starts this season. The over is 17-5 in Astros Sunday games this season and I look for another one here. Even though Skaggs gave up just 2 earned runs in his most recent start he only struck out 1 while allowing 8 hits in just 5 and 1/3 innings. In other words, he was quite hittable and wasn't missing many bats. Look for more of the same here. 10* OVER the total in Houston

NOTE: Raul Alcantara now getting the start for Oakland. This is still a play for me and it still a 10* Top Play. Alcantara is 1-4 with an 8.03 ERA in his 11 MLB appearances including 7 starts. MLB hitters have hit .305 against him in his career and this year in the minors (AAA level) Alcantara was hit at a .273 clip and mostly worked out of the bullpen. He certainly fits the bill as an "emergency starter" whom I am happy to fade. Game on! Total Annihilation - Rickenbach Saturday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Oakland A's vs Texas Rangers @ 9:05 ET - Sean Manaea gets the start for the A's. The Oakland southpaw has given up 10 runs (8 earned) on 17 hits in the 8 and 2/3 innings spanning his last two starts. Also, against the Rangers, Manaea has given up 13 runs (12 earned) in the 16 and 1/3 innings spanning his last 3 starts versus Texas. The Rangers will have a pitching "concern" of their own in this one as Miguel Gonzalez gets the start for Texas. The Rangers right-hander has given up 7 earned runs in 10 and 2/3 innings spanning his two starts at Oakland in his career. Also, Gonzalez has a 10.45 ERA and a 1.94 WHIP in his last 3 starts. Yesterday's game easily stayed under the total but the over had been 6-1 in Oakland's last 7 home games. The fact is that the A's have been hitting the ball very well at home. The Athletics have won 6 straight home games and they've averaged scoring 8 runs per game in their 8 home games this month! The over is 44-29 in Oakland's home games this season. Also, when off of a win, the A's are 42-26 to the over this season! 10* OVER the total in Oakland

Contrarian Game of the Year - Rickenbach Friday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Blue Jays vs New York Yankees @ 7:05 ET - This is a contrarian play because, on the surface, this would appear to have potential to be a pitchers duel. Of course that is also why this total dropped from a 9 to an 8.5 which is also why there is exceptional line value on the over in this one. The Yankees are sending Masahiro Tanaka to the mound. The over is 10-4 in his road starts this season as Tanaka has compiled a 6.14 ERA away from home. Tanaka's most recent start at Toronto, early last month, saw him walk 5 in just 4 innings of work as his road struggles continued. Tanaka also has given up 3 homers in his last 3 starts against the Blue Jays and he enters this start having allowed 3 homers in his last 2 starts overall. The Jays got shutout yesterday and the over is 3-1 the last 4 times that Toronto has been held to 1 run or less in their prior game. Also, the Blue Jays had averaged 6 runs per game in their last 4 games prior to yesterday's tough day at the plate. The Jays will send Marco Estrada to the mound for this one. The Toronto right-hander had a strong outing when he last faced the Yankees but, in his two prior starts versus the Yanks (also this season), he allowed a total of 13 earned runs in just 8 and 1/3 innings. New York got to him for a pair of homers in each of those starts. Also, Estrada enters this start having allowed 3 homers in his last 3 starts. The Yankees sticks are heating up again as they've won 10 of their last 12 games. The Yanks have averaged scoring 7 runs per game in their last 11 games! Estrada has hit a recent "under" stretch in his last 3 starts but, prior to that, the Blue Jays were 11-4 to the over in his 15 prior starts and now Estrada is facing a lineup that has given him some problems this season! Of course that is why the Yankees are priced significantly as a road favorite here and note that the over is 34-21 the last 55 times the Yanks have been a road fave in the -125 to -175 range. 10* OVER the total in Toronto

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach Thursday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Tigers vs Minnesota Twins @ 7:10 ET - The Tigers Jordan Zimmerman has given up 30 hits in 15 innings while compiling a 9.00 ERA in his last 3 starts. The Twins Adalberto Mejia has allowed 19 hits in 10 innings while compiling a 9.00 ERA in his last 3 starts. Also, Zimmerman has a 13.11 ERA in his 3 starts versus Minnesota this season. As you would expect, all 3 of those starts went over the total. Also, the over was 4-0 in Detroit's 4 games prior to yesterday's low-scoring match-up with Oakland. The over is 14-3 this season in Tigers Thursday games. Detroit is also 43-23 to the over this season when they enter a game on a losing streak of 3 games or more. The Twins are on a long-term run of 120-83 to the over in their games against teams with a losing record. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER the total in Detroit

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cincinnati Reds vs St Louis Cardinals @ 7:10 ET - With last night's extra innings 8-7 Cardinals win, St Louis has averaged 7.8 runs per game in their last 5 games versus the Reds. The issue tonight for the Cards won't be their bats though. What will surprise some people is that the Cardinals Luke Weaver is likely to struggle. Don't get me wrong, the young hurler's performance has been solid this season no doubt. However, the key here is a little bit of a hidden nugget. He's facing the Reds for the 2nd time in a week and the significance in that is that when teams get a second look at a young, inexperience pitcher it often goes much differently in round 2 than it did in round 1. For Weaver, the 2nd time he faced Milwaukee this season he gave up 8 hits in 5 and 2/3 innings and the second time he faced Pittsburgh he gave up 7 hits in 5 and 2/3 innings. As you can see, there is plenty of reason to believe that the Reds will have a bit of a "hit parade" versus the Cardinals young pitcher tonight. I know his numbers are great this season but those numbers above don't lie and this is still a guy who went 1-4 with a 5.70 ERA in his rookie season last year. As for Reds starter Rookie Davis, he is 1-2 with a 7.71 ERA in his 5 starts at the MLB level this season. Even at the minor league level he was not impressive as he got hit at a .282 clip. With the Reds he has been hit at a .367 clip. You can see why I am expecting a slugfest in this one. 10* OVER in Cincinnati

Rickenbach Tuesday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cincinnati Reds vs St Louis Cardinals @ 7:10 ET - The Reds are starting Jackson Stephens in this one. It will be his 2nd big league start and he allowed 3 earned runs in 5 innings against the Cubs in July in his only other MLB start. Though he has been pitching out of the bullpen (3 September appearances) and has had some success, there are a couple of keys as to why he is likely to get pounded here. One is that he just faced the Cardinals for 3 innings out of the bullpen last week. They'll now take advantage of getting a quick second look for him. Another edge for the Cards at the plate here is the simple fact that Stephens minor league numbers tell the full story. This season was his first above the AA level and he got rocked quite often. Stephens ended up with a 7-10 record, 4.92 ERA, and AAA hitters got to him to the tune of a .281 batting average against! The Cardinals are fighting to stay alive in the Wild Card race and they'll give him trouble here. As for the Cards starter, Jack Flaherty gets the call. He is winless with a 6.08 ERA in his 3 MLB starts and the most recent one was against Cincinnati. The Reds got to Flaherty for 3 earned runs in just 4 and 1/3 innings and now they get a quick second look at him. This time its at home where they are very dangerous at the plate. Flaherty has already thrown a lot of innings this season and this is the first year he has pitched above the single A level in the minors. Look for the Reds to jump all over him in this one. The over is 9-5 in Cincinnati's games after a day off. Also, the Reds are 15-4 to the over in Tuesday games this season. St Louis is 13-7 to the over when playing after a day off and the Cards are a solid 28-19 to the over in road games where the money line ranges from -125 to +125 for St Louis. 10* OVER the total in Cincinnati

Rickenbach Monday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Miami Marlins vs New York Mets @ 7:10 ET - A game between two teams out of playoff contention and two struggling starting pitchers matched up. I love these types of late season match-ups for overs and this one looks like a beauty. The Mets Matt Harvey has given up 18 hits in less than 10 innings of work spanning his last two starts versus the Marlins. The New York right-hander enters this start with a 12.20 ERA in the month of September and Harvey has been absolutely crushed in his two road starts. As for the Marlins Daniel Straily, he also is having a very rough time. Straily is 2-5 with a 5.74 ERA since the All-Star break. Also, the Miami right-hander has an 8.44 ERA in September and has allowed 29 hits in the 16 innings spanning his 3 starts this month. The over is 19-5 in Mets road games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs this season. The over is 7-0 in the Marlins last 8 games (one push in there) and I look for their over streak to reach a perfect 8-0 here! 10* OVER the total in Miami

Total of the Month - Rickenbach Friday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Philadelphia Phillies vs Oakland A's @ 7:05 ET - The Phillies, led by slugger Rhys Hoskins, have been knocking the cover off of the ball of late. With their 10-0 win last night, there have been just 3 unders in the Phillies last 12 games. Philadelphia has reached double digits in hits in 8 of those 12 games and they've averaged scoring 6.5 runs per game during this solid stretch of work at the plate. The A's have gone 9-2-1 to the over in their last 12 games. Oakland has scored 7 runs or more in 7 of its last 10 games. The A's are starting Daniel Mengden here and he has a 7.07 ERA in his 3 starts this season. The Phillies are starting Mark Leiter and he has given up 24 hits in his last 16 innings. Also he has allowed a total of 4 homers in his last two starts. The over is 34-17 in Phillies inter-league games the past 3 seasons combined. The over is 40-23 in Oakland's September games the past 2+ seasons. Look for more of the same here as both these teams are just playing for pride at this point and that means a very relaxed approach at the plate and that has led to big success for both of these lineups of late. That continues Friday. 10* OVER the total in Philadelphia

Network Top Play - Rickenbach Friday MLB 10* OVER the total in Chicago Cubs vs St Louis Cardinals @ 2:20 ET - The wind will be blowing out at Wrigley Field this afternoon and temperatures will be very warm for mid-September in Chicago. The fact that two respectable pitchers (John Lackey and Carlos Martinez) take the mound for this one helped to keep the opening total lower than it should be. This line opened up at an 8.5 but many signs point to a slugfest here. The Cardinals are 10-3 this month and have averaged scoring 6.4 runs per game in those 10 wins. The Cubs are heating up again and have been on fire at the plate which helped lead the way to a 3-game sweep of the Mets which wrapped up yesterday. The Cubs have averaged 9.1 runs per game in their 7 wins this month. The Cards Martinez gave up 10 hits in 6 innings in his most recent start at Wrigley Field. The Cubs Lackey is off of back to back solid starts but prior to that had back to back rough outings that saw him allow 10 earned runs in 10 innings spanning two starts! The over is 3-0 in the Cubs last 3 games and I expect another slugfest at Wrigley this afternoon. 10* OVER the total in the Chicago Cubs game

Rickenbach Wednesday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs Oakland Athletics @ 7:10 ET - Doug Fister is only 3-5 with a 4.17 ERA in his home starts this season. Also, he has been hit 84 points higher at home compared to on the road this season. Lefties have hit 108 points higher than righties against Fister and the A's will certainly have a few lefties and/or switch-hitters in their lineup ready to do some damage here. Oakland's starter Jharel Cotton is likely to see his struggles continue. He is 1-7 with a 8.00 ERA in his night games this season with opponents hitting an insane .341 against him in those outings. Boston scored 11 runs in yesterday's win and they've now scored 6 runs or more in 4 of their last 5 games. Though Oakland was shutdown at the plate yesterday, they previously had scored 7 runs or more in 6 of their last 7 games. 10* OVER the total in Boston

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach Tuesday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs Oakland A's @ 7:10 ET - The over is on a 12-3 run in Oakland's last 15 games. The A's have averaged scoring 8.6 runs per game in their last 9 games as their lineup has been red hot. The Red Sox are off of a 4-1 loss but previously had won 3 straight games and scored an average of 8 runs per game. Both these teams were off yesterday and the over is 10-3 this season in Boston games when they're playing after a day off. The A's are 39-22 to the over when playing after a win, 39-24 to the over when facing a team with a winning record, and 14-6 to the over in Tuesday games. The Red Sox are 13-7 to the over in Tuesday games this season. Boston will have Eduardo Rodriguez on the mound and he has a 6.11 ERA in his last 3 starts. Oakland will have Sean Manaea on the mound and he has an 11.73 ERA in his 2 starts versus the Red Sox in his career and that includes getting crushed at Fenway Park. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER the total in Boston

Rickenbach Tuesday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Nationals vs Atlanta Braves @ 7:05 ET - Not many will want the over here because Gio Gonzalez has been pitching very well. However, he's off of a big win against his hometown team (Miami) and has been known for success against the Marlins. However, the same can not be said about the Braves. Look for a letdown here from Gonzalez and the fact is that Atlanta has got to him for 13 earned runs in the 16 innings spanning his last 3 starts versus the Braves. Also, Atlanta comes into this one swinging the bats quite well as they've averaged scoring 6 runs per game in their last 9 games and the over has gone 6-2-1 in these 9 games. As for the Nationals, they are one of the top hitting teams in the majors and the Braves Julio Teheran has a 4.50 ERA versus the Nats this season. Washington is 6-1 their last 7 games and they've averaged scoring 5.6 runs per game during this solid stretch. The over is a long-term 42-25 when the Nationals are a home favorite in a price range of -175 to -250. The over is 27-12 this season when the Braves are a road dog of +125 or more. 10* OVER the total in Washington

Rickenbach Monday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cleveland Indians vs Detroit Tigers @ 7:10 ET - The Tigers are starting Myles Jaye. He has limited MLB experience and it's been out of the bullpen. This season he has mostly pitched at AA and AAA in the minors. Now he takes a major step up in competition to make his first ever start at the MLB level. He got hit at a .270 clip at the AA level this season and a .298 clip at the AAA level so I don't expect him to enjoy success against the hottest team in the majors. The Indians have won 18 straight and should pound Jaye in this one. However, don't be surprised if Carlos Carrasco gets a little "touched up" here too! He has been phenomenal of late but has thrown a lot of pitches in his last two starts. This season, the games where Carrasco has ended up getting hit harder than usual have come after he has thrown a lot of pitches in his two prior starts. That is the case here and I expect the Tigers to do some damage in this one while the Tribe certainly should rough up Jaye early and often. The over is a long-term 52-26 in Detroit's road games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs. The over is also a perfect 6-0 in Carrasco's last 6 home starts. I am happy to test that 6-0, 100% mark with a Top Play in this one! 10* OVER the total in Cleveland

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Kansas City Royals vs Minnesota Twins @ 7:15 ET - Yesterday's game went over the total and the over is now 7-4 in the Twins last 11 games. Also, the over is 6-2 in the Royals last 8 games. Jake Junis gets the start for Kansas City here and he did face the Twins earlier this season and he couldn't make it out of the 5th inning. Even though Junis has some decent numbers, he has been hit hard in 2 of his last 3 starts. The Twins will have Jose Berrios on the mound and they are 0-4 in his starts versus KC in his career as the Royals have been a bit of a nemesis for Berrios: 8.19 ERA in his career versus Kansas City. Berrios also has not been the same pitcher on the road as he has at home this season. Minny is 4-8 in his road starts and he has compiled a 5.43 ERA away from home. The over is 117-78 in Twins games versus teams with a losing record. The over is 42-20 in Royals September games. More of the same expected here on a hitter-friendly evening at Kauffman Stadium. 10* OVER the total in Kansas City early Saturday evening

10* Top OVER in Boston - Drew Pomeranz has looked "off" in his last two starts. The Red Sox southpaw has given up 7 earned runs on 15 and 7 walks in just 11 and 1/3 innings of work. He also has a 6.08 ERA versus Tampa Bay this season with way too many walks allowed. That said, this is one of those rare gems that looks like a pitchers duel on the surface but should prove to be anything but that. Chris Archer gets the start for the Rays and he exited very early in his most recent start after allowing 2 homers and not recording an out. He said he had tightness in the back of his right arm but he has been proclaimed as "okay" for this start. No doubt concerns about his arm are in the back of Archer's mind right now. He's given up 21 hits (including 3 homers) in 18 and 1/3 spanning his last 3 starts versus Boston. Each of Archer's last 2 starts versus Boston have gone over the total and each of the last 3 starts Pomeranz has made versus the Rays have resulted in an over. 

Contrarian Crusher Top Play - Rickenbach Thursday MLB 10* OVER the total in New York Mets vs Cincinnati Reds @ 7:10 ET - In my opinion, neither one of these pitchers can be trusted. The Mets Matt Harvey recently returned from the disabled list and he picked up right where he left off before going on the DL. Indeed it was another ugly outing for Harvey as he got rocked by the Astros in a very short outing. As for the Reds, they hand the ball to rookie Tyler Mahle whom has decent numbers in his first two starts at the MLB level. However, this is still a 22 year old hurler that has already hit 3 batters in just 11 innings of work spanning his two starts. Also, his pitch counts have been rather high and he did walk 4 in just 5 innings in his MLB debut. The Mets have scored 6 runs or more in 4 of their 6 games this month. The Reds are averaging 5.6 runs per game in their last 9 games. More of the same expected here as both teams should get to 5 or 6 runs in this one. 10* OVER the total in New York Mets

Contrarian Crusher Top Play - Rickenbach Wednesday MLB 10* OVER the total in Detroit Tigers vs Kansas City Royals @ 7:10 ET - Even though the weather is cooling off in Detroit it certainly is not yet "cold" and the fact is that these teams have been trending over. Yesterday's game featured plenty of Tigers homers and the over is now 4-1 in the last 5 games for each of these clubs. Also, Detroit entered yesterday's game having allowed 14.4 hits per game in their 5 prior games. As you can see the Tigers hurlers have struggled overall and now Matt Boyd takes the mound for Detroit. The southpaw is off of a rare solid start as he had compiled a 9.67 ERA in his 5 starts prior to a decent outing versus Cleveland. Now Boyd faces a Royals team that has got to him for 11 earned runs in less than 10 innings of work spanning his last 3 starts versus KC. The Royals are also likely to have some pitching problems tonight as Jason Hammel takes the mound. The Kansas City right-hander has a 6.91 ERA in his 9 career starts versus the Tigers. Also, has given up 4 homers in his last 2 run starts and the Tigers were knocking the ball out of the park with regularity last night. As a road fave of -125 to -175, the over is on a 19-7 run in Royals games. Also, Kansas City is on a 40-19 run to the over in September games. KC is 14-7 to the over in Wednesday games this season. The Tigers are 19-10 to the over as a home dog of +125 to +175. Look for another wild one at Comerica Park tonight. 10* OVER the total in Detroit early Wednesday evening.

Earliest Cash Top Play - Rickenbach MLB Wednesday 10* OVER the total in Oakland A's vs Los Angeles Angels @ 3:35 ET - The A's and Angels combined for 15 runs yesterday as the hot hitting continued. The over is now 8-1-1 in the Angels last 10 games. Los Angeles has averaged scoring 7.4 runs per game during this hot streak. The A's and Angels have gone over the total in each of their last 4 match-ups and the A's have now scored 6 runs or more in 8 of their last 13 games. The ball carries better in West Coast day games compared to night games. Also, the wind will be blowing out toward right-center field for this one. The A's Sean Manaea is winless with a 6.38 ERA in his 5 career starts versus the Angels. Los Angeles will have Tyler Skaggs on the mound for this one and he is winless with a 6.75 ERA in his 4 career starts versus Oakland. The over is 8-3 in Manaea's home starts this season. Skaggs has a 9.49 ERA in his last 3 starts overall so he comes into this one in poor current form. The Angels are 4-0 to the over as a road fave in a range of -125 to -175 this season. The A's are 33-19 to the over in day games this season. More of the same here. 10* OVER the total in Oakland in afternoon action Wednesday.

Rickenbach Tuesday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Tampa Bay Rays vs Minnesota Twins @ 7:10 ET - The Rays are 11-3 to the over in the last 14 starts that Jake Odorizzi has made. The Tampa Bay right-hander has a 9.48 ERA in his last 3 starts including getting absolutely crushed in the lone home start he made during this stretch. The Twins will have Bartolo Colon on the mound and he has given up 24 hits (including 5 homers) in the 17 innings spanning his last 3 starts at Tropicana Field. Colon also has seen his form regress recently after a surprisingly rare, strong stretch of starts for him. The right-hander has given up 33 hits in the 23 and 2/3 innings spanning his last 4 starts. Colon has been fortunate he hasn't allowed many earned runs in this stretch and that is helping to offer line value here as it has kept this total low despite the fact both hurlers should struggle badly. With yesterday's 11-4 Twins loss, Minnesota is now 116-77 to the over the past 3 seasons in their games against teams with a losing record. The Rays have gone over the total in 4 of their last 5 home games versus a right-handed starter. 10* OVER the total in Tampa Bay

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach Monday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs @ 4:05 ET - Warm temperatures and wind blowing out to left field will help our cause here. The total is on the move from 8 to 8.5 but this is still a great value on the over on what should be a very hitter-friendly afternoon game in Pittsburgh. Even though Jake Arrieta had success against the Pirates just last week, look for the immediate "second look" opportunity to pay dividends for Pittsburgh at home. Having just seen him will help the Pirates lineup and Arrieta's prior two starts against Pittsburgh did see him allow 7 runs (5 earned) in just 10 and 1/3 innings spanning those two outings. Chad Kuhl gets the start for the Pirates here and he did not look sharp against the Cubs last week. He allowed 7 hits in just 5 and 1/3 innings and is now 0-4 with an 11.07 ERA in his career starts versus Chicago. The right-hander has a 4.86 ERA at home this season and the Cubs were averaging nearly 8 runs per game their last dozen games before being held to just 1 run in yesterday's loss. In other words, don't be surprise when the bats quickly come back to life for Chicago. The over is a long-term 25-13 in Cubs games where they are a road favorite of -175 or more. Also, the Pirates are 12-6 to the over when they are a road dog in a range of +125 to +175. Look for a wild one in very hitter-friendly afternoon conditions here. 10* OVER the total in Pittsburgh

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach Sunday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in San Diego Padres vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 4:40 ET - Both games of yesterday's double header went over the total. On the surface, today's match-up looks like it has the potential for a pitchers duel but once you dig a little deeper you see the reality. Alex Wood is not 100% right now. He's returning from a trip to the disabled list and he did allow 3 homers in his most recent start. Also, an interesting item of note is that, amazingly, all 20 of his starts this season have been night games. Now he's pitching in a day game and he struggled badly in both 2016 and 2015 in day game action as Wood got hit hard. The Padres have confidence from yesterday's sweep and are likely to enjoy surprising success against Wood. As for San Diego starter Jhoulys Chacin, he has struggled with being inefficient with pitches lately. The result is far too many walks and having to consistently pitch out of jams. That could prove problematic against a Dodgers team looking to respond after being swept yesterday! Note that the over is 5-1 in the Dodgers last 6 games. Also, the over is a solid 60% (39-26) this season in Los Angeles' games against teams with a losing record. The over is 34-20 in Padres divisional games this season. 10* OVER the total in San Diego

10* OVER the total in Texas - The Rangers and Angels were involved in a slugfest last night and I would not be surprised to see another one today. Ricky Nolasco has had some dreadful starts against the Rangers in his career (including his lone start at Arlington this season) and has a 7.33 ERA in his career versus Texas. AJ Griffin has allowed 11 earned runs in just 12 and 2/3 innings against the Angels spanning his last 3 starts versus Los Angeles. 3 of the last 4 games between these teams have resulted in an over. Overall, each of these teams is on a 5-1 run to the over their last 6 games. The Angels lineup has been boosted with the acquisition of Justin Upton and this should fly over the total. Yes it is a big number but yesterday's 19 runs scored also showed that both bullpens are vulnerable here as well. 

Rickenbach Friday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Yankees vs Boston Red Sox @ 7:05 ET - I got burned with this total last night as I had a big play on the over and the teams came up just short of the number because they combined to leave a ridiculous 23 men on base. I won't hesitate to come right back with this play tonight as another top play. Boston sends Doug Fister to the mound and he gave up 6 earned runs on 9 hits in less than 5 innings of work when he most recently faced the Yankees. New York's Sonny Gray gave up 7 hits while recording 0 strikeouts in 5 innings when he most recently faced the Red Sox. Gray's home starts this season (started the year with Oakland) have gone 8-4 to the over. More of the same here. 10* OVER the total in the New York Yankees game

Rivalry Rout - Rickenbach Thursday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Yankees vs Boston Red Sox @ 7:05 ET - Boston's Eduardo Rodriguez is struggling badly with a 6.11 ERA in his last 3 starts. Though the Yankees CC Sabathia has had success versus the Red Sox this season, they will be getting their 4th look at him since early June! Look for Boston to break through here as they're facing a southpaw starter for the 3rd straight game and 4th time in their last 5 games! These types of repetition help hitters. The Red Sox enter this series with plenty of confidence after sweeping the Blue Jays and scoring at least 6 runs in 2 of the 3 games plus averaging 10.3 hits per game in the series. The Yankees got swept versus Cleveland but the Yanks have averaged 5.9 runs per game in their 9 games. The over is 6-3 in those 9 games. Sabathia has a 5.08 ERA in home starts this season and Rodriguez is likely to see his recent struggles continue here as he has produced only 2 quality starts in his last 9 starts! 10* OVER the total in the New York Yankees game

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Colorado Rockies vs Detroit Tigers @ 3:10 ET - Yesterday's game fell just short of going over the total as it got to 10 by the 7th inning but ended that way. Justin Verlander gets the start for the Tigers today and, though he is off of a solid road start it came against a White Sox team that has been struggling at the plate in recent weeks. That said, I like the fact that Detroit is 3-11 in Verlander's road starts this season and I expect his struggles away from home to continue as he faces a Rockies team that has averaged 6.6 runs per game in its last 7 home games. On the season Colorado is hitting .301 at home and averaging 6.1 runs per game. Detroit has a great shot of matching the Rockies run for run in this one as the face Colorado's Chad Bettis. He has only made 3 starts since returning to the rotation but each one has gotten progressively worse and he has allowed 8 earned runs in 12 innings spanning his last two starts. He gave up 3 homers in those 2 starts and note that Verlander has allowed 4 homers in his last 2 road starts. Detroit's day games are 26-15 to the over this season and 93-61 to the over the last 3 seasons combined. The Tigers bullpen has a 6.33 ERA in road games this season while the Rockies pen has a 5.36 ERA in home games on the year. 10* OVER the total in Colorado