Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8.5 runs +105 in Houston vs Detroit @ 7:10 ET - As a general rule, I always at least take a peak at an over the day after a 1-0 pitchers' duel like these teams had yesterday. The fact is the Astros had a lot of scoring opportunities yesterday but simply couldn't cash them in as they hit into three double plays. The fact they induced a lot of walks was certainly a good sign for the Houston lineup but the real key today will be swinging the lumber against a struggling Justin Verlander. The Tigers right-hander threw 116 pitches and didn't even get out of the 5th inning in a bad start against the Pirates. Verlander is having some trouble with his breaking stuff and this is bad news because the former power pitcher has lost a little something off his fastballs of late. Look for the Astros to enjoy plenty of success but they have a pitching concern of their own. I know Chris McHugh bounced back in his 2nd start (after a horrible 1st start against the Yankees) but McHugh did give up 8 hits in 7 innings against the Royals and his stuff was far from electric. The Astros bullpen has a 5.40 ERA on the season while the Tigers pen has a 5.29 ERA in road games so far this year. The Tigers had averaged 6 runs per game on the season before getting shutout in yesterday's game. The over had gone 7-1 in Detroit's first 8 games. They are on a long-term run of 94-65 to the over in games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs. *10* OVER 8.5 in Houston

Rickenbach MLB *10* OVER 9 runs in Texas vs Baltimore @ 8:05 ET - With yesterday's over the Orioles have now gone over the total in 3 of their last 4 games while the Rangers have gone over the total in 3 straight home games. Both of these teams are swinging the bats well with the Orioles hitting .287 on the season and also averaging 5.7 runs per game on the road. The Rangers got off to a slower start at the plate this season but they've now averaged 6 runs per game in their last 4 games so, as the weather has been warming, so too have the Texas bats been warming. The Orioles bullpen has been solid this season but the Rangers bullpen has struggled including an ugly 10.80 ERA in their home games this season. Even though the Orioles pen has been solid their starting pitcher is likely to be in trouble early and often tonight. Vance Worley had a "shaky" outing in his first start this season and that was against light-hitting Tampa Bay. He faces a much more potent line-up tonight and the match-up is in a hitter-friendly park. The Rangers will have Martin Perez getting the start and the southpaw gave up 7 hits plus walked 5 while striking out 0 in his 6 inning start against the Angels last week. He was lucky with all the baserunners that he did not allow more damage than the 3 earned runs. He also walked 4 in his first start this season so he's been on the edge of some big innings early this season but he's survived. I believe a confident Baltimore lineup will make him pay and that's why this game should turn into a back-and-forth slugfest. *10* OVER 9 in Texas

Rickenbach MLB *10* OVER 8.5 runs in Toronto vs NY Yankees @ 7:05 ET - You may recall that last season Nathan Eovaldi had to be shutdown early in September due to elbow inflammation. The Yankees right-hander is saying it's not an issue this spring but he surely did not look good in his first start of the season. Eovaldi faced Houston and he gave up 5 earned runs in 5 innings of work. He allowed 2 homers in the start and now faces another powerful lineup in the form of the Blue Jays on Thursday evening. Look for Toronto's lineup to build off of yesterday's solid performance as they scored 7 runs in the win. The Jays may have some trouble keeping the Yankees off the board in this one though. After a good first start against light-hitting Tampa Bay, the Jays Marcus Stroman struggled against a more powerful line-up - Red Sox - last week. Now he takes on a Yankees lineup that has struggled when facing left-handed starters this season but in the games where they've faced a right-handed starter the Yankees are hitting .303 so far this season and they have averaged 7 runs per game in those outings. Stroman has had success in his career against the Yankees but the Yanks should bounce back after scoring only 2 runs yesterday. I definitely like what the Yankees are doing against right-handed pitching this season and Stroman gave up 5 earned runs in 5 and 1/3 innings versus Boston last week. Look for the over to improve to 6-2 in Yankees games this season. *10* OVER in Toronto

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 11 in Colorado vs San Francisco @ 8:40 ET - As usual the ball will carry well in the thin air at Coors Field Tuesday night. Helping the cause is the fact that the wind may also be switching around during this game and the light breeze may add even a little more help in terms of carry on the ball. Of course the favorable ballpark setting is the reason this total is so high but it certainly is justified. This is especially true based on this pitching match-up. The Giants will have Jeff Samardzija on the mound. He only gave up 3 runs in his start at Milwaukee last week but he was very fortunate as the Brewers were constantly throughout his start. The key factor here is that baserunners at Coors Field are much tougher to strand than at any other ballpark in the league. The Rockies will have Tyler Chatwood on the hill. He is recovering from Tommy John surgery and really hasn't seen significant time on the mound in the majors since 2013. That year he was hit at a .294 clip in his outings at Coors Field. Overall, in his career, he's been hit at a .287 clip at the major league level. The Giants have gotten to him for 9 earned runs in 12 innings the last two times they've faced him. San Francisco hit 3 homers against him the last time they faced Chatwood at Coors Field. The Rockies bullpen has an unsightly 11.37 ERA so this could be a huge night for the Giants sticks in Denver. The Rockies are averaging 7 runs per game in their 4 games against right-handed starters this season. Look for this one to fly over the total as both teams should get at least 7 runs in what should be an absolute slug-fest. *10* OVER in Colorado

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 7 -105 in Seattle vs Oakland @ 4:10 ET - Felix Hernandez is a hurler who I certainly have plenty of respect for but don't be surprised if the A's do some damage against the Mariners ace Sunday afternoon. Hernandez allowed 3 homers in his last 2 starts against the Athletics. Also, in his start prior to those two, the Seattle right-hander allowed 10 hits in 7 innings against Oakland last July. The A's hitters are certainly familiar with him and Oakland already has 20 hits so far in the first two games of this series. Of course the big key to this big play Sunday is that the Mariners sticks should absolutely come back to life here. Seattle should be able to "tee off" against Athletics hurler Chris Bassitt. The righty got roughed up in his first start this season against the White Sox. He also has walked 10 in his last 10 innings of work at Safeco Field. Though he found the plate more in his first start this season (versus the ChiSox) that also resulted in him getting hit hard. Bassitt had some struggles in spring training and they appear to have carried right into the regular season. Also, Bassitt was 0-3 with a 5.12 ERA in his 9 road games (6 starts) last season. In the A's last 96 games with a posted total of 7 or less, only 36 have stayed under the total. The Mariners have struggled at the plate in the first two games of this series but they now face a right-handed starter for the first time since they defeated Colby Lewis and the Rangers 9-5 earlier this week. The M's can pound Bassitt. *10* OVER in Seattle

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8 runs in Seattle vs Oakland @ 9:10 ET - The A's Rich Hill struggled mightily in his first start this season. He had significant issues with command of his pitches and that included hitting two batters. Hill had a horrible spring training as he went 0-2 in his 4 starts while walking 15 batters in just 12 innings of work. That spells trouble for how things will go tonight as he proved in the season opener that he's just not "ready" for his return to the starting rotation. Remember this is a guy that has mostly worked out of the bullpen for the past 6 seasons! The Mariners will trot out Nate Karns to the mound for tonight's start. He tends to see a lot of his pitches hit to the outfield and the cavernous setting of Safeco Field surely is a deterrent to home run balls but it also allows for some big hits in the gaps in the outfield. That could be an issue for Karns tonight. As a member of the Rays last season he faced the A's once and took the loss in a game where Oakland certainly didn't have too much trouble connecting against him. Yesterday's game stayed under but the over is still 84-62 long-term in Oakland's divisional games. Also, the over is 111-84 in A's night games the past three seasons. The Mariners had scored 19 runs combined in their two games prior to the tight loss to the Athletics yesterday. Look for them to respond in a huge way at the plate tonight as Hill's struggles continue. *10* OVER in Seattle

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 9.5 +110 in Arizona vs Chicago Cubs @ 9:40 ET - These teams combined for 20 runs yesterday and I look for another big night at the plate from both clubs tonight. The Cubs are scoring an average of 9.7 runs per game so far this season while the Diamondbacks are scoring a respectable average of 6.3 runs per game on the young season. The pitching match-up tonight is conducive to continued success at the plate for both clubs. The Diamondbacks will have Robbie Ray on the mound. I know the southpaw had a solid spring training but there can be a big difference between the games that don't count and the ones that do and he now faces one of the hottest and most dangerous lineups in baseball in a "real game" tonight. Ray went 1-6 with an ugly 4.88 ERA in his home starts for Arizona last season. He got hit at a .285 clip in those home outings and now faces a Cubs lineup that has produced more runs per game than any other team so far this season. Chicago came into this season with a lot of hype and, so far, they are living up to it. As for the Dbacks, their lineup has been very productive and they should enjoy plenty of success against Jason Hammel of the Cubs. The Diamondbacks hit .270 at home last season and only the Rockies had a higher team batting average at home than Arizona. Chicago's Hammel had a great first half last season but then had a 5.10 ERA after the All Star break. With a 4.63 ERA in spring training this year and some continued struggles to keep the ball down in the zone, I expected some carry over from last season's rough finish for Hammel right into the new season. In games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs, the Cubs have gone 17-9 to the over. The Dbacks April games are on a 30-20 run to the over. *10* OVER in Arizona

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Baltimore vs Minnesota @ 7:05 ET - First two games in this series stayed under the total but the Orioles have left 22 men on base in those two contests. With milder weather today, the wind blowing out, and a pair of "questionable" starting pitchers on the mound the situation is perfect for a big "OVER" to put the wraps on this series. After a surprisingly successful season in his first year with Minnesota in 2014, Phil Hughes reverted to usual form last season. In 2015, Hughes was very hittable (.293 BAA) just like he was in 2013 with the Yankees when he also got hit at a .293 clip. Hughes took advantage of home starts in pitcher-friendly Minnesota but struggled on the road with a 2-6 record and 5.10 ERA last season away from home. Camden Yards is hitter-friendly and this is especially true when the wind is blowing out as it will be this evening. The only hope for Hughes is that his offense gives him a lot of run support tonight and that is precisely what I expect to happen. The Twins will be teeing off against the inconsistent Ubaldo Jimenez tonight. The Orioles right-hander had a 5.63 ERA after the All Star break last year. Signs of him returning to his first half form were certainly few and far between this spring as Jimenez compiled a 12.27 ERA in his four spring training starts. The Orioles have a solid bullpen but a lot of damage is going to be done before "damage control" can be called upon in this game. *10* OVER 8.5 in Baltimore 

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8 runs +100 in Kansas City vs New York Mets @ 4:15 ET - Very mild weather in Kansas City is forecast this afternoon and plus gusty winds will be blowing out to left field for this match-up. This, of course, will aid the hitters a bit and I also feel this pitching match-up is highly conducive to the over. First, a few trends certainly worth mentioning. The past 2+ seasons the over is 21-12 in Mets road games where they are priced from -100 to -125. The over is also 28-17 in Mets inter-league games the past 2+ seasons. Though these teams stayed under the total (just barely I might add) in Sunday's season opener, their World Series match-up last fall saw all 5 games over the total. Chris Young gets the start for the Royals this afternoon and he allowed 12 homers in 48 innings of work in day games last season. With him not being a hard thrower and with the weather helping the hitters today, he could be in for a tough afternoon with some big extra base hits. Young's ERA last season was more than a full run higher at home compared to on the road and lefties hit 83 points higher than righties against Young last season and the Mets lineup will be loaded up from that side of the plate today. The Mets will have hard-throwing Noah Syndergaard on the mound this afternoon. Though he was fantastic at home last season he went an ugly 2-5 with an unimpressive 4.23 ERA in his road starts last year. He was hit at a clip that was 62 points higher on the road compared to at home. The Royals again have a powerful lineup and they are especially dangerous at Kauffman Stadium. *10* OVER 8 runs in Kansas City

Rickenbach MLB *10* OVER 7.5 +110 in Kansas City vs Toronto @ 8 ET - While I certainly have a ton of respect for Blue Jays southpaw David Price, the Royals are just such a strong hitting team. They have a very dangerous lineup that becomes even more of a threat for explosions on offense when they are at home. At Kauffman Stadium, this team can really pound the ball. Overall, in all games, prior to scoring just 1 run in Wednesday's loss, the Royals had won 5 of their last 6 games and averaged 8 runs per game in those 8 games. Kansas City did get to Price for 5 earned runs in 6 and 2/3 innings earlier in this series and a repeat performance would not surprise. Additionally, the Blue Jays certainly should match the Royals run for run in this one. Kansas City sends Yordano Ventura to the mound for this one and he was fortunate to only allow 3 earned runs to the Jays when he was matched up against Price on Saturday. Ventura allowed 8 hits in just 5 and 1/3 innings to Toronto and the damage certainly could have been much worse. Even still he has a 6.57 ERA in his last 3 starts and I expect the Jays to hit well here. Toronto is now 4-0 in the post-season when facing elimination and they've averaged 6.5 runs per game in those 4 games. The Jays offense stays hot here but I see a big game from the Royals lineup at home too and that spells O-V-E-R! Play OVER 7.5 runs in Kansas City as a *10* Top Play Friday. 

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 9 runs in Chicago Cubs vs New York Mets @ 8:05 ET - After yesterday's game barely stayed under the total I see great value with today's posted total even though it's higher. With the wind blowing out to right-center this evening, and with this pitching match-up, the higher total is absolutely justified. The Mets are up 3-0 in this series and they are 24-11 to the over this season when they enter a game on a winning streak of 3 games or more. Overall, the over is 47-34 in Mets road games this season. Southpaw Steven Matz gets the start for the Mets this evening. Even though his most recent start only saw him allow 3 earned runs, he did give up 10 hits in less than 6 innings of work. The Cubs Jason Hammel has allowed 5 earned runs on 10 hits (including 2 homers) in his last two home starts which have spanned a total of only 7 innings. Look for his struggles at the friendly confines of Wrigley Field to continue tonight. With the recent struggles of these two starters combining with favorable weather conditions for the hitters, I expect a high-scoring slugfest here. Play OVER 9 runs in the Chicago Cubs game as a *10* Top Play Wednesday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8 runs in Toronto vs Kansas City @ 8:05 ET - The OVER is now 10-2 in Johnny Cueto's last 12 starts. He's allowed 43 earned runs in his last 11 starts and he's only averaged 6 innings per start so that equates to about a 6.00 ERA over a period of 11 starts and, off a rare strong outing in his last start, Cueto is likely to get pounded here. He went just 5-9 on the road this season and, who knows what really happens on weekends around the Royals clubhouse, but an interesting tidbit is that the over is 11-4 this season in Monday games for Kansas City! As for the Blue Jays, the over is 7-2 in October games. Also, the over is 4-1 in playoff games for Toronto. Also, the over is 15-8 this season for the Jays when they are playing after a day off the previous day. The Blue Jays are thrilled to be back home and I look for their powerful line up to ride a wave of emotion here and pound Cueto! Play OVER the total in Toronto as a *10* Top Play selection Monday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* OVER 7.5 runs -103 in Kansas City vs Houston @ 8:05 ET - This total has dropped from an 8 to a 7.5 and I see great value with the over in this one. It should be a cool but pleasant evening in Kansas City and I expect both pitchers to struggle some here. The Astros Collin McHugh certainly has impressive full season numbers. However, he only recorded 1 strikeout in his first start against the Royals in this series. That means, of course, that Kansas City is not having a problem making contact with is offerings and I expect them to do more damage here in their second shot against him tonight. After being held to two runs in the Game 1 loss, the Royals have responded by taking 2 of the next 3 and scoring 16 runs in the process. Look for their offense to remain hot tonight. The issue for KC here is going to be their own pitching. Johnny Cueto truly has struggled in Royals uniform. Though he pitched "okay" against the Astros in the first match-up, he still is involved in a long-term stretch that has seen him allow 41 earned runs in his last 57 and 1/3 innings. That equates to a 6.44 ERA and I certainly expect him to struggle again here. The Astros have scored at least 4 runs in each game in this series and I look for them to get at least that again tonight. With the Royals also hot at the plate, the result should be an easy over. Play OVER 7.5 runs in Kansas City as a *10* Top Play Wednesday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* OVER 7 runs -115 in Chicago Cubs vs St Louis @ 6:05 ET - While I have tremendous respect for the season Jake Arrieta has had this year, the wind is going to be blowing out to right in today's game at Wrigley Field. The wind is expected to be quite strong and we've all seen how crazy games can get at Wrigley when the wind is blowing out and this is no matter who is on the mound. With that said, I'll take advantage of the low total here and play this one over the total. The Cardinals also have a solid pitcher on the mound today as Michael Wacha gets the ball. The key here though is the wind and the fact that Wacha has been crushed in his last 3 starts. That included his two road starts in this 3 game stretch where he allowed 2 homers in each of the two road outings and this included a game right here at Wrigley Field on the 19th of last month. Wacha has allowed 4 homers in his last 9 innings against the Cubs. Saturday's game totaled 9 runs and I look for a similar result on Monday. Each of Wacha's last 3 starts went over the total and the Cardinals are 11-5 to the over in his road starts this season. St Louis is 22-11 to the over in their last 33 games against teams with a winning record. Play OVER 7 runs in the Chicago Cubs game as a *10* Top Play Monday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 6.5 runs -120 in St Louis vs Chicago Cubs @ 5:35 ET - Though neither one of these teams have been scoring a lot of runs, this Saturday pitching match-up is conducive to an over. The Cubs Kyle Hendricks is winless in four career starts against the Cardinals and he has allowed 7 earned runs in his last 10 and 1/3 innings of works versus St Louis. The Cards got a confidence boost at the plate with putting up 4 runs in yesterday's shutout win over the Cubs. Chicago's lineup should get right back on track here. The Cubs had averaged 6 runs per game in their last 6 games against the Cardinals before being shut down in yesterday's game. The Cards Jaime Garcie struggled in his "playoff tune-up outing" last Friday as he gave up 6 hits and walked 2 in only 4 innings of work. That said, look for the Cubs to do some damage at the plate today after being shutout yesterday. The Cubs are 7-3-1 to the over this season when they were shutout in their prior game. The Cards were on a 20-10 run to the over in their last 30 games against teams with a winning record before yesterday's under result. Look for both teams to get at least 3 in this one and that easily pushes this one over the low number. Play OVER 6.5 runs in St Louis as a *10* Top Play Saturday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 7 runs in NY Yankees vs Houston @ 8:05 ET Tuesday - Houston's Dallas Keuchel has had a great season but he's only gone 5-8 on the road and has compiled a 3.71 ERA away from home. He's also making this start on short rest as he started Friday's game at Arizona. In that outing he only recorded 3 strikeouts and the southpaw, on short rest, could have trouble inducing a lot of "swings and misses" in this match-up with the Bronx Bombers. The Yanks have 10 hits per game in their last five home games and their lineup will be ready here for playoff action. However, the concern for the Yanks is that Masahiro Tanaka was rocked by the Astros in his only career start against them. The righty faced Houston back in late June and allowed 6 earned runs in his 5 innings of work as he was vicitimized by three homers. Look for Tanaka to struggle again here. The over is 13-5 the last 3 years in Yankees home games with a posted total of 7 runs or less. Also, as a home dog of +100 to +125, the over is 5-2 in Yanks games this season. Play OVER 7 runs in the New York Yankees game as a *10* Top Play Tuesday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 7.5 runs -120 in Seattle vs Oakland @ 9:10 ET - This total has dropped to a 7.5 which is offering even more value for over players. The A's are sending southpaw Sean Nolin to the mound in this one. The lefty is winless in his last three starts with a 7.30 ERA and a 2.03 WHIP. As you can see, Nolin is clearly not in good form to close out the season and I expect him to struggle again here. He gave up 3 earned runs in 6 innings while walking 3 and only striking out one in his only career start against the Mariners. Seattle's Roenis Elias has given up 3 earned runs in each of his last two starts against the Athletics and Oakland notched a round-tripper in each of those outings. Yesterday's game between these teams stayed under the total but this was first under that the A's have had in their last ten games. Also, each of Nolin's last two starts have gone over the total. The over is 20-8 in Seattle's last 28 games against teams with a losing record. The A's are 45-24 to the over in their divisional games this season. Play OVER 7.5 runs in Seattle as a *10 Top Play Saturday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 9 runs in Texas vs LA Angels @ 8:05 ET - These teams combined to stay under the total yesterday but, in the Angels 10 prior games they only had 3 unders. As for the Rangers, prior to back to back unders, Texas had been on an 8-1-1 run to the over in their 10 prior games. The Angels Jered Weaver has taken advantage of pitcher-friendly Anaheim during his career as an Angel. As usual, the veteran righty is struggling on the road this season. Weaver has gone 3-10 with a 6.33 ERA in his road starts this season! Before yesterday's rare under, the over was a perfect 5-0 this season in games played in Texas. The Rangers send Martin Perez to the mound this evening. The southpaw has a 4.71 ERA in his home starts this season and that's even with being quite fortunate in his most recent start at Globe Life Park in Arlington. In that game Perez allowed 9 hits but just 1 earned run in his 7 innings of work. The Angels are 42-30 to the over this season when off of a loss. Overall. in road games the last three seasons, the over is 130-102 in Angels games. The Rangers have won three straight and they've had just 10 unders in 27 games when they enter a game on a winning streak of 3 games or more. Play OVER 9 runs in Texas as a *10* Top Play Friday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 7.5 runs in San Francisco vs LA Dodgers @ 3:45 ET - The Dodgers Brett Anderson has been completely crushed in his last two starts. The LA southpaw has given up 11 earned runs on 20 hits in just 8 and 2/3 innings spanning his last two outings. The Giants will have Tim Hudson on the mound. The veteran right-hander is having some issues with command of his pitches. This has led to him lasting just 11 and 2/3 innings in his last 3 starts combined and he's walked 9 batters in that limited work. Hudson allowed two homers to the Dodgers the last time he faced them. Los Angeles' left-hander Anderson has gone 1-4 with a 4.97 ERA in his career against the Giants. Seven of Anderson's last nine overall starts have gone over the total. Two of Hudson's last three overall starts have gone over the total. Play OVER 7.5 runs in San Francisco as a *10* Top Play Thursday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 9 runs +110 in Arizona vs Colorado @ 9:40 ET - The Rockies Bergman has been an infrequent starter at the MLB level and when he has gotten the call the results sure haven't been pretty. On Wednesday, for the 2nd time in his last 3 MLB starts, Bergman allowed 7 earned runs in a start that lasted less than 6 innings. In fact, in these two outings combined, Bergman has been hammered for 15 runs (14 earned) on 21 hits in total of just 9 innings of work. Look for the Diamondbacks to pound him at home tonight. As for the Arizona hurler tonight, it will be Robbie Ray getting the call. The southpaw's most recent home start saw him allow 4 earned runs in less than 5 innings of work. The Diamondbacks are 1-8 in Ray's 9 home starts this season and he's compiled an ugly 5.20 ERA on the season in his home starts. The over is 4-1 (80%) this season in Rockies games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs. The over is 11-5 this season in Rockies games after a day off. Both of these clubs were off yesterday and both lineups are fresh and ready to pound the ball tonight. With these two starters on the hill, it should be a big night at the plate for both teams. Play OVER 9 runs in Arizona as a *10* Top Play Tuesday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 7 runs in Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh @ 8:05 PM ET Sunday - How do you get runs off of a guy like Jake Arrieta? One of the key factors is actually as simple as this: confidence at the plate. The Pirates certainly have plenty of that right now. With yesterday's 4-0 win over the Cubs, Pittsburgh has now won 8 straight games and they've averaged 6 runs per game during this hot streak. Arrieta is certainly a tough hurler but the Pirates will be helped by the fact they are seeing him for the third time in a span of eight weeks. Of course the big key to this play on the over is the expectation that Pittsburgh's AJ Burnett will get absolutely pounded in this one. The veteran righty has allowed 19 baserunners in the 11 innings that have spanned his last two starts. He's been quite fortunate in that he only allowed a total of 4 earned runs in these two outings. This did include a start against the Cubs as well so they are getting a quick "second look" at him here in this one. Look for the Cubs to bounce back off of the shutout loss. The Cubbies are 7-2-1 to the over this season when they are off of a shutout defeat. Play OVER 7 runs in the Chicago Cubs game as a *10* Top Play Sunday.

*10* OVER 11.5 in Colorado - The Rockies are a big home dog here. As a home dog of +150 to +175 this season, the over is a PERFECT 5-0 in Colorado games. Kyle Kendrick gets the start for the Rockies tonight. His most recent start was also at home and he allowed FOUR homers in just four innings of work. Coors Field has certainly not been kind to Kendrick this season as the righty has given up 20 homers in his 12 home starts while compiling UGLY numbers - a 2-6 record and a 7.35 ERA. The Dodgers Brett Anderson will be making just his 2nd career start here. In the first one he was fortunate as he did not allow an earned run despite giving up 6 hits in his 5 innings of work. The southpaw is facing a Rockies team that has produced a .300 batting average and a .486 slugging percentage in home games this season. Colorado has been scoring just fine at home but they've allowed an average of 8 runs per game in their last 6 games. The Rockies bullpen ERA is 5.18 in home games this season while the Dodgers bring a 4.94 bullpen ERA in road games this season into tonight's game. The bullpens suprising burned us last night with some decent late innning work. I don't expect a repeat of that tonight and I look for both of these starters to get pounded at hitter-friendly Coors Field. 

Rickenbach MLB *10* Total of the Month OVER 7 or 7.5 runs in Oakland vs San Francisco @ 10 ET Friday - This is a fantastic line value spot because we get an over at just 7 or 7.5 runs because of the numbers Sonny Gray has put up all season. The fact is that the Oakland right-hander is struggling badly now and there is no reason to expect him to turn that around here. Gray has allowed 12 earned runs on 16 hits in his last 8 and 1/3 innings of work. The A's hurler also has walked 8 in those two outings and is allowing 2 baserunners per inning in his last two starts as issues with command of his pitches continue to plague him. He won't be the only struggling hurler tonight either. He'll be opposed by Mike Leake. The Giants hurler has been awful of late with a 7.36 ERA and a 1.98 WHIP in his last three starts. Like Gray, he has had some trouble recently with location of pitches and, when he does find the plate, he's getting hit hard. The over is 8-3 in Oakland's last 11 games. The over is 8-4 in the Giants last 12 games. The A's, in night games, are 55-35 to the over this season. The Giants are 43-29 to the over in road games this year. This is Rickenbach's MLB *10* Total of the Month for September.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 11 or 11.5 runs in Colorado vs LA Dodgers @ 8 ET Friday - Bolsinger has been struggling of late for the Dodgers. The right-hander has a 6.23 ERA and a 1.77 WHIP in his last 3 starts. Too many baserunners allowed and he is paying the price for sure. A start at Coors Field is unlikely to help matters for the hurler as he allowed 4 earned runs in just 5 innings of work in his most recent start at Colorado. The way he's struggling in recent outings, Bolsinger is likely to have even more unflattering results the second time around. The only good news for the Dodgers here is they certainly can be hopeful of outhitting the Rockies here. The Dodgers lineup should have no trouble with the offerings of Hale. The Colorado right-hander gave up 3 homers to the Dodgers the last time he faced them (in June) and he was lucky the damage wasn't worse than the 4 earned runs he allowed in that game. Hale has a 6.32 ERA on the season and the over is 5-2 in his home starts this year. Both starters get pummeled here and Rockies bullpen is awful at home and the Dodgers bullpen is awful on the road and that is why the OVER in Colorado is a *10* Top Play Friday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8 runs in Kansas City vs Seattle @ 8:10 ET - The Mariners have averaged 10 hits per game in their last 7 games as the M's offense exploded again in their 11 to 2 win at Kansas City last night. The Mariners have recorded just three unders in their last nine games and there is no reason to expect that trend to change right now. The Mariners should enjoy plenty of success tonight against Royals right-hander Yordano Ventura. He has struggled lately with 24 hits allowed in his last 16 innings of work. Now he must deal with a Seattle team that has exploded for 20 runs in their last two games. Thats' a tough test for Ventura. He's also walked 10 in those 16 innings of work. So command and control issues hvae led to Ventura missing the plate too frequently and, when he has found the plate, he's been getting hit far too frequently as evidenced by the numbers above. As for Mariners starter Roenis Elias, he's given up 13 runs (11 earned) in his last 15 and 1/3 innings against the Royals. The KC lineup has had his number and they will again here. The over is 40-28 in Mariners games this season when they are off of a win. The over is 46-28 in Royals games this season against teams with a losing record. The over is also 14-5-1 in Kansas City games so far this month. The Royals had averaged 6.75 runs per game in their last 4 games before they were held to just two runs last night. They'll get right back on track tonight. Play OVER 8 runs in Kansas City as a *10* Top Play Wednesday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8.5 runs in Detroit vs Chicago White Sox @ 7:05 ET - Jose Quintana has only allowed 3 earned runs in each of his last two starts against the Tigers. However, he has been fortunate - to say the least! - as he's allowed 20 hits in the 13 innings spanning those two starts against Detroit. The Tigers crush lefties as a general rule and I expect them to bounce back tonight at the plate after three straight disappointing peformances at the plate in their last three games. The issue for Detroit tonight will be their own pitching situation as southpaw Daniel Norris is likely to struggle. The lefty is winless in his three home starts this season and has a 9.00 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP in those outings. Also, none of his last four starts overall have stayed under the total and he's allowed 13 earned runs in just 17 and 2/3 innings of work spanning those four starts. As a home dog of +100 to +125 the over is 14-5 in Detroit games this season. The over is 22-9 in the White Sox last 31 games against teams with a winning record. The over is 45-26 this season in Tigers games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs this season and I see great value with this total in this range today. Play OVER 8.5 runs in Detroit as a *10* Top Play Tuesday.  

Rickenbach MLB *10* OVER 10.5 runs in Colorado vs Pittsburgh @ 8:40 PM ET - The Pirates are coming off of a series at pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium and yet they are still on a 9-4 run to the over in their last 13 games. Now their venue switches to hitter-friendly Coors Field and I look for the Pittsburgh lumber to quickly return to its hot-hitting ways. The Rockies are coming off of a 3 game set with the Padres in Denver where all 3 games went over the total. In fact, Colorado is 6-2 to the over in their last 8 home games. Tonight's weather is going to be beautiful in Denver and the pitching match-up is certainly conducive to an over as well. The Rockies Jon Gray takes the mound at home tonight where all four of his starts have gone over the total. Part of the reason for this 4-0 mark to the over is that Gray has a 7.87 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP in his four starts at Coors Field this season. Gray also faced the Pirates less than a month ago in Pittsburgh and he was hit hard! The good news for Rockies fans tonight is that Colorado should be able to match the Pirates run for run tonight. Pittsburgh is sending the veteran AJ Burnett to the mound tonight and the right-hander is winless in his last three starts with a 7.37 ERA and a 1.77 WHIP. In his last start in Colorado, Burnett was rocked for 5 earned runs in less than 6 innings of work. In his most recent road start this season, the righty allowed 7 earned runs in just 4 and 1/3 innings of work. He gets hammered again here. Play OVER 10.5 runs in Colorado as a *10 Top Play Monday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 9 runs in Detroit vs Chicago White Sox @ 7:05 ET Monday - While it is true that the White Sox have struggled against left-handed pitching this season, Randy Wolf is honestly at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to southpaws pitching in the bigs right now. No disrespect is intended to the veteran hurler but the fact is that the numbers do not lie. Wolf is winless in his last three starts and the deepest he worked in any of those starts was just 4 and 1/3 innings! Wolf's ERA in this three start stretch is an 11.45 with an ugly WHIP of 2.46 in these three outings. That means he's giving up an average of 10 baserunners via walks and hits every four innings! In the 2nd game of this day/night double header Monday, look for his struggles to continue. Wolf has allowed 10 earned runs in the 8 and 2/3 innings of work spanning his last two starts against the White Sox. He'll be in trouble again early and often in this one. Wolf will be opposed by Erik Johnson this evening. The White Sox hurler has been rocked for 16 hits in the 10 and 1/3 innings spanning his two career starts against the Tigers. Overall, Johnson comes into this start with 8 walks and 10 hits for 18 baserunners in his last 11 innings of work since the 11th of the month. Look for him to get rocked again here. 8 of 12 games between these teams have gone over the total this year. In games played at Detroit the over is 5-1 this season and on a long-term 17-7 run the last 3 years! After their 10-1 loss yesterday, the over is 7-1-1 in the Tigers last 9 games. For the White Sox, the over is 8-2-2 in their last 12 games. Play OVER 9 runs in Detroit in GAME TWO of the DH Monday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 7 runs in New York Mets vs New York Yankees @ 8:05 ET Sunday - Before yesterday's shutout loss the Mets were 9-2 in their last 11 games and had scored at least 5 runs in 8 of those 11 games. The Yankees, with their 5-0 win yesterday, have scored at least 4 runs in 6 of their last 9 games. That said, there is great value with such a low total posted on this game. CC Sabathia has allowed 18 hits in his last 10 and 2/3 innings of work against the Mets. Included in that hit barrage is 3 round-trippers in his most recent start against the Mets. As for the Mets Matt Harvey, he's been quite hittable in his recent outings with 11 earned runs allowed on 17 hits in his last 11 and 2/3 innings of work. There is controversy surrounding the fact that Harvey may have been overused and that "tired arm" is catching up to him. Look for him to get hit hard once again today. The over is 15-8 in Yankees games with a posted total of 7 runs or less this season. The over is 15-9 in the Mets Sunday games this season. Play OVER 7 runs in the New York Mets game as a *10* Top Play. 

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8 runs in San Francisco vs Arizona @ 4:05 ET - The Giants, amazingly, have been shutout in each of the first two games of this series. That is highly unlikely to happen again today. Arizona is sending Jeremy Hellickson to the mound this afternoon. This will be his 2nd start since returning from a left hamstring strain. His first start was very ugly as he allowed 5 runs (3 earned) in just one inning of work. It was clear that the injury is on his mind a little bit and possibly effecting the way he strides toward the plate. I look for that to again be an issue today. As for the Giants hurler today it's the veteran Tim Hudson who gets the call. The right-hander is making his third start since returning from the disabled list. He had a solid start against the Dbacks in his first start back but they now get a quick "second look" at him today. Hudson did struggled with his command against the Reds in his most recent start and that could be an issue again today against Arizona. The over was 6-0 in the Giants last six games before their shutout losses in each of the first two games of this series resulted in unders. The over is 12-6 this season in Giants games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs. The over is 36-26 this season in Dbacks games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs. Play OVER 8 in San Francisco as a *10* Top Play Sunday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 10.5 or 11 runs in Colorado vs San Diego @ 8:10 ET - The Padres Robbie Erlin has been in the minors all season long. He last pitched in the majors in 2014 before an elbow injury forced him to miss three months. This is a tough assignment for the southpaw as he makes his first start at the MLB level in 2015 at Coors Field of all places. It's the most hitter-friendly venue in the league and the lefty wasn't exactly throwing well in the minors this season. In fact, Erlin was 7-6 with a 5.60 ERA in his 24 minor league starts at Triple A El Paso this season. He better hope for a lot of run support today and, actually, I do expect him to get that. The Padres should pound the Rockies Yohan Flande in this one. The lefty has given up 10 runs on 14 hits in just 8 innings of work spanning his last two starts. The southpaw now must deal with a Padres team that has got to him for 8 earned runs in just 10 innings of work in his last two starts against them. By the way, Erlin has a 5.93 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP in his 3 career starts agianst the Rockies. Both pitchers get pounded here. The over is 12-5 in Padres games in the month of September. The over is 14-8 in Rockies home games where they are priced between -100 and -125. Play OVER 10.5 or 11 runs in Colorada as a *10* Top Play Saturday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8.5 runs in Texas vs Seattle @ 8:05 ET - Vidal Nuno has struggled on the road this season. The southpaw is winless in his three road starts this season and he's compiled a 7.71 ERA in those outings and all three games went over the total. Look for another over on the road today. After Texas was held to just one run in yesterday's game, their offense will get right back on track today. The Rangers, before yesterday's loss, had won 5 straight games and had scored an average of 9 runs per contest during this hot streak. Nuno will provide the perfect remedy to get their sticks back on track after yesterday's rare "off night". The Mariners also should hit the ball well here as they're getting to see the Rangers Cole Hamels for the fourth time already since he moved to the AL from the NL Phllies. Hamels hasn't exactly mowed the Mariners down the first three times either. Against Seattle, the Rangers southpaw has allowed 11 earned runs on 23 hits in 20 innings of work. This equates to a 4.95 ERA and the Mariners are seeing him for the 4th time in a span of only 9 weeks! Play OVER 8.5 runs in Texas as *10* Top Play selection Saturday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 10.5 or 11 runs in Colorado vs San Diego @ 8:40 ET - These teams are 5-2-1 to the over in their last 8 meetings. With this pitching match-up tonight and beautiful weather expected at Coors Field this evening this should be another high-scoring slugfest. The Padres Ian Kennedy has allowed 13 runs (11 earned) in his last two starts and those outings have totaled just 9 and 2/3 innings of work. The Rockies send Chad Bettis to the mound tonight and he is off of a solid start at Seattle but in his two prior starts, both at home, allowed 8 earned runs on 19 hits in his last 10 and 1/3 innings of work. The Padres are 5-1 to the over in their last 6 games. San Diego is also 14-5 to the over this season when they are on the road as a small favorite (money line range up to -125). The Padres had an off day yesterday but they had a victory the game before and they are 42-24 to the over this season when off of a win in their prior game. The over is also a sparkling 67-39 in their games against right-handed starters this season. The Rockies, like the Padres, were also not in action yesterday but they were shutout 2-0 on Wednesday and Colorado is 49-33 to the over this season when they are off of a loss. Play OVER 10.5 or 11 runs in Colorado as a *10* Top Play Friday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8 runs in Tampa Bay vs Baltimore @ 7:10 ET - The Rays Matt Moore gave up four homers in his most recent start and, as you can see from that effort, he is certainly showing no signs of turning anything around in what has been an absolutely dreadful season for the southpaw. He is 1-4 with an 8.42 ERA on the year and the Rays have recorded only one under in his 8 starts this season. Even more concerning for Moore today is the fact that he has given up 14 runs (13 earned) in his last two starts against the Orioles and those outings spanned just ten innings. More struggles on tap again today as the O's come into this game on a 5-1 run to the over. The Rays offense should also enjoy a big game tonight as Tampa Bay is looking to bounce back from a 3-1 loss yesterday. In their nine prior games the Rays had recorded double digits in hits 6 times and their offense will get right back on track against the Orioles Chris Tilman. It's been an "up and down" season for the Baltimore right-hander this year and he's certainly in a down cycle again now. He has lost four straight games and has an ugly 11.77 ERA in his last three starts. Tillman has allowed at least 5 earned runs in two of his last 3 starts against the Rays. Both of those starts were this season and Tillman was unable to complete 5 innings in either start. The over is 10-4 in the Orioles games so far this month. Play OVER 8 runs in Tampa Bay as a *10* Top Play Thursday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8.5 or 9 runs in Chicago White Sox vs Oakland @ 8:10 ET - There were 23 runs scored in yesterday's contest and I look for another wild one today in Chicago - although the scoring should certainly be a little more balanced between the clubs today. The White Sox are 19-6 to the over in their last 25 games against teams with a losing record. The ChiSox will have Erik Johnson on the mound tonight and he has walked 9 batters in his last 6 and 2/3 innings of work at home. His road start in the middle of these two home outings saw him allow 3 homers in a six inning stint. As you can see, Johnson is either wild or - when he does find the plate - he's giving up some big bombs. The A's are very confident at the plate right now as they've averaged 6.5 runs per game in their last 8 games. The over is 8-4 in their last 12 games. The over is also a red hot 8-3-1 in the ChiSox last 12 games. Their hot hitting won't be stopped by the A's Cody Martin tonight. The young right-hander will be making just his 2nd big league start tonight and the first one saw him get crushed for 5 earned runs in just 3 innings of work. He recently came to Oakland from the Braves and he worked out of the bullpen in Atlanta. Martin's results with the Braves were not impressive as he compiled a 5.40 ERA and was hit hard (at a .296 clip) with Atlanta. The over is 51-34 in Athletics' night games this season. The over is 4-1 (80%) in meetings between these clubs this year. Play OVER 8.5 or 9 runs in the Chicago White Sox game as a *10* Top Play Wednesday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8.5 runs -115 in Baltimore vs Boston @ 7:05 ET - Yesterday's 6-5 Orioles win flew over the total and the over is now 24-8 in Boston's last 32 games against teams with a losing record. After a big night at the plate last night for the O's, look for a repeat perfomance here as the Orioles have averaged 7 runs per game in their last 6 games and Baltimore is on a 6-1 run in their last 7 games. The Red Sox have now lost two straight games but they had previously won 7 of their last 9 and they have averaged 6 runs per game in their last 12 games. The over is 8-4 in those 12 games for Boston. The over is 9-4 in Baltimore's 13 games in the month of September. The Orioles will have Mike Wright on the hill tonight. He's made two starts since returning to the bigs this month. They have not been strong outings! Wright has allowed 7 earned on 11 hits (including 3 homers) in just 9 innings of work. Overall, Wright is winless with a 9.58 ERA in his last three starts. He'll be opposed by southpaw Henry Owens of the Red Sox tonight. The left-hander is walking too many batters and is winless with a 6.75 ERA in his last three outings. He's allowed 2 baserunners per inning during this 3 start stretch and he now faces an Orioles lineup filled with talented hitters. One final important key here is that both teams used a lot of bullpen in last night's 13-inning affair and neither one of today's starting pitchers has shown the ability to work deep into games at this level. Play OVER 8.5 runs in Baltimore as a *10* Top Play Wednesday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8.5 runs in Minnesota vs Detroit @ 8:10 ET - Despite giving up 7 runs yesterday the Tigers game stayed under the total but they are 23-8 to the over this season in road games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs. Also, the over is 20-11 in Detroit road games when the Tigers are in an underdog price range of +125 to +175. Look for the trend of overs to resume tonight. Yesterday's under was just the 4th that Detroit has had in their 13 games so far this month. As for the Twins, the over is 7-4-1 in Hughes' 12 home starts this season. Phil Hughes gets the ball tonight for Minnesota for his first start since early August...he was 1-2 with a 9.88 ERA in his 3 starts prior to going on the disabled list. Hughes has made 3 starts against the Tigers this season and he has gone 1-2 with 11 earned runs allowed on 23 hits (including 3 homers) given up in just 16 innings of work. He'll be opposed by Alfredo Simon tonight. The last time Simon faced the Twins was only two months ago and he got rocked for 7 runs (5 earned) on 10 hits in just 2 and 1/3 innings of work. The over is 10-4 in Simon's road starts this season as he has compiled an unsightly 6.18 ERA away from home this season. Look for more struggles for each of these right-handers tonight. One last note, the Tigers bullpen ERA on the road this season is an ugly 5.48 so far on the year. Play OVER 8.5 runs in Minnesota as a *10* Top Play. 

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 7.5 runs in Cleveland vs Kansas City @ 7:10 ET - The Indians send Carlos Carrasco to the mound tonight and he struggled in his first start after coming off the disabled list. He's been struggling with his shoulder and it showed again on Tuesday as the right-hander lasted less than 3 innings against the White Sox. Carrasco gave up 4 earned runs in less than 3 innings of work and the ChiSox even got to him for two homers in the short stint. Carrasco just isn't right at the present time and I look for him to struggle again as the Indians host the Royals tonight. Kansas City is 8-3-1 to the over so far this month. Cleveland is a perfect 5-0 to the over in their last 5 games. The Indians should have no trouble with the offerings of the Royals Edinson Volquez tonight. The Royals right-hander has made five starts against the Indians so far in his career. Not a single one stayed under the total and Volquez compiled an unsightly 9.31 ERA in tihese outings. Look for him to get rocked again here. He has given up 8 earned runs in the 10 innings spanning his two most recent starts heading into this divisional match-up tonight. It will be beautiful weather in Cleveland tonight and the over is 40-26 in their home games this season. The over is 41-27 in Royals games against teams with a losing record this season. Play OVER 7.5 runs in Cleveland as a *10* Top Play Monday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8 runs in Baltimore vs Kansas City @ 8:05 ET - Johnny Cueto has lost four straight for the Royals. He's allowing an average of 2 baserunners per inning during this rough stretch which has been the worst of his career. He's compiled a 9.45 ERA during this four game stretch. One of these four outings was against the Orioles and Cueto got rocked for 6 earned runs on 8 hits (including 3 homers) in just 5 innings of work against Baltimore. Look for more of the same tonight. Cueto was opposed by Wei-Yin Chen in that start and he'll face him again tonight. Chen is also struggling as he's given up a pair of homers in each of his past two starts and this has helped lead to 10 runs (9 earned) on 18 hits in his last 9 and 2/3 innings of work. In his start prior to these dreadful two outings, Chen was also hit hard. That was the start against Kansas City where he was fortunate to allow only 3 earned runs as he did get rocked for 10 hits in less than 7 innings of work. Each of Chen's last 3 starts have gone over the total and only 2 unders have been recorded in his last 9 starts. Each of Cueto's last 5 starts have gone over the total. The over is 7-3-1 in the Royals last 11 games and 8-3 in the Orioles last 11 games. Play OVER 8 runs in Baltimore as a *10* Top Play Sunday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 9.5 runs in Texas vs Oakland @ 8:05 ET - Off back to back shutout losses in Seattle, the Rangers are happy to be back home where they have won 13 of their last 16 games. Texas averaged 5.4 runs per game at home in August and this is their first home game in September. The Rangers potent offense will get right back on track at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The A's are 38-19 to the over in divisional match-ups this season and they send a struggling Jesse Chavez to the mound tonight. The Oakland right-hander is 0-2 with a 9.25 ERA and a 2.57 WHIP in his last 3 starts. Not surprisingly, all 3 games went over the total. Look for another slugfest today as the Rangers Colby Lewis is also in poor current form. The Texas right-hander is 0-3 with an 8.62 ERA and a 2.04 WHIP in his last 3 starts. Opponents have hit .343 against him during this stretch. Lewis allowed 2 homers in his most recent home start and Chavez has allowed at least one homer in 8 consecutive starts. The over is an incredible 11-1-1 in the 13 home starts Lewis has made this season. The A's have stayed under the total just twice in their last ten games. Oakland is averaging 5.6 runs per game during this 10 game stretch and Lewis is the perfect match-up to keep the hot hitting going. Play OVER 9.5 runs in Texas as a *10* Top Play Friday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8 runs in Cleveland vs Detroit @ 7:10 ET - The Indians 6-4 victory over the White Sox in Chicago flew over the total with plenty of home runs leading the way. The Tigers are off of an 8-0 home loss to the Rays yesterday that stayed under the total and one can fully expect the Detroit sticks to get back on track after that poor performance at the plate. The Tigers had scored at least 5 runs in 5 of their 8 prior games before that horrible effort against Tampa Bay. Detroit should enjoy much more success at the plate against Danny Salazar of the Indians tonight. Though Salazar has great overall numbers on the season, he has been roughed up in recent starts as evidenced by his 7.04 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in his last three outings. Salazar also is 0-3 in his last 3 starts against the Tigers and he's been particularly rocked in each of the last two. He'll be opposed by Alfredo Simon of Detrotit tonight. Though the right-hander has enjoyed success against the Indians this season, his current form suggests that will quickly come to an end tonight. Simon has a 7.72 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP in his last three starts. The over is 9-4 in his road starts this season as Simon has struggled (6.13 ERA) away from home all year. The over is 5-0 in Detroit's last 5 road games. The over is 9-2 in the Indians last 11 home games. Play OVER 8 runs in Cleveland as a *10* Top Play Thursday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 9 runs in Detroit vs Tampa Bay @ 7:05 ET - The wind is expected to be blowing out in Detroit this evening. While I certainly have a ton of respect for the Rays Jake Odorizzi, he's coming off of a start where he allowed 3 homers to the Bronx Bombers in New York and now he must face the Tigers powerful lineup in Detroit on a night when the wind is expected to be blowing out to right center. It's a good match-up for some big power to come from each of these lineups. Odorizzi has given up 18 earned runs in his last five starts spanning 29 and 1/3 innings of work. That equates to a 5.52 ERA and shows that Odorizzi certainly hasn't been as dominant lately as he was earlier this season. As for the Tigers hurler tonight, it will be Kyle Lobstein who takes to the mound. The Detroit southpaw is just coming back from the disabled list and he got rocked in his first start back. Lobstein gave up 6 earned runs on 8 hits in just 4 and 1/3 innings of work. On the season, the Tigers lefty has a 1-5 mark with a 6.19 ERA in his home starts. Tampa Bay has pounded southpaw starters this season as the Rays have a stellar .441 slugging percentage in games against left-handed starting pitchers. The over is 7-2-1 in the Tigers last 10 games. The over is 11-4-1 in the Rays last 16 games. Play OVER 9 runs in Detroit as a *10* Top Play Wednesday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8.5 runs in Arizona vs San Francisco @ 9:40 ET - This was the only game on the card yesterday where both teams produced double digits in hits and yet the game stayed under the total. These teams combined for 22 hits and yet the game painstakingly stayed under the total as my clients and I know. It was my lone blemish on a four play card and I will get my revenge today. It's a perfect pitching match-up to again see plenty of hits but this time look for more of the opportunities to be cashed in. The Giants send Tim Hudson to the mound. The veteran right-hander is making his first starts since July 26th and he had been removed from the rotation for good reason. He's struggled this season and the only reason he's coming back in for this start is because Ryan Vogelsong has struggled so badly for the Giants. As for Hudson, he's compiled a 6.32 ERA in his last 3 starts, a 5.50 ERA with a 1.62 WHIP on the road this season, and he's allowed 7 homers in his 7 road starts. Hudson's counterpart tonight is the Dbacks Chase Anderson. The Arizona right-hander got absolutely crushed by the Giants lineup in his most recent start against them (in July) with 7 earned runs allowed on 10 hits in less than 4 innings of work. By the way, Hudson's most recent start against Arizona was earlier this season and he was rocked for 5 earned runs in 5 innings of work. Both hurlers are likely to get knocked around here as Anderson was lucky to only give up 3 earned runs in his most recent start considering he was rocked for 8 hits in just 5 innings of work. The over is 41-26 in Giants road games this season. Play OVER 8.5 runs in Arizona as a *10* Top Play Tuesday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Philadelphia vs Atlanta @ 7:05 ET - The Phillies Aaron Harang is having an awful season and he's showing no signs of turning things around. After back to back starts where he's combined to give up 9 earned runs on 14 hits (including 4 homers) in less than 11 innings of work, Harang is now 5-14 with a 4.89 ERA on the season. The Braves Williams Perez is also having an awful time on the mound. He's compiled a 14.29 ERA and a 2.47 WHIP in his last 3 starts. On the season Perez has a 5.65 ERA. The Atlanta right-hander was absolutely awful in his only career start against the Phillies and that was only a little over 5 weeks ago so there is no reason Philadelphia shouldn't be able to pound him once again today! The over is 10-4-1 in the Braves last 15 games. The over is 13-5-1 in the Phillies last 19 games. The over is a perfect 4-0 in the last 4 starts Perez has made for Atlanta. The over is 5-2 in Harang's last 7 starts at home. At home with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs, the over is 15-7 in Phillies games this season. Also, the Braves have one of the worst bullpens in baseball and they've particularly struggled on the road this season. Play OVER 8.5 runs in Philadelphia as a *10* Top Play Monday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8 runs in LA Angels vs Texas @ 3:35 ET - Colby Lewis of the Rangers is 6-10 with a 5.83 ERA in his career starts against the Angels. Lewis comes into this start having been crushed in each of his last two starts. The Rangers right-hander has given up 11 runs (9 earned) in his last 10 and 2/3 innings of work spanning his last two starts and he took the loss in each outing. His struggles continue here against a team whom truly has been a nemesis for him. The Angels have some pitching concerns of their own here as they send Hector Santiago to the mound in this one. The LAA southpaw is 0-3 in his last 3 starts with a 10.12 ERA and a 2.25 WHIP. This match-up truly has "over" written all "over" it! The Angels are 38-26 to the over this season when they are off of a loss. The Rangers are riding high with confidence as they have won 7 of their last 9 games. That means plenty of big hits at the plate today with two struggling hurlers on the mound. Play OVER 8 runs in the LA Angels game as a *10* Top Play Sunday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8 runs in Kansas City vs Chicago White Sox @ 2:10 ET - Johnny Cueto certainly is a big name pitcher but the results haven't lived up to the billing for the Royals right-hander of late. Cueto is 0-3 with an 8.47 ERA and a 1.82 WHIP in his last 3 starts! He's been getting absolutely pounded and he's unlikely to turn things around today against a White Sox team that he's compiled a 6.23 ERA against in his career. The only good news for Cueto is that he should get plenty of run support here. The Royals sticks will be teeing off against Erik Johnson of the White Sox. He has a 9.00 ERA in his career against Kansas City and Johnson also is making his first big league start since April of last year. Pitching at Kauffman Stadium is certainly not a desirable place to make your first start at this level after a long time away. The Royals are one of the best home hitting teams in the majors and I look for them to pound him early and often in this one. The ChiSox were on a 5-1 run to the over before yesterday's under. The Royals were on a 4-0 run to the over before yesterday's game stayed under the total. The big hitting resumes here. Play OVER 8 runs in Kansas City as a *10* Top Play Sunday. 

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 11 runs in Colorado vs San Francisco @ 8:10 ET - Yesterday's 2-1 final was certainly an atypical result in hitter-friendly Colorado. That said, look for the big sticks to resume the big hitting tonight. The Rockies had scored 32 runs in their first 5 games of this homestand before being held to just two runs last night. Colorado should have no trouble with the offerings of Jake Peavy tonight. The Giants right-hander has a 4.81 ERA away from home this season and he's compiled a 5.00 ERA in his last three starts overall. Peavy has been rocked for 9 earned runs on 15 hits (including 2 homers) in his last two starts (a combined 12 innings) at Coors Field. Chad Bettis gets the start for the Rockies tonight and he's compiled a 5.28 ERA in his home starts this season. After his last outing, he's fortunate that home ERA didn't balloon even higher! Bettis gave up just 4 earned runs to the Diamondbacks in his most recent start but they pounded out 11 hits in just 6 innings against him. Unlike Arizona, San Francisco will cash in those types of opportunities tonight and they'll certainly have plenty of them. The Giants are 40-24 to the over in road games this season. San Franicsco is 15-7 to the over in Saturday gams this season. The over is 35-25 in Giants games against teams with a losing record this season. The over is 35-22 in Rockies games against teams with a winning record this season. Also, the over is 32-21 in Colorado games against divisional foes this season. The over is 13-8 this season in Rockies home games where they are in a price range of -100 up to -125. Play OVER 11 runs in Colorado as a *10* Top Play Saturday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8.5 runs in Kansas City vs Chicago White Sox @ 8:10 ET - The White Sox John Danks is 2-8 on the road this season with a 6.48 ERA and he's been hit at a .311 clip away from home this year. He certainly faces a tough challenge here as the Royals are a RED HOT 9-3 in their last 12 games and they've averaged 6.5 runs per game in those contests. They should have no trouble staying hot against the ChiSox southpaw as his road struggles continue. Danks is opposed by the Royals Kris Medlen in this one. The Kansas City right-hander has allowed just 3 earned runs in each of his first two starts with the Royals this season. however, he now faces a White Sox team that is off of a 6-4 win and has now scored 6 runs in 4 of their last 5 games. The OVER is 7-2 in the White Sox last 9 road games and the Royals have gone over the total in 4 of their last 5 games entering this contest. Kansas City has scored at least 5 runs in 9 of their last 12 games. With hot hitting from both clubs, and two pitchers certainly not likely to dominate, you have the perfect recipe for an over here. The White Sox are 15-9 to the over this season in road games wth a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs. The Royals pound the ball once again tonight. Play OVER 8.5 runs in Kansas City as a *10* Top Play Friday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8 runs in Kansas City vs Detroit @ 8:10 ET - The over is 20-8 this season in Tigers road games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs. Detroit enters this match-up having gone over the total in each of their last 4 games. The Royals have recorded just 3 unders in their last 12 games. Edinson Volquez gets the start for Kansas City and he's given up 8 runs (7 earned) on 15 hits in his last 13 and 1/3 innings of work. The right-hander is facing the Tigers for the 3rd time this season and he allowed 6 runs (5 earned) in 7 innings in his most recent outing against them. He'll be opposed by Matt Boyd of Detroit. The southpaw has been rocked by the longball in recent starts. Boyd has given up 13 earned runs on 18 hits (including 6 homers!) in his last 3 starts which have spanned 17 innings of work. He's facing a powerful Royals lineup that has produced an average of nearly 6 runs per game in going 8-3 in their last 11 games. Kansas City is red hot at the plate and Boyd has little chance of slowing them down. He last pitched here just over three weeks ago and he was rocked for 9 hits in just 5 and 1/3 innigns of work. He gave up 3 earned runs in that outing and was fortunate that the damage wasn't worse! It will be tonight! Play OVER 8 runs in Kansas City as a *10* Top Play Thursday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 11 in Colorado vs Arizona @ 8:40 ET - Yesterday's games both stayed under the total and all three games in this series have stayed under the total thusfar. Despite 61 hits so far in 3 games the big runs just haven't hit the scoreboard yet. They will today. Look for some clutch hitting and some big hits with these two hurlers on the mound! Chase Anderson gets the start for the Diamondbacks. He's off of back to back quality starts but previously had been rocked for 36 earned runs in his last 8 starts which spanned 42 and 1/3 innings. That equates to a 7.65 ERA and Coors Field is the perfect place for those types of struggles to resume. In fact, in his most recent start here (on June 23rd), Anderson gave up 8 earned runs in less than 5 innings of work. He's allowed 5 homers to the Rockies in his last 16 innings of work against them. Anderson faces a tall order here as Colorado is primed for a big day at the plate after getting swept at home in yesterday's day/night double-header! The Rockies concerns tonight will be relating to their own pitching. Not only do bullpens get stretched out because of double-headers, Colorado has to be concerned with what they will get from their starting pitcher tonight. Jon Gray has a 9.00 ERA in his last three starts. At home this season he's compiled an 8.43 ERA in three starts. The Rockies are 4-1 to the over in the five starts that the right-hander has made this season. Gray gets pounded by a Dbacks lineup that has hit right-handers well this season. Play OVER 11 runs in Colorado as a *10* Top Play Wednesday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 9 in Milwaukee vs Pittsburgh @ 8:10 ET - The Brewers are starting Zach Davies tonight. He's making his major league debut after being acquired recently from the Orioles at the non-waiver trade deadline. Davies does have a good change-up but he's not a hard thrower. That will make it tough to get hitters out at this level. The Pirates have scored at least 4 runs in 9 of their last 13 games and had been very hot before losing two straight games. They will get right back on track here as they take advantage of a young hurler making his MLB debut. Davies, in his 5 starts with AAA Colorado Springs has gone 1-2 with a 5.00 ERA and a 1.85 WHIP. After getting hit at a .333 clip for Colorado Springs it won't get any easier facing major league hitting tonight. The Pirates send a struggling hurler to the mound tonight. Jeff Locke gets the start and the over is 6-2 in his road starts this season and none of his last 7 starts have resulted in an under! In fact, Locke has allowed 24 earned runs in 38 innings spanning those 7 starts. That equates to a 5.68 ERA during this rough stretch and, though he's off a rare quality start in his last outing, that doesn't erase the facts surrounding his overall current form of late. It also helps the Brewers lineup that this will be the fourth time this season that they are seeing him! Play OVER 9 runs in Milwaukee as a *10* Top Play Wednesday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8.5 or 9 runs in Boston vs New York Yankees @ 7:10 ET - Yesterday's game was a 4-3 win for the Red Sox in this massive rivalry. That stayed under the total but look for much more scoring today. Boston came into this series on a 24-6-2 (80%) run to the over and has averaged 5 runs per game over their last 13 games. Their lumber will resume the hot hitting today against Michael Pineda of the Yankees. Pineda has allowed 20 hits and 14 earned runs in his last 16 innings of work. His 7.87 ERA in recent outings is likely to balloon today as the Red Sox are hitting a stellar .293 in home games. The Yankees also should enjoy plenty of success at the plate today as well. Porcello's most recent home start saw him get clobbered by the White Sox with 6 runs (5 earned) on 10 hits (including 2 homers) in just 2 innings of work. Porcello has been hit hard in his last 3 starts against the Yankees with 24 hits allowed in 20 innings of work. The Yankees, even with yesterday's loss, are 3-1 in their last 4 games and have averaged 10 runs per game. After being held in check yesterday they will bounce back quickly at the plate today with Porcello providing the perfect remedy to yesterday's hitting woes at the plate. The Yanks did get 10 hits yesterday but just couldn't get the clutch hits they needed. Plenty of baserunners again for New York tonight, but against Porcello look for "clutch" to come back tonight and some big bases clearing hits come tonight. Play OVER 8.5 or 9 runs in Boston as a *10* Top Play Tuesday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 10.5 runs in Colorado vs Arizona @ 8:40 ET - Colorado's game stayed under the total yesterday but the Rockies were in Pittsburgh. They are now back home where the ball carries well and the totals have a strong tendency to fly over the total in warm weather at this time of year. Looking for that to happen again on Monday with the Diamondbacks coming to town. Arizona lost 7-4 yesterday and that over means that they have recorded just 3 unders in their last 11 games. With the pitching match-up for tonight's game, that type of trending should continue here. The Diamondbacks send Robbie Ray to the mound. The southpaw is 0-3 in his last 3 starts with an 8.10 ERA and a ridiculous 2.18 WHIP during that time. The left-hander has produced some good overall numbers on the road this season but his current form outweighs that and two of his last three starts (producing overall ugly numbers as shown above) have come away from Arizona. Pitching in Colorado is never desirable and Ray's successful start here earlier this season will be a distant memory after he gets pounded at hitter-friendly Coors tonight. His current form dictates plenty of success for the Rockies at the plate. Colorado sends Chad Bettis to the mound tonight. He's making his first start at home since July 12th and Bettis has not fared well here. The Rockies right-hander has compiled a 5.18 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP in his home starts this season and those games have gone 5-2 to the over this year. Colorado is 30-17 to the over in divisional games this season and, it's a quirky stat but it's a fact: the Rockies are 11-3 to the over on Mondays this season. Coincidentally, the Diamonbacks games also enjoy extra fireworks on Mondays with a 9-4 mark to the over this season. Playing an afternoon game the day before can help to insure more rest the night before and the hitters certainly will be primed and pumped to face some "questionable" starting pitchers at a hitter-friendly venue tonight. Play OVER 10.5 runs in Colorado as a *10* Top Play Monday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 6.5 runs in San Francisco vs St Louis @ 4:05 ET - The Cardinals won 6-0 yesterday to bring their run to 6-1 their last 7 games. The Cards have averaged 6 runs per game during this hot streak and yesterday's under (it fell just short due to Giants being shutout) was just the 2nd under for St Louis in their last 10 games. Look for the Cardinals to stay hot at the plate today against San Francisco's Chris Heston. He had been optioned to AAA Sacramento but was called up now to replace Matt Cain. This will be Heston's first start in nearly two weeks and he is likely to have some rust as well as issues with command of his pitches after the long lay-off. Heston is winless in his last 3 starts and he's compiled a 4.20 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP in those outings. One of them came against St Louis on the 17th and Heston walked 5 Cardinals in less than 5 innings of work in that game. He was lucky the damage wasn't worse in that start and now the Cards are getting a quick "second look" at him in this game. The Giants are also getting a quick "second look" at a hurler in this match-up as they just faced Jaime Garcia on the 19th. As strong as Garcia has been this season, the Giants did enjoy some success against him in that game. San Francisco got to Garcia for 3 earned runs on 7 hits in 6 and 1/3 innings of work. The Giants were averaging 5 runs per game in their last 7 games before getting shutout yesterday. The last time the Giants were shutout (August 20th) they responded with 6 runs on 14 hits in their next game. Garcia is a solid hurler but this is a low total and the Giants are in a good spot to do some damage at the plate while Heston is in a good spot to "give it up" to the Cardinals in this one. Play OVER 6.5 runs in San Francisco as a *10* Top Play Sunday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top OVER 8.5 in Milwaukee vs Cincinnati @ 7:10 ET - The Reds have been shut out in back to back games. What's the remedy for that? A match-up with Matt Garza of the Brewers should certainly do the trick. The veteran right-hander gets the start for Milwaukee this evening and he's allowed 12 earned runs on 16 hits in his last 9 and 2/3 innings of work. Also concerning for Garza is the fact that he walked 6 batters in less than 5 innings of work in his most recent start. In his start against the Reds earlier this season Garza allowed 2 homers but was fortunate they were solo bombs. The way he's pitching right now, he is unlikely to be so fortunate this time around. The only good news for Garza tonight is that he should get plenty of run support. The Brewers should do plenty of damage against the Reds Keyvius Sampson. The Cincinnati right-hander has compiled an 8.03 ERA in his last 3 starts. His last two starts have been particularly bad as Sampson has given up 9 earned runs on 18 hits (including 2 homers) in the less than 8 innings of work that have spanned the two starts. Yesterday's under was the first under in a Brewers game in their past 9 games! Milwaukee did produce 5 runs yesterday and they've averaged 5.1 runs per game in their last 10 games. They will stay hot at the plate against Sampson. Play OVER 8.5 runs in Milwaukee as a *10* Top Play selection Saturday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8.5 runs in Chicago White Sox vs Seattle @ 8:10 ET - The White Sox won 4-2 yesterday and stayed relatively sharp at the plate with 9 hits (including 3 for extra bases). Chicago is now 5-3 in their last 8 games and they've averaged 5.5 runs per game during this stretch. The White Sox are off of back to back unders but previously had gone over the total in 6 straight games. The ChiSox are 13-4 to the over in their last 17 games against teams with a losing record. The Mariners are 15-3-1 to the over in their last 19 games against teams with a losing record. Seattle had gone over the total in 6 straight games before yesterday's 4-2 loss. Even with their 0 for 6 performance at the plate with runners in scoring position yesterday, the Mariners have averaged 5 runs per game in their last 7 games. The M's should have no trouble with the offerings of John Danks tonight. The White Sox southpaw has lost each of his last two starts as he's allowed 12 runs (11 earned) on 13 hits (including 3 homers) in 12 innings of work. Danks has lost each of his last 3 starts against Seattle as he's given up 15 runs (14 earned) on 23 hits in 17 and 1/3 innings of work versus the Mariners. Tajuan Walker gets the start for the Mariners and he just matched up with Danks in Seattle on Sunday in a game that totaled 14 runs as both hurlers got rocked. Walker gave up 5 earned runs on 7 hits in less than 6 innings of work and I look for more of the same today in Chicago. The White Sox and Mariners combined to go over the total in all 3 of their games in Seattle and the big hitting resumes today after a rare tougher day at the plate in yesterday's game. Play OVER 8.5 runs in the Chicago White Sox game as a *10* Top Play Friday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* OVER 7.5 in Tampa Bay vs Minnesota @ 7:10 ET - It's a match-up of southpaw hurlers in this one and the Twins rank 4th out of the 30 teams in the majors for runs scored against left-handed pitchers this season. The Rays rank 4th out of the 30 teams in the majors with a .432 slugging percentage against left-handed pitchers this season. Both teams hit the ball very well in last night's 5-3 Minnesota win. The resulting over last night was the 4th straight over for Tampa Bay. The over is 14-8 in Rays games so far this month. Also, the over is 3-1 in Tom Milone's 4 career starts against Tampa Bay. The Twins southpaw has compiled a 6.17 ERA in his career outings against the Rays. Since returning from the All Star Break Milone has not impressed overall. In his five starts since the break he's given up 19 runs (17 earned) in 25 innings of work for an ugly 6.12 ERA. As for the Rays starter tonight, it's southpaw Drew Smyly getting the ball. It will be just his third start since returning from the disabled list. He's allowed 14 hits (including a pair of homers) in his two starts since returning from the DL and those two starts combined for less than 10 innings of work. He's likely to get hit hard again here as the Twins are loaded with confidence at the plate right now with 6 straight wins highlighted by averaging 7 runs per game during this hot streak. Play OVER 7.5 runs in Tampa Bay as a *10* Top Play Thursday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* OVER 8.5 in Philadelphia vs New York Mets @ 7:05 ET - With the Mets 9-4 win yesterday they have now won six straight games. New York has been red hot at the plate and the over is now 9-1 in the Mets last 10 games. NY has averaged an incredible 10.7 runs per game (that's the Mets alone, not including their opponents) during their 6 game winning streak. Facing Aaron Harang of the Phillies should ensure that the Mets stay absolutely red hot at the plate. Harang is off of a suprisingly solid outing at Miami in his most recent start. Don't look for another one here! In his prior 10 starts Harang gave up 51 earned runs on 83 hits in 54 and 2/3 inning of work. That equates to an 8.40 ERA over the past two and a half months! One good start against the Marlins doesn't erase all that and the Mets lineup is just oozing with confidence right now. As for the Mets starting pitcher tonight it's Jon Niese who gets the call. He was hammered in his last start and we can't chalk all that up just to the fact that he was pitching in Colorado. Niese saw his strikeout numbers come down in that outing and he gave up a lot of hits showing it was more than just a "power show" at Coors Field. Niese was simply very hittable in that outing and, in the last 22 match-ups between these clubs in Philadelphia the over is now 17-5 after yesterday's game also flew over the total. The Phillies have scored at least 4 runs in 8 of their last 9 games and the over is 7-2 in their last 9 games. Play OVER 8.5 runs in Philadelphia as a *10* Top Play selection Thursday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Philadelphia vs New York Mets @ 7:05 ET - The Mets sticks got red hot on their road trip to Colorado - a confidence building venue for hitters - and they have carried this hot streak right into their match-up with a division rival. The Mets won 6-5 yesterday after also dominating at the plate in a 16-7 win Monday. New York is now 8-1 to the over in their last 9 games. The Mets have averaged an insane 11 runs of offense per game in their last 5 games. I fully realize that the Phillies Jerad Eickhoff had a fantastic start in his MLB debut with the Phillies. Oftentimes a rookie hurler off a great debut like that takes a big step back in their second start and he's certainly facing the wrong team at the wrong time. The Mets lineup stays hot. As for the Phillies lineup, the over is now 6-2 in Philadelphia's last 8 games. The Phils have averaged a solid 5.5 runs per game during this stretch and they should pound Bartolo Colon tonight. The veteran right-hander is 4-7 with a 5.65 ERA on the road this season. The over is 4-0 in his last 4 road starts and Colon has been hit very hard in 3 of those 4 outings away from home. He's faced the Phillies 3 times within the past year and all 3 starts resulted in overs. Against the Phils, Colon gave up 13 earned runs on 23 hits in 17 and 1/3 innings of work. He'll again be hurt by giving up the big hits to Philly in this one too! Play OVER 8.5 in Philadephia as a *10* Top Play Wednesday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 11 runs in Colorado vs New York Mets @ 4:10 ET - I am predicting a score of 14-9 in this game. All kidding aside, it is quite unusual that each of the first two games in this series have been Mets wins by a score of 14 to 9. The over is now 6-0 in the Mets last 6 games and the over is 6-3 in the Rockies last 9 games. Both teams have been crushing the ball so far in this series and there is no reason to expect that to change this afternoon. This pitching match-up is absolutely conducive to yet another over at Coors Field. The Rockies send David Hale to the bump in this one and he struggled badly in his first start since returning from the disabled list. Hale gave up 6 earned runs in just 5 innings of work. The Rockies right-hander has a 7.41 ERA in his last 3 starts and he's gone 2-4 with a 6.36 ERA in all of his starts this season. The over is 5-1, 83% in Hale's six home starts this season. He's been rocked for 4 homers in his last 17 innings on the mound. The over is a stellar 8-2, 80% in games between these clubs in Colorado the last 3 seasons. The Rockies lineup should stay hot against Mets starter Logan Verrett. The 25 year old rookie right-hander is making his first career MLB start and, of course there is no better place to make that then Coors Field. It's what ever rookie pitcher dreams about. Kidding of course. Tough deal for Verrett having to make his first ever major league start at the most hitter friendly ballpark in the majors. His last full season in the minors as a full time starter was last year in AAA ball. Verrett was hit at a .291 clip for the season and now faces a red hot Rockies lineup. Play OVER 11 runs in Colorado as a *10* Top Play Sunday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8 in Miami vs Philadelphia @ 7:10 ET - The Phillies Aaron Harang is 0-3 with a 10.80 ERA and a 2.20 WHIP in the month of August. Things aren't likely to improve for the veteran right-hander in Miami. In his last start here, nearly a year ago in September, Harang was ripped for 6 earned runs on 10 hits in a start where he was knocked out of the game in the 4th inning! The Marlins did lose 7-1 last night but that game did get over the total and that makes the over 15-3 in Miami games in the month of August. Their sticks had been hot before last night's game and after facing a rookie hurler they had never seen and whom is in great current form, the Marlins now get to face a veteran hurler who is struggling miserably. Miami, before last night's loss, was on a 7-3 run in their last 10 games and they averaged 6.3 runs per game during this hot streak. The strong hitting quickly resumes tonight. The Phillies have also been hitting the ball surprisingly well of late. Philadelphia has scored 26 runs in their last 4 games and all 4 have gone over the total. Tonight the Phillies will take advantage of a struggling Justin Nicolino. The southpaw has a 6.06 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in his last 3 starts and his two home starts this season have both been ugly. Look for more of the same here. The over is 28-16 this season in Miami's games against divisional opponents. The Phillies are 18-11 to the over in games this season with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs. Play OVER 8 runs in Miami as a *10* Top Play Saturday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 10.5 / 11 in Colorado vs New York Mets @ 8:40 ET - The Rockies Jon Gray has pitched surprisingly well at the MLB level but let's not forget tonight will be just the 4th start he's made in the majors. Let's also not forget that this is the same Gray who was hit at a .281 clip in his 114 innings of work in the minors this season. Why is tonight the night Gray finally also gets pounded at the MLB level? Two reasons: 1) The Mets just saw him on the 10th of the month. This will be the first MLB team to get a second look at his offerings; 2) In his first home start Gray lasted just 4 innings and allowed 5 hits and 2 walks in that outing. Pitching at Coors Field on a warm summer's evening is tough and Gray struggles again in this one as the Mets will be much tougher to face in hitter-friendly Coors. As for the starter opposing Gray tonight, it's Bartolo Colon for the Mets. The veteran right-hander is 1-7 in his last 10 starts with a 4.83 ERA. Though he's coming off of a strong home start in his most recent outing, Colon is 4-7 with a 5.03 ERA on the road this year. In his most recent road start Colon was rocked for 4 earned runs on 9 hits in less than 7 innings of work. In his last two starts in Colorado, Colon was hammered for 12 earned runs on 19 hits and this was in just 9 and 2/3 innings of work. The Rockies are 31-18 to the over this season in their games against teams with a winning record. The Mets have gone over the total in 4 straight games and 5 of their last 6. The Rockies bullpen is among the leagues worst and Gray is only averaging 5 innings per start in his young career. Play OVER 11 in Colorado as a *10* Top Play Friday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 9 runs in Detroit vs Texas @ 7:05 PM ET - The Rangers bats exploded for 7 runs in yesterday's home win over the Yankees. Texas had 11 hits in the victory and they've now won 6 of their last 7 games and have averaged 10 hits per game during this hot streak. The Rangers should have no trouble with the offerings of the Tigers Alfredo Simon in this one. The Detroit right-hander has a 7,27 ERA in his last 3 starts and he's been pounded to the tune of 15 hits in his last 11 and 2/3 innings of work. He's got twice as many walks as strikeouts in his last 3 starts and Simon has allowed 3 homers in his last 3 outings. The Rangers .419 slugging percentage against right-handed pitchers ranks them in the upper third of the majors in that category and Simon allowed 3 homers in less than 2 innings of work in his only career start against the Rangers. Texas will have some pitching "issues" of their own in this one as they send southpaw Martin Perez to the mound in this one. The left-hander allowed 3 homers to the Tigers in his only career start at Detroit and this led to 5 earned runs in less than 6 innings for Perez. The Rangers southpaw comes into this one with a winless mark in his 3 road starts this season. In his starts away from home, Perez has compiled a 4.24 ERA and a concerning 1.71 WHIP. Detroit has a .454 slugging percentage against left-handed pitchers this year and that ranks 2nd in the majors! The Tigers .283 batting average at home this season ranks them 3rd in the majors. With their 15-8 win over the Cubs in Chicago yesterday, the Tigers are now 4-2 in their last 6 games and have averaged 7 runs per game during this hot streak. The over is 9-3 in Simon's last 12 starts and another high-scoring game erupts at Comerica Park tonight. Play OVER 9 runs in Detroit as a *10* Top Play Thursday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 7.5 runs in Baltimore vs New York Mets @ 7:05 ET - With the Mets 5-3 win going over the total yesterday, the over is now 10-5 in the Mets last 15 games! Though the Orioles were held to just 3 runs yesterday, they came into the game on a 4 game winning streak that saw them score 34 runs! Baltimore will bounce back today against the Mets Noah Syndergaard. Each of his last 3 starts have gone over the total and the long ball continues to be a problem as Syndergaard has allowed 5 homers in his last 3 starts. The Mets right-hander has also struggled in road starts all season long. The Mets are 1-7 in Syndergaard's road outings this season he's compiled an 0-5 record and a 5.44 ERA away from home. The Orioles also send a struggling hurler to the mound in this one. Ubaldo Jimenez, in his last two home starts, has been rocked for 10 earned runs on 15 hits in less than 10 innings of work. Overall, the over is 7-4-1 in the last 12 starts Jimenez has made. The Orioles right-hander has given up 8 earned runs in less than 8 innings of work in his last two starts against the Mets. Similar struggles resume tonight and, at the same time, Syndergaard's season-long road struggles continue. Play OVER 7.5 runs in Baltimore as a *10* Top Play Wednesday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 10.5 runs in Colorado vs Washington @ 8:40 ET - Both these clubs were off yesterday and the Rockies were off of a 5-0 shutout win Sunday while the Nationals lost 5-0 at San Francisco Sunday. Note that Washington has now lost 6 straight games and the over is 11-2 in Nationals games this season when they enter the game on a losing streak of 3 games or more. The over is also 11-6 this season in Nats games where they are a road favorite in a price range of -125 to -150. Certainly the Nationals should have no trouble with the offerings of David Hale in this one. The Rockies right-hander is returning from a groin strain and brings a 5.83 ERA in home starts into this match-up with the Nationals. The over is 4-1 in Hale's home starts this season. In his most recent three starts, Hale has compiled a 7.02 ERA and he's given up 22 hits (including 4 homers) in just 16 and 2/3 innings of work. The right-hander will be opposed by fellow righty Jordan Zimmerman of the Nationals tonight. Zimmerman is off of a fantastic start in his most recent outing but that came at pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium and tonight he'll be pitching at hitter-friendly Coors Field. In his most recent start in Colorado, Zimmerman was rocked for 4 earned runs on 8 hits (including 2 homers) in just 5 innings of work. His most recent start (at Dodger Stadium) stayed under the total but the over had been 7-3 in his road starts this season prior to that outing. The over is 13-7 the last 3 seasons in Rockies home games where they are a dog in a price range of +125 to +150. Play OVER 10.5 runs in Colorado as a *10* Top Play Tuesday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 11 in Colorado vs San Diego @ 4:10 ET - A lot of clutch hitting in yesterday's game helped to get it over the total. Amazingly there were no homers hit at hitter-friendly Coors Field. Look for the clutch hitting to continue Sunday as both lineups have been playing with plenty of confidence due to hot hitting of late and another key Sunday will be the return of the long ball. The Padres starter today is Ian Kennedy and his 25 homers allowed rank among the most allowed in the majors this season. Colorado has gone over the total in each of their last 6 home games and the Rockies wil be ready to bounce back after losing each of the first two games in this series. While there is every reason to believe they get to "homer-prone" Kennedy in this one, the problem for Colorado will be starting pitcher Chris Rusin's inability to stop hot hitting San Diego. The Padres have averaged 4.7 runs this season in games when facing a left-handed starting pitcher. Rusin has a 5.62 ERA and an ugly 1.88 WHIP in his last 3 starts. San Diego is 11-3 to the over in the month of August. The over is 12-5 in Padres road games where they have a money line between -100 and -125. The over is 23-11 in San Diego day games so far this year. The over is 34-20 this season in Padres games when they are coming off of a win. The Rockies are 11-6 to the over this season in games where they have a money line of -100 to -125. The over is 30-16 in Rockies divisional games this year. Colorado is also 42-24 to the over this season when off of a loss. The Rockies also have one of the worst bullpens in baseball. Play OVER 11 runs in Colorado as a *10* Top Play Sunday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8 or 8.5 runs in Texas vs Tampa Bay @ 8:05 ET - The Rays had 12 hits in yesterday's game but they wasted too many opportunities and ended up with a 5-3 loss. Tampa Bay will again hit the ball well today but this time they'll have much more to show for it. The Rays will be able to "tee off" against the Rangers Colby Lewis who is known for getting rocked at home. Lewis has a 5.27 ERA in his 11 home starts this season and the over is an incredible 9-1-1 in those 11 outings. There is no reason to expect that trending to come to a stop today. The Rays have reached double digits in hits in 7 of their last 9 games and the over was 9-2 in their last 11 games prior to this series. As for the Rangers, they do face a "tougher test" than do the Rays as Tampa Bay will send Chris Archer to the mound. However, the key here is that the few times Archer has been roughed up this season have been confined to road starts against good teams. In his three road starts against Baltimore, Kansas City, and Washington, Archer allowed a combined 16 earned runs on 26 hits and 8 walks in 17 innings of work. Yes that equates to a 2.00 WHIP and note that Globe Life Park in Arlington is not a friendly venue for pitchers. Look for Archer to have another rough road outing here while Lewis also gets pounded on another hot Texas evening. The over is 5-2 this season in Archer's starts on grass fields this season. Out of Tampa Bay, Archer gets rocked by the Rangers tonight. Play OVER 8 or 8.5 runs in Texas as a *10* Top Play Saturday. 

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8 runs in Houston vs Detroit @ 8:10 ET - Tonight should mark the return of Miguel Cabrera to the powerful Tigers lineup. This is a Detroit team that pounds left-handed pitchers. The Tigers .277 batting average against lefties ranks them 3rd in the majors in that category while their .434 slugging percentage against southpaws ranks them 4th in the majors in that category. Though the Astros Dallas Keuchel has put together some strong numbers so far this season, the left-hander has given up double digits in hits in two of his last three starts. Look for Keuchel to get hit hard once again here as he now faces one of the most powerful lineups in MLB that is expected to be further bolstered by the return of the powerful stick of Cabrera after he was out for 6 weeks. The fact that Keuchel has solid numbers on the season is helping to keep the posted total low on this one. That is significant because the over is 36-21 this season in Tigers games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs. The over is 17-7 this season in Detroit's road games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs. The over is also 17-11 this season when the Tigers are facing a left-handed starter and 32-20 this season when they are off of a win. Both Detroit and Houston were off yesterday and the over is 7-2 in Astros games this season when they were off the prior day. Look for Houston to "tee off" tonight against the Tigers Alfredo Simon. The over is 8-3 in Simon's road starts this season. This is largely due to his 5.64 ERA and 1.58 WHIP away from home this season. Even though his most recent start was at home, Simon again got pounded with 6 earned runs allowed in less than 7 innings of work. He's allowed 3 homers in his last two starts and the Astros have a powerful lineup that leads the league in home runs. Don't be surprised when this Friday evening match-up turns into a "slugfest". Play OVER 8 runs in Houston as an *10* Top Play Friday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8 runs in Kansas City vs LA Angels @ 8:10 ET - The Royals are off of a 7-4 home loss yesterday but that snapped a 5 game winning streak for Kansas City. With the 4 runs they scored in yesterday's loss to the Tigers, the Royals have averaged 5 runs per game in their last 7 games. The offense will remain hot here as Kansas City is one of the top hitting teams in the league when in their home ball park. The Royals .278 batting average in home games ranks them 4th out of 30 teams in the majors! The issue for Kansas City today is going to be their pitching. Jeremy Guthrie gets the start for the Royals tonight and he's been getting absolutely clobbered. The Royals struggling right-hander has an 8.50 ERA in his last three starts and Guthrie has given up 31 hits in the 18 innings spanning those 3 outings. The Angels lineup should have no trouble with the offerings of Guthrie. In fact, they've hammered him for 15 runs in 21 innings in his last 3 starts against them. As for the Angels starting pitcher tonight, Garrett Richards gets the call. The right-hander has quite a home/road dichotomy because his home starts are in pitcher-friendly Anaheim. Note that on the road this season, Richards is an ugly 4-6 with a 4.84 ERA. The over is 7-3 in his 10 road starts this season and both he and Guthrie are having trouble with giving up too many long balls in recent starts. Richards has given up 4 homers in his last 3 starts and Guthrie has given up 6 homers in his last 3 starts. On another very warm evening in Kansas City, the ball will be carrying very well. One final important note here, the Angels had to use 7 innings worth of relief work in their extra-innings loss to the White Sox last night. Play OVER 8 runs in Kansas City as a *10* Top Play Thursday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 7 runs in Tampa Bay vs Atlanta @ 7:10 ET - Jake Odorizzi has had a fantastic season for the Rays but the Braves have already seen him once this season and that is a key to this play. Odorizzi, as strong as he's been this season, has been much more hittable the second time a team sees him. The Yankees got to him for 4 runs on 9 hits in 6 innings when they saw him for a second time on April 28th. The Red Sox got to Odorizzi for 14 hits in 13 innings in their 2nd and 3rd shots at him this season. The Orioles got to him for 4 earned runs on 7 hits (including 3 homers) in 6 innings in their second time against him on May 31st. Toronto got to him for 6 runs in just 4 innings on July 17th in their second shot at Odorizzi. You can clearly see the pattern here and I look for that to continue tonight as the Braves will do more damage against him than you might expect. Yesterday's 3-1 Rays win stayed under the total but the over was 7-1-2 in the Braves 10 prior games and the over was 8-1 in the Rays 9 prior games. This over trend will quickly resume tonight, especially with the way the Braves Matt Wisler has been struggling. The rookie right-hander hasn't been able to control his slider nor command his fastball in recent outings. The result for Wisler has been a 7.04 ERA since the All Star break. His last two starts have been particularly awful as he's given up 12 earned runs on 17 hits in just 10 innings of work. Don't be surprised when he gets pounded again here by a Rays lineup that has been surging with confidence thanks to Tampa Bay going 6-2 in their last 8 games with plenty of hot hitting. 3 of Wisler's last 4 starts have gone over the total and the same is true of Odorizzi's last 4 starts. Play OVER 7 runs in Tampa Bay as a *10* Top Play Wednesday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* OVER 8.5 runs in Minnesota vs Texas @ 8:10 ET - The Rangers send Yovani Gallardo to the mound tonight and, with his current struggles, I had no doubt I was going with this as my Top Play Tuesday. Gallardo has allowed 18 earned runs on 27 hits and 10 walks in 19 innings spanning his last 4 starts. That equates to very nearly a 2.00 WHIP and allowing two base runners per inning gets a hurler in trouble very quickly. Of course this type of trouble is evident with Gallardo as he's compiled an 8.53 ERA in his last four starts. Gallardo allowed 2 homers in his most recent start at Minnesota. He also allowed 2 homers and was crushed for 6 earned runs in 5 innings of work when he hosted the Twins in his most recent start against Minnesota last June. The Twins come into this game on a streak of 5 straight overs. Though their sticks have been held a check in some of their recent games that's largely been due to facing some tough starting pitchers. Tonight they can pound a struggling Gallardo. A big key for the Twins recent runs of overs is their own pitching has struggled and with Kyle Gibson on the mound tonight those struggles are likely to continue. Gibson is 0-2 with an 8.47 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP in his last 3 starts. He's facing a Rangers team that will be fired up to get back on track on offense after their 4-2 loss at Seattle Sunday. Prior to that defeat, Texas was on a 8-2 run in their last 10 games and they produced 6.1 runs per game in that 10 game stretch. 3 of Gallardo's last 4 starts have gone over the total. The over is 9-4 in Minnesota home games this season where the Twins money line is in a range of -100 to -125. Play OVER 8.5 runs in Minnesota as a *10* Top Play Tuesday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8.5 runs in Arizona vs Philadelphia @ 9:40 ET - The Phillies remain one of the hottest teams in MLB since the All Star break and their bats continue to provide much of the momentum for the surge. The Phils won 5-3 at San Diego yesterday sending that game over the total. Philadephia is now 7-3 in their last 10 games and they've averaged 5.7 runs per game during this solid winning stretch. They will be facing Rubby De La Rosa of the Diamondbacks today. The key here is that De La Rosa is rock solid against right-handed batters but he's struggled to get left-handed hitters out throughout his career. This year alone, note that De La Rosa is getting crushed at a .305 clip and has a 1.64 WHIP against left-handed bats. The Phillies active roster, among position players, has 5 left-handed batters and 3 switch-hitters. Philadelphia will be stacked from the left side of the plate tonight and their hot hitting will continue. Speaking of hot hitting, the Dbacks should have no trouble with the offerings of Aaron Harang. The Phillies right-hander has been getting hit hard for many weeks now. After great performances in April and May, Harang turned in an 0-5 June with a 7.28 ERA and he was hit at a .291 clip for the month. In July and August combined (he spent some time on the disabled list), Harang has made 3 starts and he's produced a 7.80 ERA and a 2.47 WHIP. Ugly numbers and Harang is facing an Arizona club that is playing with confidence as they've won 10 of their last 15 games. The Dbacks have averaged 5.4 runs per game in those 10 victories and with how hittable Harang has been of late, they should no trouble getting on the board early and often in this one. Two hot teams, two pitchers likely to get hit hard, and neither team has an overly impressive bullpen (the Phils pen struggles on the road). Play OVER 8.5 runs in Arizona as a *10* Top Play Monday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* OVER 7.5 runs in San Diego vs Philadelphia @ 4:10 ET - The surprising Phillies did it again yesterday with their 4-2 win as they remain one of the hottest teams in the league here in the second half of the season. They have now scored 4 runs or more in 7 of their last 9 games. The Phillies will remain hot at the plate as they face Andrew Cashner of the Padres. The San Diego right-hander has struggled in his last two starts with 9 runs (7 earned) allowed on 14 hits (including 2 homers) and 6 walks in 11 and 1/3 innings. Lefties are hitting .290 against Cashner and the Phillies have some dangerous left-handed bats and switch-hitters that will be in their lineup for this afternoon match-up. The problem for Philadelphia though will be the fact that their own pitching situation is a big question mark in this one. Jerome Williams gets the start for the Phillies and he's 0-6 on the road this season with an 8.01 ERA and a 1.90 WHIP in his 9 starts away from home. Williams is coming off of an outing where he allowed just 1 earned run but he only lasted 5 innings and was constantly in trouble as he gave up 7 hits and walked 3 in that short stint. That start was at home and his prior two starts came on the road where he continues to get pounded just as he has all season long. The over is 7-2 in the last 9 meetings between these clubs in San Diego. The over was 9-1 in the Padres last 10 games prior to yesterday's poor effort where they managed just 2 runs of offense. Facing the Phillies "road adverse" Williams will help the Padres offense to get right back on track Sunday! Play OVER 7.5 runs in San Diego as a *10* Top Play Sunday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8 runs in Kansas City vs Chicago White Sox @ 7:10 ET - The White Sox lost the series opener yesterday by a 3-2 count and that was the first under they have recorded since 26 July! The ChiSox had gone over the total in 10 straight games before yesterday's pitchers' duel resulted in their first under in nearly two weeks! The hot hitting resumes tonight. The White Sox had averaged 6 runs per game during their 10 game win streak and they will be "teeing off" against a struggling Jeremy Guthrie tonight. The Royals right-hander has been getting absolutely crushed of late. Guthrie is winless in his last 3 starts and he's produced a 7.27 ERA and a 1.96 WHIP during this very rough stretch. In his most recent start Guthrie gave up 3 homers and he now faces a White Sox lineup that has been "feeling it" at the plate in recent weeks. The Royals will also certainly get their fair share of runs tonight. They are one of the top hitting teams in the league when on their home field and Kansas City had scored 5 runs or more in 4 of their last 6 games before putting up just 3 yesterday. They catch White Sox right-hander Jeff Samardzija at a good time as he got rocked in his most recent outing. Samardzija gave up 9 earned runs in less than 5 innings of work against the Yankees Sunday. He's now given up 13 earned runs in his last 12 and 2/3 innings of work and, like Guthrie, he's also been plagued bythe long ball as he's allowed 3 homers in those two outings. Samardzija has also given up 3 homers in his last two starts against the Royals and he's winless with a 5.59 ERA in 3 career starts against Kansas City. Play OVER 8 runs in Kansas City as a *10* Top Play Saturday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8 runs in Cleveland vs Minnesota @ 7:10 ET - The Indians Cody Anderson was on a fantastic run earlier this season but he's truly come back down to earth after putting up some phenomenal numbers. Anderson has an 8.40 ERA in his last 3 starts and the Twins come into this game off of back to back games that each easily flew over the total. Minnesota is facing an Indians right-hander who has allowed 4 homers in his last 3 starts and has gone winless after making some headlines with early success. Look for the Twins to take advantage of his recent struggles. The probelm for Minnesota tonight is going to be their own pitching situation. They send Mike Pelfrey to the mound and his most recent win was two months ago to the date as it's been since June 7th that Pelfrey has notched a W. The veteran right-hander is off of a strong start against Seattle but he's struggled mightily on the road this season. Away from home, Pelfrey is 2-5 this season with a 5.67 ERA and a 1.80 WHIP. The Indians are happy to be back home after losing 4 of their last 5 games on their recent 7 game road trip. Cleveland's most recent home game saw them pile up 12 runs on 18 hits and their bats come back to life tonight in their return home as Pelfrey's season long road struggles continue. All 3 match-ups between these clubs in Cleveland went over the total this season. That trend continues here. Play OVER 8 runs in Cleveland as a *10* Top Play Friday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 7 runs in Pittsburgh vs Chicago Cubs @ 7:05 ET - Although Jake Arrieta is having a fantastic season for the Cubs he did struggle with command of his pitches in his most recent outing. In his last two starts Arrieta has compiled a 3.75 ERA but has allowed 11 hits and 6 walks in 12 innings of work for a 1.42 WHIP. The Pirates will be seeing him for the third time this season and Pittsburgh comes into this game with plenty of confidence at the plate. That's because the Pirates have won 7 of their last 10 games and has averaged 5.4 runs per game in these 10 games. Look for Pittsburgh to stay hot at the plate in this one but they'll have some pitching issues of their own in this one. That's because J.A. Happ makes his debut in a Pirates uniform after coming over from the Mariners due to his slumping ways. I don't expect a change of scenery to magically transform Happ to top form again and that would be expecting a lot as he's winless in his last 3 starts with a 9.00 ERA and a 1.75 WHIP. Happ has walked 5 and given up 10 hits (including 3 homers) in his last 5 innings of work! The Cubs have won 6 of their last 7 games and have averaged 5 runs per game in those 6 victories. That said, take advantage of the low total posted on this game and look for runs early and often in this one. The over is 9-4 in the Pirates last 13 games against teams with a winning record. The over is 3-0 in the Cubs last 3 games against teams with a winning record. Big NL Central battle in this one and it's no pitchers duel! Play OVER 7 runs in Pittsburgh as a *10* Top Play Tuesday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8.5 runs in Toronto vs Minnesota @ 7:05 ET - The Twins came into yesterday's game on a 6-3 run to the over but they were shut down by David Price and the Blue Jays in that afternoon affair. Facing Marco Estrada today, the Minnesota sticks will quickly come back to life. Estrada has allowed 7 earned runs in his last 2 starts and those outings have totaled a combined 9 and 2/3 innings. Look for his struggles to continue in this match-up as he's winless in four career outings against the Twins. In his career against Minnesota, Estrada has compiled an ugly 6.00 ERA. The Blue Jays also were on a 6-3 run to the over before yesterday's series opener stayed under the total. Toronto did score 6 runs in yesterday's game and they are now averaging nearly 6 runs per game over their last 9 games. The Blue Jays sticks are tough at home and they stay hot against the Twins Phil Hughes. The Minnesota right-hander has allowed 23 hits (including 3 homers) in his last 19 innings of work. In his career against the Blue Jays he's gone 6-7 with a 4.85 ERA. Hughes has struggled on the road this season with a 2-4 mark compared to his 8-2 record at home. He's also known for giving up the long ball and the Blue Jays possess one of the most dangerous lineups in the league. The ball did carry well in yesterday's game and I look for more of the same tonight and also take advantage of this posted total dropping from 9 down to 8.5 runs as of Tuesday morning. Play OVER 8.5 runs in Toronto as a *10* Top Play Tuesday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 9.5 runs in Colorado vs Seattle @ 8:40 ET - Felix Hernandez has never faced the Rockies. Facing them in Colorado for his first ever outing against them is not the ideal choice. The Rockies are hitting over .300 at home this season and they are happy to be back home at hitter-friendly Coors Field after struggling to score runs at St Louis this weekend. Home field will cure what was ailing them. The Rockies also catch Hernandez at a good time because he's off a poor start where he allowed 7 earned runs on 12 hits in less than 7 innings of work. For Hernandez, making his Coors Field debut after such an ugly start in his prior outing is certainly not ideal. The good news for the Mariners though is that they should definitely be able to match the Rockies run for run in this one. Eddie Butler gets the start for the Rockies and he's 1-3 with a 5.96 ERA and a 1.95 WHIP in his home starts this season. Though he's pitched a little better since returning from a stint in the minors, Butler still allowed 3 earned runs in each outing and plus gave up a pair of homers in his most recent start and that was on the road! At home this season, Butler has given up 37 hits in less than 26 innings of work! The over is 9-2 in Rockies Monday games this season. The over is 9-4 in Rockies games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs this season. The over is 7-3 the last 3 years in Mariners road games where they are a favorite of -150 to -175. Seattle also is 4-2 to the over this season in games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs. Play OVER 9.5 runs in Colorado as a *10* Top Play Monday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 6.5 runs in New York Mets vs Washington @ 8:05 ET - With yesterday's 3-2 loss, the Nationals have stayed under the total in 3 straight games now. Only twice this entire season have the Nats stayed under the total in 4 or more consecutive games. That's quite significant considering four months of the season are already in the books. Look for Washington to snap this string of unders with a strong performance at the plate tonight. Though the Mets Noah Snydergaard has produced rock solid numbers this season he was fortunate to allow just one earned run in his lone career outing against the Nationals. That start took place just a week and a half ago when Snydergaard faced the Nats in Washington and he allowed 5 walks and gave up 5 hits in just 5 inning of work in that outing. That equates to a WHIP of 2.00 and the Nationals will cash in some of those same opportunities tonight with plenty of base runners expected again. The Nats send Jordan Zimmerman to the mound tonight. The over is 6-3 in his road starts this season with a 4.65 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP. He enters this start with a winless record in his last 3 outings. Even though the Mets had just 6 hits in yesterday's game, 5 of them went for extra bases including 2 homers and they will do plenty of damage against Zimmerman as recent form has shown him being more hittable than he was early this season. On a warm summer evening in New York the ball will be carrying well and there is exceptional line value in this match-up. Yes the pitchers have great overall numbers but these pitchers just squared off in Washington and neither hurler was able to dominate the opposing lineup. Play OVER 6.5 runs in the New York Mets game as a *10* Top Play Sunday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 6.5 runs in Oakland vs Cleveland @ 4:05 ET - These teams stayed under the total again yesterday. Each of the first three games in this series have now stayed under the total and the result is tremendous line value in the fourth one. This total has dropped to a 6.5 and the value is huge for the over. The A's have not recorded four straight unders this ENTIRE season! The Indians have had a few four game under streaks this season and one streak that even reached five but that is truly the exception rather than the nrom and Cleveland's sticks will get back on track against Sonny Gray this afternoon. The A's right-hander is off of a complete game shutout on the road in interleague action but his prior two starts were at home against AL clubs and Gray gave up 7 earned runs on 14 hits (including 3 homers) in 13 innings of work spanning those two outings. The fact that the Indians just faced Gray three weeks ago will help the hitters "hone in" on his offerings this afternoon. As for the A's hitters, look for them to do a lot more damage against Trevor Bauer than many are expecting. Bauer is off of a complete game effort in his most recent start but, prior to that, he allowed 11 earned runs in his last 10 innings of work! Addtionally, Bauer has allowed 6 homers in his last 3 starts. The ball does carry better in day games in Oakland and the A's have shown plenty of pop in their sticks at home this season. Also, the Indians are 9-4 to the over this season in road games with a posted total of 7 runs or less. Play OVER 6.5 runs in Oakland as a *10* Top Play Sunday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 7.5 in Oakland vs Cleveland @ 9:05 ET - Back to back low-scoring pitchers duels have opened up this series but that all changes today. Let's not forget that the over was 8-3 in the Indians last 11 games prior to visiting Oakland. Additionally, the over is 36-23 in A's night games this season. The key tonight is the pitching match-up. The Indians send Cody Anderson to the mound and the young right-hander has quickly come back down to earth after his phenomenal start to his career. Anderson has allowed 11 earned runs on 18 hits in his last 8 and 1/3 innings of work. He's not a big strikeout guy either and his numbers are down in that department with just 4 punch-outs in his last 15 innings of work. Each of his last two starts have flown over the total and, with the current form he's been displaying, the A's bats will come back to life tonight. However, Oakland will have a "pitching situation" of their own tonight as well. The A's send Aaron Brooks to the mound tonight and he's only made one career MLB start and that was a disastrous outing in his MLB starting debut last May. As for this season he's seen limited action out of the bullpen and he's produced an unimpressive 6.23 ERA so far. In the minors this season Brooks has a respectable 3.71 ERA but we're talking about facing minor league hitting and, on that note, his .282 BAA this season when facing minor league hitters is certainly not impressive. The Indians had been hot at the plate coming into this series and they resume the hot hitting by facing an outclassed foe on the hill tonight. Play OVER 7.5 runs in Oakland as a *10* Top Play Saturday. 

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8 runs in Houston vs Arizona @ 8:10 ET - The Astros are off of a 3-0 shutout win yesterday and have now won 8 of their last 10 games. Though yesterday's game easily stayed under the total, Houston has now averaged 6.25 runs per game in the 8 wins during this 8-2 hot streak. They certainly should have no trouble with the offerings of the Diamondbacks Rubby De La Rosa in this interleague match-up on Friday. The Arizona right-hander is 2-4 with an ugly 5.04 ERA in road starts this season. He's also been crushed in both of his career starts against the Astros as De La Rosa has compiled an ugly 11.42 ERA and 2.54 WHIP in those two outings against Houston. He's facing a red hot and confident team tonight and the results will not be pretty! The only hope for the Dbacks here is to out-hit the Astros and they just might do that. The reasoning for this is that Scott Feldman gets the start for Houston and he's 2-4 with a 5.62 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP in his home starts this season. Also, Feldman has faced the Diamondbacks 4 times in his career and the over is a perfect 4-0 in those 4 starts. In his most recent home start Feldman was rocked by the Rangers including allowing two homers in that start. Arizona, like Houston, also comes into this game with plenty of confidence as they've won 6 of their last 7 games and the Dbacks have averaged 5.5 runs per game in those victories. The over is 8-1 in Astros inter-league games this season. The over is 8-1 this season in Diamondbacks games this season when they enter a game on a winning streak of 3 games or more. Play OVER 8 runs in Houston as a *10* Top Play selection Friday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8 runs in Toronto vs Kansas City @ 7:05 ET - Johnny Cueto makes his first start in a Royals uniform. His welcome to the American League could be tarnished by having to face one of the top hitting lineups in the league. In interleague action Cueto did face the Blue Jays twice and his only career outing at Toronto was an ugly one with 5 earned runs allowed in six innings of work. Though Cueto is coming off of a strong start at Colorado in his most recent outing, he previously had given up 7 runs (5 earned) on 11 hits and 7 walks in his two previous starts and those covered a total of just 9 innings. That equates to a 2.00 WHIP and the over was 5-2-1 in the Blue Jays last 8 games before yesterday's 5-2 win over the Royals stayed under the total. Toronto sends Drew Hutchison to the mound tonight. The over is 7-2 in his 9 home starts. The Blue Jays right-hander has a 6.60 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP in his last 3 starts. Hutchison has allowed 3 homers in his last 2 starts and the Royals have pounded right-handed pitching this season. Hutchison has faced Kansas City twice in his career and he's compiled a 6.57 ERA in those two starts. The over is 11-5 in Blue Jays Friday games this season and this one flies over the total to welcome us into the first weekend of August. Play OVER 8 runs in Toronto as a *10* Top Play Friday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 9 runs in Texas vs NY Yankees @ 8:05 ET - The Rangers have lost 3 of the last 4 starts that Yovani Gallardo has made and it's no surprise as the Texas right-hander has been struggling badly. Gallardo has given up 14 earned runs on 29 hits and 15 walks in his last 19 and 1/3 innings of work. That equates to a 2.28 WHIP and allowing an average of 2 base runners per inning against a powerful lineup such as the one the Yankees possess can get a hurler in trouble in no time. Gallardo's struggles continue here as the Yanks were 7-3 to the over before yesterday's low-scoring result. The over trend quickly resumes here as the Rangers will also enjoy plenty of success at the plate. They'll be teeing off against the Yankees Michael Pineda. The Yanks right-hander is 0-3 with a 5.04 ERA in his career starts against the Rangers and Texas has nailed Pineda for 5 homers in their last 3 match-ups with him. Texas is 9-1 their last 10 games and they've averaged 6.6 runs per game in those 10 games. Pineda continues to be victimized by the long ball as he's given up 4 homers in his last 3 starts heading into this one. Also, in his last two starts combined, Pineda has been rocked for 9 earned runs in 11 and 2/3 innings. The Rangers will continue to pound the long ball against Pineda but watch Gallardo also get pounded in this outing as he's showing no signs of returning to early season form. Last, but certainly not least, the Rangers 4.70 bullpen ERA ranks them dead last in the majors! Play OVER 9 runs in Texas as a *10* Top Play. 

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8.5 runs in Baltimore vs Detroit @ 7:05 ET - Both of these clubs are off of tight, low-scoring wins yesterday but tonight the hot hitting resumes for each club. These are undoubtedly two of the most powerful lineups in the league and the Orioles are asking for trouble with the pitcher they are sending to the mound tonight. Miguel Gonzalez, in four career starts against the Tigers, has compiled an ugly 7.65 ERA and has a horrific 1.95 WHIP in those outings. Also concerning for O's fans here is the fact that Gonzalez has been rocked for 4 homers in his last 3 starts against Detroit. The right-hander got absolutely crushed by Washington in his most recent home start and he continues to be "homer-prone" which is a concern against a powerful lineup like the Tigers possess. Detroit will have pitching issues of their own in this one as Alfredo Simon takes to the mound. The right-hander finally had a solid start at Boston in his most recent outing but that doesn't completely erase the recent form he's been putting on display. Prior to that quality start against the Red Sox, Simon had given up 32 earned runs in his 6 prior starts which spanned just 28 and 1/3 innings. Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you, that equates to a horrible 10.16 ERA. Even including the solid start in Beantown, Simon has given up 58 hits in his last 34 and 1/3 innings of work. The Orioles will pound him as both powerful lineups enjoy a great night at the plate in this one. The Tigers are 27-8-1 (77%) to the over in their last 36 games. Play OVER 8.5 runs in Baltimore as a *10* Top Play Thursday!

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 7.5 runs in Miami vs Washington @ 7:10 ET - The Nationals managed just one run in yesterday's 4-1 loss at Miami. The over was 5-1-1 in Washington's L7 games before struggling at the plate in Tuesday's game with the Marlins. Look for the Nationals to bounce right back here. Though Miami's Tom Koehler has some impressive numbers on the season, he allowed 5 earned runs on 7 hits (including 3 homers) in his last start against the Nationals! Washington had averaged a solid 5 runs per game in their last 6 games before now struggling in their last two games. They step into the batters box with plenty of confidence after what they did to Koehler two months ago in Washington. As for the Marlins sticks, they should have no trouble with the offerings of a struggling Doug Fister. The Nats right-hander is 0-2 with a 7.20 ERA and a 2.10 WHIP in his last two starts. In his last 3 road starts, Fister has been hammered for 15 earned runs in just 13 innings of work. Look for more of the same this evening. The over is 29-20 in Nationals road games this season. The over is 20-13 in Marlins divisional games this season. Play OVER 7.5 runs in Miami as a *10* Top Play selection Wednesday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 7.5 runs in Cleveland vs Kansas City @ 12:10 ET - After yesterday's 2-1 pitchers duel, look for the offense of each club to get back on track in this one. The Indians will take advantage of facing a struggling Jeremy Guthrie. The Royals right-hander has a 5.35 ERA on the season and he's been rocked for 28 hits in his last 18 innings of work. Guthrie has a 7.19 ERA and a 1.79 WHIP on the road this season and the over is 5-2 in his starts away from home this year. The Indians have been in a bit of a slump at the plate and it's an 0-6 run for the Tribe coming into this game. However, Guthrie will provide the perfect remedy for what has been ailing Cleveland as he gets hit hard once again in this early afternoon match-up at Progressive Field. The Indians send right-hander Corey Kluber to the mound and he's 5-11 on the season. Kluber has a 5.52 ERA in his last two starts and the Royals have had his number this season. The Cleveland right-hander has a 5.85 ERA in his 3 starts against Kansas City this season and they've gotten to him for 26 hits in 20 innings of work. The over was 7-2 in Cleveland's last 9 games before yesterday's low-scoring affair. The over is 24-16 in Royals games against teams with a losing record this season. The over was 7-2 this season in match-ups between these clubs heading into Tuesday's action. The high-scoring ways quickly resume here. Play OVER 7.5 runs in Cleveland as a *10* Top Play Wednesday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8.5 runs in Minnesota vs Pittsburgh @ 8:10 ET - Mike Pelfrey pitched "over his head" for quite awhile this season and that surprising result has led to even more line value as his fade continues here in the 2nd half of the season. The veteran right-hander is 0-2 with a 4.58 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP for the Twins in his last 3 starts. His strikeout numbers are down and he seems to be getting more and more hittable with each outing he makes. Now he must battle a Pirates lineup that, despite some low scores on the board, has averaged 10 hits per game in their last 7 games and they are ready for a breakout game at the plate tonight. The issue for Pittsburgh this evening is their own starting pitcher. It will be Charlie Morton taking the mound for the Pirates and he's 2-3 with an ugly 7.81 ERA in road starts this season. The right-hander has made two starts since the All Star break and he's given up 9 earned runs in less than 13 innings of work. The Twins are crushing the ball at home this season and should have no trouble with the offerings of Morton as his road struggles continue. The over is 3-1 in the Pirates last 4 games and the over is 3-0 in the Twins last four games. The over is 7-3 this season, and an impresive 27-16 the last 3 seasons, in Pirates games after a day off. Both teams have solid lineups that are rested and ready for this one after yesterday's off day. Play OVER 8.5 runs in Minnesota as a *10* Top Play Tuesday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 9.5 runs in Texas vs NY Yankees @ 8:05 ET - This game just missed going over the total last night as it stalled out after the top of the 7th. I won't hesitate in coming right back with it. Especially with the season marks these two pitchers have in the key category of WHIP - Walks + Hits per Innings Pitched. Base runners eventually lead to runs and this especially true in hitter-friendly venues like the Ballpark in Arlington. Chris Capuano has a 1.74 WHIP and Martin Perez has a 1.91 WHIP as starters this season. Granted Capuano has made just 3 starts this season and Perez only two but the point is that the form of each pitcher has not impressed. Capuano has been knocked around for 18 hits in 12 and 2/3 innings of work as a starter and Perez has been hammered with 15 hits allowed in his 11 innings of work. Before last night's under resulted, the over was 6-2 in the Rangers last 8 games and 4-0 in the Yankees last 4 games. The Yankees did get 6 runs last night but the Rangers stranded 9 men as they couldn't come through in clutch situations. Against the soft-tossing Capuano, the result will definitely be different for the powerful Texas lineup tonight. Since the All Star Break, the over is 5-0 in Rangers games against southpaw starters. Play OVER 9.5 runs in Texas as a *10* Top Play Tuesday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 9 runs in Texas vs NY Yankees @ 8:05 ET - Both of these clubs have been red hot at the plate. The Yankees won 7-2 at Minnesota yesterday and the over is now 4-0 in their last 4 games. Yesterday's game marked the 3rd time in their last 4 games that the Yanks have scored at least 7 runs. Tonight the Bronx Bombers are visiting a Texas club that was just involved in a 13-7 game in Anaheim yesterday afternoon. That was the 6th over in the last 8 games for the Rangers. That also was the 6th time in their last 8 games that Texas has scored at least 7 runs. Look for the Rangers lineup to stay hot against Ivan Nova. The Yankees right-hander is 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA in his two road starts this season. Also, in his last 3 starts against the Rangers, Nova was reached for 11 earned runs on 21 hits and 11 walks in 18 and 2/3 innings of work. The way Texas is swinging the bats right now, and with their return back home, they will pound Nova tonight. The Rangers send Matt Harrison to the mound tonight. Although the southpaw is off of a strong outing in his most recent start, he was crushed in his only other start this season and that was at home against Arizona. Like Nova (who is coming off a Tommy John surgery), Harrison has pitched very little so far this season at the MLB level. In fact, Harrison has been pounded at the minor league level this year. Couple that with the fact that his strikeout numbers at the MLB level are down so far since returning to the bigs and you can see that his most recent start may have indeed been a fluke. Now Harrison must face a surging Yankees team that is red hot at the plate and this will not be a good match-up for the left-hander. Play OVER 9 runs in Texas as a *10* Top Play Monday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 9.5 runs in Boston vs Detroit @ 8:05 ET - Yesterday's game between these club was 5-1 in the top of the 6th and then it died. These strong lineups will make up for that disappointment for over players today. The Red Sox send Eduardo Rodriguez to the mound and the over is 4-1 in his starts at Fenway Park this season. Overall, the southpaw has compiled a 6.41 ERA in his home starts this season. His most recent start came on the road at LA against the Angels and he was roughed up for 7 earned runs in less than 2 innings of work. He's allowed 4 homers in his last 8 innings on the mound. Rodriguez also has walked 4 while striking out just 2 during this poor two-start stretch. With his overall numbers at home this season, recent struggles, and the fact he's facing a Tigers lineup that is one of the most dangerous in the league, there is no hesitation in expecting him to get pounded tonight. As for the Tigers starting pitcher tonight, it's Shane Greene. The right-hander is 2-4 in his 7 road starts this season and he's been roughed up to the tune of an 8.43 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP away from home. Recent starts are not showing any signs of Greene turning this around as the Tigers are 0-3 in his last 3 starts with Greene posting an awful 12.40 ERA and ugly 2.11 WHIP in these 3 outings. The over is 10-3 in Red Sox Sunday games this season. The over is 11-4 in Tigers Sunday games  this season. Play OVER 9.5 runs in Boston as a *10* Top Play Sunday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 11 runs in Colorado vs Cincinnati @ 4:10 ET - Warm afternoon at Coors Field in Colorado. After being held to just 2 runs on Saturday by Cueto I look for the Rockies offense to explode on Sunday against Michael Lorenzen. The young right-hander has an unimpressive 5.40 ERA and 1.73 WHIP in his last 3 starts. He also will be making his first ever start at Coors Field, a venue known for being unkind to pitchers in their first visit here. The Rockies had scored at least 6 runs in 3 of their last 4 games before yesterday's disappointing result and they will surely bounce right back on offense in this one. The problem for Colorado this afternoon will be their own pitching as Kyle Kendrick takes to the mound for this afternoon match-up. Kendrick has been rocked for a 6.90 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP in his home starts this season. His recent starts would not offer much of hope for him to do any better here. He's compiled a 6.55 ERA with a very dangerous 2.00 WHIP. That WHIP is "dangerous" because at Coors Field, base runners can equal "major damage" in a hurry! Kendrick has allowed 4 homers in his last 3 starts agiainst the Reds and it will be "hitter-friendly" weather today in Colorado. The Rockies are 31-21 to the over this season when they are off of a loss. The Reds lineup has produced an average of 6 runs per game in their last 4 games and they have pounded out 61 hits in their last 5 games. It's all about the "O" for each team in this one Sunday. Play OVER 11 runs in Colorado as a *10* Top Play.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 7.5 runs in LA Angels vs Texas @ 9:05 ET - Yovani Gallardo is not right. The Rangers right-hander is lucky his ERA is not higher in his last 3 starts. He's 0-3 in his last 3 outings with a 5.28 ERA but even more alarming is the fact that he's allowed 21 hits and 12 walks in the 15 and 1/3 innings that have spanned these last 3 starts. With the Angels looking to bounce back off of two straight losses where they have managed to score a combined two runs, Gallardo provides the perfect remedy to heal their lineup! The Angels had won 7 straight games before this little two game mini-skid and their offense responds tonight. That said, why is the play here the over rather than the Angels? It's because there is plenty of reason to believe that the Rangers will do some damage against the Angels Hector Santiago. The southpaw allowed just one earned run in his most recent start but note that he gave up 8 hits in his 5 innings of work in that outing. Santiago has now allowed 16 hits in 12 innings spanning his last two starts. Though he's had success against the Rangers this season it's an added benefit that they just recently saw him - July 4th. It's also a huge benefit that they are seeing him for the fourth time already this season! The Rangers come into this game with 4 wins in their last 6 games and their offense has led the way with an average of 11 hits per game in their last 7 games. The over is 7-4 this season in Texas games when they are on a winning streak of 3 games or more. The over is 6-3 this season in match-ups between these clubs! Play OVER 7.5 runs in the LA Angels game as a *10* Top Play selection Saturday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 11 runs in Colorado vs Cincinnati @ 8:40 ET - Both of these clubs had yesterday off. The Reds enter this series having gone over the total in 7 of their last 9 games. The Rockies have gone over the total in 4 of their last 6 games. On a warm summer evening in Denver tonight the ball will be carrying very well and, couple that with a match-up of two struggling hurlers, you have the perfect recipe for a "slugfest" to erupt at Coors Field this evening. Anthony Desclafani gets the start for the Reds and he's given up 4 homers in his last 3 starts. In these 3 outings the Reds right-hander has compiled an ugly 7.27 ERA and 1.73 WHIP. Now he must contend with a Rockies team in his first-ever start at hitter-friendly Coors Field where the Rockies are hitting over .300 this season. Colorado hurler Eddie Butler will be facing the Reds for the first time as a host and, that said, if his start at Cincinnati in May is any indication it should be a rough night for Butler. He gave up four earned runs on 9 hits including two homers when he faced Cincy back in May. Now Butler must face them in hitter-friendly mile-high air and he comes into this start with a 1-3 record and 6.41 ERA with ridiculous 2.09 WHIP in his four home starts this season. His most recent MLB start was at home on June 5th and he gave up 6 earned runs on 11 hits in 5 and 1/3 innings of work. Butler did make a start on Sunday (after returning to the big leagues for the first time since early June) but the game got rained out and erased his 4-inning stint from the record books. Even in AAA this season Butler has been hit hard with a 6.27 ERA and hitters knocking him around at a .289 clip! The over is 10-5 in Reds games this season when they had the prior day off. The over is 31-21 in Rockies games this season when they are off of a loss. Play OVER 11 runs in Colorado as a *10* Top Play Friday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8.5 runs in Arizona vs Milwaukee @ 9:40 ET - The Diamondbacks are starting Zach Godley in this one and it's hard to imagine what they're thinking. He's only made 3 starts above the single A minors in his entire career. So not only is he jumping up all the way from AA ball to make this start, he's only made 3 starts at the AA level and looking at those outings he certainly wasn't dominant. Now Godley will have to face major league hitters and he'll be facing a Brewers lineup that has produced an average of 6 runs per game in their last 7 games. Milwaukee lost 7-5 yesterday and the resulting "over" was the third in the last four Brewers games. Arizona's 5-3 loss to Miami yesterday also resulted in an over and the over is 24-15 in Diamondbacks games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs so far this season. Arizona does tend to produce better at home and they over is now 27-18 in Dbacks home game this season. As for the Brewers, the over is 20-11 this season in their games against teams with a losing record on the season. Michael Fiers has been pitching well for Milwaukee but his most recent start against Arizona is not a good sign of what to expect here. He was pounded for 6 earned runs on 9 hits in just five innings of work. Look for the Dbacks to again get to him early and often. Fiers, as well as he has pitched, has given up 3 long balls in his last two starts and the ball does carry well at Chase Field. Play OVER 8.5 runs in Arizona as a *10* Top Play Thursday!

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8.5 runs in NY Yankees vs Baltimore @ 7:05 ET - The Yankees Ivan Nova is 0-3 in his last 3 starts and he's compiled a 4.76 ERA and an ugly 1.59 WHIP in those starts. Too many hits in all 3 outings. Not enough strikeouts in the last two outings. Nova has been pitching to contact and the Orioles have the potent lineup to take advantage. In fact, Nova has been crushed for 11 earned runs on 16 hits in his last 9 and 2/3 innings of work against Baltimore. The over is 11-6 this season in Yankees games where the Yanks money line ranges from -100 to -125. Kevin Gausman gets the start for the Orioles after he was sent down to AAA Norfolk before the MLB All Star Break. Gausman got crushed at Minnesota in his most recent start (July 7th) and he's compiled an ugly 9.40 ERA in road outings this season. His only career start at the Bronx (last September) resulted in an over and another one can be expected here after a surprisingly low-scoring game opened up this series yesterday. There were 18 hits in yesterday's game but only 5 runs scored. I'll take advantage of that dichotomy by grabbing the line value it offers today. In other words, the 3-2 final yesterday wasn't truly reflective of the way the hitters were swinging the bats yesterday. Additionally, the Orioles came into this series having at least 10 hits in 4 of their last 5 games. The Yankees have pounded out 78 hits in their last 9 games. Take advantage of the low posted total here as two unproven hurlers square off in the Bronx. Play OVER 8.5 runs in the NY Yankees game as a *10* Top Play Wednesday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 10.5 or 11 runs in Colorado vs Texas @ 8:40 ET - The Rangers hand the ball to southpaw Matt Harrison tonight. Though he is 2-0 in his two career appearances against the Rockies (and did not allow a run in either start) neither one of those starts occurred at Coors Field. This will be his first ever appearance in the thin air of the Mile High city and Harrison is not likely to fare well at all. Most first-time starters at Coors Field do struggle and the problem for the Texas southpaw is that's not the only strike against him in this one. The other concern is that he's struggling to return to form after back surgery. This is just his 2nd start since returning the bigs but the fact he allowed 6 earned runs in just 4 innings against Arizona in his first start back is certainly concerning for Rangers fans. The only good news for Texas today is the lineup should be able to "tee off" against the Rockies Kyle Kendrick. The right-hander must be questioning his decision to come to Colorado as he's 1-4 with a 6.54 ERA in his 8 home starts this season. He's been ripped for 17 hits in his last 12 and 1/3 innings on the mound. Kendrick also has given up 13 homers in just 42 and 2/3 innings at Coors Field this season. Without a win since June 23rd, Kendrick's best chance at a victory tonight is if the Rockies win an absolute slugfest. Last night's game went over the total in the top of the 5th inning. With two struggling hurlers taking the mound at Coors Field, it could be a repeat tonight. Play OVER 10.5 or 11 runs in Texas as a *10* Top Play Tuesday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 11 runs in Colorado vs Texas @ 8:40 ET - The Rangers Nick Martinez will be making his first MLB appearance in nearly 3 weeks. He was last in action on July 1st and that wrapped up a stretch of 3 starts where the right-hander went 0-3 with a 6.27 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP. Those are ugly numbers and, in his first start after being recalled from AAA Round Rock he gets a tough assignment. Facing the Rockies in Colorado is a start that no hurler looks forward to. For Martinez, this will be his first appearance there and those "rookie outings" at Coors Field tend to be the toughest of them all for pitchers. Colorado is hitting an incredible .305 at home with a stellar .484 slugging percentage at Coors Field. The Rockies will get to Martinez early and often in this one but certainly Colorado is likely to have some pitching issues of their own in this one. Chris Rusin gets the start and the southpaw has not made a start since July 8th. Now he deals with a tough assignment as the Rangers have been strong at the plate recently with an average of 12 hits per game in their last 7 games. Rusin has a 2.45 ERA in his last 3 starts but that's a bit deceiving as he's allowed 21 hits (including 4 homers) in 18 and 1/3 innings of work. As you can see, based on those numbers, he's been fortunate to escape without more damage done in those starts. Rusin hasn't recorded a win since June 21st and he faces a red hot Texas lineup in this one. The over is 7-2 in Rockies games on Mondays this season. The over is 7-3 in Rangers games where they are priced in the +100 to +125 money line range. Play OVER 11 runs in Colorado as a *10* Top Play Monday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8 runs in Houston vs Texas @ 8:10 ET - Martin Perez gets the start for the Rangers and this is the first MLB start for the southpaw in 14 months. He has been on the shelf after having Tommy John surgery. Perez did not impress in his rehab starts in the minors and this included getting hit quite hard at Round Rock in his AAA outings. Now he must face MLB hitting and, in his last 3 starts at the MLB level, Perez got rocked for 19 earned runs in 13 and 1/3 innings. Based on all of the above, I do not expect the left-hander to return to the MLB level and be mowing down hitters tonight. As for his counterpart tonight, Colin McHugh gets the start for the Astros. The right-hander lost each of his last two starts before the All Star Break. Those both came on the road but McHugh hasn't exactly dominated at home this season. In fact, he's compiled an ugly 4.89 ERA in his home outings this season. This will be the 3rd time in the past 11 months that Texas has seen McHugh and this will be the 4th time in the past 2 years that the Astros are seeing Perez. The familiarity helps as does the fact that neither starting pitcher is "on top of their game" right now. Couple that with the fact that this total dropped from an opener of 8.5 down to an 8 and it's "go time" with this one. Play OVER 8 runs in Houston as a *10* Top Play Friday.

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 6.5 or 7 runs in Pittsburgh vs St Louis @ 8:05 ET - The Pirates 6-5 win over the Cardinals yesterday went 14 innings. Of course that did no favors for either team's bullpen and that means an early exit for either starting pitcher tonight could be very taxing to the Bucs or Cards bullpen. With a low total posted on this game, it's easy to step in large with confidence on this match-up. It's a battle of southpaws tonight in Pittsburgh and the Pirates Francisco Liriano has made 5 starts so far this season where he was opposed by a fellow left-hander. The over is 4-1, 80% in those five starts. As for the Cardinals Tim Cooney, he has made 3 starts so far this season and the over is 3-0, 100% perfect in those three starts. Though Cooney has some decent numbers in his limited action so far this season, he's faced some weaker hitting teams. On the road and facing a solid Pirates lineup on national TV will be the biggest challenge Cooney has faced yet this season when you consider that his first three starts have come against the Phillies, Padres, and Cubs. Those 3 clubs have team batting averages that rank them near the bottom of the majors. Even with facing that weaker opposition not the Cooney did allow 3 homers in just 8 and 1/3 innings of work spanning his first two starts this season. There were 4 homers hit in last night's game and the ball should continue to carry well tonight in Pittsburgh. The Pirates Liriano gave up 5 earned runs in 6 and 1/3 innings of work the last time he faced the Cardinals and that included allowing 2 long balls. The over is 5-1 in the Cards last six games overall. The Pirates last game against a lefty saw them pile up 8 runs in a game that flew over the total. More of that tonight! Play OVER 6.5 or 7 runs in Pittsburgh as a *10* Top Play Sunday night.