MLB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 10 in Los Angeles Angels vs Arizona Diamondbacks @ 10:05 ET - The over is the play here. The Angels are expected to start Tyler Anderson and he has allowed 20 earned runs in 26 innings over his last 5 starts. The southpaw has a 5.54 ERA on the season and is getting hit at a .283 clip. The Diamondbacks Ryne Nelson has two good starts in his last six but in the other 4 starts he allowed 16 earned runs in 18 and 2/3 innings. This one shapes up to be another ugly one as the Angels are #5 in the league for slugging percentage. By the way, the Diamondbacks are right behind them at #6 in the league for slugging percentage. These are two potent lineups and, after last night's game was rather light-hitting and stayed under the total, look for a bounce back performance here. Plenty of runs likely.  10* OVER 10 in Los Angeles Angels 

MLB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 11 in Colorado Rockies vs Detroit Tigers @ 8:10 ET - The Tigers are one of the worst hitting teams in the league but Coors Field has a way of bringing out the best in visiting teams. Not only that, facing a pitcher like Austin Gomber certainly should help matters as well. Gomber is 3-3 with an 8.72 ERA this season at home. As for the Tigers starter here, Michael Lorenzen is expected to get the call here. He has struggled in his last 4 starts. 15 earned runs in 23 and 2/3 innings for Lorenzen in his last 4 starts and those were all at home. The Rockies can score well at home and certainly should here. The Tigers should pound the ball on the road here as they take advantage of a hitter-friendly park and weak pitching. The Rockies bullpen is one of the worst in the majors. Colorado games have totaled 17 or more in 3 of last 5 games. The Rockies are 4-3 last 7 games and those games have averaged 13 runs per game. Look for another one to get into that range here. 10* OVER 11 in Colorado

MLB Thursday OVER 11.5 or 12 in Colorado Rockies vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 8:40 ET - Going with the over again here. The weather in Denver could see some rain but still very warm temperatures. The ball carries so well here and another wild one just like yesterday's 9-8 Rockies win could be in store. The LA bullpen has struggled this season and so too has the Rockies bullpen. Only the Nationals bullpen has a higher ERA than the Colorado and Los Angeles bullpens in terms of the rankings this season in the National League. As for the expected starters here, Chase Anderson has absolutely been destroyed in his last two starts with 16 earned runs allowed in less than 6 innings of work. As for the Dodgers Emmet Sheehan, this is his first ever road start at the MLB level and Coors Field is probably the worst park in the league in terms of being a first start for a rookie pitcher. Yes, Sheehan has really impressed so far in his 2 MLB starts but both were at home. Also, this is very limited action and in the minors he never pitched above the AA level. This could be a very tough spot for him. The runs will flow again at Coors Field this evening. OVER 11.5 or 12 in Colorado

MLB Wednesday OVER 12.5 in Colorado Rockies vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 8:40 ET - Action on the pitchers. Kyle Freeland has been struggling and is the expected starter here and Dodgers may go with a bullpen game. The LA bullpen has struggled this season and so too has the Rockies bullpen. Only the Nationals bullpen has a higher ERA than the Colorado and Los Angeles bullpens in terms of the rankings this season in the National League. Freeland has allowed 25 earned runs in 34 innings spanning his last 7 starts. He is in trouble again here on a warm evening in Colorado in which the ball should be carrying quite well at Coors Field. Note that the Rockies are #2 in the NL in both batting average and slugging percentage in home games this season. The Dodgers have a .441 slugging percentage on the road this season which ranks #2 in the National League. So both teams enjoy plenty of success at the plate here as both bullpens struggle. Off a rare home shutout yesterday, you know what is likely coming today in Colorado. Games tend to be very high-scoring here. Overall, prior to yesterday's game, the Rockies last 19 games have averaged 11.6 runs per game and that includes both home and away games. The Dodgers have trended under recently but this followed a high-scoring stretch and there is a reason this game is priced this way. OVER 12.5 in Colorado

MLB Monday OVER 10 in Baltimore Orioles vs Cincinnati Reds @ 7 ET - This one could have a delayed start as it will be a rainy late afternoon period in Baltimore today. But I do expect they will be able to get this one in even if it starts later than originally scheduled. That said, I do not want to miss out on what should be another solid over winner involving Cincinnati. The Reds have seen 6 of last 8 games not only go over the total, the 6 games have each totaled at least 13 runs! Cincinnati has won 12 of 14 games and averaged scoring 6.5 runs in those 14 games. The Orioles last dozen games have seen 6 of them reach double digits. Baltimore's last dozen games have averaged 10 runs per game and considering the Orioles are now taking on a Reds team trending over, this looks like a slugfest. Two solid lineups involved. I like this play regardless of starting pitchers but will mention that the Reds Brandon Williamson has a 5.40 ERA on the season and has been getting hit at a .289 clip this month. The Orioles Cole Irvin has a 7.71 ERA this season and opponents are hitting .316 against him. OVER 10 in Baltimore

MLB Sunday OVER 11.5 in Cincinnati Reds vs Atlanta Braves @ 1:40 ET - Levi Stoudt gets the start for the Reds and Charlie Morton expected to start for the Braves. No matter who gets the call here as starting pitchers, I look for these two teams to remain red hot at the plate and I am expecting plenty of runs. From 2020 to 2023, Morton is actually just 4-10 in day games. He tends to struggle more in his day game outings and, overall, he is on the cusp of some real struggles this season too. Morton has a low ERA but he has been hit at a .259 clip so far this season and so he is fortunate his ERA has remained low. Morton is 1-3 with a 4.15 ERA and opponents hitting .274 against him in day games this season. The Reds are so hot at the plate plus they are at home so I am expecting continued success for their lineup here. The issue for Cincinnati however will be that the Braves are likely to keep pounding away at the plate also. Stoudt is a young hurler that has a 10.29 ERA in his 2 games (1 start) so far for the Reds this season. At the AAA level of the minors this season he has as many walks as strikeouts with 26 of each in his 36 innings of work. Atlanta enters this one having won 9 of 10 games and they have scored an average of 8.2 runs during this hot streak. Cincinnati had won 12 in a row before yesterday's high-scoring loss. The Reds averaged 6.6 runs during this 13-game stretch. I am looking for another 7-6 or 8-7 type game here given the above numbers. OVER 11.5 in Cincinnati 

MLB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 8 in Detroit Tigers vs Minnesota Twins @ 7:15 ET - The Tigers don't hit very well but this is a low total and a great spot to back them. After a 4-1 loss yesterday, Detroit - who generally is a better team at home - should  bounce back here. Pablo Lopez had one good start last five games but in the other 4 he allowed 17 earned runs. It is not as if he is a dominant pitcher. As for Reese Olson, he has been hit quite hard last two starts and both of those were at home. He has allowed 9 earned runs in 9 and 1/3 innings in those two outings and faces a tough Minnesota team here. The Twins have won the last two games by a combined score of 10 to 1. Minny, prior to this, has seen 9 of last 11 games total at least 8 runs. Those 9 games averaged 11.4 runs per game! We should certainly have no trouble getting past 8 runs in this one on a warm evening at Comerica Park for this one. OVER 8 in Detroit

MLB Friday OVER 10.5 in Cincinnati Reds vs Atlanta Braves @ 6:40 ET - This match-up features the two hottest teams in the majors and I am expecting plenty of runs as they both stay hot. There are even some 11s out there and we are going to grab the 10.5 for the value here. As for the expected Braves starter, AJ Smith-Shawver, he is still an unproven rookie that has surprised in 2023 compared to what we saw of him in the minors prior to this. I look for him to come back down to earth here. These are two potent lineups and I look for them to cash in on many of the opportunities that they are presented with here. Cincinnati is starting Luke Weaver and he has allowed at least 3 earned runs in 9 of his 11 starts this season. Weaver has particularly struggled this month with a 10.13 ERA and opponents hitting .356 against him. Weaver has a 7.75 ERA in his 7 night game starts this season. The Braves have won 8 straight games and scored an average of 8 runs per game in this winning streak. The Reds have won 11 straight games and have scored an average of 6 runs per game during this winning streak. I feel confident we'll see at least a 6-5 type game here but really should see much more in a hitters park with two of the hottest teams in the majors. OVER 10.5 in Cincinnati

MLB Thursday OVER 7.5 in New York Yankees vs Seattle Mariners @ 7:05 ET - This total has dropped to a 7.5 and is just too low in my opinion. I know both these teams have solid bullpens but I like these two lineups and I like the fact that both teams should hit these starters well. Domingo German gets the start for the Yankees and he just got rocked for 7 earned runs in just 2 innings in his most recent start. Also, just about 3 weeks ago in his final start of May he allowed 4 earned runs to this Seattle. Now in this one the Mariners start Bryan Woo and the rookie right-hander is off a solid home debut but allowed 8 earned runs in about 7 innings in his two starts before that and these were both on the road. So look for runs here as I know this series has been low-scoring but the Mariners entered this one with their last 7 road games averaging 12 runs apiece! 6 of the 7 totaled at least 8 runs and this one will too. Yes I know is cool weather in the Bronx by late June standards but these teams will still hit well here. The Yankees have won 4 of 5 against the Mariners this season and averaged 6.8 runs scored per game in the 4 victories. This one gets both teams back to higher scoring ways based on the pitching match-up expected. I am going action on the pitchers but do like the starters here for a higher-scoring game. OVER 7.5 in New York Yankees

MLB Tuesday OVER 8.5 in Philadelphia Phillies vs Atlanta Braves @ 6:40 ET - My first thought when I looked at this one was possibly playing the underdog Phillies. Suarez has been pitching very well for them while Strider has actually been struggling for the Braves. However, I just can not fade this red hot Braves lineup right now. Atlanta enters this game having won 13 of 15 games. The Braves have scored 7.4 runs per game during this red hot stretch. This includes 9.3 runs per game during their current 6-game winning streak. This total is only an 8.5 and 7 straight Atlanta games have totaled at least 9 runs. The Phillies also have been hot with wins in 13 of 16 games. Philadelphia has scored an average of 5.6 runs during this hot streak. Unlike the Braves, the Phils have been getting better pitching most recently but again, I just can not fade these red hot Atlanta hitters right now. That said, I do expect the Phillies to stay hot also and that means this one should get to 9 or more runs rather easily. OVER 8.5 in Philadelphia

MLB Monday OVER 9 in Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs @ 7:05 ET - These teams (and these pitchers!) just matched up. Both Smyly and Bido gave up some big runs in that one PLUS there was a lot of hard contact with line drive outs, etc. The results could have been even worse is the point and now these guys face each other again and those same lineups are getting another quick look at them. I am looking for plenty of runs on a warm evening in Pittsburgh. Also, the Pirates struggled on the road but are now back home where they are a different team. The Cubs 6 of last 7 games have totaled at least 9 runs. Chicago has averaged 7.3 runs per game last 6 games. The bullpens rank 23rd and 24th this season for the Pirates and Cubs this season and should help our cause here as well. OVER 9 in Pittsburgh 

MLB Sunday OVER 8 in Seattle Mariners vs Chicago White Sox @ 4:10 ET - Yesterday's game went 11 innings. This taxed both bullpens for sure. Additionally the teams combined for 5 of 32 with runners in scoring position! That is a disgusting lack of clutch hits and I am sure today's game will play out much differently after yesterday's total (7 runs) pushed for most totals players. Lance Lynn expected to start for the White Sox here and he is 1-3 with a 10.54 ERA in his 4 day game starts this season. He is struggling overall and Seattle can hit well at home. The Mariners also have a pitching concern here as Bryce Miller is off a strong start but he had been hammered in his two starts leading into that one. The White Sox have hit a little bit better last 4 games and both Chicago and Seattle should do better in clutch situations here after struggling yesterday in the 4-3 extra innings White Sox win. The Mariners have averaged scoring 5 runs per game last 7 games and will bounce back after yesterday's disappointing home loss was filled with wasted opportunities. Lynn should get rocked and the ChiSox bullpen has weaknesses too. The Mariners bullpen ranks in the middle of the pack for bullpen WHIP while Chicago's bullpen ERA ranks them as one of the worst in the majors. This total just too low considering all of the above factors. 10* OVER 8 in Seattle

MLB Sunday OVER 7.5 in Oakland Athletics vs Philadelphia Phillies @ 4:05 ET - Action on pitchers because the last time Hogan Harris pitched it was following an opener. The A's may change their mind and elect to do the same here. Yesterday's game went 12 innings. This taxed both bullpens for sure. Additionally the teams combined for 3 of 32 with runners in scoring position! That is a disgusting lack of clutch hits and I am sure today's game will play out much differently. Harris has not been getting many strikeouts but is off a long, successful outing versus the Rays. This was surprising and he had more walks than strikeouts in his only start this season. Also, in his first appearance of this season he struggled badly. Overall, he is a little over-valued right now as he does not get many K's and plus could struggle here coming off such a long outing. As for Zack Wheeler, he certainly is a great pitcher but he tends to be much stronger at home since coming to the Phillies. This has been a trend every season with Philly and he is off a strong road start but this followed struggling in 4 of his first 6 starts away from home this season. Oakland has been playing better of late and the Phillies are red hot so we'll see more clutch hitting and a lot of runs here. This total just too low the way I see it. 10* OVER 7.5 in Oakland 

MLB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 9 in Oakland Athletics vs Philadelphia Phillies @ 4:07 ET - I know we lost with this play here yesterday but I will come right back with it today. Walker surprised me with a strong start yesterday but I expect Christopher Sanchez to get hit hard here. He certainly was not overly impressive in the minor this season nor has he ever really been. Sanchez has a 4.36 ERA in his career in the minors. Also, he has a 5.53 ERA at the MLB level. I know Oakland struggled yesterday but the Athletics had finally been playing better baseball the past two weeks and hotter hitting had been a part of it. As for the Phillies bats, they have been hot too and that has helped lead the way to a strong stretch for them the past two weeks as well. I am expecting them to enjoy success against James Kaprielian in this one. Kaprielian has a 2-6 record and a 6.89 ERA on the season and he is 0-4 in day games this season.  Without a shadow of a doubt, he certainly has not been overly dominant and the red hot Philly sticks will take advantage. The Phillies are 11-2 last 13 games and have scored an average of 6 runs last 14 games. Oakland, before yesterday's dud, had scored an average of 5 runs last 11 games and they went 7-2 in those 9 games. So both teams have extra confidence at the plate right now and we have a value total of 9 on this one. The A's are off a 4-3 loss and 6-1 loss but this was preceded by 7 of last 11 games totaling at least 9 runs and I feel certain this one will get to that mark as well and eventually land in double digits. 10* OVER 9 in Oakland

MLB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Oakland Athletics vs Philadelphia Phillies @ 9:40 ET - I know the Phillies Taijuan Walker is off B2B strong starts but those were both at home. Note that Walker has gone just 3-3 with a 6.75 ERA on the road this season. Opponents are hitting nearly .300 against Walker when he is on the road. The Athletics have finally been playing better baseball the past two weeks and hotter hitting has been a part of it. As for the Phillies bats, they have been hot too and that has helped lead the way to a strong stretch for them the past two weeks as well. I am expecting them to enjoy success against JP Sears in this one. Sears has decent numbers on the season but he did allow 6 hits in 5 innings in most recent start. The start before that he walked 5 in 4 and 2/3 innings! The two starts prior to that combined for just 3 strikeouts in 11 innings so he certainly has not been overly dominant and the red hot Philly sticks will take advantage. The Phillies are 10-2 last 12 games and have scored an average of 6 runs last 13 games. Oakland has scored an average of 5 runs last 11 games and they are 7-2 last 9 games. So both teams have extra confidence at the plate right now and we have a value total of 8.5 on this one. The A's are off a 4-3 loss but this was preceded by 7 of last 11 games totaling at least 9 runs and I feel certain this one will get to that mark as well. 10* OVER 8.5 in Oakland

MLB Wednesday OVER 9.5 in Boston Red Sox vs Colorado Rockies @ 7:10 ET - Yes, yesterday's game totaled 13 runs but had 5 runs scored in extra innings. That is one way to look at it but another is that it was 4-4 through 6 innings. So it was not necessarily a lucky over and I feel Wednesday's will leave no doubt. Gomber is struggling badly for the Rockies and he has a 7.57 ERA this season after a 5.56 ERA last season. Whitlock has been getting hit hard for the Red Sox and that includes his most recent home start too. Also, Whitlock has a 6.46 ERA in his 3 night starts this season and has bene hit at a .354 clip in those starts. Look for him to struggle here and the Red Sox bullpen has been only mediocre this season and the Rockies bullpen has struggled this season. The Rockies have scored at least 4 runs in 10 of last 12 games and of course the Red Sox are a big favorite here for a reason. Boston is hitting .286 at home this season and that ranks 2nd in the majors. The Red Sox average 5.7 runs per game at hone on the year. More of the same here. OVER 9.5 in Boston

MLB Wednesday OVER 9 or 9.5 in Kansas City Royals vs Cincinnati Reds @ 8:10 ET - The Royals have lost 8 straight games but do tend to hit better at home. Also, there is no way I am trusting Lively on the road for the Reds. He is having a disastrous June so far. Also, the Royals Lynch is recently back in the rotation and he is normally solid but has been hit quite hard this month. This one shapes up well for plenty of runs as the Royals bullpen is one of the worst in the league and the Reds bullpen is only a middle of the pack type pen so far this season. Also, Cincinnati enters this one hitting .260 on the road which is 4th in majors. KC has a .403 slugging percentage at home and that respectably ranks them in the middle of the pack. 21 of Royals last 32 home games have totaled at least 9 runs and so expecting this one to get to double digits is certainly not asking too much. Especially true when considering that Reds 22 of last 31 games overall have totaled at least 9 runs. OVER 9 or 9.5 in Kansas City

MLB Tuesday OVER 8.5 in Oakland Athletics vs Tampa Bay Rays @ 9:40 ET - The Athletics have shockingly won 6 straight games but I don't trust them to get another win here but also would not want to fade a 6-game winning streak either. What I am forecasting here is plenty of hitting here. This is regardless of the pitching match-up but do not that both Harris and Beeks have unimpressive numbers. In terms of the hitting here, Oakland has averaged 6 runs scored per game in their last 8 games and Tampa Bay has been one of the best hitting teams in baseball all season long and averaged about 6 runs scored per game on the season. The over is the play here as Rays were 9-2 last 11 games before yesterday's loss and did average scoring 5 runs per game during that stretch. Two hot teams at the plate and a rather low total. We'll take it! OVER 8.5 in Oakland

MLB Tuesday OVER 7 in Seattle Mariners vs Miami Marlins @ 9:40 ET - First off this is a low total and I like the over regardless of starting pitchers. However, George Kirby is expected to go and he has been roughed up in 2 of his last 3 outings. Simply put, he has not looked like the Kirby we are use to seeing. As for the Marlins Edward Cabrera, he is 5-0 at home but 0-4 on the road and he has a 5.91 ERA away from home with an ugly 1.53 WHIP. Miami had just one hit in yesterday's game but this was preceded by a 13-4 run in which they averaged 5.6 runs per game. The Mariners were struggling in the run-scoring department on the road but are now back home and, after yesterday's 8-1 win, are averaging 5 runs scored last 11 home games. Overall, 10 of last 13 Mariners games have totaled at least 8 runs and those 10 games averaged 12.4 runs per game. Just get half that here and we are almost there but certainly we should see much more and this one would not surprise me to double digits. OVER 7 in Seattle

MLB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in New York Yankees vs Boston Red Sox @ 7:10 ET - Yankees are 8-5 last 13 games and have scored an average of 6 runs in the 8 wins. Red Sox have not been scoring as well but still have averaged 4 runs per game last dozen games. We have a low total to work with here and the Yankees Schmidt is 1-5 at home this season plus has an overall 4.96 ERA this season. Boston's Bellos is 5-12 in his MLB career plus the Yankees saw him twice last season. He has a low ERA versus the Yankees but has given up 12 hits in 11 innings against him. The Yankees should hit Bello hard and I look for the Red Sox to get to Schmidt also. The first two games in this series have been dead unders but a lot of that had to do with some solid pitchers on the mound. This one sets up much differently. 10* OVER 8.5 in New York Yankees

MLB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 or 9 in Los Angeles Angels vs Seattle Mariners @ 4:05 ET - I know the current number on this one, as of 9:30 AM ET, is still a 9 but I would not be surprised to see some 8.5 start showing up. Either way, this is a play for me. Only 1 team out of all 30 had more than 12 hits yesterday. That was this Mariners team and they piled up 16 hits! Even with that the game stayed under the total as it was a 6-2 win for Seattle. That said, I look for this one to make up for that. I know Gilbert and Canning have some solid numbers but, prior to yesterday, 8 of last 12 Mariners games had totaled at least 9 runs. In fact, those 8 games averaged 14 runs and I like our chances of a wild one here. The Angels, prior to yesterday's loss, had won 7 of 11 games and scored an average of 5 runs during this stretch. We'll see runs here as the Angels had won 5 in a row before yesterday's loss and the Mariners had 6 runs on 16 hits yesterday. 10* OVER 8.5 or 9 in Los Angeles Angels

MLB Saturday OVER 9 in Pittsburgh Pirates vs New York Mets @ 4:05 ET - Move quickly on this to get a 9 as the line very well could end up on the move to a 9.5 and 9 is, of course, a key number with MLB totals.  It looked more like a Steelers/Jets final score (14 to 7) yesterday rather than a Pirates/Mets game but we should see another wild one today. The fact is that Kodai Senga has struggled much more on the road than at home and the Pirates Johan Oviedo had struggled for most of his last 6 starts before coming up with a rare strong outing versus league-worst Oakland in his most recent start.  From a pitching standpoint the set up here is perfect. Additionally, the Mets last 5 games have all totaled double digits in runs and 8 of the Pirates last 11 games have totaled at least 9 runs. This one sets up well to be another slugfest. OVER 9 in Pittsburgh

MLB Friday OVER 11 in Colorado Rockies vs San Diego Padres @ 8:40 ET - Move quickly on this to get an 11 as the line is on the move and 11 is, of course, a key number with MLB totals at hitter-friendly parks like Coors Field. The fact is that Darvish has struggled much more on the road than at home the past 3 seasons and the Rockies Gomber has struggled much more at home than on the road this season. Gomber has an 8.64 ERA in his 7 starts at Coors Field. From a pitching standpoint the set up here is perfect. Additionally, the Padres have scored well in 10 of their last 16 games. Given the set up here, this should be one of those strong games at the plate at a hitter-friendly park and note that they scored 7.4 runs per game in those 10 games. 5 of the Rockies last 8 home games have been very high-scoring and, overall, those 8 home games have averaged 13 runs per game. This one sets up well to be a slugfest that finishes in that range as well. OVER 11 in Colorado

MLB Friday OVER 9 in Pittsburgh Pirates vs New York Mets @ 7:05 ET - Move quickly on this to get a 9 as the line is on the move and 9 is, of course, a key number with MLB totals. The fact is that Megill has struggled much more on the road than at home and the Pirates Hill has struggled much more at home than on the road. From a pitching standpoint the set up here is perfect. Additionally, the Mets last 4 games have all totaled double digits in runs and 7 of the Pirates last 10 games have totaled at least 9 runs. This one sets up well to be a slugfest. OVER 9 in Pittsburgh

MLB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 9 in Los Angeles Angels vs Chicago Cubs @ 9:35 ET - Detmers is 0-5 with a 5.15 ERA this season. Smyly has allowed 8 earned runs on 14 hits in 10 innings over his last two starts. Both the Angels and Cubs have hit lefties well this season. I know that lately the Cubs have not been scoring many runs but this looks like the right spot for a breakout game on offense. The Angels will pick up right where they left off in yesterday's 6-2 win. LA has scored 13 runs so far in the first two games of this series. The Cubs Smyly had an ERA about 2 runs higher on the road than at home and about 2.5 runs higher in night games than day games when you look at his numbers from last season. That said, Angels stay hot but Cubs get going here too as Detmers struggles continue. 10* OVER 9 in Los Angeles Angels

MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Washington Nationals vs Arizona Diamondbacks @ 7:05 ET - The Nationals are expected to start Patrick Corbin here. He is struggling again after a rare decent stretch. Corbin has now allowed 36 hits in 29 innings over his last 5 starts. Also, the lefty has given up 10 runs (9 earned) while walking 8 in 11 innings over his last 2 starts. Long-term he has horrible numbers in recent years. Corbin entered this season 17-42 last 3 seasons with a very high ERA each season. The Diamondbacks starter is also a concern here in this one. Zach Davies is expected to get the call here for Arizona and he has struggled since he returned from injury. Davies has allowed 12 hits in 9 innings and is lucky the damage has not been even worse (in terms of earned runs allowed) since he returned from injury late last month. I am looking for the Nationals to hit him well here at home. Davies is a 3-8 with an ERA around 5.00 in his road starts in 2021 and 2022 combined and now this is just his 2nd road start of this season. Washington is decent at home where they have scored an average of 5 runs in their last 10 games. The Diamondbacks have been one of the better teams in the league this season in terms of hitting on the road as their .424 slugging percentage away from home ranks them 7th in the league. Also, Arizona is averaging 5.33 runs per game on the road this season. Just like yesterday's 10-5 game, I would not be surprised to see each team get to at least 5 runs in this one and that would of course mean double digits in runs here. 10* OVER 9.5 in Washington

MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Washington Nationals vs Arizona Diamondbacks @ 7:05 ET - The Nationals are expected to start Jake Irvin here. Once he got about the single-A level in the minors he has struggled. He went 0-4 with a 4.79 ERA at the AA level last year. Then this season at AAA he was 2-2 with a 5.64 ERA. Unsurprisingly given those numbers, Irvin has also struggled at the MLB level since being called up. He is now 1-3 with a 5.67 ERA in his rookie year at the MLB level and Irvin has allowed 16 earned runs in 16 and 1/3 innings spanning his last 4 starts. The Diamondbacks starter is also a concern here for Arizona. Tommy Henry is expected to get the call and he has a 5.74 ERA in his 3 road starts this season. Last season, his rookie year, Henry had an overall 5.36 ERA and I am looking for the Nationals to hit him well here at home. Washington is decent at home where they have split their last 8 games and scored an average of 5 runs in their last 9 games. The Diamondbacks have been one of the better teams in the league this season in terms of hitting on the road as their .424 slugging percentage away from home ranks them 8th in the league. Also, Arizona is averaging 5 runs per game on the road this season. I would not be surprised to see each team get to at least 5 runs in this one and that would of course mean double digits in runs here. 10* OVER 9.5 in Washington

MLB Monday OVER 9.5 in Texas Rangers vs St Louis Cardinals @ 8:05 ET -  The Rangers are really hot at the plate right now. They should have no trouble hitting Wainwright here as the 41-year old is nearing the end of his career and has long been known for struggling more on the road. Wainwright traditionally strong at home in St Louis but not on the road. Also, Perez gets the start for Texas here and he has a 6-1 record but has a 4.43 ERA this season. Wainwright has a 6.15 ERA this season. We'll see runs here. Perez roughed up in 3 of his 5 May starts. Wainwright has struggled and remember he had over 325 career starts with Yadier Molina behind the plate. The veteran catcher retired after last season and I am sure this is impacting Wainwright also. In terms of run production, the Cardinals have struggled recently but still have averaged 5 runs per game last 22 games and will get back on track here. But these Rangers have averaged scoring 7 runs per game at home this season and, overall, are one of the best teams in the majors for production at the plate. They stay hot here. OVER 9.5 in Texas

MLB Sunday OVER 9 in Houston Astros vs Los Angeles Angels @ 2:10 ET - The Angels Canning has been pitching quite well but does have a 5.40 ERA on the road and a 7.90 ERA in day games this season. The Astros have won 7 of 9 games and scored an average of 7 runs in those 7 victories. Houston's France has decent numbers on the season but he has been roughed up in both of his home starts. He just made his MLB debut last month and he is facing an Angels lineup that certainly can be tough. Los Angeles has a .263 batting average on the road and that is 5th in the majors. The Angels scored 6 runs yesterday and have averaged scoring 5 runs on this road trip. LA also is 6th in the majors for batting average in day games. I look for them to come up big here in this one but they won't be able to slow down the world champs at the plate either. That means another OVER is likely here. OVER 9 in Houston

MLB Sunday OVER 9 in Kansas City Royals vs Colorado Rockies @ 2:10 ET - I know that the Royals do not have great overall hitting numbers but they are decent in terms of batting average against southpaws and also have a respectable slugging percentage in home games as they rank in the middle of the pack in that category. Here they take on a struggling Kyle Freeland. The Rockies left-hander has seen his strikeout numbers way down and he has been hit hard in 3 straight starts. No it is not a Coors Field issue either as he has allowed 5 earned runs in each of his last two road starts. As for Royals starter Brady Singer here, the righty is off a decent start in his last outing but this was preceded by him allowing at least 5 earned runs in 6 of 9 starts. Singer has not just been getting hit a little bit as you can see, he has been getting hammered. Now enter a Rockies team that has been swinging the bats decently and you have the recipe for another game at Kauffmann Stadium that reaches the double digit mark in runs. Both clubs have had bullpen issues this season too. Colorado has scored 17 runs in last 3 road games and they stay hot here. Royals get rolling against a struggling Freeland as he wakes their bats up. OVER 9 in Kansas City

MLB Saturday OVER 9.5 in Kansas City Royals vs Colorado Rockies @ 4:10 ET - Very surprising that Rockies bullpen was successful yesterday. Both these pens have struggled this season and Colorado did explode for a  6-run inning late yesterday but the total fell just short of going over. Look for today's to make up for that here. The Rockies Gomber has a 7.00 ERA this season and opponents are hitting nearly .300 against him. He has an 8.26 ERA in day games and opponents hitting .325 against him in afternoon action. The Royals Lynch is making just his 2nd start since returning from injury and note his injury was a rotator cuff strain to his left (throwing) arm. His shoulder should be okay now but that is still a bit of a worrisome injury. He is 8-19 with a 5.27 ERA in his MLB career and he has been hit at a .290 clip. We should see plenty of scoring from both clubs here considering all of the above and the bullpens of each as well. OVER 9.5 in Kansas City

MLB Saturday OVER 9 in Pittsburgh vs St Louis @ 4 ET - Montgomery 2-6 with a 4.48 ERA. Ortiz is 1-4 with a 4.42 ERA in his career but also has a 1.69 WHIP this season as walks have been an issue too. Yesterday's game totaled 12 runs and that was the 3rd time last 4 games that a Pittsburgh game totaled at least a dozen runs. The Cardinals have seen 8 of last 13 road games total double digits in runs. Look for another wild one this afternoon at PNC Park. OVER 9 in Pittsburgh

MLB Friday OVER 8.5 in San Diego Padres vs Chicago Cubs @ 9:40 ET - The Padres should hammer Taillon. The Cubs righty is off to a tough start this season and I like the fact this total was a 9 and has dropped to an 8.5 in most spots. I totally understand the move but respect the number the odds makers first had up there on this one. That said, Taillon consistently has been roughed up in his starts and though Michael Wacha has been pitching well for San Diego, I am expecting a solid effort from Chicago. The Cubs last road trip last 9 games and started with a 6-2 win and ended with a 2-1 loss. But in the middle were 7 games that all totaled double digits and average 13 runs per game! Perhaps the road will again get the Cubs sticks going again here. I also like the fact the Padres have scored 7 or more runs in 6 of last 10 games. San Diego averaged 6 runs scored per game during this stretch. More of the same here. OVER 8.5 in San Diego

MLB Friday OVER 9.5 in Kansas City Royals vs Colorado Rockies @ 8:10 ET - Lyles has been so consistently bad that you know he is destined to give up a handful of runs here. I know Anderson has pitched well for the Rockies but there are some signs that the wheels are about to come off in one of these starts. Royals do tend to hit a little better at home and Colorado can be counted on to do damage against a struggling Lyles here. That said, and considering a pair of suspect bullpens (as Rockies showed again last night), look for this one to get to double digits in runs scored. OVER 9.5 in Kansas City

MLB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Arizona Diamondbacks vs Colorado Rockies @ 3:40 ET - This total dropped from a 10 to a 9.5 and I like fading the line moves when other factors line up and that is certainly the case here. The Diamondbacks Zach Davies has not been right this season and is trying to now also come back from an oblique injury and the first start back did not go well at all. He is now 8-18 the past 3 seasons combined and with a high ERA in the 5.00 range these past 3 seasons combined. Davies will not be the only starter likely to struggle here. Note that Connor Seabold has struggled for the Rockies but whether it is him or Chase Anderson I like the over in this one. As per usual, I am going with action on the pitchers and Anderson did have an ugly 1.57 WHIP in the minors before he was called up. I know the journeyman veteran has had some surprising success this season in his limited MLB action in 2023 but he really struggled in the start before his most recent one. That was home against the Marlins and he allowed 8 hits in less than 6 innings and he had 2 walks against just 1 strikeout in that outing. Anderson is due for a regression to the mean and I think that Marlins start is a sign of the reality that is soon on the way for him. Regardless of starting pitchers I like the over here as neither bullpen has been good this season and I expect the hitting to resume like we had seen in Monday's game. OVER 9.5 in Arizona

MLB Wednesday OVER 10.5 in Boston Red Sox vs Cincinnati Reds @ 7:10 ET - The Red Sox lost yesterday's series opener to the Reds 9 to 8 and games at Fenway Park continue to trend toward being very high-scoring. 13 of last 16 games there have totaled at least 10 runs and these 16 games have averaged 13 runs apiece. We should see 11 runs at least here as the Red Sox and Reds bullpens rank in the middle of the pack. In terms of hitting, Boston is hitting .298 in home games this season which is #1 in the majors. Cincinnati is hitting .265 in road games this season which is #1 in the National League. As for the pitchers here, Luke Weaver is off a strong start but had allowed at least 4 earned runs in 5 of 6 starts before that! James Paxton has made only 9 starts since the 2019 season because he has multiple injury issues. He is coming off an ugly outing and really has been quite unreliable since his successful campaign in 2019. Paxton is facing a Reds team that has won 4 straight games and 6 of last 8. In the 4 straight wins, the Reds have averaged 8.5 runs and have now scored 8 or more runs in 5 of last 6 games and overall have averaged 7 runs per game last 8 games. OVER 10.5 in Boston

MLB Tuesday OVER 9 in St Louis Cardinals vs Kansas City Royals @ 7:45 ET - I am going with action on the starting pitchers as usual but we will start there. The Cardinals Miles Mikolas is winless with a 5.86 ERA in his 5 home starts this season. He has been hit at a .336 clip in home starts this year. Zack Greinke expected to get the ball for the Royals in this one and he is 0-3 with a 6.66 ERA in his 5 road starts this season. Historically he has struggled on the road quite often in many of his MLB seasons. Last year he was 0-7 with a 5.32 ERA in his 14 home starts. Over the past two season he is now 0-10 in his 19 road starts and opponents have hit about .300 against him in those outings. The Royals have scored an average of 5 runs per game their last 7 games and will look to build off yesterday's 7-0 win. However, I am sure that the Cardinals will bounce back at home after being shutout and especially facing Greinke and one of the league's worst bullpens. The Cards, before yesterday's home shutout, had seen 9 of their last 12 home games total at least 9 runs. Those dozen games averaged 12.3 runs per game. Look for that type of scoring to resume here. OVER 9 in St Louis

MLB Tuesday OVER 8.5 in Detroit Tigers vs Texas Rangers @ 6:40 ET - Alex Faedo coming off one of the best starts of his career and he totaled 10 strikeouts in that one which was the first time in his career he ever totaled more than 7 strikeouts. This is giving us some nice value here as the Tigers hurler is a little over-valued in this spot and I like the Rangers to hit him hard. At the same time, we get line value with Martin Perez on the hill for Texas because he has some good overall numbers. One of the keys here is that Perez has a high 4.87 ERA on the road this season and in all his starts this year he has a .294 BAA. He also got hit at a .294 clip in 2021. Looking at his career numbers you also realize that his great 2022 might have been more of a one-off success story than anything else. When you look at his career numbers season by season, Perez has had only two truly solid seasons. He is just one of those guys that has hung around but rarely been strong for a full season. With the way he is struggling on the road this season and the line value we have here, I will not hesitate to step in. Note that the Tigers bullpen BAA is 12th in the AL and the Rangers bullpen ERA is 12th in the AL. Taking action on pitchers as per usual as both bullpens should give some up here too and I like the value of the 8.5 and I like the fact the Tigers had averaged 5.2 runs scored per game last 10 games before being shutout yesterday. Also, the Rangers have averaged 6.5 runs scored per game last 16 games. Warm weather for this one too! OVER 8.5 in Detroit

MLB Monday OVER 8.5 in Oakland Athletics vs Atlanta Braves @ 8:05 ET - The Athletics are starting Paul Blackburn and the Braves are starting Mike Soroka. Neither one of these guys have pitched in quite some time. No matter the starters here I do like the over as the Athletics continue to give up a lot of runs and are allowing 7 per game on the season. The Braves are coming of an 11-4 slugfest win over the Phillies last night. So the set up is a good one as Atlanta will pile up runs but their pitching is a question mark here. Soroka struggled some in his AAA rehab starts and this is his first start at the MLB level since the 2020 season due to multiple injury issues. Blackburn will be making his 2023 season debut as he has dealt with injuries and he did have some shaky rehab starts in the minors and now faces a dangerous Braves lineup.  Atlanta is off that 11-4 home win and also their last 4 road games have all totaled 11 or more runs. The Braves averaged 7 runs scored per game in those 4 away games. Oakland has lost 19 of 21 games and continues to give up piles of runs. OVER 8.5 in Oakland

MLB Sunday OVER 12.5 in Colorado Rockies vs New York Mets @ 3:10 ET - Yesterday's game was a slugfest and today is a day game at hitter-friendly Coors Field and, based on the weather report, the ball should be carrying very well. Gomber has struggled in this ballpark and gets the start for the Rockies here. Megill has been inconsistent and also is known for road struggles and this will be his first ever road start at Coors Field. Note he got hit hard by the Rockies last time he faced them and that was in New York. That said, this match-up will be even tougher for him. Colorado does score quite well at home and the Mets bats came to life yesterday and should pound out a bunch of hits and runs again here. The Rockies bullpen is an area of concern as evidenced by their numbers so far this season and the Colorado starter Gomber likely to get rocked. That has been his norm in home starts and the Mets are feeling it after yesterday's 10-7 win. OVER 12.5 in Colorado

MLB Saturday OVER 9.5 in Arizona Diamondbacks vs Boston Red Sox @ 7:15 ET - A pair of starting pitchers that have both been out for awhile. A pair of lineups that have been among the better hitting clubs in the league this season. A hitter-friendly ballpark. A mediocre bullpen and a sub-par bullpen. All these variables point toward an over here. Zach Davies has not been the same pitchers since the 2020 season and has gone 8-17 since then and struggled in his only home start this season. Garrett Whitlock is 0-2 with a 10.00 ERA in his two road starts this season and he was getting hit at a .300 clip at the AAA minor league level as well in his 3 starts there this season. The Diamondbacks lost 7-2 yesterday but scored an average of 5.3 runs in their dozen games prior to that one. Arizona has allowed 5.4 runs per game last 9 games. Boston has been running hot and cold with their offense going in streaks so don't be surprised if yesterday's 7-run outburst gets another streak of big run-scoring going. OVER 9.5 in Arizona

MLB Friday OVER 8.5 in Oakland Athletics vs Houston Astros @ 9:40 ET - There is a reason, of course, this total opened up at an 8 in some spots but is on the move to an 8.5 across the board today on Friday. The fact is we should see plenty of runs here and traditionally I have had good success with situations just like this one. That situation is the fact these two lineups just faced these pitchers and oftentimes that favors the hitters in the very next meeting. Adding to the value is the fact this game is in Oakland. That helps us because Hunter Brown has certainly not been the same pitcher away from Houston over the past month or so. Brown has been roughed up in 3 of 4 road starts and allowed 23 hits in less than 15 innings of work spanning those 3 starts. Don't be surprised if the A's fare much better against him here than they did in Houston last weekend. As for Kaprielian, he had only one 1-2-3 inning in his 5 innings versus the Astros last weekend and he was fortunate to limit the damage. Also, in 2 of his 3 home starts this season he has been roughed up. Kaprielian is likely to struggle with the world champs getting a quick second look at him. Also, the Oakland bullpen has a 6.56 ERA and that is dead last in the majors this season. The A's have blown 10 of 14 save opportunities. The Astros are off B2B shutout losses but this was after scoring an average of 6 runs per game in an 8-game winning streak. Oakland has averaged 4 runs scored in last 6 home games but is allowing 7 runs per game this season! OVER 8.5 in Oakland 

MLB Friday OVER 9 in Kansas City Royals vs Washington Nationals @ 8:10 ET - The Royals Jordan Lyles is 0-8 with a 7.15 ERA this season. The Nationals Patrick Corbin is pitching better of late but still giving up a lot of hits and so he has been fortunate. He is getting hit at a .291 clip this season but escaping jams recently to preserve a decent ERA for the month of May. Keep in mind this is still a guy who entered this season 17-42 the past 3 seasons combined and he is getting hit at about a .300 clip the last 3+ seasons. These two bullpens are also ranked near the bottom of MLB for team ERA so far this season. 7 of last 11 Nats games have totaled at least 9 runs. The Royals have seen 14 of 20 home games total at least 9 runs and have been scoring better at home with an average of 6 runs scored in last 13 games at home. OVER 9 in Kansas City

MLB Wednesday OVER 10.5 in Colorado Rockies vs Miami Marlins @ 8:40 ET - Alcantara is having a rough season for the Marlins as he is 1-5 with a 5.05 ERA this season. While he has pitched better of late, he still has not quite been himself and a trip to Coors Field is unlikely to help him. One of the worst starts of his career happened in his most recent start here and, again, he has not been as sharp as usual this season. This is not the time nor the place to turn things around. Also, the Rockies are sending Karl Kauffmann to the mound and he struggled in his MLB debut but this should not be a complete shock as his minor league numbers have been ugly. Basically, he is getting this chance because that is how pitching-thin the Rockies are. On that note, I like this paly regardless of who the starting pitchers are. The Marlins have 11 hits in each of the first two games but have gone a crazy 2 for 18 with runners in scoring position which has definitely led to a ton of wasted opportunities. I look for the Rockies to continue scoring well at home while Miami finally gets going too and actually gets some clutch hits in this one. The weather, other than some showers possibly dancing around the area, is also ideal for a hitter-friendly evening at a hitter-friendly venue. OVER 10.5 in Colorado

MLB Monday OVER 11.5 in Colorado Rockies vs Miami Marlins @ 8:40 ET - The Rockies are expected to start Chase Anderson. I know the veteran hurler was surprisingly solid so far in his limited action but I just can not see that continuing. Also, the weather is favorable for an over tonight. Additionally, the Colorado bullpen has a high BAA and a rather high WHIP so they have been fortunate their ERA is not higher and even with all that they do rank in the lower third of team bullpens and I expect them to drop further as the season goes along. As for the Marlins, Edwin Cabrera is expected to start here and he has struggled badly on the road this season. A start at hitter-friendly Coors Field is certainly unlikely to help matters. Note that 4 of last 6 Rockies games have totaled at least 16 runs and that includes 3 games at Coors Field and 3 games at Texas. The Rockies have scored at least 9 runs in 2 of last 3 home games. The Marlins are 7-4 last 11 games and, other than a 1-0 win, scored an average of 4.5 runs in the other 10 games. Now at hitter friendly Coors Field you can safely add a couple runs to that average and look for Miami to get to the 6 or 7 mark tonight and the Rockies will likely equal them run for run as well. OVER 11.5 in Colorado 

MLB Sunday OVER 8.5 in Houston Astros vs Oakland A's @ 2:10 ET - I am going to take advantage of the low total posted on this one. We get a lower total because Framber Valdez is the starter expected to go for Houston here. The Astros southpaw does have a low ERA this season but he actually has been better on the road than at home! He is 3-0 with a .179 batting average against in his road starts but he is 0-4 with a .279 BAA in home starts! The A's do hit decently against left-handed pitchers and they could surprise here. As for the Oakland pitching, they have struggled this season with yesterday's 3-2 loss being a rare aberration as they almost always give up a lot of runs. I expect Houston to pound the Athletics today as their bullpen ranks as the worst in the league plus the expected starter James Kaprielian is likely to struggle here. He is off a good start versus the Rangers but this was at home and was surprising to say the least. He had been moved to the bullpen plus Kaprielian had allowed at least 5 runs in each of his 3 starts this season before that surprising result versus Texas. Look for the other team from the Lone Star State to quickly return him to reality as the Astros roll big at the plate in this one. The A's are averaging allowing 7 runs per game this season and has scored an average of 4 runs per game in last 9 road games. OVER 8.5 in Houston

MLB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 9 in St Louis Cardinals vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 7:15 ET - Baseball can be a funny sport. Cardinals scored 16 in winning the first game of this series Thursday and then proceeded to get shutout and manage only 2 hits in yesterday's game! The Dodgers did score 5 runs in that one after scoring 8 in the series opener. I like this one with action on pitchers but I will start there with mentioning that Mikolas has struggled badly in his home starts this season and Syndergaard has been roughed up on the road this season. That sets this one up well as both have not looked like the same pitchers that they used to be. This has been particularly true in terms of Mikolas at home and Syndergaard on the road this season. That said, I like the value here with this total available at a 9. St Louis, prior to being shutout yesterday, had won 9 of 11 games and scored an average of 7.7 runs per game during this stretch! The Dodgers have gone 16-4 since starting the season 13-13. LA has averaged 5.9 runs per game during this stretch. Look for a 6-5 type game in this one given all of the above plus the fact the Los Angeles bullpen has struggled this season and has a higher ERA than usual. 10* OVER 9 in St Louis

MLB Wednesday OVER 11.5 in Colorado Rockies vs Cincinnati Reds @ 3:10 ET - Yesterday's game was a surprising 3-1 final at Coors Field. Of course this is an aberration. Look for things to return to normal Coors Field standards today. Ashcraft was horrible on the road last season. Gomber coming off some good starts of late but that is keeping this total lower than it should be. Yesterday's was 12.5 and this one is 11.5 and I see value here. Gomber has had plenty of struggles in this park. The weather - other than possible showers - actually looks ideal here with warm temperatures and favorable winds. I feel conditions will be ripe for an over here and like the added value after yesterday's unusual result here. Rockies known for hitting well here and Reds had been scoring quite well before yesterday's low-scoring grinder. OVER 11.5 in Colorado

MLB Tuesday OVER 9 in Oakland Athletics vs Arizona Diamondbacks @ 9:40 ET - The Diamondbacks are hot and can score plenty of runs. Arizona is 11-6 last 17 and their last 14 games had featured 10 of 14 totaling at least 9 runs before their 2-1 win in their series finale with San Francisco Sunday followed by a 5-2 win yesterday. That Monday win saw the Dbacks leave 10 men on base and the teams combined to go just 2 of 11 with runners in scoring position. I know the A's sometime struggle at the plate but they have had their moments in recent games too. I will go with action on the pitchers here because the Athletics league-worst bullpen is a key to this play, not just the starters. By the way, the Diamondbacks bullpen ERA has them ranked among the worst bullpens in baseball. The starters expected for this one are both southpaws and both the Athletics and the Diamondbacks are in the top 12 out of 30 teams in the league for batting average versus southpaws. Arizona's Tommy Henry is 4-5 with a 5.06 ERA in his career. Oakland's Kyle Muller is 4-8 with a 6.10 ERA in his career. Opponents are hitting .340 against Muller this season. As for Henry, he has struggled in 4 of the 6 road starts he has made in his career and his strikeout numbers are really down this season. Look for plenty of runs here and we saw some 9.5 earlier and the fact this is down to a 9 means even more value. The Athletics have had a few hot hitters at the plate and the Diamondbacks lineup should steamroll the weak A's pitching staff. OVER 9 in Oakland

MLB Monday OVER 9 in Oakland Athletics vs Arizona Diamondbacks @ 9:40 ET - The Diamondbacks are hot and can score plenty of runs. Arizona is 10-6 last 16 and their last 14 games had featured 10 of 14 totaling at least 9 runs before their 2-1 win in their series finale with San Francisco Sunday. The A's sometimes struggle at the plate but they have had their moments in recent games too. I will go with action on the pitchers because the Athletics league-worst bullpen is a key to this play, not just the starters. That said Rucinski was expected to start yesterday but did not and the A's still allowed 11 runs. He is expected to go tonight so I mention him again below. As for Arizona's Kelly, he is a solid hurler for sure but he allowed 4 earned runs in 5 innings in his only career start at Oakland. Also, he has a low ERA on the road this season but actually has a higher batting average against on the road than at home this season. Throughout his career, Kelly has a higher ERA in road outings and I look for the Athletics to score some runs here. As for A's hurler Rucinski, he has struggled in all 3 of his appearances this season and has allowed an opponents batting average of .339 and he is 0-3 with an 8.16 ERA so far this season. Look for plenty of runs here and we saw some 9.5 earlier and the fact this is down to a 9 means even more value. The Athletics have had a few hot hitters at the plate and the Diamondbacks lineup should steamroll the weak A's pitching staff. OVER 9 in Oakland

MLB Sunday OVER 9 in Oakland Athletics vs Texas Rangers @ 4:05 ET - The Rangers are hot and can score plenty of runs. The A's sometimes struggle at the plate but they have had their moments in recent games too. I will go with action on the pitchers because the Athletics league-worst bullpen is a key to this play, not just the starters. That said however, the fact that Heaney is getting the start for the Rangers here should help our cause and the same holds true for Rucinski. So Heaney is winless with a 7.15 ERA in his two starts this month. Also, he did face the A's in Texas last month so the fact they are getting another quick look at Heaney could help here. As for Rucinski, he has struggled in all 3 of his appearances this season and has allowed an opponents batting average of .339 and he is 0-3 with an 8.16 ERA so far this season. Look for plenty of runs here and we saw some 9.5 earlier and the fact this is down to a 9 means even more value. The Athletics have had a few hot hitters at the plate and the Rangers lineup should continue to steamroll the weak A's pitching staff. OVER 9 in Oakland

MLB Friday OVER 8.5 in Oakland Athletics vs Texas Rangers @ 9:40 ET - The A's were shutout last night and maybe they were just asleep at the plate after coming back from a trip to the east coast. However, their bats should wake up again tonight. They actually have hit decently against lefties this season while the Rangers have been one of the best teams in the majors against lefties. This is expected to be a battle of southpaws with Waldichuk against Perez. No matter the starting pitchers here (I am going action), I expect the A's season long pitching struggles to continue as they also have the worst bullpen numbers in the majors. As for Waldichuk, he has a 7.25 ERA on the season and opponents are hitting .304 against him. Perez is off a very ugly start at Anaheim against the LA Angels and he does have road struggles from time to time. Athletics will be better at the plate tonight for sure but their pitching woes continue. OVER 8.5 in Oakland

MLB Thursday OVER 8.5 in Oakland A's vs Texas Rangers @ 9:40 ET - Texas off a 4-3 win at Seattle but it never should have been that low-scoring as the Rangers had 13 hits in that game. Oakland off an 11-3 loss at New York as that loss to the Yankees continued a season of misery for the A's. The big problem for the Athletics so far is they can stop no one and have the worst bullpen in baseball. That is why, no matter who they end up naming as their starting pitcher here, I like the over in this one. Also, Texas is expected to start Nathan Eovaldi but that is not critical either. Oakland has been hitting a little better of late and will get some runs here but also should give up piles of runs again. The Athletics allowing 7.6 runs per game so, even though Texas allowing only 4 runs per game this season, this is a great value with the low total here. 14 of last 20 A's games have totaled at least 9 runs. Rangers last 9 games have averaged about a dozen runs apiece. More of the same here. OVER 8.5 in Oakland

MLB Tuesday OVER 8.5 in New York Yankees vs Oakland A's @ 7:05 ET - There is a possibility Aaron Judge will be back for the Yankees for this one. Either way I like the over in this match-up. I also like it regarding of starting pitchers because the A's have one of the worst bullpens in the majors based on ERA. Once again, Oakland gave up a bunch of runs yesterday and, with this total dropping from a 9.5 go as low as an 8.5, I feel we have excellent line value here. The Athletics are allowing 7.44 runs per game on the season. They are expected to start Drew Rucinski here and he has a 6.97 ERA and has been getting hit hard again this season and was in spring training as well. The Yankees are expected to start Clarke Schmidt and he is winless in his 7 starts this season and has a 5.83 ERA and, like Rucinski, he is getting at better than a .300 clip by opposing hitters! The Yankees have now scored 7 runs in B2B games and generally do hit better at home. Oakland has been a better hitting team on the road this season and actually ranks 4th in the AL for slugging percentage away from home. OVER 8.5 in New York Yankees 

MLB Monday OVER 8.5 in Kansas City Royals vs Chicago White Sox @ 7:40 ET - The Royals and White Sox have two of the worst bullpens in MLB so far this season. Also, both clubs have been scoring more runs of late. Also, we get line value here because both Greinke and Cease are big-name pitchers. One of the keys here though is that Greinke, his last start notwithstanding, has struggled quite often this season. Also, Cease is currently struggling when you look at the numbers from his recent starts. Additionally, these are divisional foes and these lineups have quite a few guys with experience against these hurlers. I am going with action on pitchers because of the bullpens and the current trending of these lineups. Note that the Royals have averaged scoring 7 runs in their last 6 games. Before yesterday's 5-1 win over the A's, 5 of last 6 Kansas City games totaled at least 9 runs. The White Sox have won 5 of 7 games and have averaged 7 runs per game during this 7-game stretch. 7 of Chicago's last 10 games have totaled at least 9 runs. This one will too the way I see it. OVER 8.5 in Kansas City

MLB Sunday OVER 9 in Arizona Diamondbacks vs Washington Nationals @ 4:10 ET - The Diamondbacks and Nationals combined for 15 runs last night. 14 of last 17 Arizona games have totaled at least 9 runs and I like the fact this total opened up at a 9.5 but dropped to a 9 now in most spots. Note that this match-up features two of the worst bullpens in the NL so far this season based on ERA. Though Washington has not scored all that well this season, they will take advantage of facing Ryne Nelson here. The right-hander has struggled in his last 3 starts with 15 earned runs allowed over 14 innings. Yes, one of the starts was at Coors Field but the young hurler's confidence has taken a little hit for sure and you know that the Nationals bring a little extra confidence to the plate today after scoring 7 last night. The Nats have a pitching concern of their own though here as well. Trevor Williams got destroyed when he pitched in this ballpark in his lone start here last season. Also, Williams enters this start off a strong home start but he got hammered in his most recent road start. Look for plenty of runs here as both bullpens help the cause as well. OVER 9 in Arizona

MLB Saturday OVER 10 in Kansas City Royals vs Oakland Athletics @ 7:10 ET - As I mentioned in yesterday's write-up (ended up a 12-8 winner), Oakland entered this series off a crazy 5 to 3 loss versus Seattle. It was crazy for totals players in the sense that the total was an 8.5 and it was already 5-3 in the top of the 4th and yet not another run was scored and it ended up that way...a 5-3 final. Now the Athletics in this series at KC and it will be favorable weather conditions for an over and also this match-up features two of the worst bullpens in the league. So I am going over here with action on the pitchers again but the expected starters also should help our cause for sure. The Athletics Ken Waldichuk is winless in his 6 starts this season and has a 7.26 ERA. The Royals Brady Singer has allowed 5 or more earned runs in 4 of his last 5 starts! He has an 8.49 ERA this season and Oakland should make him pay as they have been hitting better on the road than at home. The Athletics have averaged scoring 6.3 runs per game last 11 road games! The Athletics have given up an average of nearly 8 runs per game this season though! KC entered this series off a 13-10 loss and then got rocked 12-8 yesterday! Royals have now scored an average of 6 runs per game last 7 games. Problem for KC is just like the Athletics - too many runs allowed - as Royals have allowed about 6 runs per game on the season. This is a big total on this game but absolutely the big number is justified! OVER 10 in Kansas City

MLB Friday OVER 9.5 in Kansas City Royals vs Oakland Athletics @ 8:10 ET - Oakland off a crazy 5 to 3 loss versus Seattle. It was crazy for totals players in the sense that the total was an 8.5 and it was already 5-3 in the top of the 4th and yet not another run was scored and it ended up that way...a 5-3 final. Now the A's are at KC and it will be favorable weather conditions for an over and also this match-up features two of the worst bullpens in the league. So I am going over here with action on the pitchers but the expected starters also should help our cause for sure. The Athletics Kyle Muller has been rocked in both his road starts this season. The Royals Brad Keller has strong numbers this season in a lot of categories but he has had trouble with his command and has 24 walks in 30 innings. Oakland should make him pay as they have been hitting better on the road than at home. The A's have averaged scoring 5.7 runs per game last 10 road games! The Athletics have given up an average of nearly 8 runs per game this season though! KC enters this one off a 13-10 loss yesterday! Royals have now scored an average of 6 runs per game last 6 games. Problem for KC is just like the A's - too many runs allowed - as Royals have allowed about 6 runs per game on the season. OVER 9.5 in Kansas City

MLB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Miami Marlins vs Atlanta Braves @ 4:10 ET - Yesterday's game totaled 20 runs. No matter who starts today I am looking for more big hitting in this one. The Braves have averaged 7.5 runs scored in their last 8 games that were not rain-shortened - the other game was a 4-0 win in just 5 innings. The Marlins 7 of last 10 games have totaled at least 9 runs. Miami has scored at least 4 runs in 6 of last 8 games and you know the Braves should get to 4 as well here when you consider the way they have been playing. That said, we should see at least a 5-4 final here. The Marlins have allowed 5.8 runs last 10 games. As for the expected starters here, the Braves Dylan Dodd has very little experience above the AA level of the minors and he got rocked in his most recent MLB outing. Miami's Jesus Luzardo is not as dominant this season and also has regressed over his last 4 starts after he did have a couple strong ones to start the season. So we have nice value here with this over at a manageable total and considering all of the above. 10* OVER 8.5 in Miami

MLB Wednesday OVER 12 in Colorado Rockies vs Milwaukee Brewers @ 8:40 ET - Good weather for an over in this one. Mild temperatures as high temperatures expected near 80 degrees in Denver today. Kyle Freeland got off to a solid start this season but has struggled in his last 3 starts and also has allowed 7 homers in his last 4 starts. Eric Lauer gets the starts for the Brewers here and he has struggled at home and actually been solid on the road this season but truly doubt that he will find Coors Field to his liking. I like this play with action on the pitchers as I like the fact the teams combined to go just 1 of 12 with runners in scoring position yesterday. That game finished 3-2 and is helping to give us some line value here as it is keeping the line a little low. The reality is that each team has a good shot of getting to 6 runs here and, with a total of 12 posted on this, we would certainly be in good shape if we end with a 7-6 type affair. Prior to yesterday's low-scoring game, 9 of the last 12 games played here had totaled at least 13 runs. More of the same expected here. OVER 12 in Colorado

MLB Monday 10* Top Play OVER 10 in Boston Red Sox vs Toronto Blue Jays @ 7:10 ET - The wind will be blowing out for this one. Two big name pitchers on the mound helping to keep this total reasonable. I really like the over a lot in this one as Jose Berrios generally has struggled much more on the road through the years. Also, Corey Kluber has struggled in 2 of his 3 home starts this season. Kluber is off a good road start but this followed allowing 4 or more earned runs in 3 of his first 4 starts this season. Berrios has been hot lately but I can not ignore that he got rocked in each of his first two road starts this season as this has been a pattern for him for a number of years too. These two bullpens are respectable but I am taking action on pitchers. I do not care who the starters are as this is a hitters ballpark with good weather and two solid lineups for this one. Boston is one of the top home hitting teams in MLB. Toronto has the #3 batting average in the AL in road games so far this season. Red Sox have averaged 7 runs scored in last 4 home games and 6.3 runs per game in last 10 games overall - home or away. The Blue Jays have averaged 5.3 runs per game their last 7 games and gone 6-1 during this stretch. Red Sox have won 10 of 16 so they are playing with confidence here as well. Great match-up that sets up well for runs. OVER 10 in Boston

MLB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 8 in Oakland A's vs Cincinnati Reds @ 4:05 ET - We lost with this play but will come right back with it today. The A's still have the worst bullpen in baseball. Also, Oakland is allowing 8 runs per game on the season which is unreal. Yesterday the Reds eventually found a way to win but they had a lot of hard hit balls right at guys. That said, the 3-2 final was not indicative of how well the ball was hit and also there were a lot of wasted opportunities. Both teams struggled with guys in scoring position. This one today should make up for it and while all of the above is the most important stuff and I am going action on pitchers as per usual, I will touch on the expected starters here now. Ken Waldichuk had one good start against the Cubs but has allowed 22 earned runs in 20 innings in his other 4 starts. Not good! Speaking of not good, the Reds Nick Lodolo has really hit a wall his past two starts. He had a good start to this season but now has been rocked in B2B outings for 14 earned runs in 9 innings of work. The Reds have a solid batting average versus lefties and the A's have a solid slugging percentage versus lefties. This battle of southpaws sets up to see plenty of scoring! 10* OVER 8 in Oakland

MLB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 7.5 in Oakland A's vs Cincinnati Reds @ 4:10 ET - The old adage about good pitching beats good hitting tends to be very true. However, what is talked about much less is also very true. That is the fact that bad pitching tends to lead to good hitting no matter the opponent! The fact is the Reds should keep pounding an Oakland team whose starting pitching and relief pitching have both struggled. Also, I look for a surprisingly resurgent A's lineup to keep hitting the ball well too. Yesterday's final was an 11-7 Cincy win. I like this play with action on the pitchers but I will start with them here. Kyle Muller has allowed 16 earned runs in 13 innings over his last 3 starts. Hunter Greene has been solid overall but he is in just his 2nd season and, so far, he has not been as sharp in day starts and this one goes at 1 PM local time in Oakland. He had a 2-7 road record last season and a 5.57 ERA in day games last season. He has had some command issues this season in day game action. Muller has an 8.68 ERA on the season. Cincinnati's bullpen has been surprisingly decent this season but still ranks around the middle of the pack in the majors. As for the A's bullpen, it has been a disaster with a 7.03 ERA. Overall, Oakland is allowing 8 runs per game which is absolutely insane when you think about it! They are heating up at the plate right now though too and have scored an average of 6 runs per game last 5 games. The Reds are allowing 5 runs per game this season. But they have scored 7.5 runs per game last 4 games and should have no trouble with this struggling A's pitching staff. 10* OVER 7.5 in Oakland

MLB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Oakland A's vs Cincinnati Reds @ 9:40 ET - I like this play with action on the pitchers but I will start with them here. Kyle Muller has allowed 16 earned runs in 13 innings over his last 3 starts. Luis Cessa had his best start of the season at Pittsburgh last week but that still was not a great start. He has struggled overall this season and has a 10.80 ERA on the season. Muller has an 8.68 ERA on the season. Cincinnati's bullpen has been surprisingly decent this season but the A's bullpen has been a disaster with a 6.75 ERA. Overall, Oakland is allowing 8 runs per game which is absolutely insane when you think about it! They are heating up at the plate right now though too and have scored an average of 6 runs per game last 4 games. The Reds are allowing 5 runs per game this season. But they have scored 6.3 runs per game last 3 games and should have no trouble with this struggling A's pitching staff. 10* OVER 8.5 in Oakland

MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Tampa Bay Rays vs Houston Astros @ 6:40 ET - Calvin Faucher is really just an opener here but has struggled recently and could help the Astros bats get off to a hot start here. Keep in mind they scored 5 runs on 11 hits yesterday so they should be good to go here. I am not concerned with the pitchers and will take action here because this is essentially a bullpen game for the Rays. As for Astros, whoever is on the mound - starters and relievers - will be facing an angry Rays lineup that got shutout yesterday. That said, I expect the runs to blow in this one. Keep in mind, Tampa Bay entered yesterday's game 20-3 on the year and the 3 times they were held to 2 or less runs in a game this season they responded each time in the next game and actually averaged 8 runs per game in these 3 games. Looking for a big response here from TB. The scheduled starter for Astros is Hunter Brown and he gave up 4 earned runs in less than 5 innings in most recent start. Keep in mind the Rays are averaging 6.5 runs per game in their games this season. The Astros are averaging a solid 5 runs per game this season and are the defending champs and getting use to facing Rays pitching. The fact is that if we get 4 runs from each team we can not lose this play and I like our chances of doing just that tonight. 10* OVER 8.5 in Tampa Bay

MLB Monday 10* Top Play OVER 8 in San Francisco Giants vs St Louis Cardinals @ 9:45 ET - This total has dropped from an 8.5 to an 8 and I am going to jump right in on the added value here. Yes, Cobb has a low ERA this season but he has been hit at a .313 clip so he has been fortunate for sure. Yes, the Cardinals have a solid bullpen but the Giants bullpen has struggled and also St Louis could see their pen called upon early as Montgomery has been struggling getting hit hard in last two starts. That said, I am looking for a rather easy over as this one flies over the low total. Wind blowing out at a good clip early in this one too. We should see solid scoring after yesterday's game involving the Giants got to 5-4 by the middle innings but then the total died at that point and so it was a tough push for over players. This one should keep on going with the Cards now in town instead of the Mets. The Cardinals 7 of last 8 games have totaled at least 9 runs and those 8 games have averaged 11 runs per game. The Giants 3 of last 4 games have totaled at least 9 runs and those have averaged 10 runs apiece. More of the same here. 10* OVER 8 in San Francisco

Sunday MLB 10* OVER 9 in San Francisco Giants vs New York Mets @ 7 ET - Wind blowing out again for this one and even though it is the Sunday "night" game on ESPN it starts at 4 PM local time in San Francisco. That means windy weather and cool, but not cold, conditions for this one. That said, note that Megill was 1-4 on the road in his rookie season of 2021, then had a 5.84 ERA on the road last year in 2022. This season he already has been hit harder in his two road starts compared to his home starts. Also, he is facing a hot Giants lineup. But the Mets have been really pounding the ball too as I noted in yesterday's write-up on this same play. Going over again here as the Giants have one of the worst bullpens in baseball and they could be called upon earlier here because Stripling is getting the call in this one as a starter. He has worked out of the pen this season too and is coming off a horrible spring training and a lot of those struggles have carried into his regular season form as well. More of the same here and, no matter who the starting pitchers are (take action), I like the over in this one. 10* OVER 9 in San Francisco

MLB Saturday OVER 8.5 in San Francisco Giants vs New York Mets @ 4:05 ET - I know these pitches are recording a lot of strikeouts but they also have been giving up plenty of hard contact too. That is why Peterson has a high ERA and Webb actually has allowed quite a few long balls. No matter the starting pitchers here I also like the fact this is a day game in San Francisco and the wind will be blowing out. It will still be cool and this is not a hitters park but an 8.5 in this situation and with these conditions and expected starting pitchers is quite solid. The Giants should bounce back after being shutout yesterday. The Mets actually scored 7 in the shutout win yesterday and remain red hot. They have won 11 of 14 games and actually averaged 7 runs per game in the 11 wins! The Giants had scored a respectable average of 4.4 runs per game last 8 games before being shutout yesterday. So SF bounces back but Mets stay hot! I expect each club to get to the 4-run mark so we have excellent value with this total at 8.5 runs. OVER 8.5 in San Francisco

MLB Thursday OVER 9.5 in Arizona Diamondbacks vs San Diego Padres @ 9:40 ET - Why is this total so big? Exactly! Don't let the big number fool you as this total is even up to a 10 in some spots! The fact is that the over is the paly here. Ryne Nelson is off a strong start versus Miami but it was the first time he faced them. This young starter has faced only 3 teams in his career. The other two were the Dodgers and Padres. The first time he faced each of them he pitched well also. But then he faced the Dodgers a 2nd time and struggled. Then he faced the Padres and 2nd and 3rd time and struggled in each outing. Now he faces them a 4th time! You know what to expect here! San Diego is likely to be all over him. Now the Diamondbacks, however, get to tee off against Michael Wacha. The veteran hurler has struggled in 2 of his 3 starts this season and now faces a Diamondbacks team that has scored at least 5 runs in 4 straight games and averaged 6 runs per game during this stretch. Also, those games were on the road! Note that, at home, the Diamondbacks have scored an average of 7 runs last 6 games. The Padres bullpen has been only mediocre while the Arizona bullpen has struggled. San Diego has not been hitting well but has a history of success against the Diamondbacks including at this venue and including against this pitcher. Slugfest coming to Chase Field tonight. OVER 9.5 in Arizona

MLB Wednesday OVER 9 in New York Yankees - The Angels were up 5-2 in the top of the 5th in yesterday's game. Inexplicably, the game died at that point. Yes, the Yankees pen has been good this season but the Twins pen had not been overly impressive. Then yesterday, they suddenly got the job one. Look for the Yankees bats to bounce back here but I also don't see the Angels slowing down. In terms of the expected starting pitching match-up here, Griffin Canning had a good first start for the Angels but he gave up hard contact in that game too. In other words, he had some good fortune in that outing. Remember he has been away from MLB for quite some time after suffering a stress fracture in his lower back. It will still take him awhile to get back to the form he use to have. As for Jhony Brito, he got rocked in his most recent start and could not even make it out of the first inning. Keep in mind, he is a rookie and his strikeout numbers were way down in the 2nd start compared to the first start. Then in his 3rd - and most recent - start, he did not make it out of the 1st inning. OVER 9 in New York Yankees

MLB Tuesday OVER 12.5 in Colorado Rockies vs Pittsburgh Pirates @ 8:40 ET - Mild weather, winds blowing out toward right-center and with a pair of struggling right-handed pitchers slated to start this one. It is a great spot all the way around for another slugfest. Yesterday's final looked like a football score as Pittsburgh defeated Colorado two touchdowns to a field goal: 14 to 3. I would not be surprised to see each team get to a TD in this one! Of course a 7-7 game would mean at least an 8-7 final and honestly I am expecting the mid-teens on this one again just like yesterday's game. The Pirates start Velasquez and the journeyman right-hander will again find Coors Field to be a disaster for him. The Pittsburgh righty is 35-49 with a 4.94 ERA in his career and has been trending the wrong direction in recent seasons. Every once in awhile he'll have a good start come out of nowhere like he did at St Louis last week but those tend to be one-offs and I am expecting his stuff to lack movement here in the thin air of Denver. That will prove to be a disaster. Speaking of disasters, the Rockies Jose Urena is winless with a 9.90 ERA so far this season. Last year at Coors Field he was 2-5 with a 6.30 ERA and this year he has allowed 5 homers in 10 innings in his 3 starts overall. Again, the wind is blowing out tonight. The Rockies and Pirates bullpens have not impressed this season either. Slugfest at Coors Field. OVER 12.5 in Colorado

MLB Monday OVER 11.5 in Colorado Rockies vs Pittsburgh Pirates @ 8:40 ET - I know Freeland has great numbers early this season for the Rockies but the weather is going to be great in Denver for this one plus the Pirates have actually been a surprise early this season. The Pittsburgh bats are sure to enjoy hitting in nice conditions at Coors Field in this one as well. The Pirates are off an extra-innings loss yesterday but had won 8 of 12 games heading into that one! Pittsburgh had scored an average of 6 runs in those 8 victories. Now they should hit Freeland well but I expect their starter, Hill, to get absolutely crushed here. Hill has just 1 strikeout TOTAL in his last 2 starts and if you are pitching to contact at Coors Field it generally does not work out well for you! I know this is a big total here but the Rockies last 6 games have all totaled at least 11 runs and averaged 13 runs. Colorado is off a tough road trip, as usual, so they will be happy to be back home. Rockies scoring an average of 6 runs per game in their last 6 at Coors Field. Neither one of these bullpens has been overly impressive so far this season either. OVER 11.5 in Colorado

MLB Sunday OVER 8.5 in Kansas City Royals vs Atlanta Braves @ 2:10 ET - This total opened at a 9 but has dropped to an 8.5 in some spots as of early Sunday morning. I know the weather is not ideal in Kansas City today as it will be rather chilly for this game but I really like the over a lot here. Traditionally I like to look for overs, one of my favorite situations is when a strong team is on the road but has a struggling pitcher on the mound and the home team has a big name pitcher going. This tends to lead to strong line value. That is because the line on the total is generally kept down and yet the number should be bigger because of the hot road team hitting well but the weaker home team also getting some solid scoring because they are hosting plus facing a struggling pitcher. So, in terms of what I just outlined there, this one is all systems go. The Braves have Kyle Wright on the mound and he struggled in spring training and that carried right into his first start this season as well. As for the Royals Greinke, he has a decent ERA but has been giving up plenty of hits plus seems to be giving up a little more with each start. Also, now he faces a red hot Braves lineup. Atlanta has seen 8 of last 9 games total at least 9 runs and those 8 have averaged 11 runs apiece and the Braves lineup has been very hot here at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals bullpen has been one of the worst in baseball and KC has seen their last 5 games all total more than 10 runs and these games have actually averaged 12.4 runs apiece. More of the same here. OVER 8.5 in Kansas City

MLB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 9 in Miami Marlins vs Arizona Diamondbacks @ 6:40 ET - The Marlins are hitting better than usual early this season. The Diamondbacks also are scoring just fine. The problem for each here is a pair of struggling starters. Bumgarner is off to a rough start this season for the Dbacks and walking too many guys and he is known for struggling more on the road so things are unlikely to improve here. As for Rogers, he is off to a sluggish start this season too and has allowed 3 earned runs in each of his two starts though he was unable to complete 5 innings in either one. Arizona is 6-2 last 8 games and has averaged scoring 6.3 runs per game during this stretch. Miami is 4-4 last 8 games and has scored a respectable average of 4.4 runs per game in last 7 games. The Marlins have allowed an average of 8 runs per game in their 7 losses this season. OVER 9 in Miami

MLB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 9 in Toronto Blue Jays vs Detroit Tigers @ 7:07 ET - Two struggling starting pitchers and a manageable number here to work with and a Blue Jays team that can mash the ball at home and a Tigers lineup that should do enough to insure this one gets over the total given this pitching situation - not just the starters but also the bullpen situation. So the play here is action on pitchers as is the norm for me. The Tigers have averaged about 4 runs per game last 8 games but of course they are a big dog here for a reason. The Blue Jays have won 7 of 8 games and averaged scoring about 6 runs per game. Bassitt got hit hard in first start for Toronto then walked 5 guys in 6 innings in his 2nd start. The past two seasons Bassitt has a higher ERA in night games than day games. Detroit's Turnbull has seen his strikeout numbers very low this season and he has allowed 12 earned runs and struggled in each of his first two starts. He is not the same pitcher he was before the Tommy John surgery. Maybe he will get it back but he is not there yet for sure. 10* OVER 9 in Toronto

MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Arizona Diamondbacks vs Milwaukee Brewers @ 3:40 ET - Brewers had to put Woodruff on the 15-day injured list so Junk is getting this start for Milwaukee. He was not overly impressive in the spring and was in the minors for a reason. Also, he has struggled thus far at the MLB level but was called up to make this start and it is on the road so will not be an easy outing for him. As for the Diamondbacks, they are starting Jameson and he has been a reliever so far this season. So really this is a match-up of two unproven guys and is likely to involve a lot of bullpen work. So the starters do not matter much here and I am looking for an over as the lineups will be the story in this one. I know the Diamondbacks were shutdown yesterday but this followed a 4-game winning streak in which they averaged 8 runs per game. Also the win just prior to that 4-game run also saw them score 8 runs. As for the Brewers, they scored 7 runs yesterday and have won 8 of 10 games and averaged scoring 7 runs in those 8 victories. This one is up to a 9.5 but definitely looking for double digits in this one. 10* OVER 9.5 in Arizona

MLB Monday 10* Top Play OVER 8 in Chicago Cubs vs Seattle Mariners @ 7:40 ET - This is another line value spot due to the pitcher on the mound. Yes, Luis Castillo is a strong pitcher and the Seattle right-hander is off to a great start this season. However, both those outings were at home. In recent seasons, Castillo has not been as strong on the road as he has been at home. Also, mild evening expected in Chicago with light southerly winds. That also helps the hitters here. Additionally, the Cubs are off an 8-2 home loss and will be ready to respond at the plate here. The problem for Chicago is that they will have Drew Smyly on the mound. He had a rough spring and then that carried right into his first start this season as well. That does not bode well for him here as he faces a Mariners team that is off a 7-6 loss in extra innings yesterday. By the way, that 12-inning game at Cleveland also means that Seattle used up some extra bullpen arms. So the fact is that we have great situational edges for runs here yet we are dealing with a low total of 8 because Castillo is the scheduled starter for the Mariners here. 5 of last 6 Cubs have totaled double digits in runs and those 5 averaged 13.4 runs apiece. The last 7 Mariners games have averaged 9.6 runs per game and only one failed to get to the 8-run mark. I like the odds we see another double-digits runs game at Wrigley Field in this one. 10* OVER 8 in Chicago Cubs

MLB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 8 in Chicago Cubs vs Texas Rangers @ 2:20 ET - Jon Gray is a solid pitcher for sure but this is an afternoon road game at Wrigley Field and the wind, though light, will be blowing out and the Cubs are swinging hot bats. The 10-3 Chicago win yesterday was the 4th time last 5 games that a Cubs game has totaled at least 13 runs! Those 4 games averaged 14 runs and we just need 9 runs here to be a winner. Note that Jameson Taillon gets the start for the Cubs and he struggled in his first start this season which was also here at Wrigley Field. This Rangers team can hit and since Taillon use to pitch in the American League, the Rangers have extra familiarity with him and they have hit him well. Taillon was 5-0 in day starts last season but got hit at a .276 clip and that was 43 points higher than his average in night games. This is a tough match-up for him and the Cubs bullpen has not been good either. So I look for the Rangers bats to get back on track here but also the Cubbies lineup stays hot at this home and this one flies over the total. 10* OVER 8 in Chicago Cubs 

MLB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Baltimore Orioles vs New York Yankees @ 3:05 ET - The Yankees should hit Kremer hard here. He struggled in his day games last season and that was his bounce back season as, overall, 2021 was rough. Then, to open this season, Kremer got hammered by the Red Sox. As for New York's Schmidt, like Kremer, he got rocked in his first start this season. Also, last season was his first season with significant MLB action but most of that was out of the bullpen. Overall, he was better at home and in night games. This is a day game and he is on the road so you can see why Schmidt likely to struggle too. The Yankees have not scored as well last two games but averaged scoring 6 runs per game in their first 4 games this season. The Orioles off a low-scoring loss but averaged 6.4 runs scored in first 5 games this season. I feel we have some extra line value here with this total being held lower than it should be because both teams off lower-scoring results. The way these teams opened the season, and considering this match-up, this one should fly over the total. 10* OVER 8.5 in Baltimore

MLB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 10.5 in Colorado Rockies vs Washington Nationals @ 4:10 ET - The Rockies are expected to send Kyle Freeland to the mound for their home opener. It will be chilly in Colorado for this game but it is an afternoon game and temperatures will be warming into the 50s so it is not bad. In the thin air of Denver the ball carries so well and the weather is good enough today to see solid run-scoring here. Freeland had a 6.00 ERA in home starts last season. Historically he struggles more in home starts as Coors Field is hitter friendly and he also struggles more in day games. His ERA in day games in recent seasons: 5.51 ERA, 5.91 ERA, 7.94 ERA, 5.80 ERA. The Nationals are expected to send Josiah Gray to the mound for this one. He got rocked in his first start this season plus he has a 5.26 ERA in his career. Gray allowed 3 earned runs in 5 innings in his lone career start at Coors Field and this one could be worse. Rockies should get their sticks going at home here as they are a different team when they are at home. At the same time though, Colorado known for giving up big runs here. In their road games this season, Rockies already allowing 5 runs per game and Nationals are allowing 6 runs per game and now take to the road for the first time this season. I expect each team to get to 5 runs here and that would equate to at least a 6-5 final as, of course, the game can not end 5-5. Solid value here. 10* OVER 10.5 in Colorado

MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Boston Red Sox vs Pittsburgh Pirates @ 1:35 ET - The Red Sox and Pirates stayed under the total yesterday as the game was 3-1 in the top of the 3rd but then basically died after that in what was a 4-1 final. We get some line value today because this total opened up at a 9 and has dropped to an 8.5 which is partially due to yesterday's light-hitting results as well as the fact the wind is expected to be blowing in today. That said, I am happy to take advantage of the added value here. Note that Pittsburgh's Mitch Keller is 12-29 with a 5.04 ERA in his career and he is off a season-opening start in which he walked 4 and allowed 6 hits and all of this was in less than 5 innings of work. As for Boston's Corey Kluber, he has regressed season after season since those big seasons of 2016, 2017 and 2018 with Cleveland. Also, Kluber had a similar start to Keller in terms of struggling in his season-opening outing. Kluber allowed 6 hits and walked 4 and this was in just 3 and 1/3 innings of work. Remember last season opponents hit .274 against him and now he is pitching his home games that is one of the best parks in the majors for hitters. Look for him to struggle again here just like he did against the Orioles in the opener. 10* OVER 8.5 in Boston

MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 9 in Boston Red Sox vs Pittsburgh Pirates @ 7:10 ET - Pirates games have averaged 9 runs so far this season. Red Sox games have been very high-scoring so far this season. Yesterday's 7-6 loss just another typical Boston game and I am looking for the Pirates and Red Sox to do it again today on Tuesday as they meet in the 2nd game of this series. Contreras was solid at home last season and in day games. However, this match-up is the exact opposite as he is on the road in a night game and this situation saw him struggle more. As for Boston's Pivetta, he was hit much harder at home and Fenway Park is known as a hitters park for good reason. 19, 17, 14, 13 are the totals runs for the Red Sox games thus far and I look for another wild one tonight as both starters get lit up and who is on the mound to start is not critical as both bullpens have proven susceptible to start this season as well. 10* OVER 9 in Boston

MLB Monday OVER 8 in Chicago White Sox vs San Francisco Giants @ 3:10 ET - This total dropped from an 8.5 to an 8 and I also like the fact the Giants just faced some tough pitching in the Bronx against the Yankees so many are doubting their lineup right now. Look for them to surprise against Kopech and the White Sox here. The issue for San Francisco, however, will be the fact that Desclafani is likely to get roughed up here. He has struggled in day games in recent seasons and overall is coming off an injury-plagued season too. As for Kopech, he is coming off a rough spring as he was winless in his 5 starts and had a 7.11 ERA. Desclafani had a 5.59 ERA in the spring. Don't be surprised if both pitchers get a little roughed here and that plus the line value on this drop of the total makes this a solid play the way I see it. Solid chance each team gets to 4 runs here and that would equate to nothing less than a 5-4 final. OVER 8 in Chicago White Sox

MLB Sunday OVER 8.5 in Texas Rangers vs Philadelphia Phillies @ 7:08 ET - The first two games of this series have totaled 37 runs! The Rangers have been on fire at the plate. The projected match-up here is a pair of southpaws with Bailey Falter matched up with Martin Perez. Though the lefty dynamic could change things a little bit after the first games of this series featured all right-handers, I feel that the hot hitting will still continue. The Phillies bats should wake up here as they have some guys in their lineup that have enjoyed success against Perez plus they will go with a lineup heavy on right-handed lumber. Perez was very strong last season against lefties but not as dominant against righties. Also, it was a bit of a career year for Perez in terms of his performance and I am not convinced he will repeat such success this season. As for Falter, he throws strikes and pitches to contact and is not overpowering. That all sounds like it will lead to disaster against this Rangers lineup the way they are swinging the sticks right now. In other words, a lefty that can be crafty at times but is still rather young and unpolished and is not overpowering...this is not a recipe for success against a team that has scored 27 runs in the first two games of this series. We get value here with a low total as I like our chances that each team gets to 4 runs here. That would mean a game that must end 5-4 at least and that would lead to a winning ticket for us. OVER 8.5 in Texas

MLB Friday OVER 8 in San Diego Padres vs Colorado Rockies @ 9:40 ET - The Rockies pounded out 17 hits yesterday. Couple that with the fact the Padres are in bounce back mode and facing a Rockies pitcher that had a rough spring training and that they have hit hard in recent seasons, I look for plenty of runs here. Freeland has been absolutely rocked by the Padres each of the last two seasons and their newest addition, Bogaerts, pounded out 3 hits in yesterday's loss. The rest of the team will help him today and we'll see plenty of runs. Even though I respect Martinez, I still feel strongly that the Padres right-hander will get hit hard by the Rockies as they bring momentum from yesterday's game. Martinez gave up 22 hits in 16 innings in last season's meetings with the Rockies. Freeland faces a Padres lineup made stronger with the addition of Bogaerts and his past struggles versus San Diego bodes well for a Padres bounce back here. So both teams score well as I also like the fact 4 of Colorado's runs yesterday were against the relievers. OVER 8 in San Diego

MLB Thursday OVER 6.5 in Texas Rangers vs Philadelphia Phillies @ 4:05 ET - We get a low total of 6.5 here because Aaron Nola and Jacob deGrom are both highly respected pitchers and deservedly so. However, Nola got rocked in his final spring training start and contract extension discussions stalling out could be effecting his psyche. As for deGrom, he has been dealing with an issue in his left side and will be on a pitch count here. The Rangers lineup looks much improved. The Phillies lineup, even without Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins, looks ultra dangerous especially with the addition of Trea Turner. Both teams have some hitters coming in hot from spring training success. Last but certainly not least the wind is expected to be blowing out at a pretty good clip for this one. We get line value because of the big name pitchers involved but I feel all of the above variables including the weather should help lead the way to a game that gets to 7 runs at least. OVER 6.5 IN Texas

MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play UNDER 7.5 in Philadelphia Phillies vs Houston Astros @ 8:03 ET - Action on pitchers. When a team hits 5 homers in a game with a total of only 7.5 runs and it still stays under the total that says a lot! That was Game 3 last night. This followed a Game 2 in Houston that also totaled 7 runs. I am looking for 7 or less again tonight. This one looks like it will be the lowest-scoring of the bunch the way I see it. I will make this wager with action on pitchers as I expect things to tighten up a bit at the plate in this one and the losing team has scored an average of just 1 run last two games. Could this be a 2-1 pitchers duel? I sure think so. Cristian Javier is expected to get the start here and he is so tough to hit and has been pitching extremely well late in the year. Also, the Phillies do not have experience against him so this is a big edge for Javier. As for Philadelphia's expected starter Aaron Nola, I am looking for a bounce back effort at home after he struggled in Game 1 of this series. Nola has been rock solid at Citizens Bank Park throughout his career and I expect his breaking stuff, which can be devasting to hitters, to be on point in this one at home where he is so comfortable on the mound. 10* UNDER 7.5 in Philadelphia

MLB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Houston Astros vs Seattle Mariners @ 3:37 ET - Action on pitchers. First off, the Mariners 7 of last 8 games have totaled 7 or more runs. In fact, those 8 games have averaged 12 runs per game. This is excellent value with the low total here. The Astros have won 8 of 11 games and scored an average of 5.3 runs per game in those games. This is why I really don't care what pitchers do go but the expected match-up is Castillo versus Valdez. Note that Castillo is off another season in which he is worse on the road that at home. This is nothing new with him and I expect that trend to continue here. As for Valdez, he has great full season numbers but he did allow 3 earned runs both of the times he faced the Mariners. Also, he is coming off a September in which he was hit hard in 3 of the 5 starts including 2 in which he really got rocked. 10* OVER 6.5 in Houston

MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 7 in New York Yankees vs Cleveland Guardians @ 7:37 ET - I know this is playoff baseball but I like this over regardless of the starting pitchers. In road games Cleveland has won 11 of last 12 games and scored an average of 6 runs per game in those dozen games! The Yankees are one of the best home teams in baseball and have averaged 5 runs per game at home this season. New York won 9 of last 11 home games this season and scored an average of 7 runs per game in the 10 games that went full 9 innings (one was rain-shortened to 6 innings). So both teams should hit just fine here on a mild evening in the Bronx and the ball should carry well. That is why I like this over regardless of starting pitchers but I will mention that Cole was only 4-6 with a 4.12 ERA in the second half of the season. Also, Quantrill was great at home but he was only 6-5 in road games and opponents hit .282 against him away from home this season. Also, he got hit a .300 clip in September and this was 3rd time in 4 months that opponents hit at least .282 against him. He is not a big strikeout pitcher and that bodes well for a Yankees club that was better this season in terms of striking out but still strike out a little bit too frequently. That should not be an issue here and, by the way, the Guardians struck out the least of any team in the league this season. Put the ball in play and good things can happen. This total opened up as high as a 7.5 and I am now even seeing some 6.5 start to pop up on this one. 10* OVER 7 in New York Yankees

MLB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in New York Mets vs San Diego Padres @ 7:07 ET - Action on pitchers. Okay so I know this is an elimination game and those tend to play out to be tighter low-scoring games. However, this is unique in this wild card round because is not like in a regular series where you may have aces going in the elimination game. These two teams already used their best pitchers Friday and Saturday. Now on Sunday the scheduled pitching match-up is Musgrove versus Bassitt. Certainly both pitchers capable of a solid start but also each capable of getting roughed up a bit on the regular. Simply put these are not aces. Consider that plus each of the first two games of this series got to at least 8 runs. Consider also that 5 homers were hit Friday and 3 homers hit Saturday. All these factors have me lining up on the over here regardless of the starting pitching match-up. Take action on the pitchers and look for at least 7 runs here. 10* OVER 6.5 in New York Mets

MLB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 7 runs in Toronto Blue Jays vs Seattle Mariners @ 4:07 ET - The Mariners got the shutout win yesterday. The Blue Jays bounce back today. I like this play no matter the starting pitchers but will mention that Ray was not as good in the 2nd half of the season as the first. Also, Ray is not as good on the road as he is at home. Ray wrapped up the season allowing 4 or more earned runs in 3 of last 5 starts. Gausman also struggled a bit recently plus left his last start with a laceration on a finger on this throwing hand. He was already struggling and now this in the back of his mind won't help things either. I know the Mariners have a good bullpen but Blue Jays off a home shutout are going to respond here against Ray and whoever else Seattle ends up throwing at them in this one. As for the Mariners lineup they should hit Gausman had as his struggles continue. Note that Seattle has now won 8 of 10 and scored an average of 5 runs per game. The Jays, prior to yesterday's loss, had won 11 of 18 and scored an average of 6 runs per game during this stretch. I totally understand the total being set at 7 here but feel it will prove to be far too low given all of the above. 10* OVER 7 in Toronto

MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 8 in Cincinnati Reds vs Chicago Cubs @ 4:10 ET - Action on pitchers. As I have stated many times in the past, the odds makers are some of the sharpest people around. There is a reason that of only about a half dozen games with early lines available on the final day of the regular season, this was has the HIGHEST total despite the Reds being a low-scoring SLUMP that has gone for weeks. Historically I love playing overs in day games in Cincinnati and I do look for Reds pitcher Graham Ashcraft to get rocked here. The right-hander is winless in his 6 day games starts this season and has a 6.52 ERA in those outings and has been hit at over a .300 clip! The Cubs had been hot coming into this series and I expect them to pound him. The Reds also should tee off. I know Chicago's Adrian Sampson has solid numbers this season including against the Reds. However, his lone start here in Cincinnati saw him allow 6 hits and walk 3 in just 4 innings. Suffice to say, Sampson was fortunate the damage was only 2 earned runs. Last year against Cincy, the Cubs right-hander allowed 11 hits in 9 innings of work. It has been awhile since Reds off B2B wins but the last time they had won 2 straight they then made it 3 straight with another win in which they scored 8 runs. As for the Cubs sticks bouncing back here, they entered this series having won 11 of 12 and scoring an average of 5 runs per game in their last 8 victories. They will bounce back here after B2B losses and the Reds also look to close out the season with a bang at home and that is why, regardless of starting pitchers (my play is action), I am going with the over here. 10* OVER 8 in Cincinnati

MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 7 runs in Oakland A's vs Los Angeles Angels @ 4 ET - Action on pitchers. We get a low total because Ohtani is on the mound for the Angels and because the A's are known for struggling to score runs. I am going to take advantage here for multiple reasons. First off, the Angels just faced a lefty in last night's 2-1 tenth inning loss. Their lineup only featured one left-handed bat and that was Ohtani. That is a key here because Waldichuk is a left-handed hurler for the A's and he has been strong against lefties but righties are hitting over .300 against him and overall the rookie has struggled. I am looking for the Angels to bounce back here as they had been winning a lot of games and scoring well prior to last night's loss. They should crush Waldichuk and get this over by themselves. However, don't be surprised if Oakland scratches some runs off Ohtani. Yes he is tough but, throughout his career, his numbers on the road have paled in comparison to his numbers when he is starting on his home mound. Take advantage of the low total and, regardless of the starting pitchers (my play is action), we get payback for last night's ugly loss with our over involving these teams. The final men left on base tally for the game was 20 in 10 innings. 10* OVER 7 in Oakland

MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 7 runs in Oakland A's vs Los Angeles Angels @ 9:40 ET - Action on pitchers. Regulars know we had this play last night and, on the one hand, we were fortunate to win last night. That's because the game was 4-0 heading to bottom of the 8th and then A's got 2 in the 8th and 2 in the 9th to force extra innings and won it in the bottom of the 10th. While I am grateful for the win for sure 100% I do feel it is one we deserved all along. No game on the board last night had as many hits as ours did and it was simply a game of wasted opportunities for Oakland before the late breakthrough. The A's left 13 men on base in the game! As I mentioned in yesterday's write-up, the Angels have been hot very late in the season and A's home games very quietly have been higher-scoring recently than people realize. I look for these trends to continue here and that is why I like this one regardless of who the starting pitchers end up being. Take action on this one. However, I will say that the expected starters are Michael Lorenzen and Cole Irvin. Note that Lorenzen is 2-4 with a 6.49 ERA in road starts and Irvin has an 8.23 ERA with a .351 batting average against in his 5 September starts. Look for Lorenzen's road struggles to continue against a surprisingly confident Athletics lineup and look for Angels to add to the late-season misery Irvin has been suffering. 10* OVER 7 in Oakland

MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 7 in Chicago White Sox vs Minnesota Twins @ 8:10 ET - Action on pitchers. I know these teams fell short yesterday but I look for a lot more scoring here on a pleasant fall evening in Chicago. The White Sox last homestand saw the 6 games average 9 runs apeice. Now we are seeing a total as low as 7 on this one. It has dropped too low. Chicago has allowed an average of 6 runs per game last 7 home games even including yesterday's low-scoring 3-2 win. The Twins last 7 road games before yesterday's 3-2 loss had averaged 8 runs per game. Again, this total just creeping too low. I get it, based on current trending, but yet you can see why expecting this game to get to 8 or 9 runs is not expecting too much. I like this game regardless of the starting pitching but the expected starters also further strengthen this one. Lucas Giolito is 4-7 with a 6.43 ERA at home this season. Josh Winder is 0-3 with a 6.29 ERA in his last 5 starts. 10* OVER 7 in Chicago White Sox

MLB Monday 10* Top Play OVER 7 in Oakland A's vs Los Angeles Angels @ 9:40 ET - Action on pitchers. This is a low total because the A's are known for struggling so bad at the plate and because the Angels have Patrick Sandoval on the mound. However, Sandoval has been hit at a .275 clip this month and has a 1.40 WHIP in September so he seems to be fading a bit here late in the season. Plus he just faced Oakland and they got to him for 3 earned runs in 5 innings in that one last week. This is a late-season match-up between two teams both just playing out the string on the season as post-season hopes were gone long ago. That said, this is when hitters are most relaxed at the plate and the Angels are indeed playing their best baseball of the season. Los Angeles has won 7 straight games and averaged 5.3 runs per game during this stretch. The Angels will tee off on a struggling Adrian Martinez as he has been roughed up over his last 4 starts with 19 earned runs allowed on 29 hits in 18.1 innings of work. He also just faced the Angels and they got to him for 3 earned runs in under 5 innings of work. The total posted here makes sense based on long-term metrics but it does not make sense based on the current situation. Even the A's are off a 10-3 win yesterday on the road and are now back home where each of their last 4 games totaled MORE than 10 runs and, in fact, averaged 14 runs apiece! That is DOUBLE the total posted on this game! Over is 4-0 L4 A's home games! 10* OVER 7 in Oakland

MLB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Los Angeles Angels vs Texas Rangers @ 4:07 ET - Late season game between two non-contenders and a pair of struggling starters on the mound. I will take the over here regardless of the pitchers. The Angels have won 6 straight games and have scored an average of 5 runs during this stretch. The Rangers have averaged only 4 runs per game last 10 but this is an afternoon game and there will not be any impressive starters on the mound. Those guys have already gone for each team recently so we see guys like Miller and Davidson in this one. The Rangers Miller was 4-7 with a 4.52 ERA in the minors this season so is not a big surprise he has a 6.94 ERA in his 5 MLB appearances so far in his young career. The Angels Davidson is 0-3 with a 9.45 ERA this month and opponents hitting over .300 against him. He is 2-8 with a 5.97 ERA in his young MLB career. Plenty of runs this afternoon in Anaheim. 10* OVER 8.5 in Los Angeles Angels

MLB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 7.5 runs in Detroit Tigers vs Minnesota Twins @ 6:10 ET - Action on pitchers. This is a very low total when you consider recent results prior to yesterday's shutout loss for the Tigers. Also, Twins did score 7 runs in that win. Regardless of the starting pitchers I like the over here but I will mention them further below. First off, prior to yesterday's loss, Detroit had won 8 of 9 games and their last 10 games had seen them score an average of 5.2 runs per game. The Twins have won 4 of 6 games and scored an average of 5.5 runs per game during this stretch. Now, about those pitchers. Bundy is worse on the road than at home this season. Also he enters this outing have struggled badly in 3 of last 4 outings and he is not getting many strikeouts. Hutchison is 1-8 with a 5.12 ERA in home games this season and has a 6.20 ERA this month with opponents hitting nearly .300 against him. This one should see plenty of scoring early and often as, regardless of the starting pitchers, these teams have been trending well to see at least 8 runs here. 10* OVER 7.5 in Detroit

MLB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 9 in Boston Red Sox vs Baltimore Orioles @ 1:35 ET - Action on pitchers. The Orioles and Red Sox, prior to yesterday's surprising 3-1 final, have continued to get involved in wild high-scoring games. I am going action on pitchers here because honestly neither may work deep in this game anyway. Baumann has only made 2 starts out of 11 appearances this season. He is 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA in his 4 road appearances and he is unlikely to work deep here so this is truly more of a bullpen game for the Orioles and we saw how the Red Sox responded against the Baltimore bullpen earlier in this series. The Boston starter here is expected to be Nathan Eovaldi and he is returning from a right shoulder issue. He was not overly impressive in rehab outings. Also, he has a 6.26 ERA with a .322 batting average against in his 8 home starts this season. Prior to yesterday, the Orioles last 5 road games had all totaled at least 9 runs and their last 4 games overall had totaled an average of 18.5 runs apiece! The Red Sox have seen 5 of their last 7 games total at least 9 runs. Also, Boston has scored an average of 9.3 runs per game last 4 home games. They are known for hitting so well at home and even though cooler fall-like weather has started to move in it will be temperate for sure. Just a nice fall afternoon at the ballpark. So we'll take advantage and look for the hitters to rule the day after a rare off-day yesterday for both lineups. 10* OVER 9 in Boston

MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 9 in Boston Red Sox vs Baltimore Orioles @ 7:10 ET - Action on pitchers. The Orioles and Red Sox continue to get involved in wild high-scoring games. I know Kremer has pitched well of late but Boston is feeling it right now at home and he did struggle here in his only start at Fenway Park this season. Hill has struggled badly at home this season with a 2-4 record and a 5.87 ERA. Also, in night games this season, Hill has a 6.36 ERA this season. In the month of September, Hill has a 5.96 ERA and opponents have hit .305 against him this month. The Orioles last 5 road games have all totaled at least 9 runs. Their last 4 games overall have totaled an average of 18.5 runs apiece! The Red Sox have seen 5 of their last 6 games total at least 9 runs. Also, Boston has scored an average of 11.3 runs per game last 3 home games. They are known for hitting so well at home and it is one more mild day in the forecast for Boston today on Wednesday before cooler fall-like weather starts to move in. So we'll take advantage and look for the hitters to rule the night once again. 10* OVER 9 in Boston