MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 7.5 in Texas Rangers vs Oakland A's @ 8:05 ET - Action on pitchers. This is all about high-scoring trending. Yes, I know the Athletics got a pile of runs in the top of the 12th but they had a decent day at the plate up until that point also. Plus you must note that the Rangers 8 of last 10 games have totaled double digits in runs. Texas has been scoring well but also giving up piles of runs. The A's are not a high-scoring team by any stretch of the imagination but they have scored at least 5 runs in 4 of last 8 games overall. Also, on the road, Oakland has scored at least 5 runs in 6 of last 11 road games. No matter who pitches I like the over here as both bullpens have been roughed up in this series too. But I will mention that the expected starters here each give me reason to believe they will struggle. Gray getting hit at a .300 clip this month and has given up a pair of homers in each start. Blackburn off a rough start versus Astros and has been hit hard in 4 of last 5 starts! The low number here is because of the A's long-term reputation and the decent long-term ERA of these two starting pitchers but you can see very clearly, per the above, that there is reason to believe this one comfortably gets over the low total. 10* OVER 7.5 in Texas

MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 11 in San Diego Padres vs Colorado Rockies @ 8:40 ET - Action on pitchers. Yesterday's game saw both starting pitchers work at least 6 innings yet the bullpens combined to allow 7 runs in the final 3 innings of the game. Again this is why you have seen some of the biggest sportsbooks in the world do "action only" as mandatory on their sports bets. The starting pitchers play a role for sure but baseball also is so much more inlcuding fielding, baserunning, hitting, bullpens, etc. I digress but, as always, will touch on the starting pitchers here but just remember this play is a go regardless of pitchers. The Rockies last 6 home games have all totaled 11 or more runs. Colorado tends to hit very well at home and it will be hot weather in Denver for this one. Perfect conditions for the ball to carry very well. The Padres, when in hitter-friendly parks away from home, are known to get involving in crazy high-scoring games. Their last 7 games played at Coors Field or Wrigley Field have seen an average of nearly 14 runs per game! Favorable wind tonight too. I know Clevinger has been rounding into form for the Padres but Coors Field is not an easy place to pitch. Also, his name on the mound for tonight is what is helping to keep this total low. As for Rockies Gomber, he hit a tough patch late last season and has not been the same ever since. He has a 6.46 ERA this season and opponents hitting nearly .300 against him. 10* OVER 11 in Colorado

MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 8 in New York Yankees vs Cincinnati Reds @ 7:05 ET - Action on pitchers. This is another one of those "sneaky" totals where we get some extra line value on an over because one team has an "ace" going. Most definitely Cole is one of the top pitchers in the league but he has allowed 5 homers in his last 3 starts and 10 homers in his last 6 starts. The Reds have been playing better and also have been scoring particularly well on the road too. Cincinnati will surprise by contributing to this total quite well in my opinions. It will be the -300 odds Yankees that do most of the damage of course and I love fading Ashcraft here. He had a great start to the season but is now coming back down to reality and has allowed 21 earned runs on 40 hits in 26 innings spanning his last 5 starts. The Yankees have scored an average of 9 runs per game last 5 games and stay hot at the plate here. They will be "dialed in" I am certain as they are off B2B losses to the Red Sox to wrap the weekend. The Reds have won 6 of last 10 road games and averaged scoring 5.2 runs per game during this stretch. Cincinnati enters this game having won 4 straight games overall and has averaged scoring 5.5 runs per victory. This one should fly over the low number. 10* OVER 8 in New York Yankees

*action on pitchers* MLB Monday 10* Top Play OVER 9 in Texas Rangers vs Oakland Athletics @ 8:05 ET - We get line value here because the A's generally struggle to score runs. However, Oakland has a little extra confidence thanks to having won 3 of 6 games on their just-completed homestand versus solid teams, Blue Jays and Astros. Also, the A's have averaged scoring about 4 runs per game last 9 road games. They take on a Rangers team that has scored an average of 6 runs per game last 6 games but also allow an average of 6 runs per game last 6 games! That is why, regardless of the starting pitchers here, I like the over in this match-up but I will touch on the starting pitchers here. Martinez and Howard both are struggling! Martinez had a 5.63 ERA with AAA Vegas this season and now has a 6.00 ERA with the big club in Oakland. As for Texas starter, Spencer Howard, he is now 1-8 with a 7.44 ERA in his career. The Rangers right-hander is getting hit at a .340 clip this season. Take advantage of the low total because the A's will hit some in this one I am sure but I am also looking for the Rangers high-scoring ways - both runs scored and allowed - to continue their recent trend as 5 of last 6 games have featured plenty of offense. 10* OVER 9 in Texas

*action on pitchers* MLB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 9 in Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees @ 7:08 ET - We were fortunate we got extra innings yesterday to cash the over for us. While certainly grateful for such a break, we will not need such good fortune here as this one appears like perfect set-up for plenty of runs. No matter the pitchers, I am riding the over here. The Yankees have been scoring runs like crazy and the Red Sox are known for scoring well at Fenway Park. New York is 9-4 last 13 games and has scored an average of 6.4 runs per game during this stretch. Boston is averaging 5.8 runs per game last 29 home games. Will mention the pitchers here but, again, is definitely a play here regardless of starting pitchers. Both Taillon and Pivetta have solid numbers on the season but both have been fading of late. Taillon has allowed 14 earned runs in 16 innings spanning his last 3 starts. Pivetta has allowed 11 earned runs on 22 hits in less than 19 innings spanning his last 3 starts. The hot hitting for Yankees continues here no matter the pitcher and, as for the Red Sox sticks, they have scored at least 4 runs in 16 of last 19 games and I am looking for solid double digits from these teams combined in another wild one Sunday evening at Fenway Park. 10* OVER 9 in Boston

*action on pitchers* MLB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees @ 7:15 ET - No matter the pitchers, I am riding the over here. The Yankees have been scoring runs like crazy and the Red Sox are known for scoring well at Fenway Park. New York is 9-3 last 12 games and has scored an average of 6.5 runs per game during this stretch. Boston is averaging 5.8 runs per game last 28 home games. Will mention the pitchers here but, again, is definitely a play here regardless of starting pitchers. The Yankees Montgomery has great numbers this season but the Red Sox have a number of hitters that have enjoyed solid success against the southpaw and they are very familiar with him. As for Boston, the expected starter is Kutter Crawford. The young right-hander has a 6.33 ERA in his 12 games (3 starts) at the MLB level. Crawford has given up 5 hits in 2 innings of work versus the Yankees this season. The hot hitting for Yankees continues here no matter the pitcher as Crawford unlikely to be in this game very long anyway and the Yanks pound the pen. As for the Red Sox sticks, they have scored at least 4 runs in 15 of last 18 games and I am looking for solid double digits from these teams combined in a wild one Saturday evening at Fenway Park. 10* OVER 9.5 in Boston

*action on pitchers* MLB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Oakland A's vs Houston Astros @ 4:07 ET - Regardless of starting pitchers here, I look for the Athletics to score some runs here and for the Astros to remain red hot at the plate. So make this bet with action on the pitchers. The Astros have won 10 of 11 games and scored an average of 6 runs per game during this stretch. The Athletics have average about 4 runs per game last 13 games. So they can get us some runs here at home. I like contrarian plays like this because the Astros are scheduled to start Valdez on the mound and he has great numbers on the season and is coming off a 13-strikeout performance. Note that he did walk 5 in that game, threw over 100 pitches, and so don't be surprised if he labors a bit in this one. Yes he was successful at Oakland earlier this season but they have some hitters who have enjoyed success against him plus he struggled in some starts against the A's just last season. Of course the big key here is the Astros scoring plenty and that should not be a problem. Not only are their bats hot but the expected starter is Logue for Oakland. The southpaw was demoted to the minors back in May. That was a result of struggling with the big club and then things really did not get any better with AAA Vegas as he was hit hard. The reason for the call-up is because Montas must miss a turn in the rotation. That said, plenty of runs from the visiting team likely in this one. 10* OVER 8.5 in Oakland

*action on pitchers* MLB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Kansas City Royals vs Cleveland Guardians @ 8:10 ET - No matter who the starting pitchers are I like the way the fact both teams have trended toward higher scoring games of late. The Royals off a 5-2 loss at Houston but this was preceded by a stretch of 4 wins in 7 games and Kansas City had scored 7 runs in 4 straight games before being held to just 2 runs by Verlander yesterday. KC is known for hitting well at home through the years. Also, the Guardians enter this one on a tough 3-6 run but they scored 4.8 runs in the 3 victories and allowed 7.8 runs in the 6 losses! We'll see some runs here regardless of who the starting pitchers are but I will mention they are expected to be Civale and Singer. Note that Civale is 2-5 with a 7.04 ERA this season and also has an ugly 9.90 ERA in his 5 road starts this season. Singer was able to get strikeouts but also allowed 6 hits in less than 5 innings in his only July start. In his 5 June starts he had a 5.97 ERA. He has a 4.58 ERA in home starts this season including getting hit hard by Cleveland here earlier this season. Look for the bats to rule the night in this one no matter who is on the mound for either team. 10* OVER 8.5 in Kansas City

*action on pitchers* MLB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Arizona Diamondbacks vs Colorado Rockies @ 9:40 ET - I especially want action on this match-up because I like the Diamondbacks lineup to stay hot and I like the Rockies to bounce back in a more hitter-friendly venue after struggling at Dodger Stadium. Due to strength of lineup performance here I want action on pitchers because there is a possibility Keuchel will not get this start. Supposedly his most recent start was a good chance to be his last in the rotation for awhile but the Davies DL situation could have impacted that thinking. I do expect the match-up to be Gomber versus Keuchel but, regardless of the pitchers, note that Arizona has scored an average of 6.4 runs per game last 9 games. In fact, one shutout loss in there but an average of 7.3 runs scored in the other 8 games for the Dbacks. As for the Rockies, they had gone 10-10 last 20 games prior to getting swept by the Dodgers. Also, those 20 games were a good mixture of road and home so it wasn't just home field hitting that led to the Rockies scoring an average of 4.8 runs per game during this 20 game stretch. Again, regardless of pitchers, I want this play on the over but I will mention that Keuchel is 2-6 with an 8.27 ERA this season. Gomber is 4-7 with a 6.53 ERA this season. Also, he has a 7.20 ERA in night games and his home/road splits are nearly identical. In other words, his inflated numbers this season are NOT because of Coors Field. This one, regardless of starting pitchers, gets ugly as these teams both giving up piles of runs this season. 10* OVER 9.5 in Arizona

*action on pitchers* MLB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees @ 7:10 ET - We get a low total because Cole is the scheduled starter for the Yankees and because Winckowski has a low ERA for the Red Sox. First off, I like this play regardless of the starting pitchers. Boston known for hitting well at home and the Yankees the top run-producing in MLB this season and coming off a 16-0 win yesterday. That said, I will still of course touch on the pitchers here and the fact is that Cole, despite all his accolades, does have a recent history of struggling in outings at Boston. The Red Sox have given him some trouble when they face him at Fenway Park and it will be a hitter-friendly night there for this one. As for Boston starter Winckowski, he has faced a lot of lower-tier teams so far in his limited MLB career. Orioles, Cubs, Tigers, A's, Guardians. 4 of 5 have a losing record and, though Cleveland is at .500 on the season, the Guardians one of the weaker hitting teams in terms of run production among teams that do not currently have a losing record on the season. Considering these factors I feel we have excellent line value where with the low posted total and the fact Red Sox have averaged scoring 5 runs per game last 13 home games and Yankees scoring an average of 5 runs per game on the full season and tend to hit well at Fenway Park too. 10* OVER 8.5 in Boston

*action on pitchers* MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 8 in Oakland A's vs Toronto Blue Jays @ 3:37 ET - This play is more about the lineups than the pitchers so select action on pitchers. I know the A's are not known for hitting but they have at least been a little better of late and now have won 5 of 11 games and scored an average of 4 runs per game during this stretch. That said, we may not need much from them here to get this game over the total anyway because I am expecting an offensive explosion from the Blue Jays in this one. Toronto was held to just 3 run in yesterday's loss but did have 10 hits in the game. Also before being held to 1 run in Monday's loss the Jays previously over a 15-game stretch averaged scoring 6 runs per game dating back to June 19th. Will touch on the pitchers here but again this play is action. Kaprielian and is 0-3 with a 6.45 ERA at home this season. He is coming off a good start but that has been a rarity for him as he had an ERA near 6 in both the months of May and June after missing April. Berrios expected to start for the Blue Jays and he has been hit harder on the road than at home throughout his career. That pattern has continued this season and he is coming off a rough June (6.28 ERA) and had a rough May (7.01 ERA). Berrios has 7.92 ERA on the road and a 7.71 ERA in day games this season. Both lineups have big days under the sun today no matter the starting pitchers here. Blue Jays 10 hits yesterday, A's 5 runs, and today both teams put it all together at the plate. Take advantage of the low total here. 10* OVER 8 in Oakland

*action on pitchers* MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 8 in Oakland A's versus Toronto Blue Jays @ 9:40 ET - This play is more about the lineups than the pitchers so select action on pitchers. I know the A's are not known for hitting but they have at least been a little better of late and now have won 4 of 10 games and scored an average of 4 runs per game during this stretch. That said, we may not need much from them here to get this game over the total anyway because I am expecting an offensive explosion from the Blue Jays in this one. Toronto was held to just 1 run in yesterday's loss but previously, though only 7-8 over a 15-game stretch, averaged scoring 6 runs per game dating back to June 19th. The Jays have also scored an average of 6 runs per game the last 4 times they were off a game in which they were held to 2 or less runs scored. Will touch on the pitchers here but again this play is action. Martinez expected to start for the Athletics and has very little MLB experience and does not have overly impressive in numbers in the minors. Kikuchi expected to start for the Blue Jays and he has been hit harder on the road than at home throughout his career. That pattern has continued this season plus the southpaw has historically had some tough outings at Oakland and he is coming off a rough June. Take advantage of the low total here. 10* OVER 8 in Oakland

*action on pitchers* MLB Monday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Chicago White Sox vs Minnesota Twins @ 8:10 ET - The White Sox hosting a Twins team that has scored an average of 6 runs in last 7 road games. Chicago comes into this game hot at the plate with wins in 4 of last 5 games and scoring an average of 6 runs during this stretch. Regardless of the starting pitchers, you can see why I am looking for plenty of runs here. However, I will mention that the expected starters here will only help our cause in my strong opinion. Johnny Cueto 0-3 with a 5.48 ERA at home this season and 1-3 with a 4.20 ERA in night games. Dylan Bundy had a great April but has struggled ever since. Also, Bundy has a 6.41 ERA in road games and a 5.09 ERA in night games. The White Sox have a number of hitters that have enjoyed success against him. Both bullpens rank in the middle of the pack this season in terms of bullpen ERA. White Sox carry momentum from huge 13-4 win at San Francisco yesterday. Like taking the Twins lineup to bounce back here after disappointing recent stretch as they now bounce back in divisional action in a venue they are very familiar with. 10* OVER 9.5 in Chicago White Sox

*action on pitchers* MLB Monday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Houston Astros vs Kansas City Royals @ 4:10 ET - Regardless of pitchers here I like the fact that the Astros have won 15 of 19 games and scored an average of 6 runs scored per victory. As for the Royals, they have won 3 of 4 overall and 7 of last 10 road games. That said, you have a couple of confident lineups stepping into the batters box for this one. Now I will touch on the starting pitchers but, again, this is a play regardless of which pitchers get the start here. Odorizzi expected to get the start for the Astros here and he has great numbers but is coming back from injury and has not been with Houston since May. He last faced Kansas City last season and the Royals hit him hard. They have quite a few hitters who have had success against him. As for the red hot Astros lineup, they will tee off on whoever the Royals send to the mound but it is expected to be Heasley and he is 2-5 with a 5.13 ERA at the MLB level. He comes into this outing having been hammered hard in his last two starts with 11 earned runs allowed in less than 9 innings of work! Heasley has allowed 18 hits in 12.2 innings in his last 3 starts. This one flies over the total! 10* OVER 8.5 in Houston

*action on pitchers* MLB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in San Francisco Giants vs Chicago White Sox @ 4:05 ET - Action on pitchers here as per usual and is especially important here because Giants are just using an opener, John Brebbia, in this one. Then 6'11 Sean Hjelle likely to get the ball after him. Either way, and no matter if White Sox starter Lucas Giolito get the ball here, I like the over based on some team angles. Chicago has seen each of last 3 road games total 8 or less runs but this followed a stretch in which 9 of 14 road games totaled at least 9 runs. During that 14 game stretch the White Sox allowed about 5 runs per game. Chicago has scored an average of about 5.5 runs per game last 22 games. The Giants have lost 3 straight home games but this followed a 7-3 stretch of home games in which SF did average 4.2 runs per game. Certainly not powerhouse numbers but you can see why I am expecting at least a 5-4 type game here. In terms of the starting pitchers, Giolito is finally off a better start but he allowed the leadoff batter to get on in each of the first 4 innings of that start and the damage easily could have been worse. Prior to that outing he allowed 30 runs (27 earned) over 25 and 2/3 innings spanning rough 5-start stretch. Brebbia has not gone more than 2 innings in any start and Hjelle has only 2 games at the MLB level and has unimpressive numbers at the minor league level. After neither of the first two games topped 8 runs I feel there is good reason this total still holding at 8.5 runs! 10* OVER 8.5 in San Francisco

*action on pitchers* MLB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 7.5 in Seattle Mariners vs Oakland Athletics @ 4:10 ET - We fell short with this play yesterday because the Mariners had a rare bad game at the plate as opposing starting pitcher Kaprielian got his first win of the season. Oakland actually pounded out double digits in hits but struggled with runners in scoring position. That said I will come right back with this play here as Athletics get more clutch hitting today and the M's bounce back at the plate. As noted yesterday, yes the A's are known as one of the weaker hitting teams in the majors. However, they are hitting better again and have hit well at Seattle this season which continue yesterday despite scoring just 3 runs in the victory yesterday. After the 3-1, Oakland has now scored an average of 5.6 runs in their 5 games at Seattle this season. Also, overall, the Athletics have scored an average of nearly 5 runs last 7 road games. That said, I expect them to hit Blackburn like they did the last time they faced him just last month. He comes into this start having gone 1-2 with a 5.13 ERA last 5 starts and was hit at a .306 clip in those games. As for the Mariners starter George Kirby, he gave up 4 earned runs in 5 innings the last time he hosted the A's. Also, the Mariners righty has been hit very hard overall in his last 4 starts at home. 29 hits in 20 innings for Kirby in his last 4 home starts this season. Regardless of starting pitchers I like the fact the A's have been scoring better of late plus scoring well at Seattle this season. I also like the fact the Mariners have won 8 of 11 games and scored an average of 4.6 runs during this stretch. Take action on the pitchers and look for plenty of runs here no matter who the starting pitchers are. The games between these teams at T-Mobile Park this season have averaged 9.6 runs per game. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER 7.5 in Seattle

*action on pitchers* MLB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 8 in Seattle Mariners vs Oakland Athletics @ 10:10 ET - Yes the A's are known as one of the weaker hitting teams in the majors. However, they are hitting better again and have hit well at Seattle this season. After yesterday's 8-6 loss, Oakland has now scored an average of 6 runs in their 4 games at Seattle this season. Also, overall, the Athletics have scored an average of 5 runs last 6 road games. That said, I expect them to hit Gonzales like they did the last time they faced him at Seattle. He comes into this start having had success in his most recent home start but that was preceded by 7 walks against just 6 strikeouts in his 2 prior home starts. The home start before those 2? Gonzales allowed 5 earned runs to this same Oakland team. As for the A's starter Kaprielian he is winless in his 11 starts with a 5.88 ERA. Also, he allowed 5 earned runs in 5 innings in his most recent start at Seattle. Overall, Kaprielian has 10 walks against 4 strikeouts in his last two road starts. Regardless of starting pitchers I like the fact the A's have been scoring better of late plus scoring well at Seattle this season. I also like the fact the Mariners have won 8 of 10 games and scored an average of 5 runs during this stretch. Take action on the pitchers and look for plenty of runs here no matter who the starting pitchers are. The games between these teams at T-Mobile Park this season have averaged 11 runs per game. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER 8 in Seattle

*action on pitchers* MLB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Pittsburgh Pirates vs Milwaukee Brewers @ 7:05 ET - This play more about the sticks than the pitchers so I am going action on the pitchers as per usual. Brubaker is the expected starter for the Pirates and he has struggled badly on the season with a 1-7 record and 4.14 ERA. Also, in the month of June, opponents are hitting .294 against him! The way the Brewers are swinging the bats right now (won 5-3 yesterday and hit some more homers) I expect Brubaker's struggles to continue! Speaking of struggling, the Brewers Houser has not pitched well this season since a solid April. His May and June have been rough and the biggest key of all here is that Houser has consistently struggled each of the last 4 years against left-handed hitters! The Pirates had nearly every single hitter stepping in on that side of the batters box in yesterday's huge 8-7 win at Washington. I expect a parade of lefties to the plate for Pittsburgh tonight and this will be tough on Houser. Again, regardless of starting pitchers, the Brewers have been playing well and with a lot of confidence and scoring runs. Also, the Pirates off a high-scoring road win and now back home where they have scored well. Pittsburgh is 4-1 last 5 home games and has scored an average of 7 runs per game last 6 home games! Neither bullpen overly impressive this season (as Milwaukee seems down a notch in that department and Pirates struggling with relievers as usual). Also, the Brewers have won 11 of 16 games and scored an average of 6 runs per game in the 11 victories. In their last 9 losses, Milwaukee has allowed an average of 7 runs per game. You can see, given those numbers, why I am anticipating at least 9 runs scored for these teams combined. 10* OVER 8.5 in Pittsburgh

*action on pitchers* MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play UNDER 8.5 in Toronto Blue Jays vs Boston Red Sox @ 7:07 ET - Yesterday's game snuck over the total late but this has the look of a pitchers duel and, even if these pitchers do not go, I like the under in this game. Took some late-inning magic for yesterday's game to sneak over the total and I feel we now have value here on the under as a result. Pivetta had a rough April for Boston but he has been a different pitcher ever since. The right-hander has allowed a TOTAL of just 14 runs in his 10 starts dating back to early May. He averaged 6.8 innings in those two starts also. Pivetta is 8-1 in his last 9 starts. Manoah is 9-2 this season with a 2.05 ERA. Keep in mind, he also went 9-2 last season! In home starts he has a 1.94 ERA and in night games he is 4-0 with a 1.23 ERA. Runs will be at a premium in this one. Red Sox had been held to 2 or less runs scored in 5 of last 11 road games before getting late runs yesterday in a wild 6-5 loss. 10* UNDER 8.5 in Toronto

*action on pitchers* MLB Monday 10* Top Play OVER 9 in Toronto Blue Jays vs Boston Red Sox @ 7:07 ET - I know that the Blue Jays Gausman carries a certain reputation with the betting markets but there is a reason this total opened up at a 9.5 in most books. Gausman has struggled at home this season and the Red Sox have been one of the hottest teams in the league and have been hot at the plate. The Jays are also such a strong hitting team and particularly at home and that is why I love this total no matter the starting pitchers. Make this play with action as the Red Sox are starting Seabold and, though he has been good at the AAA level this season, pitching in the bigs and on the road is an entirely different situation. Seabold has only one MLB start in his career and will have his hands full with a Toronto team that has averaged scoring 6 runs per game last 14 games. The Red Sox have won 11 of 13 games and scored an average of 6 runs last 10 victories. The bats rule the day in this one. 10* OVER 9 in Toronto

*action on pitchers* MLB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Milwaukee Brewers vs Toronto Blue Jays @ 2:10 ET - I am going with, as usual, action on the pitchers. But I will mention that Jose Berrios is a big name pitcher but so often he struggles on the road. That has been a problem for much of his career and this season has been no different. In four of his last six starts including his most recent one, he allowed at least 5 earned runs. He is likely to struggle here more than you might expect even though the Brewers are not known for scoring big runs. Note that the Brewers are expected to start Chi Chi Gonzalez here and he is 9-24 with a 5.71 ERA in his career. He has not been good in his limited action this season either as he has a 7.36 ERA so far. Brewers got the 5-4 win yesterday and, even with that loss, the road team has averaged scoring 6 runs per game last 13 games. No matter the pitchers I expect Toronto to resume high-scoring ways and the Brewers have produced an average of 5 runs per game last 11 games. Don't be surprised if each team gets to 5 runs in a wild one today. 10* OVER 9.5 in Milwaukee

*action on pitchers* MLB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 8 in Milwaukee Brewers vs Toronto Blue Jays @ 4:10 ET - We get a low total here because of the pitchers in this match-up. Particularly Burnes of the Brewers carries a lot of respect. However, the key to this play is the Blue Jays have been so hot at the plate I feel strongly that they can hit anyone right now. I am going with, as usual, action on the pitchers. But I will mention that before Burnes last start, which was a good one at home, he actually had allowed 12 runs (10 earned) in the 14 innings spanning his last 3 home starts. He will struggle here more than you might expect. So we take advantage of the low total of 8 in this one. Note that the Blue Jays are expected to start Kikuchi here and he has not been great this season plus is winless with a 7.11 ERA in his 4 day game starts this season. Brewers look to bounce back off a 9-4 loss yesterday to these same Jays but the road team stays red hot. 10* OVER 8 in Milwaukee

*action on pitchers* MLB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 9 in Chicago White Sox vs Baltimore Orioles @ 2:10 ET - Watkins has a 6.00 ERA and Lynn has a 5.79 ERA so far this season. I know has been limited action for each so far but the fact is I don't expect either to be at 100% just yet plus this play has a lot to do with the lineups and they will bounce back after yesterday's low-scoring game let us down. 10 of last 15 White Sox games have totaled 11 or more runs! 9 of last 12 Orioles road games have totaled 10 or more runs. Slugfest time on a mild afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field. Just like 7 of Chicago's last 9 home games, we again should see double digits in runs scored here. 10* OVER 9 in Chicago White Sox

*action on pitchers* MLB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Chicago White Sox vs Baltimore Orioles @ 8:10 ET - The potency of these two lineups is why I like this play regardless of the pitchers but I will mention that Michael Kopech has great numbers this season but actually is off a bit of a rough start which followed him leaving his prior start in the 1st inning with knee discomfort. In other words, he may not be 100% and it sure appears that way. The White Sox right-hander has been hit hard in recent road starts and now he just does not seem to be 100% and I feel the Orioles will take full advantage. The issue for Baltimore is that Austin Voth is struggling and this has been out of the bullpen. In his career he has been a starter and a reliever but not much success at either with a 5.61 ERA in his career. Voth getting hit at a .372 clip this season and and now faces a White Sox team that had 9 hits yesterday but went 1 of 9 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base as they were shutout. The Sox had their chances for sure and that will again be the case here and, by the way, the Orioles did pound out 10 hits in yesterday's win. 10 of last 14 White Sox games have totaled 11 or more runs! 9 of last 11 Orioles road games have totaled 10 or more runs. Slugfest time on a mild evening at Guaranteed Rate Field. Just like 7 of Chicago's last 8 home games, we again should see double digits in runs scored here. 10* OVER 8.5 in Chicago White Sox

*action on pitchers* MLB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 9 in Chicago White Sox vs Baltimore Orioles @ 8:10 ET - The potency of these two lineups is why I like this play regardless of the pitchers but I will mention that Johnny Cueto has struggled in his 3 home appearances and is winless with a 5.60 ERA at home. The White Sox right-hander has been hit hard overall at home and I feel the Orioles will take full advantage. The issue for Baltimore is that even though Dean Kremer has surprisingly good numbers early this season it has been in limited action and lets not forget 2021. Last season, Kremer went 0-7 with a 7.55 ERA in 13 starts and that sample size of 13 certainly carries more weight than his 3 starts this season. I know his overall numbers are good in limited action this season but lets not forget that he is 2-9 with a 6.06 ERA in his career. 10 of last 13 White Sox games have totaled 11 or more runs! 9 of last 10 Orioles road games have totaled 10 or more runs. Slugfest time on a mild evening at Guaranteed Rate Field. Just like each of Chicago's last 7 home games, we again should see double digits in runs scored here. 10* OVER 9 in Chicago White Sox

*action on pitchers* MLB Thursday 9* Top Play OVER 9 or 9.5 in Milwaukee Brewers vs St Louis Cardinals @ 2:10 ET - This is a classic contrarian play as the total looked funny to me right away. The Cardinals Hudson has a 3.31 ERA and Alexander has a 2.42 ERA for the Brewers and yet this total is as high as a 9.5 this morning. This one jumped off the page at me and I will not hesitate to get involved and do not care who the starting pitchers end up being for this one. The Cardinals Hudson has a higher ERA on the road and in day games. The Brewers Alexander has a 2.42 ERA but opponents are hitting .330 against him in his 4 starts this season. The last 2 games of this series hit 8 and 9 runs respectively after a pitchers duel in the first game. However, prior to this series, 7 of last 8 Cardinals games had reached double digits in runs. Also, the Brewers bullpen has not been as strong this season and they have allowed 5 or more runs in 6 of last 9 home games. Given all of the above, and the fact Brewers need a bounce back win here in order to move back into a first place tie in the division, I am looking for a 6-5 type game here. 9* OVER 9 or 9.5 in Milwaukee

*action on pitchers* MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Chicago White Sox vs Toronto Blue Jays @ 2:10 ET - The potency of these two lineups is why I like this play regardless of the pitchers but I will mention that Lucas Giolito has struggled in his last 4 starts and is having a rough June. The White Sox right-hander has been hit very hard overall in recent starts and I feel the Blue Jays will take full advantage. Giolito has allowed 23 runs (20 earned) over his last 20 and 2/3 innings. The issue for Toronto is that Ross Stripling has a 4.97 ERA in day games this season and I know his overall numbers are good but lets not forget that he also went 5-7 with a 4.80 ERA last season and 3-3 with a 5.84 ERA the year before. 8 of Blue Jays last 9 games have totaled 11 or more runs! 9 of last 12 White Sox games have totaled 11 or more runs! Slugfest time on a warm afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field. Just like yesterday's game, we again should see double digits in runs scored here. 10* OVER 9.5 in Chicago White Sox

*action on pitchers* MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Houston Astros vs New York Mets @ 2:10 ET - The Astros are heating up again and starting to hit better during this stretch as well. Houston has scored an average of nearly 8 runs per victory in the 6-2 run their last 8 games. The Mets also are a very solid hitting club and had been quite hot at the plate before getting shutdown in yesterday's 8-2 loss. They are hitting .261 on the season and only the Rockies have a higher team batting average and Colorado plays their home games at Coors Field so, without that factor, New York would surely be topping the majors in this category. Solid hitting team and scoring an average of 5 runs per game this season. The pitchers are NOT the most important factor here as this is a play no matter the starting pitchers but I will mention that Carlos Carrasco has a 5.18 ERA on the road this season and opponents are hitting almost .300 against him away from home. Also, Luis Garcia has a 5.14 ERA in home games. 10* OVER 8.5 in Houston

*action on pitchers* MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Chicago White Sox vs Toronto Blue Jays @ 8:10 ET - The potency of these two lineups is why I like this play regardless of the pitchers but I will mention that Dylan Cease has struggled in night games and has not been as sharp in a number of home starts this season. The White Sox right-hander has also been hit quite hard overall in recent starts and I feel the Blue Jays will take full advantage. The issue for Toronto is that Kevin Gausman has been getting hit very hard of late and essentially has been roughed up in 3 of his last 4 starts and one of those was against these White Sox. 7 of Blue Jays last 8 games have totaled 11 or more runs! 8 of last 11 White Sox games have totaled 11 or more runs! Slugfest time on a warm evening at Guaranteed Rate Field. Just like yesterday's game, we again should see double digits in runs scored here. 10* OVER 8.5 in Chicago White Sox 

*action on pitchers* MLB Monday 10* Top Play OVER 9 in Chicago White Sox vs Toronto Blue Jays @ 8:10 ET - The potency of these two lineups is why I like this play regardless of the pitches but I will mention that Lance Lynn got hit very hard in his season debut last week. The White Sox right-hander also compiled a 9.00 ERA in his minor league rehab starts so my point is that he is just not ready yet and I feel the Blue Jays will take full advantage. The issue for Toronto is that Jose Berrios is known for struggling more on the road than at home. That has been the case again this season as he has a 5.97 ERA in his 7 road starts. Year after year this is a pattern for Berrios quite consistently throughout his career. 6 of Blue Jays last 7 games have totaled 11 or more runs! 7 of last 10 White Sox games have totaled 11 or more runs! Slugfest time on a warm evening at Guaranteed Rate Field. 10* OVER 9 in Chicago White Sox

*action on pitchers* Monday MLB 10* Top Play OVER 7.5 or 8 in New York Mets vs Miami Marlins @ 1:10 ET - No matter the pitchers here I am expecting good run-scoring from two very capable lineups on a warm afternoon in New York. The Mets are off a loss in which they scored just two runs but they had won 15 of 21 games before that defeat and scored an average of 7 runs per game in the 7 victories. The total on this game has dropped into the 7.5 or 8 range and 15 of the Marlins last 23 games have totaled at least 8 runs. Like the total regardless of starting pitchers but will mention that the Marlins Rogers continues to struggle and he has allowed 19 earned runs in 21 and 1/3 innings over his last 5 starts. The Mets Peterson has allowed 11 earned runs in 13 and 2/3 innings over his last 3 home starts. 10* OVER 7.5 or 8 in New York Mets

*action on pitchers* MLB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 12.5 in Colorado Rockies vs San Diego Padres @ 3:10 ET - Regardless of pitchers (I will mention them below), I am taking the over in this spot no matter who starts. That's because we have ideal conditions on a warm afternoon in Denver and with the wind blowing out. The Rockies got a narrow win yesterday and the game stayed under the total but the Padres bats have been so hot - including coming alive at Wrigley Field earlier this week in conditions similar to this - that I am expecting an explosion at the plate today. Colorado starter Senzatela has a .382 batting average against in home games. The Rockies right-hander has been hit a crazy .453 batting average against in day games. San Diego should be crushing the ball here but don't be surprised if the Rockies do also. Padres starter just faced Colorado but that was at home. Now he faces them at Coors Field where he got destroyed in most recent road start against this Rockies team. All factors pointing to a wild one here as it is a hitter-friendly day game at the most hitter-friendly ballpark in the majors. 10* OVER 12.5 in Colorado

*action on pitchers* MLB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Washington Nationals vs Philadelphia Phillies @ 4:35 ET - Historically Nola has been a better pitchers at home than on the road. He is a rock solid pitcher for sure and I know he is capable of dominating a team in any given outing. However, I think this Nationals team is going to be tough on him on their home field. They hit him hard in both meetings here last season. As for Washington's Gray, he held the Phillies in check the first time he faced them last year but then they pounded him in the 2nd meeting. Also, just as Nola has had some struggles in this venue, Gray is struggling at home this season with a 2-4 mark and 7.14 ERA. Yesterday's game two flew over the total and game one arguably should have gone over the total as well. The fact the teams played a double header yesterday also weakens the bullpens. That said, I like the over in this match-up regardless of the starting pitching match-up. The Phillies have been red hot and scoring well during their on fire streak. The Nats have scored an average of 5.4 runs per game last 13 home games. Philadelphia has won 14 of 16 games and scored 6.5 runs per game in this stretch. 10* OVER 8.5 in Washington

*action on pitchers* MLB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 8 in Baltimore Orioles vs Tampa Bay Rays @ 4:05 ET - Rays lost 1-0 yesterday but Tampa Bay had scored at least 5 runs in each of last 5 games versus the Orioles and had actually averaged scoring 6 runs in those games. Also, the Baltimore had been red hot at the plate before getting shut down (but winning the game 1-0) yesterday. In fact, the over is still 14-3-1 their last 18 games even after yesterday's surprising. Baltimore has scored an average of 5.3 runs per game last 15 games. The Rays just got shut down by the Yankees in a series in the Bronx but will bounce back here against much weaker pitching. Yes they did not happen yesterday but they will get to Kyle Bradish today. In fact, I don't care who the starting pitchers are here as I like the way these teams had been swinging the bats (the series in New York will prove to be an aberration for Tampa Bay) plus the Orioles bullpen has had its share of struggles. I will mention however that the expected starter for Tampa Bay here is Jeffrey Springs and he has been hot but the Orioles getting another look at him in a starting situation will help and their lineup has been hot. Bradish is the scheduled starter for the Orioles and he is 1-4 with a 6.86 ERA this season and the Rays should pound the rookie at the plate as he has struggled over his last 5 starts and that included an outing versus TB. No matter the starting pitching match-up here, the lineups are the story in this afternoon match-up. 10* OVER 8 in Baltimore

*action on pitchers* MLB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Baltimore Orioles vs Tampa Bay Rays @ 6:05 ET - After getting shut down by Manoah of the Blue Jays Monday, Baltimore bounced right back in a 6-5 win Tuesday and a 7-6 extra innings hit-fest loss Wednesday was followed by a 10-2 win yesterday at Toronto. This comes as no surprise as they have been feeling it right now at the plate. As we have seen with the Phillies recent hot streak, hitting is contagious. The Orioles won 10-7 Sunday at Kansas City too and the over is now 14-2-1 their last 17 games after yesterday's blowout win flew over the total. Baltimore has scored an average of 5.6 runs per game last 14 games. The Rays just got shut down by the Yankees in a series in the Bronx but will bounce back here against much weaker pitching. I don't care who the starting pitchers are here as I like the way these teams are swinging the bats (the series in New York will prove to be an aberration for Tampa Bay) plus the Orioles bullpen has had its share of struggles. I will mention however that the expected starter for Tampa Bay here is Shane Baz and he struggled in his first start of 2022 last week. Dean Kremer is the scheduled starter for the Orioles and he is 2-9 with a 6.50 ERA in his MLB career. He has decent ERA in limited action this season but the damage could easily be worse based on how he actually performed on the mound and the Rays should pound him at the plate. No matter the starting pitching match-up here, the lineups are the story in this early evening match-up. 10* OVER 8.5 in Baltimore

*action on pitchers* MLB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Toronto Blue Jays vs Baltimore Orioles @ 3:07 ET - After getting shut down by Manoah of the Blue Jays Monday, Baltimore bounced right back in a 6-5 win Tuesday and a 7-6 extra inning loss Wednesday. This comes as no surprise as they have been feeling it right now at the plate. As we have seen with the Phillies recent hot streak, hitting is contagious. The Orioles won 10-7 Sunday at Kansas City and the over is now 13-2-1 their last 16 games after yesterday's tight loss went over the total. Baltimore has scored an average of 5.3 runs per game last 13 games. The Blue Jays, after yesterday's one-run win, have gone over the total in 13 of last 17 games and Toronto did score 6 runs on 11 hits in Sunday's big win that stayed under the total. I don't care who the starting pitchers are here as I like the way these teams are swinging the bats (Monday having proven to be an aberration for Baltimore) plus the Orioles bullpen has been worse on the road than at home and the Blue Jays bullpen has an ugly ERA north of 4.50 at home. I will mention however that the expected starter for Toronto here is Kevin Gausman. I know he has a solid starter and has some good numbers this season but he has been hit hard particularly at home (.305 BAA) and in day games (.292 BAA) and plus he may be guilty here of trying to overdo it against his former team and that will lead to overthrowing and missed location with pitchers. He spent many seasons with Baltimore and could be trying to do "too much" here. By the way, there have only been 9 unders in the last 32 meetings between these AL East foes. Tyler Wells is the scheduled starter for the Orioles. He has solid overall numbers but struggled badly in day games and also in away games so the red hot Blue Jays should pound him at the plate. Wells has a 4.80 ERA in away games and a 5.63 ERA in day games. No matter the starting pitching match-up here, the lineups are the story again this afternoon. 10* OVER 8.5 in Toronto

*action on pitchers* MLB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 10.5 in Chicago Cubs vs San Diego Padres @ 2:20 ET - Yes Joe Musgrove has fantastic numbers this season. Truly phenomenal numbers for Musgrove on the year for the Padres. However, wind blowing out and another wild game expected at Wrigley Field. Action on pitchers as this one is all about the weather and the recent hot hitting but will also mention that the starter for the Cubs is expected to be Matt Swarmer. In 3 starts spanning 17 innings, Swarmer has allowed 9 homers! Whoever is on the mound for Chicago will be facing a Padres team that has erupted for 31 runs the past two games in this series! The Cubs have scored 5 runs in each of past two games! In other words look for a wild and crazy afternoon affair at Wrigley today with the wind blowing out plus hot temperatures! 10* OVER 10.5 in Chicago Cubs

*action on pitchers* MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Toronto Blue Jays vs Baltimore Orioles @ 7:07 ET - After getting shut down by Manoah of the Blue Jays Monday, Baltimore bounced right back in a 6-5 win Tuesday which comes as no surprise as they have been feeling it right now at the plate. As we have seen with the Phillies recent hot streak, hitting is contagious. The Orioles won 10-7 Sunday at Kansas City and the over is now 12-2-1 their last 15 games after yesterday's tight win went over the total. Baltimore has scored an average of 5.3 runs per game last 12 games. The Blue Jays, after yesterday's one-run loss, have gone over the total in 12 of last 16 games and Toronto did score 6 runs on 11 hits in Sunday's big win that stayed under the total. I don't care who the starting pitchers are here as I like the way these teams are swinging the bats (Monday having proven to be an aberration for Baltimore) plus the Orioles bullpen has been worse on the road than at home and the Blue Jays bullpen has an ugly ERA north of 4.50 at home. I will mention however that the expected starter for Toronto here is Jose Berrios. I know he has some good numbers this season but he has struggled against left-handed hitters and he likely faces 4 of them in the Orioles lineup. Berrios also did struggle a bit the last time he hosted Baltimore. By the way, there have only been 9 unders in the last 31 meetings between these AL East foes. Bruce Zimmerman is the scheduled starter for the Orioles. He has struggled badly and so the Blue Jays should pound him at the plate. Zimmerman has a 6.89 ERA in away games and a 6.51 ERA in night games. No matter the starting pitching match-up here, the lineups are the story again tonight. 10* OVER 9.5 in Toronto

*action on pitchers* MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Toronto Blue Jays vs Baltimore Orioles @ 7:07 ET - Prior to getting shut down by Manoah of the Blue Jays yesterday, Baltimore had been feeling it right now at the plate. As we have seen with the Phillies recent hot streak, hitting is contagious. The Orioles won 10-7 Sunday at Kansas City and the over is now 11-2-1 their last 14 games after yesterday's blowout loss flew over the total. Baltimore has scored an average of 5.2 runs per game last 11 games. The Blue Jays, after yesterday's blowout win, have gone over the total in 11 of last 15 games and Toronto did score 6 runs on 11 hits in Sunday's big win that stayed under the total. I don't care who the starting pitchers are here as I like the way these teams are swinging the bats (yesterday will prove to be an aberration for Baltimore) plus the Orioles bullpen has been worse on the road than at home and the Blue Jays bullpen has an ugly ERA north of 4.50 at home. I will mention however that the expected starter for Toronto here is Jordan Lyles. The over is 2-0 in his last 2 starts and he has an 8.16 ERA in his last 3 outings and an ugly 6.69 ERA in his 7 road starts this season. There have only been 9 unders in the last 30 meetings between these AL East foes. Yusei Kikuchi is the scheduled starter for the Blue Jays. He has struggled badly and so the Orioles should bounce right back at the plate. Kikuchi has a 7.83 ERA last 3 starts and all have resulted in an over. No matter the starting pitching match-up here, the lineups are the story tonight. 10* OVER 9.5 in Toronto

*action on pitchers* MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in St Louis Cardinals vs Pittsburgh Pirates @ 1:15 ET (Game 1 of 2) - This is first game of doubleheader and will be a hot afternoon game in St Louis with wind likely blowing out toward left center and I like the over no matter who the starting pitchers are in this game. Make this bet with action on the pitchers. The Pirates are expected to start Brubaker and he is 0-6 with a 4.60 ERA in his dozen starts this season. The Cardinals are expected to start Liberatore and he has been hit hard in 2 of his 3 starts this season and allowed 3 homers in most recent outing. None of his three starts have resulted in an under and the last two have been overs. I know that the Pirates are not known for offense but yesterday's 7-5 Cardinals win is a sign of things to come in this series. Neither team's bullpen has been particularly strong and the Cards have allowed 5.3 runs per game last 3 games and Pirates have allowed 7.3 runs per game last 3 games. 10* OVER 9.5 in St Louis (Game 1 of 2)

*action on pitchers* MLB Monday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Toronto Blue Jays vs Baltimore Orioles @ 7:07 ET - I am upset with myself that I chose an NL total for my big play yesterday instead of again riding the Orioles as they continue to trend over. That turned what could have been a 2-1 day into a 1-2 day and I will not make the same mistake today. I know Manoah has pitched very well for the Blue Jays but Baltimore is feeling it right now at the plate. As we have seen with the Phillies recent hot streak, hitting is contagious. The Orioles won 10-7 yesterday and the over is now 10-2-1 their last 13 games. Baltimore has scored an average of 5.6 runs per game last 10 games. The Blue Jays, despite an under yesterday, have gone over the total in 10 of last 14 games and Toronto did score 6 runs on 11 hits in yesterday's big win. I don't care who the starting pitchers are here as I like the way these teams are swinging the bats plus the Orioles bullpen has been worse on the road than at home and the Blue Jays bullpen has an ugly 4.68 ERA at home. I will mention however that the expected starter for Toronto here is Kyle Bradish. The over is 3-0 in his last 3 starts and he has an 8.17 ERA in those outings and an ugly 6.45 ERA in his 8 starts this season. There have only been 9 unders in the last 29 meetings between these AL East foes. We get a low total because Mahoah is the scheduled starter for the Blue Jays. Over his last 3 starts he had one with a 1.50 WHIP, one at home in which he allowed 3 earned runs, and his start before that he allowed 2 homers. In other words, he has been solid but not unhittable. No matter the starting pitching match-up here, the lineups stay red hot. 10* OVER 8.5 in Toronto

*action on pitchers* MLB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Washington Nationals vs Milwaukee Brewers @ 1:35 ET - The Nationals won 8-6 yesterday. It was yet another high-scoring game for Washington and the over is now 6-2 last 8 in Nats games. Milwaukee is expected to start Jason Alexander here. I know he has solid numbers in limited action thus far this season but he was very fortunate last start as he walked 2 and gave up 7 hits for 9 baserunners in 5 innings yet he allowed only 1 earned run. Alexander's good fortune runs out here as the Nationals have scored an average of 8 runs per game last 6 home games! Overall the over is 14-6 last 20 Washington games. The Brewers are not known for high-scoring games yet the over is on an 11-4 run last 15 games after yet another high-scoring loss yesterday. Milwaukee should enjoy plenty of success at the plate as whether it is Lee who gets the start or Espino, neither has been a starter long-term this season. Espino has been working out of the pen and Evan Lee is a rookie. No matter the starting pitchers here, I am playing the over as both bullpens have been shaky of late and the recent over trending for both these clubs fully supports this play as well. 10* OVER 9.5 in Washington

*action on pitchers* MLB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 7.5 in Cleveland Guardians vs Oakland A's @ 11:35 AM ET - Sometimes all it takes is one to get a team going. The A's had been struggling to score runs and had been mired in a losing streak but I look for yesterday's 10-5 win to give them a jolt and get them going again at the plate. At the same time, I do expect the Guardians to respond here at home. That is why I like the over here no matter who the pitchers are. Cleveland is 9-3 last 12 games and has scored an average of 5 runs in these dozen games. The A's are expected to start lefty Cole Irvin and the Guardians have had just 6 unders in last 18 games versus a southpaw starter. Oakland enters this game with just 2 unders last 9 games. Cleveland expected to start Cal Quantrill and he allowed 2 homers in most recent start as did Irvin. Regardless of starting pitchers here I like taking advantage of the low total here in this early day game Sunday given the situation being absolutely conducive to a high-scoring game in my opinion. 10* OVER 7.5 in Cleveland

*action on pitchers* MLB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Kansas City Royals vs Baltimore Orioles @ 4:10 ET - The Orioles have gone over the total to the tune of 8-2-1 last 11 games despite yesterday's 8-1 loss staying just under the total of 9.5 runs! Regardless of who the starting pitchers are here on Saturday I like the over. The fact each team reached double digits in hits Thursday is a good sign the lineups are in sync right now. The Orioles struggled at the plate yesterday but will bounce right back today. The Royals now have scored at least 7 runs in 3 straight games to get back on track and the Orioles have one shutout win last 11 games but have allowed an average of 6 runs per game the other 10 games. Baltimore has one shutout loss the last 10 games but has averaged scoring 5 runs per game the other 9 games. The Orioles are expected to start Tyler Wells here and he is off a road win but Baltimore was 0-5 in his road starts prior to that one this season and he had an ERA of 5+ on the road prior to that rare strong effort! Kansas City is expected to start Daniel Lynch and the Royals are 1-3 in his 4 home starts this season. Lynch has struggled and has an unimpressive 1.54 WHIP as a starter this season plus an 8.40 ERA last 3 starts. The Orioles bullpen has been worse on the road than at home. The Royals bullpen has a 5.38 ERA in home games this season. 10* OVER 9.5 in Kansas City

*action on pitchers* MLB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Kansas City Royals vs Baltimore Orioles @ 8:10 ET - The Orioles have gone over the total to the tune of 8-1-1 last 10 games! Regardless of who the starting pitchers are here I like the over. The fact each team reached double digits in hits yesterday is a good sign the lineups are in sync right now. The Royals now have scored at least 7 runs in B2B games to get back on track and the Orioles have one shutout win last 10 games but have allowed an average of 6 runs per game the other 9 games. Baltimore has one shutout loss the last 9 games but has averaged scoring 6 runs per game the other 8 games. The Orioles are expected to start Bruce Zimmermann here and he has an 8.44 ERA last 3 starts and has allowed an incredible 9 homers in his last 2 road starts! Kansas City is expected to start Jon Heasley and the Royals are 0-5 in his 5 starts this season. Heasley has been okay but has an unimpressive 1.70 WHIP and 4.62 ERA as a starter this season. The Orioles bullpen has been worse on the road than at home. The Royals bullpen has a 5.52 ERA in home games this season. 10* OVER 9.5 in Kansas City

*action on pitchers* MLB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 8 in San Francisco Giants vs Colorado Rockies @ 3:45 ET - I know yesterday's game was tight and low-scoring and decided in extra innings but that is merely serving to give us even more line value here. This one should fly over the total regardless of the starting pitchers. The Rockies bullpen has struggled on the road this season. The Giants bullpen has struggled at home this season. I will mention that Colorado is expected to start Austin Gomber here and he is 0-3 with a 12.83 ERA last 3 starts. Also, in his career against the Giants, Gomber is 0-4 with a 10.91 ERA. San Francisco is expected to start Logan Webb in this one. He gave up 4 earned runs in less than 5 innings in most recent start. Also, prior to that outing he allowed 3 homers in the preceding start. The over is 14-8 in Rockies day games this season and 16-9 in Giants home games this season. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER 8 in San Francisco

*action on pitchers* MLB Thursday 9* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Cincinnati Reds vs Arizona Diamondbacks @ 12:35 ET - The Reds got shutout yesterday but were on a 7-5 run prior to that and scored an average of 6.8 runs per game during this stretch. The Diamondbacks got the 7-0 win yesterday and have now scored 6 or more runs in 5 of last 9 games. The above is the reason I like the over no matter who pitches here and that is particularly true because Arizona's bullpen has struggled on the road and the Reds bullpen has struggled at home. As for the expected starting pitchers here, note that the over is 10-2 in the dozen starts made my Cincinnati's Tyler Mahle. Also, the Diamondbacks Zach Davies is off a strong start but that came against the low-scoring Pirates and he had a 7.00 ERA over two starts heading into that one versus Pittsburgh. 10* OVER 9.5 in Cincinnati

*action on pitchers* MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 8 in Pittsburgh Pirates vs Detroit Tigers @ 12:35 ET - Regardless of pitchers I like the over here on a warm afternoon in Pittsburgh with a light southerly breeze expected. Yesterday's game went over the total and I look for today's to do the same. The Pirates are expected to start Mitch Keller and he has struggled badly with a 6.21 ERA on the season and only 1 of his 4 home starts have resulted in an under this season. Keller allowed 10 hits in just 5 innings when he most recently faced Detroit in September. The Tigers are expected to start Alex Faedo and he does have good numbers this season. However, coming into this year most of all his experience was at the AA level of the minors or lower. That said, I feel he might struggle in this spot as this is the first time a team is hosting him in his 2nd appearance against them. He gave up 8 hits in 5 innings versus the Pirates earlier this season and that was at Detroit. Now they get a second look at him and it is in Pittsburgh too! Regardless of pitchers, again my play is action, look for the sticks to get it done here. The Pirates have won 7 of 11 and scored an average of 4.7 runs per game during this stretch. The Tigers struggled recently against the Yankees but in their 7 games since late May against teams not named the Yankees they have gone 6-1 and averaged scoring 4 runs per game. This is just one of those games I would not be surprised to see each team get to at least 4 runs and that means we get to at least a 5-4 ball game! 10* OVER 8 in Pittsburgh

*action on pitchers* MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 8 in Cleveland Guardians vs Texas Rangers @ 3:10 ET (Game 1 of 2) - This play is on game one of the double header and is regardless of who the pitchers are. Yesterday's game was rained out and the hope is that the rain has moved out of the area by the time this one is scheduled to go. There have only been 2 unders in 6 road starts for Jon Gray this season. He has a 5.40 ERA away from home. Cal Quantrill has some solid numbers this season but now is facing a Rangers team that has won 4 of last 5 road games and scored an average of 7 runs per game during that hot streak away from home. The Guardians have won 6 of 8 games and have scored an average of 6 runs per victory and certainly will have plenty of confidence here against Texas. This total simply too low given all of the above. 10* OVER 8 in Cleveland (Game 1 of 2)

*action on pitchers* MLB Monday 10* Top Play OVER 9 or 9.5 in Kansas City Royals vs Toronto Blue Jays @ 8:10 ET - The Blue Jays and Royals are each off high-scoring defeats yesterday. This continued recent trending for these teams as the over is on an 11-1 run in Toronto's games including 8 in a row! I am happy to test that 8-0 run right here. Also, the Royals are on a 3-13 run in large part due to poor pitching and their bullpen continues to struggle. That is why regardless of who pitches here I like the over as Kansas City is on a 12-4 run to the over. So both teams trending over and both teams battling hard here after high-scoring losses yesterday. Keep in mind the Jays had won 9 of 10 and scored an average of 7.1 runs per game in the 10-game stretch prior to yesterday's loss. Toronto sends Stripling to the mound and he has struggled in his two road starts this season. The Royals send Lynch to the mound and he is winless with an 8.31 ERA in his last 3 starts. Look for he and the KC bullpen to struggle and the over in Toronto games improves to 9-0 / 100% perfect last 9 games. 10* OVER 9 or 9.5 in Kansas City

*action on pitchers* MLB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in New York Yankees vs Detroit Tigers @ 11:35 AM ET - This is a contrarian play because the Tigers have been scoring so poorly this season and are off B2B shutout losses to the Yankees and managed just 1 hit in yesterday's loss! Regardless of the pitching match-up here I like the over as I have a gut feeling Detroit gets their sticks going in this day game situation at hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium. Also I am fully expecting the streaking Yankees to stay hot but now I will also mention the starting pitchers that are expected for this one. Note that Jordan Montgomery is off to a great start this season but it is not even the mid-way point of this season yet. Last year he went 0-4 with a 5.25 ERA in his dozen day game starts! As for Rony Garcia, he has an 8.00 ERA in his two starts thus far and will be facing a Yankees team that has won 9 of 11 games and scored an average of 5.8 runs per game in those 9 victories. The Tigers are 3-1 the last 4 times they have been on the road entering a game on a losing streak of at least 2 games. Detroit scored an average of 4.7 runs per game in those 3 victories. More of the same expected here but the Yankees stay hot. The result? Plenty of runs. 10* OVER 8.5 in New York Yankees

*action on pitchers* MLB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Toronto Blue Jays vs Minnesota Twins @ 7:07 ET - The Twins are expected to start Chi Chi Gonzalez. He is being called up from the minors for this start. Gonzalez is an MLB veteran whom has a 5.64 ERA at the MLB level. I think he will struggle here against a Blue Jays lineup that has been tearing it up as Toronto has won 8 straight games and scored an average of 7 runs per game in the 8 victories. The Twins had been on an 11-2 run to the over before 3 straight losses. Minnesota scored an average of 6 runs per game during that 13-game stretch and I expect them to get back on track here. The Twins should enjoy success against Kikuchi as the Jays southpaw allowed 9 hits in just 5 innings in most recent start. The over is on an 8-1 run in last 9 Blue Jays games and no matter who the pitchers are in this one it looks like it should be a solid over. The Twins bats bounce back and the hosts sticks stay red hot. 10* OVER 9.5 in Toronto

MLB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Cincinnati Reds vs Washington Nationals @ 6:40 ET - The Reds starting Ashcraft. I know he has some decent numbers but he is not getting many strikeouts. That said, balls put into play in Cincinnati can certainly be dangerous! In fact, that is a big reason the over is 15-6 in Reds home games this season. By the way the over is 15-7 in Nationals road games this season. Washington will be starting Adon here and he is 1-8 with a 6.08 ERA on the season. Cincinnati is averaging scoring 6 runs per game when at home this season. Nationals averaging scoring 5 runs per game when on the road this season. Both teams off low-scoring losses yesterday but this is now the perfect situation for the bats to come right back to life. The Nats off B2B shutout losses but this was after scoring an average of 6.6 runs per game the 5 prior games. The Reds scored an average of 6.3 runs per game on their last homestand - 7 games. 10* OVER 9.5 in Cincinnati

*action on pitchers* MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Baltimore Orioles vs Seattle Mariners @ 7:05 ET - We get line value here because the Mariners have Ray on the mound for this one. The Seattle southpaw has been piling up strikeouts but the carries a certain reputation with the betting markets due to long-term success through the years but he has a 6.00 ERA in his last 3 starts and has a 5.64 ERA on the road this season. As for Baltimore starter Bradish, it does not get much worse than his current run of form. Bradish has a 7.31 ERA in his 6 starts this season plus he has an 11.92 ERA in his last 3 starts overall. The Mariners are off a 10-0 win and have scored at least 5 runs in 5 of last 7 games. The over is on a 4-1 run last 5 Orioles games and they scored 10 runs in the game before yesterday's 10-0 loss. Baltimore averaged 5.7 runs per game last dozen games before the shutout loss yesterday. The O's get their sticks going in this one but can't stop the Mariners either as Seattle's surge continues against Bradish or anyone else that the Orioles have on the mound in this one. 10* OVER 8.5 in Baltimore

*action on pitchers* MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in New York Yankees vs Los Angeles Angels @ 7:05 ET - Yankees have trended under recently but they still have a hitter-friendly home park for sure. The runs will start coming again and we have a low total to work with here. Keep in mind, the Angels Syndergaard has a 5.93 ERA in his 3 road starts this season. Overall, his last 3 outings have featured 2 overs and a push. The over is also 2-0 in the last 2 starts for the Yankees Montgomery. The southpaw has his hands full here with a solid Angels lineup. The issue for Los Angeles will be a pitching staff that has allowed an average of 7 runs per game during their 5-game losing streak. That said, regardless of the pitchers here, look for both teams to score well in this one as the under has cashed in only 7 times in Angels 21 road games this season. 10* OVER 8.5 in New York Yankees

*action on pitchers* MLB Monday 10* Top Play OVER 9 in Cleveland Guardians vs Kansas City Royals @ 6:10 ET - The Royals got hammered 7-3 yesterday and that over brings the O/U run to 9-1 last 10 Kansas City games. The Guardians are off a 2-1 loss yesterday and have been trending toward unders. However, I like the over a ton here regardless of the starting pitchers as Cleveland bounces back at home and takes advantage of facing a Royals pitching staff that has allowed 6 or more runs in 8 of last 10 games. Kansas City also should hit well here no matter who is on the mound but I will mention that the expected starters here are Plesac and Heasley. Note that Cleveland's Plesac has a 6.88 ERA last 3 starts and all 3 of those outings resulted in overs. The O/U is 6-2 in Plesac starts this season. Heasley has 13 walks compared to 7 strikeouts in his 3 starts this season. He has a command issue to say the least. Again, regardless of pitchers, look for recent over trending in Royals games to continue here. 10* OVER 9 in Cleveland

*action on pitchers* MLB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 9 in Cincinnati Reds vs San Francisco Giants @ 11:35 AM ET - The Giants pounded out 12 hits yesterday but scored only 2 runs. Today they will make up for that. I like this play no matter who the pitchers are as the over is 14-6 in Reds games this season. However, I will mention the expected starting pitchers are Cobb and Mahle. That is noteworthy because the over is 6-1 in Cobb's starts and 8-2 in Mahle's starts this season. The fact Cobb has a 6.25 ERA on the season and Mahle has a 6.35 ERA in home starts this season only helps our cause here. Cincinnati has won 4 straight games and scored an average of 8 runs per game. The Giants are off B2B unders but this was after an 8-2 run to the over and I do like the fact they pounded out a dozen hits in yesterday's loss. 10* OVER 9 in Cincinnati

*action on pitchers* MLB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 7.5 in Oakland Athletics vs Texas Rangers @ 4:07 ET - The Rangers are hot right now and have won 8 of 12 and are scoring well in those victories. I understand the low O/U here based on the fact that Texas has trended under on the road this season and the A's have trended under overall this season. However, this total seems far too low given the way Texas has been swinging the bats of late. Also, the A's should score well again here at home just like they did yesterday. I like this play regardless of the pitchers but I will mention that the Rangers Taylor Hearn has been hammered in each of his last two starts. Also, the same holds true for the Athletics Zach Logue. That said, we have plenty of value here with this one and I will go to my highest level on this play. 10* OVER 7.5 in Oakland

*action on pitchers* MLB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Washington Nationals vs Colorado Rockies @ 7:05 ET - The Rockies and Nationals each have a struggling starting pitcher on the mound for this one. But, regardless of the starting pitchers, the Rockies off a 10-5 loss yesterday and they are likely to see bullpen lit up again today. As for the Nationals, they are off a 1-0 shutout win and that ended a stretch of 3 straight overs and I look for the high-scoring trending to immediately resume. The Nats were allowing an average of 6.5 runs per game last 11 games prior to the shutout win. Colorado allowing 5.8 runs per game last dozen games. Plenty of offense likely in this one no matter the starters but also note Marquez has a 6.14 ERA this season and Corbin has 6.59 ERA this season. Look for a wild one here. 10* OVER 8.5 in Washington

*action on pitchers* MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in New York Yankees vs Baltimore Orioles @ 7:05 ET - The Yankees and Orioles continue their high-scoring ways in this one. Baltimore has had just 2 unders last 9 games. The Orioles have scored at least 6 runs in 5 of last 6 games. The Yankees have won 11 of last 16 games and have scored an average of 5.5 runs per game last 7 games. JP Sears expected to make first ever MLB start for Yankees here and a struggling Tyler Wells likely to start for the Orioles here. Wells has a 7.62 ERA on the road this season and Baltimore is 0-4 in those starts. Considering that plus the fact that the Sears making first ever start and will feel pressure to perform well for the home fans in first ever start in the Bronx, this one sets up well for an over. Regardless of the starting pitchers, the over is the play here as both teams keep piling up the runs and only 1 of last 7 meetings between these teams has resulted in an under. 10* OVER 8.5 in New York Yankees

*action on pitchers* MLB 10* Top Play OVER 9 in Cincinnati Reds vs Chicago Cubs @ 6:40 ET - The Cubs have been better on the road than at home this season and the Reds have been better at home than on the road. This one set up well for plenty of runs no matter who is on the mound. The over is on a 3-0 run in Cubs games and they have scored an average of 5.7 runs per game during this win streak. The Reds are scoring an average of 5.6 runs per game as a host this season and the over is 11-3 in their 14 home games this season. Smyly the expected starter for Chicago and he is 0-3 with a 5.53 ERA in his last 3 starts and the damage could be even much worse as he has been hit hard. Gutierrez is 0-5 with an 8.65 ERA in his starts this season and the over is 3-0 in his last 3 starts as he has been particularly roughed up in these outings. 10* OVER 9 in Cincinnati

*action on pitchers* Game 1 of 2 in New York Yankees vs Chicago White Sox @ 3:05 ET - 10* Top Play OVER 9 runs - The Yankees been scoring so well at home. New York has won 10 of last 12 games overall and have averaged scoring 6.4 runs per game last 11 games. They have hot bats right now and this ball park is conducive to runs. Cueto and Taillon the expected starting pitchers but I really do not care who pitches. This is all about two solid batting lineups and an afternoon game in the Bronx and ideal conditions for an over here. The White Sox bats did get off to a slow start this season but they are starting to hit better and have averaged a respectable 4.3 runs per game last dozen games. 10* OVER 9 in New York Yankees (Game 1 Sunday)

*action on pitchers* MLB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Baltimore Orioles vs Tampa Bay Rays @ 7:05 ET - The Orioles Bradish has struggled at home and no matter who pitchers here I like the over on a warm evening in Baltimore. The Rays are expected to start Springs and throughout his career he has struggled more on the road than at home. Yesterday's 13-inning game used up some bullpen arms and was 2nd straight Orioles game to total 14 or more runs. Baltimore has allowed 5 runs per game last 10 games. The Rays have seen 5 of their last 7 road games total double digits in runs. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER 8.5 in Baltimore

*action on pitchers* MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 8 in Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates @ 7:40 ET - The Pirates have not settled on a pitcher but I really do not care who Pittsburgh chooses. The Pirates continue to give up big runs no matter who is on the mound. I am expecting the Cubs to start Drew Smyly but even if he does not go I do not care here. I am expecting the Bucs to bounce back at the plate after back to back shutouts. If Smyly does go (which is likely by the way), the Pirates should finally get going at the plate as the southpaw has a 5.79 ERA in his home starts and has struggled to a 4.80 ERA last 3 starts and he has been hit hard and has a 1-4 record on the season. The Cubs have won 6 of 8 games and have scored an average of 5.4 runs per game in those 8 games. The Pirates have scored better (4 runs per game) in games against left-handed starters but, again, even if Smyly does not go here I do like this play. Pittsburgh, prior to Tuesday's shutout, had scored an average of 4.7 runs per game this season when entering a game off B2B games in which they were held to 2 or less runs. In other words, the Pirates are due and recent history suggests their bats come to life here. At the same time, Pittsburgh's mound struggles continue. 10* OVER 8 in Chicago Cubs

*action on pitchers* MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 8 in Baltimore Orioles vs New York Yankees @ 7:05 ET - As mentioned in yesterday's analysis, Baltimore entered this series off a 3-game sweep at the hands of the Tigers but, keep in mind, that was on the road! The fact is the Orioles are known for playing better at home and they entered this series having won 4 of last 5 games as a host and scored an average of 5.6 runs per game in those 5 games. The Yankees enter this one with plenty of confidence too as they have won 7 of 8 games. Also, in their last 6 wins, New York has scored an incredible average of 8 runs per game. That said, I am expecting them to give plenty of run support to Taillon here and he will need it! The right-hander is facing the Orioles for the 3rd time already this season and they hit him harder in the 2nd one than the first and so you know what is likely coming here in the 3rd one especially with the Orioles being at home. As for Watkins, he has been getting hit hard and the Yankees are likely to pound the Baltimore right-hander. Regardless of the starting pitchers here, and even though we have two pretty solid bullpens working in this one, I love the over. Just thinking the confidence of each lineup based on recent play (at least when Orioles at home they had been scoring well) is going to key a lot of success for each club in this one. 10* OVER 8 in Baltimore

*action on pitchers* MLB Monday 10* Top Play OVER 8 in Baltimore Orioles vs New York Yankees @ 7:05 ET - This is a contrarian play because Bradish is off a fantastic start for the Orioles and fanned 11. Also because Baltimore is off a 3-game sweep at the hands of the Tigers but, keep in mind, that was on the road! The fact is the Orioles are known for playing better at home and they have won 4 of last 5 games there and scored an average of 5.6 runs per game in those 5 games. The Yankees enter this one with plenty of confidence too as they have won 6 of 7 games. Also, in their last 5 wins, New York has scored an incredible average of 8.2 runs per game. That said, I am expecting them to give plenty of run support to Severino here and he will need it! Severino has been a bit "off" this season and has a 5.74 ERA in his last 3 starts and has been hit particularly hard in his last 2 starts. Regardless of the starting pitchers here, and even though we have two pretty solid bullpens working in this one, I love the over. Just thinking the confidence of each lineup is going to key a lot of success for each club in this one. 10* OVER 8 in Baltimore

*action on pitchers* MLB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cincinnati Reds @ 1:35 ET - The Pirates won 3-1 yesterday but this followed a stretch in which the Reds had scored 4 or more runs in 10 straight games. Cincinnati had been heavily trending to the over and I am not going to let one game stand in way of that. The Reds should bounce back here. I know Quintana has been throwing well for the Pirates but there will be a regression to the mean for this guy. As for Greene, he has struggled badly for Cincinnati and the over is 3-0 in his last 3 starts. He has a 7.62 ERA on the season and a 10.22 ERA in his last 3 starts. Neither bullpen is very good and no matter who starts here I am expecting plenty of runs in this one. 10* OVER 8.5 in Pittsburgh

*action on pitchers* MLB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 8 in Tampa Bay Rays vs Toronto Blue Jays @ 6:10 ET - Both pitchers in this match-up have struggled in limited action so far this season. Regardless of the starting pitchers here, like the over tremendously here! The Rays over is 9-3-1 the last 13 games. The Blue Jays are 6-1 to the over last 7 games. Tampa Bay has won 8 of 11 games and scored 6 runs per game in those 8 victories. Toronto has scored an average of 4 runs per game last 7 games. With this total only at 8 runs, I feel we have excellent line value here and expect the recent over trending for each of these clubs to continue. 10* OVER 8 in Tampa Bay

*action on pitchers* MLB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 7.5 in Chicago White Sox vs New York Yankees @ 8:10 ET - Both teams have been heating up and I like the extra confidence at the plate regardless of the pitching match-up. The Yankees have won 15 of last 17 games and scored an average of nearly 7 runs per victory! The White Sox had a postponement yesterday but that will not slow them down here as they have won 8 of 10 games and are finally starting to score better too after a very slow start to the season. Chicago now averaging 4.2 runs scored last 10 games. As for the pitching match-up (again, my play is action here) Cease has been throwing very well for the White Sox but note he faced the Yankees in two starts last season and had a 7.72 ERA. Also, Luis Gil would be making first start of this season and struggled as a starter late last season. Plenty of runs expected here as both teams have a lot of confidence right now. 10* OVER 7.5 in Chicago White Sox

*action on pitchers* MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 8 in St Louis Cardinals vs Baltimore Orioles @ 7:45 ET - The Cardinals should pound Watkins as he has been hit quite hard in his past two starts and those were at home plus he allowed 2 homers in just 5 innings in most recent road start. As for the Cardinals Mikolas, I know he has been strong again this season but the Orioles have been heating up at the plate and that is why they have been winning some games of late. Baltimore has won 5 of 6 games and scored an average of 5.5 runs per game during this stretch. The Cards, before yesterday's home loss, had won 4 of last 6 home games and scored at least 7 runs in 3 of the 4 wins. Overall, before back to back losses in which they scored just 3 runs in each game, the Cardinals had a 4-game stretch in which they averaged 7 runs per game. This is why, regardless of the pitching match-up here...no matter who starts, I am expecting double digits in runs in this one. 10* OVER 8 in St Louis

*action on pitchers* MLB AL East Total of the Month Tuesday 10* OVER 7.5 +105 in New York Yankees vs Toronto Blue Jays @ 7:05 ET - Yankees getting their 3rd shot at Kikuchi already this season. Blue Jays seeing Severino for 2nd time this season. Regardless of the starting pitchers here the Yankees have endured a tough 2-2 stretch and will be ready to bounce back here and New York had average scoring 7 runs per game in the 11-game winning streak before this 2-2 stretch. The Blues Jays have averaged 4.5 runs per game last 4 games so you can see, given all of the above, this total seems a bit low. We'll take advantage here. 10* OVER 7.5 +105 in New York Yankees

*action on pitchers* MLB Central Div Total of the Month Monday 10* Top Play OVER 7.5 in Chicago White Sox vs Cleveland Guardians @ 8:10 ET - The over is 3-0 in last starts by Plesac for the Guardians this season. Cleveland enters this game off an under but this followed 6 straight overs. Chicago has been trending under but they are on a 7-1 winning run in which they have scored an average of about 4 runs per game. Look for a breakout game for the White Sox lineup here as Plesac has allowed 10 earned runs in less than 9 innings of work spanning his last two starts. Chicago's Kopech did have more walks than strikeouts in his last home start. With the over trending of the Guardians coupled with the winning run the White Sox are on, all signs point to an over here regardless of the pitchers. 10* OVER 7.5 in Chicago White Sox

*action on pitchers* MLB Total Dominator Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 7 in Minnesota Twins vs Oakland A's @ 2:10 ET - I know scoring is down so far this season but this total is simply far too low in this one. Oakland's Daulton Jefferies is 0-3 last three starts and has allowed 11 earned runs in 9 innings in his last two starts. Jefferies gave up 11 hits in 5 innings in his most recent start. I know Chris Paddack has great numbers on the season so far for the Twins but he allowed 16 hits in less than 11 innings in his two career starts versus Oakland and both those games went over the total. More of the same expected here as these teams both enjoy some success at the plate and that helps this one get over the very low number set for this match-up. Regardless of the pitching match-up, I expect the bats to finally come back to life in a Sunday afternoon game. 10* OVER 7 in Minnesota

MLB Total of the Week Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 8 in Boston Red Sox vs Chicago White Sox @ 4:10 ET - Yesterday's game saw the teams combine to go for 2 for 16 with runners in scoring position. Was a tough game for over players. I will come right back with the over in today's match-up. I know it will be chilly and the wind blowing in at Fenway Park but I love the over here. Boston's Pivetta has struggled bad this season and particularly struggles in his home starts and the White Sox will get to him early and often. I know Cease has great numbers for Chicago this season but he got hammered by the Red Sox in his two starts against them last season. More of the same here as Boston gets their bats going finally. Cease has struggled more on the road than at home. We'll see runs aplenty after the teams hit into 4 double plays yesterday plus left 17 men on base. The game yesterday saw so many wasted opportunities and I expect today to make up for that. 10* OVER 8 in Boston

*action on pitchers* MLB 10* Top Play OVER 8 in Houston Astros vs Detroit Tigers @ 8:10 ET - The Astros have won 9 of 12 games and scored an average of 5.3 runs per game in the 9 wins. The Tigers are known as a bad team that does not score a lot of runs but they could get to Garcia early in this one. Garcia has a 6.17 ERA in home starts this season. Both Garcia and the Tigers Brieske have proven homer-prone this season. Brieske has allowed 3 homers in 10 innings as a starter. Garcia has allowed a pair of homers in each of his last two starts. Regardless of the pitchers here I have a strong feeling the Astros will stay hot and take advantage of a bad Tigers team in this one. Time for the bats to turn things up a notch in this one and I do like the homer angle here too. After yesterday's 3-2 battle yesterday a lot more runs in this one. 10* OVER 8 in Houston

*action on pitchers* MLB Contrarian Dominator Wednesday MLB 10* Top Play OVER 7.5 -115 in Houston Astros vs Seattle Mariners @ 2:10 ET - Mariners off B2B shutout losses and now face Justin Verlander. However, watch Seattle surprise some people here. Verlander did give up 2 homers in his only home start this season and now the Mariners getting a 2nd look at him after facing him in Seattle in mid-April. Look for this to benefit the M's lineup here but the issue for Seattle is they are starting Matt Brash. He is winless with a 9.82 ERA in his road starts this season and the over is 3-0 in his last 3 starts and that included a start against the Astros in which he was fortunate he did not give up more runs as he walked 6 in about 5 innings. No matter who starts here I am anticipating the Mariners bats get back on track and the Astros bats will stay hot. Houston has won 7 of 10 games and averaging 5.4 runs scored per victory. 10* OVER 7.5 in Houston

*action on pitchers* MLB Daytime Dominator Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 7 in New York Mets vs Atlanta Braves (Game 1) @ 3:10 ET - I know that scoring has trended downward early this season but Morton is having a rough start to the season and the over is 3-1 in his outings. As for Carrasco, he is off a very rough start in his last outing plus got hammered by the Braves the last time he faced them and that was in October so was not too long ago. Regardless of the pitching match-up here I like the over as Atlanta is on a 6-3 run to the over and the Mets lineup is super solid but off a loss yesterday and ready to respond here. Prior to that, New York had won 7 of 10 games and scored at least 5 runs in 6 of those 10 games. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER 7 in New York Mets (Game 1)

*action on pitchers* MLB Divisional Dominator Monday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Toronto Blue Jays vs New York Yankees @ 7:07 ET - The Yankees have won 9 straight games and averaged scoring 7.4 runs per game. The Blue Jays are known for scoring better at home but are off some low-scoring games here. I look for the bats to come back to life here. I do not care who the pitchers are as the Yankees will stay hot at the plate and the Blue Jays will answer them run for run in this one. Toronto has trended under this season but they are scoring an average of 4.5 runs per game at home this season. The over is 6-2 in Yankees last 8 games. If it is Montgomery versus Stripling (again I am playing this regardless of pitchers) note that Montgomery has struggled in recent starts versus Jays and Stripling is winless with a 4.50 ERA in two career starts versus Yankees and the New York sticks are hot right now and the Jays bullpen has struggled a bit particularly at home. 10* OVER 8.5 in Toronto

*action on pitchers* MLB Daytime Dominator Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 10.5 in Colorado Rockies vs Cincinnati Reds @ 3:10 ET - I am coming right back with this play we had yesterday. When the Reds loaded the bases with no one out on 3 straight line drive hits in the top of the 5th but only scored 1 run out of all of that I knew we were in trouble. Sure enough the Rockies had one of those "Coors Field innings" in the bottom of the 6th and put up a 4 spot but it was too little too late. We'll get payback today as Sanmartin is 0-3 with an 11.75 ERA this season and Freeland is also 0-3 this season plus has a 7.71 ERA in his home starts. Even if those guys weren't the starters here I will again mention bad bullpens and the fact Rockies tend to score very well at home and Reds had been scoring better prior to yesterday's debacle. This one will be the slugfest that just never developed yesterday. These two hurlers a combined 0-6 on the season. Regardless of starting pitchers, runs runs runs the story in this one. 10* OVER 10.5 in Colorado

*action on pitchers* MLB Total of the Month Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 11 in Colorado Rockies vs Cincinnati Reds @ 8:10 ET - The Rockies bats are different at home. After struggling to score runs on their road trip they are back on track at home. 10-4 win yesterday for Colorado. Though Cincinnati is still having the same problem - losing - that they have had all season long, at least they are scoring some runs. Yesterday's loss was the 5th straight game in which the Reds have scored at least 4 runs and they have averaged 5 runs per game during this stretch. The Rockies are averaging nearly 6 runs per game at home this season and the weather will be nice for this one. I like this play regardless of the starting pitchers as both teams have bullpens that have struggled this season. But, in terms of the expected starting pitchers, Connor Overton is making his first start of the new season and he allowed 8 earned runs in less than 4 innings in his last two starts of last season to finish the season in ugly fashion. He only has limited MLB career action including just 3 starts and 2 of those were disasters. As for Rockies starter Chad Kuhl, he is off to strong start this season but he got roughed up in spring training and is coming off a rough season with Pirates last year. He is making just his 2nd home start of the season and Coors Field can be tough on pitchers. I feel strongly that the money line is priced rather low on Rockies here for a reason. They are -140 at home and hosting a 3-17 team. Something funny with that and tells me that Rockies pitchers are expected to get hit hard in this game. Maybe they win a slugfest but the money line price is funny to me and I feel confident of a slugfest being the ultimate result here no matter which team comes out on top. 10* OVER 11 in Colorado

*action on the pitchers* MLB Daytime Dominator Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 7 in Toronto Blue Jays vs Boston Red Sox @ 3:07 ET - I fully understand the line move but it has gone from an 8 to a 7 and in typical contrarian fashion here I am on the over. The Red Sox got their sticks going with 13 hits yesterday. The Blue Jays typically hit well at home but struggled yesterday and I fully expect them to bounce back here. Toronto is averaging 5 runs per game at home this season. I also am aware of Xander Bogaerts likely being out of the lineup today. Again, this is a contrarian play all the way. I have seen so many times this type of scenario play out and I like the fact the road team scored so well yesterday and brings confidence to the ball park this afternoon and the fact that we have one of the better home hitting teams in the majors ready to bounce back here. No matter who the pitchers are here I like the over but I will mention that Whitlock was fantastic out of the bullpen last season and to start this year but this is still a guy who has only one MLB start under his belt. Also, Manoah is a great starter but his hits allowed have gone from 1 to 4 to 7 in last 3 starts. Again, banking on the bats here to get us over this low total regardless of the pitchers. 10* OVER 7 in Toronto

*action on pitchers* MLB Early Dominator Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Chicago White Sox vs Kansas City Royals @ 7:10 ET - Over is 5-2 in last 7 White Sox games and Royals now off B2B overs. Lynch has a horrible history against Chicago including 16.19 ERA in 3 starts last season. Keuchel has struggled in 2 of his last 3 starts versus Kansas City. Chilly weather in Chicago tonight but expected breezes out of northwest could actually help our over as well. Either way, no matter the pitchers here (play it with action), we should see plenty of runs as White Sox starters and relievers have combined to give up 6 or more runs in 5 of last 7 games. Both lineups should get going here as Royals have hit well here in past and ChiSox happy to be back home for sure. 10* OVER 8.5 in Chicago White Sox

*action on pitchers* MLB Daytime Dominator Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 7 in Oakland A's vs Baltimore Orioles @ 3:37 ET - This is a contrarian play all the way as the O/U in Orioles games is 0-11-1 so far this season. However, Blackburn struggled last season with Oakland and with the AAA club in Vegas. He was hit hard in both places and I am just not sold on him yet. Yes, he has a low ERA so far this season but it is still early and I expect him to struggle in his first home start of the season. The Orioles send Wells to the mound and he got rocked in his only road start his season. That said, Oakland was averaging 5 runs scored per game before yesterday's shutout loss and I expect a bounce back at the plate here. No matter who pitches here, this is a play for me, I love taking overs off a 1-0 game and that was the final score in yesterday's Baltimore win. The bats will wake up this afternoon and this one flies over the low total in my opinion. Finally, an over in an Orioles game. It happens this afternoon. 10* OVER 7 in Oakland

*action on pitchers* MLB Early Dominator Tuesday MLB 10* Top Play OVER 7.5 in Miami Marlins vs St Louis Cardinals @ 6:40 ET - Regardless of the starting pitchers in this match-up, I do like the over. The over is 6-2 in Cardinals games so far this season. Also, the Marlins have won 3 of 4 games and confidence is building as they have scored an average of 6 runs per game in these 4 games. The scheduled pitchers are Wainwright and Luzardo. The Cardinals veteran right-hander Wainwright has a history of pitching brilliantly at home and struggling on the road and that has continued this season. The Marlins lefty just struck out a dozen in only 5 innings in his first start this season. Watch him come back down to earth here. St Louis is scoring an average of 5.4 runs per game this season and even though each of these teams have good bullpen numbers too, this total is just too low and I love the fact we were seeing lines as high as 8.5 runs before now seeing this drop a full run from the earliest openers. 10* OVER 7.5 in Miami

*action on pitchers* MLB Divisional Rout Monday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Milwaukee Brewers vs Pittsburgh Pirates @ 7:40 ET - Brewers expected to start Lauer and he allowed 3 earned runs in 4 and 1/3 innings in his first start this season. Pirates expected to start Thompson here and he took a comebacker off his throwing shoulder in most recent start. Also, he allowed 5 hits in 4 innings in that outing. Regardless of the starting pitchers here, note that the Pirates bullpen has a 5.14 ERA on the road this season and the Brewers, known for pitching, actually have a rather unimpressive bullpen ERA of 3.93 at home so far this season. Now, about the bats in this one, the Pirates have actually won back to back games and 5 of their last 7 games. Pittsburgh has averaged 7 runs per game in those 5 victories! The Brewers are off a much-needed win and have now won 5 of 8 games and scored an average of 5 runs per game in those 5 victories. I know this is a bit of a contrarian play as neither lineup is crushing the ball early this season but I look for each club to build off their respective wins yesterday and the lineups will enjoy success in a game in which I expect the roof will be closed there and teams playing in a controlled environment as it is actually snowing in Milwaukee this morning. 10* OVER 8.5 in Milwaukee

*action on pitchers* MLB Early Dominator Friday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Toronto Blue Jays vs Oakland A's @ 7:07 ET - Look for the Blue Jays to bounce back at home here after a shutout loss in the Bronx yesterday to wrap up their series with the Yankees. Toronto has looked like a different team when at home early this season with the way they are swinging the bats at Rogers Centre. That said, I look for a ton of runs in this one because Oakland also has been a surprise at the plate early this season. The A's confidence at the plate is up right now as a result and I expect them to pound the ball here. Like both of these lineups no matter who the pitchers are they are facing but I will mention the expected starters are Jefferies and Stripling. The Athletics Jefferies has made only 3 MLB starts and is not a strikeout guy so the Jays will be putting the ball in play here! The Blue Jays Stripling has struggled each of the last two seasons and this would be his first start this season but already he has 3 walks and no strikeouts in his 2 appearances out of the pen this season. No matter the pitchers they are facing a confident A's lineup and a Jays lineup already impressing at home early this season and hungry to bounce back off a road shutout loss. 10* OVER 9.5 in Toronto

*action on pitchers* MLB Divisional Dominator Friday 9* Top Play OVER 9 in Baltimore Orioles vs New York Yankees @ 7:05 ET - As always the starting pitchers are not the only key. I will mention however that Montgomery is the slated starter for the Yankees and he struggled a bit in his first start this season plus took a comebacker off the left leg which, as a southpaw, is the leg he pushes off with. He did get hit quite hard in his outings at Baltimore last season. The Orioles are expected to start Lyles here and he had a tough first outing and this is nothing new as he has not impressed in recent years with an 11-20 combined mark since start of 2020 and a very high ERA. Yankees can take advantage of facing an Orioles pitching staff that is overall not that strong but took advantage of facing a slumping Rays lineup and a sub-par Brewers lineup to open up the season with some success. Look for the potent Yankees lineup to do some damage here. The Orioles faced some tough pitching to open the season but they now take advantage of a team and pitching staff they are more familiar with as this series gets underway Friday and the weather will be good here for this one too. 9* OVER 9 in Baltimore 

*action on pitchers* MLB Network Dominator Thursday 10* OVER 8.5 in New York Yankees vs Toronto Blue Jays @ 7:05 ET - Many books, including the BIG ones here in Vegas where I live will NOT even let you list pitchers on a game. My preference is that for sure. In other words, try to always place your wagers at books that are all action whether money line, run line, or total. My write-ups often include information about the scheduled pitchers but, the fact is my plays are based on much more than just the starting pitchers. In this case, the Jays are expected to start Kevin Gausman and the Yankees are expected to start Luis Severino. Both these guys are quality starters but both guys combined stats from there first starts make for an unimpressive stat line as they combined for 5 earned runs allowed on 13 hits in 8 innings. I know some rain and cooler air moving into the Bronx tonight and could even delay the start of this contest. However, I still expect plenty of pop from the bats in this one after they combined for a lot of extra base hits and 10 runs in yesterday's game. If we get each team to 4 runs in this one it guarantees us at least a 5-4 final and each of these teams has scored at least 4 runs in 4 of their 6 games. You can see why I like the odds for this one to get over the low total of 8.5 runs. Lets keep the rain away and look for another huge game from Vladimir Guerrero as he proved the finger injury yesterday was no big deal with a huge performance at the plate. Getting his stick going a great sign for Toronto and the Yankees should get to at least 4 runs for a 3rd straight game! 10* OVER 8.5 in New York Yankees

*action on pitchers* MLB Total of the Week Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Los Angeles Angels vs Houston Astros @ 4:07 ET - Many books, including the BIG ones here in Vegas where I live will NOT even let you list pitchers on a game. My preference is that for sure. In other words, try to always place your wagers at books that are all action whether money line, run line, or total. I will talk about the scheduled pitchers but, the fact is my plays are based on much more than just the pitchers. Two low-scoring grinders in this series including Saturday's pitchers duel but in between was a wild 13-6 Astros win. Scoring is down early this season as is so often the case as it takes awhile for the bats to wake up and weather can be bad in some MLB cities. However, weather will be just fine in Anaheim and this total was set as high as a 10 in some books with good reason. Urquidy scheduled to start for Astros here and he got roughed up in his last September start in Anaheim and this Angels team certainly has a potent lineup. LA starts Suarez here and his team is 1-4 in his career starts against the Astros which comes as no surprise given his 5.95 ERA and 1.83 WHIP in starts against Houston in his career. 4th straight game for these teams against each other to open the season so they are familiar with the relievers too and the bats are going to be the story this afternoon like they were on Friday. 10* OVER 9.5 in LA Angels 

Total Annihilation - 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 runs in Houston Astros vs Atlanta Braves @ 8:09 ET - The Astros are off a 9-5 win Sunday and Houston's games have trended over throughout this post-season. With Luis Garcia struggling in 3 of his 4 playoff outings and Max Fried coming in off back to back sub-par post-season outings (plus being hit quite hard in the one that preceded those two), I am looking for the bats to be the story in this one on Tuesday. 10* OVER 8.5 in Houston

P/O Total of the Year - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #955 Friday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 runs in Atlanta Braves vs Houston Astros @ 8:09 ET - I know it will be chilly with some showers around for this one Friday evening in Atlanta but I still the bats are going to rule the night in this match-up. Luis Garcia is off a strong start for the Astros but had been struggling. Ian Anderson has pitched well but now the young pitcher is making his World Series debut and he faces a red hot Astros lineup that continues to pile up runs. Houston has been on a big run to the over throughout this post-season no matter who the pitchers have been on the mound and I look for that trend to continue here. Regardless of the pitching match-up here I am betting the over in game 3 here as the Astros have scored an average of 6.3 runs per game in last dozen games and I don't see Atlanta's bats being held quiet at home in this one either. The Braves had scored an average of 5 runs per game in the 8 games preceding the 7-2 loss Wednesday. Bounce back time here but Houston scores plenty also. 10* OVER 8.5 in Atlanta

Total Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #953 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 runs in Houston Astros vs Atlanta Braves @ 8:09 ET - The Braves Max Fried has great numbers on the year but has been quite hittable in his last two appearances. Jose Urquidy has hardly pitched in this post-season for the Astros and his lone appearance was an ugly one against the Red Sox. Yesterday's game totaled 20 hits but stayed just under the total despite the game having 6 runs in very early. I feel this is helping give us some line value with this total in Game 2 of the series. Keep in mind, both teams are now off back to back unders but this was preceded by hot over streaks for each of these teams! Look for the over trending to resume in a big way here in Game 2 of this series on Wednesday night. 10* OVER 8.5 in Houston

Total of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 9 in Houston Astros vs Boston Red Sox @ 8:08 ET - 8 straight Red Sox games have totaled 9 or more runs. Eovaldi was not overly dominant in his start against the Astros in this series and then he struggled out of the bullpen against them. Garcia has struggled badly for Houston this post-season. Given that factor plus the fact that Boston's last 8 games have averaged 12.5 runs and Houston's last 8 games have averaged 12.6 runs per game, I look for another slugfest here. 10* OVER 9 in Houston 

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 runs in Boston Red Sox vs Houston Astros @ 5:08 ET - I know yesterday's game had no business going over the total. Boston was up 2-1 after 1 inning and it stayed that way until Houston tied it at 2 in the top of the 8th and then exploded for 7 runs in the top of the 9th. However, deserved or not, it did go over the total and continued the incredible high-scoring trending for both of these teams. Now, after plenty of bullpen arms have been used and exposed in this series too, I am looking for another high-scoring game Wednesday. I really do not care who the starting pitchers are as I expect the Astros bats to build off yesterday's huge rallying win and I expect the Red Sox bats to bounce back at home after a disappointing effort yesterday. The scheduled starters are Framber Valdez and Chris Sale and both southpaws are having a rough time thus far in this post-season. More of the same expected in Wednesday's Game 5 as well as both lineups pound whoever is on the mound in this one and the high-scoring trending continues. 10* OVER 9.5 in Boston

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Monday 10* Top Play OVER 9 runs in Boston Red Sox vs Houston Astros @ 8:08 ET - The Red Sox and Astros both continue to score runs like crazy. The over trending likely to continue even though it will be a chilly evening at Fenway Park for this one. Boston averaging 7.8 runs per game last 5 games. Houston averaging 6.8 runs per game last 6 games. Expected pitching match-up here is Jose Urquidy versus Eduardo Rodriguez but I am not concerned with who the pitchers are. Both lineups red hot and the runs keep piling up. Going to continue to ride the over trend as long as it keeps going for these teams. I do not see that changing here. 10* OVER 9 in Boston

ACTION on pitchers. Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #903 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 runs in Houston Astros vs Boston Red Sox @ 4:20 ET - Same thing as yesterday and though it took a 9th inning run to push that one over the total it should not have come down to that as both teams reached double digits in hits. As shown in yesterday's write-up: "Would recommend playing this at a sports book that gives you action on totals wagers. I just do not care who the starting pitchers are in this one. This match-up features two very hot lineups. Boston has scored 6.3 runs per game last 7 games. Houston has scored 7.7 runs per game last 7 games. The posted total on this game is 8 runs (8.5 today) and we are talking about American League baseball here so there are designated hitters too instead of the pitchers having to bat. It is simply a high value spot here no matter who the starting pitchers are..." but I will mention that it is expected to be Nathan Eovaldi for Boston and Luis Garcia for Houston. Eovaldi has been great but did get hit hard and rocked by Astros when he faced them this season. Garcia got hammered in his only post-season start thus far. More of the same here. 10* OVER 8.5 runs in Houston

ACTION on pitchers. Total of the Month - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #901 Friday 10* Top Play OVER 8 runs in Houston Astros vs Boston Red Sox @ 8:07 ET - Would recommend playing this at a sports book that gives you action on totals wagers. I just do not care who the starting pitchers are in this one. This match-up features two very hot lineups. Boston has scored 6.3 runs per game last 7 games. Houston has scored 7.7 runs per game last 7 games. The posted total on this game is 8 runs and we are talking about American League baseball here so there are designated hitters too instead of the pitchers having to bat. It is simply a high value spot here no matter who the starting pitchers are but I will mention that it is expected to be Chris Sale for Boston and Framber Valdez for Houston. Sale has been enduring a horrible stretch and Valdez has allowed 4 earned runs in each of his last two starts. 10* OVER 8 runs in Houston

Total Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #933 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Chicago White Sox vs Houston Astros @ 8:07 ET - The Astros have won 4 straight games and the over is 4-1 in their last 5 games as Houston has scored at least 6 runs in all five games. That said, we are working with a generously low number here. Dylan Cease starts for the White Sox and he has a 9.00 ERA this season in starts against the Astros. Luis Garcia starts for Houston and he has a 4.24 ERA in road starts this season plus got rocked in his final start of the regular season even though that was at home. The White Sox have lost 3 straight games now but this was preceded by a 6-game winning streak in which they scored at least 5 runs in all six games. Look for the White Sox to bounce back at home where they are scoring much better of late than how they played in first two games of this series at Houston. However, Cease will not be able to slow down this hot Astros offense. The result? High-scoring slug-fest in this one. 10* OVER 8.5 in Chicago White Sox

Total Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #925 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 7 runs in Milwaukee Brewers vs Atlanta Braves @ 5:07 ET - Yesterday both ALDS match-ups went over the total in their respective Game 2 spots after the Game 1 match-ups each stayed under the total. Do not be surprised if we see something similar with the NLDS match-ups today. However, the only one I am comfortable with playing on Saturday is the earlier match-up in Milwaukee. I know Max Fried has fantastic numbers to close out the season but look for the long layoff to lead to some rust here. That goes for Brandon Woodruff as well. Also, Woodruff allowed 7 hits in 4 innings in his final start of the regular season and allowed 8 hits in 5 and 1/3 innings in his only start against the Braves this season. Again, I know Fried had a very strong finish to the season but I like overs in spots like this as the home team has a pitcher likely to struggle a bit and yet their lineup, comfy at home, should do some damage. This line opened up at a 7.5 for a reason and the drop to a 7 has led to value in this spot. 10* OVER 7 in Milwaukee

Total of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #917 Friday 10* Top Play OVER 7.5 runs in Tampa Bay Rays vs Boston Red Sox @ 7:07 ET - The Rays scored 5 runs in yesterday's win. Though the Red Sox were shutout they did have 9 hits in the game. I am expecting Boston to bounce back at the plate today but also expect the Rays to fare well again too! This is regardless of the pitchers. I like playing overs from a "team standpoint" when a good hitting team like the Red Sox is coming off a loss. But lets talk about these pitchers as well. Chris Sale has faced the Rays twice recently and he is lucky the earned run damage was not worse as he did get hit hard. Overall he finished the season a bit "off" as he just was not on his game and had a 4.98 ERA his last 3 starts. As for Shane Baz, the rookie has impressed but this is still a new experience for him here as he pitches now in an MLB playoff setting. Baz has only been in the bigs for a few weeks now! I feel it catches up with him here in a huge playoff game against a tough Red Sox lineup coming off a shutout loss. At the same time though, he should get plenty of run support as Sale has allowed 16 hits in less than 10 innings spanning his two starts against the Rays this season and both were in the month of September too! That means Tampa Bay very familiar with his offerings. 10* OVER 7.5 runs in Tampa Bay