MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies -165 vs Los Angeles Angels @ 1:05 ET - The Phillies remain red hot and the Angels remain ice cold. Not only that the Phillies Sanchez is much better than his record shows as you also tell by his low ERA. That is what is keeping this line lower than you might otherwise expect. Yes it is still a bit of a pricey money line in the -165 range but consider that Detmers is 3-10 this season. Also, Los Angeles enters this game having lost 19 of 26 games while Phillies are going for the sweep and have won 15 of last 20 home games! The hosts are just so hot at the plate right now and also hold the bullpen edge in this match-up as well. 10* PHILADELPHIA -165

Tuesday MLB 10* OVER 12 in Colorado Rockies vs Atlanta Braves @ 8:40 ET - This total opened at 12.5 and came down to a 12. Yes, this is still a big number but yesterday's 14-4 game a likely sign of things to come in this series. The Braves are the strongest team in all of baseball with the #1 offense too. The Rockies do score decently at home and have averaged 7.4 runs scored in last 7 games at Coors Field. The problem is that this Rockies team can stop no one and has a weak bullpen also. Colorado has allowed an average of 8 runs per game in their last 9 home games. More of the same expected here. Lambert expected to start for the Rockies and, like most Colorado pitchers, his stats are much uglier at home than on the road. Also, facing the red hot Braves will be his toughest test yet. I also expect Atlanta starter Morton to struggle as his breaking stuff simply will not break as well in the thin air of Colorado as it does in normal ballpark locations. That said, look for plenty of runs from both clubs in this one. Atlanta has scored a crazy average of 6.4 runs per game since the All-Star break. Factoring that in with the Coors Field factor and this has the makings of another slugfest. 10* OVER 12 in Colorado

MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play Baltimore Orioles Run Line -1.5 -110 vs Chicago White Sox @ 7:05 ET - The Orioles Kremer is 12-5 this season while the White Sox Scholtens is 1-6. Also, the Orioles the much better team overall of course and rolled 9-0 yesterday and Scholtens has allowed 5 earned runs in each of his last two starts. Kremer is having a great season and is enjoying a fantastic August after also dominating in July. More of the same here plus a huge bullpen edge. Chicago is 22-51 against teams with a winning record this season. Baltimore has the best record in the AL plus is 19-7 against AL Central teams this year! The Orioles 15 of last 19 wins have come by at least a 2-run margin. The White Sox have seen 17 of last 20 losses by at least a 2-run margin. More of the same expected here. 10* BALTIMORE -1.5 -110

MLB Monday 10* Top Play San Diego Padres Run Line -1.5 -110 @ St Louis Cardinals @ 7:45 ET - For those of you that noticed, yes we just faded the downtrodden Cardinals 3 straight days with the much better team, the Phillies. Here we keep the same angle going as we take the Padres over the Cardinals. Note that St Louis is not just losing games, they are getting dominated. Yesterday the Phillies beat them 3-0 but it could have been much worse as Philadelphia outhit the Cards 11 to 2. The Cardinals have now lost 9 of 11 games and have scored just 12 runs in those 9 defeats - an average of 1.3 runs per loss. They are starting Wainwright whom, as you guys know, I have been fading frequently this season with either overs or playing against him. The fact is his career was already declining but when he finally lost long-time batterymate Molina to retirement that really marked the end for Wainwright as well. This season he is now 3-9 with an 8.61 ERA. Conversely, Blake Snell is pitching some of his best baseball of the year right now and, overall is having a huge season. Snell has a 2.73 ERA this season plus he has been simply unreal truly dating all the way back to late-May! Snell has allowed just 16 earned runs in his last 17 starts! That is insane! Making it even more amazing he has allowed just 57 hits in those 17 outings! So about 3 to 4 hits per start and just 1 earned run per start and plus the better team and hotter lineup of the Padres taking advantage of facing the Cardinals here. You don't have to twist my arm here! 10* SAN DIEGO -1.5 -110

MLB Monday 10* Top Play OVER 9 in Baltimore Orioles vs Chicago White Sox @ 7:05 ET - No matter the starting pitchers here, both clubs should score plenty of runs here. I love the fact that a strong Orioles team will be hungry to bounce back off a loss while an overall bad White Sox team is actually playing with confidence right now after back to back wins. In a quick look at the starters, Kopech continues to struggle with command and is getting in trouble by issuing far too many walks. As for Rodriguez, he is off a bit of a shaky outing and he actually has an ERA north of 6.00 in his home starts. He could struggle here as the White Sox have scored 6 runs back to back in victories and, overall, Chicago has averaged scoring 5 runs per game last 8 games. The Sox have a very bad bullpen however and it should be noted that, prior to rare B2B wins, Chicago had allowed an average of 9 runs per game in 8 prior games! As for the Orioles, they had won 7 of 8 before yesterday's loss and have scored an average of 7 runs per game in last 7 victories. They will bounce back at the plate here but the visitors will stay hot at the plate also and this one has all the makings of a game that gets into double digits for total runs. 10* OVER 9 in Baltimore

MLB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in San Francisco Giants vs Atlanta Braves @ 7:10 ET - The Giants are going with a bullpen game here. Their bullpen has been decent this season but not great of late. Also, the Braves and Giants have faced each other quite a bit recently and that means extra familiarity for the hitters with the bullpen arms they are facing. As for the Braves starter here, Shuster has struggled at the top level of the minors and his MLB numbers are even slightly worse than his AAA numbers. So, the point is, he is likely to get rocked again here and we will take advantage. The Braves have been the best offense in the league this season and are scoring an average of 6.5 runs per game over the past month as they have been red hot. The Giants lineup has struggled this season but facing Shuster will help them and, no matter the pitchers, I like the fact that San Francisco has at least picked things up a bit over the past week and scored an average of 4 runs per game last 7 games. Look for double digits here as this total was set high with good reason so don't let the number scare you away. 10* OVER 9.5 in San Francisco

MLB Sunday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies -1.5 +100 vs St Louis Cardinals @ 1:35 ET - Drew Rom is a rookie hurler who has not been overly impressive at the minor league level and just got crushed in his MLB debut Monday. Now on Sunday he faces a Phillies team that has been tough and is surging while his Cardinals team is currently struggling and now in last place in their division. Philadelphia is on a 12-5 run in home games and the Cardinals have been trending the other direction and have lost 8 of last 10 games. Value spot to back the home team here on the run line which is available at even money. Aaron Nola is a rock solid starter and is expected to get the call for the Phillies here. Nola has been fantastic at home throughout his career and in almost all his home starts this season he has been quite tough. Look for these long-term trends to continue here. Note also that St Louis is 33-46 versus winning teams. The Phillies are 38-25 at home. 17 of Cardinals last 20 losses have been by at least a 2-run margin. 14 of last 15 Philly wins have by 2 or more runs. No hesitation in laying the run line here given those numbers. 10* PHILADELPHIA -1.5

MLB Saturday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies -1.5 +100 vs St Louis Cardinals @ 7:15 ET - Dakota Hudson is 5-0 this season and is expected to start for the Cardinals in this one and yet Philadelphia is a -200 favorite on the money line. Must be big mistake, right? No, not at all! First off, about Hudson he actually has a rather pedestrian 3.95 ERA this season and he had a 4.45 ERA last season so is not like this guy is a true dominator. Give Hudson some credit for his record for sure but now he faces a Phillies team that has been tough and is surging while his Cardinals team is currently struggling and now in last place in their division. Philadelphia is on an 11-5 run in home games and the Cardinals have been trending the other direction and have lost 7 of last 9 games. Value spot to back the home team here on the run line which is available at even money. Zack Wheeler is a solid starter and is expected to get the call for the Phillies here. Wheeler has a 2.89 ERA since the All-Star break and has held hitters to a .203 batting average in these 7 starts. St Louis is 33-45 versus winning teams. The Phillies are 37-25 at home. 16 of Cardinals last 19 losses have been by at least a 2-run margin. 13 of last 14 Philly wins have by 2 or more runs. No hesitation in laying the run line here given those numbers. 10* PHILADELPHIA -1.5

MLB Friday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies -140 vs St Louis Cardinals @ 7:05 ET - Phillies Sanchez has a low ERA and is a much better pitcher than his record shows. Mikolas has been struggling of late for the Cardinals and is 0-3 with a 5.40 ERA this month. Remember he also went 0-4 with a 6.07 ERA in June. The Phillies are at home and off an extra innings loss Wednesday and should bounce right back here. Philadelphia was on a 10-4 run in home games before that loss. The Cardinals have been trending the other direction and are off a win but this followed losses in 6 of last 7 games. Value spot to back the home team here. 10* PHILADELPHIA -140

MLB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 9 in Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs @ 7:05 ET - Both bullpens rank in the middle of the pack in the majors. As for the expected starters here, both have been struggling so I like the set-up for plenty of runs in this one Friday. Hendricks has a 5.48 ERA this month with opponents hitting .281 against him after he also got hit at a .277 clip last month. Keller has a 5.73 ERA with opponents hitting .326 against him this month and he also went 0-4 with a 6.28 ERA last month. Additionally, the Cubs have won 5 of 6 games and scored an average of 6 runs per game during this stretch. The Pirates 14 of last 17 games have totaled at least 9 runs. Look for totals runs to get to double digits here the way these two clubs are going as the Pirates also have averaged 5.5 runs scored per game in last 11 home games. Based on all of the above you can see why I am anticipating a 6-5 type of affair here. 10* OVER 9 in Pittsburgh

MLB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 -125 in Baltimore Orioles vs Toronto Blue Jays @ 7:05 ET - The basic premise here is teams off games involving a shutout. I like to look for overs when any team is involved that is coming off a shutout win or loss. That is the case here and then the other key of course should include, to an extent, the pitching match-ups and in this case you have a good spot for a play. That is because Berrios often known for struggling more on the road than at home and Gibson has been struggling and has an 8.31 ERA this month and he also had a 6.84 ERA in June so the point is that his best pitching was much earlier this season. 10* OVER 8.5 in Baltimore

MLB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 or 10 in Chicago White Sox vs Oakland Athletics @ 8:10 ET - The basic premise here is teams off games involving a shutout. I like to look for overs when any team is involved that is coming off a shutout win or loss. That is the case here and then the other key of course should include, to an extent, the pitching match-ups and in this case you have a good spot for a play. That is because Waldichuk and Scholtens are the expected starting pitchers and they have a combined 3-13 record this season. Not only that, Waldichuk has a 7.29 ERA on the road this season and teams are hitting almost .300 against him away from home on the year. As for Scholtens, he is 0-5 with a 4.63 ERA and a .277 BAA in his evening games this season. This match-up also features two of the worst bullpens in the league. 10* OVER 9.5 or 10 in Chicago White Sox

MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies -130 vs San Francisco Giants @ 4:05 ET - The Phillies Michael Lorenzen (though he recently pitched that amazing no-hitter) has been just shaky enough to keep this line in check. Yes the Phillies right-hander has been a bit "off and on" of late but he has truly been a rock solid add for Philadelphia since they grabbed him from the Tigers earlier this summer. As I mentioned in Monday's write-up, the Giants were 1-12 last 13 road games prior to getting a late win Sunday night. Overall, San Francisco was just 3-10 last 13 games prior to the win at Atlanta. So now, after also losing the first two games of the series, the Giants have continued what has been a steady decline and the Phillies had won 12 of the last 17 home games prior to losing the last two games of their most recent homestand. The Phillies got right back on track with a 10-4 win Monday and then a 4-3 dramatic 9th inning win yesterday at home and should pound the ball again this afternoon. I do like the pitching situation today but, regardless of starting pitching here (action on the pitchers for me as always), this one sets up well for another home team win! Note that the Giants Alex Cobb has been solid at home this season but he has struggled badly on the road. Cobb, away from home, has a 5.08 ERA and a .306 batting average against on the season! Cobb also is winless since the All Star break and he has an ugly 7.59 ERA in his 4 starts this month! Overall, these teams another classic case of hot versus not! 10* PHILADELPHIA -130

MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Oakland Athletics vs Kansas City Royals @ 3:37 ET - In a match-up of the two worst teams in the majors you might be looking for a dearth of runs. However, it should prove to be just the opposite again. The A's are expected to start Adrian Martinez here.  Not only has he struggled as a starter at the MLB level, he also had a 5.72 ERA in the minors last season.  Believe it or not, the numbers are even worse this season as he is 0-7 with an 8.45 ERA and opponents hitting .360 against him this season.  Those are his minor league stats this year so truly unreal numbers!  In the majors last season he had a 6.24 ERA as a starter last season and this season he has a 5.85 ERA working out of the bullpen.  I really do not care who the starters are here as the KC pen and the Athletics pen are the two worst bullpens in the American League. So there will be runs throughout this contest the way I see it. Because these teams tend to not score a lot of runs and because the Royals Cole Ragans has had some better starts of late, we will likely get a low total to work with here. As a result, I will not hesitate to step in. Ragans has put up some good numbers since moving into the starters role but still he has been hit at a .272 clip this month so he has had some good fortune also - his ERA could easily be higher.  Oakland's last 9 games have all totaled at least 8 runs and those 9 games averaged 11 runs apiece. Kansas City has seen 19 of 25 games total at least 8 runs after the first two games of this series were 6-4 and 5-4 Royals losses to continue that trend. Looking for double digits here as these lineups will surprise in this one. The pitching will prove to be that bad especially when these bullpens get involved as they had surprising success last night but lightning will not strike twice in that regard! In other words, expect more late runs in this one today! 10* OVER the total in Oakland

MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 or 10 in Pittsburgh Pirates vs St Louis Cardinals @ 7 ET - Adam Wainwright is off a start versus Mets in which he allowed only 4 hits in 6 innings. Wainwright must be back, right? No! One start does not change everything and he still had only 2 strikeouts in that start and is not really fooling anyone. The fact is Wainwright, and I 100% respect him and his long career, is finished. He is 41 years old and has an 8.56 ERA at home an 8.24 ERA on the road this season. Wainwright has been consistent one could say but that is consistently bad as you can see. Opponents are hitting .362 against him this season and the Pirates can be tough at home. The key there though is Johan Oviedo is on the mound. That means the two starting pitchers for tonight's game have a combined record of 9-21 on the season! Oviedo had been tough to hit at times after the All Star break but the wheels are starting to come off an he continues to have an issue with too many walks. Also, he has allowed 10 earned runs in 9 innings over his past two starts! The Cardinals got hammered by the Pirates 11-1 last night but they had won 5 of 8 road games prior to this and scored 6 runs per game during this 8-game stretch. However, St Louis has allowed 6 runs per game last 11 road games! Pittsburgh had allowed 6 runs per game last 8 home games prior to the easy win last night. The Pirates have scored 6 runs per game last 8 home games. Given all the above, this game getting to 6-6 at some point would not be a surprise as you can see! Either way I am expecting double digits in this one. 10* OVER 9.5 or 10 in Pittsburgh

MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies -145 vs San Francisco Giants @ 6:40 ET - The Phillies Taijuan Walker has been just shaky enough to keep this line in check. Yes the Phillies right-hander has been a bit "off and on" of late with some drops in velocity but his full season numbers do not lie AND this is also why he was given extra rest entering this match-up. Not only that, this is a very special situation here. Not only is the Giants Kyle Harrison making his MLB debut - and he struggled in spring training by the way and has not been overly impressive in the minors either - this spot is a unique revenge one for Walker. He had his shortest start of the season against the Giants earlier this season in San Francisco. There was just 1 on and 2 out in that inning when things fell apart. After the Giants loaded the bases, a fly ball to right landed barely fair then a ground ball just barely got by the 2nd baseman and then another one just past the shortstop. Yes some balls were hit hard but, long story short, Walker undeservedly ended up charged with 4 earned runs in less than 1 inning of work! As I mentioned in yesterday's write-up, the Giants were 1-12 last 13 road games prior to getting a late win Sunday night. Overall, San Francisco was just 3-10 last 13 games prior to the win at Atlanta. So the Giants have been on the decline and the Phillies had won 12 of the last 17 home games prior to losing the last two games of their most recent homestand. The Phillies got right back on track yesterday at home and will pound the ball again tonight. I do like the pitching situation tonight as noted above but, regardless of starting pitching here (action on the pitchers for me as always), this one sets up well for another home team win! 10* PHILADELPHIA -145

MLB Monday 10* Top Play OVER 8 in Oakland Athletics vs Kansas City Royals @ 9:40 ET - In a match-up of the two worst teams in the majors you might be looking for a dearth of runs. However, it should prove to be just the opposite. The A's Blackburn is off his best start of the season so you know what is coming now after the mediocre hurler just threw his gem of the season. As for the Royals, they are going with a bullpen game. Speaking of that, the KC pen and the Athletics pen are the two worst bullpens in the American League. So there will be runs throughout this contest the way I see it. Because these teams tend to not score a lot of runs and because Blackburn is off such a strong start, we get a low total to work with here. As a result, I will not hesitate to step in. Oakland's last 7 games have all totaled at least 8 runs and those 7 games averaged 11 runs apiece. Kansas City has seen 17 of 23 games total at least 8 runs. Looking for double digits here as these teams will surprise in this one. The pitching will prove to be that bad! 10* OVER 8 in Oakland

MLB Monday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies -150 vs San Francisco Giants @ 6:40 ET - This line keeps dropping and it has absolutely fallen into the play range the way I see it! The Phillies are off a 1-run loss to the Nationals last night and should bounce back big here. Keep in mind that game was in Williamsport, PA so it was not much of a road trip for the Phillies to come back from last night. The Giants were in Atlanta yesterday and they got the 4-3 win courtesy a of a run in the top of the 9th. I like the fact SF is off a 1-run win and the Phillies are off a tight 1-run loss yesterday as Philadelphia very nearly rallied for another late win over Washington. Keep in mind the Giants were 1-12 last 13 road games prior to getting that win last night. Overall, San Francisco was just 3-10 last 13 games prior to the win at Atlanta last night. So the Giants have been on the fade and the Phillies had won 12 of last 17 home games prior to losing the last two games of their most recent homestand. The Phillies are also 6-1 last 7 times when off a loss by a 1-run margin. Lastly, the Giants are going with a bullpen game here while the Phillies will have Nola on the mound. Through the years Nola has been great at Citizens Bank Park and this is a key game in a key series. Nola will pitch well and, regardless of starting pitching here (action on the pitchers for me as always), this one sets up well for a home team win! 10* PHILADELPHIA -150

Sunday MLB 10* Philadelphia Phillies -1.5 -135 @ Washington Nationals @ 7:10 ET (game played in Williamsport, PA) - Not really a home game for the Nationals as this one being played in PA and the location favors the Phillies really. In any event, Philadelphia is the much stronger team and off a huge win yesterday. Williams continues to give up a lot of homers for Washington and is struggling bad. Conversely, the Phillies Wheeler has been fantastic since the All-Star break and this long-time solid veteran is holding hitters below a .200 batting average since then. He dominates again here and Williams gets lit up and the Phillies should win big again in this one. Keep in mind, the Phillies bullpen is ranked 2nd in the National League while the Nationals bullpen is ranked dead last in the National League for ERA so far this season. Washington is 12 games under .500 versus teams with a winning record this season while Philadelphia is 10 games over .500 versus teams with a losing record this season. The Nats are a horrific 12-23 in divisional games this season. The Nationals are also 13 games under .500 in night games this season. 45 of 67 Phillies wins have been by a multi-run margin this season and 50 of 68 Nationals losses have been by 2 or more runs this season. More of the same here! 10* PHILADELPHIA -1.5 -135

MLB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 runs in Minnesota Twins vs Pittsburgh Pirates @ 2:10 ET - As always with my picks, action on the starting pitchers. Not sure if Pirates will start Bido here or if they will use Borucki as an opener. Either way, this will likely turn into a bullpen game for Pittsburgh and that is good news for over players as their pen is not exactly good! As for the Twins, Keuchel is the expected starter and it is bad enough that he is getting hit hard so far in his first two starts. But what is even worse is 4 walks against 0 strikeouts. In today's MLB it is hard not to get some strikeouts! Seriously, with all the free swinging it is just tough. So Keuchel is pitching to contact and he is giving up a lot of hits and it continues here against the Pirates as they build off yesterday's 7-4 win. At the same time, the Twins lineup should bounce right back at home and that sends this one into double digits. 10* OVER 9.5 in Minnesota

Saturday MLB 10* Top Play OVER 11.5 in Colorado Rockies vs Chicago White Sox @ 8:10 ET - This total dropping from a 12 to an 11.5 at the time of this write-up and that means it is go time with this one. The Rockies exploded for 14 runs in yesterday's big win. Today the White Sox should also join the party. Look for both clubs to score plenty in this one! The Rockies will take advantage of rookie Jesse Scholtens making his first career start at Coors Field. He is having a decent start to his career but things get much tougher when you face the Rockies in Colorado and they are coming off a game in which they knocked the cover off the ball. At he same time. the White Sox are also in line for a big game at the plate today. Chicago will take advantage of a struggling Kyle Freeland here. The Rockies southpaw is 4-13 with a 4.94 ERA this season and opponents are hitting .292 against him. Also, he has given up 46 hits in 33.2 innings over his last 6 starts. The White Sox had averaged scoring 5 runs per game in last 4 road games before yesterday's ugly showing and let's not forget this IS Coors Field. The Chicago sticks get back on track here! 10* OVER 11.5 in Colorado

Saturday MLB 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies -150 @ Washington Nationals @ 4:05 ET - The Phillies bounce back off yesterday's loss. I like taking the better team when off a loss and on the road (line value) and with the better starting pitcher and better bullpen. Great situational edges here and you know the Phillies hitters will be locked in after yesterday's loss and certainly the Phillies will get better pitching today. Note that Sanchez has a 2.95 ERA in day games and a 0.60 ERA in his road starts this season. Both situations in play here and his BAA numbers in afternoon games and away from home have been ultra impressive. As for the Nationals Irvin, he has a 5.06 ERA since the All-Star break and overall is having an unimpressive season. The Phillies should roll on the road in this one! Don't let the bigger price scare you away. This line is set this way with good reason for sure. 10* PHILADELPHIA -150

MLB Friday OVER 8.5 in San Diego Padres vs Arizona Diamondbacks @ 9:40 ET - Pfaadt is 0-6 with a 6.91 ERA this season and the Padres just faced him. Lugo is 2-4 with a 5.40 ERA in home outings  this season and the Diamondbacks just faced him. I got embarrassed with the over in this match-up yesterday and the final score was Arizona 3-1 and each team managed only 3 hits. A lot of times, after a game like that and with consideration to a starting pitching match-up like this, you'll see an explosion of hits and runs the very next game. That is what I am expecting here after the snoozer yesterday. Remember too that the Arizona bullpen has a high ERA which ranks their pen near the bottom of the majors. The Padres were off B2B wins in which they totaled 15 runs prior to yesterday's ugly loss. The Dbacks have scored an average of 5.3 runs in last 7 games and have won 5 of 6 games so confidence is growing and they should pound the ball tonight. 10* OVER 8.5 in San Diego

MLB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 12 in Colorado Rockies vs Chicago White Sox @ 8:40 ET - Kopech is having issues last month and this month with a combination of too many walks and too many homers allowed. That is exactly the combo a pitcher does NOT want to have when they are headed to Coors Field for a start! As for the Rockies Lambert, he has struggled in his home starts at Coors Field throughout his career. This is the perfect spot for a pair of starting pitchers to get rocked and then factor in the fact that these two bullpens have a pair of the highest ERAs in the majors and you can see why I love the over in this spot. 10* OVER 12 in Colorado

MLB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 8 -120 or OVER 8.5 -100 in San Diego Padres vs Arizona Diamondbacks @ 9:40 ET - With the Diamondbacks having Zac Gallen on the mound, many would consider the under here at first glance. However, Gallen has been Jekyll and Hyde this season in terms of home and away numbers! He is unhittable at home but LESS than even mediocre on the road this year. Gallen is 2-4 with a 4.72 ERA on the road this season. The Padres are familiar with him and should get to him early and often in this one. The good news for Gallen is he should receive plenty of run support in this one. The Dbacks should pound Rich Hill in this one. The 43-year old veteran is having a rough season and it is showing no signs of turning around. In 6 starts since the All-Star break, Hill has gone 0-3 with a 6.59 ERA and has been hit at a .322 clip! Arizona has scored 5.7 runs per game last 6 games and they have won 4 of 5 so they come into this one hot. The Padres are 6-4 last 10 games at home and their last 7 home games have averaged 11.6 runs per game and 5 of the 7 reached double digits! 10* OVER 8 -120 or OVER 8.5 -100 in San Diego

MLB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 10 -130 or OVER 10.5 -105 in St Louis Cardinals vs New York Mets @ 7:15 ET - The Cardinals are starting Adam Wainwright. As I have mentioned before, he is not the same pitcher since his long-time (VERY long-time) batterymate Yadier Molina retired. Wainwright is now 41 years old and he is having a miserable season. This includes going 1-5 with a 9.26 ERA in home games. As for the Mets Jose Quintana, he has been okay but is still 0-4 in his 5 starts and that starts to weigh on a guy mentally. The Cardinals can hit him well here at home but Wainwright also in line to get rocked as per usual. Also, both clubs have consistently been getting involved in higher-scoring games and that trend continues here. 10* OVER 10-130 in OVER 10.5 -105

MLB Wednesday OVER 9 in Kansas City Royals vs Seattle Mariners @ 8:10 ET - Weather looks good for this one and I know Castillo has good numbers for the Mariners but he is on the road here and the Royals just keep surprising at the plate. I say that because, as bad as Kansas City is, they do score runs. This has been a recurring theme for them and they do tend to hit better at home. So I am looking for KC to do some damage at the plate here but the Royals problem here is, as per usual, their pitching! This one looks like it will essentially be a bullpen game because James McArthur is expected to be the starter in this one but he could function more as an opener as he has not started any MLB games in his career. He has made only 5 MLB appearances this season and his numbers show he has struggled at this level. This is not a huge surprise because he has struggled ever since having a strong rookie season in the lower levels of the minors. Since then he went 8-22 with an ERA in the 4.50 range in his minor league career. Behind him is a Royals bullpen that ranks as one of the worst in the majors. The Royals are 8-2 last 10 home games and have scored an average of 7 runs per game in those 10 as a host! KC can hit here! 8 of those 10 games did total at least 9 runs. As for the Mariners, they are 14-5 last 19 games and have scored and average of 5.3 runs per game during this stretch. Take advantage of the rather low total here and look for another one to reach double digits just as the first two have totaled more than a dozen runs.  OVER 9 in Kansas City

MLB Wednesday OVER 9 in St Louis Cardinals vs Oakland Athletics @ 6:45 ET - Weather looks good for this one and many will not look at the over here because the A's have one of the worst lineups in baseball overall in terms of the long-term hitting stats and because the Cardinals Liberatore is off a fantastic start versus the Rays. However, Liberatore had an MLB career ERA near 7.00 prior to that start and I would not be shocked at all to see him endure a quick dose of reality here versus Oakland! The Athletics can score well at times and had scored 6 runs per game in their 2 games prior to last night's 6-2 loss. The problem for Oakland is they have a league-worst bullpen - based on team ERA - and their starter is likely to get rocked here too. Blackburn is expected to get the start and he has allowed 29 hits in less than 18 innings over his last 4 road appearances. He is coming off a road start at Washington in which he particularly struggled and also had more walks (4) than strikeouts (3). The Cardinals have won 5 of 6 games and scored an average of 6 runs per game during this stretch. Look for St Louis to pound Blackburn and a struggling Oakland bullpen in this one. Take advantage of the rather low total here and look for another one to reach double digits just as the first match-up (7-5 STL win) did in this series before the 6-2 final yesterday.  OVER 9 in St Louis

MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 12 in Colorado Rockies vs Arizona Diamondbacks @ 8:40 ET - This is essentially a bullpen game because Mantiply actually pitched (and struggled) last night for the Diamondbacks and he is just expected to be used as the opener here. As for the Rockies Ty Blach, he is off a solid 6-inning start but this is very rare for him this season. In his prior 3 starts he averaged just 4 innings in each. So we should see plenty of bullpen for both of these clubs and that is good news for over players because these two bullpens rank as two of the worst in the majors. Also, the weather is expected to be ideal for an over with hot weather in Denver today on Tuesday. Prior to yesterday's 6-4 Rockies win, 4 of the last 6 Colorado home games had totaled at least 12 runs. These division rivals have a history of playing high-scoring games when they meet and this looks like another one should unfold on Tuesday night. 10* OVER 12 in Colorado

MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in New York Mets vs Pittsburgh Pirates @ 7:10 ET - Markets have moved this total lower and, in typical contrarian fashion, I am fading the line move and grabbing the over here. The Pirates are starting Bailey Falter most likely and he is having a very tough season with an 0-7 mark and a 5.21 ERA combined with the Phillies and Pirates. The Mets are likely starting David Peterson here and he is coming off a tough outing and has not been used much in terms of being a regular starter this season. That said, we could see a lot of bullpen for both clubs in this one and the Pirates and Mets each have bullpen ERA numbers that rank them in the lower third of the majors. 12 of last 16 Pittsburgh games have totaled at least 9 runs. The Mets last dozen games have averaged 10 runs per game. Look for this total to reach double digits as well. 10* OVER 8.5 in New York Mets

MLB Monday 8* Texas Rangers Money Line -170 vs Los Angeles Angels @ 8:05 ET - Pitching edge and team edge and situational edge. Scherzer over Sandoval. Rangers stronger than Angels too. Also, Rangers at home and coming off a loss while Angels on the road and coming off a win. This sets us up as a home blowout but I do not want to get burned if it ends with Texas winning by just 1 run so I will go money line here. Is a bit pricey here so no Top Play on this one but fully expecting a solid home win. Angels were struggling prior to yesterday's win while Rangers were hot prior to yesterday's loss. Home field edge for the Rangers has been significant this season as well. 8* TEXAS

MLB Monday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 runs -120 in St Louis Cardinals vs Oakland Athletics @ 7:45 ET - Mikolas has had some good starts lately but this Athletics team has been hitting decently at times of late. Also, the Cardinals bullpen is nothing special and the Athletics bullpen is even worse as they rate as the worst bullpen ERA in majors. That Oakland bullpen could be called upon early too because Sears is getting the start here and he is struggling again. 8 of the Athletics last 10 road games have totaled at least 10 runs. The Cardinals last 4 games have averaged 11.5 runs apiece. St Louis has scored an average of 6 runs in those 4 games and they stay hot at the plate here too but Oakland blew a 7-2 lead in yesterday's loss and are sure to be locked in again at the plate in this one as they look for redemption for the Sunday defeat. 10* OVER 8.5 runs -120 in St Louis

MLB Sunday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies -115 vs Minnesota Twins @ 1:35 ET - The Phillies are 4-0 L4 times when off a loss. They should bounce back here at home and we get line value because they have Suarez on the mound. He may not have the great numbers of some of the other pitchers but he has been solid and Suarez had a great run late last season too. Could he get hot again here? Either way he is a solid option against a Twins team that generally does not hit as well on the road as they do at home. Also, the Phillies should bounce back here against Sonny Gray. Yes, the Twins right-hander has solid overall numbers but his last 4 starts have been against teams with a losing record. This followed his last 2 starts against teams with a winning record in which he allowed at least 5 earned runs in each start. The Phillies will certainly be a tough customer for him in this spot! Not only is Philly 4-0 L4 times off a loss, the Twins are 0-3 L3 times when on the road and coming off a win in prior game. Double perfect spot here. 10* PHILADELPHIA -115

MLB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Washington Nationals vs Oakland Athletics @ 1:35 ET - Yes, coming right back with this play after it only totaled 5 runs yesterday. Note the teams went a combined 2 for 20 with runners in scoring position yesterday. Also, the Nationals left 12 men on base in yesterday's 3-2 win. Look for much better success in run-scoring opportunities today. Don't forget these are two of the worst bullpens in baseball this season also. As for the starting pitching, that should certainly help the cause here as well. The expected starters are Trevor Williams for the Nationals and Ken Waldichuk for the Athletics here. Williams is winless with a 7.25 ERA in his 5 starts since the All-Star break and truly has struggled since his final start of May until now. As for Waldichuk, he has a 7.84 ERA on the road and a 7.20 ERA in day games this season. He has been a little better of late but his long-term numbers do tell the full story and the Nationals truly should have scored a lot more runs yesterday. They will today and so will the Athletics! 10* OVER 9.5 in Washington

MLB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Washington Nationals vs Oakland Athletics @ 7:05 ET - Yesterday's game flew over the total and more of the same expected today. First off, these are two of the worst bullpens in baseball. Oakland's bullpen ERA ranks dead last in the majors. Washington's bullpen ERA ranks dead last in the National League. As for the starters here, Luis Medina is 1-5 with a 6.63 ERA in road games this season. Jake Irvin is struggling this season for the Nationals and it is no big surprise as he has struggled as he elevated in level of opposition year over year. In 2022 at the AA level he was 0-4 with a 4.79 ERA. Then this season at the AAA level he compiled a 5.64 ERA. In the majors this season he has a 4.93 ERA and he has allowed 7 homers in 22 innings spanning his last 4 starts. Washington is 8-2 last 10 home games and has averaged 5.8 runs per game during this hot run in all home games since the All-Star break. 7 of last 8 Oakland road games have totaled at least 10 runs and this one will too! 10* OVER 9.5 in Washington

MLB Saturday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line -110 vs Minnesota Twins @ 6:05 ET - As mentioned yesterday when we were again rolling with the hot Phillies, they are a different team when at home and the Twins are a different team when they are on the road and the hosts will get it done again here. I do not care about the pitching match-up but will say this. Pablo Lopez is the expected starter here and the Twins right-hander is pitching very well right now but he does struggle more with left-handed bats than righties and the Phillies are loaded with dangerous hitters from that side of the plate. I expect he'll get pummeled here by the Phillies as they were crushing the ball again yesterday here at home. Taijuan Walker is the expected starter for Philly and he has struggled some recently but he is 6-1 with a 2.92 ERA at home where he has held hitters to a .193 batting average. The Twins have struggled a bit at the plate in recent road games. As for Philadelphia, they are 34-22 at home while the Twins are 9 games under .500 against teams with a winning record this season and Minnesota is 7 games under .500 in road games this season. The Phillies are 25-14 in interleague action this season. Lay the bargain short price here! 10* PHILADELPHIA -110

MLB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 10.5 in St Louis Cardinals vs Kansas City Royals @ 8:10 ET - Cardinals off 5-2 win and have been consistently involved in quite a few high-scoring games in the 2nd half of the season. The Royals, though off a 2-0 shutout loss yesterday, also have been involved in a lot of high-scoring games. So after their games yesterday combined for only 9 runs between 4 teams, yes I am forecasting at least 11 runs here Friday. Note that the Cardinals bullpen is ranked 23rd and the Royals bullpen is ranked 29th this season. Also, in terms of starting pitchers, that also should help the cause here. The Cardinals Wainwright is having an absolutely disastrous season and showing no signs of turning it around. Also, the Royals are likely going with a bullpen game here and Coleman likely will just be an opener with Zerpa actually projected to get most of the work. That sets this up to be a very high-scoring game as Zerpa has not been overly impressive as a starter at the AAA level this season. The Cardinals have averaged 5.3 runs scored in last 10 road games. The Royals have won 6 straight home games and scored an average of 6.7 runs in those games. 10* OVER 10.5 in St Louis

MLB Friday 8* Philadelphia Phillies Money Line -160 vs Minnesota Twins @ 7:05 ET - We will go with non-Top Play here due to the expected higher price but I am rolling with the hot Phillies. They are a different team when at home and the Twins are a different team when they are on the road and the hosts will get it done again here. I do not care about the pitching match-up but will say this. Dallas Keuchel is the expected starter here and he allowed just 1 earned run in 5 innings in his his season debut for the Twins last week. However, he walked 2 and allowed 8 hits for 10 baserunners in 5 innings and this was without registering a strikeout! I expect he'll get pummeled here by the Phillies. As for Philadelphia, they are 33-22 at home while the Twins are 8 games under .500 against teams with a winning record this season and Minnesota is 6 games under .500 in road games this season. The Phillies are 24-14 in interleague action this season. Lay it! 8* PHILADELPHIA -160

MLB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 10.5 in Boston Red Sox vs Kansas City Royals @ 7:10 ET - Big total here but fully justified. My biggest concern here is actually the rain. I am just hoping they can get this game to the full 9 innings before the night is over with as another weather system is moving into an already water-logged New England area. The Royals are expected to use Cox as an opener here. He has struggled as a starter this season. KC is then expected to bring in Marsh in a long relief role and he has been struggling overall this season and of late. The Red Sox are expected to start Paxton and he has been hit hard in each of his last two starts and the Royals have been enjoying success at the plate in recent weeks. The Red Sox should enjoy success at the plate here too as they generally hit well at home and the Kansas City bullpen is also a weakness. So, all factors considered, look for yesterday's surprisingly low-scoring game to prove to be an aberration and things get back to big hitting here. 10* OVER 10.5 in Boston

MLB Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies -1.5 -120 vs Washington Nationals @ 6:40 ET - The Nationals, despite winning Game 2 of the DH Tuesday, are now 11-21 in divisional games and 25-40 in night games this season after getting hammered (and no-hit!) in a 7-0 loss yesterday. The Phillies had won 5 of 6 at home before that loss Tuesday! After yesterday's 7-0 win, each of their last 7 wins have been by at least a 2-run margin. This should be another blowout home win for the Phillies with Aaron Nola having been strong in starts overall at Citizens Bank Park throughout his career and with Patrick Corbin getting consistently rocked again this season. 10* Philadelphia -1.5

MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Pittsburgh Pirates vs Atlanta Braves @ 7:05 ET - Yes the Braves are starting Fried here but note that he had struggled some at the AAA level this season. He just now has made only 1 start since returning to the majors from injury and he could struggle a bit in the 2nd start back. At the same time, Priester for the Pirates is in line to get completely rocked. The right-hander has struggled badly this season and, of course, the Braves are a huge favorite here - including on the run line with good reason! By the way, 8 of last 11 Atlanta games have totaled double digits in runs. The Braves have averaged scoring 7 runs per game during this 11-game stretch. The Pirates have won 10 of 18 games and scored an average of 4.5 runs per game during this stretch. Pittsburgh has scored an average of 5.5 runs per game in last 6 home games. We should see solid scoring here and I am looking for double digits based on all the above. 10* OVER 9.5 in Pittsburgh

MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies -1.5 +115 vs Washington Nationals @ 6:40 ET - Lorenzen was fantastic in his first start for the Phillies. Now Philadelphia is looking to respond after winning Game 1 yesterday but losing Game 2 of the double-header. Philly is strong when off a home loss and the Nationals have been nothing special this season. Also, Gore had a 6.64 ERA last month in July and now faces a Phillies team that has hit him hard already this season. Lorenzen is coming off a stellar debut for the Phillies plus he went 3-1 with a 1.14 ERA last month for the Tigers! The Nationals, despite winning Game 2 of the DH yesterday, are 11-20 in divisional games and 25-39 in night games this season. The Phillies had won 5 of 6 at home before that loss yesterday and each of their last 6 wins have been by at least a 2-run margin. 10* PHILADELPHIA -1.5 +115

MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 9 in Philadelphia Phillies vs Washington Nationals @ 7:10 ET (Game 2 of double-header) - Because this is Game 2 of the double-header we could see a few of the better arms from the bullpen get used up in the first game. Also, the Nationals bullpen has struggled this season and is one of the worst in the majors. That has played in a key role in a lot of Washington games being high-scoring for many weeks on end now - dating back to even before the All-Star break - and I expect more of the same here. The Nationals also send Gray to the mound, most likely, in Game 2. Gray has been hit hard in 3 of his last 5 starts and the Phillies are seeing him for the 3rd time already this season. Suarez is expected to get the start in the 2nd game today after Wheeler starts in the first. Even if this does not hold up I do like the over here regardless of starters. However, if it is indeed Suarez it is worth nothing that he has allowed 46 hits in 34 innings since the start of June. The way the Nats are swinging the bats, they should pound him. Of course Phillies a big favorite for a reason however and they should answer Washington run for run in this one. 10* OVER 9 in Philadelphia (Game 2 of 2)

MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in New York Mets vs Chicago Cubs @ 7:10 ET - The Mets exploded for double digits in runs yesterday showing they may still have some life left in them, at least at home. As for the Cubs, they had been red hot but they scored only 2 runs despite 9 hits yesterday. Surely they will make up for that here. Chicago will take advantage of facing a struggling Mets hurler but, as the same time, the Mets should have no trouble with the opposing pitcher in this one! The Cubs send Taillon to the mound and he has a deceivingly low ERA of late because he actually has been hit hard in 6 of his last 8 starts. In fact, in those 6 outings he allowed 43 hits in 31.2 innings of work! Taillon is facing a fired up Mets team here looking to build off yesterday's big performance. At the same time, the Cubs should come up large at the plate here as the Mets send Carrasco to the mound. Carrasco has allowed 23 runs (21 earned) on 32 hits in just 15.1 innings spanning his last 4 starts. 4 of the last 5 Mets games and 6 of last 8 Cubs games have totaled at least 10 runs! In fact those 8 Chicago games have averaged 14.4 runs per game and more of the same expected here! Both bullpens have been struggling too!  10* OVER 9.5 in New York Mets 

MLB Monday OVER 10 in Boston Red Sox vs Kansas City Royals @ 7:10 ET - Big number here with posted total but absolutely seems justified. Is Cole Ragans a true starter or more of an opener? Who cares as the fact is he has not been great but neither has this Royals bullpen either. The key with Kansas City of late is they are hitting the ball very well. KC continues to get involved in high-scoring games. I know the Red Sox have cooled off at the plate of late but they generally do hit well at home and should bounce back here against a suspect Royals pitching staff. As for the Kansas City sticks, they certainly should stay hot here. Brayan Bello allowed 4 earned runs in 6 innings in his first start this month. Also, he compiled a 5.48 ERA last month in July. The Royals have seen 8 of last 10 games total 11 or more runs. In fact those 10 games averaged 11 runs too! As for the Red Sox, they scored an average of 5.5 runs per game last 6 games at home before getting rocked 13-1 Sunday. They will bounce back here at the plate but will not be able to slow down the KC hot sticks. OVER 10 in Boston

MLB Monday OVER 8.5 in Detroit Tigers vs Minnesota Twins @ 6:40 ET - I know the Tigers are not known for great hitting but Detroit will take advantage of facing Lopez here. The Twins right-hander is off a solid start at St Louis but allowed 5 homers in his 3 starts before that. Also, his 2 road starts prior to the strong start against the Cardinals saw him allow 9 earned runs in less than 11 innings of work. The Tigers send southpaw Joey Wentz to the mound and his most recent outing was out of the bullpen and was respectable. However, as a starter this season Wentz is 1-9 with a 6.95 ERA and opponents hitting .299 against him. In his last start at home he hosted these same Twins and allowed 4 runs (3 earned) in 5 innings in a start in which he was fortunate the damage was not worse. The Twins have a .474 slugging percentage last 30 days and that ranks them #1 in the American League! The Tigers are off a 10-6 loss but generally not known for much offense but have scored at least 5 runs in 5 of last 8 games. The Tigers have averaged scoring 4 runs per game last 18 games and I am looking for at least a 5-4 type game here. OVER 8.5 in Detroit

MLB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in San Diego Padres vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 7:10 ET - 5 straight Dodgers games have totaled at least 10 runs and 4 straight Padres games have totaled at least 10 runs. This is a double perfect situation. I know that Lance Lynn had a solid debut for the Dodgers but that came against the league-worst Athletics. Prior to that he allowed 17 earned runs in 16.2 innings in his last 3 starts overall. In terms of just looking at his road starts (the start versus Oakland was at home), Lynn has allowed 27 earned runs in 35 innings spanning his last 6 outings away from home. The Padres can crush him and a Dodgers bullpen whose struggles continued yesterday. As for San Diego, however, they have a pitching issue of their own with Rich Hill expected to get the start here. How desperate are playoff-potential teams for arms when you consider a guy like Hill is being picked up? The 43-year old southpaw has been fortunate in allowing fewer earned runs in some of his recent starts but this is still a guy who has given up 46 hits in 36 innings spanning his last 7 starts. Hill is very hittable and this is a solid Dodgers lineup looking to bounce back off an 8-3 loss yesterday. Given all of the above both clubs should pound the ball tonight. The Padres have a .468 slugging percentage since the All-Star Break and that rates 5th in the majors. The Dodgers have a .444 slugging percentage on the road this season and that ranks 2nd in the majors! 10* OVER 9.5 in San Diego

MLB Sunday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Run Line -1.5 -105 vs Kansas City Royals @ 1:35 ET - The Royals are so bad on the road. Their recent winning streak was almost entirely filled with home games. Now they are back on the road and after winning the first game of this series they then lost the 2nd game as expected. They send Greinke to the mound for this one and he is 1-11 this season. Not only does he have an 0-7 record in road games this season, the Royals have won only 1 of his road start this entire season. In his last 8 road start Kansas City is 0-8. Look for that streak to reach 9 in a row right here! Taijuan Walker is 5-1 with a 2.80 ERA at home this season. He has allowed 2 earned runs or less in 8 of his last 10 starts. The Phillies are the much better team, at home, and with the better bullpen, and the better starting pitcher. Most of the KC losses this season have been by 2 or more runs. Look for this one to be as well as the Royals drop to 0-9 in Greinke's last 9 road starts! 10* PHILADELPHIA -1.5 -105

MLB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 9 or 9.5 in Baltimore Orioles vs New York Mets @ 7:05 ET - On the season and, in particular, of late both these pitchers have struggled in the situation they are in now. Kyle Gibson for the Orioles has struggled at home and Tylor Megill has struggled on the road and again their recent numbers home/away, respectively, are even worse than their full season numbers which are, to say the least, bad enough! Gibson has a 5.55 ERA at home this season and opponents have hit .300 against him in his home outings. Megill has an 8.00 ERA on the road this season with opponents hitting .345 against him as a traveler. This one should get ugly and the  Mets bullpen is struggling and, in fact, both teams could again give it up as this game goes on. Yesterday's game was just 2-0 entering the 6th inning and then the teams exploded for a final score of 10-3. The Orioles have now gone 14-7 since the All-Star break and scored 5.4 runs per game in their last 10 at home. 6 of last 7 games at Camden Yards have totaled at least 10 runs. The Mets are 9-11 since the All-Star break and have scored 6 runs per game in last 7 wins and allowed 7 runs per game in last 11 losses. Don't be surprised, given the above, if we see a 7-6 type final in this one. 10* OVER 9 or 9.5 in Baltimore

MLB Saturday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Run Line -1.5 -115 vs Kansas City Royals @ 6:05 ET - Sanchez has a 2.66 ERA this season. Marsh has a 6.75 ERA this season. I know the Royals are hot and snuck out another win yesterday. But 6 of their 7 victories in their current 7-game winning streak came at out. They will not win on the road again here and most of their losses this season have been by at least 2 runs. Marsh is 0-5 this season and I know Sanchez is also winless this season. However, Sanchez has deserved much better and he should help the Phillies bounce back strong here. Regardless of the starting pitching, in fact, this one will be all Philly as I challenge KC to win B2B road games. I just do not see that happening and the home team rolls here. 10* PHILADELPHIA -1.5 -115

MLB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in St Louis Cardinals vs Colorado Rockies @ 8:15 ET - The Cardinals Wainwright, as I have mentioned before, has a couple things going against him now. He lost his long-time batterymate when Yadier Molina retired and he is now just way past his prime and on the downhill slide to retirement. He is having a very rough season and has a 7.18 ERA on the season. His counterpart tonight is Flexen going for the Rockies and the right-hander is also having a very rough season. Flexen is 0-5 with an 8.08 ERA this season. He accumulated nearly all of those stats with the Mariners this season so it is not like his numbers are inflated because of Coors Field. He has only made one start since coming to Colorado. Also, the bullpens are two of the worst in the majors this season based on ERA stats so that also favors the over here. 6 of last 9 Rockies games have totaled at least 11 runs and that included 2 of 3 on the road and those 3 most recent Colorado road games have averaged 12 runs apiece. The Cardinals have not scored great of late but had averaged about 5 runs per game in 11 home games since All-Star break before coming off a 5-3 home loss to Twins yesterday. I look for them to get right back on track here. 10* OVER 9.5 in St Louis

MLB Friday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies -1.5 -110 vs Kansas City Royals @ 7:05 ET - Yes, the Royals have won 6 straight. However, all those wins were at home. Philadelphia is a huge favorite here with good reason and, of course, we will not lay 2 to 1 odds on the Phillies here. Where the line value is, however, is that on the run line the Phillies are available in a pick'em price range of -110. That will get us involved here! Nola, throughout his career, has been known for pitching very well in Philly. As for Lyles, he is 2-12 this season and has a 6.15 ERA on the year. The Royals are 14-39 on the road this season and 17-49 against teams with a winning record! The Phillies are winners in 6 of last 9 overall and 6 of last 9 at home also. Additionally, the Royals 75 losses have included 62 by at least a 2-run margin. Look for the Phillies to roll big here at home. 10* PHILADELPHIA -1.5 -110

MLB Thursday MLB 10* OVER 9 in St Louis Cardinals vs Minnesota Twins @ 7:45 ET - The Twins Sonny Gray had a fantastic start to this season, particularly in April, but has not been overly impressive since then. In June he got hit at a .282 clip and in July he compiled a 4.85 ERA. His combined record these 2 months is 0-4. The Cardinals should enjoy another big day at the plate but I also expect the Twins bats to get in on the act today too after losing 7-3 yesterday. Minnesota will take advantage of a struggling Matthew Liberatore. Even in his recent minor league starts Liberatore has struggled but now he has been thrust back into the starters role for St Louis due to a shortage of arms for the rotation. It has not been earned based on performance as Liberatore has gone 3-5 with a 6.35 ERA and a .314 BAA in his 18 MLB appearances (15 starts). The Cardinals have seen 12 of 19 games since the All-Star Break total at least 9 runs. The Twins have seen 13 of 18 games since the All-Star break total at least 9 runs. Given the above trends and the pitching match-up here (including bullpens - St Louis bad, Minnesota mediocre) this one should fly over the total. 10* OVER 9 in St Louis

MLB Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line -120 @ Miami Marlins @ 12:10 ET - The Phillies bounce back after last night's unreal loss in which they were up 5-0 and then 5-2 and 5-4 in last innings and then up 7-5 and 8-7 in extra innings. It was a game they never trailed and yet lost. Heading into yesterday's action, the Phillies certainly have been the much hotter team in comparison with the Marlins. Now today in early action look for a bounce back. Michael Lorenzen makes his debut with the Phillies and he had pitched very well for the Tigers this season. Johnny Cueto has allowed 4 homers in 13 innings at home in what has been an injury-plagued season for him. Though he is back now and off a solid start, that one came against the Tigers. This will be a much tougher challenge for him. 10* PHILADELPHIA -120

MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Toronto Blue Jays vs Baltimore Orioles @ 7:05 ET - Orioles won 13-3 yesterday and have won 3 straight games plus continue to pile up big runs. That should continue here against Kikuchi. The Blue Jays southpaw has a decent ERA but he actually got hit at a .293 clip last month and a .298 clip in May. I don't think he is that dominant and couple that with the way Baltimore is hitting and we should see plenty of runs here. Also helping in that regard is that Rodriguez is very likely to struggle on the hill for the Orioles. He has a 6.21 ERA this season and Rodriguez has a 7.36 ERA and a .299 batting average against in evening action this year. The Blue Jays can (and will) hit well at home here as they bounce back off an ugly loss. I am not saying Toronto will bounce back for the win but they certainly should bounce back in terms of getting their bats back on track after yesterday's ugly loss. The Jays have scored an average of 5 runs per game last 10 games and that even includes some recent lower-scoring results. 10* OVER 8.5 in Toronto

MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies -125 @ Miami Marlins @ 6:40 ET - The Phillies won 3-1 yesterday and 4-2 the day before and here are some notes from the past two days' write-ups that make me like Philadelphia again today as well. Keep in mind, the Phillies entered this series off an extra innings loss at Pittsburgh Sunday and had lost B2B games. However, prior to this, Philadelphia was on a long-term run that saw them win 31 of 46 games. I look for Philadelphia to continue to get back on track here in this series at Miami. The Marlins entered this series off a win and having won 4 of 6 games. However, this was preceded by a stretch in which Miami lost 8 straight games and 13 of 18 games. Overall, the Phillies have been the hotter team and I look for the road team to continue to get back on track here in this continued key battle for the #2 spot in the division behind the surging Braves. We are getting some nice line value here because Garrett has decent numbers but he will prove to be no match for Wheeler. Note that Garrett is off a strong start to wrap up July but this was preceded by him allowing 16 earned runs in 18 innings over his prior July starts. Wheeler has been piling up strikeouts plus has allowed 1 earned run or less in 4 of his last 5 road starts. He dominates again here and the Phillies roll continues. 10* PHILADELPHIA -125

MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Kansas City Royals vs New York Mets @ 8:10 ET - I don't think Quintana can be trusted just yet. He is still working his way back into form after suffering injury during spring training this season. Quintana has been hittable so far and he faces a Royals lineup that has some extra confidence right now. Generally speaking, Kansas City tends to hit better at home than on the road and now KC enters this game riding a 3-game winning streak and having produced some solid games at the plate recently. As for the Mets lineup, they have plenty of bats that can give Greinke trouble here. The veteran right-hander has been hit hard in each of the last two months and his form shows no indication of anything changing anytime soon. Greinke is backed by a Royals bullpen that is one of the league's worst also. So New York has a big game at the plate but I also look for the Royals to score well too as their recent surge continues as they go for a season-high (for them) 4th straight win. 10* OVER 9.5 in Kansas City

MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies +115 @ Miami Marlins @ 6:40 ET - The Phillies won 4-2 yesterday and here are some notes from yesterday's write-up that make me like Philadelphia again today as well. Keep in mind, the Phillies entered this series off an extra innings loss at Pittsburgh Sunday and had lost B2B games. However, prior to this, Philadelphia was on a long-term run that saw them win 31 of 46 games. I look for Philadelphia to get back on track here in this series at Miami. The Marlins entered this series off a win and having won 4 of 6 games. However, this was preceded by a stretch in which Miami lost 8 straight games and 13 of 18 games. Overall, the Phillies have been the hotter team and I look for the road team to continue to get back on track here in this key battle for the #2 spot in the division behind the surging Braves. We are getting some nice line value here because Ranger Suarez is a much better pitcher than his recent ERA would indicate but he is up against a big-name pitcher in Sandy Alcantara and that is impacting this line. Alcantara is only 4-9 this season but enters this game off a fantastic CG performance. Note that this was only the 3rd time this season he has gone at least 8 innings and after the first two he got destroyed in the next start. I expect a repeat of that here. 10* PHILADELPHIA +115

MLB Monday 10* Top Play OVER 10 in Atlanta Braves vs Los Angeles Angels @ 7:20 ET - Something is not right with Charlie Morton. He has struggled in his last two starts with too many walks and too many big hits given up. The Angels will take advantage. At the same time, however, Los Angeles pitcher Griffin Canning has a chance somewhere between minimal and non-existent in terms of shutting down this red hot Braves team. Atlanta just continues to pile up runs and wins and Canning enters this one having been hit at a .316 clip this month. Also, he has allowed 13 earned runs in 19 innings over his last 4 starts. The Braves will certainly take advantage. Atlanta is the top slugging team in the majors and also the top hitting team in the National League. The Braves also will take advantage of facing an Angels bullpen that is a weakness. Los Angeles has been winning though as they are 10-5 since the All-Star break and they have averaged scoring 6 runs per game during this stretch. The Braves have also averaged 6 runs per game over their past 11 games and there is a reason this total is posted at double digits. Don't let the big number scare you as we should see at least a dozen runs scored in this one given the pitching situation and two clubs that are stepping to the plate with quite a bit of confidence right now. 10* OVER 10 in Atlanta

MLB Monday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies -110 @ Miami Marlins @ 6:40 ET - The Phillies are off an extra innings loss at Pittsburgh yesterday and have lost B2B games. However, prior to this, Philadelphia was on a long-term run that saw them win 31 of 46 games. I look for Philadelphia to get back on track here at Miami. The Marlins are off a win and have won 4 of 6 games. However, this was preceded by a stretch in which Miami lost 8 straight games and 13 of 18 games. Overall, the Phillies have been the hotter team and Taijuan Walker gives them the pitching edge over Edward Cabrera here. Walker has gone 8-2 over his last dozen starts and has taken his ERA from 6.53 down to 4.06 over this stretch. As for Cabrera, the Marlins are winless in his last 3 starts and he has given up 9 earned runs in 11 innings during this stretch. Look for the road team to get back on track here in this key battle for the #2 spot in the division behind the surging Braves. 10* PHILADELPHIA -110

MLB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 10.5 in Los Angeles Dodgers vs Cincinnati Reds @ 4:10 ET - The Reds and Dodgers played out to a 3-2 final yesterday and, surprisingly, LA won despite only 3 hits in the game. After that unusually low-scoring battle, I am looking for a very high-scoring match-up here on Sunday afternoon. It will be a hot afternoon in LA and the ball should carry better than usual here and these are two starting pitchers likely to get roughed up plus neither bullpen has been overly impressive this season. The Dodgers bullpen ERA ranks them 21st. The Reds bullpen WHIP ranks them 23rd out of the 30 teams in MLB. In other words, don't let the big line scare you here. This one should fly over the total. Note that Graham Ashcraft struggled badly in his lone appearance against the Dodgers this season. He has pitched better lately but a lot of that was based on match-ups. This is not a good match-up for him. Also, as for the Dodgers Michael Grove, he has pitched in the majors in April, June and July so far this season. He has had at least 4 appearances in each month and has been hit at over a .300 clip in each month! Grove will struggle here against a Reds team that has shown more and more confidence at the plate as this season has gone on. This LA team is ranked #3 in MLB for slugging percentage and the Reds are a top ten offense for on base percentage this season. Cincinnati had averaged 5 runs per game last 10 games before yesterday's tough loss. The Dodgers have scored an average of 6.5 runs per game last 11 games. 10* OVER 10.5 in Los Angeles Dodgers

MLB Saturday 10* OVER 9.5 in St Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs @ 7:15 ET - Last night's match-up was a rare low-scoring one between these teams as they have been flying over for a quite a while now. Remember that Thursday's game was a Chicago win by a 10-3 final as yet another over came in. Entering this series, the Cubs were off a 10-7 win Wednesday which followed a 7-3 win Tuesday which followed a 7-2 win Sunday! That means that 14 of last 16 Cubs games (88%) have totaled at least 9 runs and a 9.5 is currently the posted total on this game. Lot of value here as the Cubs, going further back, have seen 18 of last 22 (82%) games total at least 9 runs. The Cardinals bullpen struggled again Thursday after a game Wednesday in which they hung on for the 11-7 win at Arizona after losing to the Diamondbacks Tuesday in a game in which their bullpen allowed all 3 runs in the 8th inning. The Cardinals have seen 11 of 15 games since the All-Star break total at least 9 runs. Also, the Cards have averaged scoring 5.6 runs per game in those 15 games. The Cubs have averaged scoring 7.4 runs per game last 13 games and are so confident at the plate as they have won 9 of 10 games. This one should see plenty of runs too as, out of the 30 MLB teams, the Cubs bullpen ERA is ranked 16th and the ERA for the St Louis bullpen is ranked 24th. As for the starting pitchers in this one, the Cubs Jameson Taillon has struggled in all but one of his recent starts and that was against a Yankees team he pitched for each of the last two seasons. Other than that one revenge game he performed well in, he has allowed 35 hits in about 26 innings over his other 5 recent starts. The Cards Adam Wainwright is a guy who had a fantastic career and most of that was spent throwing to batterymate Yadier Molina. He has retired now and Wainwright is now 41 years old and those two factors have helped lead the way to him getting destroyed throughout this 2023 season. More struggles likely here and both teams continue their recent trend of getting involved in high-scoring games. 10* OVER 9.5 in St Louis

MLB Friday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies -150 @ Pittsburgh Pirates @ 7:05 ET - I know this line is a little pricey but I am very confident in a Phillies victory here. Philadelphia was 25-32 in early June. They have since gone 30-15. The Pirates were 32-27 in early June. They have since gone 13-30. As you can see, this teams have been exactly the opposite in their patterns this season. Now it is the Phillies time and note that Zack Wheeler is off a great start at Cleveland. Over his last 4 road starts he has allowed just 5 earned runs in 25 innings! Conversely, the Pirates Mitch Keller has been rocked over his last two starts. Keller has had 3 really rough starts in his 4 outings in July. In these 3 starts, Keller has allowed 18 earned runs on 27 hits in 16 innings of work. This looks like another very tough match-up for Keller and he also is known for struggling against left-handed bats in particular. The Phillies certainly have some dangerous hitters that step in on that side of the plate. This one has the makings of a road rout and the Phillies have the bullpen edge too. The Phils have won 21 of 32 against teams with a losing record this season. The Bucs have won only 23 of 69 games against teams with a winning record this season. 10* PHILADELPHIA -150

MLB Thursday 10* OVER 9 in St Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs @ 7:45 ET - Cubs off a 10-7 win yesterday which followed a 7-3 win Tuesday which followed a 7-2 win Sunday! That means that 13 of last 14 Cubs games (93%) have totaled at least 9 runs and that is currently the posted total on this game. Lot of value here as the Cubs, going further back, have seen 17 of last 20 games total at least 9 runs. The Cardinals bullpen struggled again yesterday but they hung on for the 11-7 win at Arizona yesterday after losing to the Diamondbacks Tuesday in a game in which their bullpen allowed all 3 runs in the 8th inning. The Cardinals have seen 10 of 13 games since the All-Star break total at least 9 runs. Also, the Cards have averaged scoring 6 runs per game in those 13 games. The Cubs have averaged scoring 7.6 runs per game last 11 games. This one should see plenty of runs as, out of the 30 MLB teams, the Cubs bullpen ERA is ranked 17th and the ERA for the St Louis bullpen is ranked 23rd. As for the starting pitchers in this one, Steele has been struggling some in July and is getting hit at a .316 clip this month. The Cards Mikolas is struggling a bit again and has been hit hard last two starts. Also, in home starts he has struggled in 3 of last 4 outings. More struggles likely here and both teams continue their recent trend of getting involved in high-scoring games. 10* OVER 9 in St Louis

MLB Wednesday 10* OVER 8.5 in Chicago White Sox vs Chicago Cubs @ 8:10 ET - Cubs off a 7-3 win Tuesday which followed a 7-2 win Sunday! That means that 12 of last 13 Cubs games have totaled at least 9 runs and 8.5 is currently the posted total on this game. Lot of value here as the Cubs, going further back, have seen 16 of last 19 games total at least 9 runs. The White Sox bullpen struggled again yesterday and remember they were off a tough 5-4 loss in extra innings Sunday at Minnesota in which their bullpen failed them. The White Sox have seen 7 of 10 games since the All-Star break total at least 9 runs. Also, the White Sox have averaged scoring 5 runs per game last 9 games. The Cubs have averaged scoring 7.3 runs per game last 10 games. This one should see plenty of runs as, out of the 30 MLB teams, the Cubs bullpen ERA is ranked 19th and the ERA for the White Sox bullpen is ranked 25th. As for the starting pitchers in this one, Stroman has been struggling bad dating back to late June and Lynn is struggling again and having another rough season. Lynn has a 6.18 ERA this season and Stroman has struggled in 4 of last 5 outings. More struggles likely here and both teams continue their recent trend of getting involved in high-scoring games. 10* OVER 8.5 in Chicago

MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in New York Yankees vs New York Mets @ 7:05 ET - Both Rodon and Quintana have hardly pitched this season. Yesterday's game was a 9-3 final and I am looking for another high-scoring battle today. The Yankees had won 3 straight games before the loss yesterday and they scored an average of 6 runs per game in those 3 victories. The Mets have won 5 of 8 games and have scored an average of 5.6 runs per game last 7 games. 10* OVER 8.5 in New York Yankees

MLB Tuesday 10* OVER 9 in Chicago White Sox vs Chicago Cubs @ 8:10 ET - Cubs off a 7-2 win Sunday and 11 of last 12 Cubs games have totaled at least 9 runs and that is currently the posted total on this game. Lot of value here as the Cubs, going further back, have seen 15 of last 18 games total at least 9 runs. The White Sox are off a tough 5-4 loss in extra innings Sunday at Minnesota in which their bullpen failed them. The White Sox have seen 6 of 9 games since the All-Star break total at least 9 runs. Also, the White Sox have averaged scoring 5 runs per game last 8 games. The Cubs have averaged scoring 7 runs per game last 9 games. This one should see plenty of runs as, out of the 30 MLB teams, the Cubs bullpen ERA is ranked 19th and the ERA for the White Sox bullpen is ranked 26th. As for the starting pitchers in this one, Kopech has had major command issues for the White Sox with 24 walks and 11 earned runs over his last 18.2 innings. Yes his walks allowed have been crazy! As for the Cubs starter (Hendricks) he is off a strong start but this was preceded by allowing 9 earned runs on 18 hits (6 homers!) in just 10 innings of work. More struggles likely here and both teams continue their recent trend of getting involved in high-scoring games. 10* OVER 9 in Chicago

MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies -120 vs Baltimore Orioles @ 6:40 ET - The Phillies have been scuffling a bit lately and the Orioles have been the much hotter team plus Baltimore is currently in the top spot in the AL East. That said, how can Philadelphia have opened up as high as a -140 favorite here? Exactly...and now they are down to as low as a -115 as the betting markets want no part of the Phillies right now. That said, I do...and the value is off the charts with Philly in this spot. They are at home with an 11-4 Taijuan Walker on the mound and the O's Kyle Gibson is a very hittable veteran guy that a tough lineup like the Phillies have can absolutely do a ton of damage on. The home team pulls away as this one goes on. 10* PHILADELPHIA -120

MLB Monday OVER 9 in Houston Astros vs Texas Rangers @ 8:10 ET - The Astros have a solid bullpen but the Rangers bullpen is actually one of the worst in the majors for team ERA. That could be an issue here for sure as Jon Gray may not last long in this one. The Texas right-hander has allowed 38 hits in less than 30 innings of work spanning his last 6 starts. Though Gray gave up no earned runs in his last start he was hit hard and this followed a 5 start stretch in which he allowed 19 earned runs in about 25 innings of work! Houston's Brandon Bielak has pitched better last couple starts in July but had a rough June and faces a tough Rangers lineup here. Not only is Texas off an 8-4 win yesterday, the Rangers last 13 games have averaged 11 runs per game and 9 of the 13 games totaled at least 9 runs. The posted total on this game is, in fact, a 9 and the Astros should hit very well per the struggles of Gray and the Rangers bullpen. However, the Texas bats should answer the call as well as the Rangers have averaged scoring 5.2 runs per game in their 9 games since the All-Star break. The Astros also have averaged 5.3 runs per game since the All-Star break. Don't be surprised if we see each team reach the 5-run mark in this one. OVER 9 in Houston

MLB Monday OVER 9 -115 in Washington Nationals vs Colorado Rockies @ 7:05 ET - Not concerned with who the starting pitchers are. These are the two worst bullpens in the National League based on relievers combined ERA so far this season. Also, the Nationals won 6-1 yesterday and 7 of their 8 games since the All-Star break, prior to yesterday's game, had totaled at least 11 runs! The Rockies are off a 3-2 extra-innings loss yesterday but had scored an average of 5 runs per game and gone 5-2 in their first 7 games, before yesterday's defeat, after the All-Star break. OVER 9 -115 in Washington

MLB Sunday 10* OVER 9 in Chicago Cubs vs St Louis Cardinals @ 2:20 ET - Light wind but still likely to be blowing out. Jordan Montgomery has faced the Cubs only once this season and it was here at Wrigley Field and he did struggle as he allowed 6 earned runs in just 5 innings and now he faces a tough road match-up again as the Cubs have been hitting great overall of late. Yesterday these teams combined for 14 runs as they made up for a rare, strange result the day before when they combined to go 3 of 18 with runners in scoring position. Remember that rare result Friday had followed a long stretch of high-scoring games for both teams. Also, the game Friday was 4-3 Cubs in top of 8th when the Cards had bases loaded and 1 out. It was a bad beat that Friday's game did not get to 4-4 right there which would have guaranteed a win on our over 8 or 8.5 we had Friday.  Then yesterday's got it right back as the Saturday game easily flew over the total early. This one leaves no doubt. Cubs going with James Taillon here and the big right-hander is 1-4 with a 7.06 ERA and with teams hitting .320 against him - all of those are his stats in home games this season. More of the same expected here as he also is 0-4 with an 8.76 ERA in his 6 day starts this season and opponents are hitting .330 against him in those games. Both St Louis and Chicago have been involved in a lot of overs for weeks now. More of the same here. 10* OVER 9 in Chicago

MLB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 or 9 in Washington Nationals vs San Francisco Giants @ 1:35 ET - The Nationals bullpen ERA of 5.47 ranks them dead last in the National League. Couple that with a starting pitcher likely to struggle plus another team going with a bullpen game and you have a great set-up here. Scott Alexander expected to start for the Giants and he is merely just an opener here and Anthony DeSclafani will likely get the bulk of the work here. That is noteworthy as Anthony DeSclafani has allowed 31 earned runs in his last 40 innings and has been susceptible to giving up the long ball on the road. He has allowed 5 homers in 5 innings on the road spanning his last two outings. As for MacKenzie Gore, the Nationals southpaw has allowed at least 5 earned runs in 4 of his last 6 starts that have gone at least 2 innings. Neither team expected to enjoy much success from the mound in this one. The lineups should stay hot as San Francisco bounces back after a rare bad performance yesterday as they scored just 1 run.  The Giants started out 5-2 after the All-Star Break and the 5-game winning streak saw them score an average of 6.4 runs per game. The Nationals 8 games since the All-Star break have averaged 12.6 runs per game and 7 of the 8 have totaled at least 11 runs! The only one that did not was Friday's game which was 5-3 after 5 innings but then the scored died and it ended that way. This one will not die! It should fly over the total. 10* OVER 8.5 or 9 in Washington

MLB Saturday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies -115 vs Cleveland Guardians @ 7:10 ET - Cleveland snuck out the 1-run win yesterday but had lost 5 of 7 games before that. Phillies have now suddenly lost 3 straight but had been red hot over about a 2-month period prior to this. Tanner Bibee has pitched well for the Guardians but he is still a rookie hurler. Here we get a chance to take Zack Wheeler - 60-38 since the last 6 seasons combined with an ERA in the low 3's over this stretch - over a rookie hurler. Couple that with Cleveland struggling, for the most part, against quality teams this season and you have a very nice set-up here. The Guardians are a combined 14-5 against Kansas City, Pittsburgh, and Oakland. They are 34-44 against the rest of the league. The Phillies are 26-13 against teams with a losing record this season and yes Cleveland is below .500 on the season. Grab the value with the road team at a very favorable price here as Bibee faces a tough test here and these Phillies get back on track behind one of their best pitchers, Wheeler, and get a much needed win. Philly has not lost 4 games in a row since a 5-game losing streak that was back in late May/early June. 10* PHILADELPHIA -115

MLB Saturday 10* OVER 9.5 in Chicago Cubs vs St Louis Cardinals @ 2:20 ET - Wind blowing out. Mikolas has allowed at least 3 earned runs in 5 of the last 7 starts in which he has gone more than 3 innings - that one was rain-shortened. In those 5 starts he allowed an average of 4.6 earned runs per outing! Also, the start right before all this (his first of June) saw Mikolas allow 10 hits in just 5 innings. I am just not sold on him being turned round completely and the right-hander faces a tough road match-up as the Cubs have been hitting great overall of late. Yesterday these teams combined to go 3 of 18 with runners in scoring position. All this after a long stretch of high-scoring games for both teams. Also, the game yesterday was 4-3 Cubs in top of 8th when the Cards had bases loaded and 1 out. It was a bad beat that yesterday's game did not get to 4-4 right there which would have guaranteed a win on our over 8 or 8.5 we had yesterday. We get it back today. This one leaves no doubt. Cubs going with a bullpen game and both St Louis and Chicago have been involved in a lot of overs for weeks now. More of the same here. 10* OVER 9.5 in Chicago

MLB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Washington Nationals vs San Francisco Giants @ 7:05 ET - The Nationals bullpen ERA of 5.54 ranks them dead last in the National League. Couple that with a pair of starting pitchers likely to struggle and you have a great set-up here. Alex Wood expected to start for the Giants and he has allowed 7 earned runs on 9 hits in 7 innings spanning his last two starts. He also walked 7 batters while striking out just 3 in those two outings. As for Jake Irvin, the Nationals right-hander has allowed 9 earned runs on 17 hits in 14 innings this month and only has 7 strikeouts in those outings. Neither team expected to enjoy much success from the mound in this one. The lineups should stay hot as San Francisco bounces back after a rare bad performance yesterday as they faced a tough starter Thursday.  The Giants are 5-2 since the All-Star Break and the 5-game winning streak saw them score an average of 6.4 runs per game. The Nationals 6 games since the All-Star break have averaged 13.7 runs per game and all 6 have totaled at least 11 runs so, with this total at 9.5 across the board, this over is testing a 100% RUN going for 7 in a row! 10* OVER 9.5 in Washington

MLB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 8 or 8.5 in Chicago Cubs vs St Louis Cardinals @ 2:20 ET - The wind will be blowing in for this one plus Justin Steele has great full season numbers. However, the above is merely serving to keep this total lower than it should be! Note that the Cards Jack Flaherty is off a strong start but was hit hard in 3 of his 4 starts prior to that. In those 3 outings, Flaherty allowed 29 hits in 17 and 1/3 innings! I also like the fact that the Cubs last 9 games all have totaled at least 9 runs and the last 8, prior to day yesterday, had totaled at least 11 runs! The Cardinals also have been hitting very well and have been involved in a lot of high-scoring games since the All-Star break. The Cards have seen of 6 of their 7 games since the All Star break total at least 9 runs so, with this total at 8 or 8.5 across the board, we have great value. As it pertains to Chicago's recent results, this over is testing a 100% RUN going for 10 in a row! Steele has been rocked in both of his July starts so his full season numbers are masking the fact that his current form is off. As for Flaherty, he has a 5.62 ERA in day games and the Cubs should bounce back after a tough night at the plate yesterday. Chicago had been hot at the plate prior to yesterday. Also, a day game at Wrigley Field even with wind blowing in is still a nice set-up the way these two teams have been trending and with consideration to the starting pitchers. As always, my play is action on the starting pitchers! 10* OVER 8 or 8.5 in Chicago Cubs

MLB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 8 in Chicago Cubs vs St Louis Cardinals @ 8:05 ET - The wind will be blowing in for this one plus Marcus Stroman has great full season numbers. However, the above is merely serving to keep this total lower than it should be! Note that the Cards Steven Matz is 0-7 with a 4.86 ERA so far this season. I also like the fact that the Cubs last 8 games all have totaled at least 9 runs and the last 7 have totaled at least 11 runs! The  Cardinals also have been hitting very well and have been involved in a lot of high-scoring games since the All-Star break. The Cards have seen of 5 of their 6 games since the All Star break total at least 10 runs so, with this total at 8 across the board, we have great value. As it pertains to Chicago's recent results, this over is testing a 100% RUN going for 9 in a row! Stroman is off a good start but this followed him allowing 15 runs (12 earned) in 14 innings spanning his 3 prior starts. As for Matz, he has a 6.03 ERA in road games and he is 0-6 with a 5.80 ERA in night games. So an evening game at Wrigley Field is not exactly a good combo for him! 10* OVER 8 in Chicago Cubs

MLB Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line -115 vs Milwaukee Brewers @ 12:35 ET - Philadelphia lost yesterday but consider the value now today with a pick'em price because Burnes is on the mound for Milwaukee but the betting markets essentially ignoring the fact that Walker is 11-3 this season and has been dominant in his own right. The Phillies certainly have the more potent lineup plus they are the hotter team plus they have the home field edge. Yes each team entered this series on a winning streak but, after yesterday's 5-3 Milwaukee win, the Brewers are still only 19-15 last 34 games while the Phillies are 27-11 last 38 games. That coupled with the situational edge makes the Phillies the play here. Philadelphia, not including the All-Star break period, is 5-1 last 6 times when they are at home and coming off a loss. Milwaukee has averaged scoring just 2.8 runs per game last 6 games. Phillies averaging 5.8 runs scored last 5 games. Phillies get right back on track at home here after rare loss as a host yesterday. 10* PHILADELPHIA -115

MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Chicago Cubs vs Washington Nationals @ 8:05 ET - As mentioned in write-ups each of the past two days, we get value here because neither one of these clubs are known for hot hitting. The key here is that the Nationals bullpen ERA ranks them dead last in the National League and the Cubs ERA ranks them as not much better as they are in the bottom half of the league! Couple that with a pair of starting pitchers likely to struggle and you have another great set-up here. Trevor Williams expected to start for the Nats and he has allowed 11 earned runs in less than 18 innings over his last 4 starts.  Kyle Hendricks expected to start for the Cubs here and he is 0-4 with a 5.00 ERA in evening action this season and he enters this start having  been completely destroyed in his last two starts. This includes allowing 6 homers in his last two outings.  Neither lineup is overly impressive as these clubs each rank slightly under the middle of the pack range in MLB for slugging percentage so far this season. However, the pitching - including bullpens so this play is action - coupled with fair weather for an over this evening should lead to plenty of runs here. I also like the fact that the Cubs last 7 games all have totaled at least 9 runs and the last 6 have totaled at least 11 runs! The Nationals last 11 games all have totaled at least 9 runs so, with this total at 8.5 across the board, this over is testing a 100% RUN going for 12 in a row! 10* OVER 8.5 in Chicago Cubs

MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies -160 vs Milwaukee Brewers @ 6:40 ET - We got burned yesterday as Philadelphia outhit Milwaukee 12-4 but only won the game 4-3 and we had run line so it was a loss. Even though today's line is still fairly price on the money line, it is at least a little lower and I do not want to get burned again so, this time, we lay the price! The Phillies certainly have the more potent lineup plus they are the hotter team plus they have the home field edge. Yes each team entered this series on a winning streak but, after yesterday's 4-3 Phillies win, the Brewers are only 18-15 last 33 games while the Phillies are 27-10 last 37 games. That coupled with the mound edge makes the Phillies the play here. Philadelphia expected to start Christopher Sanchez here and he has been much better than his 0-3 record would lead you to believe. He has a 3.26 ERA and opponents are hitting just .221 against him and he has looked particularly strong recently. Colin Rea goes for the Brewers today and he has allowed at least 4 earned runs in 3 of his last 5 starts and the Philadelphia hot sticks are likely to give him plenty of trouble here as their surge continues. Phillies stay red hot at home here. 10* PHILADELPHIA -160

MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 or 9 in Chicago Cubs vs Washington Nationals @ 8:05 ET - As mentioned in yesterday's write-up, we get value here because neither one of these clubs are known for hot hitting. The key here is that the Nationals bullpen ERA ranks them dead last in the National League and the Cubs ERA ranks them as not much better as they are in the bottom third of the league! Couple that with a pair of starting pitchers likely to struggle and you have a great set-up here. The Nationals are expected to start Patrick Corbin here and he is off a rare strong start but this followed him having allowed 30 earned runs on 62 hits on 45 hits in his 8 starts that preceded that rare strong outing before the All Star break. As for Chicago's Jameson Taillon, he also is off a rare strong start and but was struggling before that. Also, the strong outing came against the Yankees team he went 14-5 for last season so don't be surprised if he comes out flat in this one after that rare gem against his former team. You know Taillon wanted that one bad. Prior to that outing, Taillon had allowed 42 earned runs in 49 innings over 11 starts leading into that one. Neither lineup is overly impressive as these clubs each rank slightly under the middle of the pack range in MLB for slugging percentage so far this season. However, the pitching - including bullpens so this play is action - coupled with fair weather for an over this evening should lead to plenty of runs here. I also like the fact that the Cubs last 6 games all have totaled at least 9 runs and the last 5 have totaled at least 11 runs! The Nationals last 10 games all have totaled at least 9 runs so, with this total at 9 or 9.5 across the board, this over is testing a 100% RUN going for 11 in a row! 10* OVER 8.5 or 9 in Chicago Cubs 

MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies -1.5 -105 vs Milwaukee Brewers @ 6:40 ET - Teheran struggling badly for the Brewers in recent starts. Nola, for the Phillies, has been showing a lot of outings lately in which he looks like "vintage Nola" and his dominating stuff should keep Milwaukee off balance here. The Phillies certainly have the more potent lineup plus they are the hotter team plus they have the home field edge. Yes each team enters this one on a winning streak but the Brewers 18-14 last 32 games while the Phillies are 26-10 last 36 games. That coupled with the mound edge makes the Phillies the play here. Note that 35 of 42 Brewers losses have been by 2+ runs this season and that is an 83% rate! 9 of last 11 Phillies wins have been by 2+ runs and that is an 82% rate. Phillies win in a home blowout here. 10* PHILADELPHIA -1.5 -105

MLB Monday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Chicago Cubs vs Washington Nationals @ 8:05 ET - We get value here because neither one of these clubs are known for hot hitting. The key here is that the Nationals bullpen ERA ranks them dead last in the National League and the Cubs ERA ranks them as not much better as they are in the bottom third of the league! Couple that with a pair of starting pitchers likely to struggle and you have a great set-up here. The Nationals are expected to start MacKenzie Gore here and he allowed at least 5 earned runs in 3 of the 5 starts that preceded his final (rain-shortened) outing before the All Star break. As for Chicago's Drew Smyly, he also was struggling before the break. In fact, Smyly allowed 14 earned runs in 11 and 1/3 innings spanning his last 3 starts before the All-Star break. Smyly also has allowed at least 5 earned runs in each of his last 3 home starts! Neither lineup is overly impressive as these clubs each rank slightly under the middle of the pack range in MLB for slugging percentage so far this season. However, the pitching - including bullpens so this play is action - coupled with nice weather for an over this evening should lead to plenty of runs here. I also like the fact that the Cubs last 5 games all have totaled at least 9 runs and the last 4 have totaled at least 11 runs! The Nationals last 9 games all have totaled at least 9 runs so, with this total at 8.5, this over is testing a 100% RUN going for 10 in a row! 10* OVER 8.5 in Chicago Cubs 

MLB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 10 in Los Angeles Angels vs Houston Astros @ 7:10 ET - The Angels and Astros combined for 25 runs yesterday. This game should be another one that easily gets to double digits. First off, both bullpens got hammered yesterday. Secondly, the starting pitchers here are each likely to get rocked. Tyler Anderson has a 5.25 ERA and has been getting hit at a .278 clip on the season. The Angels southpaw facing an angry Astros lineup that will be relentless after they scored 12 runs yesterday yet lost the game! Los Angeles also should have another big day at the plate as Houston's Cristian Javier is struggling badly after a hot start to the season. He has allowed 18 earned runs in less than 11 innings spanning his last 3 starts overall. Also, in terms of road starts, he has struggled in each of his last 3 away from home with 18 earned runs allowed in about 13 innings of work. The Angels and Astros sticks both pick up where they left off yesterday and the bullpens likely to again struggle. Keep in mind, the Angels have had 4 straight games and 6 of last 7 all total at least a dozen runs! All signs point to this one doing the same. 10* OVER 10 in Los Angeles Angels

MLB Sunday 10* OVER 11 in Colorado Rockies vs New York Yankees @ 3:10 ET - I am a little surprised this total has not dropped below an 11 but actually that should tell us all something here. The fact is that the markets are expecting the same thing I am here...that we get an over despite the fact the Yankees lineup has not been great and Gerrit Cole is on the mound for New York. Cole has very little experience at hitter-friendly Coors Field and the hot dry weather is going to be ideal for the ball to carry very well in the thin air of Denver this afternoon. As for the Yankees sticks, they did bounce back for 6 runs yesterday and they will take advantage of a struggling hurler here. Sure enough, after a shockingly good start to this season, Chase Anderson is back to reality for the Rockies. The Colorado hurler has not only been hit hard, he has been absolutely destroyed the last month and a half. More of the same expected here and this one turns into a slugfest. 10* OVER 11 in Colorado

MLB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 11.5 in Colorado Rockies vs New York Yankees @ 8:10 ET - I know Judge took batting practice yesterday but is still out for awhile and this Yankees lineup does not look good at all. However, this is still Coors Field and this is the most hitter-friendly ballpark in baseball and today New York will be facing a Rockies starter that has struggled this season. Also, behind Connor Seabold is a Colorado bullpen that ranks 27th in the majors with a 4.86 ERA. The Yankees bullpen has been much better but, again, this is a tough place to pitch and the Rockies are one of the top hitting teams in the majors when at home. Colorado will hit well again here just like yesterday's 7-run outburst but, this time, the Yanks join the party. New York will take advantage of Seabold as he is 0-4 in his last 4 starts with 24 earned runs allowed in 17 innings. As you can see, the Rockies hurler is not just struggling, he is getting destroyed of late. The Yankees Clarke Schmidt has an ERA of nearly 6.00 this season in his road appearances with opponents hitting nearly .300 against him away from home. 10* OVER 11.5 in Colorado

SATURDAY PLAY as this now goes in Game ONE of Double-Header SATURDAY at 2:10 ET. Here is yesterday's write-up which still applies after the Friday rain out: MLB 10* Top Play OVER 9 in Kansas City Royals vs Tampa Bay Rays @ 8:10 ET - This game could be impacted by weather early and might get a delayed start but once they do get underway I am expecting a solid over here. The Royals on the run line at -2.5 runs are priced in the -115 range. In other words, solid chance they win this game by at least 3 runs. So, for example, if KC scores 3 the oddsmakers are saying odds are that TB scores 6. Of course that alone gets us to 9 runs and a push but I am absolutely expecting double digits in runs here. The Rays Tyler Glasnow has struggled on the road and also against lefties. The Royals have plenty of left-handed lumber in their lineup plus they do tend to hit better at home. However, while I do expect Kansas City to do some damage here, I also expect the Rays to go absolutely ballistic in this one! Tampa Bay should pound Alec Marsh. The young Royals hurler went 8-23 with a 5.72 ERA in the minors. In this, his rookie season in the majors, Marsh is 0-2 with a 7.00 ERA and he has had an issue with too many walks also. Behind him is a Royals bullpen that ranks among the worst in the majors and will also struggle here against a strong Rays lineup. The set-up, other than some early evening weather concerns, is perfect for a slugfest in this one. 10* OVER 9 in Kansas City

MLB Friday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line +100 vs San Diego Padres @ 6:05 ET - Padres only 18-24 on the road this season. Phillies are 22-16 at home this season. San Diego is 25-27 against teams with a winning record this season. Philadelphia is 23-11 this season against teams with a winning record. We are getting a value line here because of the expected starting pitching match-up of Yu Darvish versus Christopher Sanchez. Not only do I not care who the starting pitchers are - going action on pitchers as per usual here - I also feel the Phillies have the edge. Yes, Darvish is a "big name" pitcher but he also has a 6.16 ERA on the road this season. This is not a big surprise as last year his road ERA was about 1 run higher than at home for the season. Also, the year before his road ERA was about 2 runs higher than at home for the year. As for Sanchez, he has been solid since returning from the minors last month. He has allowed just 5 earned runs in 21 innings spanning his last 4 starts. More of the same here and I like the Phillies at home over the Padres here regardless of the starting pitchers. 10* PHILADELPHIA +100

MLB Sunday New York Mets +115 @ San Diego Padres @ 4:10 ET - I did fall just short with Mets run line +1.5 runs yesterday but as mentioned in that write-up, this Padres team is just not that good. They came into the season with high expectations but look at their batting order. They of course have that potent "heart of the order" but they are weak elsewhere and particularly 6 through 9 spots. The Mets lineup not as strong in the middle but is much more complete in terms of respectable sticks through the entirety of the batting order. As for the pitchers here, I know Joe Musgrove is a solid pitcher with good numbers but I expect Max Scherzer to better him here. The Mets right-hander is 6-0 in his last 6 decisions. He has allowed only 16 hits in the 20 innings spanning his last 3 starts and those were against the two world series teams - Astros and Phillies - from last year's fall classic plus he faced a strong Diamondbacks lineup. With consideration to that, Scherzer has been sharp on the road of late and I expect success for him here in San Diego. This is a lot of line value here with the money line available at an underdog price on the Mets with Scherzer on the mound here. I will go action with the pitchers though as last week snapped some streaks/trends that I expect to get payback for right here. The Padres, before yesterday's win, had lost 8 of 12 games and the Mets were on a 6-game winning streak before yesterday's loss! NEW YORK METS +115

MLB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 7.5 in San Francisco Giants vs Colorado Rockies @ 4:05 ET - This is a low total considering the teams combined for 20 hits yesterday plus the Rockies had 9 hits and 5 runs in the Friday win too. I look for the hits to continue here. The Rockies send Kyle Freeland to the mound and he is 1-7 with a 5.89 ERA on the road this season. The Giants send Logan Webb to the mound and he has allowed 15 hits in less than 12 innings in his last two starts. Webb has been solid this season but has a 4.82 ERA in his last 3 starts. Total a little low for an afternoon game in San Francisco and considering the Giants bullpen ERA ranks in the middle of the pack while the Rockies bullpen is one of the worst in the majors. 10* OVER 7.5 in San Francisco

MLB Saturday New York Mets +1.5 -135 @ San Diego Padres @ 10:10 ET - This Padres team is just not that good. They came into the season with high expectations but look at their batting order. They of course have that potent "heart of the order" but they are weak elsewhere and particularly 6 through 9 spots. The Mets lineup not as strong in the middle but is much more complete in terms of respectable sticks through the entirety of the batting order. As for the pitchers here, Snell is the big name guy but he allowed 11 baserunners in 5 innings in his most recent start and was very fortunate to come out of it unscathed. He also got rocked by the Mets earlier this season and I would not be surprised to see that again here against Snell. As for Peterson, the southpaw has struggled this season and got demoted. But even when struggling earlier this season he handcuffed these Padres in his only start against them. The southpaw also has been better since his demotion and has allowed just 1 earned run in 10 innings. This is a lot of line value here with the run line available at a respectable price on the Mets here. The Padres have lost 8 of 12 games and the Mets won in extra innings to carry momentum from that into this one plus they already had momentum from what is now a 6-game winning streak! Also, in last 13 games, Mets only have 1 loss by more than 1 run and that is why I am riding the exceptional value with this run line here. NEW YORK METS +1.5 -135

MLB Saturday Philadelphia Phillies +105 @ Miami Marlins @ 4:10 - We were fortunate here with the Phillies yesterday as they were down to their final out in the 9th inning and managed to get an ultra-clutch 2-run homer for the road win! The old saying - if it is not broke do not try to fix it - applies here! The fact is that Philadelphia keeps on winning on the road and I am going back to the well again here. They have won 13 straight road games and this ties their franchise record in the modern ERA (since 1900) as only the 1976 Phillies have won as many road games in a row - also 13. The streak should continue here as Suarez is off a tough start but has a 1.97 ERA on the road this season and is coming off a June in which he compiled a 1.08 ERA in his five starts. As for Garrett, he got rocked by the Phillies in his starts against them in 2022 and 2021 and he enters this start with a 5.27 ERA at home this season. So these pitchers have a home/road dichotomy that favors us plus you have a team looking to take its road run to 14-0! I like the odds here! PHILADELPHIA +105

MLB Friday Philadelphia Phillies -120 @ Miami Marlins @ 6:40 ET - Even in extra innings yesterday Philadelphia found a way.  The Phillies have now won 12 straight road games! Off a tight win last night following a Wednesday Philadelphia win in which they outhit TB 17 to 7 the Phillies continue to get the job done. Yes, the Marlins are a solid team but they have lost 4 of 7 and been outscored 32 to 7 in the 4 losses! Phillies, on the other hand, have lost only 7 of last 29 games! Phillies starter Zach Wheeler has allowed just 1 earned run in last 2 road starts spanning 12 innings. He also held the Marlins to just 1 earned run in 6 innings when he faced them earlier this season. Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara was strong for so long but has not been the same pitcher this season. He has allowed 4 earned runs or more in 4 straight when it comes to his home starts.  Alcantara also was rocked for 9 earned runs in only 4 innings when he faced the Phillies earlier this season. All of the above bodes well for the Phillies and we'll back the team with the stronger lineup and a respectable bullpen and that enters this one on a 12-0 run in road games. Look for 13 straight wins! PHILADELPHIA -120

MLB Thursday Philadelphia Phillies +120 @ Tampa Bay Rays @ 6:40 ET - The Rays were a bigger favorite here but have dropped in price and no wonder as to why. The Phillies have won 11 straight road games! They are hitting better than the Rays are right now. Yesterday Philadelphia outhit TB 17 to 7. Yes, the Rays are a strong team but they have been struggling. Tampa Bay has lost 10 of 16 games! Phillies, on the other hand, have lost only 7 of last 28 games! The Rays went with an opener yesterday and it did not work out well as everyone saw. Once again today it is another opener, Shawn Armstrong, and more of the same for the hot Phillies lineup expected here. As for Phillies starter Christopher Sanchez, he had a 2.40 ERA last month and is ready to roll here. Sanchez has 20 strikeouts in less than 20 innings on the season and he can give the Rays some trouble here. Look for Phillies to stay hot. Everyone will be backing TB to not get swept here but how can you fade a team with a the stronger lineup and a respectable bullpen and that enters this one on an 11-0 run in road games. Look for 12 straight wins! PHILADELPHIA +120

MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies +117 @ Tampa Bay Rays @ 6:40 ET - The Phillies Taijuan Walker had a fantastic June. Opponents hit just .171 against him for the month. In his last 5 starts, Walker has allowed only 3 earned runs in 32 innings! Walker is about as "in the zone" as you can get! As for Tampa Bay, they are going with a bullpen game here and they are expected to start Zach Littell but the starter is really inconsequential in a bullpen game so I am going with action on the pitchers here as per usual. The big key is that we get line value here because the Rays have been the better team on the season but the Phillies have been the hotter team of late. Tampa Bay actually has gone just 6-9 last 15 games! Philadelphia has gone 20-7 last 27 games! Not only that, the Phillies have won 10 straight road games. I am testing that run here and fully expecting the road dog adds another W to the 10-0 run! 10* PHILADELPHIA +117

MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Detroit Tigers vs Oakland Athletics @ 6:40 ET - The Tigers and Athletics are two of the weaker hitting teams in the league but this one offers great value because Oakland has been involved in a number of higher-scoring games of late and the Tigers do tend to hit better at home. The A's 8 of last 9 games have totaled at least 9 runs and those 8 games have averaged a dozen runs per game! The Tigers 7 of last 8 games have totaled at least 9 runs and those 7 games have averaged 13 runs per game. Considering numbers like that and warm weather in Detroit for this one I feel we have a bargain line here at 8.5 runs. Yes Skubal was strong in his minor league rehab starts but this will still be his first start at the MLB level in nearly a year. As for the Athletics Sears, he is 1-6 this season and he has given up 13 runs (11 unearned) in his last 3 starts spanning 18 innings. More of the same here. The Tigers bullpen ranks in the middle of the pack and the Athletics bullpen ranks dead last this season. I would not be surprised to see each team to get to 4 runs apiece here and that would guarantee us of at least a 5-4 final here. 10* OVER 8.5 in Detroit

MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies +130 @ Tampa Bay Rays @ 4:10 ET - The Rays are certainly a strong team and former Phillie Zach Eflin is having a huge season for Tampa Bay. However, the Phillies have a number of guys that have enjoyed success at the plate against him. Also, the Rays have lost 8 of 14 games so they don't exactly come into this match-up red hot. The Phillies are off a rare series loss after losing 2 out of 3 to the Nationals. The Phillies entered that series having won 18 of 23 games. Comparing that to TB, Philly certainly enters this series as the hotter team. Philadelphia will be starting Aaron Nola here and the only Rays hitters with experience against him have gone a combined 3 of 20 for a .150 batting average. Conversely, Philadelphia's Harper, Harrison, Realmuto, Schwarber and Turner are a combined 22 of 65 for a .338 batting average against Eflin. I am expecting the road dog to score the minor upset on the road here in this one. 10* PHILADELPHIA +130

MLB Monday OVER 7 in San Francisco Giants vs Seattle Mariners @ 9:45 ET - This total has dropped too low. The Giants Webb has decent numbers on the season but he had a 4.70 ERA in June and he has allowed 36 hits in 31 innings over his last 5 starts. As for the Mariners Woo, he has been stronger of late for sure and including at home. However, the fact is that he does have a 6.00 ERA in his 3 road starts at the MLB level and I would not be surprised to see him struggle a bit here. The Giants 7 of last 8 home games have totaled at least 7 runs. The Mariners 8 of last 10 games have totaled at least 7 runs. In fact, those ten games have averaged 12 runs per game. More of the same likely here. I fully expect 8 or more runs and feel the recent trending fully supports that expectation. OVER 7 in San Francisco

MLB Monday San Diego Padres -1.5 +110 vs Los Angeles Angels @ 9:40 ET - Snell has been throwing very well for the Padres. He is coming off a fantastic June and dating back to May as well he has allowed only 4 earned runs in his last 7 starts. Conversely, Barria has been hit hard in each of his last two starts. The Angels are 8-15 against left-handed starters this season. The Padres certainly have not been great this season but Los Angeles, prior to a win Sunday, had lost 8 of 11 games. The Padres have been struggling but have won 9 of last 16 home games and 30 of 41 Angels losses by at least 2 runs this season. 33 of 38 San Diego wins have been by 2+ runs this season. That said, if you like the Padres to win here, you can bet they have strong odds at a big win as well and that means I have no hesitation in grabbing the plus money run line price here. SAN DIEGO -1.5 +110

MLB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 11.5 in Colorado Rockies vs Detroit Tigers @ 3:10 ET - The Rockies and Tigers off a low-scoring battle yesterday but both were trending toward higher-scoring games b before that. Based on that factor plus the weather conditions expected on a hot afternoon in Denver Sunday, look for plenty of runs in this one.  The ball will be jumping off the bats and both these guys have been homer prone this season. I like this play regardless of the starting pitchers but note that Seabold has allowed 9 homers in just 18 innings in his 5 home appearances (4 starts).  As for Manning, he is off a solid start but that was just his 3rd of the season and he allowed 4 homers in less than 12 innings of work in his first two starts. Both these guys could get rocked and neither bullpen is considered strong and I am looking for piles of runs to be scored in this one as a result. Again, prior to yesterday's 4-2 Detroit win in extra frames, both these teams had been trending to high-scoring ballgames. 10* OVER 11.5 in Colorado