Total Crusher - Rickenbach Tuesday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Chicago White Sox vs Minnesota Twins @ 8:10 ET - Certainly the White Sox have not been hitting the ball well. Even though both games of yesterday's double header went over the total the fact is the ChiSox tallied very few hits. However, facing Kyle Gibson should bring out the best in the White Sox lineup. I am well aware of the fact that Gibson has great career numbers versus the ChiSox but the last time he faced them he allowed 5 earned runs in less than 6 innings of work. Also, he has a 6.05 ERA on the season and has given up 39 hits in his last 31 and 1/3 innings heading into this start. The over is now 8-3 in the Twins last 11 starts and Minnesota has been swinging hot bats. Minny has averaged scoring 6.9 runs per game in going 13-3 in their last 16 games. That said, young Lucas Giolito is in trouble here. The right-hander is highly touted but he has gone just 6-10 with a 4.48 ERA in the minors this season. Also, last season in his only major league appearances thus far, Giolito compiled a 6.75 ERA in 6 games (4 starts) and was hit at a .295 clip. Facing the red hot Twins should mean more struggles at the MLB level for Giolito here. The White Sox sticks, though they haven't been great as noted above, have averaged 5 runs per game in their last 14 games. This one should fly over the total as the bullpens also had to put in extra work yesterday due to the double header so this situation clearly favors the over today. The over is 17-8 in Chicago's home games this season where their money line is in a range of -125 to +125. Also, the over is 33-20 in Minnesota's games against teams with a losing record this season. 10* OVER the total in the Chicago White Sox game Tuesday evening

Contrarian Shocker - Rickenbach Tuesday MLB 8* Oakland A's Money Line (+) @ Baltimore Orioles @ 7:05 ET - Baltimore is heavily overpriced here in the home favorite role. Look for the Athletics to improve to 5-3 this season in road games with a posted total of 10 or 10.5 runs. The Orioles are only 7-11 this season in Tuesday games and they actually have only a .500 record in home games dating back to May 21st - a span of 3 months! Grab the value by fading an over-priced home fave here. Ubaldo Jimenez has an ugly 6.37 ERA and 1.75 WHIP in his home starts this season. The Orioles veteran right-hander will be opposed by Oakland's Paul Blackburn. The A's right-hander has gone a solid 2-1 with a spectacular 1.69 ERA in his 4 road starts this season. Blackburn has allowed just 21 hits in his 26 and 2/3 innings on the road this season. Conversely, Jimenez enters this start having allowed 23 hits in the 15 and 1/3 innings spanning his last 3 starts. The Orioles are an ugly 2-5 in the last 7 starts Jimenez has made. Long-term the A's are an impressive 140-121 (+$37,800) in road games with a posted total of 10 or 10.5 runs. A lot of runs expected tonight at Camden Yards but, unlike last night, it will be the Athletics doing most of the damage in this one. 8* OAKLAND money line early Tuesday evening.

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach Tuesday MLB 8* OVER the total in Philadelphia Phillies vs Miami Marlins @ 4:05 ET (Game 1 of double-header) - Both these pitchers have solid numbers on the season but there are plenty of signs pointing to struggles for each hurler this afternoon in Philly. Great line value here for this total as it has been held down to an 8.5 based on long-term numbers for these two pitchers. The key in the value with the over here is that Aaron Nola is off of a start where he struggled and it was against the light-hitting Giants. Giving up 5 earned runs in 5 innings at San Francisco is a bad sign for Nola as he now faces a Marlins team that got to him for 4 earned runs in just 3 innings of work when he faced them earlier this season. As for Miami starter Daniel Straily, the Phillies have proven to be a tough match-up for him. Straily has faced Philadelphia twice already this season and he has been rocked for 18 hits in less than 12 innings of work. He was fortunate enough to work out of some jams in those starts because he escaped with a total of only 5 earned runs allowed in the 2 outings. However, the fact is that the Phillies have hit the ball very well against him and he comes into this outing with a 4.63 ERA in his road starts this season. Overall, the over is 5-1-1 in Straily's 7 starts since the All-Star break. Also, the over is 45-32 in Miami's night games this season and 10-4 in their Tuesday games. The Marlins are also 31-18 to the over this season in their games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs. More of the same expected here. 8* OVER the total in Philadelphia in Game 1 of the double-header Tuesday afternoon. 

Rickenbach Monday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Atlanta Braves vs Seattle Mariners @ 7:35 ET - The Braves Mike Foltynewicz has been roughed up in 3 of his last 4 starts. The Atlanta right-hander has struggled to command his curveball and slider and the results have been rough. Foltynewicz has allowed 5 earned runs or more in 3 of his last 4 starts and none of those 3 poor outings saw him log more than 4 innings! Now he faces a fired up Seattle team off of a shutout loss. The Mariners have a solid lineup and they had scored 7 runs in each of their prior 3 games before being shutdown yesterday. The over is 6-0-1 in the last 7 starts that Foltynewicz has made and I expect another over here because the M's Andrew Albers is unlikely to enjoy success. The southpaw has pitched in the minors for much of his career and this will be just his 2nd start this season. Keep in mind he has been hit at a .286 clip at the major league level in 18 appearances (13 starts) in his career. The left-hander also has been hit at a .279 clip in his entire minor league career including getting hit at .305 or better in 2 of his last 3 years in the minors at the AAA level. The Braves have averaged 7.3 runs per game in their last 4 games and they'll stay hot at the plate tonight. Yesterday's 8-1 Atlanta win barely stayed under the total but the over was 6-3 in Braves games heading into that one. Seattle is 14-9 to the over after getting shutout and also 34-19 to the over in interleague games. The over is on a 19-9 run in Atlanta's games versus teams with a winning record this season and also the Braves are 9-5 to the over in inter-league action this season. 10* OVER the total in Atlanta early Monday evening.

Rickenbach Monday MLB 8* OVER the total in New York Mets vs Arizona Diamondbacks @ 7:10 ET - The Dbacks Taijuan Walker has a 5.62 ERA and has allowed 4 homers in his last 3 starts. Arizona has lost each of his last 7 starts and he has allowed at least 3 earned runs in each of his last 4 starts and the over is a perfect 3-0 in Walker's last 3 starts. The Mets send Robert Gsellman to the mound for this one and the Mets have lost each of his last 4 starts. Gsellman has compiled a 9.68 ERA in those 4 outings. The over is 10-4-1 in his 15 starts this season. Though neither one of these teams has been tearing the cover off of the ball of late, the Diamondbacks have scored 4 runs or more in 4 of their last 6 games. New York has scored 4 runs or more in 7 of their last 11 games. Of course a 4-4 scored guarantees us no worse than a 5-4 final and I like the line value as this total has dropped to a 9 and the over is available at plus money. Keep in mind, Arizona is on a 46-26 run to the over in August games and the Mets are an incredible 54-23 to the over in night games this season. 8* OVER the total in the New York Mets game early Monday evening.

Rickenbach Monday MLB 8* Los Angeles Dodgers Run Line -1.5 runs @ Pittsburgh Pirates @ 7:05 ET - The Pirates got the win last night and surprisingly the bullpen actually hung on for a win. However, they'll prove to be no match for the Dodgers tonight. This is a pitching mismatch and Pittsburgh is catching the Dodgers at the wrong time as Los Angeles is off of a loss yesterday that ended their 6-game winning streak. Of course, as long-time followers know, I don't like to lay big juice so my play here is on the run line. By taking LA at -1.5 runs we don't have to lay any juice to have the superior team and merely ask them to win by 2 runs or more. Note that the Dodgers, since mid-June, are 8-1 when off of a loss and 6 of the 8 wins have come by 2 runs or more. Overall, Los Angeles was on a 12-2 run in their 14 games prior to yesterday's loss. Also, 10 of the 12 wins came by 2 runs or more. The odds are in our favor in terms of any Dodgers win today coming by at least 2 runs. That said, the pitching match-up here certainly should lead to a win. Alex Wood is a phenomenal 13-1 with a 2.41 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP on the season and showing no signs of slowing down. The Dodgers southpaw will be opposed by Gerrit Cole and the Pirates right-hander has a mediocre 4.50 ERA in his last 3 starts. Also, Wood has a 2.50 ERA in his 6 starts versus Pittsburgh in his career while Cole has a 5.22 ERA in his 5 starts versus LA in his career. 8* Los Angeles Dodgers Run Line -1.5 runs early Monday evening.

ESPN Game of the Year - Rickenbach Sunday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Pittsburgh Pirates vs St Louis Cardinals @ 7 ET - The Cardinals are on a 12-1 run to the over in their last 13 games after yesterday's 6-4 loss went over the total. Both of these teams continue to have bullpen issues and are swinging the bats quite well. The Cardinals have averaged scoring nearly 8 runs per game in their last 13 games! The Pirates have averaged scoring 7 runs per game in their last 4 games. Really the only question than for this one than comes down to the starting pitcher. The fact is that this is perhaps the strongest edge of all when it comes to this play! The Cardinals are starting Mike Leake and he has an 8.81 ERA in his last 3 starts and has given up 28 hits in the 15 and 1/3 innings spanning those 3 outings. He'll be opposed by Ivan Nova who is off of a solid outing at Milwaukee but had gone into that game having compiled a 6.67 ERA in his 5 starts since the All Star break. As you can see from these numbers, neither one of these pitchers has been getting the job done recently. Additionally, the Pirates lineup will be facing Leake for the 4th time already this season and they've had 20 hits in 17 and 1/3 innings against him thus far. Based on his current form, this could really be a breakout game for the Pittsburgh bats. As for the Cardinals, though they didn't fare well against Nova earlier this season at least that means they have seen him already and their lineup is truly one of the hottest in baseball right now. Couple that with Nova's recent struggles and St Louis should stay red hot at the plate in this one. Not only is the over 12-1 in the Cards last 13 games, STL is also 13-4 to the over in Sunday games this season. That means we're testing a combined 25-5 (83%) mark here! Count me in! 10* OVER the total in Pittsburgh

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach Sunday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Colorado Rockies vs Milwaukee Brewers @ 3:10 ET - Yesterday's 6-3 Brewers win stayed under the total but the teams did combine for 21 hits. Overall Milwaukee has now averaged 6.1 runs per game in their last 7 games. The Rockies, prior to the loss last night, had averaged 9.7 runs per game in their last 3 games. As you can see, both these teams have been swinging the bats quite well and that should result in plenty of runs on a warm and very dry afternoon in Denver. The ball will be carrying extremely well at Coors Field, even though the wind will not be blowing out, as a result of the weather conditions. Kyle Freeland gets the start for the Rockies and he has given up 4 homers in his last 17 and 1/3 innings on the mound. He has been hit quite hard in many of his starts since mid-June and I expect more of the same here. As for the Brewers, Chase Anderson is returning from the disabled list and he got rocked in his rehab start at the AAA level in the minors. Also, this will be the 3rd time in the past 12 months that the Rockies are seeing Anderson and it is the first time at Coors Field. Anderson had allowed 4 earned runs in 3 of his last 5 road starts before lasting just 1 inning at Cincinnati on June 28th and then landing on the DL. The over is 15-9 in Brewers games versus left-handed starters this season. Also, the over was 5-1 in Anderson's last 6 road starts before he lasted just 1 inning against the Reds and went on the shelf. His road struggles resume here but his teammates stay hot at the plate. The expected result is a slugfest! 10* OVER The total in Colorado Sunday afternoon

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach Sunday MLB 8* OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees @ 1:30 ET - The Yankees will have Sonny Gray on the mound and he got rocked for 7 earned runs in less than 4 innings of work in his most recent start in Boston. It will be a warm afternoon with the wind blowing out toward right field at a good clip for this one. Definitely a hitter-friendly afternoon and the Red Sox have averaged 6.1 runs per game in their last 9 games and will give Gray trouble again here. Boston has their own pitching "concern" here as Rick Porcello gets the ball for the Red Sox in this one. The right-hander has a 5.13 ERA and has been hit at .307 clip in his 14 starts at Fenway Park this season. Porcello also has given up 17 hits (including 3 homers) in the 12 and 1/3 innings spanning his last two starts versus the Yankees. The Yanks will be seeing the Red Sox right-hander for the 4th time already this season. Repetition leads to success for the hitters and they also feature buoyed confidence after getting the big upset win over Chris Sale yesterday in a 4-3 final. The Yankees are now 5-1 in their last 6 games and have averaged 5.2 runs per game during this stretch. As you can see, this game should easily get to double digits in runs scored. 8* OVER the total in Boston early Sunday afternoon.

Total Crusher - Rickenbach Saturday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Houston Astros vs Oakland A's @ 7:10 ET - After scoring 9 runs in back to back games, the Astros bats have been rather quiet the past two games. Facing the A's Kendall Graveman should help them wake up in a hurry. Oakland is 1-4 in Graveman's 5 road starts this season and he has compiled a 7.20 ERA in those outings. Being divisional foes, these lineups have familiarity with the pitchers they're facing today and Collin McHugh is also likely to struggle here. The Astros are only 1-4 in his 5 starts since he returned from an elbow injury that kept him out for the first half of this season. McHugh has allowed 9 earned runs in just 11 innings spanning his last two starts. He's facing an A's team that had averaged 6.2 runs per game in their last 6 games before being held to just 1 run yesterday. The A's had gone over in 4 of their last 5 games prior to yesterday's pitchers duel and they had reached double digits in hits in 4 of their last 6 games. Oakland's 38 doubles in the month of August is 2nd out of all 30 MLB teams and they've been one of the better hitting teams this month. Of course the Astros are one of the top teams in baseball and loaded with plenty of hitting prowess. The over is 31-19 in Athletics games against teams with a winning record this season. The over is 16-9 in the Astros last 25 games against teams with a losing record on the year. 10* OVER the total in Houston

Game of the Week - Rickenbach Saturday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Tampa Bay Rays vs Seattle Mariners @ 6:10 ET - Certainly the Rays have been struggling at the plate overall and they had a rough time yesterday with just 1 run on 4 hits. However, Tampa Bay had started to show signs of turning the corner before yesterday's poor effort as they had tallied 31 hits in their last 3 games. The key to the value in today's play is that the Rays can resume the turnaround at the plate because they are facing a hurler that is struggling. Ariel Miranda gets the start for the Mariners here and the southpaw is winless with an 8.21 ERA in his last 3 starts. Also, he has given up 5 homers in his last two road starts. Seattle also should have no trouble at the plate today either. The Mariners have scored 7 runs in back to back games and Jake Odorizzi has struggled with location of his pitches in recent starts and this has resulted in shortened outings and some overall ineffectiveness. The way the M's are swinging the bats they could make him pay in a hurry here and they have gotten to Odorizzi for 13 runs (8 earned) in the 8 innings spanning his last two starts versus Seattle. The over is 6-0 in his last 6 home starts this season and odds are favoring another one here! 10* OVER the total in Tampa Bay early Saturday evening.

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach Saturday MLB 8* Detroit Tigers Money Line (+) vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 4:05 ET - Of course the Dodgers are one of the hottest teams in the bigs and are arguably the best team in the majors this season. However, there is a reason their price is so "moderate" today instead of being the typical huge favorite they have been. The fact is that this is a great spot for an upset win and I love the value being offered here with the home dog. Tigers starter Michael Fullmer worked out the kinks in his first start back off of the disabled list and he'll be ready to go here. He is 6-3 at home this season with a 3.69 ERA and the Dodgers are not familiar with him. Los Angeles sends Hyun-Jin Ryu to the mound for this one and the southpaw had a nightmare outing in his only career start at Detroit as he was rocked for 7 earned runs in just 2 and 1/3 innings. Also, the Dodgers are just 2-6 in the starts the southpaw has made on the road this season. He gave up 7 hits in just 5 innings against the light-hitting Padres in his most recent start and I expect more struggles here. 8* DETROIT on the money line Saturday afternoon. 

Total Crusher - Rickenbach Friday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Pittsburgh Pirates vs St Louis Cardinals @ 7:05 ET - With two starting pitchers on good runs and that have strong overall numbers, this total is being held lower than it should be. The fact is that, with yesterday's 11-7 slug-fest win, the Cardinals are 10-1 to the over in their last 11 games. Also, none of the 11 games have totaled less than 9 runs so, with a posted total at 8 runs (like today's currently is), the Cards would be on an 11-0 run to the over! They should have no trouble with the offerings of the Pirates Trevor Williams. They just saw the right-hander last month and, although they managed only 2 runs against him, the Cardinals pounded Williams to the tune of 10 hits in 5 and 2/3 innings. As you can see from those numbers, there were simply some wasted opportunities. Even though the Cardinals Carlos Martinez was strong in his start versus the Pirates last month, the fact that Pittsburgh is getting another look at him just a month later should help them. Though Martinez has been pitching well he did allow 2 homers in his most recent road start. He has been more susceptible to the long ball away from home this season and the wind is expected to be blowing out for this one. Martinez is 6-3 at home this season but only 3-6 on the road and the Pirates are 5-2 in their last 7 home games and have averaged scoring 5.6 runs per game in those 7 games. With both teams having shaky bullpen work of late as well, this one should easily get over the low number. 10* OVER the total in Pittsburgh early Friday evening

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach Friday MLB 8* Toronto Blue Jays Money Line (+) @ Chicago Cubs @ 2:20 ET - The Cubs Jake Arrieta is pitching better since the All Star Break but there is no denying he hasn't been as dominant this season as he has been in recent season. In fact his ERA before the All Star Break was a rather pedestrian 4.35 as he was above 4.50 with his ERA in each of the first three months of the season. He'll be facing a Blue Jays team that is on a hot streak as they've won 5 of their last 6 and, overall, Toronto is 10-5 in the month of August. Couple that with the fact that J.A. Happ has been pitching very well and the Cubs are truly over-priced in this spot. Happ has given up 2 earned runs or less in 8 of his last 10 starts. Included in this stretch, Toronto has won each of his last 3 starts and the southpaw has allowed only a single earned run in each start while also tallying 23 strikeouts in his 18 and 2/3 innings. Happ is a combined 15-4 with a 3,09 ERA in day game starts the past 2 seasons. In a Blue Jays uniform, Happ has excelled in day game outings as you can see. The Cubs have struggled in day games this season. They are now 26-29 (-$19,500 at $1K per game) in day game action this season after losing again as a big favorite yesterday afternoon versus the Reds. Overall, the Cubs have lost 9 of their last 15 games and Chicago is also 7-12 (-$8,800 at $1K per game) in Friday games this season. Grab the value with the big dog here! 8* TORONTO on the money line in early afternoon action Friday

Total Crusher - Rickenbach Thursday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Pittsburgh Pirates vs St Louis Cardinals @ 7:05 ET - In 8 innings spanning his last two starts, the Cardinals Adam Wainwright has walked 8 while striking out just 1. That doesn't bode well for the Cards right-hander as he faces the Pirates Thursday evening. Pittsburgh scored 6 runs yesterday to get their offense back on track and they'll take advantage of facing a struggling right-hander whom they are very familiar with because St Louis is a division rival. The issue for the Pirates here will be their own pitching as James Taillon has endured some recent struggles. Taillon has a 9.95 ERA in his last 4 starts and he has allowed 45 hits in his last 29 and 1/3 innings. The righty is giving the Cardinals a 3rd look at him in a span of less than 2 months and he has a 4.91 ERA in the first two outings. The Cards hit him harder when they just faced him last month and St Louis comes into this game on a 9-1 run to the over! St Louis has averaged scoring 7.5 runs per game in these 10 games and I look for another big day at the plate from them in this one. Look for bullpen struggles to continue for each of these teams tonight as well as it was their downfall again in their respective games yesterday as well. 10* OVER the total in Pittsburgh

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach Thursday MLB 8* Toronto Blue Jays Money Line (+) vs Tampa Bay Rays @ 4:05 ET - A lot of home dog value here. Yes, Chris Archer is a solid pitcher for the Rays but Chris Rowley had a solid debut for the Blue Jays. Additionally Toronto has home field edge here, has been the hotter team, and certainly has been the better hitting team. Yesterday's 3-2 win for the Jays means that Tampa Bay has been held to 2 runs or less in 9 of their last 12 games. Overall, in these dozen games, the Rays are averaging only 1.7 runs per game and this has truly been an amazing run of futility at the plate which has seen Tampa lose 9 of their last 12 games. Toronto has won 7 of their last 11 games and they've averaged 4.6 runs per game in their last dozen games. The Rays Archer has a 4.30 ERA on the road this season while Rowley allowed only 5 hits in 5 and 1/3 innings in his MLB debut. The Blue Jays are very familiar with Archer whereas the Rays have no familiarity with Rowley. The Jays are on a 48-22 run in August games and stay hot here in a spot that offers fantastic home dog line value. 8* TORONTO

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach Thursday MLB 8* OVER the total in Houston Astros vs Arizona Diamondbacks @ 2:10 ET - Yesterday's game totaled 14 runs as both bullpens got rocked. The Astros seem to have their sticks finally going again as they've erupted for 9 runs in back to back games now. They should stay hot against Pat Corbin today as the Diamondbacks left-hander is 2-8 with a 6.95 ERA in his road starts this season. The over is 8-3 in Corbin's starts away from home. The Astros will have Mike Fiers on the mound and the over is 4-0 in his last 5 starts and he has hit a particularly rough patch in his last 3 starts. Fiers is winless with an 8.82 ERA in his last 3 outings. The over is 8-4 in Houston's inter-league games this season and the Astros are also 18-11 to the over in day games this year. As for the Diamondbacks, they are 10-3 to the over as a road dog of +125 to +175 this season. Arizona is also on a 44-24 run to the over in August games. Look for more of the same as both these pitchers struggle early and often Thursday. 8* OVER the total in Houston

Total Dominator - Rickenbach Wednesday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs St Louis Cardinals @ 7:10 ET - With yesterday's 10-4 win, Boston is now 10-2 in the month of August and they've averaged 6.2 runs per game during this hot stretch. The Cardinals have now lost 2 straight but that was after winning 8 in a row and yesterday's high-scoring loss was their 9th straight over! Thanks, in part, to an offense that has averaged 7.9 runs per game in their last nine games, St Louis is on a perfect 9-0 run to the over. In interleague games this season the Cards are an incredible 14-2 to the over. The Red Sox, the last 3 seasons combined, are now 31-21 to the over in interleague action. Lance Lynn gets the start for the Cardinals and he has allowed 16 homers in his 13 road starts this season and has an ERA that in nearly a full run higher on the road compared to at home. Eduardo Rodriguez gets the start for Boston and the Cardinals did see him in May which should help them tonight. Of course it also helps that they've been red hot at the plate and are seeing the ball very well right now. The Red Sox lefthander has a 5.57 ERA in his last 6 starts. That said, even though he's off of a strong start, Rodriguez still hasn't been the same pitcher overall since he came off of the disabled list. Also, his ERA in night games is more than a full run higher than in day games this season. Look for the over to improve to a 10-0 run in St Louis games. 10* OVER the total in Boston

Rickenbach Wednesday MLB 8* OVER the total in Oakland A's vs Kansas City Royals @ 3:35 ET - The Royals entered Tuesday's action ranked among the hottest teams in the majors in recent weeks. The over was 7-2-1 in their last 10 games and Kansas City averaged scoring 6.1 runs per game during this hot run at the plate. Certainly KC should stay hot against the A's Paul Blackburn. The right-hander has a 6.00 ERA in his last 3 home starts and he has been particularly hit hard in his last two. Over his last two home starts Blackburn has given up 9 earned runs on 18 hits in just 12 innings of work. Oakland's bats have a good chance at matching the Royals run for run in this one. The A's do hit better at home than on the road and they did enter Tuesday's action having averaged 5.4 runs per game in their last 10 games. They'll be facing Danny Duffy whom comes into this one having given up 12 runs (8 earned) on 14 hits (including 3 homers) in his last 12 innings on the mound. The over is 27-18 in Athletics day games this season. The over is 12-6 in Kansas City's Wednesday games on the year. Duffy is 1-4 with a 4.63 ERA in day games this season and I expect more struggles for him here. 8* OVER the total in Oakland

Rickenbach Wednesday MLB 8* Pittsburgh Pirates Money Line (+) @ Milwaukee Brewers @ 2:10 ET - The Pirates will be starting Gerrit Cole and he has been red hot. Not only has Cole produced 7 straight quality starts overall. He also has won 7 straight road starts! The Pirates are also a perfect 3-0 in Cole's last 3 starts versus Milwaukee and he has allowed only a single earned run in each start while also striking out 23 batters in 21 innings! All 3 of these outings have come since early May. The way Cole is pitching right now he should stay red hot and the Brewers Jimmy Nelson is likely to prove to be no match. Milwaukee is 0-3 in Nelson's last 3 starts versus the Pirates and has allowed 4 earned runs in just 5 innings in 2 of the 3 starts. Also, Nelson got absolutely annihilated by the Reds in his most recent start and that outing was at home. Milwaukee entered this series off of back to back wins but previously had lost 6 straight games! Pittsburgh entered this series having lost back to back games but previously had won 7 of their last 9. Look for the Pirates to continue Cole's dominance over the Brewers in this one early Wednesday afternoon. 8* PITTSBURGH money line 

Rickenbach Wednesday MLB 8* OVER the total in Washington Nationals vs Los Angeles Angels @ 1:05 ET - Tanner Roark's overall numbers since the All Star break look better but he has given up 9 hits and 9 walks for a total of 18 baserunners in his 11 innings at home since the break. Remember this is a guy that had a 5.27 ERA before the All Star break and also is only 3-5 with a 5.24 ERA at home this year. He's certainly down from last year. He's opposed by Ricky Nolasco. The Angels right-hander has allowed 30 homers this season! That is a career high and overall its been a tough season for Nolasco. He's 2-7 on the road this year and he is 0-3 in his 4 day games starts. In those outings he has compiled a 6.23 ERA and been hit at a ridiculous .356 clip. Nolasco has a 5.79 ERA and has been hit at a .316 clip since the All Star break. Both lineups enjoy a breakout game early Wednesday afternoon. 8* OVER the total in Washington

Rickenbach Tuesday MLB 8* OVER the total in Milwaukee Brewers vs Pittsburgh Pirates @ 7:40 ET - The Pirates Ivan Nova gave up double digits in hits in his most recent start which was a loss at Detroit. Coincidentally, Nova has also given up double digits in hits in each of his two starts versus Milwaukee this season. In other words, don't be surprised if the "hit parade" for Nova opposition continues in this one. The Brewers will have Zach Davies on the mound in this one and he got rocked for 6 earned runs on 11 hits in less than 6 innings of work in his most recent start. The right-hander has a 6.44 ERA in his home starts this season and 8 of the 12 have gone over the total. Davies has given up an average of 5 earned runs per start in his last 5 home starts. Nova has given up 43 hits in the 28 and 1/3 innings spanning his last 5 starts. The over is 8-3 this season (and 32-16 the last 3 seasons combined) when Pittsburgh is playing after an off day. As for the Brewers, they have been red hot at the plate with 23 runs in their last 3 home games and all 3 plays went over the total. Look for more of the same on Tuesday. 8* OVER the total in Milwaukee

Rickenbach Tuesday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs St Louis Cardinals @ 7:10 ET - Wind will be blowing out to left field at Fenway Park on Tuesday evening. The Red Sox will have Rick Porcello on the mound. The veteran right-hander was giving up hits in bunches earlier this season but kept managing to escape with little damage done. You knew it had to eventually catch up with him and, sure enough, he has given up 9 earned runs in his last two home starts. In his last 3 starts overall, Porcello has allowed 5 homers and he has now given up 28 on the season. The weather will be favorable for the Cardinals to get some big hits in this game. The problem for St Louis is that Mike Leake takes the mound and he has a 5.62 ERA in his last 3 starts and he has been rocked for 19 hits in 11 innings in his last 2 starts. These pitchers matched up on May 17th in St Louis and the game went over the total with the hurlers combining to allow 16 hits in 13 innings. The Red Sox, entering Monday, are 9-1 so far in August and have averaged scoring 6.1 runs per game. The Cardinals are off of a loss but previously had won 8 straight games and the Cards scored an average of 8.5 runs per game in those 8 games. The over is 13-2 in Cardinals inter-league games this season. The over is 11-5 in Boston's Tuesday games this season. Both these teams have solid bullpens but these two lineups have been red hot and I look for more of the same on Tuesday evening. 10* OVER the total in Boston

Rickenbach Tuesday MLB 8* OVER the total in Washington Nationals vs Los Angeles Angels @ 7:05 ET - The Angels enter Tuesday's action as the hottest team in the majors as they have won 6 straight games. However, they've got lefty Tyler Skaggs on the mound and he is facing a Nationals team that is #1 in the majors this season against southpaws as they've hit .287 against left-handers.  I am aware of the Bryce Harper injury situation but there is still a ton of healthy big stikcs on this Nats team. As for the Angels sticks, they've scored an average of 5.7 runs per game in their 10 wins that are all part of a red hot 10-3 start to August. Los Angeles is also one of the few teams that has recently given Gio Gonzalez trouble. The Washington southpaw gave up 4 earned runs in less than 6 innings when he faced the Angels last month in Los Angeles. The over is 12-5 in Nationals Tuesday games this season. The over is 6-3-1 in the Angels last 10 road games. Also, Los Angeles has played with a day off between games 10 times this season and only 3 of the games have resulted in an under. After an off day yesterday, look for another high-scoring game in this one Tuesday. 8* OVER the total in Washington

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach Tuesday MLB 8* Arizona Diamondbacks Money Line (+) vs Houston Astros @ 3:40 ET - The Diamondbacks might just have the perfect kryptonite going against the Astros this afternoon...a lefty! Southpaw Anthony Banda takes the mound for Arizona Tuesday and he is facing a Houston team that is not only slumping, they are also 0-7 (-$11,100) since the All Star break when facing a left-handed starter! In a game that looks like it could be a pitchers duel I like having this 100% perfect angle working in my favor. Both teams have slumped recently and the Astros have a great road record while the Diamondbacks have a great home record. The key could be Banda (just 7 hits allowed in his last 10 innings) proving to be much tougher to hit than Brad Peacock here. I realize that the Astros right-hander has great numbers on the season but Peacock has given up 16 hits (including 3 homers) in his last 12 and 1/3 innings. Entering the new week, the Diamondbacks were off of a loss but had gone 5-5 in their last 10 games while the Astros were off of a win but had gone just 3-11 in their 14 prior games. The home edge as well as a pitching edge should lead the way to an afternoon win here for the Diamondbacks Tuesday. 8* ARIZONA on the money line

Game of the Month Total - Rickenbach Monday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Chicago Cubs vs Cincinnati Reds @ 8:05 ET - Just a light wind expected at Wrigley Field this evening but it will be blowing out. It will aid the hitters in a hitter-friendly park on a mild summer evening in Chicago. The Cubs will have Jose Quintana on the mound here and he has given up 10 runs (9 earned) in 11 innings in his last two starts. The southpaw has given up 4 homers in those two outings and the Reds come into town swinging the bats well. Cincinnati lost 7-4 yesterday but that was their 8th straight over. The over is 8-0 in the Reds last 8 games thanks in part to the fact that Cincy has averaged scoring 7 runs per game during this hot streak. They won't be the only lineup putting up some big numbers tonight. The Cubs scored 7 runs or more in 2 of their 3 games at Arizona this weekend and they now return home where they have averaged scoring 6 runs per game in their last 6 games. They should have no trouble with the offerings of Asher Wojciechowski. Although the Reds right-hander is off of a respectable start he did allow 2 homers for the 2nd time in his last 3 starts and all those starts were at home. Now he's back on the road where he has an 8.00 ERA in his two starts and he has allowed 4 homers in those outings as well. In other words, look for more struggles here on a homer-friendly night in a homer-friendly venue! The over is 7-1 this season when the Reds are a road dog of +175 to +250 and the over is 17-6 this season when the Cubs are a home favorite of -175 to -250. Look for another slugfest here adding to Cincinnati's 8-0 run to the over. 10* OVER the total in the Chicago Cubs game

Rickenbach Monday MLB 8* Miami Marlins Money Line (-) vs San Francisco Giants @ 7:10 ET - This is a battle of southpaws and the fact that the Giants Ty Blach has better recent numbers than the Marlins Adam Conley is helping to keep this line lower than it should be. Of course Miami at home is a much better team than the Giants on the road so this pitching match-up is helping to give us some great line value with the small home favorite. Also, keep in mind that the Giants slugging percentage (.376) versus lefties this season is dead last in the National League! Miami's batting average (.268) versus left-handers ranks 3rd in the National League. You can plainly see who should have more success at the plate here and San Francisco had to play a double header yesterday and is only 20-40 on the season in road games. The Marlins got the 5-3 home win over the Rockies yesterday and Miami has now won 5 straight games and averaged 5.8 runs per game in the process. The Giants are only 1-3 in Blach's last 4 road starts and he has allowed 30 hits in the 25 and 2/3 innings spanning those starts. Even though Conley got roughed up in his most recent start he previously allowed 3 earned runs or less in 8 of his 10 starts on the season. The Marlins are well worth the small home favorite price here. 8* MIAMI MARLINS money line

Rickenbach Monday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays @ 7:05 ET - The Rays have not been hitting the ball well at all but they finally get a chance to break out of their slump as they face a struggling Nick Tepesch in this one. The Blue Jays right-hander has made two starts this season and he lost them both plus compiled a 9.67 ERA in the process. Tepesch allowed 3 homers in less than 5 innings of work in his most recent start which was at home against the Yankees last week. The Rays are starting Jake Odorizzi in this one and the right-hander gave up 5 runs (3 earned) in just 4 and 1/3 innings in his lone start at Toronto this season. The Blue Jays won 7-1 yesterday and have averaged 5.4 runs per game in their last dozen games. Not only was Odorizzi struggling with a high pitch count in his most recent start but he took a line drive off his foot too. Look for him to labor again in this start as the Jays are heating up again with 7 wins in their last 11 games. Both of the starts Tepesch has made this season have resulted in overs and the over is also 9-1 in Odorizzi's last 10 starts! 10* OVER the total in Toronto

Rickenbach MLB 8* OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs Cleveland Indians @ 6:10 ET - Even though the Indians Trevor Bauer has pitched better of late, all of those starts were at home. There is great significance in that because he has a 6.69 ERA in his road starts this season. Also, Bauer is now facing a red hot Red Sox team that has won 10 of its last 11 games thanks in part to an offense that has averaged scoring 6 runs per game during this strong stretch. Also, the Red Sox have been a nemesis for Bauer as he is 0-2 with a 9.52 ERA in his 3 starts versus Boston in his career. The Red Sox will have Doug Fister on the mound for this one. He did have a strong start versus Cleveland two weeks ago but that means they're getting a quick second look here. Also, the prior time he faced the Indians, Fister allowed 6 earned runs in only 4 and 1/3 innings. The Tribe are 6-4 in their last 10 games after another win yesterday and they'll bring extra confidence to the plate as a result. Bauer's starts against the Red Sox have never resulted in an under and I don't expect that to change here. 8* OVER the total in Boston

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach Sunday MLB 8* OVER the total in New York Yankees vs Boston Red Sox @ 8:05 ET - This is a contrarian play as most will be looking to the under in this one since Chris Sale is on the mound for the Red Sox and he has enjoyed great success versus the Yankees this season. What I am looking at is the fact that the Yanks are starting to get their sticks going again and have averaged 5.2 runs per game in their last 6 games. Sale is off of another great start but he did allow 7 earned runs to the Indians in his prior start. In fact, as stellar as he has been this season, the fact is that the Red Sox southpaw has allowed 3 earned runs or more in more than half of his last 17 starts. The Yankees at home on Sunday night may surprise some people here. However, the Yanks issue tonight will be the fact that they're starting Jordan Montgomery. The southpaw is off of a solid start at Cleveland earlier this month but, prior to that he had given up 19 earned runs on 33 hits in the 29 innings spanning his 6 prior starts. Included in that stretch was a rough start at Boston. That said, Montgomery facing the Red Sox again just a month later is going to do him no favors against this potent lineup. Keep in mind, Boston has scored 6.4 runs per game in going 9-1 in their last 10 games. The over is 18-9 this season in Red Sox road games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs and we might even see this one drop to a 7.5 which means even more value for us! The over is 15-7 in Yanks home games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs this season. 8* OVER the total in the New York Yankees game

8* OVER the total in Seattle Mariners vs Los Angeles Angels @ 4:10 ET - Even though the Mariners Ariel Miranda has put up good numbers versus the Angels this season, those were compiled earlier this season when he was throwing well. Miranda is not in good current form now (7.02 ERA and 7 homers allowed in his last 3 starts) and the Angels will take advantage. The Angels have been red hot at the plate and have averaged 5.8 runs per game in their last 13 games. Also, Los Angeles has won 5 straight games and 9 of their last 12 overall. It is likely to be another rough outing for Miranda but Parker Bridwell of the Angels is also likely to struggle. The right-hander gave up 5 earned runs on 11 hits in 6 innings when he faced the Mariners earlier this season and now he has to face them in Seattle. The M's, even with yesterday's 6-3 loss factored in, have averaged 5.1 runs per game in their last 13 games and the over had been 5-1 in the Mariners last 16 games prior to yesterday's match-up barely staying under the total. The over is 18-11 this season in M's home games where their money line ranges from -125 to +125. 8* OVER the total in Seattle

10* Top Play OVER the total in Oakland A's vs Baltimore Orioles @ 4:05 ET - Baltimore won 12-5 yesterday and both of these teams are "feeling it" right now. The Orioles have averaged 5.8 runs per game in their last 14 games. The Athletics have averaged 5.3 runs per game in their last 13 games. Jeremy Hellickson has pitched surprisingly well so far for Oakland since coming over from the Phillies but he did start to get hit hard late in his 2nd start at LA against the Angels. That is a sign of things to come here the way the A's are swinging the bats right now. Also, the ball carries better in day games compared to night games on the west coast and the wind will be blowing out at a good clip in Oakland today. The A's send Kendall Graveman to the mound for this one and he has allowed 11 runs (10 earned) in just 7 and 1/3 innings since returning to the rotation for Oakland. Also, he is 1-2 with a 7.71 ERA in his 4 career starts versus Baltimore. The over is 13-4 in Orioles Sunday games and 11-6 in Athletics Sunday games this season. 10* OVER the total in Oakland

8* Texas Rangers Money Line (+) vs Houston Astros @ 3:05 ET - The Astros are falling apart, as expected, ever since Dallas Keuchel ran his mouth about Houston not making the moves they should have to bolster the team mid-season. It has ruined this clubhouse and now Keuchel (himself struggling as well) is back on the mound today ready to struggle some more. The Astros have lost 5 straight games and 9 of their last 11. Keuchel is winless with a 10.50 ERA in his last 3 starts. The Rangers counter with Andrew Cashner and he has struggled against the Astros this season but this isn't the same Houston team he was facing earlier in the year. He hasn't faced them since mid-June and Cashner has been fantastic ever since the calendar hit July. Also, in his 8 home starts this season he is 4-2 with a 2.20 ERA. Look for the Astros to drop their 6th straight and grab the home dog value here with a Rangers team that is 12-6 this season in home games with a posted total of 10 or 10.5 runs and they won again in yesterday's game which had a posted total of 11 runs. 8* TEXAS money line

8* OVER the total in Milwaukee Brewers vs Cincinnati Reds @ 2:10 ET - The Reds came out on the wrong end of a 6-5 final yesterday but the over is now a perfect 7-0 in their last 7 games. The Brewers have their sticks going again with 16 runs scored so far in the first two games of this series. They'll take advantage of facing Sal Romano of Cincinnati today. The Reds right-hander has allowed 9 earned runs in the 12 innings spanning his last two starts. Romano also struggled badly when he faced the Brewers earlier this season in a start where he lasted only 3 innings. Matt Garza gets the start for Milwaukee here and he allowed 8 earned runs in 3 and 1/3 innings versus Minnesota in his most recent start. He'll try to turn things around here but he has allowed 13 runs (not all earned) in his last 3 starts versus the Reds and those outings have spanned only 14 and 1/3 innings. He's been roughed up by Cincinnati in recent meetings as you can see. Look for the over to improve to 12-6 in Reds Sunday games this season. 8* OVER the total in Milwaukee

8* OVER the total in Detroit Tigers vs Minnesota Twins @ 1:10 ET - Yesterday's slugfest totaled 23 runs and that was that 5th straight over for Detroit. The Tigers late rally for a win ended a 6-game winning streak for Minnesota but the Twins have averaged scoring 7.6 runs per game in their last 7 games. Detroit's Matt Boyd has a 6.32 ERA in his last 3 starts and he won't slow them down. Minnesota's Ervin Santana just faced the Tigers about 3 weeks ago and he got rocked for 5 earned runs in just 3 and 1/3 innings. Both of these bullpens have struggled. The over is 12-7 in Twins Sunday games and 13-3 in Tigers Sunday games this season. 8* OVER the total in Detroit

8* Pittsburgh Pirates Money Line (+) @ Toronto Blue Jays @ 1:05 ET - The Pirates are a tough match-up for the Blue Jays J.A. Happ because they're loaded with right-handed bats. Happ has been great against lefties this season but he's been hit at a .261 clip by right-handers. Also, he is an ugly 2-5 and has been hit at a .279 clip in home games. He also is getting hit 28 points higher in day games than night games this season. The Pirates Chad Kuhl has been phenomenal in day games this season even though he has a 0-0 record in his 6 starts. Kuhl has a minuscule 2.15 ERA and has held hitters to a .190 batting average in his 6 day game starts this season. Though the Blue Jays won yesterday they've only managed to win back to back games once in the past two weeks. Also, the Pirates were 7-2 in their last 9 games prior to yesterday's defeat. In other words, you can expect a road team bounce back here and grab the underdog price. 8* PITTSBURGH money line

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach Saturday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Tampa Bay Rays vs Cleveland Indians @ 6:10 ET - The Rays Chris Archer certainly has strong numbers on the season but he has allowed 4 homers in his last 3 starts and did allow 7 earned runs in 12 innings in his two starts prior to a strong effort versus the Brewers in his most recent start. The real key to this play is that the Indians have been a nemesis for Archer throughout his career. The Rays right-hander is 0-6 with a 6.00 ERA in his 6 career starts versus Cleveland. Mike Clevinger gets this start for the Indians and he had been pitching so poorly that he was relegated to bullpen duty. His lone appearance out of the bullpen didn't go well either and now here is making a start again. I won't hesitate to step in and take advantage because he had allowed 5 earned runs in each of his last two starts prior to having a rough outing coming out of the bullpen as well. Neither team has been hitting the ball particularly well of late (at least heading into Friday) and that is why this is a contrarian play as many will likely look to the under here. However, that just means additional value for us with a low total posted on this game even though Clevinger is struggling and Archer has had a history of struggles versus Cleveland. Look for the over to improve to 11-5 in Archer's night game starts this season. 10* OVER the total in Tampa Bay

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach Saturday MLB 8* Boston Red Sox Money Line (+) @ New York Yankees @ 4:05 ET - Entering Friday's action, Boston had won 8 straight games and the Red Sox had averaged scoring 6.2 runs per game in their last 10 games. That said, they opened up as a small dog in this Saturday afternoon match-up but then the line quickly got hammered up. This is offering fantastic line value to the underdog BoSox. I know Luis Severino has been pitching well but he is only 1-3 in his 5 career starts versus the Red Sox. Boston will have Drew Pomeranz on the mound and he has led his team to victory in 4 of his 6 career starts against the Yankees. Also, the southpaw has gone at least six innings in 8 of his last 10 starts while compiling a 2.24 ERA over that span. While Boston had been hot at the plate, the Yankees (heading into Friday) had been held to 2 runs or less in 6 of their last 8 games and 3 runs or less in 8 of their last 11 games! The Red Sox are 53-37 against right-handed starters while the Yankees had a losing record versus left-handed starters this season entering last night's match-up. Grab the underdog value with the hotter team overall and the hotter hitting team. Pomeranz could very well outduel Severino here given the overall situation. 8* BOSTON

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach Saturday MLB 8* OVER the total in Toronto Blue Jays vs Pittsburgh Pirates @ 1:05 ET - The Blue Jays will hand the ball to Chris Rowley whom is making his MLB debut. This season, when he jumped from the AA level to the AAA level in the minors, Rowley got hit 70 points higher - .249 at the AAA level - compared to the AA level where he held hitters to a .179 average. The point is that this is a big jump in levels for Rowley whose first full season in the minors was last year. As for the Pirates, Trevor Williams gets the start and he is off of a strong start but that was at home. On the road this season Williams has a 4.89 ERA and has been hit at a .279 clip. The Blue Jays entered Friday's action having averaged 6 runs per game in their last 10 games. The Pirates entered Friday's action having gone 6-2 in their last 8 games and having scored 5 runs or more in 5 of the 6 victories. Pittsburgh entered Friday with road games having a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs having stayed under just 7 of 21 times this season. The Blue Jays entered Friday's action having gone 9-4 to the over in inter-league games this season. 8* OVER the total in Toronto

Rickenbach Friday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Tigers vs Minnesota Twins @ 7:10 ET - The over is 3-0 in the Tigers last 3 games after yesterday's loss to Pittsburgh totaled a dozen runs. It should be another crazy game in Detroit today with Anibal Sanchez and Kyle Gibson squaring off in this one. The Tigers Sanchez has a 7.92 ERA in his five starts since the All Star Break and the big ERA is certainly no fluke. Sanchez has been roughed up for 40 hits in 25 innings. The Twins come into this game on a hot streak as they've won 5 straight games. However, their issue today won't be at the plate as their issue is on the mound. Gibson gets the start for Minnesota this evening and he has a 6.75 ERA in his last 4 starts. Even though he had a strong start versus the Tigers recently, he had previously given up 11 earned runs in just 6 and 2/3 innings spanning his two prior starts versus Detroit. That said, don't surprised if the Detroit lineup takes advantage of having just faced Gibson 3 weeks ago. Each of Gibson's two home starts versus the Tigers went over the total and he also got pounded in his lone visit to Detroit this season. Sanchez has given up 9 earned runs in less than 10 innings of work spanning his last two home starts and they both flew over the total. He also got roughed up badly in his most recent road start so Sanchez certainly is showing no signs of turning the corner yet. That said, take advantage here! 10* OVER the total in Detroit

Rickenbach Friday MLB 8* OVER the total in Toronto Blue Jays vs Pittsburgh Pirates @ 7:05 ET - The Jays Marcus Stroman has given up 24 hits in his last 18 and 1/3 innings. He also walked 6 in less than 5 innings in his most recent home start. Toronto's win over the Yankees yesterday stayed under the total but 7 of the Blue Jays prior 10 games went over the total. The Pirates got a big win at Detroit yesterday and that was their 3rd straight over. Jameson Taillon gets the start for Pittsburgh here and, overall, he has struggled since the All Star Break. Taillon has allowed 39 hits in 23 and 1/3 innings of work spanning his last 5 starts. The over is a perfect 3-0 in Taillon's last 3 starts with 20 runs (19 earned) allowed in only 13 innings of work. With both starters a little "shaky" of late and with this total dropping from a 9 to an 8.5 the value is clearly with the over in this one. 8* OVER the total in Toornto

Rickenbach Friday MLB 8* OVER the total in New York Yankees vs Boston Red Sox @ 7:05 ET - The Yankees are sending Jaime Garcia to the mound and he just allowed 5 earned runs in a start for the 5th time in his last 8 outings! he has a 6.27 ERA over these 8 outings and has walked 3 or more batters in 5 of his last 7 starts. Garcia will be opposed by Boston's Edgar Rodriguez and he is another struggling southpaw. Yes, Rodriguez is off of a quality start in his most recent outing but that was against a slumping White Sox team. Prior to this start he had a 7.97 ERA in his previous 4 starts. Boston has won 8 straight games and the Red Sox have averaged scoring 6.2 runs per game in their last 10 games. The Yankees are off of a shutout loss yesterday but they came into that game having averaged 7 runs per game in their last 3 games and the Yanks had reached double digits in hits in 3 of their 5 prior games. Look for the Yankees to get right back on track at the plate as they take advantage of facing a struggling hurler. With how hot the Red Sox have been and with this total moving down from a 9.5 to a 9 there is great value with the over in this one. 8* OVER the total in New York Yankees

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach Thursday MLB 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line (+) vs New York Mets @ 7:05 ET - The Mets lost to the Rangers yesterday and have now lost 10 of their last 13 games. The Phillies beat the Braves yesterday and they've now won 3 straight games and 12 of their last 20. Philadelphia has been a streaky team and this is their 3rd straight streak of 3 or more consecutive wins since the All Star break while they've only lost more than 2 games in a row once since the break. Even though the Mets have Jacob deGrom on the mound in this one they don't have the huge pitching edge one might think. He was frustrated in his most recent start as he was pulled for a pinch-hitter after just 5 innings. The mental aspect of pitching is very important and I expect deGrom to "over-throw" against the Phillies at that will result in some "mistake pitches" for him. That will prove to be detrimental as Philadelphia is a dangerous home dog here particularly with Vincent Velasquez on the mound. Velasquez has allowed just 9 hits in his last 12 innings on the mound. Also, at home this season he has struck out 42 in 37 and 1/3 innings. In his last 3 starts versus the Mets he has given up only 15 hits in 16 innings. In his time in Philly he has come up with a number of "big game" starts for the Phillies and they view the Mets as a key divisional rival. Velasquez and the Phils will be sky high for this game as they look to make it 4 straight wins. That said, there is tremendous underdog value being offered here. The Mets aren't too far ahead of the Phillies in the standings this season, the Phils are actually 2nd in the NL since the All Star break with a .270 batting average while the Mets are near the bottom of the NL with a .244 mark since the break. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach Thursday MLB 8* OVER the total in Detroit Tigers vs Pittsburgh Pirates @ 1:10 ET - Drew VerHagen gets the start for the Tigers here and this is just the 3rd start of his MLB career. Keep in mind, he has mostly worked out of the bullpen in the majors and, last season, in 19 games (all relief appearances) he compiled a 7.11 ERA with the Tigers and was hit at a .346 clip. In the minors this season VerHagen has made 19 starts and he compiled a 4.90 ERA and was hit at a .287 clip. As you can see, he has been far from dominant and when he faced the Pirates out of the bullpen (all 3 appearances were last season) he struggled against them. Look for Pittsburgh to pound him this afternoon but don't be surprised when the Pirates see Gerrit Cole struggle also. The Bucs right-hander has produced great numbers recently but has faced a lot of weaker lineups. This afternoon he faces a Tigers team that put up 10 runs yesterday and has been of the hotter hitting teams in the majors since the All Star break. The over is 23-12 in Detroit's day games this season and 90-58 the last 3 seasons combined. The Tigers are also 11-3 to the over in Thursday games this season. More of the same expected early this afternoon on "getaway day" for the Pirates as they head to Toronto after this one. 8* OVER the total in Detroit

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach Wednesday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Tampa Bay Rays vs Boston Red Sox @ 7:10 ET - This is a "contrarian" play because Rick Porcello and Jake Odorizzi are both respected starting pitchers overall and because the Rays have been struggling at the plate recently. Of course long-time followers know I like to be a contrarian and, in this case, there is plenty of reason to expect both Porcello and Odorizzi to get rocked in this one. Even though Porcello has pitched better of late he still has a 5.31 ERA in his last 3 starts and he allowed 6 homers in those outings. Also, though he pitched well against the Rays at Tampa in his most recent start versus them, they've given him trouble overall this season. TB has gotten to Porcello for 13 runs (11 earned) in just 10 and 1/3 innings in his two prior starts versus them this season. As for Odorizzi, he's coming off of the disabled list (back injury) for this one but, like Porcello, he has had trouble with the longball too. The Rays right-hander has given up 5 homers in his last 3 starts and that included a very ugly outing versus the Red Sox. Odorizzi has now given up 9 earned runs in his last 8 and 1/3 innings versus Boston. Though last night's game between these clubs was a pitchers duel, the Red Sox had previously scored 6.5 runs per game in going 6-2 in their prior 8 games. Look for the over to improve to 12-6 on the season in Rays Wednesday games. Also, the over is 8-1 in Odorizzi's last 9 starts! More of the same early Wednesday evening. 10* OVER the total in Tampa Bay

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach Wednesday MLB 8* Baltimore Orioles Money Line (-) @ Los Angeles Angels @ 3:35 ET - The Orioles Kevin Gausman has not only made 4 "quality" starts in a row, they truly have been fantastic outings. The Baltimore right-hander has given up only 2 earned runs on 19 hits in 27 and 2/3 innings of work. Gausman also has 73 strikeouts in his last 58 and 1/3 innings! The Angels have seen him only once since the 2015 season and that was a strong outing for Gausman last season when he held them to 1 earned run in 6 and 2/3 innings. The Angels entered Tuesday night having lost 3 straight games and were held to 2 runs or less in 2 of the defeats. The Orioles entered Tuesday having won 8 of their last 10 games and averaged scoring 5.9 runs per game during this 10-game stretch. The point is that the O's have an overall edge in addition to a pitching edge in this match-up and, about that pitching edge...the Angels are going with Troy Scribner here. In his first-ever MLB start he was roughed up in a short 4-inning start versus the A's. That said, the O's will prove to be an even tougher test as they have the far superior lineup in comparison with Oakland. Scribner was pitching well in the minors but it's always tough making the jump to the bigs and I look for him to struggle again Wednesday. Look for the Orioles to improve to 4-1 in Gausman's last 5 starts as he continues his torrid stretch of pitching (0.65 ERA in his last 4 outings). 8* BALTIMORE ORIOLES

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach Wednesday MLB 8* OVER the total in Cleveland Indians vs Colorado Rockies @ 12:10 ET - The Rockies are on an incredible 12-2 run to the over in the last 14 starts that Antonio Senzatela has made. He has a 10.29 ERA in his last 3 starts and was relegated to bullpen duty after struggling in his first two starts after the all star break. Though his first outing of the bullpen went well his familiar struggles were back again in his next appearance out of the pen. The Indians will have Trevor Bauer on the mound for this one and the right-hander has been pitching better of late. However, he gave up 4 earned runs in a start that only lasted 3 and 1/3 innings versus Colorado in June. That his lone appearance against the Rockies this season and they got to him for 5 hits and he walked 5 in that short stint. Colorado will step into the box with plenty of confidence against Bauer and the Rockies coming into this series - prior to a loss to Philly Sunday - had reached double digits in hits in 4 of their 5 prior games. Couple that with the fact that the Indians should have no trouble with the offerings of a struggling Senzatela (whom they did see earlier this season as well) and you have the strong possibility of a slugfest in this one. Look for the over to improve to 13-2 in Senzatela's last 15 starts! 8* OVER the total in Cleveland

Rickenbach Tuesday MLB 8* OVER the total in Cincinnati Reds vs San Diego Padres @ 7:10 ET - The Reds Sal Romano is still a work in progress and that shouldn't come as a big surprise. This will be just the 7th major league start for the 23 year old right-hander and Romano truly wasn't impressive at the minor league level. In the minors Romano has compiled a 33-52 record and got hit at a .278 clip! That is against minor league hitters over the course of 665 innings! It's no wonder, given those numbers, that Romano is having some "growing pains" at the major league level. This season at home he has a 6.23 ERA and in his night games he has a 6.59 ERA and has been hit at a .296 clip! The Padres have averaged scoring 5.6 runs per game in their 11 road games since the All Star break and they'll bounce back tonight after last night's embarrassing 11-3 road loss. However, the issue tonight for San Diego will be their own pitching concerns. The Padres hand the ball to Luis Perdomo and he has allowed 46 hits in the 31 and 1/3 innings spanning his last 6 starts. The San Diego right-hander has allowed 4 earned runs or more in 4 of the 6 outings and the Reds have the added edge at the plate as they did face Perdomo at Petco Park in June and now they get another shot at him at hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park. The Reds exploded for 11 runs in yesterday's win and will have plenty of confidence at the plate tonight. The over is 7-3 in Cincinnati's games as a home favorite of -125 to -175 this season and the Reds are 10-3 to the over in Tuesday games. 8* OVER the total in Cincinnati

NOTE: AJ Griffin now getting the start for the Rangers but this is still a play for me. Griffin has a 7.27 ERA in his night starts this season. Also, the past two seasons combined Griffin has been hit much harder by lefties than righties and the Mets are loaded with left-handed sticks and switch-hitters. That will prove to make them a tough match-up for Griffin in this one. 10* OVER in New York Mets; here is the original write-up: Rickenbach Tuesday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Mets vs Texas Rangers @ 7:10 ET - The Mets Chris Flexen is only in the starting rotation due to injuries for New York. Once Robert Gsellman is back then Flexen will not be starting any longer. He just turned 23 early last month and, prior to this year, he had never even pitched above the Single A level in the minors. Not surprisingly, Flexen is struggling at the MLB level. He has given up 9 runs (8 earned) on 13 hits and 5 walks in just 6 innings spanning his two MLB starts. Keep in mind that the Mets also have a weak bullpen. That said, Flexen is likely to be an early exit again and that will expose New York's bullpen weakness again. As fro the New York lineup, they are a solid hitting team but off of a shutout loss Sunday night. Look for the Mets to respond in a big way tonight and, in fact, the over is a perfect 4-0 in Mets games this season when they are off of a shutout loss. They'll be facing the Rangers Andrew Cashner whom has not been as strong on the road as he has been at home this season. He is 3-6 with a 4.34 ERA away from home this year. Also, he is winless in four career starts versus the Mets and has compiled a 7.29 ERA and 1.86 WHIP in those four outings. Look for the over to improve to 3-0 in Flexen's rookie season starts. Also, the over is 9-2 in Mets Tuesday games this season and 50-18 in their night games this year! The Rangers have averaged scoring 5.6 runs per game in their last 12 games and the Mets will respond off of a home shutout loss to improve that over record to 5-0 YTD. 10* OVER the total in New York Mets

Rickenbach Tuesday MLB 8* OVER the total in Pittsburgh Pirates vs Detroit Tigers @ 7:05 ET - Off of a shutout loss yesterday here at Pittsburgh, look for Detroit to respond in a big way today. The Pirates Chad Kuhl put up good numbers in July and also got August off to a good start with his best start of the season. However, that outing came against the Reds and his starts in July including games versus the Giants, Phillies, and Padres. Those 3 teams I just mentioned rank 28th, 29th, and 30th in the majors for runs scored. Now he is facing a team that ranks 4th in the American League for batting average since the All Star break as the Tigers are hitting .269 since mid-July. Detroit, since the All Star break, is a perfect 5-0 to the over when they are off of a game where they were held to 2 runs or less. The Tigers sending Matt Boyd to the mound for this one should certainly help our cause in that regard. The Detroit southpaw has a 5.61 ERA and 1.85 WHIP in his 9 road starts this season as he has struggled away from home. The over is 6-2-1 in Boyd's starts away from home this season and I like the additional line value here with this total dropping from a 9 to an 8.5 as of early Tuesday morning. Look for the Tigers over to move to 6-0 since the All Star break when they are off of a game where they scored 2 runs or less. 8* OVER the total in Pittsburgh

Rickenbach Monday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Twins vs Milwaukee Brewers @ 8:10 ET - Both these clubs have been trending under of late but the odds makers hung an opener of 9.5 on this total with good reason. That said, the fact the early movement has knocked this total down to a 9 (with the over also available at plus money) means we're getting exceptional line value here. The Twins send Ervin Santana to the mound for this one and he is off of a complete game effort at San Diego in his most impressive start. As impressive as that is, the last two times Santana has thrown a complete game effort it seems to take something out of him over his next few starts. After his last two complete games, in his next game he has combined for allowing 14 hits and 6 walks in just 11 innings of work. That works out to a 1.81 WHIP. Overall, prior to his solid start versus the Padres, Santana had given up 4 earned runs or more in 5 of his last 8 starts. Keep in mind, the Twins right-hander had a 5.46 ERA in the months of June and July combined. His full season numbers look impressive enough and he is off of a strong start but you can see why this is giving bettors some "hidden value" in this one. Over the past 2+ months Santana has had trouble stringing together quality starts. As for the Brewers, Brent Suter gets the call in this one. The 2nd year pitcher is off of a tough start where he allowed 5 earned runs in 5 and 1/3 innings. Also, that start was at home and note that on the road Suter has allowed 12 hits in less than 11 innings spanning his last two starts away from home. The over is 6-3 this season (and 25-16 the last 3 seasons combined) in Milwaukee's Monday games. The over is 24-14 in Twins home games the last 3 seasons combined when they're a favorite in the -125 to -175 range. 10* OVER the total in Minnesota

Rickenbach Monday MLB 8* San Diego Padres Money Line (+) @ Cincinnati Reds @ 7:10 ET - Despite outhitting the Pirates yesterday, the Padres fell just short in the 5-4 final in 12 innings. As for the Reds, they got demolished 13-4 by the Cardinals. Cincinnati has now lost 17 of their 23 games since the All Star break. Of course San Diego isn't a team known for success away from home but the fact is that the Reds are hard to justify as a favorite either when you consider their struggles since the All Star break. Also, the Padres have a big pitching edge here. Jhoulys Chacin has been rolling along with a 2.49 ERA over his last 11 starts! He has allowed two runs or less in 9 of his last 10 starts. Also, the right-hander has led San Diego to a perfect 6-0 mark in his last 6 starts. This is in stark contrast to the way Tim Adleman has been pitching. The Reds right-hander is 5-9 with a 5.54 ERA on the season. Also, Adleman has a 7.30 ERA in his last 8 starts. Cincinnati has lost 8 of his last 10 starts. 8* SAN DIEGO PADRES money line

Rickenbach Monday MLB 8* Detroit Tigers Money Line (+) @ Pittsburgh Pirates @ 7:05 ET - Big line move toward the Pirates has opened up great value on the underdog Tigers here. Detroit got hammered 12-3 yesterday for a 2nd straight loss but had previously won 6 of their last 7 including 4 straight on the road. Though the Pirates gutted out an extra-innings win yesterday they had previously lost 7 of their last 10 games. Pittsburgh is only 2-7 in the last 9 starts that Trevor Williams has made. The right-hander has been getting hit hard of late as he has given up 34 hits in his last 27 and 1/3 innings. He'll be opposed by Jordan Zimmerman here. The Tigers right-hander has produced 3 quality starts in his last 4 outings. In those 3 starts Zimmerman has allowed a total of only 4 earned runs in 20 and 2/3 innings. Look for more of the same in Pittsburgh where he threw 6 shutout innings in his most recent start here (early last season). Look for the Pirates to drop to 4-8 this season in inter-league action. 8* DETROIT TIGERS money line

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach Sunday MLB 8* OVER the total in New York Mets vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 8 ET - Battle of southpaws here and these are two of the top hitting teams in the league (based on slugging percentage) versus left-handed pitching this season. The Mets Steven Matz is off of a much better outing but he previously had given up 21 earned runs in only 13 and 1/3 innings spanning his 3 prior starts. He still has an 11.78 ERA in his last 5 starts after allowing 3 earned runs in 5 innings in his most recent start. All 3 of the home starts that Matz has made have gone over the total and he has a 9.69 ERA in home outings this season. The Dodgers are only 1-6 in Hyun-Jin Ryu's road starts this season and the southpaw has a 4.25 ERA away from home this season. The Mets have 14 hits (including 3 homers) in the 11 innings spanning Ryu's last two starts versus New York. The over is 31-18 in Dodgers games versus teams with a losing record this season. The over is an insane 50-17 in Mets night games this season and New York's games versus lefty starters have gone 18-5 to the over this year! In home games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs the Mets have gone 14-6 to the over and they also are 13-4 to the over this season when they enter a game on a losing streak of 3 games or more. 8* OVER the total in the New York Mets game Sunday evening

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach Sunday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Colorado Rockies vs Philadelphia Phillies @ 3:10 ET - Yesterday's game got over the total and the Phillies have been hitting better in their last 10 games. Philadelphia should have no trouble with the offerings of the Rockies Jeff Hoffman. The Colorado right-hander has a 10.38 ERA in his last 3 starts and also has a 7.05 ERA at hitter-friendly Coors Field this season. As for the Phils Aaron Nola, I am well aware of the fact that he has been pitching extremely well with a 2nd best franchise record 8 consecutive starts allowing 2 runs or less. In fact, you almost have to feel bad for the guy as he has to now put the streak on the line at the most hitter-friendly venue in the bigs. The problem for Nola is that this is his first ever start at Coors Field and the ball reacts differently here. He won't be able to get the movement he is use to getting on his pitches and the Rockies have been red hot at the plate in home games. Colorado not only scored 8 runs in yesterday's win, they've averaged 8 runs per game in their last 11 home games. Look for more of the same this afternoon and this one should fly over the total just like yesterday's match-up did. 10* OVER the total in Colorado

Rickenbach Sunday MLB 8* Toronto Blue Jays Money Line (+) @ Houston Astros @ 2:10 ET - The Blue Jays Marcus Stroman has been matched up with the Astros Michael Fiers each of the last two times he has started against Houston. Stroman has dominated both outings and Toronto has won the two games by a combined score of 16-4. Look for more of the same here as Stroman has a fantastic 1.33 ERA in his last 3 starts against the Astros. Also, even though he allowed 4 earned runs versus the White Sox in his most recent start, that was the first time Stroman had given up more than 3 earned runs in an outing since June 22nd! As for Fiers, he has lost each of his last 3 starts versus Toronto and he has a 6.75 ERA in his last two starts versus the Blue Jays. Also, Fiers comes into this start struggling as he has a 7.84 ERA in his last two starts. With yesterday's win the Blue Jays have now won 8 of their last 12 games while the Astros have lost 7 of their last 10 games. Houston has averaged just 2 runs per game in those 7 defeats and they're likely to struggle again versus Stroman. 8* TORONTO

Rickenbach Sunday MLB 8* OVER the total in Minnesota Twins vs Texas Rangers @ 2:10 ET - Minnesota's Jose Berrios has great numbers on the season and is off of a strong start. However, he had been slumping prior to a solid outing at San Diego Tuesday. Over his 6 prior starts, Berrios had compiled a 5.76 ERA. He's facing a Rangers team that, with yesterday's 4-1 win, has now won 3 of its last 4 games and Texas has built up some confidence at the plate in recent weeks. The Rangers have averaged 5.6 runs per game in their last 11 games and I look for Berrios recent struggles to resume. As for the Twins sticks, they should get back on track as they take advantage of facing a struggling Nick Martinez. The Rangers right-hander, after being recalled from AAA ball, immediately resumed his struggles at the MLB level. He got rocked for 7 earned runs in 5 and 1/3 innings versus the Mariners. Martinez has a 5.35 ERA on the season and has allowed 9 homers in his 6 road starts this year! The posted total on this game is likely to end up in the 10 or 10.5 range and the over is 12-4 the last 3 seasons combined in Rangers road games with a posted total in that range. The Twins are 104-70 to the over the last 3 seasons combined in their games against teams with a losing record. 8* OVER the total in Minnesota

Rickenbach Sunday MLB 8* OVER the total in Pittsburgh Pirates vs San Diego Padres @ 1:35 ET - The Padres Clayton Richard is giving the Pirates a quick second look as he just faced them on Tuesday in San Diego. The southpaw gave up 4 earned runs in that outing and is now 0-3 with a 9.68 ERA in his last 3 starts. Pittsburgh turns to Jameson Taillon for this start and he is 0-2 with a 22.95 ERA in his last 2 starts. Both of those Taillon starts went over the total and the over is also 5-2 in Richard's last 7 starts. Yesterday's 5-2 Padres win stayed just under the total but these two struggling starters will bring out the best in both lineups today. 8* OVER the total in Pittsburgh

Global Warning - Rickenbach Saturday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Tampa Bay Rays vs Milwaukee Brewers @ 6:10 ET - The Rays Alex Cobb got rocked in his most recent start. Though it may seem the norm to expect a bounce back after an outing like that, the issue for Cobb is that this could be a sing of things to come. There are some other issues recently that show he's not missing as many bats as he usually does and that was inevitably going to catch up with him. That is what happened at Houston on Monday and the result for Cobb was that he allowed 8 earned runs in only 3 innings of work! This season he has been hit 46 points higher in night starts than in day games and last season, in limited action, Cobb also got rocked with an 11.74 ERA in his 4 night starts. He has given up 5 homers in his last 3 starts and the Brewers are one of the top HR hitting teams in the majors (as are the Rays). Tampa Bay will be facing Zach Davies of the Brewers for the first time. He has put up some impressive numbers recently and has been solid on the road this year. However, Davies pattern last year showed a slow start, some improvement mid-summer and then a tough August. So far he has followed that type of patter this year and I am forecasting another tailing off for him His HR/9, BB/9, K/9 have all trended in the wrong direction from last year. Also, keep in mind, Davies had a 5.56 ERA and got hit at a .306 clip in August of last season. The Rays are 16-10 to the over this season in home games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs and also entered Friday having gone 23-15 to the over in their games against teams with a winning record. 10* OVER the total in Tampa Bay Saturday

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach Saturday MLB 8* OVER the total in New York Mets vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 4:05 ET - Even though Rich Hill has great numbers on the season this could prove to be a tough match-up for him. The Mets entered Friday's action with a .463 slugging percentage against left-handed pitching and that ranks among the top teams in the majors! Southpaw Hill, though it was years ago, certainly didn't find pitching in New York versus the Mets to his liking! In fact he has been rocked for 11 earned runs on 14 hits in just 7 and 1/3 innings in the only two starts he has made here in his career. The over is 17-5 in Mets games against southpaw starters this season! As a home dog of +125 to +175 this season, New York is 3-0 to the over. Also, in home games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs, the Mets are on a 13-6 run to the over the past 3 seasons combined. One more key stat about Hill is that his ERA in day games is 2 full runs higher than night games this season! As for Mets starter Seth Lugo, he has a 4.61 ERA on the season as a starter and the over has gone 6-3 in his 9 starts. The Dodgers entered Friday's action having gone 30-17 to the over in their games against teams with a losing record this season. Los Angeles has a .446 slugging percentage against right-handed pitchers this season and that ranks them among top teams in the majors. LA also entered Friday's action ranking among the top teams in the majors for batting average (.276) and slugging percentage (.479) since the All Star Break. 8* OVER the total in the New York Mets game Saturday

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach Friday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Twins vs Texas Rangers @ 8:10 ET - Yesterday's game was played in damp and chilly air with a strong north wind and temps in the mid-50s. Today's game will be played in temperatures about 20 degrees higher as temps are expected to peak in the mid-70s today in Minneapolis. Couple that with the fact that you have two pitchers likely to get rocked here and you have the perfect set-up for an over. Bartolo Colon is viewed to be pitching better because he has allowed just 3 earned runs in each of his last two starts. However, Colon was in trouble in those outings and the damage clearly could have been worse. The aging right-hander gave up 16 hits (including 3 homers) in those two outings and they spanned just 11 and 1/3 innings. Overall, Colon has a 5.87 ERA in his last 3 starts and a 7.87 ERA on the year. He gave up 5 earned runs in his most recent start versus Texas and this one is likely to be uglier as Colon is so hittable this season! As for the Rangers Martin Perez, he is facing the Twins for the 2nd time this season and this time it is on the road where he has recorded just 1 win in 7 starts. Also, Perez has a 7.79 ERA in his last 3 starts and his strikeout numbers are down too since the All Star break. Colon doesn't register many strikeouts either and that means plenty of contact for the hitters on a milder evening with the wind blowing out toward center at Target Field. The over is 12-4 in Colon's 16 starts this season. The over is 11-4 the last 15 times the Rangers have been on the road in a game with a posted total of 10 or 10.5 runs. The over is a long-term 103-69 in Twins games against teams with a losing record and the over is 5-2 in the last 7 starts Perez has made in addition to that 75% mark on the season for overs in Colon's starts! In other words, a slugfest is to be expected here. 10* OVER the total in Minnesota

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach Friday MLB 8* Washington Nationals Money Line (+) @ Chicago Cubs @ 2:20 ET - Even though the Nationals Tanner Roark has given up more earned runs in his las two starts in comparison with Kyle Hendricks of the Cubs, a closer look reveals quite a lot! Hendricks has only allowed 1 earned run in each of his last two starts but he gave up 14 hits in those two outings even though these starts spanned a total of only 9 and 1/3 innings! As for Roark, he has allowed a total of only 12 hits in the 18 innings spanning his last three starts! Also, the Nats right-hander has struck out 19 in the 12 innings spanning his last two starts. In terms of how he matches up with the Cubs, Roark has given up just 1 earned run only only 7 hits in the 11 innings spanning his last two starts at Wrigley Field. Roark is an Illinois native and I look for another strong outing for him in his home state early this afternoon. As for Hendricks, the Chicago right-hander has been hit quite hard in 2 of his last 3 starts versus Washington. The Nationals have the benefit of having been off yesterday while the Cubs were locked into a back and forth battle with the Diamondbacks that involved multiple rain delays. In the end it was a loss for the Cubs and it was the kind of home defeat that is tough to bounce back from. The Nationals will be fired up after being shutout in a loss Wednesday and then having to wait until Friday to get back on the field. The Nats are 10-5 in Friday games, 34-21 in road games, and 16-10 in games against teams with a winning record this season. The Cubs are 6-11 in Friday games, only 28-24 (-$12,000) in home games, and 19-24 (-$11,500) in games against teams with a winning record this season. Grab the underdog value in this one. 8* WASHINGTON

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach Thursday MLB 8* OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs Chicago White Sox @ 7:10 ET - Mild weather this evening in Boston and the wind will be blowing out to left or left-center. It is set up well for plenty of offense and Rick Porcello is 3-8 with a 5.01 ERA in his home starts this season for the Red Sox. As for Chicago's Miguel Gonzalez, he is 2-6 with a 5.30 ERA in his road starts this season. The White Sox right-hander has given up 5 earned runs on 12 hits in less than 12 innings of work in his last two starts at Fenway Park. As for Porcello, the last two times he has hosted the White Sox he has allowed 10 runs (9 earned) on 18 hits in just 7 and 1/3 innings of work. Though the ChiSox struggled at the plate in yesterday's loss to Toronto, they previously had reached double digits in hits in 3 of their 4 prior games. As for the Red Sox, they've averaged nearly 11 hits per game in their last 7 games and they've had 13 hits or more in 3 of their last 4 games. Boston has averaged 7.5 runs per game in their last 4 games and they're showing no signs of slowing down. The Red Sox were off yesterday and they're 6-2 to the over this season when playing after an off day. The White Sox are 9-4 to the over in the last 13 starts that Gonzalez has made. Look for another one here on a hitter-friendly evening at a hitter-friendly park. 8* OVER the total in Boston Thursday

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach Thursday MLB 8* Arizona Diamondbacks Money Line (+) @ Chicago Cubs @ 2:20 ET - The "knee jerk reaction" here may be to back the Cubs off of a home shutout yesterday. However, the Diamondbacks have ace Zack Greinke on the mound and, also, the Cubs Jose Quintana has not fared well in day games in recent seasons. In 2015 Quintana went 0-5 with a 5.49 ERA in his 10 day game starts. In 2016 the southpaw also had a losing record in day games. This season Quintana went 2-6 with a 5.66 ERA in his 10 day game starts with the White Sox. I realize he has pitched well since coming to the Cubs but the long-term numbers tell the full story. As for Greinke, he is 13-4 with a 2.84 ERA this season! The Diamondbacks are also 3-1 this season when off of a shutout win. Overall, Arizona is 36-24 (+$10,000) this season when off of a win. The Cubs are an ugly 19-23 (-$10,000) in their games against teams with a winning record this season. More of the same early Thursday afternoon. 8* ARIZONA

Midday Mauler - Rickenbach Thursday MLB 8* OVER the total in Colorado Rockies vs New York Mets @ 3:10 ET - A cool front has moved through Denver and there will be more humidity than is typical of an early August game at Coors Field. Also, the wind will be blowing in from the north for this game. However, the true result of all this is line value for the over! This total has dropped form a 13 to an 11.5 but this is still a day game at Coors Field ladies and gentlemen. Also, the Rockies German Marquez certainly has great numbers on the season but this is a guy who has been hit 30 points higher by lefties in comparison with righties in his two seasons in the majors. The significance of that here is that the Mets are loaded with left-handed sticks and switch-hitters on their active roster. That said, New York will be challenging Marquez with plenty of left-handed lumber in this one. As for Mets starter Rafael Montero, this could get ugly in a hurry. The right-hander walked 5 in his most recent start but certainly part of the reason for the extra caution with his pitches was the fact that he had allowed 3 homers in his prior start. Montero is 1-4 with a 5.70 ERA on the season and both of his road starts have gone over the total. The Rockies have a .510 slugging percentage at home which ranks them #1 in the majors. The Mets have a .481 slugging percentage on the road which ranks them #1 in the National League. The over is 62-33 in New York's games this season and I would not be surprised to see another game total 15 runs just like last night's game did as the over improves to 5-1 this season in games between these teams. 8* OVER the total in Colorado

Total Dominator - Rickenbach Wednesday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Houston Astros vs Tampa Bay Rays @ 8:10 ET - Perhaps Houston's Dallas Keuchel should worry more about his own pitching and how he gets back on track after coming off of the disabled list rather than dissing his own team for not making moves at the trade deadline. Memo to Keuchel: your team has the best record in the American League (by far) and why change what has been working? In any event look for Keuchel to again get hammered just like he did at Detroit last week in a start that lasted only 3 innings. The southpaw gave up 14 hits in 12 innings in his two starts versus Tampa Bay last season and the Rays come into this match-up heating up at the plate. TB has scored 4 runs or more in 8 of their last 10 games including scoring at least 5 runs 7 times. Of course the Astros have one of the best lineups in baseball even when they're a little banged up. Wednesday they'll take advantage of facing a Rays starter, Austin Pruitt, whom gave up 5 earned runs in 5 innings in his start last week. He may put too much pressure on himself here as he is from the Houston area and went to both high school and college here. This is just his 3rd start in this, his rookie, season as he has mostly worked out of the bullpen. The results have not been good overall. Pruitt has been hit at a .319 clip and compiled a 6.63 ERA this season. The over is 9-2 in the Astros last 11 games. The over is 23-13 in Tampa Bay's games against teams with a winning record this season. Also, the over is 34-18 in Rays games when they are off of a win. Look for the over to improve to 11-5 in Astros Wednesday games this season. 10* OVER the total in Houston

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach Wednesday MLB 10* Top Play Kansas City Royals Money Line (+) @ Baltimore Orioles @ 7:05 ET - The Royals Jason Vargas is 13-4 with a 3.00 ERA on the season. Kansas City comes into this game having won 10 of its last 13 games despite a loss last night. They hold a big pitching edge tonight with Vargas over Jeremy Hellickson. The Orioles acquired the right-hander from the Phillies and this move is a bit of a "reach" in my opinion. Hellickson has a 6.04 ERA in his last 4 starts and now makes his Orioles debut. Facing tougher American League lineups isn't going to do Hellickson any favors and he faces a solid Royals team tonight. The Phillies lost 9 of the last 11 starts Hellickson made and while Baltimore is a better team than Philadelphia not all of those losses were attributable to the hitters. The fact is that Hellickson has been an "up and down" pitcher this season and he is another negative cycle right now. Also, the Orioles are only 26-35 this season in their games against teams with a winning record. Kansas City is on a 39-19 run in August games and the Royals are also 11-6 in their last 17 games against teams with a losing record on the season. KC is 7-2 in the 9 starts that Vargas has made this season and there is every reason to believe they get another W right here early Wednesday evening. 10* KANSAS CITY ROYALS money line

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach Wednesday MLB 8* OVER the total in San Diego Padres vs Minnesota Twins @ 3:40 ET - The Padres will have Luis Perdomo on the bump for this one. He got hit at a .310 clip by left-handed hitters last season and now this season left-handed sticks are batting .331 against him. The Twins are loaded with left-handed lumber (including a number of switch-hitters) and this will likely prove to be a tough match-up for Perdomo as a result. The Padres right-hander comes into this start having allowed 39 hits in just 25 and 1/3 innings spanning his last 5 starts. The over is 4-1 in Perdomo's last 5 starts. The Twins counter with Ervin Santana here. The veteran right-hander has given up 4 earned runs or more in 6 of his last 10 starts! Santana has given up 62 hits in the 46 and 1/3 innings spanning his last 8 starts. As you can see, both of these pitchers have been very hittable and yet we've got a low total to deal with here since this game is being played at Petco Park. Keep in mind, the ball carries better in day games (compared to night games) at San Diego. Last night's under (a rare shutout defeat) for the Twins was just their 2nd one in their last 9 games! The over is on a 103-67 run in Minnesota's games against teams with a losing record. The over is 25-10 this season in San Diego's home games where their line ranges from -125 to +125. Also, the Padres are 34-20 to the over in inter-league games the past 2+ seasons. More of the same late Wednesday afternoon. 8* OVER the total in San Diego

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach Wednesday MLB 8* OVER the total in New York Yankees vs Detroit Tigers @ 1:05 ET - Masahiro Tanaka gets the start for the Yankees. He has allowed 5 earned runs in each of his last two starts versus the Tigers and Tanaka gave up a total of 5 homers in those two outings. Detroit sends Jordan Zimmerman to the mound for this one. He is 1-5 with a 6.67 ERA on the road this season and, overall, the over is 13-5-1 in Zimmerman's last 19 starts! Tanaka is 0-5 with a 14.81 ERA in his 6 starts in day game action this season! Teams are hitting .419 against Tanaka under the sun this season. On a warm afternoon with the wind blowing out at Yankee Stadium, look for more of the same early Wednesday afternoon. The over is 22-11 in Tigers day games this season and the over is 10-3 in Yankees games where they are a home favorite in a range of -175 to -250 so far this year. I'll test the combined 32-14 (70%) season mark here as Tanaka's day game struggles continue and Zimmerman's road game struggles continue. 8* OVER the total in the New York Yankees game

Rickenbach Tuesday MLB 8* OVER the total in Colorado Rockies vs New York Mets @ 8:40 ET - How much worse can it get for Steven Matz of the Mets. Not only has the New York southpaw allowed 21 earned runs on 34 hits in the 13 and 1/3 innings spanning his last four starts, Matz now has to make a road start at the most hitter-friendly venue in the majors. Coors Field is unlikely to be welcoming to Matz who is 0-2 with an 11.57 ERA in his two starts against the Rockies in his career - and both those were at New York! Jeff Hoffman was matched up with Matz two weeks ago in New York and that was a 13-4 Rockies win. I expect to see another wild one here. Hoffman has an 11.77 ERA and 2.39 WHIP in his last 3 starts. The over is 3-0 in his last 3 starts and the over is also 3-0 in the last 3 starts that Matz has made. Truly the Mets have been an "over machine" this season as the over is 49-15 in all their night games this season. Also, in August games the past two seasons combined, the over is 38-19 in Mets games. Look for the over to improve to 10-1 in New York's Tuesday games on the season. The Mets enter this game on an 8-2 run to the over. The Rockies are 11-4 to the over since the All Star break. Also, when playing after an off day, Colorado is on a 28-18 run to the over the past 3 seasons combined. Look for the recent high-scoring trend in Rockies games to continue here as both of these pitchers have been getting pounded of late. 8* OVER the total in Colorado

Rickenbach Tuesday MLB 8* OVER the total in Chicago White Sox vs Toronto Blue Jays @ 8:10 ET - Mike Pelfrey gave up 5 earned runs in 5 innings in his most recent start. Prior to that outing he walked 6 batters in just 5 innings in his prior start. The fact is that, after a surprisingly strong run for Pelfrey earlier this season, the fade is now on! He has averaged less than 5 innings per start in his last 6 outings. Pelfrey has given up 14 earned runs in his last 19 and 1/3 innings which has spanned his last 4 home starts. Pelfrey will be opposed by Toronto's Marcus Stroman in this one. The Blue Jays right-hander would likely rather be facing someone else. The Blue Jays are 0-5 in Stroman's starts against the White Sox in his career and he has compiled an ugly 6.23 ERA in those 5 outings. Like Pelfrey, Stroman seems to be "on a fade" as well as he has walked 11 in his last 12 and 1/3 innings. He was unable to complete 5 innings in his most recent start. The ChiSox rallied from a late 6-0 deficit for the 7-6 win yesterday and the White Sox have now seen the over go 5-2 in their last 7 home games. The over is now 4-1 in Toronto's last 5 games overall as well as 4-1 in their last 5 road games. As a road favorite of -175 or more, the Blue Jays are on a 5-0 run to the over. The ChiSox are 28-15 to the over in their games against teams with a losing record on the season. Look for more of the same on Tuesday. 8* OVER the total in the Chicago White Sox game

Rickenbach Tuesday MLB 8* OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs Cleveland Indians @ 7:10 ET - This is a contrarian play to say the least! I am well aware of the fact that Boston's Chris Sale has not allowed an earned run in any of his last 3 starts. However, he has allowed 5 homers in his last 3 starts versus the Indians. Also, Sale faced Cleveland twice last season and he gave up 9 earned runs in just 10 and 1/3 innings spanning those two starts. As for the Tribe, Carlos Carrasco gets the start in this one. The Indians right-hander has given up 18 hits in the 10 and 1/3 innings spanning the two starts he has made at Fenway Park in his career. Also, in his only recent start versus the Red Sox he gave up 3 homers in an outing that lasted just 5 innings last season! Carrasco enters this start with a 4.34 ERA in his last 3 starts and each of his last two outings have gone over the total. The over is a perfect 3-0 in Sale's last 3 starts versus the Indians. Yesterday's match-up saw the teams combine for 20 hits but the game stayed under the total. The Red Sox left 10 men on base yesterday while the Indians went 0 for 3 with men in scoring position. Look for more opportunities to be cashed in tonight and I'll take advantage of the very low O/U here posted here as the over improves to 11-4 in Red Sox Tuesday games this season! 8* OVER the total in Boston

Rickenbach Tuesday MLB 8* OVER the total in Baltimore Orioles vs Kansas City Royals @ 7:05 ET - Despite 15 hits in yesterday's game it was a 2-1 pitchers duel with the Orioles winning it in the bottom of the 9th over the Royals. Look for Tuesday's game to play out in much different fashion. Kansas City sends Ian Kennedy to the mound for this one and he has a 5.40 ERA in his last two starts. The over is 12-6-1 in his 19 starts this season. Though he hasn't started in Baltimore in many years the fact is that he certainly didn't fall in love with the city. In his two career starts at Baltimore, Kennedy gave up 7 earned runs in less than 6 innings of work! The Orioles are starting Dylan Bundy in this one and the over is a perfect 8-0 in his last 8 starts! Bundy has allowed 5 runs or more in 5 of his last 7 starts. He has allowed 5 earned runs or more in 4 of his last 6 starts. Look for more of the same on Tuesday as, prior to yesterday's low-scoring loss, the Royals had won 10 of their last 11 games and averaged scoring 7.3 runs per game during this hot streak. The over is 16-9 this season in Kansas City road games where their money line is in a range of -125 to +125. The over is 8-4 in Orioles home games with a posted total of 10 or 10.5 runs. 8* OVER the total in Baltimore

Rickenbach Tuesday MLB 8* Detroit Tigers Run Line +1.5 runs @ New York Yankees @ 7:05 ET - Despite outhitting the Yankees yesterday the Tigers ended up on the wrong end of a 7-3 final. I'll come right back with Detroit on the run line again today. The Tigers are available at very nearly a pick'em price on the run line and having the +1.5 runs is a huge value. Anibal Sanchez gets the start for the Tigers and, simply put, C.C. Sabathia and the Yankees are over-priced here! Though Sabathia has the lower ERA on the season, Sanchez has a WHIP that is every bit as good as Sabathia's. Sanchez has had limited action this season but he is back now and stronger than ever and offers great line value in this spot. Sanchez is off of a bad start versus red hot Kansas City but previously he had allowed only 26 hits in his last 30 innings of work. The Tigers had won each of his 4 starts prior to the loss to the Royals. The Detroit right-hander is 4-1 with a 3.25 ERA in his 6 starts versus the Yankees in his career. Also, Sanchez has a solid 3.24 ERA on the road this season while Sabathia has a 5.64 ERA at home this year. The Yankees left-hander has allowed 4 earned runs or more in 4 of his last 6 home starts and I look for another rough one for Sabathia here. The Tigers are 4-1 in their last 5 road games versus left-handed starters and look for the Yankees to drop to 6-9 in Tuesday games on the season. Though I expect the upset here I am grabbing the extra insurance of the run line in this one. 8* Detroit Tigers Run Line +1.5 runs

Rickenbach Monday MLB 8* OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs Cleveland Indians @ 7:10 ET - Doug Fister gets the spot start here for the Red Sox and he is 0-3 with a 7.58 ERA in his four starts this season. The last time he started against Cleveland, Fister allowed 6 earned runs in just 4 and 1/3 innings of work. Mike Clevinger gets the start for the Indians in this one and he had been pitching well but his start versus the Angels last week - 5 earned runs on 9 hits in just 4 and 1/3 innings - is a sign of things to come in this start. Clevinger certainly looking "off" in that outing and more of the same expected here. The Red Sox have averaged 5 runs per game in their last 6 home games and I don't see them being shut down at Fenway Park. As for the Indians, they should pound Fister just like they did in September. Keep in mind, before their loss yesterday, Cleveland had won 9 straight games and scored an average of 7.3 runs per game in the process! The over was 7-3 in the Indians 10 games prior to yesterday's low-scoring series finale with the White Sox. 8* OVER the total in Boston

Rickenbach Monday MLB 8* Detroit Tigers Run Line +1.5 runs @ New York Yankees @ 7:05 ET - The Yankees Luis Severino certainly has been pitching well this season. However, the Tigers Michael Fullmer is truly "right there" with him! That said, with no decided pitching edge and the ability to have the Tigers at +1.5 runs AND a pick'em price, the value is too strong to ignore here. Fullmer shut out the Yankees over 6 innings in his lone career start versus them last season. Severino has one career start against the Tigers (also last season) and he allowed 10 hits in just 5 innings of work! Fullmer has a 2.91 ERA on the road this season while Severino has a 3.41 ERA at home on the year. Looking at Fullmer's last 15 starts, only 4 of the 15 have resulted in a Tigers loss by 2 runs or more. The Yankees are only 5-5 in Severino's last 10 starts. Should they really be a 2 to 1 favorite here on the money line? The Yanks are truly over-priced here and the line value is off the charts with the run line here! The Yankees are only 21-22 (DOWN $9,100) in their games against teams with a losing record this season. 8* DETROIT TIGERS Run Line +1.5 runs

Rickenbach Monday MLB 8* OVER the total in Baltimore Orioles vs Kansas City Royals @ 7:05 ET - The Orioles Ubaldo Jimenez is off of a rare, strong start.  Prior to a solid outing at Tampa Bay last week, the veteran right-hander had given up 21 earned runs in the 19 innings spanning his 4 prior starts. Jimenez had allowed 4 earned runs or more in 9 of his 11 starts prior to allowing just 2 earned runs versus the Rays. The Royals are starting Danny Duffy in this one. I know the KC southpaw is having a solid season. However, he is currently in the midst of a pattern where he's been unable to string together solid starts. Prior to a strong outing at Detroit last week, Duffy had given up 4 earned runs or more in 3 of his last 5 starts. Even though Duffy has some decent numbers versus the Orioles in his career, he did allow 8 hits in 7 innings when he faced them earlier this season. Also, in his last two starts at Baltimore, the Royals left-hander gave up 3 homers. The Orioles will do some damage here as Duffy's strikeout numbers have been trending downward lately and when Baltimore makes contact they are certainly a dangerous lineup with a lot of pop. The Orioles are hitting .271 over the past week while the Royals are at .305 over the same time frame. In fact, Kansas City has averaged 7.6 runs per game in their last 10 games while the Orioles are averaging 6.4 runs per game in their last 12 games. Look for more of the same here early Monday evening. 8* OVER the total in Baltimore

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach Monday MLB 8* OVER the total in Philadelphia Phillies vs Atlanta Braves @ 12:35 ET - This total has dropped from a 9 to an 8.5 and I am taking advantage of the added line value and stepping in with a play on the over. Mike Foltynewicz is having a great season for the Braves but he is getting hit at a .301 clip by left-handed bats. That is significant here as the Phillies are loaded with left-handed batters and switch-hitters so he is going to see plenty of left-handed lumber in this one. I know Foltynewicz has pitched very well against the Phillies this season but Philadelphia is now getting a 3rd crack at him and I look for the 3rd time to be the charm! The Phils just won their 4th straight game with yesterday's walk-off win and they are stepping into the batters box with the added confidence of a team that has won 8 of its last 11 games! As for the Braves, they should have no trouble with the offerings of Nick Pivetta. He has proven to be inconsistent in this, his rookie, season. Pivetta is 1-2 with a 9.37 ERA in his 3 starts since the All Star break. He struggled in his lone start against the Braves early last month and gave up 6 hits and 3 walks in just 5 innings of work. The over is 2-1 in Pivetta's last 3 starts and a perfect 3-0 in the last 3 starts that Foltynewicz has made. Also, the over is 7-3 in Braves Monday games this season (and 26-14 the last 3 seasons combined). 8* OVER the total in Philadelphia

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach Sunday MLB 10* Top Play San Francisco Giants Money Line (+) @ Los Angeles Dodgers @ 8:05 ET - The Giants Madison Bumgarner finally got into the win column Tuesday as he led San Francisco to an 11-3 win over the Pirates. The Giants are still winless in his road starts this season (0-4) but he has a solid 2.89 ERA away from home this season. Bumgarner has held opponents to a .232 batting average this season but he's still not getting his usual respect on the mound because of his poor record and the Giants poor record. However, San Francisco should have no problem scoring against Hyun-Jin Ryu and herein lies the value with his play. The Dodgers southpaw is getting hit at a .280 clip on the season and got hit at a .300 clip last month. In his lone July start after returning to the rotation he allowed 8 baserunners in just 5 innings. Ryu has given up 16 hits in his last 13 innings versus the Giants while Bumgarnger has given up just 9 hits in his last 14 and 1/3 innings versus the Dodgers. Certainly Los Angeles is the better team this season and they've been hot lately while the Giants have been up and down but the pitching edge here for the road dog is too strong to ignore. Bumgarner is the ultimate "gamer" and he wants this game badly on Sunday night with the ESPN cameras rolling. Look for him to give the Giants a fantastic effort here and dominate while Ryu's mediocrity on the mound continues. That will be the difference here and I love the underdog line value. 10* SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS money line

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach Sunday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in San Diego Padres vs Pittsburgh Pirates @ 4:40 ET - I am well aware of the fact that the Padres Clayton Richard does a good job of inducing ground balls and therefore he does get a lot of double plays. However, when you're getting hit as hard as he has been getting hit, damage will eventually be done and that certainly has been the case lately for the San Diego southpaw. Richard has gone 0-3 with a 9.86 ERA and ridiculous 2.42 WHIP in his last 3 starts. Look for his struggles to continue here as the Pirates take advantage of facing a struggling hurler and get their bats back on track. Before struggling at the plate in their 3 most recent games, the Pirates had recorded 11 hits or more in 6 of their 9 prior games! With the way Richard has been throwing, Pittsburgh's bats are likely going to resume that type of hitting and reach double digits in hits Sunday afternoon. The Pirates concern is the fact that Gerrit Cole has struggled on the road this season. He gave up only 2 runs Monday but did allow 10 baserunners in just 6 innings at San Francisco. Now Cole faces a red hot Padres team that has won 7 of its last 10 games and averaged scoring 5.4 runs per game during this hot stretch. The Padres are 12-3-1 to the over in their 16 games since the All Star Break. The over is 7-2-1 in Richard's last 10 starts. He has allowed 4 earned runs or more in 5 of his last 6 starts. Also, the Padres are 7-2 to the over this season (and 20-10 to the over the last 3 seasons combined) when they are on a winning streak of 3 games or more. 10* OVER the total in San Diego

Rickenbach Sunday MLB 8* Philadelphia Phillies Money Line (-) vs Atlanta Braves @ 1:35 ET - The Phillies already saw R.A. Dickey this season and that was just last month. Though they struggled against the knuckler they now get another shot at them and this time it's at home and this time he comes into the outing struggling. Dickey has allowed 8 earned runs in less than 12 innings of work spanning his last two starts. Also, the right-hander allowed 5 earned run in just 4 innings of work the last time he started at Philadelphia. The Phillies certainly come into this game as the hotter team. With yesterday's win, the Phils have now won 3 straight and 7 of their last 10. Conversely, the Braves have lost 3 straight and 9 of their last 12. Vincent Velasquez gets the start for Atlanta here and he struggled in his most recent outing but that followed a strong start at Miami in his first start off of the disabled list. He had allowed just 3 earned runs in 12 and 1/3 innings prior to the tough start versus the road warrior Astros Monday. Velasquez has produced quality start in each of his last two starts versus the Braves and they haven't faced him since last season. Atlanta has gone 5-11 in Sunday games this season while the Phillies actually have a winning record on Sundays this year. 8* PHILADELPHIA

Rickenbach Sunday MLB 8* OVER the total in Detroit Tigers vs Houston Astros @ 1:10 ET - The Astros lost 5-3 yesterday. While it is tempting to back Houston off of a loss (as they have responded very well in this situation), Lance McCullers has not been pitching well at all. That is why the play here is on the total. The over is 7-2 the last 9 times that the Astros were off of a loss. Houston has lost each of the last 4 starts McCullers has made as he has compiled an ugly 8.53 ERA during this rough stretch. Also, the Astros right-hander hasn't pitched past the 5th inning the entire month of July. The Tigers Justin Verlander has been pitching well but the trade deadline (tomorrow) has to be in his head a bit as he prepares for this start. Also, he got crushed by the Astros the only time he faced them this season with 6 earned runs allowed in less than 6 innings of work. Look for the over to improve to 5-0 in McCuller's last 5 starts. Houston is 32-14 to the over in road games this season. Also, the Astros have had just 2 unders in 16 Sunday games this season! The Tigers are 21-11 to the over in day games this season and they've had just 3 unders in their 16 Sunday games this season. More of the same this Sunday! 8* OVER the total in Detroit

Rickenbach Sunday MLB 8* OVER the total in Toronto Blue Jays vs Los Angeles Angels @ 1:05 ET - The Angels are 0-3 in the last 3 starts Chavez has made and he has compiled an 8.10 ERA with a 1.95 WHIP. In other words, Chavez is struggling badly and certainly the road has not been kind to him this season. Away from home Chavez is 2-6 with a 7.17 ERA on the season. He'll be opposed by the Blue Jays Cesar Valdez whom has mostly been stuck in the minors during his 12-year career. This will be just the 5th MLB start for Valdez in his long career. Even though he is off of a strong start versus Oakland, he has a 6.15 ERA in his 18 games (4 starts) at the MLB level. Look for him to struggle against an Angels lineup that is heating up and, after rallying for the win yesterday, has scored 6 runs or more in 5 of its last 9 games. Los Angeles is heating up and Toronto will certainly score their fair share against a struggling Chavez in this one. 8* OVER the total in Toronto

Money Line Game of the Month - Rickenbach Saturday MLB 10* Top Play Kansas City Royals Money Line (+) @ Boston Red Sox @ 7:10 ET - The Royals have now won 9 straight games after yesterday's 4-2 win. Kansas City has allowed an average of only 3 runs per game during this red hot stretch. That should continue here as Trevor Cahill makes his debut with the Royals after coming over from the Padres. The fact that he hasn't pitched in the American League since 2011 is a big edge for him here as the Red Sox aren't very familiar with Cahill. He hasn't faced Boston since the 2011 season. Cahill has a solid 3.69 ERA on the season as a starter and I am expecting a successful debut for him here. As for Boston starter Eduardo Rodriguez, struggles are likely. The Red Sox are 0-3 in the southpaw's last 3 starts and he has compiled a 7.72 ERA during this rough stretch. Also, Rodriguez allowed 5 earned runs in just 5 and 1/3 innings when he most recently faced the Royals last August. While KC has been red hot, the Red Sox have lost 5 of their last 6 games. Also, Boston has scored an average of only 3.3 runs per game in their 15 games since the All Star Break! The Royals have excelled in this price range all season long and they did it again yesterday. Look for KC to improve to 12-6 this season as a road dog of +125 to +175. As you would expect with those types of underdog prices, the Royals current 11-6 run in that price range has picked up nearly $10,000 in net profits at a dime per game. More of the same expected Saturday. 10* KANSAS CITY

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach Saturday MLB 8* OVER the total in Seattle Mariners vs New York Mets @ 4:10 ET - The Mets Jacob deGrom certainly has produced fantastic numbers this season. However, the right-hander has a significant home/road dichotomy as he has been much stronger at home compared to on the road. In his 10 road starts this season he has a 4.34 ERA and he has allowed 14 home runs! 8 of deGrom's 10 starts away from home have resulted in an over. He'll be opposed by Yovani Gallardo in Seattle this afternoon. He allowed 3 homers in his only start since the break and that was Sunday versus the Yankees. The over is 7-1-1 in Gallardo's last 9 starts and he has an ugly 8.49 ERA in these 9 outings dating back to late May. The Mets continue to be an "over machine" this season as, after another one last night (7-5 win over the M's) the over is now 60-31 in New York's games on the year! Look for the over to improve to 9-3 (75%) on the season in Mets road games where they are a favorite in a range of -125 to -175. The over is 33-18 in Mariners interleague games the past 3 seasons combined. Also, look for the over to improve to 15-7 (68%) in M's home games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs the past 3 seasons combined. 8* OVER the total in Seattle

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach Saturday MLB 8* OVER the total in Toronto Blue Jays vs Los Angeles Angels @ 1:05 ET - The Angels are setting this one up as a "bullpen game" as Yusmeiro Petit is making his first start of the season because Alex Meyer is "on the shelf" due to injury. Petit has not made an MLB start in over a year. The Blue Jays sent Francisco Liriano to the mound for this one and he is 2-7 with a 5.90 ERA in his 11 starts versus Los Angeles in his career. The last time he hosted the Angels they rocked him for 7 runs (6 earned) in only 3 and 1/3 innings! Liriano comes into this start with a 9.34 ERA and 2.08 WHIP in his 3 starts since the All Star break. Yesterday's 7-2 win saw quite a few runs scored off the bullpens in the later innings. I expect more of the same in this early afternoon game Saturday. Although yesterday's game stayed under the total, the over is 9-3 in Liriano's last 12 starts! More of the same early Saturday afternoon! 8* OVER the total in Toronto

Rickenbach Friday MLB 8* OVER the total in Miami Marlins vs Cincinnati Reds @ 7:10 ET - Yesterday's match-up stayed under the total but I just don't see either one of these pitchers enjoying success today. Vance Worley gets the start for the Marlins but that is only because Tom Koehler was sent to Triple-A due to ineffectiveness. Worley has been working out of the bullpen but his long relief role truly hasn't gone well. Worley got hit at a .356 clip in June and opponents are hitting a ridiculous .407 against him in July! As for Reds starter Sal Romano, he did pitch well against the Marlins last week but now the Miami hitters get another look at him in his very next start and that generally doesn't bode well for young pitchers. Keep in mind Romano had given up 12 hits and 6 walks in 9 innings for a 2.00 WHIP in his first two starts in July before he had some success versus the Marlins in that start Sunday. Romano's only night start so far at the big league level saw him get rocked at home by Arizona on the 18th. Look for more of the same on Friday evening. Even with yesterday's under, the over is a solid 37-24 this season Marlins night games. 8* OVER the total in Miami

Rickenbach Friday MLB 8* OVER the total in Detroit Tigers vs Houston Astros @ 7:10 ET - Dallas Keuchel has phenomenal numbers on the season but I don't expect him to be ultra effective in his first start back after a long stint on the disabled list. Keep in mind, the last time he faced the Tigers at Detroit he was rocked for 7 earned runs in 5 innings and that was nearly a year ago to the day. Making his first start since June 2nd and against a Tigers team that has averaged 5.8 runs per game in their last 12 games, Keuchel struggles here. The good news for Astros fans is that the Houston southpaw should benefit from plenty of run support in this one. Houston will be facing a struggling Jordan Zimmerman in this one. The Tigers right-hander has a 7.42 ERA and 2.17 WHIP in his last 3 starts. The over is 12-5-1 in Zimmerman's last 18 starts! He has allowed 4 earned runs or more in 4 of those 5 starts. The over is 11-2 in the Astros last 13 games against teams with a losing record. In road games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs Houston has gone 33-13 to the over the past 3 seasons. The Tigers have lost three straight games and that is a situation that has resulted in them going 8-1 to the over this season and 34-17 to the over the past 3 seasons combined. Look for these trends to continue on Friday evening. 8* OVER the total in Detroit

***NOTE: Rick Porcello is now the starting pitcher instead of David Price for the Red Sox. This is just as strong of a play with Porcello now getting the nod to start this game. The right-hander is 4-13 this season and opponents are hitting .293 against him. Porcello was hit at a .329 clip in May and .323 clip in June. I know he has been better in July but he still gave up 9 hits in 6 innings in his only home start and he allowed 3 homers in his most recent road start! Fade the Red Sox here and go with the Royals on the Run Line. The original full write-up follows.*** Game of the Month Run Line: Rickenbach Friday MLB 10* Top Play Kansas City Royals Run Line (+1.5) @ Boston Red Sox @ 7:10 ET - The Royals have won 8 straight games and yet they're getting absolutely no respect here. Yes, I know that Jason Vargas has struggled recently on the mound but he bounced back in his most recent start for a win. That will help him get his confidence back up as he allowed just 2 earned runs to a White Sox team that hits lefties very well. Now Vargas faces a Red Sox team that has lost 3 of its last 4 against left-handed starters and the lone win came by just a single run for Boston. That is significant here because the Royals are available at a very low price on the run line at +1.5 runs and that is a huge value. The Red Sox are only 1-4 in their last 5 games and they've averaged just 2.8 runs per game during this stretch. Kansas City has averaged 7.9 runs per game during their current 8-game winning streak. David Price gets the start for Boston here and, though he had been pitching well, he gave up 5 earned runs in 5 innings in his most recent start. That was on the West Coast and, even though the Red Sox were off yesterday, the first game at home for an East Coast team after a trip out west always seems to be the toughest. Tremendous line value with the red hot Royals here especially when you are able to grab the extra insurance at such a fair price! 10* KANSAS CITY ROYALS Run Line +1.5 runs

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach Thursday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Miami Marlins vs Cincinnati Reds @ 7:10 ET - These teams just met in Cincinnati on Saturday with this same pitching match-up and the total was a high as an 11.5 in some places. Now the rematch total has moved down to a 9 from a 9.5 even though neither pitcher was sharp in Saturday's game. The Reds Robert Stephenson allowed 5 earned runs in 5 and 1/3 innings while the Marlins Chris O'Grady walked 6 in a start that lasted less than 5 innings. Many will want to play the under here since Miami is off of a record-setting game yesterday where 32 runs were scored in a 22-10 win over the Rangers at Texas. However, there is no reason to expect Miami not to stay hot at the plate against a very hittable Stephenson. At the same time, the Reds scored 5 runs in yesterday's loss at New York versus the Yankees and they have now scored 4 runs or more in 6 of their last 12 games. Even though those aren't phenomenal stats for Cincy, the fact they now face a pitcher (O'Grady) who has struggled with command of his pitches has me expecting at least 4 or more from the Reds here. Certainly the Marlins will at least match the Reds run for run and I expect at least a 6-5 type game in this one. The over is on a 24-16 run in Cincinnati's Thursday games and the over is on a 21-14 run in Reds road games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs. The over is 37-23 in Marlins night games this season and their .267 batting average versus right-handed pitching this season ranks them in the top 20% of the majors! 10* OVER the total in Miami

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach Thursday MLB 8* Oakland A's Money Line (+) @ Toronto Blue Jays @ 12:35 ET - The A's got the upset win 3-1 here yesterday and there is no reason to expect that they won't do it again today. Oakland's Sean Manaea gave up 4 earned runs in his most recent start but all those runs came in the 6th inning. Not only that but, in his 11 prior outings he had compiled a 2.92 ERA! In other words, the southpaw has been tough to hit and he is now facing a Blue Jays team that has lost 8 of its last 12 games. Manaea dominated Toronto for a win over J.A. Happ and the Jays early last month. Conversely, the last time Marcus Stroman faced the A's he allowed 6 earned runs in less than 5 innings of work. Oakland pounded him for 3 homers in that start a year ago. Stroman comes into this start off of a 117-pitch effort at Cleveland. Though he held the Indians in check in that game he did walk 5 as he tried to work through issues with a blister. That doesn't bode well for today and he may not get a lot of run support from his teammates here. The Blue Jays rank in the bottom third of the MLB rankings for batting average and slugging percentage versus left-handed pitching. With those types of numbers it is no surprise that the Jays are an ugly 8-17 this season in games against southpaw starters. Although the Athletics lost Manaea's last start, they had previously won 8 of his last 11 starts! Look for that hot streak to resume early Thursday. 8* OAKLAND ATHLETICS

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach Thursday MLB 8* Los Angeles Angels Money Line (+) @ Cleveland Indians @ 12:10 ET - The Indians won 10-4 yesterday and have now won 6 straight games. However, this was preceded by a stretch in which Cleveland had lost 6 of 7 and the Angels do have a decided pitching edge here. J.C. Ramirez is 2-1 with a 2.50 ERA in his last 3 starts. Also, he is 6-3 with a 3.68 ERA on the road this season. The Los Angeles hurler will be opposed by a struggling starter in this one. The Tribe send Trevor Bauer to the mound and he is 1-2 with an 8.43 ERA and a 2.44 WHIP in his last 3 starts! On the season the Indians right-hander has a 5.58 ERA. The Angels are off of back to back losses but they've lost 3 straight games ONCE over the past TWO MONTHS dating back to May 27th. Combining that with the underdog line value here and the big pitching edge and the Angels are the way to go in this one! Another edge for the road dog here is the fact that this is the first start Ramirez has made against the Indians in his career so the Cleveland lineup lacks familiarity with him. 8* LOS ANGELES ANGELS

Early Annihilation - Rickenbach Wednesday MLB 8* OVER the total in Toronto vs Oakland @ 7:05 ET - The A's send Paul Blackburn to the bump for this one. The right-hander has only made 4 starts at the MLB level in his career. Blackburn hasn't been overly sharp in his last 2 starts as he has allowed 7 earned runs on 11 hits and 5 walks in 11 and 1/3 innings. He only has a total of 5 strikeouts in the 19 innings spanning his last 3 starts so he is not missing a lot of bats. That said, Toronto should enjoy a breakout game at the plate as they will have some extra confidence coming off of back to back wins after some recent frustrating stretches of losing. The Blue Jays issue tonight will be starting pitching. Marco Estrada is struggling and has blamed fatigue. Whatever is behind the struggles the numbers do not lie and Estrada has a 10.38 ERA in his last 3 starts while compiling an ugly 2.08 WHIP in these outings. The right-hander also is 0-2 with a poor 8.38 ERA in his two career starts versus the A's and that includes one early last month. Though Oakland has been scuffling a bit at the plate of late, facing a struggling Estrada is going to help them snap out of it in a big way Wednesday evening. The over is a perfect 4-0 in Estrada's last 4 starts and 6 of his last 7 outings have resulted in an over. Look for another one here! 8* OVER the total in Toronto

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach Wednesday MLB 8* Philadelphia Phillies Money Line (+) vs Houston Astros @ 7:05 ET - As bad as the Phillies have been this year, believe it or not, they have not been swept in a series in the past 5 weeks. You have to go all the way back to mid-June and a home series sweep at the hands of the Diamondbacks to find the last time Philadelphia got swept. Couple that with the fact that the Phils entered this series with the Astros on a 4-1 run plus the fact that Aaron Nola has been pitching very well for Philadelphia and you have the proper ingredients for an upset here. The Phils right-hander has given up 2 earned runs or less in 6 straight starts. Not only that, Nola has been piling up the strikeouts and the Astros have never faced him so Houston is likely to struggle at the plate in this one. The Astros will hand the ball to Michael Fiers for the series finale and, though he has pitched well of late, he got absolutely crushed (5 earned runs in less than 2 innings of work) in his last visit to Philadelphia. Also, on the season, Fiers has been much tougher at home than he has been on the road. Look for the Phillies to spring the upset in this one as they improve to 4-1 in Nola's last 5 home starts. 8* PHILADELPHIA

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Wednesday 8* OVER the total in Arizona Diamondbacks vs Atlanta Braves @ 3:40 ET - The Diamondbacks sent Patrick Corbin to the mound for this one. Although the southpaw has a low ERA in his last 3 starts he has allowed 20 hits in the 18 and 1/3 innings spanning the 3 outings. Now he faces the Braves for the 2nd time in the past 2 weeks and Atlanta did get to him for 6 hits in 5 innings when they faced Corbin right after the All Star Break. The Braves roll into this game with extra confidence after an 8-3 win yesterday. That game went over the total and the over is now 6-0-1 in Atlanta's last 7 games. That's right, not a single under for the Braves in their past 7 games. As for the Diamondbacks, they had averaged scoring 6.7 runs per game in their last 7 games before falling short in yesterday's 8-3 loss. They should have no problems with the offerings of Aaron Blair. I realize the Braves righty is seeking revenge today against his former team (Dbacks drafted him) but he struggled when he faced Atlanta last season in May and he has been in the minors all season so far this year. The concerning thing for Blair is he has compiled a 4.86 ERA in the minors this season. Now he takes a step up and faces tougher hitters at the MLB level and I do not expect this to go well for Blair. By the way, the over is 31-18 in Atlanta's road games this season. Also, the Braves are 11-4 to the over in Wednesday games this year. Look for the over to improve to 8-3 in Corbin's last 11 starts. 8* OVER the total in Arizona

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Wednesday 8* OVER the total in Tampa Bay Rays vs Baltimore Orioles @ 12:10 ET - Ubaldo Jimenez gets the start for the Orioles and he is having an awful season. The Baltimore right-hander is 4-6 with a 7.82 ERA and a 1.72 WHIP. The bigger concern for Jimenez is that things are actually getting worse not better! Jimenez has given up 12 earned runs on 21 hits (including 3 homers) in just 9 innings of work spanning his last two starts. The over is 10-5 in his 15 starts this season and I expect another one here. That's because, even though Alex Cobb has been throwing very well for the Rays, the Orioles have had his number this season. Versus Baltimore, Cobb has given up 10 runs (8 earned) on 14 hits (including 2 homers) in 11 and 1/3 innings of work. The O's will be seeing Cobb for the 3rd time already this season and Baltimore has averaged scoring 7.5 runs per game in their last 8 games. By the way, versus the Rays this season Jimenez has given up a ridiculous 12 earned runs in 5 and 2/3 innings spanning his two starts versus Tampa Bay. As you would expect, both games flew over the total. The over is 41-25 in Baltimore's games against right-handed starters this season. The over is 11-4 in Rays Wednesday games this season. 8* OVER the total in Tampa Bay

Rickenbach Tuesday MLB 8* OVER the total in Detroit Tigers vs Kansas City Royals @ 7:10 ET - I lost with this pick yesterday but will come right back with hit here. Yesterday's 5-3 Kansas City win went 12 innings so extra bullpen was used. Also, these pitchers just faced the opponent their facing this evening and that will be a big edge for the hitters who had no problems pounding these hurlers in their most recent appearance. Michael Fullmer gets the starts for the Tigers and he was rocked for 8 runs (5 earned) in less than 3 innings of work last week against the Royals. Though you might expect him to completely bounce back at home, the fact is that Fullmer has had a higher ERA and lower strikeout rate in home games this season. Also, this will be the 3rd time the Royals are seeing him in a span of 4 weeks. KC will send Danny Duffy to the mound for this one. He was hit hard by Detroit last week and was fortunate the damage wasn't worse. The Royals southpaw gave up 4 earned runs on 9 hits in 5 innings of work. Overall, Duffy has found the Tigers to be a bit of a nemesis of late as he has allowed 14 earned runs in 14 and 1/3 innings spanning his last 3 starts versus Detroit. In his last start at Comerica Park he gave up 3 homers. Prior to yesterday's result the over was 7-3 in the games between these teams this season with an average of 11 runs scored per game. That said, I like the value with the low total (8.5) posted on this one. None of Fullmer's last 3 starts have resulted in an under. Also, the over is 3-0 in his last 3 starts versus the Royals and the over is 3-0 in Duffy's last 3 starts versus the Tigers. Look for the over to improve ot 17-9 on the season in Tigers games versus left-handed starters. 8* OVER the total in Detroit

Rickenbach Tuesday MLB 8* OVER the total in Tampa Bay Rays vs Baltimore Orioles @ 7:10 ET - The Rays got shutout out at home yesterday but they're likely to respond in a big way as they now face the struggling Wade Miley. The Orioles southpaw has given up 4 earned runs or more in 7 of his last 9 starts. Miley has given up 65 hits in his last 37 and 2/3 innings. As you can see from those numbers, it is no wonder that the Baltimore lefty has been giving up runs in bunches! He'll be opposed by Tampa Bay's Jacob Faria in this one. The 23 year old right-hander has pitched very well in what is his rookie season. However, this is still just his 9th major league start and he is known for throwing strikes and challenging hitters as he walks very few batters. That may not prove so effective against this Orioles lineup. The O's have won 6 of their last 8 and they have an aggressive lineup that is seeing Faria for the 3rd time already within about a 4 week period. They hit 3 homers against Faria in the first two starts and could be even tougher on the righty today as this is the only team that Faria has had to face more than once so far in his young career. Keep in mind, with their 5-0 win yesterday the Orioles not only are on a 6-2 run, they've also averaged scoring 8 runs per game in their last 7 games. The over is 40-25 this season in Baltimore's games against right-handed starters. Also, even with yesterday's home shutout, the Rays are still 6-3 to the over in home games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs this season. Look for another over to be added to that record this evening! 8* OVER the total in Tampa Bay

Rickenbach Tuesday MLB 8* Oakland A's Money Line (-) @ Toronto Blue Jays @ 7:05 ET - I lost with the A's yesterday but come right back with them here. Although Oakland has a bad road record on the season, the Blue Jays entered yesterday's action having lost 7 of their last 9 games. Couple that with the fact that the Athletics have a huge starting pitching edge here and the value is truly with the road team in this one. Oakland has won 3 straight Sonny Gray starts and the right-hander has been fantastic with a 1.62 ERA in his last 5 starts! He'll be opposed by Cesar Valdez of the Blue Jays. Valdez was with the A's earlier this season which will certainly motivate Valdez here. However, motivation can only take you so far. The fact is that Valdez has a 6.86 ERA and has been hit at a .317 clip in his 17 MLB appearances (including 3 starts). The A's are a fantastic 4-1 in Gray's 5 starts against the Jays in his career and they truly rate the big edge here as Valdez is a career minor leaguer. Look for Toronto to drop to 4-11 in Tuesday games this season. 8* OAKLAND

Game of the Week - Rickenbach Monday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Tigers vs Kansas City Royals @ 7:10 ET - These pitchers just squared off in Kansas City Wednesday and it was a 4-3 game that was a bit of a pitchers duel between these two starters. As a result, it comes as no surprise that this total has dropped down from a 9.5 to a 9 Monday morning. I am grabbing the value with the over here as the wind will be blowing out in Detroit this evening and, even though it will be cool by July standards, it will be a hitter-friendly evening at Comerica Park. The Royals will be seeing Verlander for the 4th time already this season and they did hit 3 homers against him in the last game they saw him in last season. Repetition tends to help the hitters and this will be Kansas City's fourth look at Verlander in less than two months time! Jason Hammel has a 7.25 ERA in his 8 career starts versus the Tigers and he has allowed 3 homers in a game in 2 of his last 4 starts versus Detroit. That under last week on Wednesday was just his 2nd under in 8 starts versus the Tigers in his career! I know both these pitchers have been trending under of late but the over is 7-2 overall in Detroit's last 9 games. Also, the Royals enter this game on a 5-game winning streak that has seen them score an average of 7.8 runs per game! The over is 26-14 in Tigers divisional games this season and I expect another one here. 10* OVER the total in Detroit