MLB Sunday 10* Top Play Los Angeles Dodgers Run Line -1.5 +105 vs San Francisco Giants @ 4:10 ET - Action on pitchers. You see the money line of -200 for the Dodgers on this game? What if I told you that you could play the Dodgers money line at even money today? The fact is that you just about are! The reason I say that is that LA has won 63 games this season and, amazingly, despite playing their home games in a pitchers park generally known for tighter and lower-scoring games the Dodgers actually have 56 wins by 2 or more runs! That is right, effectively 8 out of every 9 Dodgers wins is by a multi-run margin and I certainly expect a win today and I definitely do not expect it be an outlier. Regardless of pitching match-up we have the more dominant team and they are at home! Not only that, in terms of the pitchers (again, I want action) the Dodgers Kershaw has been absolutely dominant while Cobb is starting to falter after pitching "over his head" earlier this season. So we have the better lineup, home field, and a starting pitching edge based on the expected starters. That is why LA is a 2 to 1 favorite and I will gladly grab the even money on the run line in this one. 10* LA Dodgers -1.5 +105

MLB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 7.5 in Oakland Athletics vs Texas Rangers @ 4:07 ET - Action on pitchers. I lost a very big play yesterday involving this match-up and am not happy about it at all but we'll get some payback today. Crazy things happening all in one game are part of the business and why there is never a sure thing in sports betting but, over the long haul, the right handicaps can produce more winners than not. Yesterday's game ended with a 1-2-3 top of the 9th inning for the Rangers. However in the first 8 innings of the game - so a total of 16 half-innings - the teams only had ONE 1-2-3 inning each the entire time. That means in 14 of the 16 half-innings the teams had at least one runner on base. It was a disgusting thing to watch unfold when you have an over and so many opportunities get wasted but you must press forward and shake off nonsense like yesterday's final result. So I mentioned yesterday this series has been trending over and we have another low total to work with here and we saw again yesterday that both bullpens were shaky and got into trouble frequently. That said, I again like the over here no matter who pitches plus I like the fact this one is a day game and that is a little better for scoring runs in terms of games played by the bay. That said, will touch on the pitchers here. Expected starting pitching match-up is Perez vs Blackburn. Note that Perez has a 5.09 ERA in his 3 starts this month and opponents hit .315 against him in his 5 starts last month. Also his ERA is nearly 3 runs higher in day games compared to night games. As for Blackburn, he has a 6.06 ERA in his 3 starts this month and he had a 5.13 ERA while being hit at a .306 clip last month. He also has an ERA nearly 5 runs higher at home compared to on the road! This is a play regardless of starting pitchers but you can see why I like it so much. Revenge payback here will be SWEET! 10* OVER 7.5 in Oakland

MLB Sunday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies -130 vs Chicago Cubs @ 12:05 ET - Action on pitchers. Cubs have taken first two games of this series and are on a 3-game winning streak. However, Chicago has only managed a 4-game winning streak this entire season. Also, the Cubs are still only 3-9 last dozen games and 22-37 against teams with a winning record while Phillies have won 24 of 40 versus teams with a losing record this season. Also, the Phillies Bailey Falter has been piling up the strikeouts and is poised for a win here. The Cubs Drew Smyly has struggled since returning to the rotation this month and, keep in mind, he has a 5.26 ERA since late April. No matter the pitchers here I see the Phillies saving face here and avoiding the sweep and we get a bargain price because of Falter being the scheduled starter here for the hosts. He and the Phils will not "falter" here and get the home win at a great price. Also, the Phillies have never been swept at home in a series of at least 3 games this entire season. I don't see that changing here! 10* PHILADELPHIA -130 

MLB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 7.5 in Oakland A's vs Texas Rangers @ 9:07 ET - Action on the pitchers. Love the way the series has been playing out between these teams in terms of overs. 6 of the last 7 games between these teams have totaled at least 9 runs and, in fact, have averaged 13.4 runs per game! These teams are very familiar with each others bullpen arms but we get a low total to work with here because Oakland is known as a low-scoring team. Keep in mind, the Rangers have scored 5.3 runs per game last 14 games. The A's have scored 5 runs per game last 9 games. In terms of the starters here, which again are NOT the key factors here, it is expected to be Hearn versus Kaprielian but it would not shock me if Texas went with Bush as an opener. In any event, Hearn will be sent back to AAA Round Rock after this start because Dunning is due back from the DL for the Rangers. That is not exactly motivating for Hearn as his fate is sealed. This is a spot start for a guy who has a 5.78 ERA on the season including an awful 8.61 ERA in his 5 road starts! The A's have seen him this year and the Rangers also just saw Kaprielian. The Oakland right-hander is winless with a 5.40 ERA in his 6 home starts this season and also has a 5.31 ERA in night games this season. Look for the runs to keep flowing here no matter who is on the mound for either team and this one should get a solid win for us. 10* OVER 7.5 in Oakland

MLB Saturday 10* Top Play Arizona Diamondbacks -145 vs Washington Nationals @ 8:10 ET - Action on pitchers. Why? Because the match-up could be Daffy Duck vs Mickey Mouse and I would still take the home team based on the key statistical TEAM factors but I will note that I do like Bumgarner over Sanchez for sure. As for the teams, the Nationals are just in a horrible funk and have lost 16 of 18 games after getting hammered by the Diamondbacks yesterday. As for Arizona, they are actually 10-3 against NL teams this season and have won 6 of last 11 home games. Now back to the pitchers again, Sanchez is 4-6 with a 6.67 ERA in his last dozen starts at the MLB level. He also struggled at AAA level and walked too many in his 3 starts there this season. Bumgarner has had his share of struggles this season for sure but he has been better of late and the big key with him is he is a different pitcher when he is at home. The big lefty has a 3.15 ERA in his 10 home starts this season and that would be under a 3.00 were it not for one bad start he had in Arizona this season. In other words, the odds favor a strong start from here. But, regardless of the pitchers, the home team should prove well worth the juice in this one. Lay it! 10* ARIZONA -145

MLB Saturday MLB 10* Top Play UNDER 9 in Chicago White Sox vs Cleveland Guardians @ 1:10 ET (Gm 1 of DH) - Action on pitchers. I like the fact this is an early game coming off last night's game having been the first action for each of these clubs since the All Star break. Look for the bats to be a little sleepy in this early start and I expect an under no matter who the pitchers are. However, I will say that the expected pitchers are McKenzie for the Guardians and Cueto for the White Sox. McKenzie has not allowed a run this entire month while allowing just 9 hits but striking out 23 in 21 innings! Cueto is 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA in his 3 July starts this month. Also, Cueto has a 1.69 ERA in his 5 games (4 starts) in daytime action this season. The bats struggle here after yesterday's game was a rare, surprisingly easy over. This one plays out much differently early Saturday. 10* UNDER 9 in Chicago White Sox (Game 1)

MLB Friday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies -125 vs Chicago Cubs @ 7:05 ET - Action on pitchers. The Phillies are offering solid line value here regardless of the pitchers. The Phillies are 24-14 this season against teams with a losing record. The Cubs are 21-40 this season against teams with a winning record. Philly has the better lineup and Chicago is giving up a full run more per game than Philadelphia is on the season. Also, Justin Steele is the expected starter for Cubs and has been respectable at home but his winless with a 5.86 ERA in his 6 road starts this season. For the Phillies, Kyle Gibson has 1 win in his 9 road starts this seasons but he is a solid 4-1 in his 9 home starts this season. Again, this play is action on pitchers but I do like the expected match-up. The key here is Phillies have won 28 of last 42 games for 67% while Cubs have won just 3 of 14 games for only 21% recently. 10* PHILADELPHIA -125

MLB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 10 in Cincinnati Reds vs St Louis Cardinals @ 6:40 ET - Action on pitchers. Plenty of runs here on a hot evening at a hitter-friendly ballpark regardless of the starting pitchers. I will mention them here right away though and say that Adam Wainwright has been known for a very long time for struggling on the road and excelling at home and this season has been no different. Wainwright's road ERA is a full 2 runs higher and his BAA is 55 points higher on the road compared to at home. As for the Reds Graham Ashcraft, he has solid numbers at home on the season but his current form has been rough and that included getting hit hard in each of his two most recent home starts too. Overall, Ashcraft has been hit hard in 5 of his last 6 starts and his ERA has climbed a full 3 runs as a result. Now, about those lineups...the Cardinals are 5-2 last 7 games and have scored an average of 6 runs per game during this stretch. The Reds are 6-3 last 9 games and have scored 5 runs per game on average during this stretch. 6-5 type game sounds about right here but I am expecting much more honestly and this one should fly over the total and get past the dozen mark in runs. 10* OVER 10 in Cincinnati

MLB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 7.5 in Oakland A's vs Detroit Tigers @ 3:37 ET (Game 1 of 2) - Action on pitchers. Oakland is not known for scoring many runs yet they have averaged 5.5 runs per game last 6 games. They also have allowed an average of 5.3 runs per game last 7 games. Tigers, prior to shutout in final game before break, did score an average of 4 runs per game last dozen games. Detroit allowed an average of 5.9 runs per game final 10 games before the All-Star break. Given all these numbers you can understand why I like the over here regardless of the starting pitchers but I will touch on the expected starters here. The Tigers Skubal has allowed 29 earned runs in 35 innings spanning his last 7 starts. That is a 7.46 ERA his last 7 starts. The A's Zach Logue has allowed 13 earned runs in 12 innings over his last 3 starts and has given up 5 homers in those 3 outings. Given all of the above and nice afternoon weather by the bay, this one should more scoring than most are expecting! 10* OVER 7.5 in Oakland

MLB Thursday 10* Top Play Texas Rangers +108 @ Miami Marlins @ 1:10 ET - Action on pitchers. Both Gray and Lopez are solid pitchers. The key here is grabbing the better hitting team and a team that is poised for a rebound of good fortune in the 2nd half of the season. The Rangers and Marlins are the only two teams that have lost at least 20 games by just a single run this season. The difference though is Miami has 16 one-run wins while the Rangers have the fewest in the majors with just 5. That means Texas is a respectable 36-29 in games decided by 2+ runs. They could be in for a turnaround in the 2nd half based on numbers like this. In this particular match-up I like the fact that the Marlins are on a 4-8 run and have only one NON-extra inning win in those 12 games! Miami has scored an average of just 1.3 runs per game last 8 losses. Amazingly, the Marlins last 13 home games have seen Miami score more than 3 runs in regulation time (9 innings) NOT once! 0 for 13 in terms of scoring more than 3 in 9 innings at home! As for the Rangers, they did enter the All-Star break on a frustrating home losing streak but have scored an average of 5.7 runs per game last 15 road games. The better lineup is the key to a road win in this one. 10* TEXAS +108

MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play National League -110 vs American League @ 7:30 ET - Long-time followers know I am a contrarian. I am well aware of the fact that the AL has won 8 straight All-Star Games. However, prior to last year's AL win at Coors Field by a 5-2 count, each of the 4 last victories for the AL had been by 2 or less runs and that included 2 that went 10 innings. Enough is enough and I like the NL (a lot!) here at home in this one. Looking at the pitching I feel the NL has the right guys peaking at the right times and I just do not see the AL doing much at the plate in this one and the NL will do enough for the win. I also prefer the NL roster in terms of hitters heading into this one. The AL pitching roster includes guys who have been a bit more hittable of late and I like the NL to find a way at home and finally put the streak to an end. Even though this game does not carry any real weight in terms of motivation, trust me, there is some extra motivation from the NL side to put an end to the streak. Couple the motivation factor with the home field edge and I feel this is a bargain price on the senior circuit. 10* NATIONAL LEAGUE -110

MLB Sunday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line -145 @ Miami Marlins @ 1:40 ET - Action on pitchers. Of course I like the fact that Nola gives the Phillies a big edge over Rogers and the Marlins. However, there is much more than the starting pitching to like here and this play is action on the pitchers. Philadelphia has won 5 of last 7 meetings between these teams. The Phillies overall have won 27 of their last 41 games and scored an average of 6 runs per game in their last 7 games versus Miami. The Marlins are on a 4-7 run and have only one non-extra inning win in those 11 games! Miami has scored an average of just 1.4 runs per game last 7 losses. Amazingly, the Marlins last dozen have games have seen Miami score more than 3 runs in regulation time (9 innings) NOT once! 0 for 12 in terms of scoring more than 3 in 9 innings at home! That said, and knowing Phillies can score plenty here, I love the road team in this one. Will mention that the expected starters are Nola and Rogers and Nola has a solid ERA, particularly on the road this season, while Rogers has a high ERA and has been struggling lately and has had rough times in his two starts versus Phillies this season. 10* PHILADELPHIA -145

MLB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 7.5 in Tampa Bay Rays vs Baltimore Orioles @ 1:40 ET - Action on the pitchers. This one is about two hot teams and two hot lineups that have plenty of confidence right now at the plate. Yes, yesterday's game took extra innings to get over the total but I do not expect to need that here and this total just too low (at 7.5) in my opinion. First off, will mention that I know Jordan Lyles has been better of late but he still has a 5.52 ERA this season in road starts and this is nothing new as he is 8-19 in road starts the last 3 seasons combined. His ERA away from home during this 3-year stretch is a 5.82 ERA. Corey Kluber certainly has been rock solid lately for the Rays but a closer look shows he got some key breaks in the start versus Boston in his last home start. Before back to back solid starts versus Red Sox, Kluber had a 5.65 ERA in his 3 prior starts. Also, his last two home starts before the one against Boston, he allowed 11 hits in 10 and 1/3 innings. The Orioles have won 11 of 12 games and have scored an average of 5.4 runs per game last 11 games. The total on this game is just 7.5 runs and the Rays 14 of last 19 games have totaled at least 8 runs. Tampa Bay had won 10 of 14 games before yesterday's loss and TB scored an average of 6.6 runs per game in those 10 victories. Again, two hot teams with confident lineups at the plate and the runs will come here and we take advantage of the low total. 10* OVER 7.5 in Tampa Bay

MLB Sunday 9* Top Play OVER 9 in Toronto Blue Jays vs Kansas City Royals @ 12:05 ET - Action on pitchers. Well aware of the fact that Jose Berrios is off a 13-strikeout performance versus Phillies in last start. However, he has a 6.62 ERA in his 7 day game starts this season and this is a particularly early one. As for the Royals Kris Bubic, he is having a tough season and it includes 0-3 with a 6.64 ERA in his 7 day game starts. Kansas City's last 8 road games have featured 6 that totaled at least 9 runs. The Royals have scored an average of 5 runs in these 8 games. The Blue Jays, since June 1st, have played 26 home games and 21 of them have totaled at least 9 runs. You can see why this match-up is about much more than just the starting pitching - again, my play here is action - but you can also see, per the above, why we might see some struggles from each of the expected starters in this match-up too. Look for double digits in runs scored and, unlike yesterday's game, this one will not need extra innings to get there! 9* OVER 9 in Toronto

MLB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Texas Rangers vs Seattle Mariners @ 4:05 ET - Action on pitchers. Even against a struggling A's offense, Howard allowed 6 hits in 5 innings in his most recent start. He only allowed 1 earned run but only struck out 1 and remains very hittable and has an 8.04 ERA on the season. Gilbert has a fantastic ERA on the season for the Mariners but he allowed 2 homers for the 3rd time in his last 4 starts when he gave up a pair against the Blue Jays in his most recent start. No matter the starting pitchers here (my play is action), note that Seattle has won 12 straight games and score an average of 5.7 runs per game last 10 games. The Rangers have scored an average of 6.3 runs per game in the first 8 games of this 10-game homestand and yesterday was the first time they have been held below 5 runs in any of these games! 10* OVER 8.5 in Texas

MLB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 11.5 in Colorado Rockies vs Pittsburgh Pirates @ 3:10 ET - Action on pitchers. Love this situation regardless of the pitchers but will mention that the expected starters include a righty for Rockies and that does hold some significance here though it is not the only factor. Pittsburgh is a lineup dominated by left-handed bats. Not only is Jose Urena a right-handed pitcher, he has been absolutely crushed in recent years against left-handed hitting. Urena also was hit hard by the Pirates earlier this season. As for Pirates right-hander Keller, he has been getting hit hard this month and really has struggled for much of his MLB career. Keller is 10-23 with a 5.65 ERA in his MLB career. So even if these pitchers do not go it still could end up a lefty-righty match-up but either way I like the over here. Note that Pirates, before B2B losses to close series with Marlins, had won 9 of 14 games and scored an average of 6 runs per game in the 9 wins and had allowed an average of 5.7 runs per game last 15 games! As for Rockies, 10 of last 11 home games have all totaled 11 or more runs. Yesterday's game was a huge 13-2 Rockies win and this after an 8-5 Colorado win which followed a 10-6 Rockies win. The teams - faced Padres - combined for 29 hits in that one. Colorado tends to hit very well at home and that has continued of late in a huge way as you can see above. 10* OVER 11.5 in Colorado

MLB Saturday 10* Top Play Chicago White Sox Money Line +110 @ Minnesota Twins @ 2:10 ET - Action on pitchers. The expected starters are Lynn vs Bundy. But, regardless of who actually starts, I like the fact that the White Sox have won 4 straight games and allowed an average of only 1.8 runs per game last 5 games. The Twins have lost 4 of last 5 home games and have averaged only 2.7 runs per game last 7 home games! Minnesota is struggling at the plate while Chicago has exploded for 6.3 runs scored per game last 8 road games and has won 7 of last 9 road games. Action on pitchers because riding the hot team here but will mention that the White Sox will start Lynn and he should respond here as he had given up 19 hits over 22 and 2/3 innings in 4 preceding starts prior to getting roughed up in his most recent outing. As for Bundy, his first 3 starts of the year way back in April were solid but since then the numbers are ugly. 2-4 with a 5.73 ERA. He is in trouble here the way the White Sox are hitting. No matter the pitchers, riding the road team to continue to close the gap in the AL Central standings. 10* CHICAGO WHITE SOX +110

MLB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 10.5 in Colorado Rockies vs Pittsburgh Pirates @ 8:40 ET - Action on pitchers. Love this situation regardless of the pitchers but will mention that the expected starters are a righty for Rockies and a lefty for Pirates and that does hold some significance here though it is not the only factor. Pittsburgh is a lineup dominated by left-handed bats. Not only is Marquez a right-handed pitcher, he has struggled at home this season and also has struggled in recent years against left-handed hitting. As for Pirates Quintana, he has been getting hit hard this month plus in recent seasons the lefty has been pounded by right-handed bats and the Rockies are a lineup that is dominated by right-handed sticks. So even if these pitchers do not go it still could end up a lefty-righty match-up but either way I like the over here. Note that Pirates, before B2B losses to close series with Marlins, had won 9 of 14 games and scored an average of 6 runs per game in the 9 wins and had allowed an average of 5.7 runs per game last 15 games! As for Rockies, 9 of last 10 home games have all totaled 11 or more runs. Yesterday's game was a huge 8-5 Colorado win and this followed a 10-6 Rockies win and the teams combined for 29 hits. Colorado tends to hit very well at home and that has continued of late. 10* OVER 10.5 in Colorado

MLB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Washington Nationals vs Atlanta Braves @ 7:05 ET - Action on pitchers. These teams just met in a series so there is familiarity with the starting pitchers and the bullpen guys. That is a big part of the reason I don't care who the starting pitchers are here either but I will mention them. This play is action. Corbin is having a rough season and he sprinkled in a couple of good starts recently but overall it has been a disaster and he struggled against the Braves recently too. As for Anderson, he had too many walks but held the Nationals in check in most recent start. Now he gives them a quick 2nd look however and, in the 3 starts prior to facing Washington, he allowed 21 hits in 11 innings! The big key here is hot hitting and confidence of a Braves team that is on a 31-10 run. Atlanta has averaged 6 runs per game in the 10 victories in their current 10-4 run last 14 games. Washington has lost 13 of 14 games and allowed 6 runs per game in those 13 defeats. Their bullpen has had major struggles but their lineup does tend to produce a little better when at home and they have averaged 4 runs per game last 11 home games. This one gets to double digits. 10* OVER 9.5 in Washington

MLB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 11.5 in Colorado Rockies vs San Diego Padres @ 3:10 ET - Action on pitchers. Monday's game saw both starting pitchers work at least 6 innings yet the bullpens combined to allow 7 runs in the final 3 innings of the game. Again this is why you have seen some of the biggest sportsbooks in the world do "action only" as mandatory on their sports bets. The starting pitchers play a role for sure but baseball also is so much more including fielding, baserunning, hitting, bullpens, etc. I digress but, as always, will touch on the starting pitchers here but just remember this play is a go regardless of pitchers. The Rockies 8 of last 9 home games have all totaled 11 or more runs. Yesterday's game was a huge 10-6 Rockies win and the teams combined for 29 hits. Colorado tends to hit very well at home and it will be hot weather in Denver for this afternoon game. Perfect conditions for the ball to carry very well. The Padres, when in hitter-friendly parks away from home, are known to get involving in crazy high-scoring games. Their last 10 games played at Coors Field or Wrigley Field have seen an average of 13 runs per game! I know Snell has been rounding into form for the Padres but Coors Field is not an easy place to pitch. Snell has been rocked in his 3 starts here in 2021 and 2022. Also, his name on the mound for tonight is what is helping to keep this total low. As for Rockies Freeland, he has had a rough start to July plus the Padres will be facing him for the 3rd time since mid-June. Familiarity like this often leads to success for the hitters particularly when a guy is currently struggling. 10* OVER 11.5 in Colorado

MLB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 7.5 in Miami Marlins vs Pittsburgh Pirates @ 12:10 ET - Action on this play. Yesterday's game was 1-0 heading to bottom of 8th and then ended up being a game that totaled 9 runs thanks to extra innings. However, that also goes to show that even if two starting pitchers have great starts it does not always equate to an under. I don't care who the pitchers are here but will touch on them below. I feel both bullpens will again have some issues here and note also that the Pirates had won 9 of 14 games before yesterday's loss and have scored an average of 6 runs per game in the 9 wins and allowed an average of 5.7 runs per game last 15 games! The Marlins have won 9 of 14 games also and so you have a pair of unpopular teams but that are confident teams right now and have extra confidence at the plate as a result. Now, about those expected starters. Garrett off couple good starts on the road but he had been getting hit hard throughout June, his first month of the season, and this was particularly true at home. As for Thompson, he has struggled in away games (5.27 ERA) and day games (.283 BAA). Taking advantage of the low total here. 10* OVER 7.5 in Miami

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

MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line -110 @ Toronto Blue Jays @ 7:07 ET - Action on pitchers. The Blue Jays won 4-3 yesterday but had lost 9 of 10 entering that game. The Phillies now have lost 3 straight but had won 25 of 35 games before that. Wheeler is the expected starter for the Phillies and he has won 8 of his last 9 decisions! The Phillies have prevailed in 5 of his last 6 road starts. Stripling is the expected starter for Toronto and he is getting hammered at a .341 clip this month by opposing hitters. The Blue Jays scoring an average of just 2.8 runs per game last 11 games. Phillies, before rare tough 3-game stretch of losses, had gone 7-2 and averaged scoring 5.6 runs per game. They should bounce back strong here regardless of the starting pitchers. Action on the pitchers and look for big road win as the Phillies outhit the Jays in this one after the opposite held true yesterday. 10* PHILADELPHIA -110

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

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

MLB Tuesday 8* OVER 8.5 in Miami Marlins vs Pittsburgh Pirates @ 6:40 ET - Action on pitchers. Stratton is expected to start for Pirates but is really just an opener. By the way, he is 1-3 with a 5.63 ERA in road games this season. Castano is expected to start for the Marlins. The southpaw, in his 5 night games (2 starts) is 0-2 with a 7.15 ERA and opponents hitting .396 against him. Pittsburgh 8-5 last 13 games and have scored 6 runs per game in the victories and allowed 9 runs per game in the losses! You can see why I like this total at over at 8.5 runs given those kind of numbers. Marlins off low-scoring loss but had won 8 of 11 games heading into that one and averaged scoring 4.3 runs per game in the 8 victories. 8* OVER 8.5 in Miami

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

*action on pitchers* MLB Monday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies -105 @ St Louis Cardinals @ 7:15 ET - I like the Phillies here regardless of starting pitchers because all signs point to them bouncing back from the 4-3 loss yesterday at St Louis. The Cardinals are 2-7 last 9 times when off a win. Also, STL had lost 8 of 10 games prior to yesterday's win. Philadelphia is 8-3 last 11 times when off a loss. Overall, the Phils had won 25 of 35 games prior to yesterday's loss. The Phillies bats have been much hotter than the Cards bats. Now will touch on the starting pitching here but, again, that is not the key factor. The Phillies Aaron Nola has an edge in that the Cardinals have not faced him this season. He dominated them last season and also enters this start in top notch form! As for Miles Mikolas, the Cardinals right-hander is also having a strong season but the Phillies have a number of hitters that have enjoyed success against him and they just faced him (and pounded him) in Philly less than 2 weeks ago. Take advantage of a very favorable line and favorable situation here. 10* PHILADELPHIA -105

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

*action on pitchers* Sunday MLB 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line +100 @ St Louis Cardinals @ 2:15 ET - I am taking action on pitchers because I love this situation with the Cardinals having lost 8 of 10 games including 4 of 5 to the Phillies. The Cards have scored an average of only 1 run per game last 7 games. The Phils have won 7 of 9 games and have scored an average of 5.4 runs per game in these 9 games. Hotter team with hotter bats so regardless of the pitchers I am riding the road team here. I will now touch on the expected starting pitchers here. Pallante has been a much stronger pitcher out of the bullpen then as a starter. The right-hander is 1-3 with a 4.26 ERA in his 6 starts. As for Philadelphia, Nick Nelson expected to make his first start of the season after working out of the bullpen. Nelson did have plenty of success in the minors as a starter and is facing the right team at the right time for his first start of the season. The Cardinals bats continue to stay quiet while the Phillies roll again on the road. Grab the bargain pick'em price with the road team in this one. 10* PHILADELPHIA +100

*action on pitchers* Sunday MLB 8* OVER 9 in Baltimore Orioles vs Los Angeles Angels @ 12:05 ET - The Orioles have won 7 straight games and had averaged 5 runs per game in the first 6 games of this winning streak before a tight 1-0 win yesterday. I love taking overs after pitching duels like that. The fact is Baltimore should stay hot here but I have a suspicion the Angels snap that O's streak here. That said, Los Angeles is going to get their bats going here. I don't care who the starting pitchers are because neither expected starter in this one has been working deep into games of late. Suarez and Voth both likely to make early exits but each of them will give up some runs and that sets the stage for an easy over here. Pitchers do not matter, Angels respond here. Only once this entire season did they have B2B shutout losses. The other 6 times, when off a shutout loss, LA scored an average of 5 runs per game in their next contest. Consider that plus the hot streak of the Orioles and you have the perfect recipe for plenty of runs here. 8* OVER 9 in Baltimore

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

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

*action on pitchers* Saturday MLB 8* OVER 8.5 in St Louis Cardinals vs Philadelphia Phillies @ 2:15 ET - I am taking action on pitchers because I love this situation with the Cardinals off a low-scoring loss to the Phillies in a pitchers duel last night. I know that St Louis has been losing games and also has lost 3 of last 4 to the Phillies. I also know that the Cards have not been scoring well. However, the exception was the last time they faced Kyle Gibson and, even if he would not get the start this afternoon, the Cardinals generally do hit better at home and will respond after facing a tough customer in Zack Wheeler last night! The Phils have won 6 of 8 games and have scored an average of 6.1 runs per game in these 8 games. Dakota Hudson has been struggling more and more as the season goes on and the same has been true for Gibson. In fact, Hudson has allowed 22 earned runs in 25.1 innings over his last 5 starts. Gibson has allowed 14 earned runs in 13 innings over his last 3 starts! The veteran right-hander opened up July with a rough effort versus these same Cardinals. More of the same expected here but the Phillies bats have a big day at the plate to support him and, as a result, plenty of runs in this one likely. 8* OVER 8.5 in St Louis

*action on pitchers* Friday MLB 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line -110 @ St Louis Cardinals @ 8:15 ET - I am taking action on pitchers because I love this situation with the Cardinals off a hard-fought extra-innings win at Atlanta last night. St Louis had lost 6 of 7 games before that including 2 of 3 to the Phillies. The Cards have scored an average of only 1.4 runs per game last 5 games. The Phils have won 5 of 7 games and have scored an average of 6.7 runs per game in these 7 games. Hotter team with hotter bats so regardless of the pitchers I am riding the road team here. I will now touch on the expected starting pitchers here. Wainwright is certainly solid for the Cardinals and has been known, through the years, for being a stronger pitcher when at home. However, the right-hander got hit at a .302 clip in his 5 June starts and then opened up July with a rough effort versus these same Phillies. As for Philadelphia, staff ace Wheeler expected to get the start here. Wheeler is 5-1 with a 1.84 ERA in his 10 night game starts this season. He also has allowed just 1 earned run in 15 innings spanning his last two starts versus the Cardinals. Grab the bargain pick'em price with the road team in this one. 10* PHILADELPHIA -110

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

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

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

*action on pitchers* MLB Thursday 8* Houston Astros -1.5 -160 vs Kansas City Royals @ 2:10 ET -  I like the Astros to bounce back off yesterday's 7-4 loss no matter who the starting pitchers are. Make this run line bet with action and I am willing to lay the price as we bank on Houston to win this game by 2 or more runs. Astros are 5-0 L5 times when off a loss. Also, Houston was on a 16-3 run prior to yesterday's loss. Verlander has been lights out this season, as per usual, but his last home start was a rare dud so you know he is fired up for a much stronger effort here! As for the Royals Bubic, he is 1-5 with a 7.06 ERA and a .309 BAA. No matter the starting pitchers here, this one gets ugly for Kansas City. 8* HOUSTON -1.5 -160

*action on pitchers* MLB Wednesday 8* New York Yankees -1.5 -145 @ Pittsburgh Pirates @ 7:05 ET - The Pirates got the upset win yesterday but the Yankees did outhit them. Regardless of the starting pitching, I like New York to bounce back big and get a win by 2+ runs today. Not only is Pittsburgh 13-30 against teams with a winning record, they have won just 25% of games against AL this season and Yankees have won 75% of games against NL this season. Also, the Yankees are 32-10 against teams with a losing record this season. Prior to yesterday's win, the Pirates were mired in an 8-19 stretch. Yankees are 4-1 this season when off B2B losses and 4 of those 5 games were decided by a margin of at least 2 runs. The Yanks are expected to start Severino and he continues to handcuff hitters and dominate. Pittsburgh is expected to start Keller and he is 0-3 at home this season, coming off an ugly road outing, and has a 6.82 ERA in night games this season. Again, take action on pitchers and look for a road rout here. 8* NEW YORK YANKEES -1.5 -145

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

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

*action on pitchers* MLB Tuesday 8* Philadelphia Phillies -155 vs Washington Nationals @ 7:05 ET - The starting pitchers are a non-factor in this one. Make the bet with action. This is all about taking the much better team at home and at a reasonable price. The money line price a little too high to make this a top play but I am very comfortable at the 8* level with this pick. The Nationals have lost 5 straight games and are 12-27 against teams with a winning record this season. The Phillies are 21-14 against teams with a losing record this season. Washington is 16-34 in night games and an unreal 6-28 in divisional games this season. The Phillies are 21-9 last 30 games. 8* PHILADELPHIA -155

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

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

*action on pitchers* MLB Monday 8* OVER 9 in Washington Nationals vs Miami Marlins @ 11:05 AM ET - Yesterday's game was fortunate to get over the total but that game featured a pair of starting pitchers that both capable of throwing quite well. As you saw, the game still made its way over the total and neither one of these bullpens is overly impressive in my eyes. That said, I like the over in this match-up no matter who the starting pitchers are. But I will mention here that they are expected to be Garrett and Corbin. Note that Garrett is 3-6 with a 5.20 ERA in his MLB career and opponents have hit .318 against him. Corbin is 4-10 with a 6.06 ERA this season and is now 15-33 the last 3 seasons combined. His ERA last season was 5.82 ERA and he just can not be trusted here. The Marlins have won 4 straight and scored an average of 5.5 runs per game. The Nationals last 26 homes games have averaged 10.5 runs per game! 8* OVER 9 in Washington

*action on pitchers* MLB Sunday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line -130 vs St Louis Cardinals @ 7:08 ET - No matter who pitches here, I like the Phillies to bounce back off yesterday's 1-run loss. Philadelphia had won 20 of 28 games and 10 of 14 homes games before the loss yesterday. The Cardinals, as solid as they are, still are just a .500 team on the road and they are 18-21 this season against teams with a winning record. St Louis also is just 7-8 against teams from the NL East this season. The Phillies had won 71% of games against teams from the NL Central this season before yesterday's loss. The Cards had lost 9 of last 15 games before the victory yesterday. St Louis has won B2B games only twice since mid-June. The odds favor a Philly bounce back here regardless of the starting pitchers but now I will touch on them. The fact is the Cardinals Wainwright is notorious, through the years, for being a very strong pitcher in home games but struggling on the road. Overall from 2016 through this season there is a big ERA variance for him. As for Wheeler, he has been fantastic since coming to Philly from the Mets and he has been particularly dominant at home. Wheeler is 4-2 with a 1.85 ERA at home this season and last season had a 2.38 ERA at home and had a 2.29 ERA at home in his first season in Philly. As you can see, Wheeler's 3 seasons in Philadelphia have shown he likes pitching at Citizens Bank Park. Phillies get it done here and respond at home off a tight 1-run loss. They have still been playing well even since the Harper injury. 10* PHILADELPHIA -130

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

*action on pitchers* MLB Sunday 8* OVER 7.5 in Detroit Tigers vs Kansas City Royals @ 12:05 ET - I like the fact that yesterday's game fell just short of going over the total and I like the over here no matter who the pitchers are. Will mention that the scheduled starters are Brady Singer and Tarik Skubal. Note that Singer had a rough June and that is even though his final two starts of the month were again the light-hitting Athletics! As for Skubal, he also had a rough June and, in fact, has now allowed 18 earned runs in the 18.1 innings spanning his last 4 starts! Tigers, with yesterday's win, have gone 6-6 last 12 games and averaged scoring 5 runs per game. The Royals, despite the loss yesterday, are still 8-7 last 15 games and have scored an average of 4 runs per game last 11 games and 5 runs per game last 5 road games. 8* OVER 7.5 in Detroit

*action on pitchers* MLB Saturday 10* Top Play Atlanta Braves -1.5 -110 @ Cincinnati Reds @ 4:10 ET - Same play as yesterday's 9-1 win so much of the the write-up the same as yesterday. This game has blowout written all over it and is a play for me regardless of the starting pitchers. I will mention them below but this is all about taking one of the best teams in the league against a team that has been slumping badly in home games and catching all this in the perfect situation. The Braves just got destroyed by the Phillies at Philly Thursday and will respond huge throughout this series. The Reds got destroyed by the Cubs at Chicago Thursday but don't have what it takes to respond in a series against one of the best teams in the league. Note that Cincinnati is outclassed here. The Braves have won 12 of 15 games after yesterday's blowout win. The Reds have now lost 9 straight home games. Mahle is expected started for Cincinnati and he is 0-4 with 5.13 ERA in his 9 home starts this season. Strider the expected starter for the Braves and he has been piling up strikeouts and pitching very well since moving into the rotation! Road rout here regardless of starting pitching as this is a case of road warriors versus a team on a 9-game home losing streak. Lay it! By the way Reds last 6 home losses all by 2+ runs and Braves last 6 road games all decided by 2 or more runs. Love the run line here. 10* ATLANTA -1.5 -110

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

*action on pitchers* MLB Saturday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Rays Money Line +125 @ Toronto Blue Jays @ 12:07 ET (Game 1 of 2) - Action on pitchers as I simply like a strong Rays team to bounce back here after an embarrassing 9-2 loss yesterday. Tampa Bay is off 4 straight losses which has only happened to them twice this season and each time they bounced back in the 5th game to put an end to the losing streak. Rays improve to 3-0 on the season when in this situation. I will mention that McClanahan is the expected starter for TB here and he has been phenomenal again this season. 8-3 with a 1.77 ERA and holding opponents to a .183 batting average. The Blue Jays are expected to start Gausman here and he is off a strong home start but, prior to that, he had been rocked in recent home starts. In fact, he is lucky his ERA is not even higher on the season. Gausman actually has been hit at a .300 clip in home games and a .310 clip in day games. Toronto has won first two games of this series but entered this series having lost 7 of last 13 games at home. The Blue Jays are over-valued here and actually are 0-4 the last 4 times they entered a game off B2B wins. As noted above, Rays going for 3-0 this season when they enter a game on a 4-game losing streak. So we are testing a pair of 100% trends here regardless of the starting pitchers. 10* TAMPA BAY +125

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

*action on pitchers* MLB Friday 8* Atlanta Braves -1.5 -150 @ Cincinnati Reds @ 6:40 ET - This game has blowout written all over it and is a play for me regardless of the starting pitchers. I will mention them below but this is all about taking one of the best teams in the league against a team that has been slumping badly in home games and catching all this in the perfection situation. The Braves just got destroyed by the Phillies at Philly yesterday and will respond big here. The Reds got destroyed by the Cubs at Philly yesterday but don't have what it takes to respond here. Note that Cincinnati is outclassed here. The Braves had won 11 of 13 games before yesterday's loss. The Reds have lost 8 straight home games. Minor is expected started for Cincinnati and he went 1-4 with 7.71 ERA in the month of June. Fried the expected starter for the Braves and he is now 45-15 the last 4 seasons combined! Road rout here regardless of starting pitching as this is a case of road warriors versus a team on an 8-game home losing streak. Lay it! 8* ATLANTA -1.5 -150

*action on pitchers* MLB Friday 8* Boston Red Sox -125 @ Chicago Cubs @ 2:20 ET - Rich Hill facing the team he started his career with. He'll be ready here. The veteran left-hander has been strong in road games and strong in day games this season. On the road he is 3-1 with a 2.50 ERA. In day games he has a 2.78 ERA. As for Adrian Sampson, might be bad news that he is facing a tough American League foe. Sampson started his career in the AL and those seasons saw him go 6-12 with an ERA north of a 5.00 prior to coming to the Cubs for the 2021 season. I like this play regardless of who the starting pitchers are however. Chicago is off a surprising blowout win over the Reds yesterday but Cubs are just 15-26 at home this season and only 15-25 in games against teams with a winning record. Red Sox solid 23-17 in road games and 28-17 in games against teams with a losing record. Cubs are 2-9 in interleague games this season. 8* BOSTON -125

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

*action on pitchers* MLB Thursday 9* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line -150 vs Atlanta Braves @ 6:05 ET - The expected starters are Nola versus Anderson but, either way, I like the Phillies here. Regardless of starting pitching this is a play on the Phillies to bounce back off yesterday's 4-1 loss. Philadelphia is 3-1 last 4 times when off a home loss. The Braves are 0-3 last 3 times they entered a game on a winning streak of 2 or more games. As for the pitchers, Anderson continues to struggle for the Braves and has allowed at least 4 runs in 5 of last 7 starts. Also, he keeps getting hit at a higher batting average month by month as April to May to June the averages keep getting uglier. Conversely, Nola has been throwing extremely well for the Phillies and he is known for pitching particularly well at home where he has compiled a fantastic won-loss record through the years. More of the same expected here. 9* PHILADELPHIA -150

*action on pitchers* MLB Thursday 8* Minnesota Twins +135 @ Cleveland Guardians @ 1:10 ET - This play is all about the line value. We get extra value because the scheduled starter here for the Guardians is Shane Bieber. While he commands a certain respect in the market place, note that Clay Archer is certainly no slouch and has been pitching even better than Bieber in the month of June. Regardless of starting pitchers, I like the fact that the Twins have outhit the Guardians by a substantial margin so far in this series and Minnesota won both their games in this series in blowout fashion while each of Cleveland's two wins have been by just a single run and that includes yesterday miracle win where they scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 10th after allowing 3 runs in the top of the 10th. Look for the Twins to get some payback for that one right here! 8* MINNESOTA +135

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

*action on pitchers* MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play San Diego Padres Money Line -130 @ Arizona Diamondbacks @ 3:40 ET - No matter who the starting pitchers end up being in this one, I love the road favorite. San Diego blew a 6-0 lead late in yesterday's game and went on to lose the game 7-6. They are sure to bounce back here! The expected starters are an improving Clevinger against a struggling Bumgarner. Also, Clevinger and Bumgarner just squared off at San Diego and the Padres hurler was definitely the sharper of the two. Clevinger appears to be getting strong since his return from Tommy John surgery. Conversely, Bumgarner has allowed 32 hits in the 20 innings spanning his last 4 starts on the mound. Again these are the expected starters and like this play no matter what. But some other notes about this one are that San Diego is 17-8 versus left-handed starters and Arizona is 6-16 in divisional games. Padres 24-15 in road games and 26-12 against teams with a losing record on the season. Diamondbacks are below .500 at home this season and are 14-26 this season against teams with a winning record. 10* SAN DIEGO -130

*action on pitchers* MLB Wednesday 8* OVER 8 in Tampa Bay Rays vs Milwaukee Brewers @ 12:10 ET - This play more about the sticks than the pitchers so I am going action on the pitchers as per usual. Beeks is the expected starter for the Rays but is truly only an opener as he has pitched no more than 2.1 innings in any start this season. By the way, he has struggled badly last two appearances with 5 earned runs allowed in a combined 3 and 1/3 innings of work! Speaking of struggling, the Brewers Lauer is on an awful run his last 3 starts with 17 earned runs allowed in 17 and 1/3 innings. He has given up 8 homers in his last 3 starts. Back to the hitters angle here, the Brewers have won 10 of 15 games and scored an average of 6 runs per game in the 10 victories. In their last 9 losses, Milwaukee has allowed an average of 7 runs per game. You can see, given those numbers, why I am anticipating at least 8 runs scored for these teams combined. As for the Rays, they have averaged a respectable 4.6 runs per game in last 11 games at home. Yesterday snapped a string of 5 straight games in which they scored at least 4 runs. TB will bounce back at home against Lauer or whoever else is on the mound for the Brewers in this one. 8* OVER 8 in Tampa Bay

*action on pitchers* MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play Boston Red Sox +130 @ Toronto Blue Jays @ 7:07 ET - So Toronto rolled to a 7-2 win yesterday but lets not forget how hot the Red Sox had been. Boston entered yesterday's game having won 19 of 23 games. Boston is an incredible 12-1 the last 13 times they have entered a game off a loss. That said, I like this bounce back spot regardless of the starting pitchers (make this bet with action) but also will add some comments on the expected starters here. Michael Wacha has been fantastic for the Red Sox. He is 6-1 with a 2.34 ERA on the season and opponents are hitting just .205 against him. I know the Blue Jays Ross Stripling also has some decent numbers on the season but he has been far less consistent and has been in and out of the starters role. In his last 3 home starts he has allowed 14 hits in just 10 and 1/3 innings. More of the same expected here and, again, this is a play on team situation not a starting pitching play. The fact is love Red Sox in bounce back spot and, as for the hosts, Toronto is 3-8 last 11 times when off a win. Blue Jays were just 3-7 last 10 games prior to yesterday's win. 10* BOSTON +130

*action on pitchers* MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line -110 vs Atlanta Braves @ 7:05 ET - I like the Phillies no matter the pitchers here as they have the home field edge and I love the contrarian factor as, sure enough, they have already won the first couple games since Harper suffered the hand fracture. As for the Braves, they have cooled off and are 5-5 last 10 games and are not as strong on the road as they are at home. Now, about those expected starters Wheeler has dominated at home (1.49 ERA) and in night games (1.79 ERA) while Morton has struggled on the road (5.63 ERA) and in night games (6.03 ERA). Morton also was hit very hard when he faced the Phillies earlier this season and that was at home. It is unlikely to be any easier facing them in Philly. The price is very low on the home team because Bryce Harper is now out and everyone is writing off the Phillies but there is a lot to like in this one and we'll grab the favorable line. 10* PHILADELPHIA -110

*action on pitchers* MLB Tuesday 8* Minnesota Twins Money Line -110 @ Cleveland Guardians @ 1:10 ET (Game 1 of DH) - I trust the Twins more than the Guardians here just as I mentioned in yesterday's write-up which was a big Top Play win with Minnesota 11-1 at Cleveland. Entering Tuesday, the Twins have won 4 of 5 games and allowed an average of only 1 run per game. The Guardians are just 10-18 this season against teams with a winning record. Also, Cleveland has scored an average of only 1.8 runs per game last 5 games and lost all 5 of them. Just don't see the Guardians scoring enough to keep up with the Twins here and this is a play regardless of who the starting pitchers end up being but it is expected to be Plesac (2-5) vs Smeltzer (4-1) and I give the edge to the southpaw on the road as he is undefeated with a 2.16 ERA in his 3 day game starts this season. No matter the pitchers, I am riding the hot team in the early day game Tuesday. 8* MINNESOTA -110 (Game 1)

*action on pitchers* MLB Monday 10* Top Play Minnesota Twins Money Line -125 @ Cleveland Guardians @ 7:10 ET - I trust the Twins more than the Guardians here and I like Sonny Gray over Tristan Mckenzie. These pitchers each struggled in their last start and that was against the same teams they will be facing in this rematch today. I do expect Gray has the much better chance to bounce back than Mckenzie but just will say that I do like this play regardless of the pitching match-up. But Gray had a 2.09 ERA and a .184 opponents batting average on the season prior to struggling against the Guardians in last start. He had not allowed more than 2 earned runs in any start this season and had allowed a total of just 1 earned run in each of 3 prior starts. Conversely, McKenzie now has a 5.40 ERA this month. Also, the Twins have won 3 of 4 games and allowed an average of only 1 run per game. The Guardians are just 10-17 this season against teams with a winning record. Also, Cleveland has scored an average of only 2 runs per game last 4 games and lost all 4 of them. Just don't see the Guardians scoring enough to keep up with the Twins here. 10* MINNESOTA -125

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

*action on pitchers* MLB Sunday 10* Top Play Los Angeles Dodgers Money Line -115 @ Atlanta Braves @ 7:08 ET - The Dodgers lost yesterday's game 5-3 but this followed a run of 4 straight wins and 7 of last 9 games. That is why, regardless of who the starting pitchers end up being, I love LA in this match-up. The Dodgers are expected to start Tony Gonsolin here and he is having a phenomenal season and has proven very tough to hit time and time again. He is 7-0 with a 1.61 ERA in his 10 night game starts and he is 19-5 overall in his career and opponents are hitting just .150 against him this season. The Braves did get the win yesterday but his was on the heels of a mediocre 4-4 stretch. Yes, Atlanta is having a solid season but the Dodgers still the better team. Also, the expected starter here for the Braves is Spencer Strider. He struggled in his most recent start at home and he has a 4.84 ERA in his outings at home this season. Overall he has struggled at times since moving from the bullpen to the starters role and now he faces one of the best teams in the league. The road team takes this one. 10* LA DODGERS -115

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

*action on pitchers* MLB Sunday 8* OVER 8.5 in Miami Marlins vs New York Mets @ 12:05 PM ET - Castano has not pitched very much this season but he has been hit at a .375 clip in his home starts this season. Opponents are hitting .300 against him in June. Peterson had a 5.17 ERA in May and now is getting hit at a .279 clip in June. Since a strong April, Peterson has not been very impressive. That said, the value here is with the over as both pitchers trending the wrong way. Without regard to starting pitchers, like the fact that the Mets one of the better offenses in the league and average 5 runs per game on the season. The Marlins are averaging about 5 runs per game at home this season. If each team gets to 4 here, we can't lose our play at 8.5 runs and I am fully expecting a solid performance at the plate from each team in this one. 8* OVER 8.5 in Miami

*action on pitchers* Saturday MLB 8* Cleveland Guardians Money Line -150 vs Boston Red Sox @ 6:10 ET - Regardless of pitchers here I like the Guardians at home to bounce back off yesterday's 6-3 loss to the Red Sox. However, I will mention that Winckowski has been quite hittable and this is his first ever road start at the MLB level. As for the Guardians, you have Bieber at home and he has pitched so well for many seasons and gives Cleveland the pitching edge in this match-up. But from a situational edge, the keys include the Guardians being at home where they were 16-10 this season before yesterday's loss. Also, Cleveland is 6-1 last 7 times when off a loss. They bounce back here and we'll grab the reasonable price on the home team here. 8* CLEVELAND -150

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

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

*action on pitchers* MLB Friday 10* Philadelphia Phillies Money Line -120 @ San Diego Padres @ 9:40 ET - The Padres have lost 4 of 7 and are mediocre 16-14 last 30 games. The Phillies 16-5 last 21 games. Regardless of starting pitchers, I like the hotter team at a great price in this match-up. Will mention that the expected starters are Nola and Gore. Note that Gore has allowed 14 earned runs in his last two starts spanning just 6 and 1/3 innings. As for Nola, he has been charged with a total of just 3 earned runs in 31 and 1/3 innings spanning his last 4 road starts. Overall he has off to a great start this season and Nola rates the edge over Gore here. The key though is not the pitchers, rather it is the fact we have the hotter team that has also been scoring a pile of runs last 20 games!  Also, the Phils have had Bryce Harper back in the lineup last two games. 10* PHILADELPHIA -120

*action on pitchers* MLB Friday 10* Top Play Toronto Blue Jays Money Line -135 @ Milwaukee Brewers @ 8:10 ET - I like the road team here no matter the starting pitchers so this is a play either way. However, I will mention that the Blue Jays are 10-4 last 14 road games while the Brewers are just 2-8 last 10 home games. As for the expected starting pitchers here, we'll start with the Blue Jays Manoah. He is now an incredible 17-4 in his career and he has a 2.00 ERA this season and he is 3-0 with a 0.90 ERA in his night game starts this season. The Brewers expected starter is Adrian Houser and he is off a win in most recent start but this followed losing 5 straight decisions in a 7 start stretch. Also, even with victory in most recent start, Houser has allowed 12 earned runs in less than 15 innings spanning his last 3 starts. Look for the road team to get it done here. 10* TORONTO -135

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

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

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

*action on pitchers* MLB Thursday 8* OVER 8 in Miami Marlins vs Colorado Rockies @ 12:10 ET - The Rockies have lost each of the first two games in this series in high-scoring fashion. The Marlins have scored 6 or more runs in 3 of last 4 games. Colorado has scored an average of 7 runs per game last 5 games. Freeland has a 5.64 ERA in day games this season. Garrett has a .291 BAA so far this season in his limited action for the Marlins. No matter the starting pitchers here, I like the bats to stay hot in this one. Each of Rockies last 5 games have totaled 8 or more runs. More of the same here. 8* OVER 8 in Miami

*action on pitchers* MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies -130 @ Texas Rangers @ 4:05 ET - This is a case of hot versus not so make this bet with "action" on pitchers. Even off Tuesday's surprising shutout loss, the Phillies have won 15 of 19 games. The Rangers, prior to Tuesday's shocking shutout win, had lost 4 of 6 games and 11 of 18 games. Wheeler is the expected starter for Phillies here and he has been dominating ever since late April. Wheeler is 6-0 in his last 9 starts and has allowed a total of just 9 earned runs in those 9 starts. Wheeler is going to bring his A game here and that should be too much for this Rangers team that just is not on the same level as the Phillies. I know that Jon Gray, the expected starter for Texas here has some decent numbers on the season. However, he has been rocked in 2 of his last 3 starts against Philadelphia and that includes one this season. Also, the Phillies are 21-13 against teams with a losing record. The Rangers are still just 15-18 at home and only 14-19 against teams with a winning record this season. Better team with a highly exceptional pitcher and fading a weaker team that has not been nearly as hot of late...it all adds up to an excellent value spot in my opinion. 10* PHILADELPHIA -130

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

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

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

*action on pitchers* MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies +110 @ Texas Rangers @ 8:05 ET - Feel we have the starting pitching edge here too but the pitchers are not the most relevant factor here. This is a case of hot versus not so make this bet with "action" on pitchers. Even off Sunday's surprising loss, the Phillies have won 15 of 18 games. The Rangers have now lost 4 of last 6 games and 11 of last 18 games. Gibson is the expected starter for Phillies here and he is going against a former team for the first time since he left Texas in mid-season last year. You know the veteran hurler is going to bring his A game here and that should be too much for this Rangers team that just is not on the same level as the Phillies. I know that Perez, the expected starter for Texas here has great numbers on the season. However, he has been rocked for 27 hits in 18 innings so far in the month of June. Also, the Phillies are 13-8 against southpaws and 7-4 in interleague games and 21-12 against teams with a losing record. The Rangers are just 14-18 at home and 13-19 against teams with a winning record this season. Better team with a highly motivated pitcher and fading a pitcher who has been very hittable this month and fading a weaker team that has not been nearly as hot of late...it all adds up to an excellent underdog spot in my opinion. 10* PHILADELPHIA +110

*action on pitchers* MLB Tuesday 8* OVER 8.5 in Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs @ 7:05 ET - Like the fact that the Pirates erupted for 12 runs at the plate in yesterday's home win over the Cubs. Pittsburgh has now scored an average of 7 runs last 3 games. Chicago had averaged 5.8 runs per game in 9 games versus Pirates this season before yesterday's poor result at the plate. Based on the above, you can see why I like the over here regardless of who pitches in warm evening game in Pittsburgh Tuesday. However, I will touch on the pitchers and note that Contreras has been hit hard in each of his last two starts. As for Swarmer, he also has been hit hard in each of his last two starts plus he has allowed 10 homers in less than 21 innings of work this season! Both these teams giving up piles of runs this season and feel we have excellent value with the over in this one. 8* OVER 8.5 in Pittsburgh

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

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

*action on pitchers* MLB Sunday 10* Top Play Chicago White Sox +160 @ Houston Astros @ 7:08 ET - This play is all about the line value regardless of starting pitchers here. I will mention that Javier has strong numbers for Astros but he has faced a lot of weak lineups - more on strength of schedule in a minute. As for Kopech, he will be fresh and ready to go after exiting his last start for precautionary reasons (knee). He was pronounced fine and did fine in his bullpen session Thursday and he has absolutely dominated hitters this season. So, about the value here, the Astros have played so few games (15) against teams with a winning record this season that it is phenomenal. To put that in proper perspective, every other team in the AL West Division has at least 32 games against winning teams and the White Sox have 35 games against winning teams. The point is that Houston is a solid team for sure but they are over-rated right now. There is simply too much value to pass up on here. With yesterday's 7-0 win, Chicago has won 4 of 5 and 8 of 13. Also, in last 9 games they have averaged 6.7 runs scored per game! Houston has lost 7 of 13 games. Houston has been held to 4 runs scored or less in 8 of last 11 games. Road upset time here. 10* CHICAGO WHITE SOX +160

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

*action on pitchers* MLB Sunday 8* Philadelphia Phillies -170 @ Washington Nationals @ 12:05 ET - Feel we have the starting pitching edge here too but the pitchers are not the most relevant factor here. This is a case of hot versus not so make this bet with "action" on pitchers. With yesterday's 2-1 extra innings win, the Phillies have now won 15 of 17 games. The Nationals have now lost 8 straight games and are 11-26 at home this season for the worst mark in the National League. Eflin is the expected starter for Phillies here and he has a 2.18 ERA in his 4 day game starts this season. Tetreault the expected starter for Washington here and the 26-year old had a horrible first start at the MLB level earlier this week. His numbers at the minor league level were a mixed bag. Considering all of the above and not wanting to get burned by possibly a 1-run game here, I will reduce my star rating on this play and grab the money line. Yes the run line is available at a pick'em price but the Phillies already have a couple 1-run wins in this series. 8* PHILADELPHIA -170

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

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

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

*action on pitchers* MLB Friday 8* Philadelphia Phillies Run Line -1.5 -155 @ Washington Nationals @ 1:05 ET (Game 1 of 2) - The Phillies are now 12-2 last 14 games after last night's blowout win. Philadelphia is simply enjoying a magical run since the managerial change and there is no signs of it changing here. Suarez has not been as strong as last season but he still rates a big edge over Adon (1-10, 6.95 ERA) as the Nationals right-hander has struggled badly for the season. Also, regardless of pitchers you have a red hot Philadelphia team and the Phillies last 11 wins have featured 9 by 2 or more runs. And here you are fading a Nationals team that has lost 8 of last 10 games. Also, Washington's last 28 losses have featured 25 by 2 or more runs. So I am very comfortable with the run line here. 8* Philadelphia -1.5 -155

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

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

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

*action on pitchers* MLB Wednesday 8* Minnesota Twins Money Line -130 @ Seattle Mariners @ 4:10 ET - The Twins get Sonny Gray back for this one. Minnesota is 5-0 in his last 5 starts and he has a spectacular 1.65 ERA over those 5 outings. Regardless of the starting pitchers here, I like the Twins to bounce back off yesterday's shutout loss. Minnesota is 25-15 this season against teams with a .500 record and below. The Mariners are 16-25 this season against teams with winning record. Seattle has lost 3 straight Marco Gonzales starts. The Twins are 5-0 last 5 times when off a loss. So we are backing triple perfect trends here. Fading 0-3 trend for Mariners Gonzales and backing the 5-0 trend for Twins Gray and also 5-0 team trend supporting the road favorite and the latter of those three trends is in play here regardless of the starting pitchers here. I am in play also here regardless of starting pitchers! Look for big road win in this one! 8* MINNESOTA -130

*action on pitchers* MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies -130 vs Miami Marlins @ 1:05 ET - Looks like Gibson is going to start for the Phillies and Lopez will be scratched for the Marlins with a wrist issue. Regardless of the starters here, I like the Phillies to bounce back after blowing an 8-4 lead in yesterday's game. After then regaining the lead at 9-8, the Phillies imploded in the top of the 9th and lost. They will bounce back here. They are at home where Gibson has been strong this season but, again, regardless of pitchers, I like Philadelphia here. The Marlins are still just 13-18 in road games this season. Also, the Phillies are 10-2 last dozen games. 10* PHILADELPHIA -130

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

*action on pitchers* MLB Tuesday 8* Philadelphia Phillies Money Line -140 vs Miami Marlins @ 7:05 ET - This line was as high as -150 and has dropped to the -140 range. I love fading line moves like this. Regardless of the pitchers here this is a play for me. The Phillies are the better overall team and have won 10 of 11 games. Philadelphia's off another walk-off win as the Phillies immediately responded with some late-inning magic and resumed the winning Monday after a rare, embarrassing loss Sunday. The Marlins are now just 12-18 on the road this season. We get line value here because Trevor Rogers merits some respect on the mound but Miami is still just 1-5 in his road starts this season and he has a 5.58 ERA overall and a 6.58 ERA last 3 starts. The Phillies expected to start Zach Eflin here and he has deserved better than his current 2-4 record and, by the way, the Phillies are a perfect 2-0 in his last 2 home starts and he has dominated with a 1.16 ERA in his 5 starts at home this season. Also, the Phillies are now 9-0 L9 games with a right-handed starter on the mound for them. The chances that Eflin gets scratched here and is replaced with a southpaw starter rank somewhere between slim and none! That's because Suarez is their only left-handed starter currently on the roster and he just started Sunday's game! I like this play regardless of starters but, the point is, we are going to be testing a 100% PERFECT trend here that is looking for a 10th straight win. By the way, Phillies scored average of 7 runs per game in their 9 game winning streak. Marlins have had one 12-run outburst recently but in their other 10 games out of their last 11, they are averaging 4.2 runs per game. Better team at home with stronger lineup and getting line value and I will take it. 8* PHILADELPHIA -140