Earliest Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #963 Saturday 8* OVER 9 runs in Cleveland Indians vs Boston Red Sox @ 4:05 ET - Yesterday's game was a low-scoring 4-3 Boston win and the Red Sox only had 3 hits in the game. However, this followed the Red Sox having a stretch of 5 straight overs and Boston averaged 9 runs per game in the final 4 games of the 5-0 O/U run. I look for the hot hitting to resume today. Cleveland had won 7 of 10 games before yesterday's loss and the Indians had scored an average of 6.2 runs per game in this 10-game stretch. The Indians will take advantage of Eovaldi's road struggles as he has a 5.02 ERA on the road this season. The Red Sox should get to Quantrill early and often. I know Quantrill has great numbers on the season but, prior to shutting down the slumping Angels, he was hit very hard by the Twins. Boston struggled with lefty Allen yesterday but the Red Sox are one of the top hitting teams in the league against righties this season and also in day games. This one will surprise many but Boston will give Quantrill trouble as their recent run against right-handed pitching continues. As for Eovaldi, the road struggles re-emerge here. 8* OVER 9 runs in Cleveland

Shocker Total of the Month - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #907 Friday 10* Top Play OVER 8 runs in Miami Marlins vs Cincinnati Reds @ 7:10 ET - Given the low ERA numbers of these two starters many will not expect a high-scoring game here. Hence, the shocker aspect of this pick. I do expect it to get crazy early in Miami on Friday. The Marlins are off a big 7-5 win over the Nationals yesterday. The Reds are off a big 5-1 win at Milwaukee yesterday. Cincinnati has won 7 of 11 games and scored an average of nearly 7 runs per game in those 7 wins. The Marlins have scored an average of 5.5 runs in back to back wins and should enjoy success against Wade Miley here. The Reds southpaw struggled with 5 hits and 3 walks in less than 5 innings versus Miami in his most recent start and was fortunate the damage was not worse than the 2 earned runs he allowed. Also, the over is 15-7 in his last 3 starts including 3-0 the last 3 and in his last road start Miley allowed 5 earned runs in 5 innings. The Marlins start Zach Thompson and he just faced the Reds and had decent success in the 5-inning start but now gives them a quick second look. The over is 3-0 in his last 3 starts and the over trends for each of these starters likely to continue here given the situation and the fact both lineups enter this game with plenty of confidence. 10* OVER 8 runs in Miami

Contrarian Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #904 Friday 10* Top Play UNDER 9 in Pittsburgh Pirates vs St Louis Cardinals @ 7:05 ET - JA Happ has been completely rejuvenated since coming to the Cardinals. Also, he has dominated the Pirates twice this month already and, on the season, has allowed a total of only 3 earned runs in 3 starts versus Pittsburgh. Happ enters this start undefeated with a 1.99 ERA in his 4 starts since coming to St Louis. Dillon Peters starts for the Pirates here. He was solid against the Cardinals last week and the fact is St Louis generally just does not score well. The Cards scored 7 in yesterday's wild 11-7 game but you can definitely chalk that game up to a statistical anomaly. St Louis, prior to yesterday, had been held to 4 or less runs in 7 of last 8 games. The Cardinals averaged only 2.4 runs in those 7 games. The Pirates had been held to 2.4 runs per game game in going 4-7 last 11 games before yesterday's rare explosion at the plate. Things return to normal tonight. 10* UNDER 9 in Pittsburgh

ACTION on pitchers, this play based on the TEAMS and the situational edges more so than starting pitching:  Rickenbach MLB Rotation #965 Thursday 10* Top Play Chicago White Sox Money Line -105 @ Toronto Blue Jays @ 3:07 ET - The Blue Jays got the 3-1 win yesterday behind a very strong start from Robbie Ray. However, Hyun Jin Ryu is no Ray! He is off a good start but allowed 11 earned runs in 10 innings over his prior two starts. Also, he has only recorded 9 strikeouts in the 17 innings spanning his last 3 starts. The White Sox start Carlos Rodon here and he has struck out 20 over his last 13 innings of work. He also is coming off a dominating start. Rodon is 6-2 with a 2.21 ERA in his road starts this season. Ryu lost his only start against the White Sox and that was just two months ago. Rodon has been rock solid with a 2.45 ERA in 3 career starts against Toronto. The Blue Jays had lost 8 of 11 games prior to yesterday's win and did not win back to back games a single time during this stretch. Look for the White Sox to bounce back here regardless of the starting pitchers in this match-up. When Chicago is off a non-extra innings defeat that was by 2 or less runs, they have gone 4-0 L4. Look for that White Sox situational streak to improve to 5-0 while the Blue Jays continue their multi-week run of being unable to win back to back games. 10* Chicago White Sox -105

Rickenbach MLB Rotation #951 Thursday 8* OVER 8.5 in Milwaukee Brewers vs Cincinnati Reds @ 2:10 ET - Something is just not right with the Brewers Brian Anderson and, let's face it, he was exceeding expectations for quite awhile. Now things are leveling out for Anderson and he has been rocked for 9 earned runs in less than 9 innings spanning his last two starts - both against non-playoff teams. Now he faces a Reds team that has given him some trouble in 2 of last 3 starts. Cincinnati starter Sonny Gray is off a very strong start but it was at home against the Marlins. He certainly was not as strong in his two prior starts on the road which both were 5 innings or less and the Reds bullpen continues to be a weakness for them. That was the case against last night. Also, Gray has struggled in 2 of 3 outings versus Milwaukee this season. The over was on a 5-1 run in Brewers games before yesterday's under. Also, the over was on a 4-0 run in meetings between these teams before yesterday's game totaled just 5 runs. The offenses come back to life here in this one and the lower total is providing us some solid line value here. 8* OVER 8.5 in Milwaukee

Earliest Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #963 Thursday 8* OVER 10.5 runs in Baltimore Orioles vs Los Angeles Angels @ 1:05 ET - With the Orioles finally ending their 19-game losing streak by rallying for the 10-6 win yesterday, my first though was to fade them here with the Angels. However, I can not trust Barria - 8 earned runs and hit hard in 5 innings last 2 starts - and I expect the Orioles lineup to enjoy some success here. They will need it because Akin is 0-8 with an 8.87 ERA on the season and showing no signs of turning things around. Angels bullpen is nothing special and the Orioles bullpen has been one of the worst in the majors. Runs early, often and throughout this contest. 8* OVER 10.5 runs in Baltimore 

Contrarian Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #917 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Toronto Blue Jays @ 7:07 ET - First off, when teams combine for 27 hits in a game those batting lineups are going to carry some confidence into the next day no matter what pitchers they are facing. That said, even though both these pitchers have some strong numbers and overall are well-respected starters, there is reason to believe each guy will struggle some on Wednesday. Keep in mind, we also get a low total - 8.5 - to work with here because of the reputation of these two hurlers. By the way, both bullpens got hit in yesterday's game too. As for these starters, Robbie Ray is on rest of only 4 off days between starts here and he just had his longest start of the season at 8 innings. He threw 109 pitches in that outing and I would not be surprised to see him wear down here against a solid White Sox lineup especially as he gets into the middle innings of this one. As for Lucas Giolito, he is off a 7 inning outing and he has often struggled this season when off an outing of at least 7 innings. Here are few examples of what followed a long outing for Giolito: 7 earned runs in 1 inning; 3 homers in 7 innings; 5 walks and 6 hits for 11 baserunners in 6 innings; and, 3 walks and 6 hits for 9 baserunners in 4 innings. He has truly only been strong one time in five starts this season when he is off an outing in which he threw 7 or more innings. 10* OVER 8.5 in Toronto

Earliest Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #923 Wednesday 8* OVER 9 in St Louis Cardinals vs Detroit Tigers @ 1:15 ET - Jon Lester has walked 7 while striking out just 4 over his last 3 starts. His ERA could easily be much worse than the 5.87 ERA he has in those outings. Lester has a 7.08 ERA in his 4 starts since coming to the Cardinals and the over is 3-0 in his last 3 starts. Tarik Skubal starts for the Tigers here and he has good numbers in his last 3 starts but two of those were at home and the road outing was against a Baltimore team that has now lost 19 games in a row. The reasons that matters is because Skubal does have a 5.11 ERA on the road this season. Also, he struggled in his only start against the Cardinals this season. In his only start at St Louis, which was less than a year ago, Skubal allowed 6 earned runs in just 2 innings. Detroit's bullpen is bad and combining all this with the fact that Lester is highly likely to struggle too, both clubs should score plenty here. 8* OVER 9 in Detroit 

The MLB Total of the Year - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #967 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 9 runs in Toronto Blue Jays vs Chicago White Sox @ 7:07 ET - After yesterday's pitchers duel, I look for both these starting pitchers to get hit very hard. Jose Berrios has been roughed up in each of his last two starts. Also, he came to Toronto from Minnesota. Of course the Twins are a division rival of the White Sox. The point is that Chicago has plenty of familiarity with him and he did allow 3 homers in his most recent start against them. Also, this was preceded by Berrios getting hit very hard in one of the two prior starts against the White Sox this season as well. The O/U is 7-3 in Berrios road starts this season. I know this start is a home start for him but it is not his usual home of Minnesota. Yes he pitched well in his first two home starts for Toronto but this will be the most challenging match-up yet. I do look for him to get plenty of run support though as the Blue Jays should pound Dylan Cease. The White Sox right-hander has a 5.86 ERA on the road this season and only 3 of the dozen starts resulted in an under. These two teams have solid lineups even when not 100% healthy and yesterday's game saw them go a combined 2 for 16 with runners in scoring position. I expect much better clutch hitting in this one based on the pitching match-up and we'll see a much higher scoring game today. 10* OVER 9 runs in Toronto

Earliest Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #963 Tuesday 8* OVER 8.5 runs in Oakland A's vs Seattle Mariners @ 3:37 ET - The Mariners are 9-3 last 12 games and the resulting confidence that comes from winning is showing up at the plate too. They rallied for 3 runs in the top of the 9th in yesterday's 5-3 win at Oakland. Seattle has averaged about 6 runs scored in their last 6 victories and stay hot at the plate against Cole Irvin here. He has had some good starts recently but was helped by facing the light-hitting Rangers twice in his last 3 starts. Irvin has an 8.30 ERA in two starts versus Seattle this season. Also, Irvin has allowed 8 runs (6 earned) on 15 hits in his last two starts spanning 11 innings. Seattle starts Chris Flexen and he had been getting hit harder of late before facing weak-hitting Texas. So he is off a good start but went 1-2 in his 5 prior starts allowing 17 earned runs on 36 hits in 27 innings. Yes that works out to 4 hits every 3 innings of work plus an ERA of 5.67 and neither of those are impressive numbers. Oakland has been a slump but they can snap out of it at home and with the way Flexen has pitched most recently. Also, he is 0-2 with a 5.56 ERA in his two starts against the Athletics this season. 8* OVER 8.5 runs in Oakland

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #905 Monday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 runs in Toronto Blue Jays vs Chicago White Sox @ 7:07 ET - This is a contrarian play because, with these pitchers on the mound, you might first be thinking of an under. However, there is a lot to like here about an over with this play. The White Sox will respond after being shut out at Tampa Bay yesterday. Chicago had scored an average of 5.4 runs per game in last 9 games before that one. The Blue Jays are off a 5-3 extra innings loss that made them use some extra bullpen arms yesterday. That could come into play here as well but the point is that the Blue Jays are also in bounce back mode but could have some trouble in the later innings with their bullpen too. Toronto had scored 5.3 runs per game in their last 7 games against right-handed starters before surprisingly struggling yesterday. Look for them to get back on track versus Lance Lynn as he has great numbers on the season but has been a little off lately. Lynn has allowed 3 homers in 9 innings over his last two starts. Speaking of being off, Alek Manoah just got rocked for the Blue Jays in his most recent outing. That was on the road but he also was not nearly as strong in his most recent home start as he had been for much of this season either. That said, the over is 3-0 in his last 3 starts and two of those were on the road and now he is at home where the over is 4-1 this season. The over is 5-3 in Lynn's road starts this season. Take advantage of the low total here as these are two solid lineups matching up in this one. 10* OVER 8.5 runs in Toronto

Earliest Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #913 Monday 8* OVER 9.5 runs in Boston Red Sox vs Texas Rangers @ 1:10 ET - Rain in forecast again today as they try to make up this postponement from yesterday. The good news is that the early afternoon forecast is very light showers so there is a good chance they will get this game in and I expect to see plenty of runs. I know the Rangers offense has been in consistent but they have scored 7 or more runs in 4 of last 8 games. In other words, when they are on they are on and this looks like a good match-up for that. Nathan Eovaldi starts for the Red Sox and has a 5.40 ERA last 3 starts with 4 homers allowed. Boston should score plenty here too as they had averaged scoring 9.5 runs last 6 home games prior to being shutdown in Saturday's 10-1 loss. The Red Sox will take advantage of facing a struggling Kolby Allard. The Rangers southpaw has allowed 5 homers in his last 3 starts including a pair in each of his last two starts. Allard has a 5.64 ERA on the road this season and he has been lucky the damage has not been worse in his last few starts despite all the homers. He will not be so lucky here. 8* OVER 9.5 runs in Boston

ACTION on pitchers, this play based on the TEAMS moreso than starting pitching: 10* Cincinnati Reds -135 - The Marlins have lost 18 of last 24 road games. This line opened up painted in the -165 range and I even saw a -175 out there. Now it has come down to the -135 range as of very early Sunday morning. This is because Sandy Alcantara is on the mound for the Marlins and certainly he commands some respect. But the odds maker knew who was pitching too and yes set the line the way they did for a reason. I feel Cincinnati deserves to be a big favorite here and will take advantage of this lower pricing after the line move. The Marlins Alcantara has struggled much more on the road than at home this season. Prior to a great road outing in his most recent one, Alcantara had allowed 5 homers over his last 2 road starts and 16 earned runs over his last 3 road starts combined. Granted, one of those was at Coors Field but the fact is, prior to a quality start at San Diego, Alcantara had allowed at least 3 earned runs in 3 straight road outings and in 5 of 7 outings overall. Also, the Marlins enter this game having lost 11 of 15 games overall and I am expect more struggles here against a red hot Reds team. Cincinnati has won 17 of 25 games. Vladimir Gutierrez has gone at least 6 innings while allowing 2 earned runs or less in 5 straight games and 7 of his last 8 games. Too much small home fave value to pass up on in this one. 10* Cincinnati -135

10* OVER 10.5 in Toronto - The Tigers are starting Hutchison and he got hammered and could not find the plate in his first start last week as he lasted less than two innings. Matz starts for the Blue Jays and is off a good road start but has been hit hard in recent home starts. Also, on the season, the Toronto lefty has a 4.57 ERA in home starts and that could easily be worse as he has an ugly 1.66 WHIP as a host this season. I know it has been back to back low-scoring unders so far in this series but look for the finale of the 3-game set to fly over the total. Both teams had been trending over coming into this series and this looks like the perfect pitching match-up for these lineups to come back to life and get off to a hot start and then carry the momentum through the game. Also, the over is 7-2 in Matz home starts this season. More of the same here. 10* OVER 10.5 in Toronto

8* OVER 10 runs in Baltimore - Hopefully the rain will stay away as it is in the forecast but certainly not forecast to be an all day event here. I know yesterday's game burned us right here and was the lone loss on our card as the over 10.5 tallied 9 runs. However, this Braves team remains red hot and, overall, scoring runs like crazy. This Orioles team remains ice cold and giving up tons of runs. Combining those factors with the fact that Baltimore should score some decent runs today, I see this one flying over the total. The Braves start Touki Toussaint and the over is 3-0 in his last 3 starts and he has allowed 4 homers in those outings. The Orioles start John Means and he is struggling badly. The Baltimore lefty is winless with a 7.43 ERA in his last 3 starts and has allowed 5 homers in his last 2 starts and none of his last 3 starts has resulted in an under. 8* OVER 10 runs in Baltimore

IL Blowout - MLB 10* OVER 10.5 runs in Baltimore Orioles vs Atlanta Braves @ 7:05 ET - I know I fell short with this play last night but I do expect tonight to make up for it and for a lot of runs to be scored. Entering yesterday's action, as mentioned here in Friday's write-up, the Orioles had a .436 slugging percentage against lefties this season and that ranked 5th in the majors! Braves southpaw Drew Smyly has been struggling recently and this includes away from home where he has a 4.52 ERA on the road this season and the over is 11-2 in those 13 starts. Orioles right-hander Matt Harvey is likely to get rocked as he is 2-7 with a 6.60 ERA in his 11 home starts this season. Harvey, 7.45 ERA last 2 starts, faces a Braves team that is rolling on a hot streak. Atlanta has averaged scoring 6.5 runs per game last 11 games and the over was 6-2 last 8 Braves games prior to yesterday's low-scoring win. Orioles pitching, including bullpen, continues to get pounded as they have allowed nearly 9 runs per game during their current 16-game losing streak. 10* OVER 10.5 runs in Baltimore

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #971 Friday 10* Top Play OVER 9 runs in Tampa Bay Rays vs Chicago White Sox @ 7:10 ET - The White Sox have Lucas Giolito on the mound and the over is 9-3 in his road starts this season. He has been hit a little harder in recent starts too as he has struggled in 2 of his last 3 outings. I know Giolito is certainly a solid pitcher overall but this Rays team is swinging very hot sticks right now. Tampa Bay has won 11 of 14 games and scored an average of 7.7 runs per game during this hot stretch. The White Sox are also rolling again overall as they had won 8 of 12 before yesterday's 5-4 loss. Chicago had averaged 5.8 runs per game in those dozen games and should have no trouble with the offerings of Michael Wacha here. The Rays right-hander is 0-2 with an 11.57 ERA in his last 3 starts. The over is 10-4-2 in Wacha's 16 starts this season. More of the same on tap here and both teams have huge days at the plate. 10* OVER 9 in Tampa Bay

Early Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #977 Friday 8* OVER 10 runs in Baltimore Orioles vs Atlanta Braves @ 7:05 ET - A lot of rain in Baltimore this morning but it is supposed to taper off by mid-day so hopefully we'll have baseball tonight at Camden Yards. Should be very entertaining if we do because I expect a lot of runs to be scored. The Orioles have a .436 slugging percentage against lefties this season and that ranks 5th in the majors! Braves southpaw Max Fried has been pitching well but has a 4.67 ERA on the road this season. Orioles left-hander Keegan Akin is likely to get rocked as he is 0-7 with a 9.29 ERA in his 10 starts this season. Akin, 13.50 ERA last 3 starts, faces a Braves team that is rolling on a hot streak. Atlanta has averaged scoring 6.6 runs per game last 10 games and the over is 6-2 last 8 Braves games. Orioles pitching, including bullpen, continues to get pounded as they have allowed 9 runs per game during their current 15-game losing streak. 8* OVER 10 runs in Baltimore

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #913 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 runs in Texas Rangers vs Seattle Mariners @ 2:05 ET - I know neither one of these lineups have been juggernauts in terms of scoring runs of late but this looks like the perfect match-up for a breakthrough game for each. That said, I love the value of this very low total, 8.5, for an American League game when you consider the pitching match-up here. Chris Flexen has struggled throughout his career and after a surprising run through much of this season, particularly in his home starts, he is starting to revert back to normal of late. Flexen has been hit much harder over his last 4 starts. Also, on the season he has proven to be much more susceptible to getting roughed up on the road and that was also true in his lone start at Texas earlier this season. Flexen has a 5.44 ERA in his road starts this season and opponents are hitting .327 against him away from home. The Rangers start former Phillie Spencer Howard here and the Mariners just faced him in his most recent start. This is a big edge to the hitters and they will get to him this time around. Though he was successful in that outing, Howard only lasted 3 innings and now Seattle gets another look. Keep in mind, he entered that start with an 8.03 ERA over his 3 prior starts. Return to normal here and both teams see their lineups have big games here. 10* OVER 8.5 in Texas

Earliest Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #909 Thursday 8* OVER 9.5 runs in Detroit Tigers vs Los Angeles Angels @ 1:10 ET - Admittedly I made a mistake with this play (over between Det/LAA) Wednesday as it lost and, in hindsight, I should not have doubted those pitchers. However, for Thursday's match-up, I have no problem doubting either one of these pitchers. Note that Jose Quintana is only being put in the rotation because Patrick Sandoval went on the injured list. He has struggled as a starter this season as has a 7.22 ERA in his 9 starts. Though he has been better working out of the bullpen it also means he will not likely work deep into this game even if he does enjoy some surprising success. He has only averaged 10.5 pitches in his 4 appearances this month and the Angels bullpen has been sub-par overall this season and the same holds true for the Tigers relievers too. Both pens could be called upon early in this one as I look for Matt Manning to struggle also. Manning has allowed 18 runs (15 earned) on 30 hits in less than 21 innings over his last 4 starts. Expect more of the same here and both lineups see their bats come back to life in this one. 8* OVER 9.5 runs in Detroit

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Tigers vs Los Angeles Angels @ 7:10 ET - This total is an 8.5 and it is a contrarian play because both Shohei Ohtani and Tarik Skubal have been pitching well of late. However, I like the over here as Skubal is going to return to norms as I am expecting a regression to the mean. Also, the Angels exploding for 6 runs in the top of the 9th yesterday gives this team a ton of momentum heading into today's match-up. As for Ohtani, he has been known to be a much better pitcher at home in comparison with on the road. That said, I do expect some struggles for him here. He entered this season with a 6.20 ERA in his career on the road and he has a 4.54 ERA in his 7 road starts this season and that is even including a good one in his most recent outing. I know the Tigers offense has been quite in the past two games but this followed Detroit scoring an average of 6 runs a game over 6 prior games. The Angels have averaged scoring 5 runs per game in their last 4 road wins and Skubal's most recent home start was a good one but that was preceded by him allowing 3 homers in his prior home start. Just a strong feeling here that the Angels carry momentum from yesterday's huge 9th inning while the Tigers also hit well as Ohtani has some road struggles as his long-term tendency for that resumes here. 10* OVER the total in Detroit

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB 8* OVER 8.5 runs in San Francisco Giants vs New York Mets @ 3:45 ET - The Giants are rolling on a red hot winning streak and I am sure their bats will enjoy success today against Megill but I just can not trust DeSclafani in this match-up. He has allowed 10 earned runs in 12 innings over his last 3 starts and all went over the total. In fact, the over is 8-1 in his 9 home starts this season. As for Megill, he has a 6.75 ERA in his last 3 starts overall and has allowed 3 homers in his last 2 road starts. The Giants are on a 14-3 run last 17 games and have averaged scoring 6.6 runs per game in the 14 wins. The total on this game is only  8.5 and the way DeSclafani has been pitching I am sure New York is going to enjoy some success at the plate in this one too. The Mets had scored at least 4 runs in 6 of 7 games before yesterday's tight 3-2 loss. This one should be a much more wide-open high-scoring affair. 8* OVER 8.5 runs in San Francisco

ACTION on the pitchers. This is a TEAM based money line play. NO listed pitchers: Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #904 Tuesday 10* Top Play Miami Marlins +115 vs Atlanta Braves @ 7:10 ET - Yes the Braves have been very hot but the Marlins are a respectable home team and will bounce back after yesterday's ugly loss. Miami has a starting pitching edge. Additionally their home bullpen ERA is a full run lower than Atlanta's road bullpen ERA. I like the fact that Sandy Alcantara has a 2.58 ERA at home this season. Also, the Marlins are 5-2 in Alcantara's career starts against the Braves and he has a solid 3.14 ERA in those 7 outings. The Braves are starting Huascar Ynoa and he was strong against Marlins in most recent outing but struggled when he first faced them and now this is the first time he will be starting at Miami. Note that Ynoa is 1-2 with a 4.87 ERA in road outings this season. The Marlins had won 4 straight games overall and 4 straight home games before yesterday's embarrassing defeat. Perfect time to back them for a bounce back effort on Tuesday. 10* MIAMI +115

NOTE: Drew Rasmussen is making just his 4th start of the season and is averaging only 3 innings per start. He is not a true starter. The Rays could change their mind and use an opener and then let Rasmussen get the bulk of the work - 3 or 4 innings. That said, I just want to emphasize that, just like yesterday's play involving these teams, I do not care who the starting pitchers are for either team. If possible, I would recommend to bet this total at a book that has action on pitchers on all bets in MLB. Either way, I am telling you straight away that if there is a pitching change, this is still a play for me and I would recommend to re-bet it if you did not already have action: Total of the Month: Rickenbach MLB Rotation #921 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 8 runs in Tampa Bay Rays vs Baltimore Orioles @ 7:10 ET - As for the Orioles, John Means is scheduled to start. With how hot the Rays bats have been it does not matter whom Baltimore starts here and plus the Orioles bullpen has been dreadful and that continued yesterday. As for Means, he has a decent ERA his last 3 starts but his numbers, particularly in his last 2 starts, have certainly left a lot to be desired and this is helping to lead to value in this spot. Means has allowed 16 hits in just 9 and 1/3 innings in his last two starts and that including giving up just 1 earned run but 8 hits to the Rays. Also, Means just got absolutely destroyed by the Tigers when he gave them a quick 2nd look and now he is doing the same by facing this hot Tampa Bay lineup again after just seeing them two starts ago - exact same situation he just had relating to Detroit. Also, the Rays are on an 8-2 run to the over as TB has been hot. The Rays have scored an average of nearly 9 runs per game in their last 8 victories. The Orioles have allowed an average of about 9 runs per game last 12 games! Also, the Orioles had scored an average of 5 runs per game in last 6 games versus Rays prior to being held to just 2 runs yesterday. They should fare better today plus the TB bats should remain FIRE! 10* OVER the total in Tampa Bay

ACTION on the pitchers as this is a team-based play not tied to starting pitching: Rickenbach MLB Rotation #952 Monday 8* Miami Marlins Money Line +140 vs Atlanta Braves @ 7:10 ET - The Braves have been very hot but the Marlins are offering tremendous home dog value in this spot. First off, Braxton Garrett has been fantastic in his last two home starts - both were Miami wins - as he has allowed only 2 earned runs on just 9 hits in 12 innings while striking out 16. Secondly, the Marlins have very quietly been red hot in their home games so they are still flying under the radar a bit while, of course, the Braves are on everyone's radar right now. Miami has won 6 of its last 7 home games. The Marlins have won 7 of the 13 games between these teams this season and the Braves Touki Toussaint has allowed 4 homers with a 7.25 ERA in his last 3 starts. Note that Garrett has not allowed any homers in his last 2 starts. Too much home dog value to pass up on in my opinion. On the season the Marlins also have the bullpen edge. So based on the team situation as well as the bullpens, no matter whom the starting pitchers are here I like the home dog. 8* MIAMI +140

NOTE: Fleming likely to get most of the work for Rays while McHugh will serve as an opener here. I do not care who the starting pitchers are for either team. If possible, I would recommend to bet this total at a book that has action on pitchers on all bets in MLB. Either way, I am telling you straight away that if there is a pitching change, this is still a play for me and I would recommend to re-bet it if you did not already have action: Rickenbach MLB Rotation #963 Monday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 runs in Tampa Bay Rays vs Baltimore Orioles @ 7:10 ET - Collin McHugh expected to only serve as an opener here so lets discuss Josh Fleming as he is projected to get most of the action. Fleming has been hit hard and has a 10.13 ERA in his last 3 starts and the over is 7-4 in his 11 starts this season. Again, I know he is not the listed starter here but essentially he is the starter by virtue of getting most of the work here. As for the Orioles Matt Harvey is scheduled to start. With how hot the Rays bats have been it does not matter whom Baltimore starts here and plus the Orioles bullpen has been dreadful. As for Harvey, he has a decent ERA his last 3 starts but his numbers, particularly in his last 2 starts, have certainly left a lot to be desired and this is helping to lead to value in this spot. Harvey got absolutely destroyed by Tampa Bay earlier this season. Also, the Rays are off a 5-4 loss that stayed under the total but this was preceded by a 7-1 run to the over as TB had been hot. The Rays have scored an average of nearly 9 runs per game in their last 7 victories. The Orioles are off a 6-2 loss that stayed under the total but Baltimore has allowed an average of about 9.5 runs per game last 11 games! Also, the Orioles have scored an average of 5 runs per game in last 5 games versus Rays. 10* OVER the total in Tampa Bay

Rickenbach MLB Rotation #962 Monday 8* New York Yankees Run Line -1.5 -124 vs Los Angeles Angels @ 7:05 ET - Cole is off a rough start in terms of earned runs allowed but continued to pile up strikeouts and I am confident he will bounce back here at home with a strong effort. He dominated the Red Sox in his most recent home start and has a 2.70 ERA at home on the season. Suarez starts for the Angels and he has a 6.91 ERA in his last 3 starts and plus the Angels are 2-4 in his starts this season. Los Angeles is off a win yesterday but had lost 6 of 8 games heading into Sunday and each of their last 11 defeats have been by a multi-run margin. That has me very comfortable with the run line here as the Yankees have won 12 of 16 games and 11 of last 13 New York victories have been by a multi-run margin. 8* NEW YORK YANKEES Run Line -1.5 -124

Run Line Game of the Year - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #913 Sunday 10* Top Play Los Angeles Dodgers Run Line -1.5 runs -100 @ New York Mets @ 7:08 ET - The Dodgers are without Mookie Betts but Justin Turner got back on the field yesterday and will likely be in the starting lineup tonight. If Betts was available of course this line would be even higher but I am taking advantage of the added line value here. The Dodgers are available at practically even money on the run line in this game and this is superb value in my opinion. The Dodgers have won 9 of 12 games. The Mets have lost 11 of 16. I know there have been some tight 1-run games included in these stretches for each team but I fully expect a blowout here. Carlos Carrasco is simply "not right" yet and he showed that again in his most recent rain-shortened start (he likely would have been pulled early) while Max Scherzer dominated in his most recent start which was also shortened by rain. Carrasco has a 6.75 ERA in his 3 starts and has been hit hard. Scherzer has a dominating 2.67 ERA on the season and a 1.65 ERA in his last 3 starts and continues to be a strikeout machine. Considering his strong current form and the fact that this is his first start against the Mets this season, look for New York's lineup to struggle badly as the strikeouts pile up and contact made is likely to be weak. 10* LOS ANGELES DODGERS Run Line -1.5 runs -100

ACTION on pitchers as this play based on overall hotter team play: PA Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #902 Sunday 8* Philadelphia Phillies Money Line -132 vs Cincinnati Reds @ 1:05 ET - Give the Reds credit as they have had a very successful campaign but a big part of it has been feasting on their own division. When they have faced NL teams from the other two divisions, Cincinnati is now 21-30 in those games after yesterday's loss. The Phillies, with the win in yesterday's afternoon game, are now 28-13 in day games this season! Here they have Aaron Nola on the mound against Sonny Gray and these two squared off on June 1st and the Phillies won 17 to 3. This one will not be that easy but I am indeed forecasting another win here for Philadelphia in this match-up. Nola was sharp in his last start as he matched zeroes with Max Scherzer throughout but his outing was cut short by a long rain delay that forced him out. That helped lead the way to a Phillies defeat there as it was no fault of Nola and the Phils were 6-3 in his home starts prior to that one. Look for him to be strong again here and this time with no rain delay interruption he works deeper. He is known for being dominant at home with a 2.97 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 60 and 2 / 3 innings! Gray is also a strikeout pitcher but the Phillies gave him a lot of trouble two months ago and should do so again here at home for the rematch. Solid line value with a fairly priced home favorite here with a solid pitcher on the hill. Reds have lost 4 of 6 and Phillies have won 10 of 13. Ride the hot team here. 8* PHILADELPHIA

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #965 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 runs in Boston Red Sox vs Baltimore Orioles @ 4:10 ET - The Orioles were held to just 1 run yesterday and that was the difference in the game staying under the total as the Red Sox did explode for 8 runs in that game. Today I look for the Boston bats to again be rolling but, this time, the Baltimore bats should enjoy some success too. Chris Sale, of course, brings a certain reputation to the mound. But this will be his first MLB start in two years. Coming back from a major elbow issue, Sales will not work very deep into this game. Also, the last time he hosted the Orioles he did allow 3 earned runs in less than 5 innings of work. Jorge Lopez starts for the visitors in this one. I know he has some decent stats of late but Lopez also has a 7.45 ERA in his two starts versus the Red Sox this season. Boston enters this game scoring an average of 8.2 runs last 5 games. The Orioles have allowed 9.1 runs last 9 games. The Orioles lead the AL in slugging percentage versus southpaws this season so could surprise here with some success versus Sale. Also, over the past week, Baltimore is hitting .262 and the Red Sox are hitting .286 and we should see plenty of scoring today. 10* OVER the total in Boston

Earliest Cash – Rickenbach MLB Friday 8* OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs Baltimore Orioles @ 7 ET – Both teams off unders yesterday but the Red Sox, amazingly, have allowed at least 8 runs in 4 straight games and 6 of their last 8. Boston can score well and had scored 32 runs in 3 games before being shutdown yesterday. That said, I look for the Red Sox to bounce right back as they take advantage of facing a struggling Spenser Watkins as he has allowed 4 earned runs in each of his last 3 starts. The Orioles should also hit well here as they are off a 6-4 loss yesterday but continue to pile up hits and, before consecutive unders (both games featured a pile of hits), the over was on a perfect 6-0 run in Baltimore games. Facing Nick Pivetta should help matters as the Red Sox right-hander has a 5.80 ERA at home this season and the Orioles will be seeing him for the 3rd time already this season. 8* OVER the total in Boston

Divisional Dominator – Rickenbach MLB Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Tigers vs Cleveland Indians @ 7 ET – The Tigers scored 6 runs yesterday but the game just stayed under the total. Detroit has been piling up hits lately and also should have no trouble with the offering of a struggling Zach Plesac. The Indians just got hammered 17-0 yesterday and now send Plesac to the hill likely to see more big runs scored. Plesac has a 7.71 ERA in his last 3 starts and all went over the total. The Tigers are 3-1 to the over in Tyler Alexander’s home starts this season. The fact that Cleveland just saw him is likely to help the hitters too. Alexander did enjoy some surprising success in that start but this is still a guy that is getting hit at a .284 clip at the MLB level. Alexander is a lefty and the Indians are 3-1 to the over in last 4 road games against a left-handed starter and they scored an average of 6.3 runs in those 4 games. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER the total in Detroit

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #967 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Baltimore Orioles vs Detroit Tigers @ 4:05 ET - The Tigers and Orioles combined for 20 hits in yesterday's game after combining for 19 hits in Tuesday's game. Even though there were more hits yesterday there were only 7 runs scored after the teams combined for 13 runs on Tuesday. The fact is the teams are swinging hot bats and that should continue here and this one should make up for yesterday's shortfall of runs. The Orioles are starting John Means and he has been a little harder in each of his last two home starts and overall the over is 4-2 in his home starts this season. The Tigers are starting Matt Manning and he is 0-4 with a 9.13 ERA in his road starts this season. Manning has a 7.36 ERA in his last 3 starts and that includes getting hit hard by the Orioles but 3 of the 5 runs were unearned. In other words, his ERA last 3 starts could easily be higher. Look for plenty of runs here as these are also two of the worst bullpens in the league too. 10* OVER the total in Baltimore

ACTION on pitchers: Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #953 Thursday 10* St Louis Cardinals Money Line (-) @ Pittsburgh Pirates @ 12:35 ET - It is not pretty but LeBlanc continues to find a way to have some success on the mound and he faces a Pittsburgh team that has lost 7 straight games and 9 of 10. It is just too much to ignore especially with the Pirates starting JT Brubaker in this one. Pittsburgh is 5-15 in his starts this season and he is coming off an ugly one and he is 0-3 with a 5.68 ERA against the Cardinals this season. 10* ST LOUIS -120

NL Total of the Year - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #901 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in San Diego Padres vs Miami Marlins @ 4:10 ET - The Padres have the best bullpen in the majors on the season and the Marlins are not far behind. I say this based on ERA on the season. However, if you look at those same rankings over time periods like last 7 days, last 15 days, last 30 days then you will find the Padres ranking only in the middle of the pack while the Marlins are near the bottom. That said, and with the recent high-scoring trending of these two teams as well as two starting pitchers likely to struggle and the fact this is a day game at Petco Park all factors are combining to suggest an over in this one. I also like the early line move which was from an 8.5 down to an 8. The Marlins are 8-1 to the over last 9 games. The Padres are 8-1-1 to the over last 10 games. Miami's Sandy Alcantara is off a disastrous road start at Colorado and has struggled more on the road than at home this season. The over is 4-0-1 in games between these teams this season and the Padres start a struggling Randy Weathers here. The southpaw has allowed 14 earned runs in 7 innings spanning his last two starts and both of those were at home where he has worse numbers than on the road this season. As you an see, all signs pointing to a high-scoring game here and yet we have a low number to work with. These teams each pounded out a dozen hits yesterday and the Padres continue to score quite well even without the injured Fernando Tatis. 10* OVER the total in San Diego

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #915 Wednesday 8* OVER the total in Minnesota Twins vs Chicago White Sox @ 1:10 ET - Yesterday's game stayed under the total but, prior to yesterday the White Sox had won 4 straight games and had been scoring well and the Twins had been trending over. Speaking of trending over, the over is 8-3-1 in Bailey Ober's starts this season. Also, Ober has allowed 4 homers in his last 3 starts against the White Sox. As for Lance Lynn, yes he is having a great season but he has also allowed 4 homers in his last 3 starts against the Twins. Also, each of Lynn's last two starts have gone over the total and I look for the over to improve to 6-3 in his road starts this season with a surprisingly high-scoring game resulting Wednesday afternoon. 8* OVER the total in Minnesota

IL Dominator - Rickenbach MLB 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 runs in Houston Astros vs Colorado Rockies at 8:10 ET - The Rockies have been hitting quite well and no it has not just been at Coors Field either. That said, I look for the bats to stay hot here as Houston's Jake Odorizzi has an 8.31 ERA in his last three starts and all 3 starts went over the total. The key to an over here is that, though Jon Gray has pitched well for the Rockies, I expect to struggle with this potent Astros lineup as they are at home for this one. Houston is getting a 2nd look at Gray as they faced him earlier this season. The right-hander has a 4.40 ERA in road starts this season and allowed 3 homers in his last 2 road starts plus is coming off a home outing in which he allowed 8 hits in 6 innings. The Astros have had only 4 unders in their past dozen games. Houston has scored an average of 5.8 runs per game during this stretch. The Rockies are 9-3 to the over in past dozen games and have scored an average of 7.4 runs per game during this stretch. As long-time followers know I like to take overs when a home team has a struggling hurler on the mound. That means the road team should get their fair share of runs and I have no question the home team should get their fair share as well as the Astros are a strong team at home. 10* OVER 8.5 in Houston

PA Dominator - Rickenbach MLB 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Run Line +1.5 -110 vs Los Angeles Dodgers at 7:05 ET - Without a shadow of doubt the Dodgers are a strong team and Max Scherzer is a great pitcher. However, the Phillies have won 8 straight games and are at home and have Aaron Nola on the mound. To get Philadelphia in this situation at +1.5 runs and a pick'em price range is too strong of a value to pass up on. Keep in mind, the Phillies are very familiar with Scherzer as up until just recently he was pitching for the division rival Nationals. That said, even though he has had success against them this season, this Phillies lineup has a ton of confidence right now and are familiar with his offerings. As for the Dodgers, they are not as a strong of a team when on the road and have lost 7 of last 13 away from home. The Phillies have won 6 of 9 Nola home starts this season and he has a 3.18 ERA at home and this is his first start against the Dodgers in over two years and that is an edge for him. This should be a tight ball-game and having the extra run and half on our side could prove to be the difference but I would not be surprised to see the Phillies win outright either. We'll grab the added insurance with hottest team in baseball. 10* PHILADELPHIA Run Line +1.5 -110

Bullpen game likely for Minnesota. We will play the over regardless of the pitching match-up in this game. Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach MLB 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 runs in Minnesota Twins vs Chicago White Sox at 8:10 ET - Minnesota is off a 7-5 win and the White Sox off a 9-3 win. Just like those games yesterday for each respective club, do not be surprised if this game also gets into double digits in runs scored. The over is 8-3 with one push in the last dozen Twins games. Minnesota has scored an average of 5.5 runs per game during this stretch and now face Chicago's Lucas Giolito. The White Sox right-hander just allowed 6 earned runs in four innings and note that the over is 8-3 in his road starts this season. Though Beau Burrows is getting the start for the Twins here as an opener, or at least expected to, note that Charlie Barnes is actually expected to be the long guy in this one. Barnes allowed 5 earned runs in just four innings in his most recent start and the White Sox have hit Minny really well this season. Prior to a 7-2 loss in most recent meeting, Chicago had scored 6.6 runs last 9 meetings. The over is 10-5-1 in the 16 meetings between these teams this season. By now, the hitters have a lot of familiarity with the respective relievers for each team too. Look for the over to improve to 9-3 in Giolito's road starts this season as this one gets into double digits in runs scored. 10* OVER 9.5 runs in Minnesota

Bullpen game likely for Cleveland. We will play the over regardless of the pitching match-up in this game. Earliest Dominator - Rickenbach MLB 8* OVER 9.5 runs in Cleveland Indians vs Cincinnati Reds at 6:10 ET - Luis Castillo has been on a strong run but the Reds right-hander did give up 3 earned runs in most recent road start, is 2-5 away from home this season, and the over is 7-3 in his away starts this season. Sam Hentges expected to be the opener here but it hardly matters as he is only likely to go an inning or two. The fact is that whoever the Indians have on the mound throughout this game will be dealing with a red hot Reds lineup. Cincinnati has won ten of its last dozen games and even including yesterday's low-scoring victory, the Reds have averaged 6.8 runs per game during this hot stretch. The Indians also have shown life with their bats recently and, keep in mind, the Reds bullpen has been shaky this season. Cleveland has scored 5 or more runs in 6 of its last eleven games and Castillo has struggled here with 9 runs - 7 earned - allowed in his last 9 innings at Progressive Field. 8* OVER 9.5 runs in Cleveland

Earliest Dominator: 8* OVER 9.5 in Cleveland - Stubborn is an adjective that has been used to describe me through the years but it has proven to pay off in the long run. I know we lost with this play yesterday and that the Tigers have burned me recently on totals but that streak will end today. Yesterday the teams combined for just 3 runs on 17 hits and that kind of production will not be repeated here. This time the teams will cash in their opportunities. Detroit has not scored well so far in this series but they entered this series having won 6 of 9 games and the Tigers had averaged 5.8 runs their past ten games. The Indians have pounded out 25 hits in the first two games of this series. Entering yesterday's action, Cleveland had scored an average of 5 runs per game last 9 games. Wily Peralta has allowed 11 earned runs in 9 innings spanning his last two road starts. The Tigers right-hander will be opposed by Indians right-hander Zach Plesac who has a 6.48 ERA in his last three starts and has allowed a ridiculous 17 hits in the ten innings spanning his last two starts. Detroit has had only ONE under in SIX Peralta road starts this season. The Indians have had only TWO unders in EIGHT Plesac home starts this season. Those trends continue here and, in doing so, buck the recent Tigers under streak. 8* OVER 9.5 in Cleveland

PA Dominator: 10* OVER 8.5 in Philadelphia - The Phillies have now won 7 straight games and scored an average of 7.4 runs per game in the process. I know the Mets have not been scoring well but they have seen former Met Zack Wheeler plenty this season and he enters this game after allowing 7 earned runs in his last two starts combined. Something tells me he will struggle some today. Speaking of struggling having allowed some runs of late, New York's Taijuan Walker is 0-3 with a 9.20 ERA in his last three starts. Walker allowed multiple homers in each of the three starts. Walker allowed four earned runs the last time he visited Philly. Wheeler allowed four earned runs the last time he hosted the Mets. The Phillies bullpen is still quite shaky too but their lineup remains hot. Look for the finale of this 3-game set to find its way over the total. 10* OVER 8.5 in Philadelphia

ACTION on the pitchers as this is all about the HOT team and the HOT bats with this play: Game of the Week: 10* New York Yankees Money Line -128 - The Yankees apparently have no chance to win this game. The line opened up as high as -162 and is now down to as low as a -128 as of about 7 AM ET. Of course I am kidding about the lack of a chance to win as truly these are the spots I love as we are getting much more line value than we should so I will not hesitate to step in here. Note that the Mariners have lost four straight and eight of eleven games. Conversely, the Yankees have won five straight and ten of twelve games. Not only are the Yankees the much hotter team, Seattle will be seeing Luis Gil for the first time and I like the fact that his MLB debut was also here at Yankee Stadium and he pitched very well and had good command. That was really the only issue that got him in the minors at times was too many walks but he has proven to be tough to hit. Coming off a confidence-boosting blowout win in his first ever MLB start, I look for Gil to build off the momentum here. As for the Mariners Yusei Kikuchi, I know he has decent numbers this season including solid strikeout numbers. However, he has allowed 5 earned runs each of the last two times he has faced the Yankees and that includes once this season. Also, I know New York has some injury issues right now - including effecting their bullpen too - but they are still the better overall team right now. Speaking specific to the hitters with experience against Kikuchi, note that Gallo, Gardner, and Judge are only hitting .250 against him but the 4 for 16 includes ALL FOUR hits being homers. Also, LeMahieu Stanton and Torres all hitting .333 against Kikuchi with 6 hits in 18 at bats. 10* New York Yankees Money Line -128

AL Central Total of the Month 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Cleveland - The Tigers are on a long under streak. However, the Indians were on a 5-2 run to the over before back to back unders and this game has the makings of a crazy one. Detroit, before being held to a single run yesterday, had scored an average of 5.8 runs last ten games. Cleveland has had some duds in 3 of their last 9 games but has averaged 6.7 runs in the other 6 games and not scored less than four in any of those six games. This certainly looks like a good game for the bats to be very much alive again - 15 hits for the Indians in yesterday's game - as Tyler Alexander has a 5.30 ERA on the season and has been roughed up in each of his past two starts. Eli Morgan starts for Cleveland here and he gave up 4 earned runs in 5 innings in a start versus the Tigers two months ago. Overall, Morgan has an 8.81 ERA in his four home starts this season and the O/U is 3-1 in those. The O/U is 4-2 in all of Alexander's starts today. Detroit has scored at least 5 runs each of the last 3 times they were off a game in which they were held to 2 runs or less. At the same time, the Indians should definitely have another big game at the plate here. 10* OVER 9.5 in Cleveland

ACTION on the pitchers as this all about the HOT team and the HOT bats with this play: PA Dominator 10* Top Play PHILADELPHIA -105 - There is an aura about this Phillies team right now. They are riding a 6-game winning streak and you can see with the way they are playing on the field that they have a certain confidence and swagger right now that is certainly tough for opponents to overcome. Speaking of overcoming, the Phillies took over first place in the division from the Mets with yesterday's key win and I just don't see them slowing down. Suarez had been a reliever all this season, and a great one at that, but now has moved into the starters role. He may again only go 3 innings like he did in his first start but the key to this play has much more to do with overall team play right now. The Mets have lost 7 of 9 games and Megill is winless in his 3 road starts and coming off a rough one at Miami. Pitching against a red hot Phillies team in their own yard is unlikely to help matters for the New York right-hander. 10* PHILADELPHIA -105

Earliest Cash 8* OVER 10 in Yankees - I do not trust either starting pitcher here. Flexen is starting to get hit harder which was expected based on his metrics. Heaney is coming off a rough start against the Orioles in which he allowed 4 homers. The over is 14-4 in Heaney's starts this season and 8-0 in Flexen's road starts. Seattle was averaging 5.5 runs per game last ten games before yesterday's low-scoring battle. Yankees have scored 7.7 runs a game last four games. 8* OVER 10 in Yankees

AL East Total of the Month - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #967 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Blue Jays vs Boston Red Sox @ 7:07 ET - The Red Sox only scored 1 run yesterday but pounded out 9 hits but left 11 men on base thanks in large part to going 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position. All of this is serving to give us some line value here as Boston should have scored much more yesterday. Now they face Alek Manoah who has great numbers so far in his rookie season. The key here, and I have used this angle with great success through the years in terms of rookie pitchers, he will be facing Boston for the 2nd time now. This season, there are two other teams he faced twice and, in both cases, one was a solid outing and the other one was not. This is a normal trending with young pitchers and I expect it to continue with Manaoh here. Two months ago he was successful against the Red Sox and now Boston will get to him in the rematch. The good news for Manoah is he should get plenty of run support from his teammates here. Boston's Nathan Eovaldi has struggled in 3 of his last 4 road outings. The Blue Jays enter this game having won 7 of 8 games and playing with a lot of confidence as a result of that plus finally being back at their true home at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. The Jays have scored an average of 6 runs per game in these 8 games. The over is 4-1 this season in games in which the Blue Jays were the host and that trend should continue here now that they are back north of the border too. Excellent line value with this total dropping to a 9 and I won't hesitate to go to my highest level with this play. 10* OVER the total in Toronto

ESPN PA Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #952 Friday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line -101 vs New York Mets at 7:05 ET - The Phillies keep finding a way as they have had some big rallies including the 9th inning variety during their current 5-game winning streak. While they have been rolling the Mets have been scuffling and I look for Philadelphia to make the most of this opportunity to take over first place in the division with a win tonight. Recently acquired Kyle Gibson makes his home debut with the Phillies. He is off a strong debut in a Phillies uniform on the road and now will be pitching as the host. That is a role that saw him go 5-1 with a 1.77 ERA in his 9 home starts for Texas and the Rangers went 8-1 in those games. The Mets have not faced him in the starting role in over two years. Conversely, the Phillies are very familiar with Marcus Stroman as they have already seen him three times. Though he enjoyed success in the first two starts the third time was the charm for the Phillies hitters and they got to him in that outing. Now he enters this start having given up 16 hits in less than 11 innings spanning his past two starts so this looks like the ideal spot for the Phillies roll to continue. The Mets are 5-9 last 14 games and have scored an average of just 3 runs per game during this rough stretch. The Phillies have scored an average of 8.6 runs per game during their red-hot 5-game winning streak and are loaded with momentum right now. 10* PHILADELPHIA -101

PA Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #907 Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line -140 @ Washington Nationals @ 4:05 ET - There are not many streaks going in the majors right now but, after back to back wins so far in this series, the Phillies 4-gamer is the longest win streak and the Nationals 3-gamer is the longest losing streak. Overall Washington has been on a long fade while the Phillies have been building up momentum and are staying in striking distance of the Mets for the top spot in the division. Joe Ross starts for Washington and the bad news for him is that this start at home! Seriously though Ross has been struggling at home with 15 runs (14 earned) in 22 and 1/3 innings spanning his last 4 home starts. He has allowed 5 homers in those 3 starts. I know he has had some success against the Phillies this season but, right now, he is facing a confident group that has scored a ridiculous average of 9 runs per game during this 4-game streak. This line opened up in the -165 range for a reason and early action brought it down to the -140 range. I will fade the early move and it is go time now with this one as Aaron Nola has been fantastic in his last two starts plus has a 2.14 ERA in his last 3 starts against Washington. Road rout likely here as the struggles of Ross continues and Nola continues his sharp form and piles up the strikeouts when he needs them here even if Nats do threaten a time or two in this game. 10* PHILADELPHIA -140

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #915 Thursday 8* OVER the total in Texas Rangers vs Los Angeles Angels @ 2:05 ET - Two starting pitchers that can not be trusted. After yesterday's pitchers duel look for a much different game this afternoon. Spencer Howard, recently acquired from the Phillies, has seen the over go 3-0 in his last 3 starts. Howard has struggled with consistency this season and is facing a solid Angels lineup that still looks decent even down a few guys. As for LA starter Dylan Bundy, the fact his road starts have trended under this season is helping to give us line value because he has struggled badly away from home. Bundy is 0-5 with a 7.16 ERA in his 7 road starts this season. Also he has a 7.20 ERA in his last two starts against the Rangers. I know the Texas lineup does not look impressive these days but Bundy struggles too much no matter who he faces and I expect the Angels to give an inexperienced starter, Howard, a lot of trouble here too. The result is that this total truly appears to be low especially after the move down from a 9.5 to a 9 and I am grabbing the value. 8* OVER the total in Texas 

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #913 Thursday 8* OVER the total in Detroit Tigers vs Boston Red Sox @ 1:10 ET - I know the Tigers have been trending under but I expect them to pound Boston's Martin Perez. The Red Sox left-hander is 0-2 with 9 earned runs allowed in 8 innings in his last two road starts and he allowed 4 homers in those outings and both games went over the total. Perez should fare better at Detroit though, right? Not likely! He already faced the Tigers this season and it was a bit of a shaky outing and his last start at Detroit was an absolute disaster with 7 earned runs allowed in less than 3 innings. The key to this game going over the total is that the Red Sox should match the Tigers run for run. Boston will take advantage of facing a struggling Tarik Skubal. The southpaw has allowed 9 earned runs in less than 11 innings spanning his last two starts. Also, he gave up 3 homers in EACH start! The fact his recent starts have trended under is simply contrarian to the way he has pitched and that under streak ends here. Tigers were 5-2 with 6.3 runs scored per game before yesterday's loss. Red Sox scored "only" 4 runs yesterday but pounded out 11 hits and the over is 3-1 in Boston's last 4 games against a left-handed starter. 8* OVER the total in Detroit

Just like a career .300 hitter having to battle his way out of a slump (it is the only way to get through it), that is what I am dealing with now with what has been, since the All-Star break, my toughest 3-week stretch in the 20 years I have been doing this. That said, my plays are normally on a scale of 8* for regulars and 10* for tops but today I am going to my lowest rating on all plays which is a 6* rating for all plays released. Look for the turnaround to begin today. Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #952 Wednesday 6* Milwaukee Brewers Run Line -1.5 runs -125 vs Pittsburgh Pirates @ 2:10 ET - Upsets happen and yesterday's 8-5 Pirates win here was a perfect example of that. However, the Brewers bullpen is one of the best in the majors and Pittsburgh's is one of the worst. Also, Milwaukee has a huge starting pitching edge here as Steven Brault is making his first start of 2021 after getting hurt in late March. This is a guy who mostly has struggled as the MLB level as 2020's shortened season was truly his first enjoying moderate success at the MLB level. He'll be on a limited pitch count and got hit hard the last time he had a start go longer than 3 innings at Milwaukee. The Brewers start Freddy Peralta and he is having a phenomenal season. Peralta also has a 1.96 ERA in his 4 career starts against Pittsburgh. This season he is 8-3 with a 2.21 ERA in his 19 starts and the Brewers have won 13 of those. Also, prior to yesterday's loss, Milwaukee was 11-3 this season against the Pirates plus a long-term 16-4 at home when hosting Pittsburgh. Of course the Brewers are a big favorite on the money line with good reason here and the run line is where the value is at. NONE of the last dozen games between these teams has been a one run game! Look for a home blowout. 6* Milwaukee Brewers -1.5 runs -125

Just like a career .300 hitter having to battle his way out of a slump (it is the only way to get through it), that is what I am dealing with now with what has been, since the All-Star break, my toughest 3-week stretch in the 20 years I have been doing this. That said, my plays are normally on a scale of 8* for regulars and 10* for tops but today I am going to my lowest rating on all plays which is a 6* rating for all plays released. Look for the turnaround to begin today. Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #963 Wednesday 6* OVER 8 runs in Tampa Bay Rays vs Seattle Mariners @ 1:10 ET - I lost with this play yesterday and can't believe the Rays managed just 2 runs at home in that game. That will not happen again today. Logan Gilbert starts for the Mariners and has a 5.93 ERA in his last 3 starts (all overs) and he also allowed 4 earned runs in less than 6 innings in his only career start against the Rays and that was in June. The TB starter here in this one is also likely to get roughed up. The Mariners are a hot team and, as such, are also a confident team at the plate right now. Seattle has won 7 of 11 games and scored an average of 5.6 runs per game during this stretch. The Mariners got to Josh Fleming for 5 earned runs when they faced him in June and the Tampa southpaw enters this start with an 8.78 ERA last 3 starts. After yesterday's under the over trend (Seattle is still 6-2 to the over last 8) will resume here. The Rays had won 4 straight and averaged scoring 8.3 runs per game before these back to back losses and being held to just 2 runs in each defeat. 6* OVER 8 runs in Tampa Bay

Just like a career .300 hitter having to battle his way out of a slump (it is the only way to get through it), that is what I am dealing with now with what has been, since the All-Star break, my toughest 3-week stretch in the 20 years I have been doing this. That said, my plays are normally on a scale of 8* for regulars and 10* for tops but today I am going to my lowest rating on all plays which is a 6* rating for all plays released. Look for the turnaround to begin today. Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #975 Wednesday 6* OVER 9.5 runs in Cincinnati Reds vs Minnesota Twins @ 12:35 ET - The Twins Charlie Barnes is making only his 2nd MLB start and an afternoon game at hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark will be a tougher test than he faced in his first career start versus the Tigers at Detroit. Also, he got hit hard at all levels of the minors in his most recent full season there and even this season he had mediocre numbers at the minor league level. As for the Reds Luis Castillo, he has been pitching well but gave up 2 homers in his most recent start and he has a 16.20 ERA in his two career starts against the Twins. Both these teams have bullpen issues and the Reds showed that again in yesterday's loss as they allowed 3 runs in the top of the 9th to lose the game. The over is now 6-1 in Minnesota's last 7 games. The Reds have lot of pushes with their recent totals but the fact remains they have had just 1 under last 9 games after yesterday's game flew over the total as well. More of the same expected here. 6* OVER 9.5 runs in Cincinnati

Rickenbach MLB Rotation #917 Tuesday 8* OVER 8 runs in Tampa Bay Rays vs Seattle Mariners @ 7:10 ET - The Rays Patino is off a fantastic start. But his 3 prior outings right before that he allowed 15 runs (13 earned) in 14 innings. He now faces a Seattle team that has averaged 5.8 runs per game last ten games after last night's 8-2 win. The Mariners have won 6 of ten games and this total dropped from an 8.5 to an 8 and we have solid value with the over here as Seattle's Kikuchi should get lit up. The Rays, prior to yesterday's loss, had won 9 of 12 games and averaged 6.3 runs per game during this stretch. They will take advantage of facing the Mariners Kikuchi as he is 0-2 with a 7.31 ERA in his last 3 starts. Kikuchi has allowed 5 homers in those 3 outings. This one will surprise many given the low total on this game because I do expect it to turn into a slugfest. 8* OVER 8 runs in Tampa Bay

Rickenbach MLB Rotation #919 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Tigers vs Boston Red Sox @ 7:10 ET - The over is 8-2 in last 10 games between these two teams. Boston is 8-4 to the over in Garrett Richards road starts this season. Richards has a 6.75 ERA in his last 3 starts and has allowed 5 homers in his last two starts. The Tigers start Wily Peralta here and he has allowed 4 homers in his last two starts while compiling an 11.00 ERA in these two outings! Red Sox bats come back to life here and the over improves to 4-1 their last 5 games with a high-scoring battle here. The Tigers have been trending under but have scored an average of 6 runs per game last 11 games and I am expecting both starters to struggle here. Also, Detroit's bullpen has a 5.00 ERA this season and the Boston pen has a 4.85 ERA last 30 days. Don't be surprised if plenty of runs early, often, and throughout this contest as a result. 10* OVER the total in Detroit

PA Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #901 Tuesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Run Line -1.5 runs -105 @ Washington Nationals @ 7:05 ET - As mentioned right here in yesterday's write-up, the Phillies certainly proved that they are "going for it" this season with all the moves they made at the trade deadline. With newly acquired starting pitcher Kyle Gibson coming up big for them, the Phillies rolled 15 to 4 Sunday. They had a hugely productive day at the plate as that was the first time in 80 years a Phillies team had scored 15 runs in a game without even a single homer. In other words their run production without home run power was huge in that game. Now bolstered by a huge 5-run 9th inning yesterday and an eventual 7-5 win, they now are just 2.5 games out of 1st place in the division and this is with 2 months of baseball left. Of course the Nationals still have life in the division too but Washington has been going the wrong direction. After yesterday's defeat, the Nats have lost 19 of 28 games. Zach Wheeler starts for the Phillies and he has a 2.45 ERA on the season and has deserved a much better won-loss record. The fact is that he has been fantastic and the Phillies are big road favorites here for a reason. We get value by avoiding laying the big juice and playing Philadelphia on the run line. Wheeler should get plenty of run support as his teammates should pound Patrick Corbin. The Washington left-hander has seen the Nationals lose each of his last 3 starts as he has compiled an 8.05 ERA and has a 1.85 WHIP in those 3 outings. Corbin allowed 3 homers against the Phillies in his most recent start. To put that in proper perspective, Wheeler has allowed only 2 homers total in 8 road starts this season! He also is likely to work deeper into this game than Corbin and that minimizes the bullpen usage. Neither pen has been impressive this season but the Phils pen was bolstered at the trade deadline and overall they have been the better team over the past month in comparison with the fading Nationals. Lay the small price on the RUN LINE with the road team in this one. 10* PHILADELPHIA -1.5 runs -105

ESPN PA Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #951 Monday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line -120 @ Washington Nationals @ 7:05 ET - The Phillies certainly proved that they are "going for it" this season with all the moves they made at the trade deadline. With newly acquired starting pitcher Kyle Gibson coming up big for them, the Phillies rolled 15 to 4 yesterday. They had a hugely productive day at the plate as that was the first time in 80 years a Phillies team had scored 15 runs in a game without even a single homer. In other words their run production without home run power was huge in that game. They now are just 3.5 games out of 1st place in the division and this is with 2 months of baseball left. Of course the Nationals still have life in the division too but Washington has been going the wrong direction. Before eking out a 6-5 win yesterday, the Nats had lost 18 of 26 games. I know Josiah Gray was a key prospect for the Dodgers but he is still a young unproven hurler (at the MLB level) and don't be surprised if he struggles some here. He has hardly pitched above the AA level of minors and struggled in spring training action at the MLB level too! As for Phillies starter Ranger Suarez he may not work deep in this game either but the Phils bullpen is ready here and Suarez has a 1.12 ERA and a .152 BAA this season. He has been fantastic and the Phillies are road favorites here for a reason. Neither pen has been impressive this season but the Phils pen was bolstered at the trade deadline and overall they have been the better team over the past month in comparison with the fading Nationals. Lay the small price. 10* PHILADELPHIA

MLB Network Day Game - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #959 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Blue Jays vs Cleveland Indians @ 3:07 ET - The Blue Jays are on an under trend but a lot of that had to with the opposition they were facing. Toronto has been scoring just fine with an average of 7 runs scored during their 4-game winning streak. Now instead of hosting a Royals team that is again on the fade, the Jays are hosting an Indians team that has an O/U record of 29-10-1 in their 40 games against left-handed starters this season. Yes the Indians lost a low-scoring 2-1 game yesterday but they have still averaged scoring 6 runs per game last 4 games. Cleveland will be facing Robbie Ray. The Toronto left-hander has seen the over go 2-0 in his last 2 home starts and he allowed 3 homers in his most recent start as a host. A big key to this over today is that the Blue Jays should pound the Indians Eli Morgan. The Cleveland right-hander has a 7.47 ERA this season and the over is 5-2 in his 7 starts. This included Morgan getting rocked for 6 earned runs in less than 3 innings of work in his lone start against the Jays this season. The Blue Jays hit will here again as they ride the momentum of happily playing their home games in the Rogers Centre again. At the same time, note the Indians are 3-0 L3 games against a left-handed starter and scored 7.7 runs per game in those victories. With this total dropping from a 9.5 to a 9 it is go time with this one. 10* OVER the total in Toronto

Total of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #923 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 runs in Tampa Bay Rays vs Boston Red Sox @ 7:05 ET - With yesterday's 9-5 Rays win the over is now on a 26-11 run in match-ups between these teams including 7-1 this season! I see no reason for this trend to come to a halt here. Yes Nick Pivetta has had success against the Rays but he enters this start in poor current form and the Tampa Bay bats are red hot. Pivetta has allowed 4 or more earned runs in 4 of last 5 starts and has a 7.04 ERA in his last 3 starts. The Rays have won 10 of 15 games and have scored an average of 6 runs per game during this stretch! The Red Sox will be facing Shane Mcclanahan and the lefty is off a very fortunate start. He allowed only 3 earned runs but gave up 9 hits and walked 3 for a WHIP of 2.00 in his 6-inning start versus a Yankees lineup. In other words, that is not a good sign for him here as he now takes on a Red Sox team that ranks 7th in majors for slugging percentage versus lefties this season and 3rd in majors for slugging percentage in road games! Boston has scored an average of 7 runs per game last 4 road games and will be a tough test for Mcclanahan who has a 4.33 ERA in the last two months and that is even with pitching out of some big jams in some recent starts. He could easily be north of 5.00 over the past two months and the potent Red Sox lineup is going to give him trouble here. That said, this turns into another high-scoring game because I expect Pivetta's struggles to continue. 10* OVER 8.5 runs in Tampa Bay

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #915 Sunday 8* OVER 10 runs in Detroit Tigers vs Baltimore Orioles @ 1:10 ET - The over is 3-1 in Spenser Watkins 4 starts this season. The over is 3-0 in Tyler Alexander's 3 home starts this season. The wind will be favorable for this afternoon game at Detroit and neither starter is likely to work deep which will expose two of the weaker bullpens in the majors. Watkins averaging about 4 and 2/3 innings per start and Alexander averaging about 3 innings per start this season. Both starters enter this game off rough starts also. The Orioles pounded out 11 hits in yesterday's game and though these games have trended under in this series this absolutely looks like the one that easily snaps that trend. Despite the recent unders, Baltimore has scored an average of 5 runs per game last 8 games. The Tigers have won 10 of last 16 games and have scored an average of 6 runs per game last 15 games. The Detroit bats bounce back after consecutive losses here but the Orioles have another big game at the plate too and this one gets into double digits as both Baltimore and the Tigers set up to score well here. 8* OVER 10 runs in Detroit

6* Houston Astros Money Line -105 - The Astros opened up in the -120 range but came down as low as even money in early market activity. I am fading the line move here. Two high quality teams matched up and two high quality pitchers but Houston has been scoring runs at a much better clip since the All Star break in comparison with San Francisco. Astros averaging about 6 runs a game and Giants about 4 runs a game. Also, Giants starter Alex Wood has struggled this season against tougher lineups. When you look closely at his game by game results you'll see he has struggled quite a bit against the better teams and feasted on weaker teams. I trust veteran Zack Greinke much more in this spot and he has also has more lengthy starts over the last two months than Wood has. Working deeper into the game could be key here as both bullpens did struggle some yesterday. With the victory yesterday, Houston has won 8 of 10 games and averaged 6.7 runs per game during this 10-game stretch. San Francisco, on the other hand, has lost 4 of 7 games and was scoring an average of only 3.3 runs last 6 games before yesterday's high-scoring loss. Greinke has a 5-0 record on the road this season and has logged at least 7 innings in 4 of last 5 away from home. He is 14-3 in his career against the Giants. The Astros are 3-0 last 3 against a left-handed starter. 6* HOUSTON -105

6* OVER the total in LA Angels - Back to back shutout home losses for the Angels. Now a hot afternoon game in Anaheim and a lefty likely to get pounded. The Angels bats will come back to life here. The over is 23-10 in Angels games against lefty starters this season. Cole Irvin starts for Oakland. He is off a solid start against the Angels the last time he faced them but he was hit hard by LA in his first two starts against them this season. Irvin allowed 4 earned runs in each of these two starts. Also, he enters this outing with a 6.30 ERA in his last two road starts. Jaime Barria starts for the Angels here and must be given credit for allowing back to back homers to begin his outing at Minnesota in his most recent start and yet not allowing any runs the rest of the way. However, Barria did allow a lot of hard hit balls in that start and was quite fortunate. He did not have overly impressive numbers in his starts in the minors this season either. Also, Barria allowed 4 earned runs in 4 innings in his last start against the Athletics. Entering yesterday's game, another A's win, Oakland had won 6 straight against the Angels and scored an average of 6 runs per game in those victories. They are capable of another big game at the plate here but this time the Angels join the party. There is a reason this line is showing signs of moving from 9.5 to 10 early this morning. The sharp money is going to come in on the over on a hot afternoon in Anaheim and I fully expect both teams will light up the scoreboard. 6* OVER the total in Los Angeles Angels

6* OVER the total in Toronto - The Blue Jays played in a charged up atmosphere yesterday as they were finally back at the Rogers Centre in Toronto after playing previous home games in Buffalo, NY and Dunedin, FL this season. I expect the positivity to roll into this afternoon's game and the Jays should pound Mike Minor. I know the Royals southpaw had a couple decent starts but it included facing a struggling White Sox team. Minor now faces a Blue Jays team that has a potent lineup and has scored 19 runs the past two games and averaged 6 runs per game in its last 4 as a host. Minor's most recent road start was a rare good one as he has a 5.26 ERA on the road this season. Look for his struggles to resume here. As for Toronto's Alek Manoah, he does have great numbers on the season but has been sidelined with a badly bruised back suffered in a fall on slick dugout steps in rainy conditions a few weeks ago. I don't expect him to be as dominant as usual here and the Royals have won 8 of 10 games and averaged 5 runs per game. Neither bullpen has impressed this season. Runs early, often and throughout in this one after yesterday's game fell just short of going over the total. 6* OVER the total in Toronto

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #905 Friday 8* OVER 8.5 runs in New York Mets vs Cincinnati Reds @ 7:10 ET - The Mets only scored 3 runs yesterday but pounded out 12 hits. I am aware that New York has not been scoring that well recently but this is a potent lineup and they deserved better yesterday. They will get it today. Sonny Gray is struggling badly for the Reds and has been pounded in two straight starts. Carlos Carrasco finally gets his first start of the season for the Mets and he'll be on a pitch count and he was inconsistent in terms of his results in his rehab starts at the minor league level. That said, I feel neither starting pitcher can be trusted here. Gray's form in particular is concerning for Cincinnati and the Mets are at home too so they really should pound him. As for the Reds sticks, they have been hot and that continued in yesterday's 7-4 win at Wrigley Field over the Cubs. Cincinnati has now won 5 of 7 games and scored an average of 6.3 runs per game during this stretch. Also, the Reds have scored at least 5 runs in 7 straight games. When you consider all of the above factors, the total is low here and offering solid line value. 8* OVER 8.5 runs in New York Mets

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #913 Friday 8* OVER 10.5 runs in Toronto Blue Jays vs Kansas City Royals @ 7:07 ET - The Royals are hot and have won 8 of 9 games and scored an average of 5.4 runs per game in the 4 victories. The Blue Jays exploded for 13 runs yesterday and certainly have a very potent lineup. Toronto is now back home and has averaged scoring 6.7 runs per game in their last 15 games as a host. Daniel Lynch is off a rare strong start for the Royals. The Kansas City southpaw had struggled in his 3 prior starts at the MLB level this season and he also struggled, and was currently in poor form, at the AAA level with Omaha in the minors. That said, his prior start can absolutely be considered an aberration and I expect normalcy resumes here and he gets pounded. Speaking of being off an unusual result, Ross Stripling had been struggling badly and then had a respectable start. That said, normalcy resumes for him here too and he has an 11.00 ERA last 3 starts and a 6.06 ERA at home this season. Look for the over to improve to 4-0 in the last 4 games in which the Blue Jays were a host. Also, 3 of the last 4 meetings between these teams here were an over. 8* OVER 10.5 runs in Toronto

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #901 Friday 8* Philadelphia Phillies Money Line -124 @ Pittsburgh Pirates @ 7:05 ET - ACTION on pitchers. No matter who pitches here I like the Phillies. The fact that Velasquez, Phillies most inconsistent pitcher, is scheduled to start is merely serving to give us line value here. Philadelphia will ride the momentum of yesterday's double-header Game 2 win when they rallied from an early 7-0 deficit and then won in extra innings on a walk-off grand slam. The Phillies have now won 6 of last 10 in NL action. As for the Pirates, they got crushed again by the Brewers yesterday and have now lost 8 of 10 games including 4 straight by a combined score of 34 to 4. Pittsburgh is struggling badly and Crowe has a 5.82 ERA this season and an 0-4 record at home. Again, no matter who starts in this game I am expecting a road rout. 8* PHILADELPHIA

8* Chicago Cubs Money Line +115 - This is a classic case of a starting pitching match-up leading to great line value. Luis Castillo has been pitching very well for the Reds but he certainly has not found Wrigley Field (or facing the Cubs) to be his favorite by any stretch of the imagination. Not only that but on the season the Cubs bullpen has been the better pen in comparison with that of Cincinnati's. Additionally, the Reds had lost seven of ten games prior to notching back to back wins over Chicago after the Cubs took the opener of this 4-game set. Chicago is 3-0 the last 3 times they entered a game off back to back losses. Alec Mills has pitched well for the Cubs and whereas some of Chicago's big bats have had success against Castillo, the Reds bigger bats - including red hot Joey Votto - have not had much success against Mills. The home dog gets the win here. 8* CHICAGO CUBS +115

8* OVER the total in Kansas City - The Royals Carlos Hernandez has struggled in the starters role this season, this will be his 3rd start, and could not find the plate in his most recent outing. Also, he has faced the White Sox twice out of the bullpen, once this season and once last season, and neither outing went well. He is likely to get hammered here as Chicago bounces back from yesterday's low-scoring extra innings loss. However, the Royals got to Carlos Rodon for 4 earned runs in less than 6 innings the last time he faced them. Also, he is coming off a rough outing in his most recent start. As strong as his overall season has been, Rodon has now reached the 100 inning mark for the first time since the 2018 season and all the work appears to be catching up with him. Additionally the KC lineup has a fair number of hitters that have enjoyed success against him and this is one of those games that will surprise as the Royals get to Rodon early and often after yesterday's low-scoring battle. KC's Hernandez will struggle again however and that means this turns into a back and forth high-scoring affair. 8* OVER the total in Kansas City

7* OVER the total in Tampa Bay - I fully understand the low total (7.5 after opening up at an 8) but feel it will prove to be too low. This is still American League baseball. I know these teams have each trended under in recent games but the Yankees lineup is definitely much healthier now. In this game I look for the Yanks to take advantage of facing a pitcher who has been struggling at the MLB level. Luis Patino is winless in his 5 starts this season for the Rays and he has an 8.36 ERA in his last 3 starts. I know Gerrit Cole carries a well-deserved reputation as one of the best starters in baseball. However, he allowed 3 earned runs in his most recent start and it was the 3rd time in his last 5 starts that he has been held to 5 or less innings. In those 3 starts (2 on the road by the way) Cole allowed 13 runs (12 earned) in 13 and 1/3 innings. The Rays have some hitters with solid career numbers against him and I expect TB to do some damage at home in this one but I also look for the Yankees to pound Patino. 7* OVER the total in Tampa Bay

10* OVER 10 in Kansas City @ 8:10 ET - The Royals fell short 5-3 yesterday but this followed a 6-game winning streak in which they scored an average of 6 runs per game. Kansas City got to Lucas Giolito for 5 earned runs in 6 innings the last time they faced him and he is known for struggling more on the road than at home. KC sends Kris Bubic to the mound and the White Sox are known for pounding southpaws. Chicago is 19-9 against left-handed pitching this season and has scored an average of 6 runs per game in those contests. By the way, the over is 3-0 in Giolito's last 3 starts overall and also 8-2 in his 10 road starts this season! Bubic's most recent start resulted in an under but the over was 6-2 in his 8 prior starts this season. Look for a high-scoring slugfest at Kauffman Stadium on a hot summer night in KC Wednesday. 10* OVER 10 in Kansas City

8* UNDER 8.5 in San Diego @ 4:10 ET - A lot of hitting, surprisingly, in yesterday's game. This one Wednesday looks like a pitchers duel however. Blake Snell is back in strong form off a great start and that was on the road at Miami. Now he is home where is undefeated with a 1.43 ERA in his 7 starts this season and 6 of the 7 starts resulted in unders! As for A's starter Sean Manaea, he has a 2.94 ERA in his 9 road starts this season and only 1 of the 9 starts resulted in an over and 7 were unders (1 was a push). Manaea has a 2.25 ERA versus San Diego. Snell has a 2.75 ERA versus Oakland. Both teams had been trending under recently prior to yesterday's over. The under had cashed in 7 of 8 A's games and 5 of 6 Padres games. 8* UNDER 8.5 in San Diego

8* OVER 10.5 in Minnesota @ 1:10 ET - The over is 4-0 in last 4 games between these teams at Minnesota. The Twins are on an under streak in JA Happ's recent starts but it makes no sense as he has allowed 11 earned runs in 13 innings over his last two starts. Tigers very familiar with him and also got to the Minny bullpen yesterday to rally for the extra innings win. Twins also very familiar with Wily Peralta. I know Peralta has had some success against Minnesota but he is off a road outing in which he allowed 5 earned runs in less than 6 innings and I expect him to struggle again here. Peralta's rough road outing still resulted in an under but that was the first under in his 5 road starts this season. This early day game flies over the total. The over is 33-15 in Twins divisional games this season. 8* OVER 10.5 in Minnesota

7* OVER 9 runs in Cleveland - The Indians Cal Quantrill is off a couple solid recent starts but his strikeout numbers are down and I can not overlook the fact he had a recent 4-game stretch in which he produced a 7.58 ERA. Now Quantrill will face a Cardinals lineup loaded with a confidence after putting up 10 runs in a win at Cincinnati Sunday. St Louis is 6-3 last 9 games and has scored an average of 5.4 runs per game last 7 games. The Indians are also off a win Sunday but it was a low-scoring one. However, I expect them to get to Adam Wainwright early and often in this one. Long-term Wainwright has been known for being a better pitcher at home than on the road and this will be his first ever start at Cleveland. This season he has a 5.35 ERA in road games and last season was a shortened season which was a rare exception and the ERA was about the same for him home and away. Most recent full season was 2019 and he had a 6.22 ERA on the road. 2017 he had a 7.32 ERA on the road. 2016 he had a 6.18 ERA on the road. The Cardinals have allowed about 6 runs per game last 3 games and Indians have allowed about 6 runs per game last 6 games. This one flies over the total as both starting pitchers struggle and neither bullpen has been impressive of late either with the Indians relievers ERA actually ranking dead last over the past 7 days and the Cardinals in the bottom half of the majors over that same timeframe. 7* OVER 9 in Cleveland 

7* OVER 10 runs in Philadelphia - The Nationals have lost 5 straight games but they should get to the Phillies Matt Moore. The southpaw has a 6.23 ERA on the season and has had only one under in his 8 starts this season. The Nationals lead the majors with a .348 on base percentage versus lefties and also lead the National League with a .443 slugging percentage against left-handed pitching. The Nats also can take advantage of a Phillies bullpen that has struggled overall this season because Moore is unlikely to work deep in this game as he averages only about 4 and 1/3 innings per start. The Phillies should also hit well in this game as Erick Fedde has a 6.75 ERA his last 3 starts plus he has struggled against Philadelphia with an 8.00 ERA this season and has given up 5 homers last 3 starts against them. The Nationals bullpen ranks only in the middle of the pack too so this is a game set up well for plenty of runs. 7* OVER 10 in Philadelphia 

Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach MLB Rotation #911 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Kansas City Royals vs Chicago White Sox @ 8:10 ET - Both teams are off wins yesterday in which they each allowed just 1 run. Based on this pitching match-up, each of these clubs is going to be giving up a whole lot more on Monday. The White Sox send Dallas Keuchel to the mound. He has a knack for struggling more on the road than at home. Also, he enters this start with a 5.62 ERA in his last 3 starts overall. Keuchel has been getting plenty of run support and the over is 3-0 in his last 3 starts and 6-3 in his road starts this season. Mike Minor starts for the Royals here. The over is 6-3 in his home start this season. Minor has a 5.61 ERA at home on the year. He is off a good start at Milwaukee but the Brewers have been involved in a lot of low-scoring games of late. In his two starts that just preceded that one, Minor allowed 10 earned runs in 10 innings. Also, now he faces a White Sox team that is known for pounding southpaws. Chicago ranks 4th in the majors for batting average versus lefties. The White Sox are 19-8 in games against left-handed starters and should hit Minor well, but I also expect Keuchel to get hit hard. The Royals are a solid hitting team at home and rank 6th out of all 30 MLB teams for batting average at home. KC averages 5 runs per game at home. White Sox average 6 runs per game versus left-handed starters. Minor allowed 5 earned runs in 5 innings in his only home start versus Chicago this season. Hot weather for this game this evening and we should see hot bats as well. Both teams rank in the lower half of the majors for bullpen ERA as well. The Royals have won 5 straight games and averaged scoring 6.2 runs per victory. The White Sox are off a low-scoring series with the Brewers but their bats will heat up against Minor and a Royals pen they are familiar with. The result should be plenty of runs for both teams in this one. 10* OVER the total in Kansas City

6* Houston Astros Run Line -1.5 runs -115 - going to what is normally my lowest rating, a 6*, on all my plays today. The Rangers have lost 11 straight games. All 11 have been by 2 or more runs. That said, we get line value here with the Astros at home at a pick'em price on the run line. The home team has dominated this series in recent seasons and that includes Houston now being 21-2 last 23 as a host against the Rangers. Greinke expected to start and he has a 3.58 ERA this season and the Astros are 14-6 in his starts this year. Hearn likely to start for Texas and he is used to working out of the bullpen and has not pitched more than 2 innings since mid-April. Also, with him not working deep a struggling Foltynewicz could be called upon early out of the bullpen. Either way the Rangers losing streak looks highly likely to continue and the margin should be big. 6* HOUSTON -1.5 -115

6* OVER 10 runs in Kansas City - The Royals are starting Daniel Lynch for the first time since May at the MLB level. However, the fact he is getting this start shows you just how thin KC is in terms of pitching. At the MLB level, Lynch allowed 14 earned runs in 8 innings and this included facing the Tigers. Lynch has since been pitching in the minors where, at the AAA level, he has a 5.84 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP. Yesterday's game was a 9-8 Royals win and Lynch facing a Tigers team that has averaged 6.2 runs per game last 10 games is unlikely to help him. However, his Royals teammates have been heating up at the plate too and should enjoy success against Tarik Skubal. Of his 7 road starts only 2 have resulted in an under and Skubal has a 5.45 ERA away from home this season. The Royals have now won 4 straight games and averaged 6 runs per game. Don't be surprised if each team hits their recent average of 6 runs in this one! Should be another high-scoring game at Kauffman Stadium. 6* OVER 10 in Kansas City

6* OVER 10.5 runs in Boston - going to what is normally my lowest rating, a 6*, on all my plays today. I know the Yankees are still down a couple guys in the lineup but they have plenty of guys still in there with experience against Martin Perez and he comes into this start struggling. The Red Sox southpaw has a 4.85 ERA his last 3 starts but it easily could be much higher as he has been getting hit hard. On the season, Perez has a 1.80 WHIP at Fenway Park so his 5.80 ERA at home is certainly no fluke and arguably could be even higher. Hitter friendly conditions at Fenway Park expected this afternoon as strong winds likely to be blowing out on a summer afternoon. This sets up well for a high-scoring game because Domingo German has struggled in his last two starts at Boston with 8 earned runs allowed in 8 and 1/3 innings. German is off a short outing versus the Phillies and could struggle here in a venue he often struggles at. This is particularly true with Boston off yesterday's 4-3 loss where they gave up the late lead and the Red Sox had won 4 straight games and averaged 8 runs per game during that hot streak. The Yankees have won 5 of 7 games and averaged 5.6 runs per game in the 5 wins. This one shapes up well to be a slugfest. 6* OVER 10.5 in Boston

Contrarian Crusher - 10* OVER 8 in Houston - Great line value here because Kyle Gibson has a low ERA this season but is struggling now and Framber Valdez had great numbers against the Rangers last season but is struggling now. I know Texas has not been scoring well but they can get to Valdez here. He has a 6.46 ERA over his last 3 starts. As for Gibson, he has the impressive full season numbers but has allowed 13 earned runs in 11 and 1/3 innings spanning his last two starts. 8 of the 10 games between these teams have gone over the total including 6 of 7 meetings in Houston. This total is only an 8 and the Rangers have allowed 7.3 runs per game during their current 10-game losing streak. Astros have won 5 of 8 games and scored an average of 7 runs per game in those 5 wins. Again, the low posted total makes sense based on Gibson's full season numbers and Texas struggling to score runs but the key factors here are that Gibson is currently struggling and so to is Valdez. Also, the over is 4-1 in home starts for Valdez and 7-2 in road starts for Gibson this season. 10* OVER 8 in Houston

Earliest Cash - 8* Philadelphia -115 - The Phillies Velasquez is certainly not known as a dominating pitcher but he does pitch better at home where he has a 3.62 ERA and Philadelphia is 5-2 in his starts this season. Also he has had success against the Braves with just 4 earned runs allowed in 14 and 1/3 innings while striking out 20 in his last 3 starts against them. He'll come up big here against a Braves lineup hurting without Acuna. As for Atlanta starter Smyly, he has faced the Phillies twice this season and has a 6.75 ERA and allowed 3 homers in 9 and 1/3 innings. Smyly allowed 9 hits in 5 innings in his most recent road start. With yesterday's Philadelphia win, the Phillies are 10 games over .500 at home on the year and the Braves are below .500 on the road this season. Atlanta has lost 5 of last 8 games overall. Phillies have won 13 of 20 home games and get another W here as Velasquez continues his success against the Braves lineup and Smyly's struggles this season against the Phillies resume again. 8* PHILADELPHIA -115

Daytime TV Dominator - 8* OVER 9 in Boston - I know the Yankees lineup is missing some guys but they just saw Eovaldi. For that matter, the Red Sox just saw Taillon too. Before scoring just 2 runs yesterday the short-handed Yankees still had averaged 6 runs per game last 4 games. They will get to Eovaldi here but the bigger story could be Taillon getting crushed. The Yankees righty is 1-3 with a 7.20 ERA in his road starts this season and all 7 of them went over the total. This one will too. The Red Sox are averaging 7.8 runs per game last 4 games. 8* OVER 9 in Boston

Rickenbach MLB Rotation #967 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Twins vs Los Angeles Angels @ 8:10 ET - As long time followers know, I like to play overs in particular when I feel the home team pitcher will get hit hard. That is because the home team lineup usually hits the ball better when at home than on the road generally speaking so I am confident they will get their runs and the concern usually has more to do with the away team. As road teams struggle sometimes to hit as well, the confidence level rises when that road team lineup is facing a sub-par pitcher. That said, this one fits the bill perfectly because JA Happ is likely to struggle. The southpaw has a 6.15 ERA on the season and a 7.36 ERA in his last 3 starts. The O/U is 12-5 in his starts this year. The Angels have an O/U record of 21-9 this season in games against left-handed starters and have averaged 5.6 runs per game in those outings. Alex Cobb gets the start for the Angels and, though he has pitched better of late, he has a 6.37 ERA on the road this season and the O/U is 10-4 in his starts this year. He has allowed 14 earned runs in less than 12 innings in his last 3 starts against the Twins and the O/U is 6-1 in Cobb's 7 career starts against Minnesota. This total is double digits for a reason and I expect at least a dozen runs in this one. 10* OVER the total in Minnesota

Rickenbach MLB Rotation #963 Friday 10* Top Play New York Yankees Money Line -105 @ Boston Red Sox @ 7:10 ET - I am aware that the Yankees have some injury/covid issues right now which has impacted their lineup. However, New York had won 4 straight games and had averaged 7 runs per game in the 3 most recent victories before they ended up falling short at Boston last night. The last time they faced Eduardo Rodriguez he did get the better of them but he threw 40 balls in less than 100 pitches. In other words, Rodriguez had some good fortune in that start and this followed a start in which he got hammered by the Angels. Also, on the season he has a 5.19 ERA and this includes a 5.16 ERA in his home starts. Gerrit Cole, on the other hand, has allowed just 1 earned run in his last two starts and piled up 23 strikeouts in 15 innings and this included dominating the Red Sox. Cole has a 2.55 ERA in his road starts this season and the Yankees have won 6 of his 9 outings. He has allowed 2 or less earned runs in 7 of the 9 starts. Before a good start against the Yankees in his most recent home start, Rodriguez had allowed 10 earned runs in 10 and 2/3 innings spanning his two prior home starts. The Red Sox had lost 4 of 7 before getting the come from behind win last night. Look for the road team to get some payback here as Cole outduels Rodriguez. 10* NEW YORK YANKEES -105

Rickenbach MLB Rotation #953 Friday 8* OVER the total in Philadelphia Phillies vs Atlanta Braves @ 7:05 ET - With yesterday's game going over the total, the over is now 6-2 in Braves last 8 games and 11-3-1 in Phillies last 15 games. Max Fried has a 6.43 ERA on the road this season. In Fried's 6 career starts against the Phillies, the O/U is 5-1. He has an 8.10 ERA in his last 2 road starts. The Phillies start Zack Wheeler and he has great long-term numbers but enters this start having allowed at least 4 earned runs in each of his last two starts. Also, the over is 2-0 in his last two starts and 3-0 in Fried's last 3 starts. Neither team has a strong bullpen. In fact, both teams pens have been a concern this season. Considering all of the above factors, this total being in the 7.5 range is offering excellent value on the over the way I expect this one to play out. 8* OVER the total in Philadelphia

NL Central Total of the Year - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #905 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in St Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs @ 7:15 ET - This is a contrarian play as you can see from the recent run of shutout innings for Kwang Hyun Kim. Being a contrarian has been a key for me through the years and I am sensing struggles for Kim in this one. For one thing, these lineups have faced these starting pitchers already as the Cubs have faced Kim and the Cardinals have faced Adbert Alzolay. Adding to the value here is the fact that Kim has nearly as many walks as strikeouts over his last 4 starts. Not only is Kim not a strikeout pitcher, he has walked 11 in his last 4 home starts. In his most recent one he did give up a lot of hard hit balls plus only struck out 1 batter. I think it is all catching up with Kim and that the Cubs will get to him early and often in this one. Yesterday ended up being a low-scoring Cardinals win but the teams did combine for 20 hits! I expect the Cards to get to Alzolay early and often. The Chicago right-hander is 1-6 with a 4.89 ERA in road starts this season. The O/U was on a 5-2 run in meetings between these teams before yesterday's under. The Cubs entered yesterday's game having been shutout once in last 7 games but averaging 5.5 runs per game in the other 6 games. The Cardinals have averaged 5.7 runs their last 3 games. Both teams have more success than most are expecting in this one Thursday. Based on the opening total and what I am seeing with line movement, the sharp money will be on the over in this match-up. 10* OVER the total in St Louis

Best Bet Blowout - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #902 Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line +130 vs Atlanta Braves @ 7:05 ET - This all about contrarian line value. The Braves are not what they use to be, especially without Ronald Acuna. Also, the last time Charlie Morton faced the Phillies he did not even make it out of the first inning. The Phillies start Matt Moore here and he allowed only 2 runs while striking out 9 in less than 5 innings in his most recent start. Philadelphia is 6-1 in his starts this season and he has a respectable 3.06 ERA his last 4 starts. The Braves have lost 4 of 6 and were also losing yesterday's Game 2 of a double-header when it was suspended by rain in the 5th inning. The Phillies lost in extra innings yesterday as they lost both games of the series with the Yankees but Philadelphia has not lost 3 straight games in 4 weeks! During this time, the Phillies had gone 13-7 last 20 games before the B2B losses to the Yanks. They bounce back here. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Earliest Cash Day Game - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #909 Thursday 8* Texas Rangers Money Line +125 @ Detroit Tigers @ 1:10 ET - Trap line in my opinion. The Rangers on a losing streak but this line opened up in the -115 range for the home favorite Tigers. Looks way too easy, right? Of course everyone has jumped on Detroit here but I am grabbing underdog Texas in this one. Foltynewicz working on short rest after a horrible outing Sunday. He'll be ready to bounce back. I know his season numbers are not good and he has been homer prone but look at his 3 starts prior to the ugly one Sunday. Foltynewicz allowed just 13 hits and walked only 2 while striking out 17 over 20 and 1/3 innings. Overall he had allowed an average of only 2.8 earned runs a game his last 4 starts. He'll bounce back here and I know the Rangers bats have been in massive slump but Tyler Alexander is very hittable and the road team surprises everyone early Thursday. 8* TEXAS +125

Best Bet Blowout - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #971 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 9 runs in Chicago White Sox vs Minnesota Twins @ 8:10 ET - This is another game with an interesting money line. The White Sox are 7-2 in the 9 home starts Dylan Cease has made this season and the Twins Michael Pineda is struggling badly and yet Chicago opened up as a -125 favorite here. This opener is telling me the odds makers feel there is a decent shot at the Twins getting an upset here and the only way I see that happening is if they score a pile of runs. The reason I say that is because Pineda should get rocked here. The Minnesota right-hander is 0-3 with an 8.10 ERA in his last 4 starts. Pineda also has struggled more at night than day games and more on the road than in home games. Specifically against the White Sox he has allowed 8 earned runs on 16 hits in less than 11 innings of work over two recent starts against them. This included 3 homers plus he particularly got roughed up in his most recent start against them which was only two weeks ago. Speaking of familiarity, the Twins lineup has plenty of familiarity with Cease and will be seeing him for the 4th time in a span of about 2 months. Cease has allowed 4 homers in those 3 starts and gave up 6 earned runs at Minnesota about two weeks ago. I know he has good numbers at home but he also has an 8.04 ERA in his 6 career starts about the Twins. Cease struggles here more than you would expect, Pineda's recent struggles continue, and also note that the bullpens allowed 8 of the 13 earned runs in yesterday's game. The over is already 7-2 this season in games between these teams at Chicago and I look for that trend to continue here. 10* OVER the total in Chicago White Sox

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #973 Wednesday 8* OVER the total in Milwaukee Brewers vs Kansas City Royals @ 2:10 ET - Something funny with this line in my opinion. When I look at this one and notice how dominant Lauer has been and how bad Keller has been and plus the Brewers are at home and the Royals are on the road I simply can not make sense of this line being in the -165 range for Milwaukee. No way I would trust Kansas City here but what it tells me is that the odds makers feel that KC does have a respectable shot at the upset here. Notice yesterday's line was similar and the Royals did get the upset and the Brewers went with Anderson on the hill in that one. That said, the only way I see them getting another upset is if Lauer has a sub-par start because Keller is likely to get rocked. Hence, my play on the over here. Keller has a 6.97 ERA his 2 career starts against the Brewers including one this season and one last season. Also, he has a 5.97 ERA this season and his numbers could easily be even worse. On the road this year Keller has a 1.85 ERA and only a dozen more strikeouts than walks and this is over ten starts so command has been an issue for him. As for Lauer, though he has been on a great run, he has walked 4 in each of his last two starts. Also, the Brewers enter this game on a 3-1 run to the over. Also, the Royals are off B2B unders but this was preceded by a 3-0 run to the over. Kansas City scored an average of 6.3 runs per game in those 3 games. The Brewers, prior to yesterday, had scored an average of 8.7 runs per game last 3 games. The KC bullpen particularly struggles on the road. Yesterday the Royals did their part in getting 5 runs but the Brewers scored only 2 runs despite 9 hits. Look for both teams to do their fair share of scoring here as the Royals have one shutout loss last 5 games but scored an average of 6 runs in the other 4 games. They score their fair share here but the Brewers get back on track with a big game at the plate against Keller and a bad bullpen. 8* OVER the total in Milwaukee

AL East Total of the Year - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #917 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Tampa Bay Rays vs Baltimore Orioles @ 7:10 ET - We get a low total to work with here because both John Means and Shane McClanahan have great full season numbers. The key to the value here is a bit hidden and that is what makes this a special situation the way I see it! The Orioles Means is coming back from a shoulder injury. He was struggling a bit right before he went on the disabled list. Now, in his 3 rehab starts he also struggled. The Rays were 6-0 and had scored piles of runs against the Orioles before losing to Baltimore for the first time this season in yesterday's game. That was also just the 2nd under in 7 games between these teams this season. I fully expect the Tampa Bay bats to bounce back here and take advantage of a pitcher who could be a bit rusty and also not completely trusting in himself just yet. As for the other side of this equation, yes I do expect the Orioles sticks to enjoy success against McClanahan. He is from Baltimore and grew up idolizing Cal Ripken and the Orioles. Don't be surprised if he ends up struggling to harness his emotions in this start and sometimes that leads to mistake pitches. That said, right now the Orioles have been hot at the plate so this could spell trouble. Baltimore has won 3 straight games and scored an average of 6.3 runs per game in those contests. The Orioles had been trending over heavily before back to back unders. The Rays were on a 3-0 run to the over before yesterday's under. I am aware of the fact the TB pen has been fantastic at home in recent weeks but this total is just too low considering all of the above variables and the Baltimore pen is certainly not a strength. With Rays in bounce back mode they should score a pile here but I expect the O's to get to McClanahan early and often as well. 10* OVER the total in Tampa Bay

NOTE: Brewers likely going with Brett Anderson instead of Eric Lauer here. This is still a play for me. Anderson is off of 4 scoreless innings in most recent start but he struggled badly in 4 of the 5 starts that preceded that. He simply has been very inconsistent on the hill this season and has also struggled to get strikeouts in most of his recent appearances. ORIGINAL write-up: Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #927 Tuesday 8* OVER the total in Milwaukee Brewers vs Kansas City Royals @ 4:10 ET - Something funny with this line in my opinion. When I look at this one and notice how dominant Lauer has been and how bad Minor has been and plus the Brewers are at home and the Royals are on the road I simply can not make sense of this line being in the -160 range for Milwaukee. No way I would trust Kansas City here but what it tells me is that the odds makers feel that KC does have a respectable shot at the upset here. That said, the only way I see them getting it is if Lauer has a sub-par start because Minor is likely to get rocked. Hence, my play on the over here. Minor has a 10.80 ERA his last 4 starts. Though Lauer has been on a great run, he has walked 4 in each of his last two starts. Also, the Brewers enter this game on  a 3-0 run to the over. Also, the Royals are off an under but this was preceded by a 3-0 run to the over. Kansas City scored an average of 6.3 runs per game in those 3 games. The Brewers have scored an average of 8.7 runs per game last 3 games. The KC bullpen particularly struggles on the road. 8* OVER the total in Milwaukee

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #969 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Tigers vs Texas Rangers @ 7:10 ET - This is a contrarian play because the over has cashed in only 3 times in the 17 starts Casey Mize has made this season and Kyle Gibson has a 2.29 ERA in his 17 starts this season. How do I get an over based on that? Well, these pitchers just faced these teams so that gives the lineups an edge. Also, Gibson allowed 5 earned runs in that game for one of his worst starts of the season and it was no fluke as he gave up a lot of hard hit outs too and the damage could have been worse. The over is a surprising 6-2 in Gibson's road starts this season and, after the Rangers got hammered 15-0 combined in their double header loss via sweep at Toronto yesterday, I am expecting a big bounce back at the plate for Texas. The Rangers hit two homers against Mize in the same start in which Gibson was hit hard by the Tigers. Gibson actually has allowed at least 4 earned runs in each of his last 3 starts against Detroit and was hit very hard in all 3 of them - 28 hits in less than 17 innings combined! Mize has a 5.14 ERA last two starts and a 4.15 ERA at home this season. Certainly not overly impressive and the Rangers quick second look at him should produce some big results. The Tigers bullpen has been one of the worst in MLB this season and the Rangers bullpen has a 5.51 ERA on the road which is one of the worst marks in the majors. Look for runs early, often, and throughout this contest and we will take advantage of the generously low number. 10* OVER the total in Detroit

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #963 Monday 9* Top Play OVER the total in Chicago White Sox vs Minnesota Twins @ 5:10 ET (Game 1 of Double Header) - I am predicting this is the game where Lance Lynn runs into some trouble that he does not escape from. In his two July starts he has walked 8 in 12 innings but managed to get out of jams. In June he was not as sharp as April or May as he compiled a 3.81 ERA in the month. I just feel he is edging closer to one of those starts where he unravels a bit and this is it as we catch the Twins ready to bounce back big off a shutout loss yesterday. Minnesota is facing Lynn for the 4th time in a span of about 2 months so they are plenty familiar with him. As for the Twins starter, Griffin Jax gets the call and in 5 games at the MLB level this season he has an 8.66 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP. I just do not feel he is quite ready yet for the big show and I look for the White Sox to tattoo him here. Chicago is off a shutout win yesterday and has won 7 of last 8 games and scored an average of 7.3 runs per game in the 7 victories. They hit well here again but the Twins surprise by getting to Lynn early and often and this 7-inning affair goes over the short number. 9* OVER the total in Chicago White Sox

Total of the Month - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #913 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Arizona Diamondbacks vs Chicago Cubs @ 4:10 ET - The Diamondbacks continue to find ways to lose and have the worst bullpen in baseball. They gave up 3 runs in the top of the 9th to lose 4-2 to the Cubs. The way I see today's game playing out is that Chicago's Zach Davies is going to get hit so Arizona will get their runs today. I know that Merrill Kelly has decent numbers for the Diamondbacks this season. However, he dealt with leg cramping in his most recent start plus his strikeouts are down recently and his only career start against the Cubs was an ugly one. I am looking for another ugly one here as Chicago has won 4 of 6 games and scored an average of 5.3 runs per game last 7 games and the over was on an 5-0 run in their games before a sudden 3-game under streak which I see ending here. Davies has allowed 3 homers in his last 2 starts and his strikeout numbers are down too. The Dbacks had gone over in 4 of 5 games prior to this series and, after back to back unders, this looks like the right match-up for plenty of runs. This is a bit of a contrarian play and long-time followers know I love looking for contrarian situations. I saw some 9.5 popping up on this game and to Joe Public the total of 9 might have already seemed high. So you know where I am going with this...the odds makers are sharp and this total is set this way for a reason. Look for plenty of runs in this one. 10* OVER the total in Arizona

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #911 Sunday 8* OVER the total in Colorado Rockies vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 3:10 ET - I know the Rockies have not been scoring well and that this has even been true at home. But now they go from facing Urias and Buehler to facing Price! Note that Price is getting hit at a .328 clip this season so his ERA could easily be much higher. Also, the Dodgers southpaw gave up 20 hits including 4 homers in his 2 career starts at Coors Field. The Rockies Jon Gray has some solid numbers this season but it will be a warm afternoon in Denver and the Dodgers bats are red hot plus LA is seeing Gray for the 3rd time already this season. Los Angeles has scored at least 6 runs in 6 of last 7 games and has averaged scoring 9 runs per game during this hot stretch at the plate. They will not slow down here but also I expect the Rockies bats to join in on the action today and this one should turn into a back and forth slugfest. 8* OVER the total in Colorado

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #919 Sunday 8* Houston Astros Money Line +110 @ Chicago White Sox @ 2:10 ET - The old rest versus rust factor comes into play. While rest can be a good thing the saying can also hold true about too much of a good thing. Note that the Astros Valdez is set up well here as he just pitched on the 11th, Chicago's Rodon has not pitched since the 6th. Look for the White Sox starter to be a bit off and he was already a little down from where had been this season. He has allowed 18 hits in his last 16 innings. Also, Rodon walked 6 in 10 innings in his last 2 home starts. Valdez has a 2.31 ERA on the road this season and Houston is 7-2 in his starts this season. Also, the Astros are looking to bounce back off yesterday's ugly loss. Look for them to do just that behind what will prove to be a surprising pitching edge here for the road team. That is why the White Sox are priced as such a small home favorite here. The odds makers are sharp so do not be fooled here as the road dog gets it done! 8* HOUSTON

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #979 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Atlanta Braves vs Tampa Bay Rays @ 7:20 ET - The Braves blew the lead in last night's loss and their bullpen woes could be an issue tonight. That's because Max Fried has an 8.10 ERA in his last two starts and has lasted only 5 innings in each of his last 3 starts. He is expected to be opposed by the Rays Josh Fleming. The TB southpaw has been working out of the pen but has struggled as a starter with 5 earned runs allowed in each of his last two starts. Also, Fleming has been hit hard and given up a lot of runs in each of his last four road appearances. That said, no matter who Tampa Bay starts, Fleming is likely to get a lot of work here and no matter who the Braves start here, their bullpen has been a mess. So no matter who the pitchers are here, I do like the over in this match-up but do note that the over is 3-0 in Fleming's last 3 starts and 3-0 in Fried's last 3 starts. Look for another high-scoring game in this one. 10* OVER the total in Atlanta

Daytime Dominator RL - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #968 Saturday 10* Top Play Oakland A's Run Line -1.5 runs +115 vs Cleveland Indians @ 4:05 ET - The A's rallied for the win last night and will build off that this afternoon. Cleveland has lost 10 of 13 games. Prior to last night's defeat, 7 of last 10 Indians defeats by 2 or more runs and this has blowout potential. Cleveland is starting Cal Quantrill and he has a 9.29 ERA on the road this season and the Indians are 0-3 in those starts. Oakland is starting Frankie Montas and he has allowed 2 earned runs or less in 5 of last 6 starts. Montas struck out 10 in his most recent start before the All Star break and now looks to dominate here. The A's have now won 9 of last 13 home games. The line is a little pricey here on the money line but we get plus money on the run line and that is the route to take here. 10* OAKLAND -1.5 runs +115

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #934 Friday 10* Top Play Atlanta Braves Money Line -125 vs Tampa Bay Rays @ 7:20 ET - Action on the pitchers. Contrarian play all the way. Regardless of who pitches, I love taking the Braves here (with a poor IL record this season) and without Ronald Acuna (out for the season - torn ACL) and fading a Rays team that has a great IL record this season. First off the line value is there with Atlanta as a small home favorite which is certainly partially due to the Acuna injury situation. Secondly, if these pitchers do go (certainly likely), the edges are especially off the charts here. Michael Wacha has had a couple rare quality starts recently but this is still a guy who has a 4.68 ERA on the road this season and generally gives up a lot of contact. Also, Wacha is 0-4 with a 5.16 ERA in his 5 career starts against the Braves. As for Atlanta's Charlie Morton, the 37-year old veteran has found his groove again to say the least. 4 of his last 5 starts have been quality starts and Morton has allowed a total of just 4 earned runs in his last 3 starts against the Rays! He went at least 6 innings in each of those 3 starts. Morton is 8-3 this season including 5-1 in his home starts. Again, even if the start pitchers get shuffled for the opener in this one, the contrarian in me likes the Braves a lot at home and coming off a loss right before the break. The Braves are 8-2 last 10 times off a loss. The Rays are also off a loss and they haven't exactly bounced back lately off a loss. Tampa Bay has had recent 7-game AND 5-game losing streaks! They have not had a standalone loss since June 10th! In other words, another losing streak getting underway would not be a surprise. 10* ATLANTA