The set-up: Chicago's Albert Almora Jr. gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead in the opener with a two-run HR off Kershaw in the fourth inning but he wound up being the team’s last baserunner. Kershaw retired the final six batters he faced and the Dodgers’ bullpen set down 12 straight to close out a 5-2 victory. LA outfielders Taylor and Puig were the stars for the offense, as each went 2 for 4 with solo HRs (Puig had two RBI).

The pitching matchup: Jon Lester (13-8 & 4.33 ERA) takes the ball for Chicago and Rich Hill (12-8 & 3.32 ERA) gets the nod for Los Angeles. The Cubs beat the Dodgers in last yera's NLDS (4-2) and Lester was outstanding in one start and one relief appearance, allowing two runs on three hits over 9 2/3 innings (1.38 ERA). He is the active leader in postseason innings pitched with 143 1/3 and owns a 9-7 record and 2.57 ERA in 24 playoff appearances (20 starts). Lester is 3-3 with a 3.29 ERA in nine starts against the Dodgers (teams are 5-4). Hill was drafted by the Cubs and went 18-17 with a 4.37 ERA over his first four major-league seasons with the club from 2005-08. Hill started Game 2 of the NLDS against Arizona, allowing two runs on three hits over four innings of a no-decision. Hill limited the Cubs to two hits over six scoreless innings of a win in Game 3 of last year’s NLCS and was expected to start Game 7, if necessary, but the Cubs closed out the Dodgers in Game 6.

The pick: Hill was ready and waiting to start a winner-take-all game in the NLCS against the Chicago Cubs last year, but Clayton Kershaw was upended in Game 6 and the Cubs advanced to the World Series. He gets a chance here to make up for that missed opportunity and help LA take a 2-0 lead in this year's NLDS. However, let's note that Hill owns a 4.50 ERA in five career postseason starts. After going all-in to close out the Nats in the NLDS and then having to face Clayton Kershaw in Game 1 of the NLCS just one day later, the Cubs can hardly be surprised that they are down 0-1. However, going down 0-2, will make a comeback pretty hard against the team which won a MLB-best 104 games in 2017. I expect Hill to pitch well again (like last year) against his original team and as for Lester, the Cubs should have confidence in a pitcher who owns a 2.57 ERA in 24 playoff appearances (20 starts) . Make the Under a 10* play

The set-up: Dallas Keuchel had dominated the Yankees in the recent past and it was no different in Game 1 of the ALCS, as the lefty pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits while striking out 10. However, New York's Masahiro Tanaka, who was just 4-7 with a 6.48 ERA and 1.50 WHIP over 15 road starts in 2017 and 0-2 with a 10.38 ERA over four career regular season starts against Houston, didn't shy away from the big moment, either He gave the Yanks six innings, allowing just two runs on four hits. However, Houston was able to eke out a 2-1 win. Game 2 of the series is set for 4:05 ET, today.

The pitching matchup: Game 1 was a pitchers' duel and here in Game 2, the Yankees send out their ace, Luis Severino to face Houston's "big-time trade deadline addition," Justin Verlander. Severino was 14-6 (2.98 ERA) for the Yankees in 2017, after he went 3-8 overall with a 5.83 ERA over 22 appearances in 2016, including 11 starts (Yanks were 2-9). Talk about a turnaround! He make the 2017 All Star game while recording career bests in wins (14), WHIP (1.04), and strikeouts, finishing fourth-best among AL pitchers with 230 (allowed only 51 walks). Severino could only get one out in the wild card game against Minnesota (allowed three runs on two HRs) but he allowed three runs on four hits (again, two HRs) but struck out nine Indians over seven innings in his 7-3 Game 4 victory, which sent the series back to Cleveland for a Game 5 (I think you know how that turned out).

Verlander was 15-8 with a 3.36 ERA for Detroit and Houston in 2017 but his 15 wins don't tell the whole story. The former MVP and Cy Young winner was 5-0 with a 1.06 ERA in five starts with the Astros and in the postseason (one start and one relief stint, the ONLY one of his career), has picked up two wins (3.12 ERA). He has posted a 3.55 ERA in five career starts in the ALCS, including an eight-inning outing in which he allowed one run and struck out 10 in his last such outing against the Red Sox in 2013. Verlander has seen plenty of the Yankees in his career, going 8-7 with a 3.82 ERA over 22 career starts (team is 10-12).

The pick: Yes, we have two top-of-the-rotation starters in this one but Severino is still a question mark. He was by most metrics the third-best pitcher in the AL this season but he's just 23 years old and comes with a bit of volatility. Severino struggled in both of his starts against the Astros this season, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks over 2 1/3 innings on May 14 at Yankee Stadium, before surrendering six runs on nine hits and one walk with seven strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings in Houston on July 2. That figures to a 10.59 ERA. Remember, he's facing a Houston team which led MLB in scoring at 5.53 RPG, in team BA at .282 and in OPS at .823 while ranking second in HRs with 238 (Severino has allowed four HRs in seven-plus postseason innings). As for the Yanks, they were only team to hit more HRs (241) than Houston, which could give Verlander pause. I still don't understand manager Hinch's decision to use Verlander in relief in a Game 4 situation, with his team leading two games to one. Again, Verlander had NEVER made a relief appearance in his career. Is that enough to :"throw him off?" I can't be sure (how could anyone be?) but the bet says this will not a replay of Game 1's pitchers' duel. Make the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: The Nationals have yet to reach the NLCS, getting eliminated in the NLDS in each of their previous three postseason appearances (2012, 2014 and 2016) since moving to Washington, twice losing in a deciding Game 5 (2012 & 2016). Here again in 2017, with a little help from the weather, the Washington Nationals have forced a winner-take-all matchup Game 5 against the defending champion Chicago Cubs. Game 4 was scheduled for Tuesday with Chicago owning a 2-1 lead but rain forced the game to be rescheduled until Wednesday. That gave the Nats the option of replacing Game 4 starter Tanner Roark, with Stephen Strasburg. Starsburg initially said he was "under the weather," leaving the Nats to say Roark would go in the rescheduled game but Starsburg "got better" or ":had a change of heart," and took the mound. He was brilliant, allowing just three hits over seven scoreless innings to lead the Washington to a 5-0 win over the Cubs (Taylor's grand slam in the 8th, 'shut the door!'). Strasburg had 12 Ks and became just the third pitcher ever to register double-digit strikeouts twice is a single playoff series, joining Hall of Famers Bob Gibson and Sandy Koufax. Game 5 is now set for 8:05 ET tonight in Washington.

The pitching matchup: Kyle Hendricks takes the mound for Chicago (was the Cubs' Game 1 starter) and Dusty Baker has decided to go with Gio Gonzalez, Washington's Game 2 starter (on full rest, after the rain out). Hendricks out-dueled Strasburg in Game 1, allowing two hits and three walks while registering six strikeouts over seven scoreless innings, as the Cubs won 3-0. This marks the third straight start in a series clincher for the 27-year-old Hendricks. He started Game 6 of last year’s NLCS against the Dodgers and Game 7 of the World Series versus Cleveland (Cubs won both times). He is 2-1 with a 1.98 ERA in eight postseason starts. Baker has passed on Roark in this Game 5, who has not started since Sep. 27 and gave up eight runs in 5 2/3 innings over his last two regular-season appearances (one start). Gonzalez allowed three runs on three hits over five innings in Game 2 (also six Ks and two walks), as the Nationals got him off the hook with a five-run 8th-inning rally.

The pick: Gonzalez was a career-best 21-8 (2.89 ERA) for the Nats back in 2012 but over the next four seasons, would go just 43-37. His 4.57 ERA in 2016 was his highest since his first full season in the majors (2009 with the A's). However, he had an excellent bounce-back season in 2017, going 15-9 with a 2.96 ERA. Then again, he hasn't pitched more than five innings over his last five starts, including his Game 2 start in this series. In that span, he's allowed 19 ERs on 25 hits over 26 1/3 innings for a 6.49 ERA. It's hard to trust the Nats in any deciding game situation and Gonzalez doesn't exactly come in "on a roll." The feeling here is that these two very talented lineups have underachieved all series. In the case of the Nats, they'vs scored nine of their 12 runs in the series in the eighth inning, on a a two-run HR, a three-run HR and a grand slam. As for the Cubs, they've only scored eight runs in the series's four games, somehow managing to extend it to five games. The bet here says, both lineups 'catch fire' in Game 5. Make the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: The Red Sox closed out the the Cardinals in Game 6 of the 2013 World Series (team's third title since 2004) but missed the playoffs in both 2014 and 2015. Boston returned to the postseason in 2015 by winning the AL East but got swept in three games by Cleveland in the ALDS, getting outscored 15-7. Boston won the AL East again this season but lost at Houston 8-2 in Games 1 and 2 of the 2017 ALDS. However, Boston ended its five-game postseason slide Sunday, despite falling behind 3-0 in the top of the first. David Price gave them four scoreless innings of relief and up 4-3, Boston put the game away with a six-run seventh inning. Boston again faces elimination in Game 4 at Fenway, with the first pitch scheduled at 1:08 ET.

The pitching matchup: Charlie Morton (14-7 & 3.62 ERA) goes for Houston and is making his second career postseason start. Rick Porcello goes for Boston and while he's the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, he established a career-high in losses while going 11-17 with a 4.65 ERA in 2017. Morton won his final three starts (1.96 ERA) of the regular season, including one at Fenway Park on Sep 29 when he held Boston to two runs in 5 1/3 innings of a win. That makes him 2-0 with a 1.74 ERA in two career starts against the Red Sox. He enters this game having gone 4-1 with a 2.54 ERA in September. Porcello was 22-4 (3.15 ERA) in 2016, while Boston went 25-8 in his starts (plus-$1470 moneyline mark was third-best in MLB). However, the Red Sox were just 16-17 in his starts in 2017, minus-$702 vs. the moneyline. The season has been a 'nightmare' but Porcello did win his last two decisions and went 7-3 in the final two months of the regular season.

The pick: Porcello pitched one scoreless inning of relief in Game 1 on Thursday but has struggled all season at home, with a 5.43 ERA. That's just one season removed from going 13-1 with a 2.97 mark at Fenway Park in 2016. Porcello can redeem himself with a strong effort here and that's what I expect. As for Morton, he's had a "career year" with the Astros (his fourth team over a 10-year career) and has pitched very well down the stretch. Make the Under a 10*

The pitching matchup: Conventional wisdom said the using Robbie Ray for 2 1/3 innings in Arizona's wild card win would eliminate him from starting one of the first two games of this series but the D'backs will send Ray (15-5, 2.89 ERA) to the mound tonight against the Dodgers' Rich Hill (12-8, 3.32). Ray won his final six decisions in the regular season, and his 218 strikeouts were the third-most in the NL. The D'backs went 20-8 in Ray's 2017 starts, giving him MLB's third-best moneyline mark (plus-$1166). Ray is 6-3 with a 2.69 ERA in 13 career starts against the Dodgers. Hill finished the regular season with three straight victories, allowing two runs on eight hits while striking out 26 in 18 innings during that stretch (1.00 ERA). However, he's had all sort of trouble with Arizona, going 0-3 with a 5.03 ERA in four starts (LA was 1-3).

The pick: Ray insists the 34-pitch effort in Wednesday's wild card game will not affect his routine or performance. "I feel great. My arm feels great and ready to go," Ray said at a press conference. "I wouldn't lie to (manager Torey Lovullo). I wouldn't give this team anything (other than) 100 percent of myself. I feel like that would be cheating me and cheating the team." Another factor in using Ray now is that he was much better on the road, than at home in 2017. He owns a 4.07 home ERA (he's 7-4 and the team 9-5) but a 1.86 road ERA (he's 8-1 & the team 12-3). As for Hill's struggles against Arizona, LA manager dave Roberts said about Hill, "He's a great competitor. He's wacky on his start days," Roberts said at a press conference. "It's been well-documented that he and I have had some good run-ins ... but that edge that he brings and the way that this guy prepares like no other, he's a baseball player." Note that Hill owns a 2.77 home ERA, compared to 4.06 road ERA. Make the Under a 10*!

The set-up: The LA Dodgers owned MLB's best record (104-58) and won the NL West by 11 games over the Arizona D'backs. However, the D'backs beat the Dodgers in the two teams' final six meetings, winning the regular-season series 11-8. The Dodgers have been off since Sunday, while the D'backs had to get past the Rockies in an NL wild card game Wednesday, which they did by winning 11-8. Despite taking a 6-0 lead over the Rockies, Arizona manager Torey Lovullo not only had to pull starter Zach Greinke, who lasted just 3 2/3 innings while giving up four runs, he was forced to use Robbie Ray in Wednesday's game as well. That means Ray, who was 15-5 (2.89 ERA) on the season, is not able to start Game 1 of the NLDS.

The pitching: Instead, Taijuan Walker (9-9 & 3.49 ERA) will take the mound for the D'backs in Game 1, opposite the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw (18-4 & 2.31 ERA). The D'backs went 14-14 (minus-$47) in Walker's 2017 starts but the good news is, his ERA was 2.92 on the road, compared to 4.18 at home. More good news comes in the form of him having gone 2-0 with a 3.24 ERA in three starts against the Dodgers (D'backs were 3-0). "I think the biggest thing is controlling your emotions and taking it one pitch at a time," Walker said at a press conference. "I think you can't go out there and let the adrenaline really get to you. You have to take a deep breath every pitch and really focus on each pitch." Kershaw missed time with a bad back but again was wonderful when on the mound. LA was 23-4 in his starts, giving him MLB's second-best moneyline mark (plus-$1235), despite being stuck with enormous prices in almost every outing. Kershaw dominated the Diamondbacks in two starts this season by going 2-0 with a 0.59 ERA and holding batters to a .118 average. He's seen planet of the D'backs in his career (26 starts), going 14-8 with a 2.55 ERA and 1.12 WHIP (LA is ).

The pick: Kershaw is arguably the greatest pitcher of his era but postseason success has eluded him. He enters the 2017 postseason just 4-7 with a 4.55 ERA in 18 career appearances (14 starts) in the postseason. Will it be different here in 2017? Are the Dodgers ready to win a World Series for the first time since 1988? The journey begins tonight and I'll play Under, as I think Walker will surprise plus nothing seems to come easy for Kershaw in the postseason. I expect him to bring his "A game" but can one really lay this kind of a price? Make the Under a 10*.

The set-up: Cleveland's strong finish (highlighted by the team's 22-game winning streak) was enough to allow the Indians to edge past the Houston Astros (102-to-101 wins) for the American League's best overall record. That means Houston will host the third-seeded AL East champion Boston Red Sox (93-69) in Game 1 of this ALDS late Thursday afternoon. The Astros took four of seven from the Red Sox during the regular season and went 48-33 at Minute Maid Park, while the Red Sox went 41-35 away from Fenway. Boston's 4.85 RPG ranked 10th-best and the team's ERA of 3.72 was 4th-best among all teams. As for Houston, the Astros own MLB's best offense, ranking first in runs scored (5.53 per), team BA (.282) and OPS (.823), while finishing with the second-most HRs (238) of any team. Houston's pitching was more mediocre, as the team's staff ERA was 4.12 (ranks 11th).

The pitching matchup: It's a "big-time" showdown in Game 1, as Chris Sale (17-8 & 2.90 ERA) squares off against Justin Verlander (15-8 & 3.36 ERA). Sale was one of MLB's best pitchers for most of the season but struggled over his final eight starts, going 3-4 with a 4.30 ERA (team was 4-4). This marks Sale's first career postseason start, after 260 regular-season games. However, it comes vs. a team he's had great success against, going 5-1 with a 1.31 ERA in six career starts against Houston with 65 strikeouts against only five walks over 48 innings. "I'm 28 years old, so I've been waiting for this about 23 years," Sale told reporters. "This has been a long time coming. A lot of hard work went into this. It's a long season. We had a lot of guys put everything they had on the field the entire season. To have this opportunity right here, it's the best." Verlander's 15 wins don't tell the whole story, as the former MVP and Cy Young winner has gone 5-0 with a 1.06 ERA in five starts since joining the Astros. He allowed four runs (three earned) in 12 innings over two starts against Boston earlier this season, though he did not factor in either decision (Tigers were 1-1). Verlander owns a solid 2.77 ERA vs. Boston over 18 career starts (just 5-6), while the Tigers were only 8-10 in all starts.

The pick: "You can't get prepared for it," Verlander told reporters of starting in the postseason. "You have to experience it by being out there and feeling the adrenaline, and experiencing it for yourself." Verlander has had good success in the postseason, save his 0-3 record (7.20 ERA) in three World Series starts. However, he and Houston are two series wins away from a World Series appearance. Have to like Verlander's excellent performance since coming to Houston and his 2.77 ERA in 18 career starts vs. the Red Sox. As for Sale, he's dominated Houston teams in the past and while he struggled down the stretch in 2017, his 2.90 ERA was the second-best among all AL qualifiers plus he owned an 0.97 WHIP, had 308 Ks and opponents batted just .208 against him on the season. Make the Under a 10*

The set-up: The NY Yankees were 84-78 last season but did not make the postseason. As for Minnesota, it's been well-documented that the Twins lost a MLB-high 103 games in 2016, only to become in 2017, the first team to ever make the playoffs coming off a 100-loss season. The Yankees weren't even sure that Aaron Judge was ready to play every day in the big leagues this spring but he went on to hit 52 HRs, knock in 114 runs, bat .284, slug .627 and post a 1.049 OPS (should I leave out the 208 Ks?). The Twins were 52-56 on the morning of Aug. 5 and owned a negative run differential. However, Minnesota started hitting HRs. The Twins were 19th in the major leagues in runs scored at that pouint but they are since first in the major leagues in 'dingers' (87), while going 33-21. As for the Yanks, they led all of MLB with 241 HRs, ranked second in scoring (5.30 RPG) and sit third in OPS (.785). The Twins have lost 12 straight playoff games, the second-longest streak in postseason history, and ine of those losses have come against the Yankees (note: teams haven't met in the postseason since 2010).

The pitching matchup: Ervin Santana (16-8 & 3.28 ERA) will start for Minnesota and Luis Severino (14-6 2.98 ERA) for the Yankees. Santana's in his 13th MLB season and he won 16 games for the third time (career-best was 17 wins in 2010). He entered this season just 57-61 over the previous six years (since that 17-win season) and saw the Twins go 8-22 in his 2016 starts, minus-$1450 vs the moneyline (2nd-worst in MLB). However, he opened 5-0 with an 0.66 ERA through six starts in 2017. By the end of May he was 7-2 with 1.75 ERA. However, he's gone 9-6 since and his ERA has risen 1 1/2 runs, finishing at 3.28. His career numbers are not good against the Yanks, as he's 6-10 with a 5.66 ERA over 20 starts (teams are 7-13). Talk about a bounce back season? Let me introduce you to Luis Severino. He made 22 appearances in 2016, including 11 starts. He was 3-8 overall, with a 5.83 ERA. The Yanks were 2-9 in his starts, going minus-$714 vs. the moneyline. So all he's done in 2017 was make the All Star game while recording career bests in wins (14), WHIP (1.04), and strikeouts, finishing fourth-best among AL pitchers with 230 (allowed only 51 walks). Severino has made just one career start against the Twins (just recently, on Sep. 20), pitching only three innings, giving up three ERs on five hits but the Yanks won 11-3

The pick: This will be Santana’s ninth career postseason appearance and his third start in the AL Wild Card Game. He's clearly cooled off since a hot start but over his six September starts, he's posted a 3.31 ERA (1.90 ERA over his last four!). The Yanks have won 13 of the last 15 times that Severino has taken the mound but note, this is the 23-year-old's first postseason start. However, he's backed by a New York bullpen that's held opposing batters to a .205 BA, by far the lowest opponents' BA in the league. NYY relievers have 653 strikeouts in only 538 1/3 innings! Remember that the Twins have lost 12 consecutive postseason games, while the Yankees come into this game having lost five straight playoff contests. These team will be tight in this winner-take-all contest, making the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Philadelphia Phillies are hosting the New York Mets this weekend, as both teams are glad to see the 2017 season come to an end, as both can then look forward to the hope of better things to come in 2018. The visiting Mets lost 6-2 on Friday, snapping a modest three-game winning streak. At 69- 91, the Mets will now need to win one of their final two games to avoid falling shy of 70 victories for the first time since 2003. The Philly win puts them in a position to win four straight games for the first time in two months. Philadelphia is now 22-16 at Citizens Bank Park since the All-Star break, which has helped the 69-95 Phillies climb over the Tigers and Giants (both 63-97) and out of the MLB 'basement!'

The pitching matchup: Seth Lugo (7-5 & 4.72 ERA) will take the mound for the Mets, up against Henderson Alvarez (0-1 & 3.60 ERA) of the Phillies. Jacob deGrom was scheduled to make Saturday's start for New York but a case of gastroenteritis has ended his season. Instead, Seth Lugo moves up a day to get the ball. Lugo is coming off his best start of an otherwise difficult season, posting six scoreless innings and striking out seven to defeat Atlanta 3-2 this past Monday. It was the third time in his last four starts that he has allowed one or zero runs. Lugo gave up five runs in 5 1/3 innings at Philadelphia on Aug. 11 in a no-decision while striking out a career-high eight. He's made just two career starts vs. Philly with a 6.97 ERA but the team is 2-0. Alvarez has been plagued by injuries since leaving the Marlins after the 2015 season (note: he threw a no-hitter as a Marlin in 20013 and was an All Star in 2014). He did little with Oakland (mostly sidelined with injury issues) and signed a minor league deal with the Phiilies in August of 2017. He allowed four runs in five innings in his first start with the Phillies on Sep. 17 but was much better last Saturday, pitching five scoreless inning against Atlanta, finishing with two strikeouts and three walks. Alvarez is 5-2 with a 3.50 ERA in nine career starts against the Mets (teams are 6-3).

The pick: Lugo's shown his best over his last four, with one poor start but just a single ER allowed over 17 innings in the other three (0.53 ERA) plus Alvarez is a former All Star pitching with no pressure. What's more, Philadelphia's bullpen boasts a 2.45 ERA over the last 31 games. make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: Nationals manager Dusty Baker is liberally resting his stars in a bid to keep his team as healthy as possible as it awaits postseason play. That includes the recently returned Bryce Harper and naturally, people are interested."Nothing. Don't be alarmed. Nothing. Again ... nothing," Baker said in response to reporters asking if something was wrong with Harper, who missed 1 1/2 months with a knee injury before returning to action on Tuesday. The Nats have a huge series looming as they will face the defending champion Cubs in the NLDS. Washington won 5-4 last night in the first of this four-game series with Pittsburgh, a team which will miss its second straight postseason (currently 73-86), after three consecutive wild card appearances (all losses though!) from 2013-2015.

The pitching matchup: Gerrit Cole (12-11 & 4.23 ERA) starts for Pittsburgh and Stephen Strasburg (14-4 & 2.63 ERA) for Washington. Cole picked up his first win since August 26 last Saturday, although he allowed five runs on seven hits in the Pirates' 11-6 win over the Cards. Cole has allowed 14 runs in last three starts (16 2/3 innings for a 7.56 ERA) and looks to regain the form that saw him allow one run on three hits in a 6-1 rout of Washington on May 17. He's done well vs. the Nats in his short career, going 3-1 with a 2.56 ERA in five starts (Pirates are 4-1). Strasburg saw his four-start winning streak stalled as he settled for a no-decision in Saturday's game against the New York Mets. He allowed three runs in that contest after tossing five straight outings (35 innings) in which he did not surrender an earned run. The Nats did win Saturday's game 4-3 and Washington has now won Strasburg's last six starts, making them 21-6 (plus-$1050) in all of his 2017 starts, the seventh-best moneyline mark among starters. Strasburg picked up the win versus Pittsburgh on May 16 after permitting three runs in six innings. He's 4-2 with a 2.76 ERA over seven career starts vs. Pittsburgh (Nats are 5-2).

The pick:Who knows which players Baker may rest and as noted, Cole's had solid success against the Nats. Strasburg's been "lights out" recently and this marks his final 'tune-up' before the playoffs. Excellent spot to make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Yankees beat the Rays 6-1 last night (have won 12 of 18 meetings this year) and remained three games back of Boston in the AL East. With just four games remaining in the regular season, winning the American League East is unlikely but the 89-69 Yanks have clinched the No. 1 wild card spot and at 89-69 on the season, will (surely should) reach 90 wins for the first time since 2012. The Rays were eliminated from playoff contention on Tuesday and have dropped three in a row to assure they will finish under .500 for the fourth consecutive season (are currently 76-82).

The pitching matchup: Jacob Faria (5-4 & 3.33 ERA) will get the nod for Tampa Bay and Sonny Gray (10-11 & 3.31 ERA) for New York. Faria returns to make his first start since August 16, after missing a month with an abdominal strain (Alex Cobb was scratched due to workload issues). Faria is a rookie who made 13 starts before his injury and allowed two runs over five innings in two relief appearances since being activated. However, Faria comes in win-less in his last four starts, going 0-3 (team was 1-4) with a 5.06 ERA. Faria had a no-decision in his lone appearance against the Yankees, allowing three runs on three hits over four innings back on July 30 (Rays won 5-3). Gray has pitched far better than his 4-6 record indicates since being acquired by the Yankees. His Sep. 12 outing against Tampa Bay is a good example, as he gave up two runs over eight innings in a 2-1 loss. Gray is 3-3 with a 3.71 ERA in 10 career starts against Tampa Bay (teams are 4-6).

The pick; Gray owns a 3.12 ERA with the Yanks but recently, he's had some issues with "the long ball," allowing eight HRs in his last six starts. He'll take the mound on Thursday behind a team which has 11 wins in its last 12 home games and 19 wins in its past 26 overall since Aug. 16. The hot streak has assured them of being, at worst, the home team in next Tuesday's wild-card game against the Minnesota Twins. Meanwhile, the Rays are 1-8 at New York this season and clinched their 10th straight series loss at Yankee Stadium with Wednesday's loss. Faria hasn't seen much action since Aug. 30 and was struggling as a starter prior to going on the DL (see above). The play here is on the Over (10*s).

The set-up: Bryce Harper finally made his return last night, after missing six weeks due to a knee injury. He played five innings in his first contest since Aug. 12, as the Nats lost 4-1 to the Phillies. According to manager Dusty Baker, Harper was "like a little kid on opening Little League day." Baker plans to incorporate Harper into game action as if it were spring training in hopes he's ready to go full throttle for the NLDS. BTW, Washington is locked into the second seed in the playoffs and will host the NL Central champion, either the Chicago Cubs or the Milwaukee Brewers, in the division series. The Nats and Phillies play the rubber match of this three-game series tonight, as the 63-95 Philadelphia, with just four games left in its season, has now guaranteed that it will avoid becoming the franchise's first 100-loss club since 1961. "First of all, when I said that 98, 99 or 100 losses didn't matter, I lied," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said after his team's win Tuesday.We gain feel his pain.

The pitching matchup: Tanner Roark (13-10 & 4.41 ERA) goes for Washington and Mark Leiter Jr. (3-6 & 4.69 ERA) for Philly. Roark went 16-10 with a 2.83 ERA in 2016 but here in 2017, has seen his ERA rise more than 1 1/2 runs. However, he's still 13-10 (team is 16-13 in his 29 starts) and comes in having allowed three ERs or less in his last nine starts (team is 6-3). There is also the fact that he has dominated the Phillies since the start of the 2016 season, posting a 4-0 mark with a 1.87 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. Leiter allowed one earned run in six innings versus the Los Angeles Dodgers last Thursday, in getting a no-decision in LA's 5-4 win. However, that effort still leaves him with a 7.17 ERA in four Sep. starts (he's 1-2 and the team 1-3). Leiter's lone win this month came at the expense of Washington, as he overcame a pair of HRs and four runs total in a 5-4 victory on Sep. 9, the rookie's lone start vs. the Nats.

The pick: Roark's recent domination of the Phillies (see above for a reminder) plus the fact that Leiter has had confidence-boosting outings in his last two appearances (12 Ks and just two walks in 12 innings) gives me an 8* play on the Under.

The Dodgers beat the Padres 9-3 last night, giving them their 100th win of the season. There was a time when there was talk that LA had a chance at 116 wins in 2017 but that all ended when the team lost 16 of 17 games. However, the Dodgers have reached the 100-win mark for the first time in 43 years! Two more wins and they will match the Los Angeles-era record set in 1962 and matched in 1974 of 102 wins. Los Angeles also now holds a 4 1/2-game lead over Washington for the best record in the National League and with just five games remaining, the team's magic number is down to two. The San Diego Padres have allowed 17 runs in back-to-back losses and have lost four of their last six contests.

The pitching matchup: Dinelson Lamet (7-7 & 4.45 ERA) will be on the mound for San Diego and Alex Wood (15-3 & 2.71 ERA) for LA. Lamet has pitched reasonably well lately, allowing less than two runs in four of his last six outings but finds himself 0-3 and the team 0-6, in that span. Lamet struck out 10 and allowed one run on six hits in a loss on Sep. 1 in his lone career outing against the Dodgers (0-1 & 1.50 ERA). Wood was 10-0 with a 1.67 ERA prior to the All Star game but his performance has dropped since the break, going 5-3 with a 3.97 ERA. He is 1-1 with a 3.21 ERA in three appearances (two starts / LA is 1-1) against the Padres this season and 3-2 with a 2.57 ERA in 11 career games (seven starts / teams are 3-4).

The pick: The SD pitching staff has been battered for 17 runs on 22 hits the last two games and no reason to expect Lamet to 'stop the bleeding' (he allowed six hits, including three HRs, and six runs in 5 1/3 innings in his last start). Wood's been pretty 'mortal' since the break and the Over is a 10* play.

The set-up: Break up the A's! Oakland completed its second straight three-game sweep with Sunday's 8-1 home victory over the Texas, all but ending Rangers' wild-card hopes over the weekend. Oakland's three-game sweep pushed the Rangers 5 1/2 games behind Minnesota for the second American League wild card with seven contests remaining and now the A's will look to extend their winning streak to eight when they host the Seattle Mariners on Monday. The 72-83 A's will not be able to 'hurt' the Mariners in this three-game series, as 75-81 Seattle was eliminated from playoff contention with Sunday's 4-2 loss against Cleveland, the Mariners' their eighth loss in their last nine games.

The pitching matchup: Felix Hernandez (5-5 & 4.57 ERA) will start for Seattle and Daniel Gossett (4-9 & 5.38 ERA) for Oakland. Hernandez makes just his third start since coming off another stint on the DL in mid-September and for the first time since late July, will face a team other than the Rangers. He started against Texas back on July 31, then spent about six weeks on the DL and has made his last two starts against the Rangers, as well. Hernandez is 24-9 with a 2.62 ERA over 45 careers starts against the A's (team is 31-14). Gossett, a 24-year-old rookie, is coming off a no-decision at Detroit on Tuesday, despite allowing six runs on nine hits and three walks over just 4 2/3 innings. However, let's note that he had allowed three runs or less in each of his previous four starts, yet went only 1-3 in that span.

The pick: The A's are on a roll and playing without any pressure but the Mariners are also in that same position now (no pressure), after getting eliminated from the postseason. "King Felix's" 24 wins against the A's are his most victories versus any team. No reason to expect him not to be sharp here and this sets up as an Under (10* play).

The setup: The Astros lost at home to the sad-sack White Sox last night and it's looking more and more as if Cleveland will wind up with the AL's best overall record (Indians lead the Astros by 2 1/2 games). Houston begins a three-game home series with the LA Angels tonight, a team looking to snap a four-game losing streak. The Angels find themselves in a funk, having lost nine of their last 13, putting them 2 1/2 games behind Minnesota for the American League's second wild-card spot (along with the Texas Rangers).

The pitching matchup: Garrett Richards (0-2 & 2.00 ERA) will take the mound for LA in an effort to stop the bleeding but his opponent will be the red-hot Justin Verlander (13-8 & 3.50 ERA). The injury-plagued Richards has made just four starts in 2017 (he's 2-0 and the team 2-2) and 10 total over the past two seasons. He's currently attempting to regain his form after a biceps injury. Richards has lost back-to-back starts, pitching five innings in each outing. He is 5-4 with a 3.58 ERA in 13 career appearances (10 starts / team is 6-4) against the Astros, including a 1-0 loss opposite Verlander in which he gave up one run and four hits over five innings on Sep. 12. Verlander has been everything (and more) for Houston. He has struck out 26 and walked just three in 21 innings since joining Houston's rotation, going 3-0 with a 0.86 ERA in three outings since being acquired from Detroit. "I think my mechanics and everything have been pretty good," the 34-year-old Verlander told reporters. "My last few starts are really to try to go out there and maintain that feel and just attack and help get us a win." Verlander is a modest 7-8 with a 3.55 ERA in 18 career starts (teams are 8-10) vs the Angels, which includes 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA in two starts versus the Angels this year.

The pick: Houston's starting rotation has allowed just nine ERs on 26 hits and 13 walks with 42 strikeouts over the past 42 innings, good for a 1.93 ERA during that stretch. Clearly, Houston's starters are trending in the right direction at the most opportune time with the postseason upcoming and Verlander is leading the way. However, note that Richards has been quite effective in his four 2017 starts. Yes, he hasn't gone longer than five innings in any one of them but he's allowed just 13 hits in 18 innings with an 18-4 KW ratio, 0.89 WHIP and a .194 BAA. Like when these two pitchers met back on Sep 12 (a 1-0 final), the Under is a 10* play.

The set-up: The Mariners won the final three games of a four-game set in Texas against the Rangers from Sep. 12-14. However, Seattle has lost all five games since then, while Texas has followed a five-game skid, which began with those three straight home setbacks to Seattle, with three consecutive wins. While the Mariners now sit four games behind the Twins with 10 to play for the AL's final wild card spot, the Rangers have climbed to within 2 1/2 games of Minnesota with 11 contests remaining in their season.

The pitching matchup: Cole Hamels (10-4 & 3.96 ERA) starts for Texas and James Paxton (12-4 & 2.98 ERA) for Seattle. Hamels has posted only one victory over his last five starts (team is 2-3) but did pitch well enough to win this past Saturday, when he allowed two runs on four hits over 7 1/3 innings of a 2-0 road loss to the LA Angels. Hamels improved to 6-3 lifetime against Seattle on Sep, 11, when he gave up three runs and tied a season high with seven strikeouts in six innings (teams are 8-5 in his 13 career starts against the Mariners but he owns a 5.02 ERA!). Paxton returned from a pectoral strain this past Friday but worked only 1 1/3 innings in a 5-2 loss at Houston. He gave up three runs on four hits and two walks as he reached his limit of 50 pitches. It was his first defeat since June 27 against Philadelphia. He hasn't surrendered more than three ERs since June 16 at Texas, a span of 11 starts (Mariners are 8-3). However, Paxton lost that June 16 outing vs. the Rangers, falling to 2-3 with a 4.60 ERA in nine career starts against the Rangers (teams are 4-5) with that setback, although he allowed two hits over eight scoreless innings in a win versus the club back on April 15.

The pick: It's likely neither team will make the postseason but in this one, but Paxton has allowed no more than three ERs in 11 straight starts) and Hamels is Hamels. Make the Under an 8* play.

The set-up: The Arizona Diamondbacks are attempting to nail down the NL's No. 1 wild card but so far, it's been a "lost series" in San Diego with the D'backs losing the first two of this three-game series against the Padres. Arizona owns 4 1/2-game lead over Colorado for the first wild-card spot in the National League but tonight, looks to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Padres, who own a three-game winning streak but just a 68-83 record.

The pitching matchup: Robbie Ray (14-5, 2.74 ERA) has won five consecutive starts since returning from the disabled list and gets the ball for Arizona, going up against San Diego's Dinelson Lamet (7-7 & 4.15 ERA). Ray has posted a 1.39 ERA and struck out 55 batters in 32 1/3 innings since his return from nearly a four-week absence, which stemmed from being struck in the head by a line drive on July 28. He's had some season, with the D'backs going 17-8 in his starts, giving him MLB's 9th-best moneyline mark at plus-$866. Ray has dominated the Padres in 2017, going 3-0 with a 1.33 ERA, allowing just nine hits in 20 1/3 innings against the Padres this season while striking out 29!. Ray is 4-4 with a 3.35 ERA in eight overall career outings against San Diego. Lamet hasn't had much luck lately, going 0-3 over his last five starts (Padres are 0-5) despite allowing fewer than three runs in each of his last four outings. In fact, going back even further, he owns a 2.44 ERA and .185 BAA over his last 10 starts but is just 4-3 (team is 4-6).

The pick: At first blush the instinct is Under but Lamet was roughed up by the Diamondbacks in his third career start back on June 6, when he gave up nine runs (seven earned) in just three-plus innings while matched against Ray. The D'backs' bats have been too quiet these last two games (just two runs in each) but this team averages a healthy 4.88 RPG and I expect an outburst in this one. Make the Over an 8* play.

The set-up: The Colorado Rockies are trying to hold off the Milwaukee Brewers, who are two games behind, and St. Louis Cardinals (4 1/2 back) for the NL's second wild card. The Rockies will begin their final road trip of the campaign with a visit to the MLB-worst San Francisco Giants on Tuesday to start a two-game series, then head to San Diego for four games. Colorado finishes at home against first the Marlins and then the Dodgers. For Colorado, that wild card spot is there for the taking, as the Giants, Padres and Marlins all own losing records! As for the 58-93 Giants, they are staring down their first 100-loss season since 1985 and only the second in franchise history, with their next eight games against postseason hopeful Colorado (owns the 3rd-best moneyline in MLB), before taking on the Dodgers (owners of MLB's best record) and then the Diamondbacks (own the 2nd-best moneyline mark in MLB).

The pitching matchup: German Marquez (10-7 & 4.41 ERA) steps to the mound for Colorado and Johnny Cueto (7-8 & 4.58 ERA) does so for San Francisco. Marquez is fading down the stretch in his first full season in a major-league rotation. He has lasted just 7 2/3 innings over his last two outings, surrendering six ERs on 17 hits over that that span (7.04 ERA and just three Ks). Marquez was ripped for five runs on seven hits in four innings to suffer a 9-2 loss in his lone 2017 start against San Francisco back on June 26. He's 0-2 witha n  11.88 ERA in two career starts vs. SF. Cueto is 1-1 in three starts (Giants are 1-2) since returning from a forearm injury and lasted only 3 2/3 innings against the Dodgers last Tuesday while allowing four runs on six hits and four walks. He has yet to complete six innings since his return but earned a win in five innings at Colorado on Sep. 6, when he struck out seven and yielded one run. Cueto is 2-1 in three starts against the Rockies this season and went seven innings to earn a win at home over the division rivals back on April 14.

The pick: All the Giants can do here is play "spoilers" but note that Cueto has dominated the Rockies like no other team, running up a 9-3 record and 2.66 ERA in 15 career starts (teams are 11-4). However, the Giants often let their starters down, ranking 29th in runs scored (3.94 per) plus 30th in both OPS (.685) and in HRs (120). Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Arizona Diamondbacks won 3-2 last night at San Francisco in the first of a three-game series against the against the Giants. The Diamondbacks won without the services of a scorching J.D. Martinez (10 HRs over his last 11 games), who was a late scratch because of a stiff neck. Fellow outfielder A.J. Pollock picked up the slack with a two-run double in the seventh inning that rallied Arizona from behind (note: Martinez will be re-evaluated before Saturday's game). The loss was just another nail in the coffin in what's become a 'nightmare' season for the Giants. San Francisco has 'caught' the Phillies for MLB's worst record (SF is now 57-92) and the Giants have owned MLB's worst moneyline mark for quite some time now (minus-$3960, which is about $1000 worse than any other team!).

The pitching matchup: Two outstanding pitchers square off, although only one is having an excellent season. That would be Zach Greinke (16-6 & 2.99 ERA), who goes for Arizona. The Giants will send Madison Bumgarner (3-8 & 3.55 ERA). Greinke can gain a share of the major-league lead in victories, as he seeks his 17th win. That would tie Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers and the Brewers' Zach Davies for the lead. Greinke has been dominanat over his last four outings, posting a 2.03 ERA and 0.86 WHIP (he's 2-0 and the team 3-1). He has won eight of his past 10 decisions. More good news comes Arizona's way in that he's had all sorts of success vs. the Giants, going 10-2 with a 2.56 ERA in 16 career starts (teams are 13-3). Bumgarner has lost three straight starts and allowed 11 runs in as many innings over his last two starts, during an uncharacteristically poor stretch. Bumgarner is 0-2 with a 3.00 ERA in three starts against Arizona this season (Giants are 0-3) and 9-9 in 28 starts (team is 15-13) against the D'backs in his career.

The pick: Tough to get involved with the Giants these days but note that Bumgarner owns an excellent 2.61 ERA in 28 career starts vs. the D'backs (that's quite a sample size!). As for Greinke, I noted his terrific career numbers against the Giants above and will add here that he owns a 1.66 ERA in six career outings at AT&T Park. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Dodgers still boast the best record in the majors (94-52), despite losing 16 of 17 from Aug. 26-Sep. 11. That slump has allowed the 89-57 Nationals, who have already clinched the NL East, to close within five games of Los Angeles atop the National League standings. The Dodgers did lower their magic number to clinch the NL West to seven by capturing the final two contests of their three-game set in San Francisco, their first series victory in just under three weeks. These two NL 'heavyweights' open a three-game series tonight in the nation's capital.

The pitching matchup: Alex Wood (14-3 & 2.81 ERA) gets the nod for LA and Edwin Jackson (5-5 & 4.14 ERA) for Washington. Wood opened 11-0 after 16 starts (Dodgers were 13-3), while posting a 1.56 ERA. However, over his last eight starts, he's 3-3 (team is 5-3) but more worrisome is his 5.10 ERA in that span. Wood hasn't faced Washington since 2015 and is 3-3 with a 2.78 ERA over nine starts (teams are 5-4). Jackson joined the Nationals in mid-June and after some solid outings, has labored through two September starts, going 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA. The former Dodgers farmhand is 4-3 with a 4.15 ERA in 10 career games (eight starts / teams are 4-4) versus the Dodgers.

The pick: Wood is battling a sternum injury and that is more than likely the cause of his recent woes. As for Jackson, the Nats have to be concerned about him allowing nine ERs on 12 hits over just nine innings of his last two starts. Plenty of firepower in both lineups and the Over is an 8* play.

The set-up: The Mariners and Rangers meet Thursday in the final contest of this four-game series at Arlington. Seattle followed Tuesday's 10-3 win with an 8-1 victory on Wednesday, after Texas had won Monday's opener, 5-3. The Seattle win (Mariners are just 4-5 their last nine) keeps them just 3 1/2 games behind the Twins for the AL's second wild card spot, while Texas dropped four games back after getting outscored 18-4 in back-to-back losses the last two nights. Heading into tonight's series finale, Seattle leads the season series against Texas 10-5.

The pitching matchup: Felix Hernandez (5-4 & 4.28 ERA) returns from his second shoulder injury of the season and will take the mound for Seattle, while Andrew Cashner (9-9 & 3.19 ERA) gets the nod for Texas. Hernandez has missed the past six-plus weeks with his latest injury, with his most-recent appearance being a no-decision against the Rangers back on July 31. Hernandez hasn't pitched like a 'King' in 2017, as he's allowed 16 HRs in only 13 starts (his career worst is 23 for an entire season!). The veteran has pitched more than six innings on just three occasions and hasn't posted a single 10-strikeout performance, which is hard to believe considering he has 2,333 Ks in his career. Hernandez is 1-0 with a 3.55 ERA in two starts against the Rangers this year (team is 2-0) and 19-23 with a 3.93 ERA in 52 career starts (Mariners are 23-29). Cashner has pitched well over his last three starts, going 2-0 with a 1.71 ERA. He settled for a no-decision against the New York Yankees in his last outing, although he allowed just one run on four hits over seven innings (Texas lost 3-1). Cashner is 1-1 with a 2.60 ERA in three starts against Seattle this season (Texas is 1-2) and 1-3 with a 3.26 ERA in seven career appearances (six starts / teams are 2-4).

The pick: The Mariners are hoping Hernandez and James Paxton (slated to return from a pectoral injury on Friday) can provide a boost as they try to chase down Minnesota for the American League's second wild-card spot. Here, the Mariners need "the old King Felix" to show up. Let me also note that Cashner, despite his modest 9-9 record, is having the best season of his career. He has gone 6-2 with a 2.49 ERA over his last 11 starts (Texas is 7-4) to lower season ERA from 3.87 to 3.19, sixth-lowest among AL qualifiers. "He's been the most consistent guy out there," Texas manager Jeff Banister said. "He's missed a little time but has progressively gotten better throughout the year. He's been a stabilizer in that rotation. He's pitched like a front-end-of-the-rotation pitcher for us." Make the Under a 10* play.

The set up: Thanks to Justin Verlander, Houston won a good old fashioned pitcher's duel last night, 1-0 over the Angels. The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the AL West leaders and reduced their magic number to five. The loss hurt the Angels as they fell to two games back of Minnesota in the battle for the American League's final playoff berth. There has been a pitching change for tonight as the Astros will be going with Michael Fiers rather than Lance McCullers (arm fatigue). My play here still stands.

The pitching matchup: The move from McCullers to Fiers doesn't impact my play here because neither was going to match what we saw from Verlander (eight shutout innings of one-hit ball) last night. Fiers has allowed a total of 14 runs in his last two starts and the Over is 6-2 when he starts on the road. A 5.08 ERA on the road shows that it's not the offense that's responsible for those Overs as Fiers clearly hasn't pitched well either. Angels starter Tyler Skaggs isn't exactly in top form either coming into tonight as he's allowed a total of 19 runs in his previous four starts. One of them was against Houston and he allowed five runs in five innings.

The pick: Neither starting pitcher figures to perform well tonight and thus it's going to be a very different matchup compared to last night. Houston leads all of baseball (by a wide margin) in runs per game scored on the road at 6.1. Thus, it should come as no shock that the Over is 41-24-7 in all of their road game this season. The Angels aren't nearly the offensive juggernaut that Houston is, but they do have Mike Trout in their lineup and figure to score at least a few runs off Fiers. Make the Over an 8* play.

The set up: The Dodgers now own the dubious distinction of being the first team in MLB history to have both won and lost 15 of 16 games in the same season. Their losing streak has hit 11 games following last night's 8-6 setback at the hands of the Giants. Despite being huge favorites with Clayton Kershaw starting tonight, the NL West leaders are basically "unplayable" at this point as they have to show me some semblance of getting back on track. The Giants are having a disastrous season as they are 36 games back of Los Angeles and have been one of the worst teams in baseball for most of 2017.

The pitching matchup: Even the great Kershaw hasn't been immune to his team's recent futility. His last start saw him last only 3 2/3 innings and he allowed four runs as the Dodgers lost 9-1 to the Rockies as -305 favorites! But I fully anticipate him bouncing back here. The Dodgers lone win in the last 17 games came with Kershaw on the mound as he threw six innings of shutout ball. Kershaw is clearly still one of the best pitchers in baseball and on the road his record is 8-1 to go along with a 1.45 ERA and 0.893 WHIP. San Francisco goes with Johnny Cueto here and he at least should give the team a "fighting chance." Cueto has a solid 3.21 ERA in 16 career starts vs. Los Angeles.

The pick: Due to a three-plus hour rain delay, last night's game didn't end until after 2 am PT! That should give a huge edge to the pitchers in this one. Not that Kershaw needs it; he's beaten the Giants 20 times in his career and has 1.62 ERA while doing it. It also helps that the Giants have scored the second fewest runs in all of baseball. Cueto is off one of his best starts of the year though and as mentioned before, should keep his team in it. The Dodgers have scored one run or less in five of their last eight contests. The Under seems like a logical call here, so make it a 10* play.

The set-up: LA's 'free-fall' has been sudden and dramatic. Los Angeles was outscored 19-2 during a three-game home sweep at the hands of wild card-leading Arizona D'backs, trimming its lead in the NL West to 10 1/2 games. While the Diamondbacks have won 13 straight games, the Dodgers have lost six in a row and 11 of their last 12 contests. Colorado missed a chance to distance themselves from the pack in the NL wild-card race by going just 3-6 on its just-completed nine-game homestand. Colorado has fallen 7 1/2 games back of the red-hot D'backs for the No. 1 wild card spot and now is looking over its shoulder at the Cards (two back) and Brewers ( 21/2 games back). Can Colorado gain some separation on the road as it begins a crucial eight-game road trip on Thursday with the opener of a four-game series against the major league-best but suddenly struggling 92-47 LA Dodgers.

The pitching matchup: Jon Gray (6-4 & 4.26 ERA) steps to the mound for Colorado and Clayton Kershaw (16-2 & 1.95 ERA) for LA. Gray has been very solid by allowing three runs or less in each of his last eight starts but is just 3-3 in that span (Rockies are only 3-5). Gray is 2-3 with a 3.75 ERA in seven career starts (Rockies are 4-3) against Los Angeles, including a no-decision on April 8 in which he allowed one run over 5 1/3 frames despite yielding four hits and three walks. Kershaw makes just his second start since missing over one month with a lower back strain. He showed no ill effects from the injury in his return, as he allowed two hits and struck out seven over six scoreless innings of a 1-0 triumph at San Diego on Friday (LA's lone win in the team's last 12 games). Kershaw yielded four runs over six frames in a loss at Colorado on April 8 but won his next three starts against the Rockies in 2017, allowing a total of four runs over 20 innings, to improve to 21-6 (3.05 ERA) lifetime versus the Rockies in 36 starts (Dodgers are 27-9).

The pick: Kershaw has been un-hittable in 2017, as he'll take a 12-game winning streak into this contest (last loss was back on May 1, with the Dodgers going in 16-0 his starts over that span). Kershaw has allowed just 103 hits in 147 1/3 innings with a 175-24 KW ratio, an 0.86 WHIP and a BAA of .193! Meanwhile, Gray enters pitching well too, a job made easier by the LA bats suddenly going 'silent.' The Dodgers have lost five straight at home, while scoring just four runs (note; LA has averaged just 2.2 5 RPG in losing 11 of 12). Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: Cleveland's 14-game winning streak has helped them all but run away and hide in the AL Central at 83-56, leaving the 72-67 Tins and the 69-69 Royals battling for a wild card spot. The Twins currently hold down the No. 2 AL wild card spot, while the Royals are one of SIX teams lurking behind Minnesota, no more than three games behind (Royals are 2 1/2 back). The two division rivals open a pivotal four-game series on Thursday in Kansas City. The Royals return home off a 4-2 road trip, while the Twins come to KC after losing two of three at home to the Royals last weekend, before opening the new week by losing two of three at Tampa Bay.

The pitching matchup: Kyle Gibson (9-10 & 5.33 ERA) gets the nod for Minnesota and Sam Gaviglio (3-5 & 4.62 ERA) for KC. Gibson tossed six scoreless innings in a 17-0 rout of the Royals last Friday, his third consecutive win. He's allowed only three runs over 19 2/3 innings during his winning streak (1.37 ERA), dropping his ERA below 5.40 for the first time this season! He's pitched reasonably well against KC in his career, posting a 6-4 record and 3.53 ERA in 14 starts (1team is 10-4). Gaviglio was claimed off waivers from Seattle last week and will be thrust into a big spot in his Royals debut. He makes his first start in the majors since losing four straight starts with the Mariners from June 24-July 18 (allowed 17 ERs over 23 innings in that span for a 6.65 ERA). He will be seeking his first win since beating the Twins in Minnesota on June 14 (his only career start vs. the Twins), although note that Gaviglio surrendered three HRs in that win.

The pick: I'm not sure what KC may have seen in Gaviglio in claiming off waivers? I see a 6.65 ERA in his last four starts while with the Mariners. As for Gibson, he owns a 1.61 WHIP and .300 BAA to go along with his 5.33 ERA on the season for the Twins. Make the Over an 8* play.

The set-up: The Indians made it a 'lucky' 13th straight win last night, rolling over the AL-worst White Sox, 9-4. Cleveland can now match the franchise record of 14 consecutive victories (set by last season's team) when they take on Chicago in the third contest of this four-game series on Wednesday. Jose Ramirez hit two HRs in Tuesday's win (13 straight wins is the majors' longest in 2017), making him 19-for-38 with seven HRs over his last nine games. The White Sox have dropped six of their last eight and are a horrific 29 games below .500 at 54-83.

The pitching matchup: Carlos Carrasco (13-6 & 3.67 ERA) starts for Cleveland and Reynaldo Lopez (0-2 & 6.06 ERA) for Chicago. Carrasco is 3-1 over his last five outings (team is 4-1) and has allowed two runs or less in four of those starts. He is just one victory away from matching the career high he set in 2015 (14-12) and 17 strikeouts shy of his second campaign with 200. Carrasco has gone 2-0 with a 1.33 ERA in three starts (Indians are 3-0), improving his carrer record to 5-9 with a 4.82 ERA in 20 career appearances (19 starts / team is 8-11) against Chicago. Lopez makes his fourth start of the season for the White Sox. He seeks his first win since Sept. 29, 2016, against Arizona while with the Nationals. Lopez was acquired by the White Sox last December as part of a trade that sent outfielder Adam Eaton to Washington. He was called up from Triple-A on Aug. 11 and placed on the disabled list due to a strained back eight days later. Lopez was reinstated Friday and took the 3-1 loss that night against the Tampa Bay Rays, allowing three runs, five hits and a walk while striking out a season-high seven over six innings.

The pick: Cleveland has outscored opponents 93-25 during its winning streak, has won 17 of its past 19 games away from Progressive Field (9-0 on its current 11-game road trip that ends Thursday) and the Indians now lead the AL Central by 11 games over the Twins. Cleveland prices are now 'sky-high' but I'll look to the Under to be an 8* play.

The pitching matchup: Justin Verlander (10-8 & 3.82 ERA) makes his debut for the Houston Astros when he takes the mound against the Mariners on Tuesday in the middle contest of this three-game series. Ariel Miranda (8-6 & 4.85 ERA) will take the mound for Seattle. Verlander was recently acquired from Detroit after winning 183 games in 12-plus seasons with the club, topped by a 2011 campaign in which he won American League MVP and Cy Young honors. He was undecided about agreeing to the deal but eventually waived his no-trade clause with the Astros headed to the playoffs. It's been a so-so season for Verlander (see above) but he did pitch well in his last three starts for Detroit, going 2-0 with 1.71 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 21 innings during the span (Tigers were 2-1). He is 10-8 with a 3.15 ERA in 22 career outings (Tigers are 11-11) against Seattle. Miranda has earned just a single victory over his last 10 starts and has worked five innings or fewer in each of the past five. He is tied for most HRs allowed in the majors (35). Miranda has served up seven HRs while going 0-2 with a 5.70 ERA in four starts against Houston this season (Mariners are 2-2) and 1-2 with a 4.99 ERA in five career outings (team is 3-2).

The pick: Verlander comes in on a nice roll, having won five of his last six decisions and has given up two runs or fewer in six of his last seven outings. Verlander has posted a 2.13 ERA in two no-decisions against the Mariners this season (Detroit lost both games) and retired the first 16 batters he faced back on June 21, when he registered a season-best 11 strikeouts against the Mariners. Miranda is clearly not in Verlander's class but I still see this as a solid Under play. Make it 8*s.

The set-up: The Chicago Cubs returned from the All Star break to go 14-3, catching and passing the Brewers in the NL Central. Chicago did hit a small rough patch right after that but now, even with a Sunday 5-1 loss to the Braves, owns a run of 12 wins in their last 16 games. Chicago opens a four-game series Monday in Pittsburgh with an overall 32-16 since the break and a 3 1/2 game lead in the NL Central over Milwaukee. Pittsburgh made a little 'noise' for itself right after the All Star break by winning seven of eight (reaching 49-48) but since sitting at 58-58 after play on Aug. 11, has gone 7-14 to sit seven games under .500 at 65-72. Chicago's three-game sweep of Pittsburgh last week at Wrigley Field by a combined 27-5, effectively took the Pirates out of consideration for a shot at the postseason. The Pirates have fallen 10 1/2 games back in the NL Central and are 7 1/2 games back of the Rockies, who own the final wild card spot.

The pitching matchup: Jake Arrieta (14-8 & 3.36 ERA) has easily been Chicago's pitching star since the break and opens this series, opposed by Pittsburgh's Chad Kuhl (6-10 & 4.54 ERA). Arrieta is 6-1 with a 1.59 ERA since the break, with eight quality starts in nine outings. He takes the mound having won his last four decisions. Arrieta beat the Pirates 4-1 n his last outing (Sep 29), allowing two hits and two walks over six scoreless frames. That leaves him 11-5 with a 2.81 ERA in 20 career starts against the Pirates (teams are 14-6). In contrast to Arrieta, Kuhl has lost two straight starts and three of his last four, failing to get through six innings in any of those four outings. Kuhl lost to the Cubs last time out (opposite Arrieta) and is 0-4 with an 11.07 ERA in six career meetings (team is 2-4).

The pick: Kuhl and Arrieta opposed each other last Tuesday in Chicago, with each pitching five shutout innings before Chicago scored three in the six of a 4-1 Cubs win. Hard to ignore Arrieta's 1.59 ERA since the break but also note that Kuhl owns a 3.44 ERA over his past 12 starts. Make the Under an 8* play.

The set-up: The NYY Yankees lost 10-0 at home to the Red Sox on Friday but rebounded with a 5-1 Saturday win. The rubber match of this three-game series is set for Sunday night (on ESPN) and New York needs a win, not only to stay within striking distance of Boston in the AL East (a win and the Yanks will be 3 1/2 back but a loss drops them 5 1/2 back) but the Yankees also need to be very much aware that the Twins are just one game back in the battle for the top wild card spot plus New York is only a modest 2 1/2 games clear of the AL playoff 'cut line.' The Red Sox are heading back to Boston for a nine-game homestand beginning Monday and you know a 5 1/2 game lead would be much sweeter than a 3 1/2 ga.me lead.

The pitching matchup: Boston will send ace Chris Sale (15-6 & 2.77 ERA) to the mound in this series finale, as the Yankees counter with Luis Severino (11-6 & 3.14 ERA), who I believe most regard as New York's best starter in 2017. Sale ended a three-start win-less streak with a dominating effort at Toronto this past Tuesday, when he struck out 11 without walking a batter and scattered three hits over seven scoreless innings of a 3-0 Boston win. He may be the AL's Cy Young front-runner, as he leads the majors with 264 strikeouts and is 10 away from matching his career high, set with the Chicago White Sox in 2015. Sale owns a 1.69 career ERA against the Yankees but is a modest 4-3, plus his teams are only 5-6 in his 11 all-time starts against the Yanks. Severino is fourth in the AL with 192 strikeouts and struck out nine over 6 2/3 innings against Cleveland on Monday but could not come away with a win. He owns a 1.10 WHIP and .220 BAA in 2017 but the Yanks are a modest 15-11 in his starts, giving him a moneyline mark of minus-$5 (you read that correctly!). Severino is just 1-4 with a 4.98 ERA over six career starts vs. Boston (team is 2-4) and his worst start of the season came at home against Boston on Aug. 12, when he was ripped for 10 runs -- eight earned -- over 4 1/3 innings.

The pick: I expect Severino to bounce back here in this "big-time showdown" (he IS New York's best pitcher!) but also expect Sale to bring his "A game." Sale owns a 2.12 ERA with 44 strikeouts in 29 2/3 innings against New York this season but is just 0-2 in four outings (Red Sox are 1-3) due to poor run support. That's been 'the story' for Sale in his career vs. the Yanks. Shut them down (1.69 ERA in 11 all-time starts) but consistently get little or no support. Sound like "an under" to me. Make the Under

The set-up: The Angels will wrap up a 10-game homestand looking for a three-game sweep of the A's. LA was 2-5 after the Rangers and Astros visited Anaheim but can now
finish 5-5 with a win tonight, after 3-1 and 8-2 victories Monday and Tuesday (both wins coming without Mike Trout). Trout (stiff neck) hopes to be in the lineup on Wednesday, although he is mired in an 0-for-17 slump. The Angels remain one game behind the Twins for the second wild-card spot in the American League, while Oakland is just playing out the string, as its 58-74 record is better than only the Tigers and White Sox in the junior circuit.

The pitching matchup: Kendall Graveman (4-4 & 4.24 ERA) goes for Oakland and Parker Bridwell (7-2 & 2.89 ERA) for LA. Graveman was on the DL for two-plus months and his return on Aug. 2 was a disatser. He allowed seven ERs in juts two innings of an 11-2 loss at San Francisco. A no-decision followed but he's won two of his last three, allowing just five ERs over 20 innings (2.25 ERA). Graveman is 2-2 with a 3.19 ERA in nine career starts against the Angels (team is 5-4). Bridwell just continues to impress. He did suffer his first loss in nine starts this past Friday but allowed only two runs on six hits in seven innings against Houston in a 2-1 loss. He has yielded fewer than three ERs in four consecutive starts and in 10 of his last 12 while issuing more than one walk only once in his last eight outings. The Angels are 11-2 in Bridwell's 13 starts, giving him MLB's second-best moneyline mark (plus-$1232). He will be facing Oakland for the first time.

The pick: Graveman has pitched well his last three and Bridwell has been just terrific, since joining the rotation back on May 30. The Under is an 8* play.

The set-up: The Arizona D'backs host the LA Dodgers in a three-game series beginning tonight and although Arizona boasts the NL's third-best overall record at 73-58 (including an excellent 42-23 home mark), the Dodgers are so far ahead of them in the NL West (91-39, giving them a 19-game lead!), that this is not much of a "showdown series." However, while the Dodgers have pretty much 'lapped' all MLB teams in 2017, the D'backs could sure use a series win, as they are fighting to hold on to their playoff position. Arizona currently owns the NL's No. 1 wild card spot, two games clear of the Rockies. The D'backs should also be aware that the Brewers are three games back of the Rockies, meaning that the D'backs are five games inside the NL playoff 'cut line.' That's a nice lead with 31 games left to play but surely not one which is completely 'safe.'

The pitching matchup: Rich Hill (9-5 & 3.32 ERA) takes the mound for LA and Zack Godley (5-7 & 3.15 ERA) for Arizona. Hill entered his last start 5-0 over his previous eight (Dodgers were 7-1) and took a perfect game into the ninth inning at Pittsburgh this past Wednesday. An error ruined his perfect game in the 9th and then a walk-off HR ended the no-hitter in the 10th! Hill is just 1-4 with a 4.46 ERA against the D'backs in eight career starts (teams are 2-6) but he did toss seven innings of one-run ball against them on July 6 (he got a no-decision in a 5-4 LA win). Godley lost his third straight start by giving up three runs over five innings at the New York Mets on Wednesday (D'backs lost 4-2), an outing which followed a 10-strikeout performance in a 10-3 loss at Minnesota

The pick: Note that Godley has allowed three ERs or less in five of his last six starts, with the under going 4-0-1 in those five sold efforts. Also, he owns a pair of solid starts against the Dodgers this season, giving up one run in 5 2/3 innings on July 5 and tossing 6 2/3 innings of three-run ball on Aug. 8. As for Hill, his recent numbers speak loud and clear. He's made nine starts since July 1, allowing 14 ERs on 37 hits over 56 innings, giving him a 2.25 ERA plus a 72-11 KW ratio. Make the Under an 8* play.

The set-up: The Seattle Mariners open a three-game series on the road against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday. The Mariners are 66-65 and the Orioles 65-65 plus each team owns an identical minus-23 run differential. The duo is among a very crowded race that sees seven teams within three-games of the AL's final wild card spot (Seattle is 1 1/2 games back and Baltimore two back of the Twins, who currently own that No. 2 spot). Baltimore welcomes Seattle to town after completing a three-game sweep in Boston over the weekend, outscoring the AL East-leading Red Sox 25-4 in the process. Meanwhile, Seattle committed five errors in one inning during Sunday's 10-1 loss to the NY Yankees, while losing the rubber match of that three-game series. Baltimore owns a four-game winning streak overall but has fared poorly against Seattle in recent meeting, losing eight of the last 10.

The pitching matchup :Marco Gonzales (0-1 & 7.40 ERA) will get the nod for Seattle and Chris Tillman (1-7 & 7.75 ERA) for Baltimore. Gonzales was acquired from the Cardinals on July 21 and failed to make it through five innings for the fifth time in as many starts this past Tuesday at Atlanta. He took the 4-0 loss, allowing two runs on six hits and three walks while throwing 99 pitches over 4 2/3 innings. He's made five starts in 2017 (four with Seattle and one with St. Louis / teams are 2-3) in which opponents are batting .352 against him. Gonzales settled for a no-decision versus the Orioles on August 16, when he permitted four runs over 4 1/3 innings, although Seattle won 7-6. Tillman did not factor in the decision in his return to the rotation on August 20 versus the LA Angels. He allowed four runs and issued a career high-tying six walks across 5 1/3 innings in a game the Angels won 5-4. Tillman won 56 games for Baltimore the previous four seasons, winning 16 times in both 2013 and 2016. However, it's been a 'lost season' for the 2013 All Star, who owns a 1.99 WHIP and .342 opponents BA to go along with his 7.75 ERA.

The pick: Looking at these two starting pitchers, an "over" would be the knee-jerk response. However, note that Tillman is an impressive 7-1 with a 3.30 ERA in 11 career games (10 starts / team is 8-2) versus Seattle. Let's take a "leap of faith" and make the Under a 10* play.

The pitching matchup: Seth Lugo (5-3 & 4.85 ERA) will start tonight's second game for New York, opposed by Washington's Tanner Roark (10-8 & 4.64 ERA). Lugo will be making his first appearance since August 11 and will attempt trying to snap a run of three consecutive poor starts. He failed to complete six innings in any of those three outings (he's 0-1 and the Mets 1-2), allowing 13 ERs over just 16 innings (7.31 ERA). He last saw Washington back on July 4 and that did not go well, as Lugo gave up six runs on 10 hits over five innings in a loss. That leaves him 1-2 with a 4.82 ERA in three career starts vs. Washington. Roark comes in pitching fairly well, having allowed more than three ERs in just one of his last eight starts (he's 4-3 and Washington 4-4). Roark is making his second start of the season against the Mets and allowed three runs on seven hits and three walks in 6 2/3 innings against the division rivals without factoring in the decision back on April 21. He's 6-2 with a 2.35 ERA in 10 career starts vs. the Mets (team is 7-3).

The pick: There is no reason to expect Lugo to be able to handle the Washington lineup and while Roark has been solid, I still see the Over as being the way to go. Make it an 8* play.

The set-up: The Milwaukee Brewers are in LA for a three-game series with the Dodgers and were held to one hit in Friday’s 3-1 loss. However, they remained three games behind the first-place Chicago Cubs in the NL Central, as the Cubs lost 7-1 in Philadelphia to the ML-worst Phillies (47-70). Kenta Maeda tossed six strong innings and Yasiel Puig hit his 23rd homer Friday as the Dodgers improved to 56-11 since June 7 and 91-36, overall.

The pitching matchup: Milwaukee ace Zach Davies (14-7 & 4.09 ERA) squares off against LA's Ross Stripling (3-4 & 3.41 ERA), who will be making his first start of 2017, after 35 relief appearances. Davies recorded his sixth quality start in his past seven outings last Monday, allowing two runs over six innings in a 2-0 loss to San Francisco. He owns a 7-3 record and 2.65 ERA in his last 11 outings and his plus-$755 moneyline mark (16-10 in team starts) ranks 8th-best among all starters. Davies is 1-1 with a 3.63 ERA in three career starts against Los Angeles (team is ), including six scoreless innings in a 3-0 victory back on June 4. Stripling will move into the rotation to start in place of Alex Wood, who landed on the 10-day disabled list last Tuesday with a left shoulder injury. Stripling is making his first start for the Dodgers this season after going back and forth between the rotation and bullpen in 2016, finishing 5-9 with a 3.96 ERA in 22 games (14 starts). He owns a 6-5 record and 3.80 ERA in 28 career games (eight starts) at Dodger Stadium.

The pick: Davies has started 13 games at home and 13 on the road here in 2017. His home ERA is 5.97 and road WHIP is 1.63, which is in stark contrast to his 2.33 road ERA and 1.16 road WHIP! Stripling is expected to pitch three or four innings and throw about 40-50 pitches, with the Dodgers planning to have a "bullpen game." Josh Ravin, Edward Paredes and Tony Cingrani are all expected to back up Stripling. Let's not forget that the Dodgers own MLB's best bullpen ERA at 2.97 or that Milwaukee has scored a total of just seven runs over its last four contests. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Miami Marlins fell seven games below .500 (53-60) after dropping three of four at Washington from Aug. 7-10. However, a surprising sweep of Colorado jump-started a 10-3 run over their last three contests. Miami followed up its three-game sweep of the Rockies by taking seven of 10 from a trio of the NL's worst teams, the Giants, Mets and Phillies. Thursday's wild 9-8 victory over the Phillies (Miami hit three of its four HRs after falling behind 8-3 in the fourth inning) kept them 5 1/2 games behind the Rockies for the NL's second wild card spot). The Marlins now face another sub-.500 team in the 57-70 Padres, who took the rubber match of their three-game series with St. Louis on Thursday, allowing Miami to move within one-half game of one of the two teams (the Cardinals) it has to leapfrog in order to make a run at Colorado.

The pitching matchup: Friday's game features two left-handers, San Diego's Travis Wood (3-4 & 5.81 ERA) and Miami's Adam Conley (6-5 & 4.93 ERA). Wood turned in his best start in five tries as a Padre in a win over Washington on Saturday, allowing only an unearned run on three hits and two walks in seven innings. The 2013 All-Star has taken a liking to Petco Park this season (3-0, 1.96 ERA in four outings - including three starts) but is 0-4 with a 7.19 ERA away from San Diego. Wood is 1-3 with a 7.92 ERA in 10 career appearances (four starts / teams are 1-3) versus the Marlins. Conley struck out a career-high 11 on Sunday, allowing only a solo HR among the three hits he allowed over seven innings in a win against the Mets. He has worked at least six innings in five of his seven trips to the mound since his mid-July promotion, lasting at least seven innings three times. Conley settled for a no-decision at San Diego on April 21 despite permitting one run in six innings in his lone career start against the Marlins.

The pick: Wood's road woes are real (in his two most recent road games, he allowed 10 runs, nine earned, over 10 innings) and facing Giancarlo Stanton can't be something he's looking forward to. San Diego's 24-40 road record (allowing 5.56 RPG) is also something that has to give the suddenly surging Marlins some extra confidence. However, Trusting Conley at home, where he owns a 7.52 ERA and 1,58 WHIP, seems foolish. Make the Over a 10* play. ,

The set-up: The Minnesota Twins blew a 3-1 lead last night at Chicago and the White Sox won 4-3 with a walk-off single in the ninth inning. The 65-61 Twins still own a half-game lead for the American League's second wild card spot, as they go for a series win Thursday night (teams have split the first four). The White Sox are 49-76, owners of the AL's worst record (only the 46-79 Phillies are worse in all of MLB!).

The pitching matchup: Jose Berrios (11-5 & 3.99 ERA) heads to the mound for the Twins and Derek Holland (6-13 & 6.28 ERA) for the White Sox. Berrios went 7-1 with a 2.67 ERA to start the season but then slipped to 3-4 with a 6.20 ERA in nine starts, including back-to-back ugly efforts on Aug. 6 (Texas) and Aug. 12 (Detroit) in which he allowed 11 ERs over just 8 1/3 innings. However, he regained his form against the Diamondbacks on Aug. 19, with seven scoreless innings in a 5-0 win over Arizona. He defeated the White Sox with eight strong innings back on June 21 at home and is 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA through two career meetings with the division rivals. Holland was used in relief earlier in the series and was charged with three runs while retiring one batter, which left him with a 9.64 ERA against the Twins this year. He gave up seven runs and failed to complete three innings in each of his last two starts versus Minnesota (he's 2-6 with a 5.24 ERA against the Twins in 11 career starts / teams are 4-7). Holland owns just one quality start since the beginning of July, going 1-6 over nine starts (White Sox are 2-7).

The pick: Holland has hit rock bottom but the White Sox keep him in the rotation. Isn't he overdue? I'd say yes and I like Berrios' chances of easily keeping the White Sox in check. Make the Under an 8* play.

The set-up: The Minnesota Twins were caught from behind and passed by the defending AL Champs (Cleveland Indians) in the AL Central but they have righted the ship with a 13-4 run which has not enabled them to catch the Indians (Cleveland leads the division by 4 1/2 games) but has allowed them to keep their playoff hopes alive. The 65-60 Twins  currently own the No. 2 wild card spot, led by a power surge which has seen them hit 17 HRs in their last six games, while averaging more than two per contest during their 13-4 run. Minnesota hit three HRs in Tuesday's 4-1 victory in Chicago against the White Sox and the five-game series (teams played a doubleheader on Monday) continues tonight at Guaranteed Rate Field. The 48-76 White Sox own the AL's worst record and have been "playing out the string" for quire awhile now.

The pitching matchup: Ervin Santana (13-7 & 3.33 ERA) steps to the hill for the Twins and James Shields (2-4 & 5.72 ERA) for the White Sox. Santana has a chance to match his best win total since 2010 - when he won a career-high 17 - after defeating Arizona his last time out. The Twins are 15-10 (plus-$549) in Santana's 25 starts in 2017, in what has been quite a nice turnaround for the 34-year-old veteran. Santana pitched 15 scoreless innings over two starts versus Chicago in April but was roughed up for six runs and a season-high 10 hits in five innings in a rematch June 20, which left him 11-8 with a 3.68 ERA lifetime against the White Sox in 25 starts (teams are 14-11). Shields entered August with a 6.19 ERA but he's been a bit better this month, tossing back-to-back quality starts (three ERs allowed in both games) before yielding two runs in 5 1/3 innings at Texas on Friday. He held the Twins to one run through six innings in a solid outing earlier this year (Chicago won 3-1) and is 8-8 with a 4.20 ERA in 22 career starts versus Minnesota (teams are 11-11).

The pick: The Twins bats are hot and Shields does own a poor 6.14 ERA in seven home starts this year but I'm going with my "gut" in this one, expecting solid efforts from the two veteran pitchers. Make the Under a 10* play.

The-set-up: The Tampa Bay Rays opened August with three straight wins but until last night's 6-3 win over the Blue Jays, the Rays hadn't won back-to-back games (TB beat Sea 3-0 on Sunday) since that three-game run to open the month. Tampa Bay is 62-65 on the season and is currently four games back in the race for the American League’s second wild card spot but the bigger problem may be that the Rays are one of five teams vying for that spot, not to mention the Orioles, who are just a half-game behind Tampa Bay. The Blue Jays are two games back of the Rays (six back of the No. 2 wild card spot) but are fading out of the AL wild card race with four straight losses to start their road trip, as they continue this three-game series at Tropicana Field.

The pitching matchup: Marcus Stroman (11-6 & 2.99 ERA) has been pitching well and takes the mound tonight for Toronto, squaring off against Tampa Bay rookie Austin Pruitt (6-4 & 5.37 ERA). Stroman comes in off three straight quality starts and six in his last eight games overall (Jays are 5-3), after limiting Tampa Bay to two runs on six hits over 6 1/3 innings last Wednesday in a 3-2 Toronto victory. Stroman is 5-4 with a 4.04 ERA in 10 career starts against the Rays (team is 5-5). Pruitt registered a career-high seven innings last time out against Seattle, but allowed six runs on 11 hits and two walks in his second straight loss. The rookie had strung together three consecutive quality starts before his last game while permitting a modest four runs on 16 hits over 18 1/3 innings combined in that span (1.96 ERA). This will be his first career start vs. Toronto but he is 1-0 with a 4.26 ERA in three previous relief appearances against the Blue Jays

The pick: The Tampa Bay offense has come alive lately (15 runs in its last three games), while the Toronto lineup will face a rookie with a 1.50 WHIP and .302 BAA to go along with his 5.37 ERA. Make the Over an 8* play.

The set-up: The Brewers coughed up a 5 1/2 game lead over the Cubs at the All Star break in the NL Central. However, after losing six straight from Aug. 6-11, Milwaukee had won six of seven to climb back to within two games of the Cubs, as they began a three-game road series against the San Francisco Giants on Monday. The good news was that the Giants owned MLB's third-worst record plus MLB's worst moneyline mark but the kicker was that the Brewers had dropped 35 of their last 55 games in San Francisco, including nine of their last 10. "Lightning didn't strike," as the Giants shut out the Brewers 2-0 last night, as Milwaukee managed only four singles in the defeat (ruined a solid effort by Davies, who allowed two uneraned runs in six innings). The setback was Milwaukee's 10th in its last 11 meetings at AT&T Park, dropping them 2 1/2 games behind the first-place Chicago Cubs in the NL Central and 3 1/2 back of Arizona for the second wild-card spot. San Francisco improved to 3-2 on its seven-game homestand as rookie Chris Stratton and three relievers combined on the four-hit shutout.

The pitching matchup: Jimmy Nelson (9-6 & 3.74 ERA) will look to help Milwaukee get back on the winning track and will be opposed by the seemingly always underachieving Jeff Samardzija (8-12 & 4.79 ERA). However, Nelson is coming off back-to-back poor outings, surrendering 15 runs (12 earned) on 19 hits over 10 innings in his last two starts (10.80 ERA). It doesn't bode well for Milwaukee that Nelson's road ERA in 2017  (4.22) is just about a full run higher than it is at home (3.39). Nelson evened his career record against San Francisco at 2-2 on June 7, when he gave up three runs on seven hits in six innings of a 6-3 victory. Samardzija has won four of his last five starts but he still ranks in the bottom-25 of over 300 different starters in 2017 with the Giants going 11-14, minus-$524 in his 25 starts this season. Samardzija gave up only two runs (one earned) on six hits while recording 10 strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings at Milwaukee. back on June 5 but took the loss to fall to 3-6 lifetime against the Brewers (in starts and relief appearances)

The pick: Samardzija has beaten the Brewers just once in 11 career starts against them, going 1-5 with a 4.43 ERA (teams are 2-9). Nelson's season has imploded with his last two outings and I'm not about to predict a turnaround here. Make the Over an 8* play.

The set-up: The Seattle Mariners opened a four-city, 13-day, 12-game road trip this past weekend and took two of three from the Rays in Tampa. The 63-62 Mariners arrive in Atlanta for the first contest of a three-game series on Monday, 1 1/2 games out of the second AL wild-card spot. Designated hitter Nelson Cruz singled Sunday to extend his hitting streak to 12 games and is batting .422 during that stretch with seven HRs and 16 RBI. The Mariners have their work cut out for themselves, as in order to stay in the wild card chase, they will have to navigate a stretch that has them playing 21 away games in 28 contests. The good news is, that after opening 8-20 on the road, the Mariners arrive in Atlanta having gone 21-10 on the road since that awful start. Atlanta salvaged the finale of a three-game home series with Cincinnati on Sunday, winning 8-1 but sit 55-67 on the season with no playoff hopes, having lost 19 of their last 27 games.

The pitching matchup: Andrew Albers (1-0 & 1.80 ERA), who was just purchased from the Braves on Aug. 11 for cash considerations, will face his ex-teammates here for Seattle and match up against Mike Foltynewicz (10-8 & 4.75 ERA). Albers made the most of his first major-league appearance of the season while holding Baltimore to one run over five innings to earn his first big-league victory since his rookie season in 2013. Albers had made 17 appearances in the majors from 2013-2016 with Minnesota and Toronto (2-5 & 4.41 ERA), posted a 2.61 ERA in 26 games for Atlanta’s Triple-A affiliate while going 12-3! Foltynewicz has gotten pounded in his last two starts, allowing 14 runs on 16 hits with seven walks in six innings during losses at St. Louis and Colorado (7.88 ERA). However, those two outings followed a 12-start stretch during which he had posted a 3.58 ERA and went 7-1 (Atlanta won 10 of those starts). Foltynewicz enters this contest with the Braves 13-10 in his 2017 starts, giving him an impressive plus-$695 moneyline mark (10th-best). He is 5-2 with a 3.48 ERA and 47 strikeouts against 19 walks in nine home starts this season (Braves are 7-2).

The pick: Albers pitched well in Triple-A this year (see above) and was sharp in his first start for Seattle. He faces his ex-team here and the lefty faces an Atlanta team which has played just 20 games against a left-handed starter in 2017 (10-10). Foltynewicz is off two 'ugly' starts but both came on the road. He's been very good in SunTrust Park in 2017 (again, see above) and I'll make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: It's a special game between the Cards and Pirates on Sunday night, as the teams meet at Historic Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pa. as part of the Little League Classic. The Pirates will be the host team and yesterday afternoon snapped a six-game slide with a 6-4 victory, The Cardinals took the first two of this four-game series by scoring 11 runs each on Thursday and Friday but were held in check yesterday and with the loss, fell 2 1/2 games behind the first-place Chicago Cubs in the NL Central (are also a half-game back of the second-place Brewers).

The pitching matchup: Mike Leake (7-11 & 3.88 ERA) goes for St. Louis and Ivan Nova (10-10 & 3.77 ERA). Not much has gone right for Leake lately, as he's win-less in his last four outings, allowing 19 runs (18 earned) over 20 1/3 innings (7.97 ERA) after getting pounded for eight runs at Boston on Tuesday in a 10-4 loss. He enters this contest having completed more than five innings just twice in his last eight starts, in stark contrast to the pitcher who accomplishing that feat in 15 of his first 16 outings of 2017. Leake is 10-5 with a 3.33 ERA in 31 career starts against Pittsburgh but his teams are just 14-17. Nova lost for the fourth time during a five-game win-less streak (he's 0-4 and the team 1-4) this past Tuesday at Milwaukee (Brewers won 3-1). However, he pitched well, permitting two runs (just one earned) over six innings. He's faced the Cards just once in his career, throwing a 78-pitch complete game but still took the loss in the Cardinals' 2-1 win April 17 at Busch Stadium.

The pick: Leake's 3.33 career ERA in 31 starts) is pretty good plus Nova has been a mainstay of the Pittsburgh rotation in 2017. Make the Under an 8* play.

full analysis

The set-up: The Texas Rangers took a four-game winning streak, one in which they had scored 37 runs (9.25 per), into Friday night's second contest of a four-game series with the Chicago White Sox, owners of the American League's worst record. However, Texas was held to just three runs on six hits in the one-run loss. It was just the Rangers' second loss in their last nine games, as the club sits 1 1/2 games behind Minnesota and the LA Angels in the battle for the American League's second wild card. Chicago ended a five-game losing streak but the White Sox have been in a free-fall since July 4, going 9-32 to leave them with a 46-73 record (only the Phillies, at 43-77, are worse in all of MLB!).

The pitching matchup: Derek Holland (6-12, & 5.68 ERA) will take the mound for Chicago against his ex-teammates and the Rangers will counter with Martin Perez (7-10 & 5.08 ERA). Holland was 'lit up' by the Royals on Sunday, allowing seven runs on seven hits in a season-low two innings of a 14-6 KC victory. Holland was off to a decent start in the season's first two months (4-4 with a 2.37 ERA through the end of May) but he's 2-8 with a horrific 9.05 ERA in 14 appearances (13 starts / team is 2-11!) over the past 2 1/2 months. Perez comes into this contest having posted back-to-back victories after losing his previous four starts. He allowed three runs on nine hits over 14 innings in the two victories (1.93), which came off him getting rocked for 23 runs on 32 hits in 22 innings during his slump (9.41 ERA).

The pick: Holland has faced his ex-team just once (July 1 on this season), and allowed five ERs over 5 1/3 innings of a 10-4 loss. However, now that the first start against Texas is out of the way, he's approaching Saturday like it's a normal outing. I expect him to be much better this time around and Perez is not only off solid back-to-back starts but he's 2-1 with a 3.74 ERA in three career starts against the White Sox. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Boston Red Sox visited the Bronx for a three-game weekend series with the hated Yankees, beginning on Friday. Boston came to Yankees Stadium on an eight-game winning streak and with a 4 1/2 games lead in the AL East. However, the team's bullpen, which is having an outstanding season, imploded Friday night, allowing a five-run Yankee eighth-inning, as Boston's winning streak was snapped 5-4. The Red Sox recovered nicely though, winning 10-5 on Saturday afternoon and then last night on ESPN, Andrew Benintendi, who hit a pair of three-run HRs on Saturday, drove in the winning run in Sunday's 3-2 win. Boston has now won 10 of its last 11, while opening a 5 1/2-game lead over New York. Benintendi has played a big part in Boston’s surge, going 13-for-27 with four HRs and 11 RBI during a seven-game hitting streak. The Indians make a one-day visit to Fenway Park on Monday, for the makeup of a rained-out game back on August 2. Cleveland took the final three contests of its four-game set in Tampa Bay over the weekend to increase its lead in the AL Central to 4 1.2 games, as new acquisition Jay Bruce (from the Mets) made an immediate impact by going 5-for-12 with three RBI.

The pitching matchup: Trevor Bauer (10-8 & 4.79 ERA) will get the nod for Cleveland and Doug Fister (2-5 & 5.03 ERA) for Boston. Bauer is starting to find a groove in what up until now has been a mediocre season (I'm bing kind). He's 3-0 over his last four starts (team is 3-1), allowing just six ERs while registering 28 strikeouts over 27 innings for a 2.00 ERA. He settled for a no-decision against Colorado on Wednesday, even though he permitted just one run on seven hits across seven innings. Bauer has only faced Boston three times but it hasn't been pretty, going 0-2 with a 9.52 ERA (team is 1-2). Fister has posted wins in each of his last two starts, the first of which came against the Indians on July 31, when he allowed two runs on  five hits over 7 2/3 innings of a 6-2 win. He then limited the White Sox to three runs on eight hits with a season-high seven strikeouts to win last time out, 6-3. Fister, has seen plenty of Cleveland in his career, going 6-4 with a 3.07 ERA in 17 career starts versus the Indians (teams are 8-9).

The Red Sox began their current 10-1 run by scoring 18 times in beating Cleveland twice (July 31 and August 1), before getting rained out on August 2. Cleveland returns to Boston to make that game up here and will face a Boston lineup averaging 6.09 RPG in its recent surge. Yes, both starters (Bauer and Fister) come in pitching better than they have for most of the season but looking at their respective numbers on the season, I 'smell' an over. Bauer owns a 4.79 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and opponents have batted .271 against him. As for Fister, he's got a 5.03 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and opponents have hit .282 against him. Make the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: The Yankees ended Boston's eight-game winning streak with a five-run 8th inning leading to a comeback 5-4 Friday night victory. However, rookie Andrew Benintendi hit a pair of three-run HRs in Saturday's 10-5 Boston win, giving the Red Sox nine wins in their last 10 and regaining the 4 1/2 game lead in the AL East the team had when this series began Friday night. The rubber match of a three-game series goes Sunday night on ESPN, as Boston looks to increase its lead in the East to 5 1/2 games while New York, which leads the AL wild card race by 2 1/2 games, looks to avoid a fourth straight non-winning series (Yankees are 5-7 in that stretch).

The pitching matchup: Chris Sale (14-4 & 2.57 ERA) goes for Boston and the Yanks send rookie Jordan Montgomery (7-6 & 4.05 ERA) to the mound. Sale is coming off a dominating outing in which he struck out 13 while limiting the Tampa Bay Rays to two hits in eight scoreless innings of a 2-0 win this past Tuesday. The AL Cy Young favorite has not allowed an earned run in four of his five starts since the All-Star break and has not suffered a loss since July 6. Sale had no trouble with the New York lineup back on July 15, when he scattered three hits and struck out 13 over 7 2/3 scoreless innings (note: the Yanks won 4-1 in 16 innings). That follows a theme, as although Sale owns a 1.36 ERA in nine career starts vs. the Yanks, his teams are just 4-5! Montgomery made a brief trip to the minors this week but came back when CC Sabathia went on the disabled list and is trying to pick up where he left off after holding the Cleveland Indians to one run and three hits over five innings on Aug. 5. He was hit in the head with a line drive during batting practice on Saturday but went through tests and is expected to make the start. Montgomery was not at his best at Boston on July 14, when he allowed three runs on six hits and three walks in four innings (Boston won 5-4).

The pick: I realize Sale comes in on a roll but the Yankees have averaged 5.69 RPG at home. As for Boston, the Red Sox have averaged 6.40 RPG during a 9-1 stretch and I'll make the over a 10* play.

The set-up: The Orioles have fought their way back into the wild card discussion in recent weeks but squandered a late lead last night and fell 5-4 in Oakland. and dropped a 5-4 decision. Baltimore missed an opportunity to reach the .500 mark for the season on Friday and now (at 57-59), must win the remaining two of this four-games series with the A's to achieve that mark. The setback was the third in four contests for the Orioles, who are now two games back of the Minnesota Twins in the race for the second wild-card spot in the American League. Oakland staged an eighth-inning rally to halt its three-game slide, earning their first win on their current nine-game homestand (1-3 so far). The A's are going nowhere in 2017, as the team's 51-65 record is better than only the White Sox's 45-68 mark in the American League.

The pitching matchup: Dylan Bundy (11-8 & 4.15 ERA) starts for Baltimore and Sean Manaea (8-6 & 4.15 ERA) for Oakland. Bundy recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts over seven innings in Monday's 6-2 win in LA over the Angels. He's allowed just two ERs over his last two starts (15 innings for a 1.20 ERA) but that comes after allowing 19 runs in 20 1/3 innings (8.55 ERA) over his previous four outings. This is Bundy's first-ever start against Oakland. Manaea hasn't won in any of his last four starts (he's 0-1 with a 6.63 ERA and the A's are 1-3). Like Bundy, Manaea will be facing Baltimore for the first time in his brief career.

The pick: I played last night's Bal/Oak game under and despite some late bullpen woes, cashed that ticket by a half-run. Tonight's win will come easier. Make the Under an 8* play.

The set-up: The Baltimore Orioles opened the 2017 season 22-10 but by the All Star break, were just 42-46. Baltimore returned from the break and lost all three games at home to the Cubs (falling to 42-49) but have since gone 15-9 to climb back in the wild card race. Currently, the Orioles sit just 1 1/2 games out of the final AL wild card spot, although it's a log-jam with six teams within 1 1/2 games of each other vying for ONE spot! The Orioles will attempt to move closer to a wild-card spot tonight in Oakland for the second contest of their four-game series. Baltimore began the series on Thursday with a 7-2 win and the fact that the A's are 50-65 on the season (owners of the AL's second-worst record), has to give Baltimore confidence.

The pitching matchup: Ubaldo Jimenez (5-7 & 6.31 ERA) gets the start for the Orioles and Paul Blackburn (3-1 & 2.60 ERA) for the A's. Jimenez continues to disappoint for Baltimore, although he did end his four-start win-less streak on Sunday, when he limited Detroit to one run on nine hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings.Jimenez owns a 4-1 record and 4.66 ERA in seven career starts against Oakland. Blackburn is a rookie and he notched a victory over San Francisco on July 31 despite being roughed up (5 ERs in 6 1/3 innings) but then pitched much better on Saturday, scattering five hits over 6 2/3 innings of a 5-0 win over the Angels in Los Angeles. It was the rookie's second scoreless outing of the year and the third in which he did not allow an earned run (he's made seven starts in 2017). Blackburn will be facing Baltimore for the first time.

The pick: Jimenez may own a 6.31 ERA and 1.55 WHIP on the season but he has pitched well as of late, allowing a total of four runs in 18 2/3 innings over his last three outings (1.93 ERA). As for Blackburn, the rookie has shown promise pitching for a poor team. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The St. Louis Cardinals elected to 'stay pat' at the non-waiver trade deadline and all of a sudden, have surged into contention in the NL Central. The Cardinals go for a four-game sweep of their I-70 Series with the Royals Thursday night, while looking to make it six wins in a row, overall. The Cardinals outscored the Royals 21-6 in two wins at Kansas City to open the series, then won 8-5 last night back in St. Louis. The Cards are now 58-56 (in a virtual tie with the 59-57 Brewers) and have inched within 1 1/2 games of the first-place Cubs. Meanwhile, the Royals have dropped five of their last six to fall four games behind first-place Cleveland in the AL Central and one back of Seattle for the second wild-card spot

The pitching matchup: Jason Hammel (5-9 & 4.73 ERA) takes the mound for KC and Lance Lynn (10-6 & 3.12 ERA) for StL. Hammel has recorded quality starts in each of his last two outings and four of his last six but it's been a looong year for him, as the Royals are 7-15 in his 2017 starts (minus-$658). Hammel is 4-6 with a 5.69 ERA in 13 career starts against the Cardinals (teams are 5-8). Lynn enters on a roll, having gone 4-0 with a 1.21 ERA over his last six starts and has allowed more than one run only once during that stretch (Cards are 5-1). Lynn has made just three career starts against the Royals, without much success (6.38 ERA).

The pick: The Cards are looking for a season-high sixth straight win and come in swinging the bats very well, averaging 9.2 RPG in their five consecutive wins. No reason to expect Hammel to slow them down here and while Lynn is "on a roll," his 6.38 career ERA against the Royals make me say Over in this one (8* play).

The set-up: The Astros still own the AL's best record at 71-41, as well as owning MLB's best overall road record at 38-16. However, last night's 8-5 loss in Chicago to the White Sox leaves Houston just 11-12 since the All Star break. Chicago snapped a six-game slide with the win but it was just the team's fourth win in 23 games since the break, as the White Sox own the AL's worst record here in 2017 at 42-68. Chicago goes for back-to-back wins for the first time this month tonight, in the second of this three-game series. Meanwhile, the the Astros look to regain their mojo after losing seven of their past 10 games.

The pitching matchup: Collin McHugh (0-0 & 3.24 ERA) missed 3 1/2 months with an elbow impingement and takes the mound for just the fourth time in 2017 tonight for Houston. He will be opposed by Miguel Gonzalez (5-10 & 5.15 ERA) of the White Sox. McHugh surrendered one earned run for the second straight outing in last Thursday's game versus Tampa Bay but is still looking for his first decision of the season (he's 0-0 and the team 1-2). McHugh surrendered just five hits and struck out six in six innings against the Rays to walk away with a smile. "It feels good to throw a full 100 pitches, to get a full game in," he said. "It's been a long time for me. So, I think it's a step in the right direction for sure." McHugh is 0-3 with a 4.00 ERA in three career starts vs. the White Sox. Gonzalez saw his streak of three solid starts end (2.33 ERA in that span) with a thud on Thursday after allowing seven runs on seven hits in just 1 2/3 innings of a 9-5 loss at Boston. Gonzalez is 1-4 with a 3.95 ERA in six career starts vs. the Astros (teams are 2-4).

The pick: McHugh has looked good in his last two outings and should have little trouble vs. a White Sox lineup that ranks 24th in scoring in all of MLB at 4.30 RPG. As for Gonzalez, I expect him to bounce back from his last awful outing (remember he owned a 2.33 ERA in his previous three starts), against a Houston team "off its game." Make the Under an 8* play.

analysis coming

The set-up: This year’s I-70 Series comes with plenty on the line, as both the Royals and Cardinals enter the four-game home-and-home series Monday at Kansas City with hopes of making a playoff push.The 57-53 Royals are just 2 1/2 games behind first-place Cleveland in the AL Central plus currently own the AL's second wild card spot (two games back of the NYY and a half-game up on TB). The 55-56 Cardinals sit eight games out in the NL Wild card race but in the tight NL Central, trail the first-place Cubs by just 3 1/2 games, so the Cards are far from "out of it!"

The pitching matchup: Carlos Martinez (7-9 & 3.59 ERA) starts for St. Louis and Ian Kennedy (4-7 & 4.60 ERA) for Kansas City. Martinez surprised many winning 14 and 16 games the last two seasons, moving form the bullpen to the starting rotation. However, his 2017 season has begun to unravel lately, with just two quality starts over his last six outings, while posting a 5.82 ERA (he's 1-2 and StL 2-4). Kennedy has just four wins in 20 starts here in 2017 (team is 10-10) but is off a solid month of July, when the Royals won four of his five starts (3.68 ERA). However, his first start in August was a rough one, allowing four runs on eight hits over four-plus innings in a 7-2 loss at Baltimore last Tuesday.

The pick: Kennedy is 3-5 with a 7.20 ERA in eight starts against the Cardinals (teams are 3-5), but hasn't seen them since 2015. As for Martinez, has made one start and one relief appearance against the Royals in his career and has not allowed a run in eight combined innings. This series doesn't have the importance of the 1985 World Series, when the Royals rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Cardinals in seven games (Game 6 is the stuff of controversial legends!) but the stakes are high, with both teams flirting with the 2017 postseason. Both offenses are mediocre, with St. Louis averaging 4.47 RPG (21st) and KC averaging 4.37 RPG (22nd). Make the Under an 8* play.

The pitching matchup: Hyun-Jin Ryu (3-6 & 3.83 ERA) starts for Los Angeles and Steven Matz (2-4 & 5.50 ERA) takes the mound for the Mets. Ryu needed only 85 pitches to toss seven scoreless innings last time out against San Francisco, as the Dodgers wold go on to win 3-2 in 11 innings. That start was typical for Ryu as of late, as the lefty hasn't recorded a decision in his last four starts, despite recording a 2.38 ERA in that span. It's also worth noting that he owns a 2.16 ERA in four career starts vs. the Mets (he's 2-0 and the Dodgers 4-0!). In contrast, Matz has lost three straight decisions and is 0-2 with a 12.21 ERA in four starts since the All-Star break (Mets are 1-3).

The pick: I love the way Ryu has pitched lately and note that Matz is 2-0 with a 2.50 ERA in three regular-season outings against Los Angeles. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The 70-39 Houston Astros still own the AL's best record (9 1/2 games better than Boston) but yesterdays' 16-7 win over Toronto makes them a modest 10-10 since the All Star break. The team's offense has been of the boom-or-bust variety of late, and surely Friday qualifies as a boom! Houston rode a nine-run fourth inning (which featured three HRs) to a 16-run, 18-hit effort. The loss keeps the Blue Jays in last place in the American League East at 51-58 and reportedly the Jays may be reassessing their future.  Toronto by pushing their veteran players through revocable waivers, as playoff hopes are at a season-low.

The pitching matchup: Marco Estrada (4-7 & 5.19 ERA) is one veteran reportedly going through waivers for Toronto and will take the mound against Houston’s Charlie Morton (9-4 & 3.77 ERA). Estrada has allowed a total of three runs on seven hits in 12 innings over his last two outings but settled for two no-decisions (Toronto was 1-1). The fact is, Estrada  is win-less over his last 11 starts (last win came back on May 27), going 0-5 in that span, with the Jays going 3-8. He's 2-0 with a 2.61 ERA in five career starts against the Astros (team is 3-2). Morton is working on a "career season," going 4-1 in his last five starts (2.93 ERA).  He is enjoying the best strikeout rate of his career with 97 in 88 1/3 innings. Morton struck out just three in six innings at Toronto on July 7 but also surrendered only one run and earned the victory in his lone career starts vs. Toronto.

The pick: Morton's a career journeyman, going 55-75 in 177 appearances, with a 4.47 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and a .271 BAA. I'm not buying his "career numbers" so far! In 13 road starts here in 2017, Estrada owns a 5.37 ERA. Expect another high-scoring game. Make the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: The Angels come off a three-game sweep of the Phillies, giving them five wins in their last six to come within a game of .500 (54-55). The Angels welcome the Oakland A's to Angel Stadium, where they own a five-game winning streak. Los Angeles has closed to three games of the AL's final wild card spot (currently held by KC) and need to take advantage of the A's, who are just 48-61 overall, including 17-36 on the road (only the Phillies own a worse record away from home).

The pitching matchup: Jharel Cotton (5-8 & 5.49 ERA) goes for the A's and Troy Scribner (1-0 & 4.50 ERA) will be make his third major-league appearance and first career start in this one for the Angels. Cotton was roughed up by Minnesota on Sunday in his first start since spending nearly a month on the disabled list due to blisters. He was lucky to escape with a no-decision, after allowing five runs on five hits (including two HRs) and five walks in 3 2/3 innings. Cotton defeated the Angels in his major-league debut back on Sept. 7 but is 0-2 against them this year after surrendering 12 runs over 9 1/3 frames in two outings for an 11.57 ERA (ouch!). Scribner worked a scoreless inning against Philadelphia on Tuesday, which followed him allowing two runs over three innings at Toronto in his debut three days earlier.

The pick: Cotton has been awful at home in 2017 (7.56 ERA and 1.68 WHIP in eight starts) but in seven road starts, owns a 3.26 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. The Astros gave up on Scribner in 2015 but he has matured quickly in the Angels' organization, going 12-5 with a 3.41 ERA in Double-A and Triple-A last year, before going 10-3 with a 4.16 ERA in Triple A in 2017. The Angels called him up last week and he got the win in his first major league appearance, then pitched an inning of relief Tuesday. I'm optimistic for his first start. Make the Under an 8* play.

The set-up: The Cards head to Cincinnati for a three-game weekend series with the Reds, off a 2-1 setback at Milwaukee on Thursday. It marked St. Louis' fourth loss in seven games and drops the Cards 4 1/2 games behind first-place Chicago in the NL Central. The cellar-dwelling Reds dropped a 6-0 decision to Pittsburgh on Thursday for their 15th loss in 20 games, leaving them 44-64 on the season, better than only the Giants and the Phillies in the entire NL.

The pitching matchup: Mike Leake (7-9 & 3.29 ERA) takes the mound for St. Louis and Asher Wojciechowski (1-1 & 4.50 ERA) for Cincinnati. Leake had a strong start to the 2017 season (5-2 with a 1.92 ERA thru May 24) but owns a 2-7 mark since May 29 over 12 starts (Cards are 4-8) and is 0-4 with a 4.79 ERA in seven career starts against a Cincinnati (teams are 0-7!), a club with which he spent parts of six seasons. Wojciechowski has assumed a spot in the rotation in place of the struggling Tim Adleman, who has been moved to the bullpen. "Just wanted to get a different look," Reds manager Bryan Price told reporters of the 28-year-old Wojciechowski receiving Friday's start. "... The one thing that we really want to see is some evolution." Wojciechowski has allowed just one run on four hits and struck out 17 over six relief appearances since his return from Triple-A on July 2. Wojciechowski has one career start vs. the Cards (0-1 & 3.00 ERA / team is 1-0).

The pick: Leake's season has crumbled and the fact that he's made seven career starts against the Reds with his teams going 0-7, hardly gives one confidence he can get things turned around here. As for Wojciechowski, his career ERA over 17 major league appearances (seven starts) is 5.36. Make the Over an 8* play.

The set-up: The Tigers held off the Yankees 4-3 on Tuesday, giving them three wins in their last four, following a four-game skid. Detroit's Shane Greene, who made his major league debut with New York in 2014, received his first save opportunity against his former team at Yankee Stadium and earned it by getting the final five outs. The Yanks lost for only the third time in 12 games but did drop one-half game behind first-place Boston in the AL East, as Boston beat Cleveland Monday and Tuesday. Yankee "super rookie" Aaron Judge was 0-for-4 and is now 10-for-63 since the All-Star break, dropping his batting average below .300 (.299) for the first time since late April.

The pitching matchup: Two disappointing starters square off in today's rubber match of the three-game series, Detroit's Jordan Zimmermann (6-8 & 5.69 ERA) and New York's Masahiro Tanaka (8-9 & 5.09 ERA). Zimmermann is coming off a solid performance against the Houston Astros in his last outing, allowing three runs on six hits over seven innings (took a no-decision in a 6-5 Houston win). However, it did mark the sixth quality start in the last 10 outings for Zimmermann, who has had a wildly inconsistent season. He's 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA in three career starts vs. the Yankees. Like Zimmermann, Tanaka has been up and down all season but he was superb in his last outing against Tampa Bay, registering a career-high 14 strikeouts while yielding only a solo HR among two hits over eight innings in last Friday's 6-1 win. However, he was 0-2 in his previous three starts (Yanks were 0-3), allowing 12 ERs on 21 hits over 18 innings (6.00 ERA). Tanaka is 0-2 with a 5.61 ERA in three career starts vs. the Tigers.

The pick: When I say Tanaka's season has been up and down, I'm not exaggerating. He has been charged with five ERs seven times, while in seven other starts he has allowed two ERs or less. Tanaka is the only Yankees starting pitcher with a losing record and his 5.09 ERA is the highest on the team. The Yankees are eagerly anticipating the debuts of new starting pitchers Sonny Gray and Jaime Garcia. Gray will start Thursday in Cleveland and Garcia will oppose the Indians on Friday. Tanaka needs to get back in a groove. A good sign is that he has held opposing batters to a .226 batting average at Yankee Stadium. Zimmermann makes his 21st start of the season today and while his bloated 5.69 ERA and 1.74 WHIP tell one part of the story, he has allowed three ERs or less in almost half (nine) of his previous 20 starts. He's off a solid effort the last time out (see above) and does own a 1.80 ERA in three career outings vs. the Yanks. Make the Under an 8* play.

The set-up: The Minnesota Twins have been one of MLB's best road teams in 2017 but that hasn't been the case during the team's current eight-game West Coast road trek Minnesota fell to 1-5 on the trip and lost for the sixth time in its last seven overall, following Sunday's 6-5 loss in 12 innings to Oakland. "(Sunday's) game kind of mirrored some of the other ones on this trip," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "... What we've been doing too much of is letting these teams hang around."haven't been comforting at all. After squandering leads in every contest, the Twins aim to turn around their fortunes on Tuesday as they continue the road trip with the opener of a two-game interleague series at the San Diego Padres. The Twins currently reside 4 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot and take a 3-6 interleague mark into Petco Park to face the Padres, who saw their four-game winning streak halted on Sunday when they were routed 7-1 by Pittsburgh. San Diego (47-58) "can't even see" the Dodgers in the NL West and are also 12 1/2 of a wild card spot (Padres are 7-9 in IL play).

The pitching matchup: Jose Berrios (9-4 & 3.76 ERA) starts for Minnesota and Jhoulys Chacin (10-7 & 4.22 ERA) for San Diego. Berrios sustained his second loss in three outings on Tuesday, after allowing four runs in the fourth inning of a 6-2 setback at the Los Angeles Dodgers. Berrios looks to get back on track and maybe he will, as he has allowed two ERs or less in eight of his 14 starts this season (Twins are 9-5, plus-$466 in his 2017 starts). Chacin comes in 4-0 in his last five starts (Padres are 5-0), after yielding two runs on four hits for the second straight outing in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the New York Mets. Chacin has made just two career starts vs. the Twins, going 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA. However, he owns an impressive 6-2 mark with a 2.05 ERA in 11 starts at Petco Park (SD is 7-4).

The pick: At first blush this could look like an under but Berrios is beginning to show some 'wear and tear' (5.76 ERA over his last six starts) plus the Twins just dealt away their closer to the Nats. As for Chacin, he's pitching way over his head. He entered the 2017 season 46-57 in his eight-year career. Make the Over an 8* play.

The set-up: The 38-64 Philadelphia Phillies may own MLB's worst record but don't try to 'sell' that to the Atlanta Braves. The Phillies made it three wins in a row over the Braves in Sunday's 2-1 victory and Philadelphia has now defeated Atlanta eight times in 10 tries in 2017. The Phillies are playing their best baseball of the season, averaging 5.8 RPG in their last 11 contests. Meanwhile, the Braves have lost seven of eight, a stretch in which the team has averaged a meager 3.3 RPG. Atlanta concludes a three-city, 11-game road trip Monday, looking to avoid a four-game sweep but has stranded 29 runners through the first three games of the series. The Phillies are 10-3 in their last 13 home games with the Braves, going back to May of 2016!

The pitching matchup: Mike Foltynewicz (9-5 & 3.82 ERA), who has established himself as Atlanta’s ace in his third season with the Braves, will start for Atlanta up against Philly rookie Nick Pivetta (3-6 & 5.73 ERA). Foltynewicz has not lost since late-May, going 6-0 with a 3.33 ERA in 10 starts since June 2, while surrendering two runs or less seven times (Braves are 9-1 in those outings, after winning NINE in a row!). Foltynewicz is 3-1 with a 3.30 ERA in five career starts vs. the Philies (team is 3-2). Pivetta earned his first major-league victory against Atlanta in his fifth career start (June 5), giving up three runs on six hits over five innings in an 11-4 Philies victory. However, the rookie has pretty much struggled since, going 2-4 with a 6.00 ERA over his last nine outings (team is 3-6). It hasn't helped that he's allowed 11 HRs in 51 innings over that stretch.

The pick: No reason those Philly bats won't stay hot even against Foltynewicz, as remember, the Phils are the averaging almost six runs per over their last 11. As for the Braves, Pivetta should be just what the doctor ordered for the slumping Atlanta bats. After all, in three starts since the All-Star break, Pivetta has given up 17 ERs in 16 1/3 innings (9.37 ERA) with opposing batters hitting .281 against him in that stretch with an .871 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. Make the Over an 8* play.

The set: The Giants/Dodgers is one of MLB's greatest rivalries but the 2017 season is a year in which there is not much to it. The teams are 6-6 in 12 meetings so far but who cares? After all, the Dodgers own MLB's best record (73-31) and lead the last-place 40-65 Giants by 33 1/2 games in the NL West. The Dodgers are a ML-best 46-13 at home, while the Giants are just 18-36 on the road. The Giants average only 3.92 RPG (29th of 30 teams) while LA pitching owns a 3.11 ERA and 1.12 WHIP, with both figures leading all ML teams. The Dodgers take a seven-game winning streak into tonight's ESPN contest, allowing an average of only 3.14 runs during their current streak. Los Angeles is a phenomenal 38-6 since June 7! As for San Francisco, its season is lost. The Giants are 25 games below .500 and they've blown leads 28 times that directly led to a loss. They're 9-48 when scoring three runs or less. They're so far behind the Dodgers in the National League West that they're in danger of being lapped. Never in the historic rivalry have the Giants ever trailed the Dodgers by this many games.

The pitching matchup: Madison Bumgarner (1-4 & 3.38 ERA) will make the start tonight for the Giants, going up against the Dodgers' Hyun-Jin Ryu (3-6 & 4.17 ERA). Bumgarner has had his scheduled start moved from Monday to Sunday, as the Giants try to salvage the finale of the set for San Francisco. The Giants had lost each of Bumgarner's first six starts this year before he helped them roll past Pittsburgh in his previous outing 11-3 on Tuesday, allowing just one run in five innings. The four-time All-Star and former World Series MVP sat out from late-April to mid-July with a shoulder injury. He has 42 strikeouts against just eight walks in 2017 and he's posted a 2.89 ERA through his first four road outings. Bumgarner is 14-9 with a 2.72 ERA in 26 career starts against the Dodgers (Giants are 15-11). Ryu has failed to get through six innings in five straight starts but allowed exactly two runs in each of the last four to help the Dodgers go 3-1. He limited the Giants to a run in six innings at San Francisco earlier this year and is 4-5 with a 3.79 ERA in 10 career matchups (Dodgers are 5-5).

The pick: Bumgarner's been moved up in a an effort to help the Giants avoid a sweep against their long-time hated rival and I expect an excellent effort from him. As for Ryu, he's allowed exactly two runs in each of his last four outings, so the Under is a 10* play.

The set-up: The Minnesota Twins have the bad luck to be stuck in the AL Central, as division rivals KC (nine straight wins) and first-place Cleveland (eight straight wins), are currently MLB's hottest teams. The Twins are trying to keep pace and last night's 6-3 win in Oakland snapped a four-game slide but leaves Minnesota just 5-8 since the break and 50-51 overall, six games back of the Indians (Twinheare are four back of the Royals, who own the second wild card spot). The Twins will continue their three-game set against the host Oakland A's on Saturday, a team with teh AL's second-worst record (44-59). Only the 39-61 White Sox are worse.

The pitching matchup: Adalberto Mejia (4-4, 4.10 ERA) steps to the mound for KC, opposed by Chris Smith (0-1, 3.32 ERA) of Oakland. Mejia is win-less in his last three starts, despite allowing just one ER in each of the last two. He will look for his first win since July 3 tonight, making his first road start since June 28. This is Mejia's first start against Oakland. Smith remains in search of his first career win as a starter as he heads to the mound for the fourth start of his major league career (his first 63 career appearances came as a reliever). Smith has made two career relief appearances against Minnesota, allowing two hits with two walks and a pair of strikeouts in three scoreless innings.

The pick: Mejia comes in pitching well and while he's struggled at home (4.91 ERA in 10 starts), he owns a 2.31 ERA in his five road starts this season. In Smith's lone home start this year, he allowed just two runs (one earned) against the Rays in seven innings. Make the Under an 8* play

The set-up: After taking two of the first three games of this Cubs/White Sox annual Crosstown Classic, the defending champs are now 10-2 since the All Star break and sit 53-47 on the season, a half-game better than the Brewers in the NL Central. With next week's trade deadline rapidly approaching, the Cubs' South Side neighbors are heading in the opposite direction. Wednesday's 8-3 loss means the White Sox have lost 14 in their last 16 games, giving them the AL's worst record at 39-59. The White Sox are in "full-blown" rebuilding mode!

The pitching matchup: Jon Lester (7-6 & 3.95 ERA) will start for the Cubs, while the White Sox counter with Mike Pelfrey (3-7 & 4.46 ERA). Lester hopes to continue the strong effort the Cubs have gotten from their starters since the All-Star break, as Cubs starters are 9-0 with eight quality starts and have posted a 2.50 ERA. Lester had that nightmare start right before the break (recorded just two outs and allowed 10 runs, although only four were earned, against the Pirates) but has returned from the break to post back-to-back wins (1.80 ERA). Lester is 6-6 with a 4.43 ERA in 14 starts vs. the White Sox in his career (teams are 8-6). I guess one could point to Pelfrey's 2-0 career mark vs. the Cubs with a 1.66 ERA in three outings (teams are 3-0) but that's really a small sample size. Pelfrey last won back on June 17 vs. Toronto, with the team going 1-4 in his five starts since. On the season, the White Sox are 6-10 in his starts.

The pick: The Cubs bats have come alive, as they have averaged 6.0 RPG since the break but while it is a small sample size, Pelfrey has pitched very well against the Cubs. As for Lester, he had a great second-half in 2016 and has begun 2017 the same way (1.80 ERA in B2B wins since the break). Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: Kershaw may be sidelined for four-to-six weeks but the Dodgers won Sunday's game (the one in which he left) and have added back-to-back wins Monday (6-4) and Tuesday (6-2) over the Twins. As LA goes for a three-game sweep in tonight's finale, the Dodgers will take the field having won 35 of their last 41 to extend their NL West lead to 12 1/2 games and their leed over the Astros in the race for MLB's best overall record to 2 1/2 games. The Dodgers also own a major-league best 43-13 home record. Minnesota lost for the third straight time last night and Tuesday's defeat dropped them below .500 for the first time since April 24 at 49-50. The Twins, who have lost four of five overall, trail Cleveland by 4 1/2 games in the AL Central and are also three games back in the a wild card chase that includes eight teams separated by no more than five games.

The pitching matchup: Ervin Santana (11-7 & 3.26 ERA) takes the mound for the Twins and Brock Stewart (0-0 & 0.00 ERA) will make his first start of the season for the Dodgers, after throwing a combined 13 scoreless innings over six relief appearances since June 20. Santana ended May with a 7-2 record and 1.75 ERA but has since given up at least five runs five times, while allowing two or fewer runs in his other four outings. He is coming off yet another poor outing Friday against Detroit, surrendering five runs on seven hits (including two HRs), while throwing 95 pitches over only 3 1/3 innings. Santana got the win with six innings of two-run ball the last time he faced Dodgers in 2014, improving to 6-4 with a 2.38 ERA in 13 starts against them (teams are 8-5). Stewart, who battled an illness over the weekend, will make his first start of the season Wednesday. He has permitted only five hits and three walks in 13 innings in his six relief appearances in 2017.

The pick: Minnesota pitchers have allowed 32 runs during their 1-4 stretch and counting on Santana to get that straightened out is "asking for trouble." Yes, Stewart has excellent numbers over his six relief stints since June (opposing hitters are batting only .122 against him) but he struggled mightily in his first five career starts in 2016, going 2-2 with a 6.38 ERA. Make the Over an 8* play.

The set-up: The Milwaukee Brewers lost 6-3 on Sunday at Philadelphia, giving them seven losses in their last eight games. That left them in a tie with the surging Cubs in the NL Central. However, Milwaukee not only got a much-needed off day on Monday but while the Brewers were traveling to Washington, the White Sox broke a nine-game slide by beating the Cubs 3-1 Monday afternoon at Wrigley. Now, as the Brewers get set to open a three-games series in Washington against the NL East-leading Nationals, they are clinging to a half-game lead in their own division. Washington also had Monday off and the Nats, 7-2 since the All-Star break, own a commanding 12 1/2 game lead over the Braves at 59-38 in the NL East.

The pitching matchup: Zach Davies (11-4 & 4.76 ERA) gets the call for Milwaukee and Edwin Jackson (1-0 & 4.50 ERA) for Washington. Davies received a no-decision after allowing one run (unearned) and eight hits in seven innings of Milwaukee's 3-2 loss at Pittsburgh on Wednesday. Davies has been Milwaukee's ace in 2017 and all season-long, has pitched way better on the road. He has a 3.18 ERA in 10 road starts this season (he's 5-0 and the Brewers 7-3), compared to a 6.45 home ERA (and a 1.70 WHIP) in 10 starts at Miller Park where's he's 6-4. Davies is 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA in two starts versus Washington (Brewers are 2-0), winning at Nationals Park last season. Jackson took a big step toward securing the No. 5 spot in the rotation after yielding two runs (both on solo HRs) and just three hits in seven innings of Washington's 4-3 road victory over the LA Angels on July 18. "It felt good coming over here with a fresh start," said Jackson, who was 10-11 with the Nationals back in 2012. Jackson began his career way back in 2003 (with the Dodgers) and is 6-7 with a 3.98 ERA in 17 starts versus Milwaukee (teams are 8-9)..

The pick: Jackson signed a minor league deal with the Orioles prior to the 2017 season and was called up to the Orioles on June 7, 2017. He made just three relief appearances (7.20 ERA) and was designated for assignment on June 11. He elected free agency on June 13 and on June 16, Jackson signed to a minor league deal by the Nationals. He made his first start since September of 2016 while with the Padres last week. For one, I'm not optimistic that what we saw in that one is what we'll see the rest of the season. Yes, Davies has been a strong road pitcher in 2017 but the Washington lineup features three of NL's top batting averages. Murphy ranks second at .341, Harper third at .336 and Zimmerman eighth at .318. That trio has also accounted for 61 HRs. The Nats are MLB's second-highest scoring team averaging 5.57 RPG. Make the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: It's a week until the non-waiver trade deadline (looming July 31) and Mets like Jay Bruce, Lucas Duda, Curtis Granderson and Addison Reed have all been mentioned as possible trade bait. The Mets saw their four-game winning streak come to an end with Sunday’s 3-2 loss to Oakland and New York has now fallen 10 games back in the NL wild-card race, not to mention 13 1/2 games back in the NL East, New York opens a 10-game road trip Monday against the rebuilding San Diego Padres, who took three of four from San Francisco over the weekend. The Padres are three games back of the Mets in the wild card race and at 43-55 overall, are a whopping 24 1/2 games back of the Dodgers in the NL West.

The pitching matchup: Jacob deGrom (11-3 & 3.37 ERA) will start for New York and Clayton Richard (5-10 & 5.35 ERA) for San Diego. DeGrom comes in having won a career-high seven consecutive starts, posting a 1.51 ERA with a 50-10 KW ratio over that stretch. DeGrom is 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA over 20 innings in three career starts against the Padres (Mets are 2-1). Richard will need a bounce back performance here, after surrendering a career-high 11 runs (10 earned) on 14 hits over just 3 2/3 innings in an 18-4 loss at Colorado last Wednesday. “I have to take responsibility,” Richard told reporters. “Unfortunately, it just seemed like mishit balls found the right spots. It was a Coors Field day.” Methinks Richard is passing the buck some to bad luck! Richard is 2-3 with a 4.17 ERA in seven career starts versus the Mets (teams are 3-4)..

The pick: DeGrom is pitching as well as anyone not named Kershaw and no reason to expect the San Diego bats to solve him in this one. As for Richard, I'll buy into the fact that the vet will rebound from that last start and let's not forget that more than a handful of Mets are playing this week expecting a call from the front office. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Washington Nationals are 6-2 heading into the final game of their nine-game road trip. This game marks the rubber match of a three-game series with the D'backs, as the teams have exchanging one run victories. Arizona won 6-5 on Friday and Washington won 4-3 on Saturday. The Nats' 32 road wins is second-best in MLB to the Astros' 35 and are a big reason that the Nats own an 11-game lead in the NL East (only bigger division lead is also held by Houston, which owns a 17-game lead in the AL West). Arizona is 56-41 on the season, in a virtual tie with Colorado for second place in the NL West. However, both teams are a whopping 10 1/2 games back of the Dodgers. Instead of looking up, both the D'backs and Rockies are looking over their shoulders, as there is a 5 1/2 game gap between the two teams and the defending champion Cubs in the wild card race.

The pick: Stephen Strasburg (10-3 & 3.31 ERA) and Robbie Ray (9-4 & 2.97 ERA) square off on Sunday in a matchup of All Star pitchers. Strasburg had an awful start prior to the All-Star break, lasting only three innings and failing to strike out a batter while while allowing six runs (three earned) in a loss to Atlanta. However, he rebounded with a special effort in last Monday's 6-1 win at Cincinnati. He struck out 11 while allowing one run on four hits in seven innings. The win gives Strasburg a 7-1 record in nine road starts with a 2.45 ERA and 1.06 WHIP (Nats are 7-2). Ray continued his surprising season in his first start after the All-Star break, tossing six innings of two-run ball at Cincinnati to establish a career high with his ninth victory. The D'backs are 12-6 in Ray's starts in 2017 (plus-$497). A worry may be Ray's 0-3 record with a 6.48 ERA in three career starts against the Nats.

The pick: The Nats and Strasburg have been terrific on the road all season and note that six of Strasburg's nine road starts have stayed under the total. Ray has pitched better away from home for most of 2017 but does enter this contest 3-1 with a 2.45 ERA in his last four home starts. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: St. Louis opened a 10-game road trip by losing two of three at Pittsburgh over the weekend. The Cards fell to 18-23 on the road in 2017 and to 44-47 on the season, leaving them 6 1/2 back of the Brewers in the NL Central. The Mets began the second half by winning 14-2 and 9-3 over the visiting Rockies but were then routed 13-4 in Sunday’s series finale. The Mets welcome the Cards to Citi Field for a four-game series beginning tonight at 41-48, leaving them 13 games back of the Nats in the NL East.

The pitching matchup: Adam Wainwright (10-5 & 5.20 ERA) will get the start for the Cards and Zack Wheeler (3-6 & 4.86 ERA) for the Mets. Wainwright bested Wheeler and the Mets 4-1 right before the break in St. Louis on July 8, allowing one run and recording seven strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings. That gives him three straight wins, recording at least seven strikeouts in each outing. Wainwright is 4-5 with a 4.66 ERA in 12 career appearances (10 starts  / Cards are 5-5) against New York. Wheeler's last win came all the way back on May 20. He is win-less in his last seven starts since (he's 0-4 and the team 2-5) and had a stretch of three straight starts in which he didn’t make it past the fourth inning before he had a strong outing on July 8 at St. Louis, allowing two runs over six innings (that marked his first career appearance against the Cards).

The pick: Wainwright has pitched well since mid-May, although he has thrown in a few clunkers. Still, he has allowed two ERs or less in eight of his 11 starts since May 14 and that's not bad. Wheeler pitched as well as Wainwright when these two met on July 8 right before the break (4-1 St. Louis win) and I expect another low-scoring game in this one. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Rangers followed Friday's 5-3 win in Kansas City with a 1-0 shutout win on Saturday, giving them five wins in their last six game and getting themselves back to .500 at 45-45. Almost all AL teams are alive in the wild card chase at this stage and Texas has clearly climbed back into contention as the Rangers are currently just two back of the final wild card spot. In contrast, the Royals are heading in the opposite direction. After going 6-1 from June 30 through July 5, KC has now lost five straight to fall to 44-45 (note: team is still just 2 1/2 out of that final wild card spot!).

The pitching matchup:. Yu Darvish (6-8, 3.49 ERA) takes the mound for Texas and Ian Kennedy (3-6 & 4.45 ERA) for Kansas City. Darvish has dropped four straight decisions, although twice in that span he allowed just two ERs, including last Sunday in a 3-0 defeat against the LA Angels. Darvish is 2-1 (2.25 ERA) in four career starts vs. KC (Texas is 3-1). Kennedy gets his first start since the break coming off going unbeaten in his last six starts with a 3.22 ERA. He's gone at least six innings in five of those outings. posting a 3-0 record (KC is 5-1).

The pick: Texas goes for the sweep here but Kennedy has a nice run going (see above). As for Darvish, he is a way better pitcher than his current record and I expect that he'll continue the fine pitching the Texas staff has shown lately, when the Rangers have allowed a total of just 10 runs in winning five of six. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: Mike Trout is back in the Los Angeles Angels' lineup but his much-ballyhooed return didn't result in a victory. Trout returned to the field after missing 39 contests with a torn ligament in his left thumb but went 1-for-5 in Friday's 10-inning, 2-1 loss to the visiting Rays. The loss was the Angels' eighth in 11 games, as LA fell three game back of the AL's final wild card spot in a very crowded field. As for Tampa Bay, its win coupled with New York's loss, give the Rays a one-game lead over the Yankees for the AL's No. 1 wild card spot.

The pitching matchup: Alex Cobb (7-6 & 3.75 ERA) takes the mound for the Rays and JC Ramirez (8-7 & 4.46 ERA) for the Angels. Cobb has delivered scoreless two-hit efforts in two of his last three starts, an eight-inning no-decision against Pittsburgh on June 27 and a 7 2/3-inning 1-0 victory over Boston on July 8. He is 3-1 with a 2.38 ERA over his last six starts (Rays are 4-2) and has given up fewer than three ERs in five of the six. Cobb is 1-2 with a 6.51 ERA in five career starts against the Angels (Rays are 2-3), including a 4-0 loss on May 23 in which he gave up four runs on seven hits over 7 1/3 innings. Ramirez came into the 2017 having never started a major-league game but he is the team's leader in victories (eight) after making 17 starts prior to the All-Star break (Angels are 10-7). He beat Texas 3-0 in his last start before the break, allowing just two hits in six scoreless innings. Ramirez defeated Tampa Bay on May 22, when he allowed two runs and six hits over 6 2/3 innings (2.70 ERA).

The pick: Cobb has been mentioned as someone the Rays could trade before the non-waiver trading deadline July 31 but Cobb's recent efforts have put the Rays in serious wild card contention and Tampa Bay would surely need both Archer and Cobb in the rotation if the team wants to compete for a playoff spot. This Cobb/Ramirez matchup has the markings of a pitchers duel. Make the Under an 8* play.

The set-up: The Brewers went just 73-89 in 2016, finishing 30 1/2 games behind the Cubs in the NL Central. However, Milwaukee has been one of 2017's biggest surprises in the first half of the season, coming out of the All Star break with a 5 1/2 game lead over the Cubs and finding themselves atop the division. The All-Star break did nothing to slow down the Brewers' mojo, as they maintained their lead over the Cubs (Chicago won 9-8 on Friday) by winning 9-6 at home last night over MLB-worst Philadelphia Phillies. An eight-run second inning (powered by Ryan Braun's sixth career grand slam), was all Milwaukee needed to make it seven wins in its last eight games. Philadelphia remains mired in the NL East basement, as well as owning MLB's worst overall record (29-59), its worst road record (13-34) and its second-worst moneyline mark (minus-$2383).

The pitching matchup: Aaron Nola (6-6 & 3.59 ERA) starts for the Phillies and Jimmy Nelson (8-4 & 3.30 ERA) for the Brewers. Nola has been Philly's best pitcher since the beginning of June but had his three-start winning streak snapped last time out as he suffered a hard-luck loss to San Diego on July 8, after allowing two runs on four hits in eight innings. He has given up a total of only five runs and recorded 34 strikeouts in 29 1/3 innings (1.53 ERA) over his last four starts and has yielded more than three runs just once in his last seven outings! Nola was superb in his two previous career starts against Milwaukee, allowing one run and striking out 16 over 13 innings while notching a pair of victories (0.69 ERA). Nelson comes into this contest having won each of his last three starts, including a road outing against the New York Yankees on Sunday in which he gave up three runs over five innings. Nelson has posted a 1-1 record and 6.89 ERA in three career outings against Philadelphia (team is 1-2).

The pick: The Brewers are playing with supreme confidence (at least for now) and in Nelson, Milwaukee has a pitcher who has gone 4-0 with a 0.97 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 37 innings) over his last five Miller Park starts. His lone no-decision in that span came in a game in which Nelson tossed eight scoreless innings (11-0 KW ratio) but Milwaukee would lose 2-1 in 12 innings (Nelson's mound opponent was some guy named Kershaw). At first blush this looks like an under but is either pitcher really as good as he has looked lately? I think not. Nola's career ERA is 4.08, Nelson's is 4.16 plus Philly's bullpen ERA is 4.54 and Milwaukee's 4.04. Make the Over an 8* play.

The set-up:The defending AL champion Indians have struggled at home in 2017, going 21-24. However, the team's 26-16 road record is good enough to give them a 21/2 game lead in the AL Central as the second half begins. The A's are just 39-50 (a whopping 21 games back of the Astros in the AL West), while they battle the 38-49 White Sox and 39-49 Tigers for the AL's worst record. The Cleveland Indians visit the Oakland Athletics on Friday for the opener of their three-game series, as the team begins the second half with a six-game trip to the Bay Area (three games at San Francisco will be next). It's a good opportunity to stretch the team's AL Central lead, drawing two last-place teams as all teams return to play after the All Star break:

The pitching matchup: Carlos Carrasco (10-3 & 3.44 ERA) will start for the Indians and Sonny Gray (4-4 & 4.00 ERA) for the A's Carrasco has won five consecutive decisions, as well as seeing the Indians win 12 of his last 13 starts, overall. Cleveland is 14-3 in all of his starts in 2017, giving him MLB's fourth-best moneyline mark at plus-$818. Carrasco improved to 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA in five career appearances (four starts / teams are 3-1) against Oakland on May 29, when he gave up two runs on four hits in seven innings. Gray has produced three straight strong starts, going 2-1 while allowing five runs - four earned - over 21 innings during that span (1.71 ERA). Gray fell to 2-2 and saw his ERA rise to 4.00 in six career starts ((A's are 3-3) versus the Indians on May 30, when he was tagged for seven runs on nine hits over 4 2/3 innings at Cleveland.

The pick: I wouldn't want to buck the Indians here but I also like the way Gray is beginning to find his form, after a late start to the season due to injury. That said, expecting the A's to reach Carrasco would be a stretch, considering he has a 7-1 record and 2.38 ERA in nine road starts (team is 8-1) while limiting opponents to a .197 batting average. Make the Under a 10*.

The set-up: The Tigers will attempt not to get swept in this three-game series at Cleveland tonight on ESPN. Detroit lost 11-2 on Friday and 4-0 on Saturday, falling 10 games below .500 (38-48) and nine games behind the AL Central-leading Indians, who are 47-39. The Tigers are 9-19 since June 8, while the defending AL champs are 16-8 since June 15. Cleveland leads the AL with a 3.77 team ERA, and their starting pitchers own a 1.96 ERA in their last seven games. Getting back to Detroit, manager Brad Ausmus is emphasizing that there is still the second half of the season to play. "It's a 162-game season and this team is built for 162 games," he said. "I'm confident the guys will bounce back." Methinks that Ausmus is 'whistling past the graveyard!'

The pitching matchup: Detroit's Michatel Fulmer (8-6, 3.20 ERA) was the AL rookie-of-the-year in 2016 (11-7, 3.06 ERA with Detroit going 19-7 in his starts for a plus-$1292 moneyline mark which ranked sixth-best) and will square off against 2014 Cy Young winner Corey Kluber (7-3, 2.85 ERA), who was a postseason pitching star for the Indians in 2016. Fulmer has not matched last season's success but he will be representing Detroit in Tuesday's All Star game. The same can be said of Kluber, who has been brilliant in his seven starts since coming off the DL. Kluber has gone 4-1 (the score in the one loss was 1-0), while posting a 1.24 ERA and holding opposing hitters to a .155 BA since June 1. He's struck out 10-plus batters in six of those seven starts, with a KW ratio in that span of 74-8!

The pick: While Kluber has been close to un-hittable lately, the Indians are just 4-3 in his dominating seven-start span. Yes, Cleveland's won the first two of this series but the Indians are still only 21-23 at home, easily giving them MLB's worst home moneyline mark of minus-$2046 (SF is next-worst at minus-$1053). The Indians are way too high of a favorite to play in the game but with two All Star pitchers squaring off, the Under earns a 10* rating.

The set-up: Seattle finally halted an eight-game home losing streak with Friday's 7-2 victory over Oakland. Nelson Cruz drove in five runs and hit the 300th HR of his career to lead the way. Both teams are far behind the Astros in the AL West but as I often note, at this point of the season, the AL wild card race remains reasonably open. Either team could sure use a two-game sweep over the weekend, with 42-46 Seattle trailing the second wild card spot by four games and 38-49 Oakland finding itself 7 1/2 games back.

The pitching matchup: Chris Smith (NR) of Oakland Athletics will be making one of the more unlikely starting debuts in major-league historv in tonight's contest, opposed by Seattle's Andrew Moore (1-1 & 3.60 ERA). Smith owns a 4.58 career ERA while seeing time with the Boston Red Sox (2008), Milwaukee Brewers (2009-10) and Athletics. He was released by the Seattle Mariners in 2011 and became a coach at UC Riverside (his alma mater), before later giving the sport another try and catching Oakland's attention during an independent league stint. Smith becomes the oldest starter in Athletics' franchise history at 36 years, 90 days. Moore is a rookie, making his third career start. He pitched eight innings while beating the Detroit Tigers 9-6 in his debut (June 22), then pitched seven innings while losing to the Kansas City Royals 3-1 in his second outing (July 3). Moore has allowed three ERs in each of his previous two starts.

The pick: Moore may be holding opponenst to a .204 BA but he's also given up three HRs in his 15 innings. As for Smith, it's quite a storybook adventure but Seattle has averaged 5.09 RPG at home and has had 11 hits in each of the first two games of this series. Neither bullpen is much of a help (Seattle's ERA is 4.28 and Oakland's 5.08!), so the Over is a 10* play.

The set-up: The Dodgers beat the Royals 4-1 in Friday's opener of this three-game IL series and have won 24 of their last 28 games heading into Saturday’s contest (Dodgers are a MLB-best 37-11 at home). The Kansas City Royals saw their four-game winning streak come to an end on Friday’s series opener but they've won 22 of their last 33 games to get within two games of the first-place Indians in the AL Central.

The pitching matchup: Ian Kennedy (3-6 & 4.44 ERA) gets the call for KC and Brandon McCarthy (6-3 & 3.25 ERA) for LA. Kennedy earned his third straight win last Monday, 3-1 at Seattle against Seattle. He has now gone 3-0 with a 2.22 ERA in his last four starts (Royals are 4-0), after going 0-6 with a 5.40 ERA in his first 11 outings of 2017. Kennedy has sure had his troubles with LA, going 5-9 with a 4.31 ERA in 20 career starts against the Dodgers (teams are 9-11), including 0-7 since his last win on September 11, 2012 while with Arizona. McCarthy will be activated off he disabled list to start Saturday night for the first time since June 25, when he allowed five runs (four earned) in three innings against Colorado. He has battled knee soreness throughout the season but was cleared to start after throwing a four-inning simulated game last Monday. McCarthy is 3-2 with a 4.05 ERA in 14 career games (six starts / teams are 4-2) against Kansas City.

The pick: Kennedy started the season 0-6, which was one of the more misleading records in baseball. He has allowed six hits or fewer in all 15 starts this season. However, the Royals scored just 28 runs in his first 10 starts. As noted above, the Royals have won Kennedy's last four starts, in which he has gone six innings or more in three of them, allowing just 14 hits and six ERs in 24 1/3 innings. The Dodgers are 6-2 in McCarthy's home starts (he's allowed two ERs or less six of the eight), while posting an impressive 1.02 WHIP at home. Make the Under an 8* play.

The set-up: Almost all AL teams remain within shouting distance of the two wild card spots available, as the 2017 season gets set for its four-day All Star break come Monday. The 41-46 Mariners may be 17 1/2 games back of the Astros in the AL West and the 38-48 A's find themselves 20 games back but Seattle is much more modest 4 1/2 games out of the final AL wild card spot, while the A's are seven-back (granted, it's a VERY crowed field!). The teams opened a four-game series Thursday night with the A's winning 7-4, which drops Seattle to 0-4 on its current homestand, as well as making it eight straight home losses for the Mariners. No way Seattle has any chance at a wild card spot if it doesn't turn around its fortunes at home. As for the A's, they've been an awful road team all season, as Thursday's win leaves them just 13-27 away from home on the season.

The pitching staff: Sean Manaea (7-4 & 3.75 ERA) gets the nod for Oakland and James Paxton (6-3 & 3.27 ERA) for Seattle. Manaea settled for a no-decision against Atlanta on Sunday but continued his good pitching, allowing just two runs on six hits in a season-high 7 1/3 innings. He is now 6-2 since coming off the DL in mid-May, a span of 10 starts (A's are 7-3). He's given up more than three runs only twice in those 10 outings, although his first start back from the DL came on May 15 against the Mariners, when he allowed four runs on two hits and five walks in five innings in a 6-5 loss. He's 3-1 with a 4.50 ERA in five career starts (team is 3-2) against Seattle. Paxton halted a four-start win-less drought (he was 0-3 and the team 1-3) when he limited the Angels to one run on two hits over 6 1/3 innings at Los Angeles in a 5-3 win. Paxton is 2-0 with a 4.13 ERA in four career starts against the Athletics (team is 3-1), including a no-decision at Oakland on April 20 in which he surrendered five runs on nine hits over 4 1/3 Innings.

The pick: Last night's game finished with 11 runs and 21 hits. Seattle pitching has now allowed 24 runs in its last three games and note that Paxton struggled in his lone appearance against the A's this season. Yes, Manaea is in a nice groove but he's no Kershaw. Oakland is allowing 5.38 RPG on the road in 2017 and the Mariners, despite their struggles at home, are averaging 5.07 RPG at Safeco. With neither bullpen offering much relief (Seattle's bullpen ERA is 4.31 and Oakland's is 4.97), the Over is a 10* play.

The set-up: The 38-46 Detroit Tigers and the 45-39 Cleveland Indians open a three-game series at Progressive Field tonight, as MLB teams get ready for a four-day All Star break, beginning Monday. The Tigers capped a 5-4 homestand with a 6-2 win over the Giants on Thursday and enter this series seven games back of Cleveland. The Indians, the defending AL Champs, are clinging to first in the AL Central, leading the Royals by just one game and the Twins by 1 1/2. The team's home woes were not in evidence in Thursday's 11-2 rout of San Diego but that victory gives the Indians a poor 19-23 home mark. What a difference a year makes. The Indians went 53-28 at Progressive Field in 2016 (only the Cubs won more home games) and finished plus-$1230 against the moneyline. In stark contrast, the team's home moneyline mark in 2017 is minus-$22456, more than $1000 worse than MLB's second-worst home team's mark!

The pitching matchup: Jordan Zimmermann (5-6 & 5.58 ERA) starts for Detroit and Carlos Carrasco (9-3 & 3.50 ERA) for Cleveland. Zimmermann allowed a four-run sixth against the Indians just this past Saturday, losing to Carrasco and the Indians 4-1. That makes him 0-2 in his last five outings (Tigers are 1-4). He has been plagued by the home run ball all season, surrendering four in his last three outings and 21 in 16 starts on the season. Zimmermann is 0-2 with a 10.67 ERA over three career starts against Cleveland (teams are 1-2). Carrasco allowed just one run on four hits with seven strikeouts on Saturday against the Tigers, improving to 4-0 in his last five starts overall (Indians are 5-0). He's 2-1 with a 2.29 ERA in three outings versus Detroit this season but just 7-7 with a 4.69 ERA against them in 17 career starts (teams are 9-8).

The pick: In this quick pitching "re-hook" from Saturday, expect a similar effort from the starters. Zimmermann had thrown five scoreless inning until the sixth and as already noted, Carrasco yielded just one run on four hits with seven strikeouts in seven innings. So what else is new? Carrasco has allowed two runs or fewer in 11 of his 16 starts this season. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: Oakland has endured slides of six, four and six contests since June 7, with a pair of four-game winning streaks in between, a model of inconsistency. The A's visit Seattle tonight to open a four-game series with the Mariners off back-to-back home wins over the White Sox, giving them a 38-45 record overall, leaving them in last-place in the AL West (21 games back of Houston). Seattle welcomes Oakland to town but the Mariners are on a seven-game home losing streak. Seattle allowed four runs in the first inning last night to Kansas City but was able to take a 6-4 lead, before losing 9-6 in 10 innings. Seattle sits just 41-45 on the season (17 1/2 games back of Houston) but can hold out a sliver of hope, as the Mariners are just four games out of the final wild card spot in the AL. However, to say the least, it's a crowded field.

The pitching matchup: A pair of rookie hurlers take the mound tonight, Paul Blackburn (0-0 & 0.00 ERA) for Oakland and Sam Gaviglio (3-3 & 3.48 ERA) for Seattle. Blackburn was impressive in his major-league debut on Saturday, allowing just one unearned run on three hits over six innings of a no-decision against Atlanta (Braves won 4-3). Before getting called up, he posted a 5-6 record and 3.05 ERA in 15 appearances (14 starts) for Triple-A Nashville. Blackburn will be starting against his former organization, as he was acquired from Seattle in November for Danny Valencia. Gaviglio will be making his 10th start of 2017 in this one but comes in win-less in his last three, despite allowing three runs or fewer each time. He suffered a second straight loss Saturday, when he gave up three runs on five hits over a career-high 6 1/3 innings in a 4-0 road loss against the Los Angeles Angels. Gaviglio will be facing Oakland for the first time.

The pick: Blackburn sure looked good in his debut and let's note that Gaviglio has worked at least five innings in each of his nine starts in his rookie season. Gaviglio should have little trouble with the A's, who are 13-27 on the road, averaging just 3.92 RPG. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Arizona Diamondbacks were hoping to close the gap on the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West with a three-game series that began July 4th at Dodger Stadium. Things didn't go as planned Tuesday night, as a 4-3 loss to the Dodgers dropped the D'backs 3 1/2 games back of LA. Catching LA will not be easy, as the 56-29 Dodgers have won 21 of their past 25 games and own a major-league-best 34-11 home record, including 13-1 in the past 14 games at Dodger Stadium. LA owns a plus-154 run differential, which would tie the 1976 Cincinnati Reds for second best among NL teams heading into the All-Star break. Getting back to Arizona, it's been a remarkable turn around from 2016, when the team finished 69-93, 18 games out of a wild card spot. Arizona comes into tonight's game 52-32 (No. 1 wild card spot), which gives them a 10 1/2-game cushion in the wild card chase!

The pitching matchup: Zack Godley (3-2 & 2.67 ERA) takes the mound for Arizona and Alex Wood (9-0 & 1.83 ERA) for Los Angeles. Godley lost for only the second time in his 10 starts last Wednesday, despite holding St. Louis to three runs on two hits over seven innings. Arizona is 7-3 in his 2017 starts this season and he's posted a 2.45 ERA and 11 strikeouts in five career appearances (one start) covering 11 innings against the Dodgers. Godley may be doing a nice job but it pales in comparison to what Wood has accomplished in 2017 for LA. Wood became the first Dodgers pitcher to begin a season 9-0 since Rick Rhoden in 1976, after holding San Diego to one run over six innings last Friday. The National League’s ERA leader was denied a spot on the All-Star roster despite going 6-0 with a 1.83 ERA in six starts at home this season. Wood is 3-3 with a 3.60 ERA in 10 career games (six starts / teams are 2-4) against Arizona.

The pick: Both of tonight's starters have been terrific in 2017 but I'm leery that both are pitching "over their heads." Shutting down LA at home doesn't happen often (the Dodgers are averaging 5.60  RPG at Chavez Ravine this season) plus Wood will face an Arizona lineup averaging 5.18 RPG on the season (5th-best in MLB). Make the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: Boston rookie Andrew Benintendi knocked in the go-ahead runs in Monday's 7-5 Red Sox win in 11 innings, then went 5-for-5 with two HRs, six RBI and four runs scored in July 4th's 11-4 rout of the Rangers (Aaron Judge, who?). Boston has now won six straight (eight of nine) and will go for a three-game sweep of the Rangers in Texas on Wednesday night. The Rangers have now lost three straight and six of their last seven, with the team's pitching staff allowing at least five runs in each of those six setbacks. At 40-44, Texas now trails Houston by 17 games in the AL West. Meanwhile, after some early struggles, 49-35 Boston now leads the Yankees by four full games in the AL East

The pitching matchup: Doug Fister (0-1 & 4.91 ERA) takes the mound for Boston and Andrew Cashner (3-7 & 3.87 ERA) for Texas. Fister was claimed off waivers by the Boston Red Sox on June 25 and has been solid in each of his first two starts, allowing three ERs in each outing. He does not yet own a decision (Red Sox are 1-1) and with Fister spending last season with Houston in the AL West, he made five starts against Texas, posting a 1-2 record with a 4.73 ERA. He's 6-6 (4.98 ERA) in 16 career starts vs. Texas (teams are 6-10). Cashner spent two weeks on the disabled list with an oblique injury only to return on Thursday at Cleveland and get hit on the right elbow by a broken bat. He was charged with five runs on six hits in five-plus innings to suffer a 5-1 loss. He was diagnosed with just a bruise and steps to the mound again tonight. Cashner's ERA of 3.87 is better than his 3-7 record or Texas' 5-8 record in his 13 starts.

The pick: Fister has to be thrilled to join Boston and this guy has proven he can pitch in the majors. Again, Cashner has pitched better than his record shows and I'll make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Boston Red Sox are beginning to show more of a consistent offense. The team's 7-5 win (11 innings) over Texas in Monday’s series opener gives Boston five consecutive victories in which the team has scored at least six runs games. While the Yankees have struggled since mid-June, Boston has surged in that same time frame and Monday's win keeps the first-place Red Sox three games clear of the rival New York Yankees in the AL East (Boston is 48-35 and New York 44-37). The Rangers are stuck in the AL West with the Astros (owners of MLB's best record at 56-27) and have lost five of their last six to fall three games under .500 (40-43) and 16 games back of Houston.

The pitching matchup: David Price (3-2 & 4.61 ERA) takes the mound for Boston and Yu Darvish (6-6 & 3.11 ERA) for Texas. Price got a late start to the 2017 season due to injury and has also been sidetracked by getting into fights with local reporters and broadcasters. However, he is beginning to pitch well, entering this July 4 contest with a string of four straight starts of allowing three or fewer ERs. He matched season highs with seven strikeouts and seven innings pitched against Minnesota on Thursday and did not walk a batter in a 6-3 win. Price has had much success against Texas in his career though, going 3-9 with a 5.42 ERA in 17 starts (teams are better though with an 8-9 record, despite that high ERA). Darvish has pitched well lately, allowing a total of just two ERs over 13 innings in the last two starts. Darvish may be just 6-6 on the season but he has surrendered more than three runs just once in his last 13 outings and is holding opponents to a .205 batting average. Darvish hasn't faced Boston since 2014 and is 1-1 with a 3.63 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings over three starts against the Red Sox in his career (Texas is 2-1).

The pick: Two All-Stars caliber pitchers take the mound in this one and both have pitched well as of late. With that in mind, the Under is a 10* play.

The set-up: The San Francisco Giants are suffering through a 'nightmare' season in 2017 (33-51, 22 games back in the NL West) but will take a season-high six wins in a row into this three-game IL series in Detroit against the Tigers. Like the Giants, the Tigers had Monday off and are also a last-place team at 36-48. Detroit has lost 11 of 15 to find itself saddled with its worst record at the 81-game mark since 2003 but the Tigers are a much more modest eight games out of first in the AL Central plus almost every AL team remains alive in the wild card chase at this stage of the season.

The pitching matchup: Matt Cain (3-7 & 5.46 ERA) takes the mound for San Francisco and Michael Fulmer (7-6 & 3.19 ERA) for Detroit. Cain hasn't won since an 8-4 triumph over the Dodgers back on May 15 and saw his win-less stretch extend to eight starts last Tuesday (he's 0-6 and the Giants 2-6) after receiving a no-decision on the heels of allowing three runs on six hits in six innings versus Colorado (SF won 4-3). That game vs. the Rockies concluded a disastrous June in which Cain posted a 7.77 ERA and 2.14 WHIP. Fulmer snapped a three-start losing skid on Thursday in a 7-3 victory over Kansas City. The 2016 AL rookie of the year allowed just two earned runs and struck out seven and was one out shy of a complete game.

The pick: The Tigers were 19-7 in Fulmer's starts last year and his moneyline mark of plus-$1292 ws 6th-best in all of MLB but Detroit is a more modest 8-7 in his 2017 starts. However, he happens to be the Tigers' lone All-Star representative. As noted, Cain's off an 'ugly' June but all of a sudden, the Giants are playing much better with the team's pitching staff leading the way by allowing just 17 runs in their six consecutive wins (2.83 per). Expect a decent effort out of Cain and Fulmer sure should be able to handle a San Francisco lineup which ranks 28th in runs scored (3.94 per) plus dead-last (30th) in OPS (.679) and HRs (70). Make the under an 8* play.

The set-up: The Cardinals went 3-8 from June 13 through June 24, clinching the team's first sub-.500 month since June of 2016! However, the Cards beat the Pirates 8-4 on June 25 and capped a 5-1 run to end June with Friday night's 8-1 home win over the Nationals. St. Louis ended June 13-16 and the 139 runs the Cards surrendered in June represented the team's highest one month total since May 2012. However, the Cards silenced the National League's most proficient offense on Friday and Saturday, beating the Nats 8-1 and 2-1. The Cardinals were after their fifth straight victory Sunday night on ESPN but the Nats scored seven runs on 10 hits and Scherzer struck out 12 St. Louis batters in seven scoreless innings as the Nats won 7-2. The Cards continue their 10-game homestand when the Marlins come to St. Louis for four games. Miami halted a four-game skid by posting a 10-3 victory at Milwaukee on Sunday. The Marlins are just 36-44 (11 games back of the Nats in the NL East) and finish their 10-game road trip this weekend in San Francisco. Miami is the site of this year's All Star game (Tuesday, July 11).

The pitching matchup: Jeff Locke (0-4 & 5.52 ERA) will start for Miami and Adam Wainwright (8-5 & 5.17 ERA) for St. Louis. Locke has made six starts in 2017 and has yet to find the win column (Marlins are also 0-6). Locke has made 11 career appearances (10 starts / teams are 5-5) against St. Louis, going 2-4 with a 4.98 ERA. Wainwright has had a roller-coaster season but comes in having allowed just two runs in each of his last two starts. Wainwright is 5-2 with two shutouts and a 2.37 ERA in 11 career games (nine starts / team is 7-2) against the Marlins, including a no-decision at Miami on May 9 in which he allowed four runs over 5 1/3 innings.

The pick: Wainwright has been just awful in eight road starts this season, posting an 8.36 ERA. However, he's 5-1 with a 2.64 ERA in eight home outings in 2017! Yes, Locke is win-less in six starts this season but he's pitched better than his record, as he's allowed three ERs or less in five of his six outings. Make the Under a 10* play

The set-up: The 40-41 Orioles begin a four-game, home-and-home IL series with the Brewers, having won five of their past eight. Baltimore beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-1 on Sunday to salvage the finale of a three-game series. Once upon a time, Baltimore was 22-10 and leading the AL East but prior to winning five of its last eight, Baltimore had lost 28 of its previous 41 games. Currently, the Orioles are 6 1/2 games back of the first-place Red Sox. The 44-40 Brewers remain in first place in the NL Central but their lead was cut to two games over the Cubs after Sunday's 10-3 loss to the Marlins.

The pitching matchup: Wade Miley (3-6 & 4.54 ERA) gets the nod for the Orioles and with Chase Anderson going on the 10-day DL last week, the Brewers will give a spot start to lefty Brent Suter (0-1 & 4.20 ERA). Miley continues to struggle, as he has failed to get through six innings in five consecutive starts, allowing 22 ERs in 20 2/3 frames during the slump (he's 1-3 with a 9.58 ERA and the team is 1-4). He owns a 5.17 ERA in five career starts against the Brewers but somehow is 3-1 (team is 4-1). Go figure? With Chase Anderson going on the 10-day DL last week, Milwaukee will give a spot start to Brent Suter (0-1 & 4.20 ERA). Suter makes just his fourth career start and second of the 2017 season. His first was on June 13 at St. Louis, when he gave up three runs in 4 2/3 innings during a 6-0 loss. He has a 3.48 ERA in seven relief appearances in 2017, striking out 10 batters in 10 1/3 innings. Suter was 3-1 with a 4.42 ERA in 10 games (eight starts) for Triple-A Colorado Springs before his recall in late June.

The pick: Miley's struggled all season and comes in with an 8.83 ERA over his last four road outings, serving up six HRs in that span and issuing more walks (13) than strikeouts (10). He also owns an 8.38 ERA in two appearances at Miller Park. His counterpart is a pitcher making just his fourth career start and I expect the Baltimore lineup to be just fine against him. Make the Over a 10*.

The set-up: The Cardinals went 3-8 from June 13 through June 24, clinching the team's first sub-.500 month since June of 2016! However, the Cards beat the Pirates 8-4 on June 25 and capped a 5-1 run to end June with Friday night's 8-1 home win over the Nationals. St. Louis ended June 13-16 and the 139 runs they Cardfs have surrendered represented the team's highest one month total since May 2012. However, all the Cards have done so far this weekend is silence the National League's most proficient offense. The Washington Nationals average 5.53 RPG, although following Friday's 8-1 loss, the Nats were again silenced on Saturday by the Cards' Michael Wacha who had a season-high nine strikeouts over six innings of a 2-1 St. Louis win. The Cardinals now seek their fifth straight victory and a three-game sweep of the NL's best road team Sunday night on ESPN . The Nats are 25-17 away from home and despite scoring just two runs in the first two contests of this series, are averaging 5.45 RPG on the road.

The pitching matchup: Max Scherzer (9-5, 2.06 ERA) takes the mound for the Nats and will face the Cards' Carlos Martinez (6-6 & 2.88 ERA). Scherzer allowed only one run and two hits while fanning six over six innings in a 6-1 win over the Cubs last Tuesday. He's the major-league leader in strikeouts (151) and WHIP (0.78). He has given up only six  ERs on 22 hits over his last seven starts spanning 54 innings (1.00 ERA). Scherzer struck out 10 in six innings during a loss to St. Louis on April 12, falling to 1-4 with a 3.14 ERA in seven career starts versus the Cardinals (teams are 3-4). Martinez is in his third full season as a starter (won 14 and 16 games the last two years) and logged a fourth consecutive quality start this past Tuesday at Arizona. He allowed two runs on four hits and three walks while fanning 10 in six innings but did not factor in the decision (he left with a 5-2 lead but the D'backs won 6-5). Martinez has completed at least six innings in 12 consecutive starts and had registered at least 10 strikeouts four times this season. Martinez's only start in five appearances versus Washington was a head-to-head battle against Scherzer in May 2016 and resulted in a loss after he permitted four runs despite striking out eight in 6 2/3 innings.

The pick: Martinez has allowed a miserly .171 average to right-handed hitters, second in the league. Who is best? Scherzer leads the league at .125. With these two starters, the Under is a 10* play.

The set-up: The Cardinals went 3-8 from June 13 through June 24, clinching the team's first sub-.500 month since June of 2016! However, the Cards beat the Pirates 8-4 on June 25 and capped a 5-1 run to end June with last night's 8-1 home win over the Nationals. Yes, St. Louis ended June 13-16 but three of the team's five victories have come over 50-31 Arizona and 47-33 Washington. A big reason for the team's recent surge is a pitching staff which has allowed four or fewer runs in each of the wins and allowed just one run on six hits Friday to the Nationals, who lead the NL in runs scored (3.39 per). The Nats have injury issues at the top of its lineup with Trea Turner (fractured wrist) Aand dam Eaton (knee) on the disabled list. However, the Nats still own an 8 1/2 game lead in the NL East.

The pitching matchup: Gio Gonzalez (7-2 & 2.87 ERA) takes the mound for the Nats and Michael Wacha (4-3 & 4.50 ERA) for the Cards. Gonzalez is having a very solid season, as he has allowed three or fewer runs in 14 of his 16 starts, including each of the last seven. Gonzalez faced St. Louis back on April 11 and allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits without walking a batter in seven innings to earn an 8-3 win. Wacha has not had much consistency in 2017 but bounced back from two sub-par outings with an 8-2 win over Cincinnati on Monday, scattering one run on five hits over six innings. However, he did not record an out in the fifth inning in either of his two previous starts, surrendering a total of nine runs (six earned) on 16 hits in eight innings (6.75 ERA). That said, Wacha is 2-2 with a 1.57 ERA in four career starts against Washington

Gonzalez owns a splendid 2.87 ERA but yet, Washington is only 9-7 in his 16 starts this season. In keeping with that, although he owns a 2.86 career ERA against the Cards, his teams are just 5-4 in nine starts. Throw in Wacha's 1.57 ERA in four starts against the Nats and it's a 10* on the Under.

The set-up: There can be no doubt that Boston misses David Ortiz but after a less-than-impressive start to the 2017 season (Red Sox were just 21-21 through May 20), Boston has gone 24-14 and caught the slumping Yankees in the AL East. The Red Sox aren't hitting at the same rate they were with David Ortiz in the middle of the lineup last season but they are developing new strengths. Boston's bullpen ERA of 2.88 is the second-best in all of MLB and that unit gave them five scoreless innings to close out Friday's series opener with Toronto, 7-4 in 11 innings. Closer Craig Kimbrel pitched a perfect 11th inning on Friday to increase his AL-leading save total to 23. Toronto, a team which has played in the last two ALCS matchups, struggled out of the gate by going 7-18 in April but got things turned around although it has never been able to reach .500. The Blue Jays have gotten to within one game of that mark often but keep falling back. Recently, the team has lost six of eight to fall five games under .500 (37-42) and into the AL East basement, 7 1/2 games back of Boston.

The pitching matchup: Chris Sale (10-3 & 2.77 ERA) gets the start for Boston and Francisco Liriano (4-3 & 5.46 ERA) for Toronto. Sale has come through big time for the Red Sox in 2017. He leads the majors with 155 strikeouts and fanned nine over 6 1/3 innings against Minnesota in a 4-1 win on Monday. He also tops the AL with a total of 113 2/3 innings pitched, owns an 0.91 WHIP and has held opponents to a BA of .200. Boston is 12-4 in his 16 starts in 2017. Sale enjoyed one of his best starts of the season at Toronto back on April 20, when he struck out a season-high 13 and scattered four hits over eight scoreless innings, giving him a 4-1 (1.72 ERA) career mark against the Jays in six starts (teams are 5-1). Liriano snapped a three-start win-less streak at Kansas City last Sunday, allowing two runs on six hits in six innings of an 8-7 win. Liriano owns a poor 1.61 WHIP to go along with a high ERA (5.46) but somehow, Toronto has gone 8-4 in his starts. However, he had his only scoreless outing of the 2017 season against Boston back on April 19, when he struck out six and yielded four hits in 5 1/3 innings of a 3-0 win.

The pick: Sale's been everything Boston had hoped he'd be when signing him in the off-season and I expect another strong effort from him here plus if needed, he'll have Boston's excellent bullpen in reserve. Toronto's lineup is not the feared bunch of the last two seasons, averaging only 4.22 RPG (25th) with a team BA of .244, which ranks 24th. Also, Boston's lineup ranks just 15th in runs scored at 4.71 per game. Make the Under an 8* play.

analysis soon

The set-up: I guess one could call the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies NL East rivals, as the two teams get set to square off in the opener of a three-game series at Citi Field Friday night. However, the Mets are going nowhere at 36-42 (10 1/2 games back of the first-place Nats) and the Phillies check in with MLB's worst record, at 26-51. The Mets are back home after a 10-game road trip. New York appeared headed for disaster when the Mets opened the trip by getting outscored 36-11 in a four-game sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers but they won five of the last six games, sweeping the San Francisco Giants and taking two of three in Miami from the Marlins.The Phillies were off Thursday, a day after they completed a two-game sweep of the Mariners in Seattle with a come-from-behind 5-4 victory. Even with those back-to-back wins, the Phillies still own MLB's worst road record at 12-31. A win Friday would give the Phillies only their third winning streak of longer than two games this season.

The pitching matchup: It's a battle of right-handers, Philadelphia rookie Ben Lively (1-2 & 3.90 ERA) up against New York ace Jacob deGrom (7-3 & 3.71 ERA). Lively won his major league debut 5-3 against the Giants on June 3 (7 IP / 4 hits / 1 ER) but will be looking to snap a four-start win-less streak in this one. He's 0-2 and the team 0-4 in a stretch in which he's posted a 4.62 ERA. This marks his first appearance against the Mets. DeGrom is showing some "All Star form" in winning his last three starts, a stretch in which he has pitched at least eight innings each time and allowed just two ERs over 25 innings (0.72 ERA), which has lowered his seasonal ERA  from 4.75 to 3.71.

The pick: "We're hoping our pitching is starting to fall in place right now," Collins said after Seth Lugo allowed two runs (one earned) over six innings to cap a six-game stretch in which Mets starters posted a 2.55 ERA. "And if it does, we've got an exciting second half ahead of us." DeGrom is only the second pitcher in 2017 to throw at least eight innings in three straight starts, joining Boston's Chris Sale. What's more, he's 4-0 with a 2.49 ERA in eight career starts against the Phillies, with the Mets winning all eight games. Lively's not in deGrom's class but when he gave up five runs (four earned) over 5 1/3 innings as the Phillies fell to the Diamondbacks 9-2 last Saturday, it marked the first time he had lasted fewer than six innings as a big-leaguer. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Dodgers and Angels conclude their home-and-home four-game IL series Thursday night in Anaheim. The Angels won last 3-2, after the two LA teams split a pair of 4-0 finals at Dodger Stadium Monday and Tuesday. The Dodgers own the NL's best record at 52-28, while the Angels are stuck in the AL West and at 42-40, have little chance of catching the Astros, who own MLB's best record at 53-26. The Angels trail the Astros by 12 1/2 games but almost every AL team is alive in the wild card chase and the Angels are among a group of seven teams all within four games of each other, vying for two spots.

The pitching matchup: Clayton Kershaw (11-2 & 2.47 ERA) will take the hill for the Dodgers tonight and JC Ramirez (7-5 & 4.38 ERA) for the Angels. Kershaw looks to become MLB's first 12-game winner this season. He has won seven consecutive decisions since losing back on May 1, with the Dodgers going 10-0 in that 10-start stretch. One runs out of superlatives when discussing Kershaw, as he own a 123-18 KW ratio in 2017, has allowed a modest 83 hits in 109 1/3 IP, giving him an 0.92 WHIP while opponents have hit only .207 against him. Other than that, he hasn't done much of anything. He's 5-2 with a 2.68 ERA in nine career starts against the Angels (Dodgers are 6-3). Ramirez defeated Boston in his last outing, allowing one run on four hits over six innings. However, he's struggled at Angels Stadium in 2017, going 1-3 with a 5.10 ERA in eight appearances (seven starts).

The pick: It's just tough to take the Over in any Kershaw start, although there have been eight overs and eight unders in his 16 starts this season. Still, the finals in the first three games of this "Freeway Series" have been 4-0, 4-0 and 3-2. Expect Kershaw to hold the Angels in check and remember that the Dodgers are just 19-17 on the road this season. Ramirez will start against the Dodgers for the first time in his career tonight but he has retired all 11 Dodgers he has faced in two career relief appearances spanning 3 2/3 Innings. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Cards won 4-3 on Wednesday, after losing 6-5 in Arizona on Tuesday. It's the rubber match of the three-game series this afternoon, as the Diamondbacks seek to bounce back from a loss, just their fourth in the last 20 games! Arizona remained 1 1/2 games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West, as the Angels edged the Dodgers 3-2 last night in Anaheim. The Cards check in at only 36-41 but with no team playing all that well in the NL Central, sit a modest 3 1/2 games out of first place.

The pitching matchup: Lance Lynn (5-5 & 3.86 ERA) starts for St. Louis and Patrick Corbin (6-7 & 4.89 ERA) for Arizona. Lynn's 2017 season had been solid until his last two starts, in which he's lost to Baltimore and Pittsburgh, giving up seven runs in each contest. It sure hasn't helped that he's allowed six HRs in the two games. Lynn is 3-0 with a 2.72 ERA in nine career appearances (seven starts / team is 5-2) against the Diamondbacks in his career. Corbin lost to Philadelphia in his last outing, despite giving up one run on eight hits over 6 2/3 innings. Like his team, Corbin has fared well at home, going 5-2 with a 3.19 ERA (he's 1-5 with a 7.84 ERA in six road starts). Corbin is 1-1 with a 5.00 ERA in three career starts against the Cardinals (teams are 1-2).

The pick: Lynn had allowed two or fewer ERs in 10 of his first 13 starts before his recent troubles (see above) but I'm not ready to buy that those troubles are behind him just yet. Wednesday's loss was just Arizona's third in its last 18 home games and in going 30-11 at home in 2017, the D'backs are averaging 6.20 RPG at Chase Field. Corbin has been solid at home (especially compared to his awful road record) but he's hardly a "shut down" starter. Make the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: The Indians have won two of the first three in this four-game home series with the Rangers, after Wednesday's 5-2 victory. After getting swept in a three-game series by the Twins last weekend, the Indians now wrap up a seven-game homestand with a chance to finish 3-4. The Rangers were 32-32 back on June 13 and with last night's loss, find themselves 7-7 over their last 14 and at 39-39 on the season, a whopping 13 1/2 games out of first in the AL West. Meanwhile, the 41-36 Indians are back on top of the AL Central at 41-36, by a half-game over the Twins.

The pitching matchup: Andrew Cashner (3-6 & 3.50 ERA) takes the mound for Texas and Corey Kluber (6-2 & 3.24 ERA) for Cleveland. Cashner will be activated off the disabled list to make the start on Thursday. He has been on the DL since June 15 with a left oblique strain. In his last three starts prior to going on the DL, Cashner was 1-2 with a 5.29 ERA and going back further, was 3-3 with 4.50 ERA in his previous six. Cashner's made just one career start against the Indians and it didn't go well, allowing six runs on six hits along with six walks in a 6-2 loss while pitching for Miami last season. Corey Kluber is unbeaten in five starts (he's 3-0 but the team just 3-2) since spending nearly a month on the disabled list. He was overpowering in his last start against Minnesota, registering a season-high 13 strikeouts while permitting two unearned runs and three hits over seven innings. It was the third consecutive start with a double-digit strikeout total. Kuber is 2-1 with a 4.36 ERA in five career starts vs. Texas (teams are 4-1).

The pick: We can't be sure about Cashner in his first start since June 14 but he does own a respectable 3.79 ERA in seven road starts this season. As for Kluber, he's in excellent form (1.29 ERA over his last five starts), so the Under is a 10* play.

The set-up: The Astros may own MLB's best overall record (52-26) but their play at home in Minute Maid Park has been sub-par. Tuesday night was another example as Houston fell 6-4 to the Oakland A's, who even with the win own just a 13-25 road record. The Astros' three-run, ninth-inning rally fell short last night and Houston is now a modest 23-17 at home, compared to a MLB-best 29-9 on the road! Houston has five more games at Minute Maid in this homestand, two with the A's and then three with the Yankees. After going 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position while stranding 10, Houston must do better. One would think, the struggling A's give them an opportunity to get better..

The pitching matchup: Jesse Hahn (3-5 & 4.66 ERA) will start for the Athletics and David Paulino (2-0 & 5.04 ERA) for the Astros. Hahn is 2-1 with a 7.00 ERA in four starts since being reinstated from the 10-day disabled list (strained right triceps) on June 6 and he's 1-4 with a 9.28 ERA over five career starts against the Astros, including a 12-9 setback last Thursday when he allowed 10 runs (nine earned) on six hits and three walks over just two innings..Paulino started opposite Hahn this past Thursday in Oakland, allowing three ERs in 5 1/3 innings to earn the win (it's his only career starts vs. the A's). It also marked just the second win of Paulino's career (note: the Astros are 3-2 in his five starts this season).

The pick: It's true that the A's have yet to win any of Hahns road starts in 2017 (he's 0-3 and the team 0-6) but it's also true that he's pitched fairly well away from home, with a 3.14 ERA in seven appearances (includes one relief stint). As for Paulino, he'll face an Oakland lineup which has averaged only 3.89 RPG in its 38 road games this season. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Los Angeles Angels Dodgers opened their home-and-home four game IL series with the LA Angels Monday night at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers came in on a 10-game winning streak, as well as an 11-game winning streak at Dodger Stadium, where they were a major league-best 32-10. They also entered Monday's contest having homered in 17 straight games to match the Los Angeles club record set back in 1960. However, all streaks were ended last night as the Angels came away with a 4-0 victory. It's highly unlikely that the Angels will catch the 52-25 Houston Astros in the AL West (currently trail by 12 1/2 games!) but they are starting to resemble a legitimate wild-card contender. The Angels extended their winning streak to three games on Monday and at 41-39, have moved within one game of Minnesota for the second wild card spot. Getting back to the Dodgers, they still own the best record in the National League (51-27) and lead the West by one game over Arizona.

The pitching matchup: Jesse Chavez (5-7 & 5.15 ERA) takes the mound for the Angels and Kenta Maeda (5-3 & 4.62 ERA) for the Dodgers. Chavez escaped with a no-decision after allowing five runs on seven hits in four innings of the Angels' 10-5 victory at Yankee Stadium on Thursday and that leaves him 1-2 with a 6.10 ERA in his last six starts, allowing 40 hits over 31 innings. Surprisingly, the Angels are 4-2 in that span. Chavez posted a 4.21 ERA in 23 relief appearances with the Dodgers last season after being acquired at the trade deadline from Toronto and is 1-1 with a 3.32 ERA in 11 games (two starts / teams are 1-1) against them. Maeda last started a game at Cincinnati on June 18, when he allowed one run, three hits and one walk while striking out five in five innings of an 8-7 victory. His only appearance since that start was when he pitched a scoreless seventh inning in the Dodgers' 6-1 win against Colorado on Friday. Maeda allowed four runs on five hits in four innings of a 7-6 loss to the Angels back on May 16, 2016 (0-1 & 9.00 ERA) in his only appearance against them.

The pick: Don't expect the Dodgers to be shut out again by the Angels but do expect another low-scoring contest. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Phillies took the opener of this four-game series in Arizona but the D'backs won on both Saturday and Sunday, with yesterday's win taking 11 innings. Arizona's 2-1 victory gives the D'backs a 28-10 record at home (only the Dodgers own a better home-field mark) and 11 wins in their last 13 games, overall. The D'backs trail the Dodgers by 2 1/2 games in the NL West but do own MLB's top moneyline mark (plus-$1964). First baseman Paul Goldschmidt had two hits and a RBI on Sunday and is hitting .423 with five HRs and 18 RBI over his last 12 games. He leads the team with a .332 BA and leads all of MLB with 65 RBI. As for the Phillies, they head into Monday's series finale with MLB's worst overall record (24-50), its worst road record (10-30) and its second-worst moneyline mark (minus-$2123).

The pitching matchup: Nick Pivetta (1-3 & 4.46 ERA) gets the start for Philadelphia and Zack Greinke (8-4 & 3.14 ERA) for Arizona. Pivetta may have just one win in his eight starts of 2017 but he has struck out 46 batters over 42 1/3 innings. He has registered 19 strikeouts over his last two outings and has shown improved control of late with a total of just three walks in those last two, as well. Pivetta will be facing Arizona for the first time. Greinke pitched well for seven innings last Tuesday against Colorado but ran into trouble in the eighth and took the loss after being charged with four runs over 7 1/3 innings. He's having a solid year and as has been typical for him, he's been outstanding in his home park. Greinke is 6-0 in eight home starts (D'backs are 7-1), posting a 2.77 ERA and 0.92 WHIP. His career numbers vs. the Phillies are strong, as he's 7-1 with a 2.54 ERA in 10 career games (nine starts / teams are 6-3).

The pick: The Diamondbacks have won 14 of their past 17 overall and 13 of their last 15 at home. Meanwhile, the Phillies continue in go in the opposite direction, having lost 15 of their last 18 games, overall. As noted above, they own MLB's worst road record (averaging only 3.55 RPG) and after winning the series opener Friday have scored only three runs in 20 innings! Monday night Philadelphia faces Greinke, who is once again dominating visiting teams in his home park. Make the Under a 10* play.

The pick: Kuhl has not pitched well in 2017 but did have one of his best starts of the season on April 18 at St. Louis, giving up two runs on three hits over six innings. As for Leake, he's looked good in his last outing, after that awful four-game losing stretch. However, prior to that mini-slump, Leake owned a 1.91 ERA over his first nine starts of 2017. Pittsburgh/St. Louis games have been tight in 2017, as Saturday's 7-3 Pittsburgh win marked the first time in five meetings this season the outcome was decided by more than one run. Expect another close and low-scoring one tonight, making the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Dodgers opened their three-game series with the Rockies last night, winning 6-1. The victory gives LA eight wins in a row, as well as 14 in the team's last 15 games. The Dodgers have surged to the top of the NL West at 49-25 (the team's 30-10 home record is a MLB-best) and LA's run differential of plus-128 is 18 runs better than that of Houston, which owns MLB's best record (50-25). The Rockies have now lost three straight and are 47-29, leaving them in a virtual tie with the D'backs, 2 1/2 games back of the Dodgers.

The pitching matchup: Tyler Chatwood (6-7 & 4.08 ERA) will get the call for Colorado and he draws LA's Clayton Kershaw (10-2 & 2.61 ERA). Chatwood has had his troubles at home in 2017 (6.39 ERA in seven starts) but he has been decidedly better away from Coors Field this season, going 4-3 with a 2.41 ERA in eight road starts. Chatwood is 4-7 with a 3.95 ERA in 12 career starts versus the Dodgers (teams are 4-8). Kershaw was able to get a win this past Monday at home against the New York Mets, despite surrendering six runs and a career-high four HRs over 6 1/3 innings. The three-time Cy Young Award winner has allowed a career-high 17 HRs but he alos owns a 115-17 KW ratio over 103 1/3 frames. Kershaw has gone 20-6 with a 3.13 ERA in 35 career starts against Colorado (Dodgers are 26-9).

The pick: In Kershaw's 35 career starts against the Rockies, he's held them to a 222 opponents BA. He faces a Colorado lineup which was outscored 26-8 in back-to-back losses to Arizona before opening its nine-game road trip with a thud on Friday, scoring a single run on three hits. Throw in Chatwood's 2.41 ERA in eight road starts in 2017 and we have a 10* play on the under.

The set-up: The Kansas City Royals won the first of this three-game series 5-4 over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday. It was a dramatic win, as Whit Merrifield delivered a walk-off, two-run double to cap a four-run ninth inning. The victory gives Kansas City 10 wins in its last 12 and the Royals are now at .500 (36-35) for the first time since they were 7-7 back on April 19. The Blue Jays opened the season 2-9 and have not been able to reach that .500 plateau and last night's crushing loss drops them another game further away from the break-even mark at 35-38. The Blue Jays began their seven-game road trip with wins in two of the first three at Texas but dropped an 11-4 decision on Thursday, failing in yet another opportunity to move to .500 (team is 0-9 in nine such tries in 2017, getting outscored 73-24!).

The pitching matchup: Marco Estrada (4-5 & 4.98 ERA) gets the start for Toronto and will be opposed by KC's best pitcher here in 2017, Jason Vargas (10-3 & 2.27 ERA).
Estrada takes the mound in a four-game funk, having gone win-less in his previous four outings. He lost the first three in that stretch and then escaped this past Monday with a no-decision, despite allowing six runs on seven hits and four walks in just 3 2/3 innings at Texas (Toronto did win the game, 7-6). Estrada's ERA in his recent four-game stretch is a woeful 12.68. Estrada is seeing for the Royals for the first time since the 2015 ALCS, when he went 1-1 in a pair of starts, including a win in Game 5 that kept the series alive for Toronto. Including the postseason, he's 2-2 with a 2.84 ERA against the Royals in four starts. In stark contrast to Estrada, Vargas takes the mound on a five-game winning streak (2.20 ERA). He is tied with Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw for the major-league lead in wins at 10. Vargas missed the 2015 ALCS following elbow surgery and has not faced Toronto since a win on May 30, 2014 but enters this game with a 2-3 (5.36 ERA) record in eight career starts against the Jays (teams are 4-4).

The pick: Vargas is pitching great but there should be some concern regarding his poor career numbers vs. Toronto. As for Estrada, he's clearly "off his game" and with a career ERA of 6.13 in June, the Over is a 10* play.

The set-up: The Yankees have had a rough 10 days, losing seven in a row from June 13-20 and then after an 8-4 Wednesday win snapped the team's slid, New York was unable to protect a four-run lead in a 10-5 loss to the Angels on Thursday. The Yanks open a three-game home series Friday against the Texas Rangers, having lost eight of nine to fall into virtual tie with the 40-32 Red Sox at 39-31 on the season. Meanwhile, Texas (36-36) has won nine of 13 and while the Rangers remain 13 games back of Houston in the AL West, the team's current streak has them within 1 1/2 games of the second AL wild card spot.

The pitching matchup: Yu Darvish (6-5 & 3.35 ERA) of Texas and Masahiro Tanaka (5-7 & 6.34 ERA) of New York will oppose each other on American soil for the first time. This marks the first time they have faced each other since they were in Japan's Pacific League in 2011, when Darvish out-dueled Tanaka as the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters edged the Tohuku Rakuten Golden Eagles 3-1. Darvish was hit hard last time out against Seattle, giving up five runs on eight hits over five innings to fall to 1-3 over his past five starts (Texas is 1-4). Darvish is 3-1 lifetime in five starts against the Yankees (Rangers are 3-2). As for Tanaka, the Yankees clearly have to be worried. He ripped off five straight wins from April 14 through May 8 but he's 0-6 over his last seven starts (Yanks are 1-6), while posting a, 8.91 ERA in that span and allowing 15 HRs in just 33 1/3 innings of work. Tanaka has made only two career starts against the Rangers, going 0-1 with a 7.50 ERA (Yanks are 1-1).

The pick: Strictly on current form the play would be over but expect these two former rivals to rise to the occasion. Darvish owns a 2.65 ERA in six road starts in 2017 plus Tanaka is overdue for a turnaround. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Cubs had a three-game winning streak snapped with a 3-2 home loss to San Diego on Wednesday in which they tied a season-low with only two hits. Chicago begins an 11-game trip with four against the Marlins in Miami on Thursday. The Cubs did win their last road series (took two of three at Pittsburgh June 16-18) but prior to that, had gone 4-14 their previous 18 on the road. Miami was being no-hit by Washington’s Max Scherzer entering the eighth inning Wednesday but rallied for a 2-1 win, giving the Marlins their fifth straight series victory at home (Marlins are 12-3 in that span) as they prepare to host the Cubs on Thursday.

The pitching matchup: Jake Arrieta (6-5 & 4.64 ERA) will start for Chicago and Jeff Locke (0-2 & 4.58 ERA) for Miami. Arrieta continues to struggle in 2017, after going a combined 40-14 the previous two years. He takes the mound tonight having failed to get out of the fifth inning in his last two starts, lasting a total of just nine innings. Like his team, he's struggled big time on the road, with a 5.09 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in nine away starts. Miami's Locke is win-less in four starts since coming off the disabled list June 1 but he's pitched reasonably well, allowing three ERs or less in all four outings. Locke lost to Arrieta and the Cubs on June 6, when he allowed four runs (three earned) in 4 2/3 innings and that's not exactly new. Locke is 1-4 with a 6.23 ERA in 11 career starts against the Cubs (teams are 3-8).

The pick: Locke hasn’t beaten the Cubs since 2013 but as noted above, he has not allowed more than three ERs in any of his four starts in 2017 since getting off the DL. Locke faces a Chicago team which is just 6-15 over its last 21 road contests, averaging only 3.71 RPG. Sure, Arrieta has struggled in 2017 but he limited the Marlins to two runs on just two hits over six innings in a 10-2 win June 6 in Chicago, improving to 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA in three meetings with Miami. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Minnesota Twins lost their lead in the AL Central when they dropped four straight over the weekend to the Cleveland Indians. The Twins will get another shot at the Indians next weekend (three-game series in Cleveland) but first they host the Chicago White Sox for three games, a series which began last night. The White Sox had won of five of their last seven games heading into the series but were still mired in last place in the AL Central division at 31-37. The Twins came away with a 9-7 win, despite Santana allowing six runs on 10 hits (including two HRs) in just five innings. Minnesota still owns the worst home record in the majors (15-24) but it was huge to its their skid on a night when the team's ace pitcher labored. Chicago's loss dropped them to 16-26 on the road in 2017.

The pitching matchup: Lefty David Holmberg (1-0 & 2.63 ERA) gets the start for Chicago and will be opposed by José Berríos (6-1 & 2.74 ERA), who has been a nice surprise for the Twins. Holmberg is in his first season with Chicago, after making 14 appearances (12 starts) the last three seasons. He will be making his fifth start since being shifted from the bullpen to the rotation but has made it through five innings only once. However, he's surely shown great improvement this season, overall. He came into 2017 with a 6.45 career ERA but his ERA is just 2.63 this season plus he owns an 0.88 WHIP with opponents batting only .160 against him. He may be just 1-0 in his previous four starts but Chicago has won three times. Berrios pitched a season-high eight innings in a 6-2 win over Seattle last Thursday. He allowed two runs on five hits to win his third start in a row. He has yet to yield more than six hits in any of his seven starts this season (owns a decision in each one). While the Twins have struggled at home, Berrios has been an exception, going is 2-1 with a 2.61 ERA and 0.87 WHIP at Target Field.

The pick: Holmberg has shown excellent improvement in 2017 but the turnaround by Berrios is "off the charts." He was 3-7 in 14 starts last year for Minnesota (team was 3-11), posting an 8.02 ERA, 1.87 WHIP and opponents batted .310 against him. Here in 2017 after seven starts, his ERA is 2.74, his WHIP is 0.96 and hitters are batting only .186 against him. Make the Under a 10* play.