The set-up: Seattle’s Felix Hernandez has struggled at times this year and looked brilliant in others. The Orioles Andrew Cashner though has for the most part been a disappointment. Seattle has overcome the loss of slugger Robison Cano to become one of the league’s power teams and I think it opens this series with a decisive victory tonight.

The pitchers: Hernandez is so far 6-6 with a 5.14 ERA. Hernandez comes in off a strong showing against the Yankees in New York last Wednesday, giving up two runs off six hits while striking out six over five innings in what turned out to be a no-decision in the end. Hernandez comes in off back-to-back strong outings, posting a 12:2 K/BB over 12 total innings of work.

Cashner is so far 2-8 with a 4.72 ERA. Cashner comes in off a decent showing as well, going four shutout innings in a no-decision against the Nationals on Wednesday. Cashner was coming off the DL and with a break in the action due to rain, his start was ultimately cut short. Cashner though has been anything but reliable this season as he comes in sporting the poor 0-5, 5.22 ERA record at home.

The pick: Seattle is 22-16 (+6.7 units) on the road this year, while Baltimore is just 11-23 (-14.6 units) in all home games. I think “The King” can continue his momentum, while Cashner does indeed seem poised for a classic letdown. Play on Seattle.

The set-up: The Phillies took two of three in Washington over the weekend, but they lost the final 8-6 last night. The Yankees were also involved in a high-scoring, extra-inning slug-fest with Tampa, as they ultimately came out on the short-end of a 7-6 setback. Suffice it to say, I think runs are going to be much harder to come by in the opener of this interleague series. The visitors go with Jonathan Loaisiga, while the home side goes with Vince Velasquez.

The pitchers: Loasigia is so far 1-0 with a 3.12 ERA. Loasiga’s debut saw him shut down the Rays, but he’d come back down to Earth in his second start by allowing three runs off six hits with four strikeouts over 3.2 innings in a no-decision against the Mariners last week. Loasigia has shown great potential and I think he’ll match his counterpart inning for inning.

Velasquez is so far 5-7 with a 4.82 ERA. Velasquez most recently gave up four runs off four hits over 6.1 innings while also striking out eight in a no-decision to St. Louis on Tuesday. Note that Velasquez owns a decent 1.28 WHIP to go along with a 97/29 K:BB over 80.1 innings.

The pick: Take it for what you will, but New York has already seen the total dip below the posted number in seven of nine inter-league contests this season. While these teams come in off a couple of high-scoring series, the opener of this one points to the “under” as the correct call.

The set-up: The Angels will be eager to get back on track here after the Blue Jays took two of three from them over the weekend. Here’s the perfect opponent to get back on track against, as the toothless Royals fell 11-3 in Houston yesterday afternoon. The visitors go with Tyler Skaggs on the mound this afternoon, while the home side goes with Brad Keller.

The pitchers: Skaggs is so far 6-4 with a 2.81 ERA. Skaggs’ last start was skipped over because of hamstring tightness, but he’s good to go tonight. Skaggs has been a pleasant surprise for the Angels this season and note that he’s been “lights out” on the road to this point as well with a 5-1, 2.27 ERA record.

Keller is so far 1-2 with a 2.63 ERA. Keller has made the most of his time in the rotation in place of the injured Eric Skoglund, but there’s no question that the rookie faces a stiff test tonight.

The pick: Take it for what you will as well, but LA is already 35-24 (+8 units) against right-handed starters this year, while Kansas City is only 11-14 against southpaws. I think Skaggs overpowers this weak hitting Royals line-up, and I expect Keller to take a step back against the Angels power line-up. Lay the price, play on LA.

The set-up: Philadelphia has taken the first two games of this series because of superior pitching. The Phillies will now look to sweep in the nation’s capital as they once again benefit from a mismatch on the mound this evening. The visitors go with Nick Pivetta, while the home side goes with Jefry Rodriguez.

The pitchers: Pivetta is so far 4-6 with a 4.08 ERA. Pivetta comes in off another strong outing, giving up two runs off four hits with one walk, while also striking out 13 over 7.1 innings in what turned out to be no-decision against the Cards on Monday. Pivetta hasn’t been perfect this year, but he does seem to be getting progressively better/more confident with each start. To go along with his respectable ERA, he also owns a sharp 1.18 WHIP and elite 94:22 K/BB over 79.1 frames of work this season.

Rodriguez is so far 0-0 with a 4.66 ERA. Rodriguez is in the rotation out of necessity. Most recently he was walloped for five earned runs over five innings against Baltimore on Tuesday. It was just his second appearance in the big leagues.

The pick: Philadelphia has looked great at the plate in this series and there’s no reason not to think that the Phillies can’t carry that offensive momentum over here in this very favorable matchup. I think Pivetta offers great value in this spot, play on Philadelphia.

The set-up: Arizona continues to impress on the road, as it’s taken the first two games of this series. I think the surging Diamondbacks are going to build off yesterday’s 7-2 victory and find a way to deliver the goods on Sunday. Arizona goes with Clay Buchholz on the mound, while the Pirates go with Trevor Williams.

The pitchers: Buchholz is so far 1-1 with a 2.94 ERA. Buchholz most recently allowed one earned run off four hits with two walks and three strikeouts over 5.2 innings in a no-decision to the Mets on Sunday. He’d go on to generate a season-best nine ground balls. Buchholz now owns a sharp 1.1 HR/9, while issuing just 1.9 BB/9.

Williams is so far 6-4 with a 4.00 ERA. Williams went seven shutout frames against Milwaukee on Monday, allowing one hit and two walks. He also had seven strikeouts. But outings like that have been few and far between for Williams this season, who came into that contest having allowed 17 earned runs over his previous 18 frames of work.

The pick: Note as well that when Williams faced the Diamondbacks on June 12th, he’d get shelled for eight runs over only three innings of work. “Momentum” can at times be an almost tangible factor and it’s one in which the books can sometimes have a hard time properly quantifying into a line. And that’s the case here in my opinion, as I look for Arizona to continue its surge and get the job done in the end. Play on the Diamondbacks.

The set-up: The Orioles took yesterday’s interleague contest 7-5, but I think the home side will bounce back on Sunday in what sets up to be a nice mismatch on the mound working in its favor. Baltimore goes with David Hess, while the Braves go with Brandon McCarthy.

The pitchers: Hess is so far 2-3 with a 4.82 ERA. Hess most recently was rocked for five runs off five hits with three walks over 4.2 innings in a loss to Washington on Tuesday. Hess had a decent stretch in May, but he’s since allowed a combined ten runs over his last two outings. Note that he’s 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA in all “day” games to this point.

McCarthy is so far 5-3 with a 4.89 ERA. McCarthy’s last appearance was back on June 15th, so he comes in plenty rested. McCarthy’s ERA (4.89) and WHIP (1.49), along with his 7.3 K/9 over 14 starts are serviceable. Note that he’s been at his best in all “day” games with a 2-0, 2.82 ERA record as well.

The pick: And take it for what you will, but Baltimore is already a terrible 8-20 (-12.1 units) in all “day” games this season, while Atlanta is 17-7 (+13.6 units) in all “day” games. I think Hess has a meltdown this afternoon and I look for the hungry and revenge-minded home side to take advantage. Lay the price, play on the Braves.

The set-up: Boston came out on top of a wild 14-10 slugfest in the opener of this three game set last night and I think it’ll carry that momentum over on Saturday. The Mariners go with Mike Leake, while the Red Sox go with Eduardo Rodriguez.

The pitchers: Leake is so far 7-4 with a 4.47 ERA. Leake comes in off a loss against Boston on Sunday, allowing five earned runs off eight hits over five innings. Leake came into that outing on a roll, but he’d come back down to Earth in a big way against Boston’s big bats. To to along with his uninspiring ERA, note that Leake also owns a pedestrian 55 strikeouts over 92.2 frames of work.

Rodriguez is so far 9-1 with a 3.59 ERA. Rodriguez threw opposite Leake last Sunday and would earn the victory after allowing two earned runs with nine strikeouts over six innings. It was his sixth straight winning decision. To go along with his respectable ERA, Rodriguez also owns a sharp 1.24 WHIP and has a 90:24 K/BB over 77.2 frames of work.

The pick: Leake has been “hit or miss” this season, but after his latest blow-up, it’s hard to trust where the right-hander is at right now. Rodriguez though has been at this best in this spot all season and there’s no reason not to think that he won’t be able to carry over his progression here as well. I think Boston is well worth the price of admission in this spot.

The set-up: Philadelphia smashed Washington 12-2 last night and I think it’ll carry that momentum over here. The visitors hand the ball to ace Aaron Nola, while the Nationals go with Erick Fedde.

The pitchers: Nola is so far 8-2 with a 2.55 ERA. Nola comes in off easily his worst outing of the year, allowing four runs and four walks off seven hits over 4.1 innings in what turned out to be a no-decision. Starts like that have been few and far between for Nola though over the last two years, so there’s no reason to over-react to one sub-par performance. Note that he still sports a 94:26 K/BB over 95.1 innings.

Fedde is so far 0-2 with a 5.63 ERA. Fedde most recently allowed three runs off seven hits and two walks over 5.1 innings in a setback to the Yankees on Monday. Fedde has looked unimpressive in his limited time and he comes in with a poor 7.20 ERA on the road so far.

The pick: The Philadelphia bats came alive in last night’s victory and there’s no reason not to think that it won’t be able to duplicate that feat in this one as well facing the shaky Fedde. It’s a golden opportunity for Nola to bounce back and I look for the hard-throwing right-hander to do just that. Play on the Phillies.

The set-up: A few years ago, Danny Duffy and Dallas Keuchel were the two hottest hurlers on the planet. Oh how the times have changed. That said, each has the track record and pedigree to turn things around in 2018 and I think we’re in store for a bit of a “duel” on Friday night.

The pitchers: Duffy is so far 3-7 with a 5.55 ERA. Duffy will be eager to reverse his fortunes here after getting shelled for seven runs off seven hits and three walks over six innings while striking out five against the Astros on Saturday. Across 15 starts Duffy owns a 1.55 WHIP and a 69:40 K/BB. Also note that he’s 2-1 with a 4.24 ERA in all “night” games.

Keuchel is so far 4-8 with a 4.15 ERA. Keuchel comes in off a strong outing against the Royals on Saturday, giving up two unearned runs off six hits with one walk over six innings while striking out five and winning his first game since mid May. To go along with his sub-par 4.15 ERA, Keuchel also sports a 71:23 K/BB.

The pick: Take it for what you will though, but KC has seen the total go “under” the number in 20 of 33 on the road this year, while Houston has seen the total go “under” in eight of ten as a home favorite in the -250 to -330 range. I look for these two determined starters to battle deep. Play the “under.”

The set-up: Minnesota will be eager to bounce back here after its listless 9-2 loss at home to Boston last night. Texas will hand the ball to Mike Minor, while the Twins go with Fernando Romero (3-2, 4.17 ERA.)

The pitchers: Minor is so far 4-4 with a 5.35 ERA. Minor most recently allowed two runs off five hits over seven innings in a no-decision to Colorado on Saturday. Starts like that though have been few and far between for Minor this season, as he has only four quality outings so far in 2018. Also note that he’s a terrible 1-2 with an 8.14 ERA on the road.

Romero is so far 3-2 with a 4.17 ERA. Romero most recently allowed three runs off six hits with a walk over four innings in a no-decision against the Indians on Saturday. Note though that the rookie has been at his best at home this year, going 2-0 with a 2.91 ERA to this point.

The pick: I think Minor’s inconsistencies on the road continue here, while recent form displayed by Romero suggests that he’s in line for another productive evening in front of the home town crowd. Play on the Twins.

The set-up: The Dodgers had the night off last night, while the Mets are off a 6-4 loss in Colorado. I think the well rested visiting side could be a bigger favorite as I look for Alex Wood to out duel New York starter Zach Wheeler on the mound this evening.

The pitchers: Wood is so far 2-5 with a 4.22 ERA. Wood comes in off a decent outing against San Francisco on Saturday, giving up one earned run off four hits and two walks while striking out two over 5.2 innings. Wood would throw 58 of is 85 pitches for strikes and I think the southpaw will carry that momentum over here. Note that he owns a 3.72 ERA in all “night” games.

Wheeler is so far 2-5 with a 4.82 ERA. Wheeler most recently allowed two earned runs off three hits and two walks while striking out eight over six innings against the Diamondbacks on Sunday. Previous to that though Wheeler had been shelled for six earned runs.

The pick: Note as well that the home field advantage has been anything but for Wheeler this season, as he comes in with a poor 0-4, 5.14 ERA record in New York. He’s also just 1-4 with a 5.53 ERA in all “night” games. LA is 17-15 on the road, while the Mets are a terrible 13-21 (-12.5 units) at home. I think Wood offers great value in this matchup. Play on LA.

The set-up: Two teams which can struggle to put runs on the board at times square off against a couple of capable starters. In my opinion, this one sets up as a classic “duel.” The Padres go with Tyson Ross, while the Giants go with Madison Bumgarner.

The pitchers: Ross is so far 5-4 with a 3.51 ERA. Ross comes in off a difficult loss to the Braves on Thursday, giving up three runs off three hits while striking out four over six frames. Ross’s velocity was up on his fast-ball to over 91 MPH and he’ll now look to improve upon his respectable 3-2, 3.11 ERA night record.

Bumgarner is so far 0-2 with a 4.67 ERA. Bumgarner most recently allowed three runs off five hits with four walks while striking out three over six innings in a loss to the Dodgers on Saturday. Bumgarner continues to try and work himself back into game shape, but he certainly has the track record and pedigree to get things turned around quickly.

The pick: The Padres have struggled on the road this year with a 16-19 record. They’ve also struggled to plate runs away from friendly confines, having seen the total go 11-23 on the road. Bumgarner faces the perfect opponent to get back on track, while I also expect Ross to continue his steady progression. Add it all up and this one has “under” written all over it.

The set-up: The Cubs closed out a home set with the Dodgers with a 4-0 win yesterday and I think they’ll carry that momentum over here facing erratic Reds’ starter Matt Harvey. Chicago hands the ball to Kyle Hendricks in this one.

The pitchers: Hendricks is so far 5-6 with a 3.55 ERA. Hendricks most recently allowed three earned runs off seven hits and four walks while striking out three over six innings in a victory over St. Louis on Saturday. Hendricks enters with a respectable 4-3, 3.79 ERA in all night games this year.

Harvey is so far 1-5 with a 5.92 ERA. Harvey most recently gave up three runs off four hits and two walks over five innings while striking out two in a loss to the Pirates on Friday. Harvey was decent, but he’d ultimately come up short again. Harvey now sports the ballooned ERA and note that he owns a 5.63 ERA in all home games.

The pick: Chicago is 41-29 overall this year, which includes going 21-15 on the road. Cincinnati is 27-45 this season, including just 12-23 at home. The Cubs are also 115-69 against the division the last three seasons, while the Reds are just 78-105 against divisional foes in the same span. No upset in this one, lay the price.

\The set-up: The Yanks pulled away for a decisive 7-2 victory in yesterday’s series opener and while the home side may ultimately earn another victory here as well, in a contest which I envision being decided late or in extra innings, I’m going to grab the extra 1.5 runs of insurance. The Mariners go with Felix Hernandez, while the Yankees go with Jonathan Loasiga.

The pitchers: Hernandez is so far 6-6 with a 5.44 ERA. Hernandez comes in off a strong outing against the Red Sox on Thursday, allowing two earned runs off eight hits with one walk while striking out six over seven innings. Hernandez has been strong at home and poor on the road this year, but I’m expecting “The King” to carry over the momentum from his latest outing and challenge his still untested counterpart.

Loaisiga is so far 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA. Loaisiga picked up a win in his major league debut against the Rays on Friday, giving up three hits and four walks over five scoreless. It wan impressive showing, but clearly the book is still out on the right-hander.

The pick: The future is bright for Loaisiga, but it’s hard to see the rookie duplicating that performance in back-to-back outings. Hernandez has had plenty of struggles, but I think the veteran will at the very least, match Loaisiga inning for inning. Play the Mariners on the run-line.

The set-up: The Braves took Game 1 of this one 11-4 yesterday, but I think the home side will bounce back with its ace on the mound this afternoon. Atlanta turns to Anibal Sanchez, while the Jays go with JA Happ.

The pitchers: Sanchez is so far 3-0 with a 1.93 ERA. Over six starts for Atlanta Sanchez has posted a sharp 32/11 K/W over 37.1 innings. Sanchez was a disaster for the Tigers last season, so it’s hard to trust that he’ll maintain these “lights out” numbers.

Happ is so far 8-3 with a 3.48 ERA who went five scoreless against the Rays on Wednesday, giving up one run and three walks over five scoreless on Wednesday. Happ would also strikeout four and he comes into this one sporting an impressive 10.2 K/9 over his 14 starts this season.

The pick: Take it for what you will, but Atlanta is just 2-7 in its last nine after scoring ten or more runs, while Toronto is 8-3 in its last 11 after allowing ten or more runs. I think Sanchez comes back down to Earth and I look for Happ to continue his consistent progression. Lay the price.

The set-up: These teams can both put runs on the board in a hurry, but I think this one sets up as a classic “duel” in the opener of this three game set. The Red Sox go with ace Chris Sale, while the Twins go with Jose Berrios.

The pitchers: Sale is so far 6-4 with a 2.75 ERA. Sale comes in off another strong outing against Baltimore on Wednesday, giving up one run off two hits and four walks over six innings while striking out nine in the victory. Sale’s back on track and he’ll now look to improve upon his already impressive 4-2, 2.56 ERA record on the road.

Berrios is so far 7-5 with a 3.51 ERA. Berrios received a no-decision in his last start against the Tigers despite allowing only one run with seven strikeouts over six innings. Berrios continues to impress and he’ll also be looking to keep the momentum rolling and improve upon his tiny 0.95 WHIP and fantastic 91:15 K/W over 89.2 frames of work this season (note that Berrios is 5-2 with a 3.12 ERA at home this season as well.)

The pick: Take it for what you will as well, but Boston has seen the total go “under” in 22 of 39 this year on the road, while Minnesota has seen the total go “under” in 18 of 31 at home. This number is a little high, play the “under.”

The set-up: Toronto is suddenly white hot, winner of seven straight. That includes a three-game sweep of the Nationals over the weekend. Atlanta has exceeded expectations this season, but I think it’ll come up short here against the hungry home side. The Braves go with Mike Soroka in this one, while the Jays go with Jaime Garcia.

The pitchers: Soroka is so far 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA. Soroka returned for his first start since May 12th to face the Mets on Wednesday and he looked good, going six scoreless with four strikeouts. Soroka has done well so far this season, but I think he’ll have his hands full in this difficult venue.

Garcia is so far 2-5 with a 5.71 ERA. Garcia most recently allowed four runs off four hits with four walks while striking out four over five innings in a loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday. Garcia has been terrible on the road with a 1-4, 8.04 ERA record, but much better at home with a 1-1, 3.00 ERA.

The pick: Take it for what you will as well, but Atlanta is already only 19-21 this season following a victory, while Toronto is 6-2 (+5.6 units) in all inter-league games. Great value on the red hot Jays.

The set-up: Two red hot American League sides collide in the opener of this three-game set. Both of these starters have looked brilliant at times and pedestrian in others, but I think that the home field advantage will prove to be the difference in this one. The Mariners go with Marco Gonzalez, while the Yanks go with Domingo German.

The pitchers: Gonzalez is so far 7-3 with a 3.42 ERA. Gonzalez comes in off a no-decision against the Angels on Wednesday, allowing three runs off seven hits and two walks over five innings. Gonzalez has been sharp as a starter this year and it’s difficult to say too many negative things about him. I simply feel that he’s in the wrong place at the wrong time tonight.

German is so far 1-4 with a 5.23 ERA. German comes in off his best outing of the year and I think he’ll carry that momentum over here. German would give up three runs over six innings while also striking out ten over six innings in the victory over the Rays.

The pick: These are two of the best clubs in the AL, but I’ll point out that New York is a superb 16-4 (+8.9 units) this season against southpaws. I think this one favors the hard-hitting home side, as I look for Gonzalez to take a step back in this difficult atmosphere.

The set-up: Miami took a series against the Giants at home last week so suffice it to say, I think it’s payback time for San Francisco tonight. The Marlins’ Caleb Smith received a no-decision throwing opposite the Giants’ Andrew Suarez last Wednesday (Suarez also received a no-decision for his effort) and they’ll be facing off again on Monday.

The pitchers: Smith is so far 5-6 with a 3.75 ERA. Smith would allow three runs off eight hits over 6.1 innings against San Francisco last week. Smith has been better than advertised for the Marlins this year, but note that he’s still just 3-4 with a 4.81 ERA on the road this season.

Suarez is so far 2-4 with a 4.92 ERA. Suarez gave up two runs off five hits with three strikeouts over five innings in Miami last week. The southpaw has improved considerably of late with a 3.31 ERA in June and note that he owns a respectable 3.55 ERA at home (compared to 6.18 on the road.)

The pick: Miami just 14-22 on the road as well, while San Francisco is 19-11 (+7.2 units) at home. Smith looks poised for a predictable letdown on the road in my opinion, while recent form displayed by Suarez definitely swings the value in favor of the home side. Lay the price.

The set-up: For arguments sake, I’m going to call these starters a “wash.” And if that is in fact the case, then I think it clearly swings the value to the hard-hitting visiting side. Kansas City goes with Ian Kennedy in this one, while the Rangers go with the venerable Bartolo Colon.

The pitchers: Colon is so far 3-4 with a 4.94 ERA. Colon most recently gave up eight runs off nine hits while striking out three over 3.1 innings in a setback to the Dodgers on Tuesday. Colon has struggled of late, but he does have the track record, pedigree and experience to get things turned around.

Kennedy is so far 1-6 with a 5.13 ERA. Kennedy has been a disaster this year, but he comes in off his best performance of the saxon, going eight scoreless in an unfortunate no-decision against Cincinnati on Tuesday. Prior to this gem though, Kennedy had gone seven straight outings without a quality start and note that his opposition is still hitting a healthy .289 off him.

The pick: The moral of the story behind this pick, is to not “over-react.” I think Colon can easily out duel his struggling counterpart, as an immediate return to mediocrity seems imminent for Kennedy. Play on Texas.

The set-up: The Mets have struggled on the road, while the Diamondbacks have been at their best at home. I expect these trends to continue on Sunday. New York hands the ball to Zach Wheeler, while Arizona goes with Clay Buchholz.

The pitchers: Wheeler is so far 2-5 with a 4.98 ERA. Wheeler most recently was smashed for six runs off eight hits and four walks while striking out two over 5.2 innings in a loss to Atlanta on Tuesday. Wheeler has been more “miss” than “hit” this year and note that he’s been poor on the road with an elevated 4.99 ERA.

Buchholz is so far 1-1 with a 3.21 ERA. Buchholz comes in off a sub-par outing as well, allowing six runs off seven hits with two walks while striking out two over four innings in a no-decision to Pittsburgh on Tuesday. Previous to this disaster though Buchholz had given up one or two runs over his first four starts of the season. And despite his latest performance, Buchholz still owns a sharp 3.21 ERA and 1.04 WHIP.

The pick: Note as well that Buchholz has been particularly effective in all “day” games to this point with a sharp 2.12 ERA as well. I’m banking on Buchholz outdueling his “on again off again” counterpart and for the hard-hitting Diamondbacks to do the rest. Play on Arizona.

The set-up: Both of these teams can struggle to put runs on the board at times and that was certainly the case again in the Phillies 4-1 win yesterday. With Philadelphia sending its ace Aaron Nola to the hill and with the Brewers countering with the improving Chase Anderson, I fully expect runs to be at a premium again this afternoon.

The pitchers: Nola is so far 8-2 with a 2.27 ERA. Nola most recently struck out ten and gave up one run over seven innings in a victory over the Rockies on Tuesday. To go along with his elite ERA, note that Nola also sports a minuscule 0.93 WHIP.

Anderson is so far 5-5 with a 4.13 ERA. Anderson most recently went seven scoreless against the Cubs on Tuesday, striking out six and allowing only one hit. While his ERA is pretty “mediocre,” note that Anderson comes in with a sharp 1.17 WHIP, while holding his opposition to a meagre .217 batting average.

The pick: Take it for what you will as well, but Philadelphia has seen the total go “under” the number in 20 of 34 against teams with winning records, while Milwaukee has seen the total go “under” in 22 of 35 against clubs with winning records. This number is a little high, play the “under.

The set-up: Enough is enough! The Marlins have inexplicably taken the first two games of this interleague series as sizeable underdogs, but I think their “luck” runs out on Sunday. Miami goes with Trevor Richards on the mound, while Baltimore goes with the suddenly red hot Dylan Bundy.

The pitchers: Richards is so far 1-3 with a 4.41 ERA. Richards most recently comes off his first big league victory, allowing one run over six innings against the Giants on Tuesday. Richards though had struggled up to that point, so I’m going to caution in reading too much into one decent outing. Note that he’s already given up 17 walks over 34.2 innings this season, while also going a poor 0-2 with a 5.71 ERA on the road.

Bundy is so far 4-7 with a 3.66 ERA. Bundy most recently went eight scoreless against the hard-hitting Red Sox on Monday, allowing three hits with two walks to go along with seven strikeouts. Bundy is finally rounding into form as he’s produced four straight quality starts.

The pick: And note that Bundy has been “lights out” in this position all year, going 3-1 with a minuscule 1.08 ERA in all “day” games. I base my picks on many different things, but I don’t think we need to overthink this one. All things considered, I think we’re getting great value in this matchup. Lay the price.

The set-up: Arizona continues to bounce back after a rough stretch and everything points to another “easy” victory on Saturday night in what sets up as another favorable matchup on the mound. The visitors go with Steven Matz, while the Diamondbacks go with Patrick Corbin.

The pitchers: Matz is so far 2-4 with a 3.53 ERA. Matz’s last start was skipped over due to a blister issue, but the southpaw has been given the green light to start tonight. Matz most recently allowed three runs off five hits with four walks over six innings in a no-decision to the Yankees last Saturday.

Corbin is so far 6-2 with a 3.21 ERA. Corbin is coming off his worst outing of the 2018 campaign, allowing five runs off six hits with five strikeouts over 5.1 innings in a no-decision to the Pirates on Monday. Outings like that have been few and far between for the hard-throwing left-hander the last two years though, so there’s no reason not to think that he won’t be able to bounce back here. Note that he comes into this one sporting an awesome 110:25 K/W and he’s also a fantastic 4-1 with a 3.11 ERA in all “night” games.

The pick: Take it for what you will as well, but New York is a terrible 7-10 (-4.3 units) against left-handed starters this year, while Arizona is a fantastic 17-8 (+11.1 units) against left-handed starters this season. Frankly, I believe this line could be even larger. Lay the price, play on the Diamondbacks.

The set-up: Madison Bumgarner has so far been pretty “mediocre” since returning from injury for the Giants, while Alex Wood has struggled of late for the Dodgers. These are two pitchers which have enjoyed a lot of success throughout their careers and clearly neither can be happy at where they are at this point of the 2018 campaign. I firmly believe though that their focus/hunger will prove to be the difference in this total, as everything points to a classic “duel” on Saturday night.

The pitchers: Bumgarner is so far 0-1 with a 4.76 ERA. Bumgarner most recently allowed four runs off six hits and one walk over 5.1 innings in a no-decision to the Marlins on Monday. It was only the veterans second start of the season and clearly he still has some rust to shake off. Note that Bumgarner had a very respectable 3.26 ERA on the road last year though.

Wood is so far 1-5 with a 4.43 ERA. Wood was removed after 4.2 innings of work against the Giants last Saturday after dealing a minor leg injury. Wood has admittedly struggled of late, but remember that he was 16-3 with a 2.72 ERA last overall last season.

The pick: Take it for what you will as well, but LA has already seen the total go under the number in a whopping 16 of 21 this season against left-handed pitching. I predict these starters battle deep into the latter frames and I look for this total to fall under at the end of the night.

The set-up: While these teams combined for just two runs in the Marlins 2-0 upset victory on Friday, Saturday’s interleague contest definitely sets up as a “slugfest” in my opinion. Miami goes with the erratic Wei-Yin Chen, while Baltimore goes with confirmed “gas can” Alex Cobb.

The pitchers: Chen is so far 1-3 with a 6.13 ERA. Chen most recently was smashed for four runs off six hits and four walks over 4.1 innings in a no-decision against San Francisco on Monday. Chen has now given up ten earned runs over his last 10.1 innings of work spanning three starts. Note that he’s been terrible on the road as well with an 0-3, 10.31 ERA record.

Cobb is so far 2-8 with a 7.23 ERA. Cobb most recently gave up nine runs off 11 hits and one walk while striking out five over 3.2 innings in a loss to Toronto on Sunday. To go along with his brutal 7.23 ERA, note that Cobb also sports a terrible 1.77 WHIP and 37:14 K/W over 56 innings of work. Additionally note that he’s 0-3 with a 5.71 ERA at home.

The pick: Take it for what you will as well, but note that Miami has already seen the total go over the number in 10 of 14 this year as a road dog in the +125 to +175 range, while Baltimore has seen the total go over in five of eight this season as a home favorite in the -125 to -175 range. This one has “offensive fireworks” written all over it.

The set-up: Detroit prevailed 4-3 over the White Sox yesterday and I think it’ll find a way to get the job done here as well. The visitors go with Jordan Zimmermann, while the home side goes with Lucas Giolito.

The pitchers: Zimmermann is so far 2-0 with a 4.88 ERA. Zimmermann has been cleared to play after three minor league stints to get back into shape. The veteran has made seven starts for the Tigers this year and while his pedestrian ERA is nothing to write home about, he does have a respectable 1.31 WHIP to go along with a decent 32/9 K:W over 31.1 innings of work.

Giolito is so far 4-7 with a 7.09 ERA. Giolito most recently was smashed for four runs off four hits and four walks over five innings in a loss to the Indians on Monday. Amazingly he’d throw more balls (47) than strikes (46) and the sub-par effort would mark the seventh time in just 13 trips to the hill in which he’s walked more than he’s struck out.

The pick: Unfortunately a date at home is not what the doctor ordered to get Giolito back on track either, as note that he’s a terrible 1-4 with an 11.63 ERA in Chicago so far. Zimmermann comes in focused and takes full advantage of this favorable matchup. Play on the Tigers.

The set-up: Rick Porcello has been better than advertised for the Red Sox this season, but James Paxton is the correct call in this matchup in my opinion (especially at home.) I

The pitchers: Porcello is so far 8-3 with a 3.54 ERA. Porcello most recently gave up three runs off five hits and three walks while striking out six over six innings in a loss to the White Sox on Sunday. Porcello owns a super 80:20 K/W so far this year and it’s difficult to say anything negative about him, I simply think that he’s in the wrong place at the wrong time in this one.

Paxton is so far 6-1 with a 3.02 ERA. Paxton most recently went seven innings against the Rays on Sunday, giving up three runs and no walks with ten strikeouts. 73 percent of his pitches went for strikes and the southpaw was also able to induce 15 swinging strikes and seven ground ball outs. To go along with his highly respectable ERA, note that Paxton also has a sharp 11.2 K/9 (is 3-1 with a 2.79 ERA at home as well.)

The pick: Take it for what you will as well, but Boston is just 2-6 in its last eight against right-handed starters, while Seattle is 30-15 (+16.8 units) against right-handed starters. Great value in my opinion, play on the Mariners.

The set-up: Neither team is known for its offensive prowess, so both the Reds’ Matt Harvey and the Pirates’ Chad Kuhl catch a bit of a “break” on Friday night. This number is slightly too large in my opinion.

The pitchers: Harvey is so far 1-4 with a 5.97 ERA. Harvey comes in off a loss to the Cardinals on Friday, allowing five runs and three walks with five strikeouts over six innings. Harvey has been given another chance in the rotation to try and “right the ship,” and while that may or may not happen, I will point out that the Reds have seen the total dip below the number in ten of 15 already this season as a road dog in the +125 to +175 range and in 17 of 28 against right-handed starters.

Kuhl is 4-4 with a 3.95 ERA. Kuhl most recently gave up three runs off eight hits and two walks while striking out six over 5.1 innings in a loss to the Cubs on Friday. Kuhl is 0-2 over his last three trips to the hill, despite allowing only six runs spanning 17.1 frames. Kuhl though has to be feeling confident here as he’s 2-1 with a 3.78 ERA at home this season.

The pick: Take it for what you will as well, but Pittsburgh has already seen the total go under the number in all three home games that it’s played in this season when the total in the contest is set between 9 and 9.5 and in 16 of 26 against the division. Because of all of the listed factors above, play the “under.”

The set-up: Miami has struggled on the road and while its starting pitcher Jose Urena has likely done better than what his record would indicate, I still think he’s in over his head here. Baltimore and Kevin Guasman will now look to take advantage of this favorable interleague contest.

The pitchers: Urena is 1-8 with a 4.59 ERA so far. Urena most recently allowed three runs off six hits and no walks with five strikeouts over six innings in a loss to the Friars on Sunday. Urena has had many unfortunate losses this season due to lack of run support and note that he comes into this one with a poor 5.27 ERA on the road.

Gausman is so far 3-5 with a 4.58 ERA. Gausman comes in off a decent outing as well, giving up three earned runs off nine hits with six strikeouts over seven innings in a no-decision to Toronto on Saturday. Gausman has admittedly been “hit or miss” this year, but he does come in with a sharp 2.91 ERA in all night games to this point.

The pick: Both teams have been terrible in almost every statistical category there is, but this one for me comes down to the starting pitching and the home field advantage. A great price in my opinion, play on the Orioles.

The set-up: Both teams come in off victories on Wednesday. Both of these starting pitchers have looked brilliant at times this year and poor in others. I’m expecting an all out battle in the opener of this important three-game set and as such, I think laying the reasonable mid-sized price for the extra run-and-a-half of insurance is the correct move in this matchup. The Red Sox go with David Price, while the Mariners go with Felix Hernandez.

The pitchers: Price is so far 7-4 with a 4.00 ERA. Price most recently gave up two runs off five hits and three walks over six innings in a 4-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday. Price has been decent of late, but I think he’s going to struggle against the hard-hitting home side.

Hernandez is so far 6-5 with a 5.70 ERA. After dominating the Rays over eight scoreless in his previous start, Hernandez predictably came back down to Earth in his next start against the Rays, allowing six runs over three innings on Saturday. I’ll point out though that Hernandez has been much better at home (4.04 ERA) than on the road (7.71)

The pick: Both teams have been excellent this season and in my opinion, this one has “nail-biter” written all over it. Grab the 1.5 runs.

The set-up: Astros starter Justin Verlander continues to defy the odds. Verlander’s career looked just about finished in Detroit, before then being traded to the Astros mid way through the year last season. The rest is history as Verlander would anchor a rotation that propelled Houston to a World Championship. Frankie Montas has been exceptional for the A’s in his limited time, but I think he’s in over his head in this matchup.

The pitchers: Verlander is so far 8-2 with a 1.45 ERA. Most recently Verlander gave up three runs off five hits while striking out nine over six innings in a win over Texas on Friday. Verlander leads the league in many statistical categories, as his 1.45 ERA and 0.76 WHIP lead all starters, while his 113 strikeouts rank fourth overall. Note that he’s 6-1 with a minuscule 0.96 ERA on the road as well.

Montas is so far 3-0 with a 1.25 ERA. Montas most recently gave up two earned runs off six hits over 7.2 innings while striking out five and walking one in the A’s eventual 7-2 win. As mentioned above, Montas has been excellent, but I think he’s in the wrong place at the wrong time here.

The pick: Take it for what you will, but Houston is already 14-6 (+5.4 units) this season as a road favorite in the -125 to -175 range, while Oakland is just 1-4 (-2.4 units) this year as a home underdog in the +125 to +175 range. I’m banking on Verlander to continue his progression and to get the better of his younger counterpart tonight. Lay the price.

The set-up: One of these pitchers has been solid from Spring Training, while the other returned from injury to make his first start just last week. The Indians hand the ball to Mike Clevinger in this one, while the White Sox go with Carlos Rodon.

The pitchers: Clevinger is so far 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA. Most recently Clevinger gave up two earned runs over 6.2 innings in a no-decision to Detroit on Saturday, also posting five strikeouts. Note that Clevinger is 2-1 with a 2.43 ERA on the road and an even better 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in all “day” games.

Rodon is so far 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA. As mentioned above, Rodon made his debut against the Red Sox on Saturday, allowing four runs off six hits and two walks over five innings. Rodon was decent, but it should be noted that he was a poor 0-2 with a 6.19 ERA in all “day” games last season.

The pick: Take it for what you will as well, but Cleveland is already 17-11 (+1.6 units) this year in all “day” games, while Chicago is just 8-24 (-14 units) in all “day” games. I like Clevinger to out-duel Rodon and I look for the hard-hitting Tribe to do the rest.

The set-up: Both of these starting pitchers has looked decent at times this year and also horrible in others. I’m expecting these starters to get the hook early and a result, the “over” is the correct call in my opinion. San Francisco goes with Dereck Rodriguez, while the Marlins go with Dan Straily.

The pitchers: Rodriguez is so far 1-1 with a 5.25 ERA. After a decent outing against the Phillies in his debut, Rodriguez predictably came back down to Earth against the Nationals on Saturday, allowing five runs off six hits with three walks. While Miami is a favorable matchup usually for most pitchers, I still think the book is still out on the Giants’ rookie hurler.

Straily is so far 2-2 with a 4.08 ERA. Straily most recently gave up four earned runs over 3.2 innings in a no-decision to the Padres on Saturday. Note that Straily owns a poor 7.11 ERA at home, compared to 2.67 on the road.

The pick: Both starters come in off horrible performances and in my opinion, I believe it’s “foreshadowing” for more ineptitude in this one as well. I expect each to get chased early and as a result, I’m playing the over.

The set-up: After yesterday’s 5-1 defeat, I look for the Royals to at the very least keep this one close enough into the latter frames to earn the comfortable victory with the extra 1.5 runs of insurance. The Reds hand the ball to Tyler Mahle, while the home side goes with Jason Hammel.

The pitchers: Mahle is 4-6 with a 4.33 ERA thus far. Most recently Mahle gave up three runs off six hits over five innings in a no-decision against the Rockies on Thursday. Mahle has struggled of late, completing just six innings in just five of his 13 starts this year. Mahle has been hit or miss this season, being especially average on the road with a 3-3, 4.49 ERA.

Hammel is 2-6 with a 5.12 ERA to this point. Hammel most recently gave up four earned runs off eight hits with one walk while striking out six over six innings in a loss to the A’s on Thursday. Hammel has struggled for most of the season, however he’s now started to turn things around by giving up just seven earned runs over his last 24.1 innings of work.

The pick: The Reds earned the rare road win last night, but they’re still just 12-20 (-3 units on the road). It’s hard to say too many positive things about the Royals, however note that they’re 6-2 in their last eight after scoring one goal or less in their previous contest. In a contest which I envision being decided late or in extra frames, I’m playing the Royals on the run-line.

The set-up: The Reds beat the Cards 6-3 at home on Monday and I think they’ll carry that offensive momentum over here. The Royals on the other hand will be looking to get back on track after a 3-2 loss at Oakland last night. Neither team is known for its offensive prowess, meaning the under is the correct move in my opinion.

The pitchers: Sal Romano gets the call for the visitors and he’s so far 3-7 with a 6.23 ERA. Romano most recently allowed five runs and a walk over five innings while striking out six in a loss to the Reds on Wednesday. Romano has been poor of late, but a date against the anemic Royals is just what the doctor ordered to get untracked in my estimation.

Ian Kennedy is so far 1-6 with a 5.76 ERA and he’s being handed the ball by the home side. Kennedy though comes in off perhaps his best outing of the year, giving up one run off seven hits and three walks with five strikeouts over five innings in a no-decision to the Angels on Wednesday. Like his counterpart today though, I believe that a date against the light-hitting Reds is just what he’ll need to get back on track.

The pick: Take it for what you will, but the Reds have seen the total go under the number in 15 of 22 already this season following a win, while the Royals have seen the total go under in 25 of 41 following a loss. Play the under.

The set-up: The Mets trot out Zack Wheeler in this National League contest on Wednesday night, and he has admittedly looked far better over the last month after a disastrous start to the 2018 campaign. The Braves go with Mike Foltynewicz on the mound and he continues to show signs that he may be able to take his play to an entirely different level and then hold it consistently.

The pitchers: Wheeler is so far 2-4 with a 4.57 ERA. Most recently Wheeler would go seven scoreless against Baltimore on Wednesday, giving up three hits and a walk while striking out five in what turned out to be a no-decision. Wheeler has been considerably better of late, but note that he’s still just 1-3 with a 5.01 ERA in all “night” games this season.

Foltynewicz is far 5-4 with a 2.31 ERA. Most recently Foltynewicz would give up two earned runs off five hits while walking three and striking out eight over five innings in a loss to the Friars on Wednesday. Foltynewicz threw well enough to earn a victory in that one and he was just unfortunate to come out on the short end of the stick. Note thought that he’s 3-3 with a 2.38 ERA in all “night” games this year and 2-1 with a 2.55 ERA at home.

The pick: Take it for what you will, but New York is a poor 14-22 (-7.8 units) this season against teams with winning records, while Atlanta is a decent 10-8 (+1.6 units) against clubs with losing records. A very fair price considering the situation. Play on the Braves.

The set-up: Jon Gray gets the nod for the Rockies in this one. Gray’s overall performance to this point is likely better than what his numbers would indicate, but I still think he’ll have a hard time matching pace with Phillies’ ace Aaron Nola tonight.

The pitchers: Gray is so far 6-6 with a 5.66 ERA. Gray earned a victory last time out against the Reds, allowing three runs off seven hits while striking out five over five frames on Wednesday. Gray has been better on the road than at home (not surprising considering it’s Coors Field we’re talking about), but he still enters with a poor 3-3, 4.73 ERA record away from friendly confines.

Nola is 7-2 with a 2.35 ERA. Most recently Nola would give up three runs and post six strikeouts over six innings in a loss to the Cubs on Wednesday. It was probably his worst start of the season, so there’s nothing to panic about at this point obviously. Not only does Nola own the sharp 2.35 ERA, but he also has an 80:22 K/W over 85 innings of work so far this season.

The pick: Both teams have been sliding in June. Note though that the Rockies are a poor 11-12 (-1.3 units) against clubs with winning records this year, while the Phillies are a decent 13-10 (+3.3 units) against teams with losing records. With its ace on the mound, I expect Philadelphia to get the job done in this matchup.

The set-up: It’s the opener of a three-game set between these National League foes and in my opinion, the home field advantage will prove to be the difference in the end. The Cubs go with Jose Quintana, while the Brewers hand the ball to Junior Guerra.

The pitchers: Quintana is so far 6-4 with a 4.20 ERA. Most recently Quintana gave up two runs off three hits and two walks over 5.2 innings in a somewhat unfortunate no-decision against the Phillies on Wednesday. Quintana though has been consistently inconsistent all year and I think he’ll struggle to match pace with his counterpart this evening.

Guerra is 3-4 with a 2.83 ERA. Guerra most recently allowed three runs off seven hits with one walk and five strikeouts over six innings in a loss to Cleveland on Tuesday. Despite the unfortunate setback, Guerra has still posted an awesome 15:1 K/W over his last three starts and note that he’s consistently been at his best at home this year with a 3.03 ERA thus far.

The pick: The Cubs stumbled at home to the Pirates yesterday and things definitely don’t get any easier facing the Brewers, who just took two of three from the Phillies. I think Guerra and Milwaukee are the correct all in this matchup.

analysis soon

The set-up: It’s the opener of a three-game set between these National League opponents and in my opinion, this one has “duel” written all over it. It’s southpaw vs. southpaw on Monday night, as San Francisco goes with Madison Bumgarner, while Miami goes with Wei Yin Chen.

The pitchers: Bumgarner is 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA. Bumgarner finally returned from injury on Tuesday and he looked decent against the hard-hitting Diamondbacks by allowing two runs, while striking out three and walking none over three innings in what turned out to be a no-decision. Note that Bumgarner owned a 3.26 ERA on the road last year.

Chen is 1-3 with a 5.86 ERA to this point. Most recently the leftie gave up two runs off six hits with two walks and two strikeouts over 4.1 innings in a no-decision against the Cardinals on Wednesday. Chen has been a disaster on the road this year (0-3, 10.31), but he’s been “lights out” at home (1-0, 1.06).

The pick: Take it for what you will, but San Fran has already seen the total go “under” the number in 18 of 34 on the road, while Miami has seen it go “under” in 17 of 30 at home this season. Expect these two starters to fight into the latter innings and for this total to fall “under” at the end of the night.

The set-up: The Yanks have taken the first two games of the sub-way series. Yesterday the Yankees came from behind to win 4-3. While that contest stayed below the posted number, I think that Sunday’s finale sets up as more of a “slug-fest.” The Yanks go with Luis Severino in this one, while the Mets hand the ball to Seth Lugo.

The pitchers: Severino is 9-1 with a 2.20 ERA. Most recently Severino gave up one run over eight innings in a win over Mariners on Monday. Let’s face it, Severino has been downright dominant this season and it’s basically impossible to say anything negative about the right-hander. This play however is more about the overall “situaiton.” 

Lugo is 1-1 with a 2.04 ERA. Lugo has been used as a reliever this season and he’ll make this start in place of the injured Noah Syndergaard. Over his last two appearances he’s thrown a total of 87 pitches. Lugo is not expected to see many innings in this one, which puts added pressure on the Mets bullpen.

The pick: Take it for what you will as well, but the Yankees has already seen the total go over the number in six of eight this season as a road favorite of -175 or more, while the Mets have seen the total soar over the number in five of their last seven against right-handed starters. I think the Yanks take advantage here and while I’m not ready to lay such a steep price, this one definitely has “offense” written all over it. Play the over.

The set-up: St. Louis would score the 6-4 victory over Cincinnati on Saturday and I think the visiting team will deliver the goods on Sunday afternoon as well. Carlos Martinez will be called upon by the Cards, while the Reds go with Anthony DeSclafani.

The pitchers: Martinez is so far 3-2 with a 1.83 ERA. Martinez returned from injury and put together a mediocre first outing for his standards, giving up two runs off four hits with five walks and five strikeouts over four innings in a no-decision to Miami on Tuesday. There’s no reason not to think though that Martinez won’t be able to make significant progression in his second outing back, note that he’s 2-1 with a tiny 1.83 ERA on the road thus far.

DeSclafani is 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA. DeSclafani comes in off a loss on Tuesday, his first big league start since late September 2016. He’d predictably get rocked for four runs off six hits and a walk over five innings against the Rockies. Clearly the book is still out on the right-hander at this point.

The pick: St. Louis has a knack at winning the “important” games, as evidenced by its 21-11 (+8.4 units) record against the division. Cincinnati on the other hand is a horrible 6-20 (-13.2 units) against divisional foes. This line is way out of whack. Play on the Cards.

The set-up: I had a play on Seattle last night and that pick came up short, as Tampa wound up winning 7-3 with Blake Snell on the mound. Felix Hernandez wasn’t able to deliver back-to-back quality outings for the still surging Mariners, but with its bonafide ace on the mound tonight, I look for Seattle to find a way to deliver the goods in the final contest in this three game set. The Mariners go with James Paxton, while the Rays hand the ball to Nate Eovaldi.

The pitchers: Paxton is 5-1 with a 2.95 ERA so far. Most recently Paxton gave up one run and a walk to go along with six strikeouts over eight innings in a win over Houston on Tuesday. It was Paxton’s seventh quality start out of his last eight tries and note that he now owns a ridiculous 101:25 K/W over 82.1 frames of work thus far.

Eovaldi is 1-1 with a 3.27 ERA. After going six no hit frames in his first start of the year Eovaldi would take a predictable step back in his second, giving up four runs off four hits over five innings in a loss to Washington on Tuesday. Clearly the sample size is still way too small to get an accurate read on where Eovaldi is at this point.

The pick: Despite yesterday’s setback, note that Seattle is still 20-12 (+8 units) on the road this year, while Tampa is still only 12-15 (-4.5 units) at home. Paxton is the correct call in this matchup. Lay the price.

The set-up: These teams combined for ten runs in the Astros victory yesterday, but I believe we’ll see a much lower-scoring duel on Saturday night. The Astros hand the ball to Charlie Morton, while the Rangers go with Mike Minor.

The pitchers: Morton is so far 7-1 with a 2.84 ERA. Morton will be looking to return to form after his first loss of the season, giving up six runs off nine hits over 5.1 innings to Boston on Sunday. No need to panic if you’re a Morton fan though I don’t think as he owns elite numbers across the board still, including the 2.84 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP and 92 K’s overall. Note as well that he’s 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA on the road.

Minor is 4-4 with a 5.76 ERA so far. Minor most recently gave up four earned runs off six hits over five innings while striking out two in a 6-1 loss to the Mariners on Thursday. Minor’s ERA leaves everything to be desired, but he does own a respectable 1.35 WHIP thus far. Note that Minor has been at his best at home this year as well with a 3-2, 4.11 ERA record.

The pick: I think it’s significant to note that Houston has seen the total go “under” the number in 16 of 27 against the division this year, while Texas has seen the total go “under” in 22 of 34 against divisional opponents. This number is just a little high, play the under.

The set-up: I had a play on Seattle yesterday and it would hold on for the 5-4 victory. “Momentum” can often become a very tangible factor and I think that the Mariners carry it over into this one. Seattle goes with Felix Hernandez, while Tampa goes with Blake Snell.

The pitchers: Hernandez is 6-4 with a 5.33 ERA thus far and “The King” comes in off his best outing of the season last Sunday, striking out seven and walking one over eight scoreless innings in what turned out to be a win over Tampa Bay. Hernandez is now trending in the correct direction and I look for that momentum to get carried over here as well. Hernandez now tries to improve upon his solid 62:29 K/W on the season.

Snell is 7-3 with a 2.36 ERA. Snell threw opposite Hernandez last Sunday and he’d go six scoreless and strikeout 12 without a walk. Snell has been superb so far this year, but I simply feel that he’s facing the wrong team at the wrong time this weekend.

The pick: Seattle is a super 19-11 (+8.1 units) on the road, while Tampa is just 11-14 (-4.4 units) at home. Look for the Mariners to find a way to get the job done at the end of the night.

The set-up: San Francisco took Game 1 of this National League series by a score of 9-5 yesterday. Nats starter Stephen Strasburg sustained an injury early and Washington’s relievers clearly weren’t prepared to step in. But a favorable matchup on the mound Saturday afternoon has the host ready to make an immediate return to the winners circle in my opinion. The Giants go with Derek Rodriguez while the Nationals go with the red hot Gio Gonzalez.

The pitchers: Rodriguez is so far 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA. Rodriguez made the most of his first big league start, giving up one earned run off five hits and two walks with over six innings in a win over Philadelphia on Sunday. With Jeff Samardzija returning from the DL shortly, Rodriguez will be shipped backed to Triple-A Sacramento. So is Rodriguez “the real deal,” and can he duplicate his first performance in this pressure packed venue? Clearly the books is still out on the youngster.

Gonzalez is 6-2 with a 2.27 ERA. Most recently the southpaw gave up three runs off five hits while striking out nine over seven innings with no walks in what turned out to be a no-decision against the Braves on Saturday. Gonzalez has excelled across the board this season, but he’s been especially tough at home by going 3-1 with a 2.10 ERA (he’s also 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA in all “day” games.)

The pick: Take it for what you will as well, but San Fran is a poor 18-21 (-1.7 units) this season against clubs with winning records, while Washington is 27-13 (+9.2 units) against teams with winning records. After yesterday’s lop-sided defeat, I expect the hard-hitting home side to respond in turn this afternoon. Lay the price.

The set-up: Atlanta had the day off yesterday, while LA comes to town off a series win over the Pirates. There is a big talent gap on the mound today in my opinion, one so wide that it makes this a price in which I have no issues at all in laying. The Braves send Brandon McCarthy to the hill, while the Dodgers go with Walker Buehler.

The pitchers: McCarthy is so far 5-2 with a 4.83 ERA. McCarthy most recently gave up two runs off four hits over six innings in a no-decision against the Nationals on Saturday. Previous to that decent outing though McCarthy had been rocked for five runs. To go along with his uninspiring ERA, McCarthy also owns a pedestrian 1.50 WHIP (also note that he has a 5.93 ERA in all “night” games.)

Buehler is 3-1 with a 2.74 ERA so far. Most recently Buehler gave up four runs off eight hits with two walks over five innings in a no-decision against the Rockies on Saturday. Considering the venue (Coors Field), it was another solid outing for the rookie. Note that it was in fact the first time in eight starts that he’d strike out less than six opponents (also note that Buehler owns a minuscule 1.44 ERA at home so far.)

The pick: Take it for what you will, but the Dodgers are 9-2 in their last 11 after scoring eight or more runs in their previous contest (LA won 8-7 in Pittsburgh yesterday afternoon.) I’m banking on Buehler continuing his strong play at home and for McCarthy to once again take a step back. Lay the price.

The set-up: It’s the “Subway Series” for the first time this year and in my opinion, everything points to a classic “duel” in the first game. The Yankees will hand the ball to Masahiro Tanaka, while the Mets counter with their ace Jacob DeGrom.

The pitchers: Tanaka is 7-2 with a 4.79 ERA so far. Tanaka most recently gave up four runs off eight hits with one walk over 5.1 innings while also striking out seven in a victory over Baltimore on Saturday. Tanaka has admittedly been “hit or miss” this season, but I’m expecting the hard-throwing right-hander to be at his best in this high-profile matchup.

More than anything though this pick is based on the sheer dominance of Jacob DeGrom (4-0, 1.49) who received a no-decision despite allowing only one run off seven hits and two walks over seven innings while striking out 13 against the Cubs on Saturday. DeGrom now owns a Senior Circuit-low 1.49 ERA and his 1.04 WHIP has to be considered elite. Also note that he owns a fantastic 98:21 K/W over 72.1 frames of work.

The pick: Fortunately for the sometimes volatile Tanaka, he faces an opponent which has struggled with offensive consistency all year. And especially it’s seemed whenever the Mets have had their “ace” on the mound. This one has “pitchers duel” written all over it. Play the under.

The set-up: These teams were locked in a tight battle into the latter frames last night, but I’m expecting a decisive victory for the visitors on Thursday afternoon. The Phillies hand the ball to Nick Pivetta, while the Cubs go with Tyler Chatwood.

The pitchers: So far Pivetta is 4-4 with a 3.48 ERA. Pivetta most recently gave up three earned runs over four innings in a loss to the Giants on Friday. Previous to that though Pivetta had been on fire, going into that sub-par outing having given up just three earned runs, while striking out 32 over 24 innings. Pivetta owns a sharp 1.15 WHIP over 62 innings and he’s been at his best in all “day” games, with a 2-1, 1.88 ERA record.

Chatwood is so far 3-4 with a 4.02 ERA. Chatwood most recently gave up two runs off four hits and four walks while striking out three over 5.1 innings against the Mets on Friday. Previous to that decent performance though Chatwood had been pulled after 2.2 innings in his previous two starts, while also walking 11 opponents in that span. Chatwood owns a poor 1.73 WHIP with 47 K’s and 49 walks over 53.2 innings.

The pick: Chicago has been struggling at the plate, and I think it’s going to have its hands full with Pivetta. Chatwood’s been consistently inconsistent all year and I don’t foresee anything changing here. Play on the Phillies.

The set-up: These teams played to a wild, high-scoring slug-fest on Wednesday night, but in my opinion Thursday’s afternoon matchup sets up as more of a lower-scoring “duel.” In this one the Dodgers send Dennis Santa to the hill, while the Pirates will go with Jameson Taillon.

The pitchers: Santana is so far 1-0 with a 12.27 ERA. Santana was thrown to the wolves in his first big-league start, as he’d be called in in relief at Coors Field where he’d be smashed for five runs off six hits over 3.2 innings. However, the Dodgers were mashing the ball in that game and Santana managed to pick up the victory in the end. Over ten starts in the minors Santana posted a 2.54 ERA and 65:16 K/W over 49.2 innings.

But this pick is based mainly on the improved play of Taillon, who is 3-4 with a 3.97 ERA. Taillon most recently struck out six over eight scoreless with just one walk in a win over the Cards on Friday. Taillon now owns a superb 1.16 WHIP and a sharp 60:18 K/W over 65.2 innings.

The pick: LA has seen the total go under in 11 of 15 already this season when the total in the contest is set at either 8 or 8.5, while Pittsburgh has seen the total go under in 15 of 25 “day” games. Play the under.

The set-up: The Twins took Game 1 of yesterday’s double-header by a score of 4-2, while the White Sox would respond in the second with a 6-3 victory. Chicago though sends an erratic starter to the hill, making Minnesota well worth the price of admission in this spot in my opinion. 

The pitchers: The White Sox go with Hector Santiago, who is so far 1-2 with a 5.10 ERA. Most recently Santiago would allow three runs off five hits and five walks with one strikeout over 3.1 innings in a loss to the Brewers on Friday. Carlos Rodon is expected to be back from injury soon and when he does, Santiago will be moved back to the bullpen. And that’s probably good news for ChiSox fans, as Santiago owns a poor 0-2, 8.50 ERA record in all “night” games this season.

The Twins go with Jake Odorizzi (3-2, 4.14) who was blasted for eight runs off seven hits in a loss to the Indians on Thursday. Previous to that though Odorizzi had given up just five runs over 27.1 innings, so I’m not going to over-react to one poor outing. Odorizzi has to be feeling confident here as well with a 2-1, 3.90 ERA record in all home contests to this point.

The pick: Minnesota has won the “important” contests this season, going 11-6 (+4.6 units) against the division. Chicago on the other hand has been a disaster across the board, especially against clubs with losing records, going just 11-18 (-7.2 units). I like Odorizzi to bounce back here in front of the home town crowd.

The set-up: The Rangers pulled away late in yesterday’s 7-4 victory and I think the home side looks poised to build off that performance. Daniel Mengden has been sharp, but I think the venerable Bartolo Colon will at the very least, match his counterpart inning for inning on Wednesday night.

The pitchers: The A’s do indeed go with Mengden, who is so far 6-4 with a 2.91 ERA. Mengden comes in off a victory over the Rays on Thursday, allowing three runs off six hits and two walks over eight innings. Mengden has won four straight, but I’ll point out that the A’s are a poor 4-7 in their last 11 after allowing seven or more runs in their previous outing.

Colon is so far 2-3 with a 4.21 ERA. Most recently the veteran gave up six runs off eight hits over three innings in a loss to the Angels on Friday. Colon hasn’t been at his best over the last couple of weeks, but he still enters this contest with a sharp 1.03 WHIP and 44:8 K/W spanning 66.1 innings of work.

The pick: Texas is a fantastic 11-4 in its last 15 after scoring seven or more runs in its previous contest. Suffice it to say, I look for that strong trend to carry over here.

The set-up: What’s the first thing that comes into your head when you think about these two teams? For me its big time offensive fireworks. But that wasn’t the case on Tuesday night though as Cleveland came out on top of a lower-scoring pitchers duel in the 3-2 decision. However, a higher-scoring slug-fest would appear to be in the cards on Wednesday afternoon though as a couple of suddenly struggling starters collide.

The pitchers: The Brewers go with Chase Anderson, who is 4-4 with a 4.45 ERA. Anderson comes in off another shaky outing, allowing four runs off five hits and a walk over 5.2 innings in a loss to the White Sox on Friday. Anderson has now failed to go at least six frames in five of his last seven starts and it’s important to note that he’s a poor 0-2 with a 5.14 ERA on the road to this point.

The Indians go with Carlos Carrasco, who is 6-4 with a 4.50 ERA. Carrasco most recently gave up six runs off seven hits and three walks over 3.2 innings in a loss to the Twins on Friday. Carrasco has completely fallen off the rails of late, posting a disturbing 6.37 ERA over his last seven seven starts to go along with a terrible 1.8 HR/9. Note that he owns a 5.59 ERA at home and an even worse 5.90 ERA in all “day” games.

The pick: Take it for what you will, but Milwaukee has already seen the total go over the number in seven of 12 road games this year when the total is set between 8 and 8.5, while Cleveland has seen the total go over in 11 of 16 home games when the total is set between 8 and 8.5. These two erratic starters get chased early and this one flies over the number sooner, rather than later.

The set up: One of these teams started off the season poorly, while the other looked unstoppable. However, the tables have turned after the first month and I think the home side will build off its convincing blowout from last night.

The pitching match-up: Arizona goes with Patrick Corbin, who is 5-2 with a 2.99 ERA thus far. Like his team, Corbin got off to an unreal start to the 2018 campaign, one which now looks completely unsustainable. Corbin most recently was shelled for six runs off five hits over six innings to the Reds on Wednesday.

San Francisco welcomes back Madison Bumgarner, who returns from the 60-day DL to make his first start of 2018. Bumgarner looked great in his final tune-up, going 3.2 shutout innings, while posting eight strikeouts in the process. Bumgarner was 4-9 with a 3.32 ERA during his injury riddled 2017 campaign, posting a very respectable 3.40 ERA at home and an even better 2.81 ERA in all “night” games.

The pick: After last night’s loss, Arizona is now just 12-15 (-1.5 units) on the road this season. And after last night’s win, San Francisco is now 18-10 (+6.6 units) at home. I think Bumgarner and the surging Giants are the correct call in this matchup.

The set up: St. Louis would take five of seven from Miami last year. The Marlins come in having lost seven straight, while the Cardinals remain competitive, having gone 31-25 so far this season and 6-3 in their last nine.

The pitching match-up: Jose Urena gets the call for the Marlins and he’s so far 0-7 with a 4.41 ERA. Urena has been unlucky so far this year though, as his team continues to struggle at the plate. Despite his pedestrian ERA, note that he does own a sharp 1.17 WHIP. Urena has had success at Busch Stadium as well, going 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA.

The Cards go with Carlos Martinez, who returns from a stint on the disabled list with a 3-2, 1.62 ERA record. Martinez owns a 1.08 WHIP over eight starts this season and he’s 1-1 with a 1.48 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in five starts at home.

The pick: Clearly Urena has thrown well enough of late to earn a victory, unfortunately for the hard-throwing right-hander his team has had difficulty giving him any sort of offensive support whatsoever. Take it for what you will, but Miami has already seen the total go under the number in 22 of 40 this year against clubs with winning records, while St. Louis has seen the total go under in 15 of 20 against teams with losing records. Expect these two starters to battle and for this total to stay under once it’s all said and done.

The set up: This is the opener of a three-game set between AL West foes. Oakland is hovering right around the .500 mark so far, sitting at fourth in the division. The A’s are 6.5 games behind the Mariners, but seven games up on these very Rangers.

The pitching match-up: Oakland goes with Sean Manaea, who is 5-6 with a 3.60 ERA to this point. Manaea most recently gave up four runs off four hits with one walks and three K’s over five innings in a setback to Tampa Bay on Wednesday. It wasn’t his best outing, but Manaea still managed to induce 11 swinging strikes over 95 pitches and he’d walk just one batter or less for the eighth time in his last 12 trips to the hill. Manaea has to be feeling confident here as he’s 3-2 with a 3.50 ERA on the road this season.

Matt Moore gets the call for the Rangers and he’s just 1-5 with a brutal 7.85 ERA. Moore was lucky to earn a no-decision in his last outing as he’d give up five runs off eight hits and two walks over 5.1 innings to the Mariners on Wednesday. Moore can’t be feeling terribly confident here either, as note that he’s 0-3 with a 7.83 ERA at home this year.

The pick: Take it for what you will, but Oakland is already 2-1 this season as a road favorite in the -125 to -175 range, while Texas is just 5-7 as a home dog in the +125 to +175 range. No need to overthink this one gentlemen. In this important early season series, Manaea is the correct call in this particular matchup.

The set up: This is the opener of a short two-game interleague matchup. The Orioles come in desperate as they’ve lost seven straight, not surprisingly owning the worst record in all of MLB. The Orioles’ bats come in rested though, as after losing 8-5 to the Yanks on Saturday, they were rained out on Sunday.

The Mets have been terrible of late as well, coming into this contest having lost four straight and sitting at 27-30 overall, bad enough for fourth place in the NL East.

Both of these line-ups though will be eager to “get off the schneid” as they each face a couple of confirmed “gas cans” on the mound tonight.

The pitching match-up: Alex Cobb gets the call for the Orioles and he’s so far 1-7 with a 6.80 ERA. He also owns a horrible 1.81 WHIP and over his last three starts he’s been destroyed for nine earned runs spanning 10.2 innings of work. Additionally, opponents are hitting a whopping .356 off him.

Jason Vargas gets the nod for the Mets and he’s 2-3 with an 8.53 ERA thus far. Vargas comes in off a a decent outing in his last start, giving up no runs over five innings. Despite that performance though, Vargas has still been rocked for 19 earned runs over 12.1 innings spanning his last three starts.

The pick: No need to overanalyze this one. Both teams are desperate for a spark and each comes in well rested. These pitchers have been a couple of the worst in the league and when you combine those two factors, the correct move is the “over” in my opinion.

The set-up: The Royals lost their series with the A’s over the weekend and fell 5-1 in yesterday’s finale, while the Angels would hold on for a 3-1 win over the Rangers on Sunday. Both of tonight’s starters have struggled at times this season, but I believe the conditions are right for a lower-scoring under on Monday night.

The pitchers: Kansas City goes with Danny Duffy (2-6, 5.71 ERA) who comes in off his best start of the season, allowing one run off four hits while striking out four over six innings in an unfortunate no-decision against Minnesota on Tuesday. As mentioned above, Duffy has admittedly struggled this so far this season (54:31 K/W over 64.2 innings), but take it for what you will, as note that he’s consistently been at his best in all “night” games with a 2-1, 3.72 ERA.

LA goes with Nick Tropeano (3-3, 3.80) who comes in off a strong outing himself, holding the Tigers to two runs off seven hits with no walks and five strikeouts over six innings in the eventual win. Tropeano comes in on top form, having given up three runs or fewer in four of his last five starts. I’ll point out as well that Tropeano has been solid in all night contests by posting a 3.90 ERA this season.

The pick: KC has seen the total go under in 15 of 26 on the road already, while LA has seen the total dip below the number in 16 of 30 at home. I think there are enough significant factors pointing towards the “under” as the correct call in this one.

The set up: I’m always on the look out for value in Major League Baseball and in this case, I think “The King” offers great value at home in this particular matchup.

The pitching matchup-up: Tampa Bay goes with Blake Snell, who is so far 7-3 with a 2.56 ERA. Snell most recently gave up one run off two hits while striking out seven over 5.2 innings in a victory over the A’s on Tuesday. Snell’s been great and it’s difficult to find too many faults, but I do think it’s important to note that while he owns a minuscule 0.86 ERA at home, his ERA raises to 4.01 on the road.

The Mariners turn to Felix Hernandez, who is 5-4 with a 5.83 ERA. Hernandez comes in off an outing to forget on Tuesday, giving up five runs off six hits while striking out four over five innings in a setback to the Rangers on Tuesday. It wasn’t Hernandez’s best month, as he’d finish with a pedestrian 29:16 K/W over 33.2 innings in May. I will point out though that while his ERA is an atrocious 7.03 on the road, it’s a much more respectable 4.42 at home.

The pick: Seattle is 12-8 this year against southpaws, while Tampa is just 18-19 (-2.7 units) against right-handed starters. I look for the Rays to stumble and I expect Hernandez to get back on track to open June. Play on the Mariners.

The set up: When I play a total in Major League Baseball, the primary factor I’m looking at is the starting pitchers. And in this particular contest, a couple of red hot hurlers collide on Sunday afternoon, making the “under” the correct O/U move in my opinion.

The pitching match-up: The Phillies go with Jake Arrieta, who is so far 5-2 with a 2.16 ERA. Last year with the Cubs Arrieta was 14-10 with a 3.53 ERA. Most recently the right-hander would go seven shutout innings against the Dodgers on Tuesday, allowing six hits and two walks to go along with five strikeouts. Over his last two starts Arrieta has posted a 12:1 K/W and note he’d go on to finish the month of May with a minuscule 0.90 ERA spanning 30 innings of work.

Derek Rodriguez has been named the starter for the Giants in this one, as he’s been cleared to play after taking a liner off his right leg in the first inning of his last start. Rodriguez threw a bullpen session on Friday and note that he was sharp in his time at Triple-A Sacramento by posting a 3.40 ERA and 1.20 WHIP across 50.1 innings.

The pick: Take it for what you will, but not only has Philadelphia seen the total go under the number in 17 of 26 this season in all games when the total in the contest is set at either 8 or 8.5, but it’s also seen it go under in eight of 14 against southpaws (San Fran has seen the total go under the number in 18 of 33 vs. right-handed starters as well.) Look for these two starters to go deep into this one and play the under.

The set up: The Cubs and Mets were locked in a “pitchers duel” on Saturday night between Mike Montgomery and Jacob DeGrom, but I expect a decisive victory here for the visitors in this particular matchup.

The pitching match-up: The Cubs go with veteran Jon Lester in this one and he’s so far 5-2 with a 2.71 ERA. Lester wasn’t at his best last Tuesday against the Pirates, but he still managed the victory despite giving up four runs over six innings. He’d also post six strikeouts. No need to overreact to one sub-par effort I don’t think, as it was the first time he’d allow more than two runs in an outing since April 25th. While his strikeout numbers aren’t the greatest (60 K’s over 69 innings), note that Lester comes into this one with a stellar 3-1, 3.48 ERA record on the road.

The Mets go with Steven Matz, who is so far 2-3 with a 3.55 ERA. Matz left his last start early against the Braves with an injury to his middle finger on his left hand, but the southpaw has been given the green light to go in this one. Matz has been hit-or-miss this season and comes in with a poor 1-2, 5.40 ERA record at home.

The pick: Matz has been “shaky” at best this year, especially at home. Has he in fact recovered from the finger injury that he sustained in his last start? Too many questions surrounding the leftie in my opinion. Lester though has been very consistent on the road and I expect him to carry that momentum over here. Play on Chicago.

The set-up: Arizona had little problem dispatching the Marlins yesterday (9-1), and in my opinion, tonight’s contest could be even more lopsided. Arizona started the season on fire, but it’s come back down to Earth over the last three weeks. Yesterday’s blowout win is a sign of things to come in this series though in my opinion. Miami looked weak at the plate yesterday and I don’t think things will change facing Arizona’s ace on Saturday night.

The pitchers: Miami turns to Caleb Smith, who is 4-5 with a 3.51 ERA. Smith is coming off back to back quality starts, allowing two earned runs over his last 13.5 innings of work. Smith has been a bright spot for the struggling Marlins this season, but I still think he’ll stumble here in this difficult venue.

The Diamondbacks hand the ball to Zack Greinke, who is 3-4 with a 3.65 ERA. Most recently Greinke gave up two runs over six innings in an unfortunate loss to Oakland. Greinke though has been a complete “Jekyll and Hyde” hurler this year, going 1-4 with a 6.14 ERA on the road, compared to 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA at home.

The pick: As mentioned above, the Marlins are struggling mightily at the plate, note that they’ve posted just 25 runs over the last seven days, ranking them 24th in the league in that span. Arizona is starting to show signs again and note that it’s 7-2 in its last nine after scoring ten or more runs in its previous outing. I think Greinke is the correct call here as I expect Miami to continue to struggle with its bats. Lay the price, play on the Diamondbacks.

The set-up: The Jays come in off a 5-2 series opening loss yesterday, as Jaime Garcia would fall behind early and he’d never be able to recover. With its ace heading to the mound today though, I think that Toronto is going to bounce back. The Jays were just swept by the Red Sox as well, so they’ll definitely be eager to back into the winners circle here. Detroit took two of three from the Angels and I think it’s now poised for a letdown after yesterday’s victory.

The pitchers: Toronto turns to JA Happ who is 7-3 with a 3.84 ERA. Happ has posted three-straight victories, most recently he’d come out on top of the Phillies by holding them to three runs over seven innings of work. Over his last three starts he’s posted a sharp 23:5 K/W, while not allowing any home runs.

Detroit hands the ball to Matt Boyd who is 3-4 with a 3.00 ERA. Boyd comes in off a win agains the Angels, allowing one run off two hits. Boyd though would need 102 total pitches to get through just five innings of work.

The pick: Toronto is dealing with significant injuries right now, most notably to slugger Josh Donaldson. Detroit also has injury issues though, including to OF Leonys Martin (hamstring) and third baseman Jeimer Candelario (hand.) Take it for what you will, but the Jays are still 11-8 (+1.2 units) against clubs with losing records this season, while the Tigers are 14-17 (-1.3 units) against teams with losing records. As steady as Boyd has been this season, I’m still giving the nod to Happ in this matchup. I think the “hungrier” team finds a way to get the job done at the end of the night. Play on Toronto.

The set-up: Pittsburgh and St. Louis played to a lower-scoring under in the Pirates 4-0 victory yesterday and while this afternoon’s contest might have a few more runs than that, I still think that everything points to another “duel” on Saturday.

The pitchers: The Pirates send Chad Kuhl to the mound and he’s 4-3 with a 3.94 ERA and 1.35 WHIP over 61.2 innings overall. In his most recent start Kuhl would hold the Cubs to one run over six innings.

The Cardinals hand the ball to Luke Weaver, who is 3-5 with a 4.63 ERA and 1.29 WHIP over 58.1 innings of work. Weaver most recently allowed four runs over four innings in a loss to Milwaukee. Weaver has had varying success against the Pirates throughout his limited time, holding them to six runs over 17 innings of work.

The pick: Pittsburgh is averaging 4.73 runs per game, while the Cards are averaging 4.39. Take it for what you will, but I still think its worthy to note that Pittsburgh has seen the total dip under the number in five of its last seven after shutting out an opponent, while St. Louis has seen the total go under in six of its last ten after getting shutout. Both Kuhl and Weaver have looked brilliant at times this season and very pedestrian in others, but each comes in looking to take advantage of a couple line-ups that are currently struggling to produce. Play the under.

The set-up: LA comes into this one in third place in its division after splitting its last ten games overall. The Angels are 30-26, which sets them 4.5 games back of the Astros. The Rangers have won six of their last ten overall, but they’ll be eager to get untracked here after falling 6-1 in Seattle last night, splitting their four-game series with the M’s.

The pitching matchup: Texas sends out the venerable Bartolo Colon, who is so far 2-2 with a 3.55 ERA and 0.93 WHIP over 11 appearances, nine starts this year. Colon most recently gave up three runs off five hits in a no-decision against the Royals. Colon faced the Angels already this season and he’d go three innings of relief and allow one run. Last year though Colon gave up nine runs off seven hits over 2.5 innings against LA.

LA will hand the ball to 21-year old Jaime Barria, who is 4-1 with a 2.97 ERA over six starts this season. Barria’s peripherals though suggest that his early numbers are unsustainable, with a poor ground ball rate of 39.3 percent to go along with an 11.4 percent HR/FB rate.

The pick: Barria could be in luck today though as LA has been mashing the ball of late, posting 11 home runs over its last seven games. Texas though is eager to get back on track here as well after last night’s poor effort. When you add it all up, this one has high-scoring “slug-fest” written all over it. Play the over.

The set-up: The Pirates would let one slip away last night, falling to the Cardinals 10-8 in extra innings. Pittsburgh has lost seven of ten, including two of three to St. Louis just last week. St. Louis though hasn’t had much success either of late, as last night’s victory pushes the team to 5-5 out of its last ten.

The pitching matchup: Jameson Taillon gets the call for Pittsburgh and he’s so far 2-4 with a 4.53 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. Taillon has enjoyed varied success agains the Cardinals, going 1-1 with a 4.45 ERA over six starts, which includes going 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA in one outing at Busch Stadium.

Miles Mikolas gets the nod for St. Louis and he’s 6-0 with a 2.84 ERA and 0.98 WHIP over ten starts this season. That includes going 3-0 with a 1.53 ERA and 0.85 WHIP in four home outings. Over 47 career games in the big leagues though Mikolas is 10-7 with a 4.17 ERA, including 8-5 with a 4.37 ERA as a starter.

The pick: The Pirates come into this one ranked eighth overall in the league by averaging 4.67 RPG, while also ranked seventh in hitting at .257 average. The Cardinals are averaging 4.28 RPG (ranked 20th) and hitting .240 as a club. Are Mikolas’s early numbers sustainable? I think immediate regression is upcoming and I look for the hungry Pirates to take advantage and atone for yesterday’s late inning collapse. Lay the price for the extra 1.5 runs of insurance in this one.

The set-up: Boston fell 4-2 last night, as Lance McCullers got the better of Drew Pomeranz. The Red Sox were coming off a sweep of the Blue Jays before falling 4-2 to the defending champs last night in the opener of this three game set. After splitting a four-game series with the Tribe, the Astros would then lose two of three to the Yanks previous to their matchup with Boston. I think it’s worthy to note that the revenge factor does come into play here, as Houston has now won seven of the last nine in the series.

The pitching matchup: Boston is hoping that Chris Sale (5-2, 2.76 ERA) can bounce back from an uncharacteristically poor outing against the Braves last Sunday, giving up six runs off five hits over just 4.1 innings of work. The silver lining behind the poor outing though was that he’d go on to fan eight opponents.

Gerrit Cole (5-1, 2.05) most recently gave up three earned runs off four hits over seven innings in a no-decision against the Indians on Sunday.

The pick: Last year Cole was 12-12 with a 4.26 ERA for the Pirates, while Chris Sale was 17-8 with a 2.90 ERA. Cole is putting together a career campaign, but his early gains this season simply do not jive with his career numbers and regression seems imminent. I like Sale to bounce back from his latest effort and to at the very least match his counterpart today. And in a scenario like that, I look for the hard-hitting and revenge-minded Red Sox to do the rest. Play on Boston.

The set-up: Tanner Roark and Sean Newcomb battled in a pitchers duel in the Braves lower-scoring 4-2 win yesterday. Washington though had won six in a row and eight of nine before yesterday’s setback and suffice it to say, I’m expecting the hard-hitting visiting side to bounce back here. And previous to last night’s victory, the Braves had split a series with the Mets, including a 4-1 loss at home on Wednesday.

The pitching matchup: Stephen Strasburg gets the nod for Washington. Strasburg is 6-4 with a 3.13 ERA and 1.06 WHIP. Strasburg has been sharp of late, going 2-1 with a 1.96 ERA and 1.09 WHIP with seven walks and 24 strikeouts over his last three starts. Strasburg has to be feeling confident here as he’s 11-9 with a 3.84 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, to go along with 44 walks compared to 183 strikeouts over 150 lifetime innings against ATL. And note that Strasburg has been even better at SunTrust Park by going 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA, 0.955 WHIP, three walks and and 21 strikeouts over 14.2 innings of work.

Mike Foltynewicz is called upon to make this start by the home side. Foltynewicz is 5-3 with a 2.55 ERA and 1.283 WHIP. So far he’s posted 29 walks with 69 strikeouts over 60 innings. Over his last three starts Foltynewicz has gone 1-1 with a 1.00 ERA, 1.22 WHIP with ten walks and 22 strikeouts spanning 18 innings. However, Foltynewicz has struggled against the Nationals whenever he’s faced them, going 3-3 with a 4.89 ERA, 1.512 WHIP and 17 walks with 33 strikeouts over 42.1 innings of work. Also note that he’s been rather pedestrian at home throughout his career, going 6-6 with a 3.80 ERA, 1.458 WHIP and 39 walks with 101 strikeouts over 94.2 innings.

The pick: Take it for what it is, but the Nationals are 20-12 (+4.4 units) in all night games this year, while Atlanta is just 18-19 (-1.2 units) in all night contests this season. The Braves have been better than advertised this year, but I’m not convinced that Foltynewicz has taken his play to “the next level.” Strasburg is firing on all cylinders though and I think he’s the correct call along with the revenge-minded Nationals.

The set-up: The Marlins and Padres opened a four-game series on Memorial Day, entering as two last-place clubs (Miami in the NL East and San Diego in the NL West). The Marlins won 7-2 on Monday but the Padres have bounced back with consecutive wins, 9-5 on Tuesday and 3-2 last night, when they scored twice with one out in the ninth inning to pull out the one-run victory. The Marlins managed only three other hits in the loss (all singles), giving Miami its fifth loss in six contests (Marlins are now 20-35, 12 1/2 games out of first ). The 24-33 Padres are in last place but just 6 1/2 games out in the NL West and will now vie for the series win when they host the Marlins on Thursday for the finale of their four-game set.

The pitching matchup: Lefty Wei-Yin Chen (1-2, 5.22 ERA) will get the nod for the Marlins, opposed by the Padres' Jordan Lyles (1-1, 3.83 ERA). Chen is coming off a strong outing against Washington on Saturday, however, he settled for a no-decision despite allowing just one run and three hits over a season-high 7 1/3 innings. He has yielded three runs over 17 innings in three starts (1.59 ERA) after being tagged for nine runs in three innings of a 13-4 road loss to the Chicago Cubs on May 9. Chen won his only career start against the Padres on June 13, 2016, even though he surrendered four runs in six innings at San Diego. Lyles has struggled since registering 10 strikeouts while allowing just one hit in 7 1/3 scoreless innings of a victory over Colorado on May 15, yielding nine runs over 10 1/3 innings in his last two starts. He was able to escape with no-decisions in both outings, despite giving up 14 hits and six walks (Sd actually won both contests). Lyles owns a 1-1 record and a ghastly 7.00 ERA in three starts and two relief appearances against Miami in his career.

The pick: The highlight of Lyles' season was his second start on May 15 against the Rockies at Petco Park, when he was perfect for 7 1/3 innings, the second-longest perfect-game bid in franchise history. However, in his two starts since, Lyles has given up nine runs on 14 hits and six walks with eight strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings (7.84 ERA). What's more, Lyles will be making his sixth career appearance and fourth start against the Marlins on Thursday and he owns a 7.00 ERA, a 1.72 WHIP and a .292 opponents' batting average against Miami. Chen's numbers have improved drastically over his last three starts (see above) but I won't ignore his 5.22 ERA for the season. Make the Over an 8* play.

The set-up: The New York Mets posted a 4-1 victory in Atlanta last night, as four relievers combined for four innings of one-run ball. New York jumped to an 11-1 start to the open the season but the Mets won for just the third time in 10 games Wednesday. New York sits 27-26 (4 1/2 games back in the NL East) as it opens a four-game home series with the Chicago Cubs at Citi Filed on Thursday night. The Cubs have averaged nearly six runs over their last 21 contests and have won five of their last seven on the road, although they squandered plenty of opportunities in Wednesday's 2-1 loss at Pittsburgh. After an inconsistent start to the season, Chicago's offense has come to life in May, with the Cubs now in second place in the NL Central at 29-25. However, they are 4 1/2 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers, whose 36-21 record is an NL-best.

The pitching matchup: The Cubs will start lefty Jose Quintana (5-4, 4.78 ERA) and the Mets will counter with Seth Lugo (1-1, 2.48 ERA). Quintana has failed to get through five innings in three of his last five starts, issuing 15 walks over 26 innings in that span. He was pulled after just 4 1/3 innings last time out, allowing four runs and five hits in a 5-4 loss to San Francisco. The Cubs are a modest 6-4 in Quintana's 10 starts this season and he is 1-1 with a 1.93 ERA in only two career starts against New York. Lugo has been a valuable member of the Mets’ bullpen but will make a spot start after 20 appearances in relief. He worked 17 consecutive scoreless innings before allowing three runs in his last outing Monday at Atlanta. Lugo is 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in three career games (one start) against the Cubs.

The pick: New York's bullpen has been a revolving door (4.29 ERA ranks 22nd) and while that bullpen came through last night, it will be tested again during a four-game series against the Cubs with Seth Lugo stepping out of his relief role to start on short rest in tonight's series opener. Quintana has struggled at home this season (6.66 ERA) but in five road starts, his ERA is 3.18. With Chicago's bats heating up (see above), I'll make Chicago a 10* play.

The set-up: Two last-place teams, the Miami Marlins (NL East) and San Diego Padres (NL West), opened a four-game series Memorial Day at Petco. The Marlins won 7-2 on Monday, before the Padres answered with a 9-5 win last night. The teams continue their series tonight, with Miami checking in at 20-34 (12 games out in the NL East) and San Diego at 23-33 (7 1/2 games out in the NL West).

The pitching matchup: Jose Urena (0-7, 4.69 ERA) takes the mound for Miami and will be opposed by San Diego lefty Clayton Richard (3-6, 4.97 ERA). Urena hopes to avoid becoming the first Miami Marlins pitcher to start a season 0-8 when he takes the mound in Wednesday's game. What a fall from grace! He was 14-7 (3.82 ERA) in 2017, as the Marlins went 17-11 (plus-$682) in his 28 starts, giving him MLB's 14th-best moneyline mark. However, the Marlins have lost all 11 games that Urena has started this season and going back to last Sep. 26, Miami has lost 13 straight Urena starts. That said, It's not Urena's fault. His 4.69 ERA is more respectable than his 0-7 record but when Urena starts, the Marlins have given him only 2.84 runs of support on average, the lowest mark in the National League among pitchers with 10 or more starts. In fact, between April 27 and May 15, Urena had a 2.84 ERA over the span of four starts. Richard saw his two-game winning streak come to an end last Friday, when he gave up four runs and four hits in six innings in a 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He has pitched at least seven innings and allowed three earned runs or fewer in three of his last four starts. Richard has gone 3-2 with a 2.79 ERA in six career starts against Miami but took the loss after giving up five runs over seven innings in his last meeting on Aug. 27, 2017.

The pick: One can argue that Urena has deserved better and that's true. However, who wants to try to step in front of a 13-start losing streak? Especially, when one notes that Urena will be making his third career start against the Padres in this one and he hasn't had much success against them. Urena is 0-2 against the Padres with a 4.22 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. The Padres are hitting .293 against Urena, who has allowed six runs (five earned) to San Diego on 12 hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings. Both those starts were in Miami. Why should things go better here? As for Richard, in five starts against teams from outside the National League West this season, he has allowed 11 runs on 31 hits and five walks with 28 strikeouts in 37 innings, posting a 2.68 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. Richard has not allowed a HR outside the division. Make San Diego a 10* play.

The set-up: The Minnesota Twins won 8-5 at KC on Memorial Day but after Tuesday's 2-1 loss in 14 innings, they are just 1-5 in their last six games, scoring a total of seven runs in those five defeats. The 22-28 Twins and 19-36 Royals square off in the rubber match of the series, as the Royals seek consecutive home wins for the first time in nearly a month (beat the Tigers on May 3 & 4).

The pitching matchup: A pair of rookies square off tonight, as Fernando Romero (2-1, 1.88 ERA) gets the nod for the Twins, opposed by the Royals' Brad Keller (1-1, 2.01 ERA). Romero suffered his first career loss Friday at Seattle despite limiting the Mariners to two runs and five hits in seven innings. The outing left him with a stellar 1.50 ERA in three road starts, during which he has registered 22 strikeouts in 18 innings. This marks Romero's sixth career start and he will be facing a divisional opponent for the first time. Keller will make his first career start in place of the injured Eric Skoglund after 21 relief appearances. The Rule 5 selection last pitched on Saturday, allowing his first run in nearly a month in a two-inning stint at Texas. Keller has a 1.80 ERA in 10 relief outings at home.

The pick: Both young pitchers have excellent numbers but this mark's Keller's first start, compared to Romero making his sixth. Keller will be restricted to 50 to 60 pitches and the plan is to have Scott Barlow come in after Keller reached his pitch limit. Meanwhile, Romero has a 23-17 record in six minor-league seasons with a 2.83 ERA, 314 strikeouts and 102 walks in 324 1/3 innings. He entered the season as the Twins' No. 2 ranked prospect and owns a 1.88 ERA plus 1.12 WHIP, while opponents have hit just .194 against him in his first five career starts. Make the Twins an 8* play.

The set-up: The Seattle Mariners are well aware that they will have to contend all season long with the defending champion Astros in the AL West plus also know that either Boston or New York will likely claim one of the AL's two wild card spots. Reaching the playoffs in 2018 will be a real challenge for Seattle but the Mariners enter tonight's home game with the Texas Rangers looking for their 10th victory in their last 11 games, after posting a 2-1 victory in Monday's series opener. It was the team's fourth straight win, as Seattle moved a season-best 13 games over .500 at 33-20. The Mariners have allowed 20 runs over the 10-game run, holding the opposition to two or fewer in seven of the contests. The Rangers managed only five hits in Monday's loss, as the team fell to 22-34. Texas is last in the AL West, already 13 1/2 games back of 35-20 Houston.

The pitching matchup: Texas will send Austin Bibens-Dirkx (0-1, 5.68 ERA) to the mound on Tuesday night, opposed by Seattle's Felix Hernandez (5-4, 5.58 ERA). Bibens-Dirkx learned Sunday that he would receive his second start of 2018 but that he could also be sent to Triple-A Round Rock after the outing, with the Rangers set to activate left-hander Matt Moore to start Wednesday. He lost 8-2 to the Kansas City Royals on Thursday, giving up six runs (four earned) on eight hits over 6 1/3 innings after being recalled earlier that day. He will be making first career start against the Mariners but had two relief appearances against Seattle last season, both in September and both in Arlington. He has a 0-0 record and a 6.75 ERA against the Mariners. Hernandez has sure not looked like a 'King,' going 1-2 with a 6.75 ERA over his past four starts. He has been unable to find the dominating form he often exhibited earlier in his career. The now 32-year-old has served up 10 HRs and has a mediocre 1.39 WHIP while striking out 51 in 61 1/3 innings. Hernandez allowed two runs and four hits over 5 1/3 innings in a no-decision against the Rangers on April 20 and stands 19-24 with a 4.00 ERA in 55 career starts against Texas (hardly impressive).

The pick: King Felix is no longer 'pitching royalty' but his Seattle team has rallied around the absence of star second baseman Robinson Cano due to a suspension, going 11-3 since he last suited up May 13. However, even a less than dominating Hernandez, gives Seattle an edge against the Rangers' Bibens-Dirkx. He had his contract purchased from Round Rock (AAA) on Thursday and made his season debut that night at home against Kansas City, taking the loss for the Rangers (see above). In fact, Bibens-Dirkx's 109 pitches in that game were a season high for a Texas starter (not a confidence-builder). Make Seattle an 8* play.

The set-up: The 29-25 Colorado Rockies sit atop the National League West standings (are 1 1/2 games up on slumping Arizona), despite not playing well at Coors Field. The division could be in trouble if Colorado gets that straightened out, as the Rockies own one of MLB's better road records at 19-13. Colorado entered last weekend with a poor 7-11 record at Coors Field this season, before taking two of three from Cincinnati to secure only its second series win at home in 2018. The Rockies then got off to a good start in nailing down a third such victory Monday, when Chris Iannetta singled home the winning run in the 10th inning in a 6-5 triumph over the Giants. San Francisco had a winning record as recently as May 15 but the Giants have dropped eight of 11 since, to fall back into fourth place in the West at 25-29, for the first time since April 25. However, San Francisco did some good news in Monday's series opener, as Buster Posey singled in his return to the lineup after a two-game absence and scored a run.

The pitching matchup: The Giants send Jeff Samardzija (1-3, 6.23 ERA) to the mound to square off against Colorado lefty Kyle Freeland (4-5, 3.28 ERA). Samardzija fell to 0-3 over his last six outings Wednesday at Houston, surrendering four runs (three earned) on four hits and a season-high five walks across 4 2/3 innings. He has produced only one quality start in seven trips to the mound this season (team is just 2-5), working more than five innings only twice. Samardzija is 4-5 with a 3.84 ERA in 16 appearances (12 starts) versus the Rockies.
Colorado's Freeland recorded his sixth consecutive quality start Wednesday in Los Angeles, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks over 6 1/3 innings in a loss to the Dodgers. He has allowed three runs or fewer in eight of his last nine outings but note that the Rockies are just 5-5 in his 2018 starts. Freeland has made just three home starts in 2018, going 2-1 with a 1.40 ERA at Coors Field this season. He is 3-2 with a 2.79 ERA in five career starts against the Giants, including one this season at San Francisco on May 17 where he gave up five hits and one run in 6 2/3 innings and won 6-1.

The pick: Freeland has pitched seven innings in three of his last six outings and no fewer than 6 1/3 innings in any of those six games, going 4-2 with a 2.01 ERA in 40 1/3 innings, while allowing 28 hits (just one HR). However, Freeland allowed five HRs in his first four starts covering 20 innings and was 0-3 with a 5.85 ERA (team was 1-3). Has Freeland turned the corner? Maybe, but I'm not quite sure. I also still don't trust Colorado, which has allowed a whopping 5.55 RPG in 22 home contests in 2018. One is always hesitant to rely to heavily on Samardzija (his excellent 'stuff' often does translate into wins), but I'll make the Giants an 8* play in this one.

The set-up: The Milwaukee Brewers opened a three-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals with Monday's 8-3 victory. The 35-20 Brewers have now won four straight and are 7-1 on their current homestand. Milwaukee enters the second contest of the series tonight, having scored eight or more runs in three consecutive games, one shy of tying the club record. Monday's loss snapped a two-game winning streak for the Cardinals, who have now lost nine of 15 to slip five games back of the Brewers at 28-23, as well as a half-game behind the second-place Chicago Cubs (28-22)

The pitching matchup: The Cardinals send Michael Wacha (5-1, 2.88 ERA) to the mound and the Brewers counter with Zach Davies (2-4, 4.74 ERA). Wacha lost his season debut back on March 31 but has only allowed more than two runs in just one of his nine starts since then, going 5-0 in that span (Cards are 7-2). He recorded his third straight quality start Wednesday, allowing two runs (one earned) over 6 2/3 innings in a no-decision against Kansas City. What's more, Wacha is 4-0 with a 4.60 ERA in 10 games (nine starts) against Milwaukee. Zach Davies was Milwaukee's ace in 2017, going 17-9 with a 3.90 ERA (Brewers were 20-13 in his starts, giving him MLB's 12th-best moneyline mark at plus-$880). However, Davies spent nearly a month on the disabled list with a rotator cuff injury in 2018 and will make just his second start since returning in tonight's game. He was hardly sharp in his return to the rotation last Thursday against the New York Mets, allowing four runs and six hits and failing to record an out despite facing three batters in the fifth inning of a 5-0 loss. Davies is 2-1 with a 4.22 ERA in seven starts against the Cardinals.

The pick: Wacha's been terrific for the Cards in 2018 and enters tonight's contest having held opponents to two runs or less over his last seven starts, while posting a 1.94 ERA during that stretch thanks to an improved curveball to complement the rest of his arsenal. I expect Davies to be much better in his second start since coming off the DL and will make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Philadelphia Phillies have surprised almost all pundits as their 29-21 record has them just a half-game out of first place in the NL East, trailing only the equally surprising 30-21 Atlanta Braves. However, both teams are well aware that the powerful Washington Nationals are lurking nearby at 29-22. Philadelphia lost two of three over the weekend to the Toronto Blue Jays (of AL East) but despite those setbacks, the Phillies are where they are because of the team's impressive 19-6 record outside of their division (Philadelphia is just 10-15 versus the NL East in 2018!). The Phillies begin a four-game series against the host Los Angeles Dodgers this Memorial Day. The five-time defending NL West champs opened the season 16-26, matching the team's worst since moving from Brooklyn in 1958, but the Dodgers have won eight of 10 to move within 3 1/2 games of the lead in the NL West. Still, 24-28 LA's moneyline mark of minus-$,2357 ranks dead-last among all 30 teams, $573 worse than the 29th-ranked team (Baltimore, which is 17-36).

The pitching matchup: Vince Velasquez (4-5, 4.18 ERA) takes the mound for Philly and he'll be opposed by LA's Brock Stewart (0-0, 3.72 ERA). Velasquez registered nine strikeouts in his last start, although he saw his three-start winning streak come to an end Tuesday against Atlanta after giving up two runs - one earned - on six hits and three walks while throwing 89 pitches over 4 1/3 innings (Braves won 3-1). He has failed to make it through five innings in three of his last six starts, although he is averaging 14.05 strikeouts per nine innings over his last three outings. Velasquez is 0-2 with an 11.45 ERA in three career games (two starts) against the Dodgers. Stewart has made 24 appearances but just nine starts the previous two seasons for LA but did enough in the eyes of manager Dave Roberts to earn another start after not factoring in the decision Tuesday against Colorado. He permitted two runs on five hits and a walk in four innings, as the Dodgers won 5-3. Stewart worked in relief in each of his previous three appearances of 2018, giving up two runs and five hits across 5 2/3 frames. His aonly previous appearance against the Phillies came last season, when he allowed a run in one inning of relief.

The pick: The Dodgers are finally starting to find their rhythm with eight wins in their last 10, with the team looking much more like a cohesive unit offensively. Let's not forget that LA won a MLB-best 57 home games in 2017. However, let's also not forget that the Phillies own the majors' best winning percentage (.760) versus teams outside of their division. With two questionable starting pitchers, make the Over an 8* play.

The set-up: The Arizona Diamondbacks opened the season by winning 24 of their first 35 games but as Memorial Day dawns, Arizona opens a three-game series against the visiting Cincinnati Reds having lost 15 of its last 17 games, after going 1-8 on the team's just-completed road trip. Once 13 games over .500, the Diamondbacks now are sitting at 26-26 but fortunately, only 1 1/2 games back of the first-place Rockies in the NL West. The Red fired Byan Price after a woeful 3-15 start and they have played better under interim manager Jim Riggleman. However, let's not get too carried away. Cincinnati lost two of three to the Rockies over the weekend after Sunday's 8-2 loss and while the Reds are much more respectable 16-20 under Riggleman, they are just 19-35 overall, giving them the NL's worst record (Reds are 15 out of first in the NL Central).

The pitching matchup: Homer Bailey (1-6, 6.21 ERA) gets the nod for Cincy and rookie Matt Koch (2-3, 3.77 ERA) will take the mound for Arizona. Bailey’s dismal season continued oin his last start, Wednesday, when he allowed four runs on 10 hits and three walks in five-plus innings against Pittsburgh last Wednesday in a 5-4 team loss. He has recorded only one win in 11 starts this season (the Reds are 1-10 in those starts!) and owns a 9-19 record and 6.33 ERA over his last four injury-plagued seasons. Bailey is 1-1 with a 3.42 ERA in five career starts versus Arizona, including a 1-1 mark and 4.70 ERA in two outings at Chase Field. Koch suffered his third straight loss Tuesday against Milwaukee despite allowing just one run and three hits over 5 1/3 innings. He has struggled to keep the ball in the park, giving up a total of eight HRs over his last five starts. Koch has posted a 4.55 ERA in five starts at home compared to a 2.03 mark in three games (two starts) away from Chase Field.

The pick: It's hard to make a strong case for the rookie Koch (D'backs are 3-4 in his starts in 2018) or Arizona, which is on a 2-15 run. However, it's impossible to back Bailey, as the Reds are 1-10 in his 11 starts (minus-$848 vs. the moneyline) in 2018. He's got a 1.69 WHIP and .314 BAA, to go along with that ugly 6.21 ERA. Make Arizona an 8* play.

The set-up: The Oakland Athletics get set to open a four-game series with the Tampa Rays on a busy Memorial Day in MLB. The series will cap a 10-game homestand for Oakland, which won 2-1 over Arizona on Sunday, evening its record at 3-3 on the current homestand. Oakland allowed a total of one run in back-to-back victories over Arizona, getting a complete-game shutout from Daniel Mengden on Saturday before Frankie Montas worked six solid innings in his season debut on Sunday, followed by three relievers who had four strikeouts over three perfect innings. Tampa Bay is coming off its third win in four games, an 8-3 triumph over Baltimore that concluded a 3-3 stretch at home. The Rays yielded three runs in the top of the first inning but rallied for six in the third to secure the series win. The Rays are 25-26 but already 10 games back in the top-heavy AL East (Boston & New York). The A's are 28-25 in the AL West, which is 5 1/2 games back of the defending World champion Astros.

The pitching matchup: Tampa will send Chris Archer (3-3, 4.68 ERA) to the mound and he will be opposed by Oakland's Trevor Cahill (1-2, 2.75 ERA). Archer has pitched well this month, allowing fewer than three runs in four of his five starts but has just one win to show for his efforts, while the Rays have lost four of the five. He settled for a no-decision against Boston on Wednesday (a 4-1 Red Sox win), despite giving up just one run and four hits over six innings. Archer has made two career starts versus Oakland, going 1-0 while yielding five runs on 13 hits and seven walks with 16 strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings. Oakland's Cahill also did not factor in the decision his last time out, when he allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings against Seattle on Tuesday (Mariners won, 3-2). He is winless since his season debut against the Chicago White Sox back on April 17 (a 10-2 Oakland win), despite surrendering three ERs or fewer in each of his next five outings. Cahill owns a 2-1 record and 4.50 ERA in four starts and one relief appearance versus Tampa Bay.

The pick: Archer just seems to be a hard-luck pitcher, whose solid pitching efforts just never seem to result in personal victories. Meanwhile, Cahill not only owns a very good 2.75 ERA but also an outstanding 0.97 WHIP plus opponents are only batting .205 against him. Make the Under an 8* play.

The set-up: The New York Mets' 11-1 start to the 2018 season is squarely in the 'rearview mirror,' these days. New York saw its bullpen give up 17 runs on 21 hits over 10 2/3 innings while losing three in a row at Milwaukee, not exactly the best way to enter Monday’s day-night doubleheader at the Atlanta Braves. The rough weekend dropped the Mets to just one game above .500 (25-24) and four behind the National League East-leading 31-20 Braves coming into a four-game series. To add insult to injury, the Mets are struggling to keep players on the field. Reliever A.J. Ramos returned to New York for a MRI on his right shoulder Sunday while infielder Wilmer Flores experienced back soreness in Sunday’s 8-7 loss and also is heading home for further examination. Atlanta also has some injury concerns, as 20-year-old phenom Ronald Acuna left Sunday’s 7-1 victory at Boston after hitting first base awkwardly in beating out an infield single in the seventh inning. He was able to walk off the field under his own power after staying down for several minutes with what the Braves termed, “knee and lower back pain,” and reportedly was undergoing testing at a Boston hospital after the game. Acuna’s injury marred an otherwise outstanding day for Atlanta as it salvaged a 2-4 road trip by pounding Red Sox ace Chris Sale for six runs across 4 1/3 innings, getting four hits and four RBIs from the duo of Tyler Flowers and Kurt Suzuki.

The pitching matchup: Jacob deGrom (4-0, 1.54 ERA) will get the Game 1 start for New York, opposed by Atlanta's Max Fried (0-2, 6.00 ERA). It has been a stellar two months for deGrom, who leads the NL in ERA and HRs per nine innings (0.3) while ranking second in strikeouts per nine innings (11.9). He has surrendered only one run in his past 33 1/3 innings with 47 strikeouts, matching his career high with 13 Ks in seven innings against Arizona on May 18. DeGrom has not allowed a run in two starts against the Braves this season, striking out 16 and giving up six hits in 11 innings. However, both were no-decisions that the Mets lost. Yes. he's 4-0, but the Mets are just 5-5 in his 10 starts in 2018. Atlanta is calling up the 24-year-old Fried for his first start of the season and his fifth major-league starting assignment. He has appeared in four games in the majors this season, all in relief, giving up four runs on five hits over six innings with seven strikeouts, suffering a pair of losses. Fried posted a 3.44 ERA while going 1-1 in four starts in 2017 and is Atlanta’s No. 7 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. He is 1-2 with a 3.12 ERA in five minor-league starts this season.

The pick: Atlanta has won five of six meetings against the Mets this season and swept a three-game series in New York in early May. This day-night doubleheader is scheduled to make up an April 22 rainout. However, I have to like deGrom over Fried in this one. Make the Mets an 8* play.

The set-up: Memorial Day features the opener of a three-game interleague series pitting Beltway rivals the Washington Nationals and the Baltimore Orioles. The Nats come to Camden Yards with a pitching staff operating at peak efficiency, allowing an average of 2.3 runs over a recent 5-1 run that has Washington within one game of the first place Atlanta Braves in the NL East at 29-20. The Nats opened their 10-game road trip by sweeping three from the Miami Marlins over the weekend, capped by a 5-2 win on Sunday, improving to 17-8 on the road this season. The last thing the 17-36 Baltimore Orioles want to see is a good pitching staff. Baltimore has been searching for offense for the better part of the 2018 season. The Orioles did score three run sin the first inning against Tampa on Sunday but that was all they could do, as the Rays rallied for an 8-3 victory. They lost two of three to the Rays over the weekend, scoring just six runs in the process. Baltimore is averaging 3.91 RPG (27th), while batting only .232 (25th).

The pitching matchup: Lefty Gio Gonzalez (5-2, 2.38 ERA) goes for Washington and Alex Cobb (1-6, 7.32 ERA) will start of Baltimore. Gonzalez has been steady all season for the Nats, surrendering two or fewer earned runs in nine of his first 10 starts. He is coming off a 10-2 win over San Diego last Monday in which he allowed two runs and two hits in seven frames. The seven innings matched a season high. Gonzalez lost his lone start against Baltimore last season, getting ripped for six runs on seven hits - three HRs - in six innings. That's hardly new, as his 1-6 with a 4.40 ERA against the Orioles in his career. Cobb spent his first six seasons with the Tampa Bat Rays but agreed to a four-year, $57 million contract during spring training with the Orioles. This will be Cobb's his ninth start, as he tries to turn around an ugly beginning with his new team. To put it kindly, Cobb is still trying to find his footing with his new team. He followed up his first win (on May 18) with another poor outing on Wednesday. He was ripped for six runs on eight hits and two walks over 3 2/3 innings to suffer the loss, ending a string of four straight starts allowing three or fewer earned runs. Cobb is making his first career appearance against Washington but is 9-4 with a 2.50 ERA in 16 interleague starts.

The pick: The teams split four meetings last season and will play six times in 2018. At the moment, it's hard to see Baltimore outplaying Washington in the series this year. The Orioles have a slugger in Manny Machado (15 HRs & 44 RBI) to match rival Bryce Harper (leads NL in HRs with 16) but they are not getting much production from the rest of the lineup, while scoring three or fewer runs in 10 of the last 12 games. Gonzalez has been good all season and I'm not much worried about his poor lifetime mark against Baltimore, as he's being opposed by Cobb. He has allowed 67 hits in just 39 1/3 innings, giving him a 1.93 WHIP and .379 BAA to go along with that ugly 7.32 ERA. Make Washington a 10* play.

The set-up: The San Francisco Giants snapped a three-game losing streak with a 5-4 victory over the Cubs on Saturday. After struggling to score runs of late, the Giants scored as many runs as they had in their previous three games, all losses. The Giants also improved to 23-4 this season in games when they scored at least four runs. The Cubs won Friday's opener 6-2 and the teams meet tonight on ESPN for the rubber match of this three-game set. The Cubs own the better record this season (26-22 to 25-27) but Chicago sits 4 1/2 games out of first in the NL Central, while teh Giants are within two games of first in the NL West.

The pitching matchup: Ty Blach (3-4, 4.37 ERA) will get the nod for the Giants and Tyler Chatwood (3-4, 3.74 ERA) for the Cubs. Blach has struggled recently, failing to get through the fifth inning in each of his last three starts. The 27-year-old gave up four runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings of a no-decision against Colorado last time out but the Giants are 2-1 in his last three outings. Blach is 2-0 with a 3.21 ERA in two career starts against the Cubs, both of which occurred last season. Yu Darvish was Chicago's major off-season signing but he hasn’t yet paid many dividends plus he won’t be on the mound as scheduled for the finale of their three-game series against the visiting San Francisco Giants on Sunday night. The Cubs had to shuffle their rotation for the rubber match of the set, as Tyler Chatwood will move up a day. Chatwood’s control woes continued in his last start, as he issued six walks while giving up four runs in just 2 2/3 innings of a 10-1 loss to Cleveland. Chatwood is 7-4 with a 2.84 ERA in 17 career games (16 starts) against the Giants.

The pick: The Giants won for just the second time in their last 11 road contests on Saturday, putting them in position to win their first series at Wrigley Field since 2014. Meanwhile, the Cubs have lost five of their last six home games. We don't have two "name starters" in this one but Blach has won both previous starts against the Cubs and Chatwood owns a 2.84 ERA in 17 career appearances against the Giants. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Arizona Diamondbacks had lost seven straight both overall and on the road before recording a 7-1 victory over the Oakland A's in the series opener on Friday. However, they were silenced by Daniel Mengden on Saturday, notching only a pair of singles in a 3-0 setback. Arizona is now 1-7 as it concludes a dismal nine-game road trip Sunday against the Athletics. The D'backs have lost 14 of their last 16 overall contests and are now back to looking for answers, as the team's strong 24-11 start to the season seems 'light years' in the past. Mengden tossed his second career complete game - and shutout - as he improved to just 2-11 lifetime at Oakland Coliseum while the Athletics raised their record to 2-3 on their 10-game homestand. Oakland managed only five hits Saturday but all went for extra bases, including solo HRs by Matt Joyce, Matt Olson and Chad Pinder. The A's check in at 27-25, a half-game game better than Arizona's 26-25 mark. However, while the D'backs are just a half-game out of first in the NL West, the A's are 6 1/2 back of the first-place Astros in the AL West.

The pitching matchup: Zack Greinke (3-3, 3.71 ERA) will get the start for Arizona and will be opposed by Oakland's Frankie Montas (2017: 1-1, 7.03 ERA). Greinke had his four-start unbeaten streak halted last time out (D'backs were 3-1), as he served up a season-high three HRs en route to allowing four runs over six innings in a 4-2 loss at Milwaukee on Monday. He did register nine strikeouts in that defeat, marking the fourth time he has reached that total in 10 starts this season. Greinke will take the mound having gone 1-3 with a 6.94 ERA in his four road starts in 2018, with the only win coming in an 8-7 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers (allowed four ERs in 6 1/3 innings). Montas is being recalled from Triple-A Nashville to make his third major-league start, and his first for Oakland, in order to give Trevor Cahill an extra day of rest. The 25-year-old Montas came out of the bullpen for the Athletics last season after going 0-2 in two starts and five relief appearances for the Chicago White Sox in 2015. He has never has faced Arizona and doesn't bring much of a resume into this contest, having gone 1-5 with a 4.39 ERA in nine starts in the minors this year.

The pick: If the Diamondbacks are to win their first series since May 4-6 against the Houston Astros, then Greinke is going to have to do something he hasn't done all season, and that's pitch well on the road (see above for a reminder). However, he has had success against Oakland in his career, going 6-1 with a 3.12 ERA in 15 appearances (11 starts), including going 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA in nine games (six starts) in Oakland. Still, I won't ignore Greinke's road numbers (6.94 ERA) or expect Montas to pitch well in this "spot start," with his resume (limited ML experience and unimpressive minor league numbers). Make the Over an 8* play.

The set-up: Philadelphia's Aaron Nola took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning and Nick Williams belted his third pinch-hit HR of the season in the eighth inning of Saturday's 2-1 win by the Phillies over the Blue Jays. Philadelphia has now alternated wins and losses over its last eight games on the heels of a 7-1 stretch. However, the Phillies find themselves atop the NL East this late in the season for the first time since they won the division back in 2011. The main reason being, Philadelphia's NL-best 19 home wins (eight losses). The 29-20 Phillies look to continue their winning ways at home this afternoon when they wrap up this three-game IL series against the Blue Jays. Toronto checks in at 24-28, after dropping 10 of its last 13.

The pitching matchup: J.A. Happ (6-3, 3.97 ERA) will get the start for Toronto and Nick Pivetta (4-2, 3.23 ERA) goes for Philadelphia. The Phillies drafted Happ and he spent parts of three seasons with them. The now 35-year-old recorded his second straight victory this past Tuesday, permitting two runs on three hits in seven innings of a 5-3 triumph over the Los Angeles Angels. Happ fanned just five batters in that contest but is averaging a career-high 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings this season. Happ has been a reliable arm for the Blue Jays this season, pitching at least six innings in six of his 10 outings (Toronto is 7-3) with a 1.10 WHIP and 71 strikeouts in 59 innings. Pivetta has answered a disastrous start on May 4 (got just three outs while allowing six ERs in a 7-3 loss at Washington!) with three straight victories, highlighted by Monday's performance in which he scattered four hits over seven innings in a 3-0 triumph versus Atlanta. He has allowed just one run on 10 hits while striking out 25 batters against two walks during his winning streak (0.73 ERA).

The pick: Pivetta will make his first career appearance versus Toronto. Yes. Philly has been terrific at home but Happ will be making his 20th career start and 30th appearance at Citizens Bank Park, facing the team he debuted with in 2007. He has dominated the team with which he spent parts of three seasons, posting a 4-0 career mark with a 1.11 ERA while limiting Philadelphia to a .174 batting average. Make Toronto an 8*.

The set-up: The Cincinnati Reds opened the season 3-15 before firing manger Bryan Price and while they've been more competitive under Jim Riggleman, Cincy still owns the NL's worst record (18-34) and finds themselves 14 games out of first place in the NL Central. Third baseman Eugenio Suarez crushed a two-run HR in Friday’s 5-4 loss at Colorado and is 6-for-15 with two HRs and eight RBI during his four-game hitting streak. He is the National League's surprise leader in RBI with 40 runs. All that, despite missing 16 games last month due to injury. Meanwhile, Colorado's All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado homered in the first inning. It was the first time Arenado had done so since May 5 at the New York Mets. The home run was Arenado's ninth this season and came after he went 64 at-bats without one. Colorado was a wild card team in 2017 (87-75) and its 27-24 record in 2018, has them in first place in the NL West, a half-game ahead of the Diamondbacks.

The pitching matchup: Tyler Mahle (3-6, 4.53 ERA) takes the mound for the Reds and squares off against Colorado lefty Tyler Anderson (3-1, 4.74 ERA). The 23-year-old Mahle was a seventh-round draft pick of the Reds in 2013 and is considered a rookie this season, after just four appearances in 2017. He has an impressive 52 strikeouts over 53 2/3 innings but has also served up 13 HRs, including three in his last outing (he has allowed multiple HRs in five of his 10 starts this season). Mahle lost his second straight start last Sunday, allowing four runs over six innings a 6-1 defeat at the hands of the Chicago Cubs. He has never faced the Rockies. Anderson hopes to bounce back from a tough outing against San Francisco on Sunday, when he allowed five runs over 5 1/3 innings. He comes in struggling, having given up 13 runs (12 earned) on 19 hits over 16 innings in his last three starts (6.75 ERA). Anderson earned the victory in his only previous start against the Reds, allowing two runs with seven strikeouts over six innings on May 19, 2017.

The pick; The Rockies are in first place, despite Arenado having just ended a streak of 16 consecutive games without a HR last night. Arenado hit 42 HRs with 130 RBI in 2015, followed by seasons of 41-133 and 37-130 but said pitchers seem more inclined to walk him this season. Hard to imagine Arenado not "breaking out" soon or that the Rockies will continue to struggle here in Coors (just 8-11). Mahle seems ill-equipped to get in the way of a Colorado win. Make the Rockies an 8* play.

The set-up: The KC Royals and Texas Rangers, two underachievers so far in 2018, continue a four-game series Saturday afternoon in Arlington. Texas ended the New York Yankees' streak of winning eight straight series with a dramatic 12-10 victory on Wednesday and opened this series on Thursday having totaled 23 runs over its previous three games prior to managing only five hits (all singles) in an 8-2 defeat against Kansas City. However, the Rangers rebounded nicely in Friday's 8-4 victory, hitting three HRs while scoring at least one run in five innings for their third win in the last four contests. The 21-32 Rangers attempt to prolong one of their most successful stretches of the season Saturday when they host the third of four games against the Royals. KC's loss last night snapped a season-best three-game winning streak for the 17-34 Royals, who rank sixth in the majors in runs scored this month with 109, after finishing 29th in April with 85. Kansas City has picked up the pace offensively over the last four games, totaled 22 runs to match the output it had over the previous nine contests combined.

The pitching matchup: Ian Kennedy (1-5, 5.30 ERA) steps to the mound on Saturday to counter the ageless Bartolo Colon (2-2, 3.51 ERA) of Texas. Kennedy's lone win of 2018 came back on April 7 (1-0 at Cleveland) and he takes the mound here, having allowed a total of 19 runs and 24 hits across 15 2/3 innings over his last three outings. He dropped his fifth straight decision Monday at St. Louis, surrendering five runs on nine hits over 5 2/3 innings. Despite a 3.58 ERA in six career starts vs. Texas, Kennedy has yet to earn a victory, going 0-2. Colon is coming off his worst start of the season in Monday's 10-5 loss to the Yankees, yielding four HRs among the season-high six runs and eight hits he allowed in 5 1/3 innings. The former Cy Young Award winner has been significantly worse at home (0-2, 5.46 ERA) than he has on the road (2-0, 1.59), surrendering 10 of his 13 HRs in Globe Life Park. Colon is 15-11 with a 5.04 in 31 appearances (30 starts) against Kansas City throughout his long career.

The pick: Both pitchers will be making their 11th start of 2018 and while both have seen their teams lose more than they've won (KC is 3-7 in Kennedy's 1st 10 starts, while Texas is 4-6 in Colon's 1st 10), the similarity ends there. Kennedy has an 'ugly' 5.30 ERA, a 1.54 WHIP and opponents are batting .295 against him. Meanwhile, Colon's owns a respectable 3.51 ERA, an outstanding 0.92 WHIP plus opponents are batting a modest .225 against him. Colon has 242 career wins, one shy of matching Hall of Famer Juan Marichal (243) for most wins in MLB history by a native of the Dominican Republic. His 45th birthday was Thursday and I say he gives himself a belated birthday present, joining the great Juan Marichal with 243 career wins. Make Texas a 10* play.

The set-up: Mookie Betts hit his major league-leading 17th home run last night, one of four Red Sox players to homer in a 6-2 series opening over the Atlanta Braves. Boston's victory was the team's seventh in its last nine games, giving them a ML-best 35-16 record (lead the 32-15 NY Yankees by one game in the AL East). The surprising 29-20 Braves just lost two of three to the Phillies and with their third loss in their last four last night, now lead the Phils by just a half-game in the NL East. Some big news for Boston is, second baseman Dustin Pedroia played in rehab games on Wednesday and Thursday. The Red Sox activated Dustin Pedroia from the disabled list Friday and he is expected to make his season debut Saturday, after left knee surgery.

The pitching matchup: Sean Newcomb (5-1, 2.39 ERA) will get the start for the Braves and will be opposed by fellow lefty, Boston's Drew Pomeranz (1-2, 5.97). Newcomb's outstanding early season run continued last Saturday against Miami, as he won his fourth straight start while allowing just one run in six innings. It is the only run he has allowed in 25 innings during his four-game winning streak, during which opponents have managed only nine hits. Newcomb is a Massachusetts native and was in line to make a homecoming start for the Atlanta Braves on Friday night at Fenway Park. However, manager Brian Snitker moved Julio Teheran into the Friday start against the Boston Red Sox and he did it for good reason. Newcomb has thrived when given an extra days' rest, going 4-0 with a 1.91 ERA while making seven of his previous nine starts with an extra day off. Pomeranz was also pushed back in order to get in some side work during the week, but for different reasons. He completed only four innings in each of his last two starts, giving up a total of eight runs (seven earned) and walking as many (eight) as he struck out. The pitcher who was 17-6 (3.32 ERA & 1.18 WHIP) in 2017, now owns a 5.97 ERA and 1.78 WHIP after six starts, while opposing batters are hitting .302 against him

The pick: No reason to think that Newcomb won't pitch well here, especially on extra rest (see above). Also, while Boston jumped out to a 17-2 start, the Red Sox are a modest 18-14 , since. As for Pomeranz, a strained forearm delayed his 2018 debut until April 20, but I'm not about to ignore how well he pitched in 2017 for Boston. Make the Under an 8* play.

The set-up: The Milwaukee Brewers began their 10-game homestand with a three-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks, outscoring them 14-4. The surge landed Milwaukee in first-place in the NL Central but the team landed with a thud in its series opener against the New York Mets last night, managing only five singles in a 5-0 loss. Milwaukee now looks to bounce back Friday as it continues the four-game set with Ryan Braun back in the lineup. The former MVP recorded one of those singles last night, in his first game following a stint on the disabled list due to a back ailment. Meanwhile, the Mets pounded out 13 hits as they began their eight-game road trip on a positive note. Brandon Nimmo fell a HR shy of the cycle, as he went 4-for-4 with a walk and scored twice. New York had lost two straight prior to Thursday, scoring one run in each defeat, and had dropped three of its previous four on the road. Milwaukee is headed in the right direction at 31-20 on the season, after a 9-9 start. As for New York, the Mets opened 11-1 but last night's win leaves them a more modest 25-21.

The pitching matchup: Noah Syndergaard (4-1, 2.91 ERA) takes the mound for New York, opposed by Milwaukee's Junior Guerra (3-3, 2.98 ERA). Syndergaard got a win in his season debut but allowed four runs. However, he has allowed three runs or less in each of his last nine starts. He is a modest 3-1 in those nine starts but the Mets are 6-3. It may be notable that he hasn't started on the road since April 26 in St. Louis (we'll see). Syndergaard has been dominant against Milwaukee in his career, going 2-0 with a 0.49 ERA and 0.71 WHIP in three starts (Mets are 3-0). Guerra appears to have overcome a pair of rough starts to start the month, allowing three runs over 10 1/3 innings while going 1-0 in his last two outings (2.53 ERA). However, Guerra has struggled at home, surrendering nine runs over 10 innings in back-to-back losses, after giving up one unearned run across 10 2/3 innings in his first two outings of 2018 at Miller Park. Guerra has permitted one run over 12 2/3 innings while going 1-0 in two career starts against New York (Brewers are 1-1).

The pick: Despite Milwaukee's .608 win percentage (highest in the NL) and its three-game lead in the NL Central, the Brewers have been shut out a major league-high nine times this season. That hardly bodes well against Syndergaard, who owns a 2.91 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP and a 68-13 KW ratio. That's not mention his 0.49 ERA and 0.71 WHIP in three career starts against Milwaukee. Guerra is no Syndergaard but he's a solid part of a Milwaukee rotation which owns' MLB's second-best ERA (3.37). What's more, Milwaukee's bullpen ERA is a ML-best 2.46! Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Kansas City Royals and the Texas Rangers opened a four-game series in Arlington last night, with the Royals rolling to an 8-2 victory. KC now looks to extend its season-high winning streak to four games on Friday with the second contest of its four-game series. Kansas City has outscored its opponents 18-5 during its season-best stretch and now owns a 17-33 record. Texas was limited to five hits in the opener, after it slugged seven HRs and scored 23 runs while taking two of three from the New York Yankees. The Rangers own just a slightly better record than KC (at 20-32), due mostly to the team's home woes (Rangers own a 9-18 home record!).

The pitching matchup: Lefty Eric Skoglund (1-4, 6.15 ERA) will get the start for the Royals, while Texas counters with a lefty of its own in Mike Minor (3-3, 5.59 ERA). Skoglund takes the mound win-less in his last four starts (team is 1-3), losing each of his last two starts. He was torched for six runs and eight hits in five innings of a loss to New York in his last outing. Skoglund has struggled on the road in six major-league appearances (five starts), going 0-2 with a 9.82 ERA and 2.05 WHIP while allowing opponents to bat .548. As for Minor, his numbers are hardly 'pretty!' He is 0-2 with an 8.22 ERA over his last three starts (team is 0-3), serving up five HRs in 15 1/3 innings during that stretch. He had won three straight decisions before falling into his current rut plus allowed just three HRs over his first six starts of 2018. Minor is 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA in two career starts against Kansas City, a team for which he made 65 relief appearances last season, while posting a career-best 2.55 ERA.

The pick: Yes, the Rangers are among MLB's worst home teams (9-18) but the struggling Texas lineup is way better than its performance, so far. KC's Skoglund looks to be the perfect foil, as his 6.15 ERA attests. What's more, his six major-league appearances on the road (five starts) reveal a 9.82 ERA and 2.05 WHIP with opponents batting an unheard of .548. against him! As for Minor, he spent last year as a reliever with Kansas City, leading the staff in relief wins (6), ranking second in appearances (65) and saves (6), plus placing third in holds (17) and games finished (13). Maybe most importantly, he posted a career-best 2.55 ERA. Minor has struggled on the road (8.38 ERA and 1.60 WHIP) but while his teammates have struggled in Arlington, he owns a more than respectable 3.72 home ERA (five starts), plus a good 1.14 WHIP. Make Texas an 8* play.

The set-up: The Red Sox and Yankees are in a see-saw battle for the AL East lead, as the two teams own MLB's top-two records. Xander Bogaerts doubled in the go-ahead run during a three-run ninth inning on Wednesday as Boston ran its winning streak to four games with a 4-1 win over the Rays at Tropicana Field. The victory gave them a major league-best 34-15 record and with the Yankees falling 12-10 at Texas, a 1 1/2-game lead in the AL East over 31-15 New York. Tampa Bay had won six in a row to climb back to the .500 mark but the Rays have scored a total of just five runs in losing their last three. The last two have come against the Red Sox, as Tampa will attempt to avoid a three-game home sweep in tonight's contest.

The pitching matchup: Rick Porcello (6-1, 3.39 ERA) will be on the mound for Boston, opposed by Tampa lefty Blake Snell (5-3, 3.07 ERA). Porcello won the AL's 2017 Cy Young (21-4, 3.15 ERA) but then fell to 11-17, 4.65 last season. However, at 6-1, Porcello has returned to his 2016 form so far in 2018. Porcello already has seen more of the Tampa Bay Rays in less than two months than most pitchers do of one opponent in a season. Porcello will make his 11th start of the year but his fourth against the Rays. Porcello opened the season with back-to-back wins over Tampa Bay, allowing one run over 5 1/3 innings at Tropicana Field on March 31 and then allowed three runs in 7 1/3 innings at home on April 7. He also worked a season-high 7 2/3 innings against the Rays on April 29, giving up three runs in a no-decision that Boston won 4-3. Snell rebounded from his worst start of the season (allowed five ERs in just 3 1/3 inning vs. Baltimore on May 13) with a strong effort at the Los Angeles Angels on Friday, striking out eight in 6 2/3 innings of two-run ball. It marked the seventh time in eight starts he has permitted fewer than three runs, including a 7 1/3-inning outing at Boston on April 27 in which he gave up two. Snell is 2-1 with a 1.07 ERA in four home starts, one of which was a 5 2/3 scoreless-inning performance against the Red Sox on March 30.

The pick: Porcello is14-8 in his career against Tampa Bay with a solid 3.23 ERA, although four of those losses came last season. However, a noted already, 2018 is shaping up much more like 2016 for Porcello, than 2017. Back in his Cy Young season of 2016, he posted a 5-0 record against the Rays. Getting back to Snell, he is 2-3 with a 4.13 ERA against the Red Sox in his career, including an 0-2 mark with a 5.97 ERA last season. Getting back to just the team vs. team matchup, Boston has already won nine of 12 in the season series, including five of six at Tropicana Field. Make Boston an 8* play.

The set-up: The Houston Astros won 4-1 last night behind Justin Verlander, sweeping a two-game IL series over the Giants (Astros won 11-2 on Tuesday, behind Gerrit Cole). The Astros will now open a seven-game road trip Thursday with the first of four games with the Cleveland Indians. The Indians just completed a 4-4 road trip, which included a 1-2 mark at Houston last weekend, with a two-game interleague sweep in Chicago during which they beat the Cubs 10-1 and 1-0. Both teams reside in first place in their respective division (AL Central and West), with both owning two game advantages over their closest challengers. However, while Houston is an impressive 32-18 (only the Red Sox and Yankees own higher winning percentages), the Indians 24-23 mark has them atop the Central only because no other team in that division owns a winning record!

The pitching matchup: Charlie Morton (6-0, 1.94 ERA) takes the mound for Houston, while Mike Clevinger (3-1, 2.87 ERA gets the nod for Cleveland. As noted above, the Astros won two of three games last weekend in Houston, so not surprisingly in this quick rematch, two of the four pitching matchups for this series are identical to two from last weekend. That includes tonight 's matchup. Morton looks to top Cleveland for the second time in seven days, after allowing one run and four hits over seven innings of a 4-1 home victory over the Indians on Friday. Morton has registered 70 strikeouts while issuing only 18 walks in 55 2/3 innings this season and has allowed more than two runs only twice in his nine starts (Astros are 6-3). Morton's win last time out improved him to 1-2 with a 3.93 ERA in three career starts against Cleveland. Clevinger suffered his first loss of the season opposite Morton on Friday, surrendering three runs on eight hits and four walks in 6 1/3 innings. Clevinger has made three career starts against the Astros, going 1-2 with a 2.40 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 15 innings.

The pick: The defending World Series champions have picked right up this year from how they finished last year during their impressive march to the winner's circle, when they won 101 games in the regular season. The same cannot be said about the Indians. Cleveland won 102 games last year, including an American League-record 22-game winning streak. However, he Indians were surprisingly eliminated in their Division Series against the Yankees, when they won the first two games, but lost the last three. The hangover from that shockingly quick exit from the 2017 postseason appears to be lingering this year (see above). A huge problem for teh Indians in 2018 has been that after having the best bullpen in the league the last two years, the Indians are last in the American League in bullpen ERA this year. The Indians' 5.65 bullpen ERA is almost three runs higher than their league-leading 2.89 ERA last season. Edge to the Astros and I'll make Houston a 10* play.

The Los Angeles Dodgers saw their four-game winning streak snapped in Monday's 2-1 home loss to the Rockies but they made it five wins in their last six games with Tuesday's 5-3 victor. The rubber match of this three-game series goes tonight, as the 21-27 Dodgers hope to reduce their 4 1/2-game deficit in the National League West behind the first-place 26-23 Rockies with a win. Chris Taylor hit a two-run HR and Yasiel Puig followed with a solo blast during the decisive sixth-inning uprising on Tuesday. The suddenly hot Puig has homered five times in his last eight games, after not homering in his first 28 contests. The Rockies have registered only 10 hits over the first two games of the series and are anticipating that Nolan Arenado soon will arise from a 15-game home-run drought.

The pitching matchup: Colorado lefty Kyle Freeland (4-4, 3.17 ERA) gets the nod and will be opposed by LA's Kenta Maeda (3-3, 3.89 ERA). Freeland enters having won three straight decisions, allowing just three runs on 13 hits over 20 innings. He defeated San Francisco in his last outing, allowing one run on five hits over 6 2/3 innings. Freeland went 1-2 with a 4.26 ERA in four starts against the Dodgers as a rookie last season. Maeda is receiving an extra day of rest after a stellar effort in his last start, when he gave up two hits over eight scoreless innings against Miami last Thursday in 7-0 win. Maeda is 4-2 with a 2.56 ERA in seven career appearances (five starts) versus the Rockies.

The pick: The Rockies will be back in Denver on Friday night against the Reds, after wrapping up their latest road trip tonight in LA. Despite Tuesday night's 5-3 defeat at Dodger Stadium, the Rockies are 19-12 away from Coors Field and no team in baseball has more road victories (note: the Rockies have also played a major league-most 31 road games).However, we are starting to see LA come around. After all, they have won the NL West the last five seasons. Yes, the Dodgers are just 9-14 at home in 2018 but let's not forget that they were 57-24 at home last season (most home wins in all of MLB). Make LA an 8* play.

The set-up: The Chicago White Sox lost 3-2 in their series opener to the Baltimore Orioles on Monday but turned the tables on Tuesday, scoring three runs in the eighth inning en route a similar 3-2 win. This four-game series between two struggling teams (the Orioles are 15-33 and the White Sox are 14-31) continues tonight. Baltimore is 2-4 on its 11-game road trip, while Tuesday's victory was Chicago's fourth win in its last six contests.

The pitching matchup: Alex Cobb (1-5, 6.56 ERA) takes the mound for Baltimore and he will be opposed by Chicago's Dylan Covey (0-1, 6.00 ERA). Cobb spent his first six seasons with the Tampa Bat Rays but agreed to a four-year, $57 million contract during spring training with the Orioles. This will be Cobb's his eighth start, as he tries to turn around an ugly beginning with his new team. He has given up an eye-popping 59 hits in 35 2/3 innings while striking out just 19. He has allowed a homer in all but two of his starts. Cobb has lost both of his previous career starts against Chicago, getting tagged for 12 runs and 17 hits over eight innings (13.50 ERA). Covey will be making his second start of 2018, tonight. He lost his only previous outing of 2018 back on April 28, when he yielded four runs on seven hits and three walks in six innings at Kansas City in a 5-2 loss. Covey still remains in search of his first major-league win. He made 18 appearances (12 starts) in 2017, going 0-7 with a 7.71 ERA. Covey's only career start against the Orioles came on May 6, 2017, when he surrendered six runs and 10 hits in four innings at Baltimore.

The pick: This is a matchup between two bad teams but note that Covey is 0-8 with a 7.58 ERA in 13 starts (Sox are 4-9) and six relief appearances. Sure, Cobb has been an underachiever, but after surrendering at least five runs in each of his three April outings, he has allowed three ERs or less in each of his four starts in May. Make Baltimore a 10* play.

The set-up: The Arizona D'backs shocked most in MLB by going 93-69 last season, 'flipping' their record from the previous season, when the team went 69-93. Arizona was 24-11 in games played through May 8 to open the current season but then lost six in a row before ending its skid with a 2-1 home win over Milwaukee. The one-run victory did little to 'stop the bleeding,' as Arizona is now back on its second six-game losing streak of the month, after losing the first two of a three-game series with the Brewers. The D'backs scored a total of just nine runs during their first six-game slide and the offense remains in the tank this time around as well, scored only 10 runs. Overall, Arizona has failed to score more than two runs in 10 of its last 12 games. Meanwhile, Milwaukee won two of three in Arizona as part of its current 9-3 streak and now looks to complete a three-game sweep of the stumbling Diamondbacks on Wednesday afternoon, as the Brewers go for a road sweep. They have won four straight series to ascend to the top of the National League Central while also knocking the Arizona Diamondbacks out of first place in the NL West. After mashing three HRs in a 4-2 series-opening win, the Brewers could only muster a sacrifice fly by Domingo Santana on Tuesday but that stood up in a 1-0 victory.

The pitching matchup: The Diamondbacks will send Zack Godley (4-3, 3.78 ERA) to the mound, while the Brewers send lefty Brent Suter (3-3, 4.72 ERA) to the hill. Godley enters this contest on a four-game winless streak (he is 0-2 and the team is 1-3). He permitted three runs (one earned) on only four hits over six innings his last time out against the Mets (a 3-1 Arizona loss), as he continued to struggle with his control. Godley walked four batters against New York and has allowed 22 over his last seven starts. However, Godley has been superb in four appearances (three starts) against Milwaukee, posting a 2-0 record and 1.42 ERA. As for Suter, he is coming off his longest outing of 2018, picking up an 8-3 victory at Minnesota on Friday by holding the Twins to one run on five hits while striking out a season-high six in 5 2/3 innings. His previous three appearances -- two in relief and a start on short rest -- came in a span of nine days.

The pick: Godley opened the season 4-1 with a 3.81 ERA through his first five starts but has gone 0-2 with a 3.75 mark in his last four outings. Can he get it turned around? Can the D'backs? The Brewers have won nine of their last 12 games and are 13-6 this month to move 11 games above .500. They've won 30 games, most among National League teams, and reached that mark faster than any other team in franchise history. However, while the team's ptchwork pitching staff has overachieved, Suter has been a weak link. Suter began the year in the rotation, then moved to bullpen when Wade Miley was brought off the DL. However, when Miley was hurt again, Suter moved back into the rotation.Arizona's lineup should I(will?) get to him here, as he is allowing the opposition to hit .321 with runners on base and .304 with runners in scoring position and two outs. Make Arizona an 8* play.

The 26-20 Pittsburgh Pirates look to snap a three-game losing streak heading into Tuesday's opener of a three-game series against the 16-32 Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. The Pirates' recent slump has seen them fall to fourth in the NL Central but in this tightly-bunched division, Pittsburgh is still only two games back of the first-place Brewers. The Reds have played much better since firing manager Bryan Price but after losing three of four versus the Chicago Cubs over the weekend (were outscored 16-1 over the final two games of a series), the Reds have lost touch with the other four teams in their division (sit 13 games back). The Pirates took three of four from the Reds back on April 5-8 at PNC Park and open this series 11-11 on the road in 2018, while the Reds are just 7-18 at home, so far.

The pitching matchup: Jameson Taillon (2-3, 3.97 ERA) will take the mound for Pittsburgh, while Matt Harvey (0-2, 6.17 ERA) makes his third start for Cincy, after joining the Reds from the Mets. Taillon saw his winless skid extend to seven outings (he is 0-3 and the team is 3-4) on Wednesday, after allowing a pair of solo HRs and three walks over 5 2/3 innings in a no-decision versus the Chicago White Sox. Taillon is 2-2 with a 4.23 ERA in eight career starts against the Reds (giving up 47 hits in 44 2/3 innings) but did strike out seven as Pittsburgh breezed to a 5-0 romp of Cincinnati back on April 8, of this season. Harvey has worked a pair of four-inning outings since being acquired from the New York Mets but saw his run of no-decisions extend to six on Wednesday after allowing three runs on seven hits at San Francisco (note: last four appearances for the Mets were relief stints). "It's been a while since I've felt stronger throughout a game, so getting up toward 80 pitches and still feeling strong and noticing the ball coming out the way it was it's definitely a big positive," Harvey told reporters. Harvey is 1-1 in five career meetings with Pittsburgh but owns a 5.46 ERA.

The pick: The Reds are a poor home team (7-18, minus-$1098) and own a 4-18 record versus NL Central rivals. In contrast, the Pirates sport a 10-3 mark against NL Central foes. Sure, Taillon hasn't gotten a decision in seven consecutive starts but he comes into this contest with a 1.98 ERA in 13 2/3 innings this month. Pittsburgh won three of four against Cincinnati back in early April by a 28-12 margin and I'll make them a 10* in the series opener, tonight.

The set-up: The Minnesota Twins improved to 3-4 on their nine-game homestand with a 4-2 triumph in Monday's series opener against the Detroit Tigers. The victory puts Minnesota in position to end an 0-3-1 slide in home series not abbreviated by inclement weather by winning here, or in Wednesday's finale (both would be nice). Detroit managed only three hits as it suffered its fourth consecutive loss after beginning its seven-game road trip with a victory in Seattle. The Twins are just 20-23 but in the sad-sack AL Central, sit just one game back of the first-place Indians. The Tigers check in at 20-27, but are only two games back of the Twins and three back of the Indians.

The pitching matchup: Detroit lefty Matthew Boyd (2-3, 3.19 ERA) will square off against Minnesota's Lance Lynn (1-4, 7.47 ERA). Boyd has pitched fairly well this season and comes off defeating the Mariners 4-3 at home on May 12, allowing three runs and three hits in six innings, before settling for a no-decision in Seattle on Thursday after giving up two runs and six hits over six innings (Tigers won that one too, 3-2). Boyd has made 11 career starts versus Minnesota, going 5-2 with a 3.98 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 63 1/3 innings. Lynn is coming off his shortest outing of the season, a three-inning effort against his former St. Louis club in which he took the loss after yielding three runs on four hits and four walks. Lynn has struggled with his control this year, issuing at least four free passes in five of his eight turns. Lynn has surrendered six runs and 15 hits over 12 1/3 innings while going 1-1 in two career starts versus Detroit.

The pick: Boyd has six quality starts in eight starts already this season, along with a team-leading 1.06 WHIP and 41 strikeouts in 48 innings. Things haven't gone nearly as well for Twins starter Lance Lynn. He signed to a one-year contract late in spring training (note: he turned down a $17.4 million qualifying offer from St. Louis) and has struggled out of the gate with that 7.47 ERA, a 2.04 WHIP and an opponents BAA of .313. However, Lynn spent his last six seasons with the Cardinals and was good enough to go 72-47 with a 3.38 ERA. My bet says, he gets things turned around. Why not start right here? Make the Twins an 8* play.

The set-up: The NY Yankees opened a three-game series in Arlington against the Texas Rangers with a 10-5 victory. Rookie second baseman Gleyber Torres homered in the second and sixth innings to become the second-youngest player (21 years, 159 days) in club history to hit at least two HRs in one game, trailing only Hall-of-Famer Mickey Mantle (20, 296). New York hit five HRs in all, marking the first time in team history it has connected on at least four long balls in three straight contests and the first time since the 2011 Rangers any team had done so. Texas managed to get three HRs from the bottom of its lineup but that production was not nearly enough to keep the Rangers from falling to 18-31, including 7-17 at home. The Yankees own MLB's best overall record at 31-13 and will aim for a fourth consecutive victory against the host Texas Rangers on Tuesday night.

The pitching matchup: Domingo German (0-1, 4.26 ERA) gets the nod for the Yankees and he will be opposed by Texas lefty Cole Hamels (2-4, 3.48 ERA). German will being making his first career road start, after two drastically different results at home. German struck out nine over six hit-less innings against Cleveland on May 6 but then surrendering six runs on six hits and three walks in another no-decision on May 12 versus Oakland. The veteran Hamels was scratched from his last scheduled start due to neck stiffness but is expected to take the mound for the first time since May 11, when he yielded just one hit and three walks over six scoreless innings in a 1-0 win at Houston. The four-time All-Star seemingly has settled into a bit of a groove after beginning the season 1-3 with a 4.76 ERA, as he has gone 1-1 with a 1.93 ERA over his last four outings. Hamels is 1-2 with a 3.24 ERA in four career starts versus New York.

The pick: The Yanks are 2-0 in German's two starts this season and he has not given up a run in two road relief appearances, spanning seven innings. Some more good news is, he is holding left-handed hitters to a .163 average as he faces Texas for the first time. I noted above that Hamels owns a 1.93 ERA over his last four outings but will add here that Texas has gone just 1-3 in those starts. Very hard to not favor New York here, as the Yankees come in first in all of MLB in runs scored (5.87 per), OPS (.812) and HRs (72), while the Rangers rank 22nd in scoring (4.22 per), 29th in team BA (.225) and 27th in OPs (.667). Then there is Texas' woeful 7-17 home mark, in which the Rangers are being outscored 6.08-to-4.00 RPG. Make the Yankees an 8* play.

The set-up: The LA Dodgers fell to 16-26 after suffering six straight losses to division cellar-dwellers Cincinnati and Miami to match their worst 42-game start since leaving Brooklyn for Los Angeles in 1958. LA finally ended its skid with a 7-0 victory over the Marlins on Wednesday. The five-time defending NL champions then showed their grit by marching into Washington and completed a three-game weekend sweep of the Nationals (Nats had won 13 of their previous 15), despite injuries wreaking havoc on their rotation. LA's mini-surge has left it five games out of first place in the NL West and 4 1/2 behind second-place Colorado, which settled for a series split in San Francisco over the weekend , despite winning the first two games in convincing fashion. The Rockies still remain one of the majors' best road teams despite the consecutive losses with an 18-11 away record, including an 8-3 mark in May.
LA returns to Dodger Stadium to open a 10-game homestand with a 20-26 record, sitting in fourth place in the five-team National League West, while also owning MLB's worst moneyline mark (minus-$2361).

The pitching matchup: Colorado will send German Marquez (2-5, 5.15 ERA) to teh mound to be opposed by LA's Walker Buehler (2-1, 2.67). Marquez had the misfortune of pitching opposite Jordan Lyles and his perfect-game bid last Tuesday in San Diego, taking the loss after serving up a two-run HR to Eric Hosmer while allowing six hits over five innings. Marquez has struggled out of the gate on a regular basis, posting a 13.50 ERA in the the first inning. He made both of his career starts versus the Dodgers last year, giving up seven runs - five earned - over 10 innings (4.50 ERA) in a pair of no-decisions (Rockies were 1-1). Buehler is a rookie and he encountered his first rough outing in five big-league starts Wednesday in Miami, failing to factor in the decision after surrendering five runs - four earned - while recording seven strikeouts in five innings. He had not permitted more than two runs in any start prior to the outing, giving up a total of four in 22 innings while striking out 27. Buehler has not yielded a HR in either of his first two starts at Dodger Stadium, where he has gone 0-1 (team is 1-1), despite a 1.64 ERA.

The pick: I strongly favor Buehler over Marquez and while the Dodgers are just 8-13 at home in 2018, let's n0t forget that they were 57-24 at home last season (most home wins in all of MLB). Make LA an 8* play.

The set-up: The Washington Nationals last won a baseball game back on Sunday, May 13 (6-4 at Arizona). That victory gave the Nats 13 wins in their previous 15 games. However, Washington then saw one game suspended and two more postponed due to Mother Nature to open last week. The Nats then lost three in a row Friday-Sunday to the LA Dodgers to fall four games off the NL East lead with a 24-21 record. Washington will now welcome the 20-28 San Diego Padres to town for a three-game series beginning Monday night. When the Washington Nationals visited San Diego from May 7-9, they won the first two games of a three-game series to move within 1 1/2 games of the National League East lead. At the time, the Nationals were on a bit of a run and the Padres were reeling with a 13-24 record. However, two weeks after that series, the Padres and Nationals meet again in Washington, D.C. and the fortunes of the two teams have changed a bit. Since winning that series finale at Petco Park to avoid being swept by the Nationals, the Padres have gone 7-4 and are riding a three-game winning streak. Meanwhile, the Nationals have gone 4-4, after losing a third straight game to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday

The pitching matchup: It's a 'battle of lefties' on Monday night, as the Padres' Robbie Erlin (1-2, 3.46 ERA) squares off against the Nats' Gio Gonzalez (4-2, 2.36 ERA). Erlin will be making his second spot start this season, as fellow lefty Joey Lucchesi nurses a hip injury. Erlin's first start of 2018 came way back on April 16 in a 10-3 loss to the Dodgers. Erlin lasted just three innings while allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits. The bad news for San Diego (and good news for the Nats) is that Erlin has met the Nationals twice in his career (both at Nationals Park), where he has given up 17 runs, 19 hits and six walks with six strikeouts in 9 1/3 innings (that's a 16.39 ERA!). As for Gonzalez, he was saddled with the first of his two straight no-decisions on May 9 despite allowing one run on five hits over six innings against San Diego. He then received the same fate six days later, although he issued four walks to drive up his pitch count (111) against the New York Yankees in a suspended game. Gonzalez owns a 3-2 mark with a 3.21 ERA in seven career appearances against San Diego.

The pick: Gonzalez is pitching well and deserves to pick up a win here. However, while Erlin's numbers (albeit in just two appearances) are awful against the Nats, Washington scored just seven runs in losing three games to the Dodgers this weekend at home. Washington batted only .149 in losing three straight to LA. What's more, Washington's top-two power hitters, Bryce Harper and Matt Adams, are slumping. Since leaving San Diego on May 9, Adams has hit only .143 and Harper is hitting .125 in the last eight games with just one HR and three RBI. Make the Under a 10*

The set-up: The Indians and Astros play the rubber match of their three-game series tonight in Houston on ESPN. The Indians have homered in a season-high 10 straight games and took Saturday's contest 5-4. Corey Kluber struck out 10 batters over seven strong innings Saturday, giving him an AL-leading seventh win of the year. Kluber is the second starter in MLB after Washington's Max Scherzer, to reach the seven-win mark. Meanwhile, third baseman Jose Ramirez had two hits and improved to 10-for-22 with a pair of HRs and seven RBI during his six-game hitting streak. The Astros saw their three-game winning streak come to an end despite homers by Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman and Marwin Gonzalez. Despite just a 22-22 record, the Indians sit atop the AL Central by 2 1/2 games. Meanwhile, the 29-18 Astros lead the majors in run differential at plus-96 and enter Sunday two games up on the second-place Mariners in the AL West.

The pitching matchup: Carlos Carrasco (5-2, 3.66 ERA) will head to the mound tonight for Cleveland, opposed by Houston's Lance McCullers Jr. (5-2, 3.63 ERA). Carrasco won 19 games last year and is off to a solid start in 2017. He is pitching on an extended five days’ rest after his last start on May 14 at Detroit, where he allowed three runs over 6 2/3 innings in a 6-3 loss. Carrasco has had a heavy workload, having thrown at least 110 pitches in four of his last seven starts, including three in a row. The 31-year-old owns a 3-1 record and 2.67 ERA in six career games (five starts) versus Houston, including 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two outings at Minute Maid Park. McCullers turned in a solid outing but took the loss against the Los Angeles Angels last Monday, allowing two runs on four hits over six innings. He has 58 strikeouts in 52 innings and has only given up three HRs, including none in his last five starts. McCullers struggled in his only previous start against Cleveland, giving up five runs over five innings in a 7-6 loss on April 26, 2017.

The pick: This is a pretty good pitching matchup and a check of the two teams' season records reveals that the Indians are 8-14 to the under in all road games so far in 2018, while the Astros are 9-15 to the under at home this season. Why over-think things? Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: Gary Sanchez homered twice among four hits to lead a 14-hit attack (including a season-high five HRs) in Saturday's 8-3 triumph for the Yankees, evening the team's three-game series with the Royals at a game apiece. Aaron Hicks had an inside-the-park homer and scored twice for New York, which has now won 20 of its last 24 and owns MLB's best record at 29-13. Kansas City opened the series with a 5-2 win on Friday but will host the rubber match of the set with a 14-31 record, leaving them with a better record than only the sad-sack White Sox in the AL. The Yankees will try to extend their streak of series wins to eight when they take on the host Royals on Sunday, plus hope to improve to 9-1 against American League Central foes here in 2018.

The pitching matchup: The Yankees give the ball to struggling righty Sonny Gray (2-3, 6.39 ERA), while the Royals turn to left-hander Eric Skoglund (1-3, 5.58 ERA) in the series finale. Gray allowed two runs and four hits in six innings in back-to-back starts, before getting roughed up in a loss to Oakland on May 11. He surrendered five runs on a season-high nine hits - including two home runs - in the outing. Gray will be well rested on Sunday, as he has not pitched in eight days because of the schedule. The Yankees had days off Monday and Thursday, were rained out Wednesday in Washington after getting Tuesday's game suspended following the top of the sixth inning. Gray is 1-2 in four career starts against the Royals but owns a solid 2.77 ERA. Skoglund is off his longest start of the year, having allowed two runs in 7 2/3 innings against Tampa Bay on Monday (Royals lost 2-1). He lasted at least seven innings in two of his four home starts but was limited to 4 2/3 innings in the other two at Kauffman Stadium, giving up five runs in both of those clunkers. This marks his first career start vs. the Yankees.

The pick: Sure, the Yankees own MLB's best record but Gray has had little to do with that. He has struggled all season with a 6.39 ERA, 1.84 WHIP and opponents hitting .284 against him. The Yankees are just 3-5 in his eight starts in 2018 and has pitched five or less innings in five of his eight starts this season. Gray has posted only one victory since April 7 and is 6-10 with a 4.70 ERA in 19 starts since being acquired from the Athletics in a trade on July 31. Clearly, he has not been 'the savior' the Yanks thought he would be. Why not take the 1 1/2 runs with the Royals? Make KC an 8* play.