The set-up: It will be tough to top last night's game. Rich Hill lost a perfect game on an error in the ninth inning before losing his no-hit bid and the game on Josh Harrison's walk-off homer to lead off the 10th. Los Angeles lost for only the fifth time in 28 games, while Pittsburgh won for only the third time in 11 games, keeping them eight games back of NL Central-leading Chicago and 7 1/2 out of the second wild card. The two teams cap their four-game series with this late afternoon game Thursday at PNC Park.

The pitching matchup: Hyun-Jin Ryu (4-6 & 3.45 ERA) takes the mound for LA and Chad Kuhl (6-8 & 4.52 ERA) for Pittsburgh. Ryu's 4-6 record hardly tells the story of his 2017 season. Ryu opened the season by losing his first four starts but he has gone more than 2 1/2 months without tasting defeat, since. He will carry a nine-start unbeaten streak into Thursday afternoon's finale. Yes, victories continue to elude Ryu but while he's just 2-0 in his nine-game unbeaten streak, the Dodgers have won EIGHT of those nine starts (2.77 ERA). Kuhl won his 2017 debut but then went 12 starts without a victory (he was 0-6 and Pittsburgh 2-10). However, he's turned things around by posting a 5-2 record over the past two months, although teh Pirates are 7-5 in that 12-start stretch. Kuhl took the 5-2 loss at Dodger Stadium on May 10 by giving up four runs on six hits over five innings. That leaves him 2-1 with a 5.06 ERA against LA in three career starts

The pick: Ryu also owns three career starts against tonight's opponent but is a perfect 3-0 with a 2.79 ERA. Throw in LA winning eight of his last nine outings and the Dodgers' overall dominating play and a bounce back from last night's 1-0 loss comes as no surprise. Make LA a 10* play.

The pick: Worley spent his first three major league seasons (2010-12) with the Phillies. He was traded to the Twins in late 2012, spending 2013 with Minnesota, 2014-15 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, 2016 with the Baltimore Orioles and now returning to the NL East when he was signed last off-season by the Marlins to a minor league deal. He got called up in May, first as a starter before moving to the bullpen. He made 10 appearances as a reliever between May 30 and July 25 but got another chance in the rotation after Tom Koehler's late-July demotion to Triple-A. He has made the most of that chance by going 2-1 with a 3.08 ERA in five starts since then (Marlins are 4-1). Thompson owns a 5.37 career ERA, a 1.57 career WHIP and opponents have batted .281 against him in his 15 career appearances, including .333 in 2017. Make the Marlins an 8* play..

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

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

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

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

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

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

The set-up: The Brewers wasted an excellent pitching effort Monday by Zach Davies (two unearned runs allowed over six innings) in a 2-0 Loss, as Milwaukee's lineup managed just four singles. The loss meant that the Brewers had dropped 10 of their last 11 at AT&T Park but Milwaukee to erased a 3-2 deficit with a two-run seventh inning and won, 4-3 last night.  The Brewers remained 2 1/2 games behind the first-place Chicago Cubs in the NL Central (Chicago won 13-9 at Cincy) and climbed within three of Colorado for the second wild-card spot (Rockies lost 3-2 at KC). The teams play the rubber match of the series this afternoon, with the Giants 'limping along' with the MLB's second-worst record (51-77) and its worst moneyline mark at minus-$3149 ($640 worse than than the Phillies).

The pitching matchup: Matt Garza (6-7 & 4.81 ERA) will take the mound for Milwaukee and Matt Moore (4-12 & 5.54 ERA) for San Francisco. Garza was rocked for the second time in three outings on Friday, when he surrendered eight runs on nine hits (including three HRs) over 4 1/3 innings in an 8-4 loss at Colorado. Garza has made four career starts against San Francisco, going 1-2 with a 4.15 ERA (teams are 1-3). Moore finally ended his nine-start win-less streak (he was 0-5 and the Giants 2-7) this past Friday, limiting Philadelphia to two runs on two hits over 7 1/3 innings in a 10-2 Giants win, his first victory since June 20 at Atlanta. This marks his first career start vs. Milwaukee.

The pick: Garza has just never lived up to expectations after leaving Tampa Bay after going 15-10 in 2010. Garza won 10 games for the Cubs in 2011 but has yet to each double digits in wins in any season since. He's pitched well at home in 2017 (5-2 with a 3.68 ERA with the Brewers going 7-4) but he's been a 'nightmare' on the road, going 1-5 with a 6.38 ERA in eight starts (Brewers are 2-6). There is no avoiding the fact that the Giants are 7-18 in Moore's 2017 starts, giving him MLB's worst moneyline mark at minus-$1259. However, three of his four wins in 2017 have come at home, where his 4.61 ERA at AT&T Park is more than two runs less than his 6.71 road ERA. Let's also remember that the Brewers have lost 36 of their last 57 contests at San Francisco, including 10 of their last 12 Make the Giants an 8* play.

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

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

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

The set-up: The Seattle Mariners opened a four-city, 13-day, 12-game road trip this past weekend and took two of three from the Rays in Tampa. The Mariners arrived in Atlanta for a three-game series on Monday and were able win  win 6-5. At 64-62, they are one game back of the Twins for the AL's final wild card spot, with the Angels just a half-game ahead of them. The Mariners have their work cut out for themselves, as in order to stay in the wild card chase, they will have to navigate a stretch that has them playing 21 away games in 28 contests. The good news is, that after opening 8-20 on the road, the Mariners have gone 22-10 on the road since that awful start. Atlanta fell to 55-68 on the season with the defeat, losing for the 23rd time in 33 games since July 17, the most losses by any team during that stretch.

The pitching matchup: Marco Gonzales (0-0 & 8.44 ERA) will get another try in Seattle's rotation and will face Lucas Sims (1-3 & 5.24 ERA) of Atlanta. Gonzales has failed to pitch more than 4 1/3 innings in three starts since joining Seattle’s rotation on Aug. 6, giving up 10 ERs in 12 2/3 innings (7.11 ERA). He had made one start for St. Louis prior to being acquired in July, surrendering five runs in 3 1/3 innings. Sims is a rookie and is coming off his first major-league victory in his fourth start of 2017 this past Thursday at Colorado. He allowed two runs on five hits in five innings of a 10-4 victory. However, he had lost his first three starts, giving up a total of 12 ERs over 17 1/3 innings (5.09 ERA)..

The pick: Gonzales was a first-round draft choice of St. Louis back in 2013 and Sims was Atlanta’s first-round pick in the 2012 draft. Gonzales made his major league debut for the Cardinals in 2014, then sat out the 2016 season with left elbow surgery. However, he returned to go 6-4 with a 2.90 ERA over 11 starts in 2017 for Triple-A Memphis, before being acquired by the Mariners. Gonzales was 2-0 with a 4.50 ERA in Triple-A before being called up to make his first start for Seattle on Aug. 6. Sims worked his way through the Atlanta's minor league system and was the organization's pitcher of the year in 2013. He began 2017 at Triple-A Gwinnett and went 7-4 with a 3.75 ERA in 20 appearances, 19 of them starts. He had 132 strikeouts and only 36 walks in 115 1/3 innings for the G-Braves. Two promising rookies will both be making their fifth big-league start of the season in this one but Gonzales will be backed by the 'hotter' and much-better team. Make Seattle an 8* play.

The Chicago Cubs sprinted out of the gate right after the All Sta break, catching and passing the Brewers in the NL Central. However, a 3-7 run (from Aug. 2-9) brought them back to the pack, but they are hopeful that they have righted the ship by winning eight of the their last 11, including a three-game IL series sweep over the Blue Jays this past weekend. Coming off a day of rest on Monday, the Cubs were helped by the Giants who beat the Brewers 2-0 and Chicago currently sits 2 1/2 games up on the Brewers and 3 1/2 up on the Cards in the division. The Cubs have a golden opportunity to pad their lead with a six-game road trip to Cincinnati and Philadelphia, which are both last-place teams. “It’s that time of year, sink or swim now,” Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo told reporters. “We’ve got to just keep going and play clean baseball. I think we are.” The Reds have played better of late, winning four of their last six and splitting a four-game series in Chicago last week. However, the Reds are 53-72, a record better than only the 51-win Giants and 45-win Phils in the National League.

The pitching matchup: John Lackey (10-9 & 4.67 ERA) takes the mound for Chicago and Homer Bailey (4-6 & 8.44 ERA) for Cincinnati. Lackey has been a different pitcher (much better) since the All Star break, going 5-0 with a 3.06 ERA in six starts (Cubs are 6-0). He pitched well enough to win against the Reds last week in Chicago, allowing one run on four hits over six innings, but didn’t get a decision (Cubs would win, 7-6). Lackey is 6-5 with a 3.75 ERA in 16 starts against Cincinnati (teams are 9-7). Bailey has had a wild ride the past six weeks, allowing six or more runs and two or fewer runs in an alternating pattern over his last eight outings. He was ripped for six runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings at Chicago on Wednesday (opposite Lackey), so recent history says he's due for a bounce-back performance. Bailey is 8-3 with a 4.66 ERA in 17 starts against the Cubs (Reds are 12-5).

The pick: I'm not buying Bailey's supposed "bounce-back" theory, as while this guy does own a pair of no-hitters in his career, he's nothing more than a journeyman pitcher (64-60 with a 4.45 ERA all-time). His numbers in 2017 are deplorable (heard that phrase lately?), with a 2.04 WHIP and .353 BAA to go along with his unsightly 8.44 ERA. Chicago has won 26 of its past 35 games against Cincinnati, including eight of the past 11 series. Cubs Win! Cubs Win! Make Chicago a 10* play.

The set-up: The Brewers coughed up a 5 1/2 game lead over the Cubs at the All Star break in the NL Central. However, after losing six straight from Aug. 6-11, Milwaukee has managed to win six of seven and climb back to within two games of the Cubs, as they begin a three-game road series against the San Francisco Giants on Monday. Now the Giants own MLB's third-worst record at 50-76 plus MLB's owrst moneyline mark (minus-$3157) but the kicker is, the Brewers have dropped 35 of their last 55 games in San Francisco, including nine of their last 10.

The pitching matchup: Milwaukee gives the ball to staff ace Zach Davies (14-6 & 4.26 ERA), while the Giants send Chris Stratton (1-2 & 4.91 ERA) to the mound, making just the fourth start of this season (seventh of his career). Davies is coming off a strong outing on Tuesday in which he allowed one run and six hits over 6 2/3 innings in a 3-1 home victory over Pittsburgh. The Brewers are 16-9 in all of Davies' 2017 starts, giving him MLB's seventh-best moneyline mark (plus-$-872). Davies been superb on the road this season, posting a 7-0 record and 2.52 ERA in 12 outings (Brewers are 9-3). He will be facing San Francisco for the first time. Stratton takes the mound after posting his first win of 2017 on Aug. 13. He registered 10 strikeouts while scattering five hits over 6 2/3 scoreless innings at Washington for his first major-league triumph as a starter (Giants won 4-2). Stratton made a relief appearance against Milwaukee last season, giving up one hit and one walk over two scoreless frames.

The pick: The Brewers just may have "righted the ship" and winning this series here in San Francisco against the struggling Giants seems like a must, as three games at Dodger Stadium are up this coming weekend! In Davies I will trust. Make Milwaukee an 8* play.

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

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

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

The set-up: The Dodgers saw their six-game winning streak ended by Justin Verlander, as they lost 6-1 Sunday afternoon in Detroit. The defeat also ended LA's streak of 13 consecutive interleague wins (it's been quite a season, so far, for LA, which owns a 20-game lead in the NL West). The Dodgers look to begin a new winning streak and further damage the playoff hopes of the Pirates, when they begin a four-game series in Pittsburgh on Monday. Pittsburgh earned a split of its four-game series against St. Louis by winning the final two contests (won 6-3 last night in Williamsport) but that came on the heels of a six-game losing streak. Sunday's win kept Pittsburgh 6 1/2 games behind the first-place Chicago Cubs in the NL Central (Pirates are seven games back of the second wild-card spot). .

The pitching matchup: Alex Wood (14-1 & 2.30 ERA) continues his "career year" by taking the mound for LA and will be opposed by Pittsburgh's Gerrit Cole (10-8 & 4.04 ERA). Wood settled for a no-decision against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday despite allowing just one run and six hits over seven innings (Dodgers would win 6-1). Wood suffered his first (only) loss of 2017 on July 28, allowing seven ERs over 4 2/3 innings of a 12-3 loss to teh Braves. However, he's 3-0 (team is 4-0) over his last four starts, with Wood posting a 1.89 ERA over his last three. Wood evened his career record against Pittsburgh at 2-2 with a 12-1 home victory on May 8, when he registered a season-high 11 strikeouts while giving up only two hits in five scoreless innings. His ERA is 2.50 in six career starts against the Pirates (teams are just 2-4). Cole has been streaky in 2017 and escaped with a no-decision at Milwaukee on Wednesday after surrendering four runs on five hits (including three HRs) in six innings of a 7-6 Milwaukee win. He has served up six HRs over his last four outings and 26 on the season, which is more than double his previous career high (11). Cole has posted a 5.22 ERA in five career starts against Los Angeles but owns a 3-1 record (Pirtaes are 4-1).

The pick: Cole's 5.22 career ERA against the Dodgers hardly bodes well against MLB's best team, one averaging 5.09 RPG while owning a .793 OPS (3rd-best). The Dodgers are 15-4 in Wood's 19 starts in 2017, giving him MLB's sixth-best moneyline mark (plus-$893). Factoring in that the Dodgers are 8-1 in their past nine meetings against the Pirates, I'll make them an 8* play.

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

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

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

The set-up: The New York Mets came into Saturday's game with the Marlins on a 1-8 run at home in Citi Field, a span in which they had averaged a paltry 2.3 RPG. It was more of the same through five innings on Saturday for New York but then, a seven-run outburst in the sixth led to an 8-1 win. It was the most runs New York has scored at home since July 15 and it snapped the club's five-game overall losing streak overall. The Mets now set their sights on a series win when they host the Miami Marlins in the rubber match of this three-game series Sunday afternoon. Miami lost for just the second time in eight games, as Giancarlo Stanton was walked three times while being kept in the ballpark for the third straight game, which follows his string of six straight contests with a HR.

The pitching matchup: Adam Conley (5-5 & 5.32 ERA) will start for Miami and Jacob deGrom (13-6 & 3.35 ERA) for New York. Conley has pitched much better since returning from the minors, going 3-2 with a 3.62 ERA in six starts (Marlins are 3-3). Conley had a 7,53 ERA in seven appearances in early May was he was sent to the minors. Conley actually opened the season with three straight games against the Mets (two starts and a relief appearance), posting a 3.00 ERA as the Marlins won both oh his starts (Conley took the loss in that relief stint). He does own an impressive 1.98 ERA in eight career matchups (six starts / team is 4-2) with New York. DeGrom gave up five runs over 7 1/3 innings of a 5-4 loss in his 100th career start this past Tuesday at Yankee Stadium (Mets lost 5-4). DeGrom was 12-3 (3.30 ERA) heading into late July but has lost three of his last four starts. He's 4-3 with a 3.46 ERA in 11 career starts vs. the Marlins (Mets are 5-6).

The pick: Not much on the Mets, who have traded six players since July 27, but deGrom owns an excellent 2.49 ERA at home and I'll back him here, in his 50th career home start. Make the Mets a 10* play.

full analysis

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

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

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

The pick: The good news for Minnesota fans is that Berrios sports a 2.89 ERA in five career interleague starts but I don't believe that's a good enough reason to go against Greinke. Greinke is 6-1 with a 2.78 ERA in his last nine starts (D'backs are 7-2), giving him MLB's fifth-best moneyline mark of plus-$912 (17-7 in all starts). Make Arizona an 8* play.

analysis coming

The set-up: The Texas Rangers remain in the AL wild card hunt, although they are hardly alone. Texas rolled up 28 runs in a three-game home sweep of the Detroit Tigers to pull within two games of the LA Angels for the second wild card but they are one of SEVEN teams withing 3 1/2 games of that final playoff spot.The Rangers now welcome the Chicago White Sox to Arlington having won six of their last seven games and with hope of continuing their momentum against the White Sox. Chicago has lost four straight and seven of 35 since July 4, leaving them with the AL's worst record at 45-72. Chicago's latest loss was painful, as the White Sox allowed three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning Wednesday to suffer a 5-4 loss to the LA Dodgers, giving them a 20-41 road record..

The pitching matchup: Reynaldo Lopez (0-0, 3.00 ERA) will make his second start for Chicago since recently being recalled from Triple-A and he'll face Tyson Ross (3-2 & 7.11 ERA) of the Rangers. He received a no-decision in his White Sox debut, despite allowing two runs on four hits over six innings against the Kansas City Royals on Aug. 11 (White Son won 6-3). Lopez went 5-3 with a 4.91 ERA in 11 appearances (six starts / he was 2-2 & the Nats were 2-4) for the Washington Nationals last season before being traded as part of the package for outfielder Adam Eaton. This will be his first start against the Rangers. Ross returned from a stint on the disabled list because of blister issues to defeat the Houston Astros 8-3 on Saturday. Ross received a no-decision against the White Sox on July 2 when he allowed four runs on four hits over five innings and is 3-0 with a 2.95 ERA in four appearances (three starts / teams are 2-1) against Chicago.

The pick: The White Sox will look to play the role of spoiler the rest of the season but it's tough to back a team which is 20-41 on the road, allowing 5.10 RPG. I realize that Ross owns a 7.11 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in eight starts here in 2017 but the Rangers just scored 28 runs in a three-game sweep of the Tigers and have scored four or more runs in 15 of their last 16 games! Make Texas a 10* play.

accidentally entered. Not a play.

The set-up: Giancarlo Stanton has homered in six consecutive games (two short of the major league record) and has homered in 23 of his last 35, giving 44 on the season. However, his solo shot in last night's game didn't much help, as the Marlins lost 9-4 at home to the Giants. Miami is 57-61 on the season, 14 1/2 games back of the Nats in the NL East and the Giants are 48-73, an incredible 37 1/2 games back of the Dodgers in the NL West. The teams play the rubber match of this three-game series early this afternoon at Marlins Park.

The pitching matchup: Matt Cain (3-9 & 5.22 ERA) takes the mound for the Giants and Jose Urena (10-5 & 3.76 ERA) for the Marlins. Cain's season has gone much like the Giants', as he takes the mound having gone win-less in his last 14 appearances, including 12 starts. He last win came way back on May 15 and Cain owns an 0-8 mark during that stretch with the Giants going 3-9 in his 12 starts (Cain's ERA is 6.92 in those starts). Cain owns a 3.63 ERA in his career versus the Marlins, going 6-5 in 16 starts (Giants are 9-7). Urena permitted three runs in 5 1/3 innings of a no-decision versus Colorado on Friday but the Marlins won 6-3. That continues his surprising success in 2017, as the Marlins are 13-6 in his 19 starts this season, giving him MLB's fourth-best moneyline mark among starters at plus-$921.

The pick: Let's ride the 'hot' Urena here against a San Francisco team which owns MLB's worst moneyline mark in 2017 (minus-$2885), a 21-41 road record on the year and will start Cain, who last won three months ago. Make Miami a 10* play.

The pick: Minnesota swept a three game series at Cleveland in late June but is 0-7 at home against the Indians this season while getting outscored 48-15. That's in line with how these two teams have performed all season, as the Indians own a better road record than home record and the Twins own a better road record than home mark. What changes here? Make Cleveland a 10* play.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The set-up: No team will be able to catch the Houston Astros in the AL West but the Angels, Mariners and Rangers are all still alive in the wild card hunt. The Rangers followed Friday's 6-4 win over the Astros with an 8-3 win Saturday night and have now moved within 2 1/2 games of the AL's second wild card by posting three straight wins. Texas goes for its fourth win in a row, as well as a three-game sweep of the first-place Astros Sunday afternoon in Arlington. Houston has lost the first five of its eight-game road trip and while the Astros still own a 12-game margin tin the division, they have lost 11 of their last 14 games.

The pitching matchup: Dallas Keuchel (9-2 & 2.87 ERA) will make his fourth start since a neck injury sidelined him for close to two months and will square off against the Rangers' Andrew Cashner (7-8 & 3.36 ERA). Keuchel has not looked like the same pitcher who went on the DL with a 9-0 record and 1.67 ERA. He has not pitched more than five innings in any of his last three starts (12 innings total), allowing 14 ERs on 33 hits for an ERA of 10.50 (he's 0-2 and the team 1-2). His ERA for the season has risen more than a full run (1.67 to 2.87) during his time back. Keuchel improved to 6-7 with a 4.04 ERA in 19 career starts against the Rangers (team is 9-10) in his last outing before the injury on June 2, when he scattered three hits over six scoreless innings. Cashner comes in off three consecutive  wins, defeating Seattle 5-1 after allowing one run on six hits in six innings on August 2. He has also won three straight at home, with his last setback at Globe Life Park coming on June 3 (it was against Houston, though).

The pick: Cashner's woes against Houston have been real in 2017. He entered this season with a  2-2 lifetime record versus the Astros but has lost his first three meetings this year against Houston, allowing 11 ERs on 24 hits over 16 innings (6.19 ERA). I expect a huge bounce-back here from Keuchel and for Cashner to once again have trouble with Houston. Make the Astros an 8* play.

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

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

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

The set-up: The Royals were within 1 1/2 games of the AL Central lead as recently as July 26 but they've dropping five straight and 10 of their last 12 after a 6-3 loss in Friday’s series opener at Chicago. Kansas City is now five games back of Cleveland in the AL Central and while te Royals are just 1 1/2 games out of the final AL wild card spot, four teams are ahead of them, plus Baltimore is one back of KC and Texas two games back. The White Sox still own the AL's worst record at 45-68, but Friday's victory gives them four straight wins.

The pitching matchup: Ian Kennedy (4-8 & 4.83 ERA) starts for KC and James Shields (2-4 & 6.03 ERA) for Chicago. For the most part, 2017 has been a struggle for Kennedy. However, he put together a string of six quality starts in nine outings from June 10 through July 26 (Royals were 8-1), before once again running into trouble. Kennedy was tagged for seven runs (six earned) in six innings in an 11-3 loss to St. Louis on Monday, after giving up four runs in four-plus innings of a 7-2 loss at Baltimore six days earlier. Kennedy is 2-2 with a 4.70 ERA in seven career starts against the White Sox (teams are 4-3). Shields is win-less in six starts since June 29, posting an 8.13 ERA over that stretch. However, Shields is 7-2 with a 4.02 ERA in 12 starts against the Royals (a team he helped reach the World Series in 2014), with his teams going 8-4.

The pick: Yes, Kennedy has had his ups and downs in 2017 but Shields is all but done. In his one start against KC earlier this year, he was smacked around for six runs on 10 hits in just 4 1/3 innings of a 7-6 Chicago loss. After the Padres and White Sox combined to go 9-24 in his 2016 starts (minus-$1403 against the moneyline), the White Sox are just 2-7 in Shields' starts since returning from the DL in mid-June (4-8 in all his 2017 starts, minus-$237 against the moneyline). Make KC a 10* play.

The set-up: The Boston Red Sox had opened a 4 1/2 game lead over the Yankees entering this weekend's three-game series, on teh strength of an eight-game winning streak (Yanks entered having lost six of nine). Boston held a 3-0 lead going into the eighth inning in Friday's series opener and the Red Sox looked safe, considering they owned the best bullpen (according to ERA) in all of MLB. However, Addison Reed, the latest addition to the relief corps, was charged with four runs without recording an out as the Red Sox bullpen had a 19-inning scoreless streak come to an end,as the team went on to suffer a 5-4 loss. Boston's lead over the Yankees in the American League East was trimmed to 3 1/2 games and the etam's eight-game winning streak was snapped. Maybe the Yanks are pulling out of a funk, as they now own four wins over their last six games, afdter a four-game slide. The series continues this afternoon in the Bronx, as the Yankees still get plenty of head-to-head chances to make up ground in the East with nine more games against the Red Sox.

The pitching matchup: A pair of "surprise pitchers" square off today, as Drew Pomeranz (11-4 & 3.36 ERA) will take the mound for Boston and Luis Severino (9-4 & 2.91 ERA)for New York. Pomeranz has allowed one or no ERs in six of his last 10 starts and breezed past the Chicago White Sox last Saturday while yielding one run and striking out eight in 6 1/3 innings of a 4-1 win. He's completed seven innings just once this season but has gone at least six innings in six of his last seven starts. The Red Sox are 14-8 in all of his 2017 starts, although they are 10-4 in Pomeranz's last 14 starts and his ERA is 2.71 since June 1. Pomeranz is 1-1 with a 3.18 ERA in six career starts vs. the Yanks (teams are 4-2). Severino was a first-time All Star in 2017 and has been on a roll since the break, surrendering one or no ERs in each of his last five starts 67 Ks and an 0.83 ERA since the break). He's 4-0 in that stretch, with the Yankees winning all five games. Severino is 1-3 with a 3.30 ERA in five career starts vs. Boston (team is 2-3).

The pick: I had the Yanks as a free play on Friday and will back them again here, with more enthusiasm. Severino's lone no-decision in the last five outings came at Boston back on July 15, when he scattered one run on four hits over seven innings in what turned out to be a 4-1 New York win. but could not get any early support in a game the Yankees went on to win 4-1. New York has won Severino's last six starts, while he's posted a 1.36 ERA. Severino was 0-8 as a starting pitcher last season but has put taht behind him, nicely. Yes, Pomeranz has been a huge boost to Boston's rotation but note that his worst outing since mid-June came at home against New York on July 14, when he was reached for four runs on six hits in six innings without factoring in the decision of a 5-4 Boston win. Make the Yankees an 8* play.

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

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

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

The set-up: The Pittsburgh Pirates have so far had little trouble in this week of interleague contests. The Pirates took three of four in a home-and-home set with the Tigers and now move on to Toronto to wrap up a week of seven IL games with the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. The Pirates pounded out 13 hits in a 7-5 win over the Tigers on Thursday
to draw within one game of .500 (57-58) and to within three games of the first-place Cubs in the tightly-packed NL Central. The 54-60 Blue Jays are still at the bottom of the AL East standings (11 games back of Boston) but they are doing their best to knock others out of contention and took two of three from the NY Yankees this week, after Thursday's 4-0 shutout win. Toronto is just four games out of the final wild card spot but the problem is that there are seven teams ahead of them.

The pitching matchup: Jameson Taillon (6-5 & 4.60 ERA) will take the mound for Pittsburgh and Marcus Stroman (10-5 & 3.17 ERA) for Toronto. After not making it through four innings in either of his previous two starts in which he allowed 17 ERs on 20 hits in 6 2/3 innings (woeful 22.95 ERA), Taillon struck out eight in 6 1/3 innings while allowing two runs on five hits in a win in his last start against San Diego (Pittsburgh would win 5-4 in 12 innings last Sunday). Taillon will be facing Toronto for the first time in his career but note he is 2-1 with a 1.93 ERA in five career interleague starts. Stroman surrendered 11 hits at Houston on Sunday but limited the damage to two earned runs in 6 2/3 innings without factoring in the decision (Jays lost 7-6). In fact, he has not been part of the decision in four of his last five starts despite surrendering three runs or less in each of those no decisions. Stroman appeared once in relief previously against Pittsburgh (no starts) but is 8-1 with a 2.38 ERA in 14 career interleague games, including 11 starts.

The pick: Pittsburgh has won six of its last eight games but will face a tough test here against Stroman. He may have just two wins over his last six starts but he deserves much better, posting a 2.50 ERA. His 8-1 record and 2.38 ERA in IL games speaks volumes and here in 2017, he's 3-1 with a 2.73 ERA in four interleague starts. Make Toronto an 8* play.

The set-up: The Dodgers lost 6-3 at Chase Field on Tuesday but rebounded last night with a 3-2 victory, becoming the first team to record 80 wins this season. The accolades just keep piling up for this LA team. Los Angeles has won five of its last six contests to improve to 6-2 on its nine-game road trip and became the first team since 1913 to reach the 80-win mark in its first 113 contests. The Dodgers have won 14 of 16 games and 45 of 53. They have won 14 of their past 17 series, splitting the three others. The rubber match of this three-game series goes tonight and LA has not dropped a series since losing two of three to Washington from June 5-7. Arizona has lost three of its last four contests to fall one-half game behind the Rockies for the first NL wild card spot but the D'backs own a 6 1/2-game lead for the second wild card.

The pitching matchup: Yu Darvish (7-9 & 3.81 ERA overall in 2017) will start for LA and Anthony Banda (1-1 & 3.86 ERA) gets the nod for Arizona. Darvish had a brilliant debut with Los Angeles this past Friday, scattering three hits and striking out 10 over seven scoreless innings in a 6-0 victory over the Mets at Citi Field. It was an enormous turnaround, as he had been battered for 10 runs over 3 2/3 innings of a 22-10 loss to Miami on July 26 in his final outing with Texas before being traded five days later. Darvish has made two career starts against Arizona, going 1-0 while allowing four runs (2.45 ERA) and recording 28 strikeouts over just 14 2/3 innings (Rangers were 1-1). Banda is coming off a 2-1 triumph at San Francisco on Friday in which he gave up one run and three hits over six innings in his second major-league start. Banda will be facing Los Angeles for the first time and has posted a 7-6 record and 5.13 ERA in 19 starts for Triple-A this season.

The pick: The contrast on the mound could not be much greater, as Banda makes his third career start and one can hardly be impressed by his 5.13 ERA in Triple-A in 2017. Meanwhile, Darvish is a No. 1 starter on most teams (he'll be No. 2 for LA when Kershaw returns) and rose to the occasion in his first start for LA. Expect another quality outing here and that LA lineup will teach Banda a thing or two. Make the Dodgers a 10* play.

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

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

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

The set-up: The Tigers managed just three runs in two losses at Pittsburgh (Monday and Tuesday) against the Pirates but pounded out 14 hits in Wednesday 10-0 win at Comerica Park last night. Justin Verlander rolled back the clock (8 IP / 1 hit / 0 runs) and now Detroit will look to earn a sweep of the home portion of its four-game, home-and-home interleague set with Pittsburgh on Thursday afternoon. The 52-61 Tigers aren't much of a threat to play this postseason, as they sit six games out of the final wild card spot in the AL, with EIGHT teams ahead of them. As for the 56-58 Pirates, they still remain in striking distance in the NL Central, a mere 3 1/2 games back of the Cubs.

The pitching matchup: Gerrit Cole (9-8 & 4.00 ERA) will take the hill for Pittsburgh and Drew VerHagen (0-1 & 5.00 ERA) for Detroit. Cole turned in his sixth straight quality start this past Saturday against San Diego but suffered his first loss in that span while allowing three runs on eight hits and two walks in six innings of a 5-2 Padres win. The former No. 1 overall pick had surrendered a total of eight ER in 32 innings over his previous five starts (2.25 ERA with Cole going 3-0 and Pittsburgh 5-0). Cole is 8-5 with a 3.34 ERA in 16 career interleague starts, including 1-1 with a 2.41 mark in three starts against Detroit (Pirates are 2-1). VerHagen, who made 40 relief appearances from 2014-2016, is getting a second chance to start after allowing two runs on four hits in five innings without factoring in the decision at Baltimore on Saturday (Orioles won 5-2). He made two appearances out of the bullpen after being recalled in July and surrendered a total of three runs in four innings in that role. VerHagen went 7-7 with a 4.90 ERA in 19 starts for Triple-A Toledo before being recalled.

The pick: Cole will be making his 24th start this season, three more than he had during his injury-marred 2016 campaign."It's been nice to be healthy and contribute," Cole said. "That's our goal here, so it's been fortunate to be given this opportunity. I've just got to keep plugging away at it." One could easily argue that he's become Pittsburgh's ace, as he's 6-2 with a 2.98 ERA over his last 10 starts (Pirates are 8-2). Cole and Pittsburgh are the bet (8*).

The set-up: The Dodgers are wrapping up a nine-game road trip with a three-game series in Arizona against the D'backs. Arizona posted a 6-3 triumph in Tuesday's opener, snapping LaAs string of four straight victories and dropping the Dodgers to 5-2 on their nine-game trip. The 64-48 Diamondbacks won't be catching the Dodgers this season (are 15 games back) but for a team which went 69-93 in 2016, Arizona has to be pretty satisfied with its performance in 2017. Arizona currently holds down the No. 1 wild card spot in the NL (just a half-game up on Colorado) and is 6 1/2 games clear of the NL playoff 'cut line.'

The pitching matchup: Alex Wood (13-1 & 2.33 ERA) continues his "career year" for LA when he takes the mound tonight against Zack Greinke (13-4 & 3.10 ERA), who spurned the Dodgers by signing a FA deal with the D'backs after the 2015 season. Wood suffered his only loss of the season on July 21 vs. the Braves but has rebounded with back-to-back wins, including a 7-4 triumph in Atlanta last Thursday in which he allowed one run over six innings. Wood is 3-3 with a 3.46 ERA in seven career starts against Arizona (teams are 3-4). Greinke managed to extend his unbeaten streak to seven starts on Thursday, as he escaped Chicago with a no-decision after being ripped by the Cubs for six runs on nine hits over six innings. He has gone 5-0 since suffering his last loss on June 20, with the D'backs going 6-1. Greinke recorded 51 wins with Los Angeles from 2013-15 but fell to 3-3 lifetime against the Dodgers in eight starts (teams are 5-3), after giving up five runs on 10 hits and three walks over five innings of a road loss on April 14 of this season.

The pick: Greinke is 10-0 with a 2.39 ERA in 12 starts at home this season (D'backs are 11-1) but note that he owns a 5.60 ERA in three starts against the Dodgers since leaving them to sign with the D'backs. Wood owns a 1.55 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in eight road starts this year and in case you haven't heard, he pitches for MLB's best team. Make the Dodgers an 8* play.

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

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

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

The set-up: The Padres and  Reds own two of  MLB's worst records and opened a four-game series Monday in Cincinnati. The two teams have taken took turns pounding each other in the first two of this four-game set, as the Reds hit four HRs in an 11-3 win on Monday but then watched San Diego jump on top quickly (led 7-0) in a 7-3 Padres win last night. Recently, the Reds are enduring a stretch in which they've been held to four or fewer runs in five of the last six games, while the Padres are last in the National League in runs scored (430 / 3.84 per). San Diego checks in at 50-62 and Cincinnati at 46-67.

The pitching matchup: Travis Wood (2-3, 6.49 ERA) starts for San Diego and Asher Wojciechowski (2-1 & 4.15 ERA) for Cincy. Wood is still getting acclimated to his new surroundings in San Diego since being acquired from the Kansas City Royals in July. Wood will be making his third start for San Diego since the trade, having earned a win at home over Pittsburgh with six strong innings on July 28 but then was not quite as sharp at the Pirates last Friday, when he was reached for four runs on six hits in five innings. Wood spent the first seven years of his career in the NL Central, including the first two with Cincinnati and is 4-5 with a 2.91 ERA in 27 career games (11 starts / teams are 4-7) against the Reds. Wojciechowski spent all of July in the bullpen but got a chance to get back into the rotation last  Friday against St. Louis and earned a win while allowing one run and three hits in five innings. However, his 7.79 ERA in four starts bridging May and June caused him to lose his spot. Wojciechowski is making his first career appearance against the Padres.

The pick: The Padres are a poor road team, entering this game 21-35, while allowing 5.54 RPG away from home in 2017. It also sure doesn't inspire confidence that starter Travis Wood has a career 4.77 ERA at Great American Ball Park, either. Rookie Asher Wojciechowski makes his 14th appearance and sixth start of the season tonight but does own a respectable 3.12 ERA at home in 2017. Make the Reds an 8* play.

The set-up: The Colorado Rockies were one strike from a 1-0 victory in Tuesday's game before Cleveland's Austin Jackson delivered a tying RBI single and Yan Gomes followed with a walk-off, three-run HR, giving the Indians a 4-1 victory in the first of a two-game IL series between the two playoff contenders.The Indians moved four games ahead of the Royals atop the AL Central, while the Rockies maintained a comfortable six-game lead over the Brewers for the NL's final wild card spot (Colorado is just a half-game back of the D'backs for the No. 1 wild card spot).

The pitching matchup: Rookie Antonio Senzatela (10-4 & 4.78 ERA) goes for the Rockies and Trevor Bauer (10-8 & 5.00 ERA) for the Indians. The Rockies have been trying to manage the innings of the 22-year-old, who has pitched out of the bullpen in five of his last seven appearances. He lasted only four innings in his last start, giving up six runs in a 7-2 loss at St. Louis on July 24 after winning his previous start with five innings of three-run ball in a 9-7 win on July 18. The Rockies are 11-6 (plus-$536) in Senzatela's 17 starts in 2017, including him beating the Indians 11-3 back on June 6 in Colorado, giving up three runs in 6 1/3 innings. Bauer is coming off an outstanding effort, limiting the New York Yankees to one run on seven hits over seven innings in a 7-2 win August 4. That gives him three consecutive wins, getting to 10-8 on the season. However, Bauer lasted only 3 1/3 innings in an 8-1 loss at Colorado on June 7, getting tagged for four runs while tying a season high with five walks. He's 0-1 with a 5.79 ERA in two career starts vs. Colorado.

The pick: The Rockies still look like a solid playoff team (see above) and also rank second in MLB's moneyline standings, at plus-$1645. However, the team's road woes are very real, as last night's loss makes them 5-18 on the road since June 11. Also, Colorado rookie Senzatela may have 'hit a wall.' This marks just his first start since July 24, as the team tries to manage his innings. However, it's not working. He owns an 8.05 ERA over his last five starts with Colorado going 2-3, after the Rockies had won nine of his first 12 starts in 2017. Bauer's 2017 numbers are far from pretty but he does own a 2.25 ERA in winning three consecutive starts. Make Cleveland an 8* play.

analysis coming

analysis coming

The set-up: The NY Yankees will visit Toronto to take on the Blue Jays in a three-game series. Toronto has played in each of the last two ALCS matchups but here in 2017, it's the Yankees who are the playoff contender, not the Blue Jays. The Yankees opened the season having made the playoffs in just one of the last four seasons (lost the wild card game in 2015 to the Astros) but enter this series 59-51, good enough for second in the AL East (three games behind the first-place Boston Red Sox) but also 2 1/2 games up in the race for the first AL wild card spot. In contrast, the 52-59 Blue Jays are last in the AL East (10 1/2 games removed from first), as well as sitting five games out of the second wild-card spot but with SEVEN teams ahead of them!

The pitching matchup: It's a battle of lefties, as C.C. Sabathia (9-4 & 3.81 ERA) of the Yanks will be facing the Blue Jays' J.A. Happ (4-8 & 3.92 ERA). The 2017 season has seen a rebirth for Sabathia, who entered the season having won a total of just 18 games the previous three years (2014-16). He's got nine wins in 18 starts here in 2017 but more importantly, the Yankees are 13-5 in his starts, giving him MLB's 8th-best moneyline mark among starters at plus-$807. The veteran lefty is 16-10 (3.61 ERA) in 29 career starts vs. Toronto (teams are 17-12), including an impressive 8-2 record with a 2.80 ERA in 13 career starts at the Rogers Centre. J. A. Happ has faced the Yankees once this season, allowing one run on four hits while striking out six over six innings in a 4-1 win on July 4 (over Sabathia). He is 7-2 with a 3.63 ERA in 15 career starts against the Yankees (teams are 9-6). Happ had a "career year" in 2016 going 20-4 but he was injured early in 2017 and owns only four wins with about two months left in the season. However, he has pitched better lately, going 4-4 with a 3.32 ERA over his past 10 starts.

The pick: C.C. has not looked good in his last two outings (eight ERs allowed on 11 hits over just 10 1/3 innings for a 6.97 ERA) and he also owns a 7.62 ERA against the Blue Jays this season in three starts. Happ isn't exactly 'on fire' but he has allowed three ERs or less in nine of his last 10 starts (he's allowed two ERs or less, seven times). Make Toronto an 8* play.

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

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

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

The set-up: The Tigers caught some attention by taking two of three from both AL-leading Houston and the New York Yankees before opening a four-game series at Camden Yards by beating the Orioles on Thursday and Friday. Detroit entered the weekend having won six of eight and on a season-high-tying four-game wining streak but it came to a crashing halt as Baltimore hit three HRs in a 5-2 Saturday win and five more in Sunday's 12-3 victory. The Tigers are now 8 1/2 games back of Cleveland in the AL Central and six games behind Kansas City for the second wild-card spot. Over in the NL Central, Pittsburgh was able to creep within 4 1/2 games of the first-place Cubs with Sunday's 5-4 victory over San Diego, as newcomer Sean Rodriguez belted a walk-off solo HR in the 12th inning a day after being acquired from Atlanta. The Pirates recorded their 15th consecutive win when scoring at least four runs. The two teams play two at PNC Park in Pittsburgh before shifting to Detroit's Comerica Park for two games in a home-and-home setup.

The pitching matchup: Jordan Zimmermann (7-8 & 5.35 ERA) takes the mound for Detroit and rookie Trevor Williams (4-4 & 4.47 ERA) will get the nod for Pittsburgh. Zimmermann missed out on an opportunity to record his first shutout of the season on Wednesday due to a rain delay of more than three hours in New York but settled for the victory after allowing six hits across seven scoreless innings. He has turned in three quality starts in four tries since the All Star break and has not walked a batter in any of those three efforts. Zimmermann notched his only win in three career starts versus the Pirates last season, tossing six scoreless innings in Pittsburgh on April 14 (he's 1-2 with a 4.00 ERA). Williams settled for another no-decision his last time out, allowing two runs on six hits over 5 1/3 innings (Pirates lost 5-2 to the Reds this past Wednesday). It marked his 10th no-decision in 16 starts this season (Pirates are 7-9). Williams is 1-0 with a 3.42 ERA in four starts since the All-Star break (Pirates are 2-2) and makes his first-ever career start against the Tigers..

The pick: Yes, Detroit has won nine of its past 15 road games, after starting the season with a 15-28 (.349) record away from Comerica Park. However, trusting Zimmermann away from home is a dangerous proposition. He was a solid part of Washington's rotation for years but injuries limited him to just 18 starts last year with the Tigers, when he went 9-7 with a 4.87 ERA. He's been healthier in 2017 but his ERA is a career-worst 5.35 and he's allowed 142 hits in 119.1 innings. On the road, his ERA is 5.95 and his WHIP is 1.65, while the Tigers have lost nine of his 12 starts. Make Pittsburgh a 10* play.

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

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

The set-up: San Diego rookie Dinelson Lamet surrendered two runs on two hits in San Diego last weekend in beating the Pirates 4-2. He was sharp again on the other side of the country last night in Pittsburgh, striking out five against three walks and allowing just one hit over 5 2/3 innings in a 5-2 victory over the Pirates.The 49-60 Padres are just playing to get better from now until the end of the season while the Pirates have grander designs, as they are still within striking distance in the NL Central, lurking 5 1/2 games out in the division. However, Pittsburgh's penchant for struggling against losing teams, is hurting its chances. The Pirates are now 3-7 in their last 10 games, all against teams at least 10 games under .500! The rubber match of this three-game series goes Sunday.

The pitching matchup: Clayton Richard (5-12 & 5.40 ERA) will start for San Diego and  Jameson Taillon (6-5 & 4.74 ERA) for Pittsburgh. Richard is a 33-year-old veteran lefty who comes in off four consecutive losses, having allowed 23 ERs over 23 1/3 innings of his last four starts (8.87 ERA). His last win came back on June 13 and the Padres have gone 1-7 over his last eight starts. However, Richard owns a 2.86 ERA in nine career starts against the Pirates. Taillon has been rocked in his last two starts, allowing 17 ERs in 6 2/3 innings, as his ERA has swelled from 3.04 to 4.74! In his only career start against the Padres, Taillon pitched eight scoreless innings in a 4-0 victory back in 2016.

The pick: The Pirtaes clearly need to stop losing against bad teams and winning here to take the series from the Padres is a must if the team has any hope of staying close in the NL Central. Taillon's a tough kid and overcoming a pair of tough outings is nothing for a guy who lost two complete minor league seasons to injury and underwent testicular cancer surgery early in May. Make the Pirates an 8* play.

The set-up: Arizona eked out a 2-1 win in the series opener of its three-game series with the Giants last night. Paul Goldschmidt went 3-for-4 with both RBI, one day after hitting a career-best three HRs and driving in six in a 10-8 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Goldschmidt is 17-for-34 with four HRs and 13 RBI over his last 10 games, with seven multi-hit contests in that span. Arizona remains a half-game up on Colorado in the race for the top wild card spot plus is six full games inside of the NL's playoff 'cut line.' As for the Giants, their 42-69 record is better than only the Phillies in all of MLB , while their minus-$3110 moneyline mark is a MLB-worst!

The pitching matchup: Taijuan Walker (6-5 & 3.55 ERA) vs.gets the start for the D'backs and rookie Chris Stratton (0-2 & 7.71 ERA) makes his second start and fifth appearance of the season for the Giants. Walker last won back on June 21 (16-5 against Colorado) but is win-less in six starts since then (he's 0-2 and the Rockies 2-4). However, he did strike out 10 in just 5 2/3 innings against St. Louis in his last outing while giving up three runs on four hits en route to the 3-2 loss. Walker is 2-1 with a 3.50 ERA in three career starts against the Giants, with the loss occurring on April 10 of this season. Stratton lost his only previous start, 6-2 to Detroit on July 6, when he gave up five runs on six hits over 6 2/3 innings as a late fill-in for the injured Johnny Cueto. Stratton also walked five in that loss to the Tigers and has 13 walks in 24 major-league innings over the last two seasons.

The pick: What's to like about the Giants with an very inexperienced pitcher on the mound? It's a rhetorical question. Make the D'backs an 8* play.

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

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

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

The set-up: Yu Darvish was pretty good (a huge understatement) in his LA Dodgers debut on Friday, striking out 10 over seven scoreless innings of LA's 6-0 victory. It was LA's 11th win in 12 outing and as the Dodgers continue this three-game series in New Yrok against the Mets, they are in the midst of one of the best two-month stretches in major-league history. The Dodgers eye a 43rd victory in their last 50 contests in Saturday afternoon's game at Citi Field when they continue their three-game series Saturday in New York. Los Angeles has won eight of its last nine on the road and owns a 14-game lead in the NL West, plus is 12 games better that the NL's second-best team, the Washington Nats. Meanwhile, New York has dropped five of its last six to fall 12 1/2 games back of Colorado for the second and final NL wild-card spot (can you say good night?).

The pitching matchup: Rich Hill (8-4 & 3.35 ERA) will get the start for LA and Seth Lugo (5-3 & 4.53 ERA) for New York. Hill comes in on a roll, with five consecutive starts in which he has allowed two runs or less. He finished July 4-0 with a 1.45 ERA in five starts (Dodgers are 5-0), while striking out 40 and walking only five. Hill fanned eight and permitted one run on four hits in a win versus the Mets on June 21, improving to 1-2 with a 9.00 ERA in five appearances (three starts / team is 1-2) against them. Lugo is coming off one of his worst efforts of the season in last Sunday's 9-1 loss at Seattle in which he surrendered five runs on eight hits (including two HRs) in five innings. Lugo went 2-2 with a 5.29 ERA in July but overall, is 10-4 with a 3.72 ERA as a starter entering his 18th career start here, as he faces the Dodgers for the first time.

The pick: The Mets own the second-worst ERA in the NL (4.92) but own an 8.78 ERA in getting outscored 42-11 by the Dodgers in five games (all LA wins). The Dodgers have hit 18 HRs in those five games, extending to seven, their winning streak over the Mets dating back to last season. Why should anything change here? Make the Dodgers an 8* play.

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

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

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

The set-up: The Rockies were able to take two of three at home over the NY Mets, by winning the rubber match of their series 5-4 last night. Colorado is 62-47 and a half-game back of Arizona for the No. 1 wild card spot in the NL. The Rockies are 5 1/2 games inside the playoff 'cut line,' as they welcome another struggling team from the NL East to Coors Field, the major league-worst Philadelphia Phillies (39-67).

The pitching matchup: Vince Velasquez (2-6 & 4.91 ERA) gets the nod for Philly and Kyle Freeland (11-7 & 3.71 ERA) for Colorado. Velasquez's win-less streak reached eight starts on Sunday, when he settled for a no-decision against Atlanta despite scattering six hits over seven scoreless innings. He has allowed fewer than two ERs in four of his last five outings but has not won since defeating the Cubs in Chicago on May 1, going 0-4 (team is 3-5). However, let's note that he missed the entire month of June and more than half of July with an elbow injury. Velasquez is 1-0 with a 4.60 ERA in three career starts against Colorado (team is 3-0), including a no-decision on May 25 in which he gave up one run over five innings in a Philly win. Freeland has won three straight decisions (3-0 with a 2.01 ERA that four-game stretch / team is 3-1), including a tough outing at Washington on Sunday in which he allowed four runs - three earned - and nine hits over five innings in a 10-6 win. Freeland will be facing Philadelphia for the first time.

The pick: The Phillies not only own MLB's worst overall record but its worst road record (16-38, minus-$1480), as well. Freeland leads all major-league rookies in victories (11) and innings (121 1/3) and comes in having allowed just two runs over 14 1/3 innings in winning his last two starts at home (1.26 ERA). The Rockies average 6.25 RPG at Coors and Freeland looks headed for a 15-win season. Make Colorado a 10* play.

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

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

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

The set-up: The Cubs finally hit their stride coming out of the All Star break and opened a three-game series against Arizona on Tuesday with a 16-4 rout. That gave Chicago a 14-3 record since the break but after losing on Wednesday, the Cubs followed with a wild 10-8 loss in the rubber match of their series against Arizona on Thursday, marking their first back-to-back losses since the All-Star break. The Cubs now welcome the NL Est-leading Washingtoin  Nationals to Wrigley Field, while holding a modest 1 1/2 game lead over the Brewers in the NL Central. The Nationals have dropped two straight series after losing their last two games at Miami when they were shut out for the third time in their last 13 games in Wednesday's 7-0 defeat. However, the Nationals are running away with the NL East (lead Miami by 12 games) and with the Dodgers almost assured of facing the wild card winner in one of the NLDS matchups, this Nats/Cubs series is starting to look like like a postseason preview of the other NLDS (that's assuming the Cubs can do their part and hold off the Brewers).

The pitching matchup:Tanner Roark (8-7 & 4.93 ERA) steps to the mound for the Nats on Friday afternoon, opposed by the Cubs' Kyle Hendricks (4-3 & 3.80 ERA). Roark won his first two starts after the All-Star break before taking the loss this past Saturday, 4-2 at home against Colorado (he ave up four runs in five innings and struck out eight but was hurt by four walks). Roark takes the mound 3-2 with a 4.31 ERA in six games (five starts / team is 2-3) against the Cubs in his career. Hendricks is still working his way back from a seven-week stint on the DL. He hasn't shown the same form in 2017 that he displayed in 2016, when his 2.13 ERA lead all major league starters. However, he has allowed just one run in each of his first two starts since coming off the DL, going 4 1/3 innings in his return and getting through five innings Saturday at Milwaukee. Hendricks is 2-1 with a 2.31 ERA in four starts against the Nationals (Cubs are 3-1).

The pick: Max Scherzer pulled himself out of his last start with neck spasms and he seems unlikely to be available this weekend. Manager Dusty Baker also told reporters on Wednesday that Stephen Strasburg, who missed his last start while on the disabled list with right elbow nerve impingement, "probably" won't be available this weekend. Adding insult to injury,  Gio Gonzalez may be headed for the paternity list,  as his wife is expected to give birth any day, which would take Gonzalez away from the team for one to three days. Clearly, the Nationals come into this series shorthanded when it comes to pitching but that Washington lineup comes in second in runs (5.48 per game) and OPS (.811) plus third in team BA (.275) and HRs (160). Chicago's Joe Maddon isn't a huge fan of looking ahead and prefers instead to dwell on the day-to-day as much as possible. "We've been playing a lot better, we've been pitching a lot better," Maddon said. "We're getting closer at a lot of different levels. The thing is we just keep pressing forward, one game at a time." Like Hendricks over Roark here. Make the Cubs an 8* play

The set-up: The LA Angels have won the first two of their three-game IL series with the Phillies by a combined 14-1 score. Wednesday's 7-1 win marked LA's 11th consecutive win over Philadelphia. The Angels go for a three-game sweep tonight and will be looking for their fifth victory in six contests. The "mini-surge" has LA within three games of the AL's final wild card spot , although the Angels still have four teams to 'climb over.' The Phillies haven't 'climbed over' anyone in 2017, as they check in with MLB's worst record (39-60) and its third-worst moneyline mark (minus-$1918).

The pitching matchup: Jerad Eickhoff (2-7 & 4.56 ERA) starts for Philly and Parker Bridwell (5-1 & 2.83 ERA) for LA. Eickhoff has won his last two decisions, after losing his first seven of the campaign. However, one can't avoid the fact that the Phillies are 5-13 in his 18 starts in 2017, leaving him minus-$850 against the moneyline, the 8th-worst mark among all starters. In stark contrast, LA rookie Bridwell has seen the Angels go 7-1 in his eight starts this season, giving him MLB's third-best moneyline mark at plus-$917. He's coming of going 3-0 with a 1.69 ERA in four starts (LA was 4-0).

The pick: Neither starter has ever faced tonight's opponent but every aspect of this matchup favors the Angels. Bridwell has been a huge winner and Eickhoff a huge loser in 2017 plus the Phillies' 16-38 road record plus 11 straight losses to the Angels pretty much clinches it. Make the Angels a 10* play.

analysis soon

The set-up: Colorado's road woes have been real but this afternoon, the Rockies look to avoid losing their first home series since late June when they host the New York Mets in the rubber match of their three-game set. Colorado has gone 4-0-1 in home series since dropping two of three to Arizona back in late-June (20-22). The Rockies edged the Mets 5-4 on Tuesday but last night, fell 10-5, as the Mets rode a six-run sixth inning to victory. The loss was the fifth in Colorado's last eight, leaving them just a half-game back of the D'backs but also 5 1/2 games ahead of Milwaukee for the second wild-card spot. As for the Mets, who have no realistic playoff hopes with two months left in the 2017 season at 49-56, they will be attempting to win their first road series since taking two of three in Miami from June 27-29.

The pitching matchup: Rafael Montero (1-7 & 5.72 ERA) takes the mound for New York and German Marquez (9-4 & 4.08 ERA) for Colorado. Montero makes his fourth consecutive start and eighth overall this season, as he seeks his first victory since June 25 at San Francisco. The Mets are 3-4 in Montero's starts this season and he has won his only career start against Colorado when he walked four but struck out seven and scattered three hits over 5 1/3 scoreless innings back on September 10, 2014,
Marquez has done a solid job for Colorado in 2017 (team is 11-6 in his 17 starts) and he comes in having won four consecutive starts after allowing two runs on three hits while registering a career-high 10 strikeouts in seven innings of 4-2 Saturday win at Washington. Marquez will be facing New York for the first time in his brief career.

The pick: Tough spot for the  Mets here, as they are wrapping up a 10-game road trip (sit 4-5) this afternoon, after visits to San Diego and Seattle. Meanwhile, expect Colorado to get a boost with the recently acquired Jonathan Lucroy expected to make his Rockies debut on Thursday at catcher. Having he 31-year-old behind the plate is expected to provide a veteran's presence for a rotation that has often included four rookies, Marquez, Kyle Freeland, Jeff Hoffman and Antonio Senzatela. Getting back to Marquez, he's been great at Coors Field, since opening the season by losing his first two home starts. He takes the mound today, having gone 5-0 in his six starts (Rockies are 6-0) since losing to Arizona on May 5. Backed by a lineup that averages 5.81 RPG at home, make Marquez and the Rockies an 8* play.

The pick: Yes, the Red are 7-1 against the Pirates in 2017 (outscoring them 49-25) but Cincy remains a poor 18-35 on the road, allowing 5.49 RPG. Meanwhile, while Williams owns just one win and one loss over his last eight starts, he's pitched well, allowing  three ERs or less in seven of them. Make Pittsburgh a 10* play.

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

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

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

The set-up: The Toronto Blue Jays haven't given up on making the the postseason just yet but they can't miss out on an opportunity to take the rubber match of their three-game series at Chicago this afternoon. Toronto already lost Monday's game 7-6 to the White Sox, before rebounding with last night's 8-4 victory. I believe the 50-57 Blue Jays are being overly optimistic about their postseason chances, as while they are just six games out of the final wild card spot, they would have to 'climb over' seven teams! Anyway, losing two of three to the sad-sack White Sox, who own the AL's worst record at 41-63, would hardly be a step in the right direction.

The pitching matchup: J.A. Happ (3-8 & 4.15 ERA) takes the mound for Toronto and Derek Holland (5-10 & 5.42 ERA) for Chicago. Happ's 20-4 season of 2016 has been long forgotten, as the veteran lefty will be trying to snap a four-start win-less streak (he's 0-3 and the team 0-4). He did turn in a quality start against the LA Angels on Friday, allowing three runs on five hits and four walks over six innings but took the loss in LA's 7-2 win. Happ earned a win over the White Sox on June 18, when he yielded three runs and struck out nine in 6 2/3 innings, which evens his career record against Chicago to 2-2 with a 3.96 ERA. Holland comes in win-less in his last seven starts (he's 0-4 and the team 0-7!) He owns just two quality starts in his last 10 outings (team is 1-9!) and enters today's game having failed to complete six innings in any of his last five outings. Making matters worse for Chicago is that Holland owns an 8.22 ERA in nine career starts against the Blue Jays (he's 3-4 and his teams 4-5).

The pick: I'm not ready to accept Toronto as a viable playoff contender but there is no reason for them to struggle against Holland (see above for all one needs to know) plus after all, the White Sox have lost 14 of 17 since the All Star break. Make Toronto a 6* play.

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

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

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

The pitching matchup: Steven Matz (2-4 & 5.51 ERA) starts for New York and Jeff Hoffman (6-3 & 5.58 ERA) for Colorado. Matz, whose season has been limited due to injury,  was 2-1 with a 2.12 ERA through his first five starts but he's gone 0-3 with a 14.18 ERA over his last four outings with opponents batting .479 against him (Mets are 1-3). The second of those difficult starts came against Colorado on July 16, when he was shelled for seven runs on nine hits in an inning of work. Matz is 0-2 with an 11.57 ERA in two career starts against Colorado but will pitch at Coors Field for the first time. Hoffman's season has had a similar arc as Matz's, although with more work. He owned 2.25 ERA through mid-June but has given up 35 ERs in 37 1/3 innings (8.44 ERA) over a span of seven starts since (he's and teh team). Among his better outings in the stretch was a win opposite Matz at Citi Field on July 16, as he surrendered four runs in six innings, his lone career outing vs. the Mets.

The pick: It's two struggling pitchers in this one but considering the Rockies have reached Matz for 19 hits in just seven career innings (11.57 ERA) at Citi Field, why would anyone think he'd have any more luck at Coors Field, where the Rockies have averaged 6.32 RPG in 2017? Make Colorado an 8* play.

 

The set-up: The Cubs are 13-3 since the All-Star break and are now 2 1/2 games up in the NL Central, as they get set to host the Arizona Diamondbacks in a three-game series at Wrigley. The D'backs have lost touch with the Dodgers (haven't all teams) but remain atop the NL wild card race, a half-game up on the Rockies and six games clear of the NL playoff 'cut line!' Chicago is among the hottest teams in the majors, thanks in large part to a rejuvenated starting rotation that has posted a 2.34 ERA and 11 quality starts in 16 games since the break. Meanwhile, Arizona has been stuck in neutral since the break, going 7-9.

The pitching matchup: Patrick Corbin (8-9 & 4.36 ERA) steps to the mound for Arizona, while Jon Lester (8-6 & 3.88 ERA) looks to follow up on three straight strong post-break starts. Corbin hasn't been bad either as of late, winning his last two starts and allowing two or fewer runs in his last four. Corbin is 3-0 with a 3.32 ERA in three starts against the Cubs. Lester had an outstanding second half in 2016 and has been excellent in three starts since the All-Star break in 2017, winning all three while posting a 2.05 ERA. Lester is 2-0 with a 4.63 ERA in four starts against the Diamondbacks (teams are 2-2).

The pick: I sure don't want to try to fade the Cubs right now, especially with Lester on the hill. Arizona has looked mediocre since the break and on the season, is just 24-27 on the road, compared to 36-18 at home. Make the Cubs an 8* play.

The set-up: Gio Gonzalez took a no-hitter into the ninth inning of Washington's 1-0 victory in Monday's series opener in Miami against the Marlins.There was also more great news on Monday for Washington's beleaguered bullpen, as the Nats made a trade with Minnesota for All-Star closer Brandon Kintzler, who will join recent acquisitions Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle. Could Washington suddenly have a formidable bullpen to go along with its excellent starting pitching and powerful lineup? The NL East-leading Nationals now hold a 14-game edge over second-place Miami, which has dropped two in a row following a four-game winning streak. It's highly unlikely the Nats can catch the Dodgers, so a five-game NLDS matchup with the Cubs seems to be looming.

The pitching matchup: Max Scherzer (12-5 & 2.23 ERA) takes the mound for Washington and Chris O'Grady (2-1 & 3.68 ERA) for Miami. Scherzer is 4-0 in six starts (Nats are 5-1) since a 2-1 setback at Miami back on June 21, a hard-luck loss in which he took a no-hitter into the eighth inning, struck out 11 and gave up two unearned runs. Scherzer is 6-3 with a 3.50 ERA in 11  career starts versus Miami (teams are 8-3). O'Grady is a rookie making his fifth career start. He is coming off the finest performance of his brief major-league tenure, blanking Cincinnati on five hits over seven innings in his fourth career start (team is 3-1). This marks his first appearance against the Nats.

The pick: Scherzer will have a tough act to follow after Gonzalez's near a no-hitter but he enters the start as the National League leader in strikeouts (201), batting average allowed (.170), innings pitched (145 1/3) and OPS against (.548). He also can now pitch with added confidence due to the team's greatly improved bullpen (Kintzler is expected to arrive at Marlins Park in time for this game). Also note that Scherzer owns a 2.11 ERA in six career starts at Marlins Park. O'Grady may be making just his fifth career start but I sure like what I've seen so far from the 27-year-old. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Cubs have made the biggest move in the NL Central (now lead by 2 1/2 games) but the Pirates also made an initial surge after the break, reaching 49-48 on July 21. However, Pittsburgh has lost six of eight since, as it begins an eight-game homestand with the opener of a three-game series versus the Cincinnati Reds. The Pirates are currently 5 1/2 games behind first-place Chicago in the NL Central, while the cellar-dwelling Reds did snap a six-game skid with a 6-4 victory over Miami on Sunday. However, it marked just the team's third win in 17 outings (Cincy sits 42-63, 14 1/2 games back of the Cubs).

The pitching matchup: Homer Bailey (2-5 & 8.37) gets the nod for the Reds and Jameson Taillon (6-4 & 4.03 ERA) for the Pirates. Bailey comes in off three straight losses (8.47 ERA) but is it possible that PNC Park could be an 'elixir?' Bailey has posted a 5-2 mark with a 2.58 ERA in nine career starts in Pittsburgh, including a no-hitter on Sept. 28, 2012. Taillon is coming off the worst start of his career on Tuesday, surrendering 10 runs on nine hits in three innings of an 11-3 shellacking at San Francisco. He's faced the Reds four times in his career, going 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA (team is 2-2).

The pick: Baily looks like a mess with an 8.37 ERA, 2.01 WHIP and .366 BAA in his seven starts this year. Meanwhile, while Taillon is off an awful start, he had allowed just eight runs over 27 2/3 innings of his previous five starts (2.60 ERA). Make Pittsburgh an 8* play.

As noted in the analysis, this play is still valid despite the pitching change for Oakland.

The set-up: San Francisco continues its five-game road trip after being on the wrong side of a three-game sweep in its weekend series in LA against the Dodgers. The Giants squandered one-run leads in both the ninth and 11th innings Sunday night, en route to a 3-2 setback. That pretty sums up the team's 2017 season, one in which the Giants' 40-66 record is better than (just barely) the Phillies' 38-64 mark and its moneyline mark of minus-$3068 is $1250 worse than MLB's second-worst mark (also Philly)! The Giants play the the A's in Oakland Monday and Tuesday, before crossing the bay for home games against the A's Wednesday and Thursday. Oakland's season isn't all that much better that San Francisco's, as the A's are 46-59 (the AL's second-worst mark), leaving them 22 1/2 games back of the Astros in the AL West (note: Giatst are an inconceivable 34 1/2 games back of the Dodgers in the NL West!).

The pick: Matt Cain (3-9 & 5.45 ERA) will take the mound for the Giants and Sonny Gray (6-5 & 3.43 ERA) is slated to be the starter for the A's. Cain was moved back from an expected Sunday start so Bumgarner could face the Dodgers last night. Typical of how San Francisco's season has been, the Gainst wasted a greta effort by its ace (seven scoreless innings). Cain has gone 2 1/2 months without recording a victory, suffering eight losses in 12 games (11 starts / team is 3-8) since defeating the Dodgers back on May 15. Cain has posted an impressive 2.34 ERA in 12 career appearances (11 starts) against Oakland but sports just a 4-5 record with the Giants going 4-7 in his starts. Oakland pushed Gray's start back a day in order to give the team more time to potentially work out a deal. We may wind up seeing a different pitcher come game-time, as Gray has been the subject of trade rumors over the last several days and still could be moved prior to Monday's non-waiver deadline at 4 p.m. Gray has given up three runs and 11 hits while recording 15 strikeouts and only three walks over 13 innings in winning both of his previous career starts against San Francisco (2-0 & 2.08 ERA). (Note: As I'd anticipated, there has been a pitching change for the A's - to Paul Blackburn. This is even better as he threw seven shutout innings of two-hit ball his last time out. Of his 5 starts so far, 4 have been quality ones.)

The pick: Cain has lost eight straight decisions, which matches a career high. Any reason to think anything will be different in this one? Make Oakland a 10* play.

analysis soon

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

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

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

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

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

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

The set-up: The AL Central-leading Indians have won nine straight after posting a 5-4 victory on Saturday plus picked up a game on the KC Royals (Cleveland now leads by three games), who saw their nine-game winning streak end last night in a 9-8 (10 inn.) loss at Boston. Meanwhile, the White Sox have dropped 14 of their last 15 overall and at 39-62, are "closing in" on the 37-64 Phillies for MLB's worst record. The Indians look to make it 10 wins in a row and a sweep of this three-game series on Sunday, while the White Sox look to snap a five-game slide.

The pitching matchup: Josh Tomlin (7-9 & 5.59 ERA) gets the nod for Cleveland and Carlos Rodon (1-4 & 6.29 ERA) for Chicago. Tomlin has delivered three straight quality starts (all wins), allowing seven runs on 14 hits over 20 1/3 innings  (3.10 ERA) with an 11-1 KW ratio walk. Tomlin has seen opponents bat .304 against him on the season but by allowing just 12 walks in 106 1/3 innings, he's mitigated some of the damage. Tomlin is 0-2 against Chicago this year (ugly 20.77 ERA) and 4-5 with a 4.29 ERA in 11 career starts against the White Sox (teams are 6-5). Rodon didn't make his 2017 debut until June 28 due to injury issues and has posted just one quality start in his first five starts of the season since coming off the disabled list. However, he has recorded 31 strikeouts over 24 1/3 innings. Rodon, who is 4-1 with a 2.22 ERA in eight career starts against the Indians (team is 4-4).

The pick: Tomlin has had two ugly starts in 2017 vs. the White Sox (see above) but off three solid starts in a row, has turned his seaon around. It's just too difficult to make a case for the 'free-falling' White Sox against the defending AL champs (led the Cubs 3-1 in the 2016 World Series), who have won nine in a row and have been a good road team all season (29-21). Make the Indians an 8* play.

The set-up: The 68-35 Houston Astros are running away in the AL West with a 17-game lead in the division. Houston also owns the AL's best overall record (10 1/2 games better than defending AL champs Cleveland) and MLB's best road record at 38-14. However, it was the 46-56 Tigers who erased a three-run deficit and snapped a four-game skid with Saturday's 5-3 victory at Detroit. The Tigers' win leaves them 3-7 in their last 10 and 10 games under . 500 with the whispers that Detroit may be a "seller" by the July 31 trade deadline growing louder. The teams will play the rubber match of this three-game series on Sunday, as the Astros play the final game of their nine-game road trip (are 5-3, so far).

The pitching matchup: Lance McCullers (7-2 & 3.67 ERA) will get the start for Houston and Justin Verlander (5-7 & 4.50 ERA) for Detroit. McCullers won his first start upon coming off the disabled list with five innings of one-run ball at Seattle back on June 24 but is win-less in four subsequent outings while allowing a combined 20 runs (18 ERs) in just 19 innings (8.53 ERA). He's taken just one loss in that span but Houston is 0-4, with McCullers' ERA rising from 2.53 (thru June 24) to 3.67. He has failed to get through five innings in each of his last three outings. McCullers blanked Detroit on one hit over five innings in a May 23 win and is 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA in two career starts vs. Detroit. Verlander has been named among one of several big-name pitchers who could change destinations in the next two days but he may wind up staying put due to a contract that will pay him $28 million in each of the next two seasons. Verlander is coming off a pair of seven-inning no-decisions and has permitted a modest eight ERs in his last four outings (2.77 ERA),  three of them quality starts. He has never lost to Houston in eight career starts (4-0, 2.83 ERA) but the Tigers are a more modest 5-3 in those outings.

The pick: Verlander may own a 2.77 ERA in his last four starts but the Tigers are 0-4 in those games. In fact, the Tigers have lost his last five starts and he owns just one win in his last 12 (team is 3-9). The veteran has posted double-digit victories in 10 of the last 11 seasons but that mark is in real jeopardy due to his latest drought. The Astros let one slip away on Saturday, don't expect MLB's best road team (plus-$2221 vs. the moneyline) to let that happen again. Make Houston a 10* play.

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

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

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

The set-up: The Milwaukee Brewers took a 5 1/2 game lead over the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central into the All Star break. However, while the Cubs came out of the break red-hot (won six straight and 11 of 132, the Brewers, after winning their first two games back, would lose their next six and nine of 11. That meant that when the Cubs came to Miller Park to visit the Brewers last night in the opener of a three-game series, Chicago had caught Milwaukee and led the division by 1 1/2 games. However, the Brewers celebrated returning home off a 2-8 road trip by edging the Cubs 2-1. The Brewers have won 10 of their last 12 at home and can now reclaim first place in the NL Central with a second consecutive victory over the defending world champions on Saturday. It would be hadr to criticize the Cubs though, as they are 11-3 since the break, led by a starting staff that has posted a 2.54 ERA with10 quality starts in its 14 games since the break.

The pitching matchup: Kyle Hendricks (4-3 & 3.95 ERA) will take the mound for Chicago and Junior Guerra (1-4 & 5.22 ERA) for Milwaukee. Hendricks came off the disabled list to start Monday against the crosstown White Sox, allowing one run and eight hits over 4 1/3 innings (White Sox would win, 3-1). He was lifted after 92 pitches but he didn’t issue a walk, which is a good sign for a pitcher who relies on command. Hendricks is 6-3 with a 2.80 ERA in 12 career starts against the Brewers (Cubs are 8-4), with a win and a no-decision this season (Cubs are 2-0). Guerra takes the mound looking for his first win since May 31. He's made nine starts since that last win and hasn’t recorded a quality start in any of his last five. Guerra is 0-4 (Brewers are 3-6) in his win-less streak and owns a 6.34 ERA in that stretch. Guerra is 1-0 with a 2.03 ERA in two starts against the Cubs (Brewers are 1-1), with both occurring last season.

The pick: Not sure how one can back Guerra at this point and Hendricks has enjoyed his visits to Miller Park, going 4-1 with a 2.52 ERA in six starts. Hendricks is not quite teh same pitcher who led MLB last season in ERA (2.13) but he's still a quality starter, something Guerra is not! Make the Cubs a 10* play.

The set-up: LA Angels began their six-game road trip earlier this week by getting swept in Cleveland to fall to 22-31 on the road. That's not exactly news, as the Angels haven't posted a winning road record since 2014. However, Rogers Centre in Toronto has been good to them recently. Mike Trout drove in two runs and C.J. Cron homered to back a career-high 7 1/3 innings from rookie Parker Bridwell in Friday's 7-2 LA win. That improved the Angels' record in Toronto to 12-4 over their last 16 games at Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays opened the second-half of their schedule by going 3-7 on a 10-game road trip but then returned  home to sweep the A's in a  four-game series to begin this week. However, last night's loss is just another indication that this isn't going to be Toronto's year. Toronto has played in the last two ALCS matchups but after going 8-17 in April, Toronto has just never recovered and at 48-55, the Jays are in last-place in the AL East (eight games out) and seven games back in the wild card chase. The 50-54 Angels are headed nowhere as well, buried far behind the Astros in the AL west and 5 1/2 games out in the wild card, with seven teams ahead of them.

The pitching matchup: Yusmeiro Petit (2-0, 2.70 ERA) goes for LA and Francisco Liriano (6-5 & 5.99 ERA) for Toronto. Petit will make his first start of 2017 in this one, after having made 36 appearances out of the bullpen this season. Liriano was able to beat Oakland last Monday 5-2 (2 ERs allowed in five innings), his best outing in a while. He had been 2-3 with a 7.52 ERA over his previous six starts (Jays are 3-3). It's been a very disappointing season for Liriano and his record against LA is not a good sign, either. In 11 career starts against the Angels, Liriano is 2-7 with a 5.90 ERA (teams are 4-7).

The pick: As noted, the Jays haven't really put together a real run this season but despite hehir recent success in Toronto, the Angels are not a good road team. Petit not only makes his first start of this season but it's also his first since June 20, 2016, when he pitched six innings of three-run ball in a defeat of the LA Dodgers (while with the Nats), in what was his ONLY start of last season. He is expected to throw between just 40 to 50 pitches. This 32-year-old journeyman's last win as a starter was back on September 9, 2014, when he pitched for the San Francisco Giants against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He is 16-24 with a 4.95 ERA in 58 career starts. Liriano and the Blue Jays win this one. Make Toronto an 8* Play.

The set-up: There's talk the contending Minnesota Twins and floundering Oakland Athletics could be trade partners as the teams begin a three-game series Friday night. The 49-51 Twins have played 14 straight games against fellow playoff hopefuls. They are 4-10 in that stretch after suffering a three-game sweep in Los Angeles at the hands of the Dodgers. No team is in greater need of a break in the schedule and the Twins get one. Their next five games are against two of the worst teams in the West. They follow the Oakland trip (A's are 44-58) with a two-game stopover in San Diego (Padres are 45-57 ) and then return home to host struggling Texas (Rangers are 49-52) to begin a six-game homestand. The Twins have fallen six games out in the AL Central and four games out in the wild card chase. As for the 44-58 Oakland A's.....

The pitching matchup: Garcia will be making his Twins debut after having been acquired along with catcher Anthony Recker from the Atlanta Braves for 19-year-old right-hander Huascar Ynoa. He'll go up against Oakland rookie Daniel Gossett (2-5 & 5,40 ERA). Garcia was 4-7 with a 4.30 ERA in 18 starts for the Braves (team was 9-9). Garcia has faced the A's just once in his career, suffering the loss last season while allowing five runs in seven innings (6.43 ERA). Gossett pitched the A's most recent win, a 3-2 road triumph last Sunday against the New York Mets. He has never faced the Twins in his eight career starts.

The pick:The A's wrapped up a seven-game road trip 1-6, after they were swept in the four-game series in Toronto. They blew two ninth-inning leads and lost consecutive games on walk-offs. The team's late-game meltdowns can't be considered a surprise, as the team dealt two of its top relievers -- left-hander Sean Doolittle and righty Ryan Madson -- to Washington for a three-player package that featured two low-level minor-leaguers. Staff ace Sonny Gray could be the next to go. All that said, I want no part of Garcia or the floundering Twins, who are in a complete "free-fall' which should also not be a surprise. After all, the Twins lost a ML-high 103 games last year. Make Oakland a 10* play.

The set-up: The Houston Astros visit Detroit for a three-game weekend series with the Tigers, beginning Friday night. Houston comes to town with MLB's biggest division lead (17 games), it's second-best overall record at 67-34 (only the Dodgers are better at 71-31) and a ML-best 37-13 road record. More good news comes in that the Astros have their ace back to start the opener of the series. The Tigers, who everyone assumes will be 'selling' come July 31, checks in at 45-55 on the season, better than only the 44-59 A's and 39-60 White Sox in the American League.

The pitching matchup: Dallas Keuchel will make his first start since June 2 for Houston and will take a 9-0 mark with a 1.67 ERA into this contest against Detroit's Jordan Zimmermann (6-8 & 5.81 ERA). Keuchel was enjoying a Cy Young-worthy season before he was sidelined because of a pinched nerve in his neck. "It feels a little weird to actually have my name penciled in for a major league start; I've been looking forward to this for a while," Keuchel told the Houston Chronicle. "The excitement's really building. I didn't want to let myself get too excited, but at the same time I feel great with how I've progressed and what I've done in the two (rehab) starts. It's go time." Keuchel is 3-1 with a 4.30 ERA in five career starts against Detroit (team is 4-1). Zimmermann's season runs parallel to his team's inconsistent ways. He followed up one of his best outings of the year, a win at Kansas City, by allowing five runs on nine hits with four walks in 3 2/3 innings during a loss to Minnesota his last start. To go along with his 5.81 ERA, he owns a 1.56 WHIP and .308 BAA! He's 2-3 with a 2.96 ERA in six career starts against the Astros (teams are 3-3).

The pick: Keuchel is unlikely to go deep into the game (he threw 62 pitches in his last rehab start at Class A Tri-City) but Houston's 37-13 road record plus the Astros' 10-1 record in Keuchel's 2017 starts so far, are tough too ignore. So are Zimmermann's awful numbers this season and Detroit's seemingly 'ho-hum' attitude. Make Houston an 8* play.

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

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

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

The set-up: Toronto's Justin Smoak hit a two-run HR to tie last night's game at two-all and Kendrys Morales followed with a walk-off solo HR as the Blue Jays beat the A's 3-2. Oakland has now lost seven of its last nine games and at 44-57, can just about kiss its postseason chances goodbye (the A's are 9 1/2 games back of the AL's second wild spot). The 47-54 Blue Jays will need more dramatic wins to thrust themselves back into the postseason picture. After playing in the last two ALCS matchups, Toronto has never recovered from an 8-17 April. The Jays may be 6 1/2 games out of the final AL Wild card spot but seven teams are ahead of them.

The pitching matchup: Sean Manaea (8-5 & 3.82 ERA) will start for Oakland and Marcus Stroman (9-5 & 2.98 ERA) for Toronto. Manaea has been Oakland's most reliable starter in 2017. He is 7-2 with a 3.17 ERA over his past 12 starts (A's are 8-4), after opening 1-3 with a 5.52 ERA in his first six starts this season (A's were 1-5). This marks Manaea's second career start vs. Toronto (1-0 & 3.00 ERA). Stroman has pitched well all season for Toronto but his last two outings (July 17 & 22), kind of sum up Toronto's 2017 season. Stroman has allowed one ER over 14 1/3 innings (0.63 ERA and an opponents' batting average of .196) but has two no-decisions to show for it (Jays are 1-1). Stroman is 0-0 with a 4.63 ERA in two career starts against Oakland (Jays are 0-2).

The pick: Toronto is surely down but not quite out. However, the same can't said about the A's and Oakland is a poor 16-34 on the road YTD. No real reason to think the A's can avoid the four-game sweep here, as Oakland has lost 11 of its last 12 games at Rogers Centre. Make Toronto an 8* play.

The set-up: The Cleveland Indians returned from the All Star break and lost five of six games on the road at Oakland and San Francisco. However, the defending AL champs returned home and have won six straight games, as they enter the final contest of the team's seven-game homestand against the LA Angels.The team's six-game winning streak is a season-high and has come at the perfect time, as AL Central rival Kansas City currently owns MLB's longest-active winning streak at eight games. The Indians are a season-high nine games over .500 at 54-45 but with eight wins in a row, the 53-47 Royals have climbed within 1 1/2 games of Cleveland. Meanwhile, the 49-53 Angels are a distant fourth in the AL West (18 1/2 games back of the Astros) and while they are "only" five games back in the race for the second wild-card spot, there are five teams ahead of them!

The pitching matchup: J.C. Romero (9-8 & 4.38ERA) will get the nod for LA and Cleveland's starter will be Trevor Bauer (8-8 & 5.58 ERA). Romero is 2-2 with a 3.52 ERA in four July starts and while he has made four career appearances against the Indians, all of them have been in relief (no record and a 5.06 ERA). Bauer has struggled in recent starts, lasting just 10 2/3 innings in his three July starts, allowing 17 hits, nine walks and 10 ERs (8.44 ERA).

The pick: Some good news for Cleveland fans is that Bauer is 3-0 with a 3.14 ERA in four career starts vs. the Angels (team is 3-1). Even better news is that the Indians are on a roll, having outscored their opponents 50-18 in their six-game winning streak. One last thing. The Angels enter today's game having lost seven in a row to the Indians dating back to June 12 of last season. They also have lost 11 of their last 12 games against the Indians, including each of their last nine games at Progressive Field. Make Cleveland an 8* play.

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

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

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

The set-up: The Rangers hit four HRs in Tuesday's 10-4 win over Miami, making it four wins in the team's last five. Texas remains 3 1/2 games out of the second wild card in the American League, its only chance to play October baseball (the Rangers are 18 games back of the Astros in the AL West). Miami is 45-53 on the season and going nowhere as the two teams play the rubber match of this three-game series Wednesday night.

The pitching matchup: Jose Urena (8-4 & 3.78 ERA) will start for teh Marlins and Yu Darvish (6-8 & 3.44 ERA) for the Rangers. Urena improved to 5-0 in 10 appearances (seven starts) on the road after limiting Cincinnati to one run on three hits over a season high-tying six innings last time out (a 5-1 Miami win). He had struggled in his previous two outings, giving up eight runs in eight innings while surrendering four HRs. Urena owns a slightly lower ERA away from home but the huge difference is that his road WHIP is 0.84 WHIP, compared to 1.62 at home! This marks his first career start against Texas. Darvish could be making his final start in a Texas uniform when the Rangers host the Marlins on Wednesday night. With the trade deadline looming and Darvish set to become a free agent after the season, Texas general manager Jon Daniels was making it known that the Japanese standout is available. Darvish struck out 12 over eight innings last time out at Tampa Bay but surrendered three solo HRs and settled for a no-decision to run his win-less drought to seven starts. He is 0-4 in that span (team is 1-6) and win-less since June 12, despite posting a quality start in five of his last six trips to the mound. In his lone start against the Marlins, Darvish tossed his only career shutout and first complete game in 2014.

The pick: Darvish is off a strong start (12 Ks) but one marred by three solo HRs. However, Texas did win 4-3 and note that Darvish's 3.44 ERA is eighth-best among AL starters. Expect a 'showcase" performance by the four-time All Star. Make Texas a 10* play.

The set-up: Arizona won 10-2 on Monday but those same bats were quiet on Tuesday, as the Braves won 8-3. In fact, Arizona's starting pitcher, Taijuan Walker, had two of the team's eight hits (including a long solo HR) in the loss. With the defeat, Arizona suffered its 12th setback in its last 17 contests, falling 12 1/2 games back of the LA Dodgers in the NL West. The D'backs are in a virtual tie with the Rockies for the two wild card spots in the NL but both teams are now also looking over their shoulders at the Cubs, who are with 4 1/2 games (if not the Cubs, it would be the Brewers). The 48-51 Braves are not threatening the Nats in the NL East nor the top wild card teams but are 4-1 against the Diamondbacks this season and 15-8 against the NL West. The rubber game of this three-game set goes Wednesday afternoon.

The pitching matchup: Aaron Blair (2016: 2-7, 7.59 ERA) will get the first crack at seizing the rotation spot of Jaime Garcia, who was traded to Minnesota whne he faces off against Arizona's Patrick Corbin (7-9, 4.43 ERA). Blair hardlty impressed last season (see above) and he's gone 6-5 with a 4.97 ERA in 18 starts for the Braves' top minor-league affiliate so far in 2017 (he's allowed 89 hits and 40 walks in 87 innings). Blair faced Arizona in his third career start last season and suffered the loss after giving up three runs (two earned) in five innings.Corbin's last start might have been his best this season. He was moved up in the rotation because Taijuan Walker has pitched effectively at Chase Field in 2017, going 5-3 with a 3.15 ERA in 11 starts (team is 7-4). That's quite a difference from his 2-6 (6.19 ERA) road mark in nine starts (team is 2-7). Over his past three Chase Field starts, he has a 2.41 ERA.

The pick: No reason to expect Blair to be able to handle an Arizona team which is 35-18 at home, outscoring opponents 5.70-to-4.08 RPG. Then there is Corbin's success against the Braves to consider. He is 3-0 with an 0.59 ERA against Atlanta, yielding only two ERs in 30 2/3 innings over six games (four starts). Those two runs came July 15 during a five-inning start in Atlanta, when he didn't figure in the decision as the Braves won 8-5. Make Arizona an 8* play.

The set-up: The Arizona Diamondbacks opened their three-game home series with the Atlanta Braves with a 10-3 win Monday night at Chase Field. J.D. Martinez, who arrived from Detroit in exchange for three prospects last Tuesday, was hit in the hand by a pitch in his debut and missed three games before playing his first full contest with Arizona on Monday. His three-run HR last night was a pleasant reminder of why the D'backs traded for him. The 57-42 D'backs are in a virtual second-place tie with the Rockies (both trail the Dodgers by 11 1/2 games in the NL West) but the two teams hold down the NL's two wild card spots, 5 1/2 games clear of the Cubs. The Braves have now dropped six of eight since reaching the break-even mark at 45-45 on July 16, following a three-game sweep of Arizona in Atlanta (Braves are currently 9 1/2 games out in the wild card chase).

The pitching matchup: Mike Foltynewicz (8-5 & 3.87 ERA) starts for Atlanta and Taijuan Walker (6-4 & 3.61 ERA) for Arizona. Foltynewicz remained unbeaten in his last nine starts with a win on Thursday in Los Angeles, ending the Dodgers' 11-game winning streak. He allowed three runs on six hits across 6 1/3 innings to move to 5-0 in his nine-game unbeaten stretch (Braves are 8-1!). He has been particularly tough on opponents of late, going 4-0 with a 2.93 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 30 2/3 frames over his last five outings. However, Foltynewicz is 0-1 with a 5.96 ERA in five career starts against the D'backs (team is 1-4). Walker came off the paternity list Sunday and hopes to end a four-game win-less streak (he's 0-1 but Arizona is 2-2) against the same team he faced for the first time 11 days ago, settling for a no-decision in Atlanta despite allowing two runs over six innings. That's his only appearance against the Braves.

The pick: Yes, Foltynewicz is "in a groove," but note that the D'backs are 10-5 in Walker's 2017 starts, giving him the 12th-best moneyline mark among starters at plus-$604. Then there is Arizona's 35-17 home record (second-best to only the Dodgers'), where the D'backs are outscoring opponents by almost two runs (5.75-4,00 RPG)! Make Arizona an 8* play

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

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

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

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

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

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

The set-up: It's close to being a first versus worst meeting as the Houston Astros visit the Philadelphia Phillies for a three-game interleague series that begins Monday. Houston owns MLB's second-best record overall (LA Dodgers own the best) but own MLB's best road record (35-12) and its second-best moneyline mark (plus-$1948). Meanwhile, Philadelphia owns MLB's worst overall record (34-62) and its third-worst moneyline mark (minus-$2048). That said, the Astros are just 5-4 since the All-Star break, while the Phillies have captured five of their last seven contests, after taking two of three this past weekend from the Brewers..

The pitching matchup: Brad Peacock (8-1 & 2.49 ERA) takes the mound for the Astros and Vince Velasquez (2-5 & 5.14 ERA) for the Phillies. Peacock looks to continue his breakout season in tonight's opener of the series. He entered 2017 with 11 wins over parts of five ML seasons, having made 60 appearances (including 46 starts). Peacock has made 22 appearances here in 2017 with the last 10 (since May 22) all being starts. He's 6-1 in those 10 starts (Astros are 8-2) and enters this contest on a five-start winning streak while posting a 1.82 ERA. He is 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA in two career starts against the Phillies. Velasquez was excellent at Miami on Tuesday, holding the Marlins to two runs - one earned - over six innings but settled for a no-decision in Philadelphia's 5-2 victory. It was his first start since May 30, after spending six weeks on the disabled list with a strained flexor in his right elbow. Velasquez will make his first-ever start against Houston in this one.

The pick: Philadelphia is playing better but I expect Houston to have too much for them in this series, starting in tonight's game. Peacock is red-hot and will go to the mound for a team which is 35-12 on the road while averaging a whopping 7.17 RPG. That spells bad news for Velasquez, who unlike in 2016 when he owned a 2.88 home ERA, has struggled at home in 2017, with a 6.26 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in five home starts. Make Houston an 8* play.

The set-up: The Chicago Cubs’ took the rubber match of their three-game series with the Cards 5-3 last night on ESPN and have now won eight of nine since returning from the break. The team's starting pitching has been a big reason for Chicago's surge, with seven quality starts in those nine games, as Chicago starters own a 2.41 ERA. With the help of a Milwaukee slump (Brewers have lost seven of eight), the Cubs have moved into a tie with Brewers atop the NL Central. Anyone not see this coming? The Cubs now get set to play a home-and-home four-game series with their crosstown rivals the Chicago White Sox, who limp in on nine-game losing streak (0-8 since the break). The White Sox own the AL's worst record as the meet the Cubs at Wrigley Field Monday and Tuesday before heading back home to the South Side on Wednesday and Thursday.

The pitching matchup: Miguel Gonzalez (4-9 & 4.89 ERA) bets the nod for the visiting White Sox, while Kyle Hendricks (4-3 & 4.09 ERA) returns from a seven-week stint on the DL to take the mound for the Cubs. Gonzalez made his first start since June 14 last Tuesday and held the LA Dodgers to one run over six innings but took the loss in a 1-0 defeat. Gonzalez has been the victim of poor run support as the White Sox have scored three or fewer runs in seven of his last 10 starts (he's 1-9 with a 6.24 ERA in that span!). He has has faced the Cubs twice in his career, going 0-1 with a 2.77 ERA (teams are 1-1). Hendricks has been nowhere near the same pitcher he was in 2016, when he led all MLB starters with a 2.13 ERA. His ERA is almost two runs higher here in 2017 and after allowing 44 walks in 190 innings last season, he's issued 21 walks in 61 2/3 innings in 2017. Hendricks is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in three starts against the White Sox (Cubs are 1-2).

The pick: This marks Hendricks' first start since June 4 (was sidelined for seven weeks due to right hand tendinitis) and the pinpoint command he had last year has been nowhere to be found up until now in 2017. My bet is that Hendricks struggles some and the White Sox have nowhere to go but up. The White Sox and Cubs split four games last year, with each team winning two at home, even in a year in which the Cubs were clearly MLB's best team. All-time, the teams are 27-27 at Wrigley Field. Take the 1 1/2 runs and make the White Sox an 8* play.

The set-up: The Cubs’ six-game winning streak came to a crashing halt on Friday, when the Cardinals scored nine runs with no outs in the eighth, for an 11-4 win at Wrigley. However, Chicago turned the tables on St. Louis Saturday afternoon, rallying for two runs in the eighth inning for a 3-2 victory. Milwaukee also won on Saturday, so the Cubs remain a game back of Milwaukee but they put an extra game between themselves and the Cards plus the Pirates, who lost at Colorado. The two longtime rivals square off tonight on ESPN in the rubber match of this three-game series.

The pitching matchup: Michael Wacha (7-3 & 3.71 ERA) takes teh mound for St. Louis and the newly-acquired Jose Quintana (5-8 & 4.20 ERA) for Chicago. Wacha is starting to regain the form he first showed in the 2013 postseason and the 2015 regular season, when he won 17 games. He has won four straight starts and five consecutive decisions after throwing a three-hit shutout against the New York Mets on Tuesday. He has been dominant during his four-start winning streak, with a 1.01 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings. However, Wacha is 4-5 with a 6.26 ERA in 12 career starts against the Cubs (Cards are 5-7). Quintana will make his first start as a Cub at Wrigley Field, where he is 0-1 with a 2.51 ERA in two previous outings.Quintana was dominant in his Cubs debut last Sunday, racking up 12 strikeouts over seven scoreless innings to win at Baltimore, and he’s eager to pitch in front of his new home crowd. "I'm really excited to be part of this team and throw Sunday against the Cardinals," Quintana told reporters. "I'm excited, man, I'm excited. I don't know what the fans will say to me, but I'll try to do the best." Quintana has won both of his previous starts against the Cardinals, in 2012 and 2015, while allowing two runs over 11 1/3 innings (1.59 ERA).

The pick: Wacha's lack of success vs. the Cubs should be a concern for St. Louis backers (not I), plus the move from the South Side of Chicago to the North Side will prove to be "just what the doctor ordered" for Quintana. Make the Cubs an 8* play.

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

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

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

The set-up: The Tampa Bay Rays took a five-game winning streak into their series' finale at Oakland on Wednesday and had passed the Yanks in the AL East. However, the Rays lost 7-2 to the A's in that one, before returning home for a six-game homestand. Up first were the Rangers for three games and Tampa has lost back-to-back 4-3 decisions and now find themselves tied with the Yankees for the AL's two wild card spots with both teams just one game ahead of the Twins and the Royals (Yanks and Rays trail the Red Sox by 3 1/2 games in the division). The Rangers rallied to win Friday's game and then came back from a three-run deficit Saturday to win by the same 4-3 score. The Rangers can now earn a three-game series sweep on Sunday, after entering the series on a five-game losing streak. Texas has no chance to catch the Astros in the AL West (trail by 18 games!) but are among the half-dozen or more teams still in the wild card chase (currently sit 3 1/2 games out).

The pitching matchup: Tyson Ross (2-2 & 7.22 ERA) heads to the mound Sunday afternoon to face Jake Odorizzi (6-4 & 4.37 ERA). Ross signed a one-year contract with the Rangers in January but didn't made his debut with the team until June 16, 2017. Ross had shoulder problems and began the year on the DL. He posted a 7.71 ERA over 18 2/3 innings in his four rehab starts but earned a victory in a 10-4 Texas win over the Mariners in that season debut (2 ERs allowed in 5 2/3 innings). However, it's been pretty much all downhill from there, as Ross was pounded on Tuesday in his first start after the All-Star break at Baltimore, allowing nine runs (eight earned) on seven hits over 3 1/3 innings. Ross has struggled with control in his first six starts of the season, recording 16 walks in 28 2/3 innings with 22 strikeouts (7.22 ERA!). Odorizzi produced his best start in two months after coming out of the All-Star break Monday at Oakland, permitting just a solo HR in seven strong innings in a 3-2 win. Home runs have been a problem for Odorizzi, as he has also allowed at least one HR in 14 straight appearances, the longest streak in team history.

The pick: Ross enters this game off a really ugly performance and is 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA in four career appearances (two starts 0-2 with an 11.58 ERA) against the Rays. Meanwhile, Odorizi is off an excellent start,bringing back memories of him going 7-1 with a 2.71 ERA in 14 starts after the All-Star break last season. More good news for Tampa fans is that Odorizzi is 4-0 with a 1.42 ERA in five career starts vs. the Rangers (team is 4-1). No sweep here. Make Tampa Bay a 10* play.

The set-up: The Boston Red Sox won 6-2 last night in Anaheim, giving them four wins in their last six. That's not exactly a hot streak but it's a step in the right direction after having lost six of eight from July 5 through July 16. Chris Sale tossed six scoreless innings in Friday’s victory but Dustin Pedroia saw his nine-game hitting streak come to an end. Still, the win kept Boston 3 1/2 games up on the Yankees and Rays, who are in a virtual tie for second in the AL East. The Angels have now dropped eight of their last 12 games and are now 4 1/2 games out of a wild card spot, with three teams ahead of them and two teams tied with them (talk about a log-jam!).

The pitching matchup: David Price (5-2 & 3.39 ERA) gets the start for Boston and will be opposed by JC Ramirez (8-8 & 4.54 ERA). Price tossed eight scoreless innings against the New York Yankees last Sunday night and now has allowed three ERs or less in his last seven outings (Red Sox are 5-2). Price is 5-6 with a 3.24 ERA in 14 career starts against the Angels (teams are 7-7). Ramirez stumbled in his first start after the break against Tampa Bay last Saturday, allowing four runs in six innings. Ramirez has pitched well away from home (7-3 with a 3.60 ERA) but he's 1-5 with a 5.50 ERA at Angel Stadium. Ramirez will hope to repeat his last effort (only) against Boston back on June 24, when he led the Angels to a 6-3 victory by allowing one run and four hits over six innings.

Thed pick: Price has not seemed like a "happy camper" this season, as not only did he miss the first two months of the season because of an elbow strain but a feud with the Boston media reached a boiling point after a bad performance against the New York Yankees last month. However, Price is beginning to pitch like the five-time All Star he is, going 5-2 with a 3.39 ERA in 10 starts since being activated May 29 (Boston is 6-4). The Angels are in a slump and how does one overlook Ramirez's 5.50 ERA at home? Make Boston a 10* play.

The set-up: The Cubs’ six-game winning streak came to a crashing halt on Friday, when the Cardinals scored nine runs with no outs in the eighth, for an 11-4 win at Wrigley. However, the entire NL Central got much tighter, as with Milwaukee's loss at Philly (6th straight), the Cubs remained just one game back of the Brewers while Pittsburgh's sixth straight win (12th in 14 games) saw the Pirates close to withing two games of first place. The Cards' big win over the Cubs moved them within 3 1/2 of the Brewersrs square off here.

The pitching matchup: Adam Wainwright (11-5 & 5.08 ERA) takes the hill for the Cards and Jon Lester (6-6 & 4.07 ERA) for the Cubs. Wainwright got off to a terrible start in 2017 (0-3 with a 7.24 ERA) but is 11-2 over his last 16 starts (Cards are 12-4). Wainwright has won his last four starts and has mostly been dominant since mid-May. He's allowed two ERs or less in nine of his last 12 starts but in those other three, has been downright awful. Wainwright has allowed 24 ERs over just 10 1/3 innings in those three outings, the reason his ERA is still plus-5.00 on the season. Wainwright has seen plenty of the Cards in his career, going is 14-9 with a 4.09 ERA in 42 games (33 starts / Cards are 21-12) against them. Lester allowed 10 runs (four earned) while failing to get out of the first inning in his final start before the All-Star break but in his first start after the break, held Atlanta to one run on three hits over seven innings on Monday to snap a two-start losing streak with a 4-3 win. Lester is just 5-5 in 15 starts against the Cards (teams are 8-7 ) and is win-less in three meetings against them this season (he's 0-1 with a 3.78 ERA and the Cubs 1-2).

The pick: The Cubs held a 3-2 lead into the eighth yesterday, before that nine-run inning by the Cards ruined their six-game winning streak. These are two bitter rivals and teh Cubs know that if they had held on, they would have woken up Saturday morning tied for first in the division. Two quality pitchers square off hereand I'm on the home team behind Lester, who I believe, will have another excellent second half just like in 2016. Note that in his 15 career starts against St. Louis, Lester owns a 2.19 ERA! Make the Cubs an 8* play.

The set-up: The Red Sox started winning while the Yanks began to struggle and Boston took over the AL East lead. However, while the Red Sox still own first-place in the division (Boston leads Tampa Bay by 2 1/2 games and New York by 3 1/2), they are just 5-8 since the team's six-game winning streak was snapped on July 5. Boston continued to just "spin its wheels" completing an eight-game homestand coming out of the break at just 4-4. The Red Sox open a three-game series Friday in Anaheim against the Angels, who had dropped seven of nine before winning two of their last three. Mike Trout has homered in back-to-back contests to highlight his five-game hitting streak, which has helped the Angels stay in that tightly-bunched group of teams fighting for the AL's two wild card sport (Angels are currently 3 1/2 games out of the final spot).

The pitching matchup: Chris Sale (11-4 & 2.59 ERA) will go tonight for Boston and Ricky Nolasco (4-10 & 4.82 ERA) for LA. Sale recorded his 13th double-digit strikeout performance on Saturday when he fanned a season high-tying 13 in 7 2/3 scoreless innings but settled for a no-decision versus the New York Yankees (NY won 4-1 in 16 inn.). All of a sudden, Sale has suffered from a lack of run support, as Saturday's outing marked the third in the last six that Boston has scored either one or no runs for him. Nolasco allowed just one run on two hits in seven innings of a no-decision versus Tampa Bay in his last outing but his 2017 season has been ugly, as the Angels are 5-14 in all of his starts, giving him MLB's seventh-worst moneyline mark (minus-$819). Nolasco owns a 3-2 mark with a 5.68 ERA in seven career starts versus Boston (teams are 5-2?).

The pick: Sale should get support here as his teammates draw the struggling Nolasco plus Sale is 5-0 with a 1.45 ERA in six career starts against the Angels. Make the Red Sox a 6* play.

The set-up: Everyone is talking about the Cubs in the NL Central, after the defending champs have won all six games since the break to close withing a game of the Brewers. However, the red-hot Pirates have also surged into contention in that division, after completing a four-game sweep of the first-place Milwaukee Brewers with Thursday's 4-2 victory. Pittsburgh was eight games behind Milwaukee when it woke up last Sunday morning but now finds itself only three back, as Thursday's 4-2 victory moved them to 48-48 (Pirates have won 11 of 13). Colorado (56-41) endured a 5-15 stretch before righting the ship by scoring 49 runs during a four-game winning streak, including a three-game sweep of the San Diego Padres to open this week. The 56-41 Rockies now share the NL wild card lead with the Arizona Diamondbacks and are 5 1/2 games ahead of the Chicago Cubs and 7 1/2 in front of Pittsburgh. These two hot teams square off for three games this weekend at Coors Field.

The pitching matchup: Trevor Williams (3-4 & 4.69 ERA) gets the nod for Pittsburgh and Jeff Hoffman (6-1 & 4.33 ERA) for Colorado. Williams began the season in the bullpen but is now 2-3 with a 4.43 ERA in 13 starts in 2017 (Pirates are 6-7). He has never faced Colorado or any of its players. Hoffman was acquired from Toronto in the 2015 in Troy Tulowitzki trade and like Williams, has never faced Pittsburgh or any of its players. The Rockies are 7-3 in Hoffman's 10 starts this season but his ERA at Coors is a problem (6.44), considering it's just 2.45 on the road.

The pick: Something has to give here but I won't buck Colorado here at home. Colorado is averaging 12.25 RPG in its four-game winning streak with the last three coming at Coors, where they are now averaging 6.19 RPG on the season. Colorado is a 10* play.

The set-up: The Milwaukee Brewers were one of MLB's surprise teams in the first half, taking a 5 1/2 game lead in the NL Central over the defending champion Cubs into the All star break. Let's remember, this team won just 73 games in 2016 and 68 in 2015. That said, most felt the Cubs would eventually "get their act together" and I imagine most observers felt that Brewers would at some time in 2017's second half, be faced with a "regression to the mean." Well, the Cubs have gone 6-0 since the break, while the Brewers, after winning their first two contests after the break, have gone on to lose five in a row. Milwaukee continues itt 10-game road trip with three against the Philadelphia Phillies beginning Friday, with its lead in the NL Central having dwindled to just one game over the Chicago Cubs. More bad news for Milwaukee comes in the fact that after Pittsburgh completed a four-game sweep of Milwaukee with a 4-2 victory on Thursday, the Pirates closed to within three of the Brewers. Hard to have anything nice to say about the Phillies though, as Philadelphia opens this series with MLB's worst record (32-61) and its third-worst moneyline mark (minus-$2148).

The pitching matchup: Matt Garza (4-4 & 3.84 ERA) takes the mound for Milwaukee and Aaron Nola (6-6 & 3.54 ERA) for Philadelphia. Garza has made 14 starts in 2017 and the Brewers have gone 7-7. Garza allowed one run, three hits and three walks while striking out one in five innings of Milwaukee's 5-2 loss to Philadelphia on Sunday, leaving him 2-2 with a 2.62 ERA in 10 career starts vs. the Phillies (teams are 4-6). Nola permitted two runs, seven hits and two walks while striking out seven in six innings of the Phillies' 3-2 loss at Milwaukee on Saturday and is now 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA in three starts versus the Brewers (team is 2-1). Nola has become Philly's best pitcher of late, going 4-3 with a 2.65 ERA in his last eight starts, lowering his ERA by 1.52 during that span.

The pick: The Brewers desperately need to "take care of business" in this three-game series at Philly, as the team wraps up the month with a three-game series in Washington against the Nats and then has a three-game home series with the Cubs. However, I want no part of a this floundering Milwaukee team which has scored just 11 runs in losing five in a row and faces Nola, who owns a 1.78 ERA in his last five starts. Make the Philles a 10* play.

The set-up: The Cubs entered the All Star break at 43-45, 5 1/2 games back of the first-place Brewers in the NL Central. However, Chicago has won all six games since returning to the field (three-game sweeps at Baltimore and Atlanta) and now return to the "Friendly Confines" for a three-games series with the Cards before playing a home-and-home IL series with the crosstown White Sox, beginning with two games at Wrigley on Monday and Tuesday. Is this finally the hot streak the Cubs (and most baseball observers) expected would eventually come? St. Louis has lost two straight but is 13-9 its last 22 and is not out of things in the division just yet, sitting 4 1/2 games behind Milwaukee.

The pick: Carlos Martinez (6-8 & 3.36 ERA) takes the mound this afternoon at Wrigley and will be opposed by Jake Arrieta (9-7 & 4.17 ERA). Martinez has posted quality starts in five of his last seven outings, including last Sunday at Pittsburgh where he allowed two runs over seven innings in a no-decision. However, Martinez comes into this contest 0-3 with the Cards going 0-5 over his most recent five outing. He is 4-3 with a 4.16 ERA in 21 games (11 starts / Cards are 7-4) against the Cubs. Arrieta opened the second half with a strong outing at Baltimore on Saturday, holding his former team to two runs (one earned) over 6 2/3 innings. He has won three of his last five starts, posting a 2.97 ERA over that span. Like his team, Arrieta seems to be finding a groove. Arrieta is 8-3 with a 2.26 ERA in 16 career starts vs. the Cubs (teams are 10-6).

The pick: Martinez's season seems to be falling apart, while the exact opposite is true for Arrieta. Arrieta makes his 20th start of the season but only his seventh at home (he's 3-1 and the Cubs 4-2). However, Arrieta owns a 2.37 ERA all-time at Wrigley and that includes him going 6-1 with a 0.95 at Wrigley against the Cards in the regular season. Make the Cubs an 8* play.

The set-up: The Seattle Mariners open a four-game home series with the NY Yankees having won six of their last seven games to reach the .500 mark (48-48). Seattle now sits just 1 1/2 games behind the 48-45 Yankees, who currently hold down the second wild-card spot. The Mariners completed a 5-1 road trip with a 4-1 victory over the Houston Astros on Wednesday and now have their next 10 contests scheduled for Safeco Field. New York lost to Minnesota 6-1 on Wednesday, one day after acquiring third baseman Todd Frazier (0-for-1, hit by pitch) and relievers David Robertson (didn't pitch) and Tommy Kahnle (one scoreless inning) from the Chicago White Sox. The Yankees are counting on this trade to kick-start a winning streak, as since mid-June, the Yankees have been in a funk (10-22 their last 32 games).

The pitching matchup: Luis Severino (5-4 & 3.40 ERA) opens for the Yankees while the Mariners send Felix Hernandez (5-3 & 4.20 ERA) to the mound. Severino was an AL All Star but enters this contest win-less in his last six starts (he's 0-2 and the Yanks are 2-4). Severino allowed four runs on eight hits over 5 2/3 innings in a loss to Seattle back on April 15, 2016, his lone appearance against the Mariners. "King Felix" has won his last two outings and is 3-1 with a 3.72 ERA in five starts (team is 3-2) since returning from the disabled list. He's made 20 career starts against New York, going 10-6 with a 3.13 ERA (Mariners are 11-9).

The pick: The Mariners are playing with confidence right now and this contest opens a 10-game homestand. Confidence is not a word associated with the Yankees right now and I'll take this rare opportunity to get "King Felix" plus 1 1/2 runs (at home!), making Seattle a 10* play.

The set-up: The Red Sox got hot about the same time the Yankees went into a slump and Boston took over first-place in the AL East prior to the break. However, Boston began to 'cool off' before the break and heading into last night's game with Toronto was just 4-7 in its previous 11 games and had played 58 innings in a four-day span after Tuesday's 5-4 win in 15 innings. Boston manager John Farrell was grateful for a stress-free 5-1 win Wednesday night saying, "The fact that we played that game in under three hours, it felt like we were only at halftime," Farrell told reporters. With the Rays and Yankees both losing on Wednesday, the Red Sox lead Tampa Bay by three games and the Yankees by 4 1/2 games as they get set for Thursday afternoon's finale of this four-game series with Toronto. The 43-51 Blue Jays reside in the AL East basement, 10 games back of the Red Sox, as the team just hasn't been able to overcome a 2-11 start that led to an 8-17 record by the end of April.

The pitching matchup: Francisco Liriano (5-5 & 6.04 ERA) takes the mound for Toronto and Doug Fister (0-3 & 6.75 ERA) for Boston. Liriano lasted just two-plus innings in his last start, allowing five runs on three hits and four walks against the Tigers in an 11-1 loss on July 15. 2017 has been a struggle for Liriano with his 6.00-plus ERA, 1.67 WHIP and .283 BAA. He held Boston scoreless on four hits over 5 1/3 innings on April 19 but was ripped for five runs on seven hits in six innings by the Red Sox on July 1. That leaves him 4-4 with a 5.44 ERA in eight career starts against Boston. Fister was claimed off waivers from the LA Angels and made a decent season debut against his former club, taking the loss with six innings of three-run ball. He did not factor in the decision in his following start, allowing a three-run HR among four hits over five innings. He then allowed six runs at Texas in 3 2/3 innings before giving up three runs in relief during.a 16-inning loss to the Yankees last Saturday,

The pick: That 16-inning game has forced the Red Sox to shuffle their pitcher rotation. Overall, the Red Sox have played 67 innings in six games over five days! That said, the Blue Jays just can't seem to 'catch fire' and Liriano has been a 'nightmare' on the road this season, allowing 35 hits and 21 walks in just 27 innings. His away ERA is 8.33 and his road WHIP is 2.07! Fister has made eight career starts against Toronto and owns a respectable 3.69 ERA. Make Boston a 10* play.

The set-up: Everyone is talking about the the Cubs, as the defending champs have returned from the break to win five in a row, closing within 2 1/2 games of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central, However, the Brewers also need to be worried about the Cardinals, who have rebounded from a disastrous stretch by playing their best baseball of the season over the last 2 1/2 weeks. The Cards have won 13 of 20 and at 46-47, have a chance to reach .500 by sweeping the Mets in this three-game series. Cards are now just 4 1/2 games back of Milwaukee. With Tuesday's 5-0 loss, the Mets have dropped three in a row and eight of 11 to plummet into fourth place in the National League East at 41-50.

The pitching matchup: Mike Leake (6-7 & 3.14 ERA) takes the mound for the Cards and Jacob deGrom (10-3 & 3.48 ERA) for the Mets. Leake's 3.14 ERA is solid but he is mired in a 1-5 slump in his last nine starts (Cards are 3-6). Leake owns a solid 2.74 ERA against the Mets but is just 2-3 in seven starts (teams are 4-3). DeGrom won his sixth consecutive start Friday, when he allowed two runs (one earned) over eight innings as the Mets beat the Colorado Rockies 14-2. He struck out 11 and walked one. He has lasted at least seven innings in each of his past six wins, a stretch that began with a complete game against the Chicago Cubs back on June 12. He has a 1.53 ERA during the winning streak and has allowed just 27 hits and nine walks while striking out 47 in 47 innings.

The pick: DeGrom is 2-2 with a 5.63 ERA in four career starts against the Cardinals but he comes in pitching as well as any pitcher in MLB not named Clayton Kershaw. Meanwhile, his opposite number (Leake), is slumping. The Cards are playing better right now but deGrom will be the difference. No sweep here! Make the Mets a 10* play.

The set-up: Everyone is talking about the the Cubs, as the defending champs have returned from the break to win five in a row, closing within 2 1/2 games of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central. However, right now, the Brewers are tasked with worrying about the Pirates, who after last night's 4-3 win over Milwaukee have won nine of 11 to draw within five games of the Brewers.

The pitching matchup: Zach Davies (11-4 & 5.08 ERA) will get the nod for Milwaukee in this third game of a four-game set. He'll be opposed by the Pirates' Gerrit Cole (7-7 & 4.35 ERA). Despite his plus-5.00 ERA, the Brewers are 13-6 in Davies' starts, giving him the third-best moneyline mark among starters in 2017 (plus-$887). He's a perfect 5-0 on the road, with Milwaukee going 7-2 in his nine road starts. Cole did not factor in the decision last time out versus St. Louis but he recorded his fifth quality start in six outings with six innings of two-run ball. He is 4-1 over that six-start stretch with the Pirates going 5-1.

The pick: The Brewers have been winning behind Davies but his 5.08 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and .291 BAA tell a different story. He last faced the Pirates on June 20, giving up six runs (five earned) and five walks over 5 1/3 innings of a 7-3 loss. That leaves him with a 10.29 ERA in five career starts vs. the Pirates. As noted above, Cole has delivered five quality starts in his last six (Pittsburgh is 5-1). He was awful in the one loss (allowed seven ERs vs. SF) but in the five wins, he's allowed just seven ERs over 32 innings (1.97 ERA). Pitching in front of  team which has won nine of 11, make Cole and the Pirates a 10* play.

The set-up: The Rockies struggled before the break (lost 13 of 18 games) and when they returned to play, promptly lost 14-2 and 9-3 to the Mets. That gave them 15 losses in their previous 20 games but Colorado "stopped the bleeding" with a 13-4 rout of the Mets on Sunday. Colorado returned home Monday to open a three-game series with the Padres, who were just 16-28 on the road to open this week. The Rockies were hoping they could build some mojo against the Padres. That's exactly what has happened, as Colorado followed its 13-run Sunday effort at Citi Field by scoring nine runs on both Monday and Tuesday in winning both games. That three-game winning streak has them within a half-game of Arizona in race for the NL's top wild card spot and has allowed the Rockies to keep the red-hot Cubs at bay, who trail them by 5 1/2 games for that final wild card spot. San Diego has fallen to 40-53 overall (the Padres can't even see the Dodgers in the NL West), which includes a 16-30 road mark.

The pitching matchup: Clayton Richard (5-9 & 4.75 ERA) takes the mound as the Padres try to avoid the sweep and will be opposed by Jon Gray (2-1 & 6.23 ERA) of the Rockies. Richard is win-less in his last five starts, going 0-2 with a 6.18 ERA (team is 1-4). Padres manager Andy Green told reporters, "He's the unquestioned leader of the team and his preparation is second to none for his own craft. He's ready to pitch every five days. He's a tremendous leader, tremendous teammate. He means more to this organization than I think anybody outside could really know." I'm not sure just what to make of that statement. Richard defeated the Rockies back on June 2 (gave up four runs - three earned - on 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings) and is 4-4 with a 4.79 ERA in 16 career appearances (15 starts / teams are 7-8). Gray was rocked by the New York Mets in his last outing, giving up eight runs on nine hits in two-plus innings of a 14-2 loss. However, he had pitched well in his first two starts since returning from a foot injury that caused him to miss two-plus months to begin the season. Gray posted a 3.09 ERA in two wins, while striking out 15 in 11 2/3 innings. He is 2-2 with a 2.30 ERA in seven career starts vs. San Diego (team is 2-5).

The pick: Here's the rub. The Rockies come in having scored 31 runs in three straight wins (have 30 hits) and on the season, average 5.93 RPG at Coors. In contrast, SD is 18-30 on the road, getting outscored 5.28-to-3.59 RPG. Richard has made seven career starts at Coors Field and owns a 7.78 ERA, while Gray owns an 0.86 ERA in three career starts at Coors Field against the Padres. Make Colorado a 10* play.

The set-up: The Phillies lost 6-5 (10 inn.) on Monday but Nick Williams' two-run HR led the way to a 5-2 win in Miami last night. The MLB-worst Phillies (31-61) now have a chance to take this three-game series with a win this afternoon against the Marlins in teh rubber match of the series. Miami has dropped four of its last five to fall to 42-50, 14 1/2 games back of the first-place Nats in the NL East. The Marlins' wild card hopes aren't much brighter, as they are 11 games out of the final wild card spot with four teams ahead of them.

The pitching matchup: Rookie Nick Pivetta (2-5 & 5.63 ERA) gets the start for Philly and Dan Straily (7-4 & 3.32 ERA) for Miami. Pivetta surrendered a season-high nine runs on seven hits in five innings of a 9-6 setback at Milwaukee on July 14, in his last outing. "This is his first go-round in the big leagues," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin told reporters. "He's shown us a lot of promise and I like what he's been doing. (That performance) wasn't his best." I'm not sure just what "promise" Mackanins is referring to, as the Phillies are 3-9 in Pivetta's 2017 starts. This marks his first career encounter versus Miami. Straily has dominated Philadelphia to the tune of a 2-0 mark with an 0.77 ERA in two career starts against them. Straily struck out 10 and allowed one earned run in 6 2/3 innings of a 10-2 rout versus the Phillies back on May 31. Straily hasn't lost since June 5 and is 3-0 with five no-decisions over his last seven starts (Marlins are 5-2 in that stretch).

The pick: Straily has been Miami's most consistent starter this year, as the Marlins are 11-8 in his 19 starts. That may not seem like a big deal at first glance but that's a winning percentage of .579 and when someone else gets the start for Miami in 2017, the team is playing .425 baseball (31-42)! As noted above, the Phillies are 3-9 when Pivetta starts and that includes a 2-6 on the road where Pivetta owns a 6.92 ERA and 1.79 WHIP. Make the Marlins an 8* play .

The pick: This is Lamet's first time in Coors Field and it hardly bodes well that in four road starts in 2017, he owns an 8.00 ERA and 1.61 WHIP (welcome to Coors!). As for Senzatela, he's had great success at Coors, going 7-2 in his nine starts there. He'll face a San Diego team which ranks 30th (dead-last) in both runs scored (3.63 per) and team BA (.231) plus is only 16-29 on the road, getting outscored 5.20-to-3.51 RPG. Meanwhile, he'll be backed by a Colorado team averaging 5.87 RPG at home in 2017. Make Colorado an 8* play.