50* MLB Run-Line GAME OF THE MONTH

Detroit Tigers RL -1.5

My favorite pitcher to fade (Hellickson) against one of the hottest line-ups in the game. Detroit crushes RHP and have won 6 of their last 7 against righties. Verlander is in solid form of late with an ERA of less than 2 over his last 3 starts. Also, Philadelphia has lost 5 straight meetings in Detroit. This powerful Tigers lineup is averaging nearly 7 runs a game over their last 8 contests and they should DESTROY Hellickson here.

50* MLB TOTAL OF THE MONTH

Cleveland Indians vs. Boston Red Sox OVER 8.5

Two of the best offenses in the game against two shaky pitchers. Need I say more? Boston currently ranks Number 1 is almost every offensive category and the Indians are in the Top 10. Cleveland, however, has only played 37 games. That's at least 4 games less than the 4 teams ahead of them right now and they only trail by 8 runs. By 41 games, this team will be in the Top 5 in all offensive categories. 

Kluber has faced the Red Sox already this season and he gave up 4 runs in that start. Buchholz gave up 5. Kluber has given up 4 and 5 runs in his last 2 starts and Buchholz has given up 4 runs in 4 of his last 5 starts. These pitchers are not is good form currently.

I could go on for days on all the trends that scream over here but some key ones are: Boston has gone over the total in 9 straight home games and 10-3 following an off day. Both teams are a combined 10-2-2 to the over facing RHP. The over has also cashed in 12 of the last 16 meetings in Boston.

50* MLB GAME OF THE MONTH

Toronto Blue Jays -121

This is a serious fade of Jake Peavy. He just doesn't have it anymore. Peavy has been getting shelled this season. In his 6 starts this season, he has given up 4 or more runs in 5 of those starts. He has also given up 6 twice and 7 in his last outing. Jake hasn't been able to command his fast ball and no doubt has lost a lot of his velocity. The last team you want to face when struggling is the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays have one of the most powerful lineups in the game. They are due to bounce back here tonight as they scored just 2 runs Sunday. The Blue Jays are 16-7 when scoring less than 2 runs their previous game. Aaron Sanchez is on the mound for Toronto and he has been rolling lately. In his last 6 starts, he has given up less than 3 runs in all but one. Three of those outings, he allowed just 1 and has a shutout in his last road start.

50* NATIONAL LEAGUE GAME OF THE MONTH

Miami Marlins -175

The Marlins are hot and the Diamondbacks are not. Miami has now won 8 of their last 9 games and have been tearing the cover off the ball, hitting a ton of home runs. Arizona has lost 4 straight and 6 of their last 7. Their losses have been by a combined 31 runs and they have lost by 3+ runs in every game. Their woes should continue here as they go up against Jose Fernandez, who is simply untouchable at home. The Marlins are 24-4 when Jose gets the ball, which includes going 8-0 when facing a team with a losing record.

Rubby De La Rosa gets the nod for the D'Backs and he has not fared well away from Chase Field this season. He is 1-2 with an ERA just below 6. He is prone to the long ball and the last team you want to face when having that problem is the Marlins, who have smacked 15 during their hot streak. Backing the hotter team with the much better pitcher here and I think anything below -200 is a bargain for this game.

40* MLB VEGAS INSIDER

New York Mets -143

The Mets are on fire, winners of 9 of their last 10 and 6 in a row. They are also an impressive 4-0 playing with a day off. They get to face Jake Peavy tonight who has struggled and is even worse on the road. The Giants and Peavy have lost 7 straight on the road facing a team with a winning record. They are also terrible against southpaws going just 5-11 their last 16. Backing the hotter team here with the better pitcher and most of close sources all agree with this play.

40* MLB TOTAL OF THE WEEK

Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals OVER 8

Even though these starters are a combined 2-1 on the season, their numbers have been dreadful. Lackey's ERA is nearly 6 and Leake's is just below 7. They are also sporting high WHIPs with nearly 2 runners getting on base an inning. Lackey will be facing his former team tonight and I expect the Cardinals to light him up. They know his tendencies and should feast off him when Lackey gets hot headed. 

The trends back our selection here as the Cubs and Cardinals are a combined 12-2 to the over and the over has cashed 11 of the last 13 meetings between these two. Both teams are dominating RHP and are a combined 9-2 to the over when facing righties. 

Best of luck to us tonight and remember to always use proper money management.

Don Anthony: TheBetterBettors.com 

40* MLB TOP PLAY SLUGFEST

Baltimore Orioles vs. Texas Rangers OVER 9

This total as climbed to 10 at most spots. I would play for 3% at this number and 1% at 10.5.

Both teams have been crushing the ball lately and destroy RHP. Both these pitchers have the tendency to leave the ball up and over the plate. The over has cashed in 13 of the last 16 games for the Rangers following a loss and has cashed in 5 straight starts for Colby Lewis when facing a team with a winning record and 4 straight when Lewis faces the O's. We also have an OVER umpire in this one with the over cashing 8 of the last 10 times with Hoberg being the plate. Another stat I love looking at is how pitchers perform following a Quality start. The over is a combined 34-16-1 in this spot for these pitchers tonight.

40* MLB TOP PLAY BLOWOUT

Arizona Diamondbacks -142

Zach Greinke HAS to have a good outing tonight. He has been pathetic his last two starts and has an ERA just south of 10. That's right, 10! In my opinion, this is the perfect lineup and situation for Zach to cure his woes tonight. San Diego has been terrible putting together hits and scoring runs. They also haven't had a day off in 7 games, going from Colorado to Philadelphia and now Philadelphia back home to San Diego. That is an AWFUL scheduling spot having to go all the way across the country while Arizona just had to go a few towns over from playing in LA last night. If Greinke can't get it done tonight, we will stay far way from him for a long time.

40* MLB UNDERDOG OF THE WEEK

Toronto Blue Jays +104

Most people are going to look at this game and see that Dickey got lit up by the Red Sox about a week ago. The key here is the Dickey LOVES pitching at Fenway. He has mentioned multiple times that Boston makes the knuckleball move (i.e. Tim Wakefield) and his numbers back it up. He has won 4 of his last 5 starts at Fenway. That smells trouble for Porcello has this Blue Jays lineup just eats him alive, especially Bautista. He went yard twice last outing and I expect him to do it again over the Monster tonight. 

40* MLB SLUGFEST

Boston Red Sox vs. Toronto Blue Jays OVER 9

analysis in the am

40* NATIONAL LEAGUE GAME OF THE WEEK

St. Louis Cardinals +101

40*

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Cincinnati Reds OVER 8

This line has dropped (which I don't like) but we have to make play on Hellickson. Most of my long term guys know that he is the pitcher I like fading the most. Almost every chance we get, we fade Jeremy or take the over. Hellickson is a fly ball pitcher and that is not a good sign today as there is a 14 MPH wind to RF where the porch is already very short at Great American Ball Park. A bad fly ball pticher in a hitters park with a weather pattern for lots of home runs...Sounds like an over to me. 

50* MLB PLAYOFFS GAME OF THE YEAR

Kansas City Royals +130

I love this KC club. They cashed for us in Game 5 of the ALDS and we'll be taking them in Game 5 of the ALCS for almost the same reasons. Their opponent's are crushed. Houston was finished after blowing a huge lead and after getting destroyed in Game 4, the Blue Jays are/look defeated. Kansas City has solved Toronto's bullpen and their bats are on fire right now. KC is clicking on all cylinders and with the Mets up a commanding, 3-0 lead, KC needs to win here to get some rest for the World Series. Even if KC falls behind early in this one, they seem to almost ALWAYS come back from deficits and their bullpen is fantastic. They can hold leads late and I expect them to do exactly that in this one. Look for KC to punch their ticket to the Fall Classic.

50* MLB GAME OF THE MONTH

Kansas City Royals -130

For those of you who don't remember, this game is eerily similar to our One & Only NBA GAME OF THE YEAR last season on the Rockets in Game 7. They came back from a 20 point, 3-1 series deficit in from of their home fans. Catch my drift? The Houston Astros were 6 outs away from heading to the ALCS but a 5 run Royal 8th inning destroyed that. If these Astros go down early in this game, the little voice in their head "did we blow this or we had it" will start creeping in. Very tough spot for Houston to try and pick themselves up and it makes it even worse that this is a young team that hasn't been there before.

Let's face it, the Royals know how to win. The never give up and always have crazy comebacks. They also rarely EVER blow a lead late in the game. I believe the exact number is 151-4 their last 155! That's UNHEARD of and extremely impressive. For what it's worth, the only thing keeping me from making this a GOY is Johnny Cueto. He has not pitched that well but I think he's overdue for a solid game. This is why KC traded for him and with a great outing here, all of his previous poor starts will be long forgotten. It's so tough to beat this resilient KC club, especially at the K. 

40*

Chicago Cubs vs. Pittsburgh Pirates UNDER 5.5

This game is all about Jake Arrieta. We have been riding him like a rented mule the last few months and it has paid off big time. I could sit here and list the stats, but I think we all know them by now. He's my clear choice for the NL Cy Young and he's been untouchable, especially on the road. It seems that every time he's on the mound, he's not giving up more than a run. 

Gerrit Cole has been solid of late also. Even though he's no Arrieta, he's still given up 3 runs or less in 8 of his last 10 starts. The reason I like Arrieta and the Cubs in this game is that Pittsburgh has shown they constantly leave runners in scoring position, especially the bases loaded. Also, Arrieta has been fantastic on the road and has owned the Pirates.

40*

Houston Astros vs. New York Yankees OVER 7

Most of this play is based off of Dallas Keuchel. The public is going to see him and want to jump all over him. If you look closer, Keuchel has been far from impressive on the road. Even though he is 15-0 with an ERA of 1.46 at home, he's just 5-8 with an ERA of just under 4 on the road.

Surprisingly, Tanaka has been worse at home than on the road. He's got an ERA of just under 4 as well, at Yankee Stadium. Both teams are in their best hitting posture with the Yankees scoring 4.69 runs a game and hitting for a better average against the lefties and The Astros scoring 4.71 and hitting for a better average against RHP. 

To wrap this up, we have two very powerful lineups playing in a small stadium. I expect a couple home runs in this game and will ride with the Yankees here as the dog since Houston is just terrible away from home.

40*

Cleveland Indians -143

Short and sweet. One of my favorite baseball situations is when a team clinches their division, fade them the next game. They almost ALWAYS lay down. Even better is that the Indians have done well against Volquez. Looks like we have a great recipe for success here.

40* MLB GAME OF THE WEEK

Pittsburgh Pirates -139

40*

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Colorado Rockies OVER 10.5

40* MLB TOTAL OF THE WEEK

San Diego Padres vs. Colorado Rockies OVER 10.5

40* MLB SLUGFEST

Cincinnati Reds vs. San Francisco Giants OVER 7

50* MLB ROAD WARRIOR OF THE YEAR

Chicago Cubs -135

Got to keep riding the Arrieta train. He reminds me a lot of Kershaw last year...whenever he starts, back him blindly and make some money. Arrieta has now won 9 straight and one of those we cashed a huge play when he pitched his no hitter. This guy is unstoppable on the road and he is my choice for the N.L. Cy Young award. When making a huge road warrior pick, you want to back a great road warrior pitcher and we got the best guy going for us tonight at a cheap price. Jake is 12-1 with and ERA of 1.72, which includes going 3-0 with an ERA of 0.36. That's as a good as it gets folks.  What has Arrieta done against the Pirates? Well, he's only given up 2 runs in 21 innings. 

AJ Burnett goes for Pittsburgh and he has struggled of late. In his last 4 starts, he has giving up 3, 8, 5, and 6 runs on 35 hits in just 21 innings. That is not a pitcher anyone should be backing, especially against a team who hits RHP very well and that they (Cubs) are 25-8 against them.

I know one has to think that Arrieta is due for a let down or a bad performance, but it's been a very long time (almost 2 months) since his last loss. A simple rule for betting baseball is you ride the streaks and not to bet against them. Can't pass up this short price on, IMO, the hottest pitcher in the National League.

40*

Kansas City Royals -108

40*

Oakland Athletics vs. Texas Rangers OVER 9.5

50*

Atlanta Braves vs. Philadelphia Phillies OVER 8.5

50* AMERICAN LEAGUE TOTAL OF THE MONTH

Chicago White Sox vs. Minnesota Twins OVER 8

Both pitcher's have been over machines and they can really struggle with their command. The White Sox are on fire when going over the total in recent form, especially against the southpaws. The White Sox have gone over the total in 7 of their last 8 games facing LHP and have gone over in 25 of their last 34 games. They have also gone over in 5 straight on the road and are 17-4 to the over after a loss. As for the Twins, they are 21-9 to the over in their last 30 home games. 

Bottomline...we have two teams that do very well against lefties, great weather pattern, and an over umpire (13-3-2 to the over behind the plate.) I expect both teams to be able to plate at least 4 runs a piece here (4-4 tie has to end 5-4) which will cash this ticket.

40*

Pittsburgh Pirates -147

40* MLB TOTAL OF THE WEEK

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Colorado Rockies OVER 10.5

Not going to over think this one. We have two mediocre pitchers and two bad bullpens pitching on a nice day in Colorado...need I say more? A couple of my closest sources are on this play and the stats and trends favor the over here as well.

50* NATIONAL LEAGUE GAME OF THE MONTH

St. Louis Cardinals -112

This play is all about Jaime Garcia. He has been rock solid since returning this year and has been really flying under the radar. He has posted an ERA of 1.77 and the way the Giants have been swinging the bats, I expect another brilliant performance, especially in the big park. The Cardinals have been hot of late and we have seen it year after year, this is when the Cardinals play their best ball down the stretch. They know they have the Pirates and the Cubs breathing down their necks so they need to keep winning to hold onto the division crown.

It's always a good bet to back the Cardinals when facing RHP. They are 62-28 against the righties and they are currently 16-5 their last 21 as a road favorite. As for the Giants, they have been awful when listed as an underdog. They are 1 for their last 7 in that spot and Heston has lost 4 straight games facing a team with a winning record. Look for the Cardinals to stay hot and take this one tonight.

40*

Cincinnati Reds vs. Milwaukee Brewers OVER 8.5

50* MAX BET PARLAY

Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers OVER 6

50* MAX BET PARLAY

Seattle Mariners vs. Chicago White Sox OVER 8.5

40* TOP PLAY SLUGFEST PARLAY

Minnesota Twins vs. Tampa Bay Rays OVER 7.5

40* TOP PLAY SLUGFEST PARLAY

New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies OVER 8.5

50* MLB TOTAL OF THE MONTH

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Arizona Cardinals UNDER 8

40*

Baltimore Orioles vs. Kansas City Royals OVER 7.5

40*

Colorado Rockies vs. Atlanta Braves OVER 8

50* MLB VEGAS INSIDER

Kansas City Royals -120

40*

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Oakland Athletics UNDER 7

Also like the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Houston Astros UNDER 3.5 first 5 innings. Dodgers have not been hitting well and well, Greinke is Greinke. Taking the first half under simply because the Dodgers bullpen is just awful and don't want to risk the full game total on them.

40*

Texas Rangers +100

50* MLB RUN-LINE GAME OF THE MONTH 

Toronto Blue Jays -1.5

40*

Kansas City Royals -109

50* AMERICAN LEAGUE TOTAL OF THE YEAR

Minnesota Twins vs. New York Yankees OVER 8.5

PITCHING CHANGE...NO PLAY!

40*

Kansas City Royals -124

40* MLB TOTAL OF THE WEEK

San Diego Padres vs. Colorado Rockies OVER 11

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. We made the over in Friday's and Saturday's Rockies games top plays and they both cashed. Let's go for 3 in-a-row here. Like the first two games, we'll be backing this game for most of the same reasons. Bad starting pitching, HORRIBLE bullpens, two teams hitting the ball well of late, and a great weather pattern. Each team has been playing awful on defense and errors last night really helped our cause. 

50*

San Diego Padres vs. Colorado Rockies OVER 10.5

40*

San Diego Padres vs. Colorado Rockies OVER 10.5

40*

St. Louis Cardinals -1.5

40*

Los Angeles Angels +111

50* MLB MAX BET

Detroit Tigers +130

I'll keep this one simple. Ventura should get rocked in this one. People are starting to believe this guy has an "inner TO (Terrell Owens.)" That means a pain in a the ass. I also believe this Royals team is in for a bit of a let down tonight. It was like a playoff game last night the way the fans were cheering for each strike Cueto was throwing. I mean Perez ran and picked Cueto up at the end of the game like he just threw a no-hitter or something.

When looking at the numbers, Sanchez and the Tigers have done well of late and against the Royals. The Tigers are 9-2 his last 11 starts and they are also 6-1 in his last 7 starts versus Kansas City. One last thing is that the Tigers got shut out last night. They have been fantastic the next game after being shut out. In fact, they are 6-1 in that spot.

40*

Detroit Tigers vs. Kansas City Royals OVER 7

50* MLB UNDERDOG OF THE MONTH

Toronto Blue Jays +133

It would be a sin not to take the hottest team in baseball at this price. Toronto has now won 10 of their last 11 games and they are cruising right now. This game is lined way too high simply for two reasons. One - Tanaka, who I might add, has not been pitching well lately, sporting an ERA above 5. And two - people will want to believe that the Yanks can't get swept.

What most don't know is that Estrada has been pitching very well. He has only allowed 2 runs or less in 8 of his last 9 outings and the Blue Jays are 9-3 in his last 12 starts. The Blue Jays are 7-0 their last 7 games facing RHP and I expect them to make it 8 straight, especially since they know Tanaka well.

50* MLB TOTAL MAX BET

Chicago White Sox vs. Kansas City Royals OVER 8

50* A.L. WEST GAME OF THE YEAR

Houston Astros -120

This game is insanely cheap for McHugh and Chavez. In a nutshell, Houston wins with McHugh and Oakland loses with Chavez on the bump. The A's are just 1-10 in Chavez's last 11 starts as a dog and they are 2-12 their last 14 overall listed as an underdog in this price range. Speaking of Chavez, he has been awful of late. In his last 3 starts, he has an ERA north of 10 and a WHIP of 2.40! It doesn't get much worse than that...actually yes it does, he's worse during the day as well.

The Astros and McHugh have been tremendous when listed as the favorite. They are 12-2 their last 14, which includes 4 straight. Oakland hasn't had ANY success off of McHugh. 6 of their 9 starters have ZERO, that's right, 0 hits off him and as a team they are barely batting above .170 against him.

We're getting basically a pick 'em price with a complete pitching mis-match, the better bullpen, betting hitting squad, and let's face it, the much better team. Seems like a no-brainier to me. Best of luck to us tonight!

50* MLB MAX BET

Pittsburgh Pirates +1.5

We will be playing 4% on the RL and 1% on the ML

These Pirates are a fantastic bet at home. They are 36-18 but even more impressive is that they are 21-5 when Cole takes the mound at PNC. A key stat for this game is the very low total. When the odds-makers anticipate a low scoring game (6.5 or lower) the Pirates have been unstoppable. They have won 6 straight and with the total at 6 currently, taking them at +1.5, we get 25% of the runs RIGHT FROM THE START! Can't pass this up and do feel the Buccos have a great chance to win this one outright as well.

40*

Kansas City Royals -160

40* ROAD WARRIOR OF THE WEEK

Seattle Mariners -157

This one was pretty basic for me after looking at the numbers. The Rockies are 7-53 their last 60 games as an underdog in this price range and 9-24 their last 33 as a dog in any price range. They are also 39-89 facing the top pitchers of the league (WHIP of less than 1.15). King Felix comes off a dreadful performance and he typical does extremely well bouncing back in his next start. 

50* THE BIG UNDERDOG

Arizona Diamondbacks +132

One of my favorite situations in baseball is fading a team that returns home from a lengthy road trip. This spot for the Nationals is even worse because they didn't have a day off in between and they played on Sunday Night Baseball. The Nationals are in a bit of a funk right now after the Mets completed the sweep and they bring Fister to the mound tonight, which only smells for trouble.

The Nationals are just 1-5 in Fister's last 6 starts following a Quality Start. He has had some serious trouble facing right handed batters as they are hitting above .370 off him and that's great news for the D'Backs as they crush RHP and they are 5-1 their last 6 facing RHP.

To wrap this all up, there is some SERIOUS money coming in on the dog tonight. Washington opened at -160 favorites and have dropped to -130 in some spots with 2 out of every 3 bets being placed on the Nats. Following the great situation and smart money tonight.

50* VEGAS INSIDER

New York Mets -127

This is the biggest game of the season so far for the Mets as they have a chance to move into first place in the NL East with a win tonight against the Nationals, in front of their home fans on prime-time ESPN. I believe they get it done. The Mets have been a great bet as a home favorite as they are 47-12 in that role. New York is also 4-0 in Syndergaard's last 4 home starts as well. This guy is on a whole other level pitching at Citi Field. 

As for Jordan Zimmermann, he has been Jekyyl and Hyde on the road and at home. The Nationals are just 2-7 when he's listed as the road underdog. As a matter of fact, we faded him with our GAME OF THE MONTH his last time out and he gave up 4 runs in a loss to the Marlins. 

The Mets finally made some moves to get much needed offensive help during the trade deadline and this only helps our case even more as the Mets are known for their pitching, which is dominant, but now they have a great chance to put a crooked number on the board to win this game tonight.

40*

Houston Astros -203

Going to play 3% on the money-line and 1% on the run-line

50* NATIONAL LEAGUE PARLAY OF THE YEAR

Colorado Rockies vs. St. Louis Cardinals OVER 7

I know this is a steep price, but this is why we are parlaying this with the OVER. Just from a stats and trends standpoint alone, this is a monumental mis-match. Colorado is only 6-52 as an underdog of +151 or more. I don't think I've seen a record that bad. They are also just 8-22 their last 30 as an underdog. To make matters worse for Colorado, Kyle Kendrick is pitching and he is beyond bad. The Rockies are 1-9 his last 10 road starts and he has not won a game as an underdog of +151 or more. I wouldn't be surprised one bit if St. Louis got to 7 by themselves here.

A simple rule in baseball is BET the Cardinals when they face RHP at home. It's as close to a sure thing as it gets. They are 53-18 their last 71 home games and 63-20 as a favorite of -200 or more. This team takes care of business. Michael Wacha has been getting hit a bit lately and has had trouble with the long ball in recent games. I do see this powerful Rockies line-up to be able to score some off Wacha. That doesn't worry me however, because I expect the Cardinals to get WAY more off Kendrick and that MISERABLE Colorado bullpen. Each team should be able to plate at least 3 tonight, but my money's on a complete Cardinal domination.

50* NATIONAL LEAGUE PARLAY OF THE YEAR

St. Louis Cardinals -209

I know this is a steep price, but this is why we are parlaying this with the OVER. Just from a stats and trends standpoint alone, this is a monumental mis-match. Colorado is only 6-52 as an underdog of +151 or more. I don't think I've seen a record that bad. They are also just 8-22 their last 30 as an underdog. To make matters worse for Colorado, Kyle Kendrick is pitching and he is beyond bad. The Rockies are 1-9 his last 10 road starts and he has not won a game as an underdog of +151 or more. I wouldn't be surprised one bit if St. Louis got to 7 by themselves here.

A simple rule in baseball is BET the Cardinals when they face RHP at home. It's as close to a sure thing as it gets. They are 53-18 their last 71 home games and 63-20 as a favorite of -200 or more. This team takes care of business. Michael Wacha has been getting hit a bit lately and has had trouble with the long ball in recent games. I do see this powerful Rockies line-up to be able to score some off Wacha. That doesn't worry me however, because I expect the Cardinals to get WAY more off Kendrick and that MISERABLE Colorado bullpen. Each team should be able to plate at least 3 tonight, but my money's on a complete Cardinal domination.