Indiana @ Orioles

I am going to take the Indians to register the win over the Orioles this evening.

Indians starter Josh Tomlin is in great shape at the moment, he is 10-2 for the year and over his last eight starts he has an ERA of 2.89.

Orioles starter Kevin Gausman is also in decent form, however, he is susceptible to having a bad game, certainly more so than Tomlin and against the Indian batters he will need to be on top of his game.

Both sides are more than capable of smashing in runs and so for me the only difference between the sides is the starting pitchers and that is where the Indians have edge at this time.

All things considered I am going for an Indian win.

Phillies @ Pittsburgh

The Phillies were a big winner for me yesterday, however, I will be opposing them tonight and take the Pirates to beat them and beat them well.

Phillies pitcher may have had a good game last time out, but it will take more than one game to erase his appalling form before that and I am far from convinced that he is back to his best yet.

Pirates pitcher Tyler Glasnow will be making his home debut and of course he has a lot to prove, but I am confident he will do just fine this evening and will be able to contain the Phillies batters, he will have come on from his loss against the Cardinals.

I am confident that the Pirates batters will do better than they did last night and there are just as many question marks over the Phillies pitcher as there is over the Pirates pitcher.

It is the Pirates for me this evening by at least 2 runs.

Portland Timbers v LA Galaxy

A game to look forward to between the Timbers and Galaxy and I am going with Portland to emerge the winners.

In the MLS Portland have finally got their act together after an appalling start to the season, they are now on a nine game unbeaten run and at home have won four of their last five and drawn the other game, that is 13 points from a possible 15.

On the other hand, LA Galaxy on the road have been poor recently, they did beat Seattle last time away, however that was only their second win all season on the road and their first in their last six road games.

Now, LA did beat Portland 1-0 recently in the US Open Cup at Providence Park, but I am happy to leave that to one side, cup games are always different to league games and are best treated in isolation.

The home form of Portland against the road form of LA is enough to sway me, I accept that overall LA are also in decent form, they are unbeaten in their last five MLS fixtures, but I cannot get away from their poor away form against a resurgent Portland.

Take Portland to win.

Real Salt Lake v San Jose Earthquakes

Real Salt Lake host San Jose Earthquakes at the Rio Tinto Stadium in Utah tonight and I am backing this game to end in a draw.

Real Salt Lake have drawn four of their last five games at home in the MLS, they are struggling to win games on their home turf no matter who the opponent is.

San Jose have drawn four of their last eight away games, they have lost the other four it must be noted, but regardless, drawing 50% of your away games is a developing pattern.

It must be said that the home side have not lost at home this season and the away side have not won on the road, but there are simply too many draws to ignore.

Take the draw

Rays @ Athletics

I am going with overs in this one between the Rays and the A's at the Colisuem tonight.

This one is really about the starters for me, both pitchers are inconsistent at best, they can put in some excellent innings but they can also give up runs.

As well as the inconsistency of the starters I am confident that the batters on both team can smack the ball around the park today, they are definitely capable and if the pitchers are not on their game then expect that to happen.

For me I am more inclined to back runs because of the pitchers starting and the capabilities of the batters as opposed to the pitchers containing the batters.

Dodgers @ Cardinals

I am backing the Dodgers to not only break the Cardinals four game winning streak but to do it by at least two runs.

The Cardinals are in form, they have won four on the bounce and are 7-3 over their last ten games, they have to be respected, but there are a good few reasons why they should be opposed this evening.

For starters they are not as effective at home as they are on the road, their losing record at home shows that, secondly the Dodgers are no walkovers, they have a decent record, they sit a clear second in the National league West and got back to winning ways yesterday against the Nationals.

Then we have the starting pitchers, the Dodgers Brandon McCarthy is in excellent form since his surgery and I expect him to maintain his momentum.

The same cannot be said about the Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha who matched his shortest outing this season against the Marlins on Sunday.

All things considered I am taking the Dodgers to win and win by at least two runs.

Tigers @ White Sox

I take the White Sox to do themselves justice this evening and if not beat the Tigers, stay very close to them.

The White Sox pitcher Jacob Turner has a huge question mark over his head that is for sure, however, if he performs well, which is very possible, then the odds on the White Sox would tumble.

Turner did have a nightmare debut but he will come on for that experience and I fully expect a better innings tonight.

Tigers Michael Fulmer is clearly in white hot form, he has a 0.83 ERA over his last ten starts, he has a win record of 7-1 and so it is no surprise that the Tigers are the favourites when you compare the pitchers, but as stated above, I expect more from Turner and Fulmer is unlikely to maintain his current form.

I am not saying that the White Sox will win this one, what I am saying is that I do not expect the Tigers to better them by 2 runs or more, if indeed the Tigers win.

Diamondbacks @ Reds

Two sides that are propping up their respective divisions, but it is the Reds that I see coming out on top against the Diamondbacks.

Arizona are on a two game losing streak, they have won just three times in their last ten outings and even though their starting pitcher Archie Bradley is in half decent form at the moment I see very little evidence that a turnaround in fortunes is on the cards.

The Reds are not doing much better but they are 5-5 in their last ten outings and their pitcher Dan Straily is in very good form at this moment in time.

All things considered I am taking the Reds to win this one and to win it comfortably.

Twins @ Red Sox

I see a ton of runs in this game and will be very disappointed if this pick does not come in.

The Red Sox are in awesome form, they are 9-1 over their last ten games and just love to whack that ball as their 13-2 win over the Twins showed yesterday.

The Twins are not doing so bad at the moment considering where they are in the standings, they are 5-5 over their last tens games and will be hopeful of getting some runs on the scoreboard against the Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodruguez, who has a ERA of 7.18 this year, albeit he did put in a stellar performance against the Yankees.

Bottom line is this, neither starting pitcher is on fire and the Red Sox love to hit the ball, everything points to overs and that is what I am going with.

Phillies @ Pirates

I am going with the Phillies to upset the odds and register a win at the Pirates this evening.

Phillies pitcher Zach Eflin is in good form at the moment, he has a 2,56 ERA over his last six starts and another quality start is expected from him today.

Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole has not long returned from the disabled list and he was not at his best in his first start back and there is no guarantee that he will be back to his best tonight.

All things considered I am going for a surprise win here, the current circumstances favour the Phillies and they are worth backing in this one.

Mariners @ Blue Jays

I am taking the Blue Jays to win this one and to win it by at least a couple of runs.

Blue Rays pitcher Marco Estrada is back from a 15 day DL and as long as he is fine then expect a big innings from him, he has been in good form this year and I expect that form to be on show tonight.

Mariners James Paxton is not in good form, he has a ERA of 5.54 over his last six starts and I can see the Blue Jays hitters having a right go at him today.

The Blue Jays are in good shape at the moment, they are on a three game winning streak and I see them extending that to four tonight.

Brann v Aalesund

A little bit of a mismatch here when you look at the respective home and away records of these two.

In league games Brann have won their last six straight home games, they have conceded just one goal in those six games and scored ten.

Aalesund have lost four of their last six away games, drawn one and won one, they have conceded eleven and scored five, in their last two away games they have allowed four goals in each game.

In better words, at home Brann are formidable, away from home Aalesund are vulnerable to a thrashing.

I am taking Brann to win this one and to cover the spread, I really cannot see Aalesund getting anything at all from this match.

Atlanta Braves @ Colorado Rockies

I am going with Atlanta to beat the Rockies this evening at Coors Field

Rockies pitcher Chad Bettis is at best inconsistent, he is capable of putting in a good performance but more often than not he does not, he may have a win record of 7-6 but for me that is slightly misleading.

Atlanta's Mike Foltynewicz is in good form, he has a ERA of 3.70 this year and is more likely to put in a good performance than what Bettis will for the Rockies.

This is basically about the pitchers for me and I am confident that Foltynewicz will be the better tonight.

Braves to win.

Miami Marlins @ Philadelphia Phillies

I am going for a Phillies win this evening and expect them to win by a couple of runs.

Miami pitcher Tom Koehler is not having the best of times, his last four starts have seen an ERA of 7.88 and I am not convinced that he is set to turn the corner.

Phillies pitcher Jerad Eickhoff by comparison is in good form, his last nine outings have him on an ERA of 3.42 and last Saturday he only allowed 2 runs off six innings against the Mets.

Basically a tale of two pitchers, one in form, one not and I am backing the pitcher on form to drive his side to a win.

Phillies to win and to win by at least two runs.

Milwauke Brewers @ Pittsburgh Pirates

Going for the outsider in this one and taking the Brewers to grab the win, mainly because I feel that Matt Garcia will dominate the pitching for the Brewers.

Garcia is close to getting it right, he may have struggled this year but the signs are that he is on the verge of putting in a strong innings and I am confident we will see a better Garcia this evening.

Pirates pitcher Francisco Liriano is hardly doing better than Garcia this year and to be fair he is showing signs also of getting it right, but I just do not feel that he is any more likely to play well than Garcia.

Looking at the odds and the state of both pitchers I am going with the Brewers to get the win and defy the odds.

Hearts v Birkirkara

I was slightly surprised by the 0-0 scoreline in the first leg between these two teams, Hearts should have won and I fully expect them to put that right this evening.

I have watched the Maltese side live in Malta, I know Maltese football and their level is far lower than the Scottish Premiership.

Scottish club football is not good I accept that, but it is of a higher standard than Maltese football, this is not guesswork, this opinion is based on me spending 3 years in Malta and watching their football week in week out.

If Hearts play to their level then they will win this one, of course shocks happen, we have seen so many recently, but it would be a huge shock to me if Hearts do not win this one comfortably.

I am taking Hearts to win this and to cover the spread.

Baltimore Orioles @ New York Yankees

You would think that by now I would have learned my lesson with this series having been on the wrong side three times now, I am confident that I will get it right this time round.

The reason I am confident that I have the right pick this time out is because of the difference in the pitchers.

The Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia is in rotten form, since June 22nd he has a ERA of 7.94 and I see no evidence that he is set to improve on that, not after his last start when he gave up five runs in 5 1.3 innings.

Compare that with Orioles pitcher Chris Tillman, who has a win record this year of 13-2 and an overall 3.29 ERA and you can see why I am confident that the Orioles will get the win today.

The only worry I have is the Orioles hitters, they need to step up to the plate today and with Sabathia pitching against them I am confident they will.

All things considered I am going for an elusive Baltimore win.

Stromsgodset v Sonderjyske

Two teams from Scandinavia clash in the second leg of the Europa League qualifiers in a game that should produce goals.

The first leg finished 2-1 in favour of Denmark's Sonderjyske, which means that Norway's Stromsgodset have that all important away goal.

I watch Scandinavian football a lot, I regularly pick games from Norway, Sweden and occasionally Denmark and know how these teams play and I find it difficult to believe that Stromsgodset will keep a clean sheet, I am positive that Sonderjyske will score at least once and wipe out the Norwegian sides away goal advantage.

I also feel that the home side will probably win, the odds are not attractive enough for me to take that risk though, however, if I feel the home side will win and that the away side will score then logic follows that this game will end over 2.5 goals.

Based on my knowledge of Scandinavian football and how they play I am confident that there will be at least three goals in this game.

Take over 2.5 goals.

Odd v PAS Giannina

Norwegian outfit Odd host Greek side PAS Giannina in the second leg of the Europa league qualifier with PAS taking a 3-0 advantage with them to Norway.

Odd are much better than the 3-0 loss suggests, they also lost at the weekend in their domestic league 2-1 away to Bodo/Glimt and that was another bad defeat for them, they are second in the Norwegian league and they are in that position for a reason, but their last two results have betrayed their true level.

PAS will be looking to sit on their lead, that you can be certain of, they are not going to risk their lead by attacking and leaving themselves exposed at the back, so I see a game with one team attacking and the other defending.

I fully expect Odd to win this one, I doubt they will overcome the three goal deficit, that will take some doing, but I expect them to give it a real go.

I am backing Odd to win this one and to get close to PAS goal supremacy and therefore will take the Norwegian outfit to win and cover the spread.

Odd -1

LA Dodgers @ Washington Nationals

I like the look of the Nationals for this one and will be taking them to get the win and cover the spread.

Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias is not in the best of form and is inconsistent at best, I feel there is more chance of him giving up runs today than containing the Nationals hitters.

Washington pitcher Stephen Strasburg is in great form, he is 13-0 this year and there is no reason to think that this will be the game that he finally loses.

All things considered I am going for the Nats to win this one and win it by at least a couple of runs.

Rangers @ Angels

I am taking the Angels to win this one and to win it by at least two runs.

This one is basically about one pitcher in form and one pitcher not in form.

The Rangers pitcher Martin Perez has given up 17 runs in his last two starts, whatever way you slice it, that is not good.

The Angels Hector Santiago is in good form at present, he has been inconsistent this season, but it seems that he has found his momentum and I expect that to continue this evening.

Take the Angels to win by at least two runs.

Orioles @ Yankees

The last two nights I have gone with the Orioles to win and both times they have let me down, I am not going with them this evening and so of course they will probably register a win, but that will not effect the pick I am going with in this one.

I am going with overs this time, mainly because I do not have any confidence in the pitchers to put in a good game.

The Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda is only playing because the Yankees have no one to replace him, he has given up five runs in each of his last two starts and there is no evidence that he will be improving on that.

Baltimore pitcher Yovani Gallardo is inconsistent to say the least, he struggles to go deep into games and can take forever to close an innings out.

All things considered this game has overs written all over it.

Brewers @ Pirates

I am going with overs in this match up between the Brewers and Pirates.

The Brewer's pitcher Chase Anderson is in real bad shape at the moment, he has a 9.61 ERA over his last five starts and unless there is a massive turnaround in fortune it is hard to see him putting in a decent performance tonight.

The Pirates Jeff Locke is no world beater either this season, he has been up and down and he is more than capable of giving up runs this evening.

With almost zero confidence in the respective pitchers I am going for overs in this one.

Dodgers @ Nationals

I like the look of Washington in this one and am going with them to beat the Dodgers and to beat them with a bit in hand.

The Nationals Gio Gonzalez has a very good record against the Dodgers, over four games he has a 1.73 ERA and I am confident he will maintain that run this evening.

The Dodgers Bud Norris has been pushed up for this one and while he has been consistent since he arrived from Atlanta in a trade he still seems to struggle when up against the Nationals. In April Norris, then with Atlanta, gave up eight runs over 12 innings in two starts, when you compare that with Gonzalez record against the Dodgers you can see the difference.

Bottom line for me is that I take the Nationals to better the Dodgers by at least two runs.

Blue Jays @ Diamondbacks

Arizona host Toronto at Chase field today and I am going for runs in this one.

Basically we have a pair of pitchers that are more than capable of giving up runs as their recent games have shown.

The Blue Jays Marcus Stroman gave up seven runs last time out and while he can also pitch an excellent game, you just cannot rely on him.

The Diamondbacks Patrick Corbin is no better, he has a ERA of 8.35 over his last four games and loves giving up home runs.

All things considered I am going for over 9 runs in this one.

Rays @ Rockies

I take the Rockies to emerge the winners in this match up with the Rays.

This one is basically about the pitchers for me, I lack serious confidence in the Rays Chris Archer to put in a consistent innings and it is no surprise that he has the most losses in baseball this year.

The Rockies Jorge De La Rosa is in good form at the moment, over his last six outings he has a ERA of 2.68 and unless there is a dramatic down turn in form I expect him to put in another good performance today.

All things considered I am going for a Rockies win.

Padres @ Cardinals

I am looking for the Cardinals to deliver for me for the second game running and not only beat the Padres, but to beat the by at least two runs.

This one for me is all about the Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez, I fully expect him to be the dominant pitcher today and to put in yet another stellar performance, he is in great form and with the hitters backing him up against the Padres pitcher Colin Rea, I am really confident that the Cardinals will win this one with a bit in hand.

Rea is capable of putting in a good innings but it would be a surprise for me if tonight is the night that he puts in a top performance.

All things considered I am going with the Cardinals to win by 1.5 runs.

White Sox @ Mariners

I am taking the White Sox to claim the win over the Mariners at Safeco field this evening.

Basically what we have here is an all star pitcher for the White Sox in Jose Quintana going up against a pitcher that has lost his last four starts.

The Mariners pitcher Wade Miley allowed 10 hits and 4 runs over 5 1/3 innings last time out and he will have to improve significantly if he is to get the better of Quintana tonight and I simply do not see that happening.

Now, I do accept that the White Sox have lost their last five games but all losing streaks eventually come to an end and I believe the circumstances tonight give them a great chance to break that streak.

White Sox to win.

Astros @ Athletics

I am backing the Astros to get the better of the A's this evening at the Coliseum.

The Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel is in great form at the moment, he was gathering momentum going into the break and I see no reason why that will not continue now.

The Athletic pitcher Dillion Overton took a hiding in his last game and he is very vulnerable at this moment in time, he needs to get some solid innings under his belt before I can have any confidence in him.

This one is about the pitchers for me, I see Keuchel getting the better of Overton and my confidence in both of them are at the very opposite, I am very confident in Keuchel and have almost no confidence in Overton.

All things considered I am going for the Astros to win this one and win it comfortably.

Rangers @ Angels

I am going with overs in this one, mainly because both pitchers have a hell of a lot to prove and are more than capable of giving up a load of runs.

Both Texas pitcher Kyle Lohse and Angels pitcher Tim Lincecum have been taken to the cleaners recently, Lohse allowed six runs in five innings in his only start this year against the Twins on July 9th while Lincecum has a 6.85 ERA over four games this year.

There is of course the possibility that both pitchers will put in a good performance tonight, but for me it is more likely that both will give up runs than one or both having a great game.

All things considered I can see runs in this game and that is my pick.

Twins @ Tigers

I am going with the Twins to get the win this evening.

I have not been a fan of Twins pitcher Tommy Milone, but he has proven me wrong on a couple of occasions and I am coming round to liking him now, I expect him to put in a solid innings this evening to follow up from his recent impressive games.

Anibal Sanchez of the Tigers is not in good form, he had a poor first half of the season and until he shows that he has got things together I simply cannot follow him with any confidence.

This game is a about two pitchers, one in form and one not and that is what has persuaded me to go with a twins win.

Twins to win.

Orioles @ Yankees

I went for an Orioles win yesterday and they were the only one of my five picks to lose, I am confident that they will correct that this evening at Yankee Stadium and avenge the loss of yesterday.

The Orioles have targeted their pitcher Vance Worley for this game and will be expecting him to deliver a win, he is in good form and should put up a decent innings tonight.

Yankees pitcher Nathan Eovaldi is not putting up good numbers and there is no evidence to suggest that we will see a dramatic upturn in fortunes today.

Basically I see Worley putting in a much better game than Eovaldi and therefore will be taking the Orioles to emerge the winners.

Orioles win

Marlins @ Phillies

I am going with over the overs in this match up between the Marlins and Phillies.

Both pitchers this evening have huge question marks against their names, neither fills me with any sort of confidence and I can see runs being knocked up throughout the game.

Marlins pitcher Jose Urena was only added to the rotation on Monday and his stats are hardly mind blowing, the batters will be looking to hit runs of Urena that is for sure.

Phillies pitcher Vince Valasquez can put in solid performances but he is vulnerable because of some dead arm issues  and it would be no surprise to see him give up a good few runs as well.

All things considered I am can see runs in this game because of the question marks over the pitchers and that is enough for me to plump for overs.

Over 8 runs

Rays @ Rockies

I am taking the Rockies to win this one with something to spare.

The Rockies pitcher Tyler Anderson has not given up more than 3 runs in any of his starts this season, a very good return.

Compare that with Drew Smyly who has a ERA of 5.47, with his recent form being poor and we have a case of one in form pitcher against an out of form pitcher.

All things considered I see the Rockies batters getting the better of Smyly while Anderson will contain the Rays Hitters.

Take the Rockies -1.5

Padres @ Cardinals 

I see the Cardinals winning this one and winning it well.

The Padres Christian Friedrich is in bad form posting a 7.20 ERA over his last three starts and he will have to improve significantly to get the better of the Cardinal batters this evening.

The Cardinals Mike Leake is in far better form than Friedrich, he had a great outing last time out and I do see him maintaining that form.

We have one pitcher in bad form against one pitcher in great form and that has lead me to believe that the Cardinals will win this one and win it in a convincing manner.

Take the Cardinals -1.5

Braves @ Reds

I am looking for runs in this match up and am confident that there will be more than 9

Atlanta's Matt Wisler is in poor form on the road at the moment, in his last two road starts he has an ERA of 14.00 and unless he turns his road form round I see him giving up runs today.

The Reds Brandon Finnegan is giving up runs at the moment on a regular basis and just like Wisler, he needs to show there has been a turnaround in his form.

Considering the pitchers on display this evening I am confident that there will be runs scored and am therefore going for over 9 runs.

Orioles @ Yankees

I am going with the Orioles to overcome the Yankees this evening.

Baltimore have made sure that Kevin Gausman would be the pitcher this game because of his record against them and that is a positive sign.

The Yankees pitcher Ivan Nova is not in goof form, he had a poor game last time against Baltimore allowing 5 runs and there is no reason to think he will put in a stellar performance this evening.

All things considered I am going for Baltimore to get the win

Mets @ Cubs 

I am taking the Cubs to take care of the Mets this evening and grab the win.

Not only do I believe that the Cubs will win but I am fairly confident they will cover the spread as well.

The Cubs Jon Lester does well at home, yes he had a bad game against the Mets last time out, but for me that was a blip unlikely to be repeated today, he has a 2.32 ERA at home and I fully expect him to put in a good game.

Steven Matz is very capable, but he is also vulnerable and I simply do not have the confidence in him to withstand the Cubs batters, I have more confidence in Lester than I do Matz and that is the deciding factor for me.

All things considered I am going for the Cubs to win by at least 2 runs.

Gefle v Kalmar

Bottom side Gefle welcome 11th position Kalmar in the Swedish Allsvenskan today.

Gefle are woeful, they have lost their last 8 games and are almost certain to be relegated, they have not won a single game at home and are a club in deep crisis.

Kalmar are unbeaten in their last five league games, drawing 3 and winning twice and they have won their last two away games.

So you can see the clear difference between the teams and initially I was tempted to go for Kalmar to win, everything is in their favour, however they do tend to draw and even though they are playing the worst team in the league, it is still a worry.

Having analysed the two teams I have decided that I will go for over 2.5 goals.

For this pick I am going for over 2.5 goals as I think that Gefle will score.

Jonkopings Sodra v Djurgarden

I fancy the home team to scrape the win in a game between two very out of form teams.

Neither team fills me with that much confidence, but the form of the way side is that bad that the pendulum does swing towards Jonkopings Sodra.

Jonkopings Sodra have just lost once from their six home games, however they have drawn on three occasions, but they are playing a team that has not drawn on the road and lost five times, winning just twice.

The form of both teams is also poor, both have managed just 3 points from a possible 18 over their last six games.

The draw does seem an attractive option, but the fact that Djurgarden have not drawn a single away game and Jonkopings only losing once at home has swung it for me that a home win is the most likely result.

All things considered I am going for a home win.

Gefle v Kalmar

Bottom side Gefle welcome 11th position Kalmar in the Swedish Allsvenskan today.

Gefle are woeful, they have lost their last 8 games and are almost certain to be relegated, they have not won a single game at home and are a club in deep crisis.

Kalmar are unbeaten in their last five league games, drawing 3 and winning twice and they have won their last two away games.

So you can see the clear difference between the teams, Kalmar have everything is in their favour, however they do tend to draw and even though they are playing the worst team in the league, it is still a worry.

That said, the most likely winner will be Kalmar.

For this pick I am going for Kalmar to win, I am worried about the draw but I am of the opinion that there is more of a chance of an away win than a draw.

Kalmar to win

Montreal Impactv New York City

This game has draw written all over it and that is what I will be backing in this game.

Montreal could in theory go second behind New York if they can grab the win and will be very aware of that, however they also know that they do not want to lose this game and see City open up a seven point lead.

Montreal at home are very strong, they have lost just the once in eight games, however, it must be noted that they have drawn three of those eight home games and so in 50% of their home games they have not won.

New York City sit atop the Eastern Conference, they have a very good away record, winning five times, drawing once and losing on three occasions, however, the fact that they have lost three times on the road does show that is where they are vulnerable.

Basically, Montreal do draw a lot at home, New York are decent away but not world beaters and with so much at stake I see a conservative game with the draw the most likely outcome.

Blue Jays @ Athletics

I like the look of the A's in this one and am going for them to get the win, sweep the Blue Jays and cover the spread.

Two good pitchers on display today and an entertaining battle awaits us, however I feel that the Oakland pitcher Rich Hill has the edge on Blue Jays pitcher J.A Happ, and I also feel that the Oakland batters are in better current form.

Hill will be looking to showcase his skills as he is soon to become a free agent and a big game is expected from him, Happ is also very capable of putting in a stellar performance, but I just do not see him having the same motivation in comparison to Hill

Prior to this series all the stats pointed to a Blue Jays dominance, but the A's are showing that they intend to push harder in the second half then the first half of the season and will hope that if they can sweep the Blue Jays that it will start the momentum they have been lacking this season.

I am going for an Oakland win and for them to win by a couple.

Portland Timbers v Seattle Sounders

Intriguing match up in prospect between Portland and Seattle, but I am fairly confident that Portland will emerge the winners.

Portland have come back to form after a very poor start to the season, they are now on a 8 game unbeaten run in the MLS, albeit with 5 draws, but considering their start to the season the Timbers will take that, though they will now be looking to get more wins than draws as they push on for the rest of the season.

Seattle got their first win in five games last week when they crushed Dallas 5-0, however, that was at home and their away record is hardly something to shout about, they have won just once from eight away games this season and that is the main reason they sit second bottom in the Western Conference.

All things considered I am going for the home win, Portland are on a good run while Seattle cannot buy an away win.

Sarpsborg 08 v Lillestrom

I like the look of the draw in this one.

On paper Sarpsborg are the favourites, however, looking closer at their stats and the stats of Lillestrom and a case can be made for the draw.

Sarpsborg are unbeaten in their last six games at home, they have drawn three and won three, however, two of those wins have been by a single goal, only once have they won convincingly.

Lillestrom away record looks a little poor, however they drew their last away game at Sogndal who are in good form at the moment and their two away games before that, both losses, were to the top team and team in 3rd place in the league, prior to that they won away at Odd 3-1, who are second in the league.

Point is this, three of Lillstrom's last four away games have included playing the top 3 and yet they win one and lost two, they also drew with 8th placed Sogndal, again, above them.quite a decent return considering who they were playing.

Sarpsborg do have a decent home record, but it is not formidable and Lillestrom are not as bad away from home as it first appears.

All things considered I am going for the draw

Rockies @ Braves

This pick may seem a strange one considering the odds but this is all about the pitchers for me and I am fairly confident that Atlanta will not only win but win by a couple of runs at least.

I accept that Atlanta are woeful at home, there is no getting away from that, but in Julio Teheran they have a fantastic pitcher and I am expecting a top innings from him today, he is over his thigh infection which was the cause for his recent poor outings.

The Rockies turn to Jon Gray and the truth is that he is not in the same bracket as Teheran, he is doing better, but his record this season has not been good, he may have broken his streak of giving up home runs but there is every chance that was just a blip, lets see.

It may be a stretch going for the Braves to give up 1.5 runs and the odds show that to be the case, but I feel good about this one. 

All things considered I am going for Atlanta -1.5 runs

Brewers @ Reds

I did the overs in this one yesterday and it came good, I am taking the exact same position again today.

There are two consistent pitchers on display today but for me I am of the opinion that the batters can get the better of them today, if not both, at least one and I would not be surprised to see one of the pitchers taken to the cleaners.

Both Pitchers are capable of putting in a good innings and that would obviously put the overs pick at risk, but the truth is I just do not see that happening.

All things considered I am going over 9 runs in this one.

Bodø /Glimt v Odd

Looking at the table and the respective home and away records it would be easy to go for an away win, however I am not so sure that is the best way to go in this game.

Odd are second in the table and will go within one point of the leader Rosenborg, so they are clearly motivated but their away record is not as convincing as it should be for a team in their position.

Lets have a quick look at their away record, they beat Valerenga last week 1-0 but Valerenga are in the relegation zone, previous to that they drew away at Sarpsborg, previous to that they lost 3-1 at Haugesund, their record prior to that was ok winning three and drawing once, but their recent away record is not that convincing.

Bodo/Glint at home are not great I admit, but last week they drew at home with the league leaders Rosenborg, their first game back from the summer break and that could signal a change n fortune, previous to the break their home record was not great at all, racking up 4 losses in and draw in their five home games before the break, though before that they did win twice at home at the start of the season.

For me this is about the return from the summer break, Bodo Glint have returned in excellent form, drawing at home to Rosenborg and then last week winning away 4-1. Odd have also returned from the break in winning form and that leads me to believe a draw is the best pick here.

Basically Bodo Glint after the break are in excellent form and Odd away from home are beatable, however Odd have returned from the break winning both their games and they are second, so while I do think Bodo/Glint are in great form, I am not sure they have enough to beat Odd and visa verse.

All things considered I am going for a draw.

Stabæk v Brann

Two teams with very poor records at home and away respectively, however there is an opening here for a very good pick.

Brann are the better team, they are 5th in the table compared to Stabaek in 13th and the teams are separated by a massive 13 points.

That said, Brann have lost their last four away games in the league, they have not scored a single goal in those four games but they did bounce back to form last week at home beating Valerenga by a significant 4-1.

Stabaek also won last week, away from home beating Lillestrom 2-1, seems they are a better side playing away from home, but alas, they are at home and their record there is appalling. They have lost four of their last five home games and one win in five is not good by anyone's standards.

All things considered I am going with Brann to snap their losing streak away from home, they showed last week that they are in good form and while Stabaek also won last week I cannot get away from the fact that they appear more comfortable on the road.

Brann to win.

Brewers @ Reds

This game has runs written all over it and I am definitely going over 9.5 runs in this game.

These two are propping up the NLC and are having very mediocre seasons, the Brewers are on a three game losing streak while the Reds are not in much better form despite beating the Brewers last night.

The Brewers pitcher Jimmy Nelson is in good form it must be said and if he extends his recent run of solid games then the overs could be in danger, but it is a big if and I would not be surprised if his recent run stalls this evening.

The Reds pitcher John Lamb is simply in bad form, he has had just one decent game in the last six and has been giving up runs regular.

The only danger in my eyes to the overs is if Nelson puts in another stellar game, otherwise the overs looks a good thing to me.

All things considered I am going over 9.5 runs

Orioles @ Rays

I am taking Baltimore to win this one and win it comfortably by at least a couple of runs.

The stats speak for themselves, The Rays are on a seven game losing streak while the Orioles are on a 3 game winning streak.

I have also come round to liking Chris Tillman a little more recently and have more confidence in him pitching a good game than I do in the Rays Matt Moore.

Considering the difference in their present form and the pitchers on display I really do fancy Baltimore to win this one and cover the spread and that will be my pick.

Baltimore -1.5

Astros @ Mariners

I going with over 8 runs between these two today.

The respective pitchers have question marks against their names and that gives me good reason to think there will be runs in this particular match up.

Mariners pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma has a very poor record against the Astros and even though he is pitching well it still gives me cause for concern.

Astros pitcher Lance McCullers does well against the Mariners but he had a poor game against the Athletics last time out, another cause for concern.

All things considered I am going for over 8 runs.

Norrkoping v Ostersunds FK

I fully expect Norrkoping to get all three points today against Ostersunds

Norrkoping are challenging for the title, if they win today they will go joint top with Malmo, in fact if they win by four goals (unlikely), they would go clear top on goal difference.

Norrkoping are unbeaten at home this season, winning five and drawing the other game, they are turning their home stadium into a fortress.

Ostersunds are nine points and seven places below Norrkoping, they have won just once on the road this season and it would take a great leap of faith to believe they will get their second away win of the season against Norrkoping.

All things considered I am going for a home win

Sogndal @ Valerenga

Interesting game and at the start of the season I would have had Valerenga as a banker in this game, but that is nowhere near the case at this time.

Sogndal have surprised me this season, they are doing far better than I thought they would, they are unbeaten in their last eight Elitesreien games and in their last match beat Molde, one of the top Norwegian sides, 4-3.

Valerenga sit ten points behind Sogndal and have lost their last two matches, they sit second bottom and are facing a relegation dog fight unless they get their act together.

Valerenga are better than what they have shown this season, but unless they start to play better they will be relegated and they will only have themselves to blame.

Sogndal have a very average away record that must be said, two wins, two draws and three losses, but in all fairness that is better than what I would have expected.

All Valerenga's wins this season have come at home, but even then they have lost more times at home than they have won, winning three and losing four.

Even though Valerenga have not drawn at home this season I am of the opinion that is what will happen today, I will explain why.

Sogndal are in form, Valerenga are not, but I am not convinced that Sogndal will get the win today. That said, I am in no way convinced that Valerenga will win either, Sogndal have the better form, but I cannot ignore the fact that their away record is average.

All things considered I am going for the draw in this one.

Palmeiras v Santos

First plays seventh at the Allianz Parque in Sao Paulo this evening with the home side looking to extend their lead to three points.

Palmeiras are unbeaten at home, in fact they have won every single game in Serie A at home, whereas Santos have won just twice on the road from seven away games.

Therefore the home and away statistics do point to a clear home win, but not everything is as it seems.

Palmeiras are top because of that home record, they have lost more times away than what they have won on the road, now I understand they are at home and so their away form should not be relevant, but it shows me that they are beatable, they are not dominating the league and in fact, if Santos did win they would be within three points of Palmeiras.

Now, I do have Palmeiras as the most likely to win this game, but it would be folly to dismiss Santos out of hand, they could spring a surprise here.

And therein lies my problem with picking Palmeiras outright, there is just too much risk for me to do that, however that does not mean there is no pick to be had, there is, one I am confident in.

I am confident that this game will end in over 2.5 goals and I will tell you why.

Four of Palmeiras home games have had at least three goals in them, three of Santos away games have finished with 3 or more goals, so overall between both sides, when playing home and away respectively 50% of the games have had 3 or more goals, not enough to plump for overs based on that, but this is what swung it for me.

On current form (last six league games) both sides have an over 3 goals per game average, Palmeiras have had 21 goals in their games and Santos have had 20 and it is current form that I find most relevant.

But there is more, Palmeiras want the win to go clear top while Santos want to close to within 3 points of the leaders, both have huge motivation, both have something to play for and both will want to win.

I expect both teams to score at least once and I do expect a winner to emerge, probably Palmeiras.

Finally, this is a Sao Paulo derby and that means passions will be high and that could effect the outcome as well.

All things considered I am going over 2.5 goals.

Arizona @ San Francisco

I like the look of the Giants in this one and will be backing them to get the win this evening.

I really like the Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner and I can see him putting in a stellar performance this evening.

Arizona's Archie Bradley is not in good form, he has a 5.73 ERA against San Francisco and I can see the Giants batters taking him on big time.

All things considered I see the Giants batters putting on the runs and Bumgarner containing the Arizona hitters and all this points to a convincing San Francisco win.

All things considered the Giants to win by at least two runs.

New York RB v Portland Timbers

A few weeks ago it would have been easy to pick the Red Bulls to come out on top in this match up, that is no longer the case.

The Red Bulls form is dipping while Portland are finally starting to find some momentum.

The Red Bulls have not won in their last three MLS fixtures, albeit they were on the road each time, but not winning can become a habit just as winning can.

The Timbers are on a six match unbeaten run in MLS, they have won their last three home games and drawn their last three road games, they are in good form and will be confident they will be able to come away from this game with at least a point.

I share that confidence and will be backing Portland to cover the spread.

Portugal v France

Finally we are at the last game of the Euro 2016 tournament and it pits the home nation against a Ronaldo inspired Portugal.

I have not rated Portugal throughout this tournament and I am not going to start now, the fact is I believe they are very lucky to be in the final, they had an easy draw throughout and scraped through most games, they are over reliant on one player and I am very very confident they will not end the night lifting the trophy.

France have a huge advantage playing in Paris, but I am positive they would have beaten this Portuguese outfit in Lisbon, never-mind Paris.

France have a better team, they may not have the best player, but Ronaldo apart, I would struggle to pick any Portuguese player ahead of a French player in the same position.

All things considered I am going for a French win.

Twins @ Rangers

The overs has been set quite high on this one but I am confident that there will be runs in this game and that this pick will be a winner.

I watched Tony Milone against the A's and was impressed, he cost me in that game as I did not expect him to put in such a good game, that however is the key to this game, will he put in a second good game or will he revert to form, I am not sure he will do it a second time in a row, one good game does not make a season and he has a long way to go for me.

Rangers pitcher A.J Griffin is not in good form since returning from the DL list and my confidence in him putting in an efficient game this evening is low.

Basically neither pitcher fills me with confidence and I confident this game will end over 10.5 runs

Athletics @ Astro's

The Oakland pitcher Sean Manaea was responsible for me losing last time he started and I have little confidence that he will be any better this evening.

Dallas Keuchel does give me more confidence than Manaea that is for sure, but he blows hot and cold for me and he is just as liable to giving up runs as Manaea is.

I see the batters coming out on top in this one and therefore will be backing the overs.

Lillestrøm v Stabæk

A match up between two fairly poor teams and for me this was a case of which team was the poorest and most likely to lose and that without doubt is Stabaek.

Stabaek have won just once on the road all season and have lost on five occasions, they are not what one would describe as formidable on the road.

Lillestrom are not the greatest team at home either, however they have only lost twice at their own stadium in seven games, which is not too bad for a mediocre outfit.

Neither team is in good form either, but the home form of Lillextrom is simply better than the away form of Stabaek and there is nothing to indicate that will change in this particular game, therefore I am going to confidently back Lillestrom to get the better of Stabaek today

Odd v Aalesund

Very hard to see anything other than a clear home win today

Odd are second in the table, have lost just once at their home ground all season and are in very good form at the moment, collecting 10 points from 12 in their last four league games.

Aalesund are fourth from bottom, have won just once away all season and are in very poor form, winning just once in their last seven league games.

The spread has been set quite high, but I am confident that Odd can cover it, I fully expect them to win this game and it is more probable for me that they will win by at least 2 goals than not.

Kalmar v AIK

An interesting match up between two decent sides and it is the away side that I can see collecting all three points.

AIK have played on the road six times this season wining on four occasions, that is a 66% win rate, a decent return for any team in almost any league.

Kalmar have a 2-2-2 record at home, as mixed a record as you can get, but it must be said, winning just twice at home is nothing to write home about.

AIK are the team in far better form, in fact, over the last six games only Malmo have a better league record than AIK.

Kalmar will not be walkovers, but I am more confident in this game either being a draw or a win for AIK than a win for Kalmar and will be taking AIK to cover the spread.

Helsingborg v Elfsborg

This game looks like it will be a tight affair

Helsingborg are quite steady at home, They have won three times, drawn once and lost twice on their home ground, however that draw and one of those losses came in their last two home games, both before the break in the season.

Elfsborg are not world beaters on the road, they have won twice from seven away games, drawn once and lost four times, they entered the break drawing three times and losing once, in better words in their last four games they were winless.

Overall, Elfsborg have the better recent form, however, their away form is simply no better than Helsingborg home form and both sides entered the season break in poor form.

It is hard to see a winner emerging in this one and therefore I am plumping for the draw, that seems the most likely outcome in this one and represents excellent value.

Cubs @ Pirates

It is tempting to back the Cubs in this one but their form of late and the amount of times they have lost when hot favourites means my confidence in them has taken a hit of late.

The Pirates are in good form at the moment, they beat the Cubs 8-4 yesterday and will be confident they can rack up another win, but just as with the Cubs, I have little confidence in backing them.

What I do have confidence in is runs, I do see both these sides putting runs on the scoreboard and I am of the opinion that the overs has been set to low.

The Cubs Jon Lester must be low in confidence after an astonishingly poor performance against the Mets lasting only 1 1/3 innings giving up eight runs, of course he is a top pitcher and can easily bounce back, but we have been saying that about the Cubs for a while now.

Chad Kuhl for the Pirates is a capable pitcher and may or may not put in a decent performance tonight, but I have more confidence in the batters than the pitchers in this one and that is why I am going for the overs.

All things considered I am going for over 8.5 runs

Reds @ Marlins

I am going overs on this one as I am fairly confident that the batters will come out on top against the Pitchers.

The Red's John Lamb had a rotten game last Sunday against the Nationals and cannot stop giving up walks, I see no reason to believe that he will all of a sudden put in a brilliant performance today.

The Marlin's Adam Conley is in much better form of late and is capable of putting in a decent innings and is the one big hurdle to this pick coming in, but I do expect him to give up some runs which I believe will assist in pushing the runs total over 9.

All things considered I am going for over 9 runs in this one.

Athletics @ Astros

Two decent pitchers on show today but they are not enough to put me off backing overs in this match up between the A's and Astros.

I actually expect Houston to win but it is hardly rocket science to make that call, they are clear favourites, however they did lose last night against the A's so nothing is certain.

And it is because of last night that I can see there being a bunch of runs today, that game had 19 runs in it and that tells me that the batters have momentum.

There may well be two decent pitchers starting today but my feeling is that they are up against batters with the bit between their teeth and I expect those batters to come out on top today in another high scoring game.

All things considered I am going for over 8.5 runs.

Seattle Sounders v LA Galaxy

I like the look of Seattle in this one and will be going for them to grab the win.

LA Galaxy are rather poor on the road, they have won just once in their last 13 road games in the MLS, they have won just once this season away from home and there is very little sign that they will be improving on that record anytime soon.

Seattle are hardly formidable at home I do admit, they have lost their last two at CenturyLink Field, but they did win their four previous to that and when they are playing to form they tend to win at home and I am very confident they will play to form today.

I accept that LA won last week and Seattle have been struggling of late, but I am certain that the Sounders will get themselves motivated for this game and will take all three points against an out of sorts Galaxy side.

Seattle to win.

Sogndal v Molde

Before the season started I would have had Molde as a banker in this game, but I no longer can feel that way, the form of the respective teams means I no longer have Molde as any sort of banker, not the way they have been playing, especially on the road.

Sogndal have surprised me for a promoted team I must admit, they are organised and not an easy team to beat and at home they will not make it easy for Molde.

Molde lost at home to Viking last week, a shocking result and they will want to bounce back, but that does not mean they will.

On paper Molde are the better team, but they does not count if you are not playing to form.

Bottom line for me is that I accept Molde are the better team but I simply do not have the confidence in them that I once had, in fact I have more confidence in Sogndal, but not enough to pick them to win.

All things considered I am going for the draw in this one.

Brann v Valerenga

I like the look of over 2.5 goals in this game.

Before the season started I had expected Valerenga to have a decent campaign, the last thing I expected was to see them 3rd from bottom at this stage of the season, however, I do remain confident that they will be able to turn their season around and begin to move up the table.

Brann are fairly solid at home and are deserved favourites for this game, they will probably win it, but I do not see them keeping Valerenga at bay for the entire match.

Basically, I see goals in this game, Brann should win but I also see Valernega scoring so the logical pick is to go for over 2.5 goals.

Häcken v Hammarby

First game back for these two after the Swedish Allsvenskan break and I am going with Hacken to get the win.

Hacken sit in eighth spot while Hammarby are 3rd from bottom and even though only three points separate the two sides, Hacken are better placed to collect all three points.

Hacken have won their last two at home, while Hammarby have lost three of their last four on the road, drawing the other one.

In better words Hacken have momentum at home wile Hammarby continue to struggle on their travels as one point from their last 12 away shows.

All things considered I am going for the home win here.

Geflev Falkenberg

Clash of the bottom two here and the one thing that is certain about these two is that they are very close to being utterly useless.

That said, this is a fairly evenly matched contest, simply because before the break they could not buy a win, in fact they both lost their last six games in the league, like I say, they are both utterly useless.

But that does not mean that there is not a pick to be had in this one, there is.

I cannot see either team winning, they simply have not shown they are capable of winning and the fact that both of them have just one single win from 12 games respectively proves that, so what does that leave us with, it leaves us with the draw.

The more I think about it the more confident I am that this game will end all square, it is basic logic, if I cannot see either winning then it must simply be a draw and that is my pick.

Nationals @ Mets

On paper this looks like being a duel between the pitchers, thus the total runs being so low and I can understand why, but I am going with the overs and I will explain why.

Both pitchers are more than capable of having an off day, as an example on June 27th Syndergaard gave up 5 runs against the Nationals and was pulled after just three innings.

Another factor for me is that the batters on both sides are very capable, they can rack up the runs when they are in the mood, they are not one and two in their division for no reason.

It would not be a huge surprise for this to be a low scoring game considering the pitchers on show I admit, however, we are not talking about two pitchers taking on weak batting sides, it is exactly the opposite and I am not sure that has been taken into consideration as much as what it should have been.

All things considered I am going overs on this one

Tigers @ Blue Jays

It is really hard to go against Toronto tonight and I am not going to try.

Toronto are smashing it at the moment, they have won their last six games and five of those games have been by at least 2 runs, that is a statistic that is hard to ignore.

Detroit lost to Toronto last night, but it was just by the single run, making the Tigers the only side in Toronto's six game winning streak to not lose by 2 runs or more, but they still lost and just because they were within one run last night does not mean they will be tonight.

Detroit will have to play out of their skin to stop the Blue Rays tonight but unfortunately for them I do not feel that their pitcher Mike Pelfrey is the man to do that, he is in half decent form I agree, but against this Toronto outfit I see him struggling.

All things considered I am going for the Blue Rays to win this by at least 2 runs.

Start v Bodo/Glimt

A tricky game involving the bottom side against the 4th from bottom side in the Norwegian Eliteserien today.

Start have not won at home this season, they have drawn three time and lost four at their own stadium, they are on just six points out of a possible 42, in better words they are one poor team.

Bodo/Glimt are not that much better, they have massed just six points more than Start, they have managed one win and one draw on the road but lost their other four games.

However, there are clues that can help us determine the most probable winner of this game.

The Norwegian league has just returned from a five week break and on these occasions some teams return from a break a completely different side and even though they have only played one game a piece since the resumption one can already see a difference in one of the sides but not the other.

Start came back and lost, they basically carried on where they left off, it was an away game and it was against one of the top 6 sides, but it was a loss nonetheless.

Bodo/Glimt resumed their season with a home draw, but that home draw was against the league leaders Rosenborg, a very good result.

That tells me that Bodo/Glimt have come back in a positive state of mind, they can kick on from that result against Norway's top team, whereas Start are basically the same side they were before the break, they cannot have much confidence and it is hard to see them grabbing their first home win of the season.

All things considered I am going for Bodo/Glimt to cover the spread

Germany v France

Massive game for both sides with the winners going through to the final against Portugal.

France are naturally favourites, mainly because they are at home, however Germany are the World champions and remember what they did to Brazil in the world cup when the Brazilians were at home.

To be honest this one is very hard to call in terms of a winner, both sides are evenly matched and either team could end up the winner without it being a surprise.

That tells me that there is only one real pick to be had in this match up and that is the draw, for me the winner of this match will come in either extra time or on penalties and not in the 90 minutes.

All things considered I am backing the draw in this game.

Royals @ Blue Jays

I was happy to have called this one right yesterday and am confident that I will get the same result today.

The Royals pitcher Ian Kenndy is not in great form on the road, six of his seven losses this season have been on the road and he had a poor outing against the Phillies  last Friday giving up three runs over 5 innings.

Marcus Stroman has not had the best season either and while he is capable of putting in a first class outing, he is also very susceptible to giving up runs.

All things considered, I do see this game going over 9 runs

Portugal v Wales

I opposed Wales against Belgium and was surprised at the brilliant performance they put in, that was no shock result, they played brilliantly and fully deserved to win the game.

Portugal had to rely on penalties to beat Poland and the truth is that the Portuguese are lucky to be in the semi finals, they have not put in a single convincing performance and have grinded out their progress to this stage, unlike Wales, I do not feel that Portugal deserve to be here.

Based on what I have seen and I have seen every single minute of every single game at the Euro's, Wales are better than Portugal, they are better organised, they are more passionate and have more belief.

I have seen nothing that shows me that Portugal are anything other than a one man team, well, over reliant on one man, that does not apply to Wales, who work as a team and do not play their game for the benefit of just Gareth Bale.

Wales will miss Aaron Ramsey, however they have shown that they operate as a team and I am very confident that they will cope just fine without Ramsey.

Ronaldo is obviously a very big danger, but he is not the player he once was and I am confident that Wales will contain him enough.

All things considered I am going for an outright Wales win

Athletics @ Twins

I went with overs last night and it worked out and I am doing the same in this one.

I am going for overs for the same reasons I did yesterday, the pitchers are not in great form and are capable of giving up runs and both sides have batters that can rack up the runs.

I am happy with the run line ad would have gone for overs even if the run line was a little higher, that is how confident I am.

Bottom line is that both sides have the quality to get runs but not so much quality to keep te scores low

Braves @ Phillies

I am going with the overs in this one based on my confidence in the batters getting the better of the pitchers today.

I know very little about Atlanta's Tyrell Jenkins, however from what I have read about him it seems he has a lot to prove and I have always found that when a pitcher has something to prove, in tends to struggle to do so.

The Phillies pitcher Jeremy Hellickson I do know about and I am not his greatest fan, he is just too inconsistent for my liking, though I do admit he is in good form at the moment, but I am expecting him to put in a bad outing soon and it would not surprise me if t was today.

All things considered I am going overs in this game, I am just not confident in either pitcher.

Tigers @ Indians

I am going for the Indians to complete the sweep over the Tigers and maintain their impressive dominance.

It seems to me that this is more than just talent but psychological, The Indians just seem to have the Tigers in their back pocket mentally and while it will come to an end at some point, I just do not see it happening today.

I am putting this pick up late so cannot go into too much details, but the stats point to the Indians winning and while I do not always go with the stats, I am today.

Indians to win

Athletics @ Twins

I am confident that there will be runs in this match between the A's and Twins at Target Field this evening.

Oakland Athletic pitcher Sean Manaea is starting to find some consistency but it really is too early to be sure that he will carry on as he did last Wednesday against the Giants and I am not that confident that he will do as well this evening against the Twins.

Tony Milone of the Twins is definitely not in form and he really needs to put in a decent game, I just cannot see him doing that today.

All things considered I see this game going over 9.5 runs

Athletics @ Twins

I have two picks in this game and one of them is to have Oakland win outright.

For me it comes down to the respective pitchers, Oakland have one that is coming off a good game while the Twins have one that cannot buy a decent game.

Sean Manaea did very well against the Giants last Wednesday for the A's and threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings, compare that to the Twin's Tony Milone who gave up 5 runs in just 3 1/3 last time out and who has shown nothing since he returned from Triple A Rochester.

This game really is about the pitchers for me and I just do not have confidence in Milone at all, I am not saying that Manaea will be brilliant, I do not trust him wholly either, but Milone is a weak link for me and I can see the A's racking up the runs against him.

All things considered I am back the A's to win an exciting game.

Royals @ Blue Jays

I am going for over 9.5 runs in this one.

Neither Chris Young of the Royals or Robert Dickey of the Blue Jays can be considered reliable pitchers, their stats this season speak for themselves, both have losing records and higher ERA'S this season than over their careers, in better words, niether is having a good season by any stretch of the imagination.

It would take quite a leap of faith to see both of them putting in a great performance today, I certainly do not have that faith.

I see runs coming off both these pitchers and will be backing over 9.5 runs

Reds @ Cubs

I like the look of over 9 runs in this match up between the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs at Wrigley field this afternoon.

We know how good the Cubs batters are and they are up against the Reds Brandon Finnegan who is not in good form at all, I can see them having a real go at him today.

Cubs pitcher John Lackey tends to give up runs against the Reds and I would not be surprised to see him give up runs today either.

All things considered I see runs in this game because both pitchers are well capable of putting in a poor performance.

Over 9 runs

Colarado Rapids v Portland Timbers

On paper you would have to go for a Colarado win, but I am not so sure and fancy Portland to cover the spread on this one.

I was disappointed with Portland this season, they are better than their early season results have shown, but the signs are that they are finally starting to turn the corner.

In the MLS Portland are now unbeaten in their last five games, that comes after an appalling start to the season and I do now expect them to carry on with their upturn in form, they certainly have momentum.

Colorado are formidable at home, that I accept, they have won 7 from 8 and are unbeaten in their last 11 MLS games home and away, they really are in good form, there is no getting away from that and if they were playing the Portland team from early on in the season then this would be an easy win, thing is this though, they are not playing that Portland, they are playing a Portland that has bounced back to form and that changes everything.

A Portland on form is well capable of matching Colorado and their head to heads prove that, in fact last time these two teams met Portland won 4-1.

I am taking Portland to cover the spread on this one with a 0.5 goal start.

Yankees @ Padres

I fancy the Padres to get the win against the Yankees at Petco Park this evening.

This game is about the pitchers for me, the Yankees pitcher Chad Green, is coming up from Triple A and will face off against Andrew Cashner who is fresh off the disabled list.

Basically both pitchers will have something to prove, Green will want to show he can bring his form into the big league while Cashner will be hoping to show that he is totally fit and back to form.

My confidence is in Cashner more than Green, add to that the fact that the Yankees are on a two game losing streak while the Padres are on a two game winning streak and that tips the balance.

Padres to win

Rockies @ Dodgers - Over 7.5 runs

I am going for over 7.5 runs in this match up between the Rockies and Dodgers.

The Dodgers are on a three game winning streak while the Rockies are on a four game losing streak, clearly one team is more in form than the other, however it would be a mistake to see it from that point of view alone, otherwise you would just plump for a Dodgers win and I am not that convinced that will be the end result tonight.

Both starters tonight have question marks over them and that leads me to believe that there is potential for runs this evening.

Dodgers Brandon McCarthy is back after a year out and it is to be seen if he will return in good form, while Rockies pitcher Jon Gray has had his own problems with soreness and the last time he faced off against the Dodgers, he gave up five runs.

All things considered I am confident there will be more than 7.5 runs.

France v Iceland

Iceland have been costly for me so far but I am very confident that their luck will finally run out and that their fantastic run will come to a glorious end.

Iceland have been lucky, they beat a terrible England side, an England side that performed well below their abilities and I just cannot see France performing anywhere near as bad as what England did.

As long as France play to form they will win this game, it is just a matter of how many goals they win by and I am confident that it will be by at least two.

Iceland have done well to get this far, but they are not Wales, they do not have a sprinkling of world class players and I simply cannot see them getting anything from this game.

France -1

Sarpsborg 08 v Brann 

This game looks like it will be a very tight affair and I am going for the draw in a game that pits 7th v 8th in the Norwegian league.

Sarpsborg have been doing quite well at home recently, they have lost just once at home all season, however they have drawn three times and won only twice, so they are hardly world beaters on their own ground.

Brann have lost four from seven away from home it must be said, but they have been quite close affairs and have managed two wins and a draw, so while it is not the best record on the road, it is not the worst either.

Brann sit one place and four points above Sarpsborg, which shows how close they are to each other, their last meeting was a draw in the Norwegian cup and everything points to that being the result today.

All things considered I am going for a draw in this one.

Stabaek v Sogndal

Norwegian soccer is back after a break and we got off to a good start with our first Norwegian soccer pick winning since the resumption and I am confident that we will have another one in this match up between Stabaek and Sogndal.

I like the look of Sogndal in this one, not because I think they are world beaters but because I am of the opinion that Stabaek are very poor.

Stabaek are second bottom and have lost 4 from 6 games at home, they have just 10 points from 13 games and are really in poor form.

Sogndal are 6th from bottom on 15 points, however, they are a promoted team that are playing to form really, they have not been humiliated at all and are making a real good effort to stay above the relegation zone, they have lost just 3 times on the road and even though they have registered just the one win they are far from being an easy team to beat.

All things considered I am going for an away win

Toronto v Seattle Sounders

I have been disappointed by Seattle so far this season, I had expected more from them, they are better than what results have shown this season.

Toronto have done quite well when you consider they had to start the season playing their first eight games away from home, though it has to be said that since they have started playing at home it has been a mixed bag of results.

Toronto deserve to be favourites but I do retain some confidence in Seattle, I am expecting them to start stringing together a good set of results and while I do not expect them to beat Toronto this evening, I do not expect them to lose.

Toronto have drawn two of their last three MLS home games and I really do see tonight being their third draw in four games at home.

All things considered I am going for the draw in this game.

Cubs @ Mets

I fancy runs in this one tonight.

It comes down to confidence in the pitchers for me and I am not that confident in either pitcher, both are capable of giving up runs in this one, Mets pitcher Colon tends to give up runs against a couple of these Cubs batters while Arrieta for the Cubs is vulnerable at the moment.

All things considered I am of the opinion that the run line has been set too low and I intend to take advantage

Over 7 runs

Reds @ Nationals

I am going with over 8.5 runs in this game

Both starters tonight are not in form at all, both are very capable of giving up runs and their respective recent form with the ball confirms that belief for me.

Reds pitcher Dan Straily had a terrible outing last time out and it is hard to see him turning that round against the Nationals this evening.

Nationals Joe Ross is another one capable of letting the runs fly and his numbers are slanted downwards at the moment and until there is an upturn I cannot have confidence in him to deliver.

All things considered I am going over 8.5 runs

Angels @ Red Sox

I am taking the Red Sox to win this one by at least two runs this evening.

The reasoning is that the Angels pitcher Hector Santiago is very unreliable and can easily give up a bag full of runs.

The Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz is far more reliable as long as he can put in a decent first innings, if he does that then I expect the Red Sox to win this one fairly easily.

Even if Buchholz gives up runs in the first innings I am still confident that the Boston batters will feast on Santiago.

Boston -1.5 runs

Germany v Italy

Germany and Italy will battle it out today for a place in the semi final of the Euro 2016 championship and it is Germany that I expect to emerge the winners after 90 minutes.

Italy have surprised me a little in this tournament and their win over Spain was impressive, but I am still not convinced that this Italian side has the quality to win this game.

Germany are world champions and they are a machine, they do what they need to do and while they are not the team that won the world cup two years ago, I still think they are the best team remaining in the competition.

I expect the Italians to put up a good show but I am confident that Germany will do enough to scrape out a win.

Germany to win.

Real Salt Lake v DC United

It is hard to see anything other than a home win for Real Salt Lake this evening.

Real Salt Lake have an excellent home record so far this season in the MLS, they have won 5 and drawn once in their 6 home games so far this season, a formidable record.

DC United on the other hand have managed just the single win from 7 away games, they have drawn 4 of them and only lost twice, however they are up against a team that wins at home and I cannot see them scraping out yet another draw and a third away loss looks on the cards.

All things considered I am going for an outright home win.

Wales v Belgium 

I would really love Wales to win this one, but alas, I do not see it happening.

I am rather confident that Belgium will win and progress to a semi final clash with Portugal.

Wales have some top players and a decent manager, they have a world class player in Gareth Bale, there is no denying that, however they do not have enough quality throughout the whole team, this was shown quite clearly when they played England. When they play a team that has more quality their vulnerabilities are exposed and in Belgium they are facing a team with more quality.

Belgium started this competition as a team of individuals, they are now playing as a team and for me they have an excellent chance of winning this competition, as long as they continue to play as a team.

All in all I am going for a Belgium win, they just have too much quality and will dominate this game in my opinion.

Belgium to win.

Lillestrom v Tromso

Norwegian soccer has returned after a break and I am confident that we will get off the mark with a winner.

These two teams tend to have goals in their games, Lillestrom have played 13 games this season and on 8 occasions have been involved in games that have featured at least 3 goals.

Tromso have also played 13 times this season in the league and have featured in 6 games that have resulted in 3 goals or more, slightly less than 50% however, their last 3 games have seen at least 3 goals, same as Lillestrom.

50% of the games between these two teams have also involved at least 3 goals.

The edge on stats is slightly with over 2.5 goals, however, that was not enough to convince me, what has convinced me has been the fact that both teams in their most recent games have had goals in it, the last 6 games that both these teams have been involved in, 3 each, have all had more than 2.5 goals and that tells me that both sides have the scoring habit but vulnerable defences and I am not convinced that the break will have helped them shore up their defences or blunt their front lines.

All things considered, this game will be over 2.5 goals.

Poland v Portugal

Not sure either of these two deserve to still be in the competition, but they are and will fight for a place in the semi finals this evening in Marseille.

Both sides have one world class player, Portugal have Ronaldo and Poland have Lewandowski and the chances are that one of these two will be the deciding factor this evening.

Portugal are slight favourites but not by much and that is probably the correct thing, but that does not mean they will win this game, I for one have very little confident in them to do so.

I also have almost no confident in Poland winning either and therefore it became quite easy for me to decide which is the best bet in this game this evening.

I am going for the draw, I just do not think either team is good enough to win in 90 minutes and that is my pick.