Homer Bailey is 1-6 with a 6.11 ERA in 10 starts for the Reds. He has allowed 15 runs and 28 hits over his last three starts and is 0-5 with a 7.10 ERA at home. The Pirates are averaging just under five runs per game and have a mediocre lineup, but everyone is hitting the Reds starter. Bailey lost to the Pirates at their place back on April 5th giving up five runs and seven hits in just over four innings. He'll be opposed by Chad Kuhl who picked up a no decision against the Reds on 4/7. He is 4-2 with a 4.53 ERA in nine starts. Kuhl has strikeout stuff and the backing of the better bullpen. Cincy is hitting around .220 at home and around .200 in divisional games. This is just not a good Reds team. I'll fade Homer Bailey whenever I can. 

Michael Wacha is 5-1 with a 3.08 ERA. He had a season high eight strikeouts in his last start and has not lost since the season's opening week. He'll be opposed by Jake Junis who allowed only two runs to the Yankees last time out. He's 5-3 with a 3.51 ERA this season and is unseen by a lot of the Cardinals hitters. Both bullpens aren't too shabby and this is an early game so we won't see complete lineups im sure. I think this one is an under. 

Lance Lynn has been horrific for the Twins. He's 1-4 with a 7.47 ERA in eight starts with seven of them going over the total. Lynn has a 6.23 ERA in three home outings and is struggling with walks right now. The Tigers are scoring over four runs per game against right-handed starters and are not collapsing as much without Miguel Cabrera. Matt Boyd is 0-2 with a 4.18 ERA in four road starts. The southpaw is facing a Twins offense that is coming up small right now, but has the talent to bounce back. Both teams have pretty bad bullpens who may have to cover a lot of innings. I think this one could go over the total with plenty of runs on both sides.

Lance Lynn has been horrific for the Twins. He's 1-4 with a 7.47 ERA in eight starts with seven of them going over the total. Lynn has a 6.23 ERA in three home outings and is struggling with walks right now. The Tigers are scoring over four runs per game against right-handed starters and are not collapsing as much without Miguel Cabrera. Matt Boyd is 0-2 with a 4.18 ERA in four road starts. The southpaw is facing a Twins offense that is coming up small right now, but has the talent to bounce back. Both teams have pretty bad bullpens who may have to cover a lot of innings. I think this one could go over the total with plenty of runs on both sides.

For the fourth time this season Brandon McCarthy will face off against Vince Velasquez. The Philly starter has allowed 16 runs and 23 hits over those three outings and is 0-4 with a 4.89 ERA in seven career starts vs. Atlanta. McCarthy got the wins, but wasn't really great any of the outings. He went 5 and a third in all three games giving up four runs and 16 hits total. McCarthy is 4-2 with a 5.05 ERA in nine starts with seven overs. The Phillies are averaging over five runs per game at home and have a decent lineup. Velasquez has a 6.10 ERA in four home starts. Atlanta has one of the more underrated lineups in the league and are putting up over five runs per contest. Both bullpens are just alright and should give up runs. I think this one should go over the total. 

Tyler Chatwood is 3-3 with a 3.14 ERA in eight starts. He's putting a lot of runners on base allowing 30 hits and 34 walks in 43 innings. Chatwood did beat the Indians in Cleveland back on April 24th, but he did so with four hits and five walks in six innings. Cleveland is hitting .258 in their last seven games and are better then their record. Trevor Bauer is 3-3 with a 2.59 ERA in nine starts. He's allowed just seven earned runs in four road starts and also pitched well against the Cubs earlier this season. Bauer held them to one run and four hits in just over six innings. Cleveland's bullpen has some ugly numbers but the unit as a whole is still better then it seems. I think the price is good for them to win. 

Masahiro Tanaka is 4-2 with a 4.86 ERA in eight starts for the Yankees with six of those going over the total. The righty has allowed seven runs and 13 hits over his last two starts and had a rough outing in Arlington last year. He's 0-2 with a 6.38 ERA in four career outings against the Rangers. Texas is averaging 4.4 runs per game over their last seven and has gone over in 13 of their 23 games at home. Bartolo Colon has a 5.09 ERA in three starts at home. Last year the Yankees touched him up for 10 runs and 15 hits in just over seven innings of work. New York is hitting .277 over their last seven and have gone over in 25 of their 43 games overall. The Rangers bullpen has a 5.29 ERA at home. This one should see plenty of runs with most of them coming from the road team.

Sonny Gray is 2-3 with a 6.39 ERA in eight starts with five of those going over the total. The righty had been pitching well before losing to the A's 10-5 at home back on the 11th. The Royals are hitting .258 as a team averaging four runs per contest. Eric Skoglund is 1-3 with a 5.58 ERA in seven starts for KC. The Yankees are 11-3 vs. left-handed starters and are hitting .263 in those contests. The team is averaging nearly six runs per game as well. KC's bullpen has an ERA of 5.38 and may be forced to go more innings if the southpaw struggles. I think this one is another over. 

Reynaldo Lopez is the only starter in Chicago's rotation with an ERA less then five. At home he's posted a 2.42 ERA although the walk total is a little high. The righty is facing a terrible Texas lineup hitting .207 in their last seven games and .230 overall. He'll be opposed by Mike Minor who has allowed 14 runs and 22 hits in his last three starts. Minor's ERA is 9.42 away from Arlington which is not supposed to be. The White Sox are averaging 4.5 runs per game against lefties and have actually put up some decent numbers in this series. I think they can get the win on Sunday. 

Stephen Strasburg has won three straight starts and is now 5-3 with a 3.28 ERA in nine outings. Strasburg lost in LA back on April 21st despite allowing only two runs and five hits in seven innings. Overall the righty has a 2.63 ERA in eight career outings against the Dodgers. LA is hitting around .238 this season and is coming off a doubleheader so we may not get all of their starters. Alex Wood is 0-4 with a 3.35 ERA in nine starts. He's allowed three earned runs in his last three starts and has pitched well against Washington in his career. Wood held the Nats to three runs and six hits in six innings. He has a 2.55 ERA in 11 career starts against Washington with eight of them going under the total. The Nats are hitting around .212 against left-handed starters. Wood will have to go deep after LA used their bullpen heavily on Saturday. I think this one is an under with two mediocre lineups and two good starters. 

Two young hotshots are on the mound in this one. Freddy Peralta is making his second start after a 13 strikeout gem against the Rockies in Coors Field. The rookie threw 90 four-seam fastballs and allowed one hit in just over five innings. Fernando Romero has made three starts and has a 0.54 ERA with 20 strikeouts. He's got great stuff as well. Both lineups should struggle with the young starters. The problem will be the team's bullpens but I'm hoping each of these guys goes deep and we get the win with the under. 

Nick Kingham makes his third start for the Pirates. He's allowed four runs and seven hits in his two previous outings. Even better is the one walk over that span to go along with 16 strikeouts. Clayton Richard is 2-5 with a 5.20 ERA. His ERA rises to 8.36 on the road where traditionally he's been terrible. Pittsburgh is 6-3 vs. left-handed starters hitting .286 in those games. Their offense and bullpen has the edge in this one. To me, it seems too easy to take the home team but I will do so. 

Chris Stratton has fallen off a cliff after a good start. The righty has a 7.00 ERA in four starts at home and has allowed 12 runs and 20 hits in his last three starts. He'll face a Rockies offense that is underperforming, but has a ton of talent. The Giants bullpen can be shaky with six losses and five blown saves. Jon Gray has improved and is a pretty good pitcher on the road. He's 2-2 with a 3.42 ERA in four starts away from Coors Field. The righty has a 2.35 ERA in three career starts against the Giants all on the road. San Francisco's offense is very inconsistent so I don't mind betting against them at home. The Rockies bullpen is one of the team's strengths especially with Shaw and Davis in the back end. Ottovino has been very good too. I think the Rockies can get the win in this one.

The Rockies won in extra innings on Thursday and I think they win again on Friday. Kyle Freeland is in good form having allowed five runs and 14 hits over his last three outings. The southpaw is facing a Giants team that is hitting .238 against left-handed starters and have lost eight of their last 11 overall. Colorado's bullpen has been fantastic on the road with just one loss and two blown saves. Derek Holland is 1-1 with a 5.65 ERA in three home starts. I don't think he's that good of a pitcher and Colorado should be able to hit him up. The Rockies are a pretty good road team despite some ugly batting numbers. I think they get the win here too.

Two mediocre pitchers are on the mound in Minnesota. Kyle Gibson has a 5.27 ERA in three home starts this season. He has a 5.03 ERA in three career starts against the Brewers although those came in 2014 and 2015. Milwaukee is hitting .283 in their last seven games (5-2). They are 16-9 on the road and have a potent lineup. Minnesota's bullpen is a trainwreck with 10 losses and seven blown saves. Brent Suter is going for the road team. He's 1-3 with a 5.60 ERA. Minnesota is hitting .252 at home and is averaging over five runs per game in interleague play. It's a worry that a late lead for Milwaukee will see no runs scored for the Twins because the Brewers pen is so good. I think we see plenty of runs early though.

This one has the makings of another over in a series that has seen 27 of their last 39 meetings do so. Homer Bailey is 1-5 with a 5.59 ERA in nine starts this season. The righty is 0-4 with a 6.33 ERA in five outings at home. He has allowed 14 runs and 24 hits over his last three starts. The Cubs are hitting .276 in their last seven games and are averaging 5.2 runs per contest overall. Cincy's bullpen is 2-4 with a 5.02 ERA at home. Jon Lester gets the call and he's 1-1 with a 3.32 ERA on the road. Lester has had a little bit of an issue with control as of late with 10 walks in just over 16 innings. Cincy is hitting .278 in their last seven games and are averaging nearly 5 runs per game at night. These two should be able to go over the total.

I really think there's good value here with the road team. Chad Bettis has a 1.35 ERA in five road starts this season and the Giants are inconsistent at best offensively. San Fran is hitting .237 in divisional games. The Rockies bullpen has one loss and two blown saves on the road. Jeff Samardzja has been terrible as of late. He's not striking guys out or going deep in games. The Giants bullpen can be had as well. Colorado's offense isn't in the greatest form right now, but they have the talent to bust out. I think Colorado is worth a look here.

Jose Berrios isn't in great form right now and that's giving us a good price on the under. Berrios is 3-4 with a 4.50 ERA in eight starts. The righty has 40 K's and 9 walks in 46 innings of work. The Cardinals are hitting just .208 in their last seven games and are on a nice under trend. Jack Flaherty is making his third start for the Cards. The righty has allowed four runs and 10 hits in 10 innings of work. Minnesota has lost two straight and three of their last five. Their last two games have been an offensive struggle as they play in their third city in three days. Both bullpens are mediocre so that's a worry, but I think the starters go long enough to help out. 

The scene shifts to Atlanta as these two teams begin an actual series. Mike Foltynewicz is 3-2 with a 3.21 ERA in eight starts. He's got a 4.22 ERA in four outings at home. The righty has great stuff, but has not been able to harness it. The Cubs have gone over in four of five and six of their last nine. The offense put up double digits three times during this last homestand. Yu Darvish comes off the DL and is now 0-3 with a 6.00 ERA in six starts. Darvish lost to the Braves just over a month ago at home giving up four runs and nine hits in just over four innings. Atlanta is hitting .267 at home where they are averaging almost six runs per contest. Pretty crazy how good their offense is performing nowadays. Both bullpens have good numbers. I think this one goes over the total. 

The Twins host the Mariners for a makeup game on Monday. Minnesota sends Jake Odorizzi to the mound. He has not lost either of his home starts this season and is cutting down on the walks which had been a problem at one point this season. Seattle's got a bit of a tough travel situation and is coming off a weekend where they played a doubleheader in Detroit. They then head home after this to begin a series against the Rangers on Tuesday so who knows if we see a full lineup. Color me unimpressed with Wade LeBlanc who makes the start and has thrown a grand total of nine innings his last two starts. The Twins are hot right now and have won seven of their last nine games. The offense has been in great form and should be able to get to this mediocre starter. I just think they are the better team despite the record and get the win on Monday. 

Michael Fiers is 3-2 with a 4.73 ERA in six starts with four of them going over. He's allowed 10 runs and 16 hits over his last three starts. The righty is facing an Indians team that is starting to figure things out offensively. Cleveland has the talent in the lineup, but they struggle at times putting it together. Detroit's bullpen has 12 losses and seven blown saves on the season. Carlos Carrasco is coming off a complete game win over Milwaukee in which he had 14 strikeouts. Before then he got rocked by the Blue Jays and Mariners. Detroit's offense is actually in decent form right now scoring four runs or more over a nice stretch right now. They have struggled against Carrasco, but I think they can get a run or two to help out the total. This one should go over the total.

Nick Tropeano is 1-2 with a 3.42 ERA in four starts for the Angels. He's got 20 strikeouts to just nine walks and is facing the Twins for the second time all time. Minnesota is hitting .270 over their last seven games and have gone over in 13 of their 22 road games. Their offense is in great form right now. The Angels bullpen has four losses and seven blown saves. They've actually only converted two chances out of six at home. I'm not a Kyle Gibson guy. He's 1-1 with a 3.49 ERA, but is facing an also hot offense in the Angels. LAA is hitting .310 in their last seven games and are averaging over five runs per contest. Another unit that is a mess is the Twins bullpen. That unit has eight losses and six blown saves. To me, these two should score a boatload of runs on Saturday. 

The Giants were swept by the Phillies last time out as the offense has dried up. The team is hitting .236 in night games and put up just eight runs against Philly. Now they head to Pittsburgh to face Jameson Taillon who bounced back last time out after a couple of rough outings. Taillon has a 4.42 ERA, but I think he's a better pitcher then that. He'll be opposed by Andrew Suarez who has pitched well for the Giants so far. Pittsburgh is hitting .295 in five games against left-handed starters and are 10-5 at home this season. The Giants bullpen is 5.14 ERA on the road. I think the price is right for the better offense and better pitcher.

Kendall Graveman is 0-5 with an 8.90 ERA in six starts for the A's. He's been absolutely abysmal all season long and is not the answer for this Friday night contest. The Yankees are hitting .264 at home where they are averaging 6.5 runs per game. Oakland's bullpen has a 5.20 ERA on the road this season. Sonny Gray is facing his old team. He's 2-2 with a 6.00 ERA in seven starts with four overs so far. He's pitched better as of late, but control has been questionable at times. Oakland is averaging nearly five runs per game on the road. They are not in the best form as an offense right now, but I still believe in the lineup. I think this price for this number is good as I believe it'll be a higher scoring game.

Walker Buehler is facing his third last place team so far this season as the Dodgers get the Reds. Buehler has allowed two runs and 10 hits in 16 innings of work with 19 strikeouts to just seven walks. Cincy's offense is just okay outside of Joey Votto so they could struggle with the starter. He'll be opposed by Tyler Mahle who has 42 strikeouts in seven starts. He's allowed seven runs and 12 hits over his last three starts. The Dodgers lineup is very mediocre especially without some of their stars. The Reds bullpen is alright. To me, this is a lower scoring game with two mediocre offenses and two young starting pitchers.

CC Sabathia is having an incredible season for New York. He's 2-0 with a 1.39 ERA in six games so far. The southpaw has a 4.37 ERA against Boston and has held them to just three runs and 10 hits over his last 18 innings against them. The Sox lineup has been very good this year and is hitting around .268 as a team. He'll be opposed by Eduardo Rodriguez who is 3-0 with a 5.29 ERA in six starts. The southpaw has allowed 10 runs and in his last two starts and is highly mediocre. The Yankees have gone over in 15 of their 21 home games and are averaging over six runs per game there. Craig Kimbrel got rocked on Wednesday night so we'll see if he returns on Thursday. I think this one should see plenty of runs on Thursday. 

The Indians have lost four straight and five of their last six as the offense has gone a bit dry once again. Carlos Carrasco has allowed 11 runs and 14 hits over his last eight innings and change to mediocre offenses Toronto and Seattle. Milwaukee has struggled a bit with their offense, but the talent is there. Cleveland's bullpen has nine losses and an ERA over five. Junior Guerra is 2-2 with a 2.33 ERA in five starts for the Brew Crew. He's pitched well for the most part this season although he did lose last time out against Pittsburgh. Milwaukee's bullpen is deep and getting Corey Knebel back as he comes off the DL. I think the price we're getting with a live home team is too good not to back them. 

Rich Hill is coming off the disabled list for the Dodgers. His last start was at home against these same Diamondbacks and he allowed seven runs and seven hits in five innings. Hill is 1-7 with a 5.61 ERA in 12 career starts against the Diamondbacks. Arizona is averaging 4.7 runs per game on the road where they've gone over in 10 of 15 contests. The Dodgers bullpen has eight losses and nine blown saves so any late leads may be lost. Zack Godley sees the Dodgers for the fourth time this season. He's pitched well against them at home, but allowed six runs and five hits in four innings against them in LA. Injuries have ravaged the Dodgers, but they are hitting .257 against right-handed starters scoring 5.3 runs per contest. These to have played three overs in three games in Los Angeles. I think this one sees a bunch of runs as the Dodgers play well after a rough trip. 

Two struggling offenses play in Baltimore as the Orioles host the Royals. Baltimore is hitting .208 at home and .220 overall. They have gone over in 10 of their 15 home games. Danny Duffy is 0-4 with a 5.63 ERA in seven starts with three of those going under. He held the Orioles to three runs and 15 hits over 14 innings last year as the O's have traditionally struggled with lefties. Dylan Bundy has been the team's best starter, but has lost his last two starts against the Rays and Angels. The Royals are averaging just 3.1 runs per game against right-handed starters and are 5-10 on the road. Both bullpens could be better, but the starters have a shot to go deeper in games. These two have played nine unders in their last 12 meetings including five of six in Baltimore. I think this one does too. 

Brett Anderson is making his second start for the A's. He pitched well in his first outing in Seattle holding the Mariners to two runs and five hits in just over six innings. Houston's averaging nearly six runs per game on the road and have plenty of weapons up and down the lineup. Dallas Keuchel is 1-5 with a 3.98 ERA in seven starts. The southpaw has allowed 20 runs and 41 hits in 43 innings. Keuchel got shelled by the A's at home already last month giving up six runs and seven hits in seven innings. Oakland is hitting .275 against left-handed starters and is putting up nearly five runs per contest. Both bullpens are decent, but can allow some runs too. These two have played 11 overs in their last 19 meetings in Oakland. I think this one should go over too. 

Cole Hamels is 0-3 with a 5.19 ERA at home this season. He's struggled to go deep in games and keep runners off the board. Last time out he only lasted five innings in Cleveland against the Indians. Boston is hitting .269 as a team and is averaging 5.6 runs per game. They are hitting .271 in their last seven. The Rangers bullpen has a 5.87 ERA at home. Eduardo Rodriguez may not have lost yet this year, but he's been mediocre. The southpaw has allowed 14 runs and 24 hits in just over 26 innings. The Rangers are averaging 5.4 runs per game over their last seven and have gone over in six of their nine contests against left-handed starters. Arlington is getting back to being a potential over place. I think this one will be as well. 

Jordan Zimmermann has a 5.81 ERA in six starts for Detroit this season. That goes up to 10.12 on the road. He's facing a Royals team that is hitting .282 in their last eight games and is starting to find their groove. The Detroit bullpen has a 5.01 ERA on the road. That's better then KC's group which has a 6.07 ERA overall and is backing Jason Hammel who has allowed 12 runs and 13 hits over his last two starts. This is Hammel's third time seeing Detroit. He's held them to seven runs and 12 hits over 14 innings previously back in April. Detroit's offense is hitting 264 over their last seven games and .280 in the daytime. To me, this is a recipe for an over. 

Chris Stratton has been a surprise for the Giants. He's got a 1.86 ERA in three road starts so far this season. The righty is coming off a rough outing against the Dodgers, but it was already the third time he's seen them. Stratton has not faced Atlanta who is very hot right now offensively. That's a concern, but I think Stratton can cool them off a bit. Mike Foltynewicz is 2-1 with a 2.53 ERA in six starts for Atlanta with half of them going under the total and two other being pushes. He's got a live arm and has 39 strikeouts to 15 walks in 32 innings. Folty was beaten up a bit by the Giants in San Francisco last year. This year's unit is hitting .222 on the road with 10 unders in 14 games. They're also hitting .221 in night games and don't have too many threats. These two bullpens aren't great, but I think the starters can go deep enough to negate that. 

Chicago has lost four straight and six of their last nine games. They've gone under in five straight and seven of their last nine as the offense has struggled. Chicago is hitting .227 at home and .224 in night games. Jake Odorizzi is 2-2 with a 3.94 ERA in six starts with four of those going under. Minnesota's problem is the bullpen that has been awful this season. Reynaldo Lopez is 0-2 with a 1.78 ERA in five starts. If he can harness his control issues, then he could be a very good pitcher. Lopez has allowed just six earned runs in his five starts. Minnesota is hitting .228 on the road and .237 in night games. Chicago's bullpen isn't great either so we have to hope that both teams starters can hold down the other offense. 

Mike Minor is 2-1 with a 4.33 ERA for the Rangers. He's actually pitched better at home which is odd considering how tough it is to pitch in Arlington. Boston is hitting .272 this season averaging 5.7 runs per contest. They've tailed off a little bit and are hitting .235 against left-handed starters. The Rangers bullpen has a 5.91 ERA at home so they can be beaten. David Price has allowed 10 runs and 17 hits in his last two starts. Price is 2-3 with a 3.78 ERA. He's 4-9 with a 5.12 ERA in 18 career starts against the Rangers with half of them going over the total. Texas is hitting .261 in their last seven games and have gone over in five of eight left-handed starters. I think this one sees plenty of runs.

The Diamondbacks lost on Wednesday night to the Dodgers 2-1 in a game that saw the Dodgers use the majority of their pen after Hyun-Jin Ryu got hurt. Alex Wood takes the mound and he's 0-3 with a 4.11 ERA in six starts. The southpaw has not had the same velocity he's had last year and that's hurting him a bit. Arizona is hitting .264 in their last seven games and are 11-3 against left-handed starters. Wood lost to the Snakes and Pat Corbin back on April 4th allowing three runs and six hits in six innings. Corbin got the win in that one holding LA to one hit and one walk while striking out 12 in just over seven innings. The Dodgers are hitting .211 against left-handed starters and are not in good form right now. The home team has the better bullpen as Arizona's unit has a 1.97 ERA. I think the home team gets the win.

Luis Castillo has been awful for the Reds this season. He's 1-3 with a 7.85 ERA in six starts with five of those going over the total. The righty was touched up for five runs and six hits in one inning of work against the Twins last time out. He beat the Brewers in Milwaukee back on April 16th despite allowing four runs in just over six innings. There's talk of the coaching staff noticing Castillo's arm angle on his fastball making it flat in the zone. Milwaukee's lineup has seen better days as they are hitting around .200 in their last eight games. The Reds bullpen has an ERA over six at home. Wade Miley is coming off the DL and to me, that's a good chance to see them not do as well. It's all well and good to make minor league rehab starts, but facing actual hitters is another story. Cincy is averaging 5.2 runs per game against left-handed starters. They are in great form as of late going over in six of their last eight contests. To me, this is a slugfest in the making.

Michael Fulmer has been fantastic this season going 1-2 with a 2.76 ERA in five starts for Detroit with four of those going under the total. He's been involved in two 1-0 games so far. The righty has allowed 12 runs and 30 hits in just over 29 innings. Tampa Bay's lineup came up small on Tuesday night and I think we see a lesser group on Wednesday. Blake Snell has won four straight starts. He's 4-1 with a 2.52 ERA in six outings. The southpaw has gotten rid of his control issues with just 11 walks in just over 35 innings. Detroit's lineup has only seen lefties three times this season. They may continue to be without Miguel Cabrera so it's not really a scary unit either. Both bullpens are bad so let's hope the starters go deep, but I think they do. 

Alex Cobb has been a disaster for the Orioles. He's allowed 20 runs and 30 hits over three short starts for Baltimore. The righty has just four strikeouts and three walks. At first people thought it was rust, but it could be more. The Angels offense is slumping terribly right now, but they should be able to touch up a vulnerable Orioles pitching group. Their pen has a 4.79 ERA this season on the road. Nick Tropeano has allowed nine runs and 11 hits in just over 10 innings over his last two starts. Baltimore is also in bad form right now offensively, but the talent is there for them to put it together. I realize both offenses are great right now, but the talent is there and the starters aren't that great.

We all know how good Clayton Kershaw is. He's 1-4 with a 2.84 ERA in six starts for Los Angeles and has a career losing record in Chase Field. Kershaw lost last time there back on April 3rd giving up two runs and four hits in six innings of work. Arizona is 10-2 against left-handed starters this season and are hitting .265 in their last seven contests. The Dodgers bullpen has five blown saves in six chances on the road. Matt Koch has allowed three runs and eight hits in two starts for the Diamondbacks so far this season. LA is scuffling having lost six of their last seven. They are not hitting well and there's question about the hustle of some players. Arizona has not blown a save this season. I think the value is too good not to take this here.

There's some value here with the home team in this one. Chris Archer has allowed 25 runs and 41 hits in just over 32 innings as the ace has struggled to get things going. He is coming off an effort where he allowed 11 hits in just over five innings. Archer is 2-2 with a 3.55 ERA in eight career starts against the Tigers. Detroit is hitting .270 at home and is averaging over five runs per game there. Tampa Bay's bullpen has a 5.06 ERA and has six blown saves in 12 chances. Matthew Boyd is looking for his first win of the season. The southpaw has pitched well outside of his last outing in Pittsburgh. Tampa Bay's lineup is in good form right now, but I still don't trust it. I think there's some runline value here as well.

It's a battle of solid southpaws on Sunday in DC. Gio Gonzalez has allowed 10 runs and 28 hits over five starts. He has 29 strikeouts to 12 walks. Gio held the DBacks to one run and three hits over five innings last year. Arizona is hitting .238 against left-handed starters and .219 in day games. Robbie Ray has struggled this season with a 5.13 ERA. He has 43 strikeouts to 17 walks. Washington's offense has been terrible against left-handed starters hitting less then .200 against them. In two starts against the Nats last year, Ray pitched in two unders and actually was really solid in DC. Arizona's bullpen has a sub 2.00 ERA this season. I think this one is going to go under the total.

Heralded prospect Nick Kingham gets the call on Sunday. He's 2-1 with a 1.59 ERA in four starts in AAA. He had 27 strikeouts to just seven walks over 22.2 innings of work. The Cardinals offense is putting up good numbers, but I think they could struggle against the rookie. Luke Weaver has struggled over his last two starts. He allowed 10 runs and 11 hits to the Mets and Cubs. Pittsburgh's offense is in good form right now and is hitting around .280 at home. Both bullpens have their issues, but I think this is a close one run game that the Pirates may win or lose. I'll take the runline.

Seattle's offense has scored four runs or more in four straight and eight of their last nine entering Sunday. Trying to slow them down is Josh Tomlin who is 0-2 with a 10.03 ERA. He's allowed eight HR's in just over 11 innings and has only seven strikeouts. Marco Gonzales goes for Seattle. He's 2-2 with a 4.37 ERA in five starts. Cleveland's offense is starting to pull out of the doldrums with some solid efforts as a group. They've gone over in three straight and five of their last seven. I think this one does as well.

I think the under is worth a look here. Lance McCullers is 3-1 with a 4.67 ERA in five starts. He's in good form allowing two runs and nine hits over his last two starts. McCullers is a better pitcher at home and should be able to have some success against a hit or miss Oakland team. Daniel Mengden is also in good form allowing six runs over his last three starts. He's harnessed his control with just one walk over that span as well. Houston is hitting just .223 at home with nine unders in 13 games there. The two teams have played 12 unders in their last 20 meetings in Houston. I think this one is another under.

This is a very odd price considering how Toronto has lost three straight and five of their last six games. The Jays offense has scored just 17 runs over that span and are hitting .189 over their last seven contests. I'll take a chance with Bartolo Colon who has pitched well for the most part this season. He doesn't walk people and he's got no-hit stuff potentially. Last year Colon won twice in Toronto so he won't be phased by pitching there. Jaime Garcia has allowed 10 runs and 19 hits over his last three starts. I'm not that impressed with the southpaw at all. Texas is a mediocre offense themselves, but they've won two straight and three of their last five. Neither bullpen is that good either. I think that this is a good price for a runline just in case Texas' pen blows it and we lose by 1.

Aaron Nola and Julio Teheran are facing off for the third time this season. The Braves won both games, but both pitchers for the most part pitched pretty well. Aaron Nola is 5-2 with a 2.04 ERA in nine career starts against Atlanta. In just over 11 innings this season he's held them to three runs and seven hits. Teheran has held the Phillies to five runs and nine hits in just over 11 innings as well. The Phillies are hitting .224 against right-handed starters and feature a bullpen with an ERA of 1.79 at home. Atlanta's pen is nowhere near as good, but their offense is better. I think this one goes under the total. 

Marcus Stroman has been horrific this season so far for the Jays. He's allowed 21 runs and 23 hits in 20 innings of work. The ace has had control issues and is just struggling to get any of his pitches located. Stroman gave up five runs and six hits in just over four innings in Arlington back on April 7th. The Rangers lineup is averaging four runs per contest over their last seven. Mike Minor is very mediocre for Texas. He did beat the Jays at home on April 7th giving up one run and two hits in six innings. Toronto is averaging six runs per game at home, but they are hitting .173 over their last seven games. The Rangers bullpen has a good ERA on the road, but I don't trust them. To me, I think there will be plenty of runs in this one. 

The Indians begin a series with the Mariners on Thursday. Mike Clevinger is 2-0 with a 1.75 ERA in four starts for the Tribe. He's coming off a fantastic effort in Baltimore holding the Orioles to two hits and two walks over nine innings. Seattle is a mediocre lineup that's putting up some good numbers right now. James Paxton struggled last time out and has already lost to the Indians at home. He gave up six runs and six hits in just over four innings to them back on March 31st. Paxton is 0-3 with a 5.87 ERA in three career starts against Cleveland in his career with all three in Seattle. The Indians lineup is putting up terrible numbers, but they are starting to turn it around a bit. The bullpen edge goes to the home team even though Seattle's isn't that bad either.

There was a rare explosion from both teams on Wednesday but I don't think it carries over on Thursday afternoon. Entering Wednesday night, Detroit was hitting .193 on the road and .234 against right-handed starters. I also don't think we see a full strength lineup on a quick turnaround. Pittsburgh is hitting around .200 in their last eight games. The lineup has been underwhelming as of late. Michael Fulmer is 1-2 with a 3.47 ERA in four starts while Ivan Nova is 2-1 with a 4.20 ERA. Both pitchers should be able to go deep and the offenses should struggle in this early afternoon game. 

Sonny Gray is 1-1 with a 8.27 ERA in four starts for New York. His control has been awful and he's not going deep in ballgames. The righty has allowed 14 runs and 16 hits in his last 12 plus innings. Minnesota's offense is averaging around four runs per game and is trying to get into form as they play games without weather delay. Lance Lynn has allowed 10 runs and 13 hits in his three starts and has put up 15 walks as well. The Yankees are averaging over six runs per game this season and have gone over in 11 of their 14 home games. Minnesota's bullpen has some ugly numbers. This one should see plenty of runs on Wednesday. 

Rick Porcello has been great for the Red Sox so far this season. He has allowed four runs and one walk in his four outings. Porcello has a 4.98 ERA in 20 career starts against the Jays with 11 of them going over the total. Toronto is hitting .268 at home where they are averaging 6.7 runs per contest. They in good form right now offensively. JA Happ has a 5.62 ERA in three home starts. To me, he's highly mediocre as a starter. Happ does have a 3.24 ERA in 16 career starts against Boston, but this Red Sox lineup is a beast. They are hitting .277 as a team and are averaging nearly six runs per contest. Toronto's bullpen doesn't scare me either. I think Boston does a lot of the heavy lifting and we get some help from the home team. 

Masahiro Tanaka has allowed 13 runs and 15 hits in his last two starts and has not been that sharp for the most part this season. Tanaka has traditionally struggled a bit more at home then he does on the road. Minnesota is averaging 4.2 runs per game and 4.5 against right-handed starters. New York's bullpen has five losses and two blown saves. Jake Odorizzi is 5-7 with a 4.60 ERA in 13 starts against the Bronx Bombers. Last year he lost twice to them giving up nine runs and 10 hits in around 10 innings. New York's offense is averaging over six runs per game at home. This is an awesome offense to watch. Minnesota's bullpen has a 5.12 ERA on the road and has four losses and three blown saves. I think this one sees a ton of runs.

Jaime Barria makes his second start of the season for the Angels on Sunday. He held the Rangers to one run and one hit over five innings in Arlington back on April 11th. Barria hasn't pitched too poorly in the minors either and he'll get a light hitting Giants team. San Francisco entered Saturday hitting .213 on the road and .215 over their last seven games. Johnny Cueto has allowed just one run and 11 hits over 20 innings. He's been great with 16 strikeouts to just two walks. The Angels are hitting around .215 at home as a team. Both teams have decent bullpens so I think runs will be at a premium in this one. 

German Marquez faces the Cubs for the third time in his career. Marquez threw eight shutout innings at home against them last year. He's coming off his best effort of the season in Pittsburgh last time out. Marquez has allowed just 10 runs and 14 hits over his four starts. The Cubs offense is hitting around .239 in day games and are just 6-6 against right-handed starters. The Rockies bullpen has nine saves in 12 chances. Jose Quintana has a 8.16 ERA in three starts. The southpaw has had a walks problem with 10 of them in just over 14 innings. He's allowed 13 runs and 16 hits over that span as well. Colorado is putting up ugly offensive numbers, but that lineup is too good to struggle for this long. I think there's some definitely some value with the runline in this one.

Lucas Giolito has a very bright future, but not if he doesn't fix his control. He's given up 12 runs and 13 hits as well as 12 walks in 18 innings. The Astros are the wrong lineup to put plenty of runners on base. They average 5.3 runs per game on the road and should tee off on Giolito and the Sox bullpen. Dallas Keuchel has not won in four starts. He's putting runners on allowing 24 hits and 10 walks in 23 innings. Keuchel lost both starts to the White Sox last year. Chicago is hitting .259 in their four games against left-handed starters. I think they can score a run or two to help out, but Houston will do most of the heavy lifting. 

Chris Tillman is 0-3 with a 11.91 ERA in three starts for the Orioles. He's allowed 15 runs and 22 hits in just over 11 innings. Even worse the starter has just three strikeouts to 10 walks. The Indians offense is improving hitting .266 over their last seven games. Baltimore's bullpen has a  4.54 ERA and has blown five saves in nine chances. Mike Clevinger has not lost yet this season, but he's struggled at times. In his last start he allowed four runs in four innings and the one before that he gave up 10 hits in just over seven innings. The Orioles offense is putting up ugly numbers, but the talent is there to turn it around. To me, this one should go over the total, because Cleveland gets the top of the ninth to tack on against bad pitching and Baltimore probably won't get shut out.

Kendall Graveman has been awful for the A's this season. The righty has allowed 19 runs and 28 hits in just over 17 innings. He's not striking batters out and he's not missing that many bats either. Boston's offense is smoking hot and should tee off on this awful pitcher. Oakland's bullpen has a 4.09 ERA and figures to see a lot of innings. Drew Pomeranz is making his season debut and is cleared to throw 100 pitches. Oakland is 1-5 against left-handed starters, but they are hitting .288 in those games. In their last series against the White Sox, they scored 30 runs so their offense is in good form as well. To me, this one should see plenty of runs.

Matt Koch makes his first start of the 2018 season. He threw 2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen a few days ago. Koch faced San Diego two years ago and held them to one run and five hits in six innings. The Padres are hitting .211 in their last seven games and .225 all season. Their lineup doesn't scare me. The hope is Koch can go deep and the bullpen can finish things off. The group has had their struggles though. Tyson Ross is coming off a winning effort against the Giants. Ross has not seen the DBacks since 2015. Their lineup is one of the best in the National League. The starter is backed by a bullpen that is 1-6 on the season. I like the home team to win.

There's something wrong with Chris Archer who is 1-1 with a 7.84 ERA in four starts this season. The righty has allowed 15 runs and 20 hits over his last three starts. He's getting strikeouts, but he's also putting plenty of runners on base. Minnesota is averaging 4.2 runs per game despite a poor batting average. Tampa's bullpen has seven losses and four blown saves so late runs could occur as well. Lance Lynn has allowed five runs and six hits in nine innings. The bigger problem is probably the 10 walks that he's given up as well. Tampa Bay is hitting .243 in their last seven games and they've gone over in 11 of their 18 contests. Minnesota's bullpen has a 3.16 ERA. These two have gone over in five of their last six in Tampa. I think this one does as well.

The Phillies offense has scored three runs or more in three straight and five of their last six. They have found the sticks and should continue to do so against Ivan Nova who I'm not that impressed with. Pittsburgh's bullpen is alright so i'm not too scared of them. The Buccos offense has been very hit or miss which we cannot say about Ben Lively who has allowed eight earned runs and 16 hits over his last two starts. The Philly bullpen is alright themselves. To me though, these two teams should see plenty of runs against mediocre starting pitching.

Two of the better lineups in baseball are playing Anaheim and there are two mediocre pitchers on the mound. Nick Tropeano pitched well in his first start in Kansas City but the Royals are very light hitting. The Red Sox are a whole lot better and are hitting over .300 in their last eight games. This team is smoking hot and will want to send a message in this series. They have sent a great one so far, but I think they keep the offensive pressure up. So will Anaheim against Eduardo Rodriguez who has been alright and mediocre in two starts. He gave up three runs and five hits to the Rays at home back on the 8th. The Angels are hitting .270 against left-handed starters averaging over five runs per contest against them. Both bullpens have good numbers, but man, I think they struggle on Thursday. To me, this seems like a good value with these offenses. 

I think we are getting a good price on the Diamondbacks in this one. Robbie Ray has won two of his three starts despite sporting a 5.74 ERA. He's striking guys out with 23 of them in just over 15 innings. Ray struggled in San Francisco allowing three runs and five hits in just over four innings last time out. Overall he's 4-1 with a 2.82 ERA in nine career starts against San Francisco. The Giants are hitting .231 against left-handed starters and are 4-6 in those games. Arizona's bullpen has not blown a save yet this year. Chris Stratton has pitched well, but I'm not convinced. He's allowed six runs and 10 hits in three starts. Stratton has 11 K's and 7 walks in those games. Last year he lost in Arizona despite pitching well. I think that the Snakes have a solid lineup and should be able to get to the mediocre starter. The Giants bullpen has an ERA near five on the road. I think the home team is worth a look. 

The Indians beat the Twins 6-1 in game one of their two game set in Puerto Rico. Now they send Carlos Carrasco to the mound and he's allowed eight runs and 15 hits over 20 innings and change. He's got a 3.97 ERA in 14 career starts against Minnesota with nine of them going under the total. Carrasco has held the Twins to two runs and 15 hits over his last three starts against them. Jose Berrios has been fantastic for Minnesota. He's allowed no runs in two of his starts and only has one ugly outing against Seattle sandwiched in between those. Cleveland's offense has been pretty bad this season. They entered Tuesday night hitting just .200 as a team. Both teams have pretty good bullpens so I think this one will go under the total.

Ariel Miranda comes up to make the start for Seattle as they host the Astros on Tuesday. Miranda has had one good start and one poor one in the minors entering this one. He's 1-2 with a 4.42 ERA in six career starts against Houston. The Astros lineup is very deep and is hitting left-handed starters pretty well for the most part this season. Entering Monday night, they were hitting .272 in five games against them. Lance McCullers has allowed 13 runs and 18 hits in 14 innings of work. The righty traditionally has had some issues on the road and last time out he had six walks and eight runs allowed in Minnesota. He has struggled in his last two starts against Seattle last season. The Mariners offense is hitting around .260 as a team and is averaging nearly five runs per contest. Both teams have decent bullpens who may have to cover a lot of innings. I think this one goes over the total.

Bryan Mitchell has been absolutely awful for the Padres and the worst of it has come at home. The former Yankees starter has a whopping 14 walks in just over 13 innings. He's allowed eight runs and 12 hits in eight innings at home and now faces a Dodgers lineup that has potential. Alex Wood is looking for his first win of the season. The southpaw has allowed 10 runs and 13 hits over his last two starts. He has had some velocity issues this season and hasn't looked the same since facing the Giants. Wood has a 2.88 ERA in eight career starts against the Padres with half of them going over the total. San Diego's offense is averaging over four runs per game against left-handed starters. The Dodgers bullpen has sprung some leaks this season at times. I think this one should go over the total.

Miguel Gonzalez has allowed 10 runs and 16 hits in just over nine innings of work for the White Sox. He's been absolutely abysmal yet Chicago has no one to turn to. Gonzalez has a 4.25 ERA in five career starts against Oakland losing both times against them last year. Oakland's lineup is hitting around .260 this season and has been hard to pin down all year. The Sox bullpen has an ERA over seven on the road and has had their issues as a group. Trevor Cahill made two starts in the minors and was alright as he tried to build his arm up for this outing. Cahill gave up four runs and eight hits in six innings against Chicago last year. Chicago's offense is scoring, but they are not hitting well. Entering Monday night, they were hitting .232 as a team but were averaging 4 runs per game. Oakland's bullpen has several losses and several blown saves. These two pitchers are powder kegs and the over should hit easily. 

Joey Lucchesi has been fantastic so far. He's allowed five runs and 12 hits in just over 15 innings of work. The southpaw is facing a Giants lineup that is hitting around .228 against left-handed starters this season and just don't scare me very much. What does scare me is the bad Padres pen that is 0-5 on the season, but maybe they show up in this one. Tyler Beede is making his second major league start. In his first one he gave up two runs and three hits in four innings, but was undone by five walks. He'll go up against a light hitting San Diego squad that is hitting around .223 as a group this season. San Francisco's bullpen is alright. I think this one is an under though as both lineups don't scare me. 

This is quite a hefty price to pay for an inconsistent Dodgers team that isn't hitting. Taijuan Walker held LA to three runs in five innings back on April 2nd. He's pitched pretty well this season although I'd like to see some more strikeouts. The Dodgers are hitting around .232 as a team this season and don't really scare me right now. Arizona's bullpen has an ERA under one on the road. Rich Hill is pitching off a week rest and he faced the Giants twice. Hill is 1-6 with a 4.98 ERA in 11 career starts against Arizona. He struggled a lot with them and I don't see much of a change this year as I like the DBacks lineup. The Dodgers bullpen has had their issues this season. To me, the runline in this one is a juicy price.

Kendall Graveman is not a very good pitcher. He's allowed 14 runs and 20 hits in just over 13 innings of work. The righty has just five strikeouts and five walks over that span so he's not missing too many bats. Graveman is 1-3 with a 4.93 ERA against the Mariners in his short career. Seattle's lineup is not in too bad of a form especially as of late considering they are putting some offense together. Marco Gonzales makes his first home start of the season after one good and one bad road outings. The southpaw has six strikeouts and one walk in just over eight innings of work. Oakland's lineup really doesn't faze me too much. They are 1-4 against lefties and Seattle's bullpen probably has the edge. I like the home team in this one. 

The Nats offense continues to sputter as they host the Rockies once again. Washington has gone under in five straight and six of their last seven games as they've scored just 11 runs over their last five. Jon Gray has seen the Padres twice and the DBacks once. He's pitched alright on the road allowing three runs and 10 hits in 11 innings. Gray lost to Washington in DC last year but held them to three runs and four hits in seven innings. Gray will be opposed by Max Scherzer who has allowed just two earned runs and 13 hits in 20 innings. He's got bad numbers against Colorado, but a lot of that is on the road. The Rox still aren't at full strength with Charlie Blackmon still out. Colorado has gone under in four straight and seven of their last nine. Both bullpens aren't that bad so I think the late innings will be covered. Give me the under in this one.

Mike Clevinger has been fantastic for the Indians giving up one run and 14 hits in just over 12 innings of work. He has nine strikeouts and four walks and has not faced Toronto. The Jays are hitting .233 as a team and have gone under in eight of their 13 contests. Marcus Stroman has been pretty bad so far this season. He's allowed nine runs, nine hits and eight walks in just over nine innings. The righty struggled in Texas and against the Yankees. Cleveland entered Thursday's games hitting .170 overall and .180 in home games. They had their first over there yesterday, but I'm not ready to believe in this lineup yet. The bullpens are alright with Cleveland's being stronger. I think this one has under written all over it as Stroman gets back to his ace status.

Bryan Mitchell is making his third start for the Pads. He's allowed five runs and 11 hits in just over 10 innings of work. The problem has been with his control with nine walks and one strikeout. San Fran's lineup has been underwhelming so far, but they should be able to hit this mediocre pitching group. Chris Stratton is making his first start against someone other then the Dodgers. The righty allowed six runs and nine hits in just over 10 innings against them. He's got mediocre stuff. The Padres found some offense in Coors and have a mediocre lineup themselves. To me, this one should see some offense with a lot of mediocre pitchers on both sides. 

Detroit has gone under in five straight games as their offense has managed just nine runs over that span. The group has struggled on this road trip that will end on Thursday. Trevor Bauer is looking for his first win, but the righty held the Royals and Mariners to three runs and eight hits over 13 innings. Bauer has been torched by the Tigers over his career, but this is a lighter hitting Detroit lineup. He's also backed by a fantastic bullpen. Michael Fulmer beat the Indians last year in Cleveland. He's held the White Sox and Pirates to one run and 10 hits in just over 13 innings. Cleveland has gone under in seven straight games as their offense has cracked the three run mark just once over that span. The unit has been terrible and has managed double digit hits just once. I think we get good pitching efforts and another under.

Dallas Keuchel is two starts into his 2018 campaign and is still looking for his first win of the season. The southpaw has allowed five runs and 12 hits in 11 innings against the Orioles and Rangers. He's not pitched in Minnesota since 2014, but lost to them the last time he faced them in 2016. The Twins offense has some potential and I think they can get to Keuchel. Jake Odorizzi has a 0.47 ERA in three career starts against the Astros, but those came in 2014 and 2015. This lineup is a lot better although they are hitting around .225 as a group against right-handed pitchers. I think this one could be a tighter game so I'll take the home team's runline. 

Martin Perez is a pretty bad pitcher and he'll try to slow down the Angels. The southpaw is making his second start of the season after allowing three runs and 10 hits to the A's in just over five innings. Perez had one strikeout in that outing. The lefty is 4-4 with a 3.31 ERA in 11 starts against the Angels. The Angels lineup is averaging around six runs per game and have taken care of business a lot this season. I think the Rangers bullpen is pretty bad too. Tyler Skaggs has put up good numbers so far, but has struggled against Texas. He's got a 6.57 ERA in eight career starts against Texas. His last time starting there was a bad one giving up six runs and five hits in two innings. The Rangers offense is putting up less then good numbers, but I think they can score off the southpaw. This one should go over the total.

Miles Mikolas gets his second straight crack against the Brewers on Monday. He beat them despite allowing four runs and seven hits in just over five innings. Mikolas is a mediocre pitcher who is facing a Milwaukee lineup that has hit well for a lot of the season. They have plenty of weapons and have now seen him a second time. Jhoulys Chacin gets the Cardinals for his second straight start. He allowed six runs and seven hits in just over five innings to them last time out. He also looked pretty bad in San Diego back in late March so I'm not scared of him. Chacin is 0-6 with a 5.35 ERA in six career starts against the Cards. St. Louis' lineup is hit or miss, but they have started to hit better as of late. Both teams have bullpen issues despite decent numbers. Milwaukee is filling a hole at closer while the Cards middle relief has been an issue. I think this one is an over. 

Trevor Richards makes his second major league start as the Marlins play in Philly. Richards gave up five runs and eight hits in just over four innings at home to the Red Sox. He'll face a Phillies offense now that is starting to find themselves after a 20 run output on Saturday. It'll be interesting to find out Gabe Kapler's lineup for Sunday as he's mixed things up a lot this season. The Marlins bullpen will figure to have to cover a lot of innings and I do not trust those guys. On the other side it's Jake Arrieta making his start for the first time as a Phillie. Who knows how long he'll be able to go after the team stretched him out. Arrieta has had a fantastic history against Miami, but if he doesn't go deep then a bad Philly bullpen comes into play as well. To me, these two pitchers will give way to bad pens and the offenses should find some success.

Tyler Mahle and Jameson Taillon faced off twice in 2017 with both of those going under the total. Mahle looked really good against the Cubs holding them to one hit and two walks over six innings of work. The righty was very good against Pittsburgh last year giving up three runs and nine hits in 11 innings of work. The Pirates offense has been fantastic this season, but I'm not completely buying it so far. Jameson Taillon struck out nine Twins in just over five innings giving up two runs and four hits. He's pitched well against the Reds in his last two outings against them which came late last season and has been improving his stuff over his career. The Cincy lineup has struggled at times putting up runs. I think we see some regulars sit for both teams as well. This one should go under.

Marcus Stroman is stretched out and is over his injuries that he suffered in the spring. He allowed four runs and three hits in five innings to the Yankees picking up eight strikeouts in the process. The righty got shelled in Arlington last year, but he's facing a worse lineup this season. Texas is 3-6 on the season and part of it is bad offense coupled with poor pitching. He'll be opposed by Mike Minor who I just don't like. He lost to the Astros in his first start giving up two runs and three hits in just over four innings. Toronto's offense is no great shakes either, but I think they are the better group. The Rangers bullpen just doesn't scare me and you know they'll be involved. I think the Jays are the better team.

The first time Rich Hill and Chris Stratton faced off, I had the over and it hit. Stratton now has to make adjustments after starting last game against LA. He allowed three runs and five hits in just over five innings of work. It was the Giants bullpen that allowed the rest of the runs. Neither offense is all that scary right now, but both teams pens are pretty bad right now. Rich Hill held the Giants in check in that start allowing five hits and three walks in six innings. The southpaw is facing a San Fran offense that found its bats at home as of late. They've gone over in three straight since going under in the first three. I think this one should go over as well.

Lucas Giolito will be on my card a lot this year in some sort of fashion. He pitched alright in his first start of 2018 holding the Royals to three runs and four hits in six innings. Of concern is the four walks, but he's been trying to cut down on those. Giolito pitched well against Detroit last year holding them to three hits and three walks over seven innings. Miguel Cabrera is dealing with a hip injury so he may not be available for this one. Michael Fulmer lost a 1-0 game to the Pirates last time out giving up one run and four hits in eight innings. He's 1-1 with a 4.41 ERA in five career starts against the White Sox. Chicago's lineup is putting up good numbers, but I think it's more a product of facing bad pitchers so far. I'm going to need both starters to go deep in order to not have the bullpens factor in. I think we can get 7 from each and then hope the pens don't ruin it over the eighth and ninth.

Kevin Gausman was his usual roller coaster self last time out giving up six runs and seven hits in four innings to the Twins. He's lost his last two starts against the Yankees giving up 12 runs and 13 hits in just over six innings against them. Gausman's control was an issue last year, but the Yankees lineup is a lot tougher this season. For some reason they struggled against mediocre Andrew Cashner, but don't expect that to be a constant. CC Sabathia was effective in his first start of the year going his usual five innings while holding the Jays to two runs and five hits in five innings. CC has struggled with the Orioles a bit as of late. He gave up 12 runs and 17 hits in his last 11 innings and change against them. Baltimore's offense can be a lot better then they have been as evidenced by Thursday night. I think this one is an over with plenty of fireworks. 

I think we're getting a good price here on the Diamondbacks who are coming off a 5-1 homestand against the Rockies and Dodgers. The offense is playing well right now and the team's getting fantastic pitching. Robbie Ray didn't pitch well but got the win in his first start. The southpaw has only allowed one earned run in his last two starts in St. Louis. The Cardinals lineup doesn't scare me as much as it has in the past. Adam Wainwright is coming off the disabled list to make this start. The veteran only threw 10.2 innings in the Spring so who knows how long he can go. That means a mediocre bullpen is going to have to shoulder a lot of the load. Arizona's offense should be able to tee off on the veteran who also had a little bit of a control problem. I think the road team is a live one here.

The Pirates are 4-0 so far this season after sweeping the Tigers and taking game one against the Twins. Ivan Nova is making his second start of the season. He gave up two runs and six hits in five innings at Detroit. Minnesota's offense has had some success this season and are averaging nearly five runs per game. Jake Odorizzi was fantastic against the Orioles last time out. He held them to two hits and two walks over six innings while striking out seven. Pittsburgh's offense is putting up good numbers, but i'm not a believer. Neither bullpen is all that good, but I think the Twins have the better starter and the better lineup. Give me the road team in this one. 

Washington and Atlanta put up a boatload of runs on Tuesday, but I don't see that on a getaway day early afternoon contest on Wednesday. Max Scherzer struck out 10 Reds on Opening Day on his way to six scoreless innings. He's got a 4.09 ERA in 15 career starts against the Braves but ironically has actually pitched worse against them at home then down in Atlanta. Color me unimpressed by Atlanta's lineup and I'm seeing an appearance of the law firm for Washington to lock down this one if Scherzer doesn't go all nine. Mike Foltynewicz held the Phillies to three runs and five hits in five innings, striking out seven. He had a mixed bag season against Washington last year, but the majority of those starts came in DC. Once again, I feel like both lineups may feature some bench guys and I feel like both teams will be ready to move onto their next series.

Kyle Freeland makes his 2018 debut as the Rockies continue their series in San Diego. The southpaw pitched well in his last start there last season allowing one run and three hits in just over six innings. Freeland didn't pitch that terribly in the spring as he got better towards the end. San Diego's lineup continues to scuffle early on and they didn't hit well against their lone left-handed starter opponent. Tyson Ross is back with the Padres after going elsewhere and it remains to be seen how good he is. Colorado's lineup has the massive edge in this one and San Diego's bullpen is full of question marks. I think the road team can get the win in this one.

Cole Hamels lost his Opening Day start to the Astros at home giving up three runs and five hits in just over five innings. The southpaw allowed two homers and walked four in that span as well. He lost both starts to the A's last season giving up nine runs and 14 hits in just over seven innings. I just don't think he's as effective and that he's going downhill in his career. Current Oakland hitters have 24 hits in 70 at-bats against him. The A's lineup isn't that great, but I think they can scratch some runs against Hamels and a very mediocre Texas bullpen. Kendall Graveman allowed five runs and seven hits in five innings to the Angels. He beat the Rangers at home in his last two starts against them last season. The Rangers lineup doesn't really scare me that much outside of a few select threats. I think Oakland has the edge in the bullpen and think they take this one on Tuesday.

The Giants are hitting .192 in four games and are averaging 0.5 runs after a rough series against the Dodgers. Now they face Marco Gonzales who makes his first start for Seattle. The southpaw pitched well this spring allowing just six runs and 22 hits over 26 innings, striking out 21 while walking nine. Only five San Francisco hitters have seen the former Cardinals pitcher. Ty Blach outdueled Clayton Kershaw on Opening Day. He gave up three hits in five innings in that one. Blach is 6-5 with a 3.83 ERA at AT&T Park in his career. Seattle has not faced a lefty yet this season and has to use the pitcher in their lineup which should help cut down on the rallys. Both team's bullpens are just okay so I hope that the starters do pretty well early. 

Bryan Mitchell makes his San Diego debut as the Padres host the Rockies. The former Yankees starter made one start for New York last year giving up two runs and six hits in five innings to the Twins. He's got a good curveball and might benefit from pitching in a bigger ballpark. The Rockies had one good game and two poor ones against the Diamondbacks in Arizona. Not a single one of them has seen Mitchell before so that should help. Chad Bettis is 0-2 with a 3.29 ERA in seven appearances in Petco Park. He pitched well in the Spring with better command and velocity. Last year Bettis allowed one run in just over four innings in San Diego. I don't think the Padres lineup is that good. I'll take the under and hope both pitchers run well in this one. 

Chris Stratton pitched well this spring although I'm not that convinced he's any good as a starter. He struck out 28 over 27.1 innings of work. Stratton pitched at Dodgers Stadium last September giving up three runs in four innings of work. LA's lineup has struggled so far, but they'll have a rested Corey Seager on Sunday night. I believe in them as a unit to get to Stratton and the team's mediocre bullpen. Rich Hill is 38 years old and last year pitched twice through the batting order for the most part. The Giants have hit the southpaw pretty well including Brandon Belt (4-8), Brandon Crawford (5-11) and Buster Posey (6-15). San Francisco's lineup isn't terrible and is capable of putting up some runs in this matchup. I think this one is an over on Sunday Night Baseball. 

Jose Berrios was awesome in the Spring holding opponents to just five runs and 14 hits over 19 innings. The ace had 16 strikeouts to just six walks as well. He had two good outings against the Orioles last year including a winning effort in Camden Yards back on May 24th. Berrios had an ERA over five on the road last year, but this is a Baltimore offense that is scuffling big time. Kevin Gausman bounced back from a slow start to his Spring. He's been very hit or miss as a pitcher so far in his career, but I've always liked his stuff. Four of Gausman's last six starts last year were great holding his opponents to just one run or less. Minnesota's lineup has some potential, but I think they struggle in this one. The Orioles bullpen isn't terrible, so they should be able to hold a late lead. I think the under is a good play here. 

Marcus Stroman will go most likely 85 pitches or so after being hurt in the spring and throwing only 28 last time out. He pitched pretty well in that one and we know that he's capable of very good stuff. Brett Gardner (9-34) and Aaron Judge (6-12) have had their success against the ace. I don't trust the Jays bullpen in the least so I think a later inning edge goes to the road team. Sonny Gray had a good spring and is trying to get back to the ace he was in Oakland. He went 1-2 against Toronto on the road last year with both the A's and Yanks. Gray has had a lot of success against Kendrys Morales (2-20), Kevin Pillar (3-17) and Justin Smoak (4-25, 10 K's). There won't be a lot of times where we can take the Yankees this season, but this one seems like a good spot to do so. 

Villanova has been steamrolling opponents throughout this tournament and are doing so with an offense that hasn't even been at their best and a defense that has been maligned at times this year. The Wildcats have wins of 12, 12, 23 and 26 in this tournament so far and that's even with them struggling to shoot in two of the victories. The common thread has been holding opponents to under 42% shooting from the field. Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges have gone back and forth this season being the best player on the team and they are two of SIX double digit scorers. Omari Spellman has shown a lot as the team's big man along with Eric Paschall on the inside. It's very hard to shut them down, because so many players are threats on the roster.

The Jayhawks have to be feeling good after the overtime win over Duke 85-81 in the last round. Kansas has played several high scoring affairs after dispatching Penn in the first round. For gamblers, their four point wins over Seton Hall and Clemson were awful beats as KU was a 4.5 or 5 point favorite in each and they looked good until late buckets changed that. Malik Newman was awesome in the win over the Blue Devils and he's taken his game to another level. Devonte' Graham will have the challenge of slowing down Brunson and trying to score on him. Udoka Azubuike has to be able to stay on the court after fouling out in his last two contests. He represents the team's biggest threat in the paint and someone who has to cover Spellman.

Kansas has been an underdog 11 times the last three seasons with five of those instances coming this year. They covered and won four of those games outright. Villanova is an absolute monster against the spread going 26-12 this year and have covered 35 of their last 51 non-conference games overall. These two met back in 2016 with the Wildcats winning 64-59 as a two point underdog. Brunson and Bridges were a lot younger and scored only 13 points in that one. I think Nova is the best team in the country and they add another double digit win to their resume.

German Marquez went 2-1 with a 9.82 ERA during four Spring starts as he worked on his changeup. The youngster is 0-3 with a  4.59 ERA in six career starts against Arizona. His last start in Arizona was a rough one allowing four runs and 11 hits in just over three innings. Outside of Shaw and Wade Davis, I'm not in love with Colorado's bullpen. The DBacks lineup had a solid showing in their opener and should be able to put up some runs this season. Zack Greinke had an interest Spring with a groin issue and talk of his velocity falling a bit. Greinke had a solid outing on Monday, but I'm not convinced he won't struggle a bit with this Rox lineup. Nolan Arenado (13-47), Carlos Gonzalez (14-42), DJ LeMahieu (14-45) and Gerardo Parra (12-41) have good numbers against the righty. I think this one should see plenty of runs with two vulnerable starters. 

Lucas Giolito was a frequent target of mine last year as he continues to pitch well in the majors. He finished the Cactus League with a 2.04 ERA striking out 17 and walking four over 17 innings. Giolito pitched great against a better KC team last year holding them to two runs and nine hits over 13 innings and change. The Royals scored only seven runs in game one and it wasn't enough. Chicago put up 14 in that one and the offense is in good form. Ian Kennedy has had an up and down spring. Kennedy is 2-3 with a 5.04 ERA in nine starts against the White Sox. Last year he allowed 14 runs and 20 hits over his last three starts against the Sox. Jose Abreu (9-19), Tim Anderson (5-14), Matt Davidson (3-8) and Avisail Garcia (4-15) all hit the vet hard. I think it's going to be a long season for the Royals. They go down on Saturday.

Two efficient offenses will take the court first on Saturday against two very good defenses. Michigan is shooting 47% from the field while averaging 74.1 points per contest. Their opponent is hitting shots at a 50.9% rate while averaging 72 points per game. Both of these teams have done it all season long so this really shouldn't be a surprise.

Let's start with the underdogs who boast five double digit scorers led by Clayton Custer and Donte Ingram.  Four of those players shoot over 50% from the field including Cameron Krutwig who is the big man in the middle. The offense that this team runs is difficult to prepare for so the extra time off will benefit Coach Beilein who is one of the best in the business. Lost in the shuffle is how good this defense is. They have not allowed 70 points or more in 10 straight games. They held Kansas State, Tennessee and Miami to 62 points each in their tournament games.

On the other side is Michigan who is led by Moritz Wagner and Charles Matthews. The pair are two of three guys who average double digits per contest. Wagner has been in a lot of foul trouble so far this tournament registering four fouls in three of their four victories. Because of that he's had some off games with just 50 points over the four contests. His ability to stay in the game will be important because Jon Teske doesn't bring as much as Wagner does. Duncan Robinson is a key as well for the Wolverines as when he hits double digits, they win. Michigan, much like their opponent, prefers a slower style game, but has shown they can pick it up when needed scoring 99 on Texas A&M.

Loyola-Chicago has covered 24 of their 33 lined games overall and eight of nine as an underdog. They have gone under in 19 of their 27 contests against teams with a winning record. Michigan is 24-13 against the spread this season and have gone under in 10 of their 17 non-conference games. I think this one is very tight as both teams will find things similar about one another. I really think the five points is a gift because I could see this being a one or two possession game throughout. Give me the underdog to cover though.

CC Sabathia takes the mound for the Yankees on Saturday as they host the Jays. Sabathia is 17-11 with a 3.63 ERA in 31 career stats against Toronto. He's lost two of his last three starts against them. Russell Martin (8-28), Kendrys Morales (9-25), Steve Pearce (8-27) and Justin Smoak (7-26) have good numbers against the veteran. Toronto's lineup isn't that great, but I don't think Sabathia can continue to do it with smoke and mirrors. Marco Estrada had a down year last year, but beat the Yankees twice in a row at home in games where he held them to one run and eight hits in 14 innings. We havent really seen the Toronto good bullpen arms yet so that's good in a case where they may have a lead. Estrada thinks he fixed what ailed him last year. The Yankees are the better team, but I think they lose on Saturday.