At 8:39 PM ET on Friday, we will be playing the money-line on the Milwaukee Brewers (958) versus the Los Angeles Dodgers (957) listing both starting pitchers Wade Miley and Hyun-Jin Ryu. THE SITUATION: Los Angeles (98-74) took a 3-2 lead in the National League Championship Series on Wednesday with their 5-2 victory over the Brewers in the fifth game of this series. This series returns to Milwaukee for sixth and potential seventh game of this series tonight.

REASONS TO TAKE THE BREWERS WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Don’t count out this Brewers team (101-70) that won twelve straight games after winning the opening game of this series. Milwaukee’s two-game losing streak is the first time that they have lost two straight games since September 15th and 16th. The Brewers have won 8 of their last 9 games when playing with double-revenge — and they have won 19 of their last 26 games after a loss. Additionally, Milwaukee has won 8 straight games after an off-day — and they have won a decisive 40 of their last 58 games after failing to score more than two runs in their last game. The Brewers need to get their offense going as they have not scored more than four runs in four straight games. Milwaukee has won 16 of their last 22 games after failing to score more than four runs in three straight games. They return home where they have won 52 of their last 77 games — and they have also won five of their last seven home games against teams with a winning record. They give the ball to Miley who had a 5-2 with a 2.57 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP in the regular season. The left-hander was outstanding in Game Two of this series in this exact situation at home dueling against Ryu as he pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings to get that win. Miley has not allowed an earned run in his 13 innings of work against the Dodgers this season which includes a 0.77 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .136. The Brewers have won 4 of their last 5 home games with Miley on the mound. Miley sees his ERA drop to a 2.24 mark at home this year — and Milwaukee has won 10 of their last 14 games with Miley pitching at night. Los Angeles has lost 12 of their last 16 games on the road in the NLCS. They counter with Ryu who did not last 5 innings in Game Two of this series where he allowed two runs and six hits. While the left-hander had a 7-3 record with a 1.97 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP during the regular season, he saw his ERA and WHIP rise to 3.58 and 1.20 marks in his six starts on the road. And while he had a microscopic 1.02 ERA at home, that mark rose to a 2.23 ERA in his twelve starts on the road. The Dodgers have lost 11 of their last 13 road games with Ryu facing a team with a winning record. Los Angeles has also lost 6 of their last 7 road games with Ryu pitching when priced in the +/- 125 price range. He faces a Brewers team that has won 22 of their last 32 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower — and Milwaukee has also won 5 of their last 6 home games against left-handed starting pitchers.

FINAL TAKE: Look for this underrated Brewers team to extend this series to a climactic seventh game. They have the edge in the starting pitcher battle tonight — and Josh Hader is available again to pitch an inning or two out of the bullpen. 25* MLB Friday Night Special Feature with the money-line on the Milwaukee Brewers (958) versus the Los Angeles Dodgers (957) listing both starting pitchers Wade Miley and Hyun-Jin Ryu. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:09 PM ET on Thursday, we will be playing the Houston Astros (956) minus the -1.5 Run-Line versus the Boston Red Sox (955) listing both starting pitchers Justin Verlander and David Price. THE SITUATION: Boston (114-56) was the beneficiary of a bad call from umpire Joe West last night which took away a home run in their 8-6 victory over the Astros in the fourth game of the American League Championship Series to take a 3-1 lead.

REASONS TO TAKE HOUSTON MINUS THE RUN-LINE: While the Red Sox led MLB with their remarkable 108 wins in the regular season, don’t sleep on the reigning World Series champions who quietly won 103 games. The Astros (107-62) led MLB with a +263 run differential which was swamped their +196 run differential last year. Their +459 run differential over the last two regular seasons is the best two-year run in MLB since the ’98-99 Yankees. Who knows how many more wins Houston would have accrued in the regular season if not for the injuries to Jose Altuve, Carlos Correia, and George Springer? They have dugs themselves a big hole in this series — but I do expect them to take extend this series to a sixth game back in Boston on Saturday. The Astros have won 7 of their last 9 games after a loss — and they have won 7 of their last 10 games after allowing at least five runs in their last game. This team has also won 9 of their last 13 games when playing with triple revenge against their opponent. Houston has now played six straight Overs after last night’s high-scoring affair. Not only have the Astros won 36 of their last 49 games after playing at least three straight Overs but they have also won 4 of their last 5 games after playing at least five straight Overs. They remain at home for perhaps the last time this season. They have still won 13 of their last 18 games at home while also winning 10 of their last 13 home games in the playoffs. They give the ball to Verlander who was 16-9 with a 2.52 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP in thirty-four regular season starts. The right-hander was even better at home where he had a 0.84 WHIP with an opponent’s batting average of .193 in nineteen starts. Houston has won 4 straight games at home with Verlander making the start. Verlander has been outstanding for the Astros in the playoffs where he owns a 6-1 record with a 2.43 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP in 48 innings while striking out 51 batters. Houston has won 6 of their last 7 games in the playoffs with Verlander on the mound — and his teams have won 4 of their last 5 games when he is making the start in a game where his team faces potential elimination in the playoffs. Boston has scored eight runs in two straight games — but they have then lost 18 of their last 31 games after scoring at least eight runs in two straight games. The Red Sox have also lost 3 of their last 4 games on the road as a big underdog priced in the +175 to +250 price range. Manager Dave Roberts has little choice to counter with Price tonight despite having him warm up in the bullpen in both the 8th and 9th innings to potentially relieve a very shaky Craig Kimbrel last night. Price is already pitching on three days rest for this start — so this is far from optimal conditions for the left-hander. For the season, Price was 16-7 with a 3.58 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP — but he saw his ERA and WHIP rise to 4.31 and 1.22 marks in four starts on the road during the regular season. Price has a well-documented history of struggles in the playoffs. For his career, he has a 2-3 record in the playoffs with a 5.42 ERA with a 1.29 WHIP in 79 2/3 innings. In this postseason, Price is 0-1 with a 9.95 ERA with a 2.21 WHIP in two starts. His teams have lost 10 of their last 11 games that he is making the start in the playoffs. He faces an angry Astros team that has won 12 of their last 16 games against left-handed starting pitchers.

FINAL TAKE: With the Astros a money-line favorite priced above my -150 threshold, I am only considering a Run-Line play for this situation. With Verlander on the hill and this Boston team already satisfied that they will be returning home to Fenway Park with the opportunity to win this series with just one more victory, I expect Houston to secure the victory by more than one run. 25* MLB American League Playoff Run-Line of the Year with the Houston Astros (956) minus the -1.5 Run-Line versus the Boston Red Sox (955) listing both starting pitchers Justin Verlander and David Price. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:39 PM ET on Wednesday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the Boston Red Sox (913) and the Houston Astros (914) listing both starting pitchers Rick Porcello and Charlie Morton. THE SITUATION: Boston (112-56) took a 2-1 lead in this series last night with their 5-2 victory over the Astros in the American League Championship Series.

REASONS TO TAKE OVER THE TOTAL: Houston (107-60) has played 11 of their last 15 games Over the Total after a loss by at least four runs — and they have also played 6 straight games Over the Total after a loss by at least six runs. Additionally, the Astros have played 8 of their last 12 games Over the Total when avenging a loss by at least six runs. Houston has now seen the Over go 5-1-1 in their last 7 games at home — and they have played 9 of their last 12 games Over the Total at home when priced as a favorite in the -100 to -150 price range. Furthermore, the Over is 14-2-1 in the Astros’ last 17 games against teams with a winning percentage over 60%. They give the ball to Morton who is 15-3 with a 3.13 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP in thirty-two starts. The right-hander does see his ERA rise to a 3.21 mark in his sixteen starts at home. Morton has a 4.03 ERA in his six appearances in the playoffs in his career which includes five starts. Morton has struggled against the Red Sox this season with a 6.97 ERA with a 1.84 WHIP in 10 1/3 innings of work. He faces a Boston team that is scoring 6.3 Runs-Per-Game in these playoffs — and they played 7 of their last 8 games Over the Total on the road against right-handed starting pitchers. The Red Sox have played 7 of their last 9 games Over the Total after a victory — and the Over is 8-2-1 in their last 11 games after scoring at least five runs in their last game. Boston has scored fifteen runs in the last two games — and they have played 12 of their last 15 road games Over the Total after scoring at least seven runs in two straight games. The Red Sox have also played 6 of their last 8 games Over the Total on the road — and they have played 11 of their last 14 road games Over the Total as an underdog priced in the +125 to +175 range. They counter with Porcello who is 17-7 with a 4.28 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in thirty-three starts. The right-hander is not as effective on the road where he has a 1.22 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .253 in eighteen starts as compared to his 1.07 WHIP and .226 opponent’s batting average at home. Porcello also has a 4.64 ERA with a 1.26 WHIP in his twenty-six starts at night. He did allow only one earned run in 5 innings of work in his last start against the Yankees in Game Four of the ALDS — but Boston has played 8 of their last 9 games Over the Total when he is following up a start where he did not allow more than one earned run. He faces an Astros team that is scoring 5.8 Runs-Per-Game in the playoffs with a .262 batting average along with a .367 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .824. Houston has played 4 of their last 5 home games Over the Total against right-handed starting pitchers.

FINAL TAKE: This is a must-win game for the Astros against this Red Sox team playing with proverbial house money with their opportunity to seize a 3-1 lead in this series with two potential games still to be played back home at Fenway Park. That is a recipe for a high-scoring game. 25* MLB American League Total of the Year with Over the Total in the game between the Boston Red Sox (913) and the Houston Astros (914) listing both starting pitchers Rick Porcello and Charlie Morton. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 5:05 PM ET on Wednesday, we will be playing the Milwaukee Brewers (911) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the Los Angeles Dodgers (912) listing both starting pitchers Wade Miley and Clayton Kershaw. THE SITUATION: Los Angeles (96-74) evened this series at two games apiece late last night with their 2-1 win in 13 innings over the Brewers in the National League Championship Series. That game lasted over 5 hours and both these teams will be playing this pivotal fifth game victory with less than a fifteen-hour turnaround from the end of last night’s game.

REASONS TO TAKE THE BREWERS PLUS THE +1.5 RUN-LINE: Despite their loss, last night, Milwaukee (101-68) continues to prove themselves feisty as they have won thirteen of their last fifteen games — and their two losses were just by one run over that stretch. The Brewers have won 15 of their last 23 games when avenging a loss where just one run was scored. Milwaukee has also won 19 of their last 26 games after a loss — and they have won 7 of their last 8 games after not allowing more than two runs in their last contest. Furthermore, the Brewers have won 7 of the last 8 games on the road against teams with a winning record. They give the ball to Miley who is 5-2 with a 2.57 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP in sixteen starts. The left-hander has been more effective on the road where he owns a 2.50 ERA with a 1.13 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .213 in nine starts as compared to his 2.67 ERA with a 1.35 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .270 at home. Miley has not allowed an earned run in his two starts in the playoffs which have spanned 10 1/3 innings of work while registering a 0.50 WHIP during that span. He also has held the Dodgers scoreless in his 13 innings of work against them this season while posting a 0.76 WHIP during that span. Milwaukee has won 8 of their last 9 games with Miley pitching after not allowing more than two earned runs in two straight starts. The Brewers have also won 4 straight road games with Miley making the start. Miley faces a Dodgers team that is scoring only 3.6 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .208 batting average along with a .302 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .632 during that span. Los Angeles has lost 19 of their last 31 games in the NLCS — and they have also lost 10 of their last 13 games when tied in a playoff series. They count on their ace Kershaw this afternoon who looks to bounce-back from allowing five runs (four earned) in 3 innings of work in Game One of this series on Friday. The left-hander had a 9-5 mark during the regular season with a 2.73 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP in twenty-six starts. He saw his ERA rise to a 3.89 mark in September which included two starts where he allowed eight earned runs in what were important situations for his team. The Dodgers have lost 7 of their last 11 games with Kershaw pitching as a money-line favorite in the -125 to -175 price range. They also have lost 5 of their last 8 games in the NLCS with Kershaw on the mound. The Brewers have won 4 of their last 5 games against a starting pitcher with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower.

FINAL TAKE: This will be a gut check moment for both teams after the grueling game last night. All hands will be on deck for this critical contest. I expect another close game — with Milwaukee having a great chance of winning this game outright. With Kershaw on the hill, the Dodgers are big money-line favorites that have bet up to being money-line favorites in the -170 range — and that makes the Brewers plus the +1.5 Run-Line below my -150 price threshold. Let’s attack. 25* MLB Wednesday Afternoon O/U Special Feature with the Milwaukee Brewers (911) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the Los Angeles Dodgers (912) listing both starting pitchers Wade Miley and Clayton Kershaw. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 9:09 PM ET on Tuesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Los Angeles Dodgers (910) versus the Milwaukee Brewers (909) listing both starting pitchers Rich Hill and Gio Gonzalez. THE SITUATION: Milwaukee (101-68) seized a 2-1 lead in this series last night with their 4-0 win over the Dodgers in Game Three of the National League Championship Series.

REASONS TO TAKE THE DODGERS WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Los Angeles (96-74) has won 20 of their last 29 games when avenging a shutout loss to their opponents. The Dodgers have also won 5 of their last 6 games when trailing in a playoff series. Furthermore, Los Angeles has won 6 of their last 7 games after a loss — and they have won 7 straight games after failing to score more than two runs in their last game. Furthermore, the Dodgers have won 9 of their last 10 home games against teams with a winning record on the road. They give the ball to Hill who is 11-5 with a 3.66 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP in twenty-four starts this season. After a slow start to the season, the left-hander raised his level of play in the second-half of the season as he put up a 3.03 ERA with a 0.94 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .187 in thirteen starts after the All-Star Break. Hill has been reliable in the playoffs for the Dodgers as well. Since 2016, Hill has logged in 35 innings in the playoffs for Los Angeles where he has produced a 3.09 ERA while striking out 44 batters. The Dodgers have won 6 of their last 8 games in the playoffs with Hill on the mound. Milwaukee has lost 10 of their last 16 road games with the Total in the 7 to 7.5 range. They counter with Gonzalez who is 10-11 with a 4.21 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP in thirty-two starts. The left-hander saw his ERA rise to a 4.83 mark in his sixteen starts on the road. His teams have lost 11 of their last 16 games with Gonzalez pitching on the road — and they have also lost 9 of their last 11 road games at night with Gonzalez making the start. Furthermore, Gonzalez’s teams have lost 7 of their last 8 road games in the second half of the season. Additionally, Gonzalez has not pitched well in the playoffs in his career given his 4.76 ERA with a 1.45 WHIP in seven starts.

FINAL TAKE: Look for the Dodgers to bounce-back tonight to even this series at two games apiece. 25* MLB Tuesday Night Special Feature with the money-line on the Los Angeles Dodgers (910) versus the Milwaukee Brewers (909) listing both starting pitchers Rich Hill and Gio Gonzalez. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 5:09 PM ET on Tuesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Houston Astros (908) versus the Boston Red Sox (907) while listing both starting pitchers Dallas Keuchel and Nathan Eovaldi. THE SITUATION: Boston (112-56) evened this series at a game apiece on Sunday with their 7-5 victory over the Astros in the second game of the American League Championship Series.

REASONS TO TAKE THE ASTROS WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Houston (107-60) has bounced-back to win 10 of their last 11 games are a loss. While the Red Sox led MLB with their remarkable 108 wins in the regular season, don’t sleep on the reigning World Series champions who quietly won 103 games. The Astros led MLB with a +263 run differential which was swamped their +196 run differential last year. Their +459 run differential over the last two regular seasons is the best two-year run in MLB since the ’98-99 Yankees. This is a dominant team — and they have won 5 straight games after an off-day. Houston returns home for the first time since October 6th — and they have won 10 of their last 12 home games after being on the road for a least seven days. The Astros have also won 13 of their last 16 games at home. And while Houston has played three straight games Over the Total, they have then won a decisive 36 of their last 47 games Over the Total after playing their last three games Over the Total. They give the ball to Kuechel who is 12-11 with a 3.74 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP in thirty-four starts during the regular season. The left-hander was more effective at home where he owned a 1.29 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .253 in sixteen starts as compared to his 1.34 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .273 when on the road. Keuchel has been reliable in the postseason as he owns a 4-2 record with a 3.28 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP in nine games which includes eight starts. He allowed two earned runs in 5 innings of work in his last start last Monday in the ALDS against the Indians — and Houston has won 4 straight games when Keuchel is pitching with at least seven days of rest. The Astros have also won 12 of their last 18 games in the second-half of the season with Keuchel on the hill — and they have won 21 of their last 33 games with Keuchel pitching as a favorite priced in the -100 to -150 price range. He faces a Red Sox team that has lost 8 of their last 13 games in the playoffs. Boston’s offense is not quite as potent against left-handed pitching either. For the season, the Red Sox have a .268 batting average with a .336 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .773 but all those numbers decline to a .258 batting average with a .316 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .738 when facing left-handed starting pitcher. Boston counters with Eovaldi who is 6-7 with a 3.81 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP in twenty-two starts. The right-hander has struggled all season with Tampa Bay and then the Red Sox (after being acquired at the trade deadline) when pitching away from home as he has a 5.14 ERA along with a 1.32 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .274 in thirteen starts on the road. Eovaldi also struggles in night games where he has a 5.11 ERA with a 1.37 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .287 in twelve starts (thirteen appearances). His teams have lost 10 of their last 14 games with Eovaldi pitching at night. Eovaldi’s teams have also lost 6 of their last 7 road games with him making the start as a money-line underdog priced in the +100 to +150 price range — and his teams have also lost 11 of their last 15 games when he is making the start on the road with the Total set in the 7 to 8.5 range. And in his last 7 starts against teams with a winning record, his teams have lost 5 of these contests. Eovaldi faces this Astros team that has won 44 of their last 64 home games against teams with a right-handed starting pitcher.

FINAL TAKE: The clouds aligned for this situation with the Astros returning home coming off a loss to face Eovaldi who is his least effective throughout his career in road games at night. I am happy that Houston is priced below my -150 price threshold limit. 25* MLB American League Game of the Year with the money-line on the Houston Astros (908) versus the Boston Red Sox (907) while listing both starting pitchers Dallas Keuchel and Nathan Eovaldi. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:39 PM ET on Monday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the Milwaukee Brewers (953) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (954) listing both starting pitchers Jhoulys Chacin and Walker Buehler. THE SITUATION: Los Angeles (4-3) evened this series at 1-1 on Saturday with their 4-4 victory over the Brewers in the second game of the National League Championship Series. This series moves to Los Angeles for the next three games.

REASONS TO TAKE UNDER THE TOTAL: The Dodgers have played 22 of their last 34 games Under the Total after a victory by two runs or less. Now they return home to Los Angeles for the first time since October 5th — and the Under is 7-3-1 in their last 11 home games after being on the road for at least seven days. The Under is also 19-6-1 in their last 26 home games against teams with a winning record on the road. They give the ball to Buehler who is 7-5 with a 2.76 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP in twenty-two starts. The right-hander has been more effective at home where he owns a 2.12 ERA with a 0.85 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .184 in eleven starts (twelve appearances). The Under is 10-1-1 in the Dodgers’ last 12 home games with Buehler on the hill. He will be supported by a hot bullpen that has a 1.99 ERA with a 1.02 WHIP over their last seven games. Milwaukee (100-68) has played 5 of their last 6 games Under the Total after a loss — and they have now played 6 of their last 7 games Under the Total against teams with a winning record. Additionally, the Brewers have played 39 of their last 58 road games Under the Total against teams with a winning record — and they have played 8 of their last 10 games Under the Total as an underdog. They counter with Chacin who is 15-8 with a 3.56 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in thirty-four starts. The right-hander has been better on the road this year where he sees his ERA and WHIP drop to 3.41 and 1.10 marks along with an opponent’s batting average of .211. Milwaukee has played 6 of their last 7 road games Under the Total with Chacin on the hill. Chacin will be supported the outstanding Brewers bullpen that has a 2.73 ERA along with a 1.09 WHIP over their last seven games — even after their pen allowed the four runs that cost them Game Two. Manager Craig Counsel will have Josh Hader available to pitch in this game after he logged in three scoreless in their opening game win in this series. The fireballing left-hander has not allowed an earned run in his last five appearances spanning 7 1/3 innings of work where he allowed only three hits and no walks while striking out eleven batters.

FINAL TAKE: To accommodate the prime-time programming for the east coast, this game will be played in the late afternoon in Los Angeles — and that means shadows which can challenge the sight-lines for the batters. These two teams have played 6 of their last 8 meetings Under the Total. Expect another low-scoring game. 25* MLB National League Total of the Year with Under the Total in the game between the Milwaukee Brewers (953) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (954) listing both starting pitchers Jhoulys Chacin and Walker Buehler. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:09 PM ET on Sunday, we will be playing the Boston Red Sox (952) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the Houston Astros (951) listing both starting pitchers David Price and Gerrit Cole. THE SITUATION: Houston (107-59) won the opening game of the American League Championship Series last night by a 7-2 score.

REASONS TO TAKE THE RED SOX PLUS THE +1.5 RUN-LINE: Boston led the majors with 111 wins for a reason — so they should be discounted so quickly. This is a team that has won 20 of their last 23 games when avenging an upset loss as a home favorite. The Red Sox have rebounded to win in 33 of their last 49 games after a loss. Boston has also won 7 of their last 8 games after failing to score more than two runs in their last game. Additionally, the Red Sox have won 41 of their last 59 games Over the Total after allowing at least five runs in their last contest. Boston has also won a decisive 45 of their last 64 games at home in Fenway Park. The Red Sox are probably underdogs because of the trepidation regarding Price who has some high-profile bad efforts in the playoffs which were magnified after he pitched only 1 2/3 innings where he allowed three runs in Game Two of the ALDS against the Yankees. Price was outstanding during the second-half of the season where he had a 6-1 record with 11 starts with a 2.25 ERA along with a 0.97 WHIP. The left-hander also has a 2.98 ERA with a 1.08 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .213 in sixteen starts at home. Boston has won 20 of their last 26 home games with Price on the hill — and this includes them winning seven of their last nine home games with Price facing a team with a winning record. The Red Sox have also won 16 of their last 23 night games with Price on the hill. Houston (107-59) has lost 8 of their last 11 games on the road in the ALCS. They counter with Cole who is 15-5 with a 2.88 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP in thirty-two starts. The right-hander has been a bit less effective on the road where he has a 1.10 WHIP with an opponent’s batting average of .206 in seventeen starts as compared to his 0.97 WHIP and a .188 opponent’s batting average at home. Cole also saw his numbers decline in the second-half of the season where he had a 3.50 ERA with a 1.13 WHIP after the All-Star Break. Lastly, because the Astros’ bullpen has an ERA of 2.06 over their last ten games, Houston falls into an empirical “play-against” angle that is specific to the Run-Line that has been 72% effective over the last five seasons. The Astros have not committed more than one error in eleven straight games — but road favorites who have not committed more than one error in ten straight games with a bullpen ERA of 2.50 or lower in their last ten games have then failed to cover the +1.5 Run-Line in 105 of the last 146 situations (priced in the +160 to -115 price range) where these conditions applied.

FINAL TAKE: I liked Boston to win this game tonight — and with the betting action pushing the Astros’ money-line price up, our Run-Line price drops below my -150 price threshold. There will be times where I will like money-line price after laying -1.5 Runs in these playoffs, but let’s buy the +1.5 Run-Line for some insurance tonight. 25* MLB Sunday Night Run-Line Special Feature with the Boston Red Sox (952) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the Houston Astros (951) listing both starting pitchers David Price and Gerrit Cole. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 4:09 PM ET on Saturday, we will be playing the Milwaukee Brewers (906) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the Los Angeles Dodgers (905) listing both starting pitchers Hyun-Jin Ryu and Wade Miley. THE SITUATION: Milwaukee (99-67) took a 1-0 lead in the NDLS last night with their 6-5 victory over the Dodgers. Both these teams see a quick turnaround for this afternoon game.

REASONS TO TAKE THE BREWERS PLUS THE +1.5 RUN-LINE: Los Angeles (95-72) has now lost two of their last three games — and they are being given no favors in having to rebound quickly for this afternoon game after last night’s loss. They are staring the prospect of leaving Milwaukee down 0-2 in this series in less than a twenty-four period. As it is, the Dodgers have lost 11 of their last 14 games on the road in the NLDS. They give the ball to Ryu who is 7-3 with a 1.97 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP in fifteen starts. The left-hander has not been as effective on the road where he sees his ERA rise to a 3.58 mark along with a 1.23 WHIP. Ryu has not been quite as good in day games either where he has a 1.23 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .229 in three starts as compared to his 0.88 WHIP and .186 opponent’s batting average in twelve starts at night. Los Angeles has lost 11 of their last 12 road games with Ryu on the hill — and they have also lost 6 of their last 8 road games with Ryu pitching with the Total set in the 8 to 8.5 range. He faces a Brewers team that has won 20 of their last 28 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower — and they have also won 4 straight home games against left-handed starting pitchers. Milwaukee has won twelve straight games as well as twenty-three of their last twenty-nine contests. The Brewers have won 14 of their last 17 games against teams with a winning record — and they have won 20 of their last 27 home games against teams with a winning record. Manager Craig Counsel leaned heavily on his lefty fireballer Josh Hader who dominated with 3 innings of work last night — Counsel has indicated that Hader will not be available this afternoon. But Counsel has the benefit of a slew of good arms (and his starting pitchers) to use out the bullpen for this game. Milwaukee’s bullpen has a 3.03 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP at home this season — and their pen has a 2.02 ERA with a 0.90 WHIP over their last seven games. Counsel has relied on his bullpen to pitch 11 1/3 innings over their last two games while also pitching 15 1/3 innings in their last three contests. The Brewers have won 29 of their last 38 games when their bullpen has pitched at least 9 combined innings over their last two games — and they have won 14 of their last 17 games when they bullpen has pitched at least 4 innings in three straight games. They look for Miley to give them 3 to 5 innings of work to start the game — the left-hander has a 5-2 record with a 2.57 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in sixteen starts. Miley has thrived in afternoon games where he has a 1.16 WHIP with a .226 opponent’s batting average in three starts as opposed to his 1.23 WHIP and .239 opponent’s batting average at night. Miley comes off a strong outing where he gave up only three hits and no earned runs in 4 2/3 innings of work in the NLDS against Colorado last Sunday. The Brewers have won 8 straight games with Miley pitching with five days of rest — and they have also won 4 straight home games with Miley on the mound.

FINAL TAKE: This game opened as basically a pick ‘em with both teams small money-line favorites — but the betting action has moved the Dodgers to be priced as the favorite in the -130 range. Perhaps that is a reaction to Hader not being available to pitch in this game — and that is an overreaction since the Brewers have plenty of good arms available to Counsel. Milwaukee has a great chance to win this game to take the 2-0 lead in this series after defeating Clayton Kershaw last night — but the best value is to invest in the valuable +1.5 Run-Line with that being priced below my -150 price threshold. 25* MLB Saturday Afternoon Run-Line Special with the Milwaukee Brewers (906) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the Los Angeles Dodgers (905) listing both starting pitchers Hyun-Jin Ryu and Wade Miley. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:09 PM ET on Friday, we will be playing the money-line on the Los Angeles Dodgers (901) versus the Milwaukee Brewers (902) listing both starting pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Gio Gonzalez. THE SITUATION: Los Angeles (95-72) has won seven of their last eight games after dispatching of the Braves in four games in the NLDS with their 6-2 win in Atlanta on Monday. Milwaukee (99-67) has won eleven straight games after they swept the Rockies in three games with their 6-0 win in Colorado on Sunday.

REASONS TO TAKE THE DODGERS WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Los Angeles should respond well to the days off as they have won 37 of their last 52 games after an off-day. The Dodgers have also won 6 of their last 7 games after allowing two runs or less in their last game — and they have won 4 of their last 5 games on the road. They send out their ace in Kershaw who was 9-5 with a 2.73 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP in twenty-six regular season starts. Kershaw has an earned reputation of struggling in the playoffs given some high-profile blowups that were in such stark contrast to his outstanding regular season campaigns. But the left-hander has been consistently quite good in the postseason going back to the 2016 playoffs. In his last ten playoff appearances that included eight starts, Kershaw has a 3.02 ERA with a 0.91 WHIP with 47 strikeouts in 52 2/3 innings of work. While that ERA is above his career 2.39 mark, his WHIP is lower than his career 1.00 WHIP mark. Certainly, a higher playoff ERA is understandable given that Kershaw is facing elite teams. Kershaw also shines when pitching with more rest — and pitching on three days of rest did play a role in some of his poor playoff performances in the past. Kershaw had a 2.48 ERA while averaging 9.2 strikeouts per 9 innings when pitching with at least five days of rest. That was the case in Game Two of the NLDS when Kershaw was pitching of five days of rest — and he pitched 8 shutout innings in his win over Atlanta. That effort was a week ago so Kershaw should be rested and prepared for another outstanding effort. As it is, the Dodgers have won 36 of their last 51 road games with Kershaw on the hill. Los Angeles has also won 5 of their last 7 games in Milwaukee with Kershaw making the start. The Brewers have lost 8 of their last 12 games with the Total set at 7 or less. Craig Counsel made the difficult decision to tap Gonzalez to open the NLCS despite him not be used in the NDLS. Counsel is trying to mix-and-match his starters to maximize his team’s chances to win — and that tells you something about how he feels about his team facing Kershaw. Gonzalez was 10-11 with a 4.21 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP this season for Washington and then Milwaukee. The sabermetrics are not encouraging for the left-hander given his SIERA and xFIP that project an ERA of 4.73 and 4.44 moving forward. Gonzalez was not as effective at home where he had a 1.48 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .259 in sixteen starts as compared to his 1.41 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .254. Gonzalez also has a 4.44 ERA at night as opposed to his 3.86 ERA for day games. His teams have lost 15 of their last 22 games when he is pitching with his team on at least a three-game winning streak. He faces a hot-hitting Dodgers team that is scoring 7.1 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .288 batting average along with a .394 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .957 over that span. Los Angeles has won 4 of their last 5 road games against left-handed starting pitchers.

FINAL TAKE: Kershaw gives the Dodgers a big edge in this game — and this LA team has a significant advantage in playoff experience after their World Series appearance last year while this Brewers team failed to make the playoffs. 25* MLB National League Playoffs Game of the Year with the money-line on the Los Angeles Dodgers (901) versus the Milwaukee Brewers (902) listing both starting pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Gio Gonzalez. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:07 PM ET on Tuesday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the Boston Red Sox (921) and the New York Yankees (922) listing both starting pitchers Rick Porcello and C.C. Sabathia. THE SITUATION: Boston (110-55) seized a 2-1 lead in this ALDS last night with their 16-1 beatdown against the Yankees. The Red Sox have the opportunity to close out this series tonight.

REASONS TO TAKE OVER THE TOTAL: Boston has played 5 of their last 6 games Over the Total after a victory — and the Over is 5-1-1 in their last 7 games after scoring at least five runs in their last game. Additionally, the Red Sox have played 10 of their last 14 games Over the Total after a blowout win of at least ten rounds. Furthermore, Boston has played 5 of their last 6 games Over the Total on the road — and they have played 11 of their last 15 road games Over the Total as a money-line underdog priced in the +100 to +150 price range. They give the ball to Porcello who is 17-7 with a 4.28 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in thirty-three starts. The right-hander has not been as effective on the road where he has a 1.27 WHIP with an opponent’s batting average of .253 in eighteen starts as compared to his 1.07 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .226 at home. Porcello also tends to struggle in night games where he has a 4.64 ERA with a 1.26 WHIP in twenty-six starts. The Red Sox have played 14 of their last 20 games Over the Total with Porcello pitching after a victory on their last game. He faces a Yankees team that has played 7 straight games Over the Total against right-handed starting pitchers. New York (102-64) has played 4 of their last 5 games Over the Total after allowing at least five runs in their last game — and they have also played 5 of their last 7 games after failing to score more than two runs in their last contest. The Yankees have also played 19 of their last 28 home games Over the Total after losing two of their last three games — and they have played 6 of their last 7 home games Over the Total. Aaron Boone has issues with his bullpen after the logged in 6 innings last night after he used his bullpen for 4 innings in each of the first two games of this series. New York has played 12 of their last 17 games Over the Total after a game where their bullpen pitched at least 6 innings — and they have played 8 of their last 11 games Over the Total after having their bullpen pitch at least 4 innings in three straight games. They counter with Sabathia who is 9-7 with a 3.65 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP in twenty-nine starts. The Yankees have played 5 straight games Over the Total when Sabathia is pitching after a game where they allowed at least five runs. He faces a hot-hitting Red Sox lineup that is scoring 8.6 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven contests with a .301 batting average along with a .384 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .897 over that span.

FINAL TAKE: These two teams have played 5 of their last 6 encounters in Yankee Stadium Over the Total. With the Bronx Bombers facing the possible end of their season tonight, expect another high-scoring game. 25* MLB Red Sox-Yankees’ O/U A-List Special with Over the Total in the game between the Boston Red Sox (921) and the New York Yankees (922) listing both starting pitchers Rick Porcello and C.C. Sabathia. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:40 PM ET on Monday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the Boston Red Sox (913) and the New York Yankees (914) listing both starting pitchers Nathan Eovaldi and Luis Severino. THE SITUATION: New York (102-65) evened this series at 1-1 on Saturday with their 6-2 victory over the Red Sox in Game Two of this series.

REASONS TO TAKE OVER THE TOTAL: The Yankees have played 13 of their last 16 games Over the Total after a straight-up win — and they have played 15 of their last 20 games Over the Total after a win by at least four runs. New York has also played 6 straight games Over the Total after scoring at least five runs in their last game — and they have played 9 straight games Over the Total after allowing no more than two runs in their last contest. Additionally, the Yankees have played 5 of their last 6 games Over the Total at home — and they have played 7 of their last 8 games Over the Total against fellow AL East opponents. They give the ball to Severino who is 19-8 with a 3.39 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP in thirty-two starts this season. The right-hander did not allow an earned run when he pitched the first 4 innings of the Yanks’ AL Wild Card playoff game against the A’s — but New York has played 20 of their last 29 games Over the Total when Severino comes off a start where he did not allow more than one earned run. The Over is also 18-7-1 in the Yankees’ last 26 home games with Severino on the hill — and they have played 4 of their last 5 home games Over the Total with Severino facing the Red Sox. Boston (109-55) is still scoring 7.1 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven contests with a .282 batting average along with a .362 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .862 over that span. The Over is 3-0-1 in the Red Sox’s last 4 games after a loss — and they have played 8 of their last 11 games Over the Total after scoring two runs or less in their last game. The Over is also 18-6-2 in Boston’s last 26 games after allowing at least five runs in their last game — and the Over is 6-1-1 in their last 8 games after an off-day. Furthermore, the Red Sox have played 4 of their last 5 road games Over the Total against teams with a winning percentage over 60% at home — and they have played 11 of their last 14 games Over the Total as an underdog priced in the +125 to +175 price range. They counter with Eovaldi who is 6-7 with a 3.81 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP in twenty-one starts. The right-hander sees his ERA skyrocket to a 5.14 ERA with a 1.32 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .274 in thirteen road starts. Eovaldi also has a 5.11 ERA with a 1.37 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .287 at night. The Over is 4-1-1 in Boston’s last 6 games with Eovaldi facing a team with a winning record. He faces a Bronx Bombers team that is scoring 7.1 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games while hitting a .274 batting average with a .350 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .866 during that span. The Yankees have played 6 of their last 8 home games Over the Total against right-handed starting pitchers.

FINAL TAKE: Expect a high-scoring game between these two teams in a pivotal third game of this American League Divisional Series. 25* MLB American League East Total of the Year with Over the Total in the game between the Boston Red Sox (913) and the New York Yankees (914) listing both starting pitchers Nathan Eovaldi and Luis Severino. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 4:30 PM ET on Monday, we will be playing the money-line on the Los Angeles Dodgers (919) versus the Atlanta Braves (920) listing both starting pitchers Rich Hill and Mike Foltynewicz. THE SITUATION: Atlanta (91-74) kept their season alive last night by defeating the Dodgers by a 6-5 score to force a fourth game this afternoon in this best-of-five series.

REASONS TO TAKE THE DODGERS WITH THE MONEY-LINE: The Braves also snapped a four-game losing streak yesterday — but they have  then lost 14 of their last 19 games after scoring at least five runs in their last game. Atlanta has still lost 11 of their last 14 home games against teams with a winning record on the road. The Braves have also lost 20 of their last 28 games in the playoffs. They turn back to Foltynewicz who was shelled for four runs in just 2 innings of work on Thursday in the opening game of this series while surrendering two home runs in that outing. The right-hander is 13-10 this season with a 2.85 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP — but he sees his ERA rise to a 3.19 mark when pitching at home. I am not a believer in Foltynewicz with the sabermetrics screaming that he is overachieving. His SIERA and xFIP both project an ERA of 3.77 moving forward. Atlanta has lost 5 of their last 6 home games with Foltynewicz on the hill. He faces a hot-hitting Dodgers team that is scoring 6.7 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven contests with a .290 batting average along with a .361 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .944. Los Angeles (94-72) has won 25 of their last 34 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower — and they have won 4 straight games against right-handed starting pitchers. The Dodgers should bounce-back to end this series today as they have won 9 of their last 11 games after a loss. LA has also won 5 straight games after allowing at least five runs. Furthermore, the Dodgers have won 15 of their last 20 games against teams with a winning record — and they have won 7 of their last 9 road games against teams with a winning record at home. They give the ball to Hill who has an 11-5 record with a 3.66 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. The left-hander has been more effective on the road where he owns a 3.63 ERA with a 1.04 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .193 in thirteen starts. Los Angeles has won 6 of their last 8 road games with Hill on the mound. He faces a Braves team that is scoring only 2.6 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven contests with a .196 batting average along with a .252 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .514 during that span. They finally scored runs last night after being shutout in the opening two games of this series — but they still managed only four base hits while benefitting from Walker Buehler’s adrenaline contributing to him being wild in the 2nd inning. Atlanta has lost 5 straight games against left-handed starting pitchers — and they have lost 4 of their last games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower.

FINAL TAKE: I am overjoyed that the price on the Dodgers is below my -150 price threshold. Attack! 25* MLB NLDS Playoff Game of the Year with the money-line on the Los Angeles Dodgers (919) versus the Atlanta Braves (920) listing both starting pitchers Rich Hill and Mike Foltynewicz. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 1:35 PM ET on Monday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the Houston Astros (915) and the Cleveland Indians (916) listing both starting pitchers Dallas Keuchel and Mike Clevinger. THE SITUATION: Houston (105-59) has taken a 2-0 lead in this ALDS with their 3-1 victory over the Indians in the second game of this series on Saturday.

REASONS TO TAKE OVER THE TOTAL: The Indians return home for the first time since September 23rd in this must-win elimination game. Cleveland has seen the Over go 4-0-2 in their last 6 home games after being on the road for at least seven days. The Indians have also played 10 of their last 13 home games Over the Total against teams with a winning percentage over 60% on the road. Additionally, the Over is 8-3-2 in Cleveland’s last 13 games after a loss — and the Over is 6-2-2 in their last 10 games after scoring two runs or less in their last game. They give the ball to Clevinger who is 13-8 with a 3.02 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP in thirty-two starts. The right-hander has not been as effective on the road where he sees his ERA rise to a 3.14 ERA with a 1.16 WHIP in seventeen starts. The Indians have seen the Over go 10-4-2 in their last 16 home games with Clevinger on the hill. The Cleveland bullpen is struggling as of late as well. Over their last five games, the Indians’ bullpen has an ERA of 8.82 — and they have played 22 of their last 31 games Over the Total when their bullpen has an ERA of at least 6.50 over their last five games. Houston (105-59) has played 14 of their last 18 playoff games Over the Total in the ALDS. The Astros have also played 4 of their last 5 road games Over the Total against teams with a winning percentage over 60% at home. They counter with Keuchel who is 12-11 with a 3.74 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP in thirty-four starts. The lefty has not been as effective on the road where he sees his WHIP rise to a 1.34 mark with a .273 opponent’s batting average in eighteen starts as compared to his 1.29 WHIP with a .253 opponent’s batting average when pitching at home. The Over is 3-1-2 in Houston’s last 6 road games with Keuchel on the hill. He faces an Indians team that has seen the Over go 12-3-4 in their last 19 home games against left-handed starting pitchers.

FINAL TAKE: Cleveland will be playing with a sense of desperation with their season on the line. Expect a higher-scoring game. 25* MLB American League Divisional Series Playoff Total with Over the Total in the game between the Houston Astros (915) and the Cleveland Indians (916) listing both starting pitchers Dallas Keuchel and Mike Clevinger. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:07 PM ET on Sunday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers (957) and the Atlanta Braves (958) listing both starting pitchers Walker Buehler and Sean Newcomb. THE SITUATION: Los Angeles (94-71) took a 2-0 lead in this series on Friday with their 3-0 victory over the Braves in the second game of this NLDS.

REASONS TO TAKE OVER THE TOTAL: The Dodgers have surrendered a run so far in this series — but that will likely change with this game being played back in Atlanta. Los Angeles has played 8 of their last 12 games after not shutting out their last opponent — and they have played 4 straight Overs after shutting out their opponents in two straight games. The Dodgers have only given up two combined runs in their last four games — but they have then played 5 of their last 7 games Over the Total after not allowing more than two runs in four straight games. They give the ball to Buehler who is 8-5 with a 2.62 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP in twenty-three starts. The right-hander has not been as effective when on the road where he sees his ERA rise to a 3.45 mark along with a 1.12 WHIP. The Dodgers have played 4 of their last 6 road games Over the Total with Buehler pitching with the Total set in the 7 to 8.5 range. He faces a Braves team that has played 5 of their last 7 home games Over the Total against right-handed starting pitchers. Atlanta (90-74) has played 24 of their last 35 home games Over the Total when avenging a loss where they did not score more than one run. The Braves have also played 5 of their last 8 games Over the Total after being shutout in two straight games. Atlanta has also played 4 of their last 5 games Over the Total after an off-day. They return home for the first time since September 23rd — and they have played 4 of their last 5 home games Over the Total after being on the road for at least seven days. The Braves have played 6 straight home games Over the Total against teams with a winning record on the road. And in their last 18 games in the playoffs, Atlanta has seen 13 of these contests finish Over the Total. They counter with Newcomb who is 12-9 with a 3.90 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP in thirty-one starts. The left-hander has struggled at home where his ERA rises to a 5.12 mark with a 1.44 WHIP in fourteen starts. The Braves have played 4 of their last 5 home games Over the Total with Newcomb facing a team with a winning record. It is not likely he will get bailed out by the Atlanta bullpen as they have a 4.24 ERA with a 1.46 WHIP in their last seven games. The Dodgers are scoring 6.3 Runs-Per-Game over the last seven games with a .293 batting average along with a .367 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .904 over that span. LA has played 5 of their last 6 road games Over the Total against left-handed starting pitchers — and the Over is 7-2-1 in the Dodgers’ last 10 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher.

FINAL TAKE: The Under might be tempting after the Braves failed to score in these first two games but expect this to be the highest-scoring game in this series. 25* MLB National League Divisional Series Total of the Year with Over the Total in the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers (957) and the Atlanta Braves (958) listing both starting pitchers Walker Buehler and Sean Newcomb. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 4:37 PM ET on Sunday, we will be playing the Milwaukee Brewers (955) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the Colorado Rockies (956) listing both starting pitchers Wade Miley and German Marquez. THE SITUATION: Milwaukee (98-67) looks to close this best-of-five series out this afternoon after seizing a 2-0 lead with their 4-0 shutout victory over the Rockies on Friday in the second game of this series.

REASONS TO TAKE THE BREWERS PLUS THE +1.5 RUN-LINE: Milwaukee is on fire with a ten game winning streak. They have also either won or lost by just one run in 27 of their last 32 contests — so I am overjoyed with the fact that the price of the valuable +1.5 Run-Line is below my -150 price threshold for this game. The Brewers have won 16 of their last 21 games after a victory — and they have also won 5 straight games after not allowing more than two runs in their last game. Milwaukee has also won 5 straight games after an off-day. Furthermore, the Brewers have won 13 of their last 16 games against teams with a winning record — and they have also won 5 straight games on the road. They give the ball to Miley who is 5-2 with a 2.57 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP in sixteen starts. The left-hander has been more effective in the road where he has a 2.50 ERA with a 1.13 WHIP in nine starts. Miley has also been solid when pitching at Coors Field where he holds a respectable 3.89 ERA in thirteen career stars/fourteen career appearances. Milwaukee has won 6 of their last 7 road games with Miley on the mound. He will be supported by a hot bullpen that has a 1.62 ERA with a 0.75 WHIP in their last seven games. Colorado (92-74) is scoring only 3.6 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .212 batting average along with a .279 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .887 over that span. The Rockies have only scored six runs over their last four games while never plating more than two runners over that span. Colorado has then lost 9 of their last 14 games after failing to score more than four runs in four straight games. They also have lost 4 of their last 5 games after an off-day. And in their last 12 home games with the Total set at a lower (for Coors Field) 9 to 9.5, the Rockies have lost 8 of these games. Colorado has lost 10 of their last 12 games in the playoffs which includes them dropping four straight playoff games at home. They counter with Marquez who is 14-11 with a 3.77 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. Marquez pitched great in LA on Monday in the NL West tie-breaker with the Dodgers — but he returns home where he sees his ERA rise to a 4.74 mark with a 1.47 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .279. The Rockies have lost 5 of their last 6 games with Marquez pitching with the Total set in the 9 to 9.5 range. The Colorado bullpen struggles at home as well with a 4.77 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. The Brewers are scoring 5.0 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .276 batting average along with a .350 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .749 over that span.

FINAL TAKE: This is a strong value play — the Rockies can win this game outright with Miley on the hill. The opportunity to invest in the +1.5 Run-Line is too good to pass up. 25* MLB National League Divisional Series Run-Line Underdog of the Year with the Milwaukee Brewers (955) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the Colorado Rockies (956) listing both starting pitchers Wade Miley and German Marquez. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:15 PM ET on Saturday, we will be playing the money-line on the Boston Red Sox (954) versus the New York Yankees (953) listing both starting pitchers David Price and Masahiro Tanaka. THE SITUATION: Boston (109-54) won the opening game of this series last night by a 5-4 score over the Yankees.

REASONS TO TAKE THE RED SOX WITH THE MONEY-LINE: New York (101-63) has now lost 8 of their last 9 road games as a money-line underdog in the +100 to +150 price range. Rookie manager Aaron Boone has resorted to using his bullpen for 6 innings of that game yesterday after having his bullpen pitch 5 innings on Wednesday in the AL Wildcard Game versus the A’s. The Yankees have lost 6 of their last 9 games when their bullpen has pitched at least 5 innings in two straight games. Furthermore, New York has lost 13 of their last 16 playoff games on the road — and this includes them losing four of their last five road games in the ALDS. And in their last 9 games in Fenway Park, the Yankees have lost 7 of these contests. They give the ball to Tanaka who is 12-6 with a 3.75 RRA and a 1.13 WHIP in twenty-seven starts. The right-hander sees his ERA rise to a 3.92 mark for his twenty-one starts at night. Tanaka struggled in his two starts in Fenway this year where he was saddled with a 6.52 ERA with a 1.66 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .310. Furthermore, New York has lost 4 of their last 5 games with Tanaka facing a team with a winning record. He faces a hot-hitting Red Sox team that is scoring 7.7 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .300 batting average along with a .382 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .902 over that span. Boston has won 45 of their last 64 games after scoring at least five runs in their last game. The Red Sox have been dominant when playing at home — they have won 45 of their last 62 games at Fenway this season while also winning 21 of their last 31 home games in the playoffs. This is Boston’s eight straight game at home — and they have won 13 of their last 14 home games when they are playing at least their seventh straight contest at home. They counter with Price who is 16-7 with a 3.58 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP in thirty starts. The left-hander has been more effective at home where he sports a 2.98 ERA with a 1.08 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .213 in sixteen starts. Price has been outstanding in the second-half of the season where he owns a 6-1 record with a 2.25 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP in eleven starts. The Red Sox have won 21 of their last 27 home games with Price on the hill — and they have also won 7 of their last 8 home games with Price facing a team with a winning record. Boston has also won 4 of their last 5 games at Fenway Park with Price facing the Yankees. Price faces a Bronx Bombers team that has lost 11 of the last 14 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower.

FINAL TAKE: The oddsmakers have the Red Sox just a small money-line favorite in this game with perhaps the notion that this Yankees team is too good to fall behind by an 0-2 mark in this series. Boston has been the better team this season — and they have home field advantage and the edge at starting pitcher. 25* MLB American League East Game of the Year with the money-line on the Boston Red Sox (954) versus the New York Yankees (953) listing both starting pitchers David Price and Masahiro Tanaka. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 9:37 PM ET on Friday, we will be playing the Los Angeles Dodgers (912) minus the -1.5 Run-Line versus the Atlanta Braves (911) listing both starting pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Anibal Sanchez. THE SITUATION: Los Angeles (93-71) won the opening game of this series last night with their 6-0 win over the Braves.

REASONS TO TAKE THE DODGERS MINUS THE -1.5 RUN-LINE: Los Angeles has won 5 straight games after not allowing more than two runs in their last game. The Dodgers have also won 8 straight home games against teams with a winning record — and they have now won 7 of their last 9 home games in the playoffs. They give the ball to Kershaw who is 9-5 with a 2.73 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP in twenty-six starts. The left-hander has been more effective at home where he owns a 2.58 ERA with a 1.02 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .211 in thirteen starts. Los Angeles has won a decisive 40 of their last 51 games at home with Kershaw on the hill. Kershaw has a reputation of pitching poorly in the playoffs — but he was good for most of the Dodgers’ playoff run last year with four Quality Starts in his six postseason appearances with a 3.82 ERA with a 0.94 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .179. In his three starts at home in the playoffs last year, Kershaw owned as dominant 1.69 ERA with a 0.75 WHIP. Much has been said about Kershaw not pitching the opening game of this series, but there were a couple of benefits in that decision. Besides that setting up Kershaw being able to pitch a decisive fifth game of this series, it also gave the Dodgers’ long-time ace an extra day of rest for this start. Kershaw sees his ERA drop to a 2.48 mark this season when pitching on five days of rest while averaging 9.2 strikeouts per 9 innings. He faces a slumping Braves team that is scoring only 2.7 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .209 batting average along with a .260 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .529 over that span. Atlanta has lost 4 straight games against left-handed starting pitchers — and they have also lost 5 of their last 7 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower. The Braves have lost 6 of their last 8 games after a loss — and they have lost 13 of their last 18 games after allowing at least five runs in their last contest. Furthermore, Atlanta has lost 5 of their last 6 games on the road — and they have lost 6 of their last 7 playoff games on the road. They counter with Sanchez who is 7-6 with a 2.83 ERA with a 1.08 WHIP in twenty-four starts. The sabermetrics are not encouraging for the veteran with both his SIERA and xFIP projecting an ERA of 3.85 and 3.81 moving forward. The right-hander also sees his ERA and WHIP rise to 3.22 and 1.15 marks when pitching at night. The Braves have lost 5 of their last 6 games with Sanchez looking to stop a losing streak. He faces a hot-hitting Dodgers team that is scoring 6.3 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .305 batting average along with a .378 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .920 over that span. Los Angeles has won 24 of their last 33 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower — and they have won 8 of their last 11 games against right-handed starting pitchers.

FINAL TAKE: With the Dodgers priced higher than -150, the money-line play is not an option for me. But given the substantial advantages that Los Angeles has for this contest, laying the -1.5 Run-Line remains a strong option. 25* MLB NLDS Playoff Run-Line of the Year with the Los Angeles Dodgers (912) minus the -1.5 Run-Line versus the Atlanta Braves (911) listing both starting pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Anibal Sanchez. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 2:05 PM ET on Friday, we will be playing the money-line on the Houston Astros (908) versus the Cleveland Indians (907) listing both starting pitchers Justin Verlander and Corey Kluber. THE SITUATION: Houston (103-59) enters the postseason having won twenty-one of their last twenty-seven games despite losing in their last game on Sunday by a 4-0 score in Baltimore. Cleveland (91-71) begins their playoff run coming off a 2-1 win in Kansas City on Sunday.

REASONS TO TAKE THE ASTROS WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Houston has won 6 straight games after a loss — and they have won 4 of their last 5 games after an off-day. The Astros return home for the first time since September 23rd — and they have won 9 of their last 11 home games after being on the road for at least seven days. Houston has won 4 of their last 5 games at home — and they have won 16 of their last 21 home games in the playoffs. While the Red Sox and Yankees get most of the national attention, the reigning World Series Champions have an impressive run differential of +263 which far surpasses their +196 run differential mark from their championship run last season. They give the ball to Verlander who is 16-9 with a 2.52 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP in thirty-four starts. He has been even nastier at home where he has a 0.84 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .193 in nineteen home starts as compared to his 0.98 WHIP and .207 opponent’s batting average on the road. Verlander raised his level of play in September where he had a 3-0 mark with a 1.09 ERA. The reigning AL Cy Young award winner was 4-1 in the postseason last year with a 2.21 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .179 while striking out 38 batters and walking only 8 in 36 2/3 innings of work. He comes off 6 shutout innings last Saturday at Baltimore — and the Astros have won 4 straight games with Verlander looking to follow up a Quality Start. He faces an Indians team that has lost 12 of their last 17 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower. Cleveland has lost 8 of their last 11 games after a victory — and they have lost 5 of their last 6 gamers after not allowing two runs or less in their last contest. Additionally, the Indians have lost 4 of the last 5 road games against teams with a winning record at home. And Cleveland has lost 6 of their last 8 games in the playoffs. They counter with their ace Kluber who was 20-7 with a 2.89 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP in the regular season. But while the right-hander had a 2.14 ERA with a 0.87 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .200 in seventeen starts at home, those numbers rose to a solid but unspectacular 3.80 ERA on the road with a 1.13 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .250. The Indians have lost 5 of their last 7 games with Kluber facing a team with a winning record. He faces an Astros team that has won 4 of the last 5 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or less.

FINAL TAKE: Kluber is a great pitcher — but he is not nearly dominant when pitching on the road. Verlander gives the Astros a big edge this afternoon. 25* MLB Friday Afternoon Special Feature with the money-line on the Houston Astros (908) versus the Cleveland Indians (907) listing both starting pitchers Justin Verlander and Corey Kluber. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:37 PM ET on Thursday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the Atlanta Braves (903) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (904) listing both starting pitchers Mike Foltynewicz and Hyun-Jin Ryu. THE SITUATION: Atlanta (90-72) enters the postseason having lost four of their last five games after their 3-1 loss in Philadelphia on Sunday. Los Angeles (92-71) has won four straight games after they won their 163rd game tie-breaker on Monday with their 5-2 win over Colorado.

REASONS TO TAKE UNDER THE TOTAL: Atlanta has played 19 of their last 24 games Under the Total after a game where neither team scored more than three runs in their last game. The Braves have only scored one run in their last two games — and they have played 4 of their last 5 games Under the Total after not scoring more than one run in two straight games. But Atlanta has not allowed more than four runs in their last eight games — and they have played 6 of their last 8 games Under the Total after not allowing more than four runs in at least four straight games. Additionally, the Braves have played 5 of their last 7 games Under the Total with the number set no higher than 7 — and they have played 5 of their last 6 road games Under the Total against teams with a winning record at home. They give the ball to Foltynewicz who is 13-10 with a 2.85 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP in thirty-one starts. The right-hander has been more effective on the road where he sees his ERA drop to a 2.48 mark. Atlanta has played 3 straight road games Under the Total with Foltynewicz pitching as an underdog priced in the +125 to +175 price range. They face a Dodgers team that they defeated back in Atlanta by a 4-1 score as a money-line underdog in their last meeting back on July 29th. Los Angeles has played 17 of their last 26 games Under the Total when avenging a loss as a road favorite. The Under is 11-5-1 in the Dodgers’ last 17 games after an off-day. The Under is also 17-5-1 in LA’s last 23 home games against teams with a winning record on the road — and the Under is 4-1-1 in their last 6 playoff games at home. They counter with Ryu who is 7-3 with a 1.97 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP in fifteen starts this season. After coming back from an injury this summer, the left-hander sported a 1.88 ERA with a 1.08 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .156. In his nine starts at home, Ryu has a nearly unhittable 1.15 ERA with a 0.90 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .212. The Dodgers have played 4 of their last 5 home games Under the Total with Ryu facing a team with a winning record. He faces this slumping Braves lineup that is scoring only 3.0 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven contests with a .205 batting average along with a .260 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .548 during the span. Atlanta has played 4 straight road games Under the Total against left-handed starting pitchers.

FINAL TAKE: I suspect Atlanta will struggle to score in their first postseason game with their new generation of players. And don’t underestimate the impact of the sun setting in LA which notoriously places shadows on the field for the first-half of these late afternoon west coast games. 25* MLB Network Total of the Year with Under the Total in the game between the Atlanta Braves (903) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (904) listing both starting pitchers Mike Foltynewicz and Hyun-Jin Ryu. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:08 PM ET on Wednesday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the Oakland A’s (939) and the New York Yankees (940) (do not list the starting pitchers — I will explain below). THE SITUATION: Oakland (97-65) begins the postseason coming off a 5-4 loss in Los Angeles to the Angels on Sunday. New York (100-62) looks to rebound from a 10-2 loss in Boston on Sunday to close out their regular season. It will all be on the line for both teams in this single-elimination showdown of the American League Wildcard Playoffs.

REASONS TO TAKE OVER THE TOTAL: The A’s have played 5 of their last 6 games Over the Total after a loss — and they have played 10 of their last 13 games Over the Total after allowing at least five runs in their last contest. Now this team stays on the road where the Over is 6-1-1 in their last 8 games — and the Over is 6-2-1 in Oakland’s last 9 road games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% at home. The A’s have also played 4 straight road games Over the Total when playing in the playoffs. Manager Bob Melvin has decided to rely on his bullpen for this single elimination with Liam Hendriks pitching the opening inning. The right-hander has a 2.08 ERA in his eight starts in these bullpen games this season — but that spans only 8 2/3 innings of work. Don’t let those nice numbers derived from a staggeringly low sample size fool you: Melvin is resorting to his bullpen because he lacks credible options for a traditional starting pitcher. Injuries have devastated what was never an above average group even at full strength. This is a strategy of last resort. Hendriks has a road ERA of 7.45 with a 1.86 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .325 — albeit in just 9 2/3 innings of work. The sample size for Hendriks’ road appearances this season should also be taken with a grain of a salt — but it is not an encouraging set of circumstances that the Oakland’s A’s first inning pitcher has yet to pitch even 10 innings in a hostile environment this season. Hendriks has pitched 178 2/3 innings on the road in his career; he has an ugly 6.45 ERA with a 1.65 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .336 over that span. Granted, the A’s have a good bullpen — but Oakland has played 5 of their last 6 games Over the Total this season with Hendriks making the start where he does not complete at least 4 innings of work. And while Melvin has the benefit of using his starting pitchers in pen as well, his choices are not particularly attractive which is why he is in this predicament, to begin with (and he even left starter Mike Fiers off the roster). The A’s bullpen has pitched a combined 20 innings over their last three games — and they have played 29 of their last 48 games Over the Total when their bullpen has logged-in at least 13 innings over their last three starts. These pitchers will be facing a Yankees team that is scoring 7.6 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .278 batting average along with a .345 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .882. New York returns home to Yankee Stadium for the first time since September 23rd — and they have seen the Over go 12-4-1 in their last 17 home games after being on the road for at least seven days. The Bronx Bombers have also played 4 of their last 5 home games Over the Total — and they have played 6 straight games Over the Total against teams with a winning record. They give the ball to Severino who is 19-8 with a 3.39 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP in thirty-two starts. Severino has struggled since the All-Star Break as he has been saddled with a 5.57 ERA with a 1.43 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .341 in twelve starts. A loss of some of the bite on his fastball has made the effectiveness of his cutter decline. The right-hander has been better as of late by not allowing more than two earned runs in three straight starts. But the Yankees have played 16 of their last 22 games Over the Total with Severino pitching after not allowing more than two earned runs in two straight starts. New York has also played 6 straight home games Over the Total with Severino on the hill. Remember that Severino got shelled for three runs in just 1/2 innings of work when he started at home against the Twins in last year’s AL Wildcard Playoff game. He is facing a feisty A’s team that is scoring 5.0 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games while also scoring 5.5 Runs-Per-Game on the road. Furthermore, Oakland has played 5 straight road games Over the Total against right-handed starting pitchers — and the Over is 44-19-4 in their last 67 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or less.

FINAL TAKE: While the first three postseason games have been low-scoring contests, expect this contest to be the highest-scoring playoff game we have witnessed so far in this nascent postseason. Do not list Hendricks nor Severino as the necessary starting pitchers as a condition for your wager either. While I identified some negative data on Liam Hendriks, we are not relying on his 1 inning of work as a primary argument for this play. Even if there is only a small chance that the A’s make a change to another starting pitcher for this game, Hendriks’ absence does not change our Over play. 25* MLB Playoff Wildcard Total of the Year with Over the Total in the game between the Oakland A’s (939) and the New York Yankees (940) (not listing the starting pitchers as a condition for this wager). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:05 PM ET on Tuesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Chicago Cubs (938) versus the Colorado Rockies (937) listing both starting pitchers Jon Lester and Kyle Freeland. THE SITUATION: Chicago (91-72) lost their opportunity to be the top seed in the National League playoffs yesterday with their 3-1 loss at home to Milwaukee in the tie-breaker game to determine the winner of the National League Central. Colorado (91-72) lost their tie-breaker game yesterday with the Dodgers yesterday with their 5-2 loss in Los Angeles. These Monday losers now play to keep their season alive in this single elimination wildcard playoff game.

REASONS TO TAKE THE CUBS WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Chicago has rebounded to win 35 of their 51 games after a loss — and they have won 21 of the last 29 games after a loss by two runs or less. The Cubs have also won 7 of their last 9 games after failing to score more than two runs in their last game. It will certainly help to be playing this game at home in Wrigley Field where they have won 39 of their last 62 games with the Total set in the 7 to 7.5 range — and this includes them winning nine of their last fourteen games under those conditions. They give the ball to Lester who is 18-6 with a 3.32 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP in thirty-two starts. The left-hander was struggling and was considered overachieving given his peripheral numbers. But the crafty veteran has stepped up as of last as he owns a 1.71 ERA with a 1.23 WHIP over his last eight starts spanning 47 1/3 innings of work — and he boasts a 1.00 ERA with a 1.06 WHIP over his last three starts where he has allowed only two earned runs. The Cubs have won 10 of their last 11 games when Lester is pitching after not allowing more than two earned runs in two straight starts. Chicago has also won 38 of their last 51 home games with Lester on the hill — and they have also won 27 of their last 34 home games with Lester pitching with the Total set in the 7 to 8.5 range. Lester will not be intimidated by the moment given his vast playoff experience — in his 148 innings of playoff experience, the lefty has a 2.55 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. Lester also enjoys a 2.25 ERA in five starts this season against the Rockies. Colorado has lost 5 of their last 7 games against left-handed starting pitchers while scoring only 4.1 Runs-Per-Game with a .225 batting average along with a .291 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .648 against left-handed starters. The Rockies bats were cold yesterday as they were held hitless for the 5 2/3 innings that started that game. Colorado has lost 8 of their last 9 games in the playoffs. They pin their postseason hopes on Freeland who is 17-7 with a 2.85 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in thirty-three starts. But the sabermetrics indicate those numbers are overvaluing the left-hander as both his SIERA and xFIP project an ERA of 4.35 and 4.22 moving forward. The Rockies have lost 4 of their last 5 road games with Freeland on the hill with the Total set at 7 to 7.5. He faces a Cubs team that scores 5.1 Runs-Per-Game against left-handed starting pitchers which has helped them win 41 of their last 59 home games against left-handed starting pitchers. The Colorado bullpen has a 4.62 ERA with a 1.35 WHIP this season — so things may not get better for this team after Freeland is relieved. Additionally, the Cubs are playing with double revenge from two straight losses to the Rockies where they lost at home despite being priced at -160 and -210 prices way back to begin the month of May. But Chicago has won 18 of their last 21 games when playing with double revenge from suffering two straight upset losses where they lost to their opponent despite being a money-line favorite priced at least at -150.

FINAL TAKE: The Cubs retain a significant situational edge in this game as they get to stay home for the ninth straight game while the Rockies have to travel from the west coast to Chicago for this showdown after getting on a plane to fly to Los Angeles from Washington on Sunday. Chicago also has a big edge in playoff experience as well as having a crafty manager well-versed in overseeing playoff baseball in Joe Maddon. On the other hand, Colorado manager Bud Black will be managing his first MLB playoff game tonight. 25* MLB Playoff Wildcard Game of the Year with the money-line on the Chicago Cubs (938) versus the Colorado Rockies (937) listing both starting pitchers Jon Lester and Kyle Freeland. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 4:09 PM ET on Monday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the Colorado Rockies (953) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (954) listing both starting pitchers German Marquez and Walker Buehler. THE SITUATION: These two teams need a 163rd game to determine the winner of the National League West. Colorado (91-71) has won nine of their last ten games after they ripped Washington by a 12-0 score yesterday. Los Angeles (91-71) has won six of their last eight contests with their 15-0 victory in San Francisco yesterday. The loser of this game goes on the road in the National League Wildcard game tomorrow while the winner will host Atlanta in a National League Divisional Series.

REASONS TO TAKE OVER THE TOTAL: Los Angeles is swinging hot bats right now — over their last seven games, they are scoring 7.7 Runs-Per-Game with a .327 batting average along with a .397 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .939 over that span. The Dodgers have played 19 of their last 26 games Over the Total after not allowing more than one run against an NL West rival in their last game — and the Over is also 3-0-1 in their last 4 games after not allowing more that two runs in their last contest. The Over is also 4-1-1 in their last 6 games after a victory — and Los Angeles has played 26 of their last 38 games Over the Total after a victory by at least four runs. And in their last 19 games after scoring at least nine runs, the Dodgers have played 14 of these games Over the Total. They give the ball to Buehler who is 7-5 with a 2.76 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP in twenty-three starts. The rookie has been outstanding as of late with a 1.70 ERA over his last eleven starts which helps explain why this Total is set at a low 7 — but Buehler has not been nearly as effective during day games. While Buehler has a 2.13 ERA with a 0.93 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .187 in seventeen starts at night, those numbers rise to a 4.91 ERA with a 1.16 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .234 in his six appearances in day games. He faces a hot-hitting Rockies team that is scoring 8.3 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .322 batting average along with a .390 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of 1.043 in those games. Colorado has played 5 of their last 7 games Over the Total against right-handed starting pitchers. The Over is also 3-0-1 in the Rockies’ last 4 games in the playoffs. They counter with Marquez who is 14-10 with a 3.76 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP in thirty-two starts. Like Buehler, the right-hander has not been as effective during games where he has a 5.16 ERA with a 1.38 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .266 in eleven day starts as compared to his 3.11 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .228 during night games. Colorado has played 6 of their last 9 games Over the Total with Marquez pitching as an underdog priced in the +100 to +150 price range. The Dodgers have played 4 of their last 5 games Over the Total against right-handed starting pitchers. Lastly, the Rockies’ bullpen might be a weak-link for them as they have a rough 4.63 ERA with a 1.35 WHIP this season.

FINAL TAKE: While both teams will move to another playoff game after this one, there is still plenty at stake since the winner will have a much more favorable positioning in the playoffs moving forward. Both these starting pitchers may have been pitching great down the stretch but both will also be making their playoff debuts with their starts — so nerves may be an issue for at least one of them. 25* MLB National League West Total of the Year with Over the Total in the game between the Colorado Rockies (953) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (954) listing both starting pitchers German Marquez and Walker Buehler. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:10 PM ET on Wednesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Los Angeles Dodgers (911) versus the Arizona Diamondbacks (912) listing both starting pitchers Ross Stripling and Zack Greinke. THE SITUATION: Arizona (80-78) snapped a four-game losing streak last night with their 4-3 victory over the Dodgers via a game-winning home run in the 9th inning in the second game of this series.

REASONS TO TAKE LOS ANGELES WITH THE MONEY-LINE: The Dodgers have bounced-back to win 8 of their last 9 games are a loss. Los Angeles is in the thick of the National League West pennant race still with just a 1/2 game lead over Colorado — so they have plenty at stake for this contest. They are playing good baseball down the stretch as they have won ten of their last thirteen games despite last night’s loss. The Dodgers have still won 15 of their last 19 games against fellow NL West rivals. LA has also been good road warriors who have won 5 of their last 7 games away from home as well as 15 of their last 21 road games against teams with a losing record at home. They give the ball to Stripling who is 8-5 with a 2.84 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. The Dodgers have won 5 of their last 7 road games with Stripling on the hill. Stripling has only pitched 3 1/3 innings in each of his last two starts — but LA has a good bullpen to back him up if he is given another short leach tonight. The Dodgers’ bullpen has a 3.67 ERA with a 1.24 WHIP on the road this season — and they also enjoy a 2.49 ERA with a 1.02 WHIP over their last seven games. Stripling and the Dodgers’ bullpen should pitch well against this Diamondbacks team that is hitting just 3.0 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .215 batting average along with a .245 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .631 over that span. Arizona (80-78) has lost 6 of their last 7 games against right-handed starting pitchers — and they have also lost 7 of their last 10 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower. The Diamondbacks have lost 6 straight games after a victory. Arizona is also below .500 at home with a 39-41 mark at Chase Field — and they have lost 8 of their last 10 games at home. This team was a big disappointment in the second-half of the season with the injury to J.D. Gonzalez derailing the postseason aspirations for this team. They have lost eight of their last ten contests even after last night’s win. They give the ball to Greinke who is making his last start of the season after posting a 14-11 mark with a 3.21 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP in thirty-two starts. The sabermetrics suggest he is overachieving with his both SIERA and xFIP projecting an ERA of 3.59 and 3.46 moving forward. Arizona has lost 4 of their last 5 home games with Greinke on the hill — and they have also lost 11 of their last 16 games with the right-hander pitching after a victory in their last game. He faces a Dodgers team that is scoring 6.0 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .266 batting average along with a .344 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .830 over that span. Lastly, Los Angeles has won 5 of their last 7 games against right-handed starting pitchers.

FINAL TAKE: The Diamondbacks had high expectations entering the season but their inability to benefit from a home field advantage has played a big part in their middling results. With the Dodgers just a small favorite in this game given the starting pitching matchup that I consider overestimated, we are being offered strong value in Los Angeles tonight. 25* MLB Wednesday ESPN Game of the Year with the money-line on the Los Angeles Dodgers (911) versus the Arizona Diamondbacks (912) listing both starting pitchers Ross Stripling and Zack Greinke. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:05 PM ET on Tuesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Los Angeles Angels (976) versus the Texas Rangers (975) listing both starting pitchers Matt Shoemaker and Yovani Gallardo. THE SITUATION: Los Angeles (76-81) snapped their five-game losing streak last night with their 5-1 win over the Rangers in the opening game of this series.

REASONS TO TAKE THE ANGELS WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Los Angeles belted four home runs to pull out that game in 11 innings last night — and they have then won 6 of their last 7 games are clubbing at least four home runs in their last game. The Angels have struggled against the better teams in the league — but they have feasted on the bottom of the standings as they have won 17 of their last 22 games against teams with a losing record. Los Angeles has also won 8 of their last 9 home games against teams with a losing record. And in their last 50 games when priced in the -125 to -175 price range, the Angels have won 36 of these contests. They give the ball to Shoemaker who is 2-2 with a 5.48 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP in five starts this season after a long stint on the disabled list from a forearm injury. Shoemaker got rocked for five runs in just 2 2/3 innings of work in his last start on Thursday against her A’s — and he should be very motivated to redeem himself from that poor performance as he looks to leave the Angels with a good impression entering the offseason. The sabermetrics indicate that he should be seeing better results as both his SIERA and xFIP project an ERA of 3.99 and 3.71 moving forward. Los Angeles has won 10 of their last 12 games with Shoemaker pitching at home — and they have also won 11 of their last 13 games with Shoemaker pitching at night. Manager Mike Scioscia has been giving the veteran a quick hook if he gets into trouble — and he can rely on a strong Angels’ bullpen that has a 3.56 ERA with a 1.24 WHIP when pitching at home this year. Shoemaker should pitch well against this Rangers team that is scoring only 3.0 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .203 batting average along with a .254 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .572 over that span. Texas has lost 6 of their last 7 games against right-handed starting pitchers — and they have also lost 9 of their last 11 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher. The Rangers’ bullpen has been worked hard as of late — the Texas relievers have pitched nine innings over their last two games while logging 13 1/3 innings over their last three games. Texas has lost 32 of their last 47 games when their bullpen has pitched at least 9 innings in their previous two games — and they have also lost 7 of their last 10 games when their bullpen has pitched at least four innings in three straight games. Additionally, the Rangers have lost 9 of their last 12 games on the road — and they have lost 21 of their last 32 road games when priced as an underdog in the +125 to +175 price range. They have also lost 4 of their last 5 games in Anaheim against the Angels. They counter with Gallardo who is 8-6 with a 6.59 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP in sixteen starts and nineteen appearances this season. Gallardo has been even worse on the road where he sees his ERA rise to an 8.57 mark along with a 1.88 WHIP. Texas has lost 4 of their last 5 games on the road with Gallardo on the hill. And while Gallardo was enjoying tremendous run support to begin the season, the Rangers have scored only ten combined runs in his last seven starts.

FINAL TAKE: Shoemaker should pitch better tonight than in his last start — but even if he struggles, the Angels should still overwhelm this Rangers team playing out the string. 25* MLB American League West Game of the Year with the money-line on the Los Angeles Angels (976) versus the Texas Rangers (975) listing both starting pitchers Matt Shoemaker and Yovani Gallardo. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 9:40 PM ET on Wednesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Chicago Cubs (959) versus the Arizona Diamondbacks (960) listing both starting pitchers Cole Hamels and Robbie Ray. THE SITUATION: Chicago (89-62) has won two straight games — as well as five of their last six contests — after they defeated the Diamondbacks in the second game of this series last night with their 9-1 victory.

REASONS TO TAKE THE CUBS WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Chicago should build off their momentum in this final day of thirty straight games of baseball before they finally get a day off. The Cubs have won 9 of their last 13 games after scoring at least five runs in their last game — and they have won 10 of their last 14 games after not allowing more than two runs in their last contest. Additionally, Chicago has won 5 of their last 7 games on the road — and they have won 4 straight games away from home against teams with a winning record. They give the ball to Hamels who is 9-9 with a 3.67 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP in twenty-nine starts. The left-hander has been outstanding since being acquired by the Cubs as he has a 2.45 ERA with a 1.19 WHIP in his last ten starts. Getting away from having to play his home games in Global Life Park in Arlington, Texas has liberated Hamels as he owns a 2.54 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .223 in fifteen starts — and this includes a 1.82 ERA in five starts with the Cubs on the road where he has posted a 3-0 record. Hamels comes off a strong outing where he allowed only two earned runs in 6 2/3 innings of work against the Reds — and Chicago has won 4 of their last 5 games with Hamels pitching after a Quality Start in his last appearance. He faces a struggling Diamondbacks team that is scoring only 3.0 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .176 Batting Average along with a .221 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .577 over that span. Arizona (78-74) has lost 11 of their last 14 home games against left-handed starting pitchers — and they have lost 6 of their last 7 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower. The Diamondbacks have also lost 4 of their last 5 games after a loss — and they have lost 4 of their last 5 games after allowing at least five runs in their last game. Additionally, Arizona has lost 17 of their last 22 home games against teams with a winning record on the road. And while the D-Backs have not scored more than four runs in their last seven games, they have then lost 21 of their last 32 games after not scoring more than four runs in at least four straight contests. They counter with Ray who is 5-2 with a 4.14 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP in twenty-one starts. The right-hander has struggled at home where he sees his ERA rise to a 5.37 ERA with a 1.51 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .254 in ten starts. Arizona has lost 5 of their last 6 home games with Ray is on the hill — and they have lost 18 of their last 26 home games when priced as a money-line favorite in the -100 to -150 price range with Ray making the start. Chicago has won 21 of their last 31 games against left-handed starting pitchers which includes them winning five of their last six road games against left-handed starters. Lastly, the Cubs have won 41 of their last 59 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher. Together, these team trends produce our specific 160-50 combined angle for this situation.

FINAL TAKE: Arizona is the money-line favorite with them pitching at home with Ray on the mound. But Ray is not as dominant when pitching at Chase Field — and the Diamondbacks are playing out the string having dropped six games behind in the race for the second wild-card spot in the National League. 25* MLB Underdog of the Year with the money-line on the Chicago Cubs (959) versus the Arizona Diamondbacks (960) listing both starting pitchers Cole Hamels and Robbie Ray. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:05 PM ET on Wednesday, we will be playing the Boston Red Sox (969) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the New York Yankees (970) listing both starting pitchers David Price and Luis Severino. New York (92-58) won the opening game of this series last night with their 3-2 victory over the Red Sox.

REASONS TO TAKE BOSTON PLUS THE +1.5 RUN-LINE: The Red Sox (103-48) had the opportunity to clinch the American League East division title last night — and that remains all but inevitable despite losing yesterday. The champagne will still be on ice for this Boston team that can clinch the division tonight — and they have won 39 of their last 58 games after a loss while also winning 5 straight games after failing to score more than two runs in their last game. Additionally, the Red Sox have won 21 of their last 31 games on the road. They give the ball to Price who is 15-6 with a 3.42 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP in twenty-eight starts. The left-hander has been quite good as of late as he boasts a 6-2 record with a 2.22 ERA in his last eleven starts. Boston has won 21 of their 28 games this season with Price making the start — and this includes them winning 7 of their last 9 games with Price pitching away from Fenway Park. He should pitch well against this Yankees team that is hitting only .222 batting over their last seven games. New York has lost 4 straight games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower — and they have lost 4 of their last 5 home games against left-handed starting pitchers. New York has lost 5 of their last 6 games after a win — and they have lost 16 of their last 21 games after allowing no more than two runs in their last game. The Yankees have also lost 4 of their last 5 games against teams with a winning percentage over 60%. They counter with Severino who is 17-8 with a 3.46 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP in thirty starts. The right-hander has lost command of his fastball over the last two months which has decreased the effectiveness of his cutter. Over his last ten starts, Severino has a rough ERA of 6.35. He faces a Boston team that has won a decisive 41 of their last 56 road games against right-handed starting pitchers — and they have also won 13 of their last 19 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or less. Lastly, because the Red Sox have not committed more than one error in thirty-seven straight games, they are supported by an empirical angle specific to the Run-Line that has been 72% effective since 1997. Price has a 0.59 WHIP over his last five starts — and road underdogs how have not committed more than one error in at least ten straight games while using a starting pitcher with a WHIP of 1.00 or less in his last five starts have then covered the +1.5 Run-Line (when priced in the -110 to -165 price range) in 148 of these last 205 situations.

FINAL TAKE: The Yankees are heavy money-line favorites in this game with Severino on the hill — but the right-hander has not been the same starting pitcher in the second-half of this season. With the valuable +1.5 Run-Line being priced below my -150 price threshold for this Red Sox team that could very easily clinch the AL East tonight, let’s attack. 25* MLB Wednesday ESPN Run-Line of the Year with the Boston Red Sox (969) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the New York Yankees (970) listing both starting pitchers David Price and Luis Severino. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:15 PM ET on Friday, we will be playing the money-line on the Colorado Rockies (911) with the money-line versus the Colorado Rockies (912) listing both starting pitchers Tyler Anderson and Chris Stratton. THE SITUATION: Colorado (81-65) has won eight of their last eleven games after they defeating Arizona on Wednesday by a 5-4 score. San Francisco (68-79) has lost eleven straight games after their 2-1 loss to Atlanta on Wednesday.

REASONS TO TAKE THE ROCKIES WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Colorado has won 31 of their last 46 games after a win — and they have won 22 of their last 29 games after scoring at least five runs in their last game. Furthermore, the Rockies have won 7 of their last 8 games on the road after scoring at least seven runs in their last game — and they have won 7 of their last 10 games on the road. They give the ball to Anderson who is 6-8 with a 4.89 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP in twenty-nine starts this year. The sabermetrics suggest he should be giving up at least a half run less per game given his SIERA and xFIP that project an ERA of 4.21 and 4.22 moving forward. The left-hander has been more effective away from Coors Field where he has a 1.24 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .233 in thirteen starts on the road as compared to his 1.37 WHIP and .267 opponent’s batting average when at home. Colorado has won 4 of their last 5 road games with Anderson pitching with the Total set in the 7 to 7.5 range. He should fare well against this Giants team that is hitting only 2.0 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .202 batting average along with a .255 On-Baser Percentage and an OPS of .547 over that span. San Francisco has lost 6 of their last 8 home games against teams using a left-handed starting pitcher — and they have lost 6 straight games against starting-pitcher with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher. San Francisco has lost 13 of their last 16 games after a loss — and they have 13 of their last 16 games after failing to score more than two runs in their last game. And while the Giants have not scored more than three runs in four straight games, they have then lost 12 of their last 15 games after failing to score more than three runs in four straight games. Furthermore, San Fran has lost 10 of their last 11 games against teams with a winning record while also losing 5 straight games at home. They counter with Stratton who is 9-9 with a 4.99 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP in twenty-three starts. The right-hander has struggled at home where he has a 1.54 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .299 as compared in eleven starts as compared to his 1.29 WHIP and .252 opponent’s batting average in twelve starts on the road. The Giants have lost 4 of their last 5 games with Stratton pitching after a loss. He faces a hot-hitting Rockies lineup that is scoring 5.4 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .297 batting average along with a .336 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .859 in those games. Lastly, Colorado has won 5 of their last 7 road games against right-handed starting pitchers — and they have won 19 of their last 26 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher.

FINAL TAKE:  The Giants are in the tank at this point of the last few weeks of the season while Colorado is fighting for their playoff lives. Expect the Rockies to pile on the San Francisco losing streak. 25* MLB National League West Game of the Year is with the money-line on the Colorado Rockies (911) with the money-line versus the Colorado Rockies (912) listing both starting pitchers Tyler Anderson and Chris Stratton. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 3:45 PM ET on Wednesday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the Atlanta Braves (905) and the San Francisco Giants (906) listing both starting pitchers Anibal Sanchez and Derek Holland. THE SITUATION: Atlanta (81-64) has won four straight games after they won Game Two of their series with the Giants last night by a 4-1 score for the second straight day.

REASONS TO TAKE UNDER THE TOTAL: The Braves have played 7 of their last 9 games Under the Total after allowing two runs or less in their last game. Atlanta has also seen the Under go 10-4-1 in their last 15 games on the road — and they have played 11 of their last 12 road games Under the Total against teams with a losing record. They give the ball to Sanchez who is 6-5 with a 3.09 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP in twenty starts. The right-hander has been more effective on the road where he owns a 3.07 ERA with a 1.07 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .204 in eleven starts. Sanchez is also better during day games where he sports a 2.16 ERA with a 0.81 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .157 in six starts. The Braves have played 4 of their last 5 games Under the Total with Sanchez facing a team with a losing record. He should thrive against this Giants team that is scoring only 3.1 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .220 batting average along with a .255 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .622 during that span. San Francisco (68-78) has played 4 straight games Under the Total against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower — and the Under is 9-1-1 in their last 10 games against right-handed starting pitchers. The Giants have lost nine straight games — and they have played 7 of their last 8 games Under the Total after a loss. Additionally, the Under is 7-1-1 in the Giants’ last 8 games after failing to score more than two runs in their last game. San Fran has also played 8 straight home games Under the Total against teams with a winning record on the road. They counter with Holland who is 7-8 with a 3.54 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP in thirty-one starts this year. The left-hander has been a bit better at home where he owns a 1.17 WHIP in fourteen starts. The Giants have played 4 of their last 5 games Under the Total at home with Holland on the hill. Together, these team trends produce our specific 72-12-3 combined angle for this situation. Holland has also been more effective on day games where he has a 2.54 ERA with a 1.22 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average in eleven stats.

FINAL TAKE: Expect a low-scoring game between these two teams for this afternoon getaway game. 25* MLB Getaway Game Total of the Year with Under the Total in the game between the Atlanta Braves (905) and the San Francisco Giants (906) listing both starting pitchers Anibal Sanchez and Derek Holland. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:07 PM ET on Sunday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the Houston Astros (977) and the Boston Red Sox (978) listing both starting pitchers Dallas Keuchel and Rick Porcello. THE SITUATION: Houston (89-53) has won seven straight games after winning the second game of this series last night by a 5-3 score against the Red Sox.

REASONS TO TAKE UNDER THE TOTAL: The Astros have played 6 of their last 8 games Under the Total after a win — and they have played 5 of their last 7 games Under the Total after scoring at least five runs in their last game. And while Houston has not allowed more than three runs in eight straight games, they have then played 15 of their last 23 games Under the Total after not allowing more than three runs in at least four straight games. Furthermore, the Astros have played 5 of their last 7 games Under the Total as an underdog priced in the +100 to +150 price range. They give the ball to Keuchel who is 11-10 with a 3.46 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP in twenty-nine starts. The left-hander has been more effective on the road where he sees his ERA drop to a 3.27 mark. Houston has played 9 of their last 10 road games Under the Total with Keuchel pitching as an underdog priced in the +125 to -125 range. He faces a Red Sox team that is hitting only .249 over their last seven games with an OPS of .709 in those games with both stats far below their .268 batting average and .774 OPS for the season. Boston (97-46) has played 22 of their last 31 home games when playing with revenge from a loss in their last game with their opponents. The Under is also 3-1-1 in the Red Sox’s last 5 games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% — and they have also played 23 of their last 35 home games Under the Total against teams with a winning percentage over 60% on the road. They counter with Porcello who is 16-7 with a 4.20 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP in twenty-nine starts. The sabermetrics indicate that the right-hander should be seeing better results given his SIERA and xFIP that both project an ERA of 3.71 and 3.84 moving forward. Porcello has been more effective at home in Fenway Park where he has a 1.09 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .231 in twelve starts as compared to his 1.23 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .246 on the road. Boston has played 12 of their last 16 home games Under the Total with Porcello facing a team with a winning record. He faces an Astros team that has seen the Under go 11-3-2 in their last 16 road games against right-handed starting pitchers.

FINAL TAKE: Expect playoff intensity for this nationally-televised game — and that should translate into a low-scoring game with two good starting pitchers on the mound. 25* MLB Sunday Night ESPN Total of the Year with Under the Total in the game between the Houston Astros (977) and the Boston Red Sox (978) listing both starting pitchers Dallas Keuchel and Rick Porcello. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 9:40 PM ET on Friday, we will be playing the Atlanta Braves (963) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the Arizona Diamondbacks (964) listing both starting pitchers Kevin Gausman and Patrick Corbin. THE SITUATION: Atlanta (77-63) snapped their three-game losing streak last night with their 7-6 victory in Arizona last night in the opening game of this series.

REASONS TO TAKE THE BRAVES PLUS THE +1.5 RUN-LINE: Atlanta has won 9 of their last 13 games after a win — and they have also won 17 of their last 25 games after losing three of their last four contests. The Braves have also won 6 of their last 8 games on the road — and they have won 4 straight road games against teams with a winning record at home. Furthermore, Atlanta has won 17 of their last 28 road games as an underdog priced in the +100 to +150 price range. They give the ball to Gausman who is 14-14 with a 3.78 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP in twenty-seven starts. The right-hander has been outstanding since being liberated from Baltimore in his trade to Atlanta. Over his last ten starts, Gausman has a 2.73 ERA with a 0.99 WHIP — and he is 4-0 with a 1.09 ERA over his last five starts. Gausman has been more effective on the road all season where he owns a 3.63 ERA with a 1.24 WHIP in twelve starts. He allowed only one earned run in his last start (three runs total) against the Pirates — and his teams have won 5 of their last 7 games with Gausman pitching after not allowing more than one earned run in his last start. He faces a cold Diamondbacks lineup that is scoring 3.3 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .224 Batting Average with a .280 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .633 over that span. Arizona (75-65) has lost five of their last six games — and they have lost 11 of their last 16 games after dropping at least four of their last five contests. Furthermore, the Diamondbacks have lost 18 of their last 26 home games against teams with a winning record while also losing 13 of their last 17 home games against teams with a winning record on the road (Atlanta is 40-29 on the road). They counter with Corbin who is 10-5 with a 3.06 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in twenty-eight starts. The right-hander sees his ERA rise to a 3.25 mark in his fourteen starts at home. And while Corbin has allowed only two earned runs in his last two starts, Arizona has lost 6 of their last 8 games with Corbin pitching after not allowing more than two earned runs in two straight starts. He faces a Braves team that has won 9 of their last 10 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15.

FINAL TAKE: Atlanta offers us a nice investment opportunity as an underdog in this situation. With the price for the Braves with the valuable +1.5 Run-Line dropping to my -150 price threshold in a majority of spots, that is my preferred play given these parameters. 25* MLB National League Run-Line Underdog of the Year with the Atlanta Braves (963) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the Arizona Diamondbacks (964) listing both starting pitchers Kevin Gausman and Patrick Corbin. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:05 PM ET on Wednesday, we will be playing the Oakland A’s (974) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the New York Yankees (973) listing both starting pitchers Mike Fiers and Luis Severino. THE SITUATION: New York (87-52) snapped their two-game losing streak last night with their 5-1 victory over the A’s in the second game of this series.

REASONS TO TAKE OAKLAND PLUS THE +1.5 RUN-LINE: The Yankees have lost 12 of their last 16 games after not allowing more than two runs in their last game — and they have also lost 26 of their last 44 road games after a victory by at least four runs. Additionally, New York has lost 7 of their last 8 road games against teams with a winning record at home. They give the ball to Severino who is 17-6 with a 3.32 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP in twenty-eight starts this season. The right-hander has struggled with command with his two-seam fastball this summer — and that has resulted in a 6.32 ERA over his last ten starts. Severino has not been as effective away from Yankee Stadium this year as he sees his ERA rise to a 3.77 along with a 1.22 WHIP in fourteen starts. Oakland (83-57) has bounced-back to win 19 of their last 26 games after a loss — and they have also won 16 of their last 23 games after a loss by at leas four runs. The A’s only managed two hits last night — but they have won 11 of their last 14 games after failing to bang out at least four hits in their last game and they have also won 6 of their last 7 games after scoring two runs or less in their last game. Oakland has also won 18 of their last 26 games after allowing at least five runs in their last contest. The A’s remain very tough at home where they have won 24 of their last 33 games. They counter with Fiers who is 10-6 with a 3.38 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP in twenty-six starts. The right-hander has a 2.93 ERA with a 0.94 WHIP over his last ten starts. He also has been better at home with the A’s and previously with the Tigers this year where he has an ERA of 2.89. Fiers teams have won 6 of their last 7 home games when he is making the start with the Total set in the 7 to 8.5 range. His teams have also won 9 of their last 11 games when he is pitching as an underdog priced in the +125 to +175 price range. He faces a Yankees team that is hitting only .214 batting average with a .302 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .699 over their last seven games. New York has also lost 7 of their last 8 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15. Lastly, because Oakland averages 4.8 Runs-Per-Game — and this helps place them into a historical angle specific to the Run-Line that has been 66% effective since 1997. Home underdogs who score 4.4 to 4.9 Runs-Per-Game who have a batting average no better than .250 or their last twenty games facing an American League starting pitcher with an ERA of 3.50 or less have then covered the +1.5 Run-Line in 107 of the last 162 situations where these conditions applied.

FINAL TAKE: The A’s are live home dogs in the final game of this series. With the price of the valuable +1.5 Run-Line being below my -150 threshold, I consider that the much better investment opportunity. 25* MLB American League Run-Line Underdog of the Year with the Oakland A’s (974) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the New York Yankees (973) listing both starting pitchers Mike Fiers and Luis Severino. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:05 PM ET on Tuesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Texas Rangers (920) versus the Los Angeles Angels (919) listing both starting pitchers Mike Minor and Andrew Heaney. THE SITUATION: Texas (60-78) saw their two-game winning streak snapped yesterday with their 3-1 loss to the Angels in the opening game of this series.

REASONS TO TAKE THE RANGERS WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Texas has won 11 of their last 16 home games against teams with a losing record. The Rangers have also won 27 of their last 37 home games when priced in the -125 to -175 price range. They give the ball to Minor who is 10-7 with a 4.33 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP in twenty-four starts. After a slow start, Minor has been much better over the summers months. Since June, Minor has a 3.21 ERA with 59 strikeouts and just 17 walks in 75 2/3 innings of work — and he was 3-1 with a 2.55 ERA in the month of August. The left-hander has been more effective at home where he owns a 3.30 ERA with a 1.01 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .213 as compared to his 5.79 ERA with a 1.25 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .267 in eleven starts. Texas has won 4 straight home games with Minor facing a team with a losing record. Additionally, Minor has only allowed two combined earned runs over his last two starts — and his teams have won 22 of their last 29 games when he has not allowed more than two earned runs in two straight starts. He should thrive again tonight against this Angels team that is hitting only .215 over their last seven games with a .288 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .588 over that span. Los Angeles (67-71) has lost 41 of their last 60 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower. The Angels have also not only lost 4 of their last 5 games after a win but they have lost 17 of their last 22 games after an upset loss to a divisional rival. This will be their sixth straight game on the road — and they have lost 14 of their last 20 road games after playing at least five prior games on the road. Los Angeles has also lost 27 of their last 40 games on the road. They counter with Heaney who is 8-8 with a 4.09 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP in twenty-five starts. The lefty has not been as effective on the road where he sees his ERA rise to a 4.94 ERA with a 1.31 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .266. The Angels have lost 8 of their last 9 road games with Heaney pitching with the Total set in the 8.5 to 10 range.

FINAL TAKE: Minor should give the Rangers a significant edge over the Angels relying on Heaney pitching away from home. 25* MLB FS1-TV Game of the Year with the money-line on the Texas Rangers (920) versus the Los Angeles Angels (919) listing both starting pitchers Mike Minor and Andrew Heaney. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:15 PM ET on Friday, we will be playing the money-line on the Kansas City Royals (926) versus the Baltimore Orioles (925) listing both starting pitchers Brad Keller and Andrew Cashner. THE SITUATION: Baltimore (40-94) has won three straight games after they defeated the Blue Jays on Wednesday by a 10-5 score. Kansas City (42-91) has won two straight games — as well as four of their last five games — with their 9-2 win over Detroit on Wednesday.

REASONS TO TAKE THE ROYALS WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Break up the Orioles with this winning streak! But Baltimore has played their last seven games at home. Now this team goes on the road where they have lost 20 of their last 24 games in the second-half of the season — and they have also lost 4 straight road games against teams with a winning percentage below 40% at home. Furthermore, the Orioles have lost 12 of their last 14 games in Kansas City against the Royals. Baltimore has not responded well after off days as they have lost 15 of their last 16 games after having a day off. The Orioles have also lost 21 of their last 29 games after scoring at least five runs — and they have lost 40 of their last 53 games after allowing at least five runs in their last game. Additionally, Baltimore has not committed an error in four straight games — and they have lost 27 of their last 36 games after not committing an error in at least two straight games. They give the ball to Cashner who is 4-12 with a 4.79 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP in twenty-five starts. The right-hander has particularly struggled on the road where he owns a 5.14 ERA with a 1.65 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .303 in twelve starts. The Orioles have lost 6 straight road games with Cashner facing a team with a losing record. He faces a Royals offense that is scoring 5.4 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .285 batting average along with a .329 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .851 over that span. Kansas City has also won 4 of their last 5 home games when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The Royals have won 4 of their last 5 games after an off-day — and they have won 4 of their last 5 games against teams that allowed at least five runs in their last game. KC has also won 6 of their last 8 home games against teams with a winning percentage below 40% on the road. Furthermore, the Royals are very reliable when they are fairly significant favorites as they have won 45 of their last 70 games when priced in the -125 to -175 price range. But the reason why this situation pops is the opportunity to back Keller who is 6-5 with a 3.33 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP in 105 1/3 innings. The rookie right-hander has been particularly tough at home where he owns a 3.23 ERA with a 1.26 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .236 in 55 2/3 innings at home. Kansas City has won 5 of their last 7 games with Keller making the start.

FINAL TAKE: These two teams are battling to avoid the basement this season — but there can be very good betting situations even between two bad teams. Baltimore has been very bad on the road this season while the Royals play their best at home — and Kansas City has a big edge at starting pitcher tonight. 25* MLB Game of the Month with the money-line on the Kansas City Royals (926) versus the Baltimore Orioles (925) listing both starting pitchers Brad Keller and Andrew Cashner. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:35 PM ET on Thursday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the Chicago Cubs (955) and the Atlanta Braves (956) listing both starting pitchers Mike Montgomery and Mike Foltynewicz. THE SITUATION: Chicago (78-54) saw their seven-game winning streak snapped last night with their 10-3 loss to the Mets yesterday. Atlanta (74-58) looks to rebound from an 8-5 loss to Tampa Bay yesterday.

REASONS TO TAKE UNDER THE TOTAL: The Cubs have played 5 of their last 7 games Under the Total after a loss — and they have played 4 of their last 5 games Under the Total after allowing at least five runs in their last game. Chicago has also played 8 of their last 9 games Under the Total on the road. They give the ball to Montgomery who is coming off the disabled list to return to their now six-man rotation. The left-hander has a 4-4 record with a 3.62 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP in 99 1/3 innings of work. He has been more effective on the road where he owns a 2.96 ERA with a 1.12 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .236 in 54 2/3 innings of work both starting and out of the pen. Montgomery did not allow an earned run in his last start where he pitched 6 innings at Kansas City — and the Cubs have played 7 of their last 8 games when Montgomery registered a Quality Start in his last start on the mound. He faces a Braves team that has seen the Under go 16-4-1 in their last 21 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher — and the Under is also 6-2-1 in their last 9 games against left-handed starting pitchers. Atlanta (74-58) has played 5 straight games Under the Total after a loss — and they have played 5 of their last 6 games Under the Total after scoring at least five runs in their last game. The Braves have also played 16 of their last 21 home games against teams with a winning record on the road. They counter with Foltynewicz who is 10-8 with a 2.67 ERA with a 1.13 WHIP in twenty-five starts. The right-hander has been more effective at home where he owns a 2.63 ERA with a 1.08 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .198 in twelve home starts. The Under is 3-1-1 in Atlanta’s last 5 home games with Foltynewicz on the hill. He faces a Cubs team that has played 8 straight road games Under the Total against right-handed starting pitchers — and they have played 7 straight games Under the Total against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower. Lastly, these two teams have played 4 of their last 5 meetings Under the Total when playing in Atlanta.

FINAL TAKE: Expect a low-scoring game between these two teams that are in the heat of the National League playoff race. 25* MLB Total of the Month with Under the Total in the game between the Chicago Cubs (955) and the Atlanta Braves (956) listing both starting pitchers Mike Montgomery and Mike Foltynewicz. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 12:35 PM ET on Thursday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the Milwaukee Brewers (951) and the Cincinnati Reds (952) listing both starting pitchers Wade Miley and Cody Reed. THE SITUATION: Milwaukee (73-60) outlasted the Reds in the second game of this series by a 13-12 score in 10 innings last night.

REASONS TO TAKE OVER THE TOTAL: The Brewers have now played 16 of their last 23 games Over the Total in the month of August — and they have played 4 straight games Over the Total against fellow NL Central opponents. Additionally, the Over is 6-1-1 in Milwaukee’s last 8 road games against teams with a losing record on the road. They give the ball to Miley who is 2-2 with a 2.32 ERA with a 1.31 WHIP in ten starts. The sabermetrics are screaming out for regression for this left-hander as both his SIERA and xFIP project an ERA of 4.97 and 4.56 moving forward this season. The Brewers have played 6 of their last 8 games Over the Total with Miley making the start. He faces a Reds team that has played 4 straight games Over the Total against teams using a starting pitcher with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher. Cincinnati (57-75) has also seen the Over go 9-2-1 in their last 12 home games against left-handed starting pitchers. The Over is also 20-7-2 in their last 29 home games against teams with a winning record. And in their last 52 day games, the Reds have played 31 of these games Over the Total. They counter with Reed who is 0-1 with a 3.68 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP in 14 2/3 innings of work since being called up from Triple-A earlier this month. Reed has logged-in 80 innings at the major league level in his career where he has not been as effective at home. The left-hander has a 7.05 ERA with a 1.78 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .358 in 37 innings at home as compared to his 5.44 ERA with a 1.58 WHIP on the road. Furthermore, Reed has been rocked for a 9.39 ERA with a 2.05 WHIP in 30 2/3 innings during day games as compared to his 4.26 ERA and 1.44 WHIP at night. Cincinnati has played 8 straight games Over the Total with Reed pitching as an underdog. He faces a hot-hitting Brewers team that was scoring 5.4 Runs-Per-Game in their last seven games before yesterday along with a .290 batting average along with a .343 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .827. Lastly, Milwaukee has played 7 of their last 8 games Over the Total against left-handed starting pitchers.

FINAL TAKE: It should be another high-scoring affair between these two teams in this afternoon getaway game at the Great American Ballpark. 25* MLB Getaway Game Total of the Month with Over the Total in the game between the Milwaukee Brewers (951) and the Cincinnati Reds (952) listing both starting pitchers Wade Miley and Cody Reed. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:10 PM ET on Wednesday, we will be playing the Cincinnati Reds (906) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the Milwaukee Brewers (905) listing both starting pitchers Matt Harvey and Freddy Peralta. THE SITUATION: Cincinnati (57-75) snapped their five-game losing streak last night with their 9-7 victory over the Brewers in the opening game of this series.

REASONS TO TAKE THE REDS PLUS THE +1.5 RUN-LINE: The Reds have now won 4 straight games at home — and they have won 6 straight home games against teams with a losing record on the road. They give the ball to Harvey who is 6-7 with a 4.77 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP — although his 6-5 record with a 4.14 ERA and 1.20 WHIP since joining with Cincinnati convinced the franchise to not trade him to a contender (like these Brewers) this month. The right-hander has been more effective when pitching at home where he owns a 1.04 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .211 in ten starts (eleven games) as compared to his 1.49 WHIP and .310 opponent’s batting average in twelve starts (fifteen games). The Reds have won 5 of their last 6 home games with Harvey on the hill — and Harvey’s teams have won an impressive 8 of their last 9 home games with him pitching as an underdog. He faces a Brewers team that has lost 4 of their last 5 road games against right-handed starting pitchers. Milwaukee (73-60) has lost 4 of their last 5 games after scoring at least five runs in their last game. The Brewers’ bullpen pitched 6 2/3 innings last night — and they have lost 5 of their last 7 games after a game where their bullpen logged in at least 6 innings of work. Furthermore, Milwaukee has lost 8 of their last 9 road games against teams with a losing record — and they have also lost 13 of their last 19 games against fellow NL Central opponents. They counter with Peralta who is 6-4 with a 4.02 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP in thirteen starts. But while the right-hander has been better at home with a 2.81 ERA and 0.78 WHIP in five starts, his ERA rises to a 5.06 mark along with a 1.42 WHIP in eight starts on the road. The Brewers have lost 4 of their last 5 road games with Peralta on the hill.

FINAL TAKE: Cincinnati is an intriguing underdog in this situation but my preferred play is to invest in the valuable +1.5 Run-Line with that price being below my -150 threshold. 25* MLB National League Central Run-Line Underdog of the Year with the Cincinnati Reds (906) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the Milwaukee Brewers (905) listing both starting pitchers Matt Harvey and Freddy Peralta. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:15 PM ET on Tuesday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the Arizona Diamondbacks (959) and the San Francisco Giants (960) listing both starting pitchers Clay Buchholz and Madison Bumgarner. THE SITUATION: San Francisco (66-67) has won three straight games with their 2-0 shutout win over the Diamondbacks in the opening game of this series last night.

REASONS TO TAKE UNDER THE TOTAL: The Under is 18-6-3 the Giants’ last 27 games after a victory. Additionally, San Francisco has played 5 of their last 6 games Under the Total at home — and the Under is 5-0-1 in their last 6 games against teams with a winning record. They give the ball to Bumgarner who is 5-5 with a 2.88 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP in fourteen starts. The left-hander has been outstanding once again at home this year where he owns a 1.71 ERA with a 0.99 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .198 in seven starts. The Under is 6-1-1 in the Giants’ last 8 home games with Bumgarner on the hill — and they have played 7 straight Unders at home with Bumgarner facing the Diamondbacks. He should continue this success tonight when facing this Arizona team (72-58) that is scoring only 3.6 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven contests — and they have played 7 of their last 10 road games Under the Total against left-handed starting pitchers. The Under is 3-0-1 in the Diamondbacks’ last 4 games after a loss. And while Arizona has lost three of their last four games, they have played 36 of their last 53 games Under the Total after losing three of their last four games. The Diamondbacks have also played 8 of their last 9 road games Under the Total against teams with a winning record at home. They counter with Buchholz who is 7-2 with a 2.25 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP in thirteen starts. The right-hander has been even more effective on the road where he sports a 1.97 ERA with a 0.93 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .205 in eight starts. Arizona has played 4 of their last 5 road games Under the Total with Buchholz on the hill. He has benefited from a fairly easy stretch of opponents — and he will be facing a cold Giants team that is scoring only 3.6 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .195 batting average along with a .259 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .591 over that span. Lastly, the Under is 22-10-1 in the last 33 meetings between these two teams in San Francisco.

FINAL TAKE: Expect a pitchers’ duel between these two teams facing slumping lineups. 25* MLB National League West Total of the Month with Under the Total in the game between the Arizona Diamondbacks (959) and the San Francisco Giants (960) listing both starting pitchers Clay Buchholz and Madison Bumgarner. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:07 PM ET on Monday, we will be playing the money-line on the Los Angeles Angels (914) versus the Colorado Rockies (913) listing both starting pitchers Jon Gray and Odrisamer Despaigne. THE SITUATION: Colorado (71-59) has lost two of their last three games after their 12-3 loss to St. Louis yesterday. Los Angeles (63-68)has lost six straight games with their 3-1 loss to Houston yesterday.

REASONS TO TAKE THE ROCKIES WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Colorado has bounced-back to win 4 straight games after a loss — and they have won 7 straight road games after a game where at least 15 combined runs were scored. Additionally, the Rockies have won 4 straight games on the road — and they have won 10 straight road games when favored in the -125 to -175 price range. They give the ball to Gray who is 10-7 with a 4.67 EEA and a 1.27 WHIP in twenty-four starts. The right-hander was underperforming for the first-half of the season in relation to his peripheral numbers — and Colorado eventually sent him down to the minors for a spell. But since returning from the minor leagues, Gray is 3-0 with a 2.59 ERA in seven starts. His SIERA and xFIP project an ERA of 3.34 and 3.11 moving forward. Additionally, Gray is getting great run support as his team is scoring 6.6 Runs-Per-Game over his last ten starts. Gray has also been a bit better away from Coors Field given his 1.23 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .247 in twelve starts as compared to his 1.30 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .263. The Rockies have won 4 straight road games with Gray on the hill. And while Gray comes off a strong outing where he allowed only two runs in 6 1/3 innings of work against the Padres — and Colorado has won 6 straight games with Gray following up a Quality Start. He should fare well against this Angels team that is scoring only 3.6 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .231 batting average along with a .274 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .650 over that span. Los Angeles has lost 5 straight games against right-handed starting pitchers. The Angels have lost 5 straight games after a loss — and they have lost 5 straight games at home. Additionally, LA has lost 25 of their last 32 home games as an underdog priced in the +125 to +175 price range. They counter with Despaigne who is 2-2 with a 6.35 ERA with a 1.55 WHIP in 28 1/3 innings of work. Over his last two starts, the right-hander has allowed 8 runs in those 8 innings of work. He faces a Rockies team scoring 4.9 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .280 batting average along with a .331 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .795 over that span. Colorado has won 19 of their last 26 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher — and they have also won 5 of their last 6 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher.

FINAL TAKE: Colorado is in the thick of the NL West and NL Wildcard races while the Angels are playing out the string. Gray is undervalued right now given his mediocre ERA but he is pitching much better than what that 4.67 number suggests. 25* MLB Monday ESPN Game of the Year with the money-line on the Los Angeles Angels (914) versus the Colorado Rockies (913) listing both starting pitchers Jon Gray and Odrisamer Despaigne. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:10 PM ET on Saturday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the Atlanta Braves (905) and the Miami Marlins (906) listing both starting pitchers Anibal Sanchez and Wei-Yin Chen. THE SITUATION: Miami (52-78) rebounded from a 5-0 loss on Thursday to shutout the Braves on Friday with their 1-0 victory.

REASONS TO TAKE UNDER THE TOTAL: The Marlins have now seen the Under go 8-2-2 in their last 12 games at home. Miami is a heavy underdog in this game — and they have played 12 of their last 19 home games Under the Total as an underdog priced in the +150 to +200 price range. They give the ball to Chen who is 4-9 with a 5.20 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP in twenty starts. But while the right-hander has been a disaster on the road where he has been saddled with a 9.34 ERA with a 1.82 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .335 in ten starts, he has been quite good at home where he sports a 2.05 ERA with a 1.04 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .194 in ten starts at home. The Under is 8-2-1 in the Marlins’ last 11 home games with Chen on the hill. He faces a cold-hitting Braves team that went into Friday night scoring only 3.4 Runs-Per-Game with a .243 batting average over their last seven games along with a .315 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .664 over that span. Atlanta (77-56) has played 7 straight games Under the Total against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher. The Under is also 5-2-1 in the Braves’ last 8 games against left-handed starting pitchers. Atlanta has now played 15 of their last 23 games this month Under the Total. The Under is also now 5-0-1 in their last 6 games on the road. They counter with Sanchez who is 6-4 with a 3.13 ERA and an opponent’s batting average of 1.09 in seventeen starts. The veteran right-hander has been more effective on the road where he has an ERA of 3.06 with a 1.08 WHOP buoyed by an opponent’s batting average of .203. The Under is 3-1-1 in the Braves’ last 5 road games with Sanchez on the hill — and Atlanta has played 5 of their last 6 games Under the Total with Sanchez pitching as a money-line favorite priced in the -125 to -175 range. He faces a Marlins’ team that has seen the Under go 5-2-2 in their last 9 home games against right-handed starting pitchers.

FINAL TAKE: Runs have been hard to come by in this series with just seven runs scored between these two teams in the first two games of this series. Expect another low-scoring game. 25* MLB FS1-TV Total of the Year with Under the Total in the game between the Atlanta Braves (905) and the Miami Marlins (906) listing both starting pitchers Anibal Sanchez and Wei-Yin Chen. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:40 PM ET on Tuesday, we will be playing the Colorado Rockies (910) minus the -1.5 Run-Line versus the San Diego Padres (909) listing both starting pitchers Tyler Anderson and Robbie Erlin. THE SITUATION: Colorado (68-56) has won four straight games — as well as eight of their last nine contests — with their 4-2 win in Atlanta on Sunday. San Diego (49-78) has lost six of their last seven games with their 4-3 loss to Arizona on Sunday.

REASONS TO TAKE THE ROCKIES MINUS THE -1.5 RUN-LINE: The Padres are in the tank at this point of the season having gone just 12-30 in the second-half of the season. San Diego has lost 4 of their last 5 games after a loss — and they have lost 19 of their last 26 games after an off-day. The Padres have also lost 4 of their last 5 games against teams with a winning record. They give the ball to Erlin who is 2-3 with a 3.33 ERA with a 1.02 WHIP as a starter and out of the pen this year. The left-hander has not been as effective on the road where he has a 4.55 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .279 in 31 2/3 innings of work. San Diego has lost 5 of their last 7 road games with Erlin on the hill. He faces a Rockies team that has won 12 of their last 14 games against left-handed starting pitchers. Colorado has won 11 of their last 15 games are allowing no more than two runs in their last game — and they have won 25 of their last 38 games after a win by at least two runs. The Rockies have also won 20 of their last 27 home games. They counter with Anderson who is 6-5 with a 4.39 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP in twenty-five starts. The lefty is better at home in Coors Field where he sports a 3.47 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP in twelve starts. Colorado has won 11 of their last 18 home games with Anderson pitching as a favorite priced at least at -110. He should fare well against this Padres team that is scoring only 3.3 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .204 batting average along with a .271 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .627. San Diego has lost 20 of their last 26 games against left-handed starting pitchers. Lastly, the Rockies are supported by an empirical situational angle that is specific to the Run-Line that has been 60% effective since 1997. Anderson has struggled over his last three starts with a 10.70 ERA (but his lone home start over that span saw him allow only one earned run in 6 innings of work against the Dodgers) — and National League home teams using a starting pitcher with an ERA in the 4.20 to 4.70 ERA who has an ERA of 7.50 or higher over his last three starts have then covered the -1.5 Run-Line in 170 of the last 284 situations where these conditions applied.

FINAL TAKE: Colorado is playing good baseball right now as they are in the thick of the NL West and wildcard races. They should take care of business against the reeling Padres playing out the string. With the Rockies priced in the -175 price range, let's invest in the -1.5 Run-Line to lower the asking price. 25* MLB National League West Run-Line Blowout of the Month with the Colorado Rockies (910) minus the -1.5 Run-Line versus the San Diego Padres (909) listing both starting pitchers Tyler Anderson and Robbie Erlin. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:05 PM ET on Sunday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the New York Mets (913) and the Philadelphia Phillies (914) listing both starting pitchers Jason Vargas and Nick Pivetta. THE SITUATION: These two teams have split the first four games of this series after New York (53-69) defeated Philadelphia (68-55) yesterday by a 3-1 score. This series travels south to Williamsport, Pennsylvania for ESPN’s second annual Little League Classic to be played at Bowman Field (with Major League dimensions).

REASONS TO TAKE UNDER THE TOTAL: New York had been on-fire with their bats just a few days ago — but, alas, they have already begun to cool off after scoring 16 runs on Wednesday before plating 24 runners in the opening game of this series on Thursday which was Game One of the double-header that day. The Mets have a .330 batting average over their last five games — but they have then played 11 of their last 14 games Under the Total after hitting at least .315 over their last five games. This regression is already taking place as they have just a .202 On-Base Percentage over their last three games — and they have played 16 of their last 23 games Under the Total after not having better than a .260 On-Base Percentage over their last three contests. Additionally, New York has played a decisive 51 of their last 83 games Under the Total with the Total set in the 7 to 8.5 range. They give the ball to Vargas who has been a disappointment this year with a 2-8 record with an 8.10 ERA and a 1.78 WHIP in thirteen starts. But the right-hander has perhaps found his groove again after allowing only two runs in 6 innings of work in his last start against the Orioles. The Under is 3-0-1 in the Mets’ last 4 games with Vargas on the hill — and Vargas’ teams have played 22 of their last 33 games Under the Total with him making the start for a night game. Vargas faces a Phillies team that has seen the Under go 40-19-2 in their last 61 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher. Philadelphia has played 15 of their last 21 games Under the Total after a game where no more than four combined runs were scored. The Phillies have also played 16 of their last 23 games Under the Total after a loss by no more than two runs. They counter with Pivetta who is 7-9 with a 4.37 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. While the Mets are the technical home team, this is an unfamiliar environment for Pivetta — yet he pitched 6 scoreless innings in his last start away from Citi Field in Arizona. The Under is 8-1-2 in New York’s last 11 games with Pivetta pitching after a loss — and the Phillies have played 19 of their last 28 games Under the Total with Pivetta pitching with the Total set in the 7-8.5 range. Lastly, in the last 12 meetings between these two teams, the game finished Under the Total 9 times.

FINAL TAKE: The first Little League Classic was also played in Williamsburg last August with the Pirates defeating the Cardinals by a 6-3 score with Ivan Nova defeating Mike Leake. Expect this contest to see fewer runs. 25* MLB Sunday Night ESPN Total of the Month with Under the Total in the game between the New York Mets (913) and the Philadelphia Phillies (914) listing both starting pitchers Jason Vargas and Nick Pivetta. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:05 PM ET on Saturday, we will be playing the money-line on the Chicago Cubs (955) versus the Pittsburgh Pirates (956) listing both starting pitchers Tyler Chatwood and Joe Musgrove. THE SITUATION: Chicago (71-50) has won three straight games after winning their second-straight 1-0 victory over the Pirates in the second game of this series.

REASONS TO TAKE THE CUBS WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Chicago has won 5 straight games after scoring two runs or less in their last game. The Cubs have also won 5 of their last 6 games on the road — and they have won 14 of their last 18 games against teams with a losing record. The Cubs opened as a small money-line favorite but with their expected starting pitcher Mike Montgomery scratched for Tyler Chatwood, the betting movement has made Chicago a clear money-line underdog in this game. Chatwood is 4-5 with a 5.06 ERA but what scares bettors off (as well as lost him a spot in the Cubs rotation) is his 1.80 WHIP. While Chatwood issues too many bases-on-balls, that is not enough reason for the Chicago to be the underdog in this situation. Part of the problem for Chatwood has been pitching at home where perhaps he puts too much pressure on himself. This was an issue when he pitched for the Rockies and he owns a 5.52 ERA with a 1.92 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .250 at home this year. But those numbers drop to a more respectable 4.35 ERA with a 1.60 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .237 when on the road. Furthermore, Chatwood enjoyed a nice 3.44 ERA with a still declining 1.53 WHIP in his seven road starts this year. The Cubs have won 4 straight games with Chatwood facing a team with a losing record. And manager Joe Maddon can always go to his outstanding bullpen which has a 2.68 ERA with a 1.23 WHIP on the road — and this bullpen has a 1.61 ERA with a 1.16 WHIP in their last seven games. Chatwood and the Cubs’ pen should have success against this Pirates team that is scoring only 3.3 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .252 batting average along with a low .300 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .650 during that span. Pittsburgh has lost 4 straight games after a loss. The Pirates have also lost 4 straight games at home — and they have lost 5 of their last 7 games against teams with a winning record. They counter with Musgrove who is 4-7 with a 3.49 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP in thirteen starts. The sabermetrics call for regression for the right-hander with both his SIERA and xFIP projecting an ERA of 4.28 and 4.31 moving forward. Musgrove has not been as effective at home where he has been saddled with a 4.40 ERA with a 1.40 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .270 in eight starts. Pittsburgh has lost 5 of their last 6 home games with Musgrove making the start. That is not a good sign when facing this Cubs team that has won 5 of their last 6 road games against right-handed starting pitchers.

FINAL TAKE: The Cubs should be a coin flip — at worst — with Chatwood on the hill when facing this Pirates team they have defeated in 7 of their last 9 games in Pittsburgh. Great value here. 25* MLB National League Central Underdog of the Year with the money-line on the Chicago Cubs (955) versus the Pittsburgh Pirates (956) listing both starting pitchers Tyler Chatwood and Joe Musgrove. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:15 PM ET on Friday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the Milwaukee Brewers (911) and the St. Louis Cardinals (912) listing both starting pitchers Freddy Peralta and Jack Flaherty. THE SITUATION: Milwaukee (68-55) has lost four of their last six games after their 8-4 loss in Chicago against the Cubs on Wednesday. St. Louis (66-56) saw their eight-game winning streak snapped won Wednesday with their 5-4 loss to Washington yesterday.

REASONS TO TAKE OVER THE TOTAL: The Brewers have played 5 of their last 7 games Over the Total after an off-day — and the Over is 16-5-1 in their last 22 games when facing an opponent that allowed at least five runs in their last game. Milwaukee has also played 5 of their last 7 road games Over the Total. They give the ball to Peralta who is 5-3 with a 4.47 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP in eleven starts. The right-hander has not been as effective on the road where his ERA rises to a 5.17 mark along with a 1.50 WHIP in seven starts. The Brewers have played 6 of their last 7 games Over the Total with Peralta making the start. He faces a Cardinals team that is scoring 6.3 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .299 batting average along with a .357 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .878. St. Louis has played 13 of their last 18 games Over the Total after a loss — and they have played 13 of their last 16 games Over the Total after allowing at least five runs. The Cardinals have also played 18 of their last 25 home games Over the Total after a loss by two runs or less. St. Louis has also played 5 of their last 6 home games Over the Total against teams with a winning record. They counter with Flaherty who is 6-6 with a 3.22 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP in nineteen starts. The rookie right-hander has not been as effective at home where he has an ERA of 3.53 with a 1.11 WHIP. The Cardinals have played 4 straight games Under the Total with Flaherty pitching with five days of rest. He also faces a hot-hitting team as the Brewers are scoring 5.0 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .299 batting average along with a .331 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .780.

FINAL TAKE: The number is generally at 8 in most locations for this game. Both with two lineups hitting the ball well facing young starting pitchers that have an ever-growing book being written on their strengths and weaknesses, expect a higher-scoring game. 25* MLB National League Central Total of the Month with Over the Total in the game between the Milwaukee Brewers (911) and the St. Louis Cardinals (912) listing both starting pitchers Freddy Peralta and Jack Flaherty. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:05 PM ET on Wednesday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the Boston Red Sox (921) and the Philadelphia Phillies (922) listing both starting pitchers Nathan Eovaldi and Vincent Velasquez. THE SITUATION: Boston (86-35) has won eleven of their last twelve games with their 2-1 win over the Phillies yesterday in the opening game of this series.

REASONS TO TAKE UNDER THE TOTAL: The Under is 3-0-1 in the Red Sox’s last 4 games after a victory — and the Under is 9-0-2 in their last 11 games after allowing no more than two runs in their last game. Additionally, the Under is 3-0-1 in Boston’s last 4 games on the road. They give the ball to Eovaldi who is 5-4 with a 3.74 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP in thirteen starts. The right-hander looks to redeem himself from a terrible outing where he got rocked for eight runs (six earned) while surrendering a season-high 10 hits in an exasperating outing against the anemic Orioles. Eovaldi began the start with a microscopic 0.43 ERA along with a 0.67 WHIP in his three previous starts with the latter two being in a Red Sox uniform after being acquired from the Twins. Eovaldi’s teams have played 11 of their last 17 games Under the Total with him on the mound with the Total set in the 8 to 8.5 range. He faces a cold Phillies lineup that is scoring only 2.3 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .170 batting average, .247 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .507 over that span. The Under is 9-1-1 in Philadelphia’s last 11 games against right-handed starting pitchers. The Phillies (65-53) have seen the Under go 40-15-4 in their last 59 games after a loss. Additionally, Philadelphia has played 15 of their last 20 games Under the Total after a game where no more than four combined runs were scored — and they have played 16 of their last 19 games Under the Total after failing to score more than one run in their last game. Furthermore, the Phillies have played 8 straight home games Under the Total against teams with a winning percentage over 60% on the road. They counter with Velasquez who is 8-9 with a 3.98 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP in twenty-two starts.Over his last ten appearances, Velasquez has a sparkling 2.68 ERA. The right-hander has been more effective at home where he owns a 1.17 WHIP and .216 opponent’s batting average in twelve starts as compared to his 1.29 WHIP and .242 opponent’s batting average when on the road. The Phillies have played 4 straight home games Under the Total with Velasquez on the hill. he faces a Red Sox team that has seen the Under go 15-5-2 in their last 22 games against right-handed starting pitchers — and this includes the Under go 3-0-1 in their last 4 road games against right-handed starting pitchers. Lastly, the Under is now 6-0-2 in the last 8 meetings between these two teams.

FINAL TAKE: Eovaldi should bounce-back with a strong effort tonight — expect a lower scoring game between these two teams that tend to play Unders. 25* MLB Wednesday ESPN Total of the Month with Under the Total in the game between the Boston Red Sox (921) and the Philadelphia Phillies (922) listing both starting pitchers Nathan Eovaldi and Vincent Velasquez. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 2:20 PM ET on Wednesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Chicago Cubs (902) versus the Milwaukee Brewers (901) listing both starting pitchers Kyle Hendricks and Junior Guerra. THE SITUATION: Chicago (68-50) has lost two of their last three games with their 7-0 loss to the Brewers yesterday afternoon.

REASONS TO TAKE THE CUBS WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Chicago has been very reliable in bounce-back situations as they have won 42 of their last 60 games after a loss. The Cubs have also won 17 of their last 22 games after allowing at least five runs in their last game — and they have won 5 of their last 6 games after scoring no more than two runs in their last contest. Additionally, Chicago has still won 4 of the last 5 home games against teams with a winning record on the road. They give the ball to Hendricks who is 8-9 with a 4.02 ERA with a 1.21 WHIP in twenty-four starts. The right-hander has been more effective in day games where he enjoys a 3.74 ERA with a 1.14 WHIP in eight starts. Hendricks has also been better at home where he sports a 3.69 ERA with a 1.12 WHIP in thirteen starts. The Cubs have won 4 of their last 5 home games with Hendricks on the hill. Milwaukee (68-54) has lost 4 of their last 5 games after a victory. The Brewers have also lost 7 of their last 8 games after fellow NL Central opponents — and they have also still lost 4 of their last 5 games against the Cubs in Wrigley Field. They counter with Guerra who is 6-7 with a 3.40 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP in twenty-two starts. The sabermetrics call for significant regression with both his SIERA and xFIP both projecting an ERA of 4.37. And while the right-hander has thrived at home where he owns a 2.69 ERA with a 1.21 WHIP in fourteen starts, both his ERA and WHIP rise to 4.97 and 1.44 marks when on the road. Milwaukee has lost 4 of their last 5 road games with Guerra on the hill — and they have also lost their last 4 games with Guerra facing the Cubs.

FINAL TAKE: The Brewers pulled within 2 games behind Chicago in the NL Central race yesterday — but they are still struggling against divisional rivals. Hendricks should outpitch Guerra this afternoon. 25* MLB Getaway Game of the Month with the money-line on the Chicago Cubs (902) versus the Milwaukee Brewers (901) listing both starting pitchers Kyle Hendricks and Junior Guerra. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:10 PM ET on Tuesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Pittsburgh Pirates (975) versus the Minnesota Twins (976) listing both starting pitchers Jameson Taillon and Jake Odorizzi. THE SITUATION: Pittsburgh (61-58) has lost two of their last three games after their 4-3 loss in San Francisco on Sunday. Minnesota (54-63) has lost four of their last five contests with their 4-2 loss in Detroit.

REASONS TO TAKE THE PIRATES WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Pittsburgh has won 5 of their last 7 games after a loss — and they have also won 4 of their last 5 games after an off-day. The Pirates have also won 6 of their last 8 road games against teams with a losing record — and they have also won 18 of their last 27 road games with the Total set in the 8.5 to 10 range. Additionally, Pittsburgh has won 20 of their last 26 games in Interleague play. They give the ball to Taillon who is 9-8 with a 3.63 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP in twenty-three starts this season. The right-hander has been quietly enjoying an outstanding year — over his last thirteen starts he owns a 2.98 ERA with a 1.14 WHIP while not allowing more than three earned runs in any of those starts. Taillon has been more effective on the road where he has a 3.39 ERA in twelve starts. The Pirates have won 6 of their last 7 road games with Taillon on the hill. He faces a cold Twins team that is scoring only 2.6 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .223 batting average along with a .267 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .602 over that span. Minnesota has lost 9 of their last 13 games after an off-day. The Twins have also lost 6 straight games in Interleague play — and they have lost 5 of their last 6 games against teams with a winning record. They counter with Odorizzi who is 4-7 with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP in twenty-four starts. The right-hander certainly does not make it easy on himself as his 28.6% Ground-Ball rate is the lowest in the Major Leagues for all starting pitchers. Odorizzi has not been as effective at home where he has an ERA of 5.13 along with a 1.48 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .286 in eleven starts. The Twins have lost 6 of their last 7 games with Odorizzi facing a team with a winning record. He faces a Pirates team that is scoring 5.9 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games — and Pittsburgh has also won 4 straight games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or lower.

FINAL TAKE: Taillon is a hidden gem right now — he should pitch very well against a mediocre Twins team. 25* MLB Interleague Road Warrior of the Month with the money-line on the Pittsburgh Pirates (975) versus the Minnesota Twins (976) listing both starting pitchers Jameson Taillon and Jake Odorizzi. Best of luck for us —Frank.

At 7:05 PM ET on Monday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the New York Mets (921) and the New York Yankees (922) listing both starting pitchers Jacob DeGrom and Luis Severino. THE SITUATION: The Mets (49-66) has won three of their last four games after their 4-3 win in Miami yesterday. The Yankees (74-43) has won six of their last seven games with their 7-2 win over Texas on Sunday.

REASONS TO TAKE OVER THE TOTAL: The Over is 6-2-1 in the Mets’ last 9 games after a win — and the Mets’ have played 4 of their last 5 opening games to a new series Over the Total. The Mets have also played 21 of their last 28 road games Over the Total as an underdog priced at least at +150 — and they have played 4 of their last 5 road games Over the Total when facing an American League opponent. They give the ball to DeGrom who is 6-7 with a 1.77 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP in twenty-three starts. While DeGrom has been outstanding this season, the sabermetrics indicate he should be giving up more than one run more per start given his SIERA of 2.94 and his xFIP of 2.78. And while DeGrom has been almost unhittable at home where he owns a 1.60 ERA with a 0.88 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .191 in thirteen starts, he is closer to a mere mortal when on the road where he his ERA rises to a 2.02 mark along with a 1.09 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .225. The Mets have played 5 of their last 6 road games Over the Total with DeGrom pitching as an underdog priced in the +125 to +175 price range. He faces a Yankees team that scores 5.7 Runs-Per-Game at home — and they are scoring 6.3 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven contests. The Over is 3-1-1 the Bronx Bombers’ last 5 home games against right-handed starting pitchers. The Over is also 3-0-1 in the Yankees’ last 5 games after a win — and they have played 29 of their last 40 home games Over the Total after a win by at least four runs. Furthermore, the Yankees have played 6 of their last 8 opening games to a new series — and the Over is 4-1-2 in their last 7 home games against teams with a losing record. They counter with Severino who is 15-5 with a 3.11 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP in twenty-four starts. The right-hander has struggled as of late with a 7.31 ERA over his last six starts with him struggling with command on his fastball. He comes off a solid outing last Wednesday where he allowed three earned runs in 7 innings of work — but that was against the lowly White Sox. The Yankees have played 4 straight games Over the Total with Severino pitching on four days of rest. He faces a Mets team that is scoring 4.6 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven contests. Lastly, the Over is 8-2-1 in the last 11 meetings between these two teams in Yankee Stadium.

FINAL TAKE: The number is posted at a low 7 with two of the best pitchers in baseball on the hill — but expect this to be a higher scoring contest. 25* MLB Monday ESPN Total of the Year with Over the Total in the game between the New York Mets (921) and the New York Yankees (922) listing both starting pitchers Jacob DeGrom and Luis Severino. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:07 PM ET on Sunday, we will be playing the Chicago Cubs (964) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the Washington Nationals (963) listing both starting pitchers Cole Hamels and Max Scherzer. THE SITUATION:  Washington (60-57) won the second game of this series last night with their 9-4 victory over the Cubs.

REASONS TO TAKE CHICAGO PLUS THE +1.5 RUN-LINE: The Nationals have lost 16 of their last 23 games after scoring at least five runs in their last game. Washington has still lost three of their last five games — and they have lost 17 of their last 25 games on the road. The Nationals have also lost 5 of their last 7 road games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% at home. They are favored in this game because they give the ball to Scherzer who is 15-5 with a 2.28 ERA and 0.90 WHIP in twenty-four starts. The sabermetrics indicate those outstanding numbers are a bit of an overachievement as both his SIERA and xFIP project an ERA of 2.75 and 3.08 moving forward. The right-hander is not quite as effective on the road either as he has a 0.93 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .184 in eleven starts as compared to his 0.87 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .180 when at home. He faces a Cubs team that has won 6 of their last 8 games against right-handed starting pitchers. Chicago (67-49) has won a decisive 41 of their last 59 games after a loss. The Cubs have also won 16 of their last 21 games after allowing at least five runs. And Chicago has won 17 of their last 25 games at home in Wrigley Field. They give the ball to Hamels who is 7-9 with a 4.38 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. We can ignore the lefty’s 6.41 ERA at home this year as he never grew comfortable pitching in Arlington for the Rangers. He is 2-0 with a 0.82 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in his two starts where a Cubbies uniform — and this will be his first start for his new team at Wrigley. Hamels has a sparkling 2.58 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP when on the road so he is not a pitcher that leans heavily on familiarity. Hamels also thrives in night games where he sports a 3.19 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. His teams have won 40 of their last 60 games with him starting at night.

FINAL TAKE: I like the Cubs as a money-line underdog in this situation — but with the price of the +1.5 Run-Line being below my -150 threshold, my preferred play for this situation is to invest in the valuable Run-Line with runs being in scarce demand with Scherzer on the hill. 25* MLB Sunday Night ESPN Run-Line of the Month with the Chicago Cubs (964) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the Washington Nationals (963) listing both starting pitchers Cole Hamels and Max Scherzer. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:10 PM ET on Saturday, we will be playing the Colorado Rockies (910) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the Los Angeles Dodgers (909) listing both starting pitchers Kyle Freeland and Walker Buehler. THE SITUATION: Colorado (61-55) snapped a three-game losing streak last night with their 5-4 victory over the Dodgers.

REASONS TO TAKE THE ROCKIES PLUS THE +1.5 RUN-LINE: Colorado should build off the momentum of last night’s results as they have won 19 of their last 26 games after a victory. The Rockies have also won 11 of their last 15 games against NL West opponents. And in their last 12 home games against teams with a winning record on the road, Colorado has won 10 of these contests. They give the ball to Freeland who is 10-7 with a 3.04 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP in twenty-three starts. The left-hander has been been great at home where he sports a 2.18 ERA with a 1.15 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .210 in ten starts. He comes off a strong outing at home in Coors Park where he allowed just two hits and no runs in 7 innings of work against the Pirates. The Rockies have won 5 straight home games with Freeland on the hill — and they have also won 16 of their last 18 games with Freeland making the start as a money-line underdog. Freeland faces a cold Dodgers lineup that is scoring only 3.1 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .228 batting average along with a .290 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .678. Los Angeles (64-53) has lost 5 of their last 7 games after allowing at least five runs in their last game — and they have also lost 6 of their last 8 games against an opponent that scored at least five runs in their last contest. They counter with Buehler who is 5-4 with a 3.63 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP in thirteen starts. The rookie right-hander has struggled on the road where he has been saddled with a 5.26 ERA with a 1.36 WHIP in five starts. Buehler has not fared well against the Rockies in his career against which he has a 5.71 ERA in 17 1/3 innings of work. He faces a Colorado team that scores 5.1 Runs-Per-Game at home with a .281 batting average along with a .340 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .805. Lastly, because the Dodgers have a team batting average of just .244, they fall into an empirical “play-against” angle specific to the Run-Line that has been 76% effective over the last five seasons. The Rockies have a team bullpen ERA of 5.17 — and National League favorites with a team batting average no higher than .255 with a starting pitcher with a WHIP of 1.05 or lower facing a team with a bullpen ERA of 4.50 or higher have then failed to cover the -1.5 Run-Line in 47 of the last 62 situations where these conditions applied.

FINAL TAKE: While Colorado is intriguing as a money-line underdog, there is much more evidence to support taking the Rockies with the valuable +1.5 Run-Line with that price below my -150 money-line threshold. 25* MLB National League West Run-Line of the Month with the Colorado Rockies (910) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the Los Angeles Dodgers (909) listing both starting pitchers Kyle Freeland and Walker Buehler. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:07 PM ET on Friday, we will be playing the money-line on the Oakland A’s (977) versus the Los Angeles Angels (978) listing both starting pitchers Brett Anderson and Felix Pena. THE SITUATION: Oakland (68-47) has won seven of their last eight games with their 3-2 win over the Dodgers on Wednesday. Los Angeles (58-58) has three straight games after they defeated the Tigers by a 6-0 score Wednesday afternoon.

REASONS TO TAKE THE A’S WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Oakland has won 20 of their last 27 games after a victory — and they have also won 4 of their last 5 games after allowing two runs or less in their last game. Additionally, the A’s have won 15 of their last 21 games on the road. They give the ball to Anderson who is 2-3 with a 4.64 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP in nine starts. The left-hander has been more effective on the road where he sees his ERA drop to a 4.14 mark. But what is more encouraging is that Anderson has a low 2.96 ERA over his last five starts. Oakland has won 4 of their last 5 road games with Anderson on the hill. He faces an Angels team that has lost 17 of their last 24 games against left-handed starting pitchers. Los Angeles has lost 6 of their last 8 games after not allowing more than two runs in their last game — and they have also lost 18 of their last 27 games after a shutout victory. The Angels have also lost 19 of their last 26 games after an off day. Furthermore, Los Angeles has lost 5 of their last 6 games against teams with a winning record. They counter with Pena who is 1-3 with a 4.97 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP in ten games (eight starts). Pena has three starts on the road where he enjoys a 1.84 ERA with a 1.23 WHIP — but in his seven games (with five starts) at home, the right-hander sees his ERA skyrocket to a 6.94 mark along with a 1.63 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .283. He faces an A’s team that has won 30 of their last 42 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher — and Oakland has also won 19 of their last 26 road games against right-handed starting pitchers.

FINAL TAKE: Oakland has been one of the best teams in baseball in the second-half of this season — and Anderson has been pitching well as of late. 25* MLB American League West Game of the Month with the money-line on the Oakland A’s (977) versus the Los Angeles Angels (978) listing both starting pitchers Brett Anderson and Felix Pena. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:10 PM ET on Wednesday, we will be playing the Tampa Bay Rays (972) minus the -1.5 Run-Line versus the Baltimore Orioles (971) listing both starting pitchers Ryne Stanek and Andrew Cashner. THE SITUATION: Tampa Bay (57-56) has won four of their last seven games after winning the opening game of this series over the Orioles by a 4-3 score.

REASONS TO TAKE THE RAYS MINUS THE -1.5 RUN-LINE: Tampa Bay has won 34 of their last 53 games after a victory. The Rays have also won 21 of their last 28 games at home. This is also Tampa Bay’s eighth straight game at home — and they have won 11 of their last 13 games after playing at least six straight games at home. They give the ball to Stanek to make this start — he is 1-3 with a 2.27 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP this season. The right-hander has been more effective at home where he owns a 0.39 ERA with a .150 opponent’s batting average. He will give way to the bullpen after an inning or two (as usual) — and the Tampa Bay bullpen enjoys a 2.99 ERA along with a 1.10 WHIP at home this season. The combination of Stanek and the Rays’ bullpen should find success against this Orioles team that has lost 40 of their last 58 games against a starting pitcher with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower — and they have also lost 43 of their last 52 road games against right-handed starting pitchers. Baltimore (34-79) has lost 9 straight games when attempting to avenge a loss by at least one run. The Orioles have also lost 40 of their last 51 games on the road — and they have lost 33 of their last 41 road games as an underdog in the +151 to +200 price range. They counter with Cashner who is 3-10 with a 5.05 ERA with a 1.56 WHIP in twenty-one starts. The right-hander has particularly struggled on the road where he sees his ERA rise to a 5.40 mark with a 1.78 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .322. The Orioles have lost 5 of their last 6 road games with Cashner on the hill. He faces a Rays team that is scoring 5.0 Runs-Per-Game — and they have won 14 of their last 20 home games against right-handed starting pitchers. Lastly, because the Tampa Bay bullpen has logged in at least 5 innings in three straight games, they are supported by a historical angle that has been 74% effective since 1997. In the month of August, favorites with a bullpen that has pitched at least 4 innings in three straight games have then covered the -1.5 Run-Line in 31 of the last 42 situations where these conditions applied.

FINAL TAKE: Tampa Bay is an undervalued team this season — and the Orioles are in the tank. With the Rays’ priced in the -170 range, they are in intriguing money-line underdog minus the -1.5 Run-Line. 25* MLB American League East Run-Line of the Month with the Tampa Bay Rays (972) minus the -1.5 Run-Line versus the Baltimore Orioles (971) listing both starting pitchers Ryne Stanek and Andrew Cashner. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 2:05 PM ET on Wednesday, we will be playing the Texas Rangers (964) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the Seattle Mariners (963) listing both starting pitchers Yovani Gallardo and Marco Gonzales. THE SITUATION: Texas (50-65) has won four of their last six games with their 11-4 victory over the Mariners last night.

REASONS TO TAKE THE RANGERS PLUS THE +1.5 RUN-LINE: The Rangers have won 5 of their last 7 games after a win — and they have won 5 of their last 7 games after scoring at least five runs in their last game. Texas has also won 38 of their last 62 games in the month of August. They give the ball to Gallardo who is 6-1 with a 6.50 RRA and a 1.62 WHIP in eight starts (11 games) this year. The right-hander surrendered 5 earned runs in 5 1/3 innings of work against the Orioles in his last start — but he still sports a sparkling 2.70 ERA in his last three starts. The Rangers have won 6 straight home games with Gallardo facing a team with a winning record. He faces a slumping Mariners’ lineup that is scoring only 3.0 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .239 batting average along with a .277 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .629. Seattle (65-49) has lost 4 of their last 5 games against right-handed starting pitchers. The Mariners have also lost 4 of their last 5 games after a loss — and they have lost 4 of their last 5 games after allowing at least five runs in their last game. Seattle has also lost 7 of their last 9 games on the road. They counter with Gonzales who is 2-6 with a 3.46 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP in twenty-two starts. The left-hander has not been as good on the road where he has a 3.80 ERA with a .259 opponent’s batting average in eleven starts as compared to his 3.12 ERA with a .252 opponent’s batting average in eleven starts at home. He faces a hot-hitting Rangers’ lineup that is scoring 7.0 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven contests with a .256 batting average along with a .343 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .791 over that span.

FINAL TAKE: Seattle has opened as a money-line favorite in the -150 price range for this afternoon contest. While the Rangers are intriguing as a money-line underdog play, I much prefer taking the valuable +1.5 Run-Line with that price well below my -150 price threshold. 25* MLB Getaway Game Run-Line of the Month with the Texas Rangers (964) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the Seattle Mariners (963) listing both starting pitchers Yovani Gallardo and Marco Gonzales. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:10 PM ET on Tuesday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the Baltimore Orioles (915) and the Tampa Bay Rays (916) listing both starting pitchers Alex Cobb and Tyler Glasnow. THE SITUATION: Baltimore (34-78) snapped their three-game losing streak on Sunday with their 9-6 win in Texas. Tampa Bay (56-56) has lost three straight games with their 8-7 loss to the White Sox on Sunday. After a travel day yesterday, these two teams begin their series tonight.

REASONS TO TAKE OVER THE TOTAL: The Orioles have played 4 straight games Over the Total after a victory — and they have played 5 straight games Over the Total after scoring at least five runs in their last contest. Baltimore has also played 5 of their last 6 games Over the Total after allowing at least five runs in their last contest. Additionally, this is the Orioles’ seventh straight game on the road — and not only have they  played 16 of their last 22 road games Over the Total after playing at least their previous six games away from home but they have also played 5 straight road games Over the Total against teams with a winning record at home. They give the ball to Cobb who is 3-14 with a 5.83 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP in twenty starts. The right-hander has been even worse on the road where his ERA rises to a 5.93 mark along with a 1.58 WHIP in thirteen starts. Cobb’s teams have played 11 of their last 16 road games Over the Total when they are priced as an underdog in the +125 to +175 price range. He faces a Rays team that is scoring 5.1 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .254 batting average along with a .343 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .740 over that span — and all those numbers are above their season average. Tampa Bay has also played 5 of their last 6 games Over the Total against right-handed starting pitchers — and they have played 4 of their last 5 games Over the Total against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher. Additionally, the Rays have played 12 of their last 15 games Over the Total after allowing at least eight runs in their last game — and they have played 7 of their last 10 games Over the Total after scoring at least five runs in their last contest. Furthermore, Tampa Bay has played 15 of their last 21 games Over the Total after losing at least three straight games. The Rays are big money-line favorites priced in the -160 range — and they have played 6 of their last 9 home games Over the Total when priced at -150 or higher. Tampa Bay will be looking to avenge an 11-5 loss back on July 29th — and they have played 7 of their last 8 games Over the Total when avenging a loss where they allowed at least 10 runs. They counter with Glasnow who is 1-2 with a 4.27 ERA with a 1.42 WHIP this season. He will be making his first start for the Rays since being acquired from the Pirates at the trade deadline. The right-hander had an ugly 7.76 ERA in seven starts (eight appearances) at home last season — and has not been as effective at home almost exclusively out of the bullpen this season where he has a 1.43 WHIP and a  .232 opponent’s batting average in 38 1/3 innings as compared to his 1.40 WHIP and a .213 opponent’s batting average in 20 2/3 innings on the road. Glasgow’s teams have played 7 of their last 8 home games Over the Total with him making the start. He faces a hot-hitting Orioles lineup that is scoring 6.0 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven contests with a .303 batting average along with a .345 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .803 over that span. The Over is also 13-3-2 in Baltimore’s last 18 games against right-handed starting pitchers. Together, these team trends produce our specific 131-30-3 combined angle for this situation.

FINAL TAKE: The number for this game is in the relatively low 7.5 to 8 range — perhaps because of the respective offenses in this game along with some optimism regarding Glasnow’s prospects as a starting pitcher. But both these teams are hitting the ball well as of late — and Glasnow has yet to see significant improvement in his command which is why he was relegated to the bullpen this season by the Pirates before being traded to Tampa Bay. 25* MLB American League East Total of the Month with Over the Total in the game between the Baltimore Orioles (915) and the Tampa Bay Rays (916) listing both starting pitchers Alex Cobb and Tyler Glasnow. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:10 PM ET on Monday, we will be playing the Chicago White Sox (964) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the New York Yankees (963) listing both starting pitchers Dylan Covey and Lance Lynn. THE SITUATION: New York (68-42) blew a 4-1 lead in the 9th inning last night to lose to the Red Sox in 10 innings by a 5-4 score. Chicago (41-70) has won four straight games with their 8-7 win in Tampa Bay yesterday.

REASONS TO TAKE THE WHITE SOX WITH THE MONEY-LINE: The Yankees got swept in Fenway over the weekend — and they have now lost 5 straight games on the road. The New York bullpen has been saddled with a 7.06 ERA over their last five games — and they have lost 11 of their last 17 games when their bullpen has an ERA of 7.00 or higher in their last five games. They give the ball to Lynn who is 7-8 with a 4.89 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP in twenty starts (21 appearances). This is Lynn’s second appearance for the Yankees since being acquired from Minnesota — but this will be his first start on the road in pinstripes where he sees his ERA rise to an ugly 7.08 ERA with a 1.77 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .296 in eleven starts. Lynn’s teams have lost 6 of their last 7 road games with Lynn pitching as the favorite. He faces a White Sox team that has won 5 of their last 7 home games when facing right-handed starting pitchers. Chicago has won 4 of their last 5 games against AL East opponents. The White Sox have also been dangerous home dogs who have won outright 26 of their last 48 home games as a money-line underdog priced in the +125 to +175 range. They counter with Covey who is 4-7 with a 5.57 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP in fourteen starts. The right-hander has been over a run and a half better at home where he has a 4.18 ERA in six starts. Chicago has won 6 of their last 8 home games with Covey pitching as an underdog priced at +100 or higher. He faces a slumping Yankees team that is scoring only 4.3 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .209 batting average along with a .285 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .623 over that span. New York has lost 5 of their last 6 games against right-handed starting pitchers. Lastly, because the White Sox are being outscored by -1.3 Runs-Per-Game, they are supported by an empirical angle specific to the Run-Line that has been 77% effective over the last five seasons. Lynn is making his first start since July 21st — and home underdogs who are being outscored by at least -1.0 Runs-Per-Game facing a starting pitcher who has not made a start in at least seven days have then covered the +1.5 Run-Line in 50 of the last 65 situations where these conditions applied.

FINAL TAKE: With the Yankees reeling, they are vulnerable against a White Sox team that is playing better baseball as of late. Chicago might pull the upset — but take the valuable +1.5 Run-Line with it priced below my -150 threshold. 25* MLB Monday ESPN Run-Line of the Year with the Chicago White Sox (964) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the New York Yankees (963) listing both starting pitchers Dylan Covey and Lance Lynn. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:10 PM ET on Friday, we will be playing the Seattle Mariners (928) minus the -1.5 Run-Line versus the Toronto Blue Jays (927) listing both starting pitchers Marco Gonzales and Ryan Borucki. THE SITUATION: Toronto (49-59) snapped a three-game losing streak yesterday with their 7-3 victory over the Mariners.

REASONS TO TAKE SEATTLE MINUS THE -1.5 RUN-LINE: The Mariners (63-46) have bounced-back to won 27 of their last 44 games after a loss. Seattle has also won 26 of their last 38 games at home — and they have won 21 of their last 26 games against teams with a losing record. They give the ball to Gonzales who is 12-5 with a 3.37 ERA with a 1.16 WHIP in twenty-one starts. The left-hander has been outstanding as of late as he owns a sparkling 1.57 ERA with a 0.85 WHIP over his last five starts with 31 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings of work. He has allowed just two earned runs in two straight starts — and the Mariners have won 9 straight games when Gonzales has not allowed more than two earned runs in two straight games. Gonzales has also been more effective at home where he owns a 2.88 ERA in ten starts as compared to his 3.80 ERA when on the road. Seattle has won 6 straight home games with Gonzales on the hill. He should pitch very well against this Blue Jays team that has lost 25 of their last 32 games against left-handed starting pitchers. Toronto has lost 8 of their last 10 games after a win — and they have also lost 24 of their last 32 games after scoring at least five runs in their last game. It was a bullpen outing in that win last night with Tyler Clippard getting a rare start after pitching just one inning — and they have lost 14 of their last 18 games after a game where their bullpen pitched at least 7 innings. The Blue Jays have also lost 5 of their last 6 road games against teams with a winning record. They give the ball to Borucki who is 0-2 with a 2.83 ERA with a 1.43 WHIP in six starts. The sabermetrics call for regression with both his SIERA and xFIP projecting an ERA of 4.45 and 4.26 moving forward. The lefty has struggled on the road where he sees his ERA skyrocket to a 4.80 ERA with a 1.93 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .308 in three starts. He faces a Mariners team that has won 14 of their last 20 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher. Lastly, because Borucki has allowed only two combined earned runs over his last two starts, Toronto falls into an empirical “play-against” angle specific to the Run-Line that has been 56% effective over the last five seasons. The Blue Jays are scoring 4.5 Runs-Per-Game — and teams using a starting pitcher who has not allowed more than two earned runs in two straight starts now facing an American League starting pitcher with an ERA no higher than 3.50 have then failed to cover the +1.5 Run-Line (when priced in the -190 to +165 price range) in 62 of the last 110 situations where these conditions applied.

FINAL TAKE: Seattle is priced higher than my -150 money-line threshold — but with Gonzales being in such fine form (and being a bit underrated) facing an inconsistent Blue Jays team, taking the Mariners as a money-line underdog minus the -1.5 Run-Line is a strong play. 25* MLB American League Run-Line of the Year with the Seattle Mariners (928) minus the -1.5 Run-Line versus the Toronto Blue Jays (927) listing both starting pitchers Marco Gonzales and Ryan Borucki. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:10 PM ET on Tuesday, we will be playing the Seattle Mariners (974) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the Houston Astros (973) listing both starting pitchers Mike Leake and Charlie Morton. THE SITUATION: Seattle (63-43) won the opening game of this series last night with a 2-0 victory over the Astros.

REASONS TO TAKE THE MARINERS PLUS THE +1.5 RUN-LINE: Seattle is tough at home in Safeco Field where they have won 26 of their last 35 games — and they have also won 6 of their last 8 home games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% on the road. They give the ball to Leake who is 8-6 with a 4.15 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP in twenty-one starts this season. The right-hander has been more effective at home where he has a 1.27 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .265 in eleven starts as compared to his 1.33 WHIP and .282 opponent’s batting average of .282 on the road. The Mariners have won 5 of their last 7 home games with Leake on the hill. He should fare well against depleted Astros’ lineup missing two key sluggers in Jose Altuve and Chris Correa. Over their last seven games, Houston (67-41) is scoring just 3.3 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .186 batting average along with a .258 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .572 over that span. The Astros have lost 5 straight games after a loss (for a five-game losing streak) — and they have lost 6 of their last 8 games after scoring two runs or less in their last game. Furthermore, the Houston bullpen has struggled as of late — their bullpen has an ERA of 8.82 over their last five games and they have lost 7 of their last 8 games after enduring a bullpen ERA of 5.00 or worse over their last seven games. While help is on the way with yesterday’s swap of the banished Ken Giles to Toronto to Roberto Osuna, their likely new closer is not eligible to return from his 75-day suspension until Sunday. The Astros counter with Morton who is 11-2 with a 2.89 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP in twenty starts. The right-hander has not been as effective on the road where he sees his ERA rise to a 2.91 mark along with a 1.25 WHIP in eight starts. The sabermetrics also call for regression with both his SIERA and xFIP projecting an ERA of 3.38 and 3.20 moving forward. Houston has lost 4 straight games with Morton facing a team with a winning record. He faces a Mariners team that has won 20 of their last 26 home games against right-handed starting pitchers. Lastly, because the Astros have a team batting average of just .210 over their last fifteen games, they fall into an empirical angle that is specific to the Run-Line that has been 69% effective over the last five seasons. Houston’s bullpen has not allowed an earned run in their last two games — but favorites with a team batting average of .240 or less over their last fifteen games with a bullpen that has not allowed an earned run in two straight games have then failed to cover the -1.5 Run-Line (when priced in the +135 to -190 price range) in 68 of these last 98 situations where these conditions applied.

FINAL TAKE: While I find Seattle a solid play with the money-line, I much prefer investing in the valuable +1.5 Run-Line with that price being under my -150 price threshold. 25* MLB American League Run-Line of the Month with the Seattle Mariners (974) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the Houston Astros (973) listing both starting pitchers Mike Leake and Charlie Morton. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:10 PM ET on Monday, we will be playing the money-line on the Boston Red Sox (916) versus the Philadelphia Phillies (915) listing both starting pitchers David Price and Aaron Nola. THE SITUATION: Boston (74-33) has won three straight games with their 3-0 win over the Twins yesterday. Philadelphia (58-47) has lost three in a row after their 4-0 loss to Cincinnati.

REASONS TO TAKE THE RED SOX WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Boston has won a decisive 37 of their last 51 games at home — and they have won 5 of their last 6 home games against teams with a losing record on the road. The Red Sox have also won 7 of their last 9 games against teams with a winning record — and they have won 23 of their last 28 games in Interleague play. Additionally, Boston has won 23 of their last 31 games when favored in the -100 to -150 price range. They give the ball to Price who is 11-6 with a 4.17 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP in twenty starts. The left-hander has been more effective at home where he owns a 3.69 ERA with an opponent’s batting average of .229 in eight starts as compared to his 4.50 ERA with a .254 opponent’s batting average on the road. He should fare well against this Phillies team that has lost 5 of their last 7 road games against left-handed starting pitchers. Philadelphia has lost 8 of their last 11 games in Interleague play against teams with a winning record. The Phillies have also lost 5 of their last 6 games on the road — and they have lost 14 of their last 17 games played in Boston. They counter with Nola who is 12-3 with a 2.42 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP in twenty-one starts. The right-hander has not been as effective on the road where he sees his ERA rise to a 2.86 mark. The sabermetrics also raise concerns as both Nola’s SIERA and xFIP project an ERA of 3.50 and 3.53 moving forward. Philadelphia has lost 10 of their last 14 road games with Nola facing a team with a winning record.

FINAL TAKE: Getting the opportunity to invest in the Red Sox at home in Fenway Park when they are priced below -150 is uncommon (which it was was in most locations when I released this play Sunday night — the price has moved up this afternoon. While there are still -150s available, this is still a strong play even if you have to pay a price higher than that. Nola’s presence on the mound for the Phillies is why this price is lower — but he is not nearly as invincible on the road as he is when pitching at home in Philadelphia where his ERA is 1.99. 25* MLB Monday ESPN Game of the Month with the money-line on the Boston Red Sox (916) versus the Philadelphia Phillies (915) listing both starting pitchers David Price and Aaron Nola. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:07 PM ET on Sunday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the Chicago Cubs (963) and the St. Louis Cardinals (964) listing both starting pitchers Kyle Hendricks and John Gant. THE SITUATION: St. Louis (53-51) has won three of their last four games after winning the second game of this series yesterday by a 6-2 score over the Cubs.

REASONS TO TAKE OVER THE TOTAL: The Cardinals have played 4 of their last 5 games Over the Total after a win — and they have played 4 of their last 5 games Over the Total after scoring at least five runs in their last game. Additionally, St. Louis has played 5 of their last 7 home games Over the Total — and they have played 23 of their last 36 games Over the Total as an underdog. They give the ball to Gant who is 3-3 with a 3.44 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP in seven starts (and fourteen appearances). The sabermetrics indicate that the right-hander has been overachieving as both his SIERA and xFIP project an ERA of 4.79 and 4.75 respectively moving forward. Gant is making his first start since July 21st (while pitching an inning of relief on Wednesday) — and the Cards have played 3 of their last 4 games Over the Total with Gant pitching with at least seven days between starts. He faces a Cubs team that has played 10 of their last 13 games Over the Total against right-handed starting pitchers. Gant will likely not get much support from his bullpen in this game either as the St. Louis bullpen has a 5.47 ERA with a 1.71 WHIP over the last seven days. Chicago (60-44) has lost four of their last six games — and they have played 9 of their last 14 games Over the Total after losing four or five of their last six games. The Cubs have also played 7 of their last 8 third games of a series Over the Total — and they have played 7 of their last 9 games Over the Total against fellow NL Central foes. They counter with Hendricks who is 6-9 with a 4.05 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP in twenty-one starts this season. The right-hander has not been as effective on the road where he sees his ERA rise to a 4.70 mark along with a 1.43 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .282. Chicago has played 5 of their last 7 road games Over the Total with Hendricks facing a team with a winning record. He faces a Cardinals team that has played 7 of their last 9 games Over the Total against right-handed starting pitchers.

FINAL TAKE: Both of these starting pitchers will likely give up their share of runs tonight. Look for a higher-scoring game on national television tonight. 25* MLB Sunday Night ESPN Total of the Month with Over the Total in the game between the Chicago Cubs (963) and the St. Louis Cardinals (964) listing both starting pitchers Kyle Hendricks and John Gant. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:05 PM ET on Saturday, we will be playing the Pittsburgh Pirates (906) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the New York Mets (905) listing both starting pitchers Trevor Williams and Jacob DeGrom. THE SITUATION: Pittsburgh (54-51) got back to their winning ways last night by winning the second game of this series over the Mets by a 5-4 score.

REASONS TO TAKE THE PIRATES PLUS THE +1.5 RUN-LINE: Pittsburgh had won eleven straight games before losing their previous two contests before last night. The Pirates have won 10 of their last 11 games after a win — and they have also won 9 of their last 10 games after scoring at least five runs in their last game. Pittsburgh has also won 7 of their last 8 games at home — and they have won 5 of their last 6 games against teams with a losing record. They send out Williams who is 8-7 with a 4.11 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP in twenty starts. The right-hander has been more effective at home where he sees his ERA and WHIP drop to 4.06 and 1.20 marks in eleven starts. The Pirates have won 5 of their last 6 home games with Williams facing a team with a losing record. He should fare well against this Mets team that has lost 11 of their last 16 road games against right-handed starting pitchers. New York has lost 25 of their last 35 games after allowing at least 5 runs. The Mets have also lost a decisive 41 of their last 56 road games against teams with a winning record. They counter with DeGrom who is 5-5 with a 1.71 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP in twenty starts. The sabermetrics indicate he should be surrendering about a run more per game with his SIERA and xFIP projecting an ERA of 2.97 and 2.79 moving forward. And while the right-hander has been absolutely nasty at home where he has a 1.66 ERA with a 0.88 WHIP and .188 opponent’s batting average in eleven starts, those numbers do climb to a 1.79 ERA with a 1.08 WHIP and a more manageable .216 opponent’s batting average when on the road. New York has lost 4 of their last 5 road games with DeGrom on the hill. DeGrom does come off a strong outing where he allowed only three runs (two earned) in 8 innings of work at home versus the Padres — but the Mets have lost 9 of their last 12 games with DeGrom looking to follow up a Quality Start. New York has also lost 4 of their last 5 games with DeGrom facing the Pirates. That is not a good sign when facing this hot Pirates team that is scoring 6.0 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .298 batting average along with a .348 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .873. Pittsburgh has also won 8 of their last 9 games against right-handed starting pitchers. Lastly, because the Mets have a bullpen ERA of 4.73 this season, they fall into a historical “play-against” angle specific to the Run-Line that has been 76% effective since 1997. New York has a team On-Base Percentage of .305 this season — and National League road favorites with a bullpen ERA of 4.50 or higher along with an On-Base Percentage no higher than .310 have then failed to cover the -1.5 Run-Line in 55 of the last 72 situations (when priced in the +160 to +115 price range) when these conditions applied.

FINAL TAKE: Pittsburgh is a solid play as a money-line underdog in this game at home against a tanking Mets team — even with DeGrom on the hill. But with the Run-Line price below my -150 threshold, my preferred investment is to buy the valuable +1.5 Run-Line to offer some “DeGrom Insurance” in case he pitches a gem. 25* MLB Run-Line Underdog of the Month with the Pittsburgh Pirates (906) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the New York Mets (905) listing both starting pitchers Trevor Williams and Jacob DeGrom. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 4:05 PM ET on Saturday, we will be playing the money-line on the Chicago Cubs (901) versus the St. Louis Cardinals (902) listing both starting pitchers Jose Quintana and Miles Mikolas. THE SITUATION: St. Louis (51-51) won the opening game of this series last night with their 5-2 win over Chicago (60-43).

REASONS TO TAKE THE CUBS WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Chicago has bounced-back to win a decisive 60 of their last 88 games after a loss. Additionally, the Cubs have won 5 of their last 7 games after failing to score more than two runs in their last game — and they have won 11 of their last 15 games after allowing at least five runs in their last game. They give the ball to Quintana who is 9-6 with a 3.87 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP in nineteen starts. The left-hander faced this Cardinals team last Sunday and allowed only two earned runs in 7 innings of work to earn the victory. Quintana had been dealing with a sore shoulder but the All-Star Break may have been just what the doctor ordered as he got eleven days off before that start — and the five days of rest should serve him here. Quintana has been more effective away from Wrigley Field where he has a 3.06 ERA with a 1.31 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .233 in eleven starts on the road as compared to his 5.02 ERA along with a 1.47 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .270 when pitching at home. The Cubs have won 4 of their last 5 road games with Quintana facing a team with a winning record. St. Louis (52-51) has lost 7 straight games after a loss — and they have lost 4 of their last 5 games after scoring at least five runs in their last game. The Cardinals have also lost 5 of their last 6 games after allowing no more than two runs in their last game. Furthermore, St. Louis has lost 6 of their last 8 games at home. They counter with Mikolas who is 10-3 with a 2.82 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP in twenty starts. But the sabermetrics are calling for significant regression as both his SIERA and xFIP projecting an ERA of 3.99 and 3.73 moving forward. Those analytics are eerily similar to his recent results. Over his last eight starts, Mikolas has an ERA of 3.80 along with a WHIP of 1.27. The book on the right-hander may explain why he has been losing some of his effectiveness after a strong opening to the season after he spent the last few seasons pitching in Japan. Mikolas also sees his ERA rise to a 3.23 mark in his nine starts during the day. His teams have also lost 4 straight games when he is pitching at home with the Total set in the 9 to 9.5 range.

FINAL TAKE: These two starting pitchers seem to be moving in opposite directions as this season moves forward. That only fuels the advantage the Cubs already have in this game being the better overall team. 25* MLB FS1-TV Game of the Month with the money-line on the Chicago Cubs (901) versus the St. Louis Cardinals (902) listing both starting pitchers Jose Quintana and Miles Mikolas. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:10 PM ET on Friday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the Philadelphia Phillies (953) and the Cincinnati Reds (954) listing both starting pitchers Nick Pivetta and Anthony DeSclafani. THE SITUATION: Philadelphia (58-44) won the opening game of this series last night over Cincinnati (45-58) by a 9-4 score.

REASONS TO TAKE OVER THE TOTAL: The Phillies have won three straight games as well as five of their last seven contests — and they have played 4 straight games Over the Total after a win. Philadelphia has also played 6 straight games Over the Total after scoring at least five runs in their last game. And in their last 5 games against teams with a losing record, the Phillies have played 4 of these games Over the Total. They give the ball to Pivetta who is 6-8 with a 4.69 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP in twenty starts (21 games). The right-hander has not been as effective on the road where he has a 5.36 ERA with a 1.51 WHIP in nine starts. Pivetta has also taken a nose dive since his ERA peaked at a 3.23 mark back on May 21st. In his 48 2/3 innings since, Pivetta has 6.29 ERA with a 1.80 WHIP. And in his last four starts, Pivetta has been even worse with an 8.82 ERA with a 2.03 WHIP. The Over is 3-0-1 in the Phillies’ last 4 games with Pivetta facing a team with a winning record. He faces a Reds team that has seen the Over go 16-4-2 in their last 22 games against right-handed starting pitchers. The Over is 8-2-1 in Cincinnati’s last 11 games after a loss — and the Over is also 18-6-3 in the Reds’ last 27 games after allowing at least five runs in their last game. The Over is also 14-3-2 in Cincinnati’s last 19 home games against teams with a winning record. They counter with DeSclafani who is 4-3 with a 5.40 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP in nine starts. He has surrendered 14 home runs this season after giving up two bombs in his last start against the Pirates. The right-hander has been worse at home where he sees his ERA rise to a 5.57 mark along with a 1.45 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .286 in six starts. The Reds have played 6 of their last 8 home games Over the Total with DeSclafani on the hill. He faces a Phillies team that has scored 6.7 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .263 batting average with a .319 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .812. Philadelphia has also played 4 straight games Over the Total against right-handed starting pitchers.

FINAL TAKE: Pivetta has been a disaster for the last two months while struggling on the road even during his encouraging start to the season.— and the Reds have been an Over machine as of late. 25* MLB National League Total of the Month with Over the Total in the game between the Philadelphia Phillies (953) and the Cincinnati Reds (954) listing both starting pitchers Nick Pivetta and Anthony DeSclafani. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:05 PM ET on Thursday, we will be playing the money-line on the Pittsburgh Pirates (904) versus the New York Mets (903) listing both starting pitchers Nick Kingham and Steven Matz. THE SITUATION: Pittsburgh (53-50) saw their eleven-game winning streak snapped yesterday with their 4-0 loss in Cleveland. New York (42-57) has won two straight games after they defeated San Diego by a 6-4 score.

REASONS TO TAKE THE PIRATES WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Pittsburgh has still won thirteen of their last sixteen games — and they have won 4 straight games after failing to score more than two runs in their last game. The Pirates return home where they have won 6 straight games — and they have won 4 straight games against teams with a losing record. Additionally, Pittsburgh has not allowed more than four runs in six straight games — and they have won 6 of their last 7 games after not allowing more than four runs in at least six games. They give the ball to Kingham who is 5-4 with a 4.11 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in ten starts. The rookie right-hander has been tough at home where he enjoys a 2.90 ERA with a 0.90 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .204 as compared to his 5.54 ERA with a 1.35 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .245 when on the road. Kingham has produced three straight Quality Starts that have resulted in Pirates’ victories. He has a sparkling 2.89 ERA with a 0.86 WHIP in the 18 2/3 innings over that span. He should thrive against this Mets’ team that has lost 4 straight games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower. New York has also lost 10 of their last 14 road games against right-handed starting pitchers. The Mets have lost 23 of their last 31 games after a victory. And while they have played their last two games Over the Total, they have then lost 11 of their last 15 games after playing at least two straight Overs. Furthermore, New York has lost 7 of their last 10 games on the road — and they have also lost a decisive 40 of their last 54 road games against teams with a winning record. They counter with Matz who is 4-8 with a 3.65 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP in nineteen starts. The lefty has been less effective on the road where he owns a 1.40 WHIP with a .251 opponent’s batting average in nine starts as opposed to his 1.20 WHIP and .235 opponent’s batting average when at home. The Mets have lost 4 of their last 5 games with Matz starting against a team with a winning record. New York has also lost 17 of their last 21 games with Matz pitching in the second-half of the season. Matz has lost three straight starts while being saddled with a 4.58 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP over that span. That likely spells trouble when facing this hot Pirates’ lineup that is scoring 7.1 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .315 batting average along with a .348 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .902 over that span. Pittsburgh has won 4 of their last 5 home games against left-handed starting pitchers.

FINAL TAKE: The Pirates were overnight favorites in the -175 price range — but, as of 9 AM ET this morning, they are priced at or below -150 in about half the books I survey. Perhaps it is the hand injury to Sterling Marte combined with the Mets winning their last two games that has enticed some bettors into taking the underdog? With this situation dropping to my -150 money-line threshold guideline, let’s attack. 25* MLB National League Game of the Year with the money-line on the Pittsburgh Pirates (904) versus the New York Mets (903) listing both starting pitchers Nick Kingham and Steven Matz. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 4:10 PM ET on Wednesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Seattle Mariners (976) versus the San Francisco Giants (975) listing both starting pitchers Mike Leake and Derek Holland. THE SITUATION: Seattle (60-41) has lost two of their last three games with their 4-3 loss to the Giants in the opening game of this two-game series.

REASONS TO TAKE THE MARINERS WITH THE MONEY-LINE: San Francisco (52-50) has still lost four of their last six games — and they have lost 5 of the last 7 games after a win. The Giants have also lost 33 of their last 45 road games after a victory — and they have lost 5 of their last 7 games on the road overall. Holland gets the spot start for Jeff Samardzija who is still dealing with a sore shoulder. Holland has a 5-8 record with a 4.06 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP which includes 18 starts along with four bullpen appearances. The left-hander sees his ERA and WHIP rise to 4.13 and 1.47 marks when on the road this year. Furthermore, Holland’s teams have lost 22 of their last 33 road games with Holland pitching as an underdog. Seattle has won 21 of their last 31 games after a loss — and they have also lost 10 of their last 11 games after a loss by just one run. The Mariners have still won 24 of their last 33 games at home — and they have thirteen of their last seventeen home games against teams with a losing record on the road. They counter with Leake who is 8-6 with a 4.22 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP in twenty starts. The right-hander does thrive during day games where he owns a 3.67 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP in eight starts. He comes off a nice outing back on July 15th in Colorado where he allowed only two runs (one earned) in 6 innings of work. Seattle has won 6 of their last 8 games with Leake looking to follow up a Quality Start. He faces a Giants team that is hitting only .237 batting average over their last seven games with a .296 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .659 over that span. San Francisco has lost 6 straight games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher.

FINAL TAKE: I considered the Mariners yesterday with the Run-Line before James Paxton was scratched from making the start with him not being ready to come off the disabled list. Then with the money-line price dropping to the -120 range with Roenis Elias making the spot start, I made the correct decision to pass on that side play. This afternoon’s play on the Mariners is much better — so let’s attack. 25* MLB Getaway Game of the Month is with the money-line on the Seattle Mariners (976) versus the San Francisco Giants (975) listing both starting pitchers Mike Leake and Derek Holland. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:10 PM ET on Monday, we will be playing the Miami Marlins (956) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the Atlanta Braves (955) listing both starting pitchers Jose Urena and Sean Newcomb. THE SITUATION: Atlanta (53-43) enters this series looking to rebound from a 6-2 loss in Washington yesterday. Miami (43-58) looks to bounce-back from a 6-4 loss in Tampa Bay yesterday.

REASONS TO TAKE THE MARLINS PLUS THE +1.5 RUN-LINE: The Braves have lost 6 of their last 8 games after allowing at least five runs in their last game. Atlanta has also lost 6 of their last 8 games on the road — and they have lost 4 of their last 5 games against teams with a losing record. They give the ball to Newcomb who is 8-5 with a 3.51 ERA and a  1.28 WHIP in nineteen starts. The sabermetrics are calling for regression with both his SIERA and xFIP projecting an ERA of 4.61 and 4.35 respectively. Newcomb has not been as effective on the road where he has a 3.79 ERA with a 1.37 WHIP in eleven starts. The Braves have lost 4 of their last 5 games with Newcomb pitching on the road. Miami has won 6 of their last 8 games after a loss — and they have won 4 straight games after allowing at least five runs in their last game. They counter with Urena who is 2-9 with a 4.39 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP in nineteen starts. The sabermetrics for this right-hander indicate he is undervalued as both his SIERA and xFIP project an ERA of 3.93 and 3.86 moving forward. Urena has also been more effective at home where he has a 4.26 ERA with an opponent’s batting average of .256 in twelve starts as compared to his 4.61 ERA and .263 opponent’s batting average on the road. The Marlins have won 4 straight games with Urena facing a team with a winning record. Lastly, because Urena is starting for the first time since July 15th, Miami is supported by an empirical angle that is specific to the Run-Line that has been 78% effective over the last five seasons. The Marlins are being outscored by -1.1 Runs-Per-Game this season — and home underdogs who are being outscored by at least -1.0 Runs-Per-Game using a starting pitcher who has played with at least seven days of rest have then covered the +1.5 Run-Line in 47 of the last 60 situations where these conditions applied.

FINAL TAKE: Miami is a fine play as a small money-line underdog. With the price of the Run-Line being less than my -150 threshold, my preferred play which will produce more long-term profits is to take the Marlins with the valuable +1.5 Run-Line. 25* MLB National League East Run-Line Underdog of the Year with the Miami Marlins (956) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the Atlanta Braves (955) listing both starting pitchers Jose Urena and Sean Newcomb. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 2:20 PM ET on Sunday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the St. Louis Cardinals (909) and the Chicago Cubs (910) listing both starting pitchers Miles Mikolas and Jose Quintana. THE SITUATION: St. Louis (50-48) won the second-game of their double-header with the Cubs yesterday with a 6-3 score that avenged a 7-2 loss to Chicago (57-40) in the afternoon. These NL Central rivals have split the first four games of this series. 

REASONS TO TAKE THE OVER: St. Louis has played 4 of their last 5 games Over the Total after scoring at least five runs in their last game. The Cardinals have played 5 straight road games Over the Total when playing a team with a winning record — and they have played 18 of their last 26 road games when a money-line underdog in the +100 to +150 price range. They give the ball to Mikolas who is 10-3 with a 2.79 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP in nineteen starts. The sabermetrics are calling for regression as both his SIERA and xFIP project an ERA of 4.01 and 3.78 moving forward. The right-hander has not been as effective on the road where he sees his ERA rise to a 3.56 mark along with a 1.10 WHIP in ten starts. St. Louis has played 5 of their last 6 road games Over the Total wit Mikolas facing a team with a winning record. He faces a hot-hitting Cubs’ lineup that is scoring 6.7 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .299 batting average along with a .387 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .817 over that span. Chicago has also played 14 of their last 17 games Over the Total against right-handed starting pitchers — and they have played 7 straight games Over the Total against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower. Furthermore, the Cubs have played 5 of their last 6 games Over the Total after a win — and they have played 4 straight games Over the Total after allowing at least five runs. Chicago has also played 6 straight home games Over the Total — and they have played 13 of the last 17 home games Over the Total as a money-line favorite in the -100 to -150 price range. They counter with Quintana who is 8-6 with a 3.96 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP in eighteen starts. The sabermetrics also call for regression for Montgomery with both his SIERA and xFIP calling for an ERA of 4.63 and 4.38 moving forward. The left-hander has also not been as effective at home where he is saddled with a 5.50 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP in seven starts. Chicago has played 4 of their last 5 home games Over the Total with Quintana on the mound facing a team with a winning record. He faces a Cardinals’ lineup that is scoring 5.9 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .272 batting average along with a .346 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .789 over that span. The Cardinals have also played 7 of their last 8 games Over the Total against left-handed starting pitchers — and they have played 4 straight games Over the Total against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher.

FINA TAKE: Both these teams are swinging hot bats. Expect another high-scoring game between these two teams with overrated starting pitchers relative to their sabermetrics. 25* MLB TBS-TV Total of the Year with Over the Total in the game between the St. Louis Cardinals (909) and the Chicago Cubs (910) listing both starting pitchers Miles Mikolas and Jose Quintana. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:15 PM ET on Saturday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the St. Louis Cardinals (961) and the Chicago Cubs (962) listing both starting pitchers John Gant and Mike Montgomery. THE SITUATION: Chicago (57-39) won the opening game of their double-header with St. Louis (49-48) by a 7-2 score this afternoon.

REASONS TO TAKE THE OVER: St. Louis has played 5 straight games Over the Total after a loss — and they have also played 8 straight games Over the Total after allowing at least five runs in their last game. Additionally, the Cardinals have played 5 of their last 6 games Over the Total when playing on the road — and they have played 17 of their last 25 road games when a money-line underdog in the +100 to +150 price range. St. Louis has also played 8 of their last 11 games Over the Total against teams with a winning record. They give the ball to Gant who is 3-3 with a 3.49 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP this season. The sabermetrics are calling for regression as both his SIERA and xFIP project an ERA of 4.48 and 4.51 moving forward. The right-hander has not been as effective on the road where he sees his ERA rise to a 3.69 mark along with a 1.30 WHIP. He faces a hot-hitting Cubs’ lineup that is scoring 6.1 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .275 batting average along with a .345 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .776 over that span. Chicago has also played 6 straight games Over the Total against right-handed starting pitchers — and they have played 6 straight games Over the Total against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower. Furthermore, the Cubs have played 5 straight games Over the Total after a win — and they have played 5 straight games Over the Total at home. Chicago has also played 7 of their last 9 games Over the Total against teams with a winning record. They counter with Montgomery who is 3-3 with a 3.91 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP this season. The left-hander has struggled since entering the Cubs’ rotation as he has failed to register a Quality Start in four straight starts. The sabermetrics also call for regression for Montgomery with both his SIERA and xFIP calling for an Era of 4.55 and 4.52 moving forward. He has also not been as effective at home where he is saddled with a 5.57 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP along with a .308 opponent’s batting average. Chicago has played 6 of their last 7 home games Over the Total with Montgomery on the mound. He faces a Cardinals’ lineup that is scoring 6.7 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .291 batting average along with a .355 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .817 over that span. The Cardinals have also played 6 of their last 7 games Over the Total against left-handed starting pitchers.

FINA TAKE: Both these teams are swinging hot bats. Expect another high-scoring game between these two teams with overrated starting pitchers. 25* MLB Saturday Fox-TV Total of the Year with Over the Total in the game between the St. Louis Cardinals (961) and the Chicago Cubs (962) listing both starting pitchers John Gant and Mike Montgomery. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:15 PM ET on Friday, we will be playing the money-line on the Minnesota Twins (919) versus the Kansas City Royals (920) listing both starting pitchers Kyle Gibson and Danny Duffy. THE SITUATION: Minnesota (44-50) closed out the first-half of the regular season winning nine of their last eleven games with an 11-7 win over Tampa Bay on Sunday. Kansas City (27-68) comes off a 10-1 loss in Chicago against the White Sox.

REASONS TO TAKE THE TWINS WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Minnesota has won 6 of their last 8 games after a win — and they have won 7 of their last 8 games after scoring at least five runs in their last contest. Additionally, the Twins have won 7 of their last 8 games against teams with a winning percentage below 40%. They give the ball to Gibson who is 4-6 with a 3.42 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP in nineteen starts this season. The right-hander has been more effective on the road where he has a 2.84 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .197 in nine starts. Minnesota has won 20 of their last 26 road games with Gibson facing a team with a winning record. Kansas City has lost a decisive 44 of their last 62 games after a loss — and they have also lost 11 of their last 14 games after scoring two runs or less in their last game. Furthermore, the Royals have lost 22 of their last 27 home games as a money-line underdog of at least +100 — and they have lost 5 straight home games against teams with a losing record. They counter with Duffy who is 5-8 with a 4.59 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP in twenty starts. Duffy has pitched quite well on the road as of late where he has a sparkling 1.21 ERA since May 24th. But it is a different story when he is at home where he owns an ERA of 6.75 with a 1.63 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .291 in seven starts. Kansas City has lost 7 of their last 8 home games with Duffy on the hill. The sabermetrics are not encouraging either with both his SIERA and xFIP project an ERA of 4.76 and 4.96 moving forward. Lastly, Duffy faces a Twins team that has scored 6.9 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .316 batting average along with a .396 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .874 over that span.

FINAL TAKE: Minnesota remains a bit undervalued with their overall Won/Loss record obscuring their recent improved play. Gibson has been quite good this year — especially on the road — while Duffy has struggled in Kauffman Stadium. 25* MLB American League Central Game of the Year with the money-line on the Minnesota Twins (919) versus the Kansas City Royals (920) listing both starting pitchers Kyle Gibson and Danny Duffy. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:05 PM ET on Thursday, we will be playing the money-line on the Chicago Cubs (952) versus the St. Louis Cardinals (951) listing both starting pitchers Kyle Hendricks and Carlos Martinez. THE SITUATION: Chicago (53-38) closed out the first-half of the regular season winning their last three games after their 7-4 win in San Diego on Sunday. St. Louis (48-46) begins the second-half of the regular season coming off a 6-4 victory over the Reds in the first game under interim manager Mike Schildt after the organization fired Mike Matheny on Saturday.

REASONS TO TAKE THE CUBS WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Chicago has won 8 of their last 11 games after a victory — and they have also won 9 of their last 11 games after scoring at least five runs in their last contest. The Cubs return home to Wrigley Field for the first time since July 8th — and they have won 36 of their last 52 home games after being on the rod for at least seven days. Chicago has also won a decisive 47 of their last 70 games at home — and this includes them winning four of their last five home games against teams with a winning record. They give the ball to Hendricks who is 6-8 with a 3.92 ERA in nineteen starts. The right-hander has been more effective at home where he sports an ERA of 3.18 along with a 0.97 WHIP and .207 opponent’s batting average in nine starts as compared to his 4.70 ERA along with a 1.43 WHIP and .282 opponent’s batting average on the road. The Cubs have won 11 of their last 13 home games as a favorite priced in the -100 to -150 price range with Hendricks on the mound. Chicago has also won 7 of their last 10 opening games to a new season with Hendricks on the hill. St. Louis has lost 5 of their last 6 games after a win — and they have also lost 14 of their last 20 games after scoring at least five runs in their last contest. And while the Cardinals have played their last three games Over the Total, they have then lost 4 of their last 5 games after playing at least three straight Overs. They counter with Martinez who is 6-5 with a 3.08 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP in sixteen starts this season. The right-hander had velocity issues that were negatively impacting him for much of the year but that seemed to be getting better in his last few starts. But Martinez the sabermetrics are not encouraging with both his SIERA and xFIP projecting an ERA of 4.57 and 4.60 moving forward. Martinez has consistently been not as effective on the road where he has an ERA of 3.57 along with a 1.39 WHIP in seven starts as compared to his 2.68 ERA and 1.37 WHIP at home. St. Louis has lost 5 of their last 8 road games with Martinez pitching as the underdog.

FINAL TAKE: I am not surprised that the Cardinals won their first game after Matheny was sacked last Saturday — but his firing does not improve the quality of the roster at his disposal. While St. Louis is looking for their identity, the Cubs are looking to continue their improved play as they have a deeper playoff run on their minds. With the Cubbies possessing a significant edge in the starting pitching battle, let’s attack. 25* MLB ESPN Game of the Year with the money-line on the Chicago Cubs (952) versus the St. Louis Cardinals (951) listing both starting pitchers Kyle Hendricks and Carlos Martinez. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 4:10 PM ET on Sunday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the Chicago Cubs (911) and the San Diego Padres (912) listing both starting pitchers Jon Lester and Eric Lauer. THE SITUATION: Chicago (54-38) has won five of their last seven games with their 11-6 victory over the Padres.

REASONS TO TAKE OVER THE TOTAL: The Cubs have played 9 of their last 12 games Over the Total after scoring at least five runs in their last game. Chicago has also played 5 straight road games Over the Total against teams with a losing record. They give the ball to Lester who is 11-2 with a 2.45 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP in eighteen starts. The left-hander has an outstanding 1.98 ERA in nine starts at home — but he sees that mark rise by nearly a run to a 2.96 mark on the road. The sabermetrics are screaming out for regression with the veteran with his SIERA and xFIP projecting an ERA of 4.67 and 4.68 marks moving forward. Lester’s velocity has dropped below 91 MPH which is his lowest mark in over ten years. His Hard-Hit Rate is 33.1% which is not only a career high but also higher than the MLB average which is in the 31% range. The Cubs have played 14 of their last 17 road games Over the Total with Lester pitching with the Total set in the 8-8.5 range. He faces a Padres team that has played 5 of their last 6 home games Over the Total against left-handed starting pitchers. San Diego (40-58) has also lost five of their last six games — and they have then played 40 of their last 59 home games Over the Total after losing five or six of their last seven games. The Padres have also played 28 of their last 46 home games Over the Total with the Total set in the 7-8.5 range. They counter with Lauer who is 5-5 with a 4.40 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP in fifteen starts. The sabermetrics are also calling for regression for the rookie with his SIERA and xFIP projecting an ERA of 4.71 and 4.53 respectively. San Diego has played 4 of their last 6 home games Over the Total with Lauer on the mound with the Total set in the 7-8.5 range — and the Over is also 4-1-1 in the Padres’ last 6 games with Lauer facing a team from the NL Central. He faces a Cubs team that has played 7 of their last 10 games Over the Total against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher.

FINAL TAKE: Lester is simply very overvalued right now. We want to try to take advantage of that when he is pitching away from Wrigley Field. While we can’t be zombies to take the Over (or against the Cubs) whenever Lester is on the mound right now, there is enough complementary evidence on the Padres’ ledger to take make a strong investment in the Over. 25* MLB Pre-All-Star Break Total of the Year with Over the Total in the game between the Chicago Cubs (911) and the San Diego Padres (912) listing both starting pitchers Jon Lester and Eric Lauer. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:15 PM ET on Saturday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the New York Yankees (973) and the Cleveland Indians (974) listing both starting pitchers C.C. Sabathia and Mike Clevinger. THE SITUATION: Cleveland (51-42) has won two of their last three games with their 6-5 victory over the Yankees on Friday.

REASONS TO TAKE OVER THE TOTAL: The Indians have played 4 straight games Over the Total after allowing at least five runs in their last game — and the Over is 4-1-1 in their last 6 games after a victory. Additionally, Cleveland has now played five straight Overs — and they have then played 11 of their last 13 games Over the Total after playing at least four straight Overs. Furthermore, the Indians have played 11 of their last 12 home games Over the Total with the number in the 9-9.5 range — and the Over is 17-4-1 in their last 22 home games against teams with a winning record on the road. They give the ball to Clevinger who is 7-4 with a 3.39 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP in eighteen starts. The sabermetrics are not encouraging for Clevinger with both his SIERA and xFIP projecting an ERA of 4.03 and 3.94 moving forward. The left-hander has not been as effective at home where he has a 4.08 ERA with a 1.31 WHIP in nine starts. The Over is 3-0-1 in the Indians’ last 4 home games with Clevinger on the hill. These are not good signs when faces the Bronx Bombers who are scoring 6.0 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven contests with a .293 batting average along with a .353 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .843 over that span. New York (61-32) has seen the Over go 4-0-1 in their last 5 games after a loss — and the Over is also 3-0-1 in their last 4 games after scoring at least five runs in their last contest. The Over is also 4-0-1 in the Yankees’ last 5 games on the road. They counter with Sabathia who is 6-4 with a 3.34 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP in seventeen starts. His sabermetrics are also calling for regression with both his SIERA and FIP projecting ERAs of 4.38 and 4.51 moving forward. The left-hander sees his ERA rise to a 4.42 mark along with a 1.40 WHIP in seven starts on the road. Additionally, the Over is 4-1-1 in the Yankees’ last 6 games with Sabathia facing a team from the AL Central. He faces an Indians team that is scoring 5.9 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .263 batting average along with a .335 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .766. Cleveland has also played 9 of their last 11 home games Over the Total against left-handed starting pitchers.

FINAL TAKE: In this game between two teams swinging hot bats, expect a higher scoring contest. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break Fox-TV Total of the Year with Over the Total in the game between the New York Yankees (973) and the Cleveland Indians (974) listing both starting pitchers C.C. Sabathia and Mike Clevinger. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 2:10 PM ET on Saturday, we will be playing the money-line on the Minnesota Twins (966) versus the Tampa Bay Rays (965) listing both starting pitchers Jose Berrios and Chris Archer. THE SITUATION: Minnesota (43-49) has won three straight games — as well as eight of their last nine contests — with their 11-8 victory over the Rays last night. Tampa Bay (48-46) has lost their last contests in a row.

REASONS TO TAKE THE TWINS WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Minnesota has won 7 of their last 8 games after a win — and they have also won 7 straight games after scoring at least five runs in their last game. The Twins have also won 10 of their last 11 games at home. They give the ball to Berrios who is 9-7 with a 3.41 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP in nineteen starts. The right-hander has been more effective at home where he owns a 2.49 ERA with a 0.80 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .179 in eleven starts. Minnesota has won 18 of their last 21 home games with Berrios on the mound. He should enjoy another great performance against this Rays team that has lost 15 of their last 18 road games against right-handed starting pitchers. Tampa Bay (48-46) has lost 6 of their last 8 games against opponents that scored at least five runs in their last game. The Rays have also lost 17 of their last 22 games on the road — and this includes them losing eleven of their last thirteen road games against teams with a winning record at home. They counter with Archer who is 3-4 with a 4.41 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in fourteen starts. The right-hander typically struggles when away from home. In eight road starts this season, Archer has a 1.46 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .271 as opposed to his 1.27 WIP and .262 opponent’s batting average at home. Tampa Bay has lost 9 of their last 11 road games with Archer facing a team with a winning record. Archer faces a red-hot Minnesota offense that is scoring 5.9 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven contests with a .301 batting average along with a .353 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .826 over that span. The Twins have won 8 of their last 9 home games when facing right-handed starting pitchers — and they are won 4 of their last 5 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher.

FINAL TAKE: Minnesota is playing great baseball right now approaching the All-Star Break. They also have a big edge in starting pitchers with Berrios pitching at home battling Archer who just came off the disabled list and who does his best pitching historically at home in Tropicana Field. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break Game of the Year with the money-line on the Minnesota Twins (966) versus the Tampa Bay Rays (965) listing both starting pitchers Jose Berrios and Chris Archer. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:10 PM ET on Friday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the Washington Nationals (903) and the New York Mets (904) listing both starting pitchers Tanner Roark and Noah Syndergaard. THE SITUATION: Washington (47-46) won the opening game of this series with their 5-4 win over the Mets yesterday.

REASONS TO TAKE UNDER THE TOTAL: The Nationals have seen the Under go a decisive 50-24-5 in their last 79 games after a victory. Additionally, Washington has played 20 of their last 28 games Under the Total with the Total set in the 8-8.5 range — and they have also played 22 of their last 31 games Under the Total when priced in the +/- 125 range. The Under is also 47-19-6 in Washington’s last 72 road games which includes them playing four of their last five road games Under the Total against teams with a winning percentage below 40% at home. They give the ball to Roark who is 3-11 with a 4.76 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP in eighteen starts. The right-hander has been more effective away from home as he sees his ERA drop to a 3.63 mark with a 1.23 WHIP and .239 opponent’s batting average in nine road starts as compared to his ugly 5.98 ERA along with a 1.52 WHIP and .286 opponent’s batting average at home. The Nationals have played 6 of their last 7 road games Under the Total with Roark on the hill. Roark also usually pitches well against New York given his 3.19 ERA in nineteen career games with thirteen starts. He should fare well against this Mets team that is scoring only 2.1 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .167 batting average along with a .232 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .534. New York (37-54) has played 15 of their last 21 home games Under the Total against right-handed starting pitchers. The Under is 4-0-1 in their last 5 games after allowing at least five runs in their last game. The Mets have also played 8 of their last 11 home games Under the Total against teams with a winning record. They get Syndergaard back after he spent the last seven weeks on the disabled list after posting a 4-1 record with a 3.06 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. The right-hander has been better at home in Citi Field throughout his career where he owns a 2.68 ERA with a 1.01 WHIP as opposed to his 3.22 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP on the road. The Under is 9-1-1 in their last 11 home games with Thor on the hill facing a team with a winning record. He should thrive in his return against this Nationals team that has played 29 of their last 40 games Under the Total against right-handed starting pitchers.

FINAL TAKE: The Total opened at 7.5 for this game but has jumped a full run in most spots. What looked like a solid Under play before that movement now becomes an outstanding opportunity with combined scores of 8 now cashing tickets. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break National League East Total of the Year with Under the Total in the game between the Washington Nationals (903) and the New York Mets (904) listing both starting pitchers Tanner Roark and Noah Syndergaard. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:10 PM ET on Thursday, we will be playing the New York Mets (956) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the Washington Nationals (955) listing both starting pitchers Steven Matz and Max Scherzer. THE SITUATION: Washington (46-46) limps into this series having lost three of their last four games with their 2-0 loss at Pittsburgh. New York (37-53) enters this series coming off a 3-0 win over Philadelphia.

REASONS TO TAKE THE METS PLUS THE +1.5 RUN-LINE: The Nationals are a bit overvalued right now. They have lost 10 of their last 12 games on the road — and this includes them losing seven of their last eight road games against teams with a losing record. Washington has also lost 5 of their last 7 games after a loss — and they have also lost 5 of their last 6 games after scoring two runs or less in their last game. They give the ball to Scherzer who is 11-5 with a 2.33 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP in nineteen starts. The right-hander has been a bit less effective on the road where he has a 0.98 WHIP and .193 opponent’s batting average in nine starts as compared to his 0.92 WHIP and microscopic .166 opponent’s batting average at home. The sabermetrics do call for some regression with his SIERA and xFIP projecting an ERA of 2.62 and 2.99 which is a bit more manageable for opponents. New York has won 11 of their last 16 games after playing their last three games against fellow NL East opponents. The Mets have also won 5 of their last 8 games straight-up as a money-line underdog priced at least at +150. They counter with Matz who is 4-6 with a 3.31 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP in seventeen starts. The lefty has been better at home with a 1.15 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .225 in nine starts as compared to his 1.33 WHIP and .232 opponent’s batting average on the road. Additionally, the Mets have won 7 of their last 11 games with Matzo pitching at night — and they have also won 4 of their last 5 games with Matz facing a fellow NL East opponents. The Nationals are hitting only .244 this season — and the Mets have won 8 of their last 9 games with Matz facing a team with a batting average no better than .250. He should fare well against this Washington team that has lost 6 of their last 7 games against left-handed starting pitchers. Matz has only surrendered one earned run over his last two starts — and New York has won 6 of their last 9 games after not allowing more than two earned runs in his last start. Furthermore, because the Mets have a low batting average of .144 over their last five games, they are supported by an empirical angle specific to the Run-Line that has been 65% effective over the last five seasons. Home underdogs with a batting average no better than .225 over their last five games but using a starting pitcher who has not allowed more than two earned runs in two straight games have then covered the +1.5 Run-Line in 48 of the last 74 situations (when priced in the +215 to -130 range at +1.5 Runs) where these conditions applied.

FINAL TAKE: The Nationals are big favorites priced in the -200 range. With the Mets still offering a nice return as a small underdog even when getting the valuable +1.5 Run-Line, let’s attack. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break Run-Line Underdog of the Year with the New York Mets (956) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the Washington Nationals (955) listing both starting pitchers Steven Matz and Max Scherzer. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:10 PM ET on Wednesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Los Angeles Dodgers (911) versus the San Diego Padres (912) listing both starting pitchers Kenta Maeda and Joey Lucchesi. THE SITUATION: San Diego (40-54) has won two of their last three games with their 4-1 win over the Dodgers last night. While LA opened as a money-line favorite in the -160 range, that has been down in most locations to under -150.

REASONS TO TAKE THE DODGERS WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Los Angeles did not meet my minimum expectations as a -1.5 Run-Line play — but with their price dropping to under my -150 maximum threshold, they become a great play with the money-line. The Dodgers have won 13 of their last 16 games after a loss — and they have also won 7 of their last 10 games after scoring no more than two runs in their last game. Los Angeles has also won 15 of their last 21 games on the road. They give the ball to Maeda who is 5-5 with a 3.24 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP in fifteen starts. The right-hander returns from paternity leave as a proud poppy — and he has been more effective on the road where he has a 1.23 WHIP and .221 opponent’s batting average in six starts as compared to his 1.27 WHIP and .236 opponent’s batting average in nine home starts. The Dodgers have won 22 of their last 32 games with Maeda on the mound as a favorite in the -125 to -175 price range. He should fare well against this Padres team that has lost 4 of their last 5 home games against right-handed starting pitchers. San Diego (40-54) is scoring only 3.4 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .210 batting average along with a .274 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .619 over that span. The Padres have lost 7 straight games after a win. Furthermore, San Diego has lost 5 of their last 7 games at home — and they have lost 8 of their last 11 games against teams with a winning record. They counter with Lucchesi who is 4-4 with a 3.27 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in thirteen starts. The lefty has not been as effective at home where he sees his ERA and WHIP jump to 3.56 and 1.26 marks in nine starts. The Padres have lost 5 of their last 7 games with Lucchesi pitching against teams with a winning record.

FINAL TAKE: These money-line propositions are risk-reward calculations. I determined many years ago to enforce a self-imposed ban on taking favorites priced higher than -150 — and, in baseball, consider Run-Line plays in those instances. That requires diligence to continue to monitor line-movement — but that is a good thing since there are a host of good betting opportunities that illuminate themselves by observing a reacting to the betting public (often betting against their activity). With the Dodgers’ price dropping below my -150 threshold, let’s attack with a strong play given the value and strength of this play. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break National League West Game of the Year with the money-line on the Los Angeles Dodgers (911) versus the San Diego Padres (912) listing both starting pitchers Kenta Maeda and Joey Lucchesi. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:10 PM ET on Wednesday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the Cincinnati Reds (925) and the Cleveland Indians (926) listing both starting pitchers Tyler Mahle and Carlos Carrasco. THE SITUATION: Cincinnati (41-51) has won the opening two games of this series with their 7-4 victory over the Indians.

REASONS TO TAKE OVER THE TOTAL: The Over is 9-2-1 in the Reds’ last 12 games after a win — and the Over is also 11-2-1 in their last 14 games after scoring at least five runs in their last contest. Additionally, Cincinnati has played 4 straight games Over the Total on the road — and the Over is 16-4-3 in their last 23 games against teams with a winning record. They give the ball to Mahle who is 7-6 with a 3.66 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP in eighteen starts. The right-hander has not been as effective on the road where he has a 1.53 WHIP and .273 opponent’s batting average in ten starts as compared to his 1.24 WHIP and .240 opponent’s batting average in eight home starts. That is not a good sign when facing this Indians team that scored 5.8 Runs-Per-Game at home while posting a .277 batting average with a .344 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .803 in those games. Cleveland (49-41) has seen the Over go 20-5-2 in their last 27 home games against right-handed starting pitchers — and the Indians have played 5 of their last 7 games Over the Total against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher. The first two games of this series have gone Over the Total — and Cleveland has played 17 of their last 25 games Over the Total after playing their last two games Over the Total. Additionally, the Over is 26-7-2 in the Indians’ last 35 games at home which includes the Over going 16-4-1 in their last 21 home games against teams with a losing record on the road. Cleveland has also played 9 of their last 10 home games Over the Total with the number in the 9 to 9.5 range. They counter with Carrasco who is 9-5 with a 4.28 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in sixteen starts. The right-hander has not been as effective at home where he sees his ERA rise to a 5.48 mark along with a 1.38 WHIP and .286 opponent’s batting average in eight starts. The Over is 5-2-1 in the Indians’ last 8 home games with Carrasco facing a team with a losing record. He faces a Reds team that is scoring 6.3 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven contests with a .263 batting average along with a .344 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .742 over that span.

FINAL TAKE: Carrasco has consistently seen his home/road splits favor his starts away from home. With Cincinnati hitting the ball well and the Indians a strong offensive club at home, expect a higher-scoring game. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break Interleague Total of the Year with Over the Total in the game between the Cincinnati Reds (925) and the Cleveland Indians (926) listing both starting pitchers Tyler Mahle and Carlos Carrasco. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:05 PM ET on Tuesday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the Seattle Mariners (973) and the Los Angeles Angels (974) listing both starting pitchers Mike Leake and Garrett Richards. THE SITUATION: Seattle (57-34) enters this series coming off a 6-4 win over Colorado on Sunday. Los Angeles (46-45) enters this series after they defeated the Dodgers by a 4-3 score for ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball.

REASONS TO TAKE UNDER THE TOTAL: The Mariners have played 8 straight games Under the Total after scoring at least five runs in their last game — and they have also played 5 of their last 6 games Under the Total after an off day. Seattle has also played 5 of their last 6 games Under the Total on the road — and the Under is also 5-1-1 in their last 7 games against teams with a winning record. They give the ball to Leake who is 8-5 with a 4.11 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP in eighteen starts. The right-hander has been more effective on the road where he owns a 3.71 ERA with a 1.16 WHIP in eight starts. Leake’s teams have played 11 of their last 17 road games Under the Total when priced as an underdog in the +100 to +150 price range. He should fare well against this Angels team that has seen the Under go 4-1-1 in their last 6 games against right-handed starting pitchers. Los Angeles is scoring only 2.7 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .195 batting average along with a .251 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .574 OPS over that span. The Angels have played 6 of their last 8 games Over the Total after an off day — and the Under is 15-4-3 in their last 22 games after a victory. Furthermore, the Angels have not allowed more than four runs in each of their last six games — and they have then played 31 of their last 42 games Under the Total after not allowing more than four runs in at least six straight contests. Additionally, not only has LA played 5 of their last 6 home games Under the Total but they have also played 16 of their last 23 home games Under the Total with the number set in the 8.5 to 10 range. They counter with Richards who is 5-4 with a 3.42 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP in fifteen starts. The right-hander has been more effective at home where he sports a 3.31 ERA with a 0.95 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average in six starts. The Angels have seen the Under go 4-1-1 in their last 6 home games with Richards on the hill facing a team with a winning record. He should also pitch well against this Mariners team that is scoring only 3.0 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven contests with a .240 batting average along with a .300 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .689 over that span.

FINAL TAKE: In this game between two slumping offenses, expect a low-scoring game with these two underrated starting pitchers on the hill. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break American League West Total of the Year with Under the Total in the game between the Seattle Mariners (973) and the Los Angeles Angels (974) listing both starting pitchers Mike Leake and Garrett Richards. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:05 PM ET on Monday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the Washington Nationals (901) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (902) listing both starting pitchers Jefry Rodriguez and Ivan Nova. THE SITUATION: Washington (45-44) saw their three-game winning streak snapped yesterday with their 10-2 loss to Miami. Pittsburgh (41-48) snapped their five-game losing streak with a 4-1 win over the Phillies yesterday.

REASONS TO TAKE UNDER THE TOTAL: The Pirates stay at home where they have played 7 of their last 10 home games Under the Total against teams with a winning record — and they have also played 11 of their last 12 home games Under the Total in the month of July. Additionally, Pittsburgh has played 23 of their last 32 home games Under the Total with the number posted in the 9 to 9.5 range. They give the ball to Nova who is 4-6 with a 4.48 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP in sixteen starts. The right-hander has been outstanding at home where he owns a 2.77 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP in six starts. The Pirates have played 16 of their last 21 home games Under the Total with Nova on the hill — and they have also seen the Under go 9-1-1 in their last 11 home games with Nova facing a team with a winning record. He faces a Nationals team that has played 26 of their last 37 games Under the Total against right-handed starting pitchers. Washington (45-44) has played 5 of their last 6 games Under the Total after scoring no more than two runs in their last game — and they have also played 12 of their last 16 games Under the Total when playing on the road after failing to score more than two runs in their last game. The Nationals have also played 4 straight games Under the Total after allowing at least five runs in their last game. Additionally, Washington has played 6 of their last 8 road games Under the Total against teams with a losing record at home. They counter with Rodriguez who is 0-0 with a 5.52 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP in 14 2/3 innings of work this season after being called up from Triple-A. Manager Davey Martinez has described Rodriguez as having “electric stuff.” He benefits from facing a slumping Pirates lineup that is scoring only 3.7 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven contests with a .287 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .688 during that span. Martinez will also be able to call on his strong bullpen that has a 3.75 ERA along with a 1.16 WHIP when pitching on the road.

FINAL TAKE: The Total is listed in the 9/9.5 range mostly because of the uncertainty of Rodriguez — but I expect him to pitch pretty well before the Nationals turn to their bullpen. Nova should pitch well on national television as well. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break Monday ESPN Total of the Year with Under the Total in the game between the Washington Nationals (901) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (902) listing both starting pitchers Jefry Rodriguez and Ivan Nova. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:07 PM ET on Sunday, we will be playing the money-line on the Los Angeles Angels (980) versus the Los Angeles Dodgers (979) listing both starting pitchers Alex and Andrew Heaney. THE SITUATION: The Dodgers (48-40) have won five of their last six games with their 3-1 win over the Angels yesterday.

REASONS TO TAKE THE DODGERS WITH THE MONEY-LINE: The Dodgers had a huge month of the dog days of summer last year as well — they have now won 25 of their last 29 games in the month of July. The Dodgers have also won 8 of their last 9 road games against teams with a losing record at home. The Dodgers have also won 20 of their last 27 games in Interleague play. They give the ball to Wood who is 5-5 with a 3.84 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in seventeen starts this season. After a slow start, the left-hander has been outstanding as of late — he owns a 2.19 ERA with a 1.01 WHIP over his last four starts. The Dodgers have won 4 of their last 5 games on the road with Wood on the hill. He should fare well against this Angels team that is scoring 3.0 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .195 batting average along with a .259 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .566 over that span. The Angels have a low batting average of just .158 over their last three games — and they have lost 10 of their last 13 home games after not posting a batting average better than .200 over their last three games. Furthermore, the Angels have lost 11 of their last 16 games after a loss — and they have lost 11 of their last 15 games when attempting to avenge a loss where they scored only one run. Additionally, the Angels have lost 17 of their last 22 home games against teams with a winning record — and they have lost 20 of their last 28 games against teams with a winning record overall. And this Angels team has lost 10 of their last 12 games when priced in the +/- 125 range. They counter with Heaney who is 4-6 with a 3.94 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP in fifteen starts. But the left-hander has not been reliable when his team has been off a loss as the Angels have lost their last 8 games when Heaney is starting after a team defeat. Additionally, the Angels have lost 5 of their last 6 home games with Heaney facing a team with a winning record. That is not a good sign when now facing this Dodgers team that is scoring 6.1 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven contests with a .270 batting average along with a .346 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .835 in those contests.

FINAL TAKE: The Dodgers are much better team than the Angels — especially since May 16th when they began their current 32-14 hot streak.  Wood was outstanding on the road last season where he had a 2.24 ERA with a 0.98 WHIP in thirteen starts. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break Sunday Night ESPN Game of the Year with the money-line on the Los Angeles Angels (980) versus the Los Angeles Dodgers (979) listing both starting pitchers Alex and Andrew Heaney. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 2:20 PM ET on Sunday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the Cincinnati Reds (957) and the Chicago Cubs (958) listing both starting pitchers Luis Castillo and Jon Lester. THE SITUATION: Chicago (50-36) has won seven of their last eight games with their 8-7 win over the Reds yesterday where they rallied from a 7-4 deficit in the bottom of the 8th inning to score four runs and pull out that comeback victory.

REASONS TO TAKE OVER THE TOTAL: The Cubs have played 4 of their last 5 games Over the Total after scoring at least five runs in their last game. Chicago has also played 9 of their last 13 home games Over the Total as a favorite priced in the -100 to -150 price range. And the Cubs have played 7 of their last 10 games Over the Total against teams with a losing record. They give the ball to Lester who is 11-2 with a 2.25 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP in seventeen starts. The sabermetrics for the left-hander are screaming “Regression” as both his SIERA and xFIP project his ERA to more than double to a 4.57 and 4.53 marks. Additionally, Chicago has played 10 of their last 14 home games Over the Total with Lester — and they have also seen the Over go 8-1-2 in the last 11 games with Lester facing the Reds. He faces a red-hot Cincinnati lineup that is scoring 7.1 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .283 batting average along with a .368 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .781. The Over is also 12-3-2 in the Reds’ last 17 games against left-handed starting pitchers. Cincinnati (39-50) has played 10 of their last 13 games Over the Total after allowing at least eight runs in their last game. The Over is also 8-2-1 in the Reds’ last 11 games after scoring at least five runs in their last game. Furthermore, Cincinnati has played 31 of their last 44 games Over the Total after a blown save. And in their last 7 games against teams with a winning record, the Over is 5-1-1. They counter with Castillo who is 5-8 with a 5.53 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP in eighteen starts. The right-hander sees his ERA skyrocket to a 6.70 ERA along with a 1.53 WHIP in his ten starts on the road. The Reds have played 6 of their last 8 road games Over the Total with Castillo. He faces a Cubs’ team that is scoring 7.9 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven contests with a .350 batting average along with a .432 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .983 over that span. Additionally, Chicago has played 7 of their last 10 games Over the Total against right-handed starting pitchers — and they have played 5 of their last 7 games Over the Total against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher.

FINAL TAKE: Lester is extremely overvalued right now — and Castillo has been a nightmare when pitching away from the Great American Ballpark. Both these pitchers are facing lineups that are in the zone right now. Lastly, in the last 13 meetings between these two teams, the game finished Over the Total 10 times. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break National League Central Total of the Year with Over the Total in the game between the Cincinnati Reds (957) and the Chicago Cubs (958) listing both starting pitchers Luis Castillo and Jon Lester. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:15 PM ET on Friday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the Boston Red Sox (973) and the Kansas City Royals (974) listing both starting pitchers Chris Sale and Jason Hammel. THE SITUATION: Boston (59-29) has won eight of their last ten games with their 3-0 win in Washington on Wednesday. Kansas City (25-61) has lost six in a row with their 3-2 loss to Cleveland on Wednesday.

REASONS TO TAKE UNDER THE TOTAL: Boston has seen the Under go 4-1-1 in their last 6 games after an off-day — and the Under is also 7-2-1 in their last 10 opening games to a new series. The Red Sox have also played 7 of their last 10 road games Under the Total against teams with a winning percentage below 40% at home — and the Under is also 6-1-1 in their last 8 games against teams with a winning percentage below 40% overall. They give the ball to Sale who is 8-4 with a 2.41 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP in eighteen starts. The left-hander has been more effect on the road where he owns a 2.32 ERA and a 0.79 WHIP along with an opponent’s batting average of .163 in eleven starts. Boston has played 5 of their last 6 road games Under the Total with Sale facing a team with a losing record. He should thrive against this slumping Royals team that is scoring only 2.7 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .231 batting average along with a .261 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .584 during that span. Kansas City has played 9 of their last 11 home games Under the Total against left-handed starting pitchers. The Royals have played 9 of their last 13 games Under the Total after an off-day. Additionally, Kansas City has played 21 of their last 31 games Under the Total after a loss by just one run — and the Under is 24-11-2 in their last 37 games after scoring two runs or less in their last contest. The Royals have also played 26 of their last 38 games Under the Total after losing two games in a row. They stay at home where they have played 5 of their last 7 games Under the Total. They give the ball to Hammel who is 2-10 with a 5.56 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP in seven starts this season. The sabermetrics do indicate he should be seeing better results with both his SIERA and xFIP projecting an ERA of 4.94 and 5.03 — and his ERA also drops a full run to a 4.53 mark in his seven starts at home. The Under is 6-0-1 in KC’s last 7 home games with Hammel on the hill. He faces a Red Sox team that has seen the Under go 8-3-1 in their last 12 games against starting pitcher with a WHIP of 1.30 or lower.

FINAL TAKE: While Hammel does not appear very encouraging for the Under, the sabermetrics are encouraging. Sale should dominate the Royals (which is why the Red Sox are remarkable road favorites priced at almost -400). 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break American League Total of the Year with Under the Total in the game between the Boston Red Sox (973) and the Kansas City Royals (974) listing both starting pitchers Chris Sale and Jason Hammel. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:10 PM ET on Thursday, we will be playing the Houston Astros (912) minus the -1.5 Run-Line versus the Chicago White Sox (911) listing both starting pitchers Justin Verlander and Carlos Rodon. THE SITUATION: Houston (57-31) has won two straight games with their 5-4 win over the Rangers yesterday. Chicago (30-56) has lost five of their last seven contests after they lost in Cincinnati yesterday by a 7-4 score.

REASONS TO TAKE THE ASTROS MINUS THE -1.5 RUN-LINE: Houston has won a decisive 46 of their last 63 games after scoring at least five runs in their last game. They also have won 21 of their last 25 games after winning their last two games on the road against a divisional rival. They return home for the first time since June 27th to begin an important eleven-game homestand to take them into the All-Star Break. Look for this reigning World Series Champions to make a big run right now. As it is, they have won 7 of their last 8 home games after being on the road for at least seven days. And while the Astros are hitting only .189 over their last five games, they have won 12 of their last 15 games after failing to hit better than .225 over their last five contests. They give the ball to Verlander who is 9-4 with a 2.12 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP in eighteen starts. The right-hander has been more effective at home where he owns a 0.77 WHIP and .167 opponent’s batting average in nine starts as compared to his 0.95 WHIP and .198 opponent’s batting average on the road. Verlander’s teams have won 48 of their last 55 home games with the Total set at 7-7.5. Chicago has lost 9 of their last 23 games after a loss — and they have also lost 29 of their last 43 games on the road. The White Sox were swept in a three-game series they hosted in April where they scored only two runs in the entire series — and they have lost 7 of their last 8 games when playing with at least double-revenge where they did not score more than two runs in either game. They counter with Rodon who is 1-3 with a 4.55 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in five starts. The left-hander sees his ERA and WHIP rise to 5.94 and 1.38 marks in his three starts on the road. Chicago has lost 14 of their last 17 road games with Rodon pitching as an underdog.

FINAL TAKE: Houston has a heavy money-line price over -300 which is double the -150 maximum threshold I am willing to invest in money-line favorites. The Astros have won 32 of their last 46 home games when priced at least at -200. The White Sox have lost 26 of their last 35 games when an underdog priced at least at +150. The better investment is to cut the Houston price in half by taking them minus the -1.5 Run-Line. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break American League Run-Line of the Year with the Houston Astros (912) minus the -1.5 Run-Line versus the Chicago White Sox (911) listing both starting pitchers Justin Verlander and Carlos Rodon. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:10 PM ET on Wednesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Arizona Diamondbacks (956) versus the St. Louis Cardinals (955) listing both starting pitchers Patrick Corbin and Milos Mikolas. THE SITUATION: Arizona (48-38) snapped a four-game losing streak yesterday with their 4-2 victory over the Cardinals. St. Louis (43-41) has lost five of their last six games.

REASONS TO TAKE THE DIAMONDBACKS WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Arizona has won 5 of their last 7 games after a victory. The Diamondbacks conclude a ten-game homestand in this contest — and Arizona has won 10 of their last 15 games after playing at least their last five games at home. They give the ball to Corbin who is 6-3 with a 3.14 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP in seventeen starts. The left-hander has allowed only one earned run in his last two starts spanning 13 innings. The sabermetrics indicate that Corbin should be seeing even better numbers with his SIERA and xFIP projecting an ERA of 2.85 and 2.62 moving forward. The Diamondbacks have also won 4 of their last 6 games with Corbin pitching with the Total set in the 8 to 8.5 range. He should fare well against this Cardinals team that has lost 8 of their last 10 games against left-handed starting pitchers — and they have also lost 38 of their last 53 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower. St. Louis has lost 5 of their last 7 games after a loss — and they have lost 5 of their last 7 games after failing to score more than two runs in their last contest. The Cardinals have also lost 5 of their last 6 games against teams with a winning record. They counter with Mikolas who is 8-3 with a 2.61 ERA and a 0.99 in sixteen starts. The right-hander has been outstanding at home where he sports a 1.65 ERA with a 0.91 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .220 — but he sees these numbers rise to a 3.70 ERA with a 1.07 WHIP and .239 opponent’s batting average in eight starts on the road. The sabermetrics also call for regression for Mikolas in his first year back in MLB after pitching in Japan for years. His SIERA and xFIP project an ERA of 3.77 and 3.55 respectively moving forward. Mikolas also has a .243 opponent’s batting average in night games as opposed to his .209 opponent’s batting average in day games — and the Cardinals have lost 6 of their last 9 night games with Mikolas on the mound this year. He faces a Diamondbacks team that has won 7 of their last 10 games against right-handed starting pitchers — and they have also won 6 of their last 7 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower.

FINAL TAKE: While the frontline numbers for both these starting pitchers are similar, the sabermetrics suggest there will be a widening divide between these two pitchers moving forward with Corbin enjoying the edge. Arizona should close out their homestand with a win. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break ESPN Game of the Year with the money-line on the Arizona Diamondbacks (956) versus the St. Louis Cardinals (955) listing both starting pitchers Patrick Corbin and Milos Mikolas. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:10 PM ET on Tuesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Seattle Mariners (912) versus the Los Angeles Angels (911) listing both starting pitchers Wade LeBlanc and Andrew Heaney. THE SITUATION: Seattle (54-31) has won seven straight games with their 1-0 win over the Royals on Sunday, Los Angeles (43-42) has lost seven of their last nine games after they lost in Baltimore on Sunday by an 8-2 score.

REASONS TO TAKE THE MARINERS WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Seattle has won 5 of their last 7 games after an off-day. Additionally, the Mariners have won 22 of their last 29 games after a victory — and they have won 13 of their last 18 games after allowing no more than two runs in their last game. Furthermore, Seattle has won 20 of their last 26 games at home — and this includes them winning six of their last eight home games against teams with a winning record. They give the ball to LeBlanc who is 3-0 with a 3.38 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP in eleven starts. The left-hander has been more effective at home where he owns a 2.68 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP in six starts. The Mariners have won 6 straight home games with LeBlanc facing a team with a winning record. He should fare well against this Angels team that is scoring only 3.4 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven contests with a .215 batting average along with a .276 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .618 during that span. Los Angeles has lost 8 road games against left-handed starting pitchers. The Angels have last 16 of their last 22 games after an off-day. Additionally, the Angels have lost 5 of their last 6 games after a loss — and they have lost 8 of their last 11 games after allowing at least five runs in their last game. LA has also lost 11 of their last 14 games on the road which includes them losing seven straight road games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% at home. They counter with Heaney who is 4-5 with a 3.95 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP in fourteen starts. The left-hander has been great at home where he has a 2.18 ERA along with a 0.97 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .201 batting average in seven starts but he sees all these numbers skyrocket to a 6.14 ERA with a 1.50 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .290 in seven starts on the road. The Angels have lost 13 of their last 16 road games with Heaney on the hill — and this includes them losing five straight road games with Heaney facing a team with a winning record.

FINAL TAKE: The Mariners are only small money-line favorites given the good reputation of Heaney and the general distrust of LeBlanc. But the sabermetrics suggest this is a close matchup with Heaney’s SIERA and xFIP of 4.00 and 4.02 being only a little bit better than LeBlanc’s 4.20 and 4.31 marks. Heaney on the road with LeBlanc pitching home evens up this duel even more — and the Seattle are a better home team than the Angels are on the road. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break American League West Game of the Year with the money-line on the Seattle Mariners (912) versus the Los Angeles Angels (911) listing both starting pitchers Wade LeBlanc and Andrew Heaney. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 9:05 PM ET on Saturday, we will be playing the money-line on the Texas Rangers (976) versus the Chicago White Sox (975) listing both starting pitchers Bartolo Colon and Carlos Rodon. THE SITUATION: Texas (37-46) has won ten of their last twelve games with their wit their 11-3 victory over the White Sox in the opening game of this series last night where they clubbed five home runs. Chicago (28-53) has lost their last two games.

REASONS TO TAKE THE RANGERS WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Texas has won 7 of their last 9 games after a victory. The Rangers have also won 5 of their last 6 games at home — and they have won 4 straight games against teams with a winning percentage below 40%. Texas has not allowed more than three runs in each of their last three games — and they have then won 6 of their last 7 games after allowing three runs or less in three straight games. They give the ball to Colon who is 4-5 with a 4.72 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP in fourteen starts this season. While getting on the Colon train did not initially tickle my fancy in what otherwise looks like a strong situation, the ole man’s presence on the mound is why the Rangers are not priced in the -150 range. Yet the wily veteran’s sabermetrics actually call for immediate improvement with both his SIERA and xFIP projecting an ERA of 4.38 and 4.21 moving forward. Colon has also been more effective at home where he owns a 1.18 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .256 in six starts as compared to his 1.20 WHIP and .273 opponent’s batting average in eight starts. Colon’s teams have won 19 of their last 27 games when he is starting and priced as a favorite at -110 or higher — and this includes Texas winning their last three games in that situation. He faces a White Sox team that scores only 3.7 Runs-Per-Game on the road with a .231 batting average along with a .286 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .653. Chicago has lost 8 of their last 10 games after a loss. They also have lost 25 of the last 37 road games as an underdog. Furthermore, one of the other reasons I am willing to bet against this White Sox team despite their facing old man Colon is that their mediocre bullpen has logged in 14 2/3 innings in their last three games — and they have lost 9 of their last 11 games after their bullpen has pitched at least 13 innings over their last three games. Chicago has also lost 5 straight games in expected high-scoring games with the Total listed at 10 or higher. They counter with Rodon who is 1-2 with a 3.70 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in four starts. The left-hander’s SIERA and xFIP project an ERA of 4.66 and 5.38 respectively. Rodon also sees his ERA rise to a 4.76 mark with a 1.32 WHIP in his two road starts this season. Last year, Rodon had an ERA of 4.70 on the road which was almost a full run higher than his 3.72 ERA at home. The White Sox have lost 6 straight road games with Rodon on the hill — and they have also lost 13 of their last 16 road games with Rodon pitching as an underdog. He faces a hot-hitting Rangers team that is scoring 6.0 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .281 batting average along with a .333 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .809 over that span. Lastly, Texas has won 5 of their last 6 home games against left-handed starting pitchers.

FINAL TAKE: It is not very often where the opportunity exists to bet against the White Sox on the road where they favorite is not a money-line favorite priced higher than -150. From that perspective, it is Colon on the mound that is ensuring the small price on a great situation. Let’s attack while backing a red-hot team that should score plenty of runs tonight. 25* MLB Game of the Month with the money-line on the Texas Rangers (976) versus the Chicago White Sox (975) listing both starting pitchers Bartolo Colon and Carlos Rodon. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 1:07 PM ET on Saturday, we will be playing the Toronto Blue Jays (966) minus the -1.5 Run-Line versus the Detroit Tigers (965) listing both starting pitchers Sam Gaviglio and Matthew Boyd. THE SITUATION: Toronto (38-43) has won four of their last six games with their 3-2 victory over the Tigers in the opening game of this series last night. Detroit (36-47) has lost ten games in a row.

REASONS TO TAKE THE BLUE JAYS MINUS THE -1.5 RUN-LINE: The Tigers have lost 10 of their last 11 games after a loss — and they have lost 6 straight games after scoring two runs or less in their last game. Detroit has also lost 7 of their last 8 games played on turf — and they have lost 11 of their last 13 games in Toronto. They give the ball to Boyd who is 4-6 with a 4.15 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in fifteen starts. The left-hander has struggled on the road where he sees his ERA rise to a 5.71 mark along with a 1.46 WHIP in eight starts. The Tigers have lost 10 of their last 12 road games with Boyd on the hill. The sabermetrics are not encouraging either as both his SIERA and xFIP project an ERA of 4.71 and 4.96 moving forward. Toronto has won 6 straight games after not allowing more than two goals in their last contest. The Blue Jays have also won 9 of their last 10 games at home — and they have won a decisive 38 of their last 55 home games against teams with a winning percentage below 40% on the road. They counter with Gaviglio who is 2-2 with a 3.98 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP in seven starts. His SIERA and xFIP call for immediate improvement by projecting his ERA to be closer to a 3.66 or 3.73 mark. The left-hander has also been more effective on the road where he owns a 1.31 ERA with a 1.16 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .215 in three starts. He should fare well against this slumping Tigers team that is scoring only 2.6 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven contests with a .204 batting average along with a .219 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .550 over that span. Lastly, because Detroit has a low .153 batting average over their last three games, they fall into an empirical “play-against” angle specific to the Run-Line that has been 64% effective over the last five seasons. The Tigers have a .301 On-Base Percentage for the season — and American League road underdogs with an On-Base Percentage of .310 or lower who are hitting below .175 in their last three games now facing a starting pitcher with a WHIP of 1.30 or lower have then failed to cover the +1.5 Run-Line in 30 of the last 47 situations where these conditions applied.

FINAL TAKE: The Tigers are in the middle of a horrible slump while the Blue Jays are on fire playing at home. With the money-line price being higher than my -150 threshold, let’s take advantage of the nice price when taking advantage of the Run-Line as this is a game that Toronto should win by more than the one run against a lefty in Boyd who struggles on the road. 25* MLB Run-Line of the Month with the Toronto Blue Jays (966) minus the -1.5 Run-Line versus the Detroit Tigers (965) listing both starting pitchers Sam Gaviglio and Matthew Boyd. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:05 PM ET on Friday, we will be playing the money-line on the Philadelphia Phillies (902) versus the Washington Nationals (901) listing both starting pitchers Nick Pivetta and Erick Fedde. THE SITUATION: Philadelphia (43-36) won the opening game of this series last night by a 4-3 score. Washington (41-38) is mired in a terrible slump having lost three straight games as well as five of their last six and ten of their last thirteen contests.

REASONS TO TAKE THE PHILLIES WITH THE MONEY: Philadelphia has won 5 of their last 7 games after a victory. And while the Phillies have not scored more than four runs in each of their last four games, they have then won 10 of their last 14 games after failing to score more than four runs in four straight contests. Furthermore, Philly has won 13 of the last 21 home games with the Total set in the 8.5 to 10 range. They give the ball to Pivetta who is 4-6 with a 4.06 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP in sixteen starts. The right-hander has allowed only four earned runs over his last 12 2/3 innings while striking out 20 batters over that span. Pivetta has been more effective at home where he enjoys a 3.04 ERA with a 1.05 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .224 in nine starts. The Phillies have won 10 of their last 13 home games with Pivetta on the hill. He should fare well against this Nationals team that is scoring only 2.9 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven contests with a .230 batting average along with a .302 On-Base Percentage and .653 OPS over that span. Washington (41-38) has lost 4 of their last 5 games against teams with a winning record. The Nationals have also lost 6 straight games on the road — and they have lost 4 of their last 5 games in Philadelphia. They counter with Fedde who is 0-3 with a 5.32 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP in four starts this year after posting a mediocre 4.35 ERA with a 1.40 WHIP in 41 1/3 innings in Triple-A this season. The right-hander enjoyed his best start of the season in his last outing at home against these Phillies where he allowed three runs in 6 innings of work — but this is a tough assignment for him to make just his second start away from home this season against a team that will have a recent memory of his pitches. Washington has lost 3 of their 4 games with Fedde on the mound with the Total set in the 8.5 to 10 range. He faces a Phillies team that has won 7 of their last 10 home games against right-handed starting pitchers.

FINAL TAKE: Pivetta has been very tough when pitching at home this season — and he should be very focused in this game after being rocked by the Nationals in Washington back on May 4th. He gets payback against a slumping Washington team tonight. 25* MLB National League East Game of the Month with the money-line on the Philadelphia Phillies (902) versus the Washington Nationals (901) listing both starting pitchers Nick Pivetta and Erick Fedde. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:10 PM ET on Thursday, we will be playing the money-line on the Boston Red Sox (968) versus the Los Angeles Angels (967) listing both starting pitchers Brian Johnson and Jaime Barria. THE SITUATION: Boston (54-27) has won three straight games — as well as five of their last six contests — with their 9-6 victory over the Angels in the second game of this series.

REASONS TO TAKE THE RED SOX WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Boston has won a decisive 36 of their last 53 games after a win — and they have also won 17 of their last 24 games after allowing at least five runs in their last game. Additionally, the Red Sox have won 6 of their last 7 home games against teams with a winning record on the road. They give the ball to Johnson in this spot start with Steven Wright being placed on the disabled list. The left-hander has a 1-2 record with a 4.50 ERA and 1.44 WHIP mostly pitching out of the bullpen. The sabermetrics call for immediate improvements in those numbers with his SIERA and xFIP projecting an ERA of 3.72 and 3.95 moving forward. Johnson will not pitch deep into this game — and the Red Sox bullpen has been one of the best in baseball. Boston’s pen has a 3.06 ERA with a 1.19 WHIP while seeing both numbers drop to a 2.35 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP over their last seven games. The Red Sox have won their last 6 games with Johnson making the start. He should find success against this Angels team is scoring only 3.4 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .214 batting average along with a .270 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .603. LA has lost 13 of their last 16 games against left-handed starting pitchers. Los Angeles (41-40) has lost five straight games as well as twelve of their last sixteen contests. The Angels have also lost 4 straight games after dropping the first two games in a series. Furthermore, LA has lost 6 straight road games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% at home. They counter with Barria who is 5-3 with a 3.40 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP in ten starts. The lefty has not been quite as effective on the road where he has a 1.23 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .260 in four stars as compared to his 1.20 WHIP and .237 opponent’s batting average at home. He faces a Red Sox team that is scoring 7.0 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .311 batting average, .375 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .914 over that span. Boston has won 42 of their last 59 games against right-handed starting pitchers.

FINAL TAKE: While the money-line price on the Red Sox has dropped from the -145 range to the -125 to -135 range probably because of Johnson on the hill. But I think Johnson should pitch pretty well in this spot before handing things off to the outstanding Boston bullpen. Even if he struggles, the Red Sox should still out-slug this slumping Angels lineup. 25* MLB Thursday ESPN Game of the Month with the money-line on the Boston Red Sox (968) versus the Los Angeles Angels (967) listing both starting pitchers Brian Johnson and Jaime Barria. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:10 PM ET on Wednesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Los Angeles Dodgers (908) versus the Chicago Cubs (907) listing both starting pitchers Alex Wood and Kyle Hendricks. THE SITUATION: Chicago (43-34) snapped their five-game losing streak last night with their 9-4 victory over Los Angeles (42-36).

REASONS TO TAKE THE DODGERS WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Los Angeles had won four straight games before that loss.

At 10:10 PM ET on Monday, we will be playing the Los Angeles Dodgers (908) minus the -1.5 Run-Line versus the Chicago Cubs (907) listing both starting pitchers Kenta Maeda and Duane Underwood. THE SITUATION: Los Angeles (41-35) has won three games in a row after their 8-7 win in New York against the Mets. Chicago (42-33) has lost four in a row after their 8-6 loss in Cincinnati. The Dodgers opened as money-line favorites in the -135 price range but has been bet up and stabilized in the -160 range. While that is above my -150 threshold regarding endorsing money-line favorites, this situation does meet my standards regarding laying the -1.5 Run-Line — and we are getting great value with Los Angeles as money-line underdog in the +130 range.

REASONS TO TAKE THE DODGERS PLUS THE +1.5 RUN-LINE: The Cubs are struggling right now — and they have lost 4 of their last 5 games after a loss. Chicago has also lost 4 straight games after allowing at least five runs in their last game. The Cubs have also lost 5 straight games on the road. They have decided to call up Underwood from Triple-A to make his major league debut. I usually stay away from investing for or against rookies who lack sufficient sample sizes — but after a deep dive into Underwood’s history, I am comfortable in betting against him. The 23-year-old had a 4.43 ER in 138 innings in Double-A ball last year while continuing his reputation of being wildly inconsistent. In Triple-A this season, Underwood has a 3-7 record with a 4.27 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP which is not encouraging for him making his debut on the road against the reigning NL champions. Furthermore, the Cubs surrendered four earned runs in their loss yesterday — and they have then lost 11 of their last 17 games after a game where their bullpen allowed at least four earned runs. Chicago has also lost their last 5 games in LA against the Dodgers. Los Angeles has won 9 straight games after allowing at least five runs in their last contest. They return home for the first time since June 17th — and they have won 4 of their last 5 home games after being on the road for at least seven days. Additionally, the Dodgers have won 5 of their last 6 games at home — and they have won 16 of their last 22 games against teams with a winning record. They counter with Maeda who is 4-4 with a 3.84 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP in twelve starts. The right-hander has been more effective at home as he sees his ERA drop to a 3.41 mark in seven starts. LA has won 8 of their last 11 home games with Maeda facing a team with a winning record. He should fare well against this Dodgers team that the lost 4 straight games against right-handed starting pitchers. Lastly, because the Dodgers score 4.7 Runs-Per-Game, they are supported by an empirical angle specific to the Run-Line that has been 69% effective over the last five seasons. Maeda is averaging 5.75 strikeouts per game — and in the first-half of the regular season, National League favorites who score at least 4.7 Runs-Per-Game with a starting pitcher who strikes out at least 5.0 haters per game now facing a team with a bullpen ERA of 3.33 or  lower (Cubs: 3.11 bullpen ERA) have then covered the -1.5 Run-Line in 46 of these last 67 situations (when priced in the +110 to +160 price range).

FINAL TAKE: I think this is a very challenging situation for an MLB debut for a starting pitcher with the “inconsistent” label. With the Cubs bullpen struggling (and their closer Brandon Morrow on the disabled list) and this team slumping overall, they should lose to this Dodgers team that is playing much better baseball after a slow start to the season. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break Monday ESPN Run-Line of the Year on the Los Angeles Dodgers (908) minus the -1.5 Run-Line versus the Chicago Cubs (907) listing both starting pitchers Kenta Maeda and Duane Underwood. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:05 PM ET on Sunday, we will be playing the money-line on the Philadelphia Phillies (957) versus the Washington Nationals (958) listing both starting pitchers Nick Pivetta and Jefry Rodriguez. THE SITUATION: Philadelphia (41-33) has won three straight games — as well as six of their last seven — with their 5-3 victory over the Nationals in the second game of this series.

REASONS TO TAKE THE PHILLIES WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Philadelphia has won 4 of their last 5 games after a win — and they have won 23 of their last 32 games after winning four or five of their last six games. Additionally, the Phillies have won 4 straight games on the road — and they have won 6 of their last 7 games against teams with a losing record. They give the ball to Pivetta who is 4-6 with a 4.08 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in fifteen starts. The right-hander has been outstanding at missing bats this season as he has struck out 94 batters in 79 1/3 innings of work. That is one of the reasons why the sabermetrics are bullish on Pivetta: his SIERA and xFIP project an ERA of 3.25 and 3.29 moving forward. Philadelphia has won 8 of their last 10 games with Pivetta facing a team with a winning record. He should fare well against this Nationals team that is scoring only 3.7 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven contests. Washington (40-35) has lost seven of their last nine games — and they have lost 5 straight games after allowing at least five runs in their last game. The Nationals have also lost 5 of their last 7 games at home — and they have lost 4 of their last 5 games against teams with a winning record. They counter with Rodriguez who is 0-0 with a 4.66 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP in just 9 2/3 innings of work. The 24-year-old made the big jump from AA just two weeks ago where he had a solid but unspectacular 3.31 ERA with a 1.22 WHIP in 68 innings of work. This is a big stage for his third career MLB start — and he is a facing a red-hot Phillies’ lineup that is scoring 6.7 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .287 batting average along with a .383 On-Base Percentage and a .885 OPS. Philly has won 9 of their last 10 games against right-handed starting pitchers — and they have won 4 of their last 5 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher.

FINAL TAKE: Philadelphia is still a bit undervalued right now — and they have a big edge in starter pitchers tonight with the surging Pivetta in a breakout season facing a starting pitcher making just his third start ever above Double-A ball. 25* MLB Sunday Night ESPN Game of the Month with the money-line on the Philadelphia Phillies (957) versus the Washington Nationals (958) listing both starting pitchers Nick Pivetta and Jefry Rodriguez. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:15 PM ET on Saturday, we will be playing the Houston Astros (924) minus the -1.5 Run-Line versus the Kansas City Royals (923) listing both starting pitchers Lance McCullers and Ian Kennedy. THE SITUATION: Houston (50-27) has lost two of their last three games with their 1-0 loss to the Royals last night.

REASONS TO TAKE THE ASTROS MINUS THE -1.5 RUN-LINE: Houston has still won thirteen of their last sixteen games. They managed only two hits last night against Danny Duffy — but they have then won 25 of their last 33 games after failing to generate more than four hits in their last game. The Astros have also won 6 straight games after failing to score more than two runs in their last contest. They give the ball to McCullers who is 8-3 with a 3.77 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP in fifteen starts this season. The right-hander has been more effective at home where he owns a 2.37 ERA with a 1.00 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .194 in six starts. Houston has won 11 of their last 16 home games with McCullers facing a team with a losing record. He should fare well against this Royals team that is scoring only 2.3 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games while hitting .203 with a .264 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .559 over that span. Kansas City (23-52) snapped a nine-game losing streak with their victory last night — but they have lost 23 of their last 32 games after a win. The Royals have also lost 6 of their last 7 games after scoring two runs or less in their last game. Furthermore, Kansas City has lost 6 of their last 8 games on the road. They counter with Kennedy who is 1-7 with a 5.31 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP in fifteen starts. The right-hander has particularly struggled on the road where he has been saddled with a 6.16 ERA with a 1.73 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .311 in six starts. The Royals have lost 5 straight road games with Kennedy on the hill — and they have also lost 10 of their last 11 night games with Kennedy on the mound. He faces a still hot-hitting Astros lineup that is hitting .281 over their last seven games with a .354 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .804 over that span. Furthermore, Houston has won 25 of their last 33 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher. Additionally, because Houston has not committed more than one error in their last 39 games, they are supported by an empirical angle specific to the Run-Line that has been 72% effective over the last five seasons. McCullers has a WHIP of 1.09 over his last ten starts — and home favorites who have not committed more than one error in at least ten straight games using a starting pitcher with a WHIP of 1.10 or lower over his last ten starts have then covered the -1.5 Run-Line in 47 of the last 65 situations (when priced in the +100 to -190) when these conditions applied.

FINAL TAKE: 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break Fox-TV Run-Line of the Year with the Houston Astros (924) minus the -1.5 Run-Line versus the Kansas City Royals (923) listing both starting pitchers Lance McCullers and Ian Kennedy. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:10 PM ET on Friday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the New York Yankees (965) and the Tampa Bay Rays (966) listing both starting pitchers C.C. Sabathia and Ryne Stanek. THE SITUATION: New York (50-22) has won seven of their last eight games with their 4-2 win over Seattle yesterday. Tampa Bay (34-40) has lost five of their last seven contests with their 5-1 loss at Houston on Wednesday.

REASONS TO TAKE UNDER THE TOTAL: The Yankees have seen the Under go 13-3-1 in their last 17 games after a win. Additionally, New York has played 10 of their last 11 games Under the Total against teams with a losing record — and they have played 7 straight games Under the Total on the road. They give the ball to Sabathia who is 4-2 with a 3.30 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP in thirteen starts. The left-hander has been more effective on the road where he owns a 1.20 WHIP and .209 opponent’s batting average in five starts as compared to his 1.22 WHIP and .260 opponent’s batting average at home. The Yankees have played 7 of their last 8 road games Under the Total with Sabathia facing a team with a winning record — and they have also played their last 4 games Under the Total with Sabathia starting in Tampa Bay. The veteran will be supported by a bullpen that is second in the AL with an ERA of 2.86. He faces a cold Rays lineup that is scoring only 2.0 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven contests with a .191 batting average along with a .267 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .558 over that span. The Under is also 7-1-1 in Tampa Bay’s last 9 home games against left-handed starting pitchers. The Rays return home for the first time since June 13th. The Under is 6-2-1 in their last 9 home games after being on the road for at least seven days — and the Under is 3-1-1 in their last 5 games after an off day. Additionally, The Under is 19-7-1 in Tampa Bay’s last 28 games after a loss — and the Under is 15-5-1 in their last 21 games after scoring two runs or less in their last contest. They counter with Stanek will pitch the first inning tonight with it being a “bullpen game” for the Rays. The right-hander has not allowed an earned run this month in 10 2/3 innings consisting of eight appearances. He should be followed by Ryan Yarbrough who is pitching his regular fifth turn in the make-shift rotation out of the pen where he usually pitches 4 to 5 innings. Yarbrough is 5-3 with a 4.21 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP this season — and he has a 4.19 ERA with 1.08 WHIP along with an opponent’s batting average of .229 when at home.

FINAL TAKE: The combination of Stanek and Yarbrough is solid for the Rays while Sabathia continues to cruise in the twilight of his career where he is thriving as a crafty lefty. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break American League East Total of the Year with Under the Total in the game between the New York Yankees (965) and the Tampa Bay Rays (966) listing both starting pitchers C.C. Sabathia and Ryne Stanek. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:05 PM ET on Tuesday, we will be playing the Arizona Diamondbacks (927) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the Los Angeles Angels (928) listing both starting pitchers Matt Kock and Felix Pena. THE SITUATION: Arizona (40-32) has won eight of their last eleven games with their 7-4 win over the Angels last night. Los Angeles (38-35) has lost three straight games as well as seven o father last eight contests.

REASONS TO TAKE THE DIAMONDBACKS PLUS THE +1.5 RUN-LINE: Arizona has won 5 of their last 7 games are a victory — and they have won 5 of their last 7 games after scoring at least five runs in their last game. Additionally, the Diamondbacks have won 4 straight games on the road. Furthermore, Arizona has been dangerous underdogs who have won 15 of their last 21 games when priced in the +100 to +150 price range — and they have won 7 of their last 11 road games as a dog priced in the +125 to +175 range. They give the ball to Koch who is 5-3 with a 4.09 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP in eleven starts. The right-hander has been more effective on the road where he owns a 3.93 ERA and .250 opponent’s batting average in three starts as compared to his 4.15 ERA and .253 opponent’s batting average at home. The Diamondbacks have won their last 4 games with Koch on the hill. Los Angeles has lost 5 of their last 6 games after a loss — and they have lost 5 of their last 6 games after allowing at least five runs in their last game. Additionally, the Angels have played six straight Overs — and they have then lost 13 of their last 18 games after playing at least four straight games Over the Total. LA has also lost a decisive 14 of their last 17 home games against teams with a winning record on the road. They counter with Pena making his first major league start of his career after pitching 2 2/3 innings in relief where he allowed three runs and five hits. The 28-year-old right-hander has been mediocre in Triple-A this season where he has a 1-2 record with a 3.51 ERA. He faces a hot-hitting Arizona lineup led by a Woke Paul Goldschmidt who is 27 of 69 (.426) over his last seventeen games while crushing seven homers with 18 RBIs over that span. The Diamondbacks are scoring 5.9 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .263 batting average along with a .336 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .775 over that span. Arizona has won 6 of their last 8 games against right-handed starting pitchers.

FINAL TAKE: The slumping Angels with an unproven rookie pitcher making his first Major League start in his career represent very shaky favorites. The Diamondbacks have been good as an underdog — and with them priced no higher than -150 with the advantageous +1.5 Run-Line, let’s attack. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break Tuesday ESPN Run-Line of the Year with the  Arizona Diamondbacks (927) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the Los Angeles Angels (928) listing both starting pitchers Matt Kock and Felix Pena. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:05 PM ET on Sunday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the Chicago Cubs (907) and the St. Louis Cardinals (908) listing both starting pitchers Jose Quintana and Jack Flaherty. THE SITUATION: Chicago (40-27) snapped their three-game losing streak last night with their 6-3 victory over the Cardinals.

REASONS TO TAKE UNDER THE TOTAL: The Cubs have played 7 of their last 8 games Under the Total after a victory — and they have now seen the Under go 39-19-2 in their last 61 road games against teams with a winning record at home. Chicago has also played 4 of their last 5 games Under the Total in the third game of a series. They give the ball to Quintana who is 6-4 with a 4.09 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP in thirteen starts. The left-hander has been very tough on the road where he owns a 2.68 ERA with a 1.21 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .210 in seven starts. The Cubs have played 15 of their last 19 road games Under the Total with Quintana pitching as a favorite priced in the -100 to -150 range — and they have also played 12 of their last 14 road games with Quintana pitching with the Total set in the 7 to 8.5 range. Chicago has also played 10 straight road games Under the Total with Quintana pitching with five or six days of rest. Quintana has found a groove over his last three starts as he owns a 2.04 ERA with a 0.90 WHIP. He should pitch well against this Cardinals team that is scoring only 3.7 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven contests. The Under is also 16-5-1 in St. Louis’ last 22 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher. The Cardinals (36-32) has seen the Under go 13-6-3 in their last 22 games after a loss — and the Under is 5-1-1 in their last 7 games after allowing at least five runs in their last game. St. Louis has also played 11 of their last 16 games Under the Total at home — and they have also played 17 of their last 25 home games with the Total set in the 7 to 8.5 range. They counter with Flaherty who is 3-2 with a 2.96 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP in eight starts. The rookie phenom has been better at home where he owns a 0.96 WHIP and .217 opponent’s batting average in four starts as compared to his 1.25 WHIP and .244 opponent’s batting average when on the road. The Under is 4-1-1 in the Cardinals’ last 6 games with Flaherty facing a team with a winning record. He faces a slumping Cubs’ offense that is scoring only 4.1 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .221 batting average along with a .309 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .645. Lastly, Chicago has played 6 of their last 8 games Under the Total against right-handed starting pitchers.

FINAL TAKE: This shapes up to be a pitcher’s duel tonight with these two starters facing two teams swinging cold bats. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break Sunday Night ESPN Total of the Year with Under the Total in the game between the Chicago Cubs (907) and the St. Louis Cardinals (908) listing both starting pitchers Jose Quintana and Jack Flaherty. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:07 PM ET on Friday, we will be playing the money-line on the Washington Nationals (927) versus the Toronto Blue Jays (928) listing both starting pitchers Gio Gonzalez and Aaron Sanchez. THE SITUATION: Washington (37-28) enters this game coming off a 5-4 win in New York over the Yankees on Wednesday. Toronto (30-38) has lost three straight games with their 1-0 loss in Tampa Bay on Wednesday.

REASONS TO TAKE THE NATIONAL WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Washington has won a decisive 23 of their last 30 road games after a win by just one run — and they have won 7 of their last 10 games after scoring at least five runs. The Nationals have also won 10 of their last 11 games against teams with a losing record — and they have won 15 of their last 20 games on the road. Additionally, Washington has won 7 of their last 8 games in Interleague play. They give the ball to Gonzalez who is 6-2 with a 2.65 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP in thirteen starts. The left-hander has been more effective on the road where he owns a 2.43 ERA with a 1.19 WHIP in six starts. The Nationals have won 13 of their last 19 road games with Gonzalez on the hill. He faces a Blue Jays team that has lost 17 of their last 21 games against left-handed starting pitchers. Toronto has lost 7 of their last 9 games after a loss — and they have also lost 4 of their last 5 games after an off day. Additionally, the Blue Jays have lost 5 straight games against teams with a winning record. They counter with Sanchez who is 3-5 with a 4.33 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP in thirteen starts. The right-hander has a 1-3 mark with a 4.63 ERA over his last seven starts. Furthermore, the sabermetrics suggest things could be even worse for Sanchez with his SIERA and xFIP projecting an ERA of 5.10 and 5.04 moving forward. In his seven home starts, Sanchez has a 1.55 WHIP — and the Blue Jays have lost 6 of their last 8 home games with Sanchez on the hill. Toronto has also lost 9 of their last 10 games with Sanchez facing a team with a winning record. He faces a Washington team that has won 21 of the last 27 games against right-handed starting pitchers — and the Nats have won 9 of their last 11 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher.

FINAL TAKE: Washington has been a better team on the road this year with their 22-12 mark. With a significant edge in starting pitchers tonight, we are getting great value with the Nationals with them priced below our -150 money-line threshold. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break Interleague Game of the Year with the money-line on the Washington Nationals (927) versus the Toronto Blue Jays (928) listing both starting pitchers Gio Gonzalez and Aaron Sanchez. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:05 PM ET on Thursday, we will be playing the New York Yankees (966) minus the -1.5 Run-Line versus the Tampa Bay Rays (965) listing both starting pitchers Domingo German and Blake Snell. THE SITUATION: New York (43-20) has lost two of their last three games with their 5-4 loss to Washington yesterday. Tampa Bay (32-35) has won three straight games with their 1-0 win over the Blue Jays as a small home underdog yesterday. The Rays travel to the Bronx to begin this four-game series.

REASONS TO TAKE THE YANKEES MINUS THE -1.5 RUN-LINE: New York has bounced-back to win 37 of their last 52 games after a loss. The Yankees have been outstanding at home where they have 42 of their last 54 games — and they have also won 4 of their last 5 home games against teams with a losing record. The Yanks are outscoring their visitors by +1.4 Runs-Per-Game when playing in Yankee Stadium. They give the ball to their rookie Domingo German who is 0-4 with a 5.32 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in six starts. The hard-throwing right-hander has 53 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings of work which is one of the reasons why the sabermetrics are calling for significant improvements in the runs he allows moving forward. Both his SIERA and xFIP project an ERA of 3.71 and 3.96 moving forward. He should pitch well against this Rays team that has lost 6 of their last 8 games against right-handed starting pitchers. Tampa Bay has lost 21 of their last 24 games after upsetting a AL East rival as a home underdog. The Rays have also lost 4 straight games after failing to score more than two runs in their last game. And while they have only allowed one run in their last two games, they have lost 11 of their last 14 games after not allowing more than two runs in two straight games. Additionally, Tampa Bay has lost 6 straight games on the road — and they have lost 8 of their last 9 games against teams with a winning record. They counter with Snell who is 8-3 with a 2.30 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP in fourteen starts. Snell’s SIERA and xFIP project an ERA of 3.48 and 3.47 moving forward. The left-hander has not been as effective on the road where he owns a 3.40 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in eight starts as compared to his 0.96 ERA and 0.94 WHIP when at home. Snell also struggles in New York against the Yankees where he has a 6.55 ERA — and the Rays have lost 6 straight games in Yankee Stadium with Snell making the start. Furthermore, Tampa Bay has lost 17 of their last 25 games with Snell pitching with four days of rest. He faces a New York team has that won 13 of their last 16 home games against left-handed starting pitchers — and they have won 11 of their last 15 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower. Lastly, because the Yankees are scoring 5.4 Runs-Pe-Game, they are supported by an empirical angle that is specific to the Run-Line that has been 70% effective over the last five seasons. American League teams that score at least 5.1 Runs-Per-Game with a starting pitcher with an WHIP of 1.30 or lower now facing an American League starting pitchers with an ERA of 3.50 or less have then covered the -1.5 Run-Line (priced in the +115 to +160 price range) in 33 of these last 47 situations where these conditions applied over the last five seasons.

FINAL TAKE: With the Yankees priced in the -160 range which is above my -150 threshold, the better risk/rewards investment is with the Run-Line. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break Thursday FS1 Run-Line of the Year with the New York Yankees (966) minus the -1.5 Run-Line versus the Tampa Bay Rays (965) listing both starting pitchers Domingo German and Blake Snell. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:10 PM ET on Wednesday, we will be playing the Detroit Tigers (920) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the Minnesota Twins (919) listing both starting pitchers Matthew Boyd and Jose Berrios. THE SITUATION: Minnesota (29-34) won the opening game of this series yesterday by a 6-4 score.

REASONS TO TAKE DETROIT PLUS THE +1.5 RUN-LINE: The Twins have lost 6 of their last 8 games on the road — and they have lost 15 of their last 21 road games against teams with a winning record at home. They give the ball to Berrios who is 7-5 with a 3.66 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP in thirteen starts. But the right-hander has not been nearly as effective on the road where he has a 4.55 ERA with a 1.17 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average in five starts as compared to his 3.12 ERA with a 0.77 WHIP and .179 opponent’s batting average in eight home starts. Minnesota has lost 13 of their last 16 road games with Berrios on the hill. Detroit (31-37) has lost five of their last seven games — but they have won 10 of their last 14 games after losing five or six of their last seven contests. The Tigers have also won 11 of their last 17 home games as an underdog priced at least at +125. They counter with Boyd who is 4-4 with a 3.20 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in twelve starts. The left-hander has been particularly tough at home where he owns a 2.48 ERA with a 0.99 WHIP and .186 opponent’s batting average in six starts. Detroit has won 5 straight home games with Boyd on the bump — and they have also won 5 straight home games with Boyd pitching as an underdog. He should fare well against this Twins team that has lost 5 of their last 6 games against left-handed starting pitchers. Lastly, the Twins fall into an empirical “play-against” angle specific to the Run-Line that has been 70% effective over the last five seasons. Berrios has only issued one walk in each of his last two starts — and road favorites with a team batting not higher than .240 over their last twenty games (Minnesota: .236 batting average (676-160) in their last 20 games) using a starting pitcher who has not issued more than one walk in at least two straight starts have then failed to cover the -1.5 Run-Line in 64 of the last 91 games when then priced in the +130 to -255 price range.

FINAL TAKE: Detroit is an intriguing money-line underdog in this situation given their success as home underdogs. But given the low price in taking the +1.5 Run-Line, the advantage that offers us make that the more prudent investment option. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break American League Central Run-Line Underdog of the Year with the Detroit Tigers (920) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the Minnesota Twins (919) listing both starting pitchers Matthew Boyd and Jose Berrios. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 3:40 PM ET on Wednesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Arizona Diamondbacks (906) versus the Pittsburgh Pirates (905) listing both starting pitchers Zack Greinke and Jameson Taillon. THE SITUATION: Arizona (37-29) has won five straight games after their 13-8 victory over the Pirates in the second game of this series. Pittsburgh (32-35) has lost two straight as well as five of their last six games.

REASONS TO TAKE THE DIAMONDBACKS WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Surging Arizona has won 11 of their last 15 games after scoring at least eight runs in their last game — and they have won 7 straight games after allowing at least five runs in their last contest. The Diamondbacks have also won 5 straight games at home — and they have won 5 of their last 7 games against teams with a winning record. They give the ball to Greinke who is 5-4 with a 3.53 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP in thirteen starts. The right-hander has been more effective at home where he has a 1.64 ERA with a 0.86 WHIP and .198 opponent’s batting average in seven starts. In fact, in his last eighteen starts at home going back to last season, Greinke is 13-1 with a 2.87 ERA. Greinke has only lost once in his last twenty-five starts at home. Arizona has won 21 of their last 27 home games with Greinke on the mound — and this includes them winning seventeen of their last nineteen home games with Greinke facing a team with a losing record. He should fare well against this Pirates team that has lost 5 of their last 7 road games against right-handed starting pitchers. Pittsburgh has lost 5 of their last 7 games after a loss — and they have lost 4 straight games after scoring at least five runs in their last game. The Pirates have also lost 17 of their last 23 games after dropping two of their last three games — and they have lost 6 of their last 7 road games against teams with a winning record. They counter with Taillon who is 3-5 with a 4.08 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP in thirteen starts. The right-hander has not been as effective on the road where he has a 4.13 ERA with a 1.32 WHIP in six starts. Pittsburgh has lost 4 of their last 5 road games with Taillon on the mound. He faces a red-hot Arizona lineup that is scoring 8.3 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .295 batting average along with a .361 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .852 over that span.

FINAL TAKE: I expected the money-line price on the Diamondbacks to rise this morning — but it is stabilizing in the -150 range in enough locations for this opportunity to still fit within my parameters. Let’s attack. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break National League Getaway Game of the Year with the money-line on the Arizona Diamondbacks (906) versus the Pittsburgh Pirates (905) listing both starting pitchers Zack Greinke and Jameson Taillon. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:35 PM ET on Tuesday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the New York Mets (955) and the Atlanta Braves (956) listing both starting pitchers Zack Wheeler and Mike Foltynewicz. THE SITUATION: New York (28-34) snapped their eight-game losing streak on Sunday with their 2-0 win over the Yankees. Atlanta (37-28) has lost three of their last four games with their 7-2 loss in Los Angeles to the Dodgers on Sunday.

REASONS TO TAKE UNDER THE TOTAL: New York has played 5 of their last 6 games Under the Total after a win — and they have played 12 of their last 14 games Under the Total after allowing two runs or less. The Mets have also played 4 straight games Under the Total against teams with a winning record. They give the ball to Wheeler who is 2-4 with a 4.57 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP in eleven starts. The right-hander has been more effective on the road where he has a 3.86 ERA with a 1.21 WHIP and .224 opponent’s batting average in five starts. Three of Wheeler’s last four starts were registered as Quality Starts. The Under is also 3-1-1 in the Mets’ last 45 games with Wheeler facing a fellow NL East opponent. Atlanta (37-28) has played 4 of their last 5 games Under the Total after a win — and they have played 10 of their last 14 games Under the Total after scoring two runs or less in their last game. The Braves have also played 5 straight games Under the Total at home. They counter with Foltynewicz who is 5-4 with a 2.31 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in six starts this season. The right-hander has an outstanding 0.97 ERA with an opponent’s batting average of .167 in his last six starts. Foltynewicz has only given up two earned runs or less in twelve of his thirteen starts this season. The Under is 5-1-2 in Atlanta’s last 8 home games with Foltynewicz on the hill. The Mets’ bats are ice-cold as they are scoring average 1.1 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .143 batting average along with .211 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .454 over that span. Lastly, New York has played 16 of their last 21 games Under the Total against right-handed starting pitchers.

FINAL TAKE: With two starting pitchers performing very well right now along with the anemic Mets’ bats in this game, expect a low-scoring contest. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break Tuesday ESPN Total of the Year with Under the Total in the game between the New York Mets (955) and the Atlanta Braves (956) listing both starting pitchers Zack Wheeler and Mike Foltynewicz. Best of luck for us — Frank.