5*New York Yankees -119 (Morton/Tanaka)

M. Tanaka allowed six earned runs to the Indians in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series after never previously allowing more than three earned runs in any of his first eight career postseason starts. He's been solid off a team loss and the Yankees managed just 5 hits yesterday. C. Morton hasn't thrown a pitch in nearly two weeks. I like the Yankees in this one!

10*Cleveland Indians -113 (Woodruff/Civale)

The Indians two thru four hitters went a combined 0-12 in last night's 7-1 loss to the Brewers. Milwaukee is 6-12 after a win this season. I like the Indians to bounce back in a big way.

4*New York Mets -125 (Arrieta/Porcello)

4*Milwaukee Brewers -131  (Houser/Kuhl)

Adrian Houser returns to the scene of his season debut, where he endured a rain delay of nearly two hours in the middle of an effective five-inning stint on July 27. The Brewers are 3-1 when he starts. Take the Brew crew!

4*Oakland A's -109 (Bassitt/Gallen)

4*Colorado Rockies -121 (Weaver/Senzatela)

3*Colorado Rockies -103  (Richards/Gray)

In his 10-year career, mostly with the Angels, Richards has never pitched at Coors Field. He was sharp in his first outing, using two dominant breaking pitches to hold Arizona scoreless over five. Those breaking balls won't be as sharp at altitude in Colorado. Take the Rockies!

3*Cleveland Indians +108 (Giolito/Plesac)

3*Minnesota Twins -103  (Berrios/Giolito)

Jose Berrios has opening day experience while pitching extremely well against the White Sox in his career. He's 11-2 with a 3.20 ERA. Last season, Berrios went 4-1 with a 2.88 ERA against the White Sox. Lucas Giolito will be making his first career opening day start after a fantastic season last year. Light play on the road team!

5*Houston Astros -135  (Greinke/Sanchez)

Zack Greinke hasn't been at his sharpest this postseason, but his last two starts were solid (3.48 ERA in 10 1/3 innings). He'll get to bat in the NL park in Game 3, and Greinke led all pitchers with three home runs and eight extra-base hits this year. Zack has pitched great in NL ballparks of late. He held the Nationals to 2 hits, 0 runs, in 7.1 innings earlier this season. Since 2016, Greinke has allowed only 1 earned run in 21.2 innings at Washington while surrendering just 8 hits. His "stuff" will frustrate this Nats lineup once again. Take the Astros in this must win game!

5*St. Louis Cardinals -110 (Flaherty/Foltynewicz)

It's extremely difficult for any team to defeat the same pitcher twice in 5 days. Especially if that pitcher has not proven to be the Ace of the staff. Foltynewicz submitted one of the best starts of his career in Game 2, putting his 2018 NLDS struggles behind him with seven scoreless innings. The righty retired the last 11 batters he faced. On the flip side, Jack Flaherty is holding batters to a .192 average this season. Jack has an ERA of 1.48 while holding batters to a league-best .189 average in all day games (any game that starts before 6 PM E) this season. The Braves are young and their time will come. Not this year. I like the Red Birds to advance!

4*Washington -125 (Wheeler/Sanchez)

3*NY Yankees -137 (Anderson/Sabathia)

3*Boston Red Sox -114   (Rodriguez/Paddack)

4*Texas Rangers -122 (Sandoval/Minor)

*Philadelphia Phillies -119 (Paddack/Velasquez)

3*Atlanta Braves -128 ( Wheeler/Freid)

5*NY Mets -105  (Corbin/Syndergaard)

This will be Patrick Corbin’s fifth start of the season against the Mets. Two of the first four have come at Citi Field, where Corbin has given up seven runs in 11 innings (5.73 ERA) in a pair of Nationals losses. Noah Syndergaard has been a different pitcher since the All-Star break, posting a 1.78 ERA in five starts and pitching at least seven innings in all of them. He has thrown his Slider a lot more with tremendous results. The Mets are ranked 8th in OPS against left-handed pitching this season. Look for the Mets to ride their walk-off win yesterday to another victory tonight.

4*NY Yankees -125 (Rodriguez/Paxton)

4*Arizona Diamondbacks -120  (Young/Yamamoto)

4*Chicago White Sox -115 (Gallen/Lopez)

4*Minnesota Twins -122 (Bassit/Odorizzi)

5*Minnesota Twins -135  (Matz/Pineda)

S. Matz has a 7.07 ERA on the road this season, 10.22 ERA over the past 30 days, and batters are hitting .281 against the southpaw this year. The Twins are ranked No. 2 in OPS against left-handed starters. Matz has never pitched at Target Field. July has been Matz's worst month going 3-11 with a 5.78 ERA over the past three seasons. Michael Pineda has a 3.13 ERA with 27 K's in 23 IP over the past 30 days. Pineda has always pitched better after the All-Star break with an ERA close to 1 run lower. The Twins have been really good after a team loss. Finally, the Mets are just 1-5 in the fourth game of a road trip this season.

4*Milwaukee Brewers -125  (Bumgarner/Davies)

4*Texas Rangers +150   (Chavez/Pineda)

Jessie Chavez is 1-1 with a 1.77 ERA in three starts and one relief appearance over his past four outings. He has a 0.74 WHIP in that stretch, with 22 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings. Michael Pineda is coming off his best outing of the season. I like the Rangers to bounce back after last night's 15-6 shellacking. Nelson Cruz is OUT for this game and Eddie Rosario has been OUT for awhile. Those are two big bats missing from the Twins starting lineup. Take the Rangers!

3*Cincinnati Reds -131  (Chacin/Gray)

3*Miami Marlins +130  (Velasquez/Hernandez)

4*Minnesota Twins +106 (Morton/Odorizzi)

3*Philadelphia Phillies -125   (Matz/Eflin)

Zach Eflin has been the Phillies' best and most consistent starter this season. He has allowed four or more runs in just three of 14 starts this season. He has a 2.70 ERA in his last five starts. I like the Phillies to end its long losing streak which spans 8 days.

4*Pittsburgh Pirates -110  (Lauer/Musgrove)

3*Minnesota Twins -118  (Rodriguez/Gibson)

3*Minnesota Twins -131  (Porcello/Berrios)

I like the Twins with Berrios off a team loss. He's been one of the best over the past two seasons in this role. Rick Porcello takes a 3.83 ERA in 31 career starts against the Twins to Minnesota. Take the Twins!

4*Philadelphia Phillies -135  (Gray/Nola)

4*Minnesota Twins +103  (Berrios/Bauer)

Jose Berrios has been dynamite off a team loss in his career and the Indians have a weekend series against the NY Yankees on deck. Twins avoid the sweep!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Belmont Stakes (Saturday)

#8 Intrepid Heart (W+P+S)    ML: 10/1

This Colt might have the best pedigree in the race. He stumbled in his last start which adds value to this selection. Fresh horses tend to run well in the Belmont Stakes. Trainer Todd Pletcher only enters horses he believes can win the Belmont. Play it across the board for 1 unit each.

3*Tampa Bay Rays +100  (Gibson/Chirinos)

4*Seattle Mariners -119  (Lynn/Milone)

4*Cleveland Indians -127 (Bassit/Bauer)

4*Seattle Mariners -102  (Gibson/Kikuchi)

The Twins came thru for us yesterday by opening a can of whoop ass on the Mariners. Today, we go the other way. Seattle will send it's most dependable starter to the bump trying to avoid a four-game sweep. The Twins have never seen Kikuchi so there will be an adjustment period. I think the Mariners bats will wake up in this one. Take the hungry host!

4*Minnesota Twins -125  (Berrios/LeBlanc)

5*Minnesota Twins -144  (Skaggs/Berrios)

The Angels continue their long road trip against Jose Berrios at home off a team loss. He's been solid in this role in his burgeoning career. The Twins will be facing a left-handed starter for the second straight game and they are ranked #2 in OPS (on base + slugging) against lefties. Jose Berrios is holding batters to a .198 average at home this season with 30 strikeouts in 27.1 IP. Tyler is Skaggs has talent but has not pitched great on the road this season. His ERA is 6.38 with a .311 batting average against. I like the Twins in this spot at a decent lay. This line will close around -160.

3*Philadelphia Phillies -126  (Eflin/Keller)

4*Minnesota -105 (Gibson/Thornton)

4*Minnesota Twins -130 (Berrios/Sanchez)

3*Texas Rangers -115 (Lyles/Sampson)

5*Seattle Mariners -120  (Lynn/Swanson)

Eric Swanson lost his first two big league starts but drew praise for getting ahead of hitters and staying aggressive. Two home runs by San Diego’s Franmil Reyes doomed him in his previous start, but Swanson also retired 12 of 13 batters before Reyes’ second blast. Eric was originally selected by the Rangers back in the 2014 draft, but never pitched for the club. He should have a little extra motivation in his third career start. Lance Lynn has an ERA of close to 8.00 in all day games over the past three seasons including 2019. I like Seattle to bounce back after losing by 14 runs yesterday and striking out 16 times. Take the home team!

3*Houston Astros -130 (Shane/Brad)

4*LA Dodgers -110  (Stripling/Lester)

The Dodgers will be facing a left-handed starter for the third straight game after not seeing one in the first 16 games. Jon Lester comes off the IL knowing his ERA is better at night (2.84) than in the day (4.00) over the past three seasons. The Dodgers have 6 regulars hitting over .300 against Lester. Take the Blue Crew to avoid the sweep.

4*LA Dodgers -103  (Urias/Davies)

This is one of the most profitable systems in all of baseball. It's very difficult for a pitcher to defeat the same team twice in five days. Granted, the team he is facing is a winning team. The Dodgers are in a great spot to take game one of this series after Davies and the Brewers won in Los Angles five days ago (Saturday).

3*Milwaukee Brewers -113 (Jack F./Brandon W.)

3*Cleveland Indians -134  (Kluber/Junis)

Corey Kluber earned his first win of the season in his last start against the Tigers, striking out eight in six innings. Since 2016, he is 7-2 with a 2.70 ERA against Kansas City. Take the Indians!

4*Milwaukee -122 (Quintana/Woodruff)

4*LA Angels -133 (Volquez/Harvey)

4*Atlanta Braves +135  (Wright/Arrieta)

Blessed with the highest upside among the Braves’ highly-regarded young pitchers, Wright exceeded expectations throughout an impressive spring. He’ll be making his first start and looking to validate his status as MLB Pipeline’s 30th-best prospect. The Braves have seen a lot of Arrieta and will be looking to avoid the sweep. I like playing on good teams as underdogs trying to avoid a sweep of any kind. The Phillies could be looking ahead to Monday's day off. The Braves went 12-4 last year in games after Ronald Acuna went 0-for-5.

4*Washington Nationals -114  (Syndergaard/Strasburg)

I always like playing teams who lost on opening day if playing with one day off (in case of rain/snow outs). Look, It's a long season. I get it. But teams, coaches, GM's, and players don't want to start 0-2. Look how the Cardinals bounced back yesterday after losing to Milwaukee on opening day. Some advantages I like include Noah Syndergaard 0-3 with a ERA over 6 at Nationals Park over the past three seasons. He has struggled in March too with an ERA of 6. He's a stud but lets fade him in this start. Stephen Strasburg is 16-7 in all day games (30 starts) over the past three seasons. His team has gone 24-6 in that role. Noah is allowing opposing hitters to a .246 batting average while Stephen is allowing opposing hitters to a .219 batting average over the past three seasons. A bit surprising. Take the Nats in what should be a low-scoring game.

5*Minnesota Twins +106 (Kluber/Berrios)

The 24-year-old will become the youngest Twins pitcher to take the bump on Opening Day since Brad Radke also pitched the 1997 opener at age 24. The righty had a career-best 3.84 ERA and 202 K's last season and threw a shutout in his first start last season. Corey Kluber tends to struggle in the first month of the season with an ERA close to 4.00 since 2016. His team is also nicked up quite a bit. The Twins lineup looks much improved right now. Corey Kluber has thrown 1,306 career innings while Jose Berrios has tallied just 396 in his burgeoning career. He held hitters to a .200 batting average in all home games last season. Take the Twins!

10*LA Dodgers -145

Walker Buehler delivered for the Dodgers in Game 7 of the NLCS, striking out seven and holding the Brewers to just a solo home run in 4 2/3 innings. The 24-year-old rookie will make his first career appearance vs. the Red Sox in Game 3 at Dodger Stadium. Walker is going to be a star and will replace Kershaw as the ACE going forward. The guy has "filthy" stuff. Rick Porcello hasn't pitched at Dodger stadium since 2011, where his career ERA is 6.32. If the Dodgers are going to win any game of this World Series it will be game three. Home cooking and warmer weather. Take the Blue Crew!

4*Boston Red Sox -109   (Verlander/Sale)

4*LA Dodgers -119  (Ryu/Miley)

4*

4*Milwaukee Brewers -133  (Archer/Gonzalez)

3*

3*Cincinnati Reds -117  (Erlin/Harvey)

4*Chicago White Sox -120  (Fulmer/Lopez)

5*Oakland A's -130  (Hernandez/Jackson)

The A's have seen a lot of Felix Hernandez over the years and he hasn't been the same pitcher since I can remember. Edwin Jackson has been around too, but the Mariners have not faced him in quite some time. I think the A's win and salvage a split in this four-game series.

4*Kansas City Royals +101  (Bundy/Fillmyer)

3*Detroit Tigers -131   (Shields/Boyd)

4*St. Louis Cardinals -114  (Peralta/Flaherty)

3*

4*

3*

4*

3*

4*St. Louis Cardinals -135  (Anderson/Martinez)

4*

4*

3*Chicago Cubs -104  (Corbin/Farrell)

3*

4*

3*

5*St. Louis Cardinals -108  (Martinez/Samardzija)

Carlos Martinez has looked a lot like his pre-injury self with quality starts in his last two games, giving up two runs in each game with 15 total strikeouts in wins facing Cleveland ace Corey Kluber and Arizona's Robbie Ray. Jeff Samardzija has been hampered with injuries and will be on a pitch count. Carlos has been great off a team loss with an ERA under 2.00 during his career. He is holding opposing hitters to a .188 batting average in all day games this season. Take the Red Birds!

4*

3*

4*

3*

5*Minnesota Twins -131  (Gallardo/Odorizzi)

Jake Odorizzi struggled through five innings and surrendered four runs his last time out vs. Cleveland on Sunday. He has struggled mightily vs. the Indians this year, but has held all other opponents to three earned runs or fewer in 11 out of 12 starts. Jake has been stellar in days throughout his career, with an ERA of 2.15 over the past 3+ seasons. On the flip side, Gallardo is still way behind in his preparation, making just his second start since being called up from AAA. His ERA is over 5 in all day games over the past five seasons. Take the Twins to bounce back after allowing 17 runs in their past two games at home. 

4*Pittsburgh Pirates -110   (Peralta/Taillon)

4*Detroit Tigers -104  (Hardy/Shields)

3*Toronto Blue Jays -122 (Cobb/Estrada)

4*Arizona D-backs -132 (Straily/Koch)

3*Seattle Mariners -118

4*LA Angels -121

4*Baltimore Orioles -101 (Gausman/Romo)

5*Philadelphia Phillies -127  (Gaviglio/Eflin)

The Blue Jays have been at home indoors and now must travel to Citizens Bank Park. They are batting just .225 on the road. The Phillies have been great at home and I like them in this spot quite a bit.

4*New York Mets -111  (Smith/Wheeler)

4*Pittsburgh Pirates -125  (Ross/Nova)

4*Toronto Blue Jays -115  (Triggs/Sanchez)

10*Colorado Rockies -101   (Anderson/Lucchesi)

Tyler Anderson couldn't command his pitches in his last start, a home loss to the Angels. Anderson has a 1.50 ERA and 12 strikeouts against two walks in 12 innings against the Padres this year. Colorado batters struck out 15 times in Sunday's home loss against the Brewers. Winning teams bounce back at a 75% clip when facing losing teams after double digit K's. Also, the Rockies are ranked No. 2 in runs scored against left-handed starters. The Padres haven't faced a lefty in five games. Take the road team with confidence!

4*Atlanta Braves -128  (McCarthy/Straily)

4*Atlanta Braves -107  (Foltynewicz/Smith)

4*New York Yankees -130  (Rodriguez/Sabathia)