*3 Star MLB Play of Day* The St. Louis Cardinals had a nice winning streak going, but they lost 6-2 last night. The Brewers had lost 9 straight games before winning that game last night. I'm not convinced that one night will tell us too much about how things are going to go in the coming days and weeks. Milwaukee is a team that is spiraling downward, and the Brewers don't have many guys who have been in this type of situation before. St. Louis is full of veterans who have been in the pennant race many times, and as I have said for quite some time, I do expect the Cardinals to finish on top in the NL Central. Lance Lynn has been amazing against Milwaukee in his career. In almost 55 innings against Milwaukee in his career, Lynn has a 2.47 ERA. Even more impressive, Lynn has a sparkling 1.85 ERA in 34 innings at Miller Park. Kyle Lohse has been inconsistent of late, and several Cardinals players have hit him well. Take St. Louis. 

*4 Star MLB 100% Angle CRUSHER* The Milwaukee Brewers are totally falling apart. Ryan Braun just isn't hitting the ball of late, and you have to wonder if there is an injury that we don't know about there. The Cardinals pitching staff has been on fire of late. St. Louis sends John Lackey to the mound for this one, and Lackey is an above average pitcher. Mike Fiers is a pitcher I've liked for a long time. I think Fiers should have been in the Brewers rotation all year. Fiers has a deceptive delivery and unless you have seen him recently it's very tough to pick up on quickly. While the Cardinals have been playing well of late, their offense has still been in a slump. Look for both starters to pitch well here.

The under is 4-0 in the Cardinals last 4. The under is 5-0 in the Cardinals last 5 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. The under is 6-0 in Fiers' last 6 starts as a home favorite of -110 to -150. The under is 5-0 in Fiers' last vs. a team with a winning record. The under is 4-0 in his last 4 home starts overall. The under is 4-0 in his last 4 home starts vs. a team with a winning record. A 28-0 angle. Take the under. 

*3 Star MLB Moneyline CASH* The San Francisco Giants have been up and down all year long. You could say the same thing about the Detroit Tigers. I do think the Tigers have a higher upside though, and the Tigers have been great in interleague play. San Francisco starts Jake Peavy here, and several guys in this Detroit lineup have hit Peavy hard in the past. Rick Porcello is an underrated starter, and I like how he has been throwing deep into the game. The Giants had an off day on Thursday, but they are just 3-7 in their last 10 following a day off. The Giants are 9-24 in their last 33 vs. a team with a winning record. They are 24-71 in their last 75 interleague road games. The Tigers are an amazing 64-19 in their last 83 interleague home games. Take Detroit here. 

*3 Star MLB Play of Day* The Baltimore Orioles are far better than many give them credit for being, and one of the main reasons is their much improved bullpen. When you have guys like Darren O'Day and Zach Britton pitching lights out in the 8th and 9th innings it can really shorten a game. The Cincinnati Reds offense is a disaster right now. Without Joey Votto this team just can't seem to string together big innings. Jay Bruce is in a major slump and Brandon Phillips doesn't appear completely healthy. Mike Leake has pitched extremely well of late. He has a 1.61 ERA in his last 3 outings. Chris Tillman has a 2.50 ERA at home this year. Tillman is throwing the ball very well lately. The under is 21-9-2 in Tillman's last 32 home starts. Take the under in this one. 

*3 Star MLB Total DOMINATION* Justin Verlander isn't the same pitcher he used to be, and even when he was dominating most teams he had a tough time against the Cleveland Indians. A lot of the guys in this Indians lineup seem to see the ball well against Verlander. Danny Salazar has a ton of potential, but his lack of command has hurt him against top lineups this year. Detroit has scored at least 7 runs in 5 of their last 11 games, so their offense is really clicking right now. Once Verlander leaves here, the Tigers bullpen is very capable of giving up runs in bunches too. Take the over. 

*3 Star MLB Dog of the Day* King Felix shouldn't be an underdog very often. Felix Hernandez is one of those pitchers that can dominate in a way that very few can. Hernandez has been lights out against the Oakland Athletics all throughout his career, and he has been at his best when pitching in Oakland. Seattle is rolling right now, and they are playing great on the road. Oakland is in a hitting funk, and it's hard to get out of something like that against Felix Hernandez. I think Seattle should be a small favorite here. The Mariners are 13-3 in Hernandez's last 16 starts in Oakland. Take Seattle. 

*4 Star MLB Play of Day* The Washington Nationals are a high quality team. Washington has a very good rotation and a very good bullpen. The Nationals offense is coming around thanks to hot hitting from Denard Span and increased production from Bryce Harper of late. The Dodgers start Carlos Frias. Frias will be making his first major league start here. Frias has been nothing more than ordinary in the bullpen and his minor league stats aren't very impressive. Jordan Zimmermann is one of my favorite pitchers to back, and he gives Washington a major pitching edge in this game. Solid price on this one. Take Washington. 

*4 Star MLB Total Value* The Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants have been piling up the runs in this series, and I don't expect that to change in this finale. Coors Field becomes a launching pad during day games, and the temperature is expected to be in the low 90's for this one, which means the ball will be flying extremely well. Ryan Vogelsong has been torched at Coors Field in the past. The Rockies can still score runs at home. Bergman starts for Colorado and his stats suggest he probably shouldn't be in the bigs right now. The bullpen behind him is the worst in the NL. Expect a lot of runs in this one. Take the over. 

*3 Star MLB 100% Angle CRUSHER* The St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates meet in the series finale on Wednesday afternoon. St. Louis has gotten some momentum going of late as their offense has finally started heating up. This team has been a major underperformer on the year as a whole, and the offense has been the main reason. If the offense continues their recent pace, this team will be dangerous. Shelby Miller is in a sophomore slump, and he has  4.98 ERA in his career against the Pirates. Edinson Volquez has a 5.50 ERA in 7 career starts at St. Louis. It will be a hot day which will help the ball carry here too.

The over is 7-0 in Volquez's last 7 road starts. The over is 5-0 in his last 5 as an underdog. The over is 4-0-1 in his last 5 starts during game three of a series. The over is 5-0 in his last 5 road starts with a total set at 7 to 8.5 runs. The over is 4-0 in his last 4 road starts vs. a team with a winning record. The over is 4-0 in the Cardinals last 4 games. The over is 7-0 in their last 7 home games vs. a righty. The over is 4-0 in their last 4 as a home favorite. The over is 6-0 in Miller's last 6 vs. the NL Central. The over is 4-0 in his last 4 on 4 days of rest. The over is 5-0 in his last 5 during game 3 of a series. The over is 4-0 in his last 4 on grass. The over is 4-0 in his last 4 starts when the total is set at 7 to 8.5 runs. A 63-0 angle. Take the over. 

*3 Star MLB Late Night BAILOUT* The Oakland Athletics offense has been in a major slump of late. Without Yoenis Cespedes in the middle of the lineup, it seems the A's aren't the same offense. James Paxton is an impressive youngster who I think will fare well in his first career start against Oakland. A tricky lefty like Paxton is tough to pick up right away, and in this case I see the advantage going to the pitcher. Sonny Gray has struggled a bit of late, but if there were ever a team he could bounce back against its the Mariners. In 32 and 2/3 inning in his career against Seattle, he has allowed only 4 earned runs. Both teams have a great bullpen as well. Take the under here. 

*3 Star MLB Moneyline Value* The Tampa Bay Rays continue to fight down the stretch. There is almost no way the Rays will be back in the postseason this year, but with a manager like Joe Maddon there aren't going to quit. Toronto is a team I've circled as one who is likely to struggle down the stretch. The Blue Jays bullpen is bad to start with and they are totally worn down right now. The Rays bullpen has improved as the season has gone along. Jeremy Hellickson has a solid 3.06 ERA in his career against Toronto. R.A. Dickey has struggled this year, and the Blue Jays defense is poor as well. The price is a good one here. Take Tampa Bay. 

*4 Star MLB Play of Day* The Miami Marlins host the New York Mets in the second game of this series on Tuesday night. Jon Niese starts for the Mets, and Niese has been laboring in recent starts. He hasn't been nearly as sharp as he was earlier this year, and I wonder if he is wearing down a bit. Brad Penny isn't worthy of a big league starting spot, but the Marlins are thin right now so he's getting a start. David Wright has a .600 career batting average against Penny in 20 at bats. Both of these defenses are terrible as well, so unearned runs would come as no surprise in this contest.  Toby Basner is a solid over umpire, which works to our advantage here. This total is too low for these pitchers.

The over is 8-0-1 in the Mets last 9 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. The over is 6-0-1 in Niese's last 7 starts following a quality start in his last start. The over is 3-0-2 in Niese's last 5 starts overall. The over is 3-0 in his last 3 vs. the NL East. The over is 2-0 in his last 2 vs. a team with a losing record. The over is 5-0 in the last 5 meetings between these two. The over is 5-0-1 in Niese's last 6 road starts in Miami. The over is 2-0 in Penny's last 2 vs. the Mets. A 34-0 angle. Take the over. 

*3 Star MLB 100% Angle CRUSHER* The Baltimore Orioles have really impressed this year, and the Orioles are a team I've made solid money backing this season. Phil Hughes is a pitcher I've made money backing the under with, and I'm going to play the under again in this one. Hughes has been lights out on the road most of this season, and the Twins bullpen is pretty solid. Baltimore's Kevin Gausman has a lot of talent and this Minnesota lineup isn't very good right now. The Orioles bullpen is elite. While Baltimore has hit the ball well against Hughes in the past, Hughes is a totally different pitcher this year than he has been in the past. 

The under is 6-0 in Hughes' last 6 following a team loss. The under is 4-0 in Hughes last 4 as an underdog. The under is 6-0 in his last 6 road starts with a total set at 7 to 8.5 runs. The under is 4-0-1 in his last 5 road starts vs. a team with a winning record. The under is 5-0 in Hughes' last 5 starts after the team allowed 5 runs or more last game. The under is 5-0 in Gausman's last 5 after the team allowed 5 runs or more. The under is 5-0 in his last 5 when his opponent scored at least 5 runs in their last game. A 35-0 angle. Take the under. 

*4 Star MLB Play of Day* The Miami Marlins and New York Mets meet early Monday for a Labor Day afternoon game. Zack Wheeler and Henderson Alvarez are two youngsters that I like quite a bit. Wheeler has really come into his own of late, and Alvarez has been amazing at home all season. Wheeler's numbers against Miami really stand out as nothing short of amazing. In five career starts against Miami, Wheeler has a 1.04 ERA. He has allowed a grand total of four runs against them in 34 and 2/3 innings. At Miami, Wheeler has allowed just two runs in 22 innings for an ERA of 0.82. Alvarez has a 1.46 ERA at home this year. Neither of these offenses are particularly impressive.

The under is 4-0 in Alvarez's last 4 games with a total set at 7 to 8.5 runs. The under is 3-0-1 in the Marlins last 4 vs. the NL East. The under is 8-1-1 in the last 10 meetings between these two in Miami. A 15-1 angle. Take the under. 

*3 Star MLB Totals TKO* The Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox are two offenses that have been stuck in neutral of late. Clay Buchholz totally shut down the Rays yesterday, and Buchholz has been struggling badly this year. The Red Sox lineup is very weak at the bottom of the order right now. Drew Smyly is a guy I've been high on this year, and he's been throwing it very well of late. De La Rosa is up and down, but I see him having success against a Rays lineup that strikes out quite a bit. Both bullpens have been throwing it well of late. Take the under in this one. 

*3 Star MLB Underdog Special* The Atlanta Braves aren't worthy of being this big of a favorite. Atlanta has been inconsistent all season, and those who have played big underdogs against the Braves in Atlanta this year have made some pretty good profits. Nate Eovaldi has an ERA of less than 3 in ten career starts vs. Atlanta. Alex Wood has an ERA of 5.26 against the Marlins. Miami is much better against left-handed pitching, and the Braves are much worse against right-handed pitching. This one sets up well for a play on the underdog. I think this price is at least 20-25 cents off where it should be. Take Miami. 

*3 Star MLB Bookie CRUSHER* The Washington Nationals are a team I'm high on. Washington is playing good baseball right now, and they are capable of making some real noise in the postseason. They have a strong rotation, a good bullpen, and a lineup that is improving. I like Hisashi Iwakuma, but he looked horrible in his last outing and he is a streaky pitcher. Tanner Roark continues to throw the ball well. Washington is the better overall team and we're getting too big of a number here for me to pass up. I expected this line to be around +115. Strong value play on the underdog here.

Washington is 4-0 in their last 4 vs. the AL West. They are 5-0 in their last 5 vs. a pitcher with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower. They are 4-0 in their last 4 vs. a team with a winning record. They are 6-0 in their last 6 when their opponent scores 2 runs or less last game. They are 4-0 in Roark's last 4 on 5 days of rest. The Mariners are 0-5 in Iwakuma's last 5 as a home favorite of -110 to -150. A 28-0 angle. Take Washington. 

*4 Star MLB 100% Angle CRUSHER* The New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays play in the series decider on Sunday afternoon. New York managed one measly hit yesterday. History shows the Yankees actually bounce back well from a poor offensive outing (at least in 2014). Toronto has been terrible at winning series' of late. The Jays are 6-15 in their last 21 during game 3 of a series, and many of those games have been series deciding games. The Yankees offense hits lefties much better than righties, and many of these Yankees hitters have hit J.A. Happ hard. Brandon McCarthy has pitched well since becoming a Yankee, and the Yankees have the motivational edge.

New York is 4-0 in their last 4 after scoring 2 runs or less last game. They are 4-0 in their last 4 after allowing 2 runs or less last game as well. The Yankees are 4-0 in McCarthy's last 4 starts as a favorite. The Blue Jays are 0-5 in their last 5 following a win. They are 0-5 in Happ's last 5 with the total set at 7 to 8.5. They are 0-5 in Happ's last 5 overall. A 27-0 angle. Take New York. 

*4 Star MLB Play of Day* The New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays are two teams headed in completely different directions right now. New York is making a strong push and is now in decent position in the AL Wildcard race. Toronto has faded badly and sits at .500 on the year after leading the AL East for a very long period of time this year. Toronto's pitching woes have finally become too much to overcome. Drew Hutchison starts here, and his ERA at home this year is 5.88. Hutchison has allowed 6 runs or more in four of his last eight starts. Hutchison has an ERA of 5.91 in his career in day games. How about against the Yankees? Hutchison has an ERA of 5.81 in 5 starts against them. There are plenty of reasons to fade Hutchison. Michael Pineda is throwing it well since getting healthy again. New York is cheap in this spot.

The Yankees are 7-2 in their last 9 games. The Blue Jays are 1-4 in their last 5 games. The Blue Jays are 3-7 in Hutchison's last 10 home starts. Take New York. 

*4 Star MLB Total DOMINATION* Justin Verlander isn't the pitcher he used to be. Verlander's ERA isn't far from five, and he has been laboring through all of his starts of late. Scott Carroll isn't a big league quality pitcher. Carroll has an ERA of 5.05 and it isn't a fluke at all. He just doesn't have good enough stuff. The White Sox offense is plenty good to score some runs here, and the Tigers should hit Carroll hard. Carroll has allowed five runs or more in six of his last 10 starts. Also important to note that these two bullpens are the worst in the majors in the past month. If we get to the bullpens early, I really like our chances of cashing this one.

The over is 4-0 in the Tigers last 4 road games. The over is 5-0 in the Tigers last 5 as a road favorite. The over is 7-0 in the Tigers last 7 vs. the AL Central. The over is 4-0 in their last 4 road games vs. a team with a losing record. A 20-0 angle. Take the over. 

*4 Star MLB 100% Angle CRUSHER* The New York Yankees have been playing solid baseball of late. New York is right in the thick of the Wild Card race. Toronto is playing some bad baseball of late, and barring a red hot stretch at the end of the year the Blue Jays are likely out of it. The Blue Jays offense is great from #1 through #5 in the order, but the bottom of the order is really bad. The Yankees offense has more depth. Mark Buehrle has some horrible career numbers against the Yankees. In his career he is 1-12 with a 6.19 ERA against the Yankees. Nearly everyone on this Yankees roster has hit him hard in the past. New York has been much better against lefties all year. At plus money, it's a strong value play.

The Blue Jays are 0-7 in their last 7 during game one of a series. They are 0-6 in their last 6 Friday games. They are 0-4 in their last 4 following a win. They are 0-5 in their last 5 following an off day. A 22-0 angle. Take New York. 

*3 Star MLB Play of Day* Here we have a game between two teams who are headed in completely different directions. The Indians are making a playoff push and the White Sox are skidding in a big way. Corey Kluber is mowing down the opposition and the Chicago White Sox are a strong fade of mine down the stretch. Kluber should fare well against the free swinging White Sox bats. Kluber has a 2.79 ERA in his three career starts in Chicago. Hector Noesi pitches here for the White Sox and he isn't any good. Noesi has an ERA of almost 5, and his ERA against Cleveland is just above 5.

The Indians are 4-0 in their last 4 after their opponent scores 5 runs or more last game. They are 5-0 in Kluber's last 5 starts during game 2 of a series. They are 4-0 in Kluber's last 4 starts on a Wednesday. The White Sox are 0-7 in their last 7 games. They are 0-4 in their last 4 home games. They are 0-7 in their last 7 vs. a team with a winning record. They are 0-5 in their last 5 after scoring 5 runs or more last game. They are 0-4 in their last 4 games vs. a right-handed starter. A 40-0 trend. Take Cleveland -1.5. 

*3 Star MLB Runline Value* The Philadelphia Phillies have won 5 of their last 6 games, but all that does is give us some value on the Washington Nationals in this game. Doug Fister starts for the Nationals, and he has a stellar 1.64 ERA against the Phillies in his career. Kyle Kendrick starts for Philadelphia. He has allowed 4 runs or more in 7 of his last 9 starts and he is a guy that virtually never gets past the sixth inning. Kendrick has a 5.00 ERA in 24 career starts against Washington and most of the guys in the Nationals lineup have hit him really well. The Nats have lost the first two in this series. I expect them to bounce back here in a good spot and with a huge pitching advantage. Take Washington -1.5. 

*3 Star MLB Total DOMINATION* The under was my play in last night's meeting between these two AL East teams, and I'm going to go with the under for the second night in a row. Kevin Gausman is quickly improving on the mound, and the Tampa Bay Rays offense isn't very good. Drew Smyly has been a tremendous acquisition for the Rays. Smyly has thrown 14 innings in his career against Baltimore and only allowed one run. The under has been a big winner at home for the Orioles this year, and the under has been very good when Tampa Bay is on the road this year as well.

The under is 4-0 in the Rays last 4 following a loss. The under is 4-0 in Smyly's last 4 starts. The under is 5-0-1 in Baltimore's last 6 Wednesday games. The under is 4-0 in their last 4 following a win. The under is 4-0 in Gausman's last 4 when the Orioles opponent scores 2 runs or less in the previous game. A 21-0 angle. Take the under. 

*3 Star MLB Oddsmaker ERROR* The Los Angeles Dodgers are a short favorite here against an Arizona Diamondbacks team that has nothing to play for and is missing their star hitter (Goldschmitt). Trevor Cahill has pitched better of late, but many of those starts have been against subpar offenses. Several Dodgers hitters have hit Cahill well in their careers. Roberto Hernandez has pitched better than I expected so far this year, and he faces a weak Diamondbacks lineup. The Dodgers have a massive advantage offensively in this contest. The Diamondbacks are 0-8 in Cahill's last 8 Tuesday starts. They are 1-7 in their last 8 as an underdog. Arizona is getting too much credit from the oddsmakers in this one. Take the Dodgers. 

*3 Star MLB Moneyline CASH* The St. Louis Cardinals are a team I've been high on all year. I'm still high on them in general, but this is a bad matchup for them. Gerrit Cole has a 1.93 ERA in two starts against St. Louis this year. Cole is healthy again and he is one of the better young pitchers in the game. Lance Lynn is great at home, but he struggles on the road. Lynn has a career ERA of 2.75 at home and 4.32 on the road. That is one of the biggest home/road splits you'll see from a guy who has been around quite a while. The Pirates have torched him too. Lynn has a 5.19 ERA in 5 career starts at PNC Park and a 4.88 ERA in 11 career starts overall against St. Louis. Look for the Pirates to even up this series after dropping last night's game. Take Pittsburgh. 

*4 Star MLB 100% Angle CRUSHER* The Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays have both been playing solid baseball of late. Both of these teams have been getting good starting pitching and quality relief pitching as well. Alex Cobb is a very good young starter who has been firing on all cylinders of late. Cobb has an ERA of 0.44 in his last three outings. Cobb has shutdown stuff, and the Orioles are now without Manny Machado in their lineup. Cobb's career ERA against the Orioles is a ridiculous 1.89 (6 starts).  Wei-Yin Chen is 13-4 with a 3.76 ERA this season. The Rays offense is below average, and Chen has a solid 3.51 ERA in 11 career starts against Tampa Bay. 

The under is 6-0 in Cobb's last 6 starts. The under is 5-0 in his last 5 starts with a total set at 7 to 8.5 runs. The under is 5-0 in his last 5 vs. a team with a winning record. The under is 4-0 in his last 4 following a quality start. The under is 4-0 in their last 4 games when allowing 5 runs or more last game. The under is 3-0-1 in the Orioles last 4 after scoring 5 runs or more. The under is 4-0-1 in Chen's last 5 starts on 5 days of rest. The under is 5-0 in his last 5 starts overall. The under is 4-0 in Chen's last 4 starts following a quality start. A 40-0 angle. Take the under. 

*3 Star MLB Play of Day* The Milwaukee Brewers have been up and down of late, but this Milwaukee team is still much better than San Diego. The Padres only advantage in this game comes in the bullpen, and it's not as if the Brewers have a bad bullpen. Kyle Lohse pitched poorly in his last few outings, but he has battling an injury then and should be healthy now after a stint on the DL. Lohse is a quality pitcher who hits his spots well. Eric Stults is a guy I like to fade. Stults has pitched better of late, which makes this price cheaper. Obviously, Milwaukee has a huge offensive edge in this game. San Diego's lineup is the weakest in the majors. Too cheap of a price to pass up on the much better team that needs this game. Take Milwaukee. 

*3 Star MLB Moneyline CASH* The Milwaukee Brewers look to avoid the series sweep here, and while it's not necessarily an angle I play all that often, I do like it in this situation. Milwaukee is 8-1 in their last 9 games where they are looking to avoid a three-game series sweep on their home field. This game is really important to the Brewers as well since the Cardinals are now right on their heels. Mike Fiers is a guy I've liked for a long time. He has a very deceptive delivery, so if you haven't seen him lately he's very tough to hit. Vance Worley has been hitting a wall in his recent outings, and the Brewers have a strong pitching advantage in this one. Look for the Brewers to avoid the sweep. Take Milwaukee. 

*3 Star MLB Moneyline Value* The St. Louis Cardinals are closing in on the Milwaukee Brewers. St. Louis is a veteran team that is used to being in these positions toward the end of the year, and I think there is a good chance they'll end up winning the NL Central Division. Justin Masterson has been up and down all season, but I think he has a good opportunity here against a free-swinging Phillies lineup that generally isn't patient enough against a pitcher like Masterson. Jerome Williams has pitched well in his last couple games, but his past tells me he is due for some regression. The Cardinals need this game, while the Phillies are playing out the string. Take St. Louis. 

*4 Star MLB 100% Angle CRUSHER* The Tampa Bay Rays have a lot going for them in this contest. Chris Archer starts for the Rays here, and he has turned into a reliable starter for them. Archer has a 3.17 ERA on the year, and his ERA at Toronto is 2.35. Drew Hutchison starts for Toronto, and he has been shelled of late. Hutchison has a 6.46 ERA at home this year. Additionally, in his career Hutchison has a 7.78 ERA in four starts against Tampa Bay. Three of those four starts have been this year. Hutchison comes into this one throwing it terribly, and he goes against a team that has hit him very hard. Tampa Bay has the much better bullpen as well. Toronto hasn't played well in the past month. 

The Rays are 5-0 in Archer's last 5 road starts. They are 4-0 in his last 4 starts with a total set at 7 to 8.5 runs. The Blue Jays are 0-7 in Hutchison's last 7 during game 3 of a series. They are 0-5 in his last 5 Sunday starts. A 21-0 angle. Take Tampa Bay. 

*3 Star MLB Play of Day* Andrew Cashner has been injured for the past couple months, but reports have been very good out of his rehab and his throwing sessions. When he is healthy, Cashner is one of the best young arms in the game. Cashner faces an injury ravaged Arizona lineup that is an ugly mess right now. San Diego's offense has actually gotten slightly better of late. They certainly aren't good, but they are hitting it a little more. The Padres do have the best bullpen in baseball, and that's a huge advantage in this game. Arizona's bullpen is poor, and Vidal Nuno never goes too deep in a game. Don't be surprised if the bullpens decide this one, and if they do I like our chances. 

The Padres are 8-0 in their last 8 games as a favorite. The Diamondbacks are 0-8 in Nuno's last 8 starts. They are 0-4 in his last 4 home starts. They are 0-6 in Nuno's last 6 as an underdog. They are 0-4 in his last 4 starts with a total of 7 to 8.5 runs. A 30-0 angle. Take San Diego. 

*3 Star MLB 100% Angle CRUSHER* The Seattle Mariners have Chris Young on the hill in this one, and he's been throwing the ball exceptionally of late. The most impressive part to me is that he has been great even when he is on the road (where he has struggled much of his career). Young pitched a gem against one of the best offenses in the majors in Detroit in his last outing. Boston's offense is hurting right now. Mike Napoli and Xander Bogarts are questionable for this one, and even with both of them in the lineup this unit isn't very impressive. Brandon Workman has been underwhelming this season, and he hasn't found any consistency. Seattle has a great bullpen and Boston's pen has been shaky of late. 

The Mariners are 4-0 in their last 4 vs. the AL East. They are 5-0 in Young's last 5 starts. They are 5-0 in his last 5 starts with a total set at 7 to 8.5 runs. The Red Sox are 0-6 in their last 6 vs. the AL West. They are 0-6 in their last 6 games overall. They are 0-5 in their last 5 home games vs. a righty. They are 0-5 in their last 5 as an underdog. They are 0-5 in their last 5 vs. a righty. They are 0-5 in their last 5 vs. a team with a winning record. They are 0-7 in their last 7 home games with a total set at 7 to 8.5 runs. They are 0-5 in Workman's last 5 starts following a team loss. They are 0-5 in Workman's last 5 home starts. They are 0-7 in Workman's last 7 starts overall. They are 0-4 in his last 4 starts after allowing 5 runs or more. They are 0-4 in Workman's last 4 following a quality start in his last outing. They are 0-4 in his last 4 as an underdog. A 82-0 angle. Take Seattle. 

*3 Star MLB Moneyline Value* The Detroit Tigers are a much better team than the Minnesota Twins. While I don't love Robbie Ray being on the mound for the Tigers here, advanced metrics suggest he is better than his current ERA suggests. Ray has been decent in the minors. Minnesota's Tom Milone hasn't been good this year, and the Tigers have several guys in their lineup who have hit him hard in the past. The Twins struggle against lefties, while the Tigers are very good against lefties. Minnesota is 14-37 in their last 51 Friday games. The Twins are 8-20 in their last 28 home games vs. a lefty. The much better team at plus money. Take Detroit. 

*3 Star MLB 100% Angle CRUSHER* The Kansas City Royals roll into Texas playing some great baseball of late. Kansas City has taken the lead in the AL Central with their recent hot streak. What about Texas? Well, they have the worst record in all of baseball. The Rangers are 14-42 in their last 56 games overall. Colby Lewis starts in this one for the Rangers, and I always look to fade him at home. Lewis has a career ERA of 5.3 at home, and this year his ERA at home is an ugly 7.29. Yordano Ventura has electric stuff and this Rangers lineup is much weaker than it has been in the past. Kansas City has the best defense in the majors and one of the best bullpens, and those are two areas where Texas struggles.

The Royals are 5-0 in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a home win percentage of 40% or lower. They are 6-0 in their last 6 during game one of a series. They are 4-0 in their last 4 following a loss. They are 4-0 in their last 4 Friday games. The Rangers are 0-6 in their last 6 during game one of a series. They are 0-4 in their last 4 home games vs. a right-handed starter. A 29-0 angle. Take Kansas City. 

*3 Star MLB Moneyline Value* The Cincinnati Reds are a team in deep trouble right now. They went from a team expected to contend for the NL Central to a team that was injured badly and it has finally caught up with them. They are way out of the playoff race, and now they aren't showing any fight at all. The Braves still have plenty to play for, and they are heating up of late. Two teams headed in different directions here. Atlanta's lineup has some amazing numbers against Mat Latos as well. In all, the Braves lineup has 73 AB's against Latos and have hit .425. Getting the Braves as underdogs is too much for me to pass up. Take Atlanta. 

*3 Star MLB Early Bird Special* The Baltimore Orioles have the third best record in baseball. I have said this several times lately and I'll say it once again, the oddsmakers aren't giving this team the credit they deserve. This is a very good offense and solid starting pitching staff. The bullpen has become one of the best in the American League in the second half. They aren't getting priced like a team that is one of the best in the majors. Jake Arrieta has been great this year, but the Cubs had to play one and a half games yesterday and the second game didn't end until late. The Orioles are the better rested team, and Kevin Gausman is a solid young pitcher. 

Baltimore is 4-0 in their last 4 road games. They are 4-0 in their last 4 games played on grass. They are 5-0 in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a losing record. They are 6-0 in Gausman's last 6 starts on 4 days of rest. They are 4-0 in his last 4 starts as an underdog. The Cubs are 0-4 in their last 4 as an interleague favorite. A 27-0 angle. Take Baltimore. 

*3 Star MLB 100% Angle CRUSHER* The Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians meet on Thursday afternoon in the finale of their three-game series. Both teams send their best starting pitcher to the mound in this one. Phil Hughes is one of the most improved pitchers in the majors this year. Hughes is throwing the ball better than he has at any other time in his career. In his last three games, he has allowed only a single run in each contest. The Indians are without Nick Swisher and David Murphy right now. Corey Kluber has been the best pitcher in baseball outside of Clayton Kershaw in the last couple months. Kluber has allowed two runs or less in 11 of his last 12 starts. He has allowed one run or less in each his last five outings. Minnesota's lineup is very weak right now. This is a get away day game, which means the lineups could be weaker than normal as well. 

The under is 6-0 in Kluber's last 6 road starts. The under is 5-0 in his last 5 as a road favorite. The under is 5-0 in his last 5 as a favorite of -110 to -150. The under is 7-0 in Hughes' last 7 starts with a total set at 7 to 8.5 runs. The under is 6-0 in his last 6 starts overall. The under is 4-0-1 in his last 5 home starts vs. a team with a winning record. The under is 4-0 in his last 4 starts as an underdog. The under is 4-0 in Hughes' last 4 home starts. A 41-0 angle. Take the under. 

*3 Star MLB Totals TKO* Betting an under with the Colorado Rockies is always a little scary, but when they don't have Troy Tulowitzki or Carlos Gonzalez in the lineup it isn't quite as scary. Colorado's offense is far from elite right now, and Danny Duffy continues to throw the ball well. Jorge De La Rosa has a 1.98 ERA in 27 and 1/3 innings with HP umpire Jeff Nelson behind the dish. That's an important stat, and De La Rosa has a solid 3.30 ERA at Coors Field this year as well. Kansas City has been inconsistent offensively this year against lefties. The wind will be blowing in and we won't have much heat in this game. I see this staying a little lower scoring than expected. Take the under. 

*3 Star MLB Moneyline Value* Minnesota sends Ricky Nolasco to the hill for this one, and I'm not a fan of Nolasco. He has been getting hit around pretty hard all year. He has an ERA of 5.99, and the Indians have hit him well in the past. T.J. House is an improving youngster who should fare well against this weak Twins lineup. The Twins actually scored 5 runs in the first inning without the Indians recording an out last night. The entire rest of the game the Twins failed to score another run and they lost. Cleveland has the better offense, slightly better SP, and better bullpen. Cheap price on the road team here. Take Cleveland. 

*3 Star MLB Oddsmaker ERROR* I continue to see a lack of respect for the Baltimore Orioles right now. The oddsmakers aren't pricing this team as if they are a contender, and yet they sit 20 games above .500 with the third best record in baseball. The White Sox are a team I've been looking to fade a lot this year, and I see even more reasons to fade them late in the season. Chicago has nothing to play for, and their bullpen is a disaster area right now. Hector Noesi isn't a good starter, and he doesn't go deep into the game normally. It's a recipe for disaster against a strong Orioles offense. Chen has a solid 3.13 ERA in four career starts against the White Sox. 

The Orioles are 4-0 in their last 4 games vs. a team with a losing record. They are 4-0 in their last 4 road games vs. a team with a losing record. The White Sox are 0-5 in their last 5 Wednesday games. They are 0-4 in their last 4 home games vs. a team with a winning road record. They are 1-7 in their last 8 games after allowing 5 or more runs. The Orioles are 4-0 in Chen's last 4 starts vs. the White Sox. A 28-1 angle. Take Baltimore. 

*4 Star MLB Play of Day* The Los Angeles Angels have the best record in baseball. Los Angeles has Mike Trout hitting again after a brief cold stretch, and Albert Pujols has been pretty productive all year as well. Kole Calhoun doesn't get enough credit for how well he has played. Garrett Richards is a guy I'm very high on. He has a much improved ERA this season and advanced metrics suggest it is no fluke. Richards has much better command of all his pitches this year. Clay Buchholz is hit or miss, and after two solid starts I won't be surprised if he goes back to the bad side here. The Angels have a much improved bullpen, which makes me like this more than I would have a few weeks ago.

The Angels are 7-0 in Richards' last 7 road starts vs. a team with a losing record. The Red Sox are 0-4 in their last 4 home games vs. a team with a winning record. They are 0-5 in their last 5 games with a total set at 7 to 8.5 runs. They are 0-5 in Buchholz's last 5 starts. They are 0-4 in Buchholz's last 4 starts vs. a team with a winning record. A 25-0 angle. Take Los Angeles. 

*3 Star MLB Early Bird Special* James Paxton has pitched very well when he has been healthy this year. He has quieted a couple of good lineups in his last two outings. He'll be up against a weak Phillies lineup here. The Phillies offense has been one of the worst in the league all season long. Cole Hamels has been bringing his "A Game" of late. Hamels has allowed one run or less in five of his last six starts. He also has a 1.66 ERA in day games so far this season. Day games can be good chances to find value on the under on get away days since some stars rest on these days. Another huge plus here is umpire Ron Kulpa. Kulpa is one of the best under umpires in the game and he'll help both pitchers.

The under is 9-0-2 in the Mariners last 11 interleague games vs. a team with a losing record. The under is 5-0 in the Phillies last 5 interleague home games vs. a lefty. The under is 3-0-1 in their last 4 home games vs. a team with a winning record. The under is 4-0 in Hamels' last 4 starts as a favorite of -110 to -150. The under is 4-0 in his last 4 starts with the total set from 7 to 8.5. The under is 7-0-1 in the last 8 meetings between these two teams. A 32-0 angle. Take the under. 

*3 Star MLB Play of Day* The Colorado Rockies are missing Troy Tulowitzki, Carlos Gonzalez, and they'll likely be without Justin Morneau on Tuesday as well. Colorado's bullpen is one of the worst in baseball, and the rotation isn't any good. Tyler Matzek is overmatched in the majors and here he'll face a red hot Royals offense that should pounce. James Shields is a streaky pitcher, but he's throwing it great of late. Kansas City's bullpen has been amazing in the past month. There isn't a single area in this game where the Rockies have the edge. It's a mismatch. 

The Royals are 7-0 in their last 7 interleague road games. They are 6-0 in their last 6 vs. the NL West. They are 6-0 in their last 6 interleague games as a favorite. They are 5-0 in their last 5 during game one of a series. The Rockies are 0-4 in their last 4 Tuesday games. The Rockies are 1-10 in Matzek's last 11 starts. A 38-1 trend here. Take Kansas City -1.5. 

*3 Star MLB 100% Angle CRUSHER* The Baltimore Orioles aren't getting enough credit for the way they are playing right now. Yesterday they knocked off Chris Sale who is the White Sox best pitcher. Today, they'll try to knock off the White Sox second best pitcher. I like Jose Quintana, but he often doesn't pitch deep into games and that's a major problem when you have a bullpen like the White Sox do right now. In the past month, no bullpen in the majors has been worse than the White Sox bullpen. Chris Tillman has been solid of late, and the Orioles bullpen is better than average. The Orioles lineup is on fire of late, and they hit lefties well.

Baltimore is 5-0 in their last 5 road games vs. a lefty. The Orioles are 4-0 in their last 4 Tuesday games. They are 4-0 in Tillman's last 4 after scoring 5 runs or more. They are 4-0 in Tillman's last 4 starts overall. The White Sox are 0-6 in their last 6 during game 2 of a series. The White Sox are 0-5 in Quintana's last 5 home starts vs. a team with a winning record. They are 0-4 in his last 4 starts as a home underdog. A 32-0 angle. Take Baltimore. 

*3 Star MLB Moneyline Value* The Detroit Tigers are in need a of win here. They have fallen behind the Kansas City Royals in the AL Central. While Detroit can still get in the playoffs with a Wild Card spot, I have to believe they want no part of the one game playoff. Max Scherzer has been amazing in the past ten starts. In six of those ten starts, he has allowed one run or less. He hasn't allowed more than three runs in any start during that period. That is some really impressive stuff, and I like his chances vs. a Rays lineup that isn't all that good. Scherzer generally works deep into the game so we won't have to see the Tigers bullpen for too long here. Detroit needs this game and they have their ace on the mound. Take Detroit. 

*3 Star MLB Sunday Night Baseball CASH* The Atlanta Braves have taken the first two games of this series, and the Oakland Athletics have lost four straight games. Jon Lester starts Sunday night for the Athletics, and he has been rock solid all year long. Lester has been at his best in the past two months, and I expect a good performance from him against a Braves lineup that hasn't been very good this year. The Braves bullpen is still solid, but the A's actually have a slightly better pen. One big reason to go against Atlanta here too is Mike Minor. Minor starts this one and he has been terrible this season with an ERA above 5. The A's are looking to avoid the sweep and avoid falling out of first place in the AL West for the first time in a very long time. I think Lester will be the stopper. Take Oakland. 

*3 Star MLB Major MISMATCH* The Los Angeles Angels broke my heart and my clients hearts with a ridiculous 5-4 win on Friday night. The Angels led 5-1 in the bottom of the 8th, but allowed three runs in the 8th and won only 5-4 to make my run line bet on the Angels a loser. That one was really tough to take since it was an ugly throwing error that cost us a winner. I'm going to the Angels in this one. Nick Tepesch has looked better the last couple games, but it will be 95 degrees with the ball carrying extremely well here. The Angels home run hitters should have some success in this one. The Rangers bullpen is very weak too, and the Angels bullpen has been much better since Huston Street was added. Texas' offense isn't the same anymore, and Hector Santiago has been throwing it well of late. Take Los Angeles -1.5. 

*3 MLB 100% Angle CRUSHER* The Chicago White Sox are a team I'm looking to fade down the stretch. Chicago's bullpen problems are as bad as anyone outside of Houston right now. The White Sox also don't have much depth in their starting rotation, which is exactly why they must turn to Scott Carroll here even though he has been dealing with blister issues on his finger. Carroll isn't a good starter to begin with, and this Blue Jays lineup is getting back to full strength now with Adam Lind and Edwin Encarnacion both back in the fold. Hutchison is a hot and cold pitcher, but he has thrown it much better away from home. There aren't many bullpens worse than Toronto's, but Chicago's is definitely worse. Plenty of reasons to like the Jays, who are still fighting for a playoff spot.

The Blue Jays are 5-0 in their last 5 road games with the total set at 9 to 10.5 runs. The White Sox are 0-4 in Carroll's last 4 starts. They are 0-4 in his last 4 home starts. They are 0-6 in their last 6 game when their opponent scores 5 or more runs the day before. The White Sox are 0-5 in their last 5 Sunday games. The Blue Jays are 4-0 in Clint Fagan's last 4 games behind home plate. A 28-0 angle. Take Toronto. 

*4 Star MLB Play of Day* The Tampa Bay Rays fell one game below .500 again with yesterday's tough loss to the New York Yankees. The Rays are on the fringe of Wild Card contention, and they badly need this game if they want to stay in the picture at all. I love the no quit attitude of Joe Maddon's Rays. Maddon is one of the best managers in baseball. The Yankees start Hiroki Kuroda here, and he has a career ERA of 6.07 against the Rays. His ERA is 6.94 at Tampa Bay. On the other hand, Jeremy Hellickson has an impressive 2.95 ERA against the Yankees. Hellickson doesn't issue free passes, and his aggressive style has been paying off of late. 

Tampa Bay is 4-0 in their last 4 games when their opponent allows 2 runs or less last game. They are 10-1 in Hellickson's last 11 Sunday starts. The Yankees are 0-4 in Kuroda's last 4 starts vs. the Rays. They are 0-4 in Kuroda's last 4 starts as an underdog. The Yankees are 0-5 in their last 5 road games vs. a right-handed starter. The Yankees are 1-9 in Kuroda's last 10 road starts vs. a team with a losing record. A 36-2 angle. Take Tampa Bay. 

*3 Star MLB Early Bird Special* The Detroit Tigers offense is one of the best in baseball. Chris Young is a pitcher I've backed many times this year and played the under with many times this year as well, but Young is much better at Safeco than he is on the road. This Tigers lineup can get to the best of pitchers, and Young isn't as good as his ERA appears. Opponents have a batting average on balls in play against him of just .224, which is just absurdly low. Robbie Ray has a lot of room for improvement when it comes to command, and Seattle is hitting with confidence right now. This number is a little too low. Take the over. 

*3 Star MLB Total DOMINATION* The Texas Rangers offense hasn't been particularly good of late, but I do think they'll get to Matt Shoemaker some here. It will be in the upper 90's at gametime here, and that really makes the ball fly well in Arlington. Shoemaker has an ERA over 6 on the road this year. Colby Lewis has an ERA over 7 at home this season. The Angels offense demolished Lewis in his last home outing against them. I expect to see several balls leave the yard in this one. The Angels have a team that is capable of scoring in bunches and hitting multiple homers in this kind of environment against a pitcher like Lewis. The over is 5-0-1 in Lewis' last 6 home starts vs. the Angels. The over is 4-0 in Shoemaker's last 4 road starts. Take the over. 

*3 Star MLB 100% Angle CRUSHER* The Kansas City Royals are playing tremendous baseball right now. Kansas City's success has been led by amazing bullpen work and great starting pitching, but one thing that is often missed in their success is their amazing defense. Kansas City saves more runs defensively than anyone else in the league. The Twins have nothing to play for now, and they would prefer to just see this season end. Kansas City has dominated the Twins in the past couple seasons. Yordano Ventura is a phenom, and his stuff is electric. The Twins offense is scuffling of late. Phil Hughes is much improved, but he has struggled at home. In addition, his career ERA is 5.63 against the Royals. Cheap price on the much better team.

The Royals are 5-0 in their last 5 road games. They are 4-0 in their last 4 road games vs. a right-hander. They are 6-0 in their last 6 after scoring 5 runs or more last game. They are 5-0 in their last 5 road games with a total set at 7 to 8.5 runs. They are 6-0 in their last 6 vs. a team with a losing record. The Royals are 4-0 in Ventura's last 4 starts. They are 5-0 in his last 5 starts vs. the AL Central. They are 4-0 in his last 4 starts following a quality start. They are 4-0 in their last 4 road games vs. a team with a losing home record. A 43-0 angle. Take Kansas City. 

*3 Star MLB Moneyline Value* The Kansas City Royals have been red hot of late. Kansas City is 18-4 in their last 22 games. The Royals have gotten tremendous starting pitching and amazing bullpen work of late. In the past few weeks, no bullpen in baseball has pitched better than this group. While I am aware of the potential for a "let down" game here from Kansas City coming off their series win over Oakland, I see plenty of reasons to back them. Ricky Nolasco has struggled all year, and he's coming off an injury and looked shaky in his rehab outing in Single A. Danny Duffy has a spectacular 2.03 ERA in his career against Minnesota. It's even more impressive at 0.61 at Target Field. I projected this line at -155, so plenty of line value here. Take Kansas City. 

*3 Star MLB 100% Angle CRUSHER* The St. Louis Cardinals offense has underperformed all year long. I continue to be confused by why this team isn't hitting any better than they are. I don't see them getting it going today though against one of the better young pitchers in all of baseball, Tyson Ross. Ross has thrown the ball extremely well of late, and his stuff is electric. Lance Lynn is a much better pitcher at home, and this Padres offense is still dead last in the majors in runs scored. John Tumpane has a slightly bigger strike zone than the average umpire, which helps us as well.

The under is 5-0 in the Cardinals last 5 home games. The under is 4-0 in their last 4 home games vs. a right-handed pitcher. The under is 6-0 in their last 6 games as a favorite. The under is 4-0 in Lynn's last 4 Friday starts. The under is 6-0 in his last 6 starts as a favorite. The under is 7-0 in Lynn's last 7 home starts. A 32-0 angle. Take the under. 

*5 Star MLB TOP Play of the Month* The Texas Rangers are a sinking ship and their ship is going down fast. I don't like what I'm seeing out of this team at all. Ron Washington is one of the worst managers in the league, and I don't think this team is putting forth their best effort on a nightly basis anymore. Texas starts Nick Martinez in this game. Martinez has a 5.22 ERA, and advanced metrics actually show that he is fortunate that number isn't even higher. The Angels offense is dangerous and in the Texas heat in this hitter's ballpark I expect them to put up quite a few runs. On the other side, Garrett Richards is one of my favorite guys to back. Richards is a fast improving starter with great stuff and his command has improved a ton this year. Richards threw a shutout at Texas a few weeks ago against a similar Rangers lineup. Richards has been great away from home this year (1.91 ERA). I think this game gets ugly. 

The Angels are 5-0 in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a home win percentage of 40% or lower. They are 5-0 in their last 5 games with the total set at 9 to 10.5. The Angels are 4-0 in Richards' last 4 starts with the total set at 9 to 10.5 runs. They are 6-0 in Richards' last 6 road starts vs. a team with a losing record. The Rangers are 0-4 in Martinez's last 4 home starts. The Rangers are 0-7 in Martinez's last 7 starts vs. a team with a winning record. They are 0-7 in his last 7 starts with the total set at 9 to 10.5 runs. The Rangers are 0-4 in their last 4 during game one of a series. The Angels are 4-0 in their last 4 at Texas. They are 7-0 in the last 7 meetings between these two. A 53-0 trend. Take the Los Angeles Angels -1.5 big! Play of the Month 

*3 Star MLB Moneyline CASH* The Tampa Bay Rays have a chance to get back to the .500 mark tonight. That's important to this team because it wasn't terribly long ago that this team had the worst record in the majors. Joe Maddon's team fights extremely hard and they are still in the Wild Card race right now. In fact, this is a huge series for their Wild Card hopes since the Yankees are just ahead of them in the race. Brandon McCarthy has pitched well for the Yankees, but I trust Alex Cobb much more than him. Cobb has excellent stuff and has finally found his groove of late. The Rays have the better bullpen here as well. This is a rare sell out in Tampa Bay too. The Rays get this game. Take Tampa Bay. 

*3 Star MLB Totals TKO* The Miami Marlins and Arizona Diamondbacks meet on Friday night, and I'm not impressed with either of these two starters. Trevor Cahill has pitched better of late, but he has thrown it well against poor offenses. The Marlins have actually been pretty good offensively at home this year. The Marlins start Brad Hand who isn't a major league starter in my opinion, and the fish bullpen has been overworked the last few days. Hand isn't a guy who will go deep in the game. The DBacks bullpen isn't good at all, and they have been overworked lately as well. While neither offense is elite, a total of just 7.5 with this kind of pitching setup is too good for me to pass on. Take the over. 

*3 Star MLB Major MISMATCH* The San Diego Padres have been playing surprisingly well of late. Still, this is a team with a really bad offense and starting pitching problems. Yonder Alonso is one of their best hitters and he went on the DL with an injury yesterday. St. Louis has underperformed all year, but they are a much better team than San Diego. Eric Stults has an ERA above 5 on the road, and I always look for chances to fade him. John Lackey had a horrible start in his last outing, but this is a good chance for him to bounce back against the worst offense in baseball. The moneyline is too expensive here, but the run line is a very good value at a big plus money number. Take St. Louis -1.5. 

*3 Star MLB Early Bird Special* The Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs meet in the fourth game of this series Thursday afternoon. The Cubs have won back to back games and have a chance to win this series 3-1. Edwin Jackson takes the hill for them though, and he's had an awful season. Jackson is very hittable, and this Brewers lineup has been solid all year. Braun is expected to miss this game. If he were playing I would have rated it higher, but even without him the Brewers offense is better than the Cubs offense. The Brewers start Mike Fiers here, and I like this youngster. Fiers has a deceptive delivery and the Cubs haven't seen him in a long time. Milwaukee has a big bullpen edge. The Brewers salvage a split here. Take Milwaukee. 

*4 Star MLB Play of Day* The Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics meet in the series finale in Kansas City on Thursday afternoon. Kansas City is playing as well as anyone in baseball lately, and it's largely due to great starting pitching and amazing bullpen work. James Shields has been on point of late. In addition, Shields has an ERA of less than 2.5 in day games so far this year. Oakland's Jeff Samardzija has been rock solid this year, and the A's bullpen is terrific as well. With two quality starters, two good bullpens, and a get away day afternoon start time there are plenty of reasons to expect a low scoring game. 

The under is 4-0 in Shields's last 4 starts overall. The under is 4-0 in his last 4 starts with a total set between 7 and 8.5 runs. The under is 7-1 in the Royals last 8 games vs. a starter with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower. A 15-1 angle. Take the under. 

*3 Star MLB Oddsmaker ERROR* The Oakland Athletics are the best team in baseball right now. While the Kansas City Royals have been hot, they certainly have more flaws than Oakland. The Royals lineup is very inconsistent, and their starting rotation isn't terrific. Jason Vargas has an ERA well above 4 at home this year, and I think this patient Oakland lineup will take advantage of the fact that he allows a lot of baserunners. Scott Kazmir is a great story, and he has very high quality stuff. The A's deserve to be a bigger favorite than this against a hot and cold Kansas City team. Take Oakland. 

*3 Star MLB Play of Day* The Washington Nationals are a much more complete team than the New York Mets. Washington has a better offense, a better bullpen, and a better starting pitcher going in this one. While I do respect Bartolo Colon, Jordan Zimmermann is a guy who has made me a lot of money in the past few years. The Nationals are 23-4 in their last 27 games against the Mets in New York, so they feel right at home here. Washington is finally hitting their stride, and the Mets are out of the race. Plenty of reasons to like the Nationals in this contest. Take Washington. 

*3 Star MLB 100% Angle CRUSHER* The San Francisco Giants are 7-22 in their last 29 home games. Jake Peavy is on the mound for them in this one. While Peavy isn't a bad pitcher now, he also isn't particularly great. Jose Quintana is very solid, and the White Sox have the clear starting pitching advantage in this one. The Giants are a team headed south in a hurry right now. Having said all this, it makes absolutely no sense to see the Giants at -150 at many books. These Giants don't deserve that with anyone on the hill, let alone Jake Peavy. I'm betting a price here, because this feels like a toss up game. 

The White Sox are 5-0 in their last 5 vs. the NL West. They are 5-0 in their last 5 interleague games. The Giants are 0-6 in their last 6 vs. the AL Central. They are 0-5 in their last 5 overall. They are 0-4 in their last 4 home games vs. a lefty. They are 0-5 in their last 5 interleague games. The White Sox are 6-0 in their last 6 games vs. the Giants. They are 4-0 in their last 4 at San Francisco. A 40-0 angle. Take Chicago. 

*3 Star MLB Play of Day* The Seattle Mariners are playing good baseball of late, and they catch Toronto at a good time here. Toronto is worn out after the 19 innings game against Detroit on Sunday and then a game immediately in Seattle on Monday night. There should be some hangover here still. Also, Edwin Encarnacion will be back in the lineup this weekend for Toronto, but he's still out for this game. Chris Young is a different pitcher at home. Young loves throwing at Safeco, where it's very hard to hit a home run. J.A. Happ has an ERA above 5 on the road. The Mariners have the best bullpen in baseball and the Blue Jays are one of the five worst. 

Seattle is 6-1 in their last 7 home games vs. a lefty. They are 6-1 in their last 7 overall. Toronto is 0-4 in their last 4 road games. They are 0-4 in their last 4 vs. the AL West. They are 0-4 in their last 4 after scoring two runs or less. They are 1-6 in their last 7 road games vs. a right-handed starter. A 30-3 angle. Take Seattle. 

*3 Star MLB Moneyline CASH* The Tampa Bay Rays are a much better team than the Texas Rangers. Texas is 7-19 in their last 26 home games and 13-38 in their last 51 games overall. The Rangers appear to have packed it in for the year. I won easily with the Rays last night as the Rangers offense was punchless. I'm going back to the Rays here. Jeremy Hellickson may not be a great pitcher, but he is certainly better than Nick Tepesch at least at this stage in his career. The Rays offense is at least as good as the Rangers (probably better), and the bullpen is better than the Rangers. Tampa Bay is still fighting, and Joe Maddon won't let them quit. 

The Rays are 10-1 in their last 11 as a road favorite of -110 to -150. The Rangers are 0-5 in their last 5 home games vs. a team with a losing record. They are 0-4 in Tepesch's last 4 during game two of a series. A 19-1 angle. Take Tampa Bay. 

*3 Star MLB Moneyline Value* The Tampa Bay Rays have been playing great baseball on the road. They are 19-7 in their last 26 road contests. Texas is one of the worst teams in baseball right now, and Colby Lewis has been a great fade at home this year. Lewis has a career ERA of 5.32 in Texas. He has an ERA above 7 at home this year. Drew Smyly is a quality young lefty for the Rays. Texas' bats aren't even close to what they used to be. I've been watching this one and at this price, it's too good of a value for me to pass up. Texas is 3-13 in their last 16 home games vs. a lefty. They are 1-4 in Lewis' last 5 home starts. Take Tampa Bay. 

*3 Star MLB Early Bird Special* The Philadelphia Phillies burned me yesterday by coming back from a 6-1 deficit to beat the Mets, but I'm going to back the Mets for a second straight day. Jon Niese has been a consistent solid starter for the Mets for several years now, and the Phillies offense has been a major disappointment this year. David Buchanan isn't a long-term answer at all for the Phillies, and I think his numbers will get worse between now and the end of the year. The Mets offense has been surprisingly good of late. Even though they let us down yesterday, this Mets bullpen is definitely better than the Phillies bullpen. 

The Mets are 4-0 in Niese's last 4 starts vs. a team with a losing record. The Mets are 4-0 in his last 4 starts vs. the Phillies. The Phillies are 1-4 in their last 5 vs. the NL East. A 12-1 angle. Take the Mets. 

*3 Star MLB Sunday Night Baseball CASH* The Atlanta Braves really need a series win here. The Nationals have crept away from them in the NL East Standings. Washington won an extra innings affair last night. Gio Gonzalez has been horrible in his career against Atlanta. In 10 career starts vs. the Braves, Gio has a 5.31 ERA. On the other hand, Alex Wood has a 1.17 ERA in his career against Washington. The Braves need this game more than Nationals, and I like their chances of getting it. 

The Nationals are 0-5 in Gonzalez's last 5 starts vs. the NL East. The Nationals are 0-5 in his last 5 starts in Atlanta. The Nationals are 0-7 in his last 7 starts vs. the Braves overall. The home team is 7-0 in HP umpire Phil Cuzzi's last 7 games behind the plate. A 24-0 angle. Take Atlanta. 

*3 Star MLB Total Value* John Danks and Erasmo Ramirez are two of the most unreliable starters in the majors right now. Ramirez is getting a second chance in the majors right now, but the first stint didn't go well earlier this year. Danks has been really bad all year, and he has historically pitched poorly against many of these Seattle hitters. The White Sox offense has outperformed expectations this year. Chicago's bullpen has been downright awful of late though, and they'll be needed in this since Danks rarely goes deep into the game. Take the over here. 

*3 Star MLB Total DOMINATION* The Los Angeles Angels and Boston Red Sox played long into the night on Saturday night. That means tired bullpens and it makes me like this over even more. Hector Santiago isn't a very good starter, and Rubby De La Rosa has been bad away from home in his young career. Both of these offenses are good, and I see them having a real advantage on Sunday afternoon. The temperature will be 85 degrees with the wind blowing out to center, and that's a nice benefit as well. All of the intangibles point toward an over in this one. Take the over. 

*4 Star MLB Play of Day* The Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets had similar records for much of the year, but lately it seems the Phillies have packed it in for the year and the Mets keep fighting and playing decent baseball. Zack Wheeler is putting it all together in recent outings, and he has an extremely high upside. Wheeler has been much better on the road than at home, and in four starts vs. Philly he has an ERA of less than 3. Kyle Kendrick isn't a very good starter, and this year the Mets have hit him very well. The Mets also have the 7th best bullpen in baseball while the Phillies rank 24th.

The Mets are 5-0 in Wheeler's last 5 starts with a total set at 7 to 8.5 runs. The Phillies are 1-10 in their last 11 Sunday games. The Mets are 6-1 in the last 7 meetings between these two. A 21-2 angle. Take the Mets. 

*3 Star MLB Totals TKO* The Pittsburgh Pirates offense is a mess without Andrew McCutchen. The San Diego Padres offense has been a mess all season long. Two of the worst offenses get together here, and I expect more ugliness. In the first two games of this series, the score was 2-1 after one inning of play. The final score in each of those games was 2-1. Now, I don't expect that to happen again, but I do think this has a good chance of staying under 7. Tyson Ross is a rising star in the league. Charlie Morton has a 1.78 ERA in his career against San Diego. Take the under here. 

*3 Star MLB Early Bird Special* Taking the under with Bill Miller behind home plate has been extremely successful for me in the past few years. Miller has a huge strike zone, and he loves ringing guys up. Miller is a terrific under umpire any day of the week, but Sunday's are particularly good for unders with him. It's a get away day, so these afternoon games on Sunday sometimes see umpires have a bigger zone. The under is 35-15-3 in Miller's last 53 home games. It doesn't hurt that David Price and Mark Buehrle, two high quality lefties will start this game. Both of these guys tend to go deep into the game. Take the under here. 

*3 Star MLB Late Night BAILOUT* The Boston Red Sox surprised me by taking the first game of this series last night. The Angels are in a mini-slump right now. The good news for Los Angeles is they have their best pitcher on the mound to try to stop the skid here. Garrett Richards has matured into a very good starting pitcher. Richards has elite stuff and his command has finally come around. Clay Buchholz is capable of great things, but his form is horrible right now. He has allowed 7 runs in each of his last two starts. He has a 6.20 ERA for the year. He's up against one of the best offenses in baseball here. This one is a real mismatch. The Angels should bounce back here. Take Los Angeles -1.5. 

*3 Star MLB 100% Angle CRUSHER* The Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers square off Saturday evening. Zack Greinke has been extremely consistent this year, and he has pitched well at Miller Park in the past. The Dodgers may be without Hanley Ramirez in this game, which would certainly hurt their offense. Mike Fiers has been excellent in Triple A all year long, and he has shown in the past that he can get big league hitters out. He has a sneaky delivery that can make it difficult on hitters to pick up the ball. Marty Foster is a solid under umpire behind the plate here. 

The under is 3-0-1 in the Dodgers last 4 Saturday games. The under is 5-0 in Greinke's last 5 starts following a quality start. The under is 5-0 in his last 5 starts during game 2 of a series. The under is 4-0 in Fiers' last 4 starts as an underdog. The under is 4-0 in Foster's last 4 Saturday games behind the plate. A 21-0 angle. Take the under. 

*3 Star MLB Early Bird Special* The Baltimore Orioles and St. Louis Cardinals are playing in what is an important interleague series. Baltimore is playing impressive baseball of late, while St. Louis has really underperformed my expectations for them this year. The Orioles have a tremendous offense and it was like home run derby for them last night against the Cardinals. John Lackey is a decent starter, but I'm not sure he can quiet this red hot O's offense. Ubaldo Jimenez is a very inconsistent pitcher, and he's been bad at home this year. Both of these pitchers have fared poorly with umpire Laz Diaz behind the dish and he'll be there on Saturday.

The over is 6-0 in the Cardinals last 6 road games vs. a team with a home winning record. The over is 5-0 in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a team with a winning record. The over is 7-1 in the Orioles last 8 interleague games vs. a righty. The over is 4-0 in Diaz's last 4 Saturday games behind the dish. A 22-1 angle. Take the over. 

*4 Star MLB Late Night BAILOUT* The Boston Red Sox have nothing to play for right now, and I expect them to struggle going down the stretch this year. The Angels are trying to chase down Oakland in the AL West. The Angels are coming off a disappointing series against the Dodgers. I expect Los Angeles to show up in a big way on Friday night. Jered Weaver isn't the pitcher he once was, but he's still excellent at home. He has a 2.66 ERA at home this year. Allen Webster has potential, but he's been really bad in the majors thus far and this Angels lineup is extremely good.

The Angels are 5-0 in their last 5 Friday games. The Red Sox are 0-4 in Webster's last 4 starts vs. a team with a winning record. The Angels are 23-5 in Weaver's last 28 home starts vs. a team with a losing record. Take Los Angeles -1.5. 

*3 Star MLB Friday FEAST* The San Francisco Giants have been better on the road than at home, and that is especially true about pitcher Madison Bumgarner. Bumgarner has a spectacular 1.58 ERA on the road this year. Bumgarner is one of the best left-handed pitchers in the game today. Jason Vargas is in just his second start back from an injury, and the first one didn't go well at all. Vargas has struggled at home all year. The Giants lineup is much better now with Pagan back at the top of the lineup and Brandon Belt back at first base. Kansas City's lineup misses Eric Hosmer. The Giants have a significant edge in the bullpen as well.

The Giants are 4-0 in their last 4 as a road favorite. They are 4-0 in Bumgarner's last 4 starts vs. the AL Central. They are 5-0 in Bumgarner's last 5 starts as a road favorite. A 13-0 angle. Take San Francisco. 

*3 Star MLB Moneyline CASH* The Detroit Tigers let me down yesterday by getting shutout by  rookie Shane Greene of the New York Yankees yesterday. While the offense didn't do the job yesterday, this is definitely a good offense and I expect them to bounce back. Anibal Sanchez is a very good pitcher, and I believe he is underrated by the books. R.A. Dickey pitches worse at home, and the Tigers have a few guys who have hit him well in the past. Toronto's lineup is weakened right now without Edwin Encarnacion. The lineup differential is big here, and Sanchez is a much better pitcher than Dickey. Look for the Tigers to win the first game of this series. Take Detroit. 

*3 Star MLB Early Bird Special* The New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers play the series finale at Yankee Stadium on Thursday afternoon. Rick Porcello has been underrated by the books for a very long time now. The Detroit Tigers are 25-10 in his last 35 starts overall. Porcello has a solid 3.18 ERA this year. Shane Greene was only a decent starter in the minors, and this Tigers lineup is one of the best in the majors. I don't feel confident in trusting a rookie like Greene to get out this lineup on a consistent basis. Detroit has the pitching edge and they definitely have the better lineup too. This is definitely a short price to pay. Take Detroit here. 

*4 Star MLB 100% Angle CRUSHER* Jordan Zimmermann has been good to me in the last few years. He is an underrated starter who is quite consistent. The Mets offense is one of the weakest in the league. Jacob Degrom has been amazing in his rookie season for the Mets. Degrom has tremendous stuff, and he is quickly becoming a bigtime strikeout pitcher. Washington's offense hasn't been good against right-handed pitching this year, and they are without Ryan Zimmerman now. This is get away day, which usually means a key player or two will be left out of the starting lineup. Dan Iassogna has a large strike zone which will help both pitchers. 

The under is 4-0 in home plate umpire Iassogna's last 4 games. The under is 5-0-1 in Degrom's last 6 road starts. The under is 6-0 in his last 6 after the Mets scored 2 or less last game. The under is 5-0 in his last 5 when the team allows 5 runs or more last game. The under is 3-0-2 in Zimmerman's last 5 Thursday starts. A 23-0 angle. Take the under.  

*3 Star MLB Dog of the Day* The Miami Marlins have been playing well away from home lately. They've won 5 straight road games. The Pittsburgh Pirates have normally been good at home, but the wind has been taken out of their sails with Andrew McCutchen going down with an injury. McCutchen is extremely important to them, and without him this lineup isn't good at all. Tom Koehler has pitched well of late, and with Bill Miller behind the dish he'll get the edges he works so hard for more often than normal. Jeff Locke is a streaky pitcher and he has struggled of late. Take Miami. 

*3 Star MLB 100% Angle CRUSHER* The Atlanta Braves don't hit right-handed pitching well at all. The Seattle Mariners offense has been in a nasty funk of late. Both of these teams are very capable of struggling to put up runs, and they'll have tough matchups in this one. Julio Teheran has become a clear number one starter this year. Chris Young is great at Safeco Field as he induces the fly ball outs as well as anyone. It's also a get away day game, which means we might have some quality hitters taking the day off.

The under is 4-0-1 in Atlanta's last 5 Wednesday games. The under is 3-0-1 in the Braves last 4 interleague games. The under is 6-0-1 in their last 7 interleague road games. The under is 5-0 in Teheran's last 5 starts vs. a team with a winning record. The under is 5-0 in the Mariners last 5 following a win. The under is 5-0-1 in Seattle's last 6 vs. a team with a winning record. The under is 5-0-2 in their last 7 interleague home games. The under is 3-0-1 in Young's last 4 Wednesday starts. The under is 8-0-1 in Young's last 9 home starts with the total set at 7 to 8.5 runs. The under is 4-0 in his last 4 starts with 5 days rest. The under is 8-0 in his last 8 as a home underdog. The under is 10-0-1 in his last 11 home starts. The under is 6-0 in his last 6 home starts vs. a team with a winning record. A 72-0 angle. Take the under. 

*3 Star MLB Early Bird Special* Chris Sale should bounce back from a bad outing last time. In addition, the White Sox were drilled 16-0 last night and should be hungry for a victory here. Huge pitching mismatch, and this Texas team is terrible. Nick Tepesch has an ERA over 5 on the road. The Rangers lineup isn't anything like it used to be, which in this case is a bad thing for them. I expect the Rangers who are ready to be done with the season to show up again. Solid value here on the White Sox runline. Take Chicago -1.5. 

*3 Star MLB Total DOMINATION* The Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs meet at Coors Field Tuesday night. Chicago is offensively challenged in a big way. Coors Field should help them, but I like Brett Anderson and he has been throwing the ball well of late. Colorado's offense is a shell of its former self without Troy Tulowitzki. They may also be without second best hitter Carlos Gonzalez. Michael Cuddyer is still out as well. The total is set high because it's a game at Coors Field, but these two offenses aren't very good right now. I really feel like this total is too high, so even though it's a difficult bet to make, I'm taking the value play on the under. Take the under here. 

*3 Star MLB 100% Angle CRUSHER* The Minnesota Twins offense isn't the same without Joe Mauer. San Diego's offense has been the worst in the majors by a mile all year. Phil Hughes is having a tremendous comeback season for the Twins. His ERA is much higher than it should be based on some terrible luck of late, but all his advanced metrics suggest he is a very good pitcher right now. Jesse Hahn has been excellent for the Padres, and San Diego's bullpen is one of the best in the league as well.

The under is 7-0-1 in the Padres last 8 interleague games. The under is 4-0 in their last 4 vs. the AL Central. The under is 5-0 in their last 5 interleague games vs. a right-handed starter. The under is 4-0 in their last 4 interleague road games vs. a righty. The under is 5-0 in the Twins last 5 home games with a total set at 7 to 8.5 runs. The under is 4-0 in their last 4 interleague games at home vs. a team with a losing record. The under is 7-0-1 in Hughes' last 8 starts on 5 days of rest. The under is 4-0 in his last 4 with a total set at 7 to 8.5. A 40-0 angle. Take the under. 

*3 Star MLB Moneyline Value* The New York Yankees took the first game of this series last night 2-1. I don't expect Detroit's very good offense to be kept down like that two days in a row. David Price makes his Tigers debut in this one. Price is very good and he pitches deep into games normally, which is a big help since this bullpen isn't any good. Kuroda isn't the pitcher he was a couple years ago. The Tigers have a clear advantage when it comes to lineups here, and this price is a little lower than it should be. Look for the Tigers to even up this series. Take Detroit. 

*3 Star MLB Late Night BAILOUT* The Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays have both been playing well of late. Oakland's lineup isn't quite as strong now without Cespedes in the middle of the order, but they have a great pitching staff. Jeff Samardzija has a 2.45 ERA in his first three starts at Oakland. Alex Cobb has been great of late, and he's a young pitcher I'm high on. Cobb has a 2.34 ERA in six starts against Oakland, and he has a 1.80 ERA when pitching at Oakland. These guys are very capable of shutting down opposing offenses. Look for a low scoring game. Take the under. 

*4 Star MLB Play of Day* The Cincinnati Reds aren't the same team without Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips in the lineup. They are also much worse defensively on the right side of the infield. This Reds offense has been a total mess of late. Coming into this one a mess is dangerous since they'll be against one of the hottest pitchers in baseball in Corey Kluber. Kluber is a certified star at this point, and I think he shines once again here. Alfredo Simon is due some regression in a big way, and the Cleveland offense is much better at home. The Indians also have the bullpen advantage. The DH will be used here, and the Reds will be at a disadvantage there too because they have no lineup depth. 

The Reds are 0-9 in their last 9 games at Cleveland. They are 0-5 in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. They are 0-5 in their last 5 interleague road games. They are 0-4 in their last 4 interleague road games vs. a righty. The Indians are 4-0 in their last 4 interleague games as a favorite of -150 or more. A 27-0 trend here. Take Cleveland -1.5. 

*3 Star MLB Moneyline CASH* The New York Yankees have been playing better of late, but they certainly aren't the quality of team that the Tigers are. Brandon McCarthy has pitched well since joining the Yankees, but he isn't even close to the caliber of pitcher that Max Scherzer is. The Tigers have a huge edge on offense as well. The only real weakness of the Tigers is their bullpen, but the Yankees bullpen is very bad as well. New York played late Sunday night in Boston, so the Tigers were in New York before they were last night. This price is too good for me to pass up. Take Detroit. 

*3 Star MLB 100% Angle CRUSHER* The San Diego Padres won late last night in extra innings against Atlanta. Both bullpens were spent in that game, so the starting pitchers are crucial in this game. Aaron Harang is finally coming back down to earth a bit after his amazing start this year. The Padres offense has finally awoken slightly. Tyson Ross has been lights out at home his entire career. Ross has a 1.92 ERA at home in his career. 

The Braves are 0-7 in their last 7 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. The Braves are 0-5 in their last 5 road games. They are 0-4 in their last 4 as an underdog. They are 0-5 in their last 5 vs. the NL West. They are 0-5 in their last 5 road games with a total of 6.5 or lower. The Padres are 6-0 in their last 6 with the total set at 6.5 or lower. They are 4-0 in their last 4 as a favorite. They are 4-0 in Ross' last 4 during game 3 of a series. A 40-0 angle. Take the Padres. 

*3 Star MLB Totals TKO* The New York Mets offense has been bad all year, and the San Francisco Giants offense has been very bad of late. Bartolo Colon has a 2.40 ERA in his career when pitching at Citi Field. Madison Bumgarner has a 1.29 ERA in his starts at Citi Field. This game has a pitcher's duel written all over it. Keep in mind that both of these bullpens are very good as well. The number is low, but it's low for a reason. Take the under. 

*4 Star MLB Play of Day* The Detroit Tigers scored in every single inning of last night's game against the Colorado Rockies. Colorado has a bad starting rotation and an even worse bullpen. De La Rosa starts for the Rockies here and he has been bad away from home. The Tigers offense is one of the best in the league. Anibal Sanchez is a far better pitcher than most realize. This is a guy that would be the ace on many staffs. Carlos Gonzalez may miss the game and Troy Tulowitzki is on the DL. A complete mismatch here. Take Detroit -1.5. 

*3 Star MLB Total DOMINATION* Doug Eddings will be the umpire here. The under is 16-6-1 in his last 23 as HP umpire. Eddings has been the best umpire in the league for many years, and his strikes called percentage shows that. Both pitchers will get the edges in this game. The under is 35-15-3 in Eddings' last 53 Sunday games. Yu Darvish is also pitching in this one and he is totally dominating with his amazing stuff. Bauer is an improving youngster and he'll go against a Rangers offense that is a mess right now. Take the under. 

*3 Star MLB Moneyline Value* The Pittsburgh Pirates have done a good job taking care of teams they are better than this year, which is why they are closely trailing the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central. Pittsburgh is 17-6 in their last 23 games vs. a team with a losing record. The Pirates start underrated pitcher Vance Worley here. Worley has a an impressive 2.25 ERA in three career starts against Arizona. Chase Anderson starts for the Diamondbacks, and the Pirates hit him very well just a few weeks ago. Pittsburgh is a little better than the oddsmakers believe at this point, especially against bad teams. Take Pittsburgh. 

*3 Star MLB 100% Angle CRUSHER* The Cincinnati Reds and Miami Marlins are actually pretty similar teams right now. Cincinnati would clearly be the better team of the two if they were healthier. Without Votto and Phillips though, these teams are similar. Both rely on solid starting pitching to make up for the fact that they don't have a very good offense. Miami's offense has come back to earth after their red hot start earlier this year. Homer Bailey is a better pitcher than his ERA indicates, and Bailey has been throwing it much better of late. Nate Eovaldi has a 9.69 ERA in his last three starts. It appears the youngster has hit a wall. At plus money, I'll take the team with the better pitcher here.

The Marlins are 0-7 in Eovaldi's last 7 during game 3 of a series. The Marlins are 0-7 in his last 7 starts vs. the NL Central. They are 0-7 in his last 7 starts when their opponent scores 5 runs or more. The Reds 6-0 in their last 6 at Miami. Cincinnati is 7-0 in their last 7 games overall against Miami. A 32-0 angle. Take Cincinnati. 

*4 Star MLB Play of the Day* The Detroit Tigers are a much better team than the Colorado Rockies to start with. Throw in the fact that Troy Tulowitzki is on the DL and Carlos Gonzalez is doubtful for this one after aggravating an injury yesterday, and you have a total mismatch. Rick Porcello is a guy I've been backing a lot this year because he isn't getting the credit he deserves. He's still inconsistent, but he is usually pitching well and he's facing a short-handed lineup here. Tyler Matzek is overmatched in the bigs right now, and he'll face one of the best lineups in baseball in this one. I don't expect it to go well. Both bullpens are bad, but the Tigers have the much better offense. I like the Tigers in this one.

Detroit is 9-0 in their last 9 interleague games as a -200 favorite or greater. They are 6-0 in their last 6 interleague games vs. a lefty. The Tigers are 4-0 in Porcello's last 4 as a -200 favorite or greater. The Rockies are 0-4 in Matzek's last 4 road games. They are 0-4 in his last 4 road starts vs. a team with a winning record. A 27-0 trend. Take Detroit -1.5. 

*3 Star TGIF Play of Day* Chris Sale is both one of the most dominant and most consistent pitchers in all of baseball. Sale has electrifying stuff and he's been very good against most teams. One of the teams he has dominated the most has been the Minnesota Twins. In his career, Sale has a sparkling 2.08 ERA against Minnesota. The Twins stumble into Chicago playing some bad baseball of late. Minnesota played relatively late last night and then traveled to Chicago while the White Sox had an early game in Detroit. Logan Darnell starts for the Twins here, and Darnell isn't a big league type of pitcher. Darnell is a guy who has struggled in the minors as well. He has a 1.47 WHIP in his career in Triple A. Pitchers don't just struggle that much in Triple A and suddenly come up and become good big league pitchers. I took the White Sox -1.5 when Darnell squared off against Sale last Saturday night and the White Sox won 7-0. They might not win by that much here, but I do think they win comfortably. Take Chicago -1.5. 

*3 Star MLB Play of Day* I'll start by saying I definitely don't like to make it a habit of playing an under that sits at 6, but in this case I do believe this will be a very low scoring game. Clayton Kershaw is on the mound for the Dodgers, and he is just out of this world good right now. Kershaw has allowed one run or less in 8 of his last 9 games. He is even better at home and the Braves may be without Jason Heyward in this one. Kershaw's consistency has been amazing. Julio Teheran is a pretty good pitcher himself, and this one has a low scoring affair written all over it. Kershaw consistently goes deep in games this year. Teheran might not, but the Braves have one of the best bullpens in the league. Even with the low number, I suggest a play on the under. Take the under here.