Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #953 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cincinnati Reds vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 4:10 ET - The Dodgers delivered the shutout win last night. The over is 20-11 when Los Angeles is off a game in which they shut out their opponent. I look for the over to improve to 8-4 this season in LA day games. The weather will be hot and steamy in Cincinnati this afternoon with the winds blowing out toward left center. These are the types of weather days where Great American Ball Park (known as a very hitter-friendly venue) plays out particularly well for the hitters. Even though Walker Buehler has good numbers this season the over is 3-1 in his road starts as he has compiled a 5.40 ERA away from home thus far. Buehler has had success in his two career starts against the Reds but both those were at pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium. Now with Cincinnati getting a shot at him at home and with the fact they just faced him last month, I look for the Reds sticks to perform much better today. Keep in mind, Cincinnati had scored an average of 7 runs per game in their 7 home games prior to being shutout last night. As for the Dodgers bats, they have scored 6 runs in 3 of their last 4 games and should enjoy success against Tyler Mahle in this one. LA just faced him last month and got to him for 4 earned runs on 11 hits in just 6 innings of work. The only other start Mahle has against the Dodgers saw him walk 4 batters in just 5 innings of work. You can see why success is unlikely for the Reds right-hander today. Cincy is off rare back to back unders at home as the over was on a 6-1 run in the Reds 7 home games prior to this. All signs point to both teams having plenty of success at the plate in this one. 10* OVER the total in Cincinnati

Game of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #904 Friday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line (-) vs Colorado Rockies @ 7:05 ET - The Rockies are hitting just .217 on the road this season. Of course they have never seen Phillies rookie Cole Irvin as he just made his MLB debut in a start versus the Royals Sunday. The Philadelphia southpaw was very impressive and certainly earned a second start as the Phils are evaluating him for a possible spot in the rotation. The Rockies are  different team when they are away from their hitter-friendly home venue - Coors Field in Denver. That said, I like backing this Phillies team in a bounce back spot as they have lost 3 straight games and all were at home! This matches Philadelphia's longest losing streak of the season and they snapped that one at 3 games and I feel strongly they will do the same here. Yes, Colorado's Jon Gray did have a strong start versus the Phillies last month and has a decent history against them. However, Gray has never won at Citizens Bank Park and allowed 4 earned runs in his most recent outing here. Also, the Rockies right-hander has had trouble with the Phillies 4 key off-season acquisitions too. Harper, Realmuto, McCutchen, and Segura all have great numbers against Gray. Since his strong start against the Phillies, Gray has actually been struggling as he has a 7.16 ERA and 1.78 WHIP in his 3 starts since then. The Rockies have lost 13 of 21 this season when off a loss. The Phils have won 12 of 18 when off a loss this season. The Phillies also have won 3 of 4 this season when off a game in which they allowed double digits in runs. After getting embarrassed by losing 3 straight to the Brewers after winning the series opener, the Phils get back on track with a big home win against a lesser foe as the road-adverse Rockies come to town. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #963 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Kansas City Royals vs Texas Rangers @ 1:15 ET - Perfect set up here in many ways. Yesterday's game was a 6-1 Rangers win that stayed under the total so that is helping to keep this total off the radar of the betting markets as, to many, a 10 may look too big. The fact is that this should be an absolutely slugfest. The temperatures will be in the 80s this afternoon in Kansas City. The wind will be blowing out at Kauffman Stadium. The Rangers bullpen (4.87 ERA) and the Royals bullpen (4.59 ERA) both rank among the worst in the majors! As for the starting pitching match-up here we have Lance Lynn for Texas and Homer Bailey for KC. The fact is that Lynn has seen his better years at the major league level. He has a 5.48 ERA this season and a 5.13 ERA in his career starts against the Royals. Lynn allowed 3 homers at Houston in his most recent start and this followed an outing where he allowed 5 earned runs in 6 innings against the Blue Jays. As for Bailey, he is off a rare strong start. Yes, prior to a solid outing against the Phillies, he also was successful but that was against the punch-less Tigers. In his two outings prior to that Bailey gave up 8 earned runs in 7 innings of work. From 2015 to 2018, Bailey was hit at a better than .300 clip all 4 seasons and he compiled an ERA north of 6.00 in those 4 seasons combined. He has trended better than usual early this season but still his overall numbers are not that impressive and you know a regression to the mean is right around the corner. Look for it to begin today in very hitter friendly conditions at Kauffman Stadium. The over is 10-2 in Rangers day games this season. The over is 19-8 this season in Royals games when they are off a loss. KC also is a solid 13-7 to the over in day games. 10* OVER the total in Kansas City

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #901 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Arizona Diamondbacks vs Pittsburgh Pirates @ 3:40 PM ET - This total dropping to a 7.5 has opened up some great value with the over. Of course the total was low to begin with because of Zack Greinke being on the mound for Arizona. Chris Archer goes for Pittsburgh and, though not at Greinke's level, he also is a respected pitcher. However, the key to the value here is the low total combined with a couple other key factors. For one thing, Archer has been out for a couple weeks with right thumb inflammation. I don't expect him to be operating at his highest level in his first start back. He has a 5.73 ERA on the road this season and struggling more away from home is not a new trend either. Entering this season, Archer had a 4.92 ERA away from home in the past 3 seasons combined. Greinke does have a history of success against the Pirates but Pittsburgh has been extra scrappy of late and playing their best ball of the season. I would not be surprised to see them enjoy some moderate success today against Greinke as the Bucs have won 9 of their last 13 games. With yesterday's 6-2 win here at Arizona, the Pirates have scored an average of 5 runs per game in their past 10 games. The Diamondbacks, prior to being held to just 2 runs in yesterday's loss, had averaged scoring 5 runs per game in their past 11 games. The over is a perfect 5-0 the last 5 times the Dbacks were off a game in which they were held to 2 or less runs. The Pirates over was 8-2-1 in May prior to yesterday's game staying under the total. Since April 21st, Pittsburgh has recorded back to back unders only ONE single time. That said, though this may be viewed as a contrarian play here I look for this game to get over the total as the hitters are going to surprise in this one. There are 15 teams in the National League and, in terms of bullpen ERA this season, the Pirates rank 12th and the Diamondbacks rank 13th. We should be in line to get some late inning runs if needed but I do expect some runs early and often in this one. 10* OVER the total in Arizona

Total of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #977 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs Colorado Rockies @ 7:10 ET - This total has dropped from an 8.5 to an 8 and I am well aware that the weather will be chilly in Boston tonight and that Chris Sale is off a pair of strong starts. However, the fact is that both of these lineups are currently knocking the cover off the ball and also the Rockies Kyle Freeland has been struggling badly. As for Sale having back to back strong starts, one was against his former team (White Sox) and he reared back for a little extra juice in that one no doubt. The other one was against the miserable and downtrodden free-swinging Orioles. Give him credit for a pair of spectacular starts but lets not forget he has seemed a little "off" for much of the time early this season and now Sale faces a Rockies team that has scored an average of 8.2 runs per game so far in the month of May. That is all because of home games at Coors Field though, right? Nope! Actually Colorado has scored 11 runs in EACH of their two road games this month too. The fact is that the Rockies are a very confident team at the plate right now and, speaking of that, so too is Boston! The Red Sox enter this game having scored an average of 7.8 runs per game in the month of May! You can see why I like this over at 8 runs considering EACH team is averaging 8 runs per game this month! Also, Freeland enters this start with an 8.47 ERA in his last 3 starts. The Red Sox .267 batting average at home is one of the best in the majors. The Rockies .470 slugging percentage against lefties is one of the best in the majors! The over is 8-3 this month in Boston's games and 9-1 this month in Colorado's games. The over is also 12-5 this season when the Rockies are off a win. The over is 32-15 (including 5-2 this season) when the Red Sox are playing after a day off. 10* OVER the total in Boston

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #911 Monday 10* OVER the total in Chicago White Sox vs Cleveland Indians @ 8:10 ET - The weather will be chilly this evening in Chicago but we've got a low total to work with here and plenty of reason to count on this one going over the total. The Indians Shane Bieber just faced the White Sox on Wednesday. Though he held them to 3 earned runs Bieber did allow 8 hits in 6 and 1/3 innings. Now Chicago gets a quick second look at him plus the rematch is at Guaranteed Rate Field. As for the lineup of the Tribe, they're also looking forward to a rematch here. The Indians just faced Reynaldo Lopez Wednesday and they were held to 3 earned runs but got to him for 9 hits in 6 innings. The point being that both these pitchers were hit quite hard in their match-up last week but managed to escape major damage. I feel they won't be so fortunate here. Cleveland has averaged 10 hits per game their last 5 games and they scored 5 runs in 3 of those games. The White Sox are off a 3-game set at Toronto that saw them average 5 runs per game. We just need each team to get to 4 runs here and then the game is guaranteed of no less than a 5-4 final. The fact is that with these lineups having just faced these pitchers I expect plenty of runs early and often in this one. Lopez is winless with 7.11 ERA in his 4 career starts against the Indians. Also, Cleveland's Monday games are a perfect 3-0 to the over this season. 10* OVER the total in the Chicago White Sox game

Game of the Week NL Total - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #961 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Arizona Diamondbacks vs Atlanta Braves @ 4:10 ET - Both starting pitchers have question marks and both are likely to get pounded here. The Diamondbacks are starting Zack Godley. The Arizona right-hander had been removed from the starting rotation after struggling in the majority of his starts this season. Though Godley has shown improvement coming out of the bullpen recently, don't be surprised if the struggles in the starting role quickly resume as there is a difference between a starters mentality and coming out of the pen. Godley has a 6.26 ERA in his 4 career starts versus the Braves. This season Godley has a 7.58 ERA in his six starts. The Braves will be starting Max Fried in this one. He took a line drive off his throwing hand in his most recent start. Don't be surprised if that is in the back of his mind in this start and he doesn't throw as well as usual. Complicating matters for Fried is the fact that the Diamondbacks are crushing southpaws this season. Against left-handed pitching Arizona has a .293 batting average and .524 slugging percentage as they lead the majors in both categories against lefties. Also, both of these bullpens rank in the bottom third of the majors. This will be the Diamondbacks 15th game against a left-handed starter this season and, thus far, only TWO of those games have resulted in an under. That strong trend continues here and, just like yesterday's game, this one gets over the number! 10* OVER the total in Arizona

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #905 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Mets vs Miami Marlins @ 7:10 ET - On the surface this looks like it should be a pitchers duel. However, so did yesterday's game. On Friday Pablo Lopez (2.00 ERA L3 starts) and Zack Wheeler (2.70 ERA L3 starts) matched up. The result? 13 runs on 25 hits for the two teams and 19 of those hits did come against the two starters. That is part of the reason I am all over (literally!) the low total posted on Saturday's game. Yes, Jacob deGrom has a great reputation as well as some excellent recent numbers but this total is simply too low. Not only might the Mets get 7 runs by themselves but, keep in mind, deGrom has been roughed up in 2 of his 3 home starts this season. He dominate the Marlins earlier this season but Miami now gets another look and they are confident at the plate after pounding out double digits in hits yesterday. They have some hitters in their lineup whom have had some long-term success against deGrom. As for the Mets bats, they should have no trouble with Sandy Alcantara. He has been a very lucky pitcher as he has walked 13 batters in the 15 and 1/3 innings spanning his last 3 starts and yet he has a 4.70 ERA in these outings. Certainly it could be much worse and New York (happy to be back home after a lengthy road trip) pounded the ball yesterday and scored 11 runs. Alcantara had success against the Mets last season but he has not been the same pitcher this season. His recent starts have been very shaky even though he has faced the light-hitting Indians twice during this stretch. Alcantara in trouble here based on the way the Mets have been swinging the bats. Also, New York is 5-1 to the over in Saturday games this season and so too are the Marlins. Additionally, Miami has had just 2 unders in their 8 games this season that had a posted total of 7 or less runs. The Mets have had just 6 unders in their 19 night games this season. Take advantage of the low total here as these teams are also both near the bottom of the majors for bullpen ERA as well. 10* OVER the total in New York Mets

Total of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #969 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs Seattle Mariners @ 7:10 ET - Fenway Park is well known as a hitters park. When there are favorable weather conditions the advantage to the hitters can actually be quite greatly enhanced. That is certainly expected to be the case Friday evening as the temperatures will be in the 60s and the wind will be blowing out at a good clip. Couple that with two strong lineups and a pair of starting pitchers likely to struggle and you have the perfect scenario for a slugfest. I am well aware of the fact that Erik Swanson has had some good starts for the Mariners but the key is that those came against an Indians team that is struggling badly at the plate early this season. The Seattle right-hander excelled in both starts against the Tribe but note that he got clobbered for 10 earned runs in less than 10 innings of work in his other two starts this season. Now Swanson faces a Red Sox team that has won 8 of its last 10 games. Also, prior to a tight 2-1 win Wednesday, Boston had scored an average of 7 runs per game in their previous 9 games during this hot streak. As for the Mariners sticks, they have excelled against lefties this season (except for against JA Happ yesterday). Seattle should resume hitting southpaws well here as Boston's Eduardo Rodriguez has a situation similar to Swanson's. The Red Sox left-hander has had strong starts against sub-par teams like the Orioles, White Sox, and Tigers. However, in the other 4 starts for Rodriguez this season he has allowed 18 earned runs in 18 innings! Note that the over is 9-1 this season in Mariners games against left-handed starters. Also, the over is 31-15 (including 4-2 this season) when the Red Sox are playing after a day off. Nice situation here for a slugfest! 10* OVER the total in Boston

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #919 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Oakland A's vs Cincinnati Reds @ 3:35 ET - Yesterday's game went 13 innings which used up bullpen for each team. That means if either starter gets into trouble here - and both certainly could - there might be some tired arms called upon in this one. Even though the total has moved to a 9 in a lot of spots, the over is still offering great value here as day games in Oakland are much more hitter-friendly than night games. At night, Oakland Coliseum is known as a park that is friendly to pitchers. However, in day games - and particularly with the wind blowing out toward center - the ballpark is definitely a little more hitter friendly. That explains part of the reason why the over is 74-52 (including 8-3 this season) in Athletics day games. Also, the over is 15-9 in A's games against right-handed starters this season and also the over is 3-1 in Oakland's inter-league games. The over is 5-1 in the Reds last 6 games and Cincinnati has scored an average of 7 runs per game during this stretch. Cincy is starting Tanner Roark in this one and he gave up 4 earned runs in his most recent road start this season and also allowed 4 earned runs in his most recent start at Oakland. As for A's starter Chris Bassitt, he has good numbers early this season but he has only made 3 starts and the last two were against the Blue Jays and Pirates. Note that Toronto and Pittsburgh are two of the lowest scoring teams in the majors this season. That said, Bassitt is now facing a Reds team that has been producing runs as well as any team in the majors over the past 7 days. Per the above, you can see why both lineups should have big days at the plate in this one. 10* OVER the total in Oakland

Early Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #969 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Blue Jays vs Minnesota Twins @ 7:05 ET - Off back to back shutouts and having scored a TOTAL of only TWO runs in their last THREE games, Toronto's bats might look dead in the water at this point. The fact is the Blue Jays lineup is weaker this season than in past seasons. However, the above factors are part of what is driving the solid line value here as this one is a positive match-up for the Jays sticks. The Twins are starting Kyle Gibson. Not only did the Minnesota right-hander allowed 4 earned runs in 5 and 1/3 innings versus the Blue Jays last month, he has a 7.56 ERA in three career starts at Rogers Centre in Toronto. The right-hander also has a 5.31 ERA in his road starts this season and the over is 3-1 in those 4 outings away from home. Gibson will be opposed by Trent Thornton in this one. He is 0-2 with a 5.00 ERA in his 4 home starts this season and only one of the four resulted in an under. Also, Thornton faced Minnesota last month and the Twins got to him for 4 earned runs in 4 and 2/3 innings of work. In taking the first two games of this 3-game set, the Twins are now a red hot 9-3 their last 12 games. Minnesota has scored an average of 6 runs per game in those 9 victories. The Blue Jays entered this series having gone 3-0 in their 3 most recent home games and scoring an average of 5.3 runs per game in the process. After facing tough starting pitching and struggling badly in the first two games of this series, this is the right match-up for the Blue Jays lineup to get back on track. As a result, the over improves to 6-3 in Gibson's career starts against the Jays. 10* OVER the total in Toronto

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Game #915 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Yankees vs Seattle Mariners @ 6:35 ET - With yesterday's game going over the total early, the over is now 11-4 in the Yankees last 15 games. As for the Mariners, they have been trending over all season long as they are 26-8-3 to the over on the year. Seattle is 13-3-1 to the over in road games and also 15-5-3 to the over in night games. The Mariners have a slugging percentage of .531 in road games this season and that ranks them #1 in the majors. The Yankees are hitting .266 against left-handed pitching this season and that ranks them #2 in the American League. New York will face southpaw Marco Gonzales in this one. Gonzales faced the Yankees once last season and it was here in the Bronx and he gave up 3 homers in an ugly outing that saw him allow 6 earned runs in 6 and 1/3 innings of work. With mild weather in the forecast in New York tonight the ball should be carrying well again at Yankee Stadium. Starting for the home side in this one is Masahiro Tanaka. The Yankees right-hander has good numbers against the Mariners in his career but he has struggled in 3 of his last 4 starts. He just doesn't seem quite right and the way Seattle has swung the bats this season they are a different team compared to the one he faced last season. Tanaka has given up 5 homers in his last 4 starts and these haven't been particularly long outings either. Another plus for the over here is that the Mariners bullpen ERA ranks among the worst in the majors this season. Though this total has moved from an opener of 8.5 to a 9 there is still plenty of value here in what could very well turn into a slugfest that goes over the total early just like yesterday's game did. 10* OVER the total in the New York Yankees game

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach MLB Game #955 Monday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line (+) @ St Louis Cardinals @ 8:05 ET - Scheduling edge to the Phillies here as they played early yesterday afternoon while the Cardinals had a night game. This is also a classic case of hot versus not as Philadelphia has won 6 of its last 8 games and scored an average of 6 runs per game in those 8 games. As for the Cards, they have now lost 4 straight games. Though they did end up scoring 5 runs yesterday most of that came very late after the game was already decided as St Louis got drilled and allowed 13 runs in yesterday's defeat. The point is that the Cardinals have been struggling at the plate as they entered yesterday's game having scoring an average of just 2 runs per game in their 3 prior games. The Phillies start Velasquez here and the right-hander is undefeated with a 1.62 ERA in his 3 road starts this season. He also threw 6 and 1/3 shutout innings in his lone start at Busch Stadium last season. Velasquez has allowed only 9 hits in his last 12 and 2/3 innings against St Louis. The Cardinals will have Mikolas on the mound in this one and he allowed 3 homers in 5 innings in his most recent home start. The St Louis right-hander also got rocked for 4 earned runs in 5 innings in his lone start against the Phillies last season. Also that was a Phils team without Bryce Harper and the slugger is 4 for 7 with a homer in his career against Mikolas. While some will be looking for a Cardinals bounce back here, the scheduling situation and pitching match-up favors the Phillies and I am happy to grab the underdog value. Also, the Cards are 7-11 the last 18 times they were off a game in which they allowed 10 or more runs. The Phils are 11-6 this season in games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Total of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #925 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Texas Rangers vs Toronto Blue Jays @ 3:05 ET - The Blue Jays lineup is not overly impressive but I expect they put up 5 runs yesterday and are fully capable of getting at least that again here. At the same time, the Rangers should match them run for run and that is why I like the over here despite the fact a big total is posted on this game. The fact is that the Rangers are averaging 6 runs per game at home this season. Also Texas has averaged 7.6 runs per game in their last 6 games. The Rangers Drew Smyly has allowed 4 earned runs in each of his last 3 starts even though he only averaged 4 innings per start! Also, the Texas southpaw is returning from a stint on the DL as he was already dealing with arm fatigue and tightness early this season. Smyly's pitch count is likely to be limited and that will expose a Rangers bullpen that has ranked among the worst in the majors this season. As for Toronto starter Clay Buchholz, he has a 6.13 ERA in his last three starts and also note that he has a 5.58 ERA in road starts this season. It has been a few seasons since he has pitched at Arlington but that certainly has not been a good venue for him! Buchholz allowed 10 earned runs in less than 10 innings of work spanning his last two starts in Arlington. Both these pitchers are homer-prone and it will be hitter-friendly conditions on a warm afternoon in Texas and in a hitter-friendly park. The ball should be jumping off the bats here. The over is 41-23 when the Blue Jays are a road dog in a range of +125 to +175. Also, Toronto is 11-6 to the over in games with a posted total of 10 or 10.5 runs. The over is a long-term 43-25 when Texas is at home with a posted total of 10 or 10.5 runs. Also, the over is 7-2 in Rangers day games this season. 10* OVER the total in Texas

Game of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #956 Saturday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line (-) vs Washington Nationals @ 7:05 ET - The Phillies won again yesterday on their home field and their number of home victories (13) is tops in the majors. The Nationals now have a losing record both at home and on the road after dropping yesterday's game. Washington still has some solid sticks in their lineup but injury issues have taken some of the strength out of this lineup. Jake Arrieta is off a start where he had a huge lead through 5 innings and had allowed only 1 earned run at that point. The fact he ended up allowing much more in that game only adds value to this spot here because it was a bit of a "fluke" and could have ended up being another quality start for Arrieta. He has been very strong overall early this season and that was the case last season as well. The fact is that he appears to be on top of his game again and has great movement and location with his pitches early this season. The Nationals don't have many hitters at all that have done much against Arrieta while the Phillies have a number of hitters that have fared well against Patrick Corbin. The left-hander has pitched well early this season but the Phillies are one of the top scoring teams in the majors when at home. Also, the Nationals bullpen ranks dead last in the national league. Washington is 4-12 in night games this season. The Phillies are 33-17 long-term and 9-3 this season when they enter a game as a home favorite in a range of -125 to -175. Though this line has dipped a little below that range early Saturday I expect it to bolt right back upwards into that range. In other words, play this one early! 10* PHILADELPHIA

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #965 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Yankees vs Minnesota Twins @ 1:05 ET - Both the Twins Jake Odorizzi and the Yankees JA Happ are off strong starts. However, there is much more than meets the eye as the surface here. Happ is winless with an 8.16 ERA in his three home starts this season. Odorizzi is 1-2 with a 7.36 ERA in his road starts this season. The Yankees are 4-2 to the over in Happ's starts this season while the Twins are 3-0 to the over in Odorizzi's road starts this season. The over is 10-4-1 to the over in Minnesota's road games this season after yesterday's game snuck over the total late. Part of the key was the bullpen work and these teams rank only in the middle of the pack for bullpen ERA on the season. Considering that factor as well as the home/road dichotomy for the starting pitchers in this one, you can see why I am going with the over here. The over is 11-6 this season in Yankees games with posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs and I like the fact we've got good value here with this total at an 8.5 at Yankee Stadium. It will be mild weather in the Bronx and the Twins .481 slugging percentage versus left-handed pitchers ranks them 3rd in the American League. Minnesota is averaging 6.4 runs per game on the road this season but their bullpen ERA is a 5.56 away from home. The Yankees, in home games, are averaging 5.4 runs per game this season. This one flies over as both starting pitchers struggle more than the markets are expecting. Their recent starts have been good but the home/road issues are no fluke so far this season. 10* OVER the total in New York Yankees

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #903 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Philadelphia Phillies vs Washington Nationals @ 7:05 ET - Jerad Eickhoff is off a great start at home and also pitched well in his other appearance at home this season. However, though his most recent outing was impressive he faced a very bad Marlins lineup. Note that in his prior start Eickhoff allowed 4 earned runs on 7 hits and 4 walks in 6 innings of work. He does have good stuff and gets a lot of strikeouts but now he faces a Nationals team that has scored 25 runs in their last two games at Citizens Bank Park. Of course I am aware of the Nationals being without Ryan Zimmerman and Anthony Rendon right now (and the fact that Juan Soto may not start again tonight) but there is still plenty of pop in this lineup. Also, Washington is simply loaded with confidence when facing the Phillies. They have hit very well in this park plus have fared well against Philadelphia's bullpen. The flip side of this equation is that Jeremy Hellickson was successful in his lone start against the Phillies this season. However, the Nationals right-hander will likely get hit harder as Philadelphia's lineup now gets a second look at him in a span of about 3 weeks. The over is 4-1 in the 5 meetings between these teams this season and, other than struggling against Hellickson, the Phils lineup averaged 6.5 runs per game in the other 4 games. As far as the bullpens here, the Nationals 5.87 ERA ranks them dead last in the NL. The Nats bullpen .269 BAA ranks them dead last in NL too. Who is 2nd to last in that category? The Phillies bullpen with a .265 BAA. The point is we should see runs early, often, and throughout this game. The over is 9-5 in Washington's night games this season as well as 9-5 in Nationals divisional games this year. The Phillies over is 4-1 this season when playing after a day off. 10* OVER the total in Philadelphia

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #957 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Nationals vs St Louis Cardinals @ 4:05 ET - The odds makers are very sharp. When I first looked at the money line on this game I though to myself, "how can Stephen Strasburg and the Nationals only be in the -150 range"? Of course that was at first glance. Now, after analyzing it further it makes perfect sense. Now, that said, I still don't trust Dakota Hudson so I don't trust the underdog Cardinals either in this spot. But the direction I got pointed in was the over and I feel this is a very strong value play. The key to why this game was priced this way is because even though Strasburg appears to be back on track it has had more to do with whom he faced. His last two starts were against the Marlins and Padres. Note that prior to that he faced the Giants and struggled but the point is that those 3 teams are the 3 lowest scoring teams in the National League! On Thursday afternoon Strasburg now faces the highest scoring team in the National League! The over is 3-0 in his home starts this season and he has a 4.74 ERA in those outings. As for the Cards Hudson, none of his last 3 starts have resulted in an under and he has compiled a 7.53 ERA in those outings. Other factors that will help us here include the Nationals bullpen (6.02 ERA) ranking as the worst in the National League and also the Washington weather (temperatures in the 80s and possible breeze blowing out to right). The over is 8-4 in Cardinals day games this season. The over is 7-0 in Nationals games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs. As of early this morning there is still some 8.5 available on this one and, even those of you getting a 9 should not worry as I fully expect double digits in runs in this one! 10* OVER the total in Washington

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Game #923 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Arizona Diamondbacks vs New York Yankees @ 3:40 ET - After yesterday's pitchers duel between CC Sabathia and Zack Greinke, look for a much different type of game today. The Yankees hand the ball to Masahiro Tanaka and his pitches generated a lot of contact in his most recent start. He had been pitching well prior to that start but the fact Tanaka struggled to get any swings and misses at his stuff against a struggling Angels lineup is absolutely a sign he should get rocked again today. That said, there is great line value here with this total posted at only 8 runs. This is particularly true because I also do not expect much success for the Diamondbacks Merrill Kelly. The Arizona right-hander had been pitching in Korea the past 4 seasons. He started this season strong in his first two starts but faced lineups that were slumping at the time. Speaking of struggling lineups, the Pirates are the team Kelly faced in his most recent start and that helped lead to a successful outing. But in his two prior starts Kelly allowed 7 earned runs on 14 hits and 8 walks in less than 9 innings of work. That said, he is being vastly over-rated at this early point in the season and, based on what I expect out of he and Tanaka today, this total is an absolute bargain at only 8 runs. Even with yesterday's result including, the Yankees are 11-3 to the over in road games this season. Also, the Diamondbacks have scored an average of 6 runs per game their past 8 games and haven't had back to back unders in over a week and a half. That won't change here either! 10* OVER the total in Arizona

Game of the Month - Rickenbach MLB Game #961 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs Oakland A's @ 7:10 ET - Chilly weather at Fenway Park in Boston Tuesday evening but that won't be enough to help these two struggling hurlers. Aaron Brooks shut down the Red Sox in Oakland on the first day of this month. But since then he has a 6.86 ERA in his last 4 starts and Brooks now makes his first ever appearance at Fenway Park. The Red Sox are starting to hit the ball much better since returning home. There were a couple exceptions when they faced tough pitchers like Morton and Glasnow but in their other 3 home games the past 6 days Boston has averaged 9 runs per game including a 9-run outburst yesterday. They should have no trouble with the offerings of Brooks. Give him credit for an amazing first start this season against the Red Sox but their bats were really struggling early this season. Not only has Brooks struggled since then, he also has a career .289 batting average against at the MINOR league level. I do not mean to be disrespectful but when guys have been hit at nearly a .300 clip through all levels of minor league ball from rookie league all the way up they generally prove to struggle facing major league hitters! As for Red Sox starter Rick Porcello, he is off a RARE solid start but he faced the Tigers. He now faces an Oakland team that has averaged 5 runs per game their last 8 games and scored 4 or more runs in 6 of those 8 games. Porcello faced the A's once last season and got knocked around for 5 earned runs in 6 innings. This is a hurler whom has struggled with the long ball and allowed 2 homers in that start against Oakland too. Porcello is getting hit at .347 clip this season! Also, the Red Sox bullpen has a 4.74 ERA at home and the Athletics bullpen has a 5.21 ERA on the road so far this season. As you can see per the above, we should see runs early, often, and throughout this game! The over is 8-4 in Oakland's road games this season and the Red Sox are 5-0 to the over in Porcello's starts this season. 10* OVER the total in Boston

Total Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Game #913 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Twins vs Houston Astros @ 7:40 ET - When teams get a quick 2nd look at starting pitchers it almost always favors the hitters. That's because they just saw the offerings of that hurler and can be better adjusted the 2nd time around. This total is being kept low because Justin Verlander is a high quality pitcher. As a result, I like the value we're getting here with this total at just 8.5 runs as of early Monday morning. The Twins have been swinging the bats well and also will be at home this time against Verlander. That does make a difference. Minnesota won 4-1 yesterday and that marked the 11th time in their last 12 games that they've scored at least 4 runs. As for the Astros, they also are off a 4-1 win yesterday and that marked the 8th time in their last 10 games that they've scored at least 4 runs. Keep in mind, getting each team to 4 runs here guarantees us of no less than a 5-4 final and that equates to a winning ticket with this over. The Twins have a .515 slugging percentage against right-handed pitchers this season and that ranks them #1 out of all 30 teams in the majors! The Astros are hitting .271 on the season overall and that ranks them #1 out of all 30 teams in the majors! Though Jake Odorizzi held Houston to just 2 earned runs last week he was fortunate as he allowed 8 hits in less than 6 innings of work and only had 2 strikeouts! He has now given up 7 earned runs in 10 and 1/3 innings in his last 2 starts against the Astros plus he allowed 3 homers in the process. The Twins have scored an average of 6.6 runs per game their last 9 games. Houston has scored an average of 5.5 runs per game their last 10 games. The over is 8-4 in Twins night games this season. 10* OVER the total in Minnesota

Total Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Game #975 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Seattle Mariners vs Texas Rangers @ 4:10 ET - Lance Lynn had a 4.77 ERA and I watched many of his starts and it certainly could have been much worse. That is why the right-hander is bouncing around as this is his 4th team now in recent seasons as he has been with the Cardinals, Twins, Yankees, and now the Rangers. The right-hander is getting pummeled this season at a .302 clip and I expect the Mariners to pound him after getting embarrassed in yesterday's 15-1 loss to Texas. The over is 6-2-1 in Seattle's last 9 games. Prior to yesterday's ugly defeat, the Mariners had scored an average of 6.3 runs per game in their 8 previous games. The Rangers lineup comes into this one red hot. Texas has averaged scoring 6.2 runs per game their last 16 games. The Rangers have scored an average of 6.5 runs on 10.3 hits in their last 8 games. They'll take advantage of a young hurler whom is over-rated right now. Yes Erik Swanson has good early numbers but he has only made two starts. The young right-hander struggled in his 2nd start versus the Padres after excelling in his first start versus the Indians. The fact is that the San Diego team and Cleveland team he faced are two of the worst offenses in MLB early this season. Now he faces a Rangers team that has been one of the highest-scoring teams in the majors. Which team has scored the most runs? The Mariners! And also these two teams have a bullpen ERA that ranks each of them among the worst in the majors. All signs point to a high-scoring game here. 10* OVER the total in Seattle

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #922 Saturday 10* Top Play Boston Red Sox Money Line (-) vs Tampa Bay Rays @ 4:05 ET - The Rays are attracting attention from the market place today because Tampa Bay is at the top of the AL East right now while the Red Sox are near the basement. However, there are a number of reasons to like Boston at a very reasonable price in this one. For one thing, the Rays Charlie Morton has a history of struggles against the Red Sox. After allowing 5 earned runs in 6 innings versus Boston at Tropicana Field last Saturday, Morton now has a 5.74 ERA and has been hit at a .303 clip in his last 3 starts against the Red Sox. Also, a little rest is good but too much can be bad for a hitters timing. The off day yesterday due to the rainout may very well help Boston as they were in action Thursday versus Detroit. However, the Rays timing at the plate could be thrown off as they already had the prior day scheduled as an off day so now they'll be playing for the first time since Wednesday! As for Boston's David Price, the southpaw has been fantastic at Fenway Park. He dominated with 7 scoreless innings in his only start here this season and he entered this season having gone 20-6 with a 3.43 ERA the past 3 seasons in his starts here! He entered this season 4-2 with a 2.97 ERA in his last 11 games (10 starts) against the Rays and held them to a .211 average in those games. Price held them to just 5 hits while striking out 10 in 5 innings at Tampa Bay Sunday. He can dominate them again. Also, while the Red Sox have injury issues at 2nd base, it has been Michael Chavis whom has filled in. The last 3 games he has reached base 6 times in 12 at bats while hitting .333 and slugging 2 homers! In other words, the Red Sox are doing just fine at 2nd base and everyone else is healthy and the BoSox have scored 18 runs their past two games and building confidence. I look for their roll to continue here. 10* BOSTON

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #957 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Atlanta Braves vs Colorado Rockies @ 7:20 ET - This is a contrarian play all the way and it is the type of situation I love as we get extra line value due to market perception. This total opened up at a 9 but dropped to an 8.5 because of the fact that the Braves Max Fried and the Rockies Antonio Senzatela both have good numbers this season. Keep in mind it is still very early in the season though and Senzatela has made only two starts. One was against the light-hitting Padres at pitcher-friendly San Diego and in his other start Senzatela did allow 4 earned runs in 6 innings against a Phillies team that otherwise has been struggling at the plate of late. As for Fried, yes he has great numbers early this season but his most recent outing was against an Indians team that has ranked among the worst in the majors at the plate early this season and he still allowed 7 hits and walked 3 in 6 and 1/3 innings. The Rockies just saw him for the first time about two weeks ago so getting a 2nd look at Fried will prove to be an advantage tonight. As for Senzatela, he faced the Braves last season and had more walks than strikeouts plus allowed 2 earned runs in 5 innings. The rematch is likely to be worse as Atlanta enters this game having averaged 6 runs and 11 hits per game in their last 5 games. The Rockies also have been swinging the bats better as they have won 8 of their last 10 games and averaged scoring 5.5 runs per game in the process. The point is that we can take advantage of a low total here thanks to market perception. 10* OVER the total in Atlanta

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #909 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs Detroit Tigers @ 7:10 ET - I had the over in this match-up yesterday and, admittedly, caught a break. The game had a decent start in terms of run production but then stalled until the Red Sox had a huge bottom of the 8th. However, rather than shy away from coming right back with the same play (because of getting fortunate) I actually am recommending to again invest in the same play between the same teams today. One of the keys is that the Tigers bullpen has been a strength this season but yesterday's performance absolutely could be a sign of things to come. Likewise, the Red Sox bats have been slow to get going this season but yesterday's 11 runs scored absolutely could be the catalyst for the Boston bats to get hot. That said, the fact this total dropped to a 9 this morning offers value also as now we just need each team to get to 4 runs and we can't lose the play. Note that the Tigers have scored 4 or more runs in 4 straight games. Also, Detroit is averaging 5 runs per game in their last 6 games. The Red Sox have scored 4 or more runs in 5 of their last 6 games and have scored an average of 5.5 runs per game in those 6 games. Boston's Rick Porcello may have extra motivation going against his former team but that didn't help him the last time he faced Detroit. The Tigers got to him for 11 hits in 6 innings when he most recently faced them. Porcello gives up too many homers and that has continued this season and has played a role in his winless record and 8.49 ERA on the season. The Tigers Jordan Zimmerman also has struggled as he is winless with a 4.94 ERA on the season. He started the season well but has a 9.22 ERA in his last 3 starts. Zimmerman's last two starts at Fenway Park have seen him allow 9 earned runs in less than 9 innings of work! The over is 3-0 in Zimmerman's last 3 starts and 4-0 in Porcello's starts this season but 2-0 in Porcello's last two starts against the Tigers. Detroit is a long-term 27-12 to the over in Thursday games and the Red Sox are 3-0 to the overs in Thursday games this season. Lot of perfect edges here! 10* OVER the total in Boston

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #969 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs Detroit Tigers @ 7:10 ET - The Tigers are loaded with confidence after earning the sweep yesterday. Detroit has now won 4 of its last 5 games and averaged 11 hits per game in these 5 contests. The Tigers pounded out a dozen hits in each game of the twinbill yesterday. That included Detroit giving the Red Sox beleaguered bullpen plenty of trouble yesterday. Boston's bullpen ERA ranks them among the worst in the majors this season as they are far off the mark from where they were last season. I do look for the BoSox bats to bounce back today and that is why I expect this game to fly over the total because Detroit should stay hot at the plate as well. The Tigers will be facing Eduardo Rodriguez and the over is 3-1 in his 4 starts this season as he has compiled a 7.20 ERA. The Red Sox will be facing Tyson Ross in this one. I am well aware that Ross has some decent numbers early this season but as he continues to throw hanging sliders, more and more damage will be done to his offerings. Ross has given up 9 runs in 12 innings in his last two starts but it is a bit "hidden" due to some unearned runs. He did allow 2 homers in his last start and, prior to that, Ross had more walks than strikeouts in his prior start. Also, his strikeout numbers are down in his last two starts. Both teams also had to use extra bullpen arms yesterday due to the double header. The wind is expected to be blowing out toward right field in this one at Fenway Park. The over is a long-term 53-35 (including 2-0 this season) in Detroit's games against southpaw starters. The over is 5-1 in Rodriguez's last 6 starts dating back to September of last season. More of the same here. 10* OVER the total in Boston

Total Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Game #905 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Mets vs Philadelphia Phillies @ 7:10 ET - The Phillies are without a couple of guys in their lineup right now but they still have plenty of solid hitters and sluggers up and down the lineup. After managing just 3 hits in last night's 5-1 loss to the Mets, look for the Phils sticks to bounce back in New York tonight. However, Zach Eflin gets the call on the mound for Philadelphia and he has not fared well at Citi Field. He is winless in his 3 career starts there and that includes compiling an ugly 10.13 ERA at Citi Field last year. The Mets are averaging a solid 6 runs per game in their home games this season and should get to Eflin here. However, New York's starting pitcher, Zack Wheeler is also likely to struggle. The Phillies just saw him last week and though he fared quite well he did allow two homers. Also, the last time Wheeler faced the Phils at Citi Field, they got to him for 10 baserunners (7 hits, 3 walks) in less than 5 innings of work. 2 of Eflin's last 3 starts versus the Mets have resulted in an over. Though Wheeler's start against the Phillies last week resulted in an under, the over was previously 7-3 in his 10 prior starts against Philadelphia. The over is 9-2 in Mets night games this season and 8-3 in Mets games against teams with a winning record. That includes last night's under and so do these stats: the Phillies are 10-5 to the over in divisional games this season and also 9-5 to the over in night games this season. 10* OVER the total in New York Mets

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Game #959 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Baltimore Orioles vs Chicago White Sox @ 7:05 ET - The White Sox (5.04 ERA) and Orioles (6.55 ERA) have two of the worst bullpens in the majors so far this season. Also, this total first opened up at a 10.5 yesterday afternoon but has now dropped to a 9.5 as of game day morning. Chicago starter Manny Banuelos is making his first start since 2015 as he has been working out of the bullpen. Baltimore starter David Hess had a great first start this season but then went 0-3 with a 9.24 ERA in his 3 starts that followed. Last season Hess went 3-10 with a 4.88 ERA so the long-term certainly shows his early strong outing versus the Blue Jays this year is the exception rather than the norm. The over is 4-2 in White Sox road games with a money line between +125 and -125. The over is 9-5 this season in Chicago's games against right-handed starters. The Baltimore over is 9-1 this season in home games. The Orioles over is also 8-3 this season in night games. The O's entered yesterday's action having averaged 5 runs per game at home this season. The White Sox entered yesterday's action having averaged 6.5 runs per game on the road this season. With the extra line value thanks to the drop on this total, this one gets my top play rating. 10* OVER the total in Baltimore

Total of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #923 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Texas Rangers vs Houston Astros @ 3:05 ET - The Rangers continue to swing the bats quite well at home. Even against Gerrit Cole yesterday, though they struck out a lot, Texas pounded out big hits and sent the opposing starter to an early exit. The Astros Colin McHugh is also likely to get hit hard here and, at the same time, the Rangers Shelby Miller has little shot of keeping the Houston sticks in check. Houston already saw the Texas right-hander early this month and Miller was fortunate he allowed only 2 earned runs as he walked 5 and allowed 5 hits in less than 4 innings of work. The Astros have stayed under the total in just 21 of their last 59 Sunday games. The Rangers have scored an average of nearly 7 runs per game in their last 7 home games. The over is 9-5 when Texas is a home dog of +175 or more. The over is 4-2 this season in Rangers games against teams with a winning record this season. Also, the over is a perfect 2-0 in Miller's home starts this season. McHugh has allowed 14 hits in 9 and 1/3 innings in his last two starts in Arlington. Both those starts went over the total and also each of Miller's two starts against the Astros in his career have gone over the total. Warm weather and strong south winds at Globe Life Park in Arlington also helps to produce hitter-friendly conditions here. 10* OVER the total in Texas

Game of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #961 Saturday MLB 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line (-) vs Colorado Rockies @ 8:10 ET - The Phillies are off a bad beat yesterday as they took the lead in the top of the 12th and then lost it in the bottom of the 12th. Philadelphia outhit the Rockies by a huge margin yesterday but Philly stranded far too many men on base. Look for a bounce back here with Aaron Nola over Antonio Senzatela in this one. Nola has not been his typical dominant self early this season but that has led to line value in this spot as the Phillies are only a small road favorite even though Nola has enjoyed success against the Rockies including a start at Coors Field. Senzatela faced Philadelphia late last September and allowed 5 hits and walked 3 in less than 5 innings of work so he was fortunate to allow only 1 earned run. Nola has struck out 17 and allowed only 10 hits in his 13 and 2/3 innings of work versus the Rockies in his career. Phillies are off B2B losses and have yet to lose 3 straight this season. Colorado has won 5 straight but previously had lost 12 of 13 prior games. Though Senzatela had a strong first start it came against a Padres team that has one of the lowest batting averages in the majors this season. The Phillies rank among the top teams in the National League for road batting average on the season with a .272 mark thus far. Philly is 10-6 this season against right-handed starters. The Rockies entered this series having gone 0-5 in home games this season. Having won 2 straight since, I don't see it reaching 3 straight. Better lineup, better starting pitcher, and not a big difference between these bullpens. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Top Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #917 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Yankees vs Kansas City Royals @ 7:05 ET - I have been burned by the Yankees totals recently but the 3rd time will be the charm. Now things are getting over-adjusted by the markets and that leads to great value in a spot like this. The total on Friday's game is down to an 8.5 and this is even though temperatures will be rather mild and a steady wind is expected to be blowing out to left field at Yankee Stadium tonight. With good hitting conditions in the Bronx tonight and needing just 4 runs from each team in this one to guarantee a winner (game can't end 4-4 so we'd get at least 9 runs) this is a must play in my book. CC Sabathia had a great first start last week to open up his season but one should never over-react to just one outing. Also, the southpaw is facing a Royals team that has scored 4 or more runs in 7 of its last 9 games after yesterday's 6-1 win. I expect KC to stay hot and score their fair share of runs. The Royals confidence is growing as they have won 4 of their last 6 games. The Yankees had scored an average of nearly 6 runs per game in their 9 games prior to yesterday's poor effort. I look for the Bronx Bombers to bounce back strong against the Royals Jakob Junis tonight. The Kansas City right-hander has a 6.61 ERA and a .304 batting average against this season. He has consistently allowed 3 or more earned runs in all 4 of his starts. In their first 18 games this season, KC had just 6 unders. After last night's game stayed under the total, look for "normal" to resume tonight and take advantage of this low total. 10* OVER the total in New York Yankees

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #965 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Yankees vs Kansas City Royals @ 6:35 ET - It is true that Homer Bailey is off arguably his best start since the 2017 season. However, the Royals right-hander faced an Indians lineup that continues to function as one of the worst hitting teams in the majors. Likewise, Yankees right-hander Domingo German has great numbers in his first two starts but he faced the two teams projected to be the two worst teams in the AL this season as he squared off with Baltimore and Detroit. Of course Kansas City is also projected to have a rough season too but don't be surprised when they enjoy success against German in the Bronx. The Royals got a big 4-3 win in 10 innings yesterday and confidence is a little higher than usual as KC has won 4 of its last 6 games and also averaged scoring 5 runs per game in its last 8 games. The Yankees also come into this game with a boost of momentum after a 2-game sweep of the rival Red Sox that saw the Bronx Bombers score 13 runs in the two games. The Yankees lineup has produced an average of 6 runs per game their last 11 games. Just on sheer averages alone you can see why it wouldn't surprise me to see a 6-5 type game here and, keep in mind, with the total at just a 9 we only need to get each team to get to 4 runs to guarantee we won't lose the play as it would have to end at least 5-4. I am actually expecting each team to get to 5 in this one on a rather pleasant evening weather-wise in the Bronx tonight. 10* OVER the total in the New York Yankees game

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #915 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Yankees vs Boston Red Sox @ 6:35 ET - This total opened up at a 9.5 but has dropped to a 9 as many don't trust the Boston bats. Certainly they have struggled early this season and the Red Sox enter this game having scored a total of just 1 run in their last 2 games. However, that has led to great value here with the over and, in typical contrarian fashion, I am fading the line move. The fact is that the Yankees J.A. Happ could be just what the doctor ordered in terms of the remedy for the Boston bats. The New York southpaw is winless with an 8.76 ERA in his first 3 starts this season. Also, Happ has allowed 8 earned runs in the 9 innings spanning his last two starts against the Red Sox. As for Boston starter Nathan Eovaldi, he has had success in recent starts versus the Yankees. However, he is not right early this season. Eovaldi is winless with an 8.40 ERA in his first 3 starts this year. Now he faces a Yankees team that has scored 6 or more runs in 3 of their last 5 games after they erupted for 8 runs in yesterday's blowout win. In fact, the Yanks have averaged 6.1 runs per game in their last 10 games. The over is 3-0 in Happ's starts this season as well as 3-0 in Eovaldi's starts this season. Only 4 of Boston's first 12 road games have resulted in an under. I look for the over to improve to 5-2 this season in Red Sox games against southpaw starters. Also, the Yankees over in divisional games is set to improve to 6-2 on the season. Look for both starters to struggle and the weather is certainly decent for mid-April in the Bronx. 10* OVER the total in New York Yankees

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #969 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Twins vs Toronto Blue Jays @ 7:40 ET - The Twins have been swinging the bats quite well early this season except at home but that had a lot to do with typical cold spring weather in Minnesota. However, temperatures today in Minneapolis are warming well into the 60s and a bounce back at the plate is expected. Yes Aaron Sanchez has some impressive numbers early this season. However, it must be noted that the Blue Jays right-hander started the season by facing the Tigers and Indians. Those are the two bottom teams in the American League for batting average so far this season. Sanchez then faced the Red Sox but even they are struggling at the plate early this season. However, Boston did get him to for 4 runs (but only 1 was earned) as he labored quite a bit with 4 walks and 5 hits in his 5 innings of work. Sanchez gave up 4 earned runs in 6 innings with more walks than strikeouts when he faced the Twins here in Minnesota last season. As for Twins starter Kyle Gibson, he is off to a very rough start this season. Gibson has a 7.71 ERA in his two starts this season and also a 5.73 ERA in his last two starts against the Blue Jays. The Toronto lineup is not a great one but they're building confidence as they've shown a knack for getting big hits. That is part of the reason the Jays have averaged 5.3 runs per game their last 6 games. The Twins have averaged 6.6 runs per game their last 5 games. The over is 39-19 when Toronto is a road dog in a range of +125 to +175. The over is 4-1 in Twins night games this season. 10* OVER the total in Minnesota

Top Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #915 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Texas Rangers vs Los Angeles Angels @ 8:05 ET - The Rangers bats are coming to life at home. They do hit the ball very well at home as a general rule thanks to the hitter-friendly home ball park they play in. On Monday temperatures will warm into the 80s in the Arlington area so it will be a mild evening for baseball and the hitters should again prevail. The Angels might even have Mike Trout back for this game but, even if they don't, look for them to build off Saturday's 6-5 win at Chicago against the Cubs. The pitching match-up here is conducive to plenty of runs. Trevor Cahill gets the start for the Angels here and he had an ERA north of 6.00 on the road last season. Also, the last time he faced the Rangers he walked 6 in less than 3 innings. That was a home start for him too. The last two times he has faced them at Texas he has allowed a total of 8 earned runs in 10 innings. The point is that this is not a good match-up for him and all 3 of those meetings occurred last season. As for Rangers starter Shelby Miller, he just faced the Angels a week ago and he struggled with command and allowed 4 earned runs in just 2 innings of work. Miller's only other start this season saw him also struggle badly with his command and behind him is an unimpressive Rangers bullpen. Just like Friday's 8-6 Rangers loss and Sunday's 8-7 Rangers win, don't be surprised when another slugfest breaks out at Globe Life Park in Arlington in hitter-friendly conditions. 10* OVER the total in Texas

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #975 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Texas Rangers vs Oakland A's @ 3:05 ET - A cold front moved through yesterday which is what led to the rain and severe storms that caused the cancellation of Saturday's game. Even though it will be cool in Arlington Sunday afternoon it won't be cold by any means and the wind blowing out at about a 10 mph clip also helps our over here. Brian Anderson gets the start for the A's and is over-valued right now. He has decent stats on the season but that was helped by, in his opener, facing an Angels lineup that has been stone cold. Since then, Anderson has actually been hit hard and had some command issues in his two April starts. He has managed to work out of the jams so far but that is helping lead to him being overvalued here. Keep in mind the Oakland southpaw went 2-4 with a 6.06 ERA in road starts last season! The Rangers counter with Adrian Sampson and he is making just the 6th start of his young career. The right-hander is 0-5 with a 4.10 ERA and has been hit at a .280 clip at the MLB level. The Texas bullpen has struggled this season and ranks in the lower third of the majors. The A's pen ranks in the middle of the pack but the Rangers .462 slugging percentage in home games ranks them 3rd in the AL this season! Oakland has a sizzling hot .533 slugging percentage in road games this season which ranks them 4th in the majors this season! Just like Friday's 8-6 A's win, don't be surprised when another slugfest breaks out at Globe Life Park in Arlington in hitter-friendly conditions. 10* OVER the total in Texas 

Total of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #909 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Atlanta Braves vs New York Mets @ 7:20 ET - Yesterday's game was 6-2 by the middle innings but finished that way and stayed under the total. I don't expect a repeat of that here. These two teams each rank in the lower half of the league for bullpen ERA so far this season. Also this match-up features a pair of unimpressive southpaw starters and the Braves are ranked 6th out of 30 for slugging percentage versus lefties this season while the Mets are ranked 6th out of 30 for batting average versus lefties this season! Both teams should swing the bats well and Jason Vargas is pitching on long rest. That is something that plagued the Mets lefty last season. The Braves Sean Newcomb is off a strong start but it came against the downtrodden Marlins. His prior outing was against the Cubs and he was very fortunate to not allow a run as he allowed TEN baserunners in only FOUR innings! Even with yesterday's result included, the Mets are still 9-3-1 to the over this season. Also, all 3 of their games against a left-handed starter have gone over the total and only 1 of the Braves 4 games this season against a southpaw starter has resulted in an under. Look for double digits here in this one! 10* OVER the total in Atlanta

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #967 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs Baltimore Orioles @ 7:10 ET - There were 4 homers hit in yesterday's game (Red Sox hosting Blue Jays) and the ball will be carrying very well again tonight. Chilly weather but a southerly breeze and that means another power display quite likely tonight. The Orioles David Hess had a good first start this season but that came against Toronto (hitting .198 on season). In his next start he gave up 3 homers to the Yankees. In his last two starts against the Red Sox, Hess has allowed 10 earned runs and 5 homers in just 8 innings of work! He'll be opposed by Eduardo Rodriguez and the southpaw is struggling badly early this season. The lefty has allowed 11 earned runs in only 8 innings of work spanning his first two starts. His most recent starts against the Orioles make it look, on the surface at least, like he dominated. However, Rodriguez actually allowed 17 hits in 11 and 1/3 innings in his last two starts versus Baltimore and he was fortunate to get out of jams. The way he has pitched early this season, and considering the hitter-friendly conditions expected at Fenway tonight, I don't expect Rodriguez to be so successful in getting out of jams tonight. The Orioles have won 4 of their last 5 road games and averaged 5 runs per game in those 4 victories away from home. Overall, entering this game, Baltimore has averaged 5.5 runs per game their last 4 games. The Red Sox are averaging 6 runs per game in their first two home games of the season and I foresee a breakout game tonight for the BoSox sticks after rallying from a 5-0 deficit for the win yesterday. 10* OVER the total in Boston

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Game #920 Thursday 10* Top Play Boston Red Sox Run Line -1.5 runs vs Toronto Blue Jays @ 7:10 ET - Even including their surprising 7-5 win to open up this series Tuesday, the Blue Jays are hitting just .193 thus far on the season. They were projected to be a bad team entering this season and they are living up to it so far. What was not expected was for the Red Sox to also be struggling early this season. But, keep in mind, the World Champs began the season with a tough West Coast road trip. Finally Tuesday was their first home game of the season. The fact they lost that game only strengthens the likelihood of a dominating Red Sox win here after yesterday's off-day. Of course I would never lay 2 to 1 odds on the money line but where we get value here is with the run line. Boston is available at even money by laying the 1.5 runs. I am aware that Aaron Sanchez is off to a strong start this season but he faced the Indians and Tigers. Each of those teams is hitting below .200 so far this season! Also, when Sanchez pitched at Fenway Park early last season in May he gave up 7 earned runs in just 5 innings. Boston's Nathan Eovaldi hasn't made a start against the Blue Jays since 2016. This is a big edge for him as there is a lack of familiarity for the Toronto hitters. Of course their roster has change a lot since then too and their current roster is a combined 1 for 16 against Eovaldi! Look for a dominating home win here (keep in mind Red Sox were best hitting team in MLB last year) and play the run line here. 10* BOSTON Run Line -1.5 runs

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #959 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in St Louis Cardinals vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 7:45 ET - The Dodgers got shutout yesterday but they still rate as the top hitting team in the National League so far this season. Also, Los Angeles leads the majors in walks. Of course that means LA is a patient team at the plate and that could frustrate the Cardinals Jack Flaherty. I have a lot of respect for Flaherty's overall body of work in his young career but also strongly feel that he is just not right at the present time. Keep in mind he finished up last season with an ugly September. Now in his first two starts this season he has been getting into deep pitching counts and falling behind hitters and has been unable to work deep into games. This problem does not lend itself well to being able to enjoy success against this tough Dodgers lineup. I know Flaherty has had success against them in the past but he is not in top form right now and also it is expected to be mild weather in St Louis this evening with a decent breeze blowing out to left. As for the Dodgers Kenta Maeda, he is off a rough start at Coors Field. I know last year his home/road splits were nearly equal but in 2017 his road ERA was 3 runs highers than his home ERA. Especially now coming off a tough time at Colorado, look for the road issues to be apparent again tonight. The Cards have a number of hitters in their lineup that have enjoyed success against Maeda even though it has been in limited action. The Cardinals lineup has not been as potent as we're use to seeing with St Louis teams but their slugging percentage in night games still ranks them in the upper third of the majors. Also, the Cards have managed to score at least 4 runs in all but 2 of their 11 games this season. Keep in mind, getting each team to 4 runs here guarantees us of no less than a 5-4 final and, behind Maeda is a Dodgers bullpen that has had some struggles early this season. As for the Los Angeles sticks, they entered this season having scored an average of 8.4 runs per game on the year. After struggling in the first two games of this series, look for their bats to come alive here. 10* OVER the total in St Louis

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #917 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Baltimore Orioles vs Oakland A's @ 7:05 ET - This total opened up at a 10 and it has dropped down to a 9 as of early game day morning. I fully understand the line move as the wind is expected to be blowing in sharply from left field for this one. However, the game is about much more than just home runs. The teams combined for 16 runs yesterday but only 4 of the 26 hits were homers and two of those were solo blasts. The fact is that both teams should stay hot at the plate here. The Orioles are hitting .268 versus lefties this season and the A's are slugging .457 against southpaws this season. Oakland left-hander Brett Anderson got rocked for 4 earned runs in less than 4 innings in his most recent start at Camden Yards. Baltimore southpaw John Means is making his first ever MLB start. In his minor league career, including LOW LEVEL ball, he has been hit at a combined .275 clip. That includes .277 at the AAA level. His action has been limited at the MLB level but he has been hit at a .289 clip and that comes as no surprise. Off an ugly 12-4 loss yesterday, look for Oakland to jump on the young hurler early and often. The A's have had more than 10 hits in each of their last two games. The Orioles have averaged scoring 5 runs per game in games against left-handed starters this season. Oakland's Anderson allowed 12 baserunners in just 5 and 1/3 innings in his last start and that came at home too! The over is 4-2 in the Athletics last 6 games and 4-0 in the Orioles last 4 games. 10* OVER the total in Baltimore

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #963 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Baltimore Orioles vs Oakland A's @ 7:05 ET - The Orioles have gone over the total in 3 straight games. Baltimore's bullpen ranks as one of the worst in the majors thus far as they have compiled a 7.97 ERA, been hit at a .333 clip and allowed 15 homers in 40.2 innings! That is bad news for this match-up because with Andrew Cashner on the mound, the bullpen could very well be called upon early in this one! Cashner just faced the A's in September and allowed 8 earned runs in 8 innings! Not only that, in his two starts versus Oakland last season, Cashner allowed 3 homers in less than 7 innings of work! Marco Estrada gets the start for the A's here. I know he has had some success early this season but, in his only start away from home (in Japan) he did allow 2 homers in 5 innings. Also, the Orioles are very familiar with him and Estrada has allowed 4 homers in 17 and 1/3 innings spanning his last 3 starts against them. The Oakland right-hander went 5-11 with a 6.17 ERA in his night starts last season. The A's lineup got back on track with 8 runs in yesterday's tight loss at Houston. Oakland will now take advantage of a starting pitcher they have pounded plus a weak bullpen. Don't be surprised if the O's answer them run for run! 10* OVER the total in Baltimore

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach MLB Game #911 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Colorado Rockies vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 8:35 ET - Julio Urias has pitched sporadically in recent seasons and is only in the rotation due to injury. One thing that has been consistent for Urias when he has pitched though is the fact that he didn't like Coors Field! He has pitched here twice (one start) and has compiled an 11.57 ERA and been hit hard at a .457 clip! The southpaw faces a Rockies lineup tonight that has a number of hitters whom have enjoyed success against him. An evening game in early April in Colorado certainly can be chilly or even downright cold! But that is not the case this evening and that adds to the value here. Temperatures will top out in the 70s today in Denver and won't be much cooler than that when this one gets underway and on through the game temps should remain about the 60 degree mark. Very pleasant weather for baseball and the ball will carry very well tonight at Coors Field. Of course that also spells bad news for Rockies start Chad Bettis. Last season in his 17 home games (10 starts) he got rocked to the tune of a 7.08 ERA and opponents hit .311 against him. He is already off to rocky start this season as he struggled at Tampa Bay in his first start. Bettis is known for making mistake pitches that lead to big hits and that will spell trouble against a Dodgers lineup that is on fire right now. LA is very familiar with Bettis and has enjoyed some success against him. The Dodgers are scoring an average of 8 runs per game this season. The Rockies are still "getting going" now that they are at home but their 6 runs Friday is a sign of things to come and I expect them to pound Urias. Big total here but it is not nearly big enough when you consider all pertinent factors in this one. 10* OVER the total in Colorado

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #979 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Arizona Diamondbacks vs Boston Red Sox @ 8:10 ET - This total did open up at a 9 and then it dropped to an 8.5 and, in typical contrarian fashion, I am grabbing the extra value and going with the over in this match-up. These teams combined for 23 runs yesterday. I don't expect them to get anywhere close to that today but just around half that (11 or 12) will do just fine for our purposes! The fact is that David Price can be a tough lefty but he did allow 4 earned runs in his first start and he is facing a Diamondbacks team that has pounded left-handed pitching so far this season. Also, Arizona starter Luke Weaver has bounced between the minors and the bigs in recent seasons and there is a reason for that. He showed again why that is by allowed 5 runs (4 earned) in less than 5 innings in his first start of this season. The right-hander now faces the defending World Champs and they'll build off scoring a bunch of runs in the latter innings of last night's game. Also, behind Weaver is a Dbacks bullpen that has been one of the worst in the majors so far this season. The normally brilliant Red Sox bullpen also has struggled and ranks only in the middle of the pack so far this season. The over is 7-2 this season in Boston's games and the Diamondbacks are 7-1 to the over. Until these trends start to turn around I see no reason to fade them. Since I like the pitching match-up here as well, I am looking for another one to eclipse the number today. 10* OVER the total in Arizona

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #919 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Arizona Diamondbacks vs Boston Red Sox @ 7:10 ET - As I mentioned when I used the over in his first start this season, even though Boston's Rick Porcello is a sinkerballer he has major trouble with giving up too many homers. The right-hander even went more and more to his slider last year and that didn't help matters. The fact is that Porcello entered this season having allowed 88 homers the past 3 seasons. There are only 2 other pitchers in the majors that allowed more over that span. Now the Red Sox right-hander certainly faces a challenge here as he pitches at Chase Field just like he did at T-Mobile Park. The Mariners were crushing the ball with 13 homers in their first 5 games of the season. Now Porcello faces a Diamondbacks team that has crushed 14 homers in their first 7 games this season! Porcello got rocked plus allowed a homer at Seattle and this was after allowing 4 homers in limited action in spring training. Look for the ball to continue to fly out of the yard in this one! The Red Sox righty will be opposed by Diamondbacks right-hander Zack Godley. He struggled badly in his first start this season and was roughed up for 7 earned runs in 5 and 1/3 innings. Godley goes from facing the World Series runner-up Dodgers to facing the World Champion Red Sox! In other words, the task at hand doesn't get any easier. I know the Boston sticks have been a little slow out of the gate this season but their last 4 games were at pitcher-friendly Oakland. Keep in mind their first 4 games saw them average 6 runs per game at Seattle and now the Red Sox finally play a series in a hitter-friendly venue. Also, the over is 6-1 in Diamondbacks games this season and 6-2 in Boston's games this season. The total on this one opened up at a 9 and dropped to an 8.5 and, in typical contrarian fashion, I am going opposite the line move and grabbing the added value with the over. Look for the over to improve to 4-0 in Porcello's career starts against Arizona. Also, the over is 28-10 when the Diamondbacks are playing after an off day. 10* OVER the total in Arizona

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Game #965 Thursday 10* Top Play Boston Red Sox Money Line (-) @ Oakland A's @ 3:35 ET - I am well aware of the scoreless inning streak Brian Anderson has in home games. So too are the odds makers. The fact is that the Red Sox are favored here with good reason and I also like the fact that Boston can build off last night's big 3-run top of the 9th that led to a 6-3 win. Keep in mind, the Red Sox scored the final 6 runs of that game. As for the A's Anderson, he had a great first start this season while Boston's Eduardo Rodriguez struggled. However, early in the season it is important not to over-react to one start. Note that Anderson faced an Angels team that has been struggling miserably at the plate early this season while Rodriguez faced a Mariners team that has been one of the hottest hitting teams in the majors early this season. In other words, don't be surprised if Anderson struggles here while Rodriguez bounces back. Anderson did struggle early last season and most of his struggles past two seasons were pre-All Star break. The timing is perfect to fade Anderson here as we only have lay a short price to have the defending champions and, again, I like the momentum boost they get after last night's 9th inning win. Sometimes all it takes is one game like that to completely flip the switch for a team and, of course, the Red Sox are a much better team than what their 1-5 start indicated. Also, in looking at this match-up, Boston does have the better bullpen as well. Oakland was strong in day games last season but the Red Sox were even stronger as they went an incredible 36-10 in afternoon action. 10* BOSTON

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #905 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in San Diego Padres vs Arizona Diamondbacks @ 3:40 ET - This total has dropped to as low as a 7 in some spots as of early Wednesday morning and that is offering great line value on the over. The Diamondbacks are a perfect 6-0 to the over this season and their games have averaged 15 runs per game which is, of course, double the opening total of 7.5 that was posted on this match-up. I understand the low total as Joey Lucchesi and Robbie Ray both merit some respect for sure. However, the key to the value here is that the Diamondbacks have been one of the hottest hitting teams in the majors early this season and they have given Lucchesi some issues in the past. On the flip side, Ray gets a lot of strikeouts but also usually has command issues and walks a lot of batters. That combination generally leads to short outings. Now enter the Dbacks bullpen. They have performed as one of the worst pens in the league early this season and Ray often lasts no more than 5 innings in his starts so we'll get some Arizona bullpen in this one for a good chunk of the game quite possibly. Last but not least, though Petco Park favors pitchers more than hitters, it is also true that day games are more favorable than night games on the West Coast. Again, couple all the above factors with a very low total here and you can see why I am expect the over to improve to a perfect 7-0 in Arizona games this season. The Diamondbacks have averaged 14 hits in their last 3 games and even the Padres reached double digits in hits yesterday. More of the same here. 10* OVER the total in San Diego

TV Game of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #953 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Nationals vs Philadelphia Phillies @ 7:05 ET - It goes without saying that Max Scherzer is a fantastic pitcher. That said, the Phillies are familiar with him and Philadelphia now has one of the most dangerous lineups in baseball and is the only undefeated team on the season thus far. Of course Scherzer being on the mound is why this total is being held to a 7. The Phillies 1 through 8 is arguably the deepest lineup of any team in the league. In my opinion the weakest link is the guy they've been batting 6th and that is Odubel Herrera. Therein lies the key to this match-up. I really like the other 7 sticks in the lineup and, as for Herrera, he is hitting .341 against Scherzer and it is NOT a small sample size. That is over 41 at bats and includes 2 homers and 5 RBI. Don't be surprised if the Phillies do some damage tonight and note that the Nationals bullpen is a major question mark too! As for the Washington sticks, they certainly should have a big game here. Phillies starter Zach Eflin has proven much better at home than on the road in his young career. In his road starts he is 6-10 with a 5.80 ERA and has been hit at nearly a .300 clip. By the way, at Nationals park, he has been rocked in two career starts and the Nats have hit .400 against him there! The over is 2-1 in Eflin's 3 career starts against Washington and the over is 2-1 in Scherzer's last 3 starts against the Phils. The last 22 times Philadelphia has played a game with a posted total of 7 runs only 7 of the 22 stayed under the total. 10* OVER the total in Washington

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #925 Monday 10* Top Play Colorado Rockies Money Line (+) @ Tampa Bay Rays @ 7:10 ET - The Rockies are off a disappointing 2-2 split of their series at Miami. Colorado was shutout in the series finale yesterday. The Rockies are 13-8 the past two seasons when coming off a shutout loss. Also, Colorado had scored an average of 5 runs per game in the first 3 games of the series. By comparison, the Rays haven't even scored 5 runs in a game yet this season! Yes, Tampa Bay is known for strong pitching but they've managed an average of just 6 HITS per game in their first 4 games this season. Conversely, the Rockies as I noted above, had averaged 5 RUNS per game in their first 3 games this season. Play this game with ACTION on the pitchers because the Rays are going the "Bullpen Game" rout in this one and Ryne Stanek is expected to be the opener but sometimes they change those things up. I want action on this money line play because no matter who pitches, I like the Rockies to bounce back here and I like the Colorado lineup in comparison with the Tampa Bay lineup. Note that Chad Bettis is a quality pitcher when he is healthy and he went 3-1 with a 2.43 ERA in his April starts last year. He should excel against a Tampa lineup that is off to a slow start this season. The Rays are 18-22 (-$6,800) in interleague games the past two seasons. The Rockies are 88-72 (+$30,600) the past two seasons when facing a team with a winning record. Tampa Bay has won 3 straight and the Rockies have lost 2 straight. The markets are over-reacting to this and I am grabbing the road dog value. 10* COLORADO

Total of the Month - Rickenbach MLB Game #977 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Seattle Mariners vs Boston Red Sox @ 4:10 ET - Even though Boston's Rick Porcello is a sinkerballer he has major trouble with giving up too many homers. The right-hander also went more and more to his slider last year and that didn't help matters. The fact is that Porcello has allowed 88 homers the past 3 seasons. There are only 2 other pitchers in the majors that allowed more over that span. Now the Red Sox right-hander certainly faces a challenge here as he pitches at T-Mobile Park. The Mariners are crushing the ball with 13 homers in their first 5 games this season. Porcello has allowed 4 homers in his last 2 visits to Seattle. He'll be opposed by Mariners southpaw Wade LeBlanc. The lefty had a strong outing when he faced the Red Sox in Seattle last season. However, his very next start was also against Boston but this time it was at Fenway. LeBlanc got crushed for 6 earned runs in less than 5 innings of work. The point is the Red Sox certainly figured a few things out in reference to the soft-tossing lefty and they will pound him again here. Another key to the value with this play is both bullpens have been giving up their fair share of runs so far in this series. Look for a 4th straight over between these teams and that means the Mariners O/U mark will go to 6-0 on the season. I am going to ride this early season trend on Sunday. 10* OVER the total in Seattle

Game of the Month - Rickenbach MLB Game #906 Saturday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line (-) vs Atlanta Braves @ 4:05 ET - The first numbers that popped up offshore for this game had the Phillies in the -155 price range. They have since dropped to as low as a -130 in some spots. I understand the move because the Braves are expected to be just as strong as Philadelphia in the NL East this season and Nick Pivetta flies "under the radar" for Philly. However, Pivetta is truly a much stronger pitcher than the "black and white" numbers show. He is a strikeout pitcher and tends to be particularly tough at home and even tougher in day games! Pivetta has a 3.83 ERA in day game outings in his career and this is a guy that struck out 113 batters in his 91 innings on his home mound last season. He held batters to a .229 BAA in day games last season. The Braves counter with Bryse Wilson and I know he has a top prospect for Atlanta and had a strong spring training. However, now he makes just the 2nd start of his MLB career (and just 4th appearance) and he has a 2.00 WHIP at the MLB level in his young career. He faces a very potent Phillies lineup and the wind will be blowing out at Citizens Bank Park this afternoon. Wilson is just 21 years old. He only made 3 starts at AAA level of minors and has a 5.32 ERA in his 5 appearances at the AAA level. Some may be looking for an Atlanta bounce back after getting trounced in the opener but the Braves are 11-15 after allowing 10 or more runs. The Phillies are 25-14 as a home favorite in a range of -125 to -175. How strong is this Phillies lineup? Prized offseason acquisitions Harper and Realmuto combined to go 0 for 6 in the season opener and the Phils still scored 10 runs! Lay the reasonable price here. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Game of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #962 Friday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Rays Money Line (+) vs Houston Astros @ 7:10 ET - Of course the Astros are a great team and certainly Gerrit Cole deserves plenty of respect. However, lets not forget the Rays won 90 games last season! I love getting them as a home dog here with Charlie Morton on the mound. It will be his first start with the Rays and, coincidentally, he gets to face his former team! Keep in mind, he was a big part of the 2017 World Series team in Houston and then last year was an All Star for the Astros. Morton has a fantastic curveball but what has also been impressive with him is that his fastball is improving with age! Though Morton is now in his mid-30s, his fastball is consistently in the mid-90s and that ranks him as one of the best in the AL among starters. I also like the fact that the few Houston hitters that do have experience against Morton have not had success while the Rays do have a few hitters whom have had some success against Cole. As I said above, Cole is a great pitcher but so too is Morton and you know he is going to give a huge effort against his former team here. I like grabbing home dog Tampa Bay off the low-scoring loss yesterday. In home games with a posted total of 7 runs or less, the Rays are 19-6 their last 25 games! That is even including yesterday's loss and note that, even with the Astros win yesterday, Houston is still just 3-5 (-$4,000) in road games with a posted total of 7 runs or less. 10* TAMPA BAY

Total of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #933 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Texas Rangers vs Chicago Cubs @ 4:05 ET - The Cubs Jon Lester was fortunate last season. His overall numbers look good but when you analyze advanced metrics he wasn't pitching nearly as well as you would think. Now he comes off a rough spring training and has to pitch at one of the most hitter friendly venues in baseball. Sometimes the Dallas-Fort Worth area can be quite cold in late March but it is going to be a very mild spring afternoon in DFW with the south winds blowing. Lester has allowed 14 hits in just 8+ innings in his last two opening starts. I do not expect this to go well for him. The Rangers are a much better hitting team when at home than on the road and though they strike out a lot the fact is that Lester is NOT the type of dominating strikeout pitcher that gives them trouble. He'll pitch to contact and Texas is going to do some damage. As for the Cubs bullpen, they are certainly weakened by the fact that closer Brandon Morrow is still out. The Rangers starter here is also a southpaw as Mike Minor gets the call. Rare opening day start for him plus he missed the 2015 and 2016 seasons due to injury and then was a reliever in 2017. I know he had a solid 2018 as a starter but he is still absolutely not your typical opening day starter and he is facing a helluva test here against a very powerful Cubs lineup. As for the Rangers sticks, for total runs they ranked 2nd in AL against left-handed pitching last season and also 4th in AL for total runs in home games. The Cubs had the #1 team batting average in the NL last season. It is with good reason that this total (9.5) is the biggest total on the board on opening day. Look for plenty of runs early and often in this one. 10* OVER the total in Texas

NOTE: The Red Sox have decided to start David Price here and that is perfectly fine with me. The southpaw is whom sent the Red Sox into the World Series with his huge effort at Houston in the ALCS. He also has fared well against the Dodgers in this World Series. Overall, in his last 3 appearances on the mound Price has allowed just 2 earned runs on only 7 hits while striking out 14 in 12 and 2/3 innings. Grab the underdog VALUE here. ORIGINAL write-up: Game of the Month - Rickenbach MLB Game #907 Sunday 10* Top Play Boston Red Sox Money Line (+) @ Los Angeles Dodgers @ 8:05 ET - It was Chris Sale whom fired up the Red Sox in the dugout in the latter innings of last night's huge come from behind win. That said, you know Boston's ace lefty is highly unlikely to "lay an egg" on the mound after all of his "antics" yesterday as he is the type of ace that backs up his talk with his performances on the field. With all due respect to the Dodgers Clayton Kershaw, the fact is that when both he and Sale struggled in Game 1, Kershaw was the lesser of the two in that game. The big key to the value here is more than just Sale outpitching Kershaw though. The big keys are that the Red Sox have had the better bats at the plate throughout this series. They also have had the better bullpen performances. They certainly also have momentum on their side after last night's huge win. I also like the fact that Boston is 5-0 in Sale's last 5 road starts and 12-2 in his last 14 starts overall. As for Kershaw, the Dodgers have now lost 2 of his last 3 starts. There is a reason that Los Angeles is priced as such a small home favorite here. Don't be fooled by the small line. This series is highly likely to end tonight ladies and gentlemen. 10* BOSTON

Playoff Game of the Year - Rickenbach MLB Game #905 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Los Angeles Dodgers vs Boston Red Sox @ 8:05 ET - I successfully went with the under in Game 2 of this series but I expect Game 3 to play out much like Game 1 did in this World Series. The bats are simply too strong here in each lineup and high temperatures today are forecast to be in the low 80s today in Los Angeles. Very warm weather compared to what the teams played in back in Boston to open up this series. Temperatures will still be in the upper 70s at first pitch in this one at 5 Pacific Time in LA. Boston's Rick Porcello hasn't pitched at Dodger Stadium in many years but certainly the hitters didn't have any trouble tracking his pitches when he did! His two starts here in 2010 and 2011 saw him allow 7 earned runs on 18 hits in less than 11 innings of work! Porcello also get hit hard at Houston in the ALCS as he allowed 4 earned runs on 7 hits in just 4 innings of work. He'll be opposed by the Dodgers Walker Buehler. I know that overall Buehler has pitched well but he's been victimized lately by giving up big hits at the wrong time and there is no doubt that the Red Sox have been the most dangerous team in MLB this season in terms of getting big hits in clutch situations. So much pop in the Boston lineup and Buehler allowed 6 hits in less than 5 innings in his most recent post-season start and also allowed 9 earned runs in 12 innings in the two starts that preceded that one! The over is 15-8 this season when the Red Sox are playing after a day off. Boston is 12-4 to the over when a road dog in a money line range of +125 to +175 this season. Expect another one here! 10* OVER the total in the Los Angeles Dodgers

MLB Total of the Month - Rickenbach MLB Game #904 Wednesday 10* Top Play UNDER the total in Boston Red Sox vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 8:05 ET - The Red Sox scored 5 runs last night with 2 outs in an inning. Impressive clutch hitting for sure but, outside of that, 7 runs were scored in last night's game. The point being that now we're seeing a total of 8.5 in Game 2 even though it is going to be another chilly evening at Fenway Park and even though one should be considering a very important factor here. Are either of these starting pitchers likely to pitch as bad as Kershaw and Sale did last night? Think about it...their combined line was 8 earned runs allowed on 12 hits and 5 walks in their combined 8 innings. That is a poor effort to say the last. Don't be surprised if Hyun-Jin Ryu and David Price both give better efforts tonight. Ryu struggled at Milwaukee in the NLCS but the Red Sox don't have familiarity with him. Also, Price will still be riding high from his dominating effort at Houston that propelled Boston into this World Series. In starts where Price has been a favorite this season only 8 of 27 went over the total! Before Ryu's most recent start at Milwaukee went over the total, 10 of his last 14 night game starts had resulted in an under. I suspect this one will as well! Grab the added value as last night's results have resulted in a boosted total here when the reality is the starting pitching will likely prove to be much better on another chilly night at Fenway Park. 10* UNDER the total in Boston

Game of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #961 Saturday 10* Top Play Los Angeles Dodgers @ Milwaukee Brewers @ 8:05 ET - As an MLB fan I generally enjoy rooting for the underdog. That side of me would be pulling for the Brewers in this game. However, in successful sports betting you have to shut out the "fan" aspect of it because it is all about the analytics. So though it would have been nice to see the Brewers finally back in the World Series for the first time since 1982 I just do not see it happening. The odds makers knew what they were doing here when they made the Dodgers a moderate favorite with the opening line here. It has since come down to very nearly a pick'em and this is understandable because of the post-season ERA numbers of these two pitchers thus far. However, that doesn't tell the full story here. The fact is that the Dodgers Walker Buehler has simply been done in by a couple of big hits. Note that he has allowed only 7 hits in his 12 post-season innings! Also, he has continued to pile up strikeouts. The point is that the LA right-hander has been a little unfortunate with his outcomes and that brings us to Jhoulys Chacin. Give the Milwaukee right-hander credit as he has pitched well. But he gave up quite a few hard hit balls in the first start versus the Dodgers and yet he managed to escape damage. I feel he will not be so fortunate in round two. Also, Chacin has averaged only 5 innings per start his last 8 starts. Conversely, Buehler has averaged above 6.5 innings per start his last 8 starts. Buehler, if he is rolling, could go 7 or 8 here while that doesn't hold true for Chacin and the Brewers used some key bullpen yesterday. 10* LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #957 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Milwaukee Brewers vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 8:35 ET - This total opened up at an 8 but is starting to drop to a 7.5 in some spots which comes as no surprise. After all, under has been the trend in this series. However, in typical contrarian fashion, I am going with the over here. For one thing, Hyun-Jin Ryu got hit quite hard by the Brewers in his first start in this series. Secondly, the Dodgers have plenty of confidence right now as they've won back to back games in this series. So LA certainly won't be lacking for confidence at the plate as they've also averaged 5 runs per game in their last 4 road games. The Brewers scored a total of 9 runs in their two home games in this series and should have no trouble with Ryu. Additionally, the further you get into a series, the more a lineup gets to see the bullpen and so don't be surprised if there are a few more "connections" for each team against the opposing relievers in tonight's match-up. It all adds up to plenty of runs expected at Miller Park tonight. Look for the over to improve to 15-9 when the Brewers are playing after an off day. As for Los Angeles, the over is 4-1-1 in their last 6 road games. 10* OVER the total in Milwaukee

Total of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #913 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Houston Astros vs Boston Red Sox @ 8:35 ET - All 3 games in this series have flown over the total and I see no reason for that to change tonight in Game 4. The fact is that the Astros Charlie Morton has been on the mound for a total of just 4 innings since September 15th. He hasn't pitched in the post-season and he only threw 4 innings over his last two regular season starts. That doesn't bode well for him to come out and just dominate here. Keep in mind he relies on location of his breaking stuff to be successful and it is hard to be razor sharp when you haven't been pitching much at all. Certainly too the powerful Red Sox lineup has hitters than can make you pay if you're "off" also. Additionally, it won't be just the Boston lineup enjoying success tonight. Rick Porcello gets the start for the BoSox and he allowed 7 runs (6 earned) in 12 innings spanning his two starts against the Astros this season. The Red Sox right-hander served up 3 Houston homers in those two starts. The over is a long-term 19-8-1 in meetings between these teams and that includes 8-2 this season. 9 of the last 13 meetings between these teams in Houston have flown over the total. The over is 11-3 this season in Boston's road games when they are an underdog in a money line range of +125 to +175. Look for another one here as both bullpens have had their share of some struggles in this series too. 10* OVER the total in Houston

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Game #907 Tuesday MLB 10* Top Play Boston Red Sox Money Line (+) @ Houston Astros @ 5:05 ET - Boston's Nathan Eovaldi has given up a total of just 2 earned runs while striking out 28 in the 23 and 1/3 innings spanning his 5 starts since September 1st. Houston's Dallas Keuchel has seen his strikeout numbers come down as he has struck out only 19 while allowing 18 earned runs in 28 innings spanning his last 6 starts. On paper, the Astros have the better bullpen but in Game 2 the Red Sox bullpen certainly held the edge and that trend continues here. Boston is 39-17 (+$16,800) in recent seasons when playing after a day off. Houston is only 12-10 (-$8,600) this season when playing after a day off. The Red Sox bats have done a better job of remaining consistent after a day off in comparison with the Astros and I am forecasting that to continue on Tuesday. 10* BOSTON

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach MLB Game #953 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Los Angeles Dodgers vs Milwaukee Brewers @ 7:35 ET - This is an early start for a West Coast game as first pitch is at 4:35 local time when temperatures should be around 80 degrees at Dodger Stadium. Yes, this is a pitcher-friendly venue but with warm temperatures and an early start that does favor the hitters moreso than usual at Dodger Stadium. I know LA's Walker Buehler was done in by a big hit at Atlanta in his post-season start a week ago but it still shows he is certainly susceptible to pitching himself into a jam in a high-pressure situation and then paying for it. Certainly the Brewers have plenty of lumber that  can do some damage and I like the low total posted on this game especially considering that both bullpens have had some "moments" already in this series! As for Milwaukee starter Jhoulys Chacin, he allowed 8 earned runs in just 4 and 1/3 innings in his start at Dodger Stadium in August. That doesn't bode well for success in his go-around as the Dodgers also are buoyed in terms of confidence after the big road win at Milwaukee Saturday. Los Angeles has played 30 games with a posted total of 7 runs this season and only 10 of the 30 have resulted in an under. Milwaukee is 14-8 to the over when playing after a day off. 10* OVER the total in Los Angeles Dodgers

Game of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #904 Saturday 10* Top Play Boston Red Sox Money Line (-) vs Houston Astros @ 8:05 ET - The Red Sox opened up in the 130 range here and are now in the pick'em range in this game. Of course Houston has played very well this season, including on the road, but lets not forget that Boston was the best team in baseball this year. Also, the Red Sox are at home and playing with revenge and that includes Chris Sale. The southpaw has gotten stronger with each start since he returned from injury and he is looking for revenge against Justin Verlander and the Astros as they beat him in Game 1 of the ALDS last year. I can't say anything bad about Verlander or Houston here. Definitely respect them. But the value here with the Red Sox at home and in revenge mode is something I won't pass up on! Sale has struck out 23 in 13 and 1/3 innings in his last 3 starts! Boston is 11-1 in the last 12 starts that Sale has made. The Astros are a long-term 60-107 in road games with a posted total of 7 runs or less and that includes 3-6 in recent seasons. The Red Sox are a long-term 17-8 in home games with a posted total of 7 runs or less and that includes 5-1 in recent seasons. 10* BOSTON

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #901 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Milwaukee Brewers vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 8:05 ET - Of course playoff baseball generally leads to lower scoring games but this pitching match-up is likely to lead to an over and I am being a contrarian and looking for this one to easily get over the low total. The key here is two-fold. The Brewers Gio Gonzalez is pitching after a long layoff. Too much time between starts generally leads to struggles for starting pitchers in terms of locating their pitches properly and getting into a groove on the mound. As for the Dodgers Clayton Kershaw, the staff ace has been struggling in recent road starts. In fact, Kershaw has allowed 12 runs (11 earned) in his last 3 road starts spanning 17 innings. The over is a perfect 3-0 in those 3 starts. As for Gonzalez, only 3 of his last 10 starts have resulted in an under! He has been held to 5 innings or less in 6 of his last 9 starts. 2 of the last 3 starts Gonzalez has made this season have gone over the total. Also, 2 of the 3 games played between these teams at Miller Park this season went over the total. The Brewers have averaged scoring 6 runs per game in their last 5 games at home. The Dodgers have averaged scoring 9 runs per game in their last 4 games on the road. Some confident sticks at the plate in this one. 10* OVER the total in Milwaukee

Total of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #921 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Yankees vs Boston Red Sox @ 8:05 ET -Monday's game flew over the total and the over is now 7-1 in the last 8 meetings between these teams. Overall, the over is now 9-1 in the Yankees last 10 games and 7-1 in Boston's last 8 games. Look for the huge run production to continue this evening between these teams on an evening with very mild weather for October in the Bronx tonight and light winds blowing out toward left. Boston's Rick Porcello has allowed 11 earned runs in just 20 innings in his last 4 road starts. He is not pitching deep in recent outings away from home and he also hasn't been overly dominant as you can see with those numbers. The Red Sox right-hander also gave up 5 earned runs in just 5 and 1/3 innings in his most recent start at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees CC Sabathia allowed 3 earned runs in 3 innings in his most recent start versus the Red Sox and walked 4 in that short stint. Though his prior home start versus Boston went well, the one just prior to that in May saw Sabathia get crushed in the Bronx by the Red Sox. The point is that he has been roughed up more often than not in his outings versus the powerful Boston lineup. The Red Sox continued their assault on opposing pitchers in yesterday's blowout win. Look for both teams to pound the ball in this one. 10* OVER the total in New York Yankees

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach MLB Game #913 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Yankees vs Boston Red Sox @ 7:40 ET - Even though Saturday's game just missed going over the total, the over is still 6-1 in the last 7 meetings between these teams. Overall, the over is still 8-1 in the Yankees last 9 games and 6-1 in Boston's last 7 games. Look for normalcy to resume this evening between these teams on an evening with rather mild weather for October in the Bronx tonight. Luis Severino dropped off a lot with his 2nd half results compared to the 1st half of the season. Also, Rick Porcello has allowed 11 earned runs in just 20 innings in his last 4 road starts. He is not pitching deep in recent outings away from home and he also hasn't been overly dominant as you can see with those numbers. The Red Sox right-hander also gave up 5 earned runs in just 5 and 1/3 innings in his most recent start at Yankee Stadium. Severino was strong against Oakland in the wild card game and, no disrespect to the A's intended, the fact is the Red Sox lineup he is facing tonight is much stronger than that Athletics lineup. 10* OVER the total in New York Yankees 

Game of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #958 Sunday 10* Top Play Atlanta Braves Run Line +1.5 runs (+) vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 8:05 ET - This is a ton of value here. The Braves are looking to avoid elimination and, even on the run line at +1.5 runs, they are available at plus money on their home field. Even if Atlanta loses a tight one by a single run, you can still cash a ticket on the run line at +1.5 runs in this one. The Braves Sean Newcomb very nearly no-hit the Dodgers here in Atlanta in late July. Yes the Dodgers Walker Buehler has been pitching well but, just like Newcomb, he does not have post-season experience. I also like having the Braves sticks at home and the Dodgers are on a winning streak but are still just 13-16 (-$14,400) this season when they enter a game on a winning run of 3 or more consecutive games. Also, Los Angeles is 38-45 (-$24,400) in road games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs. The Braves are 9-5 this season when they enter a game on a losing streak of 3 or more games. Also, Atlanta is 17-7 in Sunday games this season. With their backs against the wall, the Braves bounce back here and get at least the "cover" in a game where I just don't see the Dodgers ever being able to establish a big lead. 10* ATLANTA BRAVES Run Line +1.5 runs

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach MLB Game #953 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs New  York Yankees @ 8:15 ET - David Price is known for struggling against the Yankees ever since he came to Boston. This has been particularly true at Yankee Stadium but, even when Price has faced the Yanks at Fenway Park, things haven't exactly gone smooth for the Boston southpaw. Earlier this season the Yankees knocked Price out of a start early - a game in which he lasted only 1 inning. Also, New York got to him for 4 earned runs in just 5 and 1/3 innings when they most recently faced him less than 3 weeks ago. He won't be the only starting pitcher struggling in this one. Masahiro Tanaka gets the start for the Yankees here and the right-hander compiled a 9.00 ERA in his final two starts of the season. Also, Tanaka compiled a 7.58 ERA in his four starts versus the Red Sox this season. The over is 4-1 in Price's last 5 starts this season. The over is 3-0-1 in Price's 4 starts versus the Yankees this season. The over is a perfect 3-0 in Tanaka's last 3 starts. Also, the over is 3-0-1 in his 4 starts versus the Red Sox this season. Overall, with yesterday's game flying over the total, the over is now 6-0 in the last 6 meetings between these teams. Overall, the over is 8-0 in the Yankees last 8 games and 6-0 in Boston's last 6 games. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER the total in Boston

Total of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #905 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees @ 7:30 ET - It is true that the weather will be cool in Boston this evening as you would expect for early October. The point being that this is nothing new and this is still a hitter-friendly park. As a result, this total dropping to a 7.5 is offering excellent line value on the over. Keep in mind, the Red Sox bullpen struggled at times down the stretch run of the season and just how long will Chris Sale actually last in this game? Yes the Boston left-hander is a fantastic pitcher but his last 4 starts of the season averaged only 3 innings per game. Also, he has allowed 5 earned runs in 8 innings spanning his most recent two starts. Though he has impressive numbers against the Yankees in two starts this season he did allow 8 hits in 6 innings in his lone start versus the Bronx Bombers at Fenway Park. Also, the southpaw took the loss in two starts versus the Astros in the post-season last year and finished up that losing series with an 8.38 ERA. I know J.A. Happ has been strong for the Yankees since they got him but he did allow 9 runs (4 earned) in his two starts at Fenway Park this season. That includes the Red Sox having just faced him here last week. Also, Happ has a solid ERA in limited post-season action but he was very lucky because he has a 1.81 WHIP in his 19.1 innings of playoff work. That means he has allowed an average of nearly 2 baserunners per inning his career post-season appearances. That won't get the job done at Fenway Park I can tell you that much! Take advantage of the low total as the over improves to a perfect 6-0 in the last 6 games between these bitter rivals! 10* OVER the total in Boston

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach MLB Game #939 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Yankees vs Oakland A's @ 8:05 ET - The Yankees wrapped up the regular season on a 10-2 run to the over which included each of their last 6 games games going over the total. I expect that trend to continue here in the Wild Card game. We get a low total of 8.5 in this one and I look to take advantage of the low number. As the Yankees lineup has gotten healthier they've been hitting the ball better. They should enjoy success against the A's whom have designated this as a "bullpen game" as Liam Hendriks gets the start but he will only go an inning or so in this. Then it will be a combination of pitchers to try to get the job done against the powerful Yankees lineup. I don't expect that to go well. However, the good news for A's fans is that Oakland should enjoy plenty of success at the plate too. Luis Severino gets the start for the Yankees and he struggled in the post-season last year and also has struggled in the second half of this season. The Yankees right-hander went 5-6 with a 5.57 ERA and a .291 BAA after the All-Star break. Severino allowed 5 earned runs in less than 3 innings of work when he faced the Athletics in early September. Since July 1st, the over is 12-3 (80%) in Severino's last 15 starts. The over is 10-3-1 in Oakland's last 14 games. With both teams trending over and Severino's struggles likely to continue and fairly mild weather in the Bronx this evening, all signs are pointing to plenty of runs in this one. 10* OVER the total in the New York Yankees game

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach MLB Game #937 Tuesday MLB 10* Top Play Colorado Rockies Money Line (+) @ Chicago Cubs @ 8:05 ET - The Rockies lost at Dodger Stadium yesterday but they were a big dog there and it was not a huge surprise (though I did expect them to get the upset). In other words, it is not hugely detrimental to their mindset. Conversely, the Cubs lost at home to the Brewers yesterday and the Cubs were favored in that game. This is a big blow to Chicago as they were on their home field and had a chance to sew up the home field edge for the National League post-season and they blew it. I believe that loss for the Cubs is much more painful for them than the defeat the Rockies suffered yesterday. Don't be surprised if the Rockies, despite the travel and being on the road a 2nd straight game, prove to be the more aggressive and upbeat team here. A lot of positive vibes in that clubhouse right now. As for the 2016 World Series Champion Cubs, there is still a little of bit of the feeling of what should have been in terms of home field edge for the playoffs, etc. The Rockies Kyle Freeland gives the road dog a big edge on the mound over the Cubs Jon Lester in this one in my opinion. Lester has been a little shaky late in the season as was strong in the first half of the season but has a 4.50 ERA and has been hit at a .303 clip since the All Star break! Compare this to Freeland whom is 9-1 with a 2.49 ERA since the All Star break! Also, the Rockies southpaw is 12-4 with a 2.49 ERA in his night starts this season. The Rockies were 9-1 their last 10 games prior to yesterday's loss. As for the Cubs, yesterday's loss drops them to just 17-15 their last 32 games which is hardly impressive. The road dog here has been the much hotter team and I like the hot pitcher Freeland over the fading Lester too. 10* COLORADO

Total of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #979 Saturday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Milwaukee Brewers vs Detroit Tigers @ 7:10 ET - The Brewers are still battling for the NL Central Division title. The Tigers have now gone over the total in 3 straight games after yesterday's 6-5 loss. They'll now take advantage of facing Wade Miley, a pitcher they have familiarity with from his days in the AL. The Brewers left-hander has lasted 5 innings or less in each of his last 3 starts. Miley has walked as many as he has struck out as he seems to be fading late in the season. Detroit will have Daniel Norris on the mound and he has allowed 16 in his last 26 and 2/3 innings. Also, the Tigers lefty has been rocked for 19 hits in just 15 innings spanning his last 3 starts. The Brewers enter this game having won 8 of their last 10 games. Milwaukee has scored at least 6 runs in 7 of those 8 victories. The Tigers have allowed 6.4 runs per game in their last 13 games. Look for another wild one here as Norris is likely to get knocked out early, Miley also has not been working deep into games, and the Detroit bullpen has a 4.44 ERA and ranks in the lower third of the majors for bullpens. The over is on a long-term 75-49 run in Brewers games against left-handed starters. 10* OVER the total in Milwaukee

Game of the Month - Rickenbach MLB Game #953 Thursday 10* Top Play Atlanta Braves Money Line (-) @ New York Mets @ 7:10 ET - Though the Braves have had the NL East clinched for quite some time, they are certainly still highly motivated here. Atlanta wants the #2 seed for the post-season in the NL so they have home field edge in their first series. They are only one game up on the red hot Rockies for that spot so there is no doubt the Braves will still go hard here. Keep in mind, Atlanta had won 6 straight games before getting shutout by the Mets in a 3-0 loss last night. Look for payback tonight. The Braves Julio Teheran has had some command issues (leading to too many walks in recent outings) but he still has allowed just 14 hits in the 23 and 1/3 innings spanning his last 4 starts. Also, versus the Mets, Teheran has a 2.22 ERA in his 23 starts against them in his career. This season he has held them to 5 earned runs on just 12 hits in 19 and 2/3 innings spanning his last 3 starts against them. As for the Mets Jason Vargas, the southpaw is 0-2 in his last two home starts versus the Braves as he got crushed for 10 earned runs in less than 10 innings of work in those two outings plus he allowed 3 homers. Vargas also enters this start having allowed 4 homers in the 15 innings spanning his last 3 starts overall. Prior to yesterday's win, the Mets had lost 6 of their last 10 and, of course, have had a disappointing overall season. Braves are still 20-8 their last 28 games against teams with a losing record and bounce back big here. 10* ATLANTA

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach MLB Game #905 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in St Louis Cardinals vs Milwaukee Brewers @ 7:10 ET - Normally in a crucial late-season series packed with playoff pressure you might expect a tight low-scoring battle. That is the norm after all. But it all depends on the pitching match-ups and, as we saw yesterday, when the pitching match-up is conducive to an over, things can get crazy in a hurry! The Brewers were especially hot at the plate yesterday but the Cardinals have also been producing some big performances at the plate in recent games too. The fact is that both lineups should stay hot this evening based on this pitching match-up. Milwaukee's Jhoulys Chacin did have a strong start versus the Cardinals in mid-August but he entered that start with an 11.00 ERA in his two prior starts versus St Louis this season! Also, he has not been able to pitch very deep into games of late and the Brewers bullpen got a lot of work in yesterday's game as did the Cardinals. St Louis could see their pen called upon early again here too because John Gant has struggled in his last two starts with 7 earned runs allowed in just 7 innings and command (7 walks in 7 innings) continues to be an issue for him. Also, against the Brewers he has a 1.92 WHIP in two career starts. The big bats of Milwaukee make you pay more often than not when you're allowing too many baserunners and that has been a recurring them for Gant. With yesterday's 12-4 Brewers win, the over is now 8-0 in the Cardinals last 8 starts. The over is on an 11-6 run in Chacin's last 17 starts. Look for another slugfest Wednesday. 10* OVER the total in St Louis

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach MLB Game #951 Tuesday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Nationals vs Miami Marlins @ 7:05 ET - Of course the Nationals are a huge favorite (even on the run line) in this one but if you truly believe Washington is going to have a big day at the plate (and I do strongly believe that), there is another much more economical way to get involved here. The over opened at only a 7.5 because Max Scherzer is on the mound for the Nats. Now of course he is a great pitcher but, keep in mind, he has one more regular season start after this and he can't get to 20 wins. His only real motivation is to get to 300 strikeouts and he has 290 so he has two starts to pick up 10. The point is that with playoff elimination a virtual certainty for Washington, there is no need to over-work Scherzer here. Plus he has a 5.40 ERA in his last 3 starts and the Marlins have scored an average of 5 runs per game in their last 3 games. Of course once he has out of the game a "middle of the pack" Nationals bullpen will be in play here. Speaking of bullpens, Miami ranks as the worst in MLB on the year and they could be called upon early. Marlins starter Jeff Brigham is 0-3 with a 5.84 ERA and 1.70 WHIP in his first 3 starts. Walks continue to be an issue for him and now he faces a Nationals lineup that has scored 6 or more runs in 3 straight games. More of the same here and, considering Brigham has averaged just 4 innings per start and the Miami bullpen is a major weakness, I wouldn't be surprised to see Nats get this total by themselves. However, look for the Marlins to contribute quite well. The over is 3-0 in Scherzer's last 3 starts and I expect another one today. As a road dog of +240 or more this season the Marlins are 7-0 to the over. Combined 10-0 / 100% perfect streak tested here. 10* OVER the total in Washington

Total of the Month - Rickenbach MLB Game #913 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Blue Jays vs Houston Astros @ 7:05 ET - The Blue Jays Marco Estrada and the Astros Dallas Keuchel matched up on June 27th and that game totaled 13 runs. I wouldn't be surprised to see a similar end result tonight. Houston's Keuchel has seen the over go 4-1 in his 5 starts versus the Jays in his career. Toronto's Estrada enters this start off of a solid outing at Baltimore but this certainly has been the exception rather than the norm lately for the Blue Jays right-hander. He entered that start having been crushed to the tune of a 12.60 ERA over his 4 prior starts. The Astros game yesterday ended up being a push to the total so they are still on a 3-0 run to the over entering this match-up. Also, in road games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs, Houston is on a long-term 47-23 run to the over. As a road favorite of -175 or more, the Astros are on a 21-10 run to the over. As a home underdog of +175 or more, the Blue Jays are 20-8 to the over! Only 1 of Keuchel's last 5 road starts have remained under the total. The Jays lost 5-2 yesterday but had previously won 6 of their last 8 games and averaged scoring 5 runs per game. The point being that the Jays are still playing hard to close out the season while the Astros are working hard to try and lock up the AL West title. Houston has won 6 of their last 8 games and averaged scoring 6 runs per game in the process. 10* OVER the total in Toronto

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach MLB Game #969 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cleveland Indians vs Boston Red Sox @ 7:05 ET - Talk about relaxed hitters at the plate...the Red Sox have clinched the AL East and the the Indians have clinched the AL Central. Neither lineup wants to lose their "rhythm" right before the playoffs either. In other words guys are "locked in" at the plate but certainly not feeling any pressure either. That leads to some high-scoring games in match-ups like these with two sub-par pitchers. The Red Sox hand the ball to Hector Velazquez and he has allowed 10 earned runs in less than 7 innings spanning his last two starts. The Tribe will hand the ball to Adam Plutko and he got rocked by Boston last month and he enters this start in poor overall form. The Indians right-hander has allowed 9 earned runs in less than 11 innings spanning his last two starts plus he gave up 3 homers in EACH of those starts! The over is 5-0 in Boston's last 5 games. The over is 2-0 in the last 2 starts Velazquez has made. Last but certainly not least, the over is a perfect 7-0 this season in Indians home games in which their money line is ranging from -125 to +125. This is combined trending of 14-0 / 100% PERFECT in favor of the over in this match-up. Look for a slug-fest Sunday evening at Progressive Field. 10* OVER the total in Cleveland

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #915 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Yankees vs Baltimore Orioles @ 4:05 ET - Yesterday the Orioles got to the Yankees bullpen for 6 runs in 3 innings! Today the Yankees starter is Lance Lynn and he has averaged just 5 innings per start over his last 7 starts! In other words there could be plenty of bullpen damage being done again today. Also helping the cause is that Lynn is off of back to back solid outings but he had previously allowed 19 earned runs in 18 and 2/3 innings over his prior 4 starts. He has been "on the fade" for awhile and I like the fact that the Orioles saw him in July and he only had two strikeouts in that game. Baltimore has gotten to Lynn for 24 hits in just 16 and 1/3 innings spanning his last 3 starts against them. As for the O's starter, David Hess, he is off of a start in which he allowed 3 homers and that is bad news as he now faces the Bronx Bombers. The Yankees lineup has been bolstered recently with guys getting healthy again and the ball was flying out of the park last night and should continue to do so this afternoon. The over is 3-0 in the last 3 starts Hess has made as he has compiled an unimpressive 6.08 ERA and 1.73 WHIP in those outings. As a home favorite in a money line range of -250 to -330, the Yankees are now 10-3 to the over this season. Just like yesterday's slugfest, this one should fly over the total easily. 10* OVER the total in the New York Yankees game

Total of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #965 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Baltimore Orioles vs New York Yankees @ 7:05 ET - The Yankees, despite last night's loss to the Red Sox, are still in great shape in terms of notching a wild card berth. However, they haven't clinched yet and, as a result, they'll continue to field strong lineups with their regular starters until they do so. That said, as downtrodden as the Orioles have been this season, they'd still love to play the role of spoiler as much as possible here and I expect Baltimore to have a big night at the plate against CC Sabathia. The Yankees southpaw is on the fade of late as he has a 9.29 ERA in his last 3 starts. He allowed 3 homers in his most recent start which was versus Toronto. Also, in his last 3 starts versus the Orioles (all this season) Sabathia has a 6.00 ERA and has given up 5 homers in 15 innings! As for Baltimore starter Yefrey Ramirez, he is certainly also likely to struggle in this one. He is 0-2 versus the Yankees this season with a 10.00 ERA in his two outings. The over is 6-3 in the Yankees last 9 games. The over is 3-0 in the Orioles last 3 road games. As a home favorite in a range of -250 to -330, Yankees games are 9-3 to the over this season. Look for another slugfest in this one! 10* OVER the total in the New York Yankees game

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Game #907 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Oakland A's vs Los Angeles Angels @ 3:35 ET - The A's drilled the Angels 10-0 last night. The over is now 13-4 in Oakland's last 17 games. Also, Los Angeles is 7-1-1 to the over this season when they are off of a shutout loss. In home games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs, only 6 of Oakland's 19 games have stayed under the total. The Angels Matt Shoemaker has allowed 6 earned runs on 12 hits in less than 10 innings of work spanning his last two starts. He also has a rather poor 1.59 WHIP in his last two starts versus Oakland and certainly this Athletics lineup is surging right now! Edwin Jackson gets the start for the A's here and, though he was successful in his most recent start versus the Angels, don't be surprised if the quick second look (just saw him last month) gives LA the edge in the rematch. Jackson struggled badly and allowed 4 earned runs in just 3 innings in his most recent home start. The over is 2-1 in Jackson's last 3 starts and 2-1 in Shoemaker's 3 road starts this season. More of the same expected on a mild afternoon in Oakland with the wind blowing out toward right field. The Angels had averaged scoring 6 runs per game in their 3 games prior to being shutout last night. The A's are 10-1 to the over in their last 11 home games as they remain especially hot at the plate in their home games. 10* OVER the total in Oakland

Run Line Rout - Rickenbach MLB Game #978 Wednesday 10* Top Play Pittsburgh Pirates Run Line -1.5 runs vs Kansas City Royals @ 7:05 ET - The Pirates, though mathematically still alive, certainly have slim hopes of a Wild Card berth at this point in the season. However, that hasn't stopped them from playing hard. Last night's win was their 4th straight and Pittsburgh is now 10-3 in their last 13 games. Keep in mind, the Bucs are hosting one of the worst teams in baseball in this interleague match-up and last night's loss dropped Kansas City to 22-52 on the road this season. Even though Pirates starter Chris Archer gave up some big hits versus the Brewers early in his most recent start, he settled down and pitched quite well overall. I like the fact that Archer has allowed only 13 hits in his last 17 innings while striking out 19 during this span. Also, in his last two starts versus the Royals, Archer has held them to just 3 earned runs on only 11 hits while striking out 17 over 15 and 1/3 innings. KC sends Heath Fillmyer to the mound and the Royals are 0-4 in his road starts this season as he has been rocked to the tune of a 12.40 ERA in his starts away from home. More of the same expected tonight. The Royals are 5-24 in their last 29 games versus a team with a winning record. Of course I would never lay huge juice on a money line but I love the value of the run line here with the Pirates available as low as even money by laying the 1.5 runs. Pittsburgh has won 14 of 19 interleague games this season while Kansas City has lost 13 of 17 against NL teams. 72 of the Royals 99 losses have come by 2 or more runs this season. 49 of the Pirates 76 wins have come by 2 or more runs this year. I like the odds on a home blowout in this one with Archer over Fillmyer! 10* PITTSBURGH Run Line

Total of the Year - Rickenbach MLB Game #905 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Atlanta Braves vs St Louis Cardinals @ 7:35 ET - The Cardinals were crushing extra base hits all over the park in last night's 11-6 win. Both bullpens struggled in that game. St Louis is one of the top teams in the majors for slugging percentage on the road. Atlanta is among the top teams  in the majors for batting average versus left-handed pitching. Cards southpaw Austin Gomber has allowed 25 hits in the 16 innings spanning his last 3 starts. The lefty has given up 10 earned runs in the 9 innings over his last two starts. As for the Braves starter in this one, Anibal Sanchez issued 5 walks in just 6 innings in his most recent start. He'll be facing a Cardinals lineup that has plenty of confidence at the plate right now. They crushed the ball last night and the Cards are 7-0 in Atlanta in their last 7 games there and 6 of the 7 have gone over the total. In fact, in all match-ups between these teams (including those in St Louis), the over is 13-3 in the last 16 games! With the way both bullpens struggled last night and the fact that both of these starters are likely to encounter some tough times in the early going of this one, plus a manageable total in the 8.5 range as of early Tuesday morning, you have a nice set-up here for what should be an easy over. Also, the over is 8-4 in the Braves last 12 games. St Louis is 8-4 to the over the last 12 times they've been a road dog in the +125 to +175 range. The Braves, when past the midway point of a season and facing a team with a wining record on the year, have gone 72-46 to the over. Look for all of the aforementioned trends to add another W on the over side of the ledger Tuesday evening. 10* OVER the total in Atlanta

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Game #953 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Miami Marlins vs Washington Nationals @ 7:10 ET - Erick Fedde is off of a surprisingly strong start in his last outing but he faced the Phillies in the middle of a major slump. Prior to that outing Fedde had compiled a 6.26 ERA while allowing 35 hits in just 27 and 1/3 innings spanning his 6 prior starts. In other words, one shouldn't over-react to one strong start from Fedde and I look for him to struggle at Miami tonight. Of course the Marlins are likely to have pitching issues of their own here. Not only is the Marlins bullpen (5.47 ERA) ranked dead last in the majors this season, starting pitcher Trevor Richards has been struggling. The over is 5-0-1 in Richards last 6 starts as he has allowed 23 earned runs on 31 hits in just 27 and 1/3 innings of work. The over is 3-0 overall in the Marlins last 3 games and Washington is 8-4 to the over in their last 12 games. Look for more of the same on Monday as both starters struggle. 10* OVER the total in Miami

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach MLB Game #907 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in St Louis Cardinals vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 8:05 ET - The Dodgers Ross Stripling has averaged less than 5 innings per start in his 4 starts since the All Star break. In those outings, the LA right-hander has compiled a 5.50 ERA and has given up 21 hits in 18 innings. He hasn't been as sharp as usual nor as he been as strong as usual. As for the Cardinals Adam Wainwright, he allowed 2 homers in his return to the rotation on Monday and that was against a Pirates team that certainly has not been swinging the bats like this Dodgers team has. Los Angeles, after yesterday's blowout win over the Cards, has averaged scoring 6.6 runs per game their last 11 games. As for the Cardinals sticks, they have averaged scoring 5.6 runs per game their last 11 games. Only 38 of the Dodgers 91 games versus right-handed starters this season have stayed under the total. St Louis is 8-3-1 to the over, including 3-0 this season, in games where they are a home underdog in a range of +125 to +175. Look for the over to improve to 8-4 this season when the Cardinals enter a game on a losing streak of 3 or more consecutive games. 10* OVER the total in St Louis

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #965 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Yankees vs Toronto Blue Jays @ 4:05 ET - The Yankees rolled 11-0 yesterday. They have been crushing Blue Jays pitching including now having scored an average of 9.8 runs in their last 4 games versus Toronto. As you would expect, all 4 of those games went over the total. The Yanks sticks should certainly stay hot today as they face a struggling Sean Reid-Foley going for the Jays in this one. When he faced the Yankees last month he gave up 6 earned runs in 4 and 1/3 innings. In his most recent start (last Saturday versus Indians) he allowed 6 earned runs in just 4 and 2/3 innings. You can see why struggles are expected for Reid-Foley here and lets also not forget that Jays relievers have also been getting lit up by Yankees hitters in recent meetings. As for Yanks starter CC Sabathia, I am well aware that he has some decent numbers in recent starts against Toronto. However, his recent form has not been too impressive. Sabathia has a 5.65 ERA over his last 3 starts. The over is 44-25 in Blue Jays road games this season. Also, when they enter a game on a losing streak of 3 or more games, Toronto has gone 13-4 to the over this year. After allowing 10 or more runs in a game this season, the Jays over is 8-3. Expect another high-scoring game this afternoon in the Bronx. 10* OVER the total in the New York Yankees game

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #913 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Baltimore Orioles vs Chicago White Sox @ 7:05 ET - I know the White Sox, after a pretty strong run at the plate, have cooled off recently. However, the fact is that the Orioles Luis Ortiz should certainly bring out the best in them. This will be his first ever start at the MLB level and, in fact, he has only made 6 starts at the AAA level in the minors and he got hit at a .274 clip in those outings. Making the jump essentially from AA ball to the MLB level is a big jump and Ortiz has made one appearance at the MLB level and he recorded only 2 outs while being charged with 3 earned runs so he has a 40.50 ERA with the O's thus far. As for the Baltimore sticks, they have been much stronger at home than on the road in recent weeks and they should pound James Shields. The veteran right-hander gets the call for the White Sox here and he is 1-7 with a 5.82 ERA on the road this season. Also, Shields has allowed 14 earned runs on 21 hits (including 4 homers) in the 13 and 1/3 innings spanning his last 3 starts versus the Orioles. The over is 14-7 in ChiSox Friday games this season. Also, when the Pale Hose are facing a team with a losing record, the over is 25-12 their last 37 games. The Orioles are 4-2 in their last 6 home games and certainly tend to hit better at home. Adding to the value with this totals plays is that both of these bullpens (Chicago and O's) rank among the worst in the majors this season. Look for runs early, often, and throughout this one! 10* OVER the total in Baltimore

No Doubt Blowout Rout - Rickenbach MLB Game #955 Thursday 10* Top Play Los Angeles Dodgers Run Line -1.5 runs (-) @ St Louis Cardinals @ 7:15 ET - This one has the makings of a road rout. The Cardinals haven't faced Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw in awhile and the lack of repetition certainly won't help them. The LA southpaw has dominated the Cards to the tune of allowing just 1 earned run on only 4 hits in 17 innings spanning his last two starts against them. Kershaw has struck out 30 in 23 innings spanning his last 3 starts versus St Louis. He also enters this start in superb form as the lefty hasn't allowed more than 2 earned runs in a start in nearly two months. The Cards are also going with a southpaw here. Austin Gomber, whom beat the Dodgers on August 20th in Los Angeles, gets the call here. I realize that he has a low ERA and some impressive numbers on the season. However, Gomber allowed 10 hits in 7 innings in his most recent home start and that was the only time he has had to make a 2nd start against a team this season. The point is that he got hit harder the 2nd time around and now the Dodgers are getting a second look at Gomber. LA has gone 9-3 in Kershaw's last 12 starts and 9 of their last 11 wins with Kershaw on the mound have come by a margin of 2 or more runs. The Cardinals have lost 3 of their last 5 home games and also each of their two games this month versus left-handed starters. Kershaw dominates and Gomber struggles. 10* Los Angeles Dodgers Run Line -1.5 runs

Total of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #913 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Colorado Rockies vs Arizona Diamondbacks @ 8:40 ET - The calendar says it is mid-September but it certainly won't feel like it today in Denver. High temperatures are topping out in the 90s and I expect hot bats to resume their work at Coors Field this evening as well. Yesterday's game stayed just under the total but the Rockies and Diamondbacks are primed to have big performances at the plate this evening. The over was 5-0 in Arizona's 5 games prior to yesterday's under. The Diamonbacks have averaged scoring 5 runs per game their last 7 games. The Rockies have averaged scoring 6 runs per game in going 7-3 their last 10 games. Jon Gray gets the start for Colorado here and he has just 6 strikeouts in his last 3 starts and also walked 5 batters in his most recent start. He also has given up 7 earned runs in 5 and 1/3 innings spanning his last two starts versus the Dbacks. Arizona starts Patrick Corbin tonight and the southpaw has given up 12 hits (including 2 homers) in his last 10 innings versus the Rockies. His last two road starts were strong but those were in pitcher friendly venues. Corbin had allowed at least 3 earned runs in 3 of his 4 prior road starts and also labored in his most recent start at Colorado. Look for the over to improve to 24-16 in Arizona's road games with a money line range of -125 to +125 this season. Look for the over to improve to 4-1 in the last 5 meetings between these teams as the Dbacks have averaged 5.8 runs per game their last 5 versus Colorado and the Rockies, prior to yesterday's quiet night, had averaged 7.8 runs per game in their 4 prior games versus Arizona. 10* OVER the total in Colorado

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach MLB Game #969 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Tampa Bay Rays vs Cleveland Indians @ 7:10 ET - The Rays are one of the hottest teams in the majors and, of course, rolling with momentum after rallying in the bottom of the 9th for last night's 6-5 win. Tampa Bay has now won 8 of its last 9 games and the Rays have averaged scoring 7 runs per game during this hot streak! As for the Indians, they have have averaged scoring 5.6 runs per game their last 7 games. This pitching match-up looks conducive to another high-scoring game tonight. Cleveland's Shane Bieber has a 5.83 ERA in his last 3 starts and the Tribe have not recorded a single under in any of his last 4 starts. As for the Rays Tyler Glasnow, he got destroyed by the Blue Jays in the 1st inning of his last start. Though he'll certainly perform better than that outing (didn't even get out of first inning) here, I do expect the young right-hander to still see some negative "carry-over effects" from that poor outing at Toronto. His prior start was a beauty against these same Indians but now he gives the dangerous another look at him less than 2 weeks later. That usually doesn't bode well for young starting pitchers and that is especially true when they're coming off of an outing like Glasnow just had at the Rogers Centre. Look for the over to improve to 14-7 in Cleveland's Tuesday games this season while the Rays over streak reaches 5 in a row with another high-scoring affair tonight. 10* OVER the total in Tampa Bay

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #901 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cincinnati Reds vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 6:40 ET - The Reds Cody Reed will be making his 15th career start for Cincinnati. The Reds are 0-14 so far in those starts! Of course that is why the Dodgers are a big favorite tonight and I do expect them to hit Reed well. However, don't be surprised if Cincinnati also hits well tonight. Yes, LA's Alex Wood has been pitching very well but the Reds (.270 batting average) are actually one of the top hitting teams in the majors this season against left-handed pitching. As for the Dodgers, their .440 slugging percentage in road games this season ranks them 2nd in the National League as they are certainly one of the top slugging teams in the majors when away from pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium. Reed gave up 6 earned runs in 5 innings at Pittsburgh last week and he is facing a Los Angeles team that has averaged scoring 6 runs per game in their last 5 games. The Reds lineup also comes into this game hot at the plate as they just finished up taking 2 of the final 3 games of a 4-game set with the Padres thanks to averaging 8 runs per game in those 3 games! The over is 11-6 in the Dodgers last 17 games against teams with a losing record while the over is 10-5 in Reds Monday games this season. More of the same here. 10* OVER the total in Cincinnati

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach MLB Game #977 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs Houston Astros @ 8:05 ET - Yesterday's game stayed just under the total. Even though it will be a cool, fall-like evening at Fenway Park tonight, I like the over in this series finale based on the pitching match-up. The Astros Dallas Keuchel got rocked for 8 earned runs in 6 innings the last time he pitched at Fenway Park. Overall, each of his last two starts versus Boston have resulted in an over. As for the Red Sox pitching, their bullpen has been struggling in recent weeks. That could be a factor here because I expect starting pitcher Rick Porcello to struggle some too. The right-hander has a 6.46 ERA in his last 3 starts versus the Astros. Not only does that hold significance here, note that Houston has won 7 straight games and is averaging 6 runs per game. In other words, this is a very confident Astros lineup that will be stepping into the batters box versus Porcello tonight. Though the Red Sox bats have been quieter than usual so far in this series, they still have averaged scoring 7 runs per game in their last 4 home games. Boston's issue will be the fact that Porcello has not pitched more than 5 innings in any of his last 3 starts and that means a struggling bullpen is likely to be called upon early tonight. Only 3 of Porcello's 12 home starts (25%) have resulted in an under this season! Though this total may drop to an 8.5 it will likely remain at a 9 in many spots and the over is a long-term 47-23 in Astros road games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs. Despite yesterday's result, the over is still a solid 7-2 this season in Red Sox home games where their money line ranges from a +125 to a -125. That over trend resumes tonight. 10* OVER the total in Boston

Game of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #968 Friday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Rays Run Line -1.5 runs vs Baltimore Orioles @ 7:10 ET - The Rays are 41-24 at home this season. The Orioles are 17-55 on the road this year. Of course I am not going to lay the huge odds (over 2 to 1) with the Rays on the money line here. However, I do see fantastic line value in laying a very small price with Tampa Bay and expecting them to win this game by 2 or more runs. Hence the value here with the run line as Blake Snell gets the rematch against Dylan Bundy that he wanted. Keep in mind that Snell has pitched infinitely better than Bundy all season long but when they matched up in Baltimore back in May. In that start Bundy had a rare gem while Snell had a rare sub-par performance. Payback is on order today and Snell is 8-1 with a 1.06 ERA in his home starts this season. As for Bundy, the Orioles are 3-9 in his road starts and he enters this start with an 8.79 ERA in his last 3 starts. Laying the 1.5 runs here is certainly supportable by the fact that 15 of the Rays last 17 wins have come by 2 or more runs and 11 of Baltimore's last 13 losses have come by a margin of defeat of two or more runs. Expecting more of the same here on Friday. 10* TAMPA BAY Run Line -1.5 runs

Total (of the Week) Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #907 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Blue Jays vs Cleveland Indians @ 7:05 ET - The Indians only scored 3 runs yesterday but they did have 10 hits in the game but simply didn't hit well in clutch situations and they left 9 men on base in that one though had 10 opportunities at the plate with men in scoring position. I expect the Tribe will fare much better against the Blue Jays Sam Gaviglio Thursday. As for the Toronto lineup, they exploded for 10 runs in yesterday's series finale with the Rays and they now face an inconsistent Shane Bieber. The Cleveland right-hander has a 5.91 ERA in his last 4 starts and gave up 3 homers in his most recent road start. As for the Jays Gaviglio, he is 1-4 with a 5.61 ERA since the All Star break. In this stretch, opponents have hit .304 against him. Also, keep in mind, 5 of Gaviglio's 8 starts since the All Star break came against teams with a losing break and 4 of the 5 were against the last place Orioles and Royals. He is facing a much tougher lineup Thursday and I expect the Indians to get to him early and often. In Thursday games this season Toronto is 9-4 to the over and Cleveland is 8-4 to the over. More of the same here. 10* OVER the total in Toronto

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach MLB Game #953 Wednesday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cincinnati Reds @ 7:05 ET - The Pirates Jameson Taillon has been pitching very well so, at first glance, one might be uncomfortable with predicting the Reds to do some damage here at the plate. However, a big key is that Cincinnati is facing him for a fourth time this season. Taillon shut down the Reds when they first saw him but that was back in early April. In the two times Cincinnati has faced him since, Taillon has given up 7 earned runs on 14 hits in 11 and 1/3 innings. Look for the Reds to get to the Pirates right-hander here. The big key to this play however is the fact that the Pittsburgh bats should absolutely crush the Reds Homer Bailey. The Cincinnati right-hander has miraculously allowed just 3 earned runs in each of his last 3 starts even though he continues to be hit hard. In fact, Bailey has now allowed 46 hits in the 24 and 2/3 innings spanning his last 5 starts. Yes, you read that right, the Reds right-hander is allowing an average of nearly 2 hits per inning! Bailey has a 6.93 ERA during this 5-start stretch and facing the Pirates is unlikely to help him. Bailey has given up 9 runs (8 earned) on 17 hits in 9 and 2/3 innings spanning his last two starts versus Pittsburgh. More of the same expected here and we'll take advantage of a low total posted on this one thanks to Taillon being on the mound for the Pirates. 10* OVER the total in Pittsburgh

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach MLB Game #917 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cleveland Indians vs Kansas City Royals @ 7:10 ET - The Indians Mike Clevinger has been throwing very well. However, he is facing a surprisingly red hot Royals team that has won 8 of its last 9 games and has scored at least 5 runs in all 9 of those games. That said, Kansas City is very likely to at least do some damage at the plate in this game. Couple that with the fact that the Indians should absolutely annihilate KC's Danny Duffy here and you have the right recipe for an easy over. The Royals left-hander is 0-3 with a 10.80 ERA versus the Indians this season. Each of his last two starts against the Indians have flown over the total. As for Clevinger, though he is pitching well of late (including his most recent start versus KC), the right-hander has allowed a total of 18 hits in the 15 innings spanning his two home starts versus the Royals this season. Though yesterday's game stayed under the total, Kansas City entered yesterday's action having had just two unders in their 10 prior games. The Indians have averaged 5.5 runs per game at home this season and they'll bounce back after yesterday's disappointing effort and that should send this game easily flying over the total as, keep in mind, these two teams also have two of the worst bullpens in baseball. 10* OVER the total in Cleveland

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Game #971 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cleveland Indians vs Kansas City Royals @ 4:10 ET - Both these teams were involved with games yesterday that went over the total and I look for another one today as now they are matched up on a very warm early September afternoon in Cleveland. The weather will certainly be favorable for the hitters and there is no denying that the Royals are red hot at the plate right now. With their 9-1 win yesterday, Kansas City has won 7 of their last 8 games and they've averaged scoring 7 runs per game during this hot stretch of play. As for the Indians, they've scored an average of 5.4 run per game in their last 7 games. Not great but also not bad and the fact is they should light up the Royals Jake Junis this afternoon. The Indians have had Junis' number as he has been rocked for 12 earned runs in 11 innings against the Tribe this season. Cleveland counters with Adam Plutko and he has given up 7 earned runs in 9 and 2/3 innings spanning his last two starts. Not only are those numbers unimpressive, he has walked 7 in those two short outings which is also a concern. The way the Royals are swinging the bats, Plutko is likely to get roughed up early and often. At the same time, the Indians bats continue their mastery of Junis' offerings and the result is a slugfest this afternoon at Progressive Field. Kansas City is 13-7 to the over in road games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs this season. The Indians are 13-6 to the over this season in home games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs. 10* OVER the total in Cleveland

Game of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #927 Sunday 10* Top Play Los Angeles Angeles Run Line +1.5 runs @ Houston Astros @ 8:05 ET - Even though Shohei Ohtani will be on a limited pitch count here the Angels bullpen (yesterday's results notwithstanding) is quite solid. They also do have fresh arms in the pen as they only went 1 inning yesterday and, in the prior two games in this series, the starters went 6 innings in each game. So the Angels should be solid with Ohtani backed by a rather rested bullpen. The Angels are 7-2 in Ohtani's starts this season and while certainly the big dog comeback price is enticing here, I like the added "insurance" of having the +1.5 runs in this one. Prior to yesterday's ugly late-game loss the Angels, at +1.5 runs, were 15-8 their 23 previous games. As for the Astros, at -1.5 runs, they had gone 11-21 their 32 prior games. Gerrit Cole gets the start for Houston here and the Astros are only 5-6 in his last 11 starts but yet Houston is priced at nearly 2 to 1 on the money line in this game. I feel we're getting excellent line value here as Cole gave up 4 earned runs in his most recent start plus, prior to that, he had allowed 24 hits in 23 and 1/3 innings spanning his 4 prior starts. The Astros have been fantastic on the road this season but are barely above .500 at home on the year. Great line value here. 10* LOS ANGELES ANGELS Run Line +1.5 runs

Total of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #971 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cleveland Indians vs Tampa Bay Rays @ 7:10 ET - When it comes to playing overs in MLB one of the "systems" I like to use is grabbing the value when a home team has a pitcher that is likely to struggle on the mound while a "top tier" pitcher is going for the away team. The reason for this is because teams do tend to hit better at home but we get a little extra value because the away team has an "ace" going. That is the case in this match-up Saturday because the Indians Shane Bieber has certainly been nothing special this season and is likely to get pounded here. As for the Rays Blake Snell, he is having a fantastic season but he is facing a very tough Indians lineup at Progressive Field in an evening game that will have summer-like weather by Cleveland standards. Temperatures today are expect to top out in the mid-80s with winds out of the south (which means blowing out at this ballpark). Combining these factors with the low total posted on this game and you have great line value here. The over is a perfect 7-0 this season in Indians home games where their money line is in a range from -125 to +125. The Rays, prior to yesterday's shutout loss here, had averaged scoring 6.4 runs per game in their 8 prior games. The Tribe have now won 4 of their last 5 and have averaged scoring 6.2 runs per game during this hot streak. The Indians Bieber has an 8-2 record this season but has truly been so fortunate. In July he compiled a 7.33 ERA. In his last 3 starts here in August he has a 5.63 ERA. Yesterday's under was just the 2nd for the Rays in their last 8 games and I look for trending toward the over to resume immediately today. 10* OVER the total in Cleveland

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach MLB Game #925 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Kansas City Royals vs Baltimore Orioles @ 8:15 ET - If you look at opponents batting average against, these two bullpens are ranked 29th and 30th out of all 30 MLB teams. That bullpen will be an issue today for both clubs because there is certainly reason to believe each of these starting pitchers will struggle in this one. The Orioles and the Royals lineups have both been red hot. Baltimore enters this game having averaging scoring 9.7 runs per game in their 3-game sweep of the Blue Jays! As for Kansas City, they have won 4 of their last 5 games and KC has averaged scoring 6.4 runs per game in the process. The wind will be blowing out at Kauffman Stadium on a warm evening in Kansas City tonight. It is the type of weather this evening that most certainly will favor the hitters. Brad Keller gets the start for the Royals and his ERA has been good in recent starts but he has allowed 13 hits in just 10 innings spanning his last two stats and the O's are swinging hot lumber right now. As for the Orioles Andrew Cashner, he is 0-2 in his last two starts and has been roughed up for 9 runs (8 earned) on 16 hits in just 13 innings of work. Only 9 of 27 (33%) Royals games this month have resulted in an under! Also, only 9 of KC's last 27 (33%) games against teams with a losing record have stayed under the total. 10* OVER the total in Kansas City

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #963 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Yankees vs Detroit Tigers @ 7:05 ET - I am a well aware of the fact that the Yankees bats have suddenly gone quiet in recent games. However, that is a big part of the reason this is a contrarian play as the total opened up at a 9.5 and then dropped to an 8.5 as of game day morning. We're getting great line value here because I expect the Bronx Bombers to pound the Tigers Francisco Liriano. Also, don't forget that behind Liriano is one of the worst bullpens in baseball. As for the Detroit lefty, he is 0-3 with an 8.25 ERA and a 2.25 WHIP in his last 3 starts. The Yankees counter with JA Happ and I know the lefty has had good numbers recently. However, Happ has faced the Tigers twice already this season (once each in June and July) and he has been rocked. The Yanks southpaw has given up 11 earned runs in 10 and 2/3 innings spanning those two starts. The over is 3-0 in his last 3 starts versus Detroit. Also, the over is 2-0 in his last two starts overall. The over is also 2-0 in Liriano's last two starts overall. Only 1 of the Tigers last 7 games has resulted in an under. As a big home favorite in a price of -250 to -330, the Yankees are on a long-term 11-5 run to the over. More of the same here. 10* OVER the total in the New York Yankees

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #923 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs Miami Marlins @ 6:35 ET - Unseasonably warm weather in the northeast right now and so it is very hitter-friendly conditions that greet the hitters again tonight at Fenway Park. Last night's game totaled 15 runs and I would not be surprised to see a similar total result tonight. The over is 4-0 in the Marlins last 4 road games. The over is a perfect 5-0 this season in Marlins road games when Miami is an underdog price at +250 or more. As a home favorite in a price of -250 to -330, Boston is 3-1 to the over this season. Miami is 2-0 to the over in Trevor Richards last 3 starts as he has been roughed up to the tune of a 5.87 ERA in those outings. David Price has been pitching well for Boston but the Marlins have erupted for at least a dozen hits in 5 of their last 8 games and they stay hot at the plate tonight. This is a contrarian play because Price has been in great current form and most will be scared off of playing over the big total posted on this game but this absolutely should be another slugfest as the Marlins also take advantage of facing southpaw starters on back to back nights. 10* OVER the total in Boston