Run Line Rout - Rickenbach MLB Game #975 Saturday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Rays Run Line +1.5 runs (-130) @ Los Angeles Angels @ 9:05 ET - We have to lay a little bit of juice to have the run line here but that could prove key should the Rays fall just short here and lose by a run. The fact is that Tampa Bay (5 in a row) has the longest winning streak in the majors right now while Los Angeles (4 in a row) has the longest losing streak in MLB currently. The Rays are hitting and the Angels are not. TB has averaged 6.5 runs and 12 hits per game their last 4 games. LA has averaged just 2.3 runs per game their last 8 games. The Angels are just 2-6 during this stretch and both wins came by a single run. That said, this is a great spot to have the +1.5 as playing against LA with a +1.5 would have delivered 8 straight wins at the sports books! The Angels are averaging just 5.7 hits per game their last 7 games. While it is true that Andrew Heaney has been pitching well for Los Angeles, the Rays are a very confident team right now at the plate and loaded with right-handed lumber. Though Sergio Romo has been a reliever throughout his career, the Tampa Bay right-hander will not be asked to pitch deep into this game. He'll quickly be relieved by rookie southpaw Ryan Yarbrough and he has pitched very well this season. Also, the Angels are ranked 12th out of 15 teams in the AL in terms of batting average versus lefties and Yarbrough is likely to get the majority of the innings today. As for the Rays facing lefty Heaney, Tampa Bay ranks 5th out of all 30 teams in MLB in terms of batting average versus southpaws. Ride the hot team and currently the better hitting team as well. One more key stat here. The Angels are 2-9 SU their last 11 home games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs. Both wins came by a single run. That means if you just took the +1.5 runs against the Angels in each of their last 11 home games with an O/U posted at 8 or 8.5 runs, you are a PERFECT 11-0! I like the sounds of that! 10* Tampa Bay Rays Run line +1.5 runs

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #953 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in San Francisco Giants vs Colorado Rockies @ 4:05 ET - The Giants have, overall, struggled at the plate this season. But they entered this series having averaged 11.5 hits per game in their 6 prior games. Look for them to get back on track against Jon Gray this afternoon. Yes the Rockies right-hander has been piling up strikeouts but he also gave up 6 earned runs on 10 hits in just 5 and 1/3 innings in his most recent start. Also, Gray's last 2 starts at AT & T Park have seen him allow 9 hits and 5 walks for a total of 14 baserunners in just 8 and 1/3 innings of work! The good news for Rockies fans today is that Gray should get plenty of run support! Colorado will tee off against Chris Stratton. The Giants right-hander was hit hard by the Rockies last September (8 hits in 4 innings) and he is struggling this season. Stratton has a 6.89 ERA in his last 3 starts and 2 of those were on the road. At home this season he has struggled with a 7.00 ERA in his 4 starts thus far. Only 1 of Gray's 4 road starts has resulted in an under. Also, the over is a perfect 4-0 in Stratton's last 4 starts as he has allowed 18 earned runs in 17 innings spanning those 4 outings. Even though AT & T Park is a pitcher-friendly park, afternoon games here do tend to feature more runs and the total on this one has dropped from an opener of an 8 to a 7.5 so even more value is available now. The over is 6-2 in Giants Saturday games and look for the over to go to 8-4 this season in their home games with a money line range of -125 to +125. Big value here raises this one to top rating. 10* OVER the total in San Francisco

Rickenbach MLB Game #915 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Blue Jays vs Oakland A's @ 7:05 ET - The odds makers opened this one up at a 10 and it has dropped to a 9.5 as of early game day morning. I'll gladly take advantage of the additional value here. The A's are red hot at the plate right now and the Blue Jays Marco Estrada continues to be plagued by giving up too many homers. As for Oakland starter Brett Anderson, he wrapped up 2017 as a member of the Blue Jays and will likely be guilty of trying to over-throw here as he hopes for revenge versus Toronto. This won't end well for Anderson and he enters this start having allowed 13 runs (11 earned) on 18 hits and 5 walks in the 8 innings spanning his last two starts. The over is 5-2 in Oakland's last 7 games as the A's have averaged scoring 6.1 runs per game during this hot streak. The Blue Jays haven't been knocking the cover off of the ball but, since getting no-hit by James Paxton of the Mariners, Toronto has averaged about 5 runs and 9 hits per game their last 8 games. They're very likely to enjoy success against a struggling Anderson. Look for the over to improve to 4-0 in Toronto's last 4 games. Each team has played 7 Friday games this season and only 2 of the Jays games stayed under and only 1 of Oakland's games stayed under the total. Plenty of Friday night "fireworks" in this one. Estrada winless with a 6.75 ERA and 3 homers allowed in his 3 career starts versus Oakland. 10* OVER the total in Toronto

NOTE: 10* Top Play rating remains although Doug Fister now getting the start for Rangers. Fister has allowed just 3 earned runs on only 10 hits in the 13 innings spanning his last two road starts. Overall, on the season he has a 2.70 ERA away from home. Fister has had one truly ugly start this season out of 7 overall starts. In the other 6 starts he has a 3.16 ERA and note that he is facing a White Sox team that is hitting .232 in May. Only 2 American League teams are hitting worse! ORIGINAL write-up: Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #963 Thursday 10* Top Play Texas Rangers Money Line (-) @ Chicago White Sox @ 8:10 ET - The White Sox are 3-15 at home this season. Truly dreadful season so far for the ChiSox! However, we're getting line value here because the Rangers certainly haven't been overly impressive this season either AND because James Shields has pitched well in a few of his starts for Chicago early this year. This has led to the better team (Texas) with the better pitcher (Cole Hamels) laying only about a -120 price in this one. I'll gladly take it. Hamels is 2-1 with a 2.54 ERA on the road this season. In his last 3 starts, the Rangers southpaw has compiled a 1.69 ERA. Hamels is also 2-0 with a 2.86 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in his 4 career starts versus the White Sox. As for Shields, he has a 5.06 ERA in his last two starts versus the Rangers and he gave up 3 homers to Texas in less than 11 innings spanning those two starts. Shields is winless with a 5.52 ERA in his 5 home starts this season. Also, he has nearly as many walks as strikeouts in his home starts this season. To put that in proper perspective not that Hamels has MORE than THREE times as many strikeouts as walks on the road this season. The White Sox enter this game having lost 9 of their last 10 while the Rangers have a lot of positive energy after getting 5 runs late in yesterday afternoon's game at Seattle to get a big road win over the Mariners. Look for the Rangers to improve to 10-5 the last 15 times they've been a road favorite in a range of -125 to -175. The White Sox drop to 2-8 this season versus left-handed starters. 10* TEXAS RANGERS

Top Play Special - Rickenbach MLB Game #953 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Pittsburgh Pirates vs San Diego Padres @ 7:05 ET - I know the Padres are certainly one of the weaker hitting teams in the league. However, so do the odds makers and they opened this game up with a total of 8.5 runs and the markets have forced a drop to 8 runs. Grab the additional value here because the Pirates Chad Kuhl has allowed 6 homers in his last 3 starts! Also, in his two career starts versus San Diego, the Pittsburgh right-hander has walked 9 in 11 and 1/3 innings. As for the Padres Eric Lauer, he is struggling badly. The southpaw has seen the velocity on his fastball dip and plus he is having trouble locating the pitch. Lauer gave up 4 homers versus the Cardinals in his most recent start and he didn't even complete 3 innings. Even more concerning is that the start was at home. Note that on the road this season Lauer has a 10.12 ERA! He has been very hittable of late and now he faces a Pirates team that is averaging 6.5 run per their last 8 games. The Padres, as noted above, aren't known for their offensive production but winning leads to confidence and San Diego has won 3 of their last 4 games plus has scored 4 or more runs in 4 of their last 5 games. The over is 14-6 this season when Pittsburgh is off of a win. Also, when the Pirates have faced a left-handed starter, the over has gone 6-2 this season. More of the same here. 10* OVER the total in Pittsburgh

NOTE: Pitching Change for the Marlins but still going with this play on the over. In fact the change arguably strengthens what was already a Top Play. Elieser Hernandez is now expected to start for Miami. Though the 23-year old has some decent minor league numbers on his resume, he has only made 2 starts above the Single A level in the minors in his entire career! So now he jumps all the way from AA (2 starts) past AAA (0 appearances) to make a MLB start! I don't expect this to go well as Hernandez also has been hit hard in his 2 relief appearances this season for the Marlins. Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #905 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Miami Marlins vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 7:10 ET - This is certainly a contrarian play but I love spots like this. As I have said before and I'll say it again here...the odds makers are quite sharp! Of course this is common knowledge but yet so often many people do underestimate this very important key factor. That said, this game is a prime example as the very first total that came up on this game was an 8 and the markets quickly pushed it to a 7.5 and now it is a 7 in almost all shops. This is a great value as each team just has to get to 3 runs and then we can't lose this play as it can't end any less than a 4-3 final. I am well aware that the Dodgers are struggling bad and that the Marlins haven't hit well this season either. However, this is not a match-up of top tier pitchers ladies and gentlemen. Yes, Caleb Smith has pitched very well for the Marlins but he is still off of a start where he was quite fortunate as he gave up only 2 earned runs despite allowing 7 hits in just 5 and 1/3 innings of work. Earlier this season he went through a 3-start stretch where he allowed 11 earned runs in just 10 and 1/3 innings of work. Look for the Dodgers sticks to get going here as Smith's most recent start is a sign of a another mini-slump coming for him. Walker Buehler gets the start for the Marlins here and his numbers on the season look great but this will be the first time he is giving a team (Miami) a 2nd look at him and his other starts have been against the Reds, Padres, and Giants. He has not faced a powerhouse of opposition and I look for the Marlins to enjoy some success as they get a second shot at him today. Look for the over to improve to 5-2 in Wednesday games for Los Angeles this season. Also, the Marlins are 3-0 to the over the last 3 times they were off of a win. 10* OVER the total in Miami

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Game #951 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in San Diego Padres vs Colorado Rockies @ 3:40 ET - Jordan Lyles gets the start for the Padres here. He used to pitch for the Rockies. As a result, it certainly is noteworthy that he has had struggles with facing Colorado since he game to San Diego. Last season he faced them twice in starts late in the season and he struggled in both outings including allowing 4 homers in those two games and 3 of the home runs came right here at pitcher friendly Petco Park. That is a key element today because even though this is regarded as a pitcher friendly venue the ball does carry a little better in day games here. Also, Lyles has faced the Rockies a few times out of the bullpen this season so they are very familiar with him. Though Colorado's German Marquez has good numbers on the road this season, his last two road starts were against the injury-depleted Mets and the light-hitting Marlins. He still gave up 12 hits in 12 innings versus those two struggling teams and now Marquez has allowed 15 earned runs on 32 hits in 20 innings of work in his last 4 starts overall. In other words, don't be surprised if his struggles continue today. I know that, entering Monday's action, these teams have trended under. However, this pitching match-up is not conducive to a low-scoring game. Look for both teams to enjoy plenty of success at the plate and I'll gladly take advantage of a day game with a low total as early market moves have dropped this one to only 7.5 runs. 10* OVER the total in San Diego 

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Game #911 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs Oakland A's @ 7:10 ET - Mild temperatures in the forecast for Boston Monday evening and the wind expected to be blowing out toward left center field at Fenway Park. This should lead to plenty of runs as both of these lineups have been quite hot. Before being held to just 2 runs in yesterday's loss Oakland had scored 16 runs in the first two games of their 3-game set with the Yankees in the Bronx. As for the Red Sox, they are off of a 5-3 win at Toronto. That brings Boston to 6-3 their last 9 games and, over their last 13 games, the Red Sox have averaged 5.3 runs per game! The A's Sean Manaea was throwing very well earlier this season but he has allowed 4 earned runs in each of his last two starts. Boston's Rick Porcello is 5-0 this season but he allowed 5 earned runs in 5 and 1/3 innings in his most recent start. Oakland's Manaea allowed 7 earned runs on 11 hits in less than 4 innings of work in his most recent start at Fenway Park. As for Porcello, it is still "early" this season and looking at his last full season numbers, note that in 2017 he went 7-11 with a 5.43 ERA in home games and 8-12 with a 5.47 ERA in night games. Of course this is a night game and it is at home and he got rocked in the Bronx in his most recent start. Signs of things to come Monday in my opinion! The over is 11-5 this season in A's games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs. The over is 9-5 in Red Sox home games this season. These trends continue Monday. 10* OVER the total in Boston

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #963 Sunday 10* Top Play Washington Nationals Money Line (+) @ Arizona Diamondbacks @ 8:05 ET - The Nationals won again yesterday and are now 12-2 in their last 14 games. The loss for the Diamondbacks dropped Arizona to 3-7 in their last 10 games. Amazingly, in the month of May, the Dbacks have scored more than 4 runs just once. In their other 10 games they have averaged only 2 runs per game! The Nationals have averaged 4.8 runs per game this month. They should enjoy success against Arizona's Zack Godley. The right-hander has a 6.48 ERA in his last 3 starts versus the Nats and Godley has allowed 23 hits in the less than 17 innings spanning those 3 starts. As for his current form, Godley has allowed 4 or more earned runs in 3 of his last 5 starts. Also, over this span of 5 starts he has given up 32 hits plus walked 17 in 26 innings of work. As you can see that is an average of very nearly 2 base runners per inning! Look for Jeremy Hellickson to give the Nationals the big edge on the mound in this one. The Washington right-hander has a 2.95 ERA in his last 3 starts versus the Diamondbacks. Also, he has given up only 14 hits and walked just 1 in the 18 and 1/3 innings versus Arizona. As you can see from these numbers his WHIP is under 1 in those outings! As for current form, Hellickson has a 1.02 ERA and 0.62 WHIP in his last 3 starts! The Nats are 19-9 versus right-handers this season and Arizona has lost 6 of their last 8 home games. Many will back Arizona here to avoid the 4-game sweep at home but that is why there is such great value here because this is truly a mismatch and I am happy to grab the plus money with the road dog in this one! 10* WASHINGTON

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #977 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Los Angeles Angels vs Minnesota Twins @ 4:05 ET - Yesterday Yankees pitcher Domingo German struggle in what was essentially his 3rd start after dominating a game he entered early and went 4 innings replacing Jordan Montgomery and then delivering another shutout performance in a start in his next outing. The point is the "3rd time was the charm" in terms of MLB hitters eventually getting to the rookie. I expect that to be the case now that "the book is out" on Angels rookie Fernando Romero today. This will be his 3rd start at the MLB level and he has yet to allow an earned run but he had guys on base in each of the first 5 innings of his most recent start and he also never pitched above the Double-A level of the minor leagues until this season. Also, Romero will be facing an Angels lineup loaded with some very dangerous hitters with plenty of experience. Shohei Ohtani has also found out what it is like when MLB hitters get to see a little more of a rookie hurler. After his stellar start to this season he has a 6.08 ERA and 1.88 WHIP in his last 3 starts. With the Twins extra inning win yesterday, they have now won 8 of their last 10 games, are playing with a lot of confidence, and have averaged scoring 5.3 runs per game their last dozen games. The Angels are 8-3 to the over this season as a home favorite in a range of -125 to -175. Minnesota is 13-7 to the over on the road this season including a PERFECT 5-0 to the over when they are a road dog in a range of +125 to +175 on the money line. 10* OVER the total in Los Angeles Angels

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Game #907 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Miami Marlins vs Atlanta Braves @ 7:10 ET - First off lets talk about the bullpens here. Miami's pen has a high ERA (5.34) on the season. Atlanta's pen has a lower ERA but they've been fortunate in working out of jams because the Braves bullpen has walked more batters than any other pen in the majors. Guess who is the 2nd worst team for walks surrendered...Marlins of course! That is why both of these bullpens have a very high WHIP so far this season. That certainly could come into play in this one because both starting pitchers are likely to run into some trouble. The Braves Mike Soroka has averaged just 5 innings in his first two starts at the MLB level and he is only 20 years old and had never pitched above the AA level of the minors until this season. As for the Marlins Jarlin Garcia, the southpaw is off of a rough start at Wrigley Field. This is his first year as a starter and last year (his first in majors) working exclusively out of the bullpen he had a solid 2.45 ERA in day games but a 5.49 ERA in night games! The Braves .287 batting average versus left-handed pitching ranks #1 in the majors! As for the Marlins, they will be buoyed by yesterday's confidence-building win in which they pounded out 14 hits. 10* OVER the total in Miami

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #967 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Yankees vs Oakland A's @ 7:05 ET - Had to wait for the total to come out on this one since there was a delay in the A's announcing a starting pitcher. It was well worth the wait and it is now "go time" with this one. The total is a 9.5 and Oakland's Kendall Graveman has struggled badly this season plus the Yankees will be fired up off of a loss. I also like the flip side of this equation in that Sonny Gray will be facing his former team for the first time and, though he has pitched a little better recently, Oakland will have great familiarity on what to expect from him here. Also, Gray has had some struggles this season and might put extra pressure on himself in his first shot against his former club. Gray has a 6.00 ERA and 1.76 WHIP on the season. I know the A's have not been hitting well lately but when you look at the pitchers they've been facing that certainly has had a lot do with it. Their sticks should enjoy a breakout game versus Gray. As for the Yankees sluggers, they should feast on Graveman as he enters this start 0-5 with an 8.90 ERA and 1.84 WHIP on the season. Oakland is 3-1-1 to the over this season after an off day. New York is 8-2 to the over when off of a loss this season. Also, the Yankees are 11-2 to the over when facing a team with a losing record. Look for the over to improve to 3-1 in Graveman's last 4 starts and 4-1 on the season in Gray's home starts! 10* OVER the total in New York Yankees

Game of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #917 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Blue Jays vs Seattle Mariners @ 7:05 ET - As you would expect, Blue Jays southpaw J.A. Happ has a lot more success against left-handed hitters than right-handed bats. Not only will the Mariners be loaded up on the right-handed side of the plate, the only left-handed bats likely to be in the lineup for Seattle here are guys that have had some success against Happ. Also, the Mariners .266 batting average away from home this season is one of the top marks in the majors. Yesterday's game stayed under the total but the Blue Jays had a dozen hits in the game. As for the Mariners, they had averaged 6.3 runs and 11 hits per game in their 3 games prior to struggling at the plate yesterday. The problem for the Mariners is that, other than the no-hitter by Paxton, they have allowed double digits in hits in each of their other games dating back to Friday of last week! The Blue Jays should enjoy plenty of success against a struggling Mike Leake. The Mariners right-hander has an 8.79 ERA on the road this season and he also has an ugly 9.21 ERA in his last 3 starts overall. The over is 6-1 in Leake's starts this season and only 2 of Happ's 7 starts this season have resulted in an under. Prior to yesterday's under, the over was 12-6 in Seattle's road games this season. Only 2 of the Blue Jays last 9 games versus a right-handed starter have stayed under the total. More of the same here. 10* OVER the total in Toronto

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach MLB Game #967 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Yankees vs Boston Red Sox @ 7:05 ET - This is a contrarian play as most will be looking at the under here because both of these pitchers have great numbers this season. The key here is that Red Sox/Yankees always brings a bit of a different "element" to the equation and I expect both starters to run into trouble here. The Yankees Masahiro Tanaka was pounded for 6 earned runs in 5 innings against the Red Sox last month. Boston's Rick Porcello was pounded for 6 runs (5 earned) the last time he faced the Yanks at Yankee Stadium. The over is 14-6 in Yankees home games this season and this includes 7-1 when New York is a favorite in a price range of -125 to -175. The over is 15-8 in Yankees games versus right-handed starters this season and that includes 3 of the last 4 going over the total. The Red Sox managed only 2 runs in yesterday's loss but they had previously averaged 6.1 runs per game in their last 7 games and scored 5 or more in all 7 games! The Yankees, with yesterday's win, have now won 7 straight. Though that was a low-scoring win, the Yanks previous 6 wins in the streak saw them average 5.5 runs per game. I am looking for a 6-5 type game here and certainly expecting nothing less than a 5-4 result which also puts in the winners circle! 10* OVER the total in the New York Yankees game

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #975 Wednesday 10* Top Play Colorado Rockies Money Line (-) vs Los Angeles Angels @ 3:10 ET - The Rockies are 6-0 in the month of May. Colorado is 10-4 versus teams with a winning record this season and also 14-6 versus right-handed starters. The Angels are just 4-9 versus teams with a winning record this season and I look for Los Angeles to drop to 1-4 in inter-league action with another loss today as the Rockies make it 7 in a row. Colorado's Tyler Anderson is a bit of an anomaly as, unlike most Rockies pitchers, he has performed better at home than on the road. Amazingly, Anderson is 9-5 with a stellar 3.36 ERA in his career outings at Coors Field! Look for the southpaw to hold a huge edge over 21-year old Jaime Barria. The rookie hurler has pitched well early this season but has as many walks (6) as strikeouts in his 13 innings of work. Making a road start at Coors Field for the first time is always tough on a hurler but this is especially true for a 21-year old rookie! Look for the Rockies to make if 5-0 in Anderson's last 5 starts. Also, the southpaw hasn't allowed more than 2 earned runs in a start since March! More of the same here! 10* COLORADO

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #914 Tuesday 10* Top Play UNDER the total in Baltimore Orioles vs Kansas City Royals @ 7:05 ET - Many will be looking at the over in this match-up because the O's Dylan Bundy is off of back to back tough starts and the Royals Danny Duffy has had a tough start to this season. However, this is actually an ideal spot for an under. Back to the pitchers in a minute but, first off, the Royals are averaging only 3.1 runs per game versus right-handed starters this season. The Orioles are averaging just 2.9 runs per game at home. Baltimore is averaging just 7.2 hits per game their last 9 games. The Royals have averaged just 3.3 runs and 6 hits per game in their last 3 games. Bundy had a 1.42 ERA in his first 5 starts this season and 3 of the 5 were at home. Look for him to bounce back here at home as he went 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA and 0.64 WHIP in his 2 starts versus the Royals last season. As for KC's Duffy, he is 2-1 with a 2.28 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in his 7 starts versus the Orioles in his career. The O's are loaded with free swingers and Duffy works off of deception as his key attribute. Don't be surprised when the Orioles struggle again to make good contact tonight. Duffy is off of a tough start at Boston but, prior to that he was quite solid in 4 of his previous 5 outings. In those 4 starts the Royals southpaw allowed only 15 hits while piling up 22 strikeouts in 23 innings of work. More of the same expected here as Duffy gets right back on track. The under is 6-1 in his 7 starts versus the Orioles and the under is 2-0 in Bundy's two lifetime starts versus the Royals. The under is 12-4 when Kansas City faces a team with a losing record this season and also the under is a perfect 5-0 when the Royals are playing after a day off. The under is 10-4 in Orioles home games this season. 10* UNDER the total in Baltimore

No Doubt Blowout Rout - Rickenbach MLB Game #959 Monday 10* Top Play Detroit Tigers Money Line (-) @ Texas Rangers @ 8:05 ET - The Tigers are hitting .265 versus left-handed pitching this season and that has them ranked 3rd out of out 30 MLB teams. Detroit certainly should have no trouble with the offerings of a struggling Matt Moore here. The Rangers southpaw is off of a disastrous start at Cleveland. However, even though he is back home now, that isn't necessarily good new for Moore. In fact, Texas is 0-4 in the left-handers home starts this season and Moore has a 7.79 ERA in his outings at Globe Life Park in Arlington on the year. The Tigers Michael Fulmer certainly gives Detroit a decided pitching edge. He has a solid 2.80 ERA on the season and that includes a 1.89 ERA in his last 3 starts. Even though the Rangers are at home for this one, they're an awful 5-15 at home this season! The Tigers have struggled recently too but they've been swinging the bats much better than the Rangers. Detroit has averaged 11 hits per game in their last 6 road games while Texas has averaged just 5 hits per game in their last 3 games and all were at home. The Rangers are 0-5 in Monday games this season and I expect them to, once again, start the new week with another loss. In doing so, they'll also drop to 0-5 in Moore's home starts this season! 10* DETROIT

No Doubt Blowout Rout - Rickenbach MLB Game #913 Sunday 10* Top Play Chicago Cubs Money Line (+) @ St Louis Cardinals @ 8:05 ET - The Cubs lost a tough one yesterday as they allowed 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th for the Cardinals to tie it and then allowed a 2-run bomb in the bottom of the 10th as the Cards got a huge walk-off win in extra frames. The fact is that Chicago's bullpen is normally solid but sometimes crazy things do happen and that was the case yesterday. Look for the Cubs to bounce back here as Jon Lester is a stellar 3-1 with a sparkling 1.63 ERA in his 6 career starts at St Louis. The Cubs southpaw will be opposed by the Cardinals Michael Wacha. The Cards are 5-10 in his 15 career starts versus Chicago and this comes as no surprise given the fact that Wacha has compiled a 6.34 ERA in those outings. His struggles against the Cubs continued last season and this one should turn into a road rout. St Louis went 0-4 in Wacha's 4 starts versus the Cubs last season. Chicago went 4-0 in Lester's 4 starts versus the Cardinals last season! More of the same in Sunday night baseball on ESPN as the road team avoids the sweep against their bitter division rivals. 10* CHICAGO CUBS

Game of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #961 Saturday 10* Top Play Colorado Rockies Money Line (+) @ New York Mets @ 7:10 ET - The Rockies don't have a good record versus left-handed starters this season but it truly doesn't make sense. Colorado leads the majors with 18 homers versus left-handed pitchers. Also, the Rockies slugging percentage (.429) versus southpaws is one of the best marks in the majors. We are getting good line value here with underdog Colorado having the starting pitcher whom is currently in better form. The Rockies Chad Bettis is 3-1 with a 2.43 ERA in his 6 starts this season and he has gone at least 7 innings in 3 of his last 4 starts. On the year he is holding opponents to a .202 batting average and he has compiled a 1.05 WHIP. Bettis has been working much deeper into games than his counterpart Steven Matz. The Mets southpaw is averaging only about 4 innings per game start and he has not gone longer than 5 and 1/3 innings in any of his 5 starts this season. Matz is now 3-9 with a 5.81 ERA in his 18 starts spanning last season and this season. The left-hander has particularly struggled against right-handed hitters and he'll face plenty of them in the Rockies lineup Saturday. Colorado has won 3 straight games and the Rockies are 7-4 this season versus teams with a winning record. New York is heading the other direction as the Mets have lost 4 straight and 11 of their last 16 games. 10* COLORADO

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #919 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Texas Rangers vs Boston Red Sox @ 8:05 ET - Yesterday's game flew over the total and the Rangers bats continue to heat up. Texas has won 5 of its last 8 games. The Rangers have averaged 6 runs per game their last 7 games and have reached double digits in hits in 4 of those 7 games. Rick Porcello has great numbers for the Red Sox so far this season. However, last season he did go 8-12 with a 5.47 ERA in his night starts. Though he was successful at Texas last season he did allow 2 homers in that game and, in his two prior starts versus the Rangers, Porcello was rocked for 23 hits in less than 13 innings of work. He'll be opposed by Bartolo Colon tonight. The veteran right-hander is finally coming back down to earth in his two most recent starts. Colon has allowed 7 earned runs on 13 hits including 3 homers in less than 13 innings of work. He also had just 2 strikeouts in each start. The Red Sox will be putting the ball in play all night as the Rangers bullpen has allowed a .264 batting average which ranks them in the bottom five of the majors! This total opened up at a 9.5 and dropped to a 9. I am going contrarian and going with the over in this one. The Red Sox have averaged 6 runs per game their last 6 games and 4 of the 6 have gone over the total. Boston is 15-8 to the over versus right-handed starters this season and 5-1 to the over in games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs. The Texas over is 50-31 in home games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs and the Rangers are also 8-3 to the over this season when off of a win. 10* OVER the total in Texas

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #955 Thursday 10* Top Play Los Angeles Dodgers Money Line (+) @ Arizona Diamondbacks @ 3:40 ET - The very first line that popped up on this game when first released yesterday had the Dodgers as a -110 favorite. Now the markets have reacted and the Diamondbacks are as high as a -135 favorite as of early this morning. Of course Arizona has the better record on the year, is 8-0 when off of a loss this season, and has a 4-0 Patrick Corbin on the mound while Los Angeles has an 0-3 Alex Wood on the mound. As usual, I am going contrarian in a spot like this because the odds makers opened LA as a favorite for a reason. Secondly, Wood has pitched much better than his record shows. The Dodgers southpaw has a 0.89 WHIP on the season. As for the Diamondbacks southpaw, he allowed 3 earned runs on 7 hits in less than 7 innings of work in his most recent start. Of course that is still a quality outing and Corbin has pitched well. However, don't be surprised if Wood outduels him today. This is a rematch of an early April game between these two lefties. Corbin won that one but previously he allowed 6 earned runs on 16 hits in less than 11 innings of work in his 2 prior starts versus the Dodgers. As for Wood, previous to April, he had held the Diamondbacks to just 2 earned runs on only 9 hits in 13 innings in his 2 prior starts versus Arizona. LA is 63-36 in day games while the Dbacks are only 54-54. Look for the Dodgers to improve to 8-4 this season when off of a win. 10* LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #903 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in San Francisco Giants vs San Diego Padres @ 3:45 - Last night's game stayed under the total but, prior to this, both of these teams had been trending over the total. Also, the ball tends to carry better in day games at AT & T Park. Even though temperatures will only be around 60 degrees today in San Francisco, the wind will be picking up and blowing toward left center at a good clip. This will help the "carry effect" even more on balls hit well and we should see plenty of those this afternoon given this pitching match-up. The Giants Derek Holland is winless on the season and he has a 7.07 ERA in his last 3 starts. The Padres Clayton Richard is off of back to back losses and has a 5.35 ERA on the season and his ERA is 6.30 on the road this year. The over is 4-1 the last 5 times San Francisco has faced a southpaw starter. The over was 3-0 in San Diego's 3 games prior to last night's low-scoring win staying under the total. The over is 7-4 in Giants day games, 10-6 in their home games, and 11-6 when facing a left-handed starter. Coming into yesterday's game the Giants had averaged scoring 6 runs per game in their 5 prior games and the Padres had averaged 11.3 hits per game in their 3 prior games. The hot hitting for both clubs is likely to resume Wednesday given the pitching match-up and the favorable hitting conditions in an afternoon game by the bay. 10* OVER the total in San Francisco

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Game #965 Tuesday 10* Top Play Texas Rangers Money Line (+) @ Cleveland Indians @ 6:10 ET - There is a reason this money line opened up in the -200 range on the Indians but has dropped. There is some sharp money coming in on the Rangers and an upset is in the offing here. The Indians are sending Mike Clevinger to the mound for this one. The Cleveland right-hander has a 7.20 ERA in his last two home starts as he has allowed 4 earned runs in each outing. He has been hit at a .313 clip at home this season. Also, lefties have hit him better than righties this season. This holds some significance here because the Rangers roster of position players includes 6 left-handed sticks and a switch-hitter. Clevinger was hit 77 points higher by lefties than righties last season. The Rangers Doug Fister had an early season trip to the DL but he shook off the rust in his first start back last week. Also, his overall numbers last season don't tell the full story. He allowed 3 earned runs or less in 11 of his 15 starts. He got hit at just a .245 clip after the All-Star break. The 6'8 Fister is an intimidating presence on the mound and he still has "good stuff" and also has plenty of confidence pitching at Cleveland. His last start against the Indians was here at Progressive Field and he held the Tribe to just a single earned run in 9 innings and that was on just 1 hit the entire game as Cleveland managed only a solo bomb as their lone hit in that match-up. Look for Fister to pitch another gem here and the Rangers get the surprising upset on the road. 10* TEXAS 

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Game #913 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cleveland Indians vs Texas Rangers @ 6:10 ET - The Rangers Cole Hamels has only 1 win in 6 career starts versus the Indians as he has compiled a 6.11 ERA versus Cleveland. Not surprisingly, given those numbers, the over is 5-0 in Hamels 6 career starts versus the Tribe. The Texas southpaw got crushed at Cleveland in his most recent start here which was in late June last year. The Indians send Trevor Bauer to the mound for this one. The Indians right-hander has decent numbers versus the Rangers in his career but only 1 of the 4 games has resulted in an under. Look for the over to improve to 4-1 in Rangers Monday games on the season. Texas road games have resulted in just 1 under in their last 6 games away from home. Cleveland is 7-1 to the over in their last 8 home games and that includes 4 in a row after yesterday's 10-4 loss the Mariners. I know both of these starting pitchers have decent numbers this season but their long-term history points to overs when matched up with the opponent they'll be facing today. Also, this is a low total of 8 runs and the Rangers, prior to yesterday's ugly loss, had scored at least 4 runs in 6 of their last 7 games. The Indians have scored at least 4 runs in 5 straight games. The significance in this is that a 4-4 game guarantees us of no less than a 5-4 final and that puts us in the winners circle tonight! 10* OVER the total in Cleveland

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #963 Sunday 10* Top Play New York Mets Money Line (-) @ San Diego Padres @ 4:10 ET - The Mets got blasted 12-2 yesterday and, though they have been struggling a bit they certainly haven't been as low as the Padres. Prior to that big win for the home team yesterday, San Diego had lost 8 of its last 10 games. Today the Padres send Bryan Mitchell to the mound and the Padres are 0-3 in his home starts. Mitchell has compiled a 7.07 ERA and has an ugly 2.00 WHIP in his home outings this season. The Mets will have Zack Wheeler on the mound. New York is 2-0 in his road starts this season and he can be expected to bounce back after a tough outing in his last start away from home. On the season Wheeler has still allowed only 15 hits in his 17 innings of work. After getting drilled yesterday, the Mets should respond here. They are 6-2 off of a loss this season and also 6-2 in day games on the year. The Padres are an ugly 1-6 in day games this season. Also, San Diego is just 5-12 versus right-handed starters this season. Nice line value here with a small road favorite against one of the worst teams in baseball. 10* NEW YORK METS

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #979 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Twins vs Cincinnati Reds @ 2:10 ET - Strong south wind and mild temperatures at Target Field this afternoon. It will make for a nice day for the hitters. The south wind blowing out toward the left field corner. The key here is that Jose Berrios is coming off of a rough start for the Twins as he got hit hard by the Yankees in his most recent start. As great as his overall numbers have been last season and so far this year, he is much more susceptible to left-handed sticks than righties. That will prove to be an issue here as the Reds are loaded with left-handed lumber and also have a couple of switch-hitters. Cincinnati is likely to load their lineup from that side of the plate in this one and should enjoy success on a hitter-friendly day at Target Field. As for the Twins hitting in this one, they are likely to pound Tyler Mahle. The Reds right-hander has a 6.51 ERA and 2.17 WHIP in his two road starts this season. He has allowed 5 homers in his last 3 starts. The over was 7-1 in the Twins last 8 games prior to yesterday's game staying under the total. The over was 5-1 in the Reds last 6 games prior to Saturday's low-scoring loss. Long-term the over is 88-53 when the Twins are facing a team with a losing record. 10* OVER the total in Minnesota

Game of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #909 Saturday MLB 10* Top Play Colorado Rockies Money Line (-) @ Miami Marlins @ 7:10 ET - UPDATE NOTE: Wei-yin Chen is now expected to get this start for the Marlins. This is still a big play for me. Chen has been better on the road than at home in each of his two seasons with Miami. Chen compiled a 5.49 ERA at home in 11 starts in 2016. Also, in 2017 Chen only pitched in limited action but did compile a 7.20 ERA at home as he again was much better on the road. Look for him to struggle again here. Chen pitched well in his rehab starts (he is working his way back from injury) but those outings were with single A Jupiter. ORIGINAL WRITE-UP: The Rockies opened up in the -150 range and are now down around a pick'em! This is huge value to grab a winning team against a struggling home team. I understand that some are expecting German Marquez to struggle here as he is off of a rough outing versus the Cubs but that was at home in hitter-friendly Coors Field. On the road this season Colorado is 2-0 in Marquez starts and the Rockies right-hander has compiled a 1.64 ERA. Another key to the value here is that Colorado has a .469 slugging percentage versus left-handed pitching this season. Caleb Smith gets the start for the Marlins here and the southpaw could struggle. The southpaw has not worked deep into games. He is off of his best start of the season and logged 6 innings but previously his average start this season had lasted 4 innings. Also, he entered the strong start at Milwaukee having allowed 11 earned runs in the 10 and 1/3 innings spanning his 3 prior starts. Not working deep (Smith) is a problem exasperated by the fact that the Marlins bullpen has been one of the worst in the majors this season. Though the Rockies bullpen has some sub-par numbers that has to do with home games in a hitter-friendly park. Colorado's pen is 7-3 this season and they have a rather low BAA. Some great arms in this Rockies pen and I like Marquez over Smith in terms of the starters. The Marlins are 3-10 in home games and 4-14 in night games and 0-4 on Saturdays this season! The Rockies are 10-5 on the road this season and are 9-3 the last 3 seasons when they are a road fave of -125 to -175. I do expect this line will go back up but either way Colorado is the play here as the Marlins continue to be given more credit than they are due. This is a bad Miami team and the Rockies (and you and I!) will take advantage again today. 10* COLORADO

No Doubt Blowout Rout - Rickenbach MLB Game #959 Friday 10* Top Play Colorado Rockies Money Line (-) @ Miami Marlins @ 7:10 ET - Both of these teams are off of back to back wins but that is where the similarities between these teams stop! The Marlins, prior to their consecutive wins, had lost 8 of their 9 prior games. On the season, the Rockies (14) have twice as many wins as the Marlins (7). Tyler Anderson gets the start for the Rockies and he has a 2.70 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 16 and 2/3 innings over his last 3 starts. He'll be matched up with Jose Urena. Though Urena is a hard-throwing right-hander, the Marlins are 0-5 in his starts this season. Also, he is 0-2 with a 6.60 ERA in his last 3 starts. Another concern with Urena he has averaging only 5 innings a start on the season. The worst bullpen in the National League so far this season in terms of earned run average is the Marlins pen as they are 4-7 with a 5.67 ERA on the year and only 2 saves in just 5 save opportunities. I don't think they'll have a save opportunity here either as the Rockies dominate. Miami is off of their first back to back wins of the season as they had been 0-5 this season when off of a win. The Marlins are just 3-9 in home games and only 4-13 in night games. Colorado is a solid 9-5 in road games this season and, after opening up in the 150 range and now dropping to the 125 range as of early game day morning, there is superb line value here on the Rockies as a small road favorite. 10* COLORADO

No Doubt Blowout Rout - Rickenbach MLB Game #911 Thursday 10* Top Play Seattle Mariners Money Line (-) @ Cleveland Indians @ 6:10 ET - The Mariners James Paxton is off of a bad start but that is rare. He is one of the top southpaw arms in the league right now and he entered that start having compiled a 2.65 ERA in his 3 prior starts while notching 24 strikeouts in 17 innings of work. Now he'll face an Indians team that is tied for the worst mark in the American League with a .209 batting average versus left-handed pitching this season. Look for Paxton to get right back on track as he brings a little extra "juice" to the mound here after being knocked around some by the Rangers in his most recent start. As for the Indians Mike Clevinger, he is off of one of the best starts of his career but he entered that start having allowed 4 earned runs in 4 innings in his prior start. Also, he had given up 13 hits in his last 11 and 1/3 innings prior to the strong start against Baltimore. He'll be facing a Mariners team that has a .464 slugging percentage in night games this season and that ranks Seattle 4th in the majors. The Indians beat the Cubs yesterday but had been 2-5 this season against teams with a wining record. Look for Paxton to bounce back strong while Clevinger comes back down to earth as he faces a much tougher lineup in this one than he faced in dominating the Orioles in his last start. 10* SEATTLE

No Doubt Blowout Rout - Rickenbach MLB Game #957 Monday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line (-) vs Arizona Diamondbacks @ 7:05 ET - The fact that Zack Greinke is on the mound for the Diamondbacks is helping to keep this line in check. The Phillies are off of a loss but have been playing extremely well and Jake Arrieta is looking like the "Cy Young version" of Arrieta recently. These factors should lead to a solid win for the Phils at home in this one. There is a chance of light rain in the Philly area this evening but it is not expected to last long and is expected to be light. Ultimately it should prove to not be an impact to this game. Greinke has a 7.15 ERA in his two road starts this season. He has allowed 7 hits and 3 walks in the 7 innings spanning his last two starts versus Philadelphia. As for Arrieta, he has allowed just 2 earned runs on only 6 hits in the 13 innings spanning his last two starts versus Arizona. The right-hander also has a streak of 10 straight scoreless innings at home for the Phillies. He had a rough first inning in his debut for the Phillies but, since then, Arrieta has given up NO runs on just 2 hits in his last 10 innings on the mound at Citizens Bank Park. Overall he has allowed just 2 earned runs in his last 16 and 2/3 earnings for the Phillies. Philadelphia is 4-0 the L4 times they entered a game off of a loss. Also, the Phils are still 9-2 at home even with yesterday's loss included. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #963 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Texas Rangers vs Oakland A's @ 8:05 ET - The Rangers Matt Moore is 0-3 with an 8.76 ERA in his 3 career starts made at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Facing the A's is unlikely to help him as the Texas southpaw has only 1 win in his 5 career starts versus Oakland and he has compiled an ugly 7.07 ERA in those outings. The Athletics will have Trevor Cahill on the mound for this one. Over the past 3 seasons he is 2-8 with a 5.21 ERA in road games. Also, Cahill compiled a 4.89 ERA in night games the past 3 seasons. He has been a better pitcher at home and in day games. That said, a road outing at night at hitter-friendly Globe Life Park is not going to do him any favors. The line opened up at a 10 but dropped to a 9.5 in some spots already as some saw the 10 as being "too much" in this one. I certainly don't see it that way and am going contrarian and going with the over in this match-up. The over is 7-3 in the A's last 10 games as they've averaged scoring 7 runs per game during this solid long-term stretch. I won't be surprised to see this total stay at 10 in a lot of shops and then possibly even move up to a 10.5 later in the day. Note that the Rangers are 3-0 to the over this season in home games with a posted total of 10 or 10.5 runs. Look for that record to stay perfect on the year but I am happy to grab the 9.5 while we can. 10* OVER the total in Texas

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #909 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Colorado Rockies vs Chicago Cubs @ 3:10 ET - Temperatures will warm into the mid-60s this afternoon in Denver and the air will be in drier than it was last night plus the warmer temperatures certainly will be nice for the hitters. I know that Jose Quintana blamed his struggles versus Atlanta on pitching in cold temperatures but remember he also struggled at Miami (no cold air there!) earlier this season. He has now had 1 good outing but been awful in the other two starts and I don't think an afternoon start at Coors Field is going to do him any favors. As for German Marquez, he is off of a fantastic starts in his most recent outing but that was on the road. At home this season he has an 8.21 ERA. Keep in mind, he finished up last season with a 5.25 ERA over his final 4 home starts and Coors Field is simply not an easy place to pitch. After the Cubs lineup produced only 2 runs yesterday look for them to have a breakout game today. Marquez walked 6 in less than 5 innings of work in his first home start this season. He then benefited from facing light-hitting San Diego in his next start but he is not so fortunate here. Chicago had averaged scoring 10.3 runs per game in their last 4 games prior to last night's dismal effort. Look for the Cubs to bounce back big and the over was 4-0 in Chicago's 4 games prior to yesterday and 4-1-1 in the Rockies last 6 prior to yesterday's 5-2 win. 10* OVER the total in Colorado

Game of the Month - Rickenbach MLB Game #959 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Colorado Rockies vs Chicago Cubs @ 8:10 ET - After combining for 21 runs yesterday's game, don't be surprised if we see another wild one tonight. Temperatures in the upper 40s not bad for this time of year in Denver and the winds, though light, are also expected to be shifting around to the south or southeast which will be pushing balls to left field. Ton of extra base hits in yesterday's game and more of the same expected here. Yu Darvish will be making his first ever start at Colorado. In his most recent start he got frustrated by a balk call and then unraveled from there. Wait until he gets frustrated by pitching in conditions where his pitches just don't have the same movement they normally would. Look for Darvish to get frustrated here and struggle like many hurlers do in their first starts at Coors Field. The Rockies did see him (and hit him hard) in September and now they get a shot at him at home. Darvish has struggled in 2 of his 3 starts this season. Tyler Anderson gets the start for the Rockies here and the southpaw was hit hard in his lone start versus the Cubs in his career. Also, he is coming off of a start in which he walked 6 batters in 6 innings. Prior to that he benefited from facing the light-hitting Padres twice this season. Now he faces a powerful Chicago lineup coming off of a 16-run outburst yesterday and this gets ugly quick in my opinion. The Cubs have gone over in 4 straight games and the Rockies have just 1 under in their last 6 games. Look for Chicago's over to improve to 6-2 in night games this season. 10* OVER the total in Colorado

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #901 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Philadelphia Phillies vs Pittsburgh Pirates @ 7:05 ET - The Phillies and Pirates have hit very well this season with runners in scoring position and this is why they've fared as well as they have so far on the young season. That type of clutch hitting is also key to cashing overs and I love going contrarian in this match-up. The total has gone from an 8.5 to an 8 as of early Friday and the fact is that this should fly over. I know the Phillies shut out the Pirates yesterday but tonight they have Ben Lively going. Even though his last two starts were against two of the weakest hitting teams in MLB (Reds and Rays near dead last in slugging %), Lively has been hit at a .372 clip in his last two outings. Now he faces a Pirates team that hit him well when they faced him last season. As for Pittsburgh starter Ivan Nova, I know he has been throwing fairly well and has piled up some strikeouts in his last two starts but he also has allowed 4 homers while compiling a 5.21 ERA in his last 3 starts. Plus the Phillies got to him for 7 earned runs on 16 hits in just 13 and 1/3 innings last season. Look for Nova to struggle here as the Phils confidence is sky high thanks to a 10-3 run their last 13 games. The Phillies have averaged scoring 6.2 runs per game during this stretch. Just 3 unders in Pittsburgh's 10 road games this season and the Phillies have had just 7 unders the last 19 times they've been off of a shutout win. 10* OVER the total in Philadelphia

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Game #963 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Yankees vs Toronto Blue Jays @ 6:35 ET - It will be a chilly evening in the Bronx. Certainly the weather is not necessarily conducive to an over but the wind will be blowing out toward the right field corner and the earlier rains will have moved out of the area. What sets this one up so well is that the Blue Jays already faced CC Sabathia this season and the Yankees also already faced Aaron Sanchez as well. Though Toronto's Sanchez has some decent numbers on the season, he has been issuing too many walks and actually has issued more free passes than "punch-outs" via the strikeout in 2 of his 3 starts this year. Also, he gave up 4 earned runs in less than 6 innings of work versus the Yankees early this season. Additionally, in the last start Sanchez made at Yankee Stadium he allowed a pair of homers. As for Sabathia, he left his last start (nearly two weeks ago) due to hip soreness. He has given up 15 hits (including two homers) in less than 14 innings of work spanning his last 3 starts versus the Blue Jays. In his only home start this season the southpaw allowed 3 homers in just 4 innings of work. The over is a perfect 8-0 (one push) in the Yankees last 9 games. Also, the Blue Jays head to the Bronx with plenty of confidence at the plate after scoring 39 runs in their last 4 games. The over is a perfect 3-0 (one push) in Toronto's last 4 games. The Bronx Bombers are a perfect 7-0 to the over off of a loss this season and also 3-0 in home games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs. That's a combined 21-0 mark to the over! I'll take it! 10* OVER the total in New York Yankees

Game of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #909 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Atlanta Braves vs Philadelphia Phillies @ 7:35 ET - I had this same play yesterday and it was unbelievable as the teams had stuff going on all night long but combined to ground into FIVE double plays plus left 21 men on base! Needless to say it was a game filled with wasted opportunities. Now on another great night for hitters at SunTrust Park, I expect these teams to make up for it with a slugfest. The air will be quite dry in Atlanta tonight and the wind will be blowing toward the left-field corner with warm temperatures too. Vincent Velasquez gets the start for the Phillies and he got crushed by the Braves in his first start this season as he gave up 7 runs (4 earned) in less than 3 innings of work. Brandon McCarthy gets the start for Atlanta and he has allowed 6 earned runs on 14 hits in just 10 and 1/3 innings spanning his last two starts versus the Phillies. Also, he faced Philadelphia in that same game that Velasquez pitched in and he was able to work out of some jams but he likely won't be so fortunate this time around. The over is 2-1 in each of these hurlers 3 starts this season. Also, yesterday was just the 2nd under the Braves have had in 8 home games this season. Look for tonight's game to resume the normal higher-scoring trend at SunTrust Park. 10* OVER the total in Atlanta

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Game #955 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Atlanta Braves vs Philadelphia Phillies @ 7:35 ET - This total opened up at a 9 and has now dropped to low as an 8 as of game day morning. Temperatures will be mild in Atlanta this evening with the wind blowing toward the left field corner. The wind not necessarily a big help but the temperatures certainly good with rather dry air too which helps the hitters. The biggest key here is that the Phillies Nick Pivetta looks great with his last two starts being dominant but both of those were at home and against very bad teams. In his first start this season he was on the road and faced this very same Braves team and I expect them to get to him even more in the rematch. Last season Pivetta was 4-7 with a 6.65 ERA on the road where he got hit at a .298 clip. Also, in night games last season the Phillies right-hander went 2-6 with a 7.78 ERA and got hit at a .309 clip. As for the Braves Mike Foltneywicz, he has given up 8 runs (7 earned) on 12 hits (including 3 homers) in his last 9 innings versus Philadelphia. None of Foltneywicz last 3 starts versus Phils have stayed under the total. As for Pivetta, only 1 of his 4 starts versus the Braves have resulted in an under. This season the Braves have had just 1 under in 7 home games and, keep in mind, the Phillies faced Foltynewicz already in that same start Pivetta pitched in. These lineups are very familiar with the starter their facing today! 10* OVER the total in Atlanta

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Game #905 Monday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line (-) @ Atlanta Braves @ 7:35 ET - This is a rematch of the opening day match-up in which Aaron Nola and Julio Teheran squared off, also in Atlanta. The Phillies took a 5-0 lead to the bottom of the 5th inning. They lost the game 8-5. Much has changed since then and the Phillies are playing with a ton of confidence thanks to a 6-game winning streak. Also, Nola did outpitch Teheran that night and he certainly has been the much better pitcher than the Braves righty so far this season. Teheran has a 7.07 ERA and a 1.79 WHIP so far this season. Nola has a 1.96 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP on the season! Teheran has allowed 4 homers in the 8 innings spanning his two home starts this season. It will by chilly in Atlanta tonight but the wind will be blowing out and this certainly could be a factor here. As for Nola, he has allowed just 1 homer in his 18 and 1/3 innings of work this season. After a disheartening loss for Atlanta (blew a late huge lead and lost improbably to the Cubs Saturday) this is a tough start for the Braves. Also, prior to that game Atlanta had average scoring just 2.7 runs per game in their 6 previous contests. The Phillies are averaging 7.5 runs per game in their last 8 games. The Phillies are 7-2 in night games this season and the Braves are 2-5 in night games on the year. 10* PHILADELPHIA 

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #964 Sunday 10* Top Play San Diego Padres Money Line (-) vs San Francisco Giants @ 4:10 ET - The Padres got a big win yesterday by picking up a pair of runs in the bottom of the 7th and hanging on for the victory. San Diego has now won 4 of its last 6 games and has scored 4 or more runs in 5 of its last 6 games. Of course, in general terms, this is a match-up of two of the weaker teams in the league but that is why I love the value being offered here with home field edge plus the pitching edge. The Giants won only 26 road games last season while the Padres won 43 home games. Yesterday's loss was the 4th in San Francisco's last 5 road games. The Giants are starting Tyler Beede and he couldn't find the strike zone in his MLB debut Tuesday. He walked 5 in a start that lasted just 4 innings and that was at home. As for the Padres Joey Lucchesi, he is also a rookie and I have been very impressed by this southpaw's demeanor. He carries himself very well on the mound and has put great numbers with 16 strikeouts in less than 16 innings of work and holding the opposition to a .214 batting average. The Giants went just 18-30 versus left-handers last season and also only 22-35 in day games. Before scoring 4 runs yesterday, San Francisco had been held to 3 runs or less in 4 of their 6 prior games. After Lucchesi struggled in his first start this season (his MLB debut) he has truly dominated his last two outings with 0 earned runs in 11 innings while striking out 15. I expect more of the same here. 10* SAN DIEGO PADRES

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #929 Saturday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line (+) @ Tampa Bay Rays @ 6:10 ET - The Phillies have won 4 straight games while the Rays haven't even won 4 games yet this season. Last night's 9th inning win on a 2-out single was the type of win that keeps a team full of confidence and, after sweeping the Reds prior to this series, the Phils are loaded with confidence right now. We get a good line on this game because Tampa Bay is at home and Chris Archer is on the mound. The fact is that he has a 5.94 ERA so far this season and has given up a homer in each start. Neither the Rays nor Phillies have hit particularly well this season but Philadelphia at least is in the middle of the pack with a .386 slugging percentage while the Rays are dead last with a .306 slugging percentage. They're likely to struggle against Jake Arrieta. Though his numbers from his first start don't look good, he actually retired 10 of the last 11 batters he faced after a rough first inning. In the first inning, Arrieta was still working off the rust in his return from injury. Look for him to be much sharper here while the Rays Archer's good fortune runs out here. The Rays have won 2 of his 3 starts even though he has allowed 4 runs in each start (only 1 unearned) while not pitching more than 6 innings in any of the outings.  Tampa Bays is 1-8 this season when off of a loss while the Phillies are 6-1 against teams with a losing record. That means we have a 14-2 (88%) spot favoring the road dog in this one. 10* PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #955 Friday 10* Top Play Colorado Rockies Money Line (+) @ Washington Nationals @ 7:05 ET - The Rockies are 5-1 in their last 6 road games after yesterday's 5-1 win at Washington. That defeat for the Nationals dropped them to 2-5 in their home games this season. The Nats are likely to struggle again today. Washington will be facing Rockies southpaw Kyle Freeland and the Nationals numbers against lefties rank them dead last in the majors this season. The Nats are hitting just .171 with only a .243 slugging percentage versus lefties! The Nationals have only 1 homer and 2 doubles in those 70 at bats versus left-handers. The Rockies, on the other hand, have 12 homers in their 8 road games this season. Their .418 slugging percentage away from home ranks them in the top 3rd of the league. They'll take advantage of facing Tanner Roark whom allowed 2 big homers to the Mets in the Sunday night game. Though he struck out 9 in that start he also walked 4 and he also has walked 8 in 10 career innings versus the Rockies. Though not a huge gap between the bullpens, Colorado also has the edge there so far this season with a 4-2 mark and 4.15 ERA while the Nationals relievers are 0-3 with a 5.19 ERA. The Nats sticks are averaging just 2.5 runs per game their last 8 games! The Rockies have averaged 5 runs per game in their last 7 road games. I know it may seem "risky" taking a dog in this range but Washington is actually 0-4 this season as a home fave in a range of -125 to -175. Plus, the Rockies are 26-27 (+$11,500) as a road dog in a range of +125 to +175. Rockies 4-2 versus right-handed starters this season and Nationals 1-5 when off of a loss this year. 10* COLORADO ROCKIES

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Game #953 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cincinnati Reds vs St Louis Cardinals @ 6:40 ET - The Cardinals rolled 13-4 over the Reds yesterday. Cincinnati is 6-3 to the over this season when off of a loss including 2-0 to the over when they gave up 10 or more runs. The Reds are also a long-term 30-18 to the over as a home dog in a money line range of +125 to +175. The Cards Luke Weaver is off of back to back solid starts to open the season but both of those games were pitched in cold weather which certainly wasn't good for the hitters. Tonight's game at Cincinnati will feature temperatures up near 80 degrees at first pitch and the wind will be blowing toward the left field corner. The Reds sends Tyler Mahle to the mound. The right-hander got rocked for 5 earned runs on 9 hits (including 2 homers) in less than 5 innings of work in his most recent start. St Louis hitters are "feeling it" right now and that continues today while the Reds sticks had notched 11 hits or more in 4 of their 6 games prior to yesterday's beatdown. They should respond today and I am expecting a slugfest tonight at Great American Ballpark. 10* OVER the total in Cincinnati

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #909 Thursday 10* OVER the total in Cleveland Indians vs Detroit Tigers @ 6:10 ET - These two teams are the bottom two teams in the majors for batting average so far this season. However, much of that has to do with the cold weather they've played in for so many games. This evening in Cleveland the temperature will likely be in the mid-60s at first pitch with the wind blowing out to right field. That's part of the reason you've seen this total climb from a 7.5 to an 8 even though both teams have trended under this season. The other key reason is that the lineups have plenty of familiarity with the pitchers they are facing today. I know that Michael Fullmer has good numbers on the season but he was constantly working out of jams in his most recent start. That is hidden by his low ERA and I expect a breakthrough game for the Indians against him. Fullmer has a 6.04 ERA and 1.82 WHIP versus Cleveland. As for the Indians Trevor Bauer, he has an ugly 7.97 ERA and 1.92 WHIP in his career versus the Tigers. Also, though both of these teams are at the bottom in terms of batting average, their strikeout rate is not bad (each averaging 8 Ks a game) compared to others in the league. They've been putting the ball in play and, finally, on a mild evening at Progressive Field, I look for that to pay off big on Thursday with both lineups enjoying a breakout game. Lets take advantage of the low total in this one. 10* OVER the total in Cleveland

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #955 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Colorado Rockies vs San Diego Padres @ 3:10 ET - I am coming right back with the same play I lost with yesterday. Yes, neither team looked overly impressive last night at the plate but both southpaw starters did pitch much better than I expected. However, now we have a day game with temperatures into the upper 70s, the wind blowing out to right, and a match-up of right-handed starters whom both should struggle. The Padres Luis Perdomo had good success with his slider in his last start at Houston but he won't get the same break on that pitch in the thin air of Colorado. Also, he has now walked 7 in his 9 innings on the mound so far this season. You don't want to give free passes at Coors Field where the ball carries so well. As for the Rockies German Marquez, has had 10 walks in less than 10 innings on the mound so far this season. Again, this leads to issues and he allowed 7 earned runs in less than 5 innings of work versus the Braves in his most recent start. Marquez has a 5.94 ERA in 3 starts versus San Diego. Perdomo is winless with a 7.40 ERA in his 5 starts versus Colorado. The Rockies had just 2 unders in their 8 divisional games prior to yesterday's poor effort at the plate. Things return to "normal" this afternoon at Coors Field and this one flies over the total. 10* OVER the total in Colorado

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Game #909 Tuesday 10* OVER the total in Colorado Rockies vs San Diego Padres @ 8:40 ET - Perfect set up here. These teams are getting their sticks going now that they're facing each other at hitter-friendly Coors Field instead of pitcher-friendly Petco Park. In addition to the bats combining for 13 runs yesterday, temperatures are expected to rise to about 70 this afternoon in Denver. It will likely be close to 70 for first pitch in this game. Warmer temperatures and this pitching match-up are going to lead to a lot of runs. These guys, Rockies Tyler Anderson and Padres Joey Lucchesi just squared off in San Diego and that was a low-scoring pitchers duel. Neither starter was charged with a run in the eventual 3-1 Rockies win. Now that they match up in Colorado and with these lineups having just faced these pitchers, the hitters are going to rule the day in this one. This will be Lucchesi's first career road start and it couldn't come at a worse venue. Pitchers are known for struggling in their first ever visits to Coors Field. As for Anderson, he has struggled versus right-handed batters throughout his career. The Padres will load up from that side of the plate tonight with their lineup. The over is 5-2 in San Diego's night games this season and the over has gone 7-4 the past two seasons in Padres road games with a posted total of 10 or 10.5 runs. Only 2 of the Rockies 8 divisional games this season have stayed under the total. More fireworks again at Coors tonight. 10* OVER the total in Colorado

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach MLB Game #957 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in St Louis Cardinals vs Milwaukee Brewers @ 7:05 ET - The Cardinals Miles Mikolas hit a homer in his first start after spending the past 3 years in Japan but he also allowed 3 homers and it was against the same Brewers team he's facing today. That doesn't bode well for the rematch as Milwaukee gets a quick "second look" at Mikolas. As for the Brewers starter, Jhoulys Chacin, he also made his most recent start versus the same team he is facing today. Giving the Cardinals a quick "second look" at him is unlikely to help as they hit him hard last week. Also, Chacin got hit hard in his first start this season too. Having allowed 10 runs (7 earned) in 9 innings in his first two starts this season, the Milwaukee righty is likely in trouble here. Couple that with the fact that this total has dropped from an 8.5 to an 8 and great value is being offered here. Yes  I know it will be chilly at Busch Stadium this evening but it will not be brutal. Temperatures should be in the mid-40s and neither one of these starters is going to find it easy facing the same hitters that just gave them trouble last week. 10* OVER the total in St Louis

Game of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #913 Sunday 10* Top Play New York Mets Money Line (+) @ Washington Nationals @ 8:05 ET - You know how it is guys. Everyone will look at this match-up and take the Nationals because there is "no way" the Nats could get swept at home, right? Of course that is the common thinking and that is what drives the value in situations like this. Every game is a standalone event and while it may seem improbable for Washington to lose 3 straight at home to the division rival Mets, there is absolutely no reason that it can't happen. One of the keys is that the Mets bullpen ranks near the top of the majors early this season for ERA and the Nationals rank near the bottom for bullpen ERA. That said, even if the starters Matt Harvey and Tanner Roark pitch equally well, the Mets should hold the late season edge. Additionally, New York definitely holds the edge at the plate right now. The Mets have averaged 5 runs per game their last 3 games while the Nats have scored a TOTAL of just 5 runs their last 3 games. Harvey pitched 5 scoreless innings (just 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out 5) in his first start this season. Roark also pitched well in his 1st start this season but he has allowed 6 earned RUNS in his last two starts versus the Mets while Harvey has allowed just 8 HITS in his last two starts versus Washington. As a home fave in a range of -125 to -175 the Nationals are only 42-39 their last 81 which has cost their backers $18,000 at $1,000 a game. NY has won 30 of 55 (+$6,800) road games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs. All things considered, great underdog value offered here. 10* NEW YORK METS

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #955 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in San Diego Padres vs Colorado Rockies @ 3:40 ET - There is reason to believe that both of these hurlers will struggle on Thursday afternoon. The Rockies Tyler Anderson struggled with command in his first start this season and got absolutely crushed at Arizona. Last season the Colorado southpaw went 3-5 with a 6.11 ERA before the All Star break and that included a very rough April. Also, he is now 3-7 with a 5.72 ERA in road games in his career after another rough road outing versus the Diamondbacks to begin this season. He did lose his only start at Petco Park last season and that was actually during a time when he was pitching better. In other words, he's likely in trouble here. As for San Diego's Joey Lucchesi, he did settle down after a rough first inning in his MLB debut. However, it is still concerning that a guy known as a strikeout specialist throughout his minor league career did record only one strikeout in nearly 6 innings of work. That said, he could find the going rough with the Rockies making plenty of contact. Colorado and San Diego entered their Wednesday late night match-up each with a mark of 4-1 to the over on the season. The Padres had averaged 5.3 runs per game their last 4 games and the Rockies had averaged the same over their past 4 as well. The ball does carry better in day games at Petco Park and we're getting a low total here because it is known as a pitcher-friendly park. I'll take advantage as this pitching match-up is very conducive to a high-scoring game here! 10* OVER the total in San Diego

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Game #975 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Miami Marlins vs Boston Red Sox @ 6:10 ET - This is definitely a contrarian play because Chris Sale pitched fantastic in the season opener for Boston. However, the Red Sox southpaw did get roughed up in his lone start at Miami (a loss in 2016) and I expect him to have some struggles against at Marlins Park. One of the issues will be that Miami's lineup will be facing a southpaw starter for a 3rd straight game. They faced Brian Johnson in the opener of this series and remember they closed out the series with the Cubs by facing Jose Quintana. In that series with Chicago, the Marlins bounce back for 6 runs in each of the last two games and though this team has pitching issues (among other things) they are showing the ability to put up some runs. About those struggles on the mound, Jose Urena gets the ball here and he was shaky in the season opener versus the Cubs and now faces a potent and confident Red Sox lineup. I know Boston didn't score many runs in the series with the Rays but they did leave 20 men on base in the final two games so they did have some solid scoring opportunities they simply failed to convert on. We're getting a low total on this game because Sale is on the mound for the Red Sox and, keep in mind, Boston's bullpen had a 5.73 ERA heading into last night's game. The Marlins entered yesterday's series opener with a record of 23-15 to the over in interleague action the past two seasons. Look for this one to surprise many and climb over the low total. 10* OVER the total in Miami

ESPN Game of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #920 Monday 10* Top Play Houston Astros Run Line -1.5 runs vs Baltimore Orioles @ 7:10 ET - The Orioles are known as a team that loves fastballs and they struggle badly against off-speed stuff. That makes a match-up with Charlie Morton quite possibly a nightmare. He has developed a devastating curveball and uses it plenty as everyone saw in full display in the World Series versus the Yankees. Now, in Houston's home opener, the Astros home opener will celebrate the World Series victory and will have Morton on full display again with his arsenal of off-speed stuff. He should dominate the Orioles who will have hardly anyone in their lineup whom has any experience against them. This will make it even tougher on the O's to try and get good wood on Morton's stuff. As for the Baltimore starting pitcher in this one, Chris Tillman gets the call and he was 1-7 with a 7.84 ERA last season. He has struggled the last couple times he has faced the Astros. Also, looking at Tillman's numbers from last season's awful campaign, the bad news was that he was even worse on the road and worse in night games. Welcome to Houston Chris. Road game at night! This looks like a home blowout. Of course I don't lay big money lines. That's why my play here is the run line which is available at about a -120 price. Astros in a rout. 10* HOUSTON Run Line -1.5 runs 

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Game #967 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Texas Rangers vs Houston Astros @ 3:05 ET - Gerrit Cole makes his debut for the Astros and in a very hitter friendly ballpark. That doesn't bode well for a guy that gave up nearly 3 times as many homers as he had in any other season last year. Though the Rangers did not hit well yesterday, remember that they did get to Dallas Keuchel on Friday and if Cole leaves some up in the zone (as I suspect he will) don't be surprised if Texas puts up some crooked numbers on the scoreboard in this one. Of course they'll need all the runs they can get because they're handing the ball to Mike Minor whom hasn't started at the MLB level since 2014! That spells trouble against an Astros lineup that was certainly "feeling it" yesterday as they piled up 9 runs. Houston now gets the luxury of facing a left-handed starter in back to back games. That always tends to help the lineup, especially when off of a big day. Even if Minor enjoys some early success here, I expect him to quickly fade and the Astros will continue pounding on the Rangers bullpen. Nice weather here in Arlington with an interesting dynamic that could help us as well (not that we necessarily need it) but a wind shift is on the way that could happen during the game depending on the timing of a weather front. Either way, the ball carries well here at this park and look for another high-scoring match-up just like yesterday but this time with a little more balanced scoring between the teams as Cole gives up some big extra base hits including dingers. The odds makers tried to hang a 10 on this game and the markets quickly got it down to a 9.5 and I'll gladly take advantage! 10* OVER the total in Texas

Game of the Year - Rickenbach Tuesday MLB 10* Top Play Los Angeles Dodgers Money Line (-) vs Houston Astros @ 8:15 ET - Give credit to the Astros for what they've done in this series. But, after a day off and with the ability to "hit the reset button", the Dodgers know what is in front of them here. Los Angeles has an opportunity to win the World Series at home and, sure, this is an elimination game for them but all they've got to do is win one and that is a "winner takes all" Game 7 tomorrow night at Dodger Stadium. The fact is that, prior to the Astros winning Game 2 here in LA, the Dodgers had won 9 straight home games! They are tough to beat here and, no matter the outcome of a couple crazy games that have taken place in this series, anyone who knows anything about baseball would tell you they would take the Dodgers bullpen over the Astros bullpen any day of the week! With that said, I am glad to back Rich Hill and the Dodgers in this one. The LA left-hander has a 2.14 ERA over his last 8 starts. Also, when Los Angeles lost in this same Hill vs Justin Verlander match-up in game 2, it snapped a string of 5 straight Dodgers wins with Hill on the mound. Keep in mind he allowed only 1 earned run in that start while Verlander gave up 3 earned runs. Also, the Dodgers pounded Dallas Keuchel the 2nd time they saw him in this series. Could Verlander suffer the same fate? I fully believe so and, keep in mind, the fact Hill only went 4 innings versus the Astros in Game 2 (struck out 7 in that short start) will actually help him here. It means the Houston hitters haven't seen as much of him and also means his arm is very fresh for this one. The Astros are 26-27 (-$11,400) against southpaw starters on the year. The Dodgers are 62-25 in home games this year! 10* LOS ANGELES

Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach Sunday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Houston Astros vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 8:15 - As a handicapper or bettor if you always think you're the smartest guy in the room you're setting yourself up for trouble. The point I am making is there are a lot of very smart people with very sharp minds connected to this industry. The reason I am mentioning that as it pertains to Game 5 of the World Series is because I find it surprising this total has actually held at a 7 today. It is now after Noon ET as I prepare this write-up and we're still staring at 7 across the board on this one. Keep in mind that, were it not for extra innings in Game 2, none of the first 4 games of this series would have gone over the total. Now you have a rematch of Game 1 pitting southpaw ace versus southpaw ace (a game with very few hits and that ended 3-1) and yet this total has been held at a 7. Yes, I know this one is in an AL park and the DH certainly is a factor but, still, the way these guys have pitched makes it surprising to see this total at a 7. It tells me that some very sharp people are expecting this one gets to at least 7. Keep mind we have 3 ways to win this. The lineups are getting a 2nd look at these starting pitchers so perhaps 1) Kershaw gets hit hard or 2) Keuchel gets hit hard or 3) Either bullpen caves - the Astros bullpen is a weakness and the Dodgers bullpen was proven not invincible in Game 2. I like the OVER here for a contrarian play. Los Angeles is 5-2 to the over in road games with a posted total of 7 runs this season. The Astros are 19-6 to the over in Sunday games this season. 10* OVER the total in Houston 

Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach Saturday MLB 10* Los Angeles Dodgers Money Line (+) @ Houston Astros @ 8:15 ET - The Astros have a losing record this season against southpaws and have cost their backers $11,600 in those 51 games (25-26, -11.6 net units). The Dodgers lost Alex Wood's most recent start but they had been 18-4 in his 22 prior starts! The lefty struck out 7 in less than 5 innings against the Cubs but was victimized by the long ball. Wood will bounce back Saturday against an Astros team that is not familiar with him. As for Houston's Charlie Morton, he is off of a solid 5 innings versus the Yankees but was roughed up in each of his two prior post-season starts this month. Morton gave up 9 earned runs on 13 hits in just 8 innings of work. He has not been working deep into starts and, keep in mind, the Astros bullpen is their biggest weakness in this series with the Dodgers. 10* LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach Friday MLB 10* OVER the total in Houston Astros vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 8:05 ET - Both teams have plenty of confidence at the plate after the slugfest that saw a record 8 homers hit in Game 2 of this series Wednesday. Their confidence here is also boosted by the fact that the Dodgers hitters who have experience against Lance McCullers have hit a combined .500 against him in their meetings with him the past 5 seasons. Also, the Astros are very familiar with Yu Darvish because of his time spent with the Rangers - Texas a division rival of Houston. The Astros did lose to Darvish in his most recent visit to Houston. However, in his two prior starts versus the Astros (both within the past 14 months) Darvish was rocked for 8 earned runs on 14 hits in just 9 innings of work! Look for more of the same here with the Astros very happy that the roof will be closed for Game 3 (temps in the 50s outside) and this creates a raucous atmosphere that tends to bring out the best in this Astros lineup. The over is 15-8 this season when Houston is playing after a day off. Both lineups off powerful performances at the plate in Game 2 and now get the added benefit of a DH since the series has shifted to an AL park for games 3 through 5. Additional value too in this one thanks to the drop from an 8.5 to an 8 on this total. I'll take it! 10* OVER the total in Houston

Total of the Year - Rickenbach Wednesday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Los Angeles Dodgers vs Houston Astros @ 8:05 ET - The Astros Justin Verlander is 0-3 with a 7.20 ERA in the 3 World Series starts he has made in his career. He has averaged just 5 innings per start in those 3 appearances. Should Verlander have another short outing here, that exposes what is perhaps the Astros biggest weakness (bullpen) in comparing how these two teams match up. Even though the Dodgers do have a solid bullpen, starter Rich Hill is likely to get roughed up here. The Dodgers southpaw has allowed 4 homers and 12 walks plus has hit 3 batters in the 6 post-season starts he has made in his career. With this being his first-ever World Series start it would not surprise to see him a little shaky in this one. It will be another "hot one" in LA with high temperatures again around the century mark today. That means the homers should again be flying but the reason yesterday's game did not get over the total is the fact that there was little else in the way of offense other than 3 homers that accounted for all 4 runs. That changes with these two hurlers today. These are two very potent lineups and the Astros now facing a southpaw for a 2nd straight game and Hill is definitely a big step down from Kershaw. The Astros have been held to 1 run or less twice this month. Each time their next game went over the total. This season, Houston is 27-20 to the over against southpaw starters and 49-30 to the over in road games. The over is 3-1 in Verlander's last 4 starts and 5-3 in Hill's last 8 starts. 10* OVER the total in Los Angeles Dodgers

Game of the Week Friday - Rickenbach MLB 10* Top Play New York Yankees Money Line (+) @ Houston Astros @ 8 ET - Even though Justin Verlander dominated the Yankees in Game 2, Dallas Keuchel dominated the Yanks in Game 1 and then look at what happened in Game 5 on Wednesday! The big key here is not just that hitters are getting a second look at pitchers but also how well they're swinging the bats! Keep in mind, the Astros have scored a total of just 9 runs in the 5 games of this series. That's an average of just 1.8 runs per game. Conversely, the Yankees bats have come to life and they've scored 19 runs in the last 3 games! That's an average of 6.3 runs per game. Just like the Yanks got to Keuchel the second time they saw him, look for the same to hold true here as they get another look at Verlander. As for Luis Severino, he was pulled early in his start at Houston in Game 2 even though he had allowed just 1 earned run. It was precautionary that he was lifted after just 4 innings and Severino insists he is healthy. Remember that in the series versus Cleveland he allowed just 4 hits in 7 innings while striking out 9 in a game that was an elimination game for the Yanks. They were down 2-1 and a loss would have knocked them out of the playoffs. That was a huge stepping stone for the young right-hander and now I am predicting that he steps up and sends the Yankees to the World Series by notching a huge road win here. The Yanks are 15-3 in his last 18 starts! I know it may seem tough to fade Verlander here but remember that New York has the much hotter sticks and remember what they did to southpaw ace Keuchel when they faced him a 2nd time in this series! 10* YANKEES

Game of the Month - Rickenbach Wednesday MLB 10* Top Play Los Angeles Dodgers Money Line (+) @ Chicago Cubs @ 9 ET - The Cubs Jake Arrieta went 0-2 with a 6.10 ERA in September. In October, in his only post-season appearance, he only lasted 4 innings as a lack of command with his pitches led to 5 walks. In his last two starts against the Dodgers Arrieta has allowed 4 earned runs each time even though he averaged just 5.5 innings per outing. The biggest issue for Arrieta here is likely to be run support as the Cubs just can not get going at the plate. They had one game, Thursday, where they scored 9 runs but in their other games in this post-season Chicago has averaged just 1.7 runs and 4.7 hits per game! The Cubs are certainly at the other end of the spectrum right now compared to the Dodgers. Los Angeles has won all 7 of their October games and they're a perfect 6-0 in the post-season averaging 5.8 runs and 8.9 hits per game! Alex Wood gets the start for the Dodgers here and the southpaw went 15-3 this season including 7-1 his road starts! Wood has given up only 1 earned run on just 5 hits while striking out 12 in his 8 and 2/3 innings versus the Cubs this season. This is a case of two teams at completely opposition directions on the "momentum scale" and I look for the Dodgers to close this one out tonight. We're getting great line value here since LA is on the road. 10* LOS ANGELES DODGERS money line

TBS Smash Pass - Rickenbach Tuesday MLB 10* Top Play Los Angeles Dodgers Money Line (+) @ Chicago Cubs @ 9 ET - The Dodgers have won 7 straight games dating back to September 30th as they won their final two games of the regular season and are already a perfect 5-0 in the post-season. The Dodgers are 11-1 their last 12 games and all 11 wins have come by 2 runs or more with an average margin of 4.1 runs per victory in those 11 games! The key for the Dodgers has been that they're still hitting the ball fairly well. LA has averaged 5.8 runs and 8.8 hits per game in the post-season. As for the Cubs, they're averaging only 2.9 runs and 5.9 hits per game so far in the play-offs. Chicago is only 3-5 in the month of October and they're in a tough spot here with facing Yu Darvish. The Dodgers right-hander has a 0.74 ERA with only 11 hits against 28 strikeouts in the 24 and 1/3 innings spanning his last 4 starts! It's unlikely that the Cubs hitters suddenly "turn it on" here considering how well Darvish has been pitching. As for Chicago's Kyle Hendricks, he allowed 4 earned runs on 9 hits in just 4 innings of work in his most recent start. That doesn't bode well for him as he now faces a red hot Dodgers team. The Cubs are under .500 when facing teams with a winning record this season while the Dodgers are 13 games above .500 this season when facing teams with a winning record. Look for LA to remain red hot here. 10* LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Total of the Week - Rickenbach Sunday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Los Angeles Dodgers vs Chicago Cubs @ 7:35 ET - With high temperatures reaching into the 90s today and a start time of 4:35 local time, this game will have the feel of a mid-summer day game! That is likely to be bad news for Jon Lester of the Cubs as the southpaw had a 5.42 ERA in day games this season and was hit at a .281 clip. As for Rich Hill of the Dodgers, his ERA was nearly a run and a half higher (and BAA nearly 45 points higher) in day games than night games this season. Lester pitched at Dodger Stadium in May this season and gave up 6 earned runs in just 3 and 1/3 innings. The over is 9-1-1 in Lester's last 11 starts. The over is 4-1 in Hill's last 5 home starts. I am certainly cognizant of the fact that there have been a lot of unders in recent post-season games after a hot start for the hitters early on. However, this pitching match-up coupled with the weather make this one a prime situation for the bats to come back to life in a HUGE way Sunday. 10* OVER the total in LA Dodgers

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach Saturday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Houston Astros vs New York Yankees @ 4:05 ET - The Yankees Luis Severino faced the Astros twice this season and he got crushed in both games and compiled a 10.57 ERA in the two outings. He enters this start having allowed 5 homers in his last 13 and 1/3 innings. The Astros counter with Justin Verlander who has allowed 5 homers in his last 3 starts versus the Yankees. Though he was successful in his start versus Boston in this post-season, he did only strike out 3 in that outing. That is significant because if the powerful Yankees sticks are making contact they can be ultra dangerous. Dealing with an ultra low total here means I have no hesitation in stepping in and taking advantage. These are two of the most potent lineups in baseball and, just because they were held "in check" in yesterday's pitchers' duel it does not mean they won't come right back to life here. Only 19 of the Astros 51 day games this season have stayed under the total. The over is 12-2 in Severino's last 14 starts. 10* OVER the total in Houston

ALCS Game 1 Crusher - Rickenbach MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Houston Astros vs New York Yankees @ 8:05 ET - Even though Masahiro Tanaka is coming off of a great start in the Yankees series with the Indians, he was at home for that one. That is noteworthy because Tanaka was an entirely different pitcher away from Yankee Stadium this season. The Yankees right-hander went 4-7 with a 6.48 ERA in his 15 road starts and the over went 11-4 in those games! The Astros should pound him here and note that he is 0-3 with an 8.86 ERA in his 5 starts versus Houston in his career. However, the reason the play here is the over rather than the Astros is two-fold. First off, Houston's price is quite big here and, as long time followers know, I don't like to lay big juice! Secondly, the Yankees have a ton of momentum considering they are coming off of a huge comeback against the Indians. That said, New York will have a lot of confidence at the plate. Keep in mind, the Yanks have now scored 21 runs in their last 4 games and they've scored 7 runs or more in 3 of their last 6 games. Though Dallas Keuchel is certainly a top pitcher, the Astros southpaw will be making just his 2nd start in a span of nearly 2 and 1/2 weeks! Too much rest can lead to "rust" for a pitcher and the Yankees have a ton of pop in their lineup! Also, the over is 6-2 in Keuchel's last 8 starts. The over is a perfect 5-0 in Tanaka's last 5 road starts! Factoring in all of the above with the fact that this line has dropped from an 8.5 to an 8, we have great line value here! 10* OVER the total in Houston

TBS Network Rout - Rickenbach Thursday MLB 10* Top Play Chicago Cubs Money Line (-) @ Washington Nationals @ 8:05 ET - The Cubs Kyle Henricks has a 0.70 ERA in his last 4 starts and that includes shutting down the Nationals earlier in this series. The Nats are likely to start Gio Gonzalez here but, if not, it would Tanner Roark. With how long it has been since Roark has pitched that would not be a good option for Washington. Either way, I am taking "action" in this game, as usual, meaning I don't care who pitches I am going with the side I have chosen here and that is the Cubs. Note that Washington's Gonzalez has a 7.54 ERA in his last 3 starts. Also, in his 4 previous starts he got roughed up for 5 earned runs twice in this four outings! Gonzalez has given up 3 homers in his last 11 innings versus the Cubs and that includes the southpaw given up 2 round-trippers when he faced Chicago earlier in this series. The Nationals, before yesterday's win thanks to a valiant effort by Stephen Strasburg, had lost 4 of their last 5. The Cubs, prior to yesterday's loss, had won 17 of their last 22. Road team has a big pitching edge here and they also have a huge managerial edge with Joe Maddon over the Nationals Dusty Baker. 10* CHICAGO CUBS money line

NOTE: Still going with this 10* Top Play. Stephen Strasburg has been ill but he over-ruled manager Dusty Baker and is now making the start. We shouldn't be surprised at this as Baker made multiple managerial errors in the loss to the Cubs Monday that NEVER should have happened. In summary, this is STILL a 10* Top Play for me as Strasburg is not 100% and I believe we'll see that firsthand as this game goes on. Baker got over-ruled and ends up making another poor choice here in my opinion. So Strasburg gets hit hard and, as noted below, Arrieta struggles again.

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach Wednesday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Chicago Cubs vs Washington Nationals @ 4:05 ET - The weather will be overcast and chilly with the wind blowing in. From that standpoint, this is not a good situation for an over. However, the pitching match-up is plus those weather conditions have served to give us great line value here. Even though Jake Arrieta has great numbers on the season, he has not been the same since he got hurt on September 4th. His hamstring is still bothering him and Arrieta went 0-2 in September with a 6.10 ERA and a .333 BAA in his 3 starts. He'll be opposed by Tanner Roark. With yesterday's rainout, if it wasn't for Stephen Strasburg being under the weather, Roark would likely not be getting this start. The Nationals truly are only using him because they don't really have a better option. The fact is that Roark has allowed 9 earned runs in 11 and 2/3 innings of work spanning his last two road starts. Also, the Nats right-hander has allowed 4 homers in his last 3 starts versus the Cubs. By the way, Arrieta faced Washington just once this season and the Nationals got to him for 6 runs (5 earned) in only 4 innings of work. Arrieta also gave up 5 homers in his 3 September starts and those outings spanned only 10 and 1/3 innings. Only 4 of Arrieta's last 12 starts have stayed under the total. More of the same here. 10* OVER the total in the Chicago Cubs game Wednesday afternoon.

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach Monday MLB 10* Top Play Washington Nationals Money Line (-) @ Chicago Cubs @ 4:05 ET - The Nationals Max Scherzer only tweaked his right hamstring and I expect him to be just as strong as ever in this start versus the Cubs. The Nats right-hander has dominated all year and this has been especially true on the road where Scherzer went 10-2 and compiled a 1.82 ERA while holding opponents to a minuscule .156 batting average! That is simply insane domination and Scherzer also held hitters to a .140 batting average plus racked up 74 strikeouts in his 52 innings of work in day game starts this season. In my opinion, the Nationals have a huge pitching edge here over the Cubs. Jose Quintana gets the start for Chicago and the southpaw went 5-0 in his home starts since coming to the Cubs but he compiled a 4.76 ERA in those outings! Also, he was previously with the White Sox this season and his home starts with the ChiSox saw him go 1-4 with a 5.11 ERA. Simply put, Quintana has not pitched well in the city of Chicago this season and I expect that trend to continue Monday afternoon! Fantastic line value with the low price on Scherzer and the Nationals on the road for this one. 10* WASHINGTON money line

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach Monday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs Houston Astros @ 1:05 ET - Boston got their sticks going in their 10-3 win over the Astros yesterday. Coincidentally, the Red Sox also scored 10 runs and got a win the last time Rick Porcello started. The fact that this was nearly two weeks ago means Porcello may be a little "off" in this start and, keep in mind, he allowed 7 earned runs in 6 innings in his lone start versus the Astros this season. Also, Porcello gave up 9 earned runs in less than 10 innings of work in his last two starts of the regular season. The Astros Charlie Morton finished up the regular season strong and had a good start versus the Red Sox in his final start of the campaign. However, his overall road ERA this season was a 4.17 ERA and I expect Boston's success at the plate yesterday to carry right into today. It will be another hitter-friendly afternoon with warm temperatures and winds blowing out to left field. We just need to see the rain stay away from Fenway Park and hopefully that will be the case although any showers are expected to be rather light. The over is 3-0 in this series and the over is now 47-27 in Houston's road games this season. Look for another slugfest here. 10* OVER the total in Boston

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach Sunday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs Houston Astros @ 2:35 ET - Very mild air in Boston with a strong southwest wind expected for this afternoon's game. That means the wind will be blowing out to left field at Fenway Park and the ball should be carrying very well. With Doug Fister and Brad Peacock having just faced these opponents in last week's season-ending series, the hitters have a huge edge in getting another second look at them. Also, certainly neither was dominant in those meetings. Also, the over trend simply continues to be the theme here in the post-season. With both of yesterday's games going over the total, the over is now 8-2 in this post-season! By the way, the over is 8-4 in Peacock's road starts this season and also 4-0 in all his starts made against Boston in his career. As for Fister, he wrapped up the regular season by allowing 17 earned runs in 16 and 2/3 innings! The over is 49-28 when the Astros are a road favorite in a range of -125 to -175. Also, the over is 18-6 in Houston's Sunday games this season. In road games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs, the over is 43-19 in Astros games. The Red Sox trended as an "under team" this season but they did go to 11-4 when playing after a day off. That is the case here and with the weather helping the cause I am looking for another slug-fest here. 10* OVER the total in Boston

Total Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Nationals vs Chicago Cubs @ 5:35 ET - The calendar says it is October but it will feel like anything but that for this game in DC Saturday. Temperatures in the 80s at first pitch with a south wind blowing out makes this the perfect recipe for a slugfest Saturday. The Nationals Gio Gonzalez has struggled recently with 9 earned runs given up in 9 and 1/3 innings in his final two starts of the season. The southpaw also walked 8 in those two starts. Though the Washington lefty had a solid start versus the Cubs this season, his two prior starts saw Gonzalez allow 8 earned runs in 12 innings versus Chicago. The Cubs send Jon Lester to the mound for this one and the lefty compiled a 4.41 ERA on the road this season. Also, each of his last 7 starts have gone over the total and, overall, the over is on a 9-1 run in Lester's last 10 starts! The over is also 5-2 in the last 7 starts Gonzalez has made. Look for Lester's over streak to reach 8-0 here in ideal conditions for an over in Washington as the Nationals respond after yesterday's shutout loss! 10* OVER the total in Washington

Total Dominator - Rickenbach Friday MLB 10* Top Play UNDER the total in Washington Nationals vs Chicago Cubs @ 7:30 ET - Even though this total is low (making the over very enticing of course) the fact is that this is shaping up to be a pitchers duel. Stephen Strasburg gets the start for the Nationals and he has a 0.86 ERA in his 10 starts since the All Star break. Kyle Hendricks gets the start for the Cubs and he returned (from a hand injury) in July. From late July through the end of the season, Hendricks compiled a 2.19 ERA. Also, Hendricks has a 2.67 ERA in his career versus Washington and Strasburg has a 2.08 ERA in his career versus the Cubs. The under went 17-9 in Strasburg's starts this season and Hendricks road starts produced a 9-2 mark in favor of the under this season! Overall, the under is 8-1-1 in Strasburg's last 10 starts and the under is 10-3 in Hendricks last 13 starts including a current streak of 5 straight unders. More of the same here. 10* UNDER the total in Washington

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach Friday MLB 10* Top Play Boston Red Sox Money Line (+) @ Houston Astros @ 2:05 ET - After getting thoroughly embarrassed in yesterday's 8-2 loss, the Red Sox respond today. Dallas Keuchel is the ace of the Astros staff so we're able to get huge underdog line value with Boston here. The Houston southpaw has an ugly 9.88 ERA in his 3 appearances (2 starts) versus the Red Sox. Keuchel got rocked for 8 earned runs in 6 innings in his most recent start versus Boston which was last season. The Red Sox will have Drew Pomeranz on the mound and he has held the Astros to just 1 earned run in each of his last 3 starts against them. Those 3 starts have spanned 16 and 2/3 innings and the Boston southpaw has allowed a total of only 9 hits during this span! Look for his impressive run versus Astros hitters to continue here as 2 of those starts came this season and that includes one in Houston and the Astros hitters did not fare well in either outing. More of the same here. Give me the big dog in bounce back mode here. 10* BOSTON

Wild Card Wednesday Top - Rickenbach MLB 10* Top Play UNDER the total in Arizona Diamondbacks vs Colorado Rockies @ 8:05 ET - The Rockies season finale on Wednesday stayed under the total and the under finished up the regular season on a 13-3 (81%) Run in Colorado's games. Though Arizona's regular season finale on Sunday went over the total their 3 prior games all resulted in unders and this Wednesday Wild Card match-up has the makings of a pitchers duel. Jon Gray gets the start for the Rockies and, though he has no playoff experience, he is in fine current form and is also his 3rd year in the majors. Gray has gone 13 straight games without allowing more than 3 earned runs in a start. Also, the two times he faced the Diamondbacks in Arizona this season he allowed just 2 earned runs each time plus he recorded a total of 20 strikeouts in the 13 innings spanning those two sparkling outings. Gray is on a 7-2 run and recorded a 2.57 ERA in September and a 2.30 ERA in August. Of course he'll be opposed by Zack Greinke here whom is the staff ace for Arizona. He is a post-season veteran who only struggled in his first year in the post-season. In subsequent seasons Greinke has been "lights out" in play-off action. Also, the Dbacks veteran right-hander enters this start with a 13-1 record and 2.87 ERA in his home starts this season. He has a 3.15 ERA in his 3 starts hosting the Rockies this season and he allowed only 15 hits in the 20 innings spanning those 3 starts. Only 4 of Greinke's last 18 starts have resulted in an over. This should be quite the pitchers duel here. 10* UNDER the total in Arizona

Wild Card Tuesday Top - Rickenbach MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Yankees vs Minnesota Twins @ 8:05 ET - The Twins are going with veteran Ervin Santana. Though I certainly respect the veteran hurler he did allow 7 hits in less than 6 innings versus the Yankees in his most recent appearance versus them and that was only 2 weeks ago. In other words the Yanks just saw him and, keep in mind, they now have 13 hits in their last 10 and 2/3 innings facing Santana. The Twins right-hander has allowed 4 homers in his last 4 starts versus the Yankees. As for the New York starter Tuesday it is Luis Severino. Not only is he only 23 years old but this will be his first ever post-season appearance at any level. This wild card match-up is a lot of pressure for him and he allowed 3 earned runs on 5 hits in 3 innings of work in his first ever start versus the Twins and that was less than 2 weeks ago. That means this Minnesota lineup is getting a quick second look at him. Certainly the Yankees have a solid bullpen but this is a low total considering that both of these starters are likely to "get touched up" in this one. I know it's playoff baseball but two potent lineups here facing two "questionable" starters. This is not likely to be a pitchers duel. Also, a light breeze likely to be blowing out to left field with fairly moderate temperatures too. 10* OVER the total in New York Yankees Tuesday

Rickenbach MLB 10* Top Play Sunday OVER the total in Miami Marlins vs Atlanta Braves @ 3:10 ET - Of course the big story here is Stanton going for his 60th home run and he will actually bat leadoff for the Marlins in this one to get as many plate appearances as possible. He and Miami have a good chance of success against Max Fried. The right-hander got roughed up by the Marlins two weeks ago and he has allowed 13 hits in the 9 innings spanning his last two starts. Miami counters with Jose Urena here and I know he has had a good season and been tough at home. However, this will be the 4th time in about 3 and 1/2 months that the Braves are facing him. Also, Urena did allow 6 earned runs in his most recent start and Atlanta has averaged 9.1 hits per game in their last 9 games against right-handed starters. The Marlins have been on a red hot run at the plate that continued with yesterday's 10-2 win as they've averaged 7.4 runs per game in their last 12 games. The Marlins have won 3 straight and the over is 10-5 when Miami is on a winning streak of 3 games or more this season. The Braves have now lost 6 straight and they're 19-11 to the over this season when on a losing streak of 3 games or more. Look for one more wild one involving the Marlins this afternoon as they help Stanton chase his 60th homer! 10* OVER the total in Miami

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Saturday 10* Top Play Boston Red Sox Money Line (-) vs Houston Astros @ 1:05 ET - The Red Sox Drew Pomeranz had been rolling along prior to his last start. Even with that RARE ugly home outing for the Boston southpaw, the Red Sox are still 12-4 in his home starts this season and Pomeranz has compiled a solid 3.58 ERA in those outings. He has allowed just 1 earned run in each of his last two outings against the Astros and that includes a start earlier this season. Houston will have Lance McCullers on the mound for this one and he is still trying to find his rhythm after missing time with injury. Not only does have a 6.59 ERA in his last 3 starts overall, he also has not been able to pitch deep into games. McCullers gave up 5 earned runs in his most recent start at Boston. In his last two starts at Fenway Park he has allowed 14 hits in less than 10 innings of work. I look for more struggles from this afternoon. While the Astros still have some incentive (trying to catch the Indians for best record in baseball), the Red Sox are still trying to lock down the AL East and are highly motivated here. The Astros are only 21-23 plus DOWN $12,400 in their games against left-handed starters this season while the Red Sox are 43-25 and UP $12,000 when off of a loss this season. 10* BOSTON

Money Line Game of the Month - Rickenbach Friday MLB 10* Top Play Colorado Rockies Money Line (+) vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 8:10 ET - The Rockies are still trying to clinch the 2nd wild card spot in the National League. The Dodgers are still hoping to clinch the home field edge over the Indians should they make the world series. That said, Los Angeles certainly isn't going to lay down here but I really like the pitching edge and the hunger factor for Colorado in this one. The Rockies have gotten back on track and won 4 of their last 6 and have averaged 8 runs per game in those 4 victories. The Dodgers have started to heat up again but this is still an LA team that has been on cruise control as they head toward the post-season and Los Angeles has lost 21 of their last 32 games overall. Hyun-Jin Ryu of the Dodgers took a line drive off of his throwing arm in his most recent start and may not be 100% here. The southpaw also is 0-3 versus the Rockies this season and each start has gotten progressively worse for him. Not only that, the lefty walked 6 batters and gave up 8 hits - all of this in just 4 innings - in his most recent start at Coors Field. Chad Bettis gets the call for Colorado here and he was solid in his most recent start versus the Dodgers three weeks ago. He did not walk any while allowed 6 hits but striking out 5 in his 5 innings of work. He's facing a Dodgers team that has struggled on the road with a money line in a pick'em range (-125 to +125) the last 3 seasons combined as LA is 32-50 (-$21,700). The Rockies are a solid 45-33 at home this season and +$13,900 versus left-handed starters on the year. Bettis, unlike most Rockies starters, actually has pitched better at home than on the road. Bettis has a 4.07 ERA in his 4 home starts this year. Also, last year he was 8-2 with a 4.44 ERA at home for the Rockies. The Rox are 12-2 in the last 14 home starts Bettis has made. 10* COLORADO

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach Thursday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Kansas City Royals vs Detroit Tigers @ 8:15 ET - With "playoff pressure" now gone for the recently eliminated Royals, their bats have come to life. They scored 7 runs yesterday in a 7-4 win and I look for more of the same today. Of course the Tigers are on a long losing streak right now but that has not prevented them from being an "over machine" of late. With yesterday's game totaling 11 runs, the over is now 8-2-1 in Detroit's last 11 games. With Daniel Norris on the mound for the Tigers tonight, I expect those numbers to add another "over" by the time this one is in the books. Norris has a 10.94 ERA in his last 3 starts. Also, the Detroit southpaw has given up 10 earned runs in the 14 and 1/3 innings spanning his last 3 starts versus the Royals. Kansas City will have southpaw Danny Duffy on the mound in this one. The lefty has given up 11 earned runs in the 15 innings spanning his last 3 starts versus the Tigers. Although his overall numbers are good this season, he is not 100% healthy. This is just his 3rd start since returning from the DL and he allowed 8 hits in 6 innings versus the White Sox in his most recent start. The over is 6-1-1 in the 8 road starts Norris has made this season and the over is 12-6 this season in games between these teams. Also, the Tigers are on a 48-27 run to the over in September games and Detroit is 15-3 to the over in Thursday games this season. I'll take advantage of the downward move on this total too as that has opened up even more line value in this one. 10* OVER the total in Kansas City

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach Wednesday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs Toronto Blue Jays @ 7:10 ET - Though Boston's Rick Porcello has pitched better since the All-Star break he still certainly hasn't been great. He was hit at a .270 clip in August and a .279 clip in September. Also, on the season, Porcello has gone 7-12 with a 5.37 ERA night games while opponents have hit him at a .293 clip under the lights. The Blue Jays pounded him for 7 earned runs in 5 and 1/3 innings the last time they faced him and that was only 3 weeks ago. The Blue Jays Marco Estrada has been pitching well of late but he has allowed a career-high 30 homers this season. It will be a warm evening at Fenway Park with a light breeze blowing out as well. He has a 4.96 ERA on the road this season and a 4.89 ERA in night games this season. Estrada had a great start against the Red Sox earlier this month but he has been "up and down" in starts versus Boston in his career. Also, the Red Sox have averaged 5.7 runs per game in their last 14 games. The Blue Jays are 7-4 in their last 11 games and they've averaged 5.6 runs per game during this stretch! The Red Sox are 3-1 to the over the last 4 times they've been off of a loss. Look for the over to improve to 7-3 in the Blue Jays last 10 games as this one flies over the total. Both bullpens got a little "touched up" last night and that's a good sign for what to expect tonight after each of these starters get a little roughed up too! 10* OVER the total in Boston Wednesday evening

Earliest Cash Triple Play - Rickenbach Tuesday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cleveland Indians vs Minnesota Twins @ 7:10 ET - Not sure how much longer Bartolo Colon will be pitching at the MLB level but, while he still is, I want to continue to take advantage. Colon has a 13.09 ERA in his last 3 starts. Even when it "looked" like he was pitching better (August stats), he did get hit at a .292 clip for the month so he was basically a "fortunate" pitcher. That good fortune ran out this month as he is 0-4 with a 9.17 ERA in September. The Indians are still trying to lock up home field for the AL playoffs while the Twins are still trying to lock down a wild card spot so there is plenty to play for here. That said, the offenses are likely to rule in this one as Cleveland's Josh Tomlin has a 5.35 ERA at home this season. Even though he's allowed just 2 earned runs in each of his last 3 starts, he has allowed 13 hits in the 11 innings spanning his 2 most recent starts. The Twins are seeing Tomlin for the 4th time already this season and the repetition has paid off for Minnesota hitters as they really pounded him when they most recently faced him. The Twins have won 8 of their 13 games and they've averaged 6.5 runs during this hot stretch. Of course the Indians recently wrapped up an epic winning streak and they're at it again. They've won 7 of their last 8 and averaged 6 runs per game in the 7 victories. The over is 9-3 in Colon's last 12 road starts. I expect another crazy slugfest here. He gave up 3 homers in his last start versus the Tribe and he comes into this outing having given up a pair of homers in each of his last two starts. 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cleveland 

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach Monday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Philadelphia Phillies vs Washington Nationals @ 7:05 ET - I am well aware of the fact that the Nationals just clinched home field in the NLDS yesterday. However, I am also aware that Bryce Harper is coming back and even if he does not end up being in the lineup tonight, Washington is getting a boost with the good news that Harper is back. Ryan Zimmerman is also expected to be back in the lineup for the Nats Monday. Though they've clinched their playoff position these top hitters need to be in top form as the post-season approaches so don't be surprised if the Nationals are fielding a strong lineup tonight. Although Aaron Nola has been fantastic for the Phillies, he has given up 20 hits in his 16 and 1/3 innings versus Washington this season. Also, the Nationals are starting AJ Cole whom allowed 10 baserunners in 6 innings (6 hits and 4 walks) in his lone start at Philly this season. Also, when Cole faced the Phils last season he gave up 4 earned runs in 5 innings. The right-hander has a 1.74 WHIP in his road starts this season so his ERA away from home could easily be much higher than it is. The Phillies are off of a shutout win and in the 25 times they've been off of a shutout win the past 3 seasons combined, they've had just 9 unders. Odds makers had this total set at a 9 for a reason and the markets have pushed it down. I'll take advantage of the added value now being offered. 10* OVER the total in Philadelphia

ESPN Smash Pass Top Play - Rickenbach MLB 10* OVER the total in Houston Astros vs Los Angeles Angels @ 8:05 ET - The Astros Lance McCullers has not been healthy for some time now. He has only made one start since late July and it was not "smooth" to say the least. Overall, McCullers has an 8.40 ERA in his last 3 starts and, as he is trying to work out the kinks before the post-season I would not be surprised to see him struggle against a solid Angels lineup. While it is true that McCullers has been solid against the Angels in recent meetings, this situation is different with him "tuning up" for the post-season and truly not 100% healthy. As for the Los Angeles starter, Tyler Skaggs, he recently faced the Astros and enjoyed success. However, that start was at home and now he faces them in Houston and I look for the Astros to enjoy success in what is a quick "second look" at Skaggs. Note that the Angels southpaw is winless in his 7 road starts this season. The over is 17-5 in Astros Sunday games this season and I look for another one here. Even though Skaggs gave up just 2 earned runs in his most recent start he only struck out 1 while allowing 8 hits in just 5 and 1/3 innings. In other words, he was quite hittable and wasn't missing many bats. Look for more of the same here. 10* OVER the total in Houston

NOTE: Raul Alcantara now getting the start for Oakland. This is still a play for me and it still a 10* Top Play. Alcantara is 1-4 with an 8.03 ERA in his 11 MLB appearances including 7 starts. MLB hitters have hit .305 against him in his career and this year in the minors (AAA level) Alcantara was hit at a .273 clip and mostly worked out of the bullpen. He certainly fits the bill as an "emergency starter" whom I am happy to fade. Game on! Total Annihilation - Rickenbach Saturday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Oakland A's vs Texas Rangers @ 9:05 ET - Sean Manaea gets the start for the A's. The Oakland southpaw has given up 10 runs (8 earned) on 17 hits in the 8 and 2/3 innings spanning his last two starts. Also, against the Rangers, Manaea has given up 13 runs (12 earned) in the 16 and 1/3 innings spanning his last 3 starts versus Texas. The Rangers will have a pitching "concern" of their own in this one as Miguel Gonzalez gets the start for Texas. The Rangers right-hander has given up 7 earned runs in 10 and 2/3 innings spanning his two starts at Oakland in his career. Also, Gonzalez has a 10.45 ERA and a 1.94 WHIP in his last 3 starts. Yesterday's game easily stayed under the total but the over had been 6-1 in Oakland's last 7 home games. The fact is that the A's have been hitting the ball very well at home. The Athletics have won 6 straight home games and they've averaged scoring 8 runs per game in their 8 home games this month! The over is 44-29 in Oakland's home games this season. Also, when off of a win, the A's are 42-26 to the over this season! 10* OVER the total in Oakland

Contrarian Game of the Year - Rickenbach Friday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Blue Jays vs New York Yankees @ 7:05 ET - This is a contrarian play because, on the surface, this would appear to have potential to be a pitchers duel. Of course that is also why this total dropped from a 9 to an 8.5 which is also why there is exceptional line value on the over in this one. The Yankees are sending Masahiro Tanaka to the mound. The over is 10-4 in his road starts this season as Tanaka has compiled a 6.14 ERA away from home. Tanaka's most recent start at Toronto, early last month, saw him walk 5 in just 4 innings of work as his road struggles continued. Tanaka also has given up 3 homers in his last 3 starts against the Blue Jays and he enters this start having allowed 3 homers in his last 2 starts overall. The Jays got shutout yesterday and the over is 3-1 the last 4 times that Toronto has been held to 1 run or less in their prior game. Also, the Blue Jays had averaged 6 runs per game in their last 4 games prior to yesterday's tough day at the plate. The Jays will send Marco Estrada to the mound for this one. The Toronto right-hander had a strong outing when he last faced the Yankees but, in his two prior starts versus the Yanks (also this season), he allowed a total of 13 earned runs in just 8 and 1/3 innings. New York got to him for a pair of homers in each of those starts. Also, Estrada enters this start having allowed 3 homers in his last 3 starts. The Yankees sticks are heating up again as they've won 10 of their last 12 games. The Yanks have averaged scoring 7 runs per game in their last 11 games! Estrada has hit a recent "under" stretch in his last 3 starts but, prior to that, the Blue Jays were 11-4 to the over in his 15 prior starts and now Estrada is facing a lineup that has given him some problems this season! Of course that is why the Yankees are priced significantly as a road favorite here and note that the over is 34-21 the last 55 times the Yanks have been a road fave in the -125 to -175 range. 10* OVER the total in Toronto

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach Thursday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Tigers vs Minnesota Twins @ 7:10 ET - The Tigers Jordan Zimmerman has given up 30 hits in 15 innings while compiling a 9.00 ERA in his last 3 starts. The Twins Adalberto Mejia has allowed 19 hits in 10 innings while compiling a 9.00 ERA in his last 3 starts. Also, Zimmerman has a 13.11 ERA in his 3 starts versus Minnesota this season. As you would expect, all 3 of those starts went over the total. Also, the over was 4-0 in Detroit's 4 games prior to yesterday's low-scoring match-up with Oakland. The over is 14-3 this season in Tigers Thursday games. Detroit is also 43-23 to the over this season when they enter a game on a losing streak of 3 games or more. The Twins are on a long-term run of 120-83 to the over in their games against teams with a losing record. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER the total in Detroit

Contrarian Crusher Day Game - Rickenbach MLB 10* Top Play Los Angeles Angels Money Line (+) vs Cleveland Indians @ 4:05 ET - The Indians have been so hot that, of course, it may seem "crazy" to go against them but there is a key pitching edge here. Not only do we have home field edge here we've also got an Angels team that has gone 15-2 in Parker Bridwell's starts this season. Another edge here is the fact that Bridwell has never started against the Indians. That said, Cleveland's lineup lacks familiarity with him. The Angels have seen plenty of Danny Salazar, although not this season, and the Indians right-hander comes into this one struggling. Salazar has given up 10 earned runs in 5 and 1/3 innings spanning his last 2 starts! The only loss the Indians have over the last 4 weeks came with Salazar on the mound and I expect another one here. As for Bridwell, the Angels have won 12 of his last 13 starts! LA has lost 3 straight but they are 9-3 this season when they enter a game on a losing streak of 3 games or more and I love the home dog value here. 10* LOS ANGELES ANGELS money line

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach Wednesday MLB 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Rays Money Line (+) vs Chicago Cubs @ 7:10 ET - The Rays will be facing a left-handed starter for the 3rd straight game and 8th time in 11 games! Before struggling against Montgomery last night, the Rays did have 30 hits total in their 3 prior games against a left-handed starter. The repetition will pay off as repetition generally leads to success. The fact that the Cubs Jon Lester has struggled some recently certainly increased the likelihood that the analogy holds true here. The Chicago southpaw has walked 4 in each of his past two starts as he has struggled with command of his pitches and, overall, has struggled with efficiency. Prior to these two outings, Lester's last 5 starts had seen him compile a 7.71 ERA. Though their chances are certainly slim, the Rays are still mathematically alive in the wild card race and they're not going to stop fighting. I like the fact that they have Blake Snell on the mound for this one. Snell is 3-1 with a 3.75 ERA since the All Star break. He has held hitters to a .233 batting average in those 11 starts. Also, the Rays southpaw has had just one bad start in his last 5 outings. In the other 4 starts Snell allowed a total of only 3 earned runs. TB is 6-2 in his last 8 starts. Even with yesterday's win, the Cubs are still just 9-13 in road games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs this season. Grab the home dog with the starting pitcher whom is in better current form. 10* TAMPA BAY

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cincinnati Reds vs St Louis Cardinals @ 7:10 ET - With last night's extra innings 8-7 Cardinals win, St Louis has averaged 7.8 runs per game in their last 5 games versus the Reds. The issue tonight for the Cards won't be their bats though. What will surprise some people is that the Cardinals Luke Weaver is likely to struggle. Don't get me wrong, the young hurler's performance has been solid this season no doubt. However, the key here is a little bit of a hidden nugget. He's facing the Reds for the 2nd time in a week and the significance in that is that when teams get a second look at a young, inexperience pitcher it often goes much differently in round 2 than it did in round 1. For Weaver, the 2nd time he faced Milwaukee this season he gave up 8 hits in 5 and 2/3 innings and the second time he faced Pittsburgh he gave up 7 hits in 5 and 2/3 innings. As you can see, there is plenty of reason to believe that the Reds will have a bit of a "hit parade" versus the Cardinals young pitcher tonight. I know his numbers are great this season but those numbers above don't lie and this is still a guy who went 1-4 with a 5.70 ERA in his rookie season last year. As for Reds starter Rookie Davis, he is 1-2 with a 7.71 ERA in his 5 starts at the MLB level this season. Even at the minor league level he was not impressive as he got hit at a .282 clip. With the Reds he has been hit at a .367 clip. You can see why I am expecting a slugfest in this one. 10* OVER in Cincinnati

Rickenbach Tuesday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cincinnati Reds vs St Louis Cardinals @ 7:10 ET - The Reds are starting Jackson Stephens in this one. It will be his 2nd big league start and he allowed 3 earned runs in 5 innings against the Cubs in July in his only other MLB start. Though he has been pitching out of the bullpen (3 September appearances) and has had some success, there are a couple of keys as to why he is likely to get pounded here. One is that he just faced the Cardinals for 3 innings out of the bullpen last week. They'll now take advantage of getting a quick second look for him. Another edge for the Cards at the plate here is the simple fact that Stephens minor league numbers tell the full story. This season was his first above the AA level and he got rocked quite often. Stephens ended up with a 7-10 record, 4.92 ERA, and AAA hitters got to him to the tune of a .281 batting average against! The Cardinals are fighting to stay alive in the Wild Card race and they'll give him trouble here. As for the Cards starter, Jack Flaherty gets the call. He is winless with a 6.08 ERA in his 3 MLB starts and the most recent one was against Cincinnati. The Reds got to Flaherty for 3 earned runs in just 4 and 1/3 innings and now they get a quick second look at him. This time its at home where they are very dangerous at the plate. Flaherty has already thrown a lot of innings this season and this is the first year he has pitched above the single A level in the minors. Look for the Reds to jump all over him in this one. The over is 9-5 in Cincinnati's games after a day off. Also, the Reds are 15-4 to the over in Tuesday games this season. St Louis is 13-7 to the over when playing after a day off and the Cards are a solid 28-19 to the over in road games where the money line ranges from -125 to +125 for St Louis. 10* OVER the total in Cincinnati

Rickenbach Monday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Miami Marlins vs New York Mets @ 7:10 ET - A game between two teams out of playoff contention and two struggling starting pitchers matched up. I love these types of late season match-ups for overs and this one looks like a beauty. The Mets Matt Harvey has given up 18 hits in less than 10 innings of work spanning his last two starts versus the Marlins. The New York right-hander enters this start with a 12.20 ERA in the month of September and Harvey has been absolutely crushed in his two road starts. As for the Marlins Daniel Straily, he also is having a very rough time. Straily is 2-5 with a 5.74 ERA since the All-Star break. Also, the Miami right-hander has an 8.44 ERA in September and has allowed 29 hits in the 16 innings spanning his 3 starts this month. The over is 19-5 in Mets road games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs this season. The over is 7-0 in the Marlins last 8 games (one push in there) and I look for their over streak to reach a perfect 8-0 here! 10* OVER the total in Miami

Ugly Beauty Top Play - Rickenbach Saturday MLB 10* Philadelphia Phillies Money Line (-) vs Oakland A's @ 7:05 ET - What is an ugly beauty? Well the fact is that this is a beautiful situation but the game appears so ugly on the surface that no one will be paying attention to it. This is especially true on a football Saturday. An MLB match-up involving the worst road team against the worst home team is simply not going to get attention today and yet the value is there in a big way. The Phillies Ben Lively has a 2.57 ERA in his last 3 starts as he is making a case for next year's rotation. His low ERA is certainly no fluke as all 3 outings were away from home and yet he allowed only 16 hits in 21 innings of work while recording a solid 16 strikeouts. Lively should certainly outduel a struggling Kendall Graveman here. The A's right-hander has a 5.62 ERA in his last 3 starts. Also, Oakland has gone 1-6 in his road starts this season as Graveman has compiled a 6.75 ERA in his 7 starts away from home. Oakland got a rare road win yesterday but the Phillies had won 3 straight and 4 of their last 5 before being shutout yesterday. The A's are still just 23-49 in road games this season and the Phillies are 4 games above .500 the past 3 seasons combined when they are at home with a money line ranging from -125 to +125. Look for another big W here as Lively stays hot and the Phils bats get right back on track (had averaged 7.3 runs per game in their 6 games prior to the shutout). 10* PHILADELPHIA

Total of the Month - Rickenbach Friday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Philadelphia Phillies vs Oakland A's @ 7:05 ET - The Phillies, led by slugger Rhys Hoskins, have been knocking the cover off of the ball of late. With their 10-0 win last night, there have been just 3 unders in the Phillies last 12 games. Philadelphia has reached double digits in hits in 8 of those 12 games and they've averaged scoring 6.5 runs per game during this solid stretch of work at the plate. The A's have gone 9-2-1 to the over in their last 12 games. Oakland has scored 7 runs or more in 7 of its last 10 games. The A's are starting Daniel Mengden here and he has a 7.07 ERA in his 3 starts this season. The Phillies are starting Mark Leiter and he has given up 24 hits in his last 16 innings. Also he has allowed a total of 4 homers in his last two starts. The over is 34-17 in Phillies inter-league games the past 3 seasons combined. The over is 40-23 in Oakland's September games the past 2+ seasons. Look for more of the same here as both these teams are just playing for pride at this point and that means a very relaxed approach at the plate and that has led to big success for both of these lineups of late. That continues Friday. 10* OVER the total in Philadelphia

Network Top Play - Rickenbach Friday MLB 10* OVER the total in Chicago Cubs vs St Louis Cardinals @ 2:20 ET - The wind will be blowing out at Wrigley Field this afternoon and temperatures will be very warm for mid-September in Chicago. The fact that two respectable pitchers (John Lackey and Carlos Martinez) take the mound for this one helped to keep the opening total lower than it should be. This line opened up at an 8.5 but many signs point to a slugfest here. The Cardinals are 10-3 this month and have averaged scoring 6.4 runs per game in those 10 wins. The Cubs are heating up again and have been on fire at the plate which helped lead the way to a 3-game sweep of the Mets which wrapped up yesterday. The Cubs have averaged 9.1 runs per game in their 7 wins this month. The Cards Martinez gave up 10 hits in 6 innings in his most recent start at Wrigley Field. The Cubs Lackey is off of back to back solid starts but prior to that had back to back rough outings that saw him allow 10 earned runs in 10 innings spanning two starts! The over is 3-0 in the Cubs last 3 games and I expect another slugfest at Wrigley this afternoon. 10* OVER the total in the Chicago Cubs game

Thursday Thrasher - Rickenbach MLB 10* Top Play St Louis Cardinals Run Line -1.5 runs (-115) vs Cincinnati Reds @ 1:45 ET - The Cardinals got embarrassed 6-0 yesterday at home but had previously won 10 of their 12 prior games. Also, the average margin of victory in those 10 wins was 4 runs! 9 of the 10 W's came by at least 2 runs and that is why I am totally comfortable in laying the 1.5 runs here in a game the Cards should win easily as they have a decided pitching edge with Luke Weaver over Amir Garrett. The Cardinals right-hander is 5-1 with a 2.45 ERA in his 6 starts. The Reds left-hander is 3-7 with a 7.39 ERA in his 13 starts this season. Of the Reds last 8 losses, all have come by 2 runs or more and will Cincy lose here? Well, they're 2-10 this season as a road dog of +175 to +250 so I would say a loss is quite likely! As for the Cardinals, they are 11-5 this season as a home fave of -175 to -250. Also, the Cards are 4-1 this season when off of a shutout loss. They'll respond HUGE here and I am happy to lay the -1.5 runs and look for a blowout win here. 10* ST LOUIS CARDINALS Run Line

Rickenbach Wednesday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs Oakland Athletics @ 7:10 ET - Doug Fister is only 3-5 with a 4.17 ERA in his home starts this season. Also, he has been hit 84 points higher at home compared to on the road this season. Lefties have hit 108 points higher than righties against Fister and the A's will certainly have a few lefties and/or switch-hitters in their lineup ready to do some damage here. Oakland's starter Jharel Cotton is likely to see his struggles continue. He is 1-7 with a 8.00 ERA in his night games this season with opponents hitting an insane .341 against him in those outings. Boston scored 11 runs in yesterday's win and they've now scored 6 runs or more in 4 of their last 5 games. Though Oakland was shutdown at the plate yesterday, they previously had scored 7 runs or more in 6 of their last 7 games. 10* OVER the total in Boston

Rickenbach Wednesday MLB 10* Top Play Chicago White Sox Money Line (+) @ Kansas City @ 2:15 ET - The White Sox are hitting .281 against left-handed pitching on the season. That is good for the #2 spot out of all 30 MLB teams! They should pound Eric Skoglund here. The Royals southpaw is 1-2 with a 10.29 ERA in his 5 appearances (4 starts) this season and opponents have hit .377 against him. The ChiSox did have 13 hits yesterday but only scored 3 runs. They'll make up for that today. As for the Royals they had 4 runs but only 4 hits yesterday and all 4 runs came in the first. It was an ugly day for KC and one in which they were fortunate to hang on for the win considering how poor their day was at the plate after putting up a crooked number in the first inning. The Royals are likely to struggle again here as Chicago Lucas Giolito has a 2.84 ERA and has held hitters to minuscule .169 batting average in his 6 appearances (4 starts) this season. The right-hander has been particular sharp in day games where he has allowed just 1 earned run only 6 hits in 14 stellar innings of work. More of the same here as the competitive Giolito and his White Sox teammates look to play the role of "spoiler" here and dampen the Royals playoff chances. Great underdog price in this one. 10* CHICAGO WHITE SOX money line

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach Tuesday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs Oakland A's @ 7:10 ET - The over is on a 12-3 run in Oakland's last 15 games. The A's have averaged scoring 8.6 runs per game in their last 9 games as their lineup has been red hot. The Red Sox are off of a 4-1 loss but previously had won 3 straight games and scored an average of 8 runs per game. Both these teams were off yesterday and the over is 10-3 this season in Boston games when they're playing after a day off. The A's are 39-22 to the over when playing after a win, 39-24 to the over when facing a team with a winning record, and 14-6 to the over in Tuesday games. The Red Sox are 13-7 to the over in Tuesday games this season. Boston will have Eduardo Rodriguez on the mound and he has a 6.11 ERA in his last 3 starts. Oakland will have Sean Manaea on the mound and he has an 11.73 ERA in his 2 starts versus the Red Sox in his career and that includes getting crushed at Fenway Park. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER the total in Boston

Rickenbach Tuesday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Nationals vs Atlanta Braves @ 7:05 ET - Not many will want the over here because Gio Gonzalez has been pitching very well. However, he's off of a big win against his hometown team (Miami) and has been known for success against the Marlins. However, the same can not be said about the Braves. Look for a letdown here from Gonzalez and the fact is that Atlanta has got to him for 13 earned runs in the 16 innings spanning his last 3 starts versus the Braves. Also, Atlanta comes into this one swinging the bats quite well as they've averaged scoring 6 runs per game in their last 9 games and the over has gone 6-2-1 in these 9 games. As for the Nationals, they are one of the top hitting teams in the majors and the Braves Julio Teheran has a 4.50 ERA versus the Nats this season. Washington is 6-1 their last 7 games and they've averaged scoring 5.6 runs per game during this solid stretch. The over is a long-term 42-25 when the Nationals are a home favorite in a price range of -175 to -250. The over is 27-12 this season when the Braves are a road dog of +125 or more. 10* OVER the total in Washington

Rickenbach Monday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cleveland Indians vs Detroit Tigers @ 7:10 ET - The Tigers are starting Myles Jaye. He has limited MLB experience and it's been out of the bullpen. This season he has mostly pitched at AA and AAA in the minors. Now he takes a major step up in competition to make his first ever start at the MLB level. He got hit at a .270 clip at the AA level this season and a .298 clip at the AAA level so I don't expect him to enjoy success against the hottest team in the majors. The Indians have won 18 straight and should pound Jaye in this one. However, don't be surprised if Carlos Carrasco gets a little "touched up" here too! He has been phenomenal of late but has thrown a lot of pitches in his last two starts. This season, the games where Carrasco has ended up getting hit harder than usual have come after he has thrown a lot of pitches in his two prior starts. That is the case here and I expect the Tigers to do some damage in this one while the Tribe certainly should rough up Jaye early and often. The over is a long-term 52-26 in Detroit's road games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs. The over is also a perfect 6-0 in Carrasco's last 6 home starts. I am happy to test that 6-0, 100% mark with a Top Play in this one! 10* OVER the total in Cleveland

Run Line Game of the Month - Rickenbach Sunday MLB 10* Top Play Cleveland Indians Run Line -1.5 runs -110 vs Baltimore Orioles @ 8:05 ET - The Indians are on an insane run and have won 17 in a row. Of course I am never comfortable laying big money lines and they are nearly a 2 to 1 favorite on the money line in this one. However, on the run line we get them at basically a pick'em price by simply laying the 1.5 runs. Is that a good value? You bet (literally!) because the Indians 17 game winning streak has featured 15 of the 17 wins coming by 2 runs or more! As for Baltimore, each of their last 7 losses have come by 2 runs or more. The Orioles send Jeremy Hellickson to the mound and he has allowed 12 runs (10 earned) in just 7 innings of work spanning his last two starts. As for the Indians, they'll have Trevor Bauer on the mound and he is 8-3 at home this season. Also, he enters this start with a spectacular 2.22 ERA in his last 8 starts! Not only should the Indians make it 18 in a row here, the run line success rate is likely to reach 16-2 (89%) in this streak with another win by 2 runs or more. 10* Top Play CLEVELAND INDIANS Run Line -1.5 runs

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Kansas City Royals vs Minnesota Twins @ 7:15 ET - Yesterday's game went over the total and the over is now 7-4 in the Twins last 11 games. Also, the over is 6-2 in the Royals last 8 games. Jake Junis gets the start for Kansas City here and he did face the Twins earlier this season and he couldn't make it out of the 5th inning. Even though Junis has some decent numbers, he has been hit hard in 2 of his last 3 starts. The Twins will have Jose Berrios on the mound and they are 0-4 in his starts versus KC in his career as the Royals have been a bit of a nemesis for Berrios: 8.19 ERA in his career versus Kansas City. Berrios also has not been the same pitcher on the road as he has at home this season. Minny is 4-8 in his road starts and he has compiled a 5.43 ERA away from home. The over is 117-78 in Twins games versus teams with a losing record. The over is 42-20 in Royals September games. More of the same expected here on a hitter-friendly evening at Kauffman Stadium. 10* OVER the total in Kansas City early Saturday evening

10* Top OVER in Boston - Drew Pomeranz has looked "off" in his last two starts. The Red Sox southpaw has given up 7 earned runs on 15 and 7 walks in just 11 and 1/3 innings of work. He also has a 6.08 ERA versus Tampa Bay this season with way too many walks allowed. That said, this is one of those rare gems that looks like a pitchers duel on the surface but should prove to be anything but that. Chris Archer gets the start for the Rays and he exited very early in his most recent start after allowing 2 homers and not recording an out. He said he had tightness in the back of his right arm but he has been proclaimed as "okay" for this start. No doubt concerns about his arm are in the back of Archer's mind right now. He's given up 21 hits (including 3 homers) in 18 and 1/3 spanning his last 3 starts versus Boston. Each of Archer's last 2 starts versus Boston have gone over the total and each of the last 3 starts Pomeranz has made versus the Rays have resulted in an over.