The set-up: Two starters who have struggled  matchup together on Thursday night and everything points to more issues for each in the second. The visitors go with Hunter Wood, while the home side goes with Alex Cobb.

The pitchers: Wood isn't expected to go long, just an inning or two. In his last start, he did allow one run and two hits (in just two innings). 

Cobb is so far 2-13 with a 6.17 ERA. He came out of the break and gave up four runs off four hits with three walks over 3.5 innings in a loss to Toronto on Saturday. Unfortunately for Cobb a date at home is not what the doctor ordered to get back on track, as he’s 0-5 with a 5.86 ERA in friendly confines so far.

The pick: Take it for what you will as well, but Tampa has seen the total go “over” the number in seven of its last ten on the road when the money line in the contest is set between +125 and -125, while Baltimore has seen the total go “over” in eight of its last ten against the division. This number is a little low in my opinion, play the “over.”

The set-up: Two pitchers who put together great first half efforts go head-to-head in this National League contest on Friday afternoon and in my opinion, everything points to a classic “duel.” The visitors go with Joe Flaherty, while the home side goes with Jon Lester.

The pitchers: Flaherty is so far 3-4 with a 3.24 ERA. In his last start before the break he was forced to leave early after allowing three runs (just two earned) off four hits over 2.1 innings in a no-decision to San Francisco. Overall though Flaherty has been consistent this year and he’ll surely benefit from the extra time off. Note that he’s 2-0 with a 2.14 ERA in all “day” games as well.

Lester is so far 12-2 with a 2.58 ERA. The veteran has gotten progressively better as the season has worn on and there’s no question that he’ll also have benefited from the extra time off because of the All Star Classic. Note that he’s 5-1 with a minuscule 1.98 ERA at home this season and 7-0 with a 2.22 ERA in all “day” games as well.

The pick: Recent form displayed by these starters, coupled with the overall situation point to runs being at a premium in this afternoon matchup. This number is a little high, play the “under.”

The set-up: The A’s hand the ball to Sean Manaea, while the Astros go with Justin Verlander. Manaea already has a perfect game this year and he’s been the backbone in Oakland’s rotation this season. Verlander continues to dazzle and in my opinion, runs would definitely appear to be at a premium in this one. 

The pitchers: Manaea is so far 8-6 with a 3.33 ERA. Most recently he’d give up two runs off four hits over seven innings in a no-decision to the Padres on Wednesday. Manaea has now given up three or fewer runs in six straight starts and note that he’s a sharp 5-2 with a 3.15 ERA on the road this year.

Verlander is so far 9-4 with a 2.15 ERA. Verlander most recently allowed two runs with ten strikeouts over seven innings in a no-decision to Houston Thursday. Verlander is well on his way to the Cy Young with his impressive 154:24 K/BB.

The pick: Verlander owns a 1.87 ERA in all “night” contests as well this season. And take it for what you will, but Oakland has already seen the total go “under” the number in 21 of 35 this season when the total is either 8 or 8.5, while Houston has seen the total go “under” in 16 of 24 home games already this year when the total is in the same range. This number is a little high, play the “under.” 

The set-up: Two pitchers which had little expectations heading into the season, but who have been “better than advertised” collide on Tuesday and in my opinion, everything points to a bit of a “duel.” The visitors go with Jeremy Hellickson, while the home side goes with Joe Musgrove.

The pitchers: Hellickson is so far 2-1 with a 3.81 ERA. Hellickson comes in off an outing to forget though, giving up nine runs over 4.0 innings in a no-decision to Miami on Thursday. It should be noted though that it was reported just before his start that he was dealing with an illness, but that he’d still be able to take the mound. Clearly Hellickson was effected though. Note that he’s 2-1 with a 3.13 ERA on the road this year.

Musgrove is so far 3-3 with a 3.79 ERA. Musgrove returns from the ten-day DL after throwing a bullpen session on Sunday. In his previous start he’d go seven scoreless against the Friars on June 29th. Note that Musgrove is 3-1 with a 1.69 ERA in all “night” games.

The pick: Not only has Washington already seen the total go “under” the number in nine of 13 road games this season when the total in the contest is between 9 and 9.5, but it’s also seen it go “under” in 21 of its last 36 against clubs with losing records. And therefore it’s definitely worthy to note that Pittsburgh has seen the total go “under” in all six home games that it’s played this year when the total is either 9 or 9.5. This number is a little high, play the “under.” 

The set-up: After yesterday’s high-scoring “slug-fest,” I’m expecting much more of a “duel” in the finale of this three-game set. The visitors go with Lucas Giolito, while the home side goes with Dallas Keuchel.

The pitchers: Giolito is so far 5-7 with a 6.93 ERA. He enters off a horrible start on Tuesday against the Reds, allowing seven earned runs off eight hits with three walks over five innings. Note that things won’t get any easier for Giolito this afternoon, but with his job on the line, we definitely don’t have to question his focus.

Keuchel is so far 5-8 with a 4.12 ERA. He most recently allowed two runs off five hits with one walk while striking out seven in a victory over Texas on Tuesday. Keuchel has looked a bit better of late, but note that he’s still just 1-4 with a 4.96 ERA at home this year.

The pick: Take it for what you will as well, but Chicago has already seen the total go “under” the number in three of four as a road dog of +250 or more, while Houston has seen the total go “under” in ten of 13 already this season as a home favorite in the -250 to -330 range. This number is a little high, play the “under.”

The set-up: After the Angels prevailed 3-2 yesterday, I’m expecting more of a “slug-fest” between these inter-league in-state rivals on Saturday night. The visitors go with Ross Stripling, while the Angels go with Deck McGuire.

The pitchers: Stripling is so far 6-2 with a 2.27 ERA. Most recently he gave up four runs off nine hits over six innings while striking out seven and walking one. Overall Stripling has been solid this year, but clearly this latest outing wasn’t an encouraging sign.

McGuire is so far 0-1 with a 7.56 ERA. McGuire most recently gave up five runs off five hits over 3.1 innings in a loss to Baltimore on Sunday. He was then sent back down to the minors, before then being called up again to make this start. More than anything I’m basing this play on the fact that I think McGuire is going to struggle mightily again in this one.

The pick: And take it for what you will, but the Dodgers have already seen the total go “over” the number in 37 of 56 against right-handed starters this season, while the Angels have seen the total go “over” in four of their last six after allowing two runs or less in their previous outing. This number is just a little low, play the “over.”

The set-up: Colorado had the night off on Thursday, while Seattle closed its series with the Angels with a 4-1 win. I think another low-scoring affair is in order in the Pacific Northwest in the opener of this series, as the visitors hand the ball to German Marquez, with the home side going with Felix Hernandez.

The pitchers: Marquez is so far 6-8 with a 5.14 ERA. He most recently gave up one run over eight innings while striking out nine in a dominant victory over the Dodgers on Saturday. Marquez has struggled at Coors Field this year, but he’s posted a highly respectable 3.07 ERA on the road.

Hernandez is so far 8-6 with a 5.11 ERA. He most recently gave up three runs off six hits with five strikeouts over five innings in a win over Kansas city on Saturday. Hernandez has been much better at home this year with a sub-4.00 ERA, while also striking out 49 batters over 54.1 frames of work.

The pick: And take it for what you will as well, but Colorado has already seen the total go “under” the number in 21 of 33 against teams with winning records this season, while Seattle has seen the total go “under” the number in six of its last eight as a home favorite in the -125 to -175 range. This number is indeed a tad high, play the “under.”

The set-up: The White Sox were busy losing 7-4 in Cincinnati last night, while the Astros were taking care of business with a series win in Texas this week, most recently a 6-5 extra-innings affair just last night. While these teams were both involved in higher-scoring games on Wednesday, I think that their Thursday series opener sets up as more of a “duel.” The White Sox go with Carlos Rodon on the hill this evening, while the Astros go with ace Justin Verlander.

The pitchers: Rodon is so far 1-3 with a 4.55 ERA. Rodon comes in off an outing to forget against the Rangers on Saturday allowing five runs off six hits over 5.1 innings in the eventual loss. Rodon has looked decent at times over his first five starts and shaky in others, but I will point out that the White Sox have seen the total go “under” the number in ten of 16 already this season as a road dog in the +175 to +250 range.

Verlander is so far 9-4 with a 2.12 ERA. Verlander gave up five runs off nine hits over five innings in a 5-2 loss to Tampa Bay on Saturday. The silver lining behind the sub-par performance was that he’d go on to strike out eight. Has Verlander finally hit the wall after his improbable turn-around in helping the Astros to a World Series, or will the veteran get back on track with another consistent effort here? I’m banking on the latter being the case, note that he’s 4-2 with a 1.80 ERA in all “night” games this season.

The pick: It’s definitely worth noting as well that Houston has seen the total go “under” the number in nine of 11 as home favorite in the -250 to -330 range already this year. This number is a little high, play the “under.”

The set-up: The Twins lost 2-0 yesterday and clearly they’ll be eager to bounce back here after that listless effort. While Tuesday’s contest stayed well “under” the posted number, I think that we’re in line for more of a “slug-fest” on Wednesday afternoon. The visitors hand the ball to Jose Berrios, while the home side goes with Chase Anderson.

The pitchers: Berrios is so far 8-6 with a 3.52 ERA. Berrios most recently got blasted for six runs off six hits with four walks over 4.1 innings in a loss to the Cubs on Friday. And now Berrios has to pitch against another tough National League opponent in this inter-league contest. Note that while he’s 6-2 with a 2.62 ERA at home, Berrios is just 2-4 with a 4.93 ERA on the road.

Anderson is so far 6-6 with a 4.18 ERA. Anderson most recently gave up one run off two hits with five strikeouts over six innings in a win over the Reds on Friday. Note though that it was just Anderson’s second quality start since May. Also note that he sports a terrible 5.29 ERA at home this season.

The pick: Despite yesterday’s result, note that Minnesota has still seen the total go “over” the number in 11 of 16 inter-league games this year. I’m banking on these starters getting the hook early and for this one to soar over, sooner rather than later.

The set-up: These teams went “under” the number in Game 1 of this inter-league series, with Boston coming out on top 4-3. Two more capable starters collide in the nation’s capital on Tuesday night and once again I believe that runs will be at a premium. The visitors go with Brian Johnson, while the home side goes with Tanner Roark.

The pitchers: Johnson is so far 1-2 with a 4.28 ERA. Johnson went four innings in place of Steven Wright last week and manager Alex Cora will give him another shot here with several starters on the verge of returning from injury, but not ready quite yet. Johnson will obviously be looking to make the most of this opportunity and improve upon his respectable 2.45 ERA in all “night” games this season.

Roark is so far 3-9 with a 4.10 ERA. Roark comes off a tough loss to the Phillies on Thursday, allowing two runs (just one earned) off seven hits while striking out five over six innings. Roark has been far from perfect this year, but he does own a 3.75 ERA in all night games.

The pick: And take it for what you will as well, but Boston has already seen the total go “under” the number in nine of 15 on the road this year when the total in the contest is set between +125 and -125, while Washington has seen the total go “under” in eight of nine at home with a money line set in the same range. This number is a little high in my estimation, play the “under.” 

The set-up: Two veteran studs go head-to-head in the opener of this inter-league series and suffice it to say, I’m expecting a classic “duel!” The visitors go with Rick Porcello, while the home side goes with ace Max Scherzer.

The pitchers: Porcello is so far 9-3 with a 3.60 ERA. He most recently allowed four runs off eight hits while striking out five over 5.2 innings in a no-decision to the Angels on Wednesday. Porcello hasn’t been perfect this year, but he’s been better than what Boston could have possibly asked for, coming in with a strong 1.13 WHIP and 99:24 K/BB over 105 innings of work.

Scherzer is so far 10-4 with a 2.04 ERA. He most recently allowed one run off four hits over seven innings in a loss to the Rays on Tuesday. Scherzer has gotten only nine runs of support over five June starts, leading to a 1-3 record, despite giving up only eight runs over 28 innings of work. Scherzer has to be feeling confident here though as he’s 4-1 with a 2.03 ERA at home and 7-0 with a 1.96 ERA in all “night” games.

The pick: Take it for what you will as well, but Boston has already seen the total go “under” the number in three of four this year as a road underdog in the +175 to +250 range, while Washington has seen the total go “under” in 12 of 17 inter-league games. I’m expecting a contested/tight battle in the latter frames. Play the “under.”

The set-up: Normally steady, I think both of these starters will get chased early, which will in turn result in a higher-scoring over. The Braves go with Mike Foltynewicz, while the Cardinals go with John Gant.

The pitchers: Foltynewicz is 5-4 with a 2.14 ERA so far. Foltynewicz most recently gave up one run off one hit with four strikeouts over five innings in a no-decision to Cincinnati on Monday. Foltynewicz has the elite ERA, but note that he’s only gone into the sixth inning or beyond just five times this year.

Gant is so far 2-2 with a 3.48 ERA. Gant made a spot start against Cleveland on Monday and he’d go seven scoreless in the gem. Gant has made the most of his time as a starter this year, but his last effort was atypical. Note that he owns a pedestrian 4.55 ERA in all “day” games to this point as well.

The pick: And take it for what you will, but St. Louis has seen the total go “over” the number ten of 15 home games this year when the total in the contest is set between +125 and -125, while ATL has seen the total go “over” in 12 of 21 road games when the total is set between the same money line range. This number is a little low, play the “over.”

The set-up: The Yanks had the night off, while Boston played to a lower-scoring pitchers duel at home to the Angels Thursday. This is an important early series and despite each of these starting pitchers having played solidly to this point, I’m expecting some offensive fireworks in the opener. The visitors go with Eduardo Rodriguez, while the home side goes with CC Sabathia.

The pitchers: Rodriguez is so far 9-2 with a 3.86 ERA. Rodriguez has been better than Boston could have possibly asked for this year, but note that he does enter off a terrible outing against the Mariners on Saturday, allowing five runs off seven hits over four innings.

Sabathia is so far 4-3 with a 3.18 ERA. Most recently he allowed two runs over 5.1 innings in a loss to Tampa Bay on Friday. Sabathia has been decent of late, but note that the Yanks have seen the total go “over” the number in 15 of 25 following a loss.

The pick: Take it for what you will as well, but Boston has seen the total go “over” in seven of its last ten “night” games. I’m expecting these hard-hitting line-ups to be the main story-lines in tomorrows summaries. Play the “over.”

The set-up: A couple of capable southpaws square off against each other in this National League series on Thursday afternoon and in my opinion, runs definitely will be at a premium. The Cubs go with Jose Quintana, while the Dodgers go with Clayton Kershaw.

The pitchers: Quintana is so far 6-6 with a 4.26 ERA. Quintana comes in off an outing to forget against the Reds on Friday, giving up four runs off nine hits with two walks over five frames while striking out three. I think it’s important to note though that Quintana has been solid on the road with a 3.22 ERA, compared to a shaky 6.00 ERA at home.

Kershaw is so far 1-4 with a 2.94 ERA. Kershaw most recently gave up two runs off five hits with one walk while striking out four over three innings in a no-decision to the Mets on Saturday. Kershaw was under a pitch count in his first start back from the DL, but he’ll be given a bigger leash this afternoon. Note that he owns a 2.10 ERA in all “day” games to this point.

The pick: Take it for what you will as well, but Chicago has seen the total go “under” the number in nine of 15 against southpaws this year, while LA has seen the total go “under” in 20 of 27 against left-handed starters this season. Expect a tight battle into the latter innings and for this one to fall “under” at the end of the afternoon.

The set-up: These teams played to a low-scoring battle in San Francisco’s 3-2 victory last night and in my opinion, everything once again points to a “duel” in the Bay on Wednesday. The visitors hand the ball to Kyle Freeland, while the home side goes with Madison Bumgarner.

The pitchers: Freeland is so far 7-6 with a 3.55 ERA. Freeland most recently went six innings and gave up two runs while striking out four in a win over the Mets on Thursday. Over 90.1 frames of work he’s posted a 77:31 K/BB.

Bumgarner is so far 1-2 with a 3.20 ERA. Most recently he gave up three hits while walking two and striking out eight over eight scoreless in his first win of the year over the Padres on Thursday. Bumgarner threw 69 of his 100 pitches for strikes and after two mediocre outings after returning from the DL, the veteran clearly looks poised for another strong performance.

The pick: Dual-ing southpaws on Wednesday night. Recent form by Freeland suggests that he can continue his success, while Bumgarner is no doubt rounding into form as well. I’m expecting these horses to battle into the latter frames and for this one to fall “under” at the end of the night.

The set-up: The Cards scored the 4-0 win in the opener of this inter-league series and I think that runs will once again be at a premium on Tuesday night. The Tribe go with their ace Corey Kluber, while St. Louis goes with Carlos Martinez.

The pitchers: Kluber is so far 11-3 with a 2.10 ERA. He comes in off a dominant outing against the White Sox on Wednesday, giving up one hit with one walk while striking out seven over seven scoreless. Kluber would throw 65 of his 96 pitches for strikes, while also inducing 15 swinging strikes. Kluber has now posted quality efforts in 15 of his 16 trips to the hill this year.

Martinez is so far 3-4 with a 3.24 ERA. Martinez hasn’t been at his best since returning from the DL, most recently he allowed seven runs off eight hits while striking out three over four innings in a setback to Milwaukee on Thursday. Martinez though has the track record and pedigree to return to form and he has to be feeling confident here, as he comes in with a sharp 2.29 ERA at home.

The pick: Take it for what you will as well, but Cleveland has seen the total go “under” the number in nine of 12 this year as a road favorite in the -125 to -175 range, while St. Louis has seen the total go “under” in seven of eight inter-league contests (note as well that the Indians have seen the total go “under” in five of seven inter-league games.) This number is a little high, play the “under.”

The set-up: The Phillies took two of three in Washington over the weekend, but they lost the final 8-6 last night. The Yankees were also involved in a high-scoring, extra-inning slug-fest with Tampa, as they ultimately came out on the short-end of a 7-6 setback. Suffice it to say, I think runs are going to be much harder to come by in the opener of this interleague series. The visitors go with Jonathan Loaisiga, while the home side goes with Vince Velasquez.

The pitchers: Loasigia is so far 1-0 with a 3.12 ERA. Loasiga’s debut saw him shut down the Rays, but he’d come back down to Earth in his second start by allowing three runs off six hits with four strikeouts over 3.2 innings in a no-decision against the Mariners last week. Loasigia has shown great potential and I think he’ll match his counterpart inning for inning.

Velasquez is so far 5-7 with a 4.82 ERA. Velasquez most recently gave up four runs off four hits over 6.1 innings while also striking out eight in a no-decision to St. Louis on Tuesday. Note that Velasquez owns a decent 1.28 WHIP to go along with a 97/29 K:BB over 80.1 innings.

The pick: Take it for what you will, but New York has already seen the total dip below the posted number in seven of nine inter-league contests this season. While these teams come in off a couple of high-scoring series, the opener of this one points to the “under” as the correct call.

The set-up: A few years ago, Danny Duffy and Dallas Keuchel were the two hottest hurlers on the planet. Oh how the times have changed. That said, each has the track record and pedigree to turn things around in 2018 and I think we’re in store for a bit of a “duel” on Friday night.

The pitchers: Duffy is so far 3-7 with a 5.55 ERA. Duffy will be eager to reverse his fortunes here after getting shelled for seven runs off seven hits and three walks over six innings while striking out five against the Astros on Saturday. Across 15 starts Duffy owns a 1.55 WHIP and a 69:40 K/BB. Also note that he’s 2-1 with a 4.24 ERA in all “night” games.

Keuchel is so far 4-8 with a 4.15 ERA. Keuchel comes in off a strong outing against the Royals on Saturday, giving up two unearned runs off six hits with one walk over six innings while striking out five and winning his first game since mid May. To go along with his sub-par 4.15 ERA, Keuchel also sports a 71:23 K/BB.

The pick: Take it for what you will though, but KC has seen the total go “under” the number in 20 of 33 on the road this year, while Houston has seen the total go “under” in eight of ten as a home favorite in the -250 to -330 range. I look for these two determined starters to battle deep. Play the “under.”

The set-up: Two teams which can struggle to put runs on the board at times square off against a couple of capable starters. In my opinion, this one sets up as a classic “duel.” The Padres go with Tyson Ross, while the Giants go with Madison Bumgarner.

The pitchers: Ross is so far 5-4 with a 3.51 ERA. Ross comes in off a difficult loss to the Braves on Thursday, giving up three runs off three hits while striking out four over six frames. Ross’s velocity was up on his fast-ball to over 91 MPH and he’ll now look to improve upon his respectable 3-2, 3.11 ERA night record.

Bumgarner is so far 0-2 with a 4.67 ERA. Bumgarner most recently allowed three runs off five hits with four walks while striking out three over six innings in a loss to the Dodgers on Saturday. Bumgarner continues to try and work himself back into game shape, but he certainly has the track record and pedigree to get things turned around quickly.

The pick: The Padres have struggled on the road this year with a 16-19 record. They’ve also struggled to plate runs away from friendly confines, having seen the total go 11-23 on the road. Bumgarner faces the perfect opponent to get back on track, while I also expect Ross to continue his steady progression. Add it all up and this one has “under” written all over it.

The set-up: These teams can both put runs on the board in a hurry, but I think this one sets up as a classic “duel” in the opener of this three game set. The Red Sox go with ace Chris Sale, while the Twins go with Jose Berrios.

The pitchers: Sale is so far 6-4 with a 2.75 ERA. Sale comes in off another strong outing against Baltimore on Wednesday, giving up one run off two hits and four walks over six innings while striking out nine in the victory. Sale’s back on track and he’ll now look to improve upon his already impressive 4-2, 2.56 ERA record on the road.

Berrios is so far 7-5 with a 3.51 ERA. Berrios received a no-decision in his last start against the Tigers despite allowing only one run with seven strikeouts over six innings. Berrios continues to impress and he’ll also be looking to keep the momentum rolling and improve upon his tiny 0.95 WHIP and fantastic 91:15 K/W over 89.2 frames of work this season (note that Berrios is 5-2 with a 3.12 ERA at home this season as well.)

The pick: Take it for what you will as well, but Boston has seen the total go “under” in 22 of 39 this year on the road, while Minnesota has seen the total go “under” in 18 of 31 at home. This number is a little high, play the “under.”

The set-up: Both of these teams can struggle to put runs on the board at times and that was certainly the case again in the Phillies 4-1 win yesterday. With Philadelphia sending its ace Aaron Nola to the hill and with the Brewers countering with the improving Chase Anderson, I fully expect runs to be at a premium again this afternoon.

The pitchers: Nola is so far 8-2 with a 2.27 ERA. Nola most recently struck out ten and gave up one run over seven innings in a victory over the Rockies on Tuesday. To go along with his elite ERA, note that Nola also sports a minuscule 0.93 WHIP.

Anderson is so far 5-5 with a 4.13 ERA. Anderson most recently went seven scoreless against the Cubs on Tuesday, striking out six and allowing only one hit. While his ERA is pretty “mediocre,” note that Anderson comes in with a sharp 1.17 WHIP, while holding his opposition to a meagre .217 batting average.

The pick: Take it for what you will as well, but Philadelphia has seen the total go “under” the number in 20 of 34 against teams with winning records, while Milwaukee has seen the total go “under” in 22 of 35 against clubs with winning records. This number is a little high, play the “under.

The set-up: Madison Bumgarner has so far been pretty “mediocre” since returning from injury for the Giants, while Alex Wood has struggled of late for the Dodgers. These are two pitchers which have enjoyed a lot of success throughout their careers and clearly neither can be happy at where they are at this point of the 2018 campaign. I firmly believe though that their focus/hunger will prove to be the difference in this total, as everything points to a classic “duel” on Saturday night.

The pitchers: Bumgarner is so far 0-1 with a 4.76 ERA. Bumgarner most recently allowed four runs off six hits and one walk over 5.1 innings in a no-decision to the Marlins on Monday. It was only the veterans second start of the season and clearly he still has some rust to shake off. Note that Bumgarner had a very respectable 3.26 ERA on the road last year though.

Wood is so far 1-5 with a 4.43 ERA. Wood was removed after 4.2 innings of work against the Giants last Saturday after dealing a minor leg injury. Wood has admittedly struggled of late, but remember that he was 16-3 with a 2.72 ERA last overall last season.

The pick: Take it for what you will as well, but LA has already seen the total go under the number in a whopping 16 of 21 this season against left-handed pitching. I predict these starters battle deep into the latter frames and I look for this total to fall under at the end of the night.

The set-up: While these teams combined for just two runs in the Marlins 2-0 upset victory on Friday, Saturday’s interleague contest definitely sets up as a “slugfest” in my opinion. Miami goes with the erratic Wei-Yin Chen, while Baltimore goes with confirmed “gas can” Alex Cobb.

The pitchers: Chen is so far 1-3 with a 6.13 ERA. Chen most recently was smashed for four runs off six hits and four walks over 4.1 innings in a no-decision against San Francisco on Monday. Chen has now given up ten earned runs over his last 10.1 innings of work spanning three starts. Note that he’s been terrible on the road as well with an 0-3, 10.31 ERA record.

Cobb is so far 2-8 with a 7.23 ERA. Cobb most recently gave up nine runs off 11 hits and one walk while striking out five over 3.2 innings in a loss to Toronto on Sunday. To go along with his brutal 7.23 ERA, note that Cobb also sports a terrible 1.77 WHIP and 37:14 K/W over 56 innings of work. Additionally note that he’s 0-3 with a 5.71 ERA at home.

The pick: Take it for what you will as well, but note that Miami has already seen the total go over the number in 10 of 14 this year as a road dog in the +125 to +175 range, while Baltimore has seen the total go over in five of eight this season as a home favorite in the -125 to -175 range. This one has “offensive fireworks” written all over it.

The set-up: Neither team is known for its offensive prowess, so both the Reds’ Matt Harvey and the Pirates’ Chad Kuhl catch a bit of a “break” on Friday night. This number is slightly too large in my opinion.

The pitchers: Harvey is so far 1-4 with a 5.97 ERA. Harvey comes in off a loss to the Cardinals on Friday, allowing five runs and three walks with five strikeouts over six innings. Harvey has been given another chance in the rotation to try and “right the ship,” and while that may or may not happen, I will point out that the Reds have seen the total dip below the number in ten of 15 already this season as a road dog in the +125 to +175 range and in 17 of 28 against right-handed starters.

Kuhl is 4-4 with a 3.95 ERA. Kuhl most recently gave up three runs off eight hits and two walks while striking out six over 5.1 innings in a loss to the Cubs on Friday. Kuhl is 0-2 over his last three trips to the hill, despite allowing only six runs spanning 17.1 frames. Kuhl though has to be feeling confident here as he’s 2-1 with a 3.78 ERA at home this season.

The pick: Take it for what you will as well, but Pittsburgh has already seen the total go under the number in all three home games that it’s played in this season when the total in the contest is set between 9 and 9.5 and in 16 of 26 against the division. Because of all of the listed factors above, play the “under.”

The set-up: Both of these starting pitchers has looked decent at times this year and also horrible in others. I’m expecting these starters to get the hook early and a result, the “over” is the correct call in my opinion. San Francisco goes with Dereck Rodriguez, while the Marlins go with Dan Straily.

The pitchers: Rodriguez is so far 1-1 with a 5.25 ERA. After a decent outing against the Phillies in his debut, Rodriguez predictably came back down to Earth against the Nationals on Saturday, allowing five runs off six hits with three walks. While Miami is a favorable matchup usually for most pitchers, I still think the book is still out on the Giants’ rookie hurler.

Straily is so far 2-2 with a 4.08 ERA. Straily most recently gave up four earned runs over 3.2 innings in a no-decision to the Padres on Saturday. Note that Straily owns a poor 7.11 ERA at home, compared to 2.67 on the road.

The pick: Both starters come in off horrible performances and in my opinion, I believe it’s “foreshadowing” for more ineptitude in this one as well. I expect each to get chased early and as a result, I’m playing the over.

The set-up: The Reds beat the Cards 6-3 at home on Monday and I think they’ll carry that offensive momentum over here. The Royals on the other hand will be looking to get back on track after a 3-2 loss at Oakland last night. Neither team is known for its offensive prowess, meaning the under is the correct move in my opinion.

The pitchers: Sal Romano gets the call for the visitors and he’s so far 3-7 with a 6.23 ERA. Romano most recently allowed five runs and a walk over five innings while striking out six in a loss to the Reds on Wednesday. Romano has been poor of late, but a date against the anemic Royals is just what the doctor ordered to get untracked in my estimation.

Ian Kennedy is so far 1-6 with a 5.76 ERA and he’s being handed the ball by the home side. Kennedy though comes in off perhaps his best outing of the year, giving up one run off seven hits and three walks with five strikeouts over five innings in a no-decision to the Angels on Wednesday. Like his counterpart today though, I believe that a date against the light-hitting Reds is just what he’ll need to get back on track.

The pick: Take it for what you will, but the Reds have seen the total go under the number in 15 of 22 already this season following a win, while the Royals have seen the total go under in 25 of 41 following a loss. Play the under.

analysis soon

The set-up: It’s the opener of a three-game set between these National League opponents and in my opinion, this one has “duel” written all over it. It’s southpaw vs. southpaw on Monday night, as San Francisco goes with Madison Bumgarner, while Miami goes with Wei Yin Chen.

The pitchers: Bumgarner is 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA. Bumgarner finally returned from injury on Tuesday and he looked decent against the hard-hitting Diamondbacks by allowing two runs, while striking out three and walking none over three innings in what turned out to be a no-decision. Note that Bumgarner owned a 3.26 ERA on the road last year.

Chen is 1-3 with a 5.86 ERA to this point. Most recently the leftie gave up two runs off six hits with two walks and two strikeouts over 4.1 innings in a no-decision against the Cardinals on Wednesday. Chen has been a disaster on the road this year (0-3, 10.31), but he’s been “lights out” at home (1-0, 1.06).

The pick: Take it for what you will, but San Fran has already seen the total go “under” the number in 18 of 34 on the road, while Miami has seen it go “under” in 17 of 30 at home this season. Expect these two starters to fight into the latter innings and for this total to fall “under” at the end of the night.

The set-up: The Yanks have taken the first two games of the sub-way series. Yesterday the Yankees came from behind to win 4-3. While that contest stayed below the posted number, I think that Sunday’s finale sets up as more of a “slug-fest.” The Yanks go with Luis Severino in this one, while the Mets hand the ball to Seth Lugo.

The pitchers: Severino is 9-1 with a 2.20 ERA. Most recently Severino gave up one run over eight innings in a win over Mariners on Monday. Let’s face it, Severino has been downright dominant this season and it’s basically impossible to say anything negative about the right-hander. This play however is more about the overall “situaiton.” 

Lugo is 1-1 with a 2.04 ERA. Lugo has been used as a reliever this season and he’ll make this start in place of the injured Noah Syndergaard. Over his last two appearances he’s thrown a total of 87 pitches. Lugo is not expected to see many innings in this one, which puts added pressure on the Mets bullpen.

The pick: Take it for what you will as well, but the Yankees has already seen the total go over the number in six of eight this season as a road favorite of -175 or more, while the Mets have seen the total soar over the number in five of their last seven against right-handed starters. I think the Yanks take advantage here and while I’m not ready to lay such a steep price, this one definitely has “offense” written all over it. Play the over.

The set-up: These teams combined for ten runs in the Astros victory yesterday, but I believe we’ll see a much lower-scoring duel on Saturday night. The Astros hand the ball to Charlie Morton, while the Rangers go with Mike Minor.

The pitchers: Morton is so far 7-1 with a 2.84 ERA. Morton will be looking to return to form after his first loss of the season, giving up six runs off nine hits over 5.1 innings to Boston on Sunday. No need to panic if you’re a Morton fan though I don’t think as he owns elite numbers across the board still, including the 2.84 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP and 92 K’s overall. Note as well that he’s 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA on the road.

Minor is 4-4 with a 5.76 ERA so far. Minor most recently gave up four earned runs off six hits over five innings while striking out two in a 6-1 loss to the Mariners on Thursday. Minor’s ERA leaves everything to be desired, but he does own a respectable 1.35 WHIP thus far. Note that Minor has been at his best at home this year as well with a 3-2, 4.11 ERA record.

The pick: I think it’s significant to note that Houston has seen the total go “under” the number in 16 of 27 against the division this year, while Texas has seen the total go “under” in 22 of 34 against divisional opponents. This number is just a little high, play the under.

The set-up: It’s the “Subway Series” for the first time this year and in my opinion, everything points to a classic “duel” in the first game. The Yankees will hand the ball to Masahiro Tanaka, while the Mets counter with their ace Jacob DeGrom.

The pitchers: Tanaka is 7-2 with a 4.79 ERA so far. Tanaka most recently gave up four runs off eight hits with one walk over 5.1 innings while also striking out seven in a victory over Baltimore on Saturday. Tanaka has admittedly been “hit or miss” this season, but I’m expecting the hard-throwing right-hander to be at his best in this high-profile matchup.

More than anything though this pick is based on the sheer dominance of Jacob DeGrom (4-0, 1.49) who received a no-decision despite allowing only one run off seven hits and two walks over seven innings while striking out 13 against the Cubs on Saturday. DeGrom now owns a Senior Circuit-low 1.49 ERA and his 1.04 WHIP has to be considered elite. Also note that he owns a fantastic 98:21 K/W over 72.1 frames of work.

The pick: Fortunately for the sometimes volatile Tanaka, he faces an opponent which has struggled with offensive consistency all year. And especially it’s seemed whenever the Mets have had their “ace” on the mound. This one has “pitchers duel” written all over it. Play the under.

The set-up: These teams played to a wild, high-scoring slug-fest on Wednesday night, but in my opinion Thursday’s afternoon matchup sets up as more of a lower-scoring “duel.” In this one the Dodgers send Dennis Santa to the hill, while the Pirates will go with Jameson Taillon.

The pitchers: Santana is so far 1-0 with a 12.27 ERA. Santana was thrown to the wolves in his first big-league start, as he’d be called in in relief at Coors Field where he’d be smashed for five runs off six hits over 3.2 innings. However, the Dodgers were mashing the ball in that game and Santana managed to pick up the victory in the end. Over ten starts in the minors Santana posted a 2.54 ERA and 65:16 K/W over 49.2 innings.

But this pick is based mainly on the improved play of Taillon, who is 3-4 with a 3.97 ERA. Taillon most recently struck out six over eight scoreless with just one walk in a win over the Cards on Friday. Taillon now owns a superb 1.16 WHIP and a sharp 60:18 K/W over 65.2 innings.

The pick: LA has seen the total go under in 11 of 15 already this season when the total in the contest is set at either 8 or 8.5, while Pittsburgh has seen the total go under in 15 of 25 “day” games. Play the under.

The set-up: What’s the first thing that comes into your head when you think about these two teams? For me its big time offensive fireworks. But that wasn’t the case on Tuesday night though as Cleveland came out on top of a lower-scoring pitchers duel in the 3-2 decision. However, a higher-scoring slug-fest would appear to be in the cards on Wednesday afternoon though as a couple of suddenly struggling starters collide.

The pitchers: The Brewers go with Chase Anderson, who is 4-4 with a 4.45 ERA. Anderson comes in off another shaky outing, allowing four runs off five hits and a walk over 5.2 innings in a loss to the White Sox on Friday. Anderson has now failed to go at least six frames in five of his last seven starts and it’s important to note that he’s a poor 0-2 with a 5.14 ERA on the road to this point.

The Indians go with Carlos Carrasco, who is 6-4 with a 4.50 ERA. Carrasco most recently gave up six runs off seven hits and three walks over 3.2 innings in a loss to the Twins on Friday. Carrasco has completely fallen off the rails of late, posting a disturbing 6.37 ERA over his last seven seven starts to go along with a terrible 1.8 HR/9. Note that he owns a 5.59 ERA at home and an even worse 5.90 ERA in all “day” games.

The pick: Take it for what you will, but Milwaukee has already seen the total go over the number in seven of 12 road games this year when the total is set between 8 and 8.5, while Cleveland has seen the total go over in 11 of 16 home games when the total is set between 8 and 8.5. These two erratic starters get chased early and this one flies over the number sooner, rather than later.

The set up: St. Louis would take five of seven from Miami last year. The Marlins come in having lost seven straight, while the Cardinals remain competitive, having gone 31-25 so far this season and 6-3 in their last nine.

The pitching match-up: Jose Urena gets the call for the Marlins and he’s so far 0-7 with a 4.41 ERA. Urena has been unlucky so far this year though, as his team continues to struggle at the plate. Despite his pedestrian ERA, note that he does own a sharp 1.17 WHIP. Urena has had success at Busch Stadium as well, going 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA.

The Cards go with Carlos Martinez, who returns from a stint on the disabled list with a 3-2, 1.62 ERA record. Martinez owns a 1.08 WHIP over eight starts this season and he’s 1-1 with a 1.48 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in five starts at home.

The pick: Clearly Urena has thrown well enough of late to earn a victory, unfortunately for the hard-throwing right-hander his team has had difficulty giving him any sort of offensive support whatsoever. Take it for what you will, but Miami has already seen the total go under the number in 22 of 40 this year against clubs with winning records, while St. Louis has seen the total go under in 15 of 20 against teams with losing records. Expect these two starters to battle and for this total to stay under once it’s all said and done.

The set up: This is the opener of a short two-game interleague matchup. The Orioles come in desperate as they’ve lost seven straight, not surprisingly owning the worst record in all of MLB. The Orioles’ bats come in rested though, as after losing 8-5 to the Yanks on Saturday, they were rained out on Sunday.

The Mets have been terrible of late as well, coming into this contest having lost four straight and sitting at 27-30 overall, bad enough for fourth place in the NL East.

Both of these line-ups though will be eager to “get off the schneid” as they each face a couple of confirmed “gas cans” on the mound tonight.

The pitching match-up: Alex Cobb gets the call for the Orioles and he’s so far 1-7 with a 6.80 ERA. He also owns a horrible 1.81 WHIP and over his last three starts he’s been destroyed for nine earned runs spanning 10.2 innings of work. Additionally, opponents are hitting a whopping .356 off him.

Jason Vargas gets the nod for the Mets and he’s 2-3 with an 8.53 ERA thus far. Vargas comes in off a a decent outing in his last start, giving up no runs over five innings. Despite that performance though, Vargas has still been rocked for 19 earned runs over 12.1 innings spanning his last three starts.

The pick: No need to overanalyze this one. Both teams are desperate for a spark and each comes in well rested. These pitchers have been a couple of the worst in the league and when you combine those two factors, the correct move is the “over” in my opinion.

The set-up: The Royals lost their series with the A’s over the weekend and fell 5-1 in yesterday’s finale, while the Angels would hold on for a 3-1 win over the Rangers on Sunday. Both of tonight’s starters have struggled at times this season, but I believe the conditions are right for a lower-scoring under on Monday night.

The pitchers: Kansas City goes with Danny Duffy (2-6, 5.71 ERA) who comes in off his best start of the season, allowing one run off four hits while striking out four over six innings in an unfortunate no-decision against Minnesota on Tuesday. As mentioned above, Duffy has admittedly struggled this so far this season (54:31 K/W over 64.2 innings), but take it for what you will, as note that he’s consistently been at his best in all “night” games with a 2-1, 3.72 ERA.

LA goes with Nick Tropeano (3-3, 3.80) who comes in off a strong outing himself, holding the Tigers to two runs off seven hits with no walks and five strikeouts over six innings in the eventual win. Tropeano comes in on top form, having given up three runs or fewer in four of his last five starts. I’ll point out as well that Tropeano has been solid in all night contests by posting a 3.90 ERA this season.

The pick: KC has seen the total go under in 15 of 26 on the road already, while LA has seen the total dip below the number in 16 of 30 at home. I think there are enough significant factors pointing towards the “under” as the correct call in this one.

The set up: When I play a total in Major League Baseball, the primary factor I’m looking at is the starting pitchers. And in this particular contest, a couple of red hot hurlers collide on Sunday afternoon, making the “under” the correct O/U move in my opinion.

The pitching match-up: The Phillies go with Jake Arrieta, who is so far 5-2 with a 2.16 ERA. Last year with the Cubs Arrieta was 14-10 with a 3.53 ERA. Most recently the right-hander would go seven shutout innings against the Dodgers on Tuesday, allowing six hits and two walks to go along with five strikeouts. Over his last two starts Arrieta has posted a 12:1 K/W and note he’d go on to finish the month of May with a minuscule 0.90 ERA spanning 30 innings of work.

Derek Rodriguez has been named the starter for the Giants in this one, as he’s been cleared to play after taking a liner off his right leg in the first inning of his last start. Rodriguez threw a bullpen session on Friday and note that he was sharp in his time at Triple-A Sacramento by posting a 3.40 ERA and 1.20 WHIP across 50.1 innings.

The pick: Take it for what you will, but not only has Philadelphia seen the total go under the number in 17 of 26 this season in all games when the total in the contest is set at either 8 or 8.5, but it’s also seen it go under in eight of 14 against southpaws (San Fran has seen the total go under the number in 18 of 33 vs. right-handed starters as well.) Look for these two starters to go deep into this one and play the under.

The set-up: Pittsburgh and St. Louis played to a lower-scoring under in the Pirates 4-0 victory yesterday and while this afternoon’s contest might have a few more runs than that, I still think that everything points to another “duel” on Saturday.

The pitchers: The Pirates send Chad Kuhl to the mound and he’s 4-3 with a 3.94 ERA and 1.35 WHIP over 61.2 innings overall. In his most recent start Kuhl would hold the Cubs to one run over six innings.

The Cardinals hand the ball to Luke Weaver, who is 3-5 with a 4.63 ERA and 1.29 WHIP over 58.1 innings of work. Weaver most recently allowed four runs over four innings in a loss to Milwaukee. Weaver has had varying success against the Pirates throughout his limited time, holding them to six runs over 17 innings of work.

The pick: Pittsburgh is averaging 4.73 runs per game, while the Cards are averaging 4.39. Take it for what you will, but I still think its worthy to note that Pittsburgh has seen the total dip under the number in five of its last seven after shutting out an opponent, while St. Louis has seen the total go under in six of its last ten after getting shutout. Both Kuhl and Weaver have looked brilliant at times this season and very pedestrian in others, but each comes in looking to take advantage of a couple line-ups that are currently struggling to produce. Play the under.

The set-up: LA comes into this one in third place in its division after splitting its last ten games overall. The Angels are 30-26, which sets them 4.5 games back of the Astros. The Rangers have won six of their last ten overall, but they’ll be eager to get untracked here after falling 6-1 in Seattle last night, splitting their four-game series with the M’s.

The pitching matchup: Texas sends out the venerable Bartolo Colon, who is so far 2-2 with a 3.55 ERA and 0.93 WHIP over 11 appearances, nine starts this year. Colon most recently gave up three runs off five hits in a no-decision against the Royals. Colon faced the Angels already this season and he’d go three innings of relief and allow one run. Last year though Colon gave up nine runs off seven hits over 2.5 innings against LA.

LA will hand the ball to 21-year old Jaime Barria, who is 4-1 with a 2.97 ERA over six starts this season. Barria’s peripherals though suggest that his early numbers are unsustainable, with a poor ground ball rate of 39.3 percent to go along with an 11.4 percent HR/FB rate.

The pick: Barria could be in luck today though as LA has been mashing the ball of late, posting 11 home runs over its last seven games. Texas though is eager to get back on track here as well after last night’s poor effort. When you add it all up, this one has high-scoring “slug-fest” written all over it. Play the over.

The set-up: The Marlins and Padres opened a four-game series on Memorial Day, entering as two last-place clubs (Miami in the NL East and San Diego in the NL West). The Marlins won 7-2 on Monday but the Padres have bounced back with consecutive wins, 9-5 on Tuesday and 3-2 last night, when they scored twice with one out in the ninth inning to pull out the one-run victory. The Marlins managed only three other hits in the loss (all singles), giving Miami its fifth loss in six contests (Marlins are now 20-35, 12 1/2 games out of first ). The 24-33 Padres are in last place but just 6 1/2 games out in the NL West and will now vie for the series win when they host the Marlins on Thursday for the finale of their four-game set.

The pitching matchup: Lefty Wei-Yin Chen (1-2, 5.22 ERA) will get the nod for the Marlins, opposed by the Padres' Jordan Lyles (1-1, 3.83 ERA). Chen is coming off a strong outing against Washington on Saturday, however, he settled for a no-decision despite allowing just one run and three hits over a season-high 7 1/3 innings. He has yielded three runs over 17 innings in three starts (1.59 ERA) after being tagged for nine runs in three innings of a 13-4 road loss to the Chicago Cubs on May 9. Chen won his only career start against the Padres on June 13, 2016, even though he surrendered four runs in six innings at San Diego. Lyles has struggled since registering 10 strikeouts while allowing just one hit in 7 1/3 scoreless innings of a victory over Colorado on May 15, yielding nine runs over 10 1/3 innings in his last two starts. He was able to escape with no-decisions in both outings, despite giving up 14 hits and six walks (Sd actually won both contests). Lyles owns a 1-1 record and a ghastly 7.00 ERA in three starts and two relief appearances against Miami in his career.

The pick: The highlight of Lyles' season was his second start on May 15 against the Rockies at Petco Park, when he was perfect for 7 1/3 innings, the second-longest perfect-game bid in franchise history. However, in his two starts since, Lyles has given up nine runs on 14 hits and six walks with eight strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings (7.84 ERA). What's more, Lyles will be making his sixth career appearance and fourth start against the Marlins on Thursday and he owns a 7.00 ERA, a 1.72 WHIP and a .292 opponents' batting average against Miami. Chen's numbers have improved drastically over his last three starts (see above) but I won't ignore his 5.22 ERA for the season. Make the Over an 8* play.

The set-up: The Milwaukee Brewers opened a three-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals with Monday's 8-3 victory. The 35-20 Brewers have now won four straight and are 7-1 on their current homestand. Milwaukee enters the second contest of the series tonight, having scored eight or more runs in three consecutive games, one shy of tying the club record. Monday's loss snapped a two-game winning streak for the Cardinals, who have now lost nine of 15 to slip five games back of the Brewers at 28-23, as well as a half-game behind the second-place Chicago Cubs (28-22)

The pitching matchup: The Cardinals send Michael Wacha (5-1, 2.88 ERA) to the mound and the Brewers counter with Zach Davies (2-4, 4.74 ERA). Wacha lost his season debut back on March 31 but has only allowed more than two runs in just one of his nine starts since then, going 5-0 in that span (Cards are 7-2). He recorded his third straight quality start Wednesday, allowing two runs (one earned) over 6 2/3 innings in a no-decision against Kansas City. What's more, Wacha is 4-0 with a 4.60 ERA in 10 games (nine starts) against Milwaukee. Zach Davies was Milwaukee's ace in 2017, going 17-9 with a 3.90 ERA (Brewers were 20-13 in his starts, giving him MLB's 12th-best moneyline mark at plus-$880). However, Davies spent nearly a month on the disabled list with a rotator cuff injury in 2018 and will make just his second start since returning in tonight's game. He was hardly sharp in his return to the rotation last Thursday against the New York Mets, allowing four runs and six hits and failing to record an out despite facing three batters in the fifth inning of a 5-0 loss. Davies is 2-1 with a 4.22 ERA in seven starts against the Cardinals.

The pick: Wacha's been terrific for the Cards in 2018 and enters tonight's contest having held opponents to two runs or less over his last seven starts, while posting a 1.94 ERA during that stretch thanks to an improved curveball to complement the rest of his arsenal. I expect Davies to be much better in his second start since coming off the DL and will make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Philadelphia Phillies have surprised almost all pundits as their 29-21 record has them just a half-game out of first place in the NL East, trailing only the equally surprising 30-21 Atlanta Braves. However, both teams are well aware that the powerful Washington Nationals are lurking nearby at 29-22. Philadelphia lost two of three over the weekend to the Toronto Blue Jays (of AL East) but despite those setbacks, the Phillies are where they are because of the team's impressive 19-6 record outside of their division (Philadelphia is just 10-15 versus the NL East in 2018!). The Phillies begin a four-game series against the host Los Angeles Dodgers this Memorial Day. The five-time defending NL West champs opened the season 16-26, matching the team's worst since moving from Brooklyn in 1958, but the Dodgers have won eight of 10 to move within 3 1/2 games of the lead in the NL West. Still, 24-28 LA's moneyline mark of minus-$,2357 ranks dead-last among all 30 teams, $573 worse than the 29th-ranked team (Baltimore, which is 17-36).

The pitching matchup: Vince Velasquez (4-5, 4.18 ERA) takes the mound for Philly and he'll be opposed by LA's Brock Stewart (0-0, 3.72 ERA). Velasquez registered nine strikeouts in his last start, although he saw his three-start winning streak come to an end Tuesday against Atlanta after giving up two runs - one earned - on six hits and three walks while throwing 89 pitches over 4 1/3 innings (Braves won 3-1). He has failed to make it through five innings in three of his last six starts, although he is averaging 14.05 strikeouts per nine innings over his last three outings. Velasquez is 0-2 with an 11.45 ERA in three career games (two starts) against the Dodgers. Stewart has made 24 appearances but just nine starts the previous two seasons for LA but did enough in the eyes of manager Dave Roberts to earn another start after not factoring in the decision Tuesday against Colorado. He permitted two runs on five hits and a walk in four innings, as the Dodgers won 5-3. Stewart worked in relief in each of his previous three appearances of 2018, giving up two runs and five hits across 5 2/3 frames. His aonly previous appearance against the Phillies came last season, when he allowed a run in one inning of relief.

The pick: The Dodgers are finally starting to find their rhythm with eight wins in their last 10, with the team looking much more like a cohesive unit offensively. Let's not forget that LA won a MLB-best 57 home games in 2017. However, let's also not forget that the Phillies own the majors' best winning percentage (.760) versus teams outside of their division. With two questionable starting pitchers, make the Over an 8* play.

The set-up: The Oakland Athletics get set to open a four-game series with the Tampa Rays on a busy Memorial Day in MLB. The series will cap a 10-game homestand for Oakland, which won 2-1 over Arizona on Sunday, evening its record at 3-3 on the current homestand. Oakland allowed a total of one run in back-to-back victories over Arizona, getting a complete-game shutout from Daniel Mengden on Saturday before Frankie Montas worked six solid innings in his season debut on Sunday, followed by three relievers who had four strikeouts over three perfect innings. Tampa Bay is coming off its third win in four games, an 8-3 triumph over Baltimore that concluded a 3-3 stretch at home. The Rays yielded three runs in the top of the first inning but rallied for six in the third to secure the series win. The Rays are 25-26 but already 10 games back in the top-heavy AL East (Boston & New York). The A's are 28-25 in the AL West, which is 5 1/2 games back of the defending World champion Astros.

The pitching matchup: Tampa will send Chris Archer (3-3, 4.68 ERA) to the mound and he will be opposed by Oakland's Trevor Cahill (1-2, 2.75 ERA). Archer has pitched well this month, allowing fewer than three runs in four of his five starts but has just one win to show for his efforts, while the Rays have lost four of the five. He settled for a no-decision against Boston on Wednesday (a 4-1 Red Sox win), despite giving up just one run and four hits over six innings. Archer has made two career starts versus Oakland, going 1-0 while yielding five runs on 13 hits and seven walks with 16 strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings. Oakland's Cahill also did not factor in the decision his last time out, when he allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings against Seattle on Tuesday (Mariners won, 3-2). He is winless since his season debut against the Chicago White Sox back on April 17 (a 10-2 Oakland win), despite surrendering three ERs or fewer in each of his next five outings. Cahill owns a 2-1 record and 4.50 ERA in four starts and one relief appearance versus Tampa Bay.

The pick: Archer just seems to be a hard-luck pitcher, whose solid pitching efforts just never seem to result in personal victories. Meanwhile, Cahill not only owns a very good 2.75 ERA but also an outstanding 0.97 WHIP plus opponents are only batting .205 against him. Make the Under an 8* play.

The set-up: The San Francisco Giants snapped a three-game losing streak with a 5-4 victory over the Cubs on Saturday. After struggling to score runs of late, the Giants scored as many runs as they had in their previous three games, all losses. The Giants also improved to 23-4 this season in games when they scored at least four runs. The Cubs won Friday's opener 6-2 and the teams meet tonight on ESPN for the rubber match of this three-game set. The Cubs own the better record this season (26-22 to 25-27) but Chicago sits 4 1/2 games out of first in the NL Central, while teh Giants are within two games of first in the NL West.

The pitching matchup: Ty Blach (3-4, 4.37 ERA) will get the nod for the Giants and Tyler Chatwood (3-4, 3.74 ERA) for the Cubs. Blach has struggled recently, failing to get through the fifth inning in each of his last three starts. The 27-year-old gave up four runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings of a no-decision against Colorado last time out but the Giants are 2-1 in his last three outings. Blach is 2-0 with a 3.21 ERA in two career starts against the Cubs, both of which occurred last season. Yu Darvish was Chicago's major off-season signing but he hasn’t yet paid many dividends plus he won’t be on the mound as scheduled for the finale of their three-game series against the visiting San Francisco Giants on Sunday night. The Cubs had to shuffle their rotation for the rubber match of the set, as Tyler Chatwood will move up a day. Chatwood’s control woes continued in his last start, as he issued six walks while giving up four runs in just 2 2/3 innings of a 10-1 loss to Cleveland. Chatwood is 7-4 with a 2.84 ERA in 17 career games (16 starts) against the Giants.

The pick: The Giants won for just the second time in their last 11 road contests on Saturday, putting them in position to win their first series at Wrigley Field since 2014. Meanwhile, the Cubs have lost five of their last six home games. We don't have two "name starters" in this one but Blach has won both previous starts against the Cubs and Chatwood owns a 2.84 ERA in 17 career appearances against the Giants. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Arizona Diamondbacks had lost seven straight both overall and on the road before recording a 7-1 victory over the Oakland A's in the series opener on Friday. However, they were silenced by Daniel Mengden on Saturday, notching only a pair of singles in a 3-0 setback. Arizona is now 1-7 as it concludes a dismal nine-game road trip Sunday against the Athletics. The D'backs have lost 14 of their last 16 overall contests and are now back to looking for answers, as the team's strong 24-11 start to the season seems 'light years' in the past. Mengden tossed his second career complete game - and shutout - as he improved to just 2-11 lifetime at Oakland Coliseum while the Athletics raised their record to 2-3 on their 10-game homestand. Oakland managed only five hits Saturday but all went for extra bases, including solo HRs by Matt Joyce, Matt Olson and Chad Pinder. The A's check in at 27-25, a half-game game better than Arizona's 26-25 mark. However, while the D'backs are just a half-game out of first in the NL West, the A's are 6 1/2 back of the first-place Astros in the AL West.

The pitching matchup: Zack Greinke (3-3, 3.71 ERA) will get the start for Arizona and will be opposed by Oakland's Frankie Montas (2017: 1-1, 7.03 ERA). Greinke had his four-start unbeaten streak halted last time out (D'backs were 3-1), as he served up a season-high three HRs en route to allowing four runs over six innings in a 4-2 loss at Milwaukee on Monday. He did register nine strikeouts in that defeat, marking the fourth time he has reached that total in 10 starts this season. Greinke will take the mound having gone 1-3 with a 6.94 ERA in his four road starts in 2018, with the only win coming in an 8-7 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers (allowed four ERs in 6 1/3 innings). Montas is being recalled from Triple-A Nashville to make his third major-league start, and his first for Oakland, in order to give Trevor Cahill an extra day of rest. The 25-year-old Montas came out of the bullpen for the Athletics last season after going 0-2 in two starts and five relief appearances for the Chicago White Sox in 2015. He has never has faced Arizona and doesn't bring much of a resume into this contest, having gone 1-5 with a 4.39 ERA in nine starts in the minors this year.

The pick: If the Diamondbacks are to win their first series since May 4-6 against the Houston Astros, then Greinke is going to have to do something he hasn't done all season, and that's pitch well on the road (see above for a reminder). However, he has had success against Oakland in his career, going 6-1 with a 3.12 ERA in 15 appearances (11 starts), including going 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA in nine games (six starts) in Oakland. Still, I won't ignore Greinke's road numbers (6.94 ERA) or expect Montas to pitch well in this "spot start," with his resume (limited ML experience and unimpressive minor league numbers). Make the Over an 8* play.

The set-up: Mookie Betts hit his major league-leading 17th home run last night, one of four Red Sox players to homer in a 6-2 series opening over the Atlanta Braves. Boston's victory was the team's seventh in its last nine games, giving them a ML-best 35-16 record (lead the 32-15 NY Yankees by one game in the AL East). The surprising 29-20 Braves just lost two of three to the Phillies and with their third loss in their last four last night, now lead the Phils by just a half-game in the NL East. Some big news for Boston is, second baseman Dustin Pedroia played in rehab games on Wednesday and Thursday. The Red Sox activated Dustin Pedroia from the disabled list Friday and he is expected to make his season debut Saturday, after left knee surgery.

The pitching matchup: Sean Newcomb (5-1, 2.39 ERA) will get the start for the Braves and will be opposed by fellow lefty, Boston's Drew Pomeranz (1-2, 5.97). Newcomb's outstanding early season run continued last Saturday against Miami, as he won his fourth straight start while allowing just one run in six innings. It is the only run he has allowed in 25 innings during his four-game winning streak, during which opponents have managed only nine hits. Newcomb is a Massachusetts native and was in line to make a homecoming start for the Atlanta Braves on Friday night at Fenway Park. However, manager Brian Snitker moved Julio Teheran into the Friday start against the Boston Red Sox and he did it for good reason. Newcomb has thrived when given an extra days' rest, going 4-0 with a 1.91 ERA while making seven of his previous nine starts with an extra day off. Pomeranz was also pushed back in order to get in some side work during the week, but for different reasons. He completed only four innings in each of his last two starts, giving up a total of eight runs (seven earned) and walking as many (eight) as he struck out. The pitcher who was 17-6 (3.32 ERA & 1.18 WHIP) in 2017, now owns a 5.97 ERA and 1.78 WHIP after six starts, while opposing batters are hitting .302 against him

The pick: No reason to think that Newcomb won't pitch well here, especially on extra rest (see above). Also, while Boston jumped out to a 17-2 start, the Red Sox are a modest 18-14 , since. As for Pomeranz, a strained forearm delayed his 2018 debut until April 20, but I'm not about to ignore how well he pitched in 2017 for Boston. Make the Under an 8* play.

The set-up: The Milwaukee Brewers began their 10-game homestand with a three-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks, outscoring them 14-4. The surge landed Milwaukee in first-place in the NL Central but the team landed with a thud in its series opener against the New York Mets last night, managing only five singles in a 5-0 loss. Milwaukee now looks to bounce back Friday as it continues the four-game set with Ryan Braun back in the lineup. The former MVP recorded one of those singles last night, in his first game following a stint on the disabled list due to a back ailment. Meanwhile, the Mets pounded out 13 hits as they began their eight-game road trip on a positive note. Brandon Nimmo fell a HR shy of the cycle, as he went 4-for-4 with a walk and scored twice. New York had lost two straight prior to Thursday, scoring one run in each defeat, and had dropped three of its previous four on the road. Milwaukee is headed in the right direction at 31-20 on the season, after a 9-9 start. As for New York, the Mets opened 11-1 but last night's win leaves them a more modest 25-21.

The pitching matchup: Noah Syndergaard (4-1, 2.91 ERA) takes the mound for New York, opposed by Milwaukee's Junior Guerra (3-3, 2.98 ERA). Syndergaard got a win in his season debut but allowed four runs. However, he has allowed three runs or less in each of his last nine starts. He is a modest 3-1 in those nine starts but the Mets are 6-3. It may be notable that he hasn't started on the road since April 26 in St. Louis (we'll see). Syndergaard has been dominant against Milwaukee in his career, going 2-0 with a 0.49 ERA and 0.71 WHIP in three starts (Mets are 3-0). Guerra appears to have overcome a pair of rough starts to start the month, allowing three runs over 10 1/3 innings while going 1-0 in his last two outings (2.53 ERA). However, Guerra has struggled at home, surrendering nine runs over 10 innings in back-to-back losses, after giving up one unearned run across 10 2/3 innings in his first two outings of 2018 at Miller Park. Guerra has permitted one run over 12 2/3 innings while going 1-0 in two career starts against New York (Brewers are 1-1).

The pick: Despite Milwaukee's .608 win percentage (highest in the NL) and its three-game lead in the NL Central, the Brewers have been shut out a major league-high nine times this season. That hardly bodes well against Syndergaard, who owns a 2.91 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP and a 68-13 KW ratio. That's not mention his 0.49 ERA and 0.71 WHIP in three career starts against Milwaukee. Guerra is no Syndergaard but he's a solid part of a Milwaukee rotation which owns' MLB's second-best ERA (3.37). What's more, Milwaukee's bullpen ERA is a ML-best 2.46! Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Washington Nationals last won a baseball game back on Sunday, May 13 (6-4 at Arizona). That victory gave the Nats 13 wins in their previous 15 games. However, Washington then saw one game suspended and two more postponed due to Mother Nature to open last week. The Nats then lost three in a row Friday-Sunday to the LA Dodgers to fall four games off the NL East lead with a 24-21 record. Washington will now welcome the 20-28 San Diego Padres to town for a three-game series beginning Monday night. When the Washington Nationals visited San Diego from May 7-9, they won the first two games of a three-game series to move within 1 1/2 games of the National League East lead. At the time, the Nationals were on a bit of a run and the Padres were reeling with a 13-24 record. However, two weeks after that series, the Padres and Nationals meet again in Washington, D.C. and the fortunes of the two teams have changed a bit. Since winning that series finale at Petco Park to avoid being swept by the Nationals, the Padres have gone 7-4 and are riding a three-game winning streak. Meanwhile, the Nationals have gone 4-4, after losing a third straight game to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday

The pitching matchup: It's a 'battle of lefties' on Monday night, as the Padres' Robbie Erlin (1-2, 3.46 ERA) squares off against the Nats' Gio Gonzalez (4-2, 2.36 ERA). Erlin will be making his second spot start this season, as fellow lefty Joey Lucchesi nurses a hip injury. Erlin's first start of 2018 came way back on April 16 in a 10-3 loss to the Dodgers. Erlin lasted just three innings while allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits. The bad news for San Diego (and good news for the Nats) is that Erlin has met the Nationals twice in his career (both at Nationals Park), where he has given up 17 runs, 19 hits and six walks with six strikeouts in 9 1/3 innings (that's a 16.39 ERA!). As for Gonzalez, he was saddled with the first of his two straight no-decisions on May 9 despite allowing one run on five hits over six innings against San Diego. He then received the same fate six days later, although he issued four walks to drive up his pitch count (111) against the New York Yankees in a suspended game. Gonzalez owns a 3-2 mark with a 3.21 ERA in seven career appearances against San Diego.

The pick: Gonzalez is pitching well and deserves to pick up a win here. However, while Erlin's numbers (albeit in just two appearances) are awful against the Nats, Washington scored just seven runs in losing three games to the Dodgers this weekend at home. Washington batted only .149 in losing three straight to LA. What's more, Washington's top-two power hitters, Bryce Harper and Matt Adams, are slumping. Since leaving San Diego on May 9, Adams has hit only .143 and Harper is hitting .125 in the last eight games with just one HR and three RBI. Make the Under a 10*

The set-up: The Indians and Astros play the rubber match of their three-game series tonight in Houston on ESPN. The Indians have homered in a season-high 10 straight games and took Saturday's contest 5-4. Corey Kluber struck out 10 batters over seven strong innings Saturday, giving him an AL-leading seventh win of the year. Kluber is the second starter in MLB after Washington's Max Scherzer, to reach the seven-win mark. Meanwhile, third baseman Jose Ramirez had two hits and improved to 10-for-22 with a pair of HRs and seven RBI during his six-game hitting streak. The Astros saw their three-game winning streak come to an end despite homers by Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman and Marwin Gonzalez. Despite just a 22-22 record, the Indians sit atop the AL Central by 2 1/2 games. Meanwhile, the 29-18 Astros lead the majors in run differential at plus-96 and enter Sunday two games up on the second-place Mariners in the AL West.

The pitching matchup: Carlos Carrasco (5-2, 3.66 ERA) will head to the mound tonight for Cleveland, opposed by Houston's Lance McCullers Jr. (5-2, 3.63 ERA). Carrasco won 19 games last year and is off to a solid start in 2017. He is pitching on an extended five days’ rest after his last start on May 14 at Detroit, where he allowed three runs over 6 2/3 innings in a 6-3 loss. Carrasco has had a heavy workload, having thrown at least 110 pitches in four of his last seven starts, including three in a row. The 31-year-old owns a 3-1 record and 2.67 ERA in six career games (five starts) versus Houston, including 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two outings at Minute Maid Park. McCullers turned in a solid outing but took the loss against the Los Angeles Angels last Monday, allowing two runs on four hits over six innings. He has 58 strikeouts in 52 innings and has only given up three HRs, including none in his last five starts. McCullers struggled in his only previous start against Cleveland, giving up five runs over five innings in a 7-6 loss on April 26, 2017.

The pick: This is a pretty good pitching matchup and a check of the two teams' season records reveals that the Indians are 8-14 to the under in all road games so far in 2018, while the Astros are 9-15 to the under at home this season. Why over-think things? Make the Under a 10* play.

The pitching matchup:Tyson Ross (2-3, 3.40 ERA) takes the mound for San Diego and he will be opposed by Pittsburgh's Ivan Nova (2-3, 5.01 ERA). Ross allowed only one run on three hits and two walks while fanning seven over six innings in a no-decision Saturday against St. Louis (Padres won 2-1). He enters this contest winless over his last five outings but while he's 0-2 in that span, the Padres are 3-2 in those contests. Ross has struck out 39 in 29 2/3 innings over his last five starts, while holding the opposition to one run three times over that span. Ross has five career starts vs. Pittsburgh, going 1-2 with a 3.29 ERA. Nova opened the season with five quality starts in six tries but hasn't been the same since an excellent eight-inning effort on April 26 (six hits / no runs,/ no walks / five Ks). He lost for the second time in three outings after getting roughed up for four runs across 5 2/3 innings by San Francisco on Sunday. He has now surrendered a total of 17 runs (14 earned) on 25 hits over his last 12 1/3 innings (that's a 9.95 ERA!). Nova is 1-1 with a 2.31 ERA in four career starts against San Diego, including 0-1 with a 4.09 ERA in two starts last year.

The pick: Nova was the Pirates' Opening Day starter and the team looked to him to anchor the rotation this season. He's fallen a little short of that (to say teh least). However, I don't think Pittsburgh is ready to give up on him (I'm not) and he does own a 2.31 ERA in four career starts against San Diego. Meanwhile, San Diego's Tyson Ross is delivering a career comeback season. San Diego took a chance and signed him to a minor league deal in December after he struggled with Texas in 2017, coming off thoracic outlet surgery."This is the best I've been in recent memory," Ross said recently. "Giving (the team) a chance to win has been the most important thing." He's been a rock among the Padres starters. so far and he has logged at least six innings in all but one of his eight 2018 starts, to-date. Impressively, he has struck out 53 in 47 2/3 innings. Make the Under an 8* play.

analysis soon

The set-up: The NY Mets opened the season 11-1 but the losses, both on and off the field, are piling up. The Mets finished a wretched homestand with Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Rockies. New York opened last week by getting swept by the Braves and then got swept by the Rockies. After an 0-6 homestand, the Mets head out on the road at 17-15 to begin a six-game road trip beginning with the first of three against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night. The Mets were outscored 34-11 during a disastrous 0-6 homestand and have now dropped 14 of their last 20 after a blistering 11-1 start to the season. More bad news is that Yoenis Cespedes left Sunday's 3-2 loss to Colorado due to soreness in his right quadriceps and told reporters he was unsure of his availability for the series opener in Cincinnati. Also, Jacob deGrom, who was expected to start Monday for New York, was placed on the 10-day disabled list to allowed more time to rest his hyperextended elbow. The good news for the Mets is that their opponent the next three games is the sad-sack Cincinnati Reds, who are tied with Baltimore for the worst record in the majors at 8-26.

The pitching matchup: P.J. Conlon (NR) will make his major league debut for the Mets and go up against Homer Bailey (0-4, 4.81 ERA). Conlon was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas to make his major league debut and he'll also go into the history books, becoming the first Irish-born player to reach the bigs since 1945. With deGrom expected to start next Sunday at Philadelphia, it figures to be a one-game audition for Conlon, who is 1-2 with a 6.75 ERA in five starts this season at Las Vegas. He has allowed only one HR but opponents are batting .310 against him. Bailey owns two career no-hitters but is 66-67 in his career with a 4.43 ERA. He endured some hard-luck losses at the outset of the season after registering three quality starts in his first four outings but he has regressed over the past two weeks. After a pair of no-decisions, he was tagged for five runs on six hits over five innings in a loss to Milwaukee on Tuesday. Bailey, who has surrendered six HRs over his last three starts. Bailey is 0-4 and the Reds 0-7 in all of his 2018 starts minus-$700 vs. moneyline mark. Bailey is 1-4 with a 6.49 ERA lifetime versus New York.

The pick: At first blush, with these two starters, one could say "over" fairly easily. However, the Mets come off an 0-6 homestand being held to two runs or fewer five times, including three shutouts. As for the Reds, they average 3.91 RPG (24th) plus rank 25th in OPS (.684) and 28th in HRs (27). Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The NY Mets opened 2018 at 11-1 and have spent most of the season's opening five weeks atop the National League East. However, after dropping the first two of a three-game home series against the Atlanta Braves, they are now 'looking up' at the surprising 18-11 Braves in the division. Surprising actually understates what the Braves have done early on in 2018, as the team's current record puts them on pace to win 100 games this year, after averaging 71.5 wins per season the last four! The Braves have won the first two games, including Wednesday night, when Jason deGrom suffered a hyperextended right elbow while batting in the bottom of the third inning and left after tossing four scoreless innings in Atlanta's 7-0 victory. The Mets will likely learn Thursday just how seriously ace right-handed pitcher Jacob deGrom is hurt (more on that later). Getting back to the Braves, last night's win was the team's fourth in a row, moving them into first place in the NL East, a half-game ahead of the Mets.

The pitching matchup: Mets lefty Jason Vargas (0-1, 22.09 ERA) is scheduled to face the Braves' Julio Teheran (1-1, 4.50 ERA) in the finale of this three-game series this afternoon at Citi Field. Vargas won a career-best 18 games and was an All-Star for the first time last season with Kansas City. He cashed in by signing a two-year, $16 million deal over the winter and figures to eventually be the No. 3 starter behind Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom. The veteran underwent surgery on his hand back on March 20 (he suffered a broken right hand on March 16) and returned to the mound in his season debut Saturday, when he gave up nine runs over 3 2/3 innings as the Mets fell to the San Diego Padres 12-2. Vargas is 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA in two career appearances (one start) against the Braves but has not faced them since 2006. Teheran didn't factor into the decision last Friday, when he gave up three runs over three innings as the Braves lost to the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3. He left because of tightness in his right upper trapezius but felt fine while throwing this week. Teheran is 8-5 with a 2.44 ERA in 21 games (20 starts) against the Mets in his career.

The pick: The Mets are 9-5 in games started by deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, who have combined to post a 2.46 ERA. However, New York is a more modest 8-6 when anyone else starts with the quartet of Vargas, Matt Harvey, Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler combining to post a 5.93 ERA. Vargas will be facing an Atlanta lineup which leads all of MLB with a .273 team BA, while ranking third in both runs scored (5.55 per) and OPS (.787). The news has been pretty good lately for the Braves, who are in first place for the first time since April 14, 2015. Atlanta has gotten off to a hot start despite facing eight ace-caliber starters -- deGrom, Syndergaard, Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Yu Darvish. Jose Quintana and Aaron Nola -- 12 times in the first 29 games. Make the Over an 8* play.

The set-up:The 2016 Cubs won 103 games and the team's first World Series since 1908. Chicago struggled early on in 2017 but closed with a surge, while the Brewers faded. The Cubs won the Central Division with 92 victories and took down the Washington Nats in an NLDS before losing to the Dodgers in the NLCS. This year's team finds itself fourth among five NL Central teams in the early going with a 7-8 record. The Cubs have struggled at the plate and it sure hasn't helped that yesterday's postponement was the third postponement in four days due to inclement weather. It's been feast or famine for Chicago so far in 2018, as the Cubs have recorded only one victory when scoring fewer than five runs and are averaging 1.75 RPG in their eight losses compared to 8.7 in their seven wins. The Cubs will look get their offense going against the St. Louis Cardinals as the two longtime rivals wrap up an abbreviated two-game series. The Cards remained in the wild-card chase until game No. 159 last season but stayed at home for the postseason. St. Louis has made winning seem like a birthright since the last round of expansion, as the Cards have made the playoffs in 12 of the last 20 years and have missed the postseason in back-to-back years just twice, 2007-08 and 2016-17. The team has opened 10-7 and with a five-game winning streak is trying to make a statement that it has no interest in seeing 2018 become a 'hat trick'

The pitching matchup: Weather permitting, the Cards will send promising right-hander Luke Weaver (2-0, 2.08 ERA) up against the Cubs' Jon Lester (1-0, 4.40 ERA). Weaver was pushed into the Wednesday starting assignment in place of Michael Wacha, who has struggled at Wrigley Field. Wacha will instead make his next start on Friday against Cincinnati on eight days rest. Weaver is showing why he was one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, as he has followed an outstanding spring with three strong starts to begin the regular season. He has allowed four runs over 17 1/3 innings and has struck out seven in each of his last two turns. The veteran Lester is off to a up-and-down start with one excellent outing sandwiched between two sub-par efforts. He allowed four runs on seven hits over five innings in a no-decision against Pittsburgh last time out, generating only 14 swinging strikes.

The pick: Runs can be tough to come by at Wrigley Field this time of year with inclement weather and the pitching matchup should also make scoring runs difficult, as well. Weaver owns a 2.08 ERA, an 0.98 WHIP, has a 17-5 KW ratio and opponents are batting just .197 against him in 2018. As for Lester, he has had a bumpy start but note that he owns a 2.30 ERA in 14 career starts against St. Louis. Make the Under a 10* play. 

The set-up: The Seattle Mariners open a four-game series against the visiting Houston Astros on Monday., coming off a 2-1 home loss on Sunday to the Oakland A's. That defeat ended a four-game winning streak in which the Mariners had plated 29 runs. The 8-5 Mariners find themselves 3 1/2 games behind the first-place Angels (13-3) in the AL West, with the Astros (last year's World Series champs) sittiing right in front of them at 10-6. Houston started 9-2 but Sunday's 3-1 home loss to the Rangers was the team's fourth loss in its last five. The 44-year-old Bartolo Colon retired 21 consecutive Astros before Carlos Correa drew a leadoff walk in the eighth inning and then Josh Reddick followed up witha double.

The pitching matchup: Lefty Dallas Keuchel (0-2, 4.20 ERA) will seek his first win of the season for Houston, while Seattle will counter with another lefty, James Paxton (0-1, 5.74 ERA). This marks Keuchel's fourth start and the former Cy Young Award winner lasted only four innings in a 4-1 loss at Minnesota on Tuesday, surrendering three runs on six hits and four walks (second straight appearance in which he's allowed four walks). Keuchel has 15 career appearances against the Mariners, including 14 starts, going 8-5 with a 2.70 ERA. Paxton had a poor 2018 debut (4.2 IP / 6 hits / 4 walks / 6 ERs) but has bounced back with two solid outings. However, he remains winless on the season (team is 1-2). He has given up just two runs in each his last two starts, including a six-inning effort at Kansas City on Wednesday in which he matched his career high with 10 strikeouts but settled for a no-decision. Paxton owns a 3-3 record and 3.38 ERA in eight lifetime starts against Houston.

The pick: Both of these two pitchers are overdue for an excellent start. Keuchel was the AL's Cy Young winner in 2015 (20-game winner) and last year, went 14-5 (2.90 ERA) in helping Houston win the World Series. As for Paxton, he took over the role of Seattle's ace last season, with King Felix making only 16 starts. Paxton entered the season primed for a big campaign after the oft-injured lefty put together his best season in 2017, finishing with career highs in wins, starts (24), innings (136) and strikeouts (156). He was named the AL's Pitcher of the Month in July when he won all six of his starts. He was 7-3 with a 2.45 ERA at home last season as opposed to 5-2 with a 3.66 mark on the road while allowing just nine HRs overall. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The 4-9 San Diego Padres return home to open a four-game series against the 5-6 San Francisco Giants on Thursday. The Padres went 3-3 against Houston and Colorado but ended their trip with a benches-clearing brawl Wednesday at Coors Field, when Luis Perdomo threw behind Nolan Arenado in the third inning, resulting in five ejections. Perdomo’s early exit came one day after Padres outfielder Manuel Margot was hit by Scott Oberg, forcing him to the disabled list with bruised ribs The Padres are an 'ugly' 1-6 so far at Petco Park in 2018 and welcome the Giants to San Diego, as San Francisco begins an 11-day, 10-game road trip after dropping two of three against Arizona, including Wednesday’s 7-3 loss.

The pitching matchup: Chris Stratton (0-1, 4.35 ERA) takes the hill for the Giants and the Padres will hand the ball to Bryan Mitchell (0-1, 4.22 ERA). Stratton's appearance will be his first in 2018 against a team other than the Dodgers. He's allowed a total of six runs (five earned) on nine hits over 10 1/3 innings against LA (Giants won one and lost one). Stratton has bounced between the minors and majors for the last two seasons but earned a spot in the rotation after posting a 3.29 ERA over 27 1/3 innings this spring, while drawing raves for his improved curveball. Stratton owns a 1-1 record with a 6.43 ERA in two career games (one start) across seven innings against the Padres. Mitchell bounced back from a rough Padres debut against Colorado (8 hits & 5 ERs over 5 IP) by holding Houston scoreless over 5 2/3 innings last Saturday. He was acquired from the New York Yankees during the off-season and the 26-year-old will be making his first career appearance against San Francisco.

The pick: These NL West rivals play the first of their 19 meetings this season tonight, as the Padres open a seven-game homestand (Giants are beginning a 10-game road trip). It's true that the Giants come in averaging a MLB-low 3.00 RPG but San Diego's start at home has been dreadful. The Padres are allowing 5.14 RPG at Petco, a pitcher-friendly park, leading to their 1-6 home mark. No reason to think Mitchell will improve on San Diego's home pitching so far, as he's made a modest 50 career appearances (just 11 starts), posting a 4.87 ERA and 1.64 WHIP. As for Stratton, his "solid spring" has yet to carry over to the regular season. Make the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: The Los Angeles Angels have scored 19 runs while banging out 31 hits in taking the first two of a three-game series against the Rangers in Arlington. The team's 9-3 record is tied for the best 12-game start in franchise history, with LA leading the majors in runs scored (79), hits (128) and HRs (20). Mike Trout belted a 441-foot HR to mark the second time he's gone deep in three outings and Albert Pujols recorded his second straight multi-hit performance and fourth during his seven-game hitting streak in Los Angeles' 11-1 romp over Texas on Tuesday. Pujols resides one RBI shy of tying Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx (1,925) for seventh place on the all-time list. While LA is off to a great start, the reeling Rangers' 4-9 start is the Rangers' worst through 13 games since 2002. The Rangers have 15 hits over the first two games of this series but have not had a "big hit," scoring only four runs.

The pitching matchup: The Angels' Jaime Barria makes his MLB in this contest and will opposed by the Ranger's Matt Moore (0-2, 11.05 ERA). Barria was signed by the Angels out of Panama at just 16 years-old. The now-21-year-old Barria is expected to be activated on Wednesday to make his major-league debut. He worked his way through High-A and Double-A before finishing with three starts in Triple-A Salt Lake last season in which he struck out 11 in 14 2/3 innings. As for Moore, he was awful last year with the Giants, going 6-15 with a 5.52 ERA (SF was 10-21 in his starts, minus-$1233 vs. the moneyline). He has now stumbled out of the box in 2018 for Texas by allowing 10 runs (nine ERs) on 12 hits in pair of sub-par performances, with his four walks in just 3 1/3 innings on Friday against Houston raising more concerns.

The pick: Starting pitching was one of the biggest question marks for the Texas Rangers entering the 2018 campaign but the Rangers were expected to compensate by being able to go toe-to-toe with opponents in hitting and in the power department. So far it has not happened. The Rangers are batting a modest .236 (16th) and are even worse in runs scored, as teheteam's 3.23 RPG ranks 26th. Texas has just 10 HRs (21st) and its OPS is .600 (also 21st). Texas has the kind of lineup that a young pitcher should feel comfortable facing in his MLB debut. As for Texas' Moore, despite is ugly numbers coming in, he can gain confidence from the fact he owns a 4-0 mark with a 1.78 ERA in five career outings vs. the Angels. That ERA is fourth-lowest among active pitchers with five-plus starts against Los Angeles. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up:The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Red Sox 6-4 on Opening Day but just this past Sunday, blew a five-run lead in a demoralizing 8-7 loss at Boston. The Rays' eighth consecutive loss came despite a season-high 11 hits. However, the Rays pounded out 14 hits on Monday to earn a much-needed 5-4 win to open their series at Chicago with the White Sox. Chicago fell to 3-6 in 2018 after losing for the fourth straight time and being outscored 21-12 during its early season skid. Wet, cold weather has frustrated hitters and pitchers alike for Chicago, as the White Sox are 0-4 at home this season, after leaving the tying and winning runs at second and third with none out in the ninth inning. It marks the club's first 0-4 home start since 1987.

The pitching matchup: Tampa Bay sends Blake Snell (0-1, 5.00 ERA) to the mound and he will be opposed by Chicago's Carson Fulmer (0-0, 5.40 ERA). Snell had a strong season debut (5.2 IP/ 3 hits 0 runs) but could not match that effort last Wednesday at New Yrok, as he allowed four hits and five ERs in just 3 1/3 innings of a 7-2 loss to the Yankees. Snell takes the mound having not allowed an earned run in 9 1/3 innings of limited work against the White Sox. Fulmer did not get a decision in his 2018 debut last Wednesday when he surrendered three runs on five hits and a walk with five strikeouts over five innings at Toronto. Fulmer, the eighth overall pick in the 2015 draft, made seven appearances (five starts) last year, going 3-1 with a 3.86 ERA, which including a 3-0 mark and 1.64 ERA in four September starts. His only appearance in his brief career against Chicago was a two-inning relief effort against Tampa Bay back on Sep. 2 of 2017 in Chicago, when he earned a victory.

The pick: The Rays' start to the 2918 season has been awful but the etam's bats have begun to 'warm up,' banging out 25 hits and scoring 12 runs over their last two games. Yes, Chicago's Fulmer pitched well last September (see above) but his 2018 debut was hardly impressive (again, see above), plus one can't expect Chicago's bullpen to bail him out. Heading into today's game, the White Sox bullpen owns a 6.30 ERA, the highest in all of MLB. Chicago is allowing 5.78 RPG on the season, while Tampa Bay is allowing 7.17 RPG in its first six road games of 2018. Make the Over an 8* play.

The set-up: The 4-5 Cleveland Indians begin a four-game home series against Central Division-rival the Detroit Tigers on Monday (Detroit has opened 4-4). The Indians manufactured a run without a hit in the eighth inning to tie the game before Yan Gomes delivered a two-run HR in the ninth for a 3-1 victory over Kansas City on Sunday, earning their first series win of the season. "We needed the win and we got a win,” Cleveland manager Terry Francona told reporters after his team improved to 4-5 overall. “We obviously have some work to do offensively, and we will. But it’s nice to win a game like that.” The Tigers come in off a three-game sweep on the road against the Chicago White Sox, scoring 15 runs to win the first two games before recording a 1-0 triumph on Sunday to even their record at 4-4.

The pitching matchup: Detroit will send left-hander Francisco Liriano (1-0, 1.35 ERA) to the mound against reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber (0-1, 2.40 ERA). Liriano was outstanding in his Tigers debut, allowing just one run on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings in a 6-1 win over Kansas City last Monday. He used as a reliever 20 times in 38 appearances with Houston and Toronto last season, finishing with a 6-7 record and 5.66 ERA. Kluber has yet to find the win column despite producing two quality starts, yielding four runs on nine hits and three walks in road games against Seattle and the Los Angeles Angels. He has struck out 14 over 15 innings thus far. Last year, Kluber made five starts against Detroit and was 3-1 with a 3.73 ERA. In 22 career appearances against the Tigers he is 8-7 with a 3.97 ERA. He was dominant at home in 2017 with a 10-2 record and 1.81 ERA with 157 strikeouts over 114 2/3 innings.

The pick: Kluber will be making his third start of the season and while he's pitched well in his first two starts, he didn't win either game, as the Indians only scored a total of three runs. In fact, the Indians' .159 team batting average is the lowest in the American League. That said, Liriano could easily prove to be just what the doctor ordered. He made one start against the Indians last year (pitching for Toronto), and it was a disaster. He gave up seven runs, five hits and three walks in two innings, making him 5-6 with a 4.19 ERA.in 20 career appearances (15 starts) against the Indians. Cleveland comes in with seven straight wins over Detroit, having won 27 of its 37 meetings with the Tigers over the last two seasons. Kluber's presence keeps the over/under number low and the play is a 8* on the Over.

The set-up: The New York Mets are off to a 6-1 start for the first time since the 2006 season when they began 8-1. New York will look to complete a three-game sweep of the Washington Nationals tonight, on ESPN. The Mets won 8-2 on Thursday and then survived Bryce Harper's fifth HR, while benefiting from the ejection of Nationals second baseman Anthony Rendon and manager Dave Martinez for arguing balls and strikes in a 3-2 win Saturday afternoon. The Nats won 97 games last season, 27 more than the Mets' 70 wins, but after opening the 2018 season 4-0, the Nats are now staring at losing their fifth in a row.

The pitching matchup: Matt Harvey (0-0, 0.00 ERA) takes the mound for the second time this season for New York, opposed by Washington's Tanner Roark (1-0, 1.29 ERA). The Mets are hoping (praying?) that Matt Harvey has put his injuries behind him. Harvey allowed just one hit and a walk while striking out five in five scoreless innings of New York's 2-0 victory over Philadelphia on Tuesday (Harvey settled for a no-decision). The 29-year-old was 25-18 with a 2.53 ERA in his first three seasons before slumping to 9-17, 5.78 in the past two seasons. Harvey is 3-6 with a 3.16 ERA in 15 games (14 starts) versus Washington and 1-3, 3.86 in six starts at Nationals Park. Tanner Roark tinkered with his delivery in spring training before returning to the basics in winning his season opener. He allowed one run, four hits and a walk while striking out six in seven innings of an 8-1 victory at Atlanta on Monday. He is 27-19 with a 3.38 ERA in 74 games (53 starts) at Nationals Park after going 6-6, 5.04 in 17 games (14 starts) there last season.

The pick: The good news for Washington in hoping to avoid a sweep and snap a four-game slide is that Roark is 7-2 with a 2.76 ERA in 17 games (11 starts) against New York. Washington could be the side here but note that Harvey looked sharp (and healthy) in his 2018 debut plus the Nats's bats have been strangely 'quiet' for three straight games now, producing only five runs on 17 hits. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The 4-2 Washington Nationals will finally get a game in their home park, as the Mets visit the nation's capital on Thursday for Washington's 2018 home opener. The Mets bring a 4-1 record into the first of a three-game series this afternoon, led by a dominating group of pitchers who have allowed a total of just 13 runs in team's 4-1 start, after Noah Syndergaard (2-0 but 5.40 ERA) and four relievers combined to allow five hits in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at home. Syndergaard, the team's Opening Day starter, has allowed six of the team's 13 ERs on the season, meaning the rest of the staff has posted a 1.80 ERA. The Nationals burst out of the gate with four wins but on Wednesday, they dropped their second straight 7-1 in Atlanta. Washington didn't hit or field well behind Max Scherzer (1-1), who allowed five runs (just two earned) on six hits over five innings.

The pitching matchup: Jacob deGrom (1-0, 1.59 ERA) goes for the Mets and Stephen Strasburg (1-0, 1.42 ERA) for the Nats, an outstanding pitching matchup between two pitchers, both of whom won their season debuts with solid outings. DeGrom allowed a run and four hits in 5 2/3 innings to lead the Mets to a 6-2 win over St. Louis on Saturday, striking out seven against one walk. He boasts a 2.77 ERA in 12 career starts against the Nationals and is 4-1 in six starts at Washington. Strasburg also recorded seven strikeouts and allowed three runs (one earned) while lasting into the seventh inning in his win over Cincinnati on Saturday, improving to 31-8 over his last three seasons. His personal winning streak is up to six dating to last season and he won each of his last four outings at home in 2017. The former No. 1 pick is 8-4 with a 2.64 ERA lifetime versus New York.

The pick: Washington won 13 of 19 meetings last season, winning the NL East by 20 games a year ago (New York finished 27 games back!). Will it be any different this year? It's hard not to see Washington winning close to 95 games again this season (Nats have averaged 93.5 wins per season over the last six) but if New York's pitching staff remains healthy, the Mets could be 90-win team in 2018. Let's say Under in this one and make it an 8* play.

The set-up: The AL East is loaded and not much was expected from the Blue Jays. Toronto opened the 2018 season with a four-game series against the NYY and promptly lost the first two games, 6-1 and 4-2. That was no way to start but the Jays rebounded to take the final two games against the Yankees and then the first two of this three-game home series with the White Sox. The now 4-2 Blue Jays have homered in each of their first six contests, tying the second-longest streak to begin a season in franchise history. Toronto aims for its fifth straight victory, and seventh consecutive game with at least one HR), when it hosts the Chicago White Sox in the finale of a three-game series on Wednesday night. The White Sox opened the 2018 season 2-0 but have now lost two in a row. However, Chicago has slugged 12 HRs in just four contests.

The pitching matchup: Carson Fulmer (2017: 3-1, 3.86 ERA) makes his first start of 2018 for Chicago, while Aaron Sanchez (0-1, 6.35 ERA) looks for a better outcome than in his first outing, for Toronto. Fulmer was outstanding in September for the White Sox, going 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA in six games (four starts / team was 3-1). However, the 24-year-old struggled this spring. That said, the White Sox want to see him in the rotation,where he has proven to be capable, albeit in limited opportunities. Fulmer will be facing the Blue Jays for the first time. Sanchez drew a tough assignment in his season debut, getting the call against the New York Yankees. He allowed four ERs on eight hits over 5 2/3 innings, with four walks hurting his cause. Sanchez was limited to just eight starts last season (1-3 with a 4.25 ERA / team was 3-5 in his starts) because of a blister problem on a finger, a split finger nail and a strained ligament on his right middle finger. His final start of the 2017 season was July 19.

The pick: Fulmer was 3-1 with a 3.86 ERA in seven games with Chicago that included five starts. In his final four starts, he was 2-0 (team was 3-1) with a 1.56 ERA. I expect Fulmer tp pitch well and for the Toronto bats to be much 'quieter' after the Blue Jays set a season high for runs in Tuesday's 14-5 victory (15 hits). Also, remember that when Sanchez was healthy enough to make 30 starts in 2016, he was 15-2 with 3.00 ERA. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Seattle Mariners' Nelson Cruz belted a two-run, first-inning HR off reigning American League Cy Young winner Corey Kluber in a 2-1 victory in Thursday's Opening Day game. Longtime Seattle ace Felix Hernandez was sidelined by injuries in 2017 and pitched fewer than 100 innings, going 6-5 (4.36 ERA) in just 16 starts. However, despite making only two appearances in spring training, King Felix got the call on Thursday for his 10th consecutive opening day start. He pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings of two-hit ball plus five relievers made Cruz's HR stand up. Lonnie Chisenhall doubled and scored the only run on Yan Gomes’ bloop single in the 7th inning for Cleveland, which left the tying run at third base in the ninth. Kluber was solid (8 IP / 6 hits / 2 ERs) but as Gomes noted, “Two runs usually doesn’t get us. But they pitched really well. It’s one of those things when you’re battling Kluber, the best is going to come out of everyone.”

The pitching matchup: Carlos Carrasco (2017: 18-6, 3.29 ERA) takes the mound for Cleveland up against Seattle's James Paxton (2017: 12-5, 2.98), after the teams combined for just 11 hits and went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position on Thursday. Carrasco looks to carry over the success from an outstanding 2017 season when he finished fourth in the American League Cy Young voting with career highs in wins, strikeouts (226), innings (200) and starts (32). The team was 24-8 in all of his starts (plus-$1062, which was 7th-best among all starters) and was 11-2 with a 2.65 ERA on the road, before pitching 5 2/3 scoreless innings at the New York Yankees in the playoffs without getting a decision. Paxton took over the role of Seattle's ace last season, with King Felix making only 16 starts. Paxton is primed for a big campaign after the oft-injured lefty put together his best season in 2017, finishing with career highs in wins, starts (24), innings (136) and strikeouts (156). He was named the AL's Pitcher of the Month in July when he won all six of his starts. He was 7-3 with a 2.45 ERA at home last season as opposed to 5-2 with a 3.66 mark on the road while allowing just nine HRs overall.

The pick: Let me run some numbers by you again. First off, the teams combined for just 11 hits and went 1-for-8 with RISP on Thursday. As for today's two starters, Carrasco owned a 2.65 ERA on the road in 2017, while Paxton produced a 2.45 ERA at Safeco. Let's not over-think this. Make the Under an 8* play.

The set-up: Pittsburgh Pirates open a three-game interleague series Friday at the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers' home opener against the Pirates was postponed from Thursday to Friday afternoon because of inclement weather. The Tigers have a manager in Ron Gardenhire and he's got his work cut out for him, as Detroit has been picked to finish last in the American League Central Division by many experts. As for Pittsburgh, the Tigers begin a new era without their MVP center fielder and No. 1 starting pitcher. Perennial All-Star Andrew McCutchen was dealt to San Francisco , while right-hander Gerrit Cole was sent to Houston in the off-season.

The pitching matchup: Ivan Nova (2017: 11-14, 4.14 ERA) will take the mound for Pittsburgh, while Detroit counters with Jordan Zimmermann (2017: 8-13, 6.08). Both hurlers look to rebound from disappointing seasons. Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle calls Nova the dean of a mostly young rotation. Nova came to camp 10 pounds lighter and determined to improve on an up and down season that ended with a combined record of 1-6 over 10 starts (Pirates went 2-8) in August and September. He gave up a career-most 29 HRs while pitching a career-high 187 innings in 2017.Gardenhire surprised a lot of people when he named rJordan Zimmermann as his Opening Day starter. Zimmermann has struggled mightily during his first two seasons in Detroit after signing a five-year, $110 million free-agent contract. He had an 8-13 record and 6.08 ERA last season (Tigers were 10-19 in his starts, minus-$678) the fewest games he's won since 2011, while posting the worst ERA of his career and allowing 29 HRs in 29 starts.

The pick: Pittsburgh played poorly on the road last season (31-50, minus-$1171 vs. teh moneyline) but Detroit was even worse at home, going 34-47, minus-$3128 vs. the moneyline. Can one really trust either team in the early going? I think not but noting both Nova's amd Zimmermann's HR struggles (see above for a reminder) and that Nova is 0-3 with a 7.04 ERA in six games (five starts) lifetime versus the Tigers, while Zimmermann is 1-3 with a 3.96 ERA in four career starts against the Pirates, the Over looks like a solid 8* play.

The set-up: It seems only fitting that the 2017 World Series will be decided in a winner-take-all Game 7. The LA bats 'woke up' just in time last night, as Chris Taylor hit a tying double off Justin Verlander during a two-run rally in the sixth inning with Corey Seager following with a go-ahead sacrifice fly. Joc Pederson then hit a 7th-inning HR against Joe Musgrove, pounding his chest and dancing around the bases. LA's 3-1 victory means this his dramatic Fall Classic is headed to an "ultimate Game 7!" Either the Los Angeles Dodgers will end a 29-year title drought or the Houston Astros will celebrate their first World Series championship come late Wednesday night.

The pitching matchup: Lance McCullers will get the Game 7 nod for Houston and Yu Darvish for Los Angeles. It will be a rematch of Game 3, when McCullers gave up three runs on four hits with four walks over 5 1/3 innings, while Darvish allowed four runs on six hits while lasting just 1 2/3 innings. McCullers' two outings in the ALCS against the Yanks were also noteworthy. He got a no-decision in Game 4 but pitched six shut out innings, before allowing a lead-off HR in the seventh in Aaron Judge. He was taken out and the Yankees rallied against Houston's struggling bullpen. However, McCullers was called on in Game 7 of the ALCS and threw four scoreless innings (allowed one hit and had six Ks), to earn a save and help Houston reach the World Series. Then came his Game 3 performance (see above).

Darvish's Game 3 performance marked the shortest start of his big league career. However, he entered that game on a roll. He had allowed just one ER over his final three regular season starts (19 1/3 innings), giving him an 0.47 ERA plus owned a 21-1 KW ratio in that stretch. He then won his first two postseason starts, allowing two ERs over 11.1 innings (1.59 ERA) with a 14-1 KW ratio. Doing the math, Darvish entered Game 3 of the World Series on a 4-1 run, having allowed three ERs over 30 2/3 innings (0.88 ERA) with a 35-2 KW ratio. Just where did his Game 3 effort come from?

The pick: I've really liked what McCullers has shown in his last three postseason appearances (2.35 ERA) and I'm also expecting Darvish to rise to the occasion in what is the "biggest start" of his career. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The 2017 World Series has already delivered two classic contests in Game 2 and 5, both of which were won by the Astros in extra-innings. If the Astros' 7-6 Game 2 victory last week was an instant classic, Houston's 13-12 win (10 innings) in Game 5 on Sunday might have actually topped it. This series is just five games old but the 22 combined HRs hit by the two teams has set a record for the most in World Series history and it's possible, there are still two games left to be played. The Astros sure hope there is just on game left, while the Dodgers are looking to send this series to a winner-take-all, Game 7 (hard to argue against that being a fitting conclusion). The storied Dodgers are in their first World Series since 1988 but for the Astros, there's no way to put into words what a World Series title would mean to a franchise that has made just one previous World Series appearance, which came back in 2005 when Houston was wept by the Chicago White Sox. Note that Houston's Game 2 win represented the franchise's first-ever World Series win!

The pitching matchup: Justin Verlander is 9-0 with a 1.53 ERA in 10 total appearances (nine starts) since joining the Astros and A.J. Hinch will send the 34-year-old to the mound with hopes of avoiding a Game 7. Rich Hill takes the mound for LA, coming off a 12-8 (3.32 ERA) season, with the Dodgers going 15-10 in his 25 regular season starts. He's yet to earn a decision in three postseason starts but owns a 2.77 ERA and LA has won two of the three games he's started. Verlander only gave up only two hits in his Game 2 outing at Dodger Stadium but both were HRs, to Joc Pederson and Corey Seager. He left trailing 3-1 but the Astros would come back to win 7-6 in 11 innings. Hill was the recipient of a quick hook from manager Dave Roberts despite giving up one run and three hits and striking out seven in four innings his Game 2 start, opposite Verlander, However, Roberts hinted that Hill will have a 'longer leash' in Game 6 and the 37-year-old proclaims himself ready for the task. "It's something that all of us have been preparing our entire careers for," Hill told reporters. "Going out there in Game 6 and having the ability to be in that position, and go out there and leave everything on the field, is just an amazing thought."

The pick: Roberts says that Hill will get a longer leash but Hill has not pitched more than five innings in any of his postseason starts in 2017. How will he fare past that point? We know that the LA bullpen is 'gassed.' so we may see Houston's bats continue the onslaught we saw in Game 5. As for Verlander, for all his accomplishments (and they are many), he's still looking for his first World Series win and note that he entered this year's Series 0-3 with a 7.20 ERA in three previous World Series starts. Clearly, with the state of Houston;'s bullpen, Hinch needs Verlander to go seven-plus innings. Each team pounded out 14 hits in Game 5 and I'm siding with the Over here in Game 6 and making it a 10* play.

The set-up: the two major storylines coming out of Game 4 of the 2017 World Series are the following. Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger had a record-breaking rookie season, (he's the likely NL rookie of the year), and finally came through with a pair of critical hits, after going hit-less with eight strikeouts in his first 13 World Series at-bats. He ended his skid with a seventh-inning double and scored the game-tying run on a single. He then drove home the go-ahead run in the ninth with another double sparking LA's five-run 9th innings en route to a 6-2 LA. Moving to the Houston side of this series, just how can A.J. Hinch trust closer Ken Giles the rest of the way? Giles entered to start the ninth last night with the scored tied at 1-1 and got into immediate trouble. He allowed a lead-off single to Corey Seager and a walk to Justin Turner. Bellinger then lined a fastball to left-center. Giles' line was three ERs allowed on two hits and a walk without recording an out. That follows him allowing two runs on two hits and a walk in 1 2/3 innings in Houston's Game 2 World Series win. Of course, all should remember his Game 4 'meltdown' against the Yankees, which almost cost the Astros in the ALCS.

The pitching matchup: Clayton Kershaw (3-0 & 2.96 ERA) and Dallas Keuchel (2-2 & 3.00) return here in Game 5 for a rematch of Game 1. Kershaw's postseason woes have been well-documented and were very real. However, he began a turnaround in 2016 and has completed it here in 2017, at least so far. The Dodgers have won all four of his starts this postseason and going back to his last start of the 2015 postseason, Kershaw is 6-1 over nine starts, with the Dodgers winning eight of those nine games! Keuchel dropped his second straight postseason start on the road in his head-to-head matchup with Kershaw in Game 1, surrendering HRs to Chris Taylor and Justin Turner in the 3-1 setback. However, those HRs were the first two allowed in 24 postseason innings this season by Keuchel.

The pick: Kershaw has finally brought his regular season brilliance to the postseason and note that Keuchel's back-to-back postseason losses have both come on the road. In two 2017 home postseason starts, he's allowed just one run and struck 17 over 12 2/3 innings, while going 2-0 (0.71 ERA). Expect a 'replay' of Game 1. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: It seems impossible that the Dodgers and Astros will be able to top the drama of Game 2 in tonight's Game 3, as the 2017 World Series shifts venues to Houston's Minute Maid Park. The teams combined for a World Series-record eight HRs in Game 2 with George Springer's two-run shot in the 11th inning finally deciding the outcome, as the Astros' come-from-behind 7-6 victory evened the series at one-all. Along with the record number of home runs, the other story line coming out of Game 2 was that the LA bullpen finally showed some vulnerability. Eight LA relievers pitched seven innings and allowed 11 hits (including three of Houston's four HRs) and six runs, ending a 28-inning scoreless stretch in the 2017 postseason. The teams will now play three games in Houston and unless one team sweeps all three (seems very unlikely, right?), the series will return to LA for a Game 6 and a possible Game 7.

The pitching matchup: Yu Darvish (2-0 & 1.59 ERA) starts for LA and Lance McCullers Jr. (0-0 & 2.08). Darvish was 4-3 with a 3.44 ERA in nine regular-season starts after the Dodgers acquired him from Texas, where he was only 6-9 with a 4.01 ERA. His moneyline mark this regular season (Texas and LA combined), was minus-$1302, the third-worst among all 2017 starters and he entered the postseason 0-2 with 5.40 ERA in two previous starts with Texas. However, Darvish has struck out 14 batters in 11 1/3 innings this postseason to improve to 2-2 with a 3.52 ERA in four career playoff starts. He also has a nice history at Minute Maid Park during his tenure with Texas, going 4-1 with a 2.16 ERA and 0.74 WHIP in six career outings. McCullers has posted a 2.33 ERA in four career playoff appearances (two starts) and is making his second start this postseason. He took a shutout into the seventh inning of Game 4 of the ALCS but allowed a lead-off HR to Aaron Judge and was removed with a 4-1 lead. A.J. Hinch's decision didn't work, as Houston's bullpen gave up five runs in a 6-4 New York win. However, Hinch handed the ball in Game 7 of that series to McCullers again and he delivered four shutout innings in Houston's 4-0 series-clinching Game 7 victory.

The pick: Both teams have 'deadly' lineups but both Darvish and McCullers seem up to the challenge. Darvish's turnaround came with his strong finish to the regular season (one ER allowed over his final three starts for an 0.47 ERA in 19 1/3 innings with a 21-1 KW ratio). McCullers struggled down the stretch and was not given a start until Houston's eighth postseason contest (Game 4 of the ALCS) but as noted, he delivered a quality effort in that game (should never have been taken out after the Judge HR) and then closed the door on the Yanks in Game 7 of the ALCS, pitching four scoreless innings while allowing just one hit with six Ks. In his last 10 postseason innings, he''s allowed just one ER (0.90 ERA) on three hits with nine Ks. Make the Under a 10* play.

The setup: It's been well-documented that the Dodgers are back in the World Series for the first time since they upended the Oakland A's back in 1988. As for Houston, this marks the franchise's second-ever World Series appearance having lost the 2005 Fall Classic to the Chicago White Sox. The Dodgers won a MLB-best 104 regular-season games, then rolled over the Arizona Diamondbacks (3-0) and Chicago Cubs (4-1) to get here. Houston's 101-win squad knocked out the Boston Red Sox (3-1) but after a taking a 2-0 lead over the New York Yankees, lost all three games in the Bronx. However, a return to Houston sparked the Astro bats and backed by terrific pitching from Veralnder in Game 6 and the Morton/McCullers duo in Game 7, advanced to take on the Dodgers.

The pitching matchup: Dallas Keuchel is 2-1 (2.60 ERA) vthis postseason and Clayton Kershaw is 2-0 (3.63 ERA) witth LA winning all three of his starts. Keuchel has struck out 25 in 17 1/3 innings over three starts this October and is 4-1 with a 2.59 ERA in six career postseason appearances (five starts). Keuchel was 14-5 in the regular season (2.90 ERA), with Houston going 16-7 in his starts. Kershaw has served up six HRs in three starts this postseason but his career ledger has improved to 6-7 with a 4.40 ERA in 21 appearances (17 starts). He is 3-2 with a 2.38 ERA in eight career starts against the Astros (Dodgers are 4-4). Kershaw went 18-4 (2.31 ERA) in the regular season, with LA going 23-4 in his starts.

The pick: We all know about Houston's terrific lineup but we saw it silenced in three games against the Yankees in the Bronx. Houston will first have to reach Kershaw and then have to deal with an LA bullpen that didn't allow a hit in 29 at-bats in the NLCS against the Cubs plus owns an 0.94 ERA this postseason. Houston's bullpen is a concern but I see no reason to expect anything less than a stellar effort from Keuchel. Pitchers' duel predicted. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Los Angeles Dodgers are one win away from both ending the Chicago Cubs’ reign (at one title in a row) and getting to the World Series for the first time since 1988. The Cubs have scored first in every game of the series, but they haven’t crossed the plate again in any of them. The Cubs have just 15 hits (four for extra-bases, including three HRs) with 32 strikeouts and only four walks. They've scored four runs in three games while batting .160. LA's bullpen has been "unreachable," as the Dodgers’ relievers have not allowed a run in their last 16 2/3 innings and have given up only two hits in this matchup. Chris Taylor and Andre Ethier homered in LA's 6-1 win on Tuesday, giving the club eight HRs in the series and 11 in going 6-0 this postseason.

The pitching matchup: Alex Wood (16-3 & 2.72 ERA in the regular season) takes the mound for LA and the Cubs will send Jake Arrieta (0-1 & 0.00 ERA in the postseason). Wood had a "career year," as the Dodgers went 18-7 in all his starts, giving him a moneyline mark of plus-$505. However, this marks his first-ever postseason start and it comes after four less-than-stellar relief outings in past postseasons. He had allowed eight runs (four earned) over 5 1/3 innings over his first three postseason appearances before working two scoreless frames out of the bullpen against the Cubs in last year’s NLCS. Wood is 2-2 with a 2.93 ERA in eight career regular-season games (five starts) versus Chicago. Arrieta is 4-3 with a 3.33 ERA in eight postseason starts over these last three seasons, including losing his only start in this postseason in Game 4 of the NLDS 5-0 against Washington, despite allowing only one unearned run and two hits over four innings. Arrieta is 1-3 with a 3.77 ERA in five career regular-season starts against Los Angeles.

The pick: History favors the Dodgers in this one, as of the 36 teams in postseason history that have led 3-0 in a best-of-seven series, 29 have completed a sweep. However, the Cubs erased a three-games-to-one deficit in the 2016 World Series against the Indians to capture their first championship since 1908. But this year, they are 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position in the series. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: Chicago's Albert Almora Jr. gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead in the opener with a two-run HR off Kershaw in the fourth inning but he wound up being the team’s last baserunner. Kershaw retired the final six batters he faced and the Dodgers’ bullpen set down 12 straight to close out a 5-2 victory. LA outfielders Taylor and Puig were the stars for the offense, as each went 2 for 4 with solo HRs (Puig had two RBI).

The pitching matchup: Jon Lester (13-8 & 4.33 ERA) takes the ball for Chicago and Rich Hill (12-8 & 3.32 ERA) gets the nod for Los Angeles. The Cubs beat the Dodgers in last yera's NLDS (4-2) and Lester was outstanding in one start and one relief appearance, allowing two runs on three hits over 9 2/3 innings (1.38 ERA). He is the active leader in postseason innings pitched with 143 1/3 and owns a 9-7 record and 2.57 ERA in 24 playoff appearances (20 starts). Lester is 3-3 with a 3.29 ERA in nine starts against the Dodgers (teams are 5-4). Hill was drafted by the Cubs and went 18-17 with a 4.37 ERA over his first four major-league seasons with the club from 2005-08. Hill started Game 2 of the NLDS against Arizona, allowing two runs on three hits over four innings of a no-decision. Hill limited the Cubs to two hits over six scoreless innings of a win in Game 3 of last year’s NLCS and was expected to start Game 7, if necessary, but the Cubs closed out the Dodgers in Game 6.

The pick: Hill was ready and waiting to start a winner-take-all game in the NLCS against the Chicago Cubs last year, but Clayton Kershaw was upended in Game 6 and the Cubs advanced to the World Series. He gets a chance here to make up for that missed opportunity and help LA take a 2-0 lead in this year's NLDS. However, let's note that Hill owns a 4.50 ERA in five career postseason starts. After going all-in to close out the Nats in the NLDS and then having to face Clayton Kershaw in Game 1 of the NLCS just one day later, the Cubs can hardly be surprised that they are down 0-1. However, going down 0-2, will make a comeback pretty hard against the team which won a MLB-best 104 games in 2017. I expect Hill to pitch well again (like last year) against his original team and as for Lester, the Cubs should have confidence in a pitcher who owns a 2.57 ERA in 24 playoff appearances (20 starts) . Make the Under a 10* play

The set-up: Dallas Keuchel had dominated the Yankees in the recent past and it was no different in Game 1 of the ALCS, as the lefty pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits while striking out 10. However, New York's Masahiro Tanaka, who was just 4-7 with a 6.48 ERA and 1.50 WHIP over 15 road starts in 2017 and 0-2 with a 10.38 ERA over four career regular season starts against Houston, didn't shy away from the big moment, either He gave the Yanks six innings, allowing just two runs on four hits. However, Houston was able to eke out a 2-1 win. Game 2 of the series is set for 4:05 ET, today.

The pitching matchup: Game 1 was a pitchers' duel and here in Game 2, the Yankees send out their ace, Luis Severino to face Houston's "big-time trade deadline addition," Justin Verlander. Severino was 14-6 (2.98 ERA) for the Yankees in 2017, after he went 3-8 overall with a 5.83 ERA over 22 appearances in 2016, including 11 starts (Yanks were 2-9). Talk about a turnaround! He make the 2017 All Star game while recording career bests in wins (14), WHIP (1.04), and strikeouts, finishing fourth-best among AL pitchers with 230 (allowed only 51 walks). Severino could only get one out in the wild card game against Minnesota (allowed three runs on two HRs) but he allowed three runs on four hits (again, two HRs) but struck out nine Indians over seven innings in his 7-3 Game 4 victory, which sent the series back to Cleveland for a Game 5 (I think you know how that turned out).

Verlander was 15-8 with a 3.36 ERA for Detroit and Houston in 2017 but his 15 wins don't tell the whole story. The former MVP and Cy Young winner was 5-0 with a 1.06 ERA in five starts with the Astros and in the postseason (one start and one relief stint, the ONLY one of his career), has picked up two wins (3.12 ERA). He has posted a 3.55 ERA in five career starts in the ALCS, including an eight-inning outing in which he allowed one run and struck out 10 in his last such outing against the Red Sox in 2013. Verlander has seen plenty of the Yankees in his career, going 8-7 with a 3.82 ERA over 22 career starts (team is 10-12).

The pick: Yes, we have two top-of-the-rotation starters in this one but Severino is still a question mark. He was by most metrics the third-best pitcher in the AL this season but he's just 23 years old and comes with a bit of volatility. Severino struggled in both of his starts against the Astros this season, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks over 2 1/3 innings on May 14 at Yankee Stadium, before surrendering six runs on nine hits and one walk with seven strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings in Houston on July 2. That figures to a 10.59 ERA. Remember, he's facing a Houston team which led MLB in scoring at 5.53 RPG, in team BA at .282 and in OPS at .823 while ranking second in HRs with 238 (Severino has allowed four HRs in seven-plus postseason innings). As for the Yanks, they were only team to hit more HRs (241) than Houston, which could give Verlander pause. I still don't understand manager Hinch's decision to use Verlander in relief in a Game 4 situation, with his team leading two games to one. Again, Verlander had NEVER made a relief appearance in his career. Is that enough to :"throw him off?" I can't be sure (how could anyone be?) but the bet says this will not a replay of Game 1's pitchers' duel. Make the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: The Nationals have yet to reach the NLCS, getting eliminated in the NLDS in each of their previous three postseason appearances (2012, 2014 and 2016) since moving to Washington, twice losing in a deciding Game 5 (2012 & 2016). Here again in 2017, with a little help from the weather, the Washington Nationals have forced a winner-take-all matchup Game 5 against the defending champion Chicago Cubs. Game 4 was scheduled for Tuesday with Chicago owning a 2-1 lead but rain forced the game to be rescheduled until Wednesday. That gave the Nats the option of replacing Game 4 starter Tanner Roark, with Stephen Strasburg. Starsburg initially said he was "under the weather," leaving the Nats to say Roark would go in the rescheduled game but Starsburg "got better" or ":had a change of heart," and took the mound. He was brilliant, allowing just three hits over seven scoreless innings to lead the Washington to a 5-0 win over the Cubs (Taylor's grand slam in the 8th, 'shut the door!'). Strasburg had 12 Ks and became just the third pitcher ever to register double-digit strikeouts twice is a single playoff series, joining Hall of Famers Bob Gibson and Sandy Koufax. Game 5 is now set for 8:05 ET tonight in Washington.

The pitching matchup: Kyle Hendricks takes the mound for Chicago (was the Cubs' Game 1 starter) and Dusty Baker has decided to go with Gio Gonzalez, Washington's Game 2 starter (on full rest, after the rain out). Hendricks out-dueled Strasburg in Game 1, allowing two hits and three walks while registering six strikeouts over seven scoreless innings, as the Cubs won 3-0. This marks the third straight start in a series clincher for the 27-year-old Hendricks. He started Game 6 of last year’s NLCS against the Dodgers and Game 7 of the World Series versus Cleveland (Cubs won both times). He is 2-1 with a 1.98 ERA in eight postseason starts. Baker has passed on Roark in this Game 5, who has not started since Sep. 27 and gave up eight runs in 5 2/3 innings over his last two regular-season appearances (one start). Gonzalez allowed three runs on three hits over five innings in Game 2 (also six Ks and two walks), as the Nationals got him off the hook with a five-run 8th-inning rally.

The pick: Gonzalez was a career-best 21-8 (2.89 ERA) for the Nats back in 2012 but over the next four seasons, would go just 43-37. His 4.57 ERA in 2016 was his highest since his first full season in the majors (2009 with the A's). However, he had an excellent bounce-back season in 2017, going 15-9 with a 2.96 ERA. Then again, he hasn't pitched more than five innings over his last five starts, including his Game 2 start in this series. In that span, he's allowed 19 ERs on 25 hits over 26 1/3 innings for a 6.49 ERA. It's hard to trust the Nats in any deciding game situation and Gonzalez doesn't exactly come in "on a roll." The feeling here is that these two very talented lineups have underachieved all series. In the case of the Nats, they'vs scored nine of their 12 runs in the series in the eighth inning, on a a two-run HR, a three-run HR and a grand slam. As for the Cubs, they've only scored eight runs in the series's four games, somehow managing to extend it to five games. The bet here says, both lineups 'catch fire' in Game 5. Make the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: The Red Sox closed out the the Cardinals in Game 6 of the 2013 World Series (team's third title since 2004) but missed the playoffs in both 2014 and 2015. Boston returned to the postseason in 2015 by winning the AL East but got swept in three games by Cleveland in the ALDS, getting outscored 15-7. Boston won the AL East again this season but lost at Houston 8-2 in Games 1 and 2 of the 2017 ALDS. However, Boston ended its five-game postseason slide Sunday, despite falling behind 3-0 in the top of the first. David Price gave them four scoreless innings of relief and up 4-3, Boston put the game away with a six-run seventh inning. Boston again faces elimination in Game 4 at Fenway, with the first pitch scheduled at 1:08 ET.

The pitching matchup: Charlie Morton (14-7 & 3.62 ERA) goes for Houston and is making his second career postseason start. Rick Porcello goes for Boston and while he's the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, he established a career-high in losses while going 11-17 with a 4.65 ERA in 2017. Morton won his final three starts (1.96 ERA) of the regular season, including one at Fenway Park on Sep 29 when he held Boston to two runs in 5 1/3 innings of a win. That makes him 2-0 with a 1.74 ERA in two career starts against the Red Sox. He enters this game having gone 4-1 with a 2.54 ERA in September. Porcello was 22-4 (3.15 ERA) in 2016, while Boston went 25-8 in his starts (plus-$1470 moneyline mark was third-best in MLB). However, the Red Sox were just 16-17 in his starts in 2017, minus-$702 vs. the moneyline. The season has been a 'nightmare' but Porcello did win his last two decisions and went 7-3 in the final two months of the regular season.

The pick: Porcello pitched one scoreless inning of relief in Game 1 on Thursday but has struggled all season at home, with a 5.43 ERA. That's just one season removed from going 13-1 with a 2.97 mark at Fenway Park in 2016. Porcello can redeem himself with a strong effort here and that's what I expect. As for Morton, he's had a "career year" with the Astros (his fourth team over a 10-year career) and has pitched very well down the stretch. Make the Under a 10*

The pitching matchup: Conventional wisdom said the using Robbie Ray for 2 1/3 innings in Arizona's wild card win would eliminate him from starting one of the first two games of this series but the D'backs will send Ray (15-5, 2.89 ERA) to the mound tonight against the Dodgers' Rich Hill (12-8, 3.32). Ray won his final six decisions in the regular season, and his 218 strikeouts were the third-most in the NL. The D'backs went 20-8 in Ray's 2017 starts, giving him MLB's third-best moneyline mark (plus-$1166). Ray is 6-3 with a 2.69 ERA in 13 career starts against the Dodgers. Hill finished the regular season with three straight victories, allowing two runs on eight hits while striking out 26 in 18 innings during that stretch (1.00 ERA). However, he's had all sort of trouble with Arizona, going 0-3 with a 5.03 ERA in four starts (LA was 1-3).

The pick: Ray insists the 34-pitch effort in Wednesday's wild card game will not affect his routine or performance. "I feel great. My arm feels great and ready to go," Ray said at a press conference. "I wouldn't lie to (manager Torey Lovullo). I wouldn't give this team anything (other than) 100 percent of myself. I feel like that would be cheating me and cheating the team." Another factor in using Ray now is that he was much better on the road, than at home in 2017. He owns a 4.07 home ERA (he's 7-4 and the team 9-5) but a 1.86 road ERA (he's 8-1 & the team 12-3). As for Hill's struggles against Arizona, LA manager dave Roberts said about Hill, "He's a great competitor. He's wacky on his start days," Roberts said at a press conference. "It's been well-documented that he and I have had some good run-ins ... but that edge that he brings and the way that this guy prepares like no other, he's a baseball player." Note that Hill owns a 2.77 home ERA, compared to 4.06 road ERA. Make the Under a 10*!

The set-up: The LA Dodgers owned MLB's best record (104-58) and won the NL West by 11 games over the Arizona D'backs. However, the D'backs beat the Dodgers in the two teams' final six meetings, winning the regular-season series 11-8. The Dodgers have been off since Sunday, while the D'backs had to get past the Rockies in an NL wild card game Wednesday, which they did by winning 11-8. Despite taking a 6-0 lead over the Rockies, Arizona manager Torey Lovullo not only had to pull starter Zach Greinke, who lasted just 3 2/3 innings while giving up four runs, he was forced to use Robbie Ray in Wednesday's game as well. That means Ray, who was 15-5 (2.89 ERA) on the season, is not able to start Game 1 of the NLDS.

The pitching: Instead, Taijuan Walker (9-9 & 3.49 ERA) will take the mound for the D'backs in Game 1, opposite the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw (18-4 & 2.31 ERA). The D'backs went 14-14 (minus-$47) in Walker's 2017 starts but the good news is, his ERA was 2.92 on the road, compared to 4.18 at home. More good news comes in the form of him having gone 2-0 with a 3.24 ERA in three starts against the Dodgers (D'backs were 3-0). "I think the biggest thing is controlling your emotions and taking it one pitch at a time," Walker said at a press conference. "I think you can't go out there and let the adrenaline really get to you. You have to take a deep breath every pitch and really focus on each pitch." Kershaw missed time with a bad back but again was wonderful when on the mound. LA was 23-4 in his starts, giving him MLB's second-best moneyline mark (plus-$1235), despite being stuck with enormous prices in almost every outing. Kershaw dominated the Diamondbacks in two starts this season by going 2-0 with a 0.59 ERA and holding batters to a .118 average. He's seen planet of the D'backs in his career (26 starts), going 14-8 with a 2.55 ERA and 1.12 WHIP (LA is ).

The pick: Kershaw is arguably the greatest pitcher of his era but postseason success has eluded him. He enters the 2017 postseason just 4-7 with a 4.55 ERA in 18 career appearances (14 starts) in the postseason. Will it be different here in 2017? Are the Dodgers ready to win a World Series for the first time since 1988? The journey begins tonight and I'll play Under, as I think Walker will surprise plus nothing seems to come easy for Kershaw in the postseason. I expect him to bring his "A game" but can one really lay this kind of a price? Make the Under a 10*.

The set-up: Cleveland's strong finish (highlighted by the team's 22-game winning streak) was enough to allow the Indians to edge past the Houston Astros (102-to-101 wins) for the American League's best overall record. That means Houston will host the third-seeded AL East champion Boston Red Sox (93-69) in Game 1 of this ALDS late Thursday afternoon. The Astros took four of seven from the Red Sox during the regular season and went 48-33 at Minute Maid Park, while the Red Sox went 41-35 away from Fenway. Boston's 4.85 RPG ranked 10th-best and the team's ERA of 3.72 was 4th-best among all teams. As for Houston, the Astros own MLB's best offense, ranking first in runs scored (5.53 per), team BA (.282) and OPS (.823), while finishing with the second-most HRs (238) of any team. Houston's pitching was more mediocre, as the team's staff ERA was 4.12 (ranks 11th).

The pitching matchup: It's a "big-time" showdown in Game 1, as Chris Sale (17-8 & 2.90 ERA) squares off against Justin Verlander (15-8 & 3.36 ERA). Sale was one of MLB's best pitchers for most of the season but struggled over his final eight starts, going 3-4 with a 4.30 ERA (team was 4-4). This marks Sale's first career postseason start, after 260 regular-season games. However, it comes vs. a team he's had great success against, going 5-1 with a 1.31 ERA in six career starts against Houston with 65 strikeouts against only five walks over 48 innings. "I'm 28 years old, so I've been waiting for this about 23 years," Sale told reporters. "This has been a long time coming. A lot of hard work went into this. It's a long season. We had a lot of guys put everything they had on the field the entire season. To have this opportunity right here, it's the best." Verlander's 15 wins don't tell the whole story, as the former MVP and Cy Young winner has gone 5-0 with a 1.06 ERA in five starts since joining the Astros. He allowed four runs (three earned) in 12 innings over two starts against Boston earlier this season, though he did not factor in either decision (Tigers were 1-1). Verlander owns a solid 2.77 ERA vs. Boston over 18 career starts (just 5-6), while the Tigers were only 8-10 in all starts.

The pick: "You can't get prepared for it," Verlander told reporters of starting in the postseason. "You have to experience it by being out there and feeling the adrenaline, and experiencing it for yourself." Verlander has had good success in the postseason, save his 0-3 record (7.20 ERA) in three World Series starts. However, he and Houston are two series wins away from a World Series appearance. Have to like Verlander's excellent performance since coming to Houston and his 2.77 ERA in 18 career starts vs. the Red Sox. As for Sale, he's dominated Houston teams in the past and while he struggled down the stretch in 2017, his 2.90 ERA was the second-best among all AL qualifiers plus he owned an 0.97 WHIP, had 308 Ks and opponents batted just .208 against him on the season. Make the Under a 10*

The set-up: The NY Yankees were 84-78 last season but did not make the postseason. As for Minnesota, it's been well-documented that the Twins lost a MLB-high 103 games in 2016, only to become in 2017, the first team to ever make the playoffs coming off a 100-loss season. The Yankees weren't even sure that Aaron Judge was ready to play every day in the big leagues this spring but he went on to hit 52 HRs, knock in 114 runs, bat .284, slug .627 and post a 1.049 OPS (should I leave out the 208 Ks?). The Twins were 52-56 on the morning of Aug. 5 and owned a negative run differential. However, Minnesota started hitting HRs. The Twins were 19th in the major leagues in runs scored at that pouint but they are since first in the major leagues in 'dingers' (87), while going 33-21. As for the Yanks, they led all of MLB with 241 HRs, ranked second in scoring (5.30 RPG) and sit third in OPS (.785). The Twins have lost 12 straight playoff games, the second-longest streak in postseason history, and ine of those losses have come against the Yankees (note: teams haven't met in the postseason since 2010).

The pitching matchup: Ervin Santana (16-8 & 3.28 ERA) will start for Minnesota and Luis Severino (14-6 2.98 ERA) for the Yankees. Santana's in his 13th MLB season and he won 16 games for the third time (career-best was 17 wins in 2010). He entered this season just 57-61 over the previous six years (since that 17-win season) and saw the Twins go 8-22 in his 2016 starts, minus-$1450 vs the moneyline (2nd-worst in MLB). However, he opened 5-0 with an 0.66 ERA through six starts in 2017. By the end of May he was 7-2 with 1.75 ERA. However, he's gone 9-6 since and his ERA has risen 1 1/2 runs, finishing at 3.28. His career numbers are not good against the Yanks, as he's 6-10 with a 5.66 ERA over 20 starts (teams are 7-13). Talk about a bounce back season? Let me introduce you to Luis Severino. He made 22 appearances in 2016, including 11 starts. He was 3-8 overall, with a 5.83 ERA. The Yanks were 2-9 in his starts, going minus-$714 vs. the moneyline. So all he's done in 2017 was make the All Star game while recording career bests in wins (14), WHIP (1.04), and strikeouts, finishing fourth-best among AL pitchers with 230 (allowed only 51 walks). Severino has made just one career start against the Twins (just recently, on Sep. 20), pitching only three innings, giving up three ERs on five hits but the Yanks won 11-3

The pick: This will be Santana’s ninth career postseason appearance and his third start in the AL Wild Card Game. He's clearly cooled off since a hot start but over his six September starts, he's posted a 3.31 ERA (1.90 ERA over his last four!). The Yanks have won 13 of the last 15 times that Severino has taken the mound but note, this is the 23-year-old's first postseason start. However, he's backed by a New York bullpen that's held opposing batters to a .205 BA, by far the lowest opponents' BA in the league. NYY relievers have 653 strikeouts in only 538 1/3 innings! Remember that the Twins have lost 12 consecutive postseason games, while the Yankees come into this game having lost five straight playoff contests. These team will be tight in this winner-take-all contest, making the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Philadelphia Phillies are hosting the New York Mets this weekend, as both teams are glad to see the 2017 season come to an end, as both can then look forward to the hope of better things to come in 2018. The visiting Mets lost 6-2 on Friday, snapping a modest three-game winning streak. At 69- 91, the Mets will now need to win one of their final two games to avoid falling shy of 70 victories for the first time since 2003. The Philly win puts them in a position to win four straight games for the first time in two months. Philadelphia is now 22-16 at Citizens Bank Park since the All-Star break, which has helped the 69-95 Phillies climb over the Tigers and Giants (both 63-97) and out of the MLB 'basement!'

The pitching matchup: Seth Lugo (7-5 & 4.72 ERA) will take the mound for the Mets, up against Henderson Alvarez (0-1 & 3.60 ERA) of the Phillies. Jacob deGrom was scheduled to make Saturday's start for New York but a case of gastroenteritis has ended his season. Instead, Seth Lugo moves up a day to get the ball. Lugo is coming off his best start of an otherwise difficult season, posting six scoreless innings and striking out seven to defeat Atlanta 3-2 this past Monday. It was the third time in his last four starts that he has allowed one or zero runs. Lugo gave up five runs in 5 1/3 innings at Philadelphia on Aug. 11 in a no-decision while striking out a career-high eight. He's made just two career starts vs. Philly with a 6.97 ERA but the team is 2-0. Alvarez has been plagued by injuries since leaving the Marlins after the 2015 season (note: he threw a no-hitter as a Marlin in 20013 and was an All Star in 2014). He did little with Oakland (mostly sidelined with injury issues) and signed a minor league deal with the Phiilies in August of 2017. He allowed four runs in five innings in his first start with the Phillies on Sep. 17 but was much better last Saturday, pitching five scoreless inning against Atlanta, finishing with two strikeouts and three walks. Alvarez is 5-2 with a 3.50 ERA in nine career starts against the Mets (teams are 6-3).

The pick: Lugo's shown his best over his last four, with one poor start but just a single ER allowed over 17 innings in the other three (0.53 ERA) plus Alvarez is a former All Star pitching with no pressure. What's more, Philadelphia's bullpen boasts a 2.45 ERA over the last 31 games. make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: Nationals manager Dusty Baker is liberally resting his stars in a bid to keep his team as healthy as possible as it awaits postseason play. That includes the recently returned Bryce Harper and naturally, people are interested."Nothing. Don't be alarmed. Nothing. Again ... nothing," Baker said in response to reporters asking if something was wrong with Harper, who missed 1 1/2 months with a knee injury before returning to action on Tuesday. The Nats have a huge series looming as they will face the defending champion Cubs in the NLDS. Washington won 5-4 last night in the first of this four-game series with Pittsburgh, a team which will miss its second straight postseason (currently 73-86), after three consecutive wild card appearances (all losses though!) from 2013-2015.

The pitching matchup: Gerrit Cole (12-11 & 4.23 ERA) starts for Pittsburgh and Stephen Strasburg (14-4 & 2.63 ERA) for Washington. Cole picked up his first win since August 26 last Saturday, although he allowed five runs on seven hits in the Pirates' 11-6 win over the Cards. Cole has allowed 14 runs in last three starts (16 2/3 innings for a 7.56 ERA) and looks to regain the form that saw him allow one run on three hits in a 6-1 rout of Washington on May 17. He's done well vs. the Nats in his short career, going 3-1 with a 2.56 ERA in five starts (Pirates are 4-1). Strasburg saw his four-start winning streak stalled as he settled for a no-decision in Saturday's game against the New York Mets. He allowed three runs in that contest after tossing five straight outings (35 innings) in which he did not surrender an earned run. The Nats did win Saturday's game 4-3 and Washington has now won Strasburg's last six starts, making them 21-6 (plus-$1050) in all of his 2017 starts, the seventh-best moneyline mark among starters. Strasburg picked up the win versus Pittsburgh on May 16 after permitting three runs in six innings. He's 4-2 with a 2.76 ERA over seven career starts vs. Pittsburgh (Nats are 5-2).

The pick:Who knows which players Baker may rest and as noted, Cole's had solid success against the Nats. Strasburg's been "lights out" recently and this marks his final 'tune-up' before the playoffs. Excellent spot to make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Yankees beat the Rays 6-1 last night (have won 12 of 18 meetings this year) and remained three games back of Boston in the AL East. With just four games remaining in the regular season, winning the American League East is unlikely but the 89-69 Yanks have clinched the No. 1 wild card spot and at 89-69 on the season, will (surely should) reach 90 wins for the first time since 2012. The Rays were eliminated from playoff contention on Tuesday and have dropped three in a row to assure they will finish under .500 for the fourth consecutive season (are currently 76-82).

The pitching matchup: Jacob Faria (5-4 & 3.33 ERA) will get the nod for Tampa Bay and Sonny Gray (10-11 & 3.31 ERA) for New York. Faria returns to make his first start since August 16, after missing a month with an abdominal strain (Alex Cobb was scratched due to workload issues). Faria is a rookie who made 13 starts before his injury and allowed two runs over five innings in two relief appearances since being activated. However, Faria comes in win-less in his last four starts, going 0-3 (team was 1-4) with a 5.06 ERA. Faria had a no-decision in his lone appearance against the Yankees, allowing three runs on three hits over four innings back on July 30 (Rays won 5-3). Gray has pitched far better than his 4-6 record indicates since being acquired by the Yankees. His Sep. 12 outing against Tampa Bay is a good example, as he gave up two runs over eight innings in a 2-1 loss. Gray is 3-3 with a 3.71 ERA in 10 career starts against Tampa Bay (teams are 4-6).

The pick; Gray owns a 3.12 ERA with the Yanks but recently, he's had some issues with "the long ball," allowing eight HRs in his last six starts. He'll take the mound on Thursday behind a team which has 11 wins in its last 12 home games and 19 wins in its past 26 overall since Aug. 16. The hot streak has assured them of being, at worst, the home team in next Tuesday's wild-card game against the Minnesota Twins. Meanwhile, the Rays are 1-8 at New York this season and clinched their 10th straight series loss at Yankee Stadium with Wednesday's loss. Faria hasn't seen much action since Aug. 30 and was struggling as a starter prior to going on the DL (see above). The play here is on the Over (10*s).

The set-up: Bryce Harper finally made his return last night, after missing six weeks due to a knee injury. He played five innings in his first contest since Aug. 12, as the Nats lost 4-1 to the Phillies. According to manager Dusty Baker, Harper was "like a little kid on opening Little League day." Baker plans to incorporate Harper into game action as if it were spring training in hopes he's ready to go full throttle for the NLDS. BTW, Washington is locked into the second seed in the playoffs and will host the NL Central champion, either the Chicago Cubs or the Milwaukee Brewers, in the division series. The Nats and Phillies play the rubber match of this three-game series tonight, as the 63-95 Philadelphia, with just four games left in its season, has now guaranteed that it will avoid becoming the franchise's first 100-loss club since 1961. "First of all, when I said that 98, 99 or 100 losses didn't matter, I lied," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said after his team's win Tuesday.We gain feel his pain.

The pitching matchup: Tanner Roark (13-10 & 4.41 ERA) goes for Washington and Mark Leiter Jr. (3-6 & 4.69 ERA) for Philly. Roark went 16-10 with a 2.83 ERA in 2016 but here in 2017, has seen his ERA rise more than 1 1/2 runs. However, he's still 13-10 (team is 16-13 in his 29 starts) and comes in having allowed three ERs or less in his last nine starts (team is 6-3). There is also the fact that he has dominated the Phillies since the start of the 2016 season, posting a 4-0 mark with a 1.87 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. Leiter allowed one earned run in six innings versus the Los Angeles Dodgers last Thursday, in getting a no-decision in LA's 5-4 win. However, that effort still leaves him with a 7.17 ERA in four Sep. starts (he's 1-2 and the team 1-3). Leiter's lone win this month came at the expense of Washington, as he overcame a pair of HRs and four runs total in a 5-4 victory on Sep. 9, the rookie's lone start vs. the Nats.

The pick: Roark's recent domination of the Phillies (see above for a reminder) plus the fact that Leiter has had confidence-boosting outings in his last two appearances (12 Ks and just two walks in 12 innings) gives me an 8* play on the Under.

The Dodgers beat the Padres 9-3 last night, giving them their 100th win of the season. There was a time when there was talk that LA had a chance at 116 wins in 2017 but that all ended when the team lost 16 of 17 games. However, the Dodgers have reached the 100-win mark for the first time in 43 years! Two more wins and they will match the Los Angeles-era record set in 1962 and matched in 1974 of 102 wins. Los Angeles also now holds a 4 1/2-game lead over Washington for the best record in the National League and with just five games remaining, the team's magic number is down to two. The San Diego Padres have allowed 17 runs in back-to-back losses and have lost four of their last six contests.

The pitching matchup: Dinelson Lamet (7-7 & 4.45 ERA) will be on the mound for San Diego and Alex Wood (15-3 & 2.71 ERA) for LA. Lamet has pitched reasonably well lately, allowing less than two runs in four of his last six outings but finds himself 0-3 and the team 0-6, in that span. Lamet struck out 10 and allowed one run on six hits in a loss on Sep. 1 in his lone career outing against the Dodgers (0-1 & 1.50 ERA). Wood was 10-0 with a 1.67 ERA prior to the All Star game but his performance has dropped since the break, going 5-3 with a 3.97 ERA. He is 1-1 with a 3.21 ERA in three appearances (two starts / LA is 1-1) against the Padres this season and 3-2 with a 2.57 ERA in 11 career games (seven starts / teams are 3-4).

The pick: The SD pitching staff has been battered for 17 runs on 22 hits the last two games and no reason to expect Lamet to 'stop the bleeding' (he allowed six hits, including three HRs, and six runs in 5 1/3 innings in his last start). Wood's been pretty 'mortal' since the break and the Over is a 10* play.

The set-up: Break up the A's! Oakland completed its second straight three-game sweep with Sunday's 8-1 home victory over the Texas, all but ending Rangers' wild-card hopes over the weekend. Oakland's three-game sweep pushed the Rangers 5 1/2 games behind Minnesota for the second American League wild card with seven contests remaining and now the A's will look to extend their winning streak to eight when they host the Seattle Mariners on Monday. The 72-83 A's will not be able to 'hurt' the Mariners in this three-game series, as 75-81 Seattle was eliminated from playoff contention with Sunday's 4-2 loss against Cleveland, the Mariners' their eighth loss in their last nine games.

The pitching matchup: Felix Hernandez (5-5 & 4.57 ERA) will start for Seattle and Daniel Gossett (4-9 & 5.38 ERA) for Oakland. Hernandez makes just his third start since coming off another stint on the DL in mid-September and for the first time since late July, will face a team other than the Rangers. He started against Texas back on July 31, then spent about six weeks on the DL and has made his last two starts against the Rangers, as well. Hernandez is 24-9 with a 2.62 ERA over 45 careers starts against the A's (team is 31-14). Gossett, a 24-year-old rookie, is coming off a no-decision at Detroit on Tuesday, despite allowing six runs on nine hits and three walks over just 4 2/3 innings. However, let's note that he had allowed three runs or less in each of his previous four starts, yet went only 1-3 in that span.

The pick: The A's are on a roll and playing without any pressure but the Mariners are also in that same position now (no pressure), after getting eliminated from the postseason. "King Felix's" 24 wins against the A's are his most victories versus any team. No reason to expect him not to be sharp here and this sets up as an Under (10* play).

The setup: The Astros lost at home to the sad-sack White Sox last night and it's looking more and more as if Cleveland will wind up with the AL's best overall record (Indians lead the Astros by 2 1/2 games). Houston begins a three-game home series with the LA Angels tonight, a team looking to snap a four-game losing streak. The Angels find themselves in a funk, having lost nine of their last 13, putting them 2 1/2 games behind Minnesota for the American League's second wild-card spot (along with the Texas Rangers).

The pitching matchup: Garrett Richards (0-2 & 2.00 ERA) will take the mound for LA in an effort to stop the bleeding but his opponent will be the red-hot Justin Verlander (13-8 & 3.50 ERA). The injury-plagued Richards has made just four starts in 2017 (he's 2-0 and the team 2-2) and 10 total over the past two seasons. He's currently attempting to regain his form after a biceps injury. Richards has lost back-to-back starts, pitching five innings in each outing. He is 5-4 with a 3.58 ERA in 13 career appearances (10 starts / team is 6-4) against the Astros, including a 1-0 loss opposite Verlander in which he gave up one run and four hits over five innings on Sep. 12. Verlander has been everything (and more) for Houston. He has struck out 26 and walked just three in 21 innings since joining Houston's rotation, going 3-0 with a 0.86 ERA in three outings since being acquired from Detroit. "I think my mechanics and everything have been pretty good," the 34-year-old Verlander told reporters. "My last few starts are really to try to go out there and maintain that feel and just attack and help get us a win." Verlander is a modest 7-8 with a 3.55 ERA in 18 career starts (teams are 8-10) vs the Angels, which includes 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA in two starts versus the Angels this year.

The pick: Houston's starting rotation has allowed just nine ERs on 26 hits and 13 walks with 42 strikeouts over the past 42 innings, good for a 1.93 ERA during that stretch. Clearly, Houston's starters are trending in the right direction at the most opportune time with the postseason upcoming and Verlander is leading the way. However, note that Richards has been quite effective in his four 2017 starts. Yes, he hasn't gone longer than five innings in any one of them but he's allowed just 13 hits in 18 innings with an 18-4 KW ratio, 0.89 WHIP and a .194 BAA. Like when these two pitchers met back on Sep 12 (a 1-0 final), the Under is a 10* play.

The set-up: The Mariners won the final three games of a four-game set in Texas against the Rangers from Sep. 12-14. However, Seattle has lost all five games since then, while Texas has followed a five-game skid, which began with those three straight home setbacks to Seattle, with three consecutive wins. While the Mariners now sit four games behind the Twins with 10 to play for the AL's final wild card spot, the Rangers have climbed to within 2 1/2 games of Minnesota with 11 contests remaining in their season.

The pitching matchup: Cole Hamels (10-4 & 3.96 ERA) starts for Texas and James Paxton (12-4 & 2.98 ERA) for Seattle. Hamels has posted only one victory over his last five starts (team is 2-3) but did pitch well enough to win this past Saturday, when he allowed two runs on four hits over 7 1/3 innings of a 2-0 road loss to the LA Angels. Hamels improved to 6-3 lifetime against Seattle on Sep, 11, when he gave up three runs and tied a season high with seven strikeouts in six innings (teams are 8-5 in his 13 career starts against the Mariners but he owns a 5.02 ERA!). Paxton returned from a pectoral strain this past Friday but worked only 1 1/3 innings in a 5-2 loss at Houston. He gave up three runs on four hits and two walks as he reached his limit of 50 pitches. It was his first defeat since June 27 against Philadelphia. He hasn't surrendered more than three ERs since June 16 at Texas, a span of 11 starts (Mariners are 8-3). However, Paxton lost that June 16 outing vs. the Rangers, falling to 2-3 with a 4.60 ERA in nine career starts against the Rangers (teams are 4-5) with that setback, although he allowed two hits over eight scoreless innings in a win versus the club back on April 15.

The pick: It's likely neither team will make the postseason but in this one, but Paxton has allowed no more than three ERs in 11 straight starts) and Hamels is Hamels. Make the Under an 8* play.

The set-up: The Arizona Diamondbacks are attempting to nail down the NL's No. 1 wild card but so far, it's been a "lost series" in San Diego with the D'backs losing the first two of this three-game series against the Padres. Arizona owns 4 1/2-game lead over Colorado for the first wild-card spot in the National League but tonight, looks to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Padres, who own a three-game winning streak but just a 68-83 record.

The pitching matchup: Robbie Ray (14-5, 2.74 ERA) has won five consecutive starts since returning from the disabled list and gets the ball for Arizona, going up against San Diego's Dinelson Lamet (7-7 & 4.15 ERA). Ray has posted a 1.39 ERA and struck out 55 batters in 32 1/3 innings since his return from nearly a four-week absence, which stemmed from being struck in the head by a line drive on July 28. He's had some season, with the D'backs going 17-8 in his starts, giving him MLB's 9th-best moneyline mark at plus-$866. Ray has dominated the Padres in 2017, going 3-0 with a 1.33 ERA, allowing just nine hits in 20 1/3 innings against the Padres this season while striking out 29!. Ray is 4-4 with a 3.35 ERA in eight overall career outings against San Diego. Lamet hasn't had much luck lately, going 0-3 over his last five starts (Padres are 0-5) despite allowing fewer than three runs in each of his last four outings. In fact, going back even further, he owns a 2.44 ERA and .185 BAA over his last 10 starts but is just 4-3 (team is 4-6).

The pick: At first blush the instinct is Under but Lamet was roughed up by the Diamondbacks in his third career start back on June 6, when he gave up nine runs (seven earned) in just three-plus innings while matched against Ray. The D'backs' bats have been too quiet these last two games (just two runs in each) but this team averages a healthy 4.88 RPG and I expect an outburst in this one. Make the Over an 8* play.

The set-up: The Colorado Rockies are trying to hold off the Milwaukee Brewers, who are two games behind, and St. Louis Cardinals (4 1/2 back) for the NL's second wild card. The Rockies will begin their final road trip of the campaign with a visit to the MLB-worst San Francisco Giants on Tuesday to start a two-game series, then head to San Diego for four games. Colorado finishes at home against first the Marlins and then the Dodgers. For Colorado, that wild card spot is there for the taking, as the Giants, Padres and Marlins all own losing records! As for the 58-93 Giants, they are staring down their first 100-loss season since 1985 and only the second in franchise history, with their next eight games against postseason hopeful Colorado (owns the 3rd-best moneyline in MLB), before taking on the Dodgers (owners of MLB's best record) and then the Diamondbacks (own the 2nd-best moneyline mark in MLB).

The pitching matchup: German Marquez (10-7 & 4.41 ERA) steps to the mound for Colorado and Johnny Cueto (7-8 & 4.58 ERA) does so for San Francisco. Marquez is fading down the stretch in his first full season in a major-league rotation. He has lasted just 7 2/3 innings over his last two outings, surrendering six ERs on 17 hits over that that span (7.04 ERA and just three Ks). Marquez was ripped for five runs on seven hits in four innings to suffer a 9-2 loss in his lone 2017 start against San Francisco back on June 26. He's 0-2 witha n  11.88 ERA in two career starts vs. SF. Cueto is 1-1 in three starts (Giants are 1-2) since returning from a forearm injury and lasted only 3 2/3 innings against the Dodgers last Tuesday while allowing four runs on six hits and four walks. He has yet to complete six innings since his return but earned a win in five innings at Colorado on Sep. 6, when he struck out seven and yielded one run. Cueto is 2-1 in three starts against the Rockies this season and went seven innings to earn a win at home over the division rivals back on April 14.

The pick: All the Giants can do here is play "spoilers" but note that Cueto has dominated the Rockies like no other team, running up a 9-3 record and 2.66 ERA in 15 career starts (teams are 11-4). However, the Giants often let their starters down, ranking 29th in runs scored (3.94 per) plus 30th in both OPS (.685) and in HRs (120). Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Arizona Diamondbacks won 3-2 last night at San Francisco in the first of a three-game series against the against the Giants. The Diamondbacks won without the services of a scorching J.D. Martinez (10 HRs over his last 11 games), who was a late scratch because of a stiff neck. Fellow outfielder A.J. Pollock picked up the slack with a two-run double in the seventh inning that rallied Arizona from behind (note: Martinez will be re-evaluated before Saturday's game). The loss was just another nail in the coffin in what's become a 'nightmare' season for the Giants. San Francisco has 'caught' the Phillies for MLB's worst record (SF is now 57-92) and the Giants have owned MLB's worst moneyline mark for quite some time now (minus-$3960, which is about $1000 worse than any other team!).

The pitching matchup: Two outstanding pitchers square off, although only one is having an excellent season. That would be Zach Greinke (16-6 & 2.99 ERA), who goes for Arizona. The Giants will send Madison Bumgarner (3-8 & 3.55 ERA). Greinke can gain a share of the major-league lead in victories, as he seeks his 17th win. That would tie Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers and the Brewers' Zach Davies for the lead. Greinke has been dominanat over his last four outings, posting a 2.03 ERA and 0.86 WHIP (he's 2-0 and the team 3-1). He has won eight of his past 10 decisions. More good news comes Arizona's way in that he's had all sorts of success vs. the Giants, going 10-2 with a 2.56 ERA in 16 career starts (teams are 13-3). Bumgarner has lost three straight starts and allowed 11 runs in as many innings over his last two starts, during an uncharacteristically poor stretch. Bumgarner is 0-2 with a 3.00 ERA in three starts against Arizona this season (Giants are 0-3) and 9-9 in 28 starts (team is 15-13) against the D'backs in his career.

The pick: Tough to get involved with the Giants these days but note that Bumgarner owns an excellent 2.61 ERA in 28 career starts vs. the D'backs (that's quite a sample size!). As for Greinke, I noted his terrific career numbers against the Giants above and will add here that he owns a 1.66 ERA in six career outings at AT&T Park. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Dodgers still boast the best record in the majors (94-52), despite losing 16 of 17 from Aug. 26-Sep. 11. That slump has allowed the 89-57 Nationals, who have already clinched the NL East, to close within five games of Los Angeles atop the National League standings. The Dodgers did lower their magic number to clinch the NL West to seven by capturing the final two contests of their three-game set in San Francisco, their first series victory in just under three weeks. These two NL 'heavyweights' open a three-game series tonight in the nation's capital.

The pitching matchup: Alex Wood (14-3 & 2.81 ERA) gets the nod for LA and Edwin Jackson (5-5 & 4.14 ERA) for Washington. Wood opened 11-0 after 16 starts (Dodgers were 13-3), while posting a 1.56 ERA. However, over his last eight starts, he's 3-3 (team is 5-3) but more worrisome is his 5.10 ERA in that span. Wood hasn't faced Washington since 2015 and is 3-3 with a 2.78 ERA over nine starts (teams are 5-4). Jackson joined the Nationals in mid-June and after some solid outings, has labored through two September starts, going 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA. The former Dodgers farmhand is 4-3 with a 4.15 ERA in 10 career games (eight starts / teams are 4-4) versus the Dodgers.

The pick: Wood is battling a sternum injury and that is more than likely the cause of his recent woes. As for Jackson, the Nats have to be concerned about him allowing nine ERs on 12 hits over just nine innings of his last two starts. Plenty of firepower in both lineups and the Over is an 8* play.

The set-up: The Mariners and Rangers meet Thursday in the final contest of this four-game series at Arlington. Seattle followed Tuesday's 10-3 win with an 8-1 victory on Wednesday, after Texas had won Monday's opener, 5-3. The Seattle win (Mariners are just 4-5 their last nine) keeps them just 3 1/2 games behind the Twins for the AL's second wild card spot, while Texas dropped four games back after getting outscored 18-4 in back-to-back losses the last two nights. Heading into tonight's series finale, Seattle leads the season series against Texas 10-5.

The pitching matchup: Felix Hernandez (5-4 & 4.28 ERA) returns from his second shoulder injury of the season and will take the mound for Seattle, while Andrew Cashner (9-9 & 3.19 ERA) gets the nod for Texas. Hernandez has missed the past six-plus weeks with his latest injury, with his most-recent appearance being a no-decision against the Rangers back on July 31. Hernandez hasn't pitched like a 'King' in 2017, as he's allowed 16 HRs in only 13 starts (his career worst is 23 for an entire season!). The veteran has pitched more than six innings on just three occasions and hasn't posted a single 10-strikeout performance, which is hard to believe considering he has 2,333 Ks in his career. Hernandez is 1-0 with a 3.55 ERA in two starts against the Rangers this year (team is 2-0) and 19-23 with a 3.93 ERA in 52 career starts (Mariners are 23-29). Cashner has pitched well over his last three starts, going 2-0 with a 1.71 ERA. He settled for a no-decision against the New York Yankees in his last outing, although he allowed just one run on four hits over seven innings (Texas lost 3-1). Cashner is 1-1 with a 2.60 ERA in three starts against Seattle this season (Texas is 1-2) and 1-3 with a 3.26 ERA in seven career appearances (six starts / teams are 2-4).

The pick: The Mariners are hoping Hernandez and James Paxton (slated to return from a pectoral injury on Friday) can provide a boost as they try to chase down Minnesota for the American League's second wild-card spot. Here, the Mariners need "the old King Felix" to show up. Let me also note that Cashner, despite his modest 9-9 record, is having the best season of his career. He has gone 6-2 with a 2.49 ERA over his last 11 starts (Texas is 7-4) to lower season ERA from 3.87 to 3.19, sixth-lowest among AL qualifiers. "He's been the most consistent guy out there," Texas manager Jeff Banister said. "He's missed a little time but has progressively gotten better throughout the year. He's been a stabilizer in that rotation. He's pitched like a front-end-of-the-rotation pitcher for us." Make the Under a 10* play.

The set up: Thanks to Justin Verlander, Houston won a good old fashioned pitcher's duel last night, 1-0 over the Angels. The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the AL West leaders and reduced their magic number to five. The loss hurt the Angels as they fell to two games back of Minnesota in the battle for the American League's final playoff berth. There has been a pitching change for tonight as the Astros will be going with Michael Fiers rather than Lance McCullers (arm fatigue). My play here still stands.

The pitching matchup: The move from McCullers to Fiers doesn't impact my play here because neither was going to match what we saw from Verlander (eight shutout innings of one-hit ball) last night. Fiers has allowed a total of 14 runs in his last two starts and the Over is 6-2 when he starts on the road. A 5.08 ERA on the road shows that it's not the offense that's responsible for those Overs as Fiers clearly hasn't pitched well either. Angels starter Tyler Skaggs isn't exactly in top form either coming into tonight as he's allowed a total of 19 runs in his previous four starts. One of them was against Houston and he allowed five runs in five innings.

The pick: Neither starting pitcher figures to perform well tonight and thus it's going to be a very different matchup compared to last night. Houston leads all of baseball (by a wide margin) in runs per game scored on the road at 6.1. Thus, it should come as no shock that the Over is 41-24-7 in all of their road game this season. The Angels aren't nearly the offensive juggernaut that Houston is, but they do have Mike Trout in their lineup and figure to score at least a few runs off Fiers. Make the Over an 8* play.

The set up: The Dodgers now own the dubious distinction of being the first team in MLB history to have both won and lost 15 of 16 games in the same season. Their losing streak has hit 11 games following last night's 8-6 setback at the hands of the Giants. Despite being huge favorites with Clayton Kershaw starting tonight, the NL West leaders are basically "unplayable" at this point as they have to show me some semblance of getting back on track. The Giants are having a disastrous season as they are 36 games back of Los Angeles and have been one of the worst teams in baseball for most of 2017.

The pitching matchup: Even the great Kershaw hasn't been immune to his team's recent futility. His last start saw him last only 3 2/3 innings and he allowed four runs as the Dodgers lost 9-1 to the Rockies as -305 favorites! But I fully anticipate him bouncing back here. The Dodgers lone win in the last 17 games came with Kershaw on the mound as he threw six innings of shutout ball. Kershaw is clearly still one of the best pitchers in baseball and on the road his record is 8-1 to go along with a 1.45 ERA and 0.893 WHIP. San Francisco goes with Johnny Cueto here and he at least should give the team a "fighting chance." Cueto has a solid 3.21 ERA in 16 career starts vs. Los Angeles.

The pick: Due to a three-plus hour rain delay, last night's game didn't end until after 2 am PT! That should give a huge edge to the pitchers in this one. Not that Kershaw needs it; he's beaten the Giants 20 times in his career and has 1.62 ERA while doing it. It also helps that the Giants have scored the second fewest runs in all of baseball. Cueto is off one of his best starts of the year though and as mentioned before, should keep his team in it. The Dodgers have scored one run or less in five of their last eight contests. The Under seems like a logical call here, so make it a 10* play.

The set-up: LA's 'free-fall' has been sudden and dramatic. Los Angeles was outscored 19-2 during a three-game home sweep at the hands of wild card-leading Arizona D'backs, trimming its lead in the NL West to 10 1/2 games. While the Diamondbacks have won 13 straight games, the Dodgers have lost six in a row and 11 of their last 12 contests. Colorado missed a chance to distance themselves from the pack in the NL wild-card race by going just 3-6 on its just-completed nine-game homestand. Colorado has fallen 7 1/2 games back of the red-hot D'backs for the No. 1 wild card spot and now is looking over its shoulder at the Cards (two back) and Brewers ( 21/2 games back). Can Colorado gain some separation on the road as it begins a crucial eight-game road trip on Thursday with the opener of a four-game series against the major league-best but suddenly struggling 92-47 LA Dodgers.

The pitching matchup: Jon Gray (6-4 & 4.26 ERA) steps to the mound for Colorado and Clayton Kershaw (16-2 & 1.95 ERA) for LA. Gray has been very solid by allowing three runs or less in each of his last eight starts but is just 3-3 in that span (Rockies are only 3-5). Gray is 2-3 with a 3.75 ERA in seven career starts (Rockies are 4-3) against Los Angeles, including a no-decision on April 8 in which he allowed one run over 5 1/3 frames despite yielding four hits and three walks. Kershaw makes just his second start since missing over one month with a lower back strain. He showed no ill effects from the injury in his return, as he allowed two hits and struck out seven over six scoreless innings of a 1-0 triumph at San Diego on Friday (LA's lone win in the team's last 12 games). Kershaw yielded four runs over six frames in a loss at Colorado on April 8 but won his next three starts against the Rockies in 2017, allowing a total of four runs over 20 innings, to improve to 21-6 (3.05 ERA) lifetime versus the Rockies in 36 starts (Dodgers are 27-9).

The pick: Kershaw has been un-hittable in 2017, as he'll take a 12-game winning streak into this contest (last loss was back on May 1, with the Dodgers going in 16-0 his starts over that span). Kershaw has allowed just 103 hits in 147 1/3 innings with a 175-24 KW ratio, an 0.86 WHIP and a BAA of .193! Meanwhile, Gray enters pitching well too, a job made easier by the LA bats suddenly going 'silent.' The Dodgers have lost five straight at home, while scoring just four runs (note; LA has averaged just 2.2 5 RPG in losing 11 of 12). Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: Cleveland's 14-game winning streak has helped them all but run away and hide in the AL Central at 83-56, leaving the 72-67 Tins and the 69-69 Royals battling for a wild card spot. The Twins currently hold down the No. 2 AL wild card spot, while the Royals are one of SIX teams lurking behind Minnesota, no more than three games behind (Royals are 2 1/2 back). The two division rivals open a pivotal four-game series on Thursday in Kansas City. The Royals return home off a 4-2 road trip, while the Twins come to KC after losing two of three at home to the Royals last weekend, before opening the new week by losing two of three at Tampa Bay.

The pitching matchup: Kyle Gibson (9-10 & 5.33 ERA) gets the nod for Minnesota and Sam Gaviglio (3-5 & 4.62 ERA) for KC. Gibson tossed six scoreless innings in a 17-0 rout of the Royals last Friday, his third consecutive win. He's allowed only three runs over 19 2/3 innings during his winning streak (1.37 ERA), dropping his ERA below 5.40 for the first time this season! He's pitched reasonably well against KC in his career, posting a 6-4 record and 3.53 ERA in 14 starts (1team is 10-4). Gaviglio was claimed off waivers from Seattle last week and will be thrust into a big spot in his Royals debut. He makes his first start in the majors since losing four straight starts with the Mariners from June 24-July 18 (allowed 17 ERs over 23 innings in that span for a 6.65 ERA). He will be seeking his first win since beating the Twins in Minnesota on June 14 (his only career start vs. the Twins), although note that Gaviglio surrendered three HRs in that win.

The pick: I'm not sure what KC may have seen in Gaviglio in claiming off waivers? I see a 6.65 ERA in his last four starts while with the Mariners. As for Gibson, he owns a 1.61 WHIP and .300 BAA to go along with his 5.33 ERA on the season for the Twins. Make the Over an 8* play.

The set-up: The Indians made it a 'lucky' 13th straight win last night, rolling over the AL-worst White Sox, 9-4. Cleveland can now match the franchise record of 14 consecutive victories (set by last season's team) when they take on Chicago in the third contest of this four-game series on Wednesday. Jose Ramirez hit two HRs in Tuesday's win (13 straight wins is the majors' longest in 2017), making him 19-for-38 with seven HRs over his last nine games. The White Sox have dropped six of their last eight and are a horrific 29 games below .500 at 54-83.

The pitching matchup: Carlos Carrasco (13-6 & 3.67 ERA) starts for Cleveland and Reynaldo Lopez (0-2 & 6.06 ERA) for Chicago. Carrasco is 3-1 over his last five outings (team is 4-1) and has allowed two runs or less in four of those starts. He is just one victory away from matching the career high he set in 2015 (14-12) and 17 strikeouts shy of his second campaign with 200. Carrasco has gone 2-0 with a 1.33 ERA in three starts (Indians are 3-0), improving his carrer record to 5-9 with a 4.82 ERA in 20 career appearances (19 starts / team is 8-11) against Chicago. Lopez makes his fourth start of the season for the White Sox. He seeks his first win since Sept. 29, 2016, against Arizona while with the Nationals. Lopez was acquired by the White Sox last December as part of a trade that sent outfielder Adam Eaton to Washington. He was called up from Triple-A on Aug. 11 and placed on the disabled list due to a strained back eight days later. Lopez was reinstated Friday and took the 3-1 loss that night against the Tampa Bay Rays, allowing three runs, five hits and a walk while striking out a season-high seven over six innings.

The pick: Cleveland has outscored opponents 93-25 during its winning streak, has won 17 of its past 19 games away from Progressive Field (9-0 on its current 11-game road trip that ends Thursday) and the Indians now lead the AL Central by 11 games over the Twins. Cleveland prices are now 'sky-high' but I'll look to the Under to be an 8* play.

The pitching matchup: Justin Verlander (10-8 & 3.82 ERA) makes his debut for the Houston Astros when he takes the mound against the Mariners on Tuesday in the middle contest of this three-game series. Ariel Miranda (8-6 & 4.85 ERA) will take the mound for Seattle. Verlander was recently acquired from Detroit after winning 183 games in 12-plus seasons with the club, topped by a 2011 campaign in which he won American League MVP and Cy Young honors. He was undecided about agreeing to the deal but eventually waived his no-trade clause with the Astros headed to the playoffs. It's been a so-so season for Verlander (see above) but he did pitch well in his last three starts for Detroit, going 2-0 with 1.71 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 21 innings during the span (Tigers were 2-1). He is 10-8 with a 3.15 ERA in 22 career outings (Tigers are 11-11) against Seattle. Miranda has earned just a single victory over his last 10 starts and has worked five innings or fewer in each of the past five. He is tied for most HRs allowed in the majors (35). Miranda has served up seven HRs while going 0-2 with a 5.70 ERA in four starts against Houston this season (Mariners are 2-2) and 1-2 with a 4.99 ERA in five career outings (team is 3-2).

The pick: Verlander comes in on a nice roll, having won five of his last six decisions and has given up two runs or fewer in six of his last seven outings. Verlander has posted a 2.13 ERA in two no-decisions against the Mariners this season (Detroit lost both games) and retired the first 16 batters he faced back on June 21, when he registered a season-best 11 strikeouts against the Mariners. Miranda is clearly not in Verlander's class but I still see this as a solid Under play. Make it 8*s.

The set-up: The Chicago Cubs returned from the All Star break to go 14-3, catching and passing the Brewers in the NL Central. Chicago did hit a small rough patch right after that but now, even with a Sunday 5-1 loss to the Braves, owns a run of 12 wins in their last 16 games. Chicago opens a four-game series Monday in Pittsburgh with an overall 32-16 since the break and a 3 1/2 game lead in the NL Central over Milwaukee. Pittsburgh made a little 'noise' for itself right after the All Star break by winning seven of eight (reaching 49-48) but since sitting at 58-58 after play on Aug. 11, has gone 7-14 to sit seven games under .500 at 65-72. Chicago's three-game sweep of Pittsburgh last week at Wrigley Field by a combined 27-5, effectively took the Pirates out of consideration for a shot at the postseason. The Pirates have fallen 10 1/2 games back in the NL Central and are 7 1/2 games back of the Rockies, who own the final wild card spot.

The pitching matchup: Jake Arrieta (14-8 & 3.36 ERA) has easily been Chicago's pitching star since the break and opens this series, opposed by Pittsburgh's Chad Kuhl (6-10 & 4.54 ERA). Arrieta is 6-1 with a 1.59 ERA since the break, with eight quality starts in nine outings. He takes the mound having won his last four decisions. Arrieta beat the Pirates 4-1 n his last outing (Sep 29), allowing two hits and two walks over six scoreless frames. That leaves him 11-5 with a 2.81 ERA in 20 career starts against the Pirates (teams are 14-6). In contrast to Arrieta, Kuhl has lost two straight starts and three of his last four, failing to get through six innings in any of those four outings. Kuhl lost to the Cubs last time out (opposite Arrieta) and is 0-4 with an 11.07 ERA in six career meetings (team is 2-4).

The pick: Kuhl and Arrieta opposed each other last Tuesday in Chicago, with each pitching five shutout innings before Chicago scored three in the six of a 4-1 Cubs win. Hard to ignore Arrieta's 1.59 ERA since the break but also note that Kuhl owns a 3.44 ERA over his past 12 starts. Make the Under an 8* play.

The set-up: The NYY Yankees lost 10-0 at home to the Red Sox on Friday but rebounded with a 5-1 Saturday win. The rubber match of this three-game series is set for Sunday night (on ESPN) and New York needs a win, not only to stay within striking distance of Boston in the AL East (a win and the Yanks will be 3 1/2 back but a loss drops them 5 1/2 back) but the Yankees also need to be very much aware that the Twins are just one game back in the battle for the top wild card spot plus New York is only a modest 2 1/2 games clear of the AL playoff 'cut line.' The Red Sox are heading back to Boston for a nine-game homestand beginning Monday and you know a 5 1/2 game lead would be much sweeter than a 3 1/2 ga.me lead.

The pitching matchup: Boston will send ace Chris Sale (15-6 & 2.77 ERA) to the mound in this series finale, as the Yankees counter with Luis Severino (11-6 & 3.14 ERA), who I believe most regard as New York's best starter in 2017. Sale ended a three-start win-less streak with a dominating effort at Toronto this past Tuesday, when he struck out 11 without walking a batter and scattered three hits over seven scoreless innings of a 3-0 Boston win. He may be the AL's Cy Young front-runner, as he leads the majors with 264 strikeouts and is 10 away from matching his career high, set with the Chicago White Sox in 2015. Sale owns a 1.69 career ERA against the Yankees but is a modest 4-3, plus his teams are only 5-6 in his 11 all-time starts against the Yanks. Severino is fourth in the AL with 192 strikeouts and struck out nine over 6 2/3 innings against Cleveland on Monday but could not come away with a win. He owns a 1.10 WHIP and .220 BAA in 2017 but the Yanks are a modest 15-11 in his starts, giving him a moneyline mark of minus-$5 (you read that correctly!). Severino is just 1-4 with a 4.98 ERA over six career starts vs. Boston (team is 2-4) and his worst start of the season came at home against Boston on Aug. 12, when he was ripped for 10 runs -- eight earned -- over 4 1/3 innings.

The pick: I expect Severino to bounce back here in this "big-time showdown" (he IS New York's best pitcher!) but also expect Sale to bring his "A game." Sale owns a 2.12 ERA with 44 strikeouts in 29 2/3 innings against New York this season but is just 0-2 in four outings (Red Sox are 1-3) due to poor run support. That's been 'the story' for Sale in his career vs. the Yanks. Shut them down (1.69 ERA in 11 all-time starts) but consistently get little or no support. Sound like "an under" to me. Make the Under