Sports Picks & Predictions

All Sports Archive
Date	Match Up	Rating	Score	Result	Profit	Lead Time	Analysis
08-28-23	Rangers -144 v. Mets	Top	4-3	Win	100	18 h 35 m	Show
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Texas Rangers over the New York Mets. On Sunday, the Mets downed the Anaheim Angels, 3-2, while Texas fell in 13 innings, 7-6, to the Minnesota Twins. Today, New York is a home underdog against the 73-57 Rangers, and we'll go against the Mets, as they're a dreadful 48-99 (minus 39.4 net games) as an underdog, including 11-36 (minus 22.6 net games) this season, and 1-8 as a dog with Tylor Megill on the mound. Interleague play also hasn't been kind to New York, as it's 33-44 (minus 23.6 net games) vs. the American League. Veteran RHP Jon Gray will toe the rubber for Texas, and his teams have gone 18-12 (+7.1 net games) in interleague play. Gray also has a solid 2.50 ERA and 1.11 WHIP over his last 3 starts. Take Texas. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
08-28-23	Nationals v. Blue Jays -238	Top	3-6	Win	100	18 h 31 m	Show
At 7:07 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over the Washington Nationals. With their chances of catching the first place O's fading quickly, the Blue Jays -- 11 games over .500 -- have to start focusing on the Astros and Rangers. Those two teams currently hold down the final two AL Wild Card spots and Toronto needs to take advantage of series against weak opponents like the two coming up this week against the Nationals and Rockies. Veteran RHP Kevin Gausman will start tonight for Toronto in the first game of this series against Washington at home. The Nats are a team which Gausman is familiar with from his time in the NL, particularly with the Braves. He's lost his last two starts but those were against his nemesis Baltimore, and before that, Philadelphia. Tonight, he'll face off against a Nationals' lineup, which is a significant downgrade from those two clubs. In 25 starts covering just over 150 innings, Gausman is 9-8 with a 3.23 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and he leads all MLB players with 195 strikeouts. Barring something unusual, Gausman will log over 200 K's for the third straight season. Take the Jays. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-27-23	Texans +3.5 v. Saints	Top	17-13	Win	100	66 h 35 m	Show
At 8 pm, on Sunday, our selection is on the Houston Texans + the points over the New Orleans Saints. We played against Houston last Saturday and easily cashed Miami, which blew out the Texans, 28-3. Meanwhile, the Saints went into Los Angeles, and downed the Chargers, 22-17, as a 3-point road favorite. New Orleans is a horrible 17-32-1 ATS as a home favorite in the preseason when laying more than 2 points, while Houston is 14-3 ATS as a road underdog in the preseason when getting more than 2 points. That bodes well for the Texans here. As does the fact that teams off blowout losses by more than 20 points have covered 60.4% in the preseason when playing away from home. Grab the points with Houston. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
08-26-23	UMass +7.5 v. New Mexico State	Top	41-30	Win	100	101 h 34 m	Show
At 7 pm, our selection is on the Massachusetts Minutemen + the points over New Mexico State. After coaching UMass from 2004 to 2008 (the best 5-year period in UMass' football history), Don Brown returned to Amherst last season to man the sidelines again. Last season, UMass struggled to a 1-11 record, which was the 3rd straight full season it went 1-11. This year, UMass will look to improve on that record, and it will open the 2023 season against a team which it lost to each of the past two years. The Aggies won, 44-27, in 2021, as a 7 point home favorite. And then, last season, they went into Amherst, and down the Minutemen, 23-13, in a PK'em game. We'll play on the double-revenge-minded Minutemen, as the Aggies are a poor 3-17 ATS at home when playing an opponent it defeated the previous season, including 0-7 ATS as a home favorite of less than 8 points. And they're 4-11 ATS vs. teams they defeated each of the two previous seasons, including 1-7 ATS at home. Grab the points with UMass. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
08-26-23	Browns -3.5 v. Chiefs	Top	32-33	Loss	-110	10 h 19 m	Show
At 1 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Browns over the Kansas City Chiefs. Last week, the Browns tied the Philadelphia Eagles, 18-18, while KC blew out Arizona, 38-10. But off that 28-point blowout win, we'll fade Andy Reid's men this afternoon. The Chiefs have been installed as a home underdog. Unfortunately, since 1983, home dogs of more than 3 points have covered just 27 percent in the preseason off a win by more than 8 points. That bodes well for the Browns. As does the fact that the Chiefs are a wallet-crushing 20-49-1 ATS in the preseason when not favored by 2 (or more) points, including 4-24 ATS vs. foes off a win/tie in their previous game. Lay the points with Cleveland. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
08-25-23	Chargers v. 49ers UNDER 38	Top	23-12	Win	100	42 h 41 m	Show
At 10 pm, our selection is on the UNDER in the Los Angeles Chargers/San Francisco 49ers game. The 49ers have played 14 of 24 home preseason games UNDER the total. And they've also gone UNDER 6-2 in Week 3 of the preseason, while the Chargers have gone UNDER 7-2-1 in Week 3. These two teams have matched up twice in the past two years (one regular season, one preseason), and each game went under the total (by an average of 8.25 ppg). I look for another low-scoring game between these clubs, as the UNDER falls into 66.6% and 72.7% preseason totals systems of mine.
08-24-23	Blue Jays +100 v. Orioles	Top	3-5	Loss	-100	16 h 57 m	Show
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over the Baltimore Orioles. The Jays will hand the ball to veteran Jose Berrios this season. This will be his 14th career start vs. Baltimore, and all he's done is go 10-0 with a 2.66 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. And his teams have gone 12-0 in his 12 starts vs. Baltimore since 2017, including a 3-1 win here at Camden Yards in June. Berrios was brilliant in that victory, as he held the Birds' offense to 0 runs over 7 2/3 innings. Toronto is a solid 43-30 (+11.8 net games) on the road vs. winning teams. Take Toronto. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
08-24-23	Red Sox v. Astros -123	Top	17-1	Loss	-123	10 h 51 m	Show
At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Boston Red Sox. J.P. France may not have the star power or name recognition of some other AL Freshmen like Gunnar Henderson or Josh Jung, but he should definitely be in the conversation when it comes to handing out the hardware for Rookie of the Year. Heading into the season, it was thought that another Houston rookie starter, Hunter Brown, would be the one getting all the attention at this point, but instead it's been the RH France who, at the ripe age of 28, has been turning heads on this team in his first MLB season. In 18 games -- 17 starts -- covering 108 innings, France has logged a 9-4 record with a 2.75 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. He'll get a chance to improve on those numbers and reach double-digit wins this afternoon with his first career start vs. the Red Sox. Even more impressive than his overall numbers is the fact that in his last nine games -- eight starts -- going back to June 29, France is 7-1 with a 1.98 ERA and the Astros are 8-1 in those games. Finally, the 'Stros are 76-38 off a loss. Take Houston. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-23-23	Blue Jays -120 v. Orioles	Top	0-7	Loss	-120	18 h 43 m	Show
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over the Baltimore Orioles. We played on the Blue Jays as an underdog last night, and were rewarded with a 6-3 victory. Tonight, the Jays are a road favorite, and we'll come right back with them. Kevin Gausman will toe the rubber for Toronto, and his teams have gone 16-4 on the road vs. division rivals, and 17-6 on the road vs. winning foes with him on the mound. Gausman will match-up against Dean Kremer for the Orioles. Toronto is a solid 127-102 (+11.35 net games) on the road, and 33-23 (+9.15 net games) when its odds are priced between +125 and -125. Take the Blue Jays. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
08-22-23	Blue Jays +105 v. Orioles	Top	6-3	Win	105	18 h 15 m	Show
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over the Baltimore Orioles. The Blue Jays will seek to gain ground on the division-leading Orioles, and also make up ground in the Wild Card race in this 3-game series. Toronto has been installed as an underdog, and it's excelled as a dog this season, going 20-14 (+8.8 net games), including 6-3 when starter Yusei Kikuchi is on the mound. And in Kikuchi's career, when he's been installed as a road underdog, he's been a profitable 22-25 (+6.5 net games). Grayson Rodriguez will get the ball for Baltimore tonight, and he faced off against Kikuchi 20 days ago. The Orioles' rookie surrendered 3 runs over 5 2/3 innings in that game, and was outdueled by Kikuchi (6 IP, 1 ER) in a 4-1 Blue Jays win. I expect more of the same tonight. Take Toronto. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
08-21-23	Rangers -148 v. Diamondbacks	Top	3-4	Loss	-148	10 h 13 m	Show
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Texas Rangers over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Rangers were swept at home by the Milwaukee Brewers over the weekend, and look to bounce back against a red-hot Diamondbacks team, which has won seven of nine. Newly-acquired Jordan Montgomery threw his 4th straight quality start last week vs. the Angels, in a 7-3 Rangers victory. And he's given up just 23 earned runs in his last 14 starts (11 with St. Louis), for a 2.47 ERA. Tonight, he's been installed as a road favorite vs. the D-Backs. The Diamondbacks are a soft 20-49 (minus 19.7 net games) as a home dog priced from +125 to +175, and 6-19 their last 25 vs. winning teams. Meanwhile, Texas is 15-7 this season off back-to-back losses, and 18-11 after scoring less than 3 runs. Take Texas. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie
08-20-23	Mariners v. Astros -168	Top	7-6	Loss	-168	11 h 26 m	Show
At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Seattle Mariners. On Saturday, the Mariners went off and plated double-digit runs in a 10-3 rout of the Astros in Houston thanks to the hottest hitter in the game right now. M's OF Julio Rodriguez broke an MLB record that stood for almost 100 years when he got his 17th hit in his last four games. If the 'Stros can just find a way to slow down the 22-year-old Seattle superstar, they should be able to win this series finale against the Mariners. That chore will fall on the broad shoulders of young Houston RH Hunter Brown. The 24-year-old won his last appearance, but it wasn't as a starter. On August 15, Brown pitched two scoreless innings to secure the victory over the Marlins in South Florida in what was his only appearance thus far out of the bullpen. He'll come back this afternoon to get his 23rd start of the season -- his 10th at home. In seven daytime starts this season, Brown has a 3.32 ERA (vs. 4.57 in 16 games -- 15 starts -- under the lights). Houston's also 75-37 (+27.1 net games) off a loss. Take the Astros. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-19-23	Cowboys +7 v. Seahawks	Top	14-22	Loss	-110	18 h 4 m	Show
At 10 pm, our selection is on the Dallas Cowboys + the points over Seattle. The Cowboys have been installed as a big underdog vs. Seattle. I've never been a fan of laying this many points in a preseason game, as favorites of more than 6 points have covered just 42% since 1983, including 35% off a double-digit win. With Seattle, indeed, off a 24-13 win vs. Minnesota, we'll fade the Seahawks, and take the points with Dallas. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
08-19-23	Patriots +3 v. Packers	Top	21-17	Win	100	16 h 3 m	Show
At 8:00 pm, our selection is on the New England Patriots + the points over Green Bay. The Jordan Love era got off on the right foot last week, as the Packers destroyed Cincinnati, 36-19. Meanwhile, New England stumbled in its opener, and fell to Houston, 20-9. But we'll take the Patriots to bounce back, as teams off a loss have covered 58% vs. foes that scored 35+ points the previous week. Take New England.
08-19-23	Bucs +3.5 v. Jets	Top	13-6	Win	100	16 h 33 m	Show
At 7:30 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers + the points over the New York Jets. We played on the Jets last week vs. Carolina, and were rewarded with a 27-0 upset win. Unfortunately for New York, teams that are favored (or Pk'em) off shutout wins have covered just 38% in the preseason. Take Tampa Bay + the points.
08-19-23	Giants +110 v. Braves	Top	5-6	Loss	-100	8 h 3 m	Show
At 7:20 pm, our selection is on the San Francisco Giants over the Atlanta Braves. You'd be hard-pressed to name a more underrated starter in the Majors this season than the Giants' Logan Webb. At first glance, the 26-year-old RH's 9-9 record does not seem all that impressive. But dig a little deeper and you'll see a 3.26 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and a league leading workload of 163 innings combined with another league-best 6.04 strikeouts-to-walks ratio. Webb has been a model of consistency for a Giants team that hasn't always been consistent this season. He'll get his 26th start of the season tonight against the best team in the Majors but that shouldn't bother Webb at all. In four career starts vs. the Braves covering 27 innings, Webb is 2-0 with a 1.33 ERA and 0.82 WHIP with 29 strikeouts and three walks. Three of those starts were here at Truist Park where Webb has a 0.90 ERA and 0.80 WHIP in 20 innings. Despite his .500 record on the season, the Giants are 9-4 in Webb's last 13 trips to the mound going back to June 7. Take San Francisco. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-19-23	Mariners v. Astros -149	Top	10-3	Loss	-149	8 h 53 m	Show
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over Seattle. The Astros fell here, at home, last night to Seattle. But Houston is a solid 75-36 (+28.6 net games) off a loss. And Framber Valdez is 3-0 in his career vs. the Mariners with a 2.48 ERA. Take Houston.
08-19-23	Blue Jays -143 v. Reds	Top	4-3	Win	100	7 h 24 m	Show
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over the Cincinnati Reds. The Blue Jays were shut out, 1-0, last night, so I look for them to bounce back today. Toronto is an awesome 38-19 after scoring less than 2 runs. And Chris Bassitt's teams have gone 15-0 as a road favorite priced at -125 (or higher). Take Toronto.
08-19-23	Dolphins +2 v. Texans	Top	28-3	Win	100	12 h 2 m	Show
At 4 pm, our selection is on the Miami Dolphins + the points over the Houston Texans. Houston has been installed as a favorite this week following its 20-9 win at New England in Week 1. This afternoon, Houston will take on the Dolphins, who out-yarded the Atlanta Falcons, 317-227, in their opener, but lost, 19-3. The reason the Dolphins lost was turnovers. Miami coughed up the football four times, while the Falcons committed zero turnovers. We'll take Miami to bounce back off that embarrassing defeat, as NFL road underdogs with a scoring margin at least 27 points worse than their opponent have covered 63% since 1983 in Week 2. Meanwhile, teams like Houston, off a double-digit road win in Week 1 have covered just 43% in Week 2. Grab the points with Miami. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
08-19-23	Royals v. Cubs -183	Top	4-6	Win	100	5 h 46 m	Show
At 2:20 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Kansas City Royals. What kind of future odds could you have gotten on the Cubs' Justin Steele leading the Majors in wins this season? Most people hadn't even heard of the 27-year-old LHP back in March, much less predicted he would be one of the best pitchers in the league this season. And of the four starters tied with 13 victories as of this writing (Zac Gallen, Spencer Strider, and Taijuan Walker are the other three) Steele has the lowest ERA at 2.79. He'll get his 23rd start of the season this afternoon and it will come at home against one of the worst teams in baseball. Not only is Steele tied for the most wins in the Majors, but at 13-3, he has the top win percentage as well at .813. Steele has done by far his best work at home this season as in 16 starts here at Wrigley he is 9-2 with a 2.56 ERA (vs. 4-1 and 3.38 in six starts on the road). In eight inter-league starts in 2023, Steele is 4-2 with a 2.70 ERA and 1.06 WHIP. Take Chicago. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-18-23	Bengals +6.5 v. Falcons	Top	13-13	Win	100	38 h 25 m	Show
At 7:30 pm, on Friday, our selection is on the Cincinnati Bengals + the points over the Atlanta Falcons. The Bengals were blown out at home, 36-19, by Green Bay last week, and have been installed as a huge underdog this week. We'll grab the points, as underdogs of more than 6 have covered 57.4 percent in the preseason since 1983. Even better: the Falcons are a miserable 15-35 ATS their last 50 preseason games, including 5-20 ATS at home. Take Cincinnati + the points. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
08-18-23	Blue Jays -145 v. Reds	Top	0-1	Loss	-145	18 h 40 m	Show
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds were getting people in Cincinnati excited about baseball again back in June when super prospect Elly De La Cruz came up and the team started putting strings of victories together (at one point winning 12 straight). But things have cooled off considerably and Cincy comes into this weekend series with the Jays having lost 10 of its last 14 games while falling behind the Cubs in the NL Central. Toronto comes into Cincinnati for the first time in almost 10 years hungry for its own winning streak as it vies for an AL Wild Card spot. The Jays will send veteran RH Jose Berrios to the mound for his 25th start of the season. The 29-year-old is 9-8 with a 3.53 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in just over 140 innings. The Jays have taken five of the last six meetings with the Reds going back to May of 2017, and are 24-13 in interleague games this season (and 51-26 the last 3 years). Take Toronto. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-17-23	Brewers +132 v. Dodgers	Top	0-1	Loss	-100	17 h 4 m	Show
At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Brewers are trying to create some separation between themselves and the Reds and Cubs in the NL Central as it's quite possible that only the division winner will advance from that group. But it's difficult when you're playing the Dodgers and Rangers -- Milwaukee's two opponents this week. The Brewers send their best starter, RH Corbin Burnes, out to the mound tonight and Burnes will be looking to bounce back from a sub-par performance last Friday in Chicago against the White Sox. Although the Brew Crew came back to win that game, it was an ugly outing from their ace (5.2 IP, 5 ER, 8 H). Prior to that poor start, though, Burnes had gone 4-1 with a 2.00 ERA with 52 strikeouts and only 17 hits allowed in his previous seven starts covering 45 innings. In 13 starts on the road this season, Burnes is 5-3 with a 3.35 ERA (vs. 4-3 and 3.92 in 11 starts at home). The Brewers are also 7-2 in Burnes' last nine starts going back to June 25. Take Milwaukee. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-16-23	Brewers v. Dodgers -219	Top	1-7	Win	100	12 h 8 m	Show
At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Milwaukee Brewers. Last Thursday, Clayton Kershaw saw his first game action since June 27, and it was vintage Kershaw -- albeit a bit shorter than what we're used to seeing when he's 100%. In that start -- his 17th of the season -- Kershaw allowed one run on three hits in five innings with four strikeouts and no walks in a 2-1 Dodgers victory over the Rockies. You can bet that the Dodgers will be cautious with their future Hall-of-Fame southpaw the rest of the regular season and they want Kershaw to be as close to his old self as possible come post-season. His next start will come tonight back at home against a better team than the one he faced last time. The Brewers are in first place in the NL Central, as they lead the Cubs and Reds by 3.5 games. In 17 career starts against the Brewers covering 106 innings, Kershaw is 7-5 with a 2.97 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. L.A. is 4-2 in the last six meetings with the Brew Crew. Take the Dodgers.
08-16-23	Orioles v. Padres -163	Top	2-5	Win	100	11 h 38 m	Show
At 8:40 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over the Baltimore Orioles. Since May 25, Blake Snell has been the best pitcher in baseball, as he's gone 8-2, and has allowed just 11 earned runs in 85 innings (1.16 ERA). Over that same time period, Dean Kremer has allowed 39 runs in 79 1/3 innings (4.42 ERA). In his career, Blake Snell's teams are 20-8 (+5.8 net games) as a home favorite priced from -150 to -200. Take the Padres. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
08-16-23	Astros v. Marlins +107	Top	12-5	Loss	-100	9 h 39 m	Show
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Miami Marlins over the Houston Astros. Justin Verlander came back to Houston at the trade deadline and so far in the couple of starts he's had back in an Astros uniform, the veteran RH has been solid but not over-powering. Clearly Verlander isn't the same pitcher he was last season when he won his third Cy Young award after going 18-4 with a 1.75 ERA. And he has a tough match-up tonight against the Marlins and their ace LH Jesus Luzardo. The 25-year-old from Peru is enjoying his second full season in South Florida, going 8-7 with a 3.91 ERA in 24 starts covering just under 134 innings. But Luzardo is coming off of his worst start of the season right here at home against the Yankees last Friday. In that one he allowed seven runs on nine hits in just 3 1/3 innings. The good news is that Luzardo is a strong candidate to bounce back tonight against an Astros team that he's intimately familiar with from his time in the AL West with the A's. The Marlins are 10-4 in Luzardo's last 14 starts here at LoanDepot Park. Take Miami.
08-15-23	Mariners -142 v. Royals	Top	10-8	Win	100	15 h 8 m	Show
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over the Kansas City Royals. In the first game of this series in Kansas City last night, the Mariners played yet another see-saw affair which has been the case more often than not lately. After scoring six runs in the last two innings to take the lead from the Royals, Seattle's bullpen was at it again, giving up a pair of runs in the bottom of the 9th allowing the Royals to escape with a 7-6 victory. The M's called upon former #1 draft pick Emerson Hancock for his MLB debut six days ago and the 24-year-old RH did not disappoint, throwing five innings while allowing just one run on two hits in a 6-1 Seattle win over the Padres. The former University of Georgia standout will get his second start for the M's tonight in another critical situation. And it's undoubtedly a better situation than his first start as he gets to face the 39-81 Royals who will go with veteran Jordan Lyles who is just 3-13 on the season (and the Royals have lost 16 of his 19 starts). Over his last four starts, Lyles has allowed 17 earned runs in 23 2/3 innings for an ERA of 6.46. Seattle is a solid 22-8 when priced on the road from -125 to -175. Take the Mariners. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-14-23	Orioles v. Padres -150	Top	4-1	Loss	-150	17 h 2 m	Show
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles just keep on amazing everyone and their wild series in Seattle prior to coming here was yet another example of how good they are -- even if they play on the edge most of the time. They took two out of three from the Mariners but it wasn't easy and now they'll have their hands full facing a trio of starters that's about as good as it gets in today's league (Darvish, Wacha, and Snell). They begin with the 36-year-old Japanese star RH. Darvish hasn't had the dominating season we're used to seeing from him, but he still has a crazy mix of pitches and is capable of going deep into games against the best lineups. In 21 starts covering just over 120 innings, Darvish is 8-7 with a 4.19 ERA with 125 strikeouts. Darvish has been great in these interleague situations in his career as he is 17-8 with a 3.23 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 37 starts covering 231 1/3 innings vs. teams from the opposite league. Take the Padres. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-14-23	Yankees v. Braves -216	Top	3-11	Win	100	15 h 41 m	Show
At 7:20 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the New York Yankees. The Braves just took 3 of 4 from the Mets and outscored them, 40-10. Tonight, they'll take on the Big Apple's other franchise, the Yankees. The Pinstripes have floundered this season, with a 60-58 record. And they've now lost six straight road series to St. Louis, Colorado, Anaheim, Baltimore, the White Sox, and Miami. In those six series, the Yankees went 5-13. Max Fried gets the ball for Atlanta, and the Braves have gone an awesome 86-39 (33.6 net games) in his starts, including 43-18 (+12.3 net games) in his 61 home starts. Take Atlanta. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
08-14-23	Astros -135 v. Marlins	Top	1-5	Loss	-135	14 h 4 m	Show
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Miami Marlins. In his first start back after he threw a no-hitter at home on August 1, LHP Framber Valdez didn't have his best stuff in Baltimore. Fortunately, it didn't matter in the W/L column as the Astros got a dramatic 9th inning grand slam from Kyle Tucker and beat the Orioles 7-6 on August 8. With all that drama behind him, the 29-year-old southpaw will hopefully be able to settle down tonight in South Florida and pitch like he has been most of 2023. It will be just his second career start vs. the Marlins and his first one was solid -- a six-inning outing last June 11 when he allowed two runs on four hits in a 5-1 Miami victory. Valdez enjoys these situations as in 21 interleague starts covering just under 123 innings he is 9-7 with a 3.52 ERA and 1.22 WHIP with 122 strikeouts. He is also 5-2 on the road this season vs. just 4-5 at home and the 'Stros are 26-13 in his last 39 starts away from Houston. The Astros are also 11-4 in Valdez's last 15 starts going back to May 9. Take Houston. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-13-23	Rangers v. Giants -132	Top	2-3	Win	100	6 h 55 m	Show
At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the San Francisco Giants over the Texas Rangers. Giants' RHP Logan Webb's MLB workload has increased in each of the four seasons he's been in the league. And by the looks of things, it's going to increase again this season. In fact, Webb's 154 1/3 innings of work coming into this afternoon -- his 25th start of the season -- leads all MLB starters and he'll likely go over 200 for the first time in his career (he had a career-high 192 1/3 in 2022). He'll be facing a very good Texas Rangers team but it's one that he's had some success against in the past. In two career starts vs. the Rangers covering 9 2/3 innings, Webb is 1-0 with a 1.86 ERA with 14 strikeouts. He also loves pitching here at home as in 51 appearances at Oracle Park (48 starts), Webb is 22-14 with a 2.81 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. Compare that to his road numbers -- 18-14 with a 4.10 ERA in 53 starts -- and you can see why the Giants want to try to give him as many home starts as possible down the stretch. Nothwithstanding yesterday's defeat, the Giants have won seven of the last 11 meetings with Texas. Take San Francisco. As always, good luck...Al McMordie
08-12-23	Rangers v. Giants -120	Top	9-3	Loss	-120	17 h 48 m	Show
At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the San Francisco Giants over the Texas Rangers. With things seemingly spiraling out of control for both the Diamondbacks and Padres, the door has never been as wide open for the Giants this season as it appears right now. Both of those aforementioned NL West teams have losing records while the Giants are eight games over .500 and poised to become the #2 Wild Card team in the NL if things ended right now. The Giants will send RHP Alex Cobb to the mound for his 22nd start of the season. The 35-year-old is having one of this best campaigns since his 2017 season when he won 12 games and earlier this summer he made the All Star team for the first time. Cobb's start tonight will come against one of the best teams in MLB this season in the Texas Rangers. Cobb excels in inter-league situations as in 33 career starts covering 204 innings vs. teams from the opposite league, Cobb is 13-9 with a 2.69 ERA and 1.01 WHIP. The Giants are 11-1 in Cobb's last 12 starts under the lights, and 7-0 in his last seven home outings. Take San Francisco. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-12-23	Yankees v. Marlins -125	Top	1-3	Win	100	12 h 52 m	Show
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Miami Marlins over the New York Yankees. The tough luck pitcher of all of MLB in the second half has to be Sandy Alcantara of the Marlins. Now granted, earlier in the season, Alcantara was mostly just pitching poorly, but that hasn't been the case since the second week of July. In his last six starts, Alcantara has a 2.59 ERA with 36 strikeouts and five walks in just under 42 innings. Yet he has just a 1-3 record to show for it and the Marlins are 1-5 in those. The good news is there's a lot of ball left to be played so hopefully for Miami, Alcantara doesn't let the frustration get to him as the team will definitely need him down the stretch as it battles for a Wild Card spot. Start number 24 for the 27-year-old RH will come this afternoon at home against the Yankees. Although his record doesn't show it, Alcantara has done his best work here this season with a 3.95 ERA in south Florida vs. 4.56 elsewhere. Despite a disappointing season so far, the skill set is still there as Alcantara has two complete games to his credit in 2023 (one of them being a shutout). Take Miami. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-12-23	Jets +3.5 v. Panthers	Top	27-0	Win	100	12 h 41 m	Show
At 4 pm, our selection is on the New York Jets + the points over the Carolina Panthers. QB Aaron Rodgers didn't play in last week's 21-16 upset loss to the Cleveland Browns, and he won't play again today vs. the Panthers. So, the Panthers have been installed as a big favorite, in Frank Reich's debut as head coach. But I will happily take the points with the Jets, as the Panthers have covered just 3 of 16 preseason games vs. foes off an upset loss, provided the Panthers weren't also off an upset loss. Grab the points with New York. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
08-11-23	Angels v. Astros -183	Top	3-11	Win	100	16 h 45 m	Show
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Anaheim Angels. Justin Verlander is no doubt happy to be back with the Houston Astros, with which he won two World Series rings (2017, 2022), and two Cy Young Awards (2019, 2022). And he also will be happy to face the Angels tonight, given that he's compiled a 2.36 ERA over his last 13 starts vs. Anaheim, with the Astros winning 10 of those 13 games. Verlander will match up against the Angels' Reid Detmers, who has a career ERA of 4.88 in six starts vs. Houston. Even worse for Anaheim: the Astros are 63-26 (+21.2 net games) vs. southpaws. Take the Astros. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
08-11-23	Braves -166 v. Mets	Top	7-0	Win	100	15 h 45 m	Show
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the New York Mets. The Braves lost to the Buccos yesterday, 7-5. And that was Atlanta's 4th defeat in its last six games. We'll take Atlanta to bounce back this evening, as it's an awesome 84-37 (+22.3 net games) as a road favorite priced at -125 or higher. Meanwhile, the Mets are a miserable 8-29 (minus 20.2 net games) as an underdog this season. Take Atlanta.
08-11-23	Guardians v. Rays -187	Top	8-9	Win	100	14 h 14 m	Show
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Cleveland Guardians. The starting pitchers who changed clubs over the trade deadline have had their first -- and in some cases, second -- starts with their new team...with varying results. One of the ones who struggled first time up was the Rays' newest arm, RH Aaron Civale. The 28-year-old went into Detroit on August 5 and laid a bit of an egg, giving up three runs on nine hits in just 4 1/3 innings. The pressure is on Civale more now than it was even five days ago with the recent news that Tampa's ace, Shane McClanahan is "highly unlikely" to pitch again the rest of the season due to forearm tightness. So Civale's second start -- his first in front of his new home fans -- becomes very important as the Rays try to catch the Orioles in the East. And it comes against no less than his former club, the Guardians, so he should know the lineup very well. In Cleveland this season, Civale was an ace, going 5-2 with a sparkling 2.34 ERA in 13 starts covering 77 innings, and he pitched better on the road than at home. Take Tampa.
08-10-23	Twins -150 v. Tigers	Top	0-3	Loss	-150	3 h 46 m	Show
At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Detroit Tigers. Last night, the Tigers won 9-5, and out-hit the Twins 17-7, behind two Spencer Torkelson home runs. And that was Minny's 2nd straight defeat. I like the Twins to bounce back on Thursday. Kenta Maeda will get his 13th start of the season. Overall, his ERA is 4.22, while his WHIP is 1.15. But one of his 12 starts was a disastrous game on April 26, in which he allowed 10 runs and 11 hits in 3 innings vs. the Yankees. Outside of that one outlier, his ERA for his other 11 starts is 2.85, and his WHIP is 0.98. For his last 3 starts, Maeda's ERA is 2.08, with a 0.92 WHIP, while his mound opponent, Reese Olson, has a 7.31 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP over his last 3 outings. And the Tigers have dropped each of his last 4 starts. Minnesota is 10-1 after getting out-hit in their previous game by at least 10, and 49-39 (+11.4 net games) after losing by more than 3 runs, while Detroit is 3-12 after winning by more than 3 runs.
08-09-23	Blue Jays -140 v. Guardians	Top	1-0	Win	100	10 h 23 m	Show
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over the Cleveland Guardians. The much-ballyhooed Toronto offense laid another egg on Tuesday night, getting shut out by the Guardians in the second game of this series. The lack of run-scoring has occurred more than a few times this season as the Jays have been trying just about everything to get Vlad Guerrero, George Springer and the rest of the line-up producing like it's capable of. The good news is that despite their offensive struggles at times, the Jays are still right in the thick of the AL Wild Card race. They'll send their ace, RH Kevin Gausman to the mound for his 23rd start of the season in the third of this four-game set in Cleveland. Unlike some of the hitters on the team, Gausman has been producing steadily and consistently for his club most of the season. In 22 starts covering 132 innings, Gausman is 8-6 with a 3.20 ERA and 1.17 WHIP with a career-best 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings. In three career games at Progressive Field (two starts) Gausman is 2-1 with a 2.40 ERA. And Toronto is also 37-18 (+14.9 net games) following a game where it scored less than 2 runs. Take the Blue Jays. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-09-23	Twins -150 v. Tigers	Top	5-9	Loss	-150	10 h 54 m	Show
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Detroit Tigers. With the total demise of the Guardians and White Sox, it seems a foregone conclusion now that the Twins will win the AL Central. But no matter how much those other teams have dismantled themselves and how poorly they have played, the Twins just can't find consistency with their offense. Their pitching -- for the most part -- has been a different story. In fact, with a 3.83 ERA, the Twins have the sixth-best pitching staff in the Majors. And one of the main reasons is the performance of RH Bailey Ober. The 27-year-old is in his third MLB season and he's 6-5 with a 3.21 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 18 starts covering just under 104 innings. Start number 19 will come this evening and it will be his second of the season against Detroit (he threw six quality innings vs. the Tigers back in June, taking a no-decision in a 6-3 Minnesota win). Four of Ober's six 2023 wins have come on the road and the Twins have won four of his last six starts going back to that June 25 no-decision here in Detroit). Take Minny. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-08-23	Nationals v. Phillies -179	Top	5-4	Loss	-179	2 h 27 m	Show
At 7:10 pm, in GAME 2 of the double-header, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Washington Nationals. Ranger Suarez will toe the rubber for Philly tonight, and the Phillies are 23-12 (+12.9 net games) in his last 35 nighttime starts, and 5-1 in his six career starts vs. the Nats. That bodes well for the home team here. As does the fact that Washington is a wallet-breaking 27-78 (minus 28.3 net games) vs. division rivals. Josiah Gray has made 7 career starts vs. the Phillies, and his ERA is an elevated 4.95. Take Philly. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
08-08-23	Marlins -133 v. Reds	Top	3-2	Win	100	10 h 34 m	Show
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Miami Marlins over the Cincinnati Reds. Like the Angels over in the AL, it's been a rough go for the Marlins since the trade deadline. With the loss here last night, Miami has now dropped five in a row since its last win on August 2. But despite this latest setback, it is no time to panic in South Florida as the Marlins remain in the thick of the NL Wild Card chase thanks to mediocre play by the Reds, Diamondbacks, and Padres. They'll send out 25-year-old LH Braxton Garrett for his 22nd start of the season tonight. The young southpaw has had a very good season, going 5-3 with a 4.14 ERA and 1.19 WHIP with 122 strikeouts and only 19 walks in 111 innings. And apparently Garrett prefers to get his starts on the road as in 12 games (11 starts) in Miami, he is 2-2 with a 5.40 ERA. However, in 10 road starts Garrett has logged a 3-1 record with a 2.65 number. This same matchup -- Miami with Garrett and Cincy with Luke Weaver -- faced off on May 14 in South Florida and Garrett and the Fish prevailed 3-1. Miami is also 11-1 behind Garrett when priced from -125 to -175. Take the Marlins. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-07-23	Marlins -128 v. Reds	Top	2-5	Loss	-128	12 h 24 m	Show
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Miami Marlins over the Cincinnati Reds. Not that long ago, the Reds were the darlings of the National League, holding down first place in the NL Central by two games and sitting 10 games over .500. But a late July swoon, a crazy onslaught by the Cubs, and most recently a sweep at the hands of the Nationals in DC have landed Cincy in third place heading into this week. They come home for a three-game set against the Marlins who will be happy to get out of Arlington, Texas after getting swept by the Rangers. They should get a boost from the return of phenom starter Eury Perez who will go to the mound for his 12th start of the season tonight. Perez had roughly a month to reset himself and monitor his workload in the Minors and will make his first start with the big league club since July 6. The 20-year-old RHP opened his MLB career against the Reds on May 12 and will face them for the second time tonight. The Marlins are 33-19 in their last 52 as a favorite of -110 or higher. Take Miami. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-07-23	Dodgers v. Padres -114	Top	13-7	Loss	-114	10 h 52 m	Show
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Unlike some other "bubble" teams who decided to stand pat at the trade deadline, the Padres looked to improve both their offense and pitching with the acquisitions of Rich Hill, Ji-Man Choi, Garrett Cooper and Scott Barlow. None of them are big name impact players, proof that A.J. Preller and the rest of the San Diego brass feel like they already have the pieces in place to make a playoff run. That certainly didn't look to be the case in front of a national TV audience on Sunday night, so now the Pads will try again this afternoon in the last game of this four-game set at home. Converted reliever Seth Lugo will go to the hill for the 17th time this season (all of them starts). The 33-year-old RHP is 4-5 with a 3.54 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 89 innings so by almost any measure you have to say that his conversion to the rotation has been a success. Lifetime vs. the Dodgers, Lugo is 2-1 with a 3.24 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 11 appearances -- one start -- covering 16 2/3 innings. Take the Padres. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-06-23	Diamondbacks -146 v. Twins	Top	3-5	Loss	-146	15 h 33 m	Show
At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Minnesota Twins. Things got ugly for Arizona in Minneapolis yesterday as the Twins put up a dozen runs on the visitors in a 12-1 rout. But whenever their ace, Zac Gallen pitches, the D-Backs know they have a good chance to win. Gallen will get his 24th start of the season today and one more victory will tie his career high of 12 that he set a year ago. In 23 starts covering 142 2/3 innings, Gallen is 11-5 with a 3.41 ERA and 1.09 WHIP and he was All Star for the first time last month. Gallen's only other career start against the Twins was a good one -- two runs on four hits in seven innings with eight strikeouts and three walks back 2019. That was a bad beat as Minny won the game, 2-1 and so Gallen has a chance for some revenge this afternoon. If you thought Dallas Keuchel was out of baseball you're not alone. But the Twins signed the LH and his 87 MPH fastball to a free agent contract in June after being released by Texas. In his last eight starts of 2022, Keuchel was a miserable 0-6 with an 11.94 ERA. Even worse: the Twins are 25-53 (minus 24.1 net games) as an underdog of +150 or less. Take Arizona. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-05-23	Dodgers v. Padres -144	Top	3-8	Win	100	11 h 26 m	Show
At 8:40 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Southpaw Blake Snell will get the start for San Diego, and he's been terrific vs. Los Angeles in his career. In 14 starts, his ERA is 2.55, with a WHIP of 1.07. Even better: in his career, Snell's teams have cashed 36 of 53 (+15.9 net games) at home when he's faced a winning ball club. Snell has also been in spectacular form, as his ERA over his last 13 starts is a microscopic 0.75 And the Dodgers have been under water this season vs. lefties, with a 15-17 record (minus 12.0 net games). Take San Diego. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
08-05-23	Pirates v. Brewers -1.5	Top	2-3	Loss	-124	14 h 36 m	Show
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers minus 1.5 runs over the Pittsburgh Pirates. It wasn't that long ago that the Brewers featured a "big three" of starting pitching consisting of Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Freddy Peralta. Fast forward to 2023 and Woodruff has been shelved since April (but may return tomorrow) while Peralta is in a funk which has lasted most of the last two seasons. That leaves Burnes, who at 28-years-old is still considered one of the best RH starters in the Majors. In 22 starts this season, Burnes is 9-6 with a 3.44 ERA and 1.05 WHIP with 136 strikeouts in 133 1/3 innings. And in six July starts, his ERA was a sensational 1.85. But most importantly for tonight, Burnes is a Pirate slayer as in 21 career appearances vs. Pittsburgh -- including nine starts -- Burnes is 7-1 with a 3.36 ERA and 1.05 WHIP with 80 strikeouts in just under 70 innings. Those seven victories represent the most that Burnes has logged against any team in the Majors. The Brewers are also 23-10 (+13 games on the money line) in their last 33 games against NL Central opponents. Take Milwaukee. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-04-23	Dodgers v. Padres -105	Top	10-5	Loss	-105	20 h 11 m	Show
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Last night, Dave Roberts' men completed a 3-game sweep of the Oakland A's with an 8-2 win behind Julio Urias, while the Padres had Thursday off following an 11-1 blowout of Colorado on Wednesday. Yu Darvish gets the start for the Padres, and he threw six shutout innings in a 4-0 win over Texas last Saturday. That bodes well for San Diego as, in his career, Darvish's teams have gone 27-16 in his starts after he gave up 0 runs in his previous outing. Tonight, Darvish will make his 13th start vs. Los Angeles, while Bobby Miller will make his first career start vs. the Padres. And Darvish has had much success in his storied career vs. the Dodgers, as he's compiled a 2.57 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP. He's also 3-0 in his last 3 starts vs. L.A., with a 1.92 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP. Even better: the Padres are 24-7 (+12.9 net games) at home when playing with double-revenge, and 25-10 (+15.4 net games) when not playing the previous day. Take San Diego. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
08-03-23	Twins -108 v. Cardinals	Top	5-3	Win	100	16 h 28 m	Show
At 7:45 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the St. Louis Cardinals. It is very unusual for a contending MLB team to do nothing at the trade deadline. However, that's the situation with the Twins who made exactly zero trades despite the fact that they are in the thick of it in the AL Central. Perhaps the reason is because pretty much everyone they are competing with (Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago) were sellers at the deadline so Minny figured it could just sit tight. Whatever the reason, this is a pretty good team with a solid pitching staff (their team WHIP of 1.18 is lowest in all of MLB) including RH Sonny Gray who will get his 22nd start of the season tonight. In contrast to the Twins, the Cards were very busy at the trade deadline, moving mostly pitching, while holding on to their hitting stars (Arenado, Goldschmidt, etc). Gray has plenty of experience against St. Louis from his time with the Reds. Additionally, in 36 inter-league games (35 starts), Gray is 12-9 with a 3.43 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. Finally, the Redbirds are a dismal 26-50 (-13.4 net games) as an underdog priced from +125 to +175, and 25-45 (minus 24.9 net games) at night. Take the Twins. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-02-23	Rays v. Yankees -105	Top	2-7	Win	100	14 h 19 m	Show
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Tampa Bay Rays. Gerrit Cole is having a very good season but imagine how great it could be if not for four road starts in which he allowed one run or less and his team either didn't score or couldn't hold a lead. There was his start in Toronto on May 17 (6 IP, 0 R, 2 H), New York on June 14 (6 IP, 1 R, 4 H) and Colorado on July 16 (6 IP, 1 ER, 2 H). But the one that takes the cake was his last start when he shut out a very good Orioles line-up in Baltimore allowing just three hits in seven innings with nothing to show for it when the O's walked it off in the bottom of the 9th, 1-0. That was Aaron Judge's first game back and the hope is that with some games under his belt, the HR king will lead this Yankee offense back to life again. The Yanks' RH ace will take his league-leading 2.64 ERA to the mound for his 23rd start of the season tonight against another good team in the Rays. Cole's ERA is higher at home this season but he is 6-1 here vs. 3-1 on the road and the Yanks are 12-1 in his 13 home starts. Take New York. As always, good luck...Al McMordie
08-01-23	Angels v. Braves -1.5	Top	1-5	Win	100	11 h 7 m	Show
At 7:20 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves -1.5 runs over the Los Angeles Angels. You can't get more contrasted than the Angels and Braves right now. One is an American League team struggling to stay in contention and as a result acquiring players left and right at the deadline. The other is an NL club with the best record in baseball and unlikely to make many if any moves before Tuesday night. The Halos drew first blood in this series on Monday night so tonight Atlanta will turn to its strikeout machine, RH Spencer Strider in Game 2. The 24-year-old flame-thrower has already matched his win total from last season (11) and Strider is also just three punch-outs shy of the 202 he put up in his rookie season. Tonight will be Strider's first career start vs. the Angels and in 11 career inter-league appearances -- 10 starts -- he is 4-2 with a 3.29 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 63 innings. After a strange month of June in which he went 4-0 but posted an ugly 5.06 ERA, Strider turned it around in July logging a 3.73 ERA in five starts. The Braves are 9-2 in his last 11 starts (winning each of the nine games by 2 or more runs). Take Atlanta minus 1.5 runs. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-31-23	Orioles v. Blue Jays -129	Top	4-2	Loss	-129	8 h 57 m	Show
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over the Baltimore Orioles. So far, of the potential playoff teams in the AL it's been the ones in the West -- Texas, Los Angeles, Houston -- who have been making all of the noise as far as deadline trading goes, especially the Rangers. The Rays, Orioles and Blue Jays have been relatively quiet in comparison. That may be because each of those teams feels like it can go the rest of the way with the roster that got it here. The Jays in particular may feel that some of their best players in a stacked lineup are just now starting to come around. And the loss of their closer, Jordan Romano, to a back issue doesn't seem to have them too concerned. Their starting pitching has been solid and tonight it will be RH Chris Bassitt getting his league-leading 23rd start of the season. Bassitt is 10-5 with a 3.91 ERA in just under 127 innings and he also has a complete game shutout to his credit. Bassitt's teams are 20-7 in his last 27 starts as a favorite of at least -125 and the Jays are 5-1 in his last six overall. Take Toronto. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-31-23	Brewers -190 v. Nationals	Top	3-5	Loss	-190	8 h 54 m	Show
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the Washington Nationals. To begin last week, the Brewers took two of three from the Reds and looked to be sitting in the catbird seat in the NL Central with Cincy cooling off a bit. But a weekend sweep in which Milwaukee surrendered 28 runs to the Braves have tightened things up again -- and now the Cubs are over .500 as well. They still have the benefit of being in the softest division in the NL, but if the Brewers are going to win it, they might want to consider trading for some pitching in the next two days. They'll send the only bona-fide ace left on their staff -- RH Corbin Burnes -- to the mound tonight for the first of three in DC against the Nats. The 28-year-old is having another outstanding season, going 9-6 with a 3.46 ERA in 21 starts with 131 strikeouts in 127 1/3 innings. Hard to believe, but Burnes has never started vs. Washington although he does have three scoreless relief innings against them on his ledger. He's 5-3 with a 3.00 ERA in 11 road starts in 2023 (vs. 4.01 in 10 starts at home). Take the Crew. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-30-23	Tigers v. Marlins -146	Top	6-8	Win	100	13 h 47 m	Show
At 1:40 pm, our selection is on the Miami Marlins over the Detroit Tigers. With the Mets signaling that they are going to be sellers, the Braves not having to do anything and the Phillies apparently happy with the players they have, eyes are on the Miami Marlins to see what they might do at the upcoming trade deadline. Miami's pitching has been pretty solid (6th-best ERA in the NL) but they could use some help with their lineup. One of the reasons they don't need a lot of help with their pitching is the performance of Jesus Luzardo. The 25-year-old LH is 8-5 with a 3.22 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 21 starts covering just over 120 innings so far. This afternoon will be Luzardo's first career start vs. the Tigers and a repeat of his last start in which he was dominant (7 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 13 Ks, 0 BBs) should get the job done. He's done his best work at home this season as in 12 starts here, Luzardo is 4-2 with a 2.32 ERA and 0.96 WHIP vs. 4-3 and 4.63 with a 1.44 WHIP in nine starts on the road. The Marlins are 9-3 in Luzardo's last 12 home starts coming into today. Take Miami. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-30-23	Phillies -141 v. Pirates	Top	4-6	Loss	-141	13 h 41 m	Show
At 1:35 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Phillies are heading for a National League Wild Card spot with a win percentage around .540. On the surface, that may not sound like the kind of season that a team with Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Aaron Nola would aspire to. But last season the Phils finished with a .537 win percentage and a Wild Card spot and turned that into a World Series appearance. Cristopher Sanchez is a 26-year-old LH for the Phils in his third year in the Majors. Call Sanchez a hard-luck starter if you want as, despite a 2.98 ERA in eight starts, the Dominican has nothing to show for it with an 0-3 record. But his last four starts have come against the Orioles, Brewers, Padres, and Rays, so perhaps a step-down in class this afternoon will help him notch his first W of the season. In addition to the low ERA, the young southpaw also has a 0.97 WHIP, 1.3 walk rate and 6.33 K:BB ratio. Despite the loss last night, the Phillies are 16-2 in their last 18 as a road favorite of -125 or more. Take Philadelphia. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-29-23	Rays v. Astros -133	Top	4-17	Win	100	14 h 16 m	Show
At 7:15 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Tampa Bay Rays. With roughly 1/3 of the MLB season left to play, the AL West race just might be the most entertaining in the league. The Rangers have led virtually the entire way, but their lead is a little bit tenuous right now. The defending champion Astros are hot and you can almost never count them out, while the Angels are not that far behind in third and have bolstered their pitching staff thanks to some timely trades. The Rays are also battling over in the East, so this series is one of the most important of the weekend. The Rays drew first blood and after seeing a couple of veteran aces last night on the mound tonight we will see a couple of young guns in Taj Bradley for the Rays and Hunter Brown for the 'Stros. Houston's 24-year-old rookie RH has been inconsistent but he threw a quality start in his previous outing and may be ready to break out down the stretch. It also just so happens that Brown's best start of the season came in Tampa back on April 26 -- a seven inning, two-hit shutout against the Rays. Houston is an awesome 79-49 (+25.6 net games) vs. winning foes, while the Rays are a dismal 61-72 (minus 22.0 net games) on the road. Take the Astros. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-29-23	Twins -179 v. Royals	Top	7-10	Loss	-179	14 h 10 m	Show
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Kansas City Royals. KC took Game 1 of this series, 8-5, in extra innings last night. This evening, the Royals will look to win back-to-back games for the first time since July 2. On the season, Kansas City is 6-24 (minus 15.1 net games) off a win (and its longest win streak of the season is 2 games). And it's at its worse when tonight's starter, Jordan Lyles, is on the mound. Lyles has made 19 starts this season, and the Royals have won just once -- a 9-4 win over Tampa on June 24. Bailey Ober gets the ball for Rocco Baldelli's troops tonight, and the Twins are 40-14 (+18.9 net games) vs. American League starting pitchers with an ERA north of 5.90. And they're 28-19 (+8.9 net games) with Ober on the hill. Take the Twins. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
07-28-23	Twins -154 v. Royals	Top	5-8	Loss	-154	11 h 50 m	Show
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Kansas City Royals. Just days before the MLB trade deadline, most teams can be categorized into one of two situations -- buyers or sellers. But there are a few teams who really don't fit either. The Twins are one of those teams. They are in one of the weakest divisions in baseball with a good chance to finish on top in the AL Central and get a post-season spot. And they have a lineup and pitching staff that they trust will get them there without a lot of changes. So don't look for Minnesota to make a bunch of deadline deals. One of the most consistent players on the team has been RHP Sonny Gray. The 33-year-old gets his 21st start of the season tonight. Gray is 4-4 with a 3.15 ERA in just over 111 innings but perhaps the most impressive thing about his performance this season is that he has the lowest HR rate in the league (0.2 per game). But the most important thing for tonight is the fact that since 2016, Gray's 9-0 in nine starts vs. the Royals, with 6 earned runs in 56 innings (0.96 ERA, 0.89 WHIP). Take Minnesota. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-28-23	Brewers v. Braves -156	Top	7-10	Win	100	10 h 29 m	Show
At 7:20 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Milwaukee Brewers. The fact that the Braves have the best record in baseball and a double-digit lead in the NL East is not surprising when you look at their lineup. The fact that they've done this for a while now without two of their best starters -- Max Fried and Kyle Wright -- is however somewhat amazing. They've been filling the holes in the rotation with guys like Allan Winans and Kolby Allard, and tonight Yonny Chirinos. But Fried will be back as early as next week and Wright is about three weeks away, so you might not be seeing these names in the rotation much longer. Chirinos is a 29-year-old RH journeyman who the Braves just picked up on Waivers (from Tampa) and who's been holding his own in his short starts with the Rays. Expect the same tonight in his first career start vs. the Brewers who are in a tight battle with the Reds for the NL Central lead. Atlanta is 10-2 in its last 12 vs. the NL Central and 120-60 (+32.0 net games) in its last 180 night games. And it's also 44-24 (+11.0 net games) off back to back losses. Take the Braves. As always, good luck...Al McMordie
07-27-23	Guardians v. White Sox -110	Top	6-3	Loss	-110	16 h 53 m	Show
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Chicago White Sox over the Cleveland Indians. Just a year ago, Dylan Cease looked like he might become the new darling of the American League aces. When the 27-year-old finished the 2022 season with 14 wins, a 2.20 ERA, 227 strikeouts in 184 innings and a second place finish in the AL Cy Young race, the sky appeared to be the limit -- not only for Cease, but also for the White Sox. After all, Chicago not only had Cease, but also several other budding stars and established veterans on its roster heading into 2023. But now here we are with the Sox scuffling 21 games under .500 and rumors swirling that they are making their RH ace available on the trade market as Cease is on a very team-friendly, one-year contract ($5.7 M) and eligible for arbitration after this season. Cease hasn't been at last season's level, but he's been solid with a 4-3 record and 4.04 ERA in 21 starts covering 113 2/3 innings. The White Sox are 12-4 behind Cease at home when the moneyline is between +125 and -125. Take Chicago. As always, good luck...Al McMordie
07-26-23	Braves -154 v. Red Sox	Top	3-5	Loss	-154	17 h 8 m	Show
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Boston Red Sox. Atlanta's Spencer Strider is the undisputed MLB strikeout king. The 24-year-old RHP has 189 punch-outs in just 116 2/3 innings for what is also a league-leading 14.2 K-rate. Those 189 Ks lead all other MLB pitchers by a wide margin with Kevin Gausman the closest AL pitcher with 162 and Blake Snell the nearest in the NL but more than 40 behind (147). But it's not all about Ks for Strider, who also shares the MLB lead with 11 wins (vs. just three losses) along with a nice 3.78 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. Strider will get his 21st start of the season tonight and it will come in his first-ever start against the Red Sox. In 10 career interleague appearances (nine starts), Strider is 4-2 with a 3.34 ERA and 1.01 WHIP. Strider has done by far his best work on the road this season where he is 7-1 with a 2.94 ERA in nine starts covering 52 innings (vs. 4-2 and 4.45 in 11 starts at home). The Braves are a sensational 24-6 (+10 games on the moneyline) in Strider's last 30 starts as a favorite of -150 or more. Take Atlanta. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-25-23	A's v. Giants -245	Top	1-2	Win	100	10 h 18 m	Show
At 9:45 pm, our selection is on the San Francisco Giants over the Oakland A's. One of the unfortunate consequences of a move by the A's to Las Vegas would be the loss of this tremendous Bay Area rivalry. San Francisco has dominated of late, with seven wins in the last 10 meetings (since 2021). And tonight's SF starter -- Alex Cobb -- has also been dominant in his career vs. Oakland, with a 1.96 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 11 starts, including 7 shutout innings in his last outing vs. the A's. We'll take San Francisco tonight, as it's 9-1 this season behind Cobb at night, while Oakland is an ugly 3-21 as a road underdog of +200 (or more) this season, and 9-38 its last 47 (minus 18.0 net games) in that price range. Take San Francisco. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
07-25-23	Marlins v. Rays -183	Top	1-4	Win	100	16 h 49 m	Show
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Miami Marlins. The Rays may have lost three of four over the weekend to the Orioles to fall two games behind Baltimore in the AL East but they needn't panic just yet. At 61-42 (.592) Tampa still has the second-best record in the American League -- third best in all of baseball. And with the trade deadline fast approaching you can bet the Rays will find a way to improve the roster. Tyler Glasnow was brilliant in the first game of that Os series, as he has been in most of his recent starts -- going seven innings while allowing two earned runs on six hits with nine strikeouts and no walks. But an error resulting in an unearned run and the bullpen lost the game for him. This week the Marlins visit in the battle for bragging rights in the Sunshine State and Glasnow will kick off the series once again. He can expect an easier time against Miami which has lost eight of its last nine overall. This has been a lopsided series lately with the Rays taking nine of the last 10 meetings going back to April 2021. Take Tampa. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-24-23	Mariners -114 v. Twins	Top	3-4	Loss	-114	12 h 20 m	Show
At 7:40 pm our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over the Minnesota Twins. The Twins and Mariners just played a four-game series last week in Seattle and now after weekend series against different opponents, they'll do it again in three games beginning tonight in Minneapolis. The Mariners will send RHP Luis Castillo to the mound for the 21st time this season. Despite being named to the All Star roster for the third time in his career, Castillo likely isn't satisfied with his season so far. Inconsistent play has dogged the 30-year-old in this, his second season in Seattle, resulting in a losing record despite some pretty solid numbers otherwise. In just over 118 innings, Castillo is 6-7 with a 3.04 ERA and 1.05 WHIP with a strikeout rate over 10. Most importantly, over his last four starts covering 24 innings, Castillo has recorded 25 strikeouts against just two walks. He looks to keep that consistency going tonight at Target Field. Seattle is 36-17 in its last 53 road games with a money line of -100 to -150. Take the Mariners. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-23-23	Astros -222 v. A's	Top	3-2	Win	100	11 h 29 m	Show
At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Oakland A's. Houston's 3-game win streak was snapped by Paul Blackburn and the A's last night, 4-1. We'll take Houston to win this series finale, as it's 107-67 (+14.3 net games) off a loss, and 65-28 (+15.7 net games) in daytime affairs. Meanwhile, Oakland is a putrid 6-38 (minus 27.9 net games) in the afternoon. Finally, Luis Medina will take the mound for the A's, and he has a 6.04 ERA in his nine starts this season (8.31 in the daytime). He is striking out 8.06 batters per 9 innings, while walking 4.96 batters per 9 innings (a 1.62 strikeout to walk ratio). And that doesn't bode well vs. Houston, as the Astros are 15-0 their last 15 vs. pitchers with poor control who give up at least 2.75 walks per start (Medina gives up 2.77). Take the Astros. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
07-23-23	Braves -164 v. Brewers	Top	4-2	Win	100	10 h 31 m	Show
At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Milwaukee Brewers. The Braves and Brewers usually play close games and this series appears to be no different. In the first meeting of these two teams in over a year, the Braves drew first blood on Friday, 6-4. Then Milwaukee came back at home on Saturday night and took Game 2 by a 4-3 score, so this afternoon's finale will decide this latest installment. The Braves will send 24-year-old RH Bryce Elder to the mound today. The second-year starter has the dubious distinction of having started for the losing side in the highest scoring game of the season so far when the Diamondbacks beat the Braves last Tuesday, 16-13. That unfortunate outing aside, Elder has been very effective this season, posting a 7-2 record with a 3.31 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 19 starts covering just under 109 innings. Despite their loss last night, the Braves are 9-2 in their last 11 games vs. NL Central opponents and they're also 23-7 in their last 30 as a favorite of -125 or more. Take Atlanta. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-23-23	Rockies v. Marlins -242	Top	2-3	Win	100	9 h 0 m	Show
At 1:40 pm, our selection is on the Miami Marlins over the Colorado Rockies. Fans of the Rockies might want to go to the next home stand that begins late next week as it might be a chance to say goodbye to several of the players. Colorado figures to be selling big at the upcoming trade deadline with some familiar names (e.g, CJ Cron and Randal Grichuk) quite possibly packing their bags for other cities. Today however those two and the rest of the club will try to complete an unlikely sweep of the Marlins in Miami. It won't be easy as the Fish send their best starter of late, LH Jesus Luzardo, to the mound for his 21st start of the season. The 25-year-old has an 8-5 record with a 3.34 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with 131 strikeouts and 30 walks in 113 1/3 innings. He's done by far his best work at home this season with a 4-2 record and 2.43 ERA in 11 starts here (vs. 4-3 and 4.63 in nine starts on the road). The Marlins are 8-3 in those 11 home starts and they've won three of his last four overall. Take Miami. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-22-23	Giants -182 v. Nationals	Top	1-10	Loss	-182	15 h 26 m	Show
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the San Francisco Giants over the Washington Nationals. The Giants dropped their 3rd straight game last night when Washington upset them, 5-3, behind Jake Irvin. Tonight, the pitching matchup will feature Josiah Gray for the Nats vs. Logan Webb for the Giants. We'll take San Francisco, as it's 39-14 with Webb on the mound when favored (including a spectacular 17-1 when priced from -175 to -250). And it's also 4-0 behind Webb when facing the Nationals. And in those four starts vs. Washington, Webb has a stellar 2.78 ERA, including 1 run over 7 innings, in a 4-1 victory earlier this season. Meanwhile, Washington is a wallet-breaking 42-87 (minus 29.0 net games) at home. Take San Francisco. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
07-22-23	Blue Jays -135 v. Mariners	Top	8-9	Loss	-135	12 h 30 m	Show
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over the Seattle Mariners. Last night, the Seattle Mariners won, 3-2, vs. Yusei Kikuchi and the Blue Jays. This afternoon, Seattle will try to hand the Jays their 2nd straight defeat, but will have a taller task in front of it, given that the Jays will start their ace, Kevin Gausman. The veteran righty has a 3.03 ERA in 19 starts this season. And that bodes well for Toronto, as Seattle is a horrid 1-11 vs. American League starting pitchers with ERAs below 3.70. Gausman has made nine starts vs. the Mariners in his career, including seven shutout innings earlier this season, in which he struck out 13, en route to a 1-0 triumph. Overall, Gausman's ERA in those 13 career starts vs. Seattle is a super 2.68, with a 1.12 WHIP. Meanwhile, his mound opponent today will be Logan Gilbert, whose ERA in his three career starts vs. Toronto is an ugly 6.35. Take the Blue Jays. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
07-21-23	Orioles v. Rays -148	Top	0-3	Win	100	17 h 48 m	Show
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Baltimore Orioles. No series will get more attention this weekend than this four game set between the Orioles and Rays. With the extra-innings victory last night, Baltimore took over the outright lead in the AL East Division for the first time this late in the season since 2016. Game 2 tonight could be another close one with Kyle Bradish set to start against Zach Eflin. Tampa has pretty much resurrected Eflin's career as the 29-year-old RH had a 36-45 record with a 4.49 ERA in seven seasons with the Phillies before coming to the Rays in 2023. So far in his first season in Tampa, Eflin is 10-5 with a 3.59 ERA in 18 starts covering just over 105 innings. Most important for tonight is that Eflin will be starting his 11th game at home where he has been almost unbeatable -- leading the Rays to a 10-1 record -- with a 2.34 ERA in just under 62 innings. The Rays are 26-6 in their last 32 games as a home favorite of at least -150 as well as 17-5 in their last 22 home meetings with the Orioles over the past three seasons. Take Tampa. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-21-23	Rockies v. Marlins -225	Top	6-1	Loss	-225	9 h 12 m	Show
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Miami Marlins over the Colorado Rockies. No team is happier to be returning home from a road trip than the Marlins this weekend. In two tough series, the Fish were swept by both the Orioles in Baltimore and Cardinals in St. Louis, resulting in their current six-game losing streak. They have done by far their best work here at LoanDepot Park this season where they are 30-18 (vs. just 13-27 on the road). They will send LHP Braxton Garrett to the mound for his 19th start of the season. In 19 games -- 18 starts -- the 25-year-old southpaw is 5-2 with a 3.90 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with 106 strikeouts in 97 innings. He could cause some serious problems tonight for the Rockies who are hitting just .232 with a .667 OPS as a team vs. lefties this season. Garrett has a 3.29 ERA in three career starts vs. Colorado and that includes one start at Coors Field. The Marlins are 14-4 in Braxton's starts this season, including winning eight of his last nine going back to the end of May. Take Miami. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-20-23	Diamondbacks v. Braves -179	Top	5-7	Win	100	11 h 46 m	Show
At 12:20 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Arizona Diamondbacks. A wild three-game series between two teams that have been at or near the top of their divisions most of the season will wrap up today in Atlanta. The D-Backs and Braves didn't waste any time getting the big guns out as Tuesday's Game 1 of the series turned out to be the highest scoring game of the season with Arizona prevailing by a 16-13 final score. The D-Backs won again on Wednesday and if they make it three in a row it will be the second time this season that Atlanta has been swept at home. But the D-Backs will first have to get by the newest strikeout king, Spencer Strider. The 24-year-old RH is on track to shatter the 202 Ks he had in his rookie season in 2022 as the fireballer has 176 punch-outs in 110 2/3 IP for a league-leading K-rate of 14.3. He also leads the league with 11 wins -- his grand total from last season. This will be Strider's third time facing Arizona and he's 4-0 in daytime starts so far while the Braves are an incredible 16-3 in Strider's 19 starts this season. Take Atlanta. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-19-23	Astros -146 v. Rockies	Top	4-1	Win	100	10 h 1 m	Show
At 3:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Colorado Rockies. Back in April, if you were going to list the names of starters who were going to get regular turns in the Houston rotation this season, you wouldn't have come up with the name Brandon Bielak. But as they often do, injuries have once again dictated who gets handed the ball every five or six days and for the time being at least, the 27-year-old RH is part of the starting five. And why not? Bielak may not have a winning record (4-5) but he does sport a 3.79 ERA in 11 games -- 10 starts -- covering just over 59 innings. And he seems to be figuring things out, as in the month of July, Bielak sports a 1.50 ERA in two starts covering 12 innings with just six hits allowed. Sure, Coors Field can be a dicey place even for the most talented of pitchers, but Bielak has fared well vs. the Rockies in his career, going 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA in three games against them (two starts). Despite the loss last night the 'Stros are still 7-3 in the last 10 meetings with the Rockies. Take Houston. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-18-23	Diamondbacks v. Braves -197	Top	16-13	Loss	-197	19 h 17 m	Show
At 7:20 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Braves have taken over from the Rays the unofficial title of best team in the Major Leagues. That's not surprising at all as their lineup and their pitching staff are both stacked with quality players and superstars. Atlanta boasts the best ERA in the league -- slightly lower than Tampa's -- and its starting pitching is a combined 38-18 -- also tops in the Majors. One of the many bright spots in the rotation has been the emergence of young star Bryce Elder. The 24-year-old RH is 7-2 with a 2.97 ERA in 18 starts covering 106 innings. Elder looks to rebound from his worst start of the season last time out in Tampa against the Rays (3 1/3 IP, 7 ER). It was a rare clunker for the young Texan who had thrown quality starts in seven of his nine outings prior to that. After a hot start to the season, the D-Backs have been scuffling lately, losing eight of their last 10 coming into this series. Arizona is an ugly 28-74 (-23 games on the moneyline) in its last 102 as a road underdog of +150 or more. Take the Braves. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-17-23	Rays -118 v. Rangers	Top	2-3	Loss	-118	16 h 20 m	Show
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Texas Rangers. The top two Division Leaders kick this week off with a big three-game series. Despite not being able to pitch in the All Star Game, LH Shane McClanahan is still probably the leading contender for the AL Cy Young Award as we begin the post-break part of the season. The 26-year-old ace developed a back issue prior to All Star week and the Rays put him on the IL which of course meant he was not available for Tuesday's Classic in Seattle. But McClanahan should play a major role for Tampa in the second half starting with this huge game against the AL West leading Rangers. In 17 starts covering 96 innings, McClanahan is 11-1 with a 2.53 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. He's only faced Texas once in his career, but it was a seven inning victory this past June in which he allowed three runs on only four hits while striking out five Rangers batters. Tampa is 4-1 in the last five meetings with Texas as well as 21-9 in its last 30 games as a road favorite. Take the Rays. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-16-23	Brewers v. Reds -120	Top	4-3	Loss	-120	11 h 18 m	Show
At 1:40 pm, our selection is on the Cincinnati Reds over the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers have pulled the plug on the Big Red Machine, as Milwaukee won its 3rd straight shutout vs. Cincy with a 3-0 triumph on Saturday. And that followed 1-0 wins on Friday, and the Sunday prior to the All-Star Break. This afternoon, I expect Cincy to get untracked at the plate. After all, Adrian Houser will get the start for the Brew Crew, and he's not the caliber of Freddy Peralta, Corbin Burnes and Wade Miley, who led Milwaukee to those three shutout wins. Houser has made 13 starts in his career vs. Cincy and has a 5.00 ERA in those 13 outings. Even worse, over his last five starts, he's allowed 15 earned runs over 26 1/3 innings, for an ERA of 5.12 and a WHIP of 1.78. Ben Lively will be handed the ball for the Reds, and he's allowed 2 runs or less in six of his eight starts and has a 2.93 ERA over his last three. Take the Reds. Good luck as always...Al McMordie
07-16-23	White Sox v. Braves -160	Top	8-1	Loss	-160	11 h 14 m	Show
At 1:35 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Chicago White Sox. Kolby Allard was the 14th overall selection in the 2015 Amateur Draft and to say that he hasn't lived up to his status as a first-round pick would be a huge understatement. In five seasons in the Majors prior to 2023, the 25-year-old LH logged a 9-23 record with an ERA north of five runs. But finally in this, his sixth season, we're starting to see what the Braves perhaps saw when they made that pick eight years ago. In three games -- two starts -- Allard has posted a 4.22 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP with 12 Ks and three BBs in 10 1/3 IP. Speaking of not living up to expectations, many people thought that Dylan Cease would be the AL's best starter after finishing second in the Cy Young voting in 2022 with 14 wins and 227 Ks in 184 IP. But what we've seen is a sub-par performance so far from the 27-year-old as Cease continues to give out far too many free passes to opposing batters (42 BBs in 102 2/3 IP). Despite the loss to the Sox last night, the Braves are 6-1 in the last seven meetings with them. And they're also 17-2 their last 19 at home. Take Atlanta. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-15-23	Brewers v. Reds -113	Top	3-0	Loss	-113	18 h 17 m	Show
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Cincinnati Reds over the Milwaukee Brewers. The Reds ended the first half in first place and nine games over .500 and you'd be hard-pressed to convince people that they or their fans thought that was possible. But a loss in the first game back after the break has put the Brewers in a tie with Cincy atop the NL Central and these two will play two more starting with this one. Because he didn't come up to the Majors until June 5 and only had seven starts, rookie LH Andrew Abbott did not make the All Star squad but if the 24-year-old Reds phenom keeps going like he has, he's going to have All Star-type numbers at the end of the season. The young ace is 4-1 with a 2.38 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in just under 42 innings. And wouldn't you know it but in his first start back after the break, Abbott gets a chance at revenge as he lost to this Brewers club in Milwaukee on July 7 in what is so far his only blemish on the season. The Brewers are 1-6 (-6 games on the money line) in RHP Freddy Peralta's seven road starts in 2023. Take the Reds. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-14-23	Yankees -190 v. Rockies	Top	2-7	Loss	-190	24 h 47 m	Show
At 8:40 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Colorado Rockies. The All Star Break got the Yankees five days closer to getting back their most valuable player, OF Aaron Judge. Judge has been out since early June with a toe injury but all indications are that he is very close to a return -- possibly within the next week or so. Meanwhile, the Yanks did have some good news right before the break as LHP Carlos Rodon returned from his injury and pitched his first game in Pinstripes. Rodon may have taken the loss in the 3-0 defeat to the Cubs on July 7, but just seeing the Yanks' #1 off-season pitching acquisition on the mound for the first time must have given the whole team a lift. You can expect that Rodon will take a step forward tonight even though he's pitching in a tough place in New York's first visit to Coors Field in over seven years. In four career starts vs. the Rox, Rodon is 2-1 with a 4.22 ERA and 1.08 WHIP with 31 strikeouts and six walks in 21 1/3 innings. In 25 inter-league games (24 starts), Rodon is 12-9 with a 3.67 ERA. Take the Yankees. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-09-23	Blue Jays -123 v. Tigers	Top	4-3	Win	100	11 h 36 m	Show
At 1:40 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over the Detroit Tigers. It's been a rough first half of the season for the Tigers, but the team gave the home fans something to cheer about on Saturday. In the "where the heck did that come from" department, three Detroit pitchers registered the first combined no-hitter in the Tigers franchise history (the 20th combined no-hitter in MLB history). They'll look to keep the magic going today in the final game before the All Star break and it will be LH Tarik Skubal's second trip to the mound since returning from major elbow surgery. The Jays will go with RH Chris Bassitt in his 19th start of the season. The 34-year-old has had an up-and-down first half and he would like nothing better than to go into the break on a high note. Bassitt has been very good over his career here at Comerica Park, going 3-1 with a 2.49 ERA in four starts covering just over 25 innings. He'll look to extend that success this afternoon. The Jays are 6-1 in their last seven road games. Take Toronto. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-09-23	Braves v. Rays -118	Top	4-10	Win	100	3 h 38 m	Show
At 1:40 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Atlanta Braves. We played on Zach Eflin and the Rays in his last start, but he was outdueled by Aaron Nola in a 3-1 defeat. We'll come right back with Eflin this afternoon vs. Atlanta and Bryce Elder. Tampa's 51-22 (+16.6 net games) as a favorite this season, and 62-25 (+26.3 net games) in daytime home games. And it's 21-7 after scoring 2 runs or less in back-to-back games. Meanwhile, the Braves are a soft 10-20 (minus 15.6 net games) on the road following back to back games where they gave up less than 4 runs in each. Eflin's teams have won six of his last seven starts vs. Atlanta, and he has a career ERA of 3.26 vs. the Braves (in 13 starts). Take Tampa. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
07-08-23	Cubs v. Yankees -173	Top	3-6	Win	100	9 h 9 m	Show
At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Chicago Cubs. Some of the 2023 All Star selections are a bit of a surprise. But one choice that was expected is Yankees' RHP Gerrit Cole, who punched his ticket to his sixth straight Mid-Summer Classic (seventh overall). And with Ohtani and McClanahan unavailable to pitch, don't be surprised if the 32-year-old is chosen as the AL Starter. But this afternoon he will be focused on the Cubs, who beat the Yanks in the first game of this series on Friday. Cole has plenty of past experience vs. Chicago from his days with the Pirates -- and it's mostly very good. In 15 starts vs. the Cubs, Cole is 10-3 with a 2.53 ERA and 0.98 WHIP. And those 10 wins are the most that he has logged against any team in the Majors. Cole is also an interleague machine, having gone 23-8 with a 2.91 ERA in 41 starts vs. teams from the opposite league. Despite their win yesterday, the Cubs are just 4-14 in the last 18 meetings with the Yankees and 2-8 in the last 10 here in the Bronx. Take New York. As always, good luck...Al McMordie
07-07-23	Pirates v. Diamondbacks -225	Top	3-7	Win	100	17 h 12 m	Show
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Not that long ago, any discussion of the best starters in the NL West would start with the names Kershaw, Bumgarner, Darvish, and Urias. But in 2023 that discussion must begin with the name Zac Gallen. The veteran RH might not only be the best in his Division, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a better starter in the NL right now. Gallen leads the league with 10 wins and his 120 strikeouts is near the top as is his 5.22 K:BB ratio. Gallen was named an All Star for the first time in his career and don't be surprised if he is chosen as the starting pitcher for the NL. He gets his league-leading 19th start tonight and it comes against a Pirates team that has been a pleasant surprise despite its 40-46 record. It's a revenge game for Gallen as his worst start of the season was on May 19 in Pittsburgh when he allowed eight runs (five earned) on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings in a 13-3 drubbing. Arizona has won five of the last seven meetings and the D-Backs are 5-1 in Gallen's last six starts. Take Arizona. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-06-23	Blue Jays -120 v. White Sox	Top	5-4	Win	100	11 h 1 m	Show
At 8:10 pm, in Game 2 of the Double Header, our selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over the Chicago White Sox. At the ripe age of 32, Yusei Kikuchi is having his best season yet as a Major League pitcher. The veteran southpaw came into the league in 2019 after playing in the Japanese professional league since his early 20's. Kikuchi has never had a winning season in the Majors, but heading into his last start before the All Star break he is 7-3 with career-bests in ERA (4.08), WHIP (1.27), and K:BB ratio (3.41). Those are not All Star numbers, but Kikuchi is trending in the right direction, having gone 1-0 with a 2.28 ERA and 0.87 WHIP in five starts in the month of June. In two previous starts at Guaranteed Rate Field, Kikuchi is 1-0 with a 4.22 ERA, and he's 2-1 overall in his career vs. the White Sox. Heading into Thursday, the Jays are 8-2 in the last 10 meetings with the Sox. Take the Jays in Game 2. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-05-23	Mariners v. Giants -152	Top	0-2	Win	100	12 h 36 m	Show
At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the San Francisco Giants over the Seattle Mariners. Baseball fans in Seattle are no doubt thrilled to have the All Star festivities coming to their city in less than a week. After all, it's the first Mid-summer classic to be held here since 2001 when T-Mobile Park -- then called Safeco Field -- was just two years old. But whether the fans are thrilled with the current state of the Mariners remains to be seen. They can't be all that happy about a .500 record and fourth place standing in the Division -- eight games back -- at the mid-way point of the season. They have won four straight however coming into the third game of this series with the Giants following yesterday's 6-0 win. Unfortunately, though, Seattle's 19-22 (minus 10.2 net games) off a win this season, while the Giants are 6-1 off a shutout loss. Hoping to get the call for his first All Star game, Giants RH Alex Cobb was disappointed to see his name not on the list of NL pitchers. The 35-year-old veteran does have a 5-2 record, with a 3.12 ERA in 15 starts, so he could still be added as a replacement since his numbers are certainly worthy. Cobb is also 12-9 with a 2.70 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 30 career inter-league starts. Take San Francisco. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-04-23	Phillies v. Rays -107	Top	3-1	Loss	-107	13 h 21 m	Show
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Philadelphia Phillies. RHP Zach Eflin was drafted by the Padres in in 2012, then traded to the Dodgers and then finally to the Phillies in 2014. Once in Philadelphia, Elfin spent seven seasons pitching for the Phils until he was granted free agency after the 2022 season. The Rays picked him up and signed him to a three-year contract and Eflin has already made that contract look like a bargain with a 9-3 record and 3.29 ERA in 15 starts covering 90 1/3 innings. Not surprisingly, this afternoon will be Eflin's first start against his old team as the Phillies come to St. Pete for a three-game set. In 25 inter-league games -- 21 starts -- covering just under 130 innings, Eflin is 8-6 with a 3.54 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. But the most important statistic is how much he loves his new home. In eight 2023 starts here at Tropicana Field, Eflin is an incredible 8-0 with a 2.17 ERA (vs. 1-3 and 4.65 in seven starts on the road). The Phils are 0-7 in the last seven meetings with the Rays and 0-5 in the last five here in St. Pete. Take the Rays. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-03-23	Mariners v. Giants -131	Top	6-5	Loss	-131	16 h 34 m	Show
At 10:15 pm, our selection is on the San Francisco Giants over the Seattle Mariners. Despite a very good season in 2022 in which he won 15 games with a 2.90 ERA and finished in the top 12 in the NL Cy Young, the Giants Logan Webb didn't make the All Star team last season. With the pitchers just being named yesterday, Webb was left off again -- not surprisingly as his 2023 numbers don't quite measure up so far. He could be added as a replacement, but right now the 26-year-old RHP is probably focusing on winning games and putting up quality outings. July has historically been Webb's best month as he sports a 2.39 ERA in 12 starts in the mid-summer month. He'll get the month started off with an inter-league start at home against the Mariners. In seven starts at Oracle Park this season, Webb has a 2.31 ERA and 1.03 WHIP while his road number is almost two runs higher at 4.24 (10 starts). The Mariners are 3-10 in their last 13 road games vs. teams with a winning record. They are also 2-5 in the last seven meetings with the Giants (1-4 in the last five here). Take the Giants. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-02-23	Dodgers -188 v. Royals	Top	1-9	Loss	-188	11 h 15 m	Show
At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Kansas City Royals. A year ago, Tony Gonsolin made the NL All Star roster on the strength of an incredible first half that included an 11-0 record and 2.02 ERA in 17 starts. Unfortunately, Gonsolin was the goat in the Mid-Summer Classic, giving up all three earned runs to the AL squad in their 3-2 victory. Gonsolin got injured in the second half but still went on to go 16-1 with a 2.14 ERA in 24 starts -- not half-bad. This season, the 29-year-old RH will probably be staying home instead of going to Seattle for the festivities and that might be fine with him. He'll get his 12th start of the 2023 season this afternoon and it will come a day after the Royals pulled off a 6-4 win over Julio Urias and the Dodgers on Saturday night. Gonsolin has excelled in inter-league games throughout his time in Majors. In 11 career appearances -- nine starts -- against AL teams, Gonsolin is 7-0 with a 2.45 ERA and 0.86 WHIP. And, despite the loss last night, the Dodgers are still 7-2 in their last nine inter-league road games vs. losing teams. Take L.A. As always, good luck...Al McMordie
07-02-23	Red Sox v. Blue Jays -178	Top	5-4	Loss	-178	11 h 41 m	Show
At 1:35 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over the Boston Red Sox. When the pitchers are selected for next week's All Star Game in a short while, Kevin Gausman of the Blue Jays will almost certainly be on the roster. His 7-4 record may not jump off the page at you, but the 32-year-old RH leads the American League with 139 strikeouts coming into this -- his 18th start this afternoon. The afternoon part may be key for him today as in nine previous daytime starts this season, Gausman is 4-1 with a 1.73 ERA (vs. 3-3 and 4.56 in eight starts under the lights). Gausman has 22 career starts vs. the Red Sox -- second most against any team (the Yankees - 23). And although his overall numbers vs. Boston do not appear all that strong at first glance, most of the damage was done early in his career when he was in Batlmore. In fact, in Gausman's last eight starts vs. the Red Sox, his teams -- the Jays and Orioles -- have gone 7-1. The Blue Jays are also 5-0 in Gausman's last five starts following a loss by the Blue Jays in their previous game. Take Toronto. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-01-23	Nationals v. Phillies -198	Top	4-19	Win	100	14 h 17 m	Show
At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Washington Nationals. The Nats won Game 1 of this series behind a dominating performance from starter Josiah Gray. The only problem is that Gray is Washington's only ace right now and the rotation drops off pretty sharply after him. The Phillies on the other hand have two bona-fide All Star caliber pitchers in Aaron Nola and tonight's starter RH Zack Wheeler. In 16 starts covering just over 93 innings, the 33-year-old RH is 6-4 with a 3.86 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with 106 K's and 22 BB's. Start number 17 will come this afternoon at home where Wheeler has a 3.72 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in eight starts. After going 2-3 in Wheeler's five starts in May, the Phillies went 4-1 when he went to the mound in the month of June -- 4-0 in his last four. Despite their upset victory here last night, the Nats are 15-38 in the last 53 meetings with the Phillies and 2-8 in the last 10 at Citizens Bank Park. Take Philadelphia. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
06-30-23	Astros v. Rangers -149	Top	5-3	Loss	-149	16 h 22 m	Show
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Texas Rangers over the Houston Astros. This weekend series will be the just second meeting of the Astros and Rangers of the season -- and the first in Arlington. The Rangers took two of three from Houston in mid-April at Minute Maid Park. This series will kick off with Jon Gray going to the mound for the home team, while Ronel Blanco will start for the Astros. The veteran Rangers RHP is having a career season with a 6-3 record and a 2.89 ERA in 14 starts covering 81 innings. Gray is making a strong bid for his first All Star game in less than two weeks. Start number 15 will come tonight and it's safe to say it will be one of his most important of the season. If the Rangers are going to continue their first place run, they will almost certainly have to be successful against the 800 pound gorilla of the AL West. The 'Stros may have taken a small step backwards from last season but few would be surprised if they came on strong in the second half. In five career starts vs. the 'Stros, Gray has a 3.12 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. Take the Rangers. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
06-29-23	White Sox v. Angels -140	Top	9-7	Loss	-140	15 h 14 m	Show
At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Angels over the Chicago White Sox. Two and a half years ago, the Rangers traded pitcher Lance Lynn to the White Sox despite the veteran RH having two of the best seasons of his career with Texas (2019-2020). And in his first year in Chicago, Lynn rewarded his new team with an All Star campaign and a performance worthy of a top-three finish in the 2021 AL Cy Young balloting. But things have gone progressively downhill for Lynn from there. Last season was a bit of a disappointment as Lynn went 8-7 with a 3.99 ERA -- more than a run higher than his 2021 number. So far 2023 has been a disaster with Lynn posting a 4-8 record with a 6.40 ERA and 1.49 WHIP in 16 starts covering 90 innings coming into today. Things don't figure to get any easier for the 36-year-old as he is 0-2 with a 4.30 in five career starts covering just over 29 innings at Angels ballpark in Anaheim. Despite their win here last night the White Sox are a dismal 16-36 in their last 52 meetings with the Angels in Anaheim. Take the Halos. As always, good luck...Al McMordie
06-28-23	Reds v. Orioles -162	Top	11-7	Loss	-162	18 h 24 m	Show
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles over the Cincinnati Reds. After winning Game 1 of this inter-league series on Monday 10-3, the O's stacked their lineup with right-handed hitters on Tuesday against young southpaw phenom starter Andrew Abbott of the Reds. The O's knew that the 24-year-old LHP had been very tough to hit in his first four starts and that proved to the case again last night as Baltimore's lineup couldn't figure out Abbott over six innings and the Reds held on through a rain delay (and we cashed our MLB Underdog of the Month). Tonight will likely be a different story as the Birds' hitters could have a field day against RHP Luke Weaver (1-2; 6.86 ERA in 12 starts). Veteran RHP Kyle Gibson will get his 17th start of the season. The 35-year-old is 8-5 with a 4.30 ERA in 92 innings. Gibson won his only previous start against the Reds which was last season when he was a member of the Phillies (6 IP, 3ER, 11 K's, 0 BBs). Despite their win last night the Reds are still just 4-8 in the last 12 meetings with the O's including 1-5 in the last six here at Camden Yards. Take the Orioles. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
06-27-23	Reds +129 v. Orioles	Top	3-1	Win	129	17 h 8 m	Show
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Cincinnati Reds over the Baltimore Orioles. After winning 12 straight, the Reds are now riding a 3-game losing streak following their 10-3 defeat at Camden Yards last night. Runs should be more scarce tonight, as Baltimore's Tyler Wells will tussle with Cincy's Andrew Abbott. Wells is having a solid season for Baltimore, as he's 6-3, with a 3.42 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. Not to be outdone, Abbott is 3-0 in four Cincy starts, with a 1.14 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. Abbott made his MLB debut on June 5 after starting the season with Double-A Chattanooga (1.15 ERA in three starts), before making seven starts at Triple-A Louisville (3-0, 3.05 ERA). And the Reds have won all 4 of his starts (including two as +155 underdogs at Houston and at St Louis). Abbott has tossed 11 2/3 scoreless innings on the road this season, and the Reds are also a solid 16-15 (+8.0 net games) as a road underdog this year. Take the Reds as a road dog. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
06-26-23	White Sox v. Angels -128	Top	1-2	Win	100	18 h 24 m	Show
At 9:35 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Angels over the Chicago White Sox. On Saturday, the Angels' offense exploded for 23 runs in four innings before taking its foot off the gas and cruising to a record-setting 25-1 victory. It's the type of output that Angels fans have dreamed about since assembling an offense which includes Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. But let's not think this is going to be a habit with this team. After all, Saturday's game was i) against a very bad Rockies team; and, ii) at Coors Field. But there is more reason for optimism in Anaheim and it has nothing to do with hitting. We've known that LH Reid Detmers is a talented pitcher for some time. But the youngster has never been able to put it together, often being too wild and inconsistent to be considered an ace. But Detmer's last three starts may be signaling a turnaround as he has gone 1-0 with a 0.96 ERA and 24 Ks and six BBs in 18 2/3 IP. His 14th start of the season will come tonight vs. a Sox team which has never seen him before. Chicago is also an ugly 6-24 in the last 30 meetings in Anaheim. Take the Angels. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
06-25-23	Brewers -107 v. Guardians	Top	5-4	Win	100	12 h 29 m	Show
At 1:40 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the Cleveland Guardians. Less than two years removed from receiving the NL Cy Young Award, the Brewers would no doubt love to figure out why Corbin Burnes doesn't pitch like Corbin Burnes most of the time now. After all, at age 28, Burnes is still right in the middle of his prime but for whatever reason the strikeouts are down and the walks and ERA are up. Of course, most pitchers in the Majors would sign up for a 3.96 ERA in a heartbeat, but for Burnes, that's not what we've been used to seeing when he is at his best. Burnes will get start number 16 this afternoon and it will be his first against Cleveland since a 3-0, eight-inning shutout effort in September of 2021 -- his Cy Young season. For his career, Burnes is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA and 0.43 WHIP in two starts vs. the Guardians covering 14 innings. The veteran RH looks to rebound today from his worst start of the season last time out. Despite their win on Saturday, the Guardians are 1-4 in the last five meetings with the Brewers. Take Milwaukee. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
06-24-23	A's v. Blue Jays -243	Top	3-7	Win	100	15 h 52 m	Show
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over the Oakland Athletics. When the Blue Jays acquired Jose Berrios from the Twins at the trade deadline in 2021, it was with the expectation that adding the 27-year-old ace to an already strong Toronto roster could result in a World Series within a year or two. That hasn't been the case and Berrios' tenure in Toronto has been up and down. Last season was disappointing as the Puerto Rican RHP won 12 games but posted a 5.23 ERA and led the league with 199 hits allowed and 100 ER. Berrios has righted the ship so far in 2023 as in 15 starts covering 89 innings the now-29-year-old is 7-5 with a 3.64 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. Start number 16 will come this afternoon against the A's who broke an eight-game losing streak with a victory over the Jays on Friday. In 30 career starts here at Rogers Centre, Berrios is 15-5 with a 3.36 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with 174 strikeouts in 177 innings. Despite their victory on Friday, the A's are just 7-20 in the last 27 meetings in Toronto. Take the Blue Jays. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
06-23-23	Braves -150 v. Reds	Top	10-11	Loss	-150	15 h 13 m	Show
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Cincinnati Reds. The hottest team in the Major Leagues? It isn't the Rays, Diamondbacks, Braves or Rangers, but rather the Reds. Cincy has won 11 in a row coming into this weekend series with Atlanta. The streak somewhat coincided with the call-up of #1 prospect Elly De La Cruz, who has not disappointed since making his debut on June 6. It should be pointed out that the Reds' win streak is comprised of series against the Rockies, Royals, Cardinals, and the recently-struggling Astros. So, tonight could be the first real test they've had in a while as the Braves haven't been doing too badly themselves, having won eight straight heading into this showdown. The Reds will send out RH Luke Weaver who has a 6.47 ERA and 1.54 WHIP in 11 starts this season. Atlanta has dominated this series lately, taking seven of the last nine meetings going back to last April while the Reds are 14-37 in their last 51 games vs. teams with a winning % above .600. Take Atlanta. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
06-23-23	Royals v. Rays -255	Top	3-11	Win	100	15 h 12 m	Show
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Kansas City Royals. In one of the biggest upsets of the MLB season so far, the Royals beat the Rays and leading Cy Young candidate Shane McClanahan on Thursday, 6-5. Tampa will pick itself up off the mat tonight in Game 2 of this four-game weekend series with Zach Eflin going to the mound. Like McClanahan, Eflin will likely be an All Star in a few weeks. The veteran RH brings his 8-3 record and 3.26 ERA into this -- his 14th start -- tonight. It will be just his second career start vs. the Royals. His prior one was a gem as Eflin threw a complete game shutout vs. Kansas City back in May of 2019 as a member of the Phillies. If there's one thing Eflin has enjoyed since becoming a member of the Rays, it's his new home ballpark. In seven starts this season here at Tropicana Field, Eflin is 7-0 with a 1.85 ERA vs. 1-3 and 5.08 in six starts on the road. Despite the win on Thursday, the Royals are 8-20 in the last 28 meetings with the Rays. Take Tampa. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
06-22-23	Padres -118 v. Giants	Top	10-0	Win	100	12 h 57 m	Show
At 3:45 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over the San Francisco Giants. It's been five years since Blake Snell won the Cy Young award over in the American League as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays. To say that Snell has never come close to repeating what he did in 2018 is an obvious understatement. In the 4 1/2 seasons since winning top pitching honors, the veteran southpaw has not once returned to the All Star game, has never won even half as many games as he did that season (21) and hasn't seen an ERA anywhere near the 1.89 he turned in. Snell has had issues since that amazing season -- mostly with his mechanics and control. But in his last four starts, we may be seeing Snell finally turn the corner and get back to his ace-like form. In those last four he has been one of the best pitchers in the game, going 2-0 with a 0.36 ERA and 0.76 WHIP with 39 Ks in 25 IP. He'll try to keep the Cy Young form going this afternoon vs. the Giants. In four daytime starts this season Snell has a 1.96 ERA (vs. 4.15 in 10 starts under the lights). Take the Padres. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

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