Sports Picks & Predictions

At 8:40 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over Colorado.  Julio Urias will get the start for L.A. tonight, and be matched up against fellow southpaw, Kyle Freeland.  The Rockies have not done well this season with Freeland on the hill, as they're 5-10.  And they're also a poor 1-5 this season as a home underdog priced from +125 to +175 (and 5-12 the past 3 seasons in that role).  Meanwhile, the Dodgers are a solid 37-19 (+9 games on the money line) when priced from -125 to -175, and 8-3 vs. the Rockies this season.  Take the Dodgers.  MLB Road Warrior Winner.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over the Tampa Bay Rays.  Now at age 33, David Price is on the downside of his career.  But the veteran southpaw is showing that he still has plenty of quality pitching left in his arm.  Despite the shortcomings of the Boston bullpen this season, Price is 7-4 with a 3.66 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 19 starts.  Compare his numbers to those of Chris Sale and Rick Porcello.  This is a revenge situation for Price, who pitched well in his last start against the Rays on the road (6.0 IP; 3 ER; 8K's; 2 BBs) but took the loss and now he gets the Rays at home tonight.  Price has done by far his best work at Fenway this season, going 3-1 with a 2.89 ERA in seven starts here vs. 4-3 and 4.13 in 12 on the road.  The Sox are also 41-15 in Price's last 56 starts following a Quality Start in his last appearance, and 19-9 in Price's last 28 starts vs. teams with a winning record.  And, for his career, Price is 6-6 with a 3.23 ERA in 18 games (17 starts) against the Rays. Take the Red Sox.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Washington Nationals.  Less than a week after the Nats optioned RHP Erick Fedde to the Minors, they are having to recall him again so he can start this game tonight.  That's a good thing for the Braves as the 26-year-old third-year pitcher is taking the rotation spot of Max Scherzer.  So Atlanta won't have to face the three-time Cy Young winner as Scherzer recovers from a mild back strain.  Having just dropped back-to-back games to their two Division Rivals, the Braves certainly welcome a chance to get a win against Fedde rather than arguably the best pitcher in the game.  And they will send their most experienced starter to the mound as RHP Julio Teheran gets his 23rd start of the season tonight.  Teheran enjoys pitching in Nats Park as the veteran is 5-3 with a 3.42 ERA in 11 starts covering 71 innings here.  And the Braves are 6-1 in his last seven starts vs. teams from the NL East.  Finally, the Nats are just 3-9 in Fedde's last 12 home starts while Atlanta is 24-12 in its last 36 road games.  Take the Braves.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Boston Red Sox.  MLB and the networks have to love tonight's prime-time match-up featuring the best rivalry in baseball.  And the pitching match-up is great, RHP Domingo German going into Fenway to face LHP Chris Sale.  The interesting thing is that each of these aces has an ERA of right around four runs, which is not what one would expect, given the talent of these two veteran hurlers.  Sale's 5-9 record and 4.00 ERA are a far cry from where his numbers usually are (12-4 with a 2.11 ERA last season).  And for the first time in the last eight seasons, Sale was not selected as an All-Star.  Yet, despite this rather obvious fall-off that Sale is experiencing, few people in Boston seem to be concerned.  We've actually gone against Sale several times this season (with great success), and we'll do so again tonight.  For technical support, consider that Boston is only 3-7 in Sale's last 10 home starts ,while the Yanks are 8-2 in German's last 10 road starts (and 10-1 in his last 11 vs. AL East teams).  Take the Yankees.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the San Francisco Giants over the San Diego Padres.  Up until a few weeks ago, it was a forgone conclusion that the Giants would be moving Madison Bumgarner at the trade deadline -- which is basically upon us at this point.  But a huge surge from the team has got the Giants thinking that perhaps they should hold on to their most accomplished pitcher.  The Giants are an incredible 18-5 in their last 23 games coming into this afternoon.  And this series finale features none-other-than Mad Bum in his 23rd start of the season.  The amazing thing about this hot streak when it comes to Bumgarner is that the veteran southpaw really hasn't contributed when you look at his W/L ledger.  Bumgarner hasn't won a start in almost a month (June 30) but the Giants are 5-1 in his last six starts going back to June 25 and that's really what's important.  Despite their win on Saturday night, the Padres are just 1-8 in their last nine home games while the Giants are 10-2 in their last 12 road games.  Take San Francisco.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Anaheim Angels over Baltimore.  After defeating (arguably) the best team in baseball -- the L.A. Dodgers -- in back-to-back games to start the week, the Angels have had a letdown vs. (arguably) the worst team in baseball -- the Baltimore Orioles.  Baltimore has won the first three games of this 4-game series.  But I love Anaheim to get back into the win column on this Sunday afternoon.  One reason is that Orioles RHP Dylan Bundy has not performed well vs. the Angels over the last two seasons (9 1-3 innings, 10 runs (8 earned), 7.71 ERA, 1.50 WHIP).  And the Orioles are also at their worst vs. RHP starters (95-189, minus 76 games on the money line).  With Felix Pena penciled in as the Angels starter, we'll back the home team today.  Pena is 8-3 on the season, with a 1.20 WHIP.  And he leads Anaheim in wins, innings pitched (89 2-3) and strikeouts (96).  Take the Angels.

At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Chicago White Sox.  We played on the Twins in Game 1 of this series, and easily cashed in a 10-3 blowout.  And we'll come back with Minnesota this afternoon to close out the series in similar fashion.  Today, the White Sox will hand the ball to Dylan Covey.  Unfortunately, he's been dreadful in his last two starts, as he's given up 11 runs over 6 2-3 innings (14.85 ERA).  And over his last 24 starts, he's 2-16 (the White Sox are 3-18), with an ERA of 6.69.  Not surprisingly, Covey struggled against Minnesota over this stretch, as he faced them twice, and got shelled both games (0-2, 6.75 ERA).  He'll be opposed by Kyle Gibson today.  And Gibson has had tremendous success vs. Chicago, as he's 8-4 in his 15 career starts, with a 2.82 ERA and 1.09 WHIP.  And that 2.82 ERA is Gibson's lowest such number vs. any American League team.  Take the Twins.

At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over Toronto.  This is a rematch of a game played in Tampa between these clubs on May 27.  In that game, Yonny Chirinos threw 5 shutout innings en route to an 8-3 victory over Aaron Sanchez and the Blue Jays.  Sanchez struggled a bit in that start, as he put on eight baserunners in just three innings.  Even worse:  his ERA at home this season is 5.23, while it's 6.06 in all of his 22 starts.  In contrast, Chirinos has a 3.12 ERA in his 15 starts, including 2.84 on the road.  Finally, Tampa's 23-12 as a road favorite this season, while the Blue Jays are a wallet-busting 9-21 as a home underdog.  Take the Rays.

At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Atlanta Braves.  After going 6-0 over the first two months of the season (12 starts), the Phillies' Aaron Nola has been the hard-luck pitcher of the league.  Despite having lowered his ERA from 4.18 to its current 3.64 number over his 10 starts since the end of May, Nola has won just twice (2-2).  He's pitched well in his last three (a 3.00 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 18 innings) but doesn't have a victory to show for it.  But if you're Nola and the Phillies, you realize the important thing is whether or not the team is winning when you go to the mound.  And that's certainly been the case lately as the Phils are 5-1 in Nola's last six starts.  And that includes his best start of the season -- eight innings of shutout ball on July 2 in a game his team would win 2-0 here at home.  The opponent that day was the same as today -- the Braves.  Nola has also yet to lose this season in afternoon starts, going 4-0 with a 3.74 ERA in eight outings before the sun goes down.  Finally, the Phils are 26-9 in Nola's last 35 following a Quality Start in his previous game.  Take Philly.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Milwaukee Brewers.  If the Cubs are going to make another deep playoff run, they're going to need their veteran starters to come through in the final two months of the season.  This of course includes 35-year-old LHP Jon Lester.  Lester was scratched from his last scheduled start this past Wednesday when he fell ill on the road, so this is a very important step for him and it comes at a crucial time against a rival which is hot on their heels -- just one game back in the Division.  The good news for Lester is that he was superb in his only other start vs. Milwaukee this season.  Back on May 12, he allowed 0 earned runs over 6 2-3 innings, and the Cubbies won, 4-1.  In his career, Lester has made nine starts vs. Milwaukee, and he has a 2.35 ERA and 1.20 WHIP.  Even better:  in his career, Lester has gone 31-13 when pitching with at least 2 extra days of rest.  Take Chicago.  MLB Road Warrior Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Atlanta Braves.  The Phillies will almost certainly be in the market for a starting pitcher over the next week and one of the guys who will be looking over his shoulder is 25-year-old RH Zach Eflin.  Eflin hasn't been horrible.  But given that the Phils were expecting him to be a solid #3 or #4 option in the rotation, he's been a disappointment.  Perhaps knowing that he might be on a short leash will give Eflin some motivation tonight at home against the Braves.  The good news on that front is that Eflin is 2-1 with a very nice 3.46 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in four career starts vs. Atlanta, and the Phillies are 3-1 in those four.  Also, despite his recent struggles, Eflin has pitched well at home this season as he is 5-3 with a 3.88 ERA in eight starts here at Citizens Bank Park -- and the Phillies are 7-3 in his last 10 outings here.  And even though they won here last night, the Braves are still just 1-5 in their last six in Philadelphia.  Take the Phillies.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 6:10 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over Miami.  The D-Backs' young southpaw, Alex Young, has been terrific in his four starts this season.  He's 3-0, with a 2.66 ERA and 0.73 WHIP.  And this is a very good match-up for him tonight, as the Marlins are an awful 36-63 (minus 16 games on the money line) vs. lefty starters.  They're also a poor 17-30 (minus 7 games on the money line) as a home underdog.  Take Arizona.

At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Boston Red Sox.  There's no arguing what CC Sabathia's legacy in professional baseball will be.  The 39-year-old southpaw is a certain Hall Of Fame player and could be one of the last pitchers we see with 250 MLB victories.  But Sabathia would like to go out a winner.  And being that he's a Yankee, he just may be able to do that, and a second World Series ring this year is not all that far-fetched.  He's had some tough outings lately, but it hasn't helped his cause that four of his last five starts have come against the Twins and Rays.  He faces another good team this afternoon, but one against which he's had a lot of success.  Sabathia has 18 victories and 4.15 ERA over his career against the Sox and there aren't many starters in the league that can say that.  Boston is 2-5 in its last seven home games vs. RH starters and the Yanks are 13-6 in Sabathia's last 19 following a team loss.  Take New York.

At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the San Francisco Giants over the San Diego Padres.  Don't look now, but the Giants are a game over .500 and only 3 1/2 games back in the NL Wild Card race.  This throws quite a monkey wrench into the plans of the team that many thought would finish in last place.  It is widely assumed that the Giants are shopping their ace, LH Madison Bumgarner, but the team's recent success may cause a change of heart for them.  But it's not just Bumgarner who has facilitated the recent turnaround for the Giants.  The offense has been on fire lately and other pitchers have stepped up their game.  One of those is RH Jeff Samardzija.  The 34-year-old veteran is just 7-8 with a 4.08 ERA overall but for the month of July, Samardzija is 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA and 0.83 WHIP in four starts covering just under 27 innings.  Start number 21 will come tonight in San Diego against the Padres, a team he's had more success against than any other, going 9-3 with a 3.38 ERA in 19 games (17 starts) against them.  And in 10 games (nine starts) at Petco park he is 5-2 with a 2.42 ERA.  Take San Fran.  MLB Road Warrior Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Oakland A's over Texas.  The A's lost yesterday to the Rangers.  But I love them to bounce back tonight, as they're 61-25 (+25 games on the money line) as a home favorite, while the Rangers are a poor 15-29 (minus 8 games on the money line) as a road underdog.  Daniel Mengden will get the start for Oakland today, and the A's are 22-10 in his last 32 starts!  He'll be opposed by veteran RHP Lance Lynn, whose teams have lost 27 of his last 42 road starts (minus 12 games on the money line).  Take the A's.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over Boston.  Andrew Cashner, who was acquired two weeks ago in a trade with Baltimore, will get the start for the home team tonight.  Unfortunately for the Red Sox, he's lost his last four decisions to the Yankees.  And his team lost all three of his starts vs. New York this season.  In contrast, James Paxton has never lost to the Red Sox, with a 3-0 record and 1.62 ERA in five career starts.  In his lone outing vs. Boston this season, Paxton shut out the BoSox over eight innings, with 12 strikeouts, in an 8-0 victory.  Take the Yankees.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Philadelphia Phillies.  The Braves apparently knew what they were doing when they selected Mike Soroka in the first round (28th pick) of the 2015 draft.  After a first season in which the 21-year-old RHP showed flashes of how good he could be when he went 2-1 with a 3.51 ERA in five starts, Soroka -- who still has his rookie status intact -- has taken it to the next level in 2019.  In 17 starts, Soroka is 10-2 with a 2.46 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in just over 102 innings.  He suffered a bad beat in his last start but that was against the Nationals at home and tonight Soroka is pitching in Philadelphia for the first time.  The Phillies were struggling mightily early on this season and although they've turned it around somewhat in the last month, the team that many picked to win the Division still isn't where it needs to be.  As good as Soroka's overall numbers have been, he's been an absolute terror on the road this season.  In nine starts away from Atlanta, Soroka is 6-0 with a 1.13 ERA in 56 innings.  Take the Braves.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Chicago White Sox.  It appears that Twins RHP Jose Berrios has ascended to the level of ace in 2019.  In his fourth season in the Majors, the 25-year-old Puerto Rican is putting up the best numbers of his career.  But we probably still haven't seen the ceiling for him as he is just about to enter his prime.  In 20 starts covering just under 128 innings, Berrios is 8-5 with a 2.96 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and a career-best 3.93 K:BB ratio.  Berrios appears to be the perfect pitcher to have arrived at just the right time for a team which is taking just about everyone by surprise this season.  Start #21 will come against the division rival White Sox -- a team he has dominated throughout his career.  In 11 lifetime starts vs. Chicago, Berrios is 8-2 with a 2.21 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in just over 73 innings.  Those eight victories are also the most that he's logged against any team in the Majors.  The Sox will go with RHP Lucas Giolito, and they are 3-9 in his last 12 home starts vs. teams with a winning record.  Minnesota is 8-2 in the last 10 meetings with the Sox, and we'll back it on the road tonight.  Take the Twins.  MLB Road Warrior Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie

At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Los Angeles Angels.  It seems that Ross Stripling is willing to fill any pitching role that the Dodgers throw at him.  The 29-year-old RH has been both a starter and reliever in all four of his Major League seasons so you have to believe that by now Stripling is okay with transitioning between the two.  He started 2019 in the rotation, then moved to the bullpen at the end of the first month, but was summoned back to starting duties by the end of June.  He's performed well enough to stay in the rotation since then and will get start number 12 tonight at home against the Dodgers' cross-town rivals from Anaheim.  And the fact that this is a home game for the Dodgers means the Angels won't get the benefit of the DH tonight.  Stripling likes pitching in interleague games as he is 6-2 with a 2.91 ERA in 17 games (five starts) vs. teams from the AL.  Meanwhile, the Angels are 2-6 in their last eight interleague road games vs. teams with a winning record.  Take the Dodgers.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the New York Yankees.  The Twins apparently knew what they were doing when they acquired veteran RHP Jake Odorizzi from the Rays in February 2018 for nothing more than a non-descript minor league infielder.  They no doubt noticed that although Odorizzi hadn't been setting the league on fire, he was a workhorse who rarely missed a start in the last four seasons (2014-2017).  And he's still under a very team-friendly contract through 2020.  Sure enough, in this, his second season in Minnesota, Odorizzi is breaking out, having already matched his career high in wins (11), with a 3.18 ERA (also career-best) and his first All Star nod.  With acquisitions like that, it's no wonder Minny is on top in the AL Central.  Start number 20 comes tonight against his old nemesis from the AL East and Odorizzi's 4.06 career ERA against them (16 starts) isn't bad when you consider the Yankee lineups since he's been in the league.  The Yanks won last night, but this has been a very host-friendly series lately with the home team winning eight of the last 11 meetings.  Take the Twins.

At 7:20 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Kansas City Royals.  Julio Teheran must be thinking "what do I have to do in this league to get a winning record?"  After three straight seasons of winning ledgers (2013-2015), the 28-year-old RH -- whose talent is rarely questioned -- has had three straight non-winning campaigns and is on track for another one in 2019.  Perhaps an inter-league start against one of the worst teams the AL has to offer can put Teheran on the winning track.  But just because Teheran hasn't been ringing up the W's doesn't mean his team hasn't benefited.  The Braves are 14-7 in his starts this season including 4-0 in his last four, and Teheran has only allowed five ER in 21 combined innings in those.  The Royals will go with second year RHP Brad Keller.  After going 9-6 with a 3.08 ERA in his rookie season, Keller has taken a step backwards in 2019, logging a 6-9 record with a 4.18 ERA in 21 starts.  The Royals are also a poor 4-11 in their last 15 interleague games vs. teams with a right-handed starter.  Take the Braves.

At 12:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over Boston.  In this EARLY game between AL East division rivals, we'll play on the homestanding Rays vs. David Price and the Red Sox.  Boston has leapfrogged Tampa to take over 6th place in the American League following its wins in the first two games of this series.  Yesterday's game was a heartbreaking loss for the Rays, who left the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th inning.  I look for Tampa to salvage the 3rd game of this series, as they will have the edge on the pitching mound today.  Boston's veteran LHP Price has not been effective over his last three starts (5.14 ERA; 1.57 WHIP), even though two of those games were against the Orioles and Tigers.  This afternoon, he'll have a much tougher match-up against Tampa and its RH ace, Charlie Morton.  At home this season, Morton is 5-1 with a 2.80 ERA.  And he also shut out Boston over six innings in his last game against the Red Sox (April 27, in Boston).  Finally, he's also 4-1 in his daytime starts, with a 2.45 ERA.  Take the Rays.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Oakland Athletics over the Houston Astros.  It's hard to imagine a match-up of two more surprising starters this season than this one.  The A's and RHP Mike Fiers (9-3 with a 3.64 ERA in 21 starts) go into Houston to face the Astros and LHP Wade Miley (8-4 with a 3.25 ERA in 20 starts).  We'll give the advantage to Fiers, who has had winning campaigns in three of his last four seasons (assuming he finishes 2019 above .500 which it seems he definitely will).  No team in the American League has plated more runs against lefties this season than the A's, who have scored 159 runs vs. southpaws coming into tonight.  And they're hitting .270 vs. lefties as a team which is third-best in the league.  The A's are also 21-8 in their last 29 games overall, but perhaps even more impressive is the fact that they are 21-9 in their last 30 road games.  Finally, they are 5-0 in Fiers' last five starts following a team loss in their previous game.  Take Oakland.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Boston Red Sox.  The Orioles just took two of three from the Red Sox over the weekend, capping off the unlikely series outcome with a combined one-hitter on Sunday afternoon.  So Boston decided to take out its frustration on the Rays on Monday, plating nine runs in a lopsided 9-4 victory here in St. Pete.  Now they will try to make it two in a row, sending their #1 starter, LHP Chris Sale to the mound tonight.  But it hasn't been a typical Chris Sale campaign so far as the 30-year-old southpaw ace is just 4-9 with a 4.05 ERA in 20 starts this season.  The Rays will go with RHP Yonny Chirinos, who has better numbers this season than Sale.  Chirinos is 8-5 with a 3.29 ERA in 20 appearances -- including 14 starts -- coming into tonight.  And over his last three starts, Chirinos has a 4.26 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 19 innings, vs. 5.51 and 1.41 in 16 1/3 innings for Sale in his last three.  The Sox are also an ugly 0-4 in Sale's last four starts vs. teams with a winning record.  Take the Rays.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Texas Rangers over the Seattle Mariners.  The battle for bragging rights in the Lone Star State has been no contest lately.  The Astros swept the Rangers in Houston over the weekend, which was on the heels of two straight wins that Houston earned in Arlington a week earlier.  The good news for the Rangers is that they don't have to see the Astros again until a final two-game series in Houston in mid-September.  This week, they'll start with a series in Seattle against the Mariners.  And that's a match-up which has been much better lately for Texas.  The Rangers have taken seven of the last eight meetings with the M's going back to the end of April.  RHP Adrian Sampson will get the start tonight.  Though he's hardly a household name, the 27-year-old has done some very good things for the Rangers this season.  This will be his first start of the season vs. Seattle, but last September he had a quality start against the M's (6 2/3 IP; 2ER).  The Mariners will counter with RHP Marco Gonzales, and they are 1-3 in his last four starts vs. Texas.  Seattle is also a wallet-busting 7-23 in its last 30 home games vs. teams with winning records.  Take the Rangers.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 9:45 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over San Francisco.  Both of these teams are red-hot at the moment.  The Cubs are 9-3 over their last 12 games, while San Francisco is 15-3 over its last 18.  Unfortunately for San Francisco, it has to hand the ball to RHP Shaun Anderson this evening.  Anderson has made 12 starts, and his ERA is 4.87, with a 1.50 WHIP.  Even worse:  over his last three starts, he's compiled an 8.78 ERA with a 2.10 WHIP.  That doesn't bode well for San Francisco in this game.  Nor does the fact that the Cubs are a solid 111-74 (+14 games on the money line off a loss).  Take Chicago behind its 27-year-old hurler, Alec Mills.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Minnesota Twins.  Two former Yankee pitchers went into the Hall of Fame on Sunday (though it didn't help the current team, which lost to the Rockies that afternoon).  The next pinstriped hurler to get inducted -- if the Hall continues to exclude Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte -- just might be LH CC Sabathia.  But, first things first.  And since Sabathia is still in the NY rotation, he's going to no doubt focus on the job at hand -- and the very real possibility of a second World Series Ring.  Tonight he takes the hill in Minneapolis against a very good Twins club (who we played on yesterday, but also one against which he's done very well.  In 39 career starts vs. Minny, Sabathia is 20-9 with a 3.09 ERA in just over 262 innings.  The Yanks are also 12-2 in Sabathia's last 14 starts vs. the Twins.  Take New York.

At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Oakland Athletics.  When evaluating RHP Michael Pineda's 2019 season, it's a matter of the glass being half-empty or half-full.  On the half-empty side is the fact that Pineda has only managed to log a 6-5 record with a very mediocre 4.38 ERA in his 18 starts covering just under 99 innings.  But on the half-full side is Pineda's pinpoint control and the fact that he's only walked an average of 1.5 batters per nine IP, resulting in a very nice 1.16 WHIP and 5.44 K:BB ratio.  The other enigma this season is Pineda's poor record at home (just two wins in 10 starts) vs. on the road (4-2 in eight starts), contrasted against his ERA which is almost a full run better here at Target Field (3.98 vs. 4.87).  But the biggest reason to like Pineda and the Twins today is his record vs. Oakland.  In six career starts vs. the A's, Pineda is 4-1 with a 2.75 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 36 innings.  The Twins are also 6-1 in Pineda's last seven starts following a team loss in their previous game.  Take Minnesota.

At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Texas Rangers over the Houston Astros.  What kind of odds could you have gotten on Lance Lynn leading the League in wins this season?  Well, we are almost two-thirds of the way through, and Lynn is doing just that, with 12 victories against just five defeats, in 20 starts.  The veteran RHP has a chance to reach 20 when the season comes to an end -- a mark which seems to be harder and harder to attain these days.  We've seen quite a bit of the future of Astros pitching lately, and this afternoon is no different as 25-year-old Rogelio Armenteros will get the start at home.  Armenteros has earned this start -- his first in the Majors -- on the strength of his performances out of the bullpen this season.  In three relief appearances, the Cuban RHP has a 2.00 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in nine innings.  However, his numbers this year as a starter in the Minors do not instill confidence for this debut as he was 4-5 with a 5.05 ERA in 13 starts at the AAA level.  The Rangers are a solid 9-5 in their last 14 against RH starters and 5-1 in Lynn's last six starts.  Take Texas in an underdog role today.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the Cincinnati Reds.  Following a breakout campaign in his second MLB season last year, many thought Jack Flaherty would take the next step in 2019.  That 2018 campaign included eight wins, a strikeout rate of almost 11 per nine IP, and a fifth place finish in the Rookie of the Year balloting.  But 2019 hasn't seen any improvement for the hard-throwing RHP, at least when it comes to the W/L record (4-6) and ERA (4.41).  But there are several signs that Flaherty can still have a successful season by the time things wrap up.  For one thing, his strikeout rate per 9 IP is still elite at 10.0 and he is walking less hitters this season which has resulted in an improved K:BB ratio (3.29 vs. 3.05 in 2018).  And he's only 23 years old.  Start #20 will come this afternoon in Cincinnati vs. a Reds team against which he has a 3.09 career ERA.  Flaherty also loves daytime outings, with a 3.20 ERA in 17 career afternoon games (vs. 4.35 in 35 under the lights).  The Reds will go with RHP Anthony DeSclafani and they are 3-7 in his last 10 starts.  Take the Cards.

At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Chicago White Sox.  This will be rookie Dylan Cease's 3rd career start for the White Sox.  And he's not been effective in his first two outings.  He's surrendered 12 hits, five walks and nine runs (seven earned) in just 11 innings (5.73 ERA; 1.54 WHIP).  And those two games were against two of the worst teams in baseball (Royals; Tigers).  This afternoon, he'll have to face the Rays and their Cy Young award-winning hurler, Blake Snell. Snell's not having as good a season as he did in 2018, but he's been terrific lately, with a 2.25 ERA and 0.93 WHIP over his last three starts (all Tampa wins).  Snell is also a perfect 3-0 in his five career starts vs. Chicago, with a 1.07 ERA and 1.02 WHIP.  Take Tampa Bay.

At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Kansas City Royals.  With the injuries that Cleveland has had to its rotation, it's quite a tribute to the Tribe that it's been able to be competitive this season.  That's because some of the young pitchers the Indians have had to rely on have performed very well for them.  Case in point is rookie RHP Zach Plesac, who the Indians selected in the 12th round of the 2016 draft from Ball State University.  Plesac is 3-3 with a 3.56 ERA in nine starts covering 48 innings.  More important is the fact that he is 2-1 with a 2.82 ERA in four starts here at home (22 1/3 innings) vs. just 1-2 and 4.21 in five road starts (25 2/3 IP).  The Tribe hitters couldn't solve KC's Jake Junis yesterday.  But prior to that shutout, they had plated plenty of runners this season against the Royals.  In the eight previous match-ups leading up to Saturday, Cleveland had scored a total of 53 runs -- or almost seven per game.  Finally, the Royals are 8-24 in the last 32 meetings in Cleveland.  Take the Indians.

At 9:10 pm, our selection is on the Anaheim Angels over Seattle.  For this game, please only list Anaheim's starter, Griffin Canning.  Yesterday, the Mariners played one of their best games of the season, as they won 10-0 vs. Anaheim, with starter Mike Leake coming within three outs of a perfect game.  But off that horrible offensive performance, I look for the Angels to rebound strongly tonight against a Mariners team which had lost six straight (and 13 of 15) going into this series.  The Angels will hand the ball to RHP Canning (4.74 ERA), while Seattle will use one of its relievers for the opening inning, before turning it over to LHP Wade LeBlanc (5.15 ERA).  There's no doubt that Canning has been maddeningly inconsistent this season.  Still, the 23-year-old has struck out 71 batters in just 66 1-3 innings, and he has a 1.19 WHIP.  Meanwhile, LeBlanc started against the Angels just seven days ago, and got bombed, as he gave up 10 hits and six runs in just four innings of a 9-2 Anaheim victory.  Take the Angels.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over Arizona.  This is a great matchup between two teams with post-season hopes.  And both will turn to veteran pitchers tonight.  Milwaukee will hand the ball to its southpaw, Gio Gonzalez, while Arizona will turn to Zack Greinke.  Unfortunately for the Diamondbacks, Greinke has had scant success facing the Brewers, as he's 1-4 in seven starts, with a 4.28 ERA.  And his teams are 2-5 in those seven games.  In contrast, Gonzalez is 3-1 with a 2.93 ERA in eight starts vs. Arizona -- and his teams are 6-2 in those eight games.  Take the underdog Brewers.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:20 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over the Atlanta Braves.  Nats starter Anibal Sanchez had quite a run recently.  In eight starts between May 16 and July 4, the 35-year-old RH allowed one ER or less in six of those.  And not surprisingly, the Nationals went 7-1 in those eight starts.  Sanchez stumbled a bit in his last outing against the Phillies on the road, but he still managed to post a quality start in that one (6 IP with 3 ER).  Tonight, in his 18th start of the season, Sanchez will face the team for which he pitched one season in 2018.  It will be Sanchez's second start of the season at SunTrust Park.  And in his first one, Sanchez threw six scoreless innings on May 29, allowing just one hit while striking out seven and walking one in a 14-4 Nats blowout victory.  Despite their loss here on Friday night, the Nats are 6-3 in the last nine meetings with the Braves and 5-1 in the last six meetings here in Atlanta. The Nats are also 23-8 in their last 31 games vs. teams with a RH starter and 13-4 in their last 17 road games vs. the same.  Take Washington.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Oakland Athletics.  Jose Berrios is following up his 2018 breakout season with an even better campaign so far in 2019.  For the second straight season, the 25-year-old Puerto Rican RHP has made the All Star team.  And over his first 19 starts of 2019 he is 8-5 with a 3.10 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 122 innings coming into tonight.  Berrios has also done by far his best work here at home as he is 5-2 with a sparkling 2.32 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in eight starts at Target Field (vs. 3-3 and 3.72 in 11 starts on the road).  Finally, the Twins are 25-8 in Berrios' last 33 home starts, including 9-3 his last 12 home starts vs. teams with a winning record.  Take Minnesota.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Texas Rangers over the Houston Astros.  Few people can be surprised with the fact that more than halfway through the season the Houston Astros -- along with the New York Yankees -- are the cream of the AL crop.  The Astros won a close one on Friday night, beating this Rangers team by a 4-3 final thanks to some early runs and a bullpen that was able shut down the Rangers late in the game.  Tonight, it's the same two clubs meeting in Texas, with RHP Ariel Jurado going for the Rangers.  The 23-year-old RH from Panama will get the 19th start of his professional baseball career tonight in a game that actually means something to the Rangers as their winning record has them in the hunt for an AL Wild Card spot.  With Brad Peacock having been placed on the IL with a shoulder injury, the Astros will call up Jose Urquidy for the start tonight.  The 24-year-old has two previous starts with the team this season and the results have not been good as Urquidy has a 10.50 ERA and 2.50 ERA in just six innings pitched.  Take the Rangers.

At 6:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over Chicago.  The White Sox had dropped seven straight games prior to last night's win.  But I look for Chicago to resume its losing ways this evening.  Sox starter Lucas Giolito got off to a super start this season, with his team going 11-2 in his first 13 starts.  But the wheels have come off lately, as the White Sox have lost four of his last five starts.  And he's given up 18 runs in those five games (6.48 ERA).  Take Tampa Bay.

At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Miami Marlins.  Last Sunday night when the Red Sox and Dodgers played, many thought the match-up would be a battle royal of two of the premier southpaws in the game with runs hard to come by.  But the David Price vs. Hyun-Jin Ryu meeting didn't turn out that way with five first-inning runs before the two hurlers settled down with the Dodgers taking a 7-4 victory in 12 innings.  Ryu goes back out tonight and no doubt he will be happy to be facing the Marlins at home as opposed to pitching at Fenway.  Right now, Ryu is the favorite for the NL Cy Young award, as he has done little wrong, posting a 10-2 record with a league-best 1.78 ERA in his 18 starts.  The Marlins will go with rookie RHP Zac Gallen who has yet to put up a W in his first four MLB starts and it's very unlikely he will do so tonight against the best team in the league -- and arguably the best pitcher in the game right now.  Ignore the fact that the Marlins are 4-1 in the last five meetings with the Dodgers as they -- and Gallen -- have a huge mountain to climb tonight.  Take L.A.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Texas Rangers over the Houston Astros.  It's no surprise that RHP Justin Verlander was an All-Star this season.  After all, Verlander has now made eight appearances in the mid-summer classic and deservedly so.  But this year was the first All-Star appearance for the Rangers veteran LHP Mike Minor.  The 31-year-old southpaw is having one of his best campaigns since he came into the Majors back in 2010.  In 19 starts, Minor is 8-4 with a 2.73 ERA and he has a league-leading two complete games to boot.  And here's an amazing stat:  Minor has identical statistics in 10 home starts as he does in nine on the road -- 4-2 with a 2.73 ERA.  That kind of consistency is hard to come by these days in the Majors.  As good as Verlander has been this season, Minor's 2.73 ERA is actually better than the 2.98 number Verlander has put up in his 20 starts.  The Rangers are 4-1 in Minor's last five road starts and 5-1 in his last six road starts vs. teams with a winning record.  Take Texas.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:20 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Washington Nationals.  We had hoped to have a play last night on the Atlanta Braves, but it was cancelled after Atlanta scratched its starter, Julio Teheran, from that game, and moved his start to tonight.  The good news for Teheran is that he will have a MUCH easier match-up tonight vs. the Nationals' Patrick Corbin (compared to Stephen Strasburg last night).  As I wrote yesterday, Teheran is proving very difficult to hit.  Over the last two seasons, the 28-year-old has posted a hit rate well under one per inning.  And his control issues have seemingly turned a corner since the beginning of the month.  In two July starts, Teheran has allowed two ER on eight hits in 12 combined innings with 12 strikeouts but just three walks.  When he pitches like that, the Braves offense is more than capable of winning games -- as they have in both of those starts.  This will be Teheran's first start of the season vs. the Nats and he's had some decent success against them in his career. The Braves are 7-2 in Teheran's last nine starts overall and 7-3 in his last 10 vs. teams with a winning record.  He's also done his best work at home this season, with a 2.66 ERA in Atlanta over eight starts.  And that bodes well tonight vs. Corbin, whose ERA on the road this season is 5.17 over 10 starts.  The Braves are a perfect 3-0 at home this season off 3+ losses.  Take Atlanta.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Chicago White Sox.  The Tampa Bay Rays' fortunes with top draft picks and young players in their minor league system are well documented at this point.  The problem is, these young studs rarely stick around long enough to bring the team prolonged success.  Enter the latest Boy Wonder, LHP Brendan McKay.  To call him a pitcher is perhaps a bit unfair as McKay -- who was a first round pick in 2017 -- has been a two-way player right up until his call-up by the Rays last month.  But the way he's going, it's pretty clear that McKay's future in the Majors will be as a pitcher and not swinging a bat.  The 23-year-old is 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA and 0.69 WHIP in three starts covering 16 innings so far in his MLB career.  McKay gets a chance for career win #2 tonight at home where he beat the Rangers in his first start back on June 29.  The Sox will go with RHP Reynaldo Lopez and they are 7-15 in his last 22 starts vs. teams with a winning record.  Chicago is also a dismal 7-20 in Lopez's last 27 starts following a Quality Start in his last appearance.  Take Tampa.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Oakland Athletics.  At the ripe age of 31, Twins RHP Kyle Gibson is having arguably his best season.  Gibson is 8-4 in 19 games (18 starts), which puts him on pace to break his career high in victories (13 in 2014).  He also has career-bests in strikeout rate (9.1), walk rate (2.7), and as a result, a 3.41 K:BB ratio which is a personal best as well.  Start number 19 will come against the A's tonight and RHP Mike Fiers.  In five career starts vs. Oakland, Gibson is 2-2 with a solid 3.81 ERA in just over 28 innings.  Gibson has enjoyed home cooking this season as in nine appearances at Target Field (eight starts), he is 5-1 with a 3.69 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in just over 46 innings.  Gibson only lasted 3 2/3 innings in his last start against the Indians in Cleveland but that could bode well for tonight's game.  The Twins are 15-6 in Gibson's last 21 starts overall, but they are 9-1 in his last 10 following an outing of less than four innings in his last appearance.  And they're 46-26 (+16 games on the money line) vs. right-handed starters.  Take Minnesota.  MLB Game of the Month!  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 12:35 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Los Angeles Dodgers.  This afternoon's game will wrap up a wild four-game series between the Dodgers and Phillies that has included just about everything (including a lengthy rain delay yesterday).  The finale will feature Philadelphia's ace, RHP Aaron Nola.  Nola probably won't win a Cy Young this season, but he is still having another very strong campaign, going 8-2 with a 3.63 ERA in just under 117 innings.  More important for this matinee today is the fact that Nola is undefeated in day games this season.  In seven afternoon starts covering 40 2/3 innings, Nola is 4-0 with a 3.32 ERA.  Speaking of undefeated, Nola also has yet to taste defeat against tonight's opponents.  In three career starts vs. the Dodgers covering 19 innings, Nola is 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA and 0.89 WHIP, while the Phillies are 3-0 in those starts.  Finally, the Phils are 10-4 in Nola's last 14 starts overall and 8-1 in his last nine vs. teams from the National League West.  Take the Phillies.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Los Angeles Angels. Please note:  for this ballgame, we will only list the Astros' starter, Gerrit Cole, and NOT specify the Angels' starter.  When the Astros acquired Cole from the Pirates before the 2018 season, they were hoping that the veteran RHP would bring them a second straight World Series title.  That didn't happen.  But Cole has a great opportunity still to get a ring with Houston, and certainly nobody would be surprised if he did.  Cole's individual achievements are impressive, as the 28-year-old is 9-5 with a 3.23 ERA and 1.03 WHIP, with a league-leading 183 strikeouts in just under 123 innings. Cole is also 4-1 with a very impressive 3.02 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in seven appearances (all starts), covering just under 45 innings vs. the Angels.  Finally, Houston is 42-21 in the last 63 meetings with the Halos.  Take the Astros.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Texas Rangers over Arizona.  Jesse Chavez has made eight starts this season.  And he's been fairly effective, with a 3.99 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP.  His strikeout to walk ratio is also exceptional (28K, 4BB).  Tonight, he'll make his second career start vs. the Diamondbacks.  He was solid in his first one, as he gave up just one earned run over five innings.  Chavez will face Diamondbacks' lefty Robbie Ray tonight.  Ray's made four previous starts vs. Texas, and owns an ERA north of five runs per game (5.06) in those starts.  The Rangers have been installed as a home underdog for this game.  We'll grab the home team, as they're 31-20 (+16 games on the money line) this season here, in Arlington (including 17-12 (+13 games on the money line) as a home dog).  Take Texas.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Philadelphia Phillies.  Dodgers' RHP Kenta Maeda hasn't been able to duplicate his rookie season.  In 2016, the now 31-year-old came into the Majors from Japan and promptly won 16 games with a 3.48 ERA and finished third in the NL Rookie of the Year voting.  The next two seasons didn't match that success.  But so far in 2019, Maeda is having a very strong campaign.  For example, Maeda's hit rate is at a career low this season (6.7 per 9 IP), while he has maintained a strikeout rate of at least one per inning.   He also has seven career starts vs. the Phillies and he is 4-1 with a 4.29 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in those while the Dodgers are 5-2.  Take L.A.

At 1:15 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the Pittsburgh Pirates.  The Cards' starting pitcher this afternoon -- RHP Daniel Ponce de Leon -- has the distinction of being drafted by four different Major League clubs over the past five years, starting with the Rays in 2010 and ending with his current team, which selected him in June of 2014.  It seems it wasn't a bad choice as Ponce de Leon has posted a 2.37 ERA in 18 appearances, including eight starts, in a season-and-a-half with the Cards.  He'll get MLB start number nine today at Busch Stadium, a ballpark at which Ponce de Leon has had success with a 2.94 ERA in nine games (five starts) covering just under 34 innings.  The Pirates will couner with Chris Archer.  The veteran RHP has struggled over his last four campaigns and it appears 2019 will be no different.  In his first full season with the Bucs, Archer is 3-6 with a 5.42 ERA in 16 starts covering just under 85 innings.  Despite their win on Tuesday, the Pirates are just 8-15 in the last 23 meetings with the Cards.  Take St. Louis.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the Atlanta Braves.  There were plenty of first-time All-Stars this season, but none was more deserving than the Brewers' third-year pitcher, RHP Brandon Woodruff.  The 26-year-old has done little wrong so far in 2019, logging a 10-3 record with a 3.67 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and very strong 5.04 K:BB ratio in 18 starts covering 108 innings.  Start number 19 comes against a team which Woodruff had one of his best starts of the season.  On May 19, Woodruff threw eight strong innings in Atlanta, allowing two runs on five hits with six strikeouts and no walks.  Although the Brewers won the game, 3-2, Woodruff took a no-decision.  To that end, it's important to note that the Brew Crew is 14-4 in Woodruff's trips to the mound this season, indicating just how strong the Milwaukee offense is this season.  Here is another impressive stat:  The Brewers are 11-1 in Woodruff's last 12 home starts coming into tonight.  Finally, they are also 10-2 in their last 12 home games vs. teams with a road win percentage greater than .600.  Take Milwaukee.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Los Angeles Dodgers.  I have all the respect in the world for the Dodgers' starter, Walker Buehler, as I think he's one of the three most talented pitchers in the league.  But this is a big price for him to lay on the road.  And especially against a team which bombed him last season for 5 runs in 4 2-3 innings (9.64 ERA).  This season, Buehler's road ERA is 3.76, while Vincent Velasquez's ERA in his home starts is 3.95, with a 1.02 WHIP.  The Phillies have been underdogs in seven of their last eight home games vs. Los Angeles, yet are 5-3 (+6 games on the money line) in those games.  Take the Phillies as a huge home dog on Tuesday night.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Tampa Bay Rays.  How satisfying would it be if, in perhaps his final season in the Majors, future Hall of Famer CC Sabathia were to win his second World Series ring?  At the very least, it must be at least a little daunting for a team (like Tampa Bay) to know that it will be facing the active pitcher with the most wins in the league (251).  And the fact that Sabathia can still bring it only adds to that intimidation factor.  There are plenty of starters in the league who would love to have a winning record (5-4 in Sabathia's case) with a 4.03 ERA after 14 starts.  So, the fact that this is far from the veteran southpaw's best season doesn't really matter at this point.  Sabathia still has some life left in that left arm and perhaps the most telling stat is the fact that Yanks are 8-6 in his starts this season.  He also has some very good numbers against the Rays, with 18 wins and a 3.59 ERA in 52 career starts covering a whopping 338 innings.  And Sabathia hasn't allowed more than three runs in any of his last eight starts vs. the Rays going back to July of 2017.  Take the Yankees.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the Atlanta Braves.  The Brewers are likely in the market for a starting pitcher in the next two weeks as the non-waiver trade deadline approaches.  But until they get one, they will keep sending guys like journeyman RHP Adrian Houser out to the mound to fill out the back end of their rotation.  Houser is a 26-year-old who's been in the league since 2015, and has primarily been used as a reliever this season.  Indeed, he's had just five starts this year.  Admittedly, Houser's walk rate is probably too high for him to ever ascend to the top of any rotation.  But he also possesses a very high strikeout rate and he seems to be getting better with every bit of experience the Crew is willing to give him.  This will be his sixth start of the season but only his third at home, where Houser has done by far his best work of 2019.  In eight appearances here (two starts) Houser has a 1.88 ERA in just over 18 innings.  LHP Max Fried started out hot for the Braves, but in his last eight starts, Fried has allowed 29 runs on 60 hits in 42 1/3 innings raising his ERA from 2.88 to 4.29.  Milwaukee's 127-89 (+20 games on the money line) at home, and 52-35 its last 87 vs. NL East division foes.  Take the Brewers.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 3:05 pm, our selection is on the Texas Rangers over the Houston Astros.  Ariel Jurado is a 23-year old, second-year starter for the Rangers who potentially has a bright future in the Majors -- a future that could last quite a long time.  Sure, Jurado's numbers this season don't jump off the page at you --  a 5-4 record with a 4.23 ERA in 19 games, (nine starts).  But when you consider that that ERA is almost two runs below his number in 2018 (5.93), then you can see what an improvement Jurado has made between last season and this.  After seven shutout innings in his last start in June, Jurado looked like he might have a serious breakout, but he threw in a big clunker in his next start and was "rewarded" with a trip back to the bullpen on July 7 -- throwing 2 1/3 scoreless innings in a Rangers victory.  The young RH will come back to the rotation this afternoon to face a very good Astros team.  But it's also a team he's done well against in his career, going 1-0 with a 0.93 ERA in three games (one start) vs. Houston.  The Rangers have taken four of the last five meetings between these Lone Star state rivals, and are a live underdog this afternoon.  Take the Rangers.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Washington Nationals.  The Nats came back and won on Saturday night, thanks to a bullpen meltdown by the Phillies.  Thus, Washington will go for the series sweep on the road this afternoon, behind one of its hottest pitchers in RH Anibal Sanchez.  The Phils will counter with veteran RH Jake Arrieta, who got knocked around pretty good before the All-Star break thanks to some elbow issues.  But the 33-year-old is one of the toughest players in the league and he used the break to heal up a bit and has been cleared for this start today.  One thing that's given Sanchez fits in the past has been pitching at Citizens Bank Park.  In 14 appearances here (all starts), Sanchez is 2-8 with an ugly 5.18 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in just under 75 innings.  And he's also 5-11 with a 4.49 ERA in 23 career starts vs. the Phillies covering just over 124 innings.  Meanwhile, despite Arrieta's recent struggles, the Phils are 4-2 in his six starts since the beginning of June and they haven't lost one of his home starts in almost two months (May 15 vs. Milwaukee).  Take Philadelphia.

At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Toronto Blue Jays.  Two All Star starters from the AL squad will face off this afternoon as RH Marcus Stroman and the Jays finish off this three-game series in the Bronx against the Yankees and RH Masahiro Tanaka.  While Stroman pitched like an All-Star right up to the break, Tanaka certainly did not.  The mid-summer break couldn't have come at a better time for Tanaka, who has posted an 8.31 ERA in his last three.  But most of that damage was due to a particularly ugly start on June 29 in London against the Red Sox (6 ER in 0.2 IP).  If you take that one out of the mix, Tanaka's recent numbers look pretty good (and the Yanks are 3-0 in those last three starts anyway).  The fact that he has a 3.86 ERA overall tells you how well Tanaka has pitched aside from that disaster in London.  And Tanaka loves pitching against the Jays as he is 11-5 with a 2.87 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 18 starts against them.  Moreover, those 11 wins are the most he's posted against any opponent.  Despite the loss on Saturday, the Yankees are still 5-1 in the last six meetings.  Take New York.

At 7:15 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the San Francisco Giants.  Zach Davies may have felt a little upset after being snubbed for an NL All-Star Team spot last week.  After all, the 26-year-old RHP is 7-2 with a 3.07 ERA in 18 starts.  And those are better stats than some of the pitchers who got picked to represent the NL -- which lost to the AL in the game, 4-3.  But if Davies feels that way, then the best thing he can do is prove the rest of this season that he should've been selected for the mid-summer classic.  He'll go up against a guy who's made four All Star appearances in his career in 29-year-old Madison Bumgarner.  If Bumgarner was trying to impress potential trade suitors this season by presenting himself as an attractive veteran southpaw, then he has a lot of work to do.  Mad-Bum is just 5-7 with a 4.03 ERA in his 19 starts so far.  And he's been much worse on the road, going 2-5 with a 4.60 ERA in eight starts away from Oracle Park (as opposed to 3-2 and 3.62 in 11 starts in San Fran).  The Giants are also an awful 8-20 in Bumgarner's last 28 starts away from home.  Take the Brewers.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:15 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Boston Red Sox.  Dodgers RHP Ross Stripling began the season in the L.A. rotation.  But he didn't last even the first month in that role, though it was due to no fault of his own as Stripling compiled a 2.65 ERA over his first six starts covering 34 innings.  But some injured starters returned to the rotation and Stripling found himself in the bullpen at the end of April.  After a bad outing in his last appearance in April, Stripling settled down and didn't allow more than one earned run in any single bullpen outing from the beginning of May through June 20, picking up two wins (vs. no losses) along the way.  Now Stripling has found himself back in the rotation thanks to a forearm injury to LHP Rich Hill, who likely won't be back until late August.  So far, Stripling's latest stint as a starter hasn't gone as he would have liked.  But perhaps a start against the Red Sox will help turn things around.  In 16 career inter-league appearances (four starts), Stripling is 5-2 with a 3.05 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in just over 41 innings.  Meanwhile, the Red Sox are a horrid 6-12 (minus 19 games on the money line) with southpaw Chris Sale on the mound this season.  Take the Dodgers.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the San Francisco Giants.  It's a match-up of a pair of right-handed Andersons as Shaun takes the mound for the Giants opposite Chase and the Brewers tonight, in Milwaukee.  It's widely believed that the Giants will be shopping a bunch of players from now through the deadline (and beyond) with almost no veteran safe from being moved if the price is right.  For now , however, the Giants are just a bad team instead of the terrible (think Orioles) team they will be after their fire sale.  Not only do the two starters tonight have the same last name, but they also have remarkably similar stats in 2019.  Shaun is 3-2 with a 4.23 ERA in 10 starts, while Chase is 4-2 with a 4.32 ERA in 17 games (12 starts).  But we'll back Milwaukee, as it has the far superior offense backing its pitcher tonight.  The Giants are also 3-7 in the last 10 meetings and 1-5 in the last six in Milwaukee.  Take the Brewers.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over Boston.  This is a great match-up between two of the best teams in baseball.  Unfortunately for Boston, it has not excelled vs. the better clubs (though it has beat up on the weak teams).  Indeed, Boston is a wallet-busting 15-20 (minus 10 games on the money line) vs. winning teams this season.  Even worse, the Red Sox are a horrid 0-7 this year at home in competitively-priced games with odds between +125 and -125.  Los Angeles has been very good vs. lefties (99-59), and handled Eduardo Rodriguez very well in a 9-6 victory in last season's World Series.  Take the Dodgers at Fenway Park tonight.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Cleveland Indians.  No team has had a run the last few weeks like the Indians.  The Tribe is red-hot, having won six in a row, pulling within 5 1/2 games of the Twins entering the break.  However, let's keep in mind that this is also a very banged-up squad which has a way of grasping defeat from the jaws of victory, as we've seen many times before.  The Twins will open the second half with RHP Kyle Gibson getting his 18th start tonight, and it's been a very successful season so far for the 31-year-old.  Gibson is 8-4 with a 4.09 ERA and, so far in two July starts, he has posted his best ERA of any month at 2.57.  The Tribe's RH Mike Clevinger is very talented for sure, but a negative trend stand out.  Cleveland is just 2-9 in his last 11 starts vs. winning teams.  Take Minnesota.

At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the San Diego Padres.  Joey Lucchesi has not pitched well on the road this season.  In six starts, his ERA in north of 6 runs per game (6.10).  He'll match up against the Dodgers' RHP Ross Stripling, who has a 2.96 ERA in four home starts this season.  Even better for Los Angeles:  it's won each of Stripling's last five starts.  And the Dodgers are also 37-11 (+18 games on the money line) at home this season, and 17-5 (+10 games on the money line) in day games.  Take the Dodgers.

At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over Arizona.  German Marquez will start for the Rockies, which bodes well for the road team this afternoon.  Colorado's won each of Marquez's last five starts vs. Arizona, and the Rockies are also a solid 25-13 (+9 games on the money line) as a favorite of -110 or higher this season, including 11-3 with Marquez on the mound.  And they're 31-15 (+12 games on the money line) as a favorite of -110+ with Marquez over the last three seasons, and 6-0 in his daytime starts this year.  Take the Rockies.

At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over San Francisco.  The Giants' veteran RHP Jeff Samardzija has been dreadful over the last few years, as he's 6-15 in his last 21 decisions.  And the Giants have lost seven of his last 10 starts.  This game is near Pk'em, which happens to also be one of Samardzija's worst performance categories, as his teams have gone 42-73 (minus 32 games on the money line) when priced between -125 and +125 with him on the hill.  Meanwhile, the Cardinals are 25-10 this season when priced as a favorite of -150 or less, including 11-3 as a road favorite.  Take  St. Louis.

At 1:20 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over Miami.  Southpaw Dallas Keuchel will make his 2nd home start for the Braves this afternoon (and 4th start, overall).  In his other home start, he gave up just 2 earned runs over seven innings vs. the Phillies.  This afternoon, he'll face a lesser foe in the Marlins, who have lost five of their last six games.  Keuchel's career ERA vs. the Fish is 1.50, while his mound opponent -- Trevor Richards -- is 0-3 lifetime vs. Atlanta. This season, Atlanta is 41-20 (+14 games on the money line) as a favorite.  Take the Braves.

At 1:35 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Despite some average numbers, it appears that RHP Chase Anderson's spot in the Brewers' rotation is safe -- at least until they find a better option.  Anderson is 4-2 with a 4.31 ERA overall this season and 3-2 with a 4.27 number as a starter (11 starts).  Anderson has 16 career starts against the Pirates and he is 8-4 with a 3.56 ERA in just over 83 innings in those.  And those eight victories represent the most that he's logged against any opponent.  Pittsburgh will go with RHP Joe Musgrove, who has a slightly better ERA than Anderson but who's been on the short end more often than not with a 6-7 record in 17 starts.  Musgrove has faced the Brewers three times in his career and the results have not been pretty.  He is 0-1 with a 7.13 ERA and 1.70 WHIP in just under 18 innings.  And PNC Park has not been kind to him as he is 7-9 with a 4.62 ERA in 20 starts here covering 115 innings.  Despite the loss on Saturday, the Crew is 8-2 in the last 10 meetings and they are 8-2 in Anderson's last 10 starts against them.  Milwaukee is a super 70-45 (+15 games on the money line) as a favorite of -150 or less.  Take the Brewers.

At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over Tampa Bay.  The Yankees are 57-30 this season, so anytime they're installed as an underdog, they're certainly worth consideration.  Yesterday, they lost, 4-3, to Tampa Bay.  But that was the first time in seven games that the Rays defeated the Yankees.  Indeed, the Yankees have dominated division rivals, as they're 29-8 their last 37 vs. American League East division foes.  This afternoon, Tampa will face southpaw James Paxton for the fourth time in his career.  Unfortunately for the Rays, they're 0-3 in the first three.  Even worse, over the last three seasons, Paxton's teams have excelled in the underdog role with him on the mound, as they've cashed 64% of the time.  With the Rays just 5-12 this season as as home favorite of -150 or less, we'll fade Tampa Bay on this Sunday.  Take the Yankees.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the San Diego Padres.  Dodgers' RHP Kenta Maeda had a rare stumble in his last start, lasting just 4 1/3 innings while allowing two runs on three hits.  But those numbers really aren't that bad when you consider that that outing -- his 16th start of the season -- was at Coors Field.  The veteran Japanese starter is still 7-4 with a 3.78 ERA and 1.10 WHIP on the season.  And tonight he gets another start at his home ballpark, where he has excelled this season.  In seven starts at Dodger Stadium, Maeda is 5-1 with a superb 2.05 ERA and 0.84 WHIP in 44 innings.  In contrast, Maeda has a 2-3 record and 5.52 ERA on the road this season.  Even better:  tonight's game is against a Padres team which has plated just 18 runs in its last six games.  And the Padres are an ugly 16-38 in their last 54 meetings with the Dodgers.  Take Los Angeles.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Texas Rangers over the Minnesota Twins.  There were several surprise teams in the first half of the season, but none more so than the Rangers.  Many picked Texas to finish in the cellar of the division -- well under a .500 record.  But a little more than halfway through the season and the Rangers are 47-41.  Almost as surprising as the team itself is the performance of reliever/spot starter Jesse Chavez.  The 35-year-old RHP is 3-3 with a 2.97 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 36 appearances covering just under 58 innings.  More impressive -- and more relevant for this afternoon -- is the fact that Chavez is 1-1 with a 1.42 ERA in his six starts.  Additionally, in his career, he is a perfect 2-0 vs. the Twins, with a sparkling 2.35 ERA in 11 games (including three starts).  And here, at Target Field, Chavez has allowed just one earned run in 18 1/3 innings in four appearances (two starts).  That equates to an ERA of 0.49.  The Twins will go with RHP Michael Pineda this afternoon, and they are 1-4 in his last five starts vs. winning teams.  And Pineda's a horrid 0-4 in his five career starts, with a 5.66 ERA, vs. the Rangers.  Take Texas.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Texas Rangers.  It seem lately that the Twins can do no wrong when it comes to signing small free agent contracts for reasonable amounts with veteran starters who have had less-than-stellar careers.  One of the latest examples is LHP Martin Perez, who signed a $7 million contract with Minny back at the end of January (following seven years with Texas).  The veteran southpaw is 7-3 with a 4.15 ERA in 17 games including 14 starts covering 89 innings so far this season.  And tonight will be Perez's first career start against the only other team for which he's played.  Perez has found his new home ballpark to his liking as he is 3-2 with a 3.42 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in eight games here (seven starts).  (In contrast, he has a 4.97 ERA and 1.58 WHIP in nine games on the road.)  The Twins are a super 35-16 in their last 51 home games.  Take Minnesota.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the New York Mets.  The Phillies had a very a rough period in mid-June.  In a two-week stretch between June 9 and June 23, the Phils lost 11  of 13 games, dropping them almost to the .500 mark for the season.  But since then, the Phillies have rebounded, going 6-4 over their last 10 games coming into this weekend series.  Veteran RHP Vince Velasquez will go to the hill for the Phils tonight.  And although his numbers so far this season are nothing to write home about (2-5 with a 4.73 ERA in 19 games including nine starts), he loves pitching in Queens.  In six starts at Citi Field, covering 32 innings, Velasquez is 2-1 with a very nice 2.53 ERA and 1.16 WHIP.  Start #7 for him here won't be easy given that Jacob deGrom is going to the mound for the home team.  But the Mets have really been struggling lately.  In their last 10 games, New York is just 2-8.  The Mets are also 1-6 in deGrom's last seven starts and 1-7 in his last eight vs. teams with a winning record.  Take the Phils.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the Pittsburgh Pirates.  1-0 final scores in the Majors are rare these days, but the Brewers played one yesterday, getting shut out in Cincinnati by the Reds and their ace, Luis Castillo.  Don't expect a 1-0 game tonight, especially with the way the Pirates have been scoring lately.  But the Brew Crew has a big advantage on the mound, with veteran RHP Zach Davies getting the start opposite LHP Steven Brault of the Pirates.  In 17 starts this season, Davies is 7-2 with a 3.24 ERA in just under 92 innings.  And while Brault's numbers this season aren't bad (3-1 with a 4.29 in 14 games including eight starts) he has faltered quite a bit at PNC Park.  In six games here (three starts), Brault is winless (0-1) and has posted an ugly 4.84 ERA.  In 33 career games here at home -- including 10 starts -- Brault is 3-3 with a 5.08 ERA in just under 96 innings.  Heading into this weekend series, the Brewers are 7-1 in the last eight meetings.  And they're also 103-63 (+26 games on the money line) as a favorite of -150 or less.  Take Milwaukee.

At 7:20 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Atlanta Braves.  For Phillies RHP Zach Eflin, 2019 has been a glass-half-empty/glass-half-full season so far.  On the positive side, there is the fact that the 25-year-old has a 3.34 ERA in his 16 starts.  He also has a league-leading two complete games, including one shutout.  But on the not-so-positive side is Eflin's 7-7 record.  And he's also allowed 15 home runs, which is one behind his career-high in a full season (16 in 2017 & 2018).  But if there's anything that could jump-start Eflin's season as we head into the second half, then it's a start against the Braves.  In three career starts vs. Atlanta, Eflin is 2-0 with a 1.57 ERA and 0.74 WHIP in 23 innings.  And in his only other previous start here at SunTrust Park, the former first-round pick (Padres) tossed seven sharp innings, and allowed just one earned run and eight baserunners.  Despite their loss on Wednesday night, the Phillies are still a solid 7-3 in the last 10 meetings with the Braves. Take Philly.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 5:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the New York Yankees.  When LHP J.A. Happ came to the Bronx in the second half of 2018, it looked like a perfect marriage.  Happ had been pretty good in Toronto (10-6 with a 4.18 ERA in 20 starts), but when he joined the Yankees, he went into another zone.  In 11 starts with the Yanks after being traded last July 26, Happ went 7-0 with a 2.69 ERA and 1.05 WHIP and seemed poised to pick it up in 2019 right where he left off.  But so far, it's been a lost season for the 36-year-old who, despite a 7-4 record, has logged an ugly 5.23 ERA in 16 starts covering just over 84 innings.  In the beginning of the season, most of Happ's issues were happening at home.  But lately, Happ has been knocked around pretty good on the road as well.  His last road start was in Chicago and he allowed four runs on five hits in five innings to the White Sox.  Start #17 comes on the road and Tropicana Field has not been kind to Happ as he is 1-2 with a 5.36 ERA in 10 games here (nine starts) covering 43 2/3 innings.  Take the Rays.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the New York Mets.  After two games in London that saw a total of 50 runs scored -- almost two-thirds of which (29) were plated by the Yanks in their two victories -- the Bronx Bombers needed a day off on Monday.  And it's not surprising that when they returned to work on Tuesday, the Yankees were a little flat, and lost the first game of this series to their cross-town rivals by a 4-2 margin.  Not only did the Mets beat the Yanks, but they ended their consecutive home run streak at 31 games with last night's victory.  But the Yankees have something else to look forward to tonight.  Their 26-year-old RHP, Domingo German, was arguably their best pitcher for much of the first half.  But a hip flexor injury sidelined German in early June and he's been idle ever since.  Tonight will mark the return of German to the Yanks' rotation and you can never have enough great arms in there.  The Mets will counter with LHP Jason Vargas and they are 1-4 in Vargas' last five home starts vs. winning teams.  Meanwhile, the Yankees are 17-9 in German's 26 career starts.  Take the Yankees.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Pittsburgh Pirates.  We're not sure how the Cubs felt about Pittsburgh before this series started, but there's a good chance they can't wait to get out of town after the way the first two games went.  The Bucs have not only beaten the Cubbies on Monday and Tuesday night, but they've out-scored them by an embarrassing total of 23-6.  The Pirates acquired RH starter Chris Archer from the Rays last season in the deal which sent Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow south to St. Pete.  At the time, it probably looked like a pretty good deal for the Bucs.  But in his first full season with the Pirates, Archer is just 3-6 in 14 starts.  And the 5.50 ERA he has put up in 73 2/3 innings is the highest such number he's logged since he came into the Majors in 2012.  Start number 15 comes tonight and, given how the first two games of this series went, you have to wonder whether tonight there will be an offensive letdown for the home team.  The Cubs will go with veteran RHP Yu Darvish and they are 4-1 in his last five starts following a team loss in their previous game.  Take Chicago.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Oakland Athletics.  In his second year with the Twins, RHP Jake Odorizzi has been awarded his first All Star selection and it's well-deserved.  The 29-year-old is 10-3 with a 2.73 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 16 starts covering just under 86 innings.  The former Tampa Bay Ray is having his best season ever since he came into the Majors in 2012 as a 22-year-old.  Odorizzi will try for win number 11 tonight in Oakland and it's a venue that has been pretty kind to him in the past.  In three previous starts at the Coliseum, Odorizzi is 1-0 with a sparkling 1.29 ERA and 0.57 WHIP in 21 innings.  RHP Daniel Mengden will go for the A's.  And although the 26-year-old is 2-1 with a 4.03 ERA in six games (four starts) this season, Mengden has also issued 16 walks in his 29 innings.  And that walk rate (5.0) is going to catch up to him at some point.  The Twins are 12-1 in Odorizzi's last 13 starts while the A's are 5-12 in their last 17 home games vs. teams with a road winning % of greater than .600.  Take the Twins.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Pittsburgh Pirates.  The Pirates blasted the Cubs by an 18-5 score last night, which is easily the worst defeat of the season so far for the north-siders.  The Cubs will try again tonight in Game 2 of this series.  And unlike Monday, when they sent an inexperienced starter to the mound, Chicago will go with the veteran RHP Kyle Hendricks tonight.  Hendricks is following up his solid 2018 season with an almost identical campaign so far this season, as the 29-year-old is 7-5 with a 3.36 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 14 starts covering just over 88 innings.  Although he is just 4-5 in 13 career starts vs. the Bucs, Hendricks likes pitching here at PNC Park.  In six starts in the Steel City, Hendricks is 2-1 with a 3.09 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 32 innings.  The Cubs are also 7-2 in Hendricks' last nine starts overall and 9-3 in his last 12 vs. teams with a losing record.  Take Chicago.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Pittsburgh Pirates.  If you haven't heard of Adbert Alzolay, don't feel bad.  The 24-year-old Venezuelan was signed by the Cubs as an amateur free agent in 2012 as an 18-year-old but he didn't appear in the Majors until this season.  After a 3.06 ERA with 46 strikeouts and six walks in six starts covering 32 innings with their AAA affiliate in Iowa, the Cubs figured it was time to give Alzolay a shot at the Big Leagues.  So far, so good, as the rookie RHP has a 2.08 ERA in two games (one start) for the Cubs and he will get another shot tonight in Pittsburgh against the Pirates.  Alzolay's only start was in his last appearance against the Braves on June 25 in which he allowed just one run in 4 2/3 innings at home.  He's on the road for the first time but he will also be facing a Pirates team that plated just five runs in its three-game series with the Brewers over the weekend.  The Pirates will go with RHP Trevor Williams and they are 1-5 in his last six starts vs. the Cubs.  Meanwhile, the Cubs are 28-13 (+13 games on the money line) as a favorite of -150 or less. Take Chicago.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 3:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Colorado Rockies.  The Dodgers might not have the best rotation in the Majors, but they might just have the best "rotation depth" in the game.  When you have a guy like RHP Kenta Maeda as your #4 starter, that says something.  Maeda is on pace to have about 14 wins with a sub-4.00 ERA and you can't ask for anything more from your lower starting pitching positions.  This will be Maeda's 16th start of the season.  And while most starting pitchers dread taking the mound at Colorado's Coors Field, Maeda in all likelihood doesn't mind it so much.  In nine career games at Coors (six starts), Maeda is 5-1 with a very strong 3.00 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 36 innings.  Those five victories represent that most that Maeda has had at any venue other than Dodger Stadium.  Despite the Rockies' victory on Saturday, the Dodgers are still 20-8 in the last 28 meetings.  The Dodgers are also 4-0 in Maeda's last four starts vs. teams with a winning record.  Take Los Angeles.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie. 

At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over the Detroit Tigers.  It's not often that we lay this big of a price in a baseball game, but we'll do so this afternoon with Max Scherzer on the mound against a Tigers team which has lost 12 of its last 14 games.  Moreover, Washington's won each of Scherzer's last five starts (0.97 ERA), while the Tigers have lost each of Jordan Zimmermann's last six starts (8.76 ERA).  Finally, Detroit is 6-21 as a home underdog (minus 11 games on the money line), as well as an awful 49-145 (minus 34 games on the money line) as an underdog of +200 (or more), while the Nationals are an awesome 45-13 as a road favorite of -175 or more (plus 17 games on the money line).  Take the Nationals.

At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Baltimore Orioles.  So, now we know the only thing the Orioles needed in order to be successful this season.  They just needed to have the Indians visit Camden Yards for all of their home games.  In an historic couple of days, the O's put a pair of 13-0 drubbings on the Indians to lead up to this series finale.  Will Baltimore make it three-in-a-row?  That's another matter altogether.  The O's haven't had a three-game winning streak since the first week of the season.  And this afternoon they will have to try to do it against one of the best young starters in the American League.  After winning 11 games in his rookie campaign in 2018, 24-year-old RH Shane Bieber is even better this season, going 6-3 with a 3.83 ERA and 1.10 WHIP.  And he threw his first career complete game shutout as well.  Bieber's numbers are certainly worthy of an All-Star nod, which would be even sweeter with the game being played in Cleveland next month.  Despite stumbling the last two days, the Tribe is still 13-6 in the last 19 meetings and they are 10-3 in Bieber's last 13 road starts.  Take Cleveland.

At 10:10 am, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over the New York Yankees.  If we learned one thing from the first-ever Major League game played in Europe, it's that runs across the plate are like raindrops in London.  At the end of the first inning on Saturday, both starters had been knocked out and the game was already over the total with a 6-6 tally on the scoreboard.  It continued from there and when the smoke had cleared, the Yankees had walked away with a crazy 17-13 victory.  If you have Sox LHP Eduardo Rodriguez on your fantasy team, you might want to keep him on your bench today after Tanaka and Porcello each got tagged for six runs in less than an inning yesterday.  But we'll take the experienced southpaw today against little-known lefty Stephen Tarpley who gets his first career start in game two of the London series.  There's little to suggest that Tarpley (0-0 with a 6.48 ERA in 8 1/3 innings) will thrive here overseas against a very dangerous Boston lineup.  And the Red Sox are 45-19 (+24 games on the money line) with Rodriguez on the hill over the last 3 seasons.  And they're also 5-1 in E-Rod's last six starts, having won the last three by a combined score of 28-11.  Take Boston.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over the San Francisco Giants.  You'd be hard-pressed to find a more consistent Major League starter since 2011 than Zack Greinke.  He's won every single year, and his ERA has been below 4.00 in all but one season.  The 35-year-old RHP is having another one of those seasons as Greinke has gone 8-3 with a 3.08 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in 17 starts coming into tonight.  More important for this evening is the fact that Greinke is pitching for the eighth time at Oracle (AT&T) Park.  In seven previous starts here, Greinke has a remarkable 5-0 record with a 1.37 ERA and 0.91 WHIP in 46 innings.  The Giants will go with veteran LHP Drew Pomeranz.  Pomeranz has struggled this season, going 2-8 with a 6.79 ERA in 14 starts heading into tonight.  The Giants are also 3-7 in Pomeranz's last 10 starts on grass.  Take the D-Backs.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Colorado Rockies.  The way things are going, 2019 may very well be the third straight season in which Dodgers' LH ace Clayton Kershaw fails to get 30 starts.  Yet despite not pulling a full workload -- in terms of starts -- the 31-year-old continues to put up some of the best pitching numbers in the Majors.  So far, in 13 starts this season, Kershaw is 7-1 with a 3.07 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 85 innings.  Like many pitchers in the National League, Kershaw's ERA is elevated when he pitches at Coors Field (4.57).  But he has had a lot of success here too, going 10-4 in 24 Denver starts covering 126 innings.  And those 10 victories represent the second-most that Kershaw has had in any road venue (San Francisco - 13 wins).  Perhaps more important than those 10 wins at Coors is the fact that the Dodgers have won six of Kershaw's last seven starts against the Rockies going back to April of 2017 and 27 of his last 33 vs. them.  The Dodgers are also 41-10 in Kershaw's last 51 starts vs. NL West teams.  Take L.A.

At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over Cincinnati.  Luis Castillo has been awful this season in his six daytime starts, as his ERA is 4.59, and the Reds have lost five of those six games.  The Reds have also struggled in day games, generally, over the last three seasons, as they're 63-94 (minus 21 games on the money line).  And they're also a wallet-busting 40-65 (minus 17 games on the money line) vs. southpaws.  None of this bodes well for Cincy this afternoon.  Take the Cubbies as an underdog.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over the New York Yankees.  For the first time ever, Major League Baseball will take its product to Europe as the Red Sox and Yankees play a two-game series at London Stadium in England this weekend.  Game 1 will feature two of the most experienced starters for their respective teams as right-handers Masahiro Tanaka and Rick Porcello go to the mound today.  This season, Tanaka has been solid in his starts at Yankee Stadium, but is under water away from home.  In his six road starts, the Japanese veteran is just 1-3 with a 3.89 ERA (vs. 4-2 and 2.84 in 10 starts in the Bronx.  Even worse for New York is that it will play without one of its best players.  Just eight days after he was activated from the Injured List, New York's OF/DH Giancarlo Stanton has gone back on the shelf with a knee injury so he won't be available this weekend.  The Red Sox are 126-66 (+30 games on the money line) vs. righties, and 102-63 (+24 games on the money line) off a loss in their previous game.  Take Boston.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Oakland A's over the Anaheim Angels.  The A's have won seven of their last 10, and will turn to the red-hot Michael Fiers tonight, in Anaheim.  Fiers has a 2.18 ERA over his last four starts (all Oakland wins), and his teams are a superb 45-28 (+22 games on the money line) in his last 73 starts!  Even better:  Fiers has been a model of consistency over his last 10 starts, as he has not allowed more than 3 runs in any of his last 10 starts.  And he's faced Anaheim twice this season, and once last year (as a member with Detroit), with his teams notching wins in all three of those games.  Take the A's.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8:40 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Without a doubt, Hyun-Jin Ryu has been the best pitcher in baseball this season.  He's 9-1 in his 15 starts, with a 1.27 ERA.  And the Dodgers have won 11 of his 15 starts.  But, given his history against the Rockies, it's hard for me to pass up taking the big home underdog tonight.  Indeed, Ryu is 4-6 with a 4.61 ERA in his career vs. Colorado, including a 7.56 ERA in his four starts at Coors Field.  And even though the Dodgers are 11-4 with Ryu on the hill, they're actually a losing 3-4 this season with Ryu on the hill ON THE ROAD.  Finally, Colorado is 15-8 at Coors Field with Antonio Senzatela on the mound.  Take the home underdog Rockies.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Seattle Mariners.  With Dallas Keuchel not re-signing with the club after last season, the Houston Astros were desperately looking for a lefthander to fill his rotation spot -- being that all of their other projected starters (Verlander, Cole, McHugh, Peacock and potentially McCullers) are righties.  Preferably they wanted someone with experience who wouldn't cost them a fortune.  They found their man in 32-year-old Wade Wiley and in February signed him to a modest $4.5 Million contract for 2019.  Miley has done exactly what the 'Stros had hoped for, as he's been a solid pitcher who has given them quality innings from the left side of the mound.  Miley is 6-4 with a 3.59 ERA in 16 starts and #17 will come against the team for which he pitched in the first half of 2016.  He didn't find Safeco Park to his liking so it's a good thing that tonight's start is in Houston, where Miley has a sparkling 4-1 record and 1.91 ERA in seven starts this season.  The Mariners are also 2-8 in their last 10 road games vs. a lefty starter.  Take Houston.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Chicago White Sox.  Twins ace Jose Berrios took a major step towards being considered one of the elite pitchers in the American League last season.  The now-25-year-old won double-digit games for the second year in a row, while posting two complete games (he led the league) -- one of which was a shutout.  And the Puerto Rican star made the All Star squad for the first time.  Berrios isn't stopping with his 2018 performance however as this season has been even better so far.  In 16 starts, Berrios is 8-3 with a 2.84 ERA and 1.07 WHIP, so he's on track to put up the best numbers of his career.  A start against Chicago could easily keep things rolling along.  In 10 starts against the White Sox, Berrios is 8-1 with a 2.05 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 66 innings.  It certainly doesn't hurt his chances that he has the best line-up backing him up that he's had since he came into the league with the Twins in 2016.  The Twins are also 17-7 in their last 24 road games.  Take Minnesota.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the New York Mets.  At this point, the last two years have to feel a bit like the movie "Groundhog Day" to Mets RHP Jacob deGrom.  The reigning Cy Young winner's frustration over having his leads blown was well documented in 2018.  So, deGrom probably figured that with an improved bullpen in 2019, he could entrust his relievers to not blow as many leads this season.  But it's been more of the same so far for the 31-year-old ace.  He left his last start once again with a lead (3-2) only to have Seth Lugo blow it as the Cubs went on to a 5-3 win.  One starter who hasn't had this problem this season is the Braves' RHP Mike Soroka.  The 21-year-old is making a strong early case for NL Rookie of the Year with an 8-1 record and 2.07 ERA over his first 13 starts and an All Star selection seems all but inevitable at this point.  He's pitched better on the road (4-0, with a 1.05 ERA) than at home this season, but it's somewhat relative as he is still a solid 4-1 with a 3.28 ERA in his six starts in Atlanta.  This game, of course, is in New York.  And he won his only career start here at Citi Field, 3-2, as he gave up just one run over six innings.  He also just beat the Mets two starts ago (12-3, in Atlanta), and has a career 1.96 ERA in three starts vs. the Mets (all Atlanta wins).  Take Atlanta.

At 2:20 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Atlanta Braves.  Cubs RHP Tyler Chatwood has been mostly a starter in his eight seasons in the Majors (since 2011).  During that time, 133 of Chatwood's 154 appearances were starts.  But things have changed in Chicago and now Chatwood is almost exclusively a reliever.  But that was before Cubs' starter Kyle Hendricks went on the IL with a right shoulder impairment.  Now, it appears that Chatwood is being given another chance at starting in the Majors this season -- a good thing despite the fact that one of his mentors (Hendricks) is out of action with no definitive timetable for a return.   Chatwood is 3-1 with a 3.69 ERA in 18 games (two starts) covering 39 innings for the Cubs this season, so hopefully he will be able to keep that going in this afternoon affair against the Braves.  The Cubs are 7-1 in Chatwood's last eight starts overall, while the Braves are 1-4 in their last five road games vs. teams with a home winning % at least .600.  Take the Cubs.

At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the Seattle Mariners.  The Brewers have dropped the first two games of this 3-game series, so they'll look to bounce back this afternoon.  Milwaukee likely will, given its strength as a home favorite.  Indeed, it's 88-46, +21 games on the money line, as a home favorite.  Meanwhile, Mike Leake has burned money as a road underdog in his career (32-49), including a woeful 1-6 this season.   Finally, the Brewers are a solid 19-10 (+8 games on the money line) in day games this year, while Seattle is 11-19 (minus 8 games on the money line) in the afternoon.  Take Milwaukee.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Pittsburgh Pirates.  After a breakout season in 2017, in which he went 13-2 with a 3.00 ERA with 21 of his 34 appearances being starts, it appeared that Brad Peacock might have a permanent job in the Astros' rotation.  But Houston acquired Justin Verlander at the end of that season and then Gerrit Cole later that winter, so Peacock found himself back in a bullpen role last season.  Now with Charlie Morton and Dallas Keuchel gone, Peacock is back in the rotation and he is making the most of it.  Not as dominant as he was two seasons ago, Peacock still has a winning record (6-5) with a nice 3.62 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 16 games -- all but two of which are starts.  He only has one previous appearance against the Pirates and that was in a relief role, so this will be his first stat vs. them.  And it comes at home where Peacock has done his best work this season, going 3-2 with a 3.38 ERA in eight starts, vs. 3-3 and 3.93 in eight appearances (six starts) on the road.  Finally, the Astros are 21-9 in their last 30 inter-league games vs. losing teams.  Take Houston.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over Minnesota.  We've played on the Rays' Charlie Morton quite a few times this season, and we'll do so once again this evening.  Certainly, Morton hasn't disappointed much this year, as he's 8-1 with a 2.31 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP.  And on the road, those numbers get even better, as his ERA is 1.57.  Morton's also been perfect in his career vs. Minnesota.  He's made three starts, and each of those were won by his teams, including a 14-3 victory less than a month ago.  The Rays are a super 12-8 this season on the road in competitively-priced games with odds between +125 and -125, while Minny is 6-12 at home with Jake Odorizzi on the hill when priced from +125 to -125.  Take Tampa Bay.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the Seattle Mariners.  If you haven't heard of Adrian Houser, don't feel bad.  Houser is a nondescript former 2nd round draft pick of the Astros who has found his way onto the Brewers roster almost exclusively as a reliever.  But with Corbin Burnes sent to the minors, Jimmy Nelson being demoted to the bullpen, and Chase Anderson and Freddy Peralta struggling mightily, it appears now there's an opportunity for Houser to get his third start of the season.  The 26 year-old RH has been very effective in a bullpen role up to this point.   In 16 appearances (including two starts), Houser is 2-1 with a 2.27 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 31 2/3 innings.  Those are very solid numbers and you can't blame the Crew for giving Houser his third start of the season tonight based on that.  The Mariners are 2-6 in their last eight inter-league road games vs. teams with a right-handed starter.  And they're just 8-19 in their last 27 inter-league contests.  Take Milwaukee.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Atlanta Braves.  The Cubs have been super this season in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field, as they're 28-15.  And when priced as a home favorite of -150 or less, those numbers improve to 17-5 (+11 games on the money line).  Tonight, they'll hand the ball to RHP Yu Darvish.  And his teams are 39-27 (+6 games on the money line) in his career when favored -150 or less.  Meanwhile, the Braves are an awful 3-10 their last 13 games as an underdog.  Take Chicago.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:15 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the Oakland Athletics.  Cardinals veteran RHP Adam Wainwright is having almost the same type of campaign he has had for the last three seasons.  Clearly, the 37-year-old is in the twilight of his career, but that doesn't mean he can't still contribute to the Cards' success the rest of the way.  Wainwright is 5-6 with a 4.50 ERA in 14 starts covering 76 innings coming into tonight.  The veteran starter has thrived in his career in inter-league starts, going 14-9 with a 3.77 ERA in 35 games (29 starts) vs. teams from the American League.  And those numbers get much better when you look at his performance against Oakland.  In two starts vs. the A's, Wainwright is 2-0 with a 0.53 ERA and 0.77 WHIP in 17 innings (only one run allowed).  Finally, the A's are 2-5 in their last seven inter-league road games while the Cards are 44-19 in Wainwright's last 63 home starts.  Take St. Louis.

At 3:45 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over the San Francisco Giants.  Jeff Samardzija is struggling again for the Giants.  They've won just two of his last eight starts.  And his ERA over his last three outings is an ugly 6.61.  This afternoon, the Giants have been installed as a home underdog vs. German Marquez and the Rockies.  San Francisco is a wallet-busting 43-74 its last 117 when priced as an underdog of +125 to +175.  And Jeff Samardzija's teams are a similarly poor 42-73 (minus 32 games on the money line) in his career when priced from +125 to +175.  In contrast, the Rockies are 7-0 this season (and 20-8 in Marquez' career) when priced from -125 to -175 with him on the hill.  Take the Rockies.