Sports Picks & Predictions

At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Kansas City Royals.  It's been a bit of a rough first half for Indians' RHP Trevor Bauer.  After a breakout season in 2018 in which he went 12-6 with a 2.21 ERA in 28 games (27 starts), Bauer has struggled a bit in 2019.  The 28-year-old RHP is 5-6 with a 3.69 ERA in 17 starts.  His walk rate is up to 3.7 (from 2.9), while his strikeout rate is down to 9.8 (from 11.3).  But if there's anything that can get Bauer back on the winning track, it just might be a start against the Royals.  In 14 games vs. KC (13 starts), Bauer has a 3.01 ERA in just under 81 innings.  Bauer apparently also prefers pitching in the afternoon as his career ERA in the daytime is a full run lower than it is under the lights (3.25 vs. 4.25).  And this season, Bauer loves his afternoon starts even more as he has a 1.82 ERA in five daytime starts (vs. 4.52 in 12 nighttime outings).  The Royals will go with RHP Jakob Junis, and they are 2-5 in Junis' last seven starts vs. teams with a winning record.  Meanwhile, the Indians are 42-19 in Bauer's last 61 starts on regular rest.  Take the Tribe.

At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Rich Hill just landed on the Injured List with a strained flexor tendon in his left forearm.  Thus, Ross Stripling will be called on today to toe the rubber for the NL West-leading Dodgers.  And he's been super this season, whether as a starter (six games) or reliever (14 appearances).  Stripling's 3-0, with a 3.08 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 48 strikeouts in just 47 2/3 innings.  And his ERA in his last three starts (all Dodger Wins) was 1.56.  L.A. comes into this game off a rare loss, 8-4, to the D-Backs.  But I love Dave Roberts' crew to bounce back tonight against the southpaw, Robbie Ray.  Los Angeles is 17-9 this season vs. lefties (and 98-57 the past three seasons).  Even better:  with Ray on the mound, his teams (Detroit & Arizona) are an awful 25-36 (minus 21 games on the money line) at home in his career.  Take the Dodgers.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the Oakland A's.  It was an emotional weekend in St. Louis with Albert Pujols visiting Busch Stadium for perhaps the final time in his career.  The Cards took two of three from the Angels, and now another AL West division team comes into town, as the Oakland A's visit for the first time in almost three years.  RHP Jack Flaherty will get his 16th start for the home team tonight.  And although Flaherty has won just four times this season, and his ERA is almost a run higher than it was in 2018, he has lowered his walk rate, and kept his strikeout rate above one per inning.  So signs point to a rebound for the 23-year-old.  Flaherty has a respectable 3.90 ERA in five inter-league starts, his last of which was a quality outing in Texas against the Rangers on May 19 (2 ER on 4 H in 6 IP).  The A's will go with RHP Chris Bassitt tonight.  And that bodes well for St. Louis, as it's 8-2 in its last 10 inter-league games vs. a RHP starter.  And it's also 23-7 as a favorite of -150 or less this year.  Take St. Louis.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Tampa Bay Rays.  All the fans in Tampa want to know.....What's wrong with Blake Snell?  Last year's Cy Young winner (21 wins and a 1.89 ERA) is just 4-6 with a 4.40 ERA.  And he has allowed 37 ER already, just one shy of his number for all of 2018.  His last start lasted just 1/3 of an inning, which led many to believe that there was a physical problem.  But the Rays and Snell deny that anything's wrong with his health, and have asserted that his problems are simply a matter of bad luck more than anything.  Regardless, going on the road to face the team with the best record in the AL will be a tough way to break out of a slump.  And that's especially true when you consider that one of his worst starts last season was his only previous one here at Target Field (3 ER on 5 H in 3 IP on July 12).  As surprisingly bad as Snell's season has been, that's how surprisingly good Twins' RHP Kyle Gibson's has been.  Gibson is 7-4 with a 4.18 ERA in 14 starts, and his K rate of 9.0 and BB rate of 2.5 are both career-best numbers.  Minnesota is also 12-5 in Gibson's last 17 starts.  Take the Twins.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the New York Mets.  A new poster boy for hard-luck pitchers this season is the Phillies RH Zach Eflin.  Eflin has some very impressive numbers:  a 2.83 ERA in 14 starts to go with a 1.16 WHIP and a league-leading two complete games -- one of those a shutout.  But despite all of this, Eflin is just 6-7 so far.  That will change eventually and all Eflin needs to do is keep his cool and keep pitching like he has been and the wins will come.  The good news for tonight's game against the Mets is that four of Eflin's six wins have come here at home where he is 4-2 with a sparkling 2.13 ERA in six starts in 2019.  One of those two complete games also came here -- a 5-1 victory over the Marlins back on April 28.  This will be Eflin's first home start this season against New York, but last season he went 2-0 against the Mets with 4-0 and 9-6 victories on September 19 and August 16.  The Mets are an awful 32-56 (minus 18 games on the money line) as an underdog of +150 or less, and 13-26 as an underdog with Steven Matz on the mound.  Take the Phillies.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie

At 2:20 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the New York Mets.  It's no surprise that Jacob deGrom has regressed this season after winning his first Cy Young in 2018.  Of course, it would have been hard to imagine that the 31-year-old RHP would have improved on last year's 1.70 ERA.  So, his 3.26 number through his first 15 starts is to be expected.  And it's also much more in line with his career average.  But, just like last season, deGrom has not translated his solid ERA into wins.  In 2019, he is 4-6 in his 15 outings, and the Mets are an awful 3-8 (minus 11 games on the money line) when he's been favored.  One place that's given him fits in his career is Wrigley Field, where today's game is being held.  In three starts here, deGrom is 0-1 with 4.50 ERA and 1.44 WHIP in 18 innings.  But his mound opponent, Cole Hamels, absolutely loves it here on the North Side.  In seven 2019 starts at Wrigley, Hamels is 2-0 with a sparkling 2.38 ERA -- a number that is almost a full run lower than his ERA on the road.  Even better:  in his last six starts vs. the Mets, Hamels has allowed a total of just four ER in 37 IP, and has never allowed more than one earned run in a game.  Take Chicago.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie

At 2:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the New York Yankees.  Those predicting the inevitable regression for future Hall-of-Fame ace Justin Verlander will likely have to wait at least until next season.  With almost half of the 2019 campaign complete, the 36-year-old RHP is showing no signs of slowing down.  His days of throwing 240 innings in a season may be over, but Verlander is still a very dangerous strikeout artist.  And he should be right in the mix for the AL Cy Young yet again this season.  Verlander has been tough both at home and on the road this season, with six of his nine victories coming away from Minute Maid Park.  One starter who hasn't enjoyed home cooking this season is the Yankees' LHP JA Happ.  Happ is a solid 3-0 with a 4.05 ERA in seven road starts in 2019, but he is just 4-5 with an ugly 5.13 number here at Yankee Stadium.  And most of those have been against teams without nearly the talent in the lineup as the Astros.  Also, in his last six starts vs. the Yanks (including one as a Detroit Tiger), Verlander has allowed just six ER in 46 1/3 innings.  (His teams went 5-1 in those.)  Meanwhile, the Astros are 34-11 their last 45 vs. lefties, while the Yankees are a poor 24-38 (minus nine games on the money line) as an underdog of +150 or less.  Take Houston.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:15 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the New York Yankees.  The Astros are currently riding a season-high six-game losing streak.  But we'll back the Astros tonight behind their LHP Wade Miley.  Miley comes into this game with a solid 3.30 ERA and 1.19 WHIP.  And the Yankees are just 9-9 this season vs. southpaws (minus 4 games on the money line), compared to 39-18 vs. righties (+12 games on the money line).  Even better:  the Astros have won six of Masahiro Tanaka's nine starts vs. them, including a 4-3 victory earlier this season.  And Tanaka's career ERA of 7.36 in the regular season vs. Houston is his worst such number against any of the 25 clubs he has faced.  Take Houston.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over Pittsburgh.  After starting out with six wins in Chris Paddack's first seven starts, the Padres have won just one of the rookie's last five outings.  But I look for San Diego to get back into the win column behind its rookie this afternoon.  And it won't hurt to face Chris Archer, who is struggling this season for Pittsburgh.  Archer's ERA is just south of 6 runs per game (5.85), and the Pirates have won just four of his 12 starts.  Take the Padres.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Miami Marlins.  There's no way to sugar coat it -- Vince Velasquez is in a major funk right now.  In his fourth season in Philadelphia, the 27-year-old RHP is quickly wearing out his welcome with the Phillies.  In 17 games, including seven starts, Velasquez is 2-4 with a 4.71 ERA and 1.52 WHIP.  And he is 0-3 with a 10.80 ERA and 2.20 WHIP in his last three starts covering just 10 innings.  But if there's anything that can get a pitcher out of his funk it's a start against the Marlins.  And that applies even more to Velasquez.  In 11 career starts vs. Miami, the veteran is 4-2 with a 3.00 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 57 innings.  Those four victories represent the most that Velasquez has against any team he has faced.  The Marlins will go with RHP Elieser Hernandez.  After a rookie season in which he went 2-7 with a 5.21 ERA, Hernandez has improved on the ERA this season -- 3.95 -- but is 0-2 in his three games (two starts) so far.  Miami is also 0-7 in his last seven starts going back to last May 21.  Take the Phillies.

At 2:20 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the New York Mets.  It's been a strange season so far for Cubs LHP Jose Quintana.  On the one hand, the 30-year-old has allowed more than three earned runs in just two of his 14 starts.  But on the other hand, the Cubs have won just once in Quintana's last eight starts.  The veteran from Colombia will try to break that unlucky streak this afternoon against the Mets.  The good news is that in three career starts vs. the Mets, Quintana is 2-1 with a sparkling 1.35 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 20 innings.  He will try to register his first victory in over a month today at home.  And that is another key for Quintana as he is 3-3 with a very nice 2.98 ERA in seven starts here at Wrigley vs. 1-3 and 4.93 in eight appearances (seven starts) on the road this season.  Despite the Mets' victory on Friday, they are just 3-10 in the last 13 meetings with the Cubs.  Take Chicago.

At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the Anaheim Angels over St. Louis.  Michael Wacha will be making his 12th start of the season, and it's been an exceptionally inconsistent season for the veteran.  In five of his starts, he's pitched well.  But in those other six, he's been awful.  And he's been especially poor here, at home, where his ERA is 8.23.  And he's never performed well in Interleague play in front of his home faithful, as the Cards are 2-8 (minus 12 games on the money line) in his 10 starts, including an 8-2 loss to the Royals this season.  Griffin Canning has been largely effective this season, as he has a 3.93 ERA with a 0.99 WHIP.  And his strikeouts:walks ratio is great at 5.4 (54 strikeouts; 10 walks).  Take the Angels.

At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over Kansas City.  The Twins have rolled out to 48-26 record -- the best in the American League -- in part because they've avoided long losing streaks.  Indeed, their longest losing streak this season is just two games, which they've done six times (including their current losing streak coming into tonight's game).  Thus, the Twins are a perfect 5-0 this season off back to back losses (and 19-7 (+12 games on the money line) off any loss this season).  And they're 14-4 on the road vs. losing teams.  Take Minnesota.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the Cincinnati Reds.  Brewers' RHP Chase Anderson is quietly putting up some very good numbers as a replacement starter this season.  With Gio Gonzalez hitting the IL with a "dead arm", Anderson is getting an opportunity to start for the Brewers and he is making the most of it.  In 13 games (eight starts), Anderson is 3-1 with a 4.05 ERA and 49 strikeouts in just under 47 innings and the Crew is 5-3 in his eight starts.  The Brewers are 3-1 in Anderson's last four starts vs. the Reds going back to last May.  Reds RHP Sonny Gray has a 3.77 ERA in his 14 starts, but he is just 3-5 on the season and his team is 7-7 in his starts so far.  The Reds won on Thursday night, 7-1, but they are still just 2-5 in the last seven meetings with the Brewers overall and 7-14 in the last 21 at Miller Park.  The Brewers are 8-3 in Anderson's last 11 home starts vs. teams with a losing record.  Take Milwaukee.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Miami Marlins.  Aaron Nola came very close to winning the NL Cy Young award last season with a 17-6 record and 2.37 ERA in 33 starts with this Phillies team.  He finished third in the voting thanks to the incredible campaigns that Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer had and now Nola may have a bit of a chip on his shoulder.  So far, in 15 starts in 2019, Nola is picking it up where he left off in 2018 with a 6-1 record even though his 4.89 ERA is much higher than last season's number.  But one of the things about Nola this season is how much he prefers pitching at his home ballpark.  In nine starts at Citizens Bank, Nola is 3-0 with a 3.51 ERA, while in six starts away from Philadelphia, he is 3-1 with a 7.28 number in just under 30 innings.  Tonight's start is at home and it's also against a Marlins team that is just 26-46 on the season.  The Phillies are 17-5 in Nola's last 22 starts vs. teams with a losing record and they are 25-9 in Nola's last 34 home starts.  Take Philadelphia.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over New York.  Tonight, the Astros will hand the ball to Brad Peacock, while the Yankees will start LHP James Paxton.  Houston has been terrific on the road vs. lefties, as it's 34-10 (+21 games on the money line).  And it's 25-11 in Peacock's last 36 starts.  Meanwhile, Paxton is still working into form following his return from the Injured List.  In his four starts since his return, he's given up 11 earned runs in 17 1-3 innings (5.71 ERA).  Take the Astros as a big underdog.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Oakland Athletics.  Last season, Charlie Morton went 15-3 with a 3.13 ERA in 30 starts with the Astros and garnered his first-ever All-Star team selection.  Now in Tampa, Morton is picking things up where he left off last October, going 8-1 with a 2.37 ERA in 15 starts.  Barring something strange happening, Morton should find himself right back on the AL Roster when it's time for the mid-Summer classic in a few weeks.  He'll get start number 16 tonight in Oakland.  The A's are fresh off of a three-game sweep here, but it's safe to say that they will find the Astros to be a tougher assignment than the 21-53 Orioles.  With a 9-2 record and 2.85 ERA in his 14 starts, there's no doubt that Frankie Montas has been a huge surprise for the A's this season.  But his starts since the beginning of May have come against the Pirates, Indians (twice), Tigers, Angels (twice), Rangers and Mariners.  The Rays represent a big step up tonight.  Finally, Tampa is 17-6 in its last 23 vs. AL West teams, and 7-1 in Morton's last eight road starts.  Take the Rays.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Washington Nationals.  The Phillies are mired in a 3-game losing streak after dropping the first two games of this 3-game series.  But Philadelphia has generally been solid when playing with double-revenge the past two seasons, as it's 31-19 (+13 games on the money line).  And it has a nice advantage on the mound tonight.  Nick Pivetta was expected to have a breakout season, but he got off to a rough start.  He was sent down to AAA Lehigh Valley back in April after his first four outings where he had an 8.35 ERA and allowed opposing batters to hit .383.  However, since his call-up in late May, Pivetta has been the pitcher most were expecting this season.  In four starts, he is 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA.  In contrast, his mound opponent, Erick Fedde, has been in poor form, with a 5.62 ERA over his last three outings.  And Fedde's found little success at home in his career, as the Nationals are 1-9 in his 10 home starts.  The Nationals are also a money-burning 4-8 (minus nine games on the money line) off back-to-back wins this season, while the Phillies are 8-5 off back-to-back losses.  Take Philly.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 3:40 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Colorado Rockies.  When it comes to D-Backs LHP Robbie Ray, there's no doubt the raw talent is there.  After all, the 26-year-old has one of the highest strikeout rates in the Majors.  And at any given time, he can make the best hitters look foolish.  But Ray is still a work in progress, with a higher-than-average walk rate that sometimes gets him into trouble.  This month, however, Ray has made some big strides in cutting down on the free passes.  In his three June starts, Ray has struck out 24 hitters while walking just three (one batter in each start).  He looks to keep it going this afternoon in his 16th start -- his third of the season against the Rockies.  With the recent injury to starter Tyler Anderson, the door is now open for Colorado RHP Jeff Hoffman, who will get his seventh start of the season today.  The only problem is that Hoffman is in no way a full-time starter, having posted a 1-3 record and 7.04 ERA in just under 31 innings.  Finally, the Rockies are a wallet-busting 345-588 (-92 games on the money line) as an underdog priced from +125 to +175, including 0-5 with Hoffman on the mound.  Take Arizona.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over Miami.  Daniel Ponce De Leon will get the start tonight for St. Louis.  And all he's done this season in his two starts is give up a single run in both outings (2.00 ERA; 1.22 WHIP).  He'll match up against Miami RHP Trevor Richards, who was bombed last Friday by the Pirates.  Pittsburgh put 11 men on base in Richards' five innings en route to an 11-0 shutout victory.  Richards also hasn't had any success in his career vs. the Cardinals, as he's 0-2 with a 5.06 ERA.  Miami's an awful 21-56 (minus 20 games on the money line) as a road underdog, priced from +150 to +170.  Take the Cards.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Chicago White Sox.  This is a great interleague match-up between cross-town rivals tonight.  The White Sox will turn to their ace -- and one of baseball's hottest pitchers -- Lucas Giolito (2.22 ERA; 0.95 WHIP), while the Cubbies will hand the ball to their All-Star (and last year's NL Wins leader), Jon Lester.  We'll take the Cubs in this home game tonight, as Lester has overwhelmingly led his teams to wins when they've been installed as a favorite (5-0 this year; 42-17 (+16 games on the money line) his last 59) or when he's faced losing teams (112-43 (+46 games on the money line).  Lester's teams are also 6-1 in his last seven meetings vs. the White Sox, including an 8-3 win last September over Giolito (who gave up 5 runs in 6 2-3 innings).  Take the Cubs.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:20 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the New York Mets.  After posting a 4.27 team ERA in the first month of the season, the Braves went in search of some pitching help.  They found it a few weeks ago when they signed free agent starter Dallas Keuchel.  Keuchel is scheduled to make his Atlanta debut this weekend but now that the Braves staff is doing much better (a 3.76 ERA in June) the question is how badly do they really need him?  LHP Max Fried continues to impress with a 7-3 record and 4.11 ERA over 16 appearances (14 starts) and tonight he goes at home against the Mets for his first start against them this season.  Fried has had a bit of a bizarre month of June so far, posting a 7.98 ERA in three starts, however the Braves are 3-0 in those.  And in his last seven starts, the Braves are 6-1.  LHP Steven Matz goes for the Mets.  He has also had some struggles of late, but unlike Fried, the Mets are just 3-4 in his last seven starts, going back to the beginning of May.  Finally, Atlanta is 9-2 in its last 11 home games while the Mets are 7-21 in their last 28 on the road.  Take the Braves.

At 3:40 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the San Diego Padres.  It's early, but NL comeback player honors just might go to Brewers RHP Zach Davies.  After winning 17 games in 2017 with a 3.90 ERA in a league-leading 33 starts, Davies took a major step backwards last season.  Davies managed just two wins (seven losses) in a 2018 campaign in which he logged just 13 starts due to a bad rotator cuff.  But 2019 has brought a new opportunity for Davies and he's making the most of it.  The now healthy starter is having his best season ever, going 7-1 with a sparkling 2.60 ERA in 14 starts covering just under 80 innings.  This will be his fifth career start against the Padres and match-ups don't get much better than this one.  In four previous starts. vs. San Diego, Davies is 3-0 with a 2.16 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 25 innings (the Crew is 4-0 in those starts).  Milwaukee is also 16-7 (+10 games on the money line) in Davies' last 23 daytime starts.  Take the Brew Crew.

At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the New York Yankees.  This is an interesting pitching match-up because it features one of the best Southpaws of the past 20 years vs. potentially one of the best to come in the next decade.  The Yankees' CC Sabathia is a sure future Hall of Fame player, as the 38 year-old has logged 249 victories and over 3500 strikeouts in an incredible career that includes a Cy Young award, an ALCS MVP, and a World Series ring in 2009.  But 2019 has been a struggle for Sabathia.  The veteran has been stuck on those 249 victories since May 22 and in the month of June, he has gone 0-3 with a 6.89 ERA and 1.79 WHIP in three starts covering 15 2/3 innings.  Last season's Cy Young winner, LHP Blake Snell will go for the Rays and the 26 year-old just faced the Yanks in the Bronx a month ago and he threw one of his gems, allowing just one run on six hits in six innings with nine strikeouts and one walk in a 2-1 Rays victory.  The Rays are 25-14 in Snell's last 39 starts as a favorite of -110 or higher.  Take Tampa Bay.

At 1:05 pm, in Game 1 of the Double Header, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Washington Nationals.  Zach Eflin will get the start for the Phillies this afternoon, while Patrick Corbin will toe the rubber for Washington.  Eflin has been solid all season, as he's made 13 starts, and has a 2.81 ERA.  He's also 3-1 in his five career starts vs. Washington, with a solid 3.51 ERA (including a perfect 2-0 this season).  Meanwhile, Corbin is in very poor form.  Over his last three starts, he's given up 20 runs (16 earned) in 12 2-3 innings  (11.37 ERA) and, not surprisingly, the Nationals dropped all three games.  It's true that the Nationals erupted for 15 runs (tying their season-high) vs. Arizona in their last game, while the Phillies gave up 15 runs (to the Braves) in their last game.  Unfortunately, the Nationals are a poor 1-7 at home (minus 10 games on the money line) after scoring 15+ runs, while the Phillies are an awesome 10-1 after allowing more than 8 runs.  Take Philadelphia.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the San Diego Padres.  If you were looking at the Brewers in the pre-season and thought they had a pretty good team, but wondered who was going to step up in the rotation, you were not alone.  But it seems that question has been answered.  26-year-old RHP Brandon Woodruff has emerged as the ace of the Milwaukee staff.  Woodruff is 8-1 with a 3.87 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 14 starts.  And, barring a meltdown over the next three weeks, he should be named to his first All-Star squad.  Woodruff will toe the rubber for the 15th time tonight, and it will be his first-ever start against the Padres.  Perhaps most impressive about his season so far is the fact that the Brewers are 12-2 in his starts this year and 17-5 in his last 22 trips to the mound going back to last season.  Despite the loss on Monday, the Brewers are still 9-4 in the last 13 meetings with the Padres (who have actually performed better on the road this season (17-17) than they have at home (19-20)).  Take the Brewers.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Texas Rangers.  With the unpredictable state of the Indians' rotation, it seems like there are always opportunities for up-and-coming pitchers.  Corey Kluber is out until sometime in August, Carlos Carrasco has some sort of blood condition that isn't being discussed publicly (which is a very bad sign), and Danny Salazar has been injured since the 2017 season.  Enter young (24-year-old) Zach Plesac, who is the nephew of former MLB pitcher Dan.  The rookie hurler has started four games for the Tribe and has a very nice 2.92 ERA and 0.97 WHIP so far.  The Rangers lineup is certainly formidable, but Plesac would seem to be up to the task, having already faced the lineups of the Yankees, Red Sox, White Sox, and Reds in his four outings.  With all of the challenges the Indians' pitching staff has faced this season, you would expect their numbers to suffer, but right now they are amazingly third in the AL with a 3.87 team ERA.  Finally, Cleveland is 10-4 in the last 14 meetings with Texas.  Take the Tribe.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Cincinnati Reds.  The Reds surprised the Astros on Monday night and took a well-deserved 3-2 victory from arguably the best team in the Majors.  But the Reds only have one true ace -- Luis Castillo -- and he pitched last night.  So, now they have to play two more against Houston without his services.  That leaves guys like tonight's starter -- RHP Anthony DeSclafani -- to carry the load.  And that's a huge drop-off from Castillo, who improved his numbers to 7-1 with a 2.26 ERA with Monday's victory.  To make matters worse for Cincy, they have to face RHP Justin Verlander this evening.  The 36-year-old just seems to get better with age, as the 'Stros ace is 9-2 with a 2.41 ERA in 15 starts heading into tonight.  That puts him on track to have an even better season than he did in 2018 when he went 16-9 with a 2.52 ERA, and finished 2nd in the AL Cy Young vote.  Lastly, Verlander is an inter-league monster, with a 34-7 record and a 2.76 ERA in 49 career starts vs. teams from the National League.  Take the Astros.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Boston Red Sox.  As many expected, the Red Sox swept the Orioles over the weekend in Baltimore.  Now they go from facing one of the worst teams in the Majors to perhaps the best in the American League.  Admittedly, there are quite a few people out there who aren't yet buying the Twins as being a legitimate contender alongside the Astros and Yankees.  But the numbers don't lie and right now they have the best W/L ledger in the League as well as the top run differential (+116).  So this series could go a long way toward convincing the nay-sayers out there.  RHP Jose Berrios will get his 15th start tonight and, with an 8-2 record and 3.01 ERA, the 25-year-old Puerto Rican is making a strong case for his second straight All-Star appearance and perhaps his first Cy Young.  Berrios is 23-11 (.676) with a 3.53 ERA in 40 career games (39 starts) at Target Field.  He is also 5-1 with a 2.53 ERA in seven starts here this season.  Finally, the Twins are 8-2 in their last 10 home games vs. teams with a winning record while the Sox are 6-13 in their last 19 vs. winning foes.  Take Minnesota.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie. 

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Texas Rangers over the Cleveland Indians.  Once considered one of the top pitching prospects in the NL, RHP Lance Lynn has been somewhat irrelevant over the past two seasons after missing the entire 2016 campaign with an injury.  He was extremely average in 2018 (10-10 with a 4.77 ERA) splitting his time between the Twins and Yankees.  But he has found new life in Texas and is having a very strong rebound this season.  The ERA is a little on the high side at 4.40, but Lynn has a nice 7-4 record in his 14 starts coming into tonight.  He seems to have really taken to his new home, going 4-0 in six starts at Globe Life Park in Arlington.  He'll try to make that 5-0 tonight against the inconsistent Indians and RHP Mike Clevinger.  Clevinger is coming back from a long absence for a strained upper back suffered shortly after the season started (he has just two starts and 12 innings to his credit so far).  For that reason, he will likely be on a strict pitch count and probably won't go far at all in the game.  The Tribe is 4-9 in Clevinger's last 13 road starts, and don't merit being the road favorite in this game.  Take Texas.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Chicago Cubs.  Yesterday, we played on the Chicago Cubs +181, as I rated the pitching relatively equal, and calculated the price to be a huge overlay.  Not so with tonight's game, given the pitching match-up.  Interestingly, the preseason odds for the National League Cy Young award would have had names like Max Scherzer, Aaron Nola, and Jacob deGrom as the favorites.  But the starter for the Dodgers tonight -- LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu -- would've been so far down on the list that he would have been considered part of the "field."  But two-and-a-half months can change a lot of things and right now Ryu -- 9-1 with a 1.36 ERA in 13 starts -- is the clear favorite for top pitching honors and a mortal lock to make his first All Star team.  Tonight, Ryu gets to showcase his talent on National TV on the Sunday night ESPN prime time game against the Cubs and LHP Jose Quintana.  As solid as Ryu has been, that's how inconsistently Quintana has pitched.  In 14 games -- 13 starts -- the 30 year-old southpaw is 4-6 with a 3.89 ERA and 1.31 WHIP.  Over his last four starts, Quintana has allowed 13 earned runs on 27 hits in just 21 1/3 innings.  And more importantly, the Cubs are 0-4 in those.  The Cubs are also 3-9 in Quintana's last 12 road starts, and 4-14 as a road underdog this season, while LA is 23-5 as a home favorite of -150 or more this season, and 20-6 as a home favorite with Ryu on the hill the last 3 seasons.  Take the Dodgers.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the San Francisco Giants.  The Giants upset the Brewers on Saturday by an 8-7 score and now they go for an unlikely sweep this afternoon in Game 3 of the series. But the Brewers' batsmen and RHP Chase Anderson may have something to say about that.  Anderson is 3-1 with a 3.80 ERA in 12 games, including seven starts.  But with the way Milwaukee's rotation has performed lately, including Jimmy Nelson yesterday, Anderson's part time starting job may become permanent.  More relevant to today's game is the fact that in his last three starts against the Giants -- all with the Brewers -- Anderson has allowed just three earned runs in 18 2/3 innings, with 12 strikeouts and two walks.  Not surprisingly, the Crew is 3-0 in those three.  Giants' RHP Jeff Samardzija has had just two winning campaigns in his 11+ MLB seasons and, with the way things are going in 2019, he isn't likely to add to that number (3-5 in his first 13 starts).  He's also won just once in six starts here at Oracle Park.  The Crew is 9-3 in its last 12 road games vs. a RHP starter, and it's 100-56 (+32 games on the money line) priced as a favorite of -150 or less, while the Giants are 95-145 (minus 17 games on the money line) as an underdog.  Take Milwaukee.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 9:10 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Los Angeles Dodgers.  On the surface, this looks like a mis-match with the red-hot young RHP ace Walker Buehler going to the mound at home against the Cubs and the struggling Yu Darvish.  But Buehler -- who came into the league as a full-time starter last season -- has never faced the Cubs at home before and he has a rather pedestrian 4.13 ERA in five home starts this season (vs. 2.87 in eight outings on the road).  In his only other career start vs. the Cubs, Buehler allowed three runs in just 5 2/3 innings this past April 24th in a 7-6 loss.  The Cubs will go with RHP Yu Darvish.  And although the Japanese import has struggled through much of the first half, he has pitched well lately, with a 3.64 ERA and 1.03 WHIP over his last three outings.  The Cubs are 4-1 in Darvish's last five starts following a team loss in their previous game.  And they have great value as a big underdog at this inflated price.  Take Chicago.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over the San Diego Padres.  After becoming the Rockies' workhorse in 2018 with 33 starts and 196 innings, RHP German Marquez is at it again this season.  Marquez leads the NL with 15 starts and 96 2/3 innings pitched.  His 4.19 ERA is higher than the number he put up in his breakout 2018 season (3.77), but Marquez's 6-3 record puts him on a pace to at least match the 14 victories his logged last season.  Start number 16 comes tonight at home against the Padres.  It was one of the craziest games of the season here last night, with the Padres tying the game with six runs in the 9th inning, and prevailing in 12 innings by a 16-12 tally.  Unfortunately, for Padres LHP starter Eric Lauer, he has to face a team tonight that has given him all kinds of fits.  In three career starts vs. Colorado, Lauer is 0-2 and he has allowed 16 runs (14 earned) in 11 innings for an ERA of 11.45.  Despite their extra-innings win on Friday night, the Padres are still just 2-7 in the last nine meetings with the Rockies.  Take Colorado.

At 7:20 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Atlanta Braves.  After a career season in which he finished third in the NL Cy Young voting, Aaron Nola has taken a step back in terms of his ERA.  The Phillies ace has seen that number rise more than two runs, going from 2.37 to 4.58 over his first 14 starts.  But we've also seen Nola put up a W/L ledger of 6-1, which puts him on a pace to at least match the 17 wins he had in 2018.  The ERA could definitely get some relief tonight as in four previous starts at SunTrust Park, Nola has a 2.13 ERA in just over 25 innings.  And in his last two starts against Atlanta, Nola is 2-0, allowing just one earned run on four hits in 13 innings with 16 strikeouts.  After his last start on April 13 in which he allowed four runs on five hits in just 1 1/3 innings, Braves' LHP Sean Newcomb was demoted to the bullpen.  He's pitched very well in that role and now those relief numbers have earned him another starting shot.  But facing the Phillies is a tall task.  And the Braves are a woeful 5-11 in Newcomb's last 16 home starts vs. teams with a winning record.  Take Philadelphia.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Toronto Blue Jays.  Despite several of their players either being hurt of just not performing to their normal level, the Houston Astros are still one of the best teams in the league and are running away with their division once again.  One of those players who has under-achieved so far is RHP Gerrit Cole.  After going 15-5 with a 2.88 ERA in 32 starts last season, Cole is just 5-5 and 3.72 in his first 14 in 2019.  But the hard-throwing 28 year-old should round into form like he almost always does and it's scary to think how good the 'Stros will be if he gets back to his All-Star level of 2018 anytime soon.  And Cole has been coming on strong lately, with a 2.37 ERA and 0.74 WHIP in his last three starts covering 19 innings (while the 'Stros are 3-0 in those).  Houston is 9-5 in his 14 starts, another indication of the quality of this team from top to bottom.  For technical support, consider that the Astros are a perfect 8-0 this season following an off-day, and are 44-19 (+10 games on the money line) this season as a favorite.  Likewise, Cole's teams have gone 59-22 (+17 games on the money line) as a favorite of -150+ with him on the hill.  Finally, this has been a one-sided series lately, especially here at Minute Maid as the Jays are just 7-17 in the last 24 meetings in Houston.  Take the Astros.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Chicago White Sox.  Over his last seven starts -- dating back to May 7 -- White Sox RHP Lucas Giolito has been arguably the best pitcher in the game, allowing just five runs over 51 1/3 innings during that span.  But before we hand Giolito the AL Cy Young, let's consider who he's faced in those seven outings.  Six of the seven have come against the Indians (basically a .500 team), Blue Jays (24-43) and Royals (arguably the worst team in baseball) -- twice each.  And although the seventh was a very good start against the Astros, the fact is that the 24-year-old hasn't exactly been facing the cream of the AL crop in the last month.  A start against the Yankees should help to prove if the hype is for real.  Veteran LHP CC Sabathia gets the start for the visitors, and he is 19-7 in 28 career starts vs. the Sox.  But even more important for tonight, Sabathia is 10-2 with a 3.40 ERA in 19 starts here at US Cellular Field.  Finally, New York is 5-0 in Sabathia's last five starts vs. losing teams and 11-4 in his last 15 immediately following a team loss in its previous game.  Take the Yankees.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Chicago Cubs.  Clayton Kershaw may not be back to the level he was before his numerous injuries over the past two seasons, when he was considered one of the best pitchers in the game, but he appears to be getting close.  Kershaw is 5-1 with a 3.00 ERA in 10 starts for the Dodgers.  His arm strength seems to be gaining with each start as he's gone seven innings in each of his two June outings, throwing 95 pitches in each.  His control has been outstanding as well, as Kershaw has allowed no more than one walk in each of his last eight starts (a total of just six free passes over that span).  Start number 11 will come against a non-division opponent with which Kershaw is pretty familiar.  In 10 lifetime starts vs. the Cubs, the veteran southpaw is 5-3 with a 2.57 ERA in 63 innings.  Perhaps most important is the fact that the Dodgers are 9-1 (+7 games on the money line) in Kershaw's starts this season.  Meanwhile, the Cubs are 2-7 in the last nine meetings at Dodger Stadium.  Take L.A.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Raptors + the points over Golden State.  This has been an underdog-oriented series this season.  The underdog has covered four of the five Playoff games, and six of the seven meetings this season, if one includes the regular season.  The Raptors are one game away from winning their first NBA Title, and if history is any indication, they'll get the job done tonight.  Indeed, NBA road teams up 3-games-to-2 in a Playoff series have done very well over the last 29 years, as they've cashed 59%, including 78% in the NBA Finals.  That bodes very well for Toronto this evening.  As does the fact that NBA teams (like Toronto) with a better margin of victory have covered 72.2% of NBA Finals games off a straight-up loss, if they weren't favored by 5+ points.  Take Toronto.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Toronto/Golden State game 'under' the total.  These two teams went under the total in Game 5.  But the only reason it was close to the number was due to the opening quarter.  The two teams combined for 62 points in the 1Q, and 73 points in the first 14 minutes, 14 seconds.  But, of course, Kevin Durant was on the floor for much of that time period.  Thus, following the Durant injury, the two teams combined for 138 points over the final 33 minutes, 46 seconds, which extrapolates to 196.16 if that rate of scoring would apply for the full 48 minutes.  And that lines up almost perfectly with Game 4, which had a final score of 105-92.  The 'under' also falls into 139-92 and 85-45 Totals systems of mine.  This will be a very low-scoring game.  Take the 'under.'  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8:40 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over the San Diego Padres.  The Dodgers may be running away with the NL West at this point (and the National League for that matter) but the race for second place and a likely Wild Card spot is a good one.  As of Wednesday, the Rockies, D-Backs, and Padres are all within 2 1/2 games of each other with the Rox currently holding down 2nd place in the division.  They've been dynamite here at home this season, going 20-12 at Coors Field coming into this important four-game weekend series against San Diego.  RHP Jon Gray is scheduled to go to the mound for the 14th time this season.  And although it's been a bit of an inconsistent first half for him (5-5 with a 4.27 ERA), Gray is still effective and can strike out just about any hitter in the game.  And there's nobody he's likes facing more than the Padres -- according to the numbers.  In 17 career starts vs. San Diego, Gray is 9-3 with a 2.70 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in just over 103 innings.  The Rockies are 11-2 (+8 games on the money line) in their last 13 as a home favorite of -125 to -175.  Take Colorado.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the New York Mets.  There was some speculation during the 2018 season that, despite his spectacular numbers in ERA, WHIP, and K:BB ratio, if Jacob deGrom didn't at least get to 10 wins, he wouldn't win the Cy Young.  He barely got there, posting a 10-9 ledger, and the 30-year-old RHP took home the honors for the first time in his career.  2019 hasn't been as kind to deGrom, who is just 3-6 with a much more normal looking 3.45 ERA over his first 13 starts.  And to make matters worse, deGrom has really struggled at home this season, going 1-3 with a 3.97 ERA in six starts in Queens.  He'll try again tonight against a very good Cardinals team and RHP Jack Flaherty.  The young strikeout artist got off to a very rough start in 2019, posting a 5.25 ERA over his first five starts.  But he has settled down since then, and reduced that number by more than a run (4.08) and also now has a winning record at 4-3.  Flaherty has never faced the Mets before, but chances are he will thrive in pitcher-friendly Citi Field.  Take the Cardinals.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Blues over the Boston Bruins.  We've played on the Blues for 10 straight games, so it's no surprise we're backing them in this Winner-Take-All Game 7.  The Blues couldn't close things out on Sunday at home, so they're going to have to try to win their first Stanley Cup on the road.  It was not a good game for Blues goalie Jordan Binnington, who allowed four goals on 31 shots.  But Binnington has a way of rebounding after a sub-par performance.  And he certainly doesn't mind playing in Boston.  Indeed, in the last two games here, the Blues and Binnington have gone 2-0 and the 25-year-old net-minder has stopped 59 of 62 shots.  It's safe to say that tonight's game will be the biggest of Binnington's career, but the young goalie should be up for it.  The Blues are 10-4 in the last 14 meetings with the Bruins in Boston, and 12-6 on the road when playing with revenge from a home defeat.  Take St. Louis as a big underdog.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over the Texas Rangers.  After a very rough start to the season, Red Sox RHP Rick Porcello settled down in May and finished the month strong, picking up his fourth victory and reducing his ERA to 4.41.  June has been a bit of a struggle so far, but on the other hand, Porcello has had to face the Yankees and Rays in his two starts.  Start number three of the month will be his 14th of the season and will come at home against the Rangers and RHP Lance Lynn.  Porcello's teams are a super 60-26 (+14 games on the money line) as a favorite of -150+ with him on the hill, so that bodes well for the Red Sox this afternoon. The Rangers are Lynn's fourth MLB team in less than two years.  And although 2018 was not very successful for the veteran (10-10 with a 4.77 ERA in 31 games including 29 starts), he's improved on that so far in 2019.  But the road has been a bit of a challenge for Lynn this season, as he has gone 4-0 in six home starts but just 3-4 in seven away from Arlington.  Texas has won the first two games in this series, but is still a poor 2-7 in the last nine games at Fenway Park.  Meanwhile, Boston is 117-62 (+29 games on the money line) vs. righties, and 52-22 when playing with double-revenge.   Take the Red Sox.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Anaheim Angels.  Kenta Maeda will make his 13th start of the season.  And his last five starts have been very good, as he's gone 4-0, with a 1.88 ERA and a 0.59 WHIP.  He's also pitched well vs. the Angels in his career, with a 2.70 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP.  The Dodgers are a super 32-13 (+14 games on the money line) vs. righties this season, and 50-26 when playing with revenge from a loss as a road favorite.  Take the Dodgers.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 9:45 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over the San Francisco Giants.  Padres rookie RHP Chris Paddack has some of the best control we've seen from an MLB rookie in a long time as he's issued only 12 free passes all season in 11 starts covering just under 61 innings.  Putting pitches around the plate too much can cause a lot of damage, but that hasn't happened in Paddack's case as he has a 2.97 ERA so far.  Those numbers make the 23-year-old an early favorite for NL Rookie of the Year (although he may get competition from his own teammate -- SS Fernando Tatis, Jr.).  It's hard to imagine a better scenario for Paddack's 12th start than pitcher-friendly Oracle Park and the anemic offense of the Giants.  San Francisco's .221 team batting average is the lowest in the league and it's even worse at home as the Giants are hitting an unbelievable .208 here.  Finally, the Giants are 6-21 in their last 27 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.  Take the Padres.

At 8:40 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Colorado Rockies.  Cubs LHP Jose Quintana has a chance for some revenge tonight.  His last start on June 6 was against these Rockies and it was one of his better outings of the season, but Quintana got very little run support.  His opponent that day was 22-year-old rookie RHP Peter Lambert, who was making his MLB debut and pitched very well to pick up the victory.   But that game was in pitcher-friendly Wrigley Field and now Lambert must make his Coors Field debut.  And that could be -- no pun intended -- a whole different ballgame.  Also, before Lambert threw seven one-run innings in his debut, he had posted a 5.07 ERA in 11 starts at AAA Albuquerque so there's little to suggest in his pedigree or his Minor League numbers that he will duplicate his Wrigley success.  Quintana's numbers at Coors are very respectable -- a 2-0 record with a 4.58 ERA in three starts here.  Finally, the Cubs are 19-9 in Quintana's last 28 starts following a team loss in its previous game.  Take the Cubs.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Cincinnati Reds.  Sitting in 3rd place in their division, almost a dozen games behind the Twins and with a bunch of soon-to-be big money free agents, the Indians are likely going to be shopping some veteran players.  Included in their fire sale will likely be RHP Trevor Bauer.  Bauer is signed through this season at a modest $13M, and although his numbers have taken a bit of a hit in 2019, the hard-throwing 28-year-old is still seen as one of the most sought after potential trade acquisitions out there.  Bauer will get start number 15 tonight at home against the Reds in a battle for Ohio bragging rights.  Bauer is very effective in inter-league play, going 11-5 with a 2.66 ERA in 27 games (including 26 starts) totaling just under 163 innings.  The Reds are 4-17 in their last 21 meetings in Cleveland and 11-18 (minus 10 games on the money line) in their last 29 immediately following a victory.  They are also 0-8 in their last eight games vs. teams from the AL Central.  Take the Tribe.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over Arizona.  The Diamondbacks are on a roll, with five straight wins (and 7 of their last 9).  But we will fade Arizona tonight following its 13-8 victory here last night.  The Phillies have been strong at home this season (22-13), and they're an awesome 60-31 (+17 games on the money line) their last 91 as a home favorite.  Jake Arrieta will take the mound for Philly tonight.  And he's been super vs. Arizona in his career, with a 2.23 ERA in nine starts, and a WHIP of 0.98.  Even better:  in the last two years, he's made four starts vs. Arizona, and his ERA in those games was 0.96 with a WHIP of 0.78.  Take Philadelphia.

At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Golden State Warriors over Toronto.  After dropping the the last two games, the defending champs find themselves down 3-games-to-1 in this Best-of-7 series.  The knee-jerk reaction might be to play against a team in such a predicament.  But teams down 3-games-to-1 in a 7-game series have actually been very good against the point spread over the years, including 61-39 ATS if they were not getting 9+ points.  That bodes well for the Warriors tonight.  As does the fact that Golden State has been super as a road underdog off a straight-up loss, when matched up against an opponent off a win.  Since December 20, 2011, it is 31-7 ATS, including perfect 6-0 when playing with double-revenge from two losses earlier in the season.  Finally, teams (like Toronto) off back-to-back upset wins on the road have covered just 34.7% since 1990 vs. foes with a win percentage greater than .650, including 9-30 ATS if they covered the spread by more than 11 points in each of those two upset wins.  With their backs against the wall, we'll grab the points with the Warriors.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8:40 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over the Chicago Cubs.  The Rockies will hand the ball to German Marquez tonight.  After a dominant second-half of last season (2.47 ERA), Marquez has been inconsistent to start 2019.  He has a 6-3 record, but his ERA is on the high side at 4.07.  However, when one pitches half of his games at Coors Field, that's to be expected.  Perhaps the better barometer of a Colorado pitcher is to just look at his Road ERA/WHIP, and Marquez's Road numbers are fantastic this season (3.32 ERA; 0.82 WHIP).  Tonight, he'll face Yu Darvish and the Cubs.  Darvish's numbers are pedestrian, at best, this season (4.88 ERA; 1.52 WHIP).  We'll take the Rockies, as they're a super 56-27 (+17 games on the money line) as a home favorite, while Chicago's an awful 3-11 (minus 7 games on the money line) as a road underdog this season.  And Darvish's teams are 3-10 in his career as an underdog with him on the mound.  Take Colorado.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Texas Rangers over the Boston Red Sox.  You wouldn't think that a 3.84 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 12.8 strikeout rate and 5.79 K:BB ratio would be disappointing numbers for an MLB starter.  But when you consider that the starter in question is Chris Sale, you just might have to re-think that.  And those numbers come with a very sub-par record of 2-7 in 13 starts.  Meanwhile, Rangers LHP Mike Minor will get his 14th start of the season tonight.  And Minor has resurrected his career this season in Texas.  After going 12-8 with a 4.18 ERA in 28 starts with the Rangers last year, Minor has taken another step forward in his second season here.  In 13 starts, the 31-year-old southpaw is 5-4 with a 2.55 ERA, in just over 81 innings.   Fenway Park has not been very friendly to Sale this season, as the Boston ace is 0-2 with a 4.45 ERA in five starts covering just over 28 innings here at his home venue in 2019.  Even worse:  the Red Sox are 4-8 in their last 12 home games, and 8-12 (minus 9 games on the money line) vs. lefties this season.  Take the Rangers.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie. 

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Blues over the Boston Bruins.  The last time we played against St. Louis was in Game 1 of its series vs. San Jose.  We had our NHL Game of the Year on the Sharks, and easily won with a 6-3 Sharks victory.  However, even though I wanted to fade the Blues in that Game 1, I was pretty sure it would be the last time I would fade them, as I believed they would win the Stanley Cup.  Since then, St. Louis has played 10 games, and we've been on them 9 times (and passed the other game completely).  Now, after a hard-fought road victory Thursday night, the Blues are one win away from their first-ever Stanley Cup.  It's a similar situation to what the Capitals found themselves in one year ago when they won their first Cup in Game 6 against the Golden Knights in Vegas.  The big difference for the Blues tonight is that their Game 6 will be at home, where they've had so much success, both in the regular season and playoffs.  The Blues won what looked like a close game on Thursday, but they were shutting out the Bruins, 2-0, until Boston finally got on the board with less than seven minutes remaining.  Most important is the fact that Jordan Binnington was stellar once again, stopping 38 of 39 shots.  Also critical in its victory was the fact that St. Louis made the most of its opportunities, by scoring twice in just 21 shots on goalie Tuukka Rask.  If they can pepper Rask with shots tonight the way they did in Games 2, 3, and 4, then the Blues should be hoisting the Cup when the final horn sounds.  St. Louis is an awesome 27-9 its last 36 vs. strong offensive teams that score 3+ goals per game.  Take the Blues.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Baltimore Orioles.  Wade Miley seems to be hitting his stride in his early 30s rather than the normal prime age of 26-to-28.  Miley put up some of the best numbers of his career last season (at age 31) going 5-2 with a 2.57 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 16 starts.  This season, Miley is 5-3 with a 3.39 ERA in his first 13 starts.  Of course, it doesn't hurt that over this season and last, the veteran southpaw has pitched for two of the best teams in the Majors (the Brewers in 2018 and now the Astros).  No doubt, Miley would like to forget his one and only season with the Orioles as he went 8-15 with a 5.61 ERA in 2017 in Baltimore.  Start number 14 will come against that former team this afternoon in Houston.  And it's an understatement to say that Miley is enjoying his new home.  In six starts this season at Minute Maid Park, Miley is 3-1 with a stellar 2.23 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in just over 36 innings.  Miley's teams are also 7-1 (+6 games on the money line) in his last eight starts as a favorite and 8-1 in his last nine starts as a favorite of -150 or higher.  Take Houston.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Boston Red Sox.  It's not unusual for a young Cy Young winner to return the following season with some under-achieving numbers early on.  That's certainly been the case Rays' LHP Blake Snell, who is just 3-5 with a 3.68 ERA over his first 12 starts.  But despite those struggles, there are indications that Snell is every bit the pitcher he was in 2018.  His walk rate this season of 2.6 is substantially better than the 3.2 number he put up last year and that has resulted in a stellar K:BB rate of 4.79 (also much better than 2018).  He gets start #13 this afternoon at Fenway Park, and that's not a bad thing -- at least not for Snell.  In eight career starts vs. the Red Sox, Snell has a winning record (4-3) with a very nice 3.22 ERA in just under 45 innings.  The Sox will go with LHP Eduardo Rodriguez.  Although the 26 year-old southpaw has a 6-3 record overall, he is just 1-1 with a 6.52 ERA in two daytime starts (vs. 5-2 and 4.61 in 10 starts under the lights).  The Rays are 21-9 (+6.5 games on the money line) in their last 30 road games.  Take Tampa.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 9:05 pm, in Game 2 of the Double Header, our selection is on the Oakland A's over the Texas Rangers.  Chris Bassitt will start this game for Oakland, and it will be the 2nd time this season that he faced the Rangers.  He also faced Texas in his season debut, and he held the Rangers scoreless over five innings en route to a 6-1 Oakland victory.  For the season, Bassitt's 3-1 in eight starts with a 3.42 ERA.  But he's done his best work away from home, where he's 1-0 in four starts, with a 2.66 ERA.  Meanwhile, his mound opponent, Adrian Sampson, has an ERA north of 6 runs per game this season.  We'll take Oakland as the road favorite tonight, as they are 101-55 (+27 games on the money line) as a favorite, in general.  And they're 227-117 (+51 games on the money line) as a road favorite of -125 or higher.  Take the A's.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:15 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the Chicago Cubs.  As a second-year MLB Rookie last season, Cards RHP Jack Flaherty had a very successful campaign in virtually every category except for the wins and losses.  In 28 starts in 2018, Flaherty went 8-9 with a 3.34 ERA an 1.11 WHIP and he ended the season by finishing fifth in the NL Rookie of the Year balloting.  This season, Flaherty is out to show that 2018 was no fluke -- and that he can turn that losing record into a winning one.  In 12 starts, Flaherty is 4-3 with a 3.76 ERA.  And he has reduced his walk rate from 3.5 to 2.8, resulting in a very impressive K:BB ratio of 3.65.  The Cubs will go with veteran LHP Jon Lester, who is hoping tonight goes better than his last home start against the Cardinals.  Last July 20, Lester had one of the ugliest outings of his long and distinguished career, allowing eight runs on seven hits with five walks in just three innings here at Wrigley in an lopsided 18-5 loss to the Cards.  The starter for the visitors in that one?  None other than Flaherty.  St. Louis is a super 19-5 (+13 games on the money line) as a favorite of -150 or less this season, including 6-1 on the road.  Take the Cardinals.

At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Cleveland Indians.  CC Sabathia signed a very inexpensive (for MLB) $8 million, one-year contract last November for what could be his last Major League campaign.  But persistent rumors that the Yankees could sign FA LHP Dallas Keuchel could put that contract -- and Sabathia's time in the Bronx -- in jeopardy.  So it's clear that the best thing he can do is go out there every five days (or however often his team needs him) and pitch well.  So far, the 38-year-old LHP has been doing that for the most part, with a 3-2 record and 3.61 ERA in nine starts.  Start number 10 will come at the place Sabathia called home for the first seven-plus seasons of his MLB career.  And the good news there is that Sabathia has had a lot of success in Cleveland, posting a 51-41 record and 3.81 ERA in 124 starts covering just under 793 innings.  In fact, in his last seven starts here (all with the Yankees, and going back to the 2011 season), New York is 5-2.  The Yanks are also 8-4 in their last 12 road games and 8-3 in the last 11 meetings with the Tribe.  Take New York.

At 1:05 pm, in Game 1 of the Double Header, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over the Tampa Bay Rays.  And, for this game, please only list Boston's starter, Josh Smith.  Due to a weather-related postponement on April 26, these two teams will play a twin-bill today at Fenway starting with this daytime affair.  Since 2011, the MLB has allowed teams to add one player to its 25-man roster on days when they have a scheduled doubleheader.  And so for this first game, the Sox have called up Smith, a 31-year-old RHP, from Pawtucket. This will be his second start of the season, and the 11th start of his MLB career.  The good news, though, for the veteran pitcher is that, after short stints with the Reds and A's, he has the best offense he's ever had behind him -- even with Boston's many injuries.  And the fact that the Red Sox lost the series opener bodes well for Smith this afternoon, as Boston is a fantastic 98-59 (+27 games on the money line) in its last 157 coming immediately off of a loss.  And when playing in a double revenge situation (as they are in this game), the Sox are 11-3 (+8 games on the money line) this season, and 50-21 (+28 games on the money line) the last three years.  Take Boston.

At 10:15 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over San Francisco.  Certainly, Clayton Kershaw has been one of the National League's very best (if not the best) pitcher over the last several years.  And, out of all his great numbers, one of his very best is when he's faced bad teams on the road.  Indeed, the Dodgers are an awesome 31-6 on the road with Kershaw on the hill when matched up against foes with a win percentage between .380 and .460.  Likewise, the Dodgers are 112-51 (+19 games on the money line) with Kershaw when facing offensively-challenged teams that hit .255 (or worse).  And they've gone 29-6 this season when priced at -150 (or higher).  Kershaw will face a fellow lefty, Drew Pomeranz, tonight.  And Pomeranz is hanging from a thread to stay in the rotation, as he's 1-6, with an 8.08 ERA.  Last Friday's start in Baltimore, against the awful Orioles, was one of his worst:  1 1-3 IP, 8 runs, 6 H, 2 BB.  Take the Dodgers.

At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Golden State Warriors minus the points over Toronto.  We played on the Raptors in Game 3, and got the $$$ with a 123-109 upset win.  However, I look for the Warriors to bounce back tonight.  Indeed, Golden State is a virtually-perfect 12-1 ATS when trailing in a Playoff series, if the Warriors owned a .600 (or better) win percentage (including a perfect 6-0 SU/ATS at home).  And they're a terrific 37-18 ATS as a home favorite off a loss when playing an opponent off a win.  With Klay Thompson back on the court tonight, the Warriors will get a player who is huge for both their offensive and their defensive game plans.  And that's all I need to pull the trigger on Steve Kerr's troops.  Lay the points.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the New York Yankees.  Zach (nephew of Dan) Plesac has pitched great in his first two MLB starts -- both on the road.  In his debut, he held the Red Sox to just 1 run in 5 1-3 innings.  And, then, last Saturday, he gave up a single run over 7 frames to the White Sox.  Tonight, Plesac will get his first home start, and he'll face Domingo German.  The Yankee hurler was bombed in his only other start here, in Cleveland, as he gave up 6 runs over 4 innings.  And he's also in poor form, as his ERA over his last three outings is an ugly 7.90.  With the Indians installed as a home underdog, we'll take Cleveland tonight.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 2:20 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the St. Louis Cardinals.  Already a good team with a very good pitching staff, the Cubs landed another premier arm earlier this week when they signed RHP Craig Kimbrel.  The Cubs' 3.89 team ERA ranks them third in the NL, but their 13 saves to this point is near the bottom.  Kimbrel should take over as the closer, although that may not happen for a couple of weeks as he builds up his arm strength.  This afternoon, the Cubs will send LHP Cole Hamels to the mound for his 13th start of the season and Hamels has been healthy and pitching well.  The veteran is 4-2 with a 3.62 ERA and he's been especially tough here at home with a 3.26 ERA in five Wrigley starts.  The Cards will go with RHP Miles Mikolas, whose overall numbers aren't horrible (4-5; 4.41) but who has some dramatic home-road splits.  In seven starts at Busch Stadium, Mikolas is 3-3 with a very nice 2.87 ERA, however in five road starts he is 1-2 with an ugly 7.66 number.  The Cardinals are 7-19 in the last 26 meetings with the Cubs at Wrigley.  Take Chicago.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Blues over the Boston Bruins.  In what was the closest thing they've had to a must-win situation since their Game 7 against the Stars in the second round, the Blues took Game 4 and evened this series at two-apiece heading back to Boston.  It was the third game in a row that St. Louis has out-shot Boston.  And for the third game in a row the Blues held the Bruins to just 23 shots on goalie Jordan Binnington.  They've now out-shot the Bruins 104-69 over the last three games.  But they also know they can't look back and have to focus on tonight and the biggest game of the season so far.  And the Bruins suffered what could be a big loss in Game 4 when big D-man Zdeno Chara took a puck to the face and appears to have a broken jaw.  His status for tonight is officially listed as questionable, but he didn't skate with his team in the Wednesday practice and it's looking more and more like he won't be available.  St. Louis is 9-2 on the road off a home win in which it scored more than three goals.  And the Blues are 9-4 in the last 13 meetings here in Boston, and won't be intimidated by the Beantown crowd.  Take St. Louis.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over Cleveland.  This game features a pitching match-up between Jose Berrios and Trevor Bauer.  And the two right-handers are going in opposite directions.  The Twins have won Berrios' last three starts (and eight of his last nine), while the Indians have lost each of Bauer's last three starts (and five of his last six).  Even better for Minnesota:  Bauer's Home ERA this season is an awful 5.86, and he's 0-3 (in four starts) with a 5.11 ERA within the division.  In contrast, Berrios is 3-0, with a 1.93 ERA within the division (in four starts), and his Road ERA this season is 3.86.  With Minnesota being 34-14 (+21 games on the money line) vs. righties this season, we'll back the road team on this Thursday night.  Take the Twins.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Raptors + the points over Golden State.  The Raptors have won three of the four meetings vs. Golden State this season, with an average margin of victory at +6.50, and an average point spread differential of +5.12.  We'll grab the points with the Raptors, as they're 13-4 ATS as an underdog vs. .625 (or better) opposition.  Meanwhile, the Warriors have covered just 2 of their last 10 Playoff games off an upset win over their current opponent, including 0-6 ATS vs. .685 (or better) foes!  Finally, home favorites have covered just 23% in the NBA Finals off an upset win over their opponent.  Take Toronto.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Texas Rangers over the Baltimore Orioles.  The Orioles got their man on Monday night, taking catcher Adley Rutschman from Oregon State with the first overall pick in the MLB draft.  Although he's no doubt the best young amateur offensive player on the planet, Rutschman unfortunately can't step in to help the O's right now -- and they need help.  Baltimore's 19-41 record is the worst in the Majors, but they knew this was likely in 2019 -- and possibly next year as well.  The O's will have their "Ace" on the mound in LHP John Means while the Rangers will turn to one of their best pitchers right now as well in LHP Mike Minor.  These two have nearly identical stats so if the pitching match-up is a wash, then you have to like the Rangers who have a much better offense at this point.  The Rangers' 334 runs scored through 58 games is second in the AL (only to the Twins), and their .791 OPS is third (MIN & HOU).  Despite their upset win here last night, the O's are only 5-11 in the last 16 games at Globe Life Park.  Take Texas.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over Toronto.  James Paxton returned seven days ago from a multi-week stretch on the Injured List.  And he was fantastic, as he pitched four no-hit innings in San Diego.  He'll match up against Trent Thornton tonight at Rogers Centre, which bodes well for New York, as Thornton's 0-3 with a 6.23 ERA at home this season.  The Yankees are a solid 12-3 this season as a road favorite, while the Blue Jays are a horrid 42-70 (minus 26 games on the money line) vs. lefties.  Take New York.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over San Diego. The Phillies will hand the ball to Jerad Eickhoff, who has been terrific in his career vs. the Padres.  In four starts, he's a perfect 3-0 (with one no-decision), and has a 1.96 ERA and 1.00 WHIP.  Last night, the Padres walloped the Phillies, 8-2.  But the Phils are an awesome 9-2 this season after giving up 8+ runs (and 6-1 after losing by 6+ runs).  Even better:  the Padres are a wallet-busting 8-14 (minus 10 games on the money line) this season in nighttime home games.  Take Philly.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Detroit Tigers.  Last season, Blake Snell went from relative unknown to Cy Young award winner with league-best numbers in two of the three major pitching categories -- Wins (21) and ERA (1.89).  So heading into this season, there were no longer any secrets about the Tampa Bay southpaw and as you might expect, he has regressed somewhat off of those absurd numbers of 2018.  But despite just three victories in his first 11 starts, Snell is still a bona-fide ace, and he will likely get stronger as the season progresses and with the Rays already 13 games over .500, that's a bit of a scary thought.  A start in Detroit against the 22-34 Tigers should help get Snell -- who hasn't registered a victory since May 6 -- back on track.  Although he's win-less over his last three, Snell has a 1.93 ERA and 1.18 WHIP over that time and the Rays are 2-1 in those.  The Rays are 6-2 in the last eight meetings with the Tigers who are 5-16 in their last 21 home games.  Take Tampa.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Toronto Blue Jays.  With injuries to SPs Clay Buchholz and Matt Shoemaker, the Jays have been forced to rely on Trent Thornton, Edwin Jackson, and Clayton Richard.  The results for the most part have not been pretty, although Richard -- who gets his third start of the year tonight -- is the only one with numbers that are somewhat respectable.  The now-35-year-old came over to the Jays in a trade with the Padres back in December.  But he is only 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA 1.38 WHIP in two starts so far.  The Yanks have been rumored to be interested in FA Dallas Keuchel due to their own injury issues as ace starter Luis Severino is on the IL with a lat strain and rotator cuff issue.  Perhaps surprisingly given his history, one of the Yanks most reliable players so far this season is RHP Masahiro Tanaka.  Tanaka is only 3-4 in 12 starts, but he has a very nice 3.20 ERA in just over 70 innings.  More importantly, Tanaka is 11-4 with a 2.69 ERA in 17 starts against the Jays and those 11 wins are tops for him vs. any of his MLB opponents.  Take the Yankees.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Blues over the Boston Bruins.  The Bruins administered what can only be described as an old-fashioned butt whoopin' to the Blues in Game 3 at Enterprise Center on Saturday night, 7-2.  When the smoke cleared and the disappointed crowd had cleared out, the Bruins had wrested home ice back in the series.  But the good news for the Blues -- at least for tonight -- is that on four different occasions in these playoffs (the last four times it's happened, in fact), when they've allowed four or more goals, they've come back to win the next game.  Tonight is about as close to a must-win situation for St. Louis as it gets as another performance even close to Game 3 would almost certainly hand Lord Stanley's Cup to Boston.   The Blues are 7-2 in their last nine after scoring two goals or less in their previous game, and 29-16 off a loss.  And they're a perfect 4-0 in this year's Playoffs when trailing in a series.  Take St. Louis.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Golden State Warriors + the points over Toronto.  For a myriad of reasons, this was always going to be Golden State's most difficult NBA Finals in the Steve Kerr Era.  For starters, it's the first time his troops have not had home court advantage in a Finals series.  And, of course, it's also the first time his team has had to deal with significant injuries -- not to mention having to face an opponent (unlike Cleveland) which can play lights-out defense.  With its back against the wall in this Game 2, I expect the Warriors to compete with the mettle of a 3-time Champion.  For technical support, consider that .618 (or better) NBA teams have cashed 63.3% since 1991 as road underdogs off a SU/ATS loss in Game 1, including 69% in the NBA Finals.  And the Warriors are an awesome 28-5 ATS as a road underdog of +2 (or more) points off a loss, if their foe is off a win, including 14-1 ATS if their foe is off back-to-back wins!  Take the Warriors.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over the New York Yankees.  Two of the top AL southpaw starters of the last 10+ seasons take the mound against each other in Yankee Stadium in the Sunday night prime-time ESPN game.  And, while 39-year-old CC Sabathia reached a milestone that few MLB pitchers will ever be able to claim earlier this season -- 3000 strikeouts -- it is 33-year-old David Price who has more seasons left in his arm.  Sabathia is on the verge of another important milestone tonight -- 250 MLB victories -- but he will likely have to wait for that one.  Not only does Price have a 2.83 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 4.82 K:BB ratio in his nine starts so far this season, but he also has not allowed an earned run in his last three starts (against the Jays, Indians, and Astros).  This will be Sabathia's first start vs. the Sox since last October when he allowed three runs on five hits in three innings.  It was also the second straight outing vs. Boston in which Sabathia didn't go further than three innings.  Finally, the Red Sox are 22-4 in their last 26 games after losing the first two games of a series.  Take Boston.

At 6:10 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over the Miami Marlins.  After putting up a very nice 2.05 ERA in 41 appearances last season -- all but five out of the bullpen -- RHP Matt Strahm earned himself a shot at the Padres' rotation.  And so far in 2019, Strahm has not disappointed, posing a 3.21 ERA in 10 starts.  His record may be only 2-4 but you have to consider who he has had to face.  Strahm's four losses have come against the Diamondbacks, Cardinals, Dodgers, and Yankees -- all teams with .490+ records -- and three of those four also came on the road (St. Louis, L.A., and New York).  Since his first start at home (his first of the season -- a loss to Arizona), Strahm has had three subsequent starts here at Petco and he has allowed just five runs on 12 hits in 20 1/3 innings with 14 strikeouts and one walk issued.  So he should be eager to face the team with the worst record in the League here this evening in the series finale.  Heading into Sunday, the Marlins are just 14-44 in their last 58 road games and 2-6 in the last eight meetings with the Padres.  Take San Diego.

At 2:15 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over St. Louis.  The Cardinals' 37-year-old veteran RHP, Adam Wainwright, is entering the twilight of his career.  And his 4-5 record, with a 4.94 ERA this season signals that his best days are surely behind him.  Last month, Wainwright had five starts, and his ERA over those games was a nasty 6.33.  One of them was against this Cubs team, and he gave up a season-high six run in five innings.  That, along with the fact that his career ERA vs. Chicago is on the high side (for him) at 4.16, doesn't bode well for the Cardinals this afternoon.  Take Chicago.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Blues over the Boston Bruins.  The Blues did what they needed to do on Wednesday and took a hard-fought, 3-2 overtime game in Boston to even The Stanley Cup Finals and take home ice advantage.  The biggest difference for the Blues in Game 2 compared with Game 1 was that they completely took control and turned the tables on the Bruins in terms of the number of scoring opportunities.  After being out-shot in Game 1 by a lopsided 38-20, the Blues returned the favor to Boston on Wednesday and fired 37 shots on goalie Tuukka Rask (including four in OT).  And their defense held the Bruins to just 23 total shots on Jordan Binnington.  Back home tonight, the Blues should be able to keep that momentum from Game 2 -- even with the extra day off.  The Blues have dominated the top-level teams, of late, as they're 25-8 vs. foes that score 3+ goals a game, and are 17-5 their last 22 vs. foes that outscore their opponents by 0.3+ goals per game.  Meanwhile, though it's had a good record overall the last few years, one of the categories Boston doesn't perform well in is when it plays with revenge.  It's a poor 45-41 (minus 16 games on the money line) in that situation.  Take St. Louis.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:15 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the St. Louis Cardinals.  It's been an up-and-down first half for Cubs LHP Jose Quintana.  The 30-year-old has looked like a world beater in one start and then turns around with a clunker in his next.  The good news for tonight is that Quintana's teams have won six of his nine career starts against the Cardinals.  In fact, Quintana just faced the Cards a little more than three weeks ago and threw six quality innings in a 13-5 blowout win.  He'll hope for that same level of run support tonight as he takes the mound for his 11th start of the season -- this time at Busch Stadium.  Despite their loss on Friday, the Cubs have been pretty dominant in this series lately, taking six of the last eight meetings.  And Quintana will also be starting with an extra day of rest -- a situation in which he's excelled, as his teams are 23-12 in his last 35 starts with an extra day or two of rest.  I look for Quintana to pitch very well today, as the Cardinals have struggled vs. lefties this season, batting just .239 against them so far (compared to .254 against RHP).  RHP Jack Flaherty gets the start for St. Louis and his last two against the Cubs -- one this season and one at the end of 2018 -- were ugly (7 ER; 8H; 7BB in just 8 1/3 IP).  Take Chicago.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over Detroit.  Detroit won for just the fourth time in 16 games last night, but may have suffered a blow when 1B Miguel Cabrera had to leave the game in the 6th inning with left knee soreness.  Cabrera will get an MRI today to determine his immediate playing status.  He leads the team in RBI (22) and On Base Percentage (.356), so his absence (if it occurs) would be sorely missed.  The Braves will hand the ball to Mike Soroka this afternoon.  And all Soroka has done in 2019 is go 5-1 in his eight starts, with a 1.07 ERA and 0.88 WHIP.  He's pitched between 5 2-3 and 8 innings in those eight games, and has yet to allow more than one earned run in any start.  That bodes well for the Braves today, as Soroka's mound opponent -- Daniel Norris -- has allowed more than one earned run in six of his eight starts this season (4.15 ERA; 1.33 WHIP).  The Tigers are a horrid 106-176 (minus 47 games on the money line vs. righties), and 13-38 (minus 12 games on the money line) when priced as a road underdog from +175 to +250.  Likewise, they're 11-23 (minus 11 games on the money line) in Norris' last 34 starts.  The Braves are a solid 10-3 as a favorite priced from -175 to -250, including a perfect 3-0 as a favorite of -200 or more.  Take Atlanta to blow out Detroit.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over the Miami Marlins.  After a solid rookie season at age 25, LHP Joey Lucchesi is putting up essentially the same numbers in his sophomore campaign that he did in 26 starts last season.  But there are some encouraging signs that his numbers will get even better over the final four months.  Lucchesi has reduced his walk rate from 3.0 to 2.3 and his HR rate is down as well.  He gets start number 11 at home tonight and Lucchesi is a starter who really prefers pitching here (8-7 with a 3.63 career ERA vs. 3-5 and 4.94 on the road).  It's true that Miami has won nine of 13 and just took a series against San Francisco.  But the Giants are hapless, themselves, and are the only National League team other than Miami which has not won more than 40% of its games.  The Padres come into this game off a 7-0 loss at the Yankees.  However, that bodes well for the Padres, as they're 18-8 (+17 games on the money line) off a shutout loss.  And the Padres are also a solid 6-1 in Luchessi's last seven starts when he was pitching with an extra day or two of rest.  Take San Diego.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Oakland A's.  One of the main reasons the Astros don't feel compelled to reach back out to their former ace, Dallas Keuchel (who is still unsigned) is because of the performance of their starting pitching this season.  As of this writing, Houston's starting pitching is third best in the AL (in terms of ERA).  And #1 is Tampa which doesn't really count since the Rays use openers in roughly half of their games.  One of the main success stories for Houston has been RHP Brad Peacock.  Peacock is 5-2 with a 3.19 ERA in 11 games (nine starts) and he's been probably the hottest starter in the league over his last four, allowing just a single run on 12 hits in 23 innings with 32 strikeouts and six walks.  Not surprisingly, the Astros are 3-0 in those four starts.  Peacock goes for Win #6 tonight in Oakland's pitcher-friendly Coliseum against the A's and RHP Mike Fiers.  We'll go against the A's tonight, as Fiers' worst start this season came against the Astros back on April 7 when he allowed six runs in just 1 2/3 innings.  Take Houston.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Chicago White Sox.  Slow starts are nothing new for Indians' RHP Trevor Bauer.  Last season, Bauer went 7-6 in the months of April, May and June, but proceeded to go 5-0 after that, including a 0.73 ERA in the month of August before an injury shut him down.  This season, Bauer seems to be following suit as he is 4-4 with a 3.99 ERA in 12 starts coming into tonight.  This will be Bauer's first start of the season against the White Sox, and he is 8-4 with a 3.65 ERA in 19 games (17 starts) against them in his career.  Perhaps even more important for tonight is the fact that Bauer is 4-2 with a 3.69 ERA in 10 games -- including nine starts -- here at US Cellular Field.  The Sox may have won Game 1 of this series on Thursday by a 10-4 score, but the Indians are still 27-12 in the last 39 meetings.  Chicago will go with RHP Dylan Covey and the ChiSox are 1-8 in his last nine home starts and 1-15 in his last 16 vs. AL Central teams.  Take the Indians.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Texas Rangers over the Kansas City Royals.  There have been some pretty good MLB pitchers who came out of Panama (Mariano Rivera comes to mind).  Perhaps in a few years we will be adding RHP Ariel Jurado to the list.  The 23-year-old was signed as an amateur free agent by the Rangers when he was just 16 years old.  It didn't take long for Jurado to shine in the Minor Leagues either but Texas took its time with him and he made his MLB debut last season.  His 2018 numbers certainly don't jump off the page, but so far 2019 has been a different story.  In 11 games -- including two starts -- Jurado has a 2.28 ERA and 1.18 WHIP and he has dramatically increased his strikeout rate and lowered his walk rate in the process.  The Royals took a 4-2 victory on Thursday, but this series has been a challenge for them as KC is 7-21 in the last 28 meetings.  And the Royals are also 15-39 in their last 54 road games.  They will go with LHP Danny Duffy tonight and, although he's pitching well right now, KC is just 6-15 in his last 21 starts vs. teams with a .500 or better record.  Take Texas.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over the New York Yankees.  In past seasons when it came to starters who were famous for home vs. road biases, it was names like Wandy Rodriguez who came to mind.  And much more often than not, such pitchers had much more success at home than on the road.  This season, we can add another pitcher to this list, and his name is J.A. Happ.  But with respect to Happ, his advantage this season is when he pitches on the road. In five starts away from Yankee Stadium, Happ is 2-0 with a 4.18 ERA and 1.11 WHIP.  Compare that to the 2-3 record and 5.93 ERA and 1.35 WHIP that the veteran southpaw has in six starts here in the Bronx. Tonight, he will be taking the mound at his home park -- and against a very formidable opponent.  Perhaps more surprising than Happ's poor home numbers is the 1-6 record of Red Sox ace LH Chris Sale.  However, I'm convinced this won't continue, and I look for Sale to step up big tonight on the biggest of stages.  For technical support, consider that Boston is 27-11 in Sale's last 38 after a quality start in his last appearance.  Take the Red Sox.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Golden State Warriors + the points over Toronto.  The Warriors have dominated in Game 1 of a Playoff series.  Dating back to 1994, they're 20-5 straight-up, and 16-8-1 ATS, including a perfect 6-0-1 ATS on the road, and 19-1 straight-up and 12-8 ATS since 2014.  It's true that Toronto won the two regular season meetings.  But the Warriors are 16-5 SU and 15-6 ATS when playing with double-revenge, including 7-0 ATS when priced from -3 to +7.5 points.  Golden State is also 5-0-1 ATS on the road in the Playoffs when playing with double-revenge.  Finally, NBA home favorites (or PK) off a SU/ATS win are an awful 65-90 ATS vs. .693 (or better) foes.  Take the Warriors in Game 1.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the Pittsburgh Pirates.  While players like Christian Yelich and Josh Hader grab most of the headlines these days, there are some Brewers who are quietly having very good seasons.  One of those is RHP Chase Anderson.  Originally slated for the bullpen to start the season, injuries have given Anderson a shot at the rotation, and he has performed very well against some very tough competition.  In four starts against the Mets, Dodgers, Phillies and Braves, Anderson is 1-0 with a 2.55 ERA in just under 18 innings.  He'll get another shot tonight in Pittsburgh vs. a Pirate team against which he's had much success.  In 14 starts vs. Pittsburgh, Anderson is 7-4 with a 3.61 ERA and 62 strikeouts in just over 72 innings.  Those seven victories represent the most that Anderson has logged against any MLB team.  The Pirates will go with RHP Joe Musgrove and Musgrove's teams are 5-16 (-10 games on the money line) in his last 21 starts as an underdog.  Take Milwaukee.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over Houston.  The Astros will once again play tonight's game without three of their key players (Jose Altuve (leg), George Springer (hamstring) and Carlos Correa (ribs)).  Additionally, SS Aledmys Diaz (hamstring) and C Max Stassi (knee) hit the Injured List this week, so Houston's depth will be tested -- especially up the middle with Tony Kemp (2B) and Jack Mayfield (SS).  Chicago's Kris Bryant missed his second straight game last night, but manager Joe Maddon said Bryant could return tonight.  Chicago's 4-1 in Kyle Hendricks' last five starts, and his ERA over this stretch is a solid 1.96.  Take Chicago.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. 

At 7:20 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Washington Nationals.  The Braves took part in the Orioles' fire sale in the latter part of last season and picked up Kevin Gausman -- who regularly throws in the mid-to-high 90s -- for some minor leaguers and international bonus slot money.  They figured the 27-year-old RHP could be a boost to their rotation and, after they acquired him, they were rewarded.  Gausman went 5-3 with a 2.87 ERA in 10 starts for the Braves last season.  He hasn't repeated that so far in 2019, but there is no cause for concern as he is a notoriously slow starter.  In fact after posting a 5.10 ERA over his first seven starts, Gausman has now had three quality starts in a row coming into tonight's outing against the Nationals.  Washington will go with RHP Anibal Sanchez.  It's unlikely it thought Sanchez would go 0-6 with a 5.10 ERA in his first nine starts when they signed him to a contract in December.  But that is the reality they're faced with, and it's not likely to get better tonight.  Atlanta is 8-2 in Gausman's last 10 home starts, while Gausman's WHIP at Home is 0.97.  Meanwhile, Sanchez's Road WHIP is 1.84.  Take the Braves.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the San Diego Padres.  The only good news that can come from a team's big free-agent starter going down in the first two months of the season is that the injury is not related to his arm.  Such is the case with the Yankees and LHP James Paxton.  Paxton will return today from a knee injury for his first start since May 3 (a game against the Twins in which Paxton exited after just three innings).   The former Seattle Mariners' ace was having quite a campaign for his new team before he got hurt.  His 12.4 strikeout rate is his career best and his 3.11 ERA is his second-best such number since his 2017 season (2.98).  Paxton will go for victory number four today in his third career start vs. the Padres.   San Diego's 2-6 in its last eight games in the Bronx.  And the Padres are 5-22 in their last 27 inter-league road games vs. teams with a left-handed starter.  Take New York.

At 8:40 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Colorado Rockies.  Successful 30-year-old rookies in the Majors are rare, but Merrill Kelly is looking to be the exception to that rule.  The 30-year-old RHP was released by the Rays organization in 2014 and then spent the next four seasons in the South Korean league before being signed as a free agent by the Diamondbacks last December.  And while nobody thinks that Kelly will win the Cy Young award, the veteran could be a solid #4/5 starter for a team which has been a pleasant surprise for much of the first half of the season.  While there's nothing pretty about a 4-5 record with a 4.75 ERA, Kelly has had to face some pretty tough competition this season (Yankees, Red Sox, Braves, Cubs, Rays).  And tonight he is clearly the better of the two starters taking the mound.  Colorado's Antonio Senzatela is 3-4 with a 6.21 ERA and 1.62 WHIP in eight starts covering 42 innings.  Despite their extra-innings loss on Memorial Day, the D-Backs are 5-2 in the last seven meetings with the Rockies.  Take Arizona.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Houston Astros.  In what could be a preview of the World Series in October, the Cubs travel to Houston for an inter-league series against the Astros.  The starting pitching match-up tonight will be a contrasting one.  The Cubs' Jon Lester is a 35-year-old left-hander with 390 MLB games (389 starts) on his resume.  Meanwhile, Houston's Corbin Martin is a 23-year-old right-handed rookie with a total of three games and 12 2/3 innings in the Majors under his belt.  Martin won his first MLB start against the Rangers on May 12.  Since then, he has gone 0-1 while allowing seven runs (five earned) on 11 hits in 7 1/3 innings in his subsequent two starts against the Red Sox and White Sox.  So this will be Martin's first inter-league start -- something Lester (not surprisingly) has a lot of experience with.  But Lester is not only experienced in inter-league play, he's also very successful at it.  In 50 inter-league starts, Lester is 26-14 (.650) with a 3.19 ERA.  The Cubs are 5-2 in the last seven meetings going back to October 2012.  Take Chicago.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, on Monday, our selection is on the St. Louis Blues over the Boston Bruins.  The Blues took command in the latter half of Game 6 on Tuesday and were able to clinch the series with the Sharks at home.  It was a fitting end to a series that wasn't always kind to the team in blue and gold (St. Louis got screwed out of Game 3 by a missed call by the refs).  So, the Blues will now play in their first Stanley Cup Final in almost 50 years, as their last appearance came in 1970 which was their third year in the league.  In fact, the Blues hold the distinction of being the only professional sports team in the modern era to make it to its sport's championship series in each of its first three years of existence.  The Bruins come into this Stanley Cup on a 7-game win streak.  Unfortunately, Boston will have to deal with an extremely long layoff as, by the time the opening puck drops on Monday night, it will have been 11 days since its last game.  So, any momentum it had will be long gone.  The home team has not fared well in this series as the visitors are 11-7 in the last 18 meetings.  And St. Louis is an awesome 60-36 (+17 games on the money line) vs. non-conference foes.  Take the Blues.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Boston Red Sox.  The Red Sox come home today after a seven-game road trip to Toronto and Houston, but they won't get much of a break as they have to face a good Indians team.  The Sox will go with RHP Rick Porcello who has been on a Bret Saberhagen-like good season/bad season run since 2014.  2018 was a good season, and so far the "up-down" pattern is holding in 2019 as Porcello is 3-4 with a 4.45 ERA in 10 starts covering just under 57 innings.  The Tribe will go with RHP Jefry Rodriguez who, despite a 1-4 record, is putting up significantly better numbers than he did in his rookie campaign.  Rodriguez has a respectable 4.08 ERA (vs. 5.71 in 2018), 1.35 WHIP (vs. 1.54), and a 3.3 walk rate (vs. 6.4).  The Indians are 10-5 in their last 15 vs. teams from the AL East and they are 6-2 in their last eight road games vs. teams with a winning record.  Take Cleveland.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the St. Louis Cardinals.  It seems like Julio Teheran has been in the league forever and yet the Braves' RHP is only 28 years old.  So it's entirely possible that we still haven't seen the best of Teheran, who goes to the mound tonight in prime time to face the Cards in St. Louis.  Teheran is having another solid campaign with a 3.67 ERA and 9.1 strikeout rate in 11 starts covering just over 61 innings.  He also has performed well against the Cards in his career -- three victories with a 2.77 ERA in seven starts covering 39 innings.  And in his last two starts against them, Teheran has tossed a total of 11 scoreless innings (only four hits) in a pair of Atlanta victories, out-scoring the Cards by a total of 16-3.  This includes five shutout innings just 10 days ago at home in a 10-2 Braves win.  The Braves are 12-5 (+9 games on the money line) in Teheran's last 17 starts as a road underdog of +100 to +150.  Take Atlanta.

At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Texas Rangers over Anaheim.  The Angels scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth last night to come back to win, 3-2, over Texas.  That victory ended a 5-game skid for the Angels, and also stopped a 5-game win streak for Texas.  But I look for the Rangers to bounce back today, and take the rubber match of this 3-game series.  The Angels are an awful 6-15 in their last 21 division games.  And their starter this afternoon -- Andrew Heaney -- has had just one quality start in his last six starts vs. Texas (7.25 ERA; 1.80 WHIP).  Take Texas.  Good luck, as always....Al McMordie.

At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the Philadelphia Phillies.  The Brewers just activated SP Jimmy Nelson from the IL and they have decided to keep him in the Minors for now with no discernible timetable for him to join the Brewers.  It is a testament to the fact that the Crew's rotation has been doing so well that they are able to keep the pitcher who was just recently thought to be their best down on the farm for the foreseeable future.  And there's no better example of that than today's starter, RHP Brandon Woodruff.  In his third MLB season, Woodruff is having an All Star-worthy first half, going 6-1 with a 3.51 ERA in 10 starts.  Four of those six victories are here at Miller Park where he has yet to lose this season (4-0 in six starts).  In his last three starts, Woodruff is 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA and 0.75 WHIP in 20 innings and the Brewers are 3-0 in those.  The Phils will go with RHP Zach Eflin who had an ugly start against these Brewers just 10 days ago (four runs on seven hits in five innings in an 11-3 loss).  The Brewers are 7-1 in Woodruff's last eight home starts.  Take Milwaukee.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Tampa Bay Rays.  The Storybook season of the Tampa Bay Rays continues.  The Rays beat the Indians last night to extend their record to 30-19 and that's good for the fourth-best record in the American League.  What makes the Rays run even more incredible is the number of injuries they have right now.  No fewer than 10 of the Rays players are either out for the season, on the IL, or being held out as day-to-day.  They will conclude their series with the Tribe this afternoon having to face one of Cleveland's best in Trevor Bauer.  Bauer is off to a somewhat slow start, going 4-3 with a 3.95 ERA in his first 11 starts after winning 12 games with a 2.26 ERA in 2018.  This will be his first start vs. Tampa this season.  But the good news is that Bauer has a career 2.40 ERA in three career appearances against the Rays (two starts) covering 15 innings.  Cleveland is 10-5 (+5 games on the money line) in Bauer's last 15 starts vs. AL East teams.  Take the Tribe.

At 8:30 pm, on Saturday, our selection is on the Milwaukee Bucks + the points over Toronto.  We played on Milwaukee in Game 5.  Unfortunately, Toronto upset the Bucks, 104-99, to take a 3-2 series lead.  That was the first time this entire season that Milwaukee lost for the third straight time.  Still, the Bucks are 47-25 ATS as an underdog off back to back losses.  And they're 32-17 ATS off 3+ losses.  Many bettors will find it difficult to back a team off 3 straight Playoff defeats.  But since 1994, NBA underdogs off an upset loss, and 3 straight Playoff losses overall, have actually cashed 59%.  We'll grab the points with Mike Budenholzer's crew in this 'must-win' game.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8:30 pm, on Saturday, our selection is on the 'under' in the Game 6 between Toronto and Milwaukee.  The two teams combined for just 204 points in Game 5, which was the lowest aggregate total yet for the two teams in this Playoff series.  And Game 5 was a full 18 points less than Game 4.  As such, Game 5 went 'under' the total by 11.5 points!  I look for another low-scoring game on Saturday night, as #1-seeded teams, off an upset home loss, and now facing elimination on the road, have gone 'under' the total 78% since 1990.  Even better:  NBA Finals and Conference Finals games have gone 'under' the total 61.7% of the time if the two teams combined to go 'under' the total in their previous game by at least 8 points.  Take the 'under.'  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Cleveland Indians.  You would have been hard-pressed to find anyone who thought that RHP Charlie Morton would have the kind of success in Tampa that he had in Houston after he signed a two-year contract with the Rays over the Winter.  But Morton continues to surprise just about everyone -- except perhaps himself -- as he is having another stellar campaign at age 35.  Over his first 10 starts in a Tampa uniform, Morton is 4-0 with a 2.65 ERA and 1.19 WHIP.  And he is potentially on his way to his second straight All-Star appearance in July.  Although this will be his first start as a Ray vs. the Indians, Morton faced them twice last season and he was dominant, going 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 13 innings.  Despite the Indians' victory on Friday, they are only 2-5 in the last seven meetings with the Rays going back to last September.  The Rays are 5-1 in Morton's six road starts, as well as 5-1 their last six off a loss with Morton on the mound.  Take Tampa.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.