Sports Picks & Predictions

At 1:35 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over Chicago.  Aaron Nola has been spectacular of late.  In his last six starts, he's given up 1 earned run or less in five of the games.  And his ERA over his last four starts is 0.64.  He'll look to keep it going this afternoon against a Chicago squad which is a poor 28-42, minus 9 games on the moneyline, its last 70 as an underdog.  And with the Phillies coming in at 12-0 this season as a home favorite with Nola on the hill, we'll take the home team this afternoon.

At 1:35 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over Washington.  The Brewers caght a break today when the start of Washington's ace pitcher, Max Scherzer, was moved to Monday -- against Milwaukee's rival, St. Louis.  There's no doubt that the Brewers will be happy to see Jefry Rodriguez on the mound, instead.  The Brewers will hand the ball to Junior Guerra, who has a solid 3.50 ERA in his daytime starts this season.  And in his lone start vs. the Nationals this season, Guerra gave up just one earned run, and four hits, in six innings.  Milwaukee's a super 39-21 when priced as a favorite of -150 or less, including 7-2 behind Guerra this season.  Take Milwaukee.

At 9:10 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Los Angeles Dodgers. As goes Clayton Kershaw, so go the L.A. Dodgers. When you look at the southpaw ace's ERA of 2.39, you might assume that all has been right with the three-time Cy Young award winner this season. But you'd be wrong. With only 124 innings pitched, and just six wins into September, Kershaw is having a sub-par season for sure.  By now, the veteran southpaw usually has 15 or more wins.  And if he was doing that this year, the Dodgers would likely have a pretty comfortable lead in the NL West. He'll get start number 21 tonight at home against a team with which he's very familiar in the Diamondbacks.   It will be LH ace vs. LH ace as Arizona sends out Patrick Corbin.  The 29-year-old D-Backs hurler has some pretty strong numbers in 2018 (10-5 with a 3.15 ERA in 27 starts), and he held Los Angeles to just two runs over 18 1-3 innings pitched in three starts this season.  In contrast, Kershaw has given up 5 runs in 19 innings pitched vs. Arizona in his three 2018 starts.  Take the Diamondbacks.

At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over Oakland.  James Paxton has given up just 1 run in 7 1-3 innings vs. the A's this season, and is 3-0 lifetime vs. Oakland with a 3.30 ERA.  Tonight, the Mariners have been installed as a road favorite, and they're a solid 31-18 this season when favored -150 or less.   Take Seattle.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8:40 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over San Diego.  The Padres are a horrid 39-73 as an Underdog this season, including 12-32 (minus 18 games on the moneyline as a home underdog).  Tonight, they'll face Jon Grey, who has a solid 2.67 career ERA in 14 starts vs. San Diego.  Grey's mound opponent will be Robbie Erlin, who has an ERA of 7.89 and a WHIP of 1.80 in five career starts vs. the Rockies.  Take Colorado.

At 7:30 pm, our selection is on the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders + the points over Vanderbilt.  This will be the final season that Middle Tennessee coach Rick Stockstill will have his son, Brent Stockstill, as the team's starting QB.  And his son is one of 16 returning starters (eight offensive; eight defensive) for the Blue Raiders (in contrast, Vandy returns just 12 starters).  Stockstill's accomplished a lot in his MTSU career as the QB, including setting school records for touchdowns (77), passing yards per game (288.7) and completions (729).  However, one thing he's never done is defeat Vanderbilt.  Last season, the Commodores blew out Middle Tennessee, 28-6, as a 2.5-point favorite.  And they also defeated the Blue Raiders, 47-24, two seasons ago, and 17-13 the year before that.  We'll grab the points with Middle Tennessee in a revenge role on Saturday night, as they fall into a 54-23 ATS revenge system of mine.  Take Middle Tennessee.  NCAA Football Game of the Week.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:30 pm, our selection is on the Michigan Wolverines over Notre Dame.  When these two midwest rivals last met, the Fighting Irish whitewashed Michigan, 31-0.  I look for Michigan to avenge that defeat, as teams that were shutout in their previous meeting have gone 128-93-6 ATS if they weren't an underdog of 4+ points in the current game.  Moreover, in a season's opening game for both teams, it's been extremely profitable to play on teams that were shutout in the previous meeting, as they've gone 61.6% ATS the past 38 seasons, including a perfect 8-0 ATS since 2012.  Finally, the team that lost the previous meeting in this series has gone 20-7 ATS since 1981, including a perfect 11-0 ATS when priced from PK to +7.  Take Michigan.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:30 pm, our selection is on the North Texas Mean Green minus the points over SMU.  Last year, the Mean Green lost by 22 points to their Dallas Metroplex rival, SMU.  And that was the 3rd straight loss suffered by North Texas to SMU over the last three seasons.  But SMU was favored in each of those games.  And the favorite has actually won and covered four straight in this series.  This season, the Mean Green have been installed as the favorite, and North Texas has cashed 64.7% the past seven years as a home favorite (and 60% the past 18 years).  Additionally, SMU has been very poor as a road underdog or 10 points or less (or PK), as it's covered just 9 of 42 games since 1994, including 0-12 ATS vs. non-conference foes.  Finally, North Texas falls into a 34-12 ATS system of mine which plays on certain teams with double-revenge.  Take the Mean Green.  Perfect 10 Club play.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 3:30 pm, our selection is on the Auburn Tigers over Washington.  It's easy to forget just how good the Auburn Tigers were last season, given how they finished (with two straight losses).  But at the end of the last year's regular season, the Tigers were ranked 2nd in the nation, and owned wins over both Alabama (26-14) and Georgia (40-17) -- the two teams that eventually competed in the Championship Game.  Unfortunately for Auburn, it had to defeat Georgia a second time in the SEC Championship game, but fell to the Bulldogs, 28-7.  And it, not surprisingly, had a letdown in the Peach Bowl and lost to Central Florida, 34-27.  But it's a new season, and the Tigers enter it ranked 9th in the AP's Poll, and 10th in the Coaches' Poll.  On Saturday afternoon, they'll play the 6th-ranked Washington Huskies at a neutral (but SEC friendly) site -- Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium.  The SEC has long been the best football conference in the country, while the Pac-12 Conference hasn't won a National Championship in 14 seasons (the longest, current stretch of failure among the Power 5 Conferences).  With that as a backdrop, it's awfully tough to go against a great SEC team at this price.  Indeed, since 1981, SEC teams that had a win percentage of .700 (or better) the previous season, have gone 46-12 straight-up and 39-18-1 ATS in their opening game, if against a non-conference foe, and priced from +3.5 to -21 points (and 16-5 ATS if their opponent also had a win percentage the previous year of .700+).  Take Auburn.  NCAA Elite Info Play.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over Arizona.  The Diamondbacks will hand the ball to Zack Greinke tonight.  Greinke has long been the Majors' best pitcher when installed as a favorite (and especially at home).  Unfortunately, his team is a road underdog tonight.  And Greinke's teams have been dismal in his career as a road underdog, as they're 28-56, minus 19 games on the moneyline (compared to 207-128, +42 games on the moneyline, when not a road underdog).  Similarly, Hyun-Jin Ryu has performed much better in his career as a favorite (39-23, +6 games on the moneyline) than as an underdog (15-16).  This season, Ryu's Home ERA is 1.57, with a 0.94 WHIP.  Even worse for Arizona:  it's a dismal 22-33 (minus 15 games on the moneyline) vs. winning teams this season, and 8-16 (minus nine games on the moneyline) vs. starting pitchers with an ERA of 3.20 or less.  Take Los Angeles.  Good luck, as always....Al McMordie.

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over Pittsburgh.  The Braves lost last night to Mike Montgomery and the Cubs.  And that continued the Braves' trend this season where they've dominated RHPs (56-37, +21 games on the moneyline), but have burned money vs. LHPs (18-22, minus 4 games on the moneyline).  Tonight, the good news for the Braves and SP Anibal Sanchez is that they'll face Pirates RHP Jameson Taillon.  Additionally, Pittsburgh is a poor 28-50 as a road underdog priced at +150 or less.  Take Atlanta.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over Milwaukee.  Tanner Roark will get the start for the Nationals tonight, and he's been terrific over his last seven starts.  The Nats are 6-1 in those seven games, and Roark's given up just 8 earned runs and 38 baserunners in 44 2/3 innings (1.61 ERA; 0.85 WHIP).  One of those seven starts was against these Brewers, and all Roark did was strike out 11 batters in 8 scoreless innings.  In his career vs. Milwaukee, Roark has a 4-1 record in six starts, with a 2.32 ERA and 1.00 WHIP.  Take Washington.

At 8 pm, our selection is on the Dallas Cowboys plus the points over Houston.  Last week, the Cowboys were blown out at home, 27-3, by the Arizona Cardinals.  And that loss dropped Dallas to 0-3 this Preseason.  I look for the Cowboys to play a much better game on this Thursday, as teams that lost, and scored less than six points in their previous game, have gone 91-64-4 ATS in the Preseason, including a super 37-12 ATS if that embarrassing performance came in front of their home fans.   And winless underdogs of +4 or more points have gone 47-29-2 ATS off a double-digit loss.  Take Dallas.  NFL Game of the Week.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7 pm, our selection is on the 'over' in the Cleveland Browns/Detroit Lions game.  Last week, the Browns shut out the Philadelphia Eagles, 5-0.  And Cleveland has now gone 'under' in each of its first three preseason games.  The knee-jerk reaction might be to look for another low-scoring game on this Thursday.  But consider that teams have gone OVER the total 69% of the time over the past 36 Preseasons after being involved in a game that produced less than 12 points.  And this game also falls into a 2nd Preseason Totals System of mine which is 37-19 since 1983.  Take the 'Over.'  NFL Preseason Total of the Year. Good luck, as always....Al McMordie

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over Washington.  It's likely going to be "too little, too late" for the Washington Nationals, who have won three straight, but still sit six games out of the Playoff picture.  Tonight, Washington will face Jake Arrieta and the 2nd place Phillies.  Arrieta's been at his best here, at home, as his ERA is 2.88, with a 1.13 WHIP.  In contrast, Gio Gonzalez' road ERA is 4.35 with a 1.39 WHIP.  Even worse:  in Gonzalez's last three starts, he's 0-3, with an 8.04 ERA.  And he's 1-9 his last 10 decisions!  Take the Phillies.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Oakland Athletics.  If there's a series in MLB right now bigger than this one between the Astros and A's then somebody should let us know.  The A's have closed the gap between them and the defending champs like a freight train over the last few weeks and now they are everyone's favorite dark horse in the AL.  But with success often comes setbacks, and the A's just found out that two of their best starters have landed on the DL (Brett Anderson and Sean Manaea) so things won't get any easier for them.  This afternoon it will be RHP Trevor Cahill -- another one of their pleasant surprises -- taking the mound for the 17th time this season.  The biggest problem for Cahill will likely be the venue he's pitching in.  That's because the 30-year-old veteran has one of the strongest home field biases in the Majors.  In eight starts at the Coliseum, Cahill is 4-0 with a 0.85 ERA.  However, in the same number of starts in opposing ballparks, he is 1-3 with an ugly 6.92 number.  In two starts at Minute Maid this season, Cahill is 0-1 with a 5.59 ERA.  Take the Astros.

At 2:20 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the New York Mets.  Alec Mills is a 26-year-old RHP who was drafted by the Royals in 2012 and then traded to the Cubs for a minor league player in a move that went virtually unnoticed in 2017.  But Mills has put up some pretty impressive minor league numbers over the past five years and could prove critical to the Cubs post-season push over the next 30+ days.  After shutting out the Cards in a two-inning relief appearance on July 27, Mills finally made his first MLB start last Friday and he made the most of it.  Over 5 2/3 innings, Mills held a pretty good Reds lineup to one run on three hits while punching out eight hitters with just one walk.  That start, along with the fact that Tyler Chatwood and Mike Montgomery remain sidelined with injuries, has given Mills another chance to stick in the back end of this very unsettled rotation (Yu Darvish is also out for the rest of the season).  Heading into Wednesday's continuation of last night's suspended game (scheduled to start before this game, at 1 pm), the Mets are 0-8 in the last eight meetings with the Cubs.  Take Chicago.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over the Anaheim Angels.  The Rockies suffered a tough loss last night when their bullpen gave up five runs in the bottom of the 8th after moving out in front by two runs in the top of the inning.  Tonight, the Rockies will hand the ball to LHP Kyle Freeland, who has a 1.91 ERA in seven career interleague starts (the Rockies went 6-1 in those games).  Even better:  Colorado is 9-1 in Freeland's last 10 starts, while the Angels are a poor 16-24 (minus 12 games on the moneyline) vs. southpaws this season.  Take Colorado.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over Miami.  The Red Sox come into this home game in a mini-slump.  Boston has dropped its last three games, but has been installed as a big favorite vs. Jose Urena and the Marlins on Tuesday.  Boston is a jaw-dropping 51-9 (+29 games on the moneyline) its last 60 games as a favorite priced at -200 (or higher), and 28-10 (+17 games on the moneyline) off back-to-back losses.  Take the Red Sox.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over Chicago.  In his career, James Shields has not been able to step up in class, when installed as a big underdog.  Indeed, Shields' teams are an awful 9-42 (minus 27 games on the moneyline) with Shields on the hill when priced at +150 or higher.  Lance Lynn has a career record of 3-1 (in six starts), with a 2.15 ERA vs. the White Sox.  Take the Yankees.  Good luck, as always....Al McMordie.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over the Los Angeles Angels.  After a bit of a breakout season in 2017, LHP Jonathan Gray has had a bit of a glass-half-full/glass-half-empty campaign this year.  On the half-full side, the Rockies strikeout artist has hit 10 wins for the third season in a row and will reach a career high if he can be victorious just once more.  But on the half-empty side, Gray slumped badly in the first half and, although he has pitched much better since the break, his ERA still sits at 4.67.  But Gray has yet to lose a game in the second half (2-0 with a sparkling 2.83 ERA and 0.87 WHIP in six starts), and he's lowered his ERA a full run from where it sat in mid-July.  Now, if Gray can just put it all together for a full season, he could find himself among the NL elite pitchers.  He has a great shot at win number 11 tonight against the Angels, who have dropped six straight, and who have lost all but one of their last nine games.  The Rox will also get the added benefit of using a DH tonight and Gray is 5-1 with a 3.18 ERA in 10 career inter-league starts.  Take Colorado.  MLB High Roller Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8 pm, on Sunday, our selection is on the Dallas Cowboys + the points over Arizona.  The Cardinals come into Dallas with a 2-0 record after upsetting the Saints last week, 20-15, as a 6-point underdog.  In contrast, the Cowboys are 0-2 this preseason after their upset loss to the Bengals.  The knee-jerk reaction might be to play on the undefeated Cardinals.  But consider that 0-2 teams, like Dallas, have cashed 68.1% over the last 36 years in the Preseason as an underdog, when matched up against undefeated foes.  Even better:  if our 'play-against' team (here, Arizona) is off an upset win, then our 68.1% ATS angle zooms to 82% ATS since 1983.  Take Dallas.  NFL Elite Info Winner.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over Seattle.  There has been no better pitcher "in Vegas" as a home favorite than Zack Greinke.  Indeed, in his career, his teams are 116-45 in this role (+47 games on the moneyline).  This afternoon, Greinke will match up against Mike Leake, who brings a career 4.96 ERA vs. the Diamondbacks (over 11 starts) into this contest.  In contrast, Greinke is 5-1 vs. Seattle (in 10 starts), with a 1.96 ERA and 0.94 WHIP.  Take the Diamondbacks.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the San Francisco Giants over the Texas Rangers.  It's no secret that the Giants' season has been filled with mostly disappointments.  But one pleasant surprise has been the performance of Derek Holland.  The Giants signed the 31-year-old LH to a minor league contract in February and initially at least, it wasn't clear what the Giants would get from Holland.  After his first 10 starts (May 25), Holland was just 2-6 with a 4.72 ERA.  But over the last three months, he has been a key member of the Giants' staff, stabilizing an injury-plagued rotation. Holland has lowered his ERA by more than a run since the end of May and he hasn’t lost a start since July 10 (eight starts).  Tonight, Holland will face the team which drafted him in the 25th round in 2016, and for which he played the first eight seasons of his MLB career.  It will be his third career start vs. the Rangers as he faced them twice when he was with the White Sox last season.  Holland has allowed two or fewer runs in six of his last seven starts and the Giants are 6-0 in his last six starts vs. teams with losing records.  Take San Fran.

At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over Tampa Bay.  The Red Sox lost to Tampa Bay yesterday, and are in danger of being swept by the Rays.  Still, there's no reason for anxiety in Boston, as the BoSox are firmly in control of the division lead, with a 7-game cushion over the Yankees.  Today, Boston will hand the ball to Nate Eovaldi, who started the season for these Rays.  So, Eovaldi will be extremely comfortable pitching here, at Tropicana Field.  Indeed, his ERA at home for the Rays this season was 2.11.  Even better:  Eovaldi is 4-0 in five daytime starts, with a 0.82 ERA and 0.48 WHIP.  And the Red Sox are 29-6 this season in day games!  Take Boston.  MLB Road Warrior Winner.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Toronto Blue Jays.  Vincent Velasquez gets the start this afternoon for the Phillies, and he's been super away from home this season (2.97 ERA; 1.26 WHIP).  He'll face RHP Marco Estrada, who has a 4.91 ERA at home this season (and a 6.23 ERA over his last three starts).  The Phils have been at their best when favored this year (40-27, +5 games on the moneyline), while Toronto has been a money-burner as a home underdog (9-16, -4 games on the moneyline) this season.  Take the Phillies.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over St. Louis.   The Rockies had their 3-game win streak snapped last night, but they're still 13-3 their last 16 games.  We'll take the Rockies to start a new streak tonight against John Gant and the Cardinals.  Gant has a losing 3-5 record on the season, and has an ERA north of 4 runs per game.  Meanwhile, German Marquez has dominated the Cards in his career, with a 2-0 record, 2.53 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP.  And the Rockies are 13-6 as a home favorite with Marquez on the mound.  Take Colorado.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Seattle Mariners. A couple of veteran lefthanders pitching for Division Contenders go to the hill tonight as the Mariners visit Arizona for the first series since 2012. Wade LeBlanc has had a very nice season with the M's -- his second stint with them -- going 7-3 with a 4.04 ERA in 25 games (20 starts). But you have to wonder if the party isn't coming to an end for Leblanc, who has a career record of 37-38 with an ERA of 4.34. LeBlanc has a 1-2 record and 6.75 ERA over four August starts, bringing his second half numbers to 2-2 with a 5.13 ERA after going 5-1 and 3.63 in the first half. In his last start, the southpaw allowed seven runs (five earned) in 4 1/3 innings vs. the Dodgers on August 17. And more relevant to tonight is the fact that Leblanc is 3-3 with a 4.47 ERA in 13 career games (nine starts) vs. the D-backs. Seattle doesn't get the use of its DH tonight, something it's relied on all season. Heading into Saturday, Arizona is 7-3 in its last 10 inter-league home games vs. teams with a winning record. Take the D-Backs. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8 pm, our selection is on the New Orleans Saints + the points over the Los Angeles Chargers.  Both teams come into this game with 1-1 records.  The Chargers opened the preseason with a road defeat at Arizona, but bounced back last week with a 10-point home win vs. Seattle.  In contrast, New Orleans opened with an upset road win at Jacksonville, but fell at home last week, 20-15, as a 4.5-point favorite vs. Arizona.  One of the things I love to do is play on underdogs off upset losses vs. foes off double-digit wins.  Our underdogs have covered 61% since 1983, including a perfect 8-0 ATS the past 4 years.  Take New Orleans.  NFL Preseason Game of the Year!  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over Miami.  Notwithstanding yesterday's 1-0 loss, Atlanta is still 38-28 on the road this season (+17 games on the moneyline).  Anibal Sanchez has been a big part of this success, as he's 5-1 on the road, with a 3.00 ERA and 1.08 WHIP.  The Braves are 13-4 vs. Miami this season, while Sanchez is 1-0 in his 3 starts vs. the Fish in his career, with a respectable 3.60 ERA and 1.20 WHIP.  Take the Braves.

At 7 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Falcons + the points over Jacksonville.  We played on the Jaguars last week, and they rewarded us with an upset win over the Minnesota Vikings.  The Jags now return home and have been installed as a favorite over Atlanta, which lost by 14 points to KC.  Unfortunately for the Jags, NFL teams off upset wins have covered just 10 of 38 preseason games vs. foes off double-digit losses, if our home team wasn't getting 3+ points.  Take Atlanta.  NFL High Roller Winner.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie

At 6:10 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over the Tampa Bay Rays. Two seasons removed from his AL Cy Young winning campaign and Rick Porcello is back. The 29-year-old RHP won't win the Cy Young this season but he has one of the best records in the league 15-6 in 26 starts so far with an outside chance to hit 20 wins for the second time in his career. Start number 27 will come this evening in St. Pete, a place where Porcello has had quite a bit of success in his career. In 14 starts at Tropicana Field, Porcello is 8-4 with a 2.72 ERA in just under 93 innings. Those eight wins are the third-most that Porcello has logged at an ball park in the league (Fenway and Comerica). Porcello can not only help the Red Sox today but he will also likely be heavily relied upon in the upcoming post-season. He's also looking to bounce back after a rare rough outing for him last time. Porcello was not happy after three mistake pitches led to his demise last time out in a 5-4 loss to the Indians. Despite getting drubbed here last night the Sox are still 11-5 in the last 16 meetings with the Rays. Take Boston against the Rays and Ryan Yarbrough.

At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays beat the Phillies at home last night by a 4-2 margin, thereby playing the role of inter-league spoiler. With the loss, the Phillies have now fallen three games behind the Braves in the race for the NL East which many people thought would have included the Nationals. No doubt, the home team will look to turn the tables today behind 25-year-old RHP Nick Pivetta. Pivetta has had a solid, if not spectacular sophomore campaign, going 7-10 with a 4.66 ERA in 26 games including 25 starts coming into this afternoon. Pivetta -- a native Canadian -- faces the Blue Jays for the second time in his career and the second time this season. Despite their loss on Friday, the Phillies are still 8-3 in their last 11 inter-league games vs. teams with a losing record and 5-0 in their last five inter-league road games vs. the same. The Phillies are also 11-3 in Pivetta's last 14 starts following a team loss in their previous game. Take Philadelphia.

At 4 pm, our selection is on the Houston Texans over the Los Angeles Rams.  This is a great match-up of two of the surprise teams from last season.  And both certainly harbor hopes to reach the Super Bowl this season.  Last week, Houston moved to 2-0 with a 16-13 victory vs. San Francisco.  And the Rams also won, 19-15, vs. Oakland, which evened L.A.'s record at 1-1.  Houston has owned the 2nd best defense in the Preseason, as it's given up just 11.5 ppg (the Jets' defense is #1, at 7.5 ppg).  We'll grab the points with Houston, as undefeated underdogs, with a 2-0 (or better) record, have cashed 74.5% since 1991 vs. foes off a SU/ATS win (and 79% ATS if our underdog's defensive PPG average was 17 or less points).  Take Houston.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:30 pm, on Friday, our selection is on the Denver Broncos + the points over Washington.  We played on the Redskins last week, and were rewarded with a win and cover vs. the NY Jets.  That leveled Washington's record at 1-1, while the Broncos fell to 0-2 with a 1-point upset loss at home to Chicago.  Denver will now play its first road game of the Preseason.  And winless teams have cashed 61% since 1983 in Week 3 as road underdogs.  It's certainly true that the Broncos' defense has given up 66 points in its two games this season.  And the knee-jerk reaction might be to go against a team with such a porous defense.  However, consider that NFL Teams off back to back SU/ATS losses, that own a defensive PPG average of 30+ points, have cashed 78.1% over the past 35 years.  Take Denver.  NFL Elite Info Winner. Good luck, as always....Al McMordie.

At 8 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Eagles + the points over Cleveland.  The Eagles come into this game off back-to-back blowout losses.  Last week, they fell, 37-20, to New England.  And they lost 31-14, in Week 1, to the Steelers.  Philly got a scare last week when QB Nick Foles sustained an injury.  But he's been cleared to play vs. the Browns, and will get the start on Thursday night.  Over the last 35 years, NFL teams, off back to back games where they failed to cover each by 10+ points, have cashed 68% vs. foes off a SU loss.  With the Browns, indeed, off a loss last week to the Bills, we'll grab the points with Philly.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8:40 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over San Diego.  The Rockies' 4-game win streak was snapped by the Padres last night.  But I love Colorado to bounce back tonight, as they've won each of Jon Gray's last eight starts, dating back to June 22.  And Gray's last six starts were all against Playoff contenders (Braves, Dodgers, Brewers, Cardinals, Astros, Mariners).  Tonight, it's a much different story, as Gray will face the cellar-dwelling Padres, who are 50-78 on the season -- the worst record in the National League.  Gray has given up 1 run or less in four of his last five starts vs. San Diego.  And he'll have a huge advantage on the mound tonight vs. Jacob Nix.   The Padres rookie was bombed in his last start by the Diamondbacks, as he gave up 5 runs and couldn't make it through the first inning.  Take Colorado.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over Houston.  In what many thought would be an easy ride for the Astros to another AL West title, not only do they now have to contend with the Oakland A's, but the pesky Mariners are also still very much in the hunt.   RHP Charlie Morton -- who really came through for the 'Stros down the stretch last season -- will make his 25th start today. Through little fault of his own, Morton has only notched one victory in his last six starts going back to before the break. The primary reason, of course, is that the Houston offense has only managed to put 19 runs across in those six games.  The Astros did win last night here, but only scored three runs.  This afternoon, they'll have to face LHP Marco Gonzales, who has a 2.71 ERA in his 11 home starts this season.  Houston has struggled this season on the moneyline vs. Lefties (28-20, minus 10 games on the moneyline), while Seattle has excelled vs. Righties (51-34, +18 games on the moneyline).  Finally, Morton's teams are a poor 19-40 (minus 24 games on the moneyline) in his daytime starts.  Take Seattle as the home dog.

At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the Cincinnati Reds.  Just a handful of games separate the top three spots in the NL Central and the Brewers have to be thrilled about the fact that they are still in the hunt for a Wild Card and a Pennant with just about five weeks to go.  The Crew features the most surprising starting rotation in the NL -- very similar to the Oakland A's in the American League.  Tonight it will be rookie RHP Freddy Peralta making his 13th start of the season.  Peralta won't challenge Juan Soto, Brian Anderson, or Ronald Acuna for NL Rookie of the Year honors, but he's had a very successful run for a 21-year-old.  The first inning remained a problem for Peralta in his most recent start against the Cardinals, when he allowed two runs to bump his ERA to 9.00 in 12 opening innings this season.  But the Brewers have been working with Peralta on his mechanics so I expect an improved performance this afternoon.  The Reds will go with RHP Robert Stephenson (0-1 and 7.94 in two starts this season) and they are 2-6 in in his last eight road starts.  Take the Brewers.

At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the St. Louis Cardinals.  How ironic would it be if Hyun-Jin Ryu is the pitcher that gets the Dodgers to the promised land this season?  The 31-year-old LH Japanese import has been a huge disappointment over the last two seasons, heading to the DL multiple times for various ailments.  True to form this season, Ryu started strong in April, but hit the shelf after a month of action due to a groin injury.  Ryu returned on August 15 and fortunately for the Dodgers, he looked like he never missed a beat, tossing six shutout innings against San Francisco while allowing just three hits and striking out six Giants with no walks.  He gets a chance to prove that performance was no fluke tonight for his team which is in the midst of the tightest division race in the Majors.  The Cards will send rookie RH Daniel Poncedeleon to the mound for his second MLB start as Luke Weaver has been relegated to the bullpen for now.  But despite a successful starting debut (7 IP, 0 ER, 0 H), Poncedeleon is an unproven commodity, especially against a lineup like the Dodgers'.  Take L.A.

At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Anaheim Angels over Arizona.  The Angels have been installed as a huge underdog, notwithstanding the fact that SP Felix Pena's ERA in his four road starts is 1.31.  Moreover, the Diamondbacks are a money-burning 25-25 (minus 12 games on the moneyline) as a home favorite this season.  Take the Angels.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Atlanta Braves.  Knowing that they didn't have to wait any longer to make a run at the NL Title, the Braves made some deadline trades, and it seemed like their favorite hunting ground for pitching was in Baltimore.  Atlanta acquired both RPs Brad Brach and Darren O'Day and SP Kevin Gausman from the O's in two separate deals and with Nick Markakis already on the squad, it must seem like Baltimore south around the Braves' locker room lately.  Gausman will get his fourth start with the Braves tonight and while with the Birds, the RH faced the Bucs twice, going 0-1 with an 8.44 ERA in 10 2/3 innings.  RHP Ivan Nova continues to excel at PNC Park.  Nova allowed only one run in 6 2/3 innings here on Thursday night, but lost to the Cubs, 1-0. The Pirates are 5-2 over his past seven starts, and Nova has posted a 3.72 ERA during that stretch. He owns a 3.32 ERA in 11 home starts this season.  Speaking of 1-0, the Braves took game one of this series by that score on Monday so look for the Pirates to exact some revenge tonight.  Take Pittsburgh.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over the Cleveland Indians.  In what could be a preview of the ALCS, the Indians came into Fenway yesterday for the first time this season with a showdown of the last two AL Cy Young winners (Porcello and Kluber).  Tonight in game two, the pitching match-up is without those marquee names, but at least one of these starters has been putting up Cy Young-type numbers here at home recently.  The Sox needed some pitching help, so they traded for RH Nathan Eovaldi at the deadline and the 28-year-old proceeded to get very comfortable in his new home.  His first two starts were at home and all Eovaldi did in those was not allow a run in 15 innings while notching a pair of victories.  His next two starts were on the road -- one of which was ugly while his last one (in Philly) was a fairly effective five innings.  He's back home tonight and looking to extend his Fenway success against a team which he has dominated in the past (Eovaldi is 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA in three career games (two starts) vs. the Tribe).  Take Boston.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over Washington.  The Phillies have been installed as an underdog at Washington.  And that bodes well, given that the Nationals are a poor 16-21 (minus 14 games on the moneyline) the past two seasons as a favorite with Roark on the mound.  Roark's home ERA this season is 5.00 (compared to 3.24 on the road), while Velasquez's road ERA is 3.02 (compared to 4.99 at home).  Take Philadelphia.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox 'under' the total.  Stephen Gonsalves is rated as the #4 prospect in the Minnesota Twins system.  The southpaw pitcher has been in professional ball since 2013, but he is just 23-years-old which gives you some idea of how talented Gonsalves was even as a high-schooler in San DIego.  With the injury to Ervin Santana, Gonsalves will make his MLB debut tonight at his new home ballpark against the Chicago White Sox.  Although the lefty isn't a particularly hard-thrower, he's had a very solid Minor League career, posting a 2.46 ERA in 113 games (108 starts) covering 599 innings throughout all the various levels from rookie ball to AAA.  So clearly Gonsalves deserves this opportunity.  RHP Lucas Giolito came into the season with high expectations after a successful sophomore campaign in Chicago.  But 2018 has been a huge disappointment with Giolito going 8-9 with a 6.15 ERA in 24 starts.  However, he's been much better on the road (4.54 ERA) this season than at home (8.17 ERA).  Not surprisingly, eight of his 12 home starts this season have gone 'over' the total, while just one of his 14 road starts the past two seasons have gone 'over' (10 'unders'; 1 'over'; and 3 'pushes').  Take the 'under.'

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the New York Mets.  The Nationals must be pretty upset that the upstart Phillies have looked like a better team than them pretty much the whole season.  So imagine how much more upset they'll be if RHP Nick Pivetta has a great final two months and helps the Phillies get to the post-season (while DC sits at home)?  Pivetta was a Nats' draft pick in 2013 but they traded him two years later to the Phils for closer Jonathan Papelbon, who turned out to be just as much of a cancer on their team as he was in Philadelphia.  Now Pivetta looks like he's thriving, having thrown three quality starts this month, allowing just three earned runs in 18 August innings.  He was dominant last time out against the best team in baseball (Boston) but simply didn't get the run support and ended up taking a bad beat no-decision in a 2-1 Phillies loss.  No doubt his lineup will want to correct that tonight and give the 25-year-old the support he deserves, and against LH Jason Vargas (2-8; 8.10 ERA), they should be able to.  The Mets are just 2-11 in Vargas' 13 starts this season, while Philly is 22-5 priced as a favorite of -150 or higher.  Take Philly.  MLB Elite Info Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over San Diego.  The Padres won a rare game as a home underdog last night, when Christian Villanueva had a pinch-hit, walk-off single to lift the team to a 7-6 victory over the D-Backs.  That loss lowered Arizona's division lead to a mere half-game over Colorado.  The good news for Arizona is that it will have its ace, Zack Greinke on the mound today.  Even better:  Greinke is 11-2 with a 2.10 ERA in his career vs. San Diego.  And the Padres are a miserable 9-31 (minus 30 games on the moneyline) as a home underdog this season.  Take Arizona.

At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over Seattle.  The Mariners won in extra innings yesterday, 5-4, when Los Angeles' reliever, Dylan Floro, balked home the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning.  This season has been a disappointing one for the defending National League champions.  And, if the season ended today, Los Angeles would be on the outside, looking in at the Playoff picture.  Thus, the Dodgers certainly need to put a win streak together, and they'll turn to their ace, Clayton Kershaw this afternoon.  He's done his best work on the road this season, as his ERA is 2.08 away from Chavez Ravine.  Moreover, in his career, the Dodgers are 70-26 in his daytime starts (+28 games on the moneyline), compared to 140-91 in his nighttime starts (-11 games on the moneyline).  Take Los Angeles.

At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Oakland Athletics.  Don't look now, but with their one-sided victory on Saturday, the A's have hit the reset button on the entire season as they have the exact same record as the Astros (74-49).  With about a 1/4 of the season to go, it's a scenario that seemed almost unthinkable even as recently as a month ago.  The Astros wouldn't make excuses for this dilemma, but they certainly could.  The team had been without three of their best hitters in Correa, Springer, and Altuve until recently.  Now two of the three are back and Altuve should return early next week (with Brian McCann possibly not far behind).  So in these situations, you want your ace on the hill and the 'Stros have it today with Justin Verlander scheduled for his 27th start.  Like his team, Verlander hasn't been at his best lately, but he often excels right around this time (just look at what he did from late August on in 2017).   The A's will go with their best starter as well as LH Sean Manaea get his 26th start.  But Oakland is 2-8 in Manaea's last 10 starts vs. Houston going back to 2016.  Take the 'Stros.

At 1:35 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Colorado Rockies.  The Rockies go for an improbable four-game sweep of the Braves in Atlanta this afternoon.  The first three games of this series have been no contest with the Rox out-scoring the Braves by a 21-11 margin so far.  But they have to face the "Comeback Kid" this afternoon in the Braves 34-year-old RH Anibal Sanchez.  Sanchez has resurrected his career down in Dixie with the Braves as he was nothing more than an afterthought when Atlanta signed him to a one-year, one million dollar contract in the off-season.  Sanchez has flourished with his new team going 6-3 with a 3.07 ERA in 17 games, including 16 starts.  And if there's one thing Sanchez likes doing this season it's pitch during the day.  In five afternoon starts, the former Detroit Tigers starter is 2-1 with a 1.69 ERA (vs. 4-2 and 3.64 under the lights).  The Braves lost Sanchez's only other start vs. the Rox this season, 3-2 back in April in Colorado. Before that, his teams (Detroit and Miami) went 5-0 in his previous five starts against them, out-scoring the Rockies 35-16 in those. Take Atlanta.  5* NL Game of the Month. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Angels over the Texas Rangers.  The Angels have been waiting for Andrew Heaney to arrive on the MLB stage for quite some time.  They may not have to wait much longer.  A former first-round draft pick of the Marlins in 2012, the veteran southpaw was traded to to the Angels in 2014 but has been slow to develop despite having a pretty good team around him for most of his time in L.A.  This season we've started seeing some flashes of what an ace is supposed to look like, including Heaney's first-ever complete game shutout on June 5 against the Royals.  More recently, Heaney has been throwing solid outings, with quality starts in six of his last eight trips to the mound and the Halos are benefiting from it even when Heaney doesn't register the victory.  The Angels have won six of Heaney's last seven starts (six for six on grass) including his last one on the road in San Diego, 6-3.  The Rangers won the first two games of this series, but the Angels have been feasting on bad teams lately, going 8-3 in their last 11 games vs. teams with losing records.  Meanwhile, the Rangers' Martin Perez has a 6.71 ERA and 1.96 WHIP this season, and the Rangers have dropped eight of his last 10 starts.  Take the Angels.  MLB Road Warrior Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8 pm, our selection is on the San Francisco 49ers + the points over Houston.  Both of these teams won their openers:  Houston upset the Chiefs, 17-10, in Kansas City, while San Francisco won at home, 24-21, over Dallas.  Unfortunately for Houston, teams off road upset wins have tended to burn money in the Preseason, and especially when installed as a favorite (or PK) in their home opener, as they've cashed just 59 of 146 games.  Take San Francisco.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 4 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Rams over Oakland.  The Rams were bombed, 33-7, by Baltimore last week, while Oakland bested Detroit, 16-10.  The knee-jerk reaction might be to play on the Raiders this afternoon.  But consider that teams off a double-digit loss in their first preseason game have bounced back to go 61.2% ATS since 1991.  Take the Rams.

At 1 pm, our selection is on the Jacksonville Jaguars + the points over Minnesota.  The Vikings rolled in Game 1, as they blew out Denver, 42-28.  That was the most points any team scored in its opening game of the Preseason.  But off that high-scoring game, we'll fade the Vikings this afternoon, as favorites that average more than 31.5 ppg have cashed just 40.3% in the Preseason since 1983.  Take Jacksonville.

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Colorado Rockies.  When the Rockies Kyle Freeland and the Braves Sean Newcomb look into the mirror, you have to wonder if the image of the other one stares back at them.  These two young starters' careers are on such similar paths that it's freaky.  Both are southpaws who came into the Majors last year at age 24 and put up solid -- but average -- rookie numbers.  And now both are excelling in their sophomore campaigns with very similar numbers.  Freeland is 10-7 with a 3.02 ERA in 24 starts while Newcomb is 10-5 with a 3.40 ERA in 23 starts.  But while Freeland excels at home (7-2; 2.22) and struggles a bit on the road (3-5; 3.74), Newcomb pitches well no matter the venue.  Here at Sun Trust Park, Newcomb is 4-2 with a 3.41 ERA in 10 starts.  Newcomb produced two of his best starts of the year before allowing a season-high 12 hits against the Brewers on Sunday.  Still, Atlanta's won his last four starts.  In his career, Newcomb's 1-0 with a 3.78 ERA in three starts vs. Colorado, including a six inning, five-hit shutout at Coors Field on April 8.  Take the Braves.  MLB Roadkill Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

 At 7:30 pm, our selection is on the Miami Dolphins + the points over Carolina.  Both of these teams were involved in very high-scoring Preseason games last week.  The Panthers upset Buffalo, 28-23, as a 3-point road underdog, while Miami lost at home, 26-24, to their Sunshine State rival, Tampa Bay.  One of the things I love to to in the Preseason is fade winning teams that have given up, on average, more than 20 points a game, if they're playing an opponent off a SU/ATS loss.  Since 1983, this situation has cashed 63%, including 89% if our play-on team (here, Miami) is averaging 21.5 (or more) points on offense.  Take the Dolphins.  Elite Info Winner. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:30 pm, on the NFL Network, our selection is on the Buffalo Bills + the points over Cleveland.  The Bills were upset at home, 28-23, last week by the Carolina Panthers, while the Browns blew out the Giants, 20-10, in the Meadowlands.  I love the Bills to bounce back on the road, as road underdogs have covered 63.1% ATS since 1983 off an upset home loss, if their opponent was off a double-digit win.  Take Buffalo.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8 pm, our selection is on the Washington Redskins over the New York Jets.  The Jets shut out Atlanta last week, 17-0, while Washington lost at New England, 26-17.  We'll look for Washington to bounce back, as teams playing their home opener, off a SU/ATS loss to open the preseason, have cashed 60.4% the past 35 years vs. foes off a preseason-opening SU/ATS home win.  Take the Redskins.  NFL High Roller Winner.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over the Atlanta Braves.  Colorado's Jon Gray has only won two starts since June 22, but that's likely not much of a concern to him or his team right now.  That's because even though the W's haven't been coming in bunches for the 26-year-old RH, that hasn't stopped the Rockies from winning when Gray goes to the hill.  In fact, Colorado has won seven straight Gray starts going back to the middle of June and they will try to make it eight in a row when he gets his 23rd start of the season tonight against a very good Braves team.  RH Julio Teheran used to be the undisputed ace of this staff, but as the Braves have brought up young stars like Sean Newcomb and Mike Foltynewicz, Teheran's role has diminished a bit.  And that's a good thing because the 26 year old has struggled through much of the season, posting an 8-7 record with a 4.33 ERA in his 23 starts coming into tonight.  The Rockies are 19-7 in the last 26 meetings with the Braves.  Take Colorado.  MLB Road Warrior. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:30 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Eagles + the points over New England.  This, of course, is a rematch of last season's Super Bowl, won by the Eagles, 41-33.  We had big plays on the Eagles, as well as the Over in that game, and easily won both.  Here, we'll just focus on the side selection, and will grab the points with the Super Bowl champs.  Philly actually lost its Preseason opener last week when it fell, 31-14, at home to the Steelers.  Meanwhile, the Patriots opened with a home win vs. the Redskins, 26-17.  The knee-jerk reaction might be to play on the Patriots for its revenge motive.  But consider that defending Super Bowl champs have covered 90% as an underdog the past 35 Preseasons off a straight-up loss.  Take the Eagles.  NFL Game of the Week. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies, in Game 2 of the Double Header, over New York.  This match-up will feature Zach Eflin against Steven Matz.  The Mets placed Matz on the disabled list after his last start, which was (by far) the worst of his career.  New York was drummed, 25-4, by Washington in that game, back on July 31.  Matz lasted just 2-3 of an inning and gave up seven earned runs.  Of course, anyone can have one bad start.  But Matz also wasn't effective in his two starts prior to that, as he gave up 9 runs in 11 innings.  So, his ERA over his last three starts is an ugly 12.34.  And the Mets are also just 12-21 his last 33 starts.  In contrast, Philly has won seven of Eflin's last 11 starts, and his ERA is 3.57 with a 1.10 WHIP this season.  At home, even though Citizens Bank Park is not a pitcher's park (it ranks 10th in run production), his numbers actually improve to 3.21 (ERA) and 1.04 (WHIP).  This season, Philly is an awesome 17-3 (+12 games on the moneyline) as a home favorite priced at -150 or higher, while New York is an awful 46-90 (minus 29 games on the moneyline) as an underdog the past two years.  Take Philadelphia.  MLB Roadkill Winner.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees are in big trouble with their starting pitching.  Their bona-fide ace through much of the season, RH Luis Severino has been struggling mightily lately, veteran LH CC Sabathia has been placed on the DL (knee) and their other ace, RH Masahiro Tanaka hasn't been able to get a Yankee victory in his two August starts.  It seems the only starters who have done anything lately are the two that New York got in trade recently (JA Happ and Lance Lynn).  It's Tanaka's turn this afternoon in this series finale.  The Yanks used to dominate the Rays but that hasn't been the case this season as with their victory on Wednesday, Tampa has now won seven of the last nine meetings.  The good news for New York today is that Tanaka has been dominant against the Rays in his career, going 8-2 with a 3.62 ERA in 12 starts against them and his only 2018 outing vs. Tampa was his best.  On July 24, Tanaka threw a complete game shutout, allowing just three Rays hits.  The Rays are just 7-22 in their last 29 in the Bronx.  Take New York.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over San Francisco.  Hyun-Jin Ryu got his season off to a great start (3-0, 2.12 ERA, 0.87 WHIP in six starts), but sustained an injury, and has missed the last 3 1-2 months.  Ryu will make his return tonight, and the Dodgers desperately need his services.  They've lost their last five games, and would be out of the Playoffs if the season ended today.  Ryu has a 3.36 career ERA vs. San Francisco, while his mound opponent, Derek Holland, has an 0-3 record and a 6.38 ERA lifetime vs. Los Angeles.  Take the Dodgers.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over Colorado.  It's one of the craziest stats of the season:  Houston has lost its last nine home games.  That would be hard for even the worst baseball clubs to do.  But the Astros have baseball's 3rd best record.  Tonight, they'll attempt to right their ship, and will hand the ball to Gerrit Cole.   Cole has a 2.76 home ERA, while Tyler Anderson's road ERA is 4.48.  And Cole's teams have won all four of his starts vs. the Rockies the past three seasons.  These two pitchers battled each other 22 days ago at Coors Field, and Cole led Houston to an 8-2 win.  I look for Houston to snap its losing streak.  Take the Astros.

At 2:20 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Milwaukee Brewers.  The Cubs were likely concerned about some of their starting pitching in the first half.  Case in point is veteran RH Kyle Hendricks, who had been one of their most consistent performers over the past few seasons.  But after his first start of July (his 17th overall this season), Hendricks was sitting with a very uncharacteristic 5-8 record and 4.27 ERA.  But from that point forward, Hendricks has been much more effective.  Since that 17th outing, Hendricks has gone 3-1 and has lowered his ERA to 4.02 in seven starts.  Strong second halves are nothing new for the 28-year-old.  In 2016, Hendricks went 7-6 with a 2.55 ERA in the first half -- numbers most starters would love to have.  But after the break, he caught fire, going 9-2 with a 1.68 ERA in 14 starts.  Last season, he did it again, posting a 2.19 ERA in the second half after putting up a 4.09 number prior to the break.  The Cubs would love nothing more than to have Hendricks lead them to another Division Crown in the next six weeks.  And they're 5-1 in Hendricks' last six starts.  Take Chicago.

At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over San Francisco.  Last night, we played on Los Angeles, as we noted that Clayton Kershaw's career ERA vs. San Francisco was 1.60 over 43 appearances.  And all Kershaw did was LOWER that career ERA, as he gave up just one earned run over 8 innings.  But the bullpen blew LA's 2-1 lead in the 9th inning when it gave up 4 runs -- all with two out -- to hand the Giants a 5-2 victory.  Tonight, Alex Wood will try to snap the Dodgers' 4-game losing streak.  Wood was a hard-luck loser, himself, in his last start.  The Dodgers lost 2-1 to the Astros in that game, even though Wood gave up just one earned run in 6 innings.  Wood's ERA over his last three starts is 1.53.  And he'll face a fellow southpaw, Andrew Suarez, tonight.  Suarez has gotten bombed over his last five starts (7.42 ERA; 1.65 WHIP), and the Giants are also an awful 52-89 (minus 26 games on the moneyline) on the road the past two seasons, including 22-50 vs. opposing starters that don't give up more than 5.5 hits per start.  Take Los Angeles.  Good luck, as always....Al McMordie.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Colorado Rockies.  Don't look now but the 'Stros painful defeat on Sunday (coupled with yet another Oakland victory last night) has led to the defending Champions' lead in the AL West being knocked down to just two games.  While the A's continue to be the surprise team of the Majors, the Astros continue to struggle with second-half injuries and have now lost five of their last seven games with a much-needed day off on Monday.  They must take advantage of this two-game mini-series at home against Colorado before heading out west to play the A's, Mariners, and Angels in what looks to be the most important road trip for them of the season.  The good news is that they will have their ace, RH Justin Verlander, go to the mound tonight.  Verlander suffered his worst performance of the season his last time out, here at home, against the Mariners (2.0 IP, 7 H, 6 ER).  So he looks for a rebound tonight against a team he's never lost to (3-0 with a 1.88 ERA in four starts covering 28 2/3 innings).  Even better:  Verlander's teams are 21-3 in his 24 interleague home starts, while the Rockies are 1-7 in the last eight meetings with the Astros.  Take Houston.  Interleague Game of the Week. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the San Francisco Giants.  As you might imagine, Giants LH ace Madison Bumgarner, who gets his 13th start of the season tonight, has some very good numbers against his division rival Dodgers.  In 30 career games (29 starts) Mad-Bum is 15-10 with a 2.60 ERA in just under 191 innings and he has allowed just seven earned runs in his last five starts against them.  But as great as those statistics are, they pale in comparison to what his opposing starter -- fellow LH Clayton Kershaw -- has done against the Giants.  In 43 lifetime appearances (42 starts) covering just over 300 innings against San Fran, Kershaw has an unbelievable 1.60 ERA.  And in his last five starts vs. them, Kershaw has allowed just four earned runs and has not allowed more than one in any of those contests (going back to last May).  So it would seem that Bumgarner has his work cut out for him tonight, especially considering that this is not one of the best Giants teams that he's been a part of by a long shot.  And in fact, as well as he has performed lately against tonight's opponent, the Giants are just 2-8 in Mad-Bum's last 10 starts vs. the Dodgers.  Take Los Angeles.  Elite Info Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over Seattle.  This match-up will feature Dallas Keuchel vs. Erasmo Ramirez.  The Mariners are under water this season vs. lefties, as they're 18-19 (minus seven games on the moneyline), compared to 50-31 (+19 games on the moneyline) vs. righties.  This afternoon, they'll face the Astros' southpaw Keuchel, who is 18-7 in his last 25 daytime starts, and 6-1 in his last seven decisions (including an 8-3 victory at Seattle just 11 days ago).  Houston is also 9-2 in his last 11 starts, overall.  Meanwhile, Ramirez was dreadful earlier this season (10.24 ERA in two starts) before being shelved for 3 1-2 months.  Take Houston.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 1:35 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over Milwaukee.  The Brewers are 67-53 this season, but all of their profit has come vs. righty starters.  Milwaukee is 53-37 (+16 games on the moneyline) vs. righties, but a dismal 14-16 (minus 5 games on the moneyline) vs. southpaws.  This afternoon, they'll have to take on a red-hot Sean Newcomb.  The 2nd year LHP has a 2-0 record in his last three starts, with a 1.31 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP.  And he came within a single out of throwing a no-hitter vs. the Dodgers 15 days ago.  Take Atlanta.

At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over Cincinnati.  Last night, the Reds took Game 2 of this 3-Game series, and that's back-to-back wins for Cincy over Arizona.  But we'll go against the home team this afternoon, as Cincy is a poor 129-204 (minus 24 games on the moneyline) as a home underdog.  The Reds will face Zack Godley, who has led the Diamondbacks to wins in 10 of 13 starts vs. losing teams.  Godley's ERA over his last three starts is a solid 2.70, and his WHIP over this stretch is 0.85.  He already faced (and defeated) the Reds once this season when he outdueled Luis Castillo in a 5-2 victory.  In that game, Godley surrendered just 2 runs over 6 innings, and he struck out 7 batters.  Castillo will once again be Godley's mound opponent, and he's been hit hard by the D-Backs in his last two starts vs. them (11 IP, 8 ER, 12 baserunners).  Take Arizona.  NL Game of the Week.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over the Tampa Bay Rays.  After a breakout season in 2017 in which he went 13-9 with a 3.09 ERA and didn't miss a turn in the rotation (33 starts), Marcus Stroman looked like he would take it to the next level in 2018.  But it hasn't worked out so far this season as Stroman has battled various injuries and had a 5.20 ERA in 16 starts coming into this afternoon.  He was forced to leave his last start after seven innings with a blister on his throwing hand, but pitched very well up to that point.  That outing was here at home where Stroman has done his best work recently, including just one earned run on seven hits in 14 innings in his last two starts here against the Red Sox and Orioles.  RHP Tyler Glasnow came to the Rays from the Pirates in the Chris Archer trade and so far in two starts he's only thrown seven innings.  This will be his first road start since joining Tampa at the beginning of the month.  Despite their victory on Saturday, the Rays are just 9-20 in their last 29 road games and 7-18 in their last 25 games vs. RH starters.  Take the Jays.

At 8:40 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over San Diego.  Aaron Nola is 12-3 this season, and comes into this game with a 2.37 ERA and 0.99 WHIP.  We played against San Diego last night, in part because of the Padres' horrific record (now 1-11) this season at home vs. NL pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 (or less), as well as its awful mark as a home underdog (now 7-27 this year).  The Padres managed to score just two runs last night, but won when the Phillies couldn't score any.  That was the second straight shutout loss by Philly.  But they should have a much easier time of it tonight vs. Walker Lockett, who has a 9.28 ERA in three appearances (two starts) this season.  The Phillies are also 19-4 this season when priced at -150 or higher.  Take Philly.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Cincinnati Reds.  After spending his first five-plus seasons with the New York Mets, RHP Matt Harvey was looking for a fresh start.  And you could argue that after he was traded to the Reds in early May, Harvey got his wish.  After all, since 2016, Harvey had logged a 14-24 record with an ERA around six runs with New York, so you could argue that what he's done since joining the Reds has been an improvement.  But going 5-5 with a 4.79 ERA in 15 starts -- Harvey's stats since he joined Cincinnati -- is nothing to write home about.  Those numbers don't tell the latest story as Harvey is 0-2 with a 10.66 ERA in his last three starts covering just 12 2/3 innings.  Tonight, he will take those stats into a home start against the Diamondbacks and LHP Robbie Ray.  Ray is 3-2 with a 4.92 ERA in 14 starts, however in seven road outings, he is 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA.   The Reds shut out the D-Backs on Friday, but Arizona is still 19-8 in its last 27 road games and 14-6 in Ray's last 20 road starts.  Take Arizona.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Seattle Mariners.  Great teams find a way to win in the face of adversity.  Take the case of the Houston Astros.  The defending champions just lost three of their best players due to injury -- George Springer, Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa.  Despite not having these three in their lineup for much of the current month, the 'Stros are still 6-3 in their last nine games.  And the good news beyond that is the fact that all three should be back by early September at the latest.  Correa, in fact, made his return from his back injury in last night's game here.  Charlie Morton will take the mound for the Astros, and his teams are 27-9 in his career when he's been priced -150 or higher.  And the veteran RH has been rounding into form since the break, allowing just four runs in three starts with an ERA of 1.89 and an opponents' batting average of .200.   The Mariners will go with LHP Wade LeBlanc, who is 6-2 with a 3.70 ERA in 18 starts since moving into the rotation.  But his worst outing came vs. Houston on Aug. 1 when he allowed seven runs on 10 hits in just 4 1/3 innings.  Take the Astros.

At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over the Tampa Bay Rays.  The Rays continue with their strategy of using relief pitchers as starters and having them pitch no more than two innings.  With the exception of two starters -- Snell and Glasnow -- the Rays have been employing this strategy for the past several weeks.  The results, however, are mixed as Tampa is 5-7 in its last 12 games heading into Friday night.  The Jays are employing no such strategy, although when you look at their pitching, you get the impression they might start using it soon.  RHP Sam Gaviglio will head to the mound for his 16th start of the season and although the numbers haven't been pretty for the 28-year-old lately, he's faced some pretty strong offenses.  Since the beginning of July (seven starts), Gaviglio has had to face the likes of the Red Sox, Braves, Athletics, Mariners, and Yankees.  So he gets some class relief this afternoon against a team that is hitting just .216 in the month of August.  On the other end of that spectrum -- surprisingly -- are the Jays, who are hitting a league-best .295 this month.  Heading into Saturday, the Rays are 8-20 in their last 28 road games and the home team is 11-4 in the last 15 meetings.  Take the Jays.  MLB Roadkill Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over San Diego.  With the Padres having moved both Jordan Lyles and Tyson Ross after the non-waiver trade deadline -- and having not received anything in return -- we're bound to see some new faces in their rotation the rest of the way.  On Wednesday it was NJ native Brett Kennedy making his MLB debut and tonight it will be 22-year-old RH Jacob Nix doing the same for the home team.  Nix is listed as the Padres #14 prospect and he's had a successful run in the Minors so far.  In 10 starts this season at the AA and AAA levels combined, Nix is 3-3 with a 1.84 ERA and 0.90 WHIP in just under 59 innings.  Run support tonight could be an issue however as the Phils send out RHP Zach Eflin who's been very effective in this, his third MLB season (8-3 with a 3.61 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 15 starts).  The Padres are a miserable 0-11 this year at home vs. NL Pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower, and they're an awful 6-27 as a home underdog this season.  Take Philadelphia. MLB Road Warrior Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Bears + the points over Cincinnati.  The Bears opened their Preseason last week in the Hall of Fame match-up vs. Baltimore, and fell by a 17-16 score to the Ravens.  But just having played a Preseason game is a big advantage against NFL teams which have still yet to play a preseason contest.  Since 1983, such teams with a game in hand have cashed 59.45% of the time.  Take Chicago + the points.  NFL Game of the Week. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over the Boston Red Sox.  Toronto will hand the ball to rookie southpaw Ryan Borucki tonight.  And all Borucki has done this season has compile a 2.30 ERA in his seven starts.  Even better:  at home, his ERA drops to 1.35.  And it's 0.90 in his last three starts (2 road, 1 home).  Take Toronto as the home underdog this evening.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the 'under' in the Toronto/Boston game.  Both starting pitchers come into this game in fine form.  Rick Porcello has a 2.18 ERA and 0.67 WHIP over his last three starts.  Not to be outdone, Ryan Borucki's ERA in his last three starts is 0.90, while his WHIP is 0.85.  Boston is 114-90 'under' the total as a favorite, while Toronto is 14-5 'under' as a home underdog this season (and 28-13 'under' as a home underdog the past three seasons).  Take the 'under.'

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers 'under' the total.  J.A. Happ will get the start tonight after missing his last start due to contracting hand, foot and mouth disease.  Happ has been brilliant over his last three starts (1.23 ERA, 0.95 WHIP), and his teams have gone 'under' in 70 of his 111 starts as a favorite, and in 66 of his 105 starts vs. losing foes.  Meanwhile, Texas is 50-28 'under' when priced from +150 to +200 on the road, and 31-20 'under' in its road games this season (regardless of the price).  Take the 'under.'  Good luck, as always....Al McMordie.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers 'under' the total.  With the non-waiver trade deadline having passed, the Padres put Tyson Ross and Jordan Lyles on Waivers and they were both claimed (Ross by the Cards and Lyles by the Brewers) and San Diego did not rescind the moves.  So the Padres have some openings in the rotation -- which was not that deep to begin with.  It hasn't taken long for a deserving youngster to get his shot as 24-year-old RHP Brett Kennedy is being called up from AAA to start tonight for the Pads.  You'd be hard-pressed to find a kid in the minors more deserving than Kennedy based purely on the numbers.  In 16 starts at AAA El Paso, Kennedy is 10-0 with a 2.72 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 80 strikeouts with 77 hits allowed in 89 1/3 innings.  The Brewers have a dangerous line-up, but they've obviously never seen Kennedy before and they may find his ground ball-inducing pitches tough to handle the first few times through the order.  RHP Jhoulys Chacin goes for Milwaukee and the under is 17-8-1 in the Padres last 26 road games vs. RH starters, and 22-11 in the Padres' last 33 road games vs. winning teams.  Take the 'under.'  MLB Total of the Month.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, in Game 2 of the Double Header, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over Atlanta.  Sean Newcomb will get the start for Atlanta.  He was terrific in his last start vs. the Dodgers, but that was at home.  In his last five road starts vs. current winning teams, Newcomb's been dreadful, as the Braves have gone 0-5 in those games.  And Newcomb's surrendered 21 runs (20 earned) in 20 innings (9.00 ERA).  He'll take on one of baseball's best in Max Scherzer tonight.  And all Scherzer's done is win his last five starts (2.91 ERA) to move his season record to 15-5 on the season.  He's also won both home starts vs. Atlanta this season (2 runs and 17 strikeouts in 15 innings), and five of his last six at home vs. the Braves.  Meanwhile, Newcomb's career ERA vs. the Nationals is a poor 6.46 in three starts.  Take Washington.  MLB Roadkill Winner!  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Minnesota Twins.  Another year, and another season of the Indians having the easiest path to the MLB post-season.  With about 50 games to go, Cleveland has a nine game lead in the AL Central.  But the fact is that if the Indians were in any other MLB Division, they would not be in first place.  And if they were in any of the other two AL divisions, they would be behind by either 8.5 or 16.5 games.  Unlike last year, when the Twins were a surprising team which pushed the Tribe all the way down the stretch (eventually settling for a Wild Card), this year, Minnesota has long since given up any hope of making the 2018 playoffs.  They come into Cleveland tonight to start a four-game series and will have to face one of the Indians' two best pitchers here in Game 1.  Trevor Bauer has a chance to set career-bests in Wins, ERA, strikeouts, and K:BB ratio.  And five more Ks will put him at 200 for the first time in his career.  This will be his first home start of the season vs. Minnesota.  And the Tribe is 40-11 in its last 51 home games vs. teams with a losing record.  Take Cleveland.  MLB Roadkill Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Boston Red Sox.  If the Yankees are going to start making a run at the Red Sox, they better start right now.  Through the first three games of this crucial four-game series, the Sox have embarrassed the Yanks, out-scoring them by a combined 23-9.  The problem for the Yankees is obvious.  As the season has gotten longer, their starting pitching has worn down considerably.  Their consensus best pitcher in the first half -- RHP Luis Severino -- has looked awful lately, ceding that top status to RHP Masahiro Tanaka, who has taken over as the team's ace.  Tanaka will get his 18th start of the season tonight and no doubt the Yankees will try to rally around the 29-year-old Japanese before things get out of hand in the AL East Pennant race.  Tanaka is 8-4 in his 16 starts against the Sox, while Boston RHP David Price (who will get his 22nd start of the season tonight) is a mediocre 15-13 with a 4.90 ERA in 40 career appearances (39 starts) against the Yankees.  Take New York.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over the Toronto Blue Jays.  The AL West has been a surprisingly close division this season, and not because the L.A. Angels are pushing the Defending Champion Astros.  No, instead it's the surprising Oakland A's and the Seattle Mariners who are closest to Houston -- about five games back.  The Mariners have gotten some surprising pitching performances this season, none more-so than RH Mike Leake.  Leake is following up his very good -- but short -- showing with the M's last season with an equally impressive campaign this year.  His record may be only 8-7 with a 4.16 ERA, however the Mariners have won 14 of Leake's 22 starts so far.  Leake looks like he could be a major force in the second half for Seattle as he has thrown quality starts in each of his last three outings, resulting in a 2.95 ERA over that stretch (18 1/3 innings).  He faced the Jays in Toronto back on May 10 and tossed seven quality innings, allowing two runs on six hits in a 9-3 blowout Mariners victory.  Seattle is 5-1 in Leake's last six starts following a loss in its previous game.  Take the Mariners.

At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Houston Astros.  The Dodgers wanted nothing more in this weekend series than to exact some revenge for their World Series loss to the Astros last year.  Unfortunately, Houston has won the first two games, including a 14-0 whitewash last night.  The Astros will turn to Gerrit Cole this afternoon.  And Cole was roughed up in his last start when he surrendered four runs in 5 1-3 innings at Texas.  He also has had little success vs. Dodger batters in his career, as his ERA is 5.55 in six starts, encompassing 35 2-3 innings.  Cole will be opposed by rookie RHP Walker Buehler, who comes into this game off a strong performance in his last outing.  Buehler made a mechanical change in his delivery prior to that start, vs. Milwaukee, and it seemingly made a big difference, as he gave up just one run over seven innings pitched.  I look for Buehler to pitch great again this afternoon, as he's been much better at home (2.70 ERA) than on the road this season.  And Los Angeles is 16-6 its last 22 interleague games here, at home.  Take Los Angeles.  MLB Game of the Month.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over the Milwaukee Brewers.  Jon Gray is on a roll since returning to the Colorado rotation, as he's allowed a total of four earned runs, along with just 10 hits (and 17 strikeouts), in 21 2/3 innings over his last three outings (1.66 ERA; 0.69 WHIP).  The Rockies have won each of Gray's last five starts, and are also 5-0 in their last five games vs. southpaw starters.  With lefty Wade Miley on the hill for the Brewers, we'll take the Rockies to snap their losing streak this afternoon.

At 6:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Chicago White Sox.  Teams are usually either sellers or buyers at the trade deadline -- but not both.  Unless, of course, you're the 2018 Rays, who made the most curious moves this past week.  First, seemingly signaling that they wanted to build a winner for next season, they acquired young five-tool OF Tommy Pham from the Cards for a trio of prospects (Pham has since landed on the DL).  But then, just days later, Tampa shipped Chris Archer off to Pittsburgh despite the fact that he was still under team control through 2021.  Although the Rays' motives aren't always clear, one thing the Archer trade signals is that the Blake Snell era is upon us.  Snell will assume the role of staff ace from here on out and there really isn't a close second.  The All Star goes to the mound for the 21st start of what has been a brilliant break-out season for the 25-year-old southpaw.  Snell is 12-5 and has a 2.20 ERA.  And one of his many dominating starts of 2018 was against these White Sox on April 10, as he tossed six innings of one-hit, one-run ball with 10 Ks.  Heading into Saturday, the Rays are 21-6 in their last 27 here at home.  Take Tampa.  MLB Roadkill Winner!  As always, good luck...Al McMordie

At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over San Francisco.  Notwithstanding San Francisco's victory last night to start this 4-game series, the Giants are still a miserable 50-87 (minus 27 games on the moneyline) away from home the past two seasons.  Tonight, the Giants will start Chris Stratton, who has struggled mightily over his last three starts (8.62 ERA; 1.91 WHIP).  Patrick Corbin has faced San Francisco four times already this season, and he's given up just five runs in 26 2-3 innings (1.68 ERA).  Take the Diamondbacks.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over Boston.  Luis Severino will start for the Yankees on Friday, and he's 14-4 on the season, with a 1.08 WHIP and 2.94 ERA.  Severino shut out the Red Sox over 6 2-3 innings in his last start vs. them in an 11-1 victory on July 1, and I look for him do dominate Boston's bats once again.  Take New York.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the New York Mets over Atlanta.  Jake deGrom has pitched exceptionally well this season, but has little to show for it since the Mets' offense hasn't backed him up.  Indeed, deGrom has given up 3 runs or less in 18 consecutive starts.  His season ERA is a spectacular 1.82, and it's even better at home, where he has a 1.66 ERA.  Anibal Sanchez has a 4.34 ERA in 13 career starts vs. New York, while deGrom's career ERA vs. Atlanta in 15 starts is a microscopic 1.80.  Take the Mets.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Pirates over the St. Louis Cardinals.  There were many significant deals made on deadline day, but none more significant -- or surprising -- than the one that sent two-time All Star RHP Chris Archer to the Pirates from the Rays.  In their wildest dreams, it's hard to imagine that the Pirates would have thought that right before the trade deadline they would reel off 11 wins in a row and put themselves right in the thick of the NL Wild Card.  And they must really think that Archer can help them get there -- not just this year but in 2019 as well when he is still under contract -- because they gave up two of their top young players in OF Austin Meadows and RHP Tyler Glasnow.  While Archer's numbers don't exactly jump off the page at you -- a 3-5 record with a 4.31 ERA in 17 starts -- he is a veteran who was in need of a change of scenery.  So don't be surprised if he looks like his old dominating self down the stretch.  The Cards will go with RHP John Gant who has a career record of 4-9.  Gant allowed the Bucs three runs in 5 1/3 innings in Pittsburgh on May 25, and has a career 4.32 ERA in his starts vs. Pittsburgh.  In contrast, Archer's career ERA is 1.29 vs. St. Louis.  Take the Pirates.  NL Central Game of the Month.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over the San Francisco Giants. These two NL West contending teams acted quite differently at the trade deadline. While the D-Backs added some much-needed offense in the form of IF Eduardo Escobar (from the Twins) and relief pitchers Brad Ziegler and Jake Diekman (from the Marlins and Rangers), the Giants did nothing. There were some rumors that they were shopping Andrew McCutchen but at the end of the day, no trigger was pulled.  So San Fran will head into the stretch on the backs of players like Cutch and LH ace Madison Bumgarner, who goes to the hill for his 11th start of the season.  Bumgarner has been okay since returning from the DL.  But as the team's ace, he needs to be more than just okay.  Mad-Bum's record is a pedestrian 3-4.  And of particular concern is his career-high walk rate of 3.5 resulting in a K:BB ratio of just 2.13.  RHP Zack Greinke goes for Arizona and Greinke has, once again, been absolutely dominant at home this season, going 5-1 with a 2.39 ERA in 11 starts here at Chase Field (vs. 3.52 in 11 starts elsewhere).  Greinke's teams have gone 116-43 (+50 games on the moneyline) in his career when they've been favored at home in his starts.  Take Arizona.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie

At 9:00 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Milwaukee Brewers.  Now that the Dodgers have had one of the best non-waiver deadlines in their history, bolstering their offense with two of the best hitters from the AL (Machado and Dozier), all that's left is to get their starting pitching revved up for a big, final two months.  But that could be easier said than done for a group that has battled injury and inconsistency virtually every season since this staff was built around Clayton Kershaw.  But the good news is that the LH ace finally had a start that reminded people of the Kershaw of a few years ago when it seemed like he was winning the Cy Young without any competition.  In a 4-1 victory over a very good Braves team in Atlanta last Thursday, Kershaw threw 101 pitches in 7 2/3 innings, allowing one run on six hits with eight strikeouts and no walks.  It was Kershaw's second straight start without issuing a free pass (13 2/3 innings).  No doubt Kershaw can't wait to go to the mound with his two new power-hitting infielders behind him.  Also, L.A. is 52-15 in Kershaw's last 67 home starts.  Take the Dodgers.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Texas Rangers over the Baltimore Orioles.  The Orioles have held an in-season fire sale over the past two weeks, the likes of which haven't been seen in quite some time.  Gone are Machado, Schoop, Britton, Brach, Gausman, and O'Day.  We also learned that they were trying to unload Adam Jones but the veteran center fielder vetoed whatever deal they had in place.  So, what's next for this once great franchise?  One thing's for sure, there are a lot of youngsters that are going to get a chance to play down the stretch for Baltimore.  That may be fun to watch at times, but it can wreak havoc on your W/L record (not that the O's could get much worse at this point).  RHP Yovani Gallardo signed as a free agent with Texas and out of nowhere the 32-year-old Mexican has a 5-1 record in his first seven starts.  The O's are a team he is familiar with as he pitched for Baltimore in 2016.  Facing a line-up which will be be comprised mostly of AAA players, Gallardo should be able to get his sixth victory tonight at home.  The O's are 3-8 in the last 11 meetings in Texas., and they're 13-40 (minus 22 games on the moneyline) on the road this season.  Take the Rangers.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over Boston.  The Bronx Bombers' win streak was snapped yesterday afternoon by the Baltimore Orioles, who downed the Yankees, 7-5.  I look for New York to bounce back on this Thursday in this critical game vs. the division-leading Red Sox.  Boston will start southpaw Brian Johnson tonight.  And the Yankees are a super 24-6 (+15 games on the moneyline) vs. lefty starters this season.  New York will also turn to a lefty tonight, as veteran CC Sabathia will get the ball.  Sabathia dominated the BoSox in his last start vs. them at the end of June, when he held them to just one run in seven innings pitched.  Sabathia is 6-0 in his last seven starts vs. Boston, and gave up 2 runs or less in each of those six victories.  Boston has performed much better this season vs. righty starters (59-23, +24 games on the moneyline) compared to lefties (16-11, +1 game on the moneyline).  Take the Yankees.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Chicago White Sox over the Kansas City Royals.  The Royals have the worst offense in the Majors, as measured by scoring output.  And KC finished the month of July with 22 fewer runs on the season than the next closest team -- Baltimore -- and you know how bad the Orioles are these days.  So, what lies ahead now that the team has traded away its most productive offensive player in Mike Moustakas?  It probably wouldn't matter from here on out if the Royals still had Zack Greinke in their rotation.  But, of course, they don't have anyone even close to that.  Tonight it will be RHP Jakob Junis taking the mound for KC in the second game of this series in Chicago.  What started as a very promising season for the 25-year-old has pretty much turned into a disaster, complete with a stint on the DL that had him miss half of July.  Junis has also faced the White Sox once this season, and got blasted (6 runs in 5 2-3 innings).  Dylan Covey will start for Chicago tonight.  At 4-6 with a 5.40 ERA, he also isn't setting the league on fire.  But he was effective in his lone start vs. KC this season (1 earned run in 6 innings).  Heading into Wednesday, the Royals are an awful 20-51 (minus 24 games on the moneyline) vs. righties this season.  Take Chicago.  MLB Elite Info.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over Milwaukee.  Walker Buehler has been lights-out at home this season, as he has a 1.78 ERA in his six home starts, with a 0.76 WHIP.  Wade Miley also has been terrific in his home starts this season (0.00 ERA).  Unfortunately for Miley, his start tonight will be on the road, where is ERA is 2.81 runs higher than at home.  Miley also has had little success vs. the Dodgers in his career.  His teams have won just five of his 13 starts, including just one of his last seven.  And his ERA over those seven starts is 4.38.  Finally, Miley's teams are a horrid 0-6 behind him as a road underdog priced from +150 to +200.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Texas Rangers.  It looks as though that ageless wonder, RHP Bartolo Colon, will finish the season in the Rangers rotation.  The 45-year-old goes in his 20th start of the season tonight attempting to break a a four-start losing streak.  Although Texas is long out of contention, Colon has something to strive for as his 245 wins not only puts him five away from a milestone that few starters ever reach, but it also has him tied with Dennis Martinez for the most victories by a Latin American-born pitcher.  But tonight is not likely the night he's going to get #246.  The D-Backs are in the thick of a pennant race and playing perhaps their best ball of the season.  RHP Zack Godley had back-to-back strong starts prior to the break but has struggled in his last two.  But they were against the Rockies and Cubs so he gets some class relief tonight and that will help as Arizona is 5-1 in Godley's last six home starts vs. teams with losing records.  The Rangers can't use their DH so Colon will be swinging a bat tonight for perhaps the last time in his storied career.  Take the D-Backs.