Sports Picks & Predictions

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the 'under' in the Yankees/Orioles game.  Yefrey Ramirez and Masahiro Tanaka will battle tonight in the Bronx.  The Orioles have gone 'under' the total in 45 of 75 games as an underdog this season, while the Yankees have gone 'under' in 13 of 19 games as a favorite priced -200 or higher.  Moreover, Tanaka has gone 'under' in 36 of 61 home games, and has a 2.29 ERA and 0.96 WHIP over his last three starts.  This will be a low-scoring game.  Take the 'under.'

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Miami Marlins.  So far this season, Marlins RHP Wei-Yin Chen is 2-2 with a 2.18 ERA in eight starts at Marlins Park, but 1-5 with a 10.47 ERA in the same number on the road.  That's a home-field bias rarely seen these days.  Unfortunately, this game is in Atlanta against the Division-contending Braves (who are tied in the loss column with Philly).  The Marlins would love to move Chen and his five-year, $80 Million contract, so getting him out of his road funk is critical to them right now.  However, this is a tough place to try to do it, especially against one of the Braves' best in RHP Julio Teheran.  Teheran is also looking for a little home revenge tonight as he got blasted in his last start against Chen and this Fish team in Miami.  Look for him to have a much better showing tonight.  Four of his last five home starts have been gems and the Braves are 8-3 in his last 11 here.  The Braves are also 29-16 (+16 games on the moneyline) vs. division rivals this season, which is a large part of their current success in the standings.  Take Atlanta.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the St. Louis Cardinals.  It would seem that the Cardinals have thrown in the towel on the season.  While the Cubs and Brewers are adding some quality players at the trade deadline, the Cards have not made any significant trades.  In fact, the most significant move this team has made was behind the bench when it replaced manager Mike Matheny with interim Manager Mike Shildt.  With a  53-51 record, it's hard to imagine the Cards making the post-season at this point given the log-jam of teams ahead of them.  The Cubs on the other hand have acquired two pitchers from the Rangers since the break, the most accomplished being southpaw starter Cole Hamels.  But tonight it will be RHP Kyle Hendricks going to the mound for the 22nd time.  Hendricks has struggled this season but has pitched better lately and will be looking for his seventh win tonight.  In six career starts at Busch Stadium, Hendricks is 2-1 with a 3.57 ERA.  More importantly, the Cubs are 6-0 in Hendricks' last six starts vs. St. Louis.  Take Chicago.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over the Miami Marlins.  The Nats are scrambling right now, trying to remain relevant in a division they were expected to win somewhat easily.  But here we are, almost 2/3 of the way through the season, and Washington is sitting in third place in the NL East with just a 52-51 record.  One season after his best campaign since his first in DC, Gio Gonzalez has won just six times in 20 starts.  But he has still posted an ERA under four runs (3.94) and the veteran southpaw has two months to try to turn things around.  A start against the Marlins should help as Gonzalez has a 10-3 record and 1.93 ERA in 17 career starts covering just over 107 innings vs. Miami.  And this season the Marlins have really struggled against left-handed pitching, logging a .232 BA and .651 OPS vs. southpaws coming into tonight.  Maybe if the Nats could just rearrange the schedule so they play the Marlins the rest of the way, they would win that pennant.  Miami is just 8-21 in its last 29 home games vs. teams with a winning record and 7-23 in the last 30 meetings after getting blown out last nite.  Take DC.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the 'under' in the Anaheim/Seattle game.  This match-up of AL West rivals features two southpaw starters:  Wade LeBlanc and Andrew Heaney.  LeBlanc has been super this season, with a 6-1 record, and a 3.25 ERA.  He has a solid 1.08 WHIP, and has gone 9-5-1 'under' in his 15 starts this season.  Meanwhile, Heaney is also strongly 'under' the total this season (11-6-1), and has a 2.31 ERA at home this year (6-3 'under').  Finally, the Mariners have gone 'under' 55-31 vs. pitchers with a 1.20 (or better) WHIP, while Anaheim is 110-79 'under' vs. winning teams.  Take the 'under.'  Good luck, as always....Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the 'under' in the Philadelphia/Cincinnati game.  This match-up will pit Philadelphia's southpaw rookie Ranger Suarez vs. Reds RHP Tyler Mahle.  Interestingly, this will be the first time in 667 days that a lefty has started a game for Philly.  And Suarez has been pitching very well this season, albeit for AA-Reading and AAA-Lehigh Valley.  At Reading, Suarez went 4-3 with a 2.76 ERA in 12 starts.  And, then, at Lehigh Valley, he's posted a 0.57 ERA over three starts.  Tonight, he will face a Reds team which has scored two runs or less in six of its last seven games.  And the Reds have gone 'under' the total in 14 of Mahle's 22 starts in his career.  Take the 'under.'  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Pittsburgh Pirates.  In what has to be considered the most unlikely winning streak of any team this season, it is now 11 in a row for the Pirates after taking their second straight game in Cleveland against the first-place Tribe.  Not only is Pittsburgh comfortably above the .500 mark now, but it is within striking distance of a wild-card spot -- something which was all but unthinkable just a few weeks ago.  The offense has been firing on all cylinders, aided by the return of IF Josh Harrison and the resurgence of the outfield (Starling Marte, Chris Dickerson, and Gregory Polanco).  But they have to go up against a buzz-saw this afternoon in All Star RHP Trevor Bauer.  The Indians' pitching staff has been led by Corey Kluber the last several years.  But this season, it's Bauer and not Kluber who is the ace of the rotation.  And Bauer loves inter-league play, posting a 9-5 record with a stellar 2.66 ERA in his starts against the NL.  Moreover, his ERA in day games is almost a run lower than it is under the lights (3.54 vs. 4.31).  In contrast, Jameson Taillon's ERA vs. the American League is 6.75 this year, while his ERA in afternoon starts is 4.22.  Take Cleveland.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Angels over the Chicago White Sox.  If the Angels were in the Central Division where the White Sox are, they would only be five games behind the Indians and have at least some chance of winning the Division.  But as it stands, they are in the toughest Division in the AL and are sitting in fourth place despite a 50-51 record.  So that probably takes L.A. out of the market for any deadline deals at this point, but they are still a pretty good team and certainly much better than the White Sox (although that might not be true in a couple of years).  So look for the Halos to experiment with young players -- especially starters -- in the second half and that includes RHP Felix Pena who goes to the hill tonight for his sixth start.  You have to like Pena's 3.42 ERA and 3.56 K:BB ratio and clearly there is some talent here.  He last pitched for the Angels on July 13, when he gave up one run over four innings against the Dodgers.  The Sox will go with LHP Carlos Rodon who has not fared well on the road as Chicago is 5-17 in his last 22 starts away from the South Side.  Take the Angels.

At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the Detroit Tigers over the Kansas City Royals.  Jordan Zimmermann has had a nice comeback in the latter part of the first half.  The former Nats ace has posted a 2.60 ERA in five starts since coming off the DL June 16.  He regressed in his last start -- which was before the break -- allowing four runs over 6 2/3 innings in a loss to the Rays on July 11.  It was later revealed that Zimmermann was hampered by a neck issue and he has since received a nerve-blocking injection for that -- a procedure he'd undergone in the past -- and should be ready to go tonight.  The Royals will go with RHP Burch Smith who gets his third start of the season.  To call Smith a second-year rookie is true, but also a bit misleading.  That's because there's a five year gap between Smith's MLB debut season (2013) and now.  Originally taking Jason Hammel's spot in the rotation, Smith is now subbing for the injured Ian Kennedy but with Kennedy expected back soon, Smith's days as a starter are numbered.  Heading into Tuesday, the Royals are 8-27 in their last 35 home games vs. a RH starter.  Take Detroit.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Pittsburgh Pirates.  With a strong second half, 23 year-old RHP Shane Bieber could make a case for AL Rookie of the Year Honors.  For such a young MLB pitcher to have a 5-1 record, a walk rate of just 1.7 (eight BBs in 43 1/3 innings) and a 5.25 K:BB ratio through his first seven starts is pretty remarkable.  It's also the primary reason why the Indians went after relief pitching, acquiring Brad Hand from the Padres and don't feel right now like they have to acquire another starter.  Bieber will make start number eight tonight at home where he's done his best work, posing a 2.81 ERA in four starts (vs. 4.58 in three starts on the road).  RHP Joe Musgrove was the main player in the trade that sent Gerrit Cole to Houston and although he's no Cole, Musgrove has been fairly effective so far for the Bucs.  But his only victory since May (seven starts) was a 6-3 win over the lowly Padres in San Diego.  Excluding that one, Musgrove is 0-4 in six starts allowing 23 earned runs in 32 innings.  Take the Indians.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the Cincinnati Reds.  Teams that aren't completely out of contention in late July don't usually send out pitchers on consecutive days that are making their first career MLB starts. So call the Cardinals unorthodox because last night it was 26 YO Daniel Poncedeleon making his MLB debut and tonight it will be 24 YO LHP Austin Gomber getting his first-ever MLB start (Gomber also has 15 relief appearances this season).  Gomber is a much higher-ranked prospect in the Cards organization than Poncedeleon, so he has a better chance to stick with the club into next season.  And most of his relief appearances were solid (he has a 3.77 ERA in  14 1/3 IP) although he's still looking for his first MLB win.  Tonight, Gomber will square off against Homer Bailey.  And how many times have we heard that Bailey is coming off the DL to make a start for the Reds?  Too many, it seems.  Well it's happening again tonight and you really don't know what to expect with Bailey at this point.  But his 1-7 record, with 6.68 ERA in 12 starts, tells you all you need to know about his chances of having a quality outing this evening.  Take the Cards.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the New York Mets over the San Diego Padres.  If the Mets move either or both of their aces -- Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard -- in the next week, then expect RHP Zack Wheeler to take on a more prominent role.  Wheeler has had an up-and-down season, pitching brilliantly one start and disastrously the next.  Wheeler has pitched better lately, allowing nine earned runs in 25 innings over his last four starts.  And teams in need of a starter have been checking out Wheeler as a potential alternative to deGrom and Syndergaard (who are seen as costly) so he every reason to continue pitching well.  One of the good starts was his only outing vs. this Padres team back on April 29 when he allowed two earned runs over five innings with nine strikeouts in a 14-2 rout at Petco Park.  Padres southpaw Eric Lauer has won five times from his 16 starts which is a bit surprising given his ugly 4.87 ERA and 1.67 WHIP.  The Padres are just 19-40 in their last 59 road games vs. teams with a losing record.  Take the Mets.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Pittsburgh Pirates.  The surprising -- and red-hot -- Pirates come into Progressive Field for a three-game, inter-league set against the Indians.  It's hard to believe, but Pittsburgh has now won nine straight coming into tonight, including a five-game home sweep of the Brewers followed by three over the Reds in Cincy this past weekend.  But things will get tougher for the Bucs tonight as they face a very good first-place Indians team and a bona-fide ace in RH Corey Kluber.  Kluber will make his first start since his third straight All Star selection (although he did not pitch in that game).  Kluber has historically done his best work in the second half (the first time he won the Cy Young he wasn't even voted an All Star).  In his career, Kluber is 40-16 (.714) with a 2.90 ERA after the break (compared with 48-37, .565 with a 3.22 ERA in the first half).  Worse for Pittsburgh tonight is the fact that they've never faced the Cleveland ace before.  The Pirates are also a poor 31-62 in their last 93 as a road underdog of +100 or higher (minus 20 games on the moneyline), while Cleveland is a perfect 11-0 this season when priced -250 or higher.  Take the Tribe.  MLB Mound Mismatch Massacre!  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds 'under' the total.  It's safe to say that Daniel Poncedeleon's path to the Majors has been different than anyone else's in recent history.  Fourteen months ago, he took a liner to the head when pitching for AAA Memphis and was rushed to the hospital for live-saving brain surgery.  The 26-year-old not only made a full recovery, but was back pitching for Memphis this season.  And he's been performing at a very high level, posting a 2.15 ERA in 18 games, including 17 starts, covering 92 innings.  The Reds will send RHP Luis Castillo to the mound for his 21st start of the season.  Castillo's overall numbers are nothing to write home about, but he has pitched much better lately and the Reds have won four of Castillo's last five starts.  In fact, his last start was against this Cardinals team and Castillo allowed two runs in five innings with five hits and no walks in an 8-2 victory.  This will be a low-scoring game.  Take the 'under.'  MLB Total of the Week.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over Colorado.  We played on the Diamondbacks yesterday, and lost a tough, 1-run game after bursting out to a 3-0 lead.  That was the 7th consecutive win by Colorado, but I look for its streak to be halted today by Zack Greinke.  In his career, Greinke has the best home won/loss performance, as a favorite, of any active pitcher.  Consider that Greinke's teams are 115-43 in his career (+49 games on the moneyline) when they've been favored.  And when his teams have been priced at -150 or higher, whether at home, or on the road, the numbers are even better:  96 wins against just 27 losses.  Greinke is also 5-0 in his last six starts, with a 1.65 ERA, and a 1.02 WHIP, including 7 2-3 innings of shutout ball vs. Atlanta his last time out.  Meanwhile, Senzatela was bombed for six runs in six innings in his last outing.  And he's 0-1 in his lone start vs. Arizona, with a 16.20 ERA (nine runs over five innings).  Take Arizona.  Mound Mismatch Massacre!  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Colorado Rockies.  The Diamondbacks didn't have the prospects that the Dodgers did so they couldn't land Manny Machado.  But don't think that means this team is done trying to beef up its offense via trade.  There are plenty of other hitters out there that could help the D-Backs, including Mike Moustakas, Adam Jones, Scooter Gennett, and Asdrubal Cabrera.  For now, they seem pretty happy with their rotation and one of the reasons is the resurgence of RHP Zack Godley.  No starter put together double-digit wins in the first half as quietly as Godley did (he has 11).  And the 28-year-old has held hitters to a .255 OBP over his last three starts.  He'll get start number 19 tonight against the Rockies and LHP Kyle Freeland.  Freeland is one of those rarities who performs better at Coors Field than elsewhere and that won't help him tonight.  Freeland is 1-2 with a 4.07 ERA in five career starts vs. the D-Backs, while Godley won his lone start this season vs. Arizona back on June 10 which began a string in which he has won six of his last seven decisions.  Godley is also 4-0 in his career vs. the D-Backs, with a 2.02 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in those four starts.  Take Arizona.  MLB High Roller Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over the Chicago White Sox.  Of all the surprising starters who came out of nowhere to win rotation jobs in the first half, few are as surprising as the Mariners LHP Wade LeBlanc.  Heading into 2018, LeBlanc had started just 18 MLB games over the past five seasons.  But he was given a 2nd shot with Seattle (he also pitched for Seattle in 2016) after the M's suffered some pitching injuries early on this season.  All the 33-year-old has done is to go 5-1 with a 3.45 ERA in 14 starts since moving into the rotation, though he took his first loss in his last outing. Interestingly, that was the first losing decision LeBlanc has had in 22 starts with Seattle in his career (2016 and 2018).  And the Mariners are also a perfect 14-0 in LeBlanc's 14 home starts for the team!  He looks to put that rare Mariners loss behind him and start the second half in the same manner in which he pitched for much of the first half.  The Sox will open the second half with veteran RH James Shields going to the mound for his 21st start.  Shields has never had much success at pitcher-friendly Safeco Field, going 4-4 with a 4.82 ERA in nine starts covering 56 innings here.  Take Seattle.  Mound Mismatch Massacre! As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over the New York Mets.  No team needs a break right now more than the Washington Nationals who lost again on Saturday and are now a game under .500.  And although most members of the team will get time off after today, with the All Star festivities taking place in DC, the coaching staff and some players won't be able to really hit the reset button for the next three days.  If they can win this afternoon against an inferior Mets team, at least the Nats will go into the break on a high note.  What does it say that one of their most consistent starters lately has been RH Jeremy Hellickson?  The veteran is 3-1 with a 3.47 ERA in 12 starts and he recently returned from the DL due to a hamstring problem.  Except for an ugly start in his second appearance back from the DL, Hellickson has been pretty solid and he comes into this start in New York off of five scoreless innings in Pittsburgh against the Pirates.  Hellickson has been great on the road this season, going 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA in eight starts away from DC (vs. 4.87 in four home starts).  And the Mets have been dismal as home underdogs, with a 3-15 record this season. Take the Nationals.  MLB Division Game of the Month!  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 11:00 am, on Sunday, our selection is on France to defeat Croatia, and lift the trophy (at -230 odds).  Thus, our wager will win, if France succeeds in regulation, extra time, or on penalty kicks.  The challenge ahead for Croatia is daunting after surviving its third straight match which required extra time.  The Vatreni displayed plenty of grit to rally from an early 1-0 deficit to England to force extra by scoring a tying goal with under 25 minutes to go, and the winning goal in the 109th minute.  But how much does this older team have left in the tank?  With three straight contests requiring extra time in the knockout stage, the Vatreni have essentially played an extra game than the French (who also have the benefit of an extra day of rest for this championship match).  But even if this wasn't the case, I was going to favor the winner of the France/Belgium game against the victor of the England/Croatia match.  Les Bleus also are more youthful -- with an average age of 26 -- and they have a clean bill of health.  It will be hard for the Croatians to slow down the 19-year-old sensation Kylian Mbappe, whose explosive speed will severely test their midfield and defense.  Yet while Mbappe and fellow midfielder Paul Pogba receive most of the attention on this French team, it is midfielder N’Golo Kante who is France's Most Valuable Player.  Kante was the key piece for two separate English Premier League championship teams for Chelsea and Leicester City with his ball-hawking and defensive skills.  He will be up to the task of neutralizing Croatian star midfielder Luka Modric.  So, the talent edge certainly goes to France (though Croatia has a slight edge in the midfield overall), especiall considering their back line and goalie Hugo Lloris (who is simply one of the top keepers in the world).  Finally, the road for the French to get here has been more difficult with victories over Argentina, Uruguay, and then Belgium in the semifinals.  In contrast, Croatia has needed extra-time to defeat Denmark, Russia and then England which are a level of class below what Les Bleus have overcome.  Take France.  As always, good luck....Al McMordie.

At 7:15 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles over the Texas Rangers.  With the Orioles already far out of contention -- and Manny Machado, Zach Britton, and perhaps Adam Jones about to be traded -- look for a plethora of young pitchers to get a look the rest of the way.  One youngster who has already seen considerable action for the Birds is 24-year-old rookie RH Yefry Ramirez.  Ramirez has yet to win his first MLB game, but he's pitched well enough, logging a 3.93 ERA in four appearances -- including three starts.  With Andrew Cashner on the DL, and the rest of the O's rotation -- except for Bundy and Gausman -- in a bit of flux, Ramirez will likely continue to get starts.  The Rangers will hand the ball to southpaw veteran Martin Perez.  Perez will make his first start since April 29 after going on the DL with soreness in his non-throwing elbow. He struggled in his five April starts, posting a 9.87 ERA with 13 Ks and 12 BBs in just over 22 innings.  There's little to suggest that the time off and recovery process have made Perez -- who owns a 4.60 career ERA -- an effective pitcher.  Take the Orioles.  MLB Roadkill Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:00 am, on Saturday, our selection is on Belgium PK, at --170 odds, to win the match (whether in regulation, extra time, or on penalty kicks).  Both these teams will have to pick themselves up from deflating losses in the semifinals for this consolation 3rd place match.  However, it will likely be more difficult for England to recover.  Not only do the Three Lions have one less day to rest and prepare for this match but they also have to rebound from a grueling physical and emotional 2-1 loss to Croatia that needed the thirty minutes of extra time to resolve.  The Three Lions had victory in their grasp for much of that match with Kieran Trippier scoring five minutes in, but they lost steam in the second half and eventually conceded the tying goal in the 68th minute.  England looked like it would have the opportunity to win in a shootout but its hearts were broken when Croatia scored the winning goal with just nine minutes left in extra time.  Manager Gareth Southgate has indicated that he will rest many of his regulars who are dealing with injuries (or who are simply just gassed from the physical demands of that match on Wednesday).  At the very least, this sounds like Trippier, as well as midfield cogs Ashley Young and Jordan Henderson, as candidates to not take the pitch.  So, Belgium should be more fit to win this match.  Moreover, Manager Roberto Martinez has declared that his team will not be taking this opportunity lightly: "I am not going to make changes now to give certain players opportunities....Any change will be to make the team stronger."  A victory for the Red Devils today will result in the top finish in Belgium history at a World Cup (besting its 4th place showing in the 1986 games in Mexico), and that is of great importance to this team.  Take Belgium to be victorious (at --170 odds).  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over Minnesota.  Jake Odorizzi will get the start for the Twins, and the Twins have lost six of his last nine starts.  And their three wins behind Odorizzi were against the Orioles (26-68), White Sox (26-66) and Tigers (40-55) -- each of which owns a losing record.  The Rays, on the other hand, are above .500, and the Twins are a poor 0-6 behind Odorizzi in his last six starts vs. winning American League foes.  Tonight, he'll face Nate Eovaldi, who has been in a groove lately.  Eovaldi has held two of his last three opponents scoreless, and has a 0.95 ERA over those three games.  For the season, his ERA is 3.35, and his WHIP is a sparkling 0.80.  And the Rays are a solid 22-12 (+7 games on the moneyline) vs. losing teams this season.  Take Tampa Bay.  Mound Mismatch Massacre!  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over San Diego.  The Padres figure to have a tough time tonight vs. Dodgers RHP Ross Stripling.  After all, Stripling has struck out 86 batters (against just seven walks and 71 hits) in his 13 games/74 innings this season.  All told, that's a 1.05 WHIP and a 2.55 ERA.  San Diego is a horrid 7-25 vs. pitchers who strike out at least 5 batters per start, and is 6-19 as a home underdog!  That doesn't bode well for the Pads, as they will hand the ball to Tyson Ross, who has fallen off a cliff in his last two starts (7 innings, 15 runs, 19 baserunners).  And Ross is 0-6 in his career vs. Los Angeles.  Take the Dodgers.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Minnesota Twins.  The biggest All Star snub this year is a pretty easy choice.  When was the last time that a starter who was leading his league in ERA (and was tied for second place in wins) didn't make the staff for the mid-summer Classic?  Well, it happened this season as Rays' LH Blake Snell has been left off the roster.  He almost certainly will be chosen as an alternate before next Tuesday's game, but it's still a bit of a black eye for the selection process that he wasn't a starter from day one.  Snell will likely take out his frustrations tonight in Minnesota against the Twins in his 20th start of the season.  He hasn't been as dominant away from home this season, although most pitchers would kill for Snell's road numbers (6-3 with a 3.08 ERA in 11 starts).  And the Twins line-up certainly doesn't pose the kind of challenge that Snell regularly sees against the Red Sox and Yankees.  Snell's been even better lately, going 8-1 with a 1.27 ERA in his last 10 starts.  Finally, the Rays are 20-7 in the last 27 meetings at Target Field.  Take Tampa.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over the Los Angeles Angels.  A battle of really good southpaw starters takes place tonight in Anaheim as the Mariners and James Paxton face the Angels and Tyler Skaggs.  Paxton has had a dominating first three months.  He is 8-3 with a 3.49 ERA in 19 starts.  And he is tied for the league lead with two complete games and he also has a no-hitter to his credit.  Paxton was moved up a day for this start, due to the injury to Felix Hernandez, and will face the Angels for the first time this season.  He shouldn't mind that at all as Paxton is 4-2 with a 2.07 ERA in 11 career starts covering just under 70 innings vs. the Halos.  Skaggs will come off the DL tonight to face the Mariners.  And while he has a 2.64 ERA in 16 starts, he is just 6-5 on the season.  Heading into Thursday, the M's are 5-1 in their last six road games.  And Anaheim is a poor 7-17 (minus 14 games on the moneyline) vs. lefty starters.  Take Seattle.  MLB Road Warrior of the Month.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over Boston.  Yes, the Red Sox are baseball's best, and hottest team, with 65 wins and nine straight, overall, after last night's blowout of the Rangers.  But Red Sox SP David Price has been subpar, to say the least.  Price's ERA is 4.44 on the season, and 13.50 over his last two starts.  Even worse:  Boston is an awful 20-22 (minus 11 games on the moneyline) vs. starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or less.  Take Toronto with J.A. Happ on the hill to upset the Red Sox.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Milwaukee Brewers.  Pirates' RHP Jameson Taillon has had an up-and-down first half.  Pittsburgh is hoping that the second half will be more up than down and so far based on his recent performances, it looks like that could happen.  Taillon cruised through six innings in his last start Saturday at PNC Park before giving up two runs and getting a quick hook from Clint Hurdle.  He has a 3.60 ERA in two starts vs. Milwaukee this season and that's very good against one of the most explosive lineups in the League.  The Brewers are scheduled to go with LHP Wade Miley.  Miley will return from the 60-day DL to make his first Brewers start since May 8, when he strained his right oblique in his second game back from a groin injury.  Miley has a 1.42 ERA this season, but the sample size (two starts; 6 1/3 innings) is way too small to draw any conclusions.  Last season he had a dismal season with Baltimore, posting a 5.61 ERA while issuing a league-leading 93 walks.  In his last two starts vs. the Bucs, Miley has allowed nine runs on 15 hits in just 6 2/3 innings.  Take Pittsburgh.

At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Oakland Athletics.  Despite the third-most victories in the AL (11), an .846 win percentage, 2.83 ERA, and 141 strikeouts in 108 innings, Charlie Morton is not a 2018 All Star.  The veteran Astros RHP was a major snub, along with Blake Snell of the Rays.  But unlike Snell, it's much easier to see why Morton was passed over.  When you have a pitching staff that already boasts two legitimate All Stars in Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, it's easy to get lost in the shuffle.  Morton gets his 19th start of the season in this afternoon affair at home against the A's and RHP Trevor Cahill.  Cahill was pitching lights out with a 2.88 ERA in eight starts before going down with an Achilles strain.  This will be his first start off the DL and first in over a month (June 2) and it's a tough assignment against the defending World Champs. Despite the 2.88 ERA, Cahill only has one victory on the season due to some pretty weak run support (the A's have plated just 12 runs in his last five starts going back to the beginning of May).  Take the 'Stros.

At 8:40 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Those hoping for Shelby Miller to produce some solid numbers following a prolonged recovery from Tommy John Surgery (and a decent Minor League rehab assignment have been greatly disappointed so far.  The veteran RH has made three starts for the D-Backs since returning to MLB action and the result is an 0-3 record with a 9.00 ERA in 14 innings.  His last start was his best, but it was against the Padres.  And he still lost while allowing five runs (three earned) in 5 1/3 innings.  Now comes his toughest assignment so far, as he has to go into hitter-friendly Coors Field to face the Rockies.  Miller has not done well here, going 0-2 with a 9.88 ERA in three career starts covering 13 2/3 innings (numbers eerily close to what he's put up this season).  The D-Backs are also 7-19 in Miller's last 26 starts and 2-10 in his last 12 vs. teams with winning records.  Meanwhile, German Marquez comes into this start off back to back wins, where he held the Mariners and Dodgers each to just one run.  Take the Rockies.  Mound Mismatch Massacre!  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 2:00 pm, on Wednesday, our selection is on England to advance over Croatia, at -155 odds.  Croatia needed every bit of its veteran grit (from a host of players that star in La Liga and Serie A of the top Spanish and Italian professional leagues) to outlast host nation Russia on Saturday.  The Vatreni looked like they were on the verge of winning that match in extra time by a 2-1 score before they allowed the Bears to level the game on a dramatic goal in the 115th minute.  But Croatia survived to win via penalty kicks to advance to the semifinals.  But that victory did not come without a cost.  The Vatreni were banged-up at the end, with a number of players dealing with injuries.  The most notable was their goalkeeper Danijnel Subasic, who seemed to have pulled a calf muscle late in that match.  This is an older team, with many of its star players on the north end of 30-years-old.  That will make it all the more difficult for this group to be fresh after playing two straight games that required shootouts after 120 minutes of play.  Meanwhile, England had things relatively easy on Saturday with its 2-0 victory over a Sweden team which they thoroughly dominated.  That was the most complete effort for England in this tournament which gives it even more momentum to reach the finals of this World Cup.  This is a youthful, but physical roster which manager Gareth Southgate has assembled.  The Three Lions are in a better position to have the endurance to win this match being the more rested group at this point.  Take England to advance.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Angels over the Seattle Mariners.  In a bit of odd scheduling, tonight will be Mariners RHP Mike Leake's fourth start of the season already against the Angels.  His first three were all at his pitcher-friendly home park and Leake is just 1-2 with a 4.11 ERA in those, so he may have a tougher time of it tonight in Anaheim.  In his second appearance since coming off the DL, Angels RHP Garrett Richards will get his 16th start of the season tonight.  Richards pitched well in his return, allowing two runs on four hits in 5 1/3 innings while being held to a pitch count of 80.  He also struck out eight and walked just one in that effort, a 7-4 Halos win against this Mariners club.  He hasn't faced the M's at home since 2015, but that season he had three starts here against Seattle, going 2-0 with a 2.49 ERA in those.  Heading into Tuesday, the Mariners are 1-6 in their last seven road games vs. a team with a winning record.  L.A. is 28-8 in Richards last 36 starts as a favorite of -125 to -175.  Take the Angels.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over the Pittsburgh Pirates.  The team that everyone assumes is going to win the NL East every year is a real enigma right now.  Seems like the Nationals either destroy their opponents with devastating ease or they sleepwalk through nine innings and get crushed themselves.  By dropping six of their last 10 home games coming into this week, the Nats now have a better record on the road than they do in DC.  So maybe it's a good thing that they're coming to Pittsburgh for a three-game set before heading to New York to play the hapless Mets for four.  And to whet the Nats' appetite even more coming into this series, the Bucs had lost seven of their last eight here at PNC Park.  RH Jeremy Hellickson gets the start for the Nats -- his third since coming off the DL.  His first two back were rough, so maybe third time will be a charm for the thirty-one year old who had found new life in his arm this season in DC.  He shut the Pirates out over 5 2/3 innings back on May 3 in a 3-1 victory.  Pittsburgh is 7-21 in its last 28 vs. winning teams.  Take DC.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets 'under' the total.  With each of these teams having played five games in the last four days, including a double-header here yesterday, they need to dig deep into their reserves to come up with starting pitchers for tonight.  For the Phillies, it will be 22 YO RH Enyel De Los Santos and for the Mets 28 YO RH Drew Gagnon.  De Los Santos is the Phillies #11 prospect, so putting him out there today makes some tactical sense since they are trying to swing a deal before the trade deadline.  A strong outing could raise his value in the eyes of some of the potential trading partners.  And I have no doubt that De Los Santos will pitch well, as he led the International League with a 1.89 ERA this season, and was slated to start in the Triple A's All Star Game tomorrow (before his call-up).  Gagnon has a lot of minor league experience having pitched in the Milwaukee and Anaheim systems before coming to the Mets.  He owns a 2.45 ERA in his last five starts at AAA Vegas.  It's safe to say the hitters on both teams won't know what's coming at them tonight (other than what they've seen in scouting reports and films).  The under is 7-1 in the Phils last eight overall and 12-3 in the Mets last 15 at home vs. teams with a losing road record.  And each of the previous six meetings this season between these two rivals has gone 'under' the total.  Take the 'under.'

At 2:00 pm, on Tuesday, our selection is on Belgium to advance over France, at +105 odds.  Les Bleus are the slight money-line favorite in this semifinals match, perhaps because of its better result in the 2016 Euro where it lost to Portugal in the finals.  However, France was favored to defeat Portugal in that game (which was played in Paris) and the odds were stacked even more in their favor after Cristiano Ronaldo exited in the first-half with a leg injury.  Yet France could not take advantage and eventually lost after extra time by a 1-0 score.  In this tournament, after a group stage draw with Denmark, Les Bleus showed some vulnerabilities on defense against an overrated Argentina team in their 4-3 come-from-behind victory.  They then caught a break in the quarterfinals against Uruguay where they had the fortune of facing a team without one of its best players -- Edison Cavani -- who had scored twice in Uruguay's previous match before suffering a calf injury.  Like France, Belgium lost in the quarterfinals of the 2014 World Cup before its 2016 Euro experience ended by losing in the quarterfinals to Wales.  Of course, the Red Devils did not have the benefit of being the host nation for that event.  Belgium has won all its matches in this World Cup, including a most impressive victory when it defeated Brazil on Friday by a 2-1 score.  It's true that Les Bleus are loaded with young talent but I feel they may be one more cycle away from being the best national team in the world.  Belgium has two leaders -- midfielder Kevin DeBruyne and defenseman Vincent Company -- coming off an English Premier League championship with Manchester City, along with a keeper in Thibault Courtois who also won an EPL championship with Chelsea.  This looks to be the magic moment for Belgium, and I look for it to advance to the final.  Take Belgium to advance.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Texas Rangers over Boston.  The Red Sox come into this game on a six-game win streak, and will hand the ball to southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez.  But Texas is doing better this season vs. lefties than righties (with respect to batting avg. and runs per game).  The Rangers will also start a lefty tonight, as Mike Minor will get the ball for Texas.  But unlike Texas, the Red Sox have performed worse vs. lefties this season compared to righties.  And Minor's been terrific lately, with a 1.89 ERA and 0.84 WHIP over his last three starts, while Rodriguez has been the opposite in his last three outings (5.06 ERA; 1.37 WHIP).  Take the Rangers.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Detroit Tigers.  You might have thought back at the start of the season that a mid-summer game between the Tigers and Rays would be a match-up between two of the worst teams in the Majors.  And no one would have blamed you for thinking that, as expectations were as low for these two as any teams around.  But, in fact, both the Rays and Tigers are third-place clubs right now -- far from the bottom of the barrel in MLB.  That's a much more impressive statement for Tampa than it is Detroit, as the Rays are in a much tougher division.  With their blow-out win over the Mets Sunday, the Rays are now a game over .500.  More good news could be in store for Tampa as Chris Archer comes off the DL for his first start in over a month.  The veteran RHP was pitching well, allowing just three ER in his last four starts covering 23 2/3 innings, before going out with an abdominal strain.  LHP Francisco Liriano gets the start for Detroit and he is 0-3 with a 4.50 ERA in his last three.  The Tigers are also 69-118 (minus 39 games on the moneyline) vs. righties.  Take the Rays.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Cincinnati Reds.  The Indians were on a roll, having won four straight road games by a combined 33-12 before coming home and taking the first game of their series with the A's on Friday by a 10-4 tally.  But then Cleveland lost the last two games of that series, including Sunday's awful 6-0 shutout.  Now the Reds come to town for a three-game inter-league set with Mike Clevinger kicking things off on the mound for the home team.  Clevinger has had a very successful follow-up to his strong sophomore season, going 7-3 with a 3.11 ERA coming into his 18th start tonight.  He's had some time off as he hasn't started since July 1 in Oakland, where he went six innings in a win over the A's.  In 12 career starts with six or more days of rest between outings, the 27-year-old is 5-1 with a 2.31 ERA.  RH Anthony DeSclafani takes the hill for Cincy.   In his last start, DeSclafani kept the White Sox hitless for the first three innings before getting hammered for three home runs over the next three frames.  The Reds are 5-16 in the last 21 meetings here.  Take the Tribe.

At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over the Colorado Rockies.  Anotonio Senzatela came out of nowhere last year go go 7-1 with a 3.19 ERA over his first 10 starts.  It wasn't even Memorial Day yet and people were starting to talk about the 22-year-old as a potential Rookie of the Year candidate.  But from June on, things got pretty rough for the native Venezuelan and before you know it, he was in the bullpen and finished the season with a 10-5 record and a 4.68 ERA.  Senzatela didn't get a start after August 28, but an injury to Chad Bettis has put him back in the rotation -- at least for now.  Speaking of coming from nowhere, Wade LeBlanc was a 33-year old journeyman who had been relegated mostly to mop-up duty with Pittsburgh and Seattle the last three seasons.  But the southpaw got one more chance to show what he can do in the rotation this season and he's made the most of it, going 4-0 with a 2.89 ERA in his 12 starts (he also has five relief appearances).  All four of those wins were also here at home where he has a 2.45 ERA in nine games (seven starts).  And LeBlanc's teams have won seven straight at home in his starts when facing an opponent with a winning record.  Take Seattle.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Oakland Athletics.  Rookie RHP Shane Bieber will close out the series for the Tribe.  He got off to a bumpy start against the Royals last Tuesday, but ended up throwing six solid frames and picked up the fourth win of his career.  And the Indians are now a perfect 5-0 in his five starts this season.  Heading into Sunday, the A's are 2-7 in their last nine tries here at Progressive Field.  And Oakland is a poor 16-41 as a road underdog priced from +150 to +200.  Meanwhile, Cleveland is a super 26-12 as a home favorite.  Take the Tribe.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over the San Diego Padres.  The Diamondbacks' Robbie Ray made his return from the DL on June 27 very successfully with six shutout innings in Miami.  In his next start however, the veteran southpaw stumbled out of the gate and allowed four runs in the top of the first inning to the Cards.  But Ray settled down after that and had four straight scoreless frames but still took the loss in a 6-3 game.  He looks to bounce back and shake off the first-inning rust back at home tonight against the Padres, a team he's had much success against recently.  In his last five starts vs. San Diego, the D-Backs are 5-0 and Ray has allowed more than two runs in just one of those outings.  For his career, Ray has a 3.93 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in nine starts vs. the Pads with 72 strikeouts in just under 53 innings.  RHP Tyson Ross goes to the hill for San Diego trying to rebound from his worst start of the season when he allowed seven runs on seven hits in five innings with no strikeouts at home against the Pirates.  The D-Backs are 21-8 in Ray's last 29 starts.  Take Arizona.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie

At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the New York Mets.  The Rays knew they probably had something special with their first round pick of 2011 when LHP Blake Snell won the USA Today Minor League Player of the Year award in 2015.  Snell would make his MLB debut the following year at age 23 and it was an uneventful campaign in 2016 and in 2017 for that matter.  But everything seems to be falling into place this season for Snell.  He is one of the hottest starters in the game right now and will likely be named to his first All Star team in a little over a week.  Snell is 11-4 with a 2.24 ERA and 1.01 WHIP and he sports the lowest hit rate in the League (5.7 per nine IP).  Start number 19 will come this afternoon at pitcher-friendly CitiField against a bad Mets team that is even worse when it faces lefty pitchers.  The Mets are the worst-hitting team vs. southpaws with a .217 team average and .634 OPS.  That should be easy pickings for Snell and his nasty arsenal of pitches.  In his last three starts, Snell is 3-0 with a 0.84 ERA and 0.94 WHIP.  This will be his first start vs. the Mets.  Take Tampa.

At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the San Francisco Giants.  When Jeff Samardzija stepped to the mound for his first start of 2018, things looked very promising.  Indeed, a five-inning scoreless outing in an 8-1 victory over the Angels in Anaheim made it seem like the hard-throwing veteran RHP might be leaving his disastrous 2017 behind.  But that turned out the be the first and last victory of the season so far for Samardzija as he has battled soreness in his throwing shoulder throughout the entire first half and eventually needed a long stay on the disabled list to get healthy.  Just exactly how healthy Samardzija is right now remains to be seen, but it's hard to imagine he will be anything close to 100% especially considering how lackluster his rehab numbers in the Minors have been.  Going for the Cards on the road will be RHP Carlos Martinez.  Martinez has looked a lot like his pre-injury self with quality starts in his last two games, giving up two runs in each game with 15 total strikeouts.  The Giants are 10-27 in Samardzija's last 37 starts vs. teams with a winning record.  Take the Cards.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Pirates over Philadelphia.  The Buccos were blown out last night, 17-5, by Philly.  But I love the Bucs to avenge that defeat and win this afternoon vs. their cross-state rival.  Pittsburgh is 6-2 this season after allowing 10+ runs, while the Phillies are a poor 26-38 after winning by 4+ runs.  Also, the Phillies are 38-59 (minus 12 games on the moneyline) when priced as a road underdog of +150 or less.  And their starter, Jake Arrieta, has also struggled on the road this season (2-4, 5.05 ERA, 1.54 WHIP).  Finally, Pittsburgh is a super 59-26 at home in the month of July.  Take the Bucs.

At 2:00 pm, on Saturday, our selection is on Russia/Croatia 'under' the total of 2 goals.  Both of these sides advanced to the quarterfinals after winning via a shootout.  Croatia bested Denmark after that match remained deadlocked at a 1-1 score after 120 minutes.  Likewise, Russia defeated Spain to shock the 2010 World Cup champions after that match was deadlocked at 1-1 after extra time.  I expect Russia to likely again park the bus in back and do everything it can to take its chances with penalty kicks.  Russia survived Spain by controlling possession for 75% of that match while tallying 25 total shots.  The Bears have size, and they worked hard to prevent La Roja from scoring a winning goal on Sunday.  They also have an experienced quality keeper in Igor Akinfeev, who leads all remaining goalies in the World Cup with 14 saves.  But Russia has scored only one goal in their last two matches.  For Croatia, it looked like it was destined for a high-scoring affair with Denmark on Sunday when they broke a World Cup record for the fastest match to reach a 1-1 score after just four minutes.  But neither team could score for the next 116 combined minutes which led to that shootout finale.  The Blazers have only allowed two goals in their four World Cup matches -- after giving up only four goals in their 10 qualification matches -- so it will be very hard for the Russians to get much offense going when they are so focused on playing defense.  Take the under.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Detroit Tigers over the Texas Rangers.  When the Tigers signed RHP Jordan Zimmermann to a contract in late 2015, they thought they were getting a pitcher who was capable of what he'd done the previous four seasons in DC.  Between 2012-2015, Zimmermann won a total of 58 games while posting an ERA right around three runs.  What they seem to have gotten instead is a shell of that pitcher.  In his first two seasons here, Zimmermann won a total of 17 games and posted an ERA around five runs.  And 2018 started out much the same way as the former Nats ace won just one game and logged a 7.91 ERA in his first five starts.  But since then, Zimm has very quietly bounced back and looked much more like he did when he wore that red Nats uniform.  Through his last five starts covering 29 innings, Zimmermann has allowed just four earned runs on 17 hits with 23 strikeouts and five walks.  Those are ace-like numbers and now the 32-year-old needs to figure out what he's done differently and keep doing it.  The Tigers are 4-1 in Zimm's last 5 starts vs. losing teams, and Zimmermann's teams are 25-10 in his starts if he didn't give up 2+ runs in either of his two previous starts.  Meanwhile, Bartolo Colon has a lifetime ERA of 5.10 vs. Detroit (in 29 starts).  And he has also given up 19 earned runs in his last four road starts (8.84 ERA).  Take Detroit.  MLB ROADKILL WINNER.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:00 am, on Friday, our selection is on Uruguay plus 0.5 goals vs. France, at -106 odds.  France earned a big win last wekend when it defeated Argentina and eliminated Lionel Messi from this World Cup with a 4-3 victory.  However, it may be difficult for the French to maintain that high level of focus when facing a lesser-ranked South American team in the Uruguayans.  Additionally, Les Bleus showed vulnerabilities against a struggling Argentina side.  France only controlled possession for 41% of that match.  Concerns regarding their young talent on their defensive back line remain after they allowed three goals to Messi & Co., which doubled the goal count for Argentina in this World Cup.  On the offensive side, France's final two goals were scored in spectacular fashion by its 19-year-old phenom Kylian Mbappe.  But Uruguay will not make the same mistakes that Argentina made that allowed the speedster to exploit them in counter-attacks.  La Celeste has won all four of its matches, including a 2-1 victory over a Portugal team which defeated the French in Paris two years ago in the 2016 Euro Finals.  Uruguay prioritizes defensive tactics while being led by an outstanding duo in Diego Godin and Jose Maria Gimenez, who play together for Atletico Madrid.  Tellingly, La Celeste has allowed just one goal in its four games in this tournament.  It's true that Uruguay will be without Edinson Cavani, who scored two spectacular goals against Portugal before succumbing to a hamstring injury.  But it still has its top striker in Luis Suarez who did take part in training this week after also suffering a knock.  With an elite defense, and Suarez leading its counter-attack, Uruguay still has what it takes to pull the upset or extend this match to extra time after 90 regulation minutes.  Take Uruguay plus the +0.5 goal.  WORLD CUP GAME OF THE WEEK!  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:15 pm, our selection is on the San Francisco Giants over the St. Louis Cardinals.  This last stretch before the All Star Break could be the most critical of the season for the San Francisco Giants as they sit just 3.5 games back in the NL West.  They will be getting two veteran starters back from the DL marking the first time that Madison Bumgarner (already back for a month), Jeff Samardzija (about to come back) and Johnny Cueto will be healthy together on the roster this season.  Tonight it will be Cueto making his first start back in almost two months from an ailing elbow.  The RH was lights-out in his five starts before the injury, going 3-0 with a 0.84 ERA and 0.69 WHIP -- among the best numbers in MLB for April.  Opposite Cueto will be RHP Luke Weaver who will try to rebound from a disastrous start against the Braves last time when they put up eight runs in 4 2/3 innings against him.  Weaver has now allowed five or more runs in 5 1/3 innings or less in four of his last five starts.  The Giants are 7-1 in Cueto's last eight starts and 21-8 in their last 29 home games vs. RH starters.  Take San Francisco.

At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Anaheim Angels over Seattle.  Marco Gonzales will face off against Jaime Barria tonight in Seattle.  We'll fade Gonzales, who has a 5.06 ERA over his last three starts.  Even worse:  he's struggled in his career vs. the Angels, as he's given up 10 earned runs in 19 1-3 innings, over four starts, for an ERA of 4.66, and a WHIP of 1.55.  Take the Angels.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over the Miami Marlins.  The Nationals are in the biggest funk of their season so far right now.  The team that almost everyone took for granted as winning the NL East every year is just 2-9 in its last 11 games overall.  Thus, the players had a team meeting after yesterday's loss to discuss what they can do to have a much better second half.  Of course, it must be noted that the last six games were against the Phillies (away) and Red Sox.  So, if ever there was a prescription for getting over the current malaise, perhaps it's a four-game home series against the Marlins.  To say that the Nationals have dominated their recent meetings with the Fish would be quite the understatement.  Washington has won 11 straight against Miami going back to August 9 of last season.  Included in that streak is six straight Nats victories in Miami and five straight here in DC.  RHP Pablo Lopez earned the win in his MLB debut last Saturday, but that was against the Mets. The 22 year old rookie will likely have a much tougher time of it tonight against the Nats and RHP Jeremy Hellickson.  The Marlins are 16-42 in the last 58 trips to Washington. Take the Nationals.

At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over Milwaukee.  Jose Berrios will get the start for the Twins in this afternoon game.  And he has a 3.86 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in his seven daytime starts this season.  In contrast, Milwaukee's Chase Anderson is 0-4 in his seven daytime starts, with a 5.55 ERA and 1.31 WHIP.  Anderson's also been much worse at home (5.29 ERA) than on the road this season, and has an ERA north of seven runs (7.20) in his career vs. the Twins.  Take Minnesota.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Anaheim Angels over Seattle.  Garrett Richards will get the start this afternoon for Anaheim, and will face the Mariners' Mike Leake.  Richards has faced Seattle twice this season.  His last start vs. the Mariners was on June 13 (and was also his last start before going on the disabled list).  Richards lasted just two innings before his left hamstring tightened up.  But Richards dominated the Mariners in a 5-0 shutout win back on May 4 (also here in Seattle), when he gave up just four hits over 6 2/3 innings.  And he has a strong 3.42 ERA in 14 starts this season, and has not given up more than 3 earned runs in any of his last eight starts.  Take Anaheim.  Good luck, as always....Al McMordie.

At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Anaheim Angels over Seattle.  The Mariners come into this game off a 1-0 win vs. Kansas City (their seventh straight win, overall).  But we'll fade the Mariners at home this evening, as they've gone a poor 49-67 at home (minus 36 games on the moneyline) off a shutout win.  Take Anaheim.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over St. Louis.  Zack Greinke's teams have have unparalleled success as favorites at home in his starts, as they've gone 114-42, + 50 games on the moneyline, including 58-24 when priced from -125 to -175.  Greinke also comes into this game red-hot, with three straight wins, and two straight scoreless starts.  Take Arizona.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Texas Rangers.  Less than three years after winning the AL Cy Young, Houston LHP Dallas Keuchel is almost an afterthought on this staff.  There are two reason for that.  First, since he won top pitching honors, the Stros have added Justin Verlander, Charlie Morton, and Gerrit Cole to the rotation.  Second -- and perhaps more important in this case -- is the fact that Keuchel's numbers simply haven't been what they were when he took home the hardware at the end of the 2015 season.  He's certainly not having a Cy Young campaign now and will not make the All Star team either.  But one thing about the 2018 version of Keuchel is that he's been much more effective on the road.  In eight starts at Minute Maid Park, the veteran is 1-4 with a 4.96 ERA while in nine starts elsewhere he is 3-4 and 3.54.  In his last five starts at Globe Life Park going back to last June, the Rangers are 4-1 including Keuchel's last effort here which they won 8-7 despite his giving up five earned runs in 4 1/3 innings.  The 'Stros are also 15-3 in their last 18 here in Arlington, TX.  Take Houston.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over Atlanta.  The Braves won in extra innings last night, 5-3, but I love the Yankees to bounce back tonight.  The Yankees are an awesome 88-44 (+23 games on the moneyline) in nighttime games at home.  And they're 12-2 at home this season off a loss, including a perfect 8-0 in this situation since May 12.  Finally, New York is 28-12 this season vs. winning ball clubs (+13 games on the moneyline).  Take New York.  MLB Elite Info Winner.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 2:00 pm, on Tuesday, our selection is on England minus the -0.5 goal vs. Colombia.  This is a very favorable match-up for the Three Lions since Colombia plays a direct style and will attempt to push the pace.  But England is at its best when counterattacking opponents that prioritize possession of the ball.  Colombia clinched a spot in the knockout stage with a 1-0 victory over Senegal on Thursday but that win came at a significant cost.  Its 2014 World Cup Golden Boot winner, James Rodriguez, left that match after 31 minutes with an injury to his right leg.  This is a different injury than the left calf injury which kept him from starting in its opening match loss to Japan.  While tests on Saturday indicated that Rodriguez only has swelling and did not suffer a muscle tear in his right leg, he remains in doubt to play. Manager Jose Pekerman told the media he is “extremely concerned” about Rodriguez’s status.  But even if Rodriguez can take the pitch, his effectiveness has to be questioned at this point with both legs hampered.  Los Cafeteros reached the quarterfinals of the 2014 World Cup but that including a fortunate draw in the first elimination match where they played Uruguay who was without Luis Suarez (suspended for biting).  Colombia has developed a reputation defeating lesser opponents while failing to achieve good results against the better teams in the world.  In its qualifying matches, it lost to Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, and Argentina twice.  Even worse for Colombia:  England will be quite fresh for this challenge after manager Gareth Southgate rested eight of his regular starters on Thursday in a meaningless 1-0 loss to Belgium.  The Three Lions' Harry Kane has scored five times already in two matches, and England also leads all teams in this tournament with six goals from set pieces.  Lay the 0.5 goals with England.  World Cup Soccer High Roller Winner!  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over the St. Louis Cardinals.  We're at the half-way point of the season, and the Diamondbacks -- perhaps somewhat surprisingly -- have a 2 1/2 game lead in the NL West.  It remains to be seen whether Arizona has a team that can compete with the Cubs, Braves, or Nationals, but for now the D-Backs have to be considered a legitimate post-season contender.  And the fact that they had such a successful first half largely without one of their best starters has to make the D-Backs feel that much better about their chances going forward.  LHP Robbie Ray had six starts in March/April but then went on the DL with an oblique injury.  Tonight will be Ray's second outing back from that injury.  Ray was outstanding against the Marlins in his first start back as he tossed six shutout innings allowing just two hits in the process.  He will look to build on that against the Cards and RHP Carlos Martinez.  Martinez is a talented starter, but he's struggled lately, allowing 17 runs (15 earned) in 18 2/3 innings over his last four starts.  Take Arizona.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Cincinnati Reds over the Chicago White Sox.  Cincy was a team which many thought would be one of the bottom two or three in the league, but has been a bit of a surprise.  We're mid-way through the season, and the Reds are playing some very good ball.  And with their win on Sunday over the Brewers they have now won seven of their last 10 to pull within a half-dozen games of .500.  The White Sox are another story completely, pretty much living up to the low expectations people had for them in April.  They will send James Shields to the mound tonight for his 18th start of the season (Shields also has a relief appearance).  The veteran RH has struggled on the road this year for the Sox, with an ERA approaching 6 runs per game.  Shields is also 0-2 in his career against the Reds, and is 1-4 in six games away from home in 2018.  Meanwhile, the Reds have been dynamite at home lately, going 9-2 in their last 11 here at Great American Ball Park.  Take Cincy.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over Boston.  Boston is 56-29 this season.  But it's struggling against the better pitchers, and destroying all others.  Indeed, after losing last night, 11-1, to New York, Boston is now 21-23 (minus 13 games on the moneyline) vs. pitchers that don't give up more than 5.5 hits per start, but is 35-6 (+27 games on the moneyline) vs. all other starters!  Max Scherzer gives up just 4.17 hits per start.  Take the Nationals.  Good luck, as always....Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Boston Red Sox.  The best rivalry in the Majors is extra-special this season with the Red Sox and Yankees having perhaps their best teams -- at least offense-wise -- of the past decade.  Neither team has a rotation which is considered among the league's best, but each team does feature one ace who is worth of Cy Young consideration.  For the Yankees, that ace is Luis Severino.  The 24-year-old RH leads the league with 12 wins, is second with a 2.10 ERA and has struck out 132 batters in just under 112 innings.  He goes for his league-leading 18th start tonight in what we can safely say is his biggest appearance so far.  And it's on National TV, to boot.  Severino has two starts in 2018 against the Yankees already and in the one at Boston he was hammered pretty good.  But the last one was here in the Bronx, on May 8, and he allowed just two runs on six hits with 11 Ks and no walks in a 3-2 Yankees victory.  Severino has been dynamite at home this season, going 7-0 with a 1.83 ERA in nine starts here.  Even better:  New York is 87-42 (+25 games on the moneyline) at night in Yankee Stadium, and it's won Severino's last 15 home starts!  Take the Yanks.  MLB Division Game of the Week.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 2:00 pm, on Sunday, our selection is on Croatia minus 0.5 goals vs. Denmark.  Croatia has been one of the most impressive teams in the World Cup by winning all three of its matches in a group many observers believed to be the most challenging.  Argentina was widely considered one of the top five teams in the world.  Iceland had come off a Quarterfinals appearance in the 2016 Euro which included a victory over England and a draw with the eventual champion in Portugal.  And Nigeria had a roster many considered to be more talented than the group which made the knockout stage in the 2014 World Cup.  Yet Croatia outscored those three teams by a 7 to 1 margin in its three victories.  Its 2-1 victory over Iceland on Tuesday was its narrowest win, but manager Zlatko Dalic did make nine changes for that match to rest some of his key players.  Talent has never been the question for this national team; instead, stability and team cohesion have been the obstacles for Croatia since making the Semifinals in the 1998 World Cup.  Its opponent this afternoon -- Denmark -- rates as a solid, if unspectacular squad.  The Danish Dynamite finished in second place in its group with a win over Peru, and draws against Australia and France (which just knocked out Argentina, yesterday).  But its 0-0 draw with Les Bleus on Tuesday needs to be taken with a grain of salt since France rested six of its key starters.  Lay the 0.5 goals with Croatia.  Elite Info Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 6:05 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Washington Nationals.  The Nats hit what has to be considered their low point of the season earlier this week when they lost three straight games -- two to the Rays, and then one to the Phillies on Thursday -- by a combined score of 16-3.  They responded in a big way on Friday night, in Game 2 of this 4-game series at Citizens Bank Park, by blasting the Phils with 17 runs in a 17-7 beat-down.  The Phils will send RHP Vince Velasquez to the mound in Game 3 of this series this evening.  Since being tagged for 10 runs on June 8, Velasquez has posted a solid 3.79 ERA in 19 innings over his next three starts.  Velasquez has big swing-and-miss stuff with a strikeout rate of almost 11 per nine innings, and allowed just two runs over six innings vs. the Yankees his last time out.  In his only other start against the Nats this season, Velasquez allowed just one run on one hit in five innings in a 3-1 victory on May 5.  The Nats are also just 9-15 in the month of June.  Take the Phils.

At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the New York Mets over the Miami Marlins.  Mets RH starter Jacob deGrom was supposed to start on Friday, but was scratched to allow him to tend to a family matter.  But he'll be back with the team this afternoon.  Through the season's first three months, deGrom has had the toughest of luck.  Despite a league-leading 1.69 ERA through his first 14 starts, deGrom's record is just 4-2 and he literally couldn't buy a victory for an entire month (May 18 - June 17) despite keeping that ERA right around 1 1/2 runs.  He broke through on June 18 when his team finally scored some runs in bunches for him in a 12-2 win over the Rockies.  However, he took the loss in his last start, 5-3, despite another quality outing against the Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw.  deGrom and the Mets look to get back on the winning track today in South Florida in the second of a three-game set against the Marlins.  He won here in his second start of the season, an 8-6 victory on April 10, then threw a gem against the Fish at home on May 23 but took a no-decision.  The good news for the Mets is that they are 21-7 in deGrom's last 28 road starts vs. teams with a losing record.  Take New York.

At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the 'under' in the Mets/Marlins game.  deGrom has gone 'under' the total in nine of his last 12 starts, which isn't surprising, given that he leads the league with a 1.69 ERA.  The Mets have also gone 'under' in 17 of 27 games off back to back losses, and 14 of 23 daytime games.  Take the Mets and Marlins to go 'under' in this afternoon game.

At 2:00 pm, on Saturday, our selection is on Uruguay Pk'em (on the goal-line) vs. Portugal, at -111 odds (at the time of this writing).  There will not be a lack of superstars on the pitch in this battle.  Portugal is led by Cristiano Ronaldo, who is perhaps the best player in the world right now after leading Real Madrid to three straight Champions League titles.  Ronaldo also led the Selecao to the 2016 Euro championship.  But Portugal was fortunate to achieve those results considering that it was the semifinals before they finally won a match in regulation time.  These concerns have not abated this summer for this aging group which lacks complementary star talent to Ronaldo.  The Selecao needed every bit of his superpowers with his hat-trick helping them eke out a 3-3 draw with Spain.  Portugal was then unconvincing in a 1-0 win over Morocco before it struggled against Iran to hold on to a 1-1 draw.  With its 1-1-1 record and just a +1 goal differential, those results pale in comparison to Uruguay's +5 goal differential along with its perfect 3-0 mark.  La Celeste played its best match of the tournament on Monday when it crushed Russia by a 3-0 score.  That match demonstrated the balance Uruguay has on the pitch with Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani each scoring goals.  Indeed, both forwards have registered goals in each of the last three World Cups.  However, what makes this team so dangerous is its ability to play lock-down defense.  Led by perhaps the best center back duo in the world in Atletico Madrid's Diego Godin and Jose Maria Gimenez, Uruguay has not allowed a goal yet in this tournament.  And it has allowed just six shots on target in its three matches.  Ronaldo is always a threat but he will have his hands full with La Celeste.  Take Uruguay as a Pk'em on the goal-line.  World Cup Soccer Elite Info Winner!  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over the San Francisco Giants.  After getting off to a Cy Young-type start in April (4-0 with a 1.89 ERA in his first four starts), LHP Patrick Corbin came back down to earth a bit in May and early June.  The Diamondbacks' southpaw only won one more start between April 22 and the end of May.  And by June 16 he'd seen his ERA rise by more than 1 1/2 runs to 3.48.  But Corbin looked like his old self in his last start against the Pirates.  He had his nasty slider working like it was in April and threw seven shutout innings.  He also allowed only three hits and no walks, and struck out 12.  He'll look to keep that form again tonight, back at home against the Giants in his 17th start.  In his last five starts against the Giants, Corbin has allowed just seven runs in 33 2/3 innings.  And in his last two against them here at Chase Field, Arizona hasn't allowed a run (1-0 and 11-0).  That 1-0 victory was Corbin's only complete game of the season back on April 17, a one-hitter.  Finally, the Giants are 2-9 in their last 11 meetings in Arizona.  Take the D-Backs.  MLB High Roller Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 3:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Chicago Cubs.  If the Dodgers are going to win the NL West the formula is pretty simple: they will need a healthy Clayton Kershaw the rest of the way.  Kershaw's back problems flared up again at the end of May and he missed most of the month of June.  The only good news is that the MRI showed no structural damage so surgery is not needed -- at least not at this time.  When he returned last week, he had to face one of the best in the NL in Jacob deGrom.  And LA was able to able to come out victorious, notwithstanding the fact that Kershaw didn't have his best stuff and was limited in his pitch count.  The veteran LHP should be given a longer leash this afternoon.  Also, Kershaw has historically done his best work in afternoon games as he is 42-13 (.764) with a 2.36 ERA in 89 starts during the day.  He draws another tough customer today in LHP Jose Quintana although he crushed him in his last start vs. the Cubs in last year's post-season, 11-1.  Finally, the Cubs are 3-12 in their last 15 road games vs. a left-handed starter.  Take the Dodgers.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

 At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Texas Rangers over the San Diego Padres.  LHP Mike Minor was out of the Majors for two seasons after undergoing surgery for a torn labrum in April of 2015.  He signed a contract at the beginning of 2016 with the Royals but didn't throw a pitch that season. He made a successful comeback as a reliever in 2017, posting a 2.55 ERA in 13 relief appearances with KC.  The Rangers then gave Minor a very generous three-year, $28M contract last December.  As expected, Minor's return to being a full-time starter got off to a slow start as he went 4-4 with a 5.76 ERA through May.  But June has finally seen some positive results.  And although the ERA is still a bit high (5.05), one has to like Minor's 65 Ks and 19 BBs in just over 78 innings.  I've seen enough improvement in the once-highly-touted prospect to like his chances tonight against a very weak Padres offense.  The Rangers are playing their best ball of 2018 right now, going 8-2 in their last 10 heading into tonight, while the Pads have done the opposite (2-8 in their last 10).  Finally, the Rangers are a super 76-49 (+18 games on the moneyline) when favored by -150 or less.  Take Texas.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 2:00 pm, on Wednesday, our selection is on Switzerland minus 0.5 goals vs. Costa Rica.  Switzerland needs just a draw in its third match in group stage play to advance to the knockout stage.  But a victory could be even better as it might put them in position to win first place in Group E which would give them a better seed in the next round.  Nati Swiss received very good news Monday afternoon when FIFA declined to suspend two of its players, Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka, for making possible political gestures after they both scored goals in the 2-1 victory over Serbia last Thursday.  Switzerland is unbeaten in its last eight matches, as this team is playing with both confidence and cohesion.  On Wednesday, they'll face a Costa Rica team which has been eliminated from reaching the knockout stage after it lost by a 2-0 score to Brazil.  That was a heartbreaking loss for Los Ticos as they allowed two goals in the stoppage time at the end of the game, which spoiled what was looking like an impressive 0-0 draw with the FIFA's #1-ranked team.  This will be the final match in World Cup play for a golden generation of Costa Rican players which led the team to the quarterfinals in 2014.  However, this is also an aging team which has yet to score in this tournament.  They managed only four shots (with none on target) vs. Brazil while only controlling possession in 34% of that match.  Los Ticos has also failed to win its last four matches against European teams in the World Cup, with three of those ending in losses.  Costa Rica will no doubt want to play the role of spoiler but too many of its key players are past their prime.  Lay the 0.5 goals with Switzerland.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the St. Louis Cardinals.  Indians RHP Corey Kluber won his second AL Cy Young award last season with the best numbers of his career.  This included 18 wins, a 2.25 ERA, a 0.87 WHIP, 7.36 K:BB ratio, and five complete games.  How does the 32-year-old top a season like that?  Well, take a look at his numbers at roughly the half-way point and you'll see how.  Kluber has 11 wins, a 2.10 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, and a league-leading (and ridiculous) 9.42 K:BB ratio.  Were it not for a guy named Verlander over in Houston, Kluber would be a runaway winner for his second-straight (third overall) Cy Young.  He's that good and shows no sign of slowing down.  Tonight, Kluber will go for win number 12 in an inter-league match-up against the Cards.  The bad news for St. Louis is that if Kluber comes even close to doing what he did in his only other start vs. the Cards, it's going to be a very steep hill to climb.  Kluber's 18 strikeouts in an eight-inning, 2-0 victory on May 13, 2015 ties him for the third-most K's in a game in MLB history.  Take Cleveland.  Interleague Game of the Week.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie. 

At 2:00 pm, on Tuesday, our selection is on Iceland +0.5 goals vs. Croatia, at -135 odds.  The Croatian national team has already qualified for the knockout stage as it won its second straight match in this World Cup with its 3-0 win over Argentina on Thursday.  Even with a loss to the Viking Boys, the Vatreni are all but assured to be the top seed from Group D given its +5 goal differential (it also defeated Nigeria 2-0 in its first match).  Thus, it would take Nigeria crushing Argentina (or Croatia getting blown out by Iceland) to threaten this dominant edge in the goal differential tie-breaker if both teams end with six points apiece.  Because of this, manager Zlatko Dalic may choose to rest some of his key players (or substitute them out early in the match) with matters likely in hand.  At the very least, Croatia will be satisfied with a draw since that would clinch first place along with the preferred seeding in the round of 16.  In contrast, Iceland needs the three points that come with a victory to keep its knockout stage dream alive after it lost to Nigeria by a 2-0 score on Friday.  The Viking Boys may have suffered a letdown in that match with the Super Eagles after they pulled off a 1-1 draw with Argentina in their opening contest.  Certainly, this Iceland side has proven it can compete with the best teams in the world, as it drew 1-1 with Portugal, and then bested England, 2-1, two years ago in the first knockout round of the 2016 Euro.  Don't be surprised if it is now Croatia which cannot resist a letdown in intensity after its rewarding result against Lionel Messi's Argentina team.  This will also be the most organized defensive team which Croatia has encountered in this tournament.  Take Iceland plus the +0.5 goal.  SOCCER GAME OF THE WEEK.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 3:10 pm, on Monday AFTERNOON, our selection is on the Detroit Tigers over the Oakland Athletics.  When it comes to Jordan Zimmermann's 2018 season, it's a case of a glass being half full and/or half empty.  On the half-empty side of the discussion is the fact that Zimmermann has a 4.95 ERA and has been hampered by a shoulder injury virtually all season.  On the half-full side is the fact that the veteran RH is undefeated at 2-0 and has a 4.00 K:BB ratio with 36 punch-outs and only six walks in 36 1/3 innings coming into this afternoon's start.  Another positive for Zimmermann going into start number nine is the fact that in two of his last three starts he has not allowed a run, resulting in a 1.59 ERA and 0.71 WHIP in his last three trips to the hill.  His last start here at home was against the Rays and in that one, Zimmermann blanked Tampa over seven innings surrendering just two hits in the process.  Zimm has a 3.93 ERA in three starts here at Comerica Park, while the Tigers are 4-1 in Zimmermann's last five starts.  Take Detroit.  MLB Elite Info Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 2:00 pm, on Monday, our selection is on Spain minus 1.5 goals (at Even odds) vs. Morocco.  The Moroccans find themselves already eliminated in this World Cup after their 1-0 loss to Portugal last Tuesday.  The Atlas Lions have had scoring opportunities but now they risk becoming the first team since both Honduras and Algeria in the 2010 World Cup to fail to score at least one goal in the entire tournament.  With only pride at stake now, manager Herve Renard will likely loosen things up to help create more scoring opportunities.  Unfortunately, this may play right into the hands of Spain.  La Roja thrives when engaging a team that does not simply park the bus in the back.  That is what an organized and well-coached Iran team did on Tuesday and it almost worked as La Roja escaped with just a 1-0 victory.  Unfortunately for Iran, Spain broke through nine minutes into the second half when Diego Costa scored his third goal in this tournament.  The good news for the 2010 World Cup champions is Costa is thriving within its tiki-taka short-passing game system that failed to succeed in a disastrous 2014 World Cup.  La Roja scored three times against the reigning Euro champions (Portugal) in its opening match and would have taken the win if not for the magnificent hat trick from Cristiano Ronaldo.  Importantly, Spain needs a victory to ensure it stays ahead of Iran to advance to the kncokout stage.  Moreover, La Roja remains unbeaten in its last 22 matches going back to 2016 Euro.  They scored 36 goals while allowing only three in their 10 qualification matches so a win by at least two goals is very much in play.  Spain will have its foot on the gas pedal in this match while playing an opponent which will also likely be willing to engage in an aggressive style.  Lay the -1.5 goals with Spain.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 1:35 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Baltimore Orioles.  The Orioles are going for the unlikeliest of sweeps, in an inter-league road series against a very good NL team in the Braves.  But for the clinching game, instead of one of their regular rotation members, the O's will be going with spot starter, rookie RH David Hess, who is 2-3 with a 4.82 ERA in seven starts in his debut season.  Hess was knocked around for the second straight outing last Tuesday and was not able to make it out of the fifth inning.  Home runs have plagued the right-hander, who has given up nine round-trippers this season already.  That could be a problem today against a team that has already hit 87 long-balls in 74 games.  With rookie Mike Soroka on the disabled list, veteran RH Brandon McCarthy returns to the Atlanta rotation to make his first start since June 15.  Similar to Hess, McCarthy has a 4.89 ERA on the season, but he has a winning record at 5-3 thanks to some generous run support from the Braves lineup.  The Orioles have not swept a road series of three or more games all season (0 for 11), and they're 12-37 as an underdog this season.  Take the Braves.  MLB Elite Info Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:00 am, on Sunday, our selection is on England minus 2.0 goals, at +134 odds vs. Panama.  It has been 28 years since England made the semifinals of the 1990 World Cup.  However, England demonstrated perseverance and grit in its 2-1 win over Tunisia on Monday.  The Three Lions of the past would have probably left that match with a demoralizing 1-1 draw against an inferior squad.  These Three Lions, though, have a new generation of exciting talent led by Harry Kane whose winning header in stoppage time secured the victory.  His heroics should help the Three Lions play with confidence in this second match against Panama.  The Canal Men played a nice first-half against Belgium on Monday but were overwhelmed in the final 45 minutes in a 3-0 loss.  The Red Devils' tactics in that second half should offer a blueprint to England's manager Gareth Southgate as to how to create space against Panama's physicality.  Interestingly, Panama is the CONCACAF team which took the USA's expected World Cup spot.  But this team could only manage a quarterfinals appearance in last summer's Gold Cup which included B-teams for Mexico and Costa Rica, as they rested players for this summer.  The Canal Men later qualified for this tournament last fall on a fateful night where they scored a phantom goal against Costa Rica while, simultaneously, the USA suffered an embarrassing loss to lowly Trinidad and Tobago.  Even worse:  Panama limped into this tournament with just one victory in five friendlies (while scoring only one goal in those matches).  Their 6-0 loss to Switzerland in late March, along with a 5-0 loss to Argentina and a 4-2 loss to Chile in the 2016 Copa American suggests that their poor second half against Belgium is the form we should expect to see here vs. the Three Lions.  Lay the 2.0 goals with England.  HIGH ROLLER WINNER.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:15 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners 'under' the total.  When the Red Sox traded reliever Andrew Miller to the Orioles at the deadline in 2014 for Eduardo Rodriguez, hardly anyone outside of the two cities really noticed.  And if they did, it was because Miller was considered one of the top set-up men and potential closers in the Majors.  But almost nobody gave a second thought to the 21-year-old southpaw dealt to Boston who had yet to appear in an MLB game.  Miller turned out to be nothing more than a two-month rental for Baltimore, while Rodriguez made his big league debut the next season.  But now it looks like the O's traded yet another star pitcher in the making and got virtually nothing in return.  Now 25, Rodriguez is breaking out in a big way this season.  After winning 10 games combined the last two seasons, the Venezuelan southpaw is 9-1 with a 3.59 ERA and 10.4 strikeout rate through his first 14 starts of 2018. He's also gone 'under' the total in 37 of 57 starts. Take the Under.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie

At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Tampa Bay Rays.  The Yankees are said to be interested in a starting pitcher or two, specifically JA Happ and Cole Hamels, and when you look at the numbers of some of their current rotation members, you can understand why.  Exhibit number one is RH Sonny Gray, who the Yanks acquired from the A's at the deadline last season in hopes that he would be one of the anchors of their rotation at least through his current contract which ends this season.  Instead however, Gray has struggled, going 4-7 after he joined NY in 2017 and posting a 5-4 record with a 4.89 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in 14 starts this season.  Gray has not performed like the Yanks had hoped, that's obvious.  But with his team doing so well and an offense that is capable of winning on any given night, Gray can still turn things around.  Perhaps a start in St. Pete where he has had plenty of success will help him kick-start his season.  In four starts here, Gray is 1-0 with a 2.19 ERA in just under 25 innings.  New York is also 5-1 in Gray's last six starts vs. losing teams, and 7-0 their last seven off a loss.  With New York in off a 2-1 defeat last night, we'll take the Yanks.

At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the San Francisco Giants over the San Diego Padres.  With a 2-4 record and 4.70 ERA in 11 starts, San Francisco's LH rookie Andrew Suarez's numbers may not jump off the page at you.  But in addition to those statistics, Suarez has also struck out 57 batters and walked just 12 in 59 1/3 innings, and there are plenty of veterans in the league that would love to have that type of K:BB ratio (4.75).  He has a great chance to improve on his numbers this afternoon for two reasons.  First, Suarez has really enjoys pitching at his home park.  The first-year starter has a 3.41 ERA in five starts at AT&T Park compared with a 6.18 ERA in six road starts.  Second, is the fact that he is a southpaw.  San Diego has struggled all season against lefties, hitting just .228 with a .681 OPS vs. them.  Suarez will be be looking for his third straight quality start at home after blanking the Phillies over seven innings on June 2, and then allowing two runs in 6 1/3 innings against the Marlins last Monday.  Heading into Saturday, the Giants are 10-3 in their last 13 games here at AT&T Park.  Take San Francisco.

At 2:00 pm, on Saturday, our selection is on Germany on the moneyline vs. Sweden.  Germany became the third straight reigning World Cup champion to lose its opening match with its 1-0 loss to Mexico on Sunday.  Italy and Spain also lost their first match as defending champions in 2010 and 2014.  It's true that both of those national teams failed to advance into the knockout stage, but Die Mannschaft’s prospects remain quite good to still make a deep run in this Tourney.  One thing to remember is that Mexico is loaded with talent and was widely considered the likely favorite to join the Germans to represent Group F in the knockout rounds.  Germany won the Confederations Cup last summer with a B-team roster which included a 4-1 victory over a similarly-constructed Mexico team in those quarterfinals.  Thus, El Tri was highly motivated with revenge plus very prepared to counterattack the Germans' possession tactics.  Germany will no doubt be razor-focused in this second match, since it cannot afford another disappointing performance.  This German team still oozes with quality at all three levels of the pitch.  They will be looking to defeat a Sweden side with one less day of rest and preparation following its 1-0 win on Monday over South Korea. That was not a surprising result despite Sweden moving on from the Zlatan Ibrahimovic era after he led the team for a decade.  Sweden had plenty of scoring chances but only scored via a penalty kick which raises concern that its roster lacks a reliable scoring threat without Ibrahimovic.  The Blue and Yellow also did not score a goal in any of its  final three warm-up friendlies for this tournament.  It's hard for me to believe Sweden will be able to stay with an angry and motivated German side. Take Germany on the moneyline.  WORLD CUP GAME OF THE WEEK.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Baltimore Orioles.  These two teams haven't played a series since 2015.  To say that the Braves and Orioles have done a bit of role-reversal from then to now would be accurate.  The O's went from being the darlings of the AL East to one of the worst teams in baseball, while the Braves have done the opposite in the NL.  So you can forget about the fact that the O's swept that last series almost three years ago or the fact that they've won five straight over the Braves going back to 2012.  This is a re-tooled Atlanta ballclub, with a new Park to boot.  And one of the bright young stars of the rotation will go to the mound as 25-year-old LH Sean Newcomb gets his 15th start of the season.  In his second MLB season, Newcomb is 8-2 with a 2.70 ERA and 1.17 WHIP.  The O's have struggled mightily against southpaws, and they also won't have the benefit of the DH in this series.  They are just 4-15 in their last 19 inter-league games, and a poor 2-10 in RH Alex Cobb's starts this season.  Take Atlanta.  MOUND MISMATCH MASSACRE!  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 11:00 am, on Friday, our selection is on Iceland PK'em (on the goal-line), vs. Nigeria, with the current odds being (roughly) -107.  Iceland continued to play the role of Cinderella on the big stage of major international competitions by earning a 1-1 draw last Saturday against Argentina.  Representing a nation of 300,000 people, the Viking Boys are the smallest country to ever play in the World Cup.  But manager Heimar Hallgrimsson's team should have already proven that this result was no fluke.  They reached the quarterfinals of the 2016 Euro with a 2-1 win over England in the first knockout round after earning a 1-1 draw with the eventual winner in Portugal in their opening match.  Iceland scored in every match in that Euro and they continued that trend in this tournament by quickly leveling the score four minutes after an Argentina team -- generally considered as one of the top five national teams in the world -- scored first in the 19th minute.  Iceland is a counterattacking side that sets traps after emphasizing a primary focus on defensive tactics.  Nigeria will likely play right into their hands after they lost their opening match on Saturday in a 2-0 loss to Croatia.  The Super Eagles lacked attacking spark throughout that match and now find themselves in a must-win situation as they are in last place in Group D.  We had Croatia in that match on Saturday as our World Cup Soccer Game of the Week, and I noted my concern over Nigeria's inexperienced 19-year-old keeper in Francis Uzoho, who seemed to be given the starting job due to a loss of confidence in the incumbent starter.  Uzoho allowed a frustrating own-goal in the first-half before giving up a penalty kick in the second half but those difficult circumstances do not remove his lack of seasoning in these high-pressure contests.  Iceland the momentum, confidence and outstanding team cohesion.  Take Iceland as a pk'em, on the goal-line.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 2:00 pm, on Thursday, our selection is on Croatia plus the +0.5 goal vs. Argentina.  Lionel Messi disappointed the Argentine faithful on Saturday when he missed a penalty kick which ultimately made the difference between earning three points (with a victory) and a single point (with their 1-1 draw with Iceland).  It was a frustrating result for La Albiceleste considering that the advantage of having this generation's best player in the world was not enough to defeat a national team which represents only 300,000 people.  Argentina is ranked 5th in the world by FIFA, but owns an aging roster, and had uninspiring results in its qualifying matches.  Certainly, the team looks to be past its prime, as Messi once led a golden generation of talent but the younger crop of talent does not appear to be nearly as promising.  These concerns have only heightened after the Iceland match, and they'll now have to take on a tough foe in Croatia.  The Vatreni will not feel inferior to Argentina when it comes to talent on the pitch.  Led by Messi's teammate at Barcelona in Ivan Rakitic along with Real Madrid's Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic, they boast one of the best collection of midfielders in the world.  Team cohesion has been the biggest issue when these stars enlist with the national team but this group gained confidence and chemistry with a 2-0 victory over Nigeria on Saturday.  With Argentina's surprising draw, the Vatreni are on the fast track to advance to the knockout stage from this group.  Croatia would be happy with a draw but have more than enough skill to win this match outright. Take Croatia plus the +0.5 goal. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Seattle Mariners.  The Yankees will hand the ball to Jonathan Loaisiga tonight.  They're already calling him "Johnny Lasagna" in the Bronx, even though he's from Nicaragua, and not Italy.  Loaisiga only has one Major League start to his credit, but he did little wrong in those five scoreless innings last week vs. Tampa Bay.  The 23-year-old rookie goes for start number two tonight at home against a Mariners club whose starter -- RHP Felix Hernandez -- has 389 more MLB starts than he does.  That likely won't matter as the Bronx faithful will be 100% behind their young pitcher, even though his days in the rotation may be numbered (the Yanks are rumored to be interested in a number of veteran arms on the trading block).  Admittedly, Seattle's King Felix has some pretty strong numbers at Yankee Stadium, but he hasn't pitched there since April 2016.  And he's also not the dominant performer he used to be -- far from it, in fact.  Heading into tonight's game, the M's are 2-8 in the last 10 meetings.  And the Yankees are now 85-42 (+23 games on the moneyline) at home in nighttime games.  Take New York.  MLB Roadkill Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie

At 2:00 pm, on Wednesday, our selection is on Spain over Iran.  While Spain's 3-3 result against Portugal on Friday left La Roja with a bad taste in their mouths, it actually dominated much of that match after falling behind 1-0.  Indeed, it looked like Spain was going to win by a 3-2 score before Cristiano Ronaldo scored on a perfectly executed free kick in the 88th minute.  Despite the failure to secure the 3 points with a win, there were a number of encouraging developments for La Roja.  First, their tiki-taka tactics allowed them to hold possession for 61% of the match against the reigning European champions.  And, second, Striker Diego Costa scored twice and seemed very comfortable operating within their short and continual passing scheme.  That's important, as one of the biggest questions the Spanish had entering the World Cup was whether Costa would thrive in this system.  Certainly, La Roja needs to clean up its defensive play but it has an appropriate foil in Iran, which surely is feeling very good about itself after its 1-0 win over Morocco last week.  For much of that game, it looked like Team Melli was going to end up with a draw.  But a corner kick resulted in an own-goal by the Moroccans to give Iran the surprising upset victory in the extra stoppage time.  Yet Team Melli was outplayed in most of that match as they controlled possession for just 36% of the game.  I look for a blowout today, as Spain scored 36 goals while it allowed only three in its 10 qualification matches for the World Cup.  Meanwhile, Iran's win vs. Morocco was just its second victory ever in a World Cup, and it's scored just one goal in its last four matches dating back to 2014.  Take Spain.  Elite Info Play.  As always, good luck....Al McMordie.

At 2:00 pm, on Tuesday, our selection is on Egypt plus the +0.5 goal over Russia.  The host nation Russia was impressive in the opening match of the World Cup by crushing Saudi Arabia by a 5-0 score.  We had the Bears and were rewarded by that offensive onslaught.  However, let's not overreact to one good performance since this result may say more about how bad Saudi Arabia is.  Moreover, the Russian team limped into this tournament with just one win in their last eight friendlies.  While we do not want to read too much into exhibition matches, the Bears were disastrous in the 2016 Euro before failing to advance to the knockout stage as the host nation in last summer's Confederation Cup.  Even worse:  midfielder Alan Dzagoev just suffered a leg injury which will likely keep him out of this match.  Egypt -- like Russia -- played a great game to kick off their tournament.   The Pharaohs allowed just one goal in their match vs. Uruguay in the 89th minute to walk away with a heartbreaking 1-0 loss.  But not all is lost for this team as its superstar striker, Mohamed Salah, looks to take the pitch on Tuesday with it being a little after three weeks since he suffered a leg injury in the Champions League finals.  Salah scored 44 goals in 52 matches for Liverpool, and will be the best player on the pitch while offering another jolt of confidence to the Egyptian players who managed quite well without him on Friday.  The Pharaohs are desperate to gain the three points that come from a win while Russia could be content to park the bus in the back and grind out a draw which will give them another point (while maintaining a favorable goal differential for tie-breakers).  Take Egypt plus the +0.5 goal. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 1:05 pm, in Game 1 of the Double Header, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Chicago Cubs.  With Clayton Kershaw, Hyun-Jin Ryu, and Walker Buehler on the DL right now, the Dodgers' starting pitching is a mess.  Which is why they sure need the services of a healthy Kenta Maeda.  The veteran Japanese RH was pulled from his start at the end of May with what was diagnosed as a right hip strain.  Fortunately for the Dodgers, this injury -- unlike some of the others to the SPs mentioned -- was not serious and Maeda was activated two weeks later and then pitched very well against the Rangers.  He showed no signs of that injured hip but was limited to five innings and 76 pitches.  The Dodgers should expect more from him this afternoon and they likely will get it.  They can also expect success in this series as the Dodgers have dominated the Cubs in recent meetings.  In their last eight games against each other, L.A. has won seven and has out-scored Chicago in those eight by 46-12.  Not only have the Dodgers found success recently despite all the pitching injuries, but they are 9-1 in their last 10 road games.  Take L.A. Mound Mismatch Massacre! Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 2 pm, on Monday, our selection is on England on the moneyline vs. Tunisia.  England has been perennial disappointments in international tournaments.  Its last semifinals appearance in the World Cup was 28 years ago in 1990.  In the previous World Cup, it failed to advance out of the knockout stage.  The Three Lions were then improbable upset victims to tiny Iceland in the Round of 16 in the 2016 Euro.  With this dismal history, they enter this World Cup with low expectations.  However, this roster of elite English Premier League talent remains quite good, and this team benefits from having its youngest roster in years.  Manager Gareth Southgate has installed an aggressive system which mimics the high-pressing schemes of Manchester City, Tottenham, and Liverpool.  Southgate has tapped 11 players from those three squads to form the core of his roster led by the Spurs' Harry Kane who scored 30 goals last year.  England was unbeaten in its 10 qualification matches while scoring 10 goals and allowing only three to validate Southgate's choice of a 3-5-2 formation.  The Three Lions should overwhelm an overmatched Tunisia side which has the misfortune of being without its best player in midfielder Youssef Msakni.  The Eagles of Carthage's best scoring threat tore ligaments in his knee which will keep him out of the World Cup.  That leaves the Tunisian attack woefully inadequate after scoring only 11 times even with Msakni when qualifying for this World Cup in the easiest of the five African qualifying groups.  Tunisia limps into this event also with a host of injuries and questions of form beyond the devastating loss of Msakni.  I feel that England just has too many top-shelf scoring talents for Tunisia to keep pace.  Take England on the moneyline.  Elite Info Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 2 pm, on Sunday, our selection is on Brazil on the money line vs. Switzerland.  Brazil was embarrassed in the semifinals of the 2014 World Cup in a 7-1 loss on its home soil to Germany.  They tried to blame that on an injury to Neymar who was unavailable for that match.  But an uninspired opening to their World Cup qualifying matches led to the firing of their manager, Dunga.  He was replaced by Tite, who made himself a student of the game by studying under some of the best European managers before taking this assignment.  The best change that Tite installed was to employ an aggressive style of play which not only takes better advantage of the immense talent advantage the Selecao roster enjoys, but also makes his team less dependent on the talents of Neymar (which was the biggest vulnerability for this team four years ago).  That is a great recipe for a Brazilian roster which is even more loaded with talent han it was four years ago.  They open against a solid but unspectacular Switzerland side which is balanced but lacks elite talent beyond its 26-year-old midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri, who starred for a relegated Stoke City in the EPL.  And it is no slight to Shaqiri to suggest that even he might not crack the starting XI if these two sides merged rosters.  The Swiss National Team has professional talent but it simply lacks the scoring prowess to make dents against what is probably the most impenetrable defensive group in this entire tournament.  Switzerland scored only three goals in its four matches in the 2016 Euro where it lost to Poland in the quarterfinals.  While Brazil's ability to succeed against the very best competition in the world remains a question, its enormous talent edge -- along with a more strategic method of play -- should overwhelm the Swiss.  Take Brazil on the money line.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles over the Miami Marlins.  This could be a new low for Orioles, rivaling their 21-game losing streak they had to start the 1988 season.  The O's were 19-48 coming into this home weekend series against the lowly Marlins probably figuring there would be a ray of sunshine over the three days, even if it was temporary.  But that hasn't happened and Baltimore has dropped the first two games, taking its losing streak to nine straight.  At least for the final game of the series, the O's will have their ace, RHP Dylan Bundy, on the mound while Miami will go with first year rookie RH Trevor Richards.  The 25-year-old is 1-3 with a 4.41 ERA in seven starts since getting the call-up and that lone victory was at home against the Giants.  On the road, his ERA sits at an unsightly 5.71 (with a 1.79 WHIP).  Meanwhile, Bundy has been one of the very few bright spots for the Orioles, very bright at times as a matter of fact.  Over his last three starts, Bundy has a sparkling 1.29 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 21 innings.  And he hasn't allowed an earned run in his last 17 innings.  Finally, Baltimore is 77-45 (+18 games on the moneyline) as a home favorite.  Take the O's.  5* MLB GAME OF THE MONTH.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over the Seattle Mariners.  Veteran knuckle-ball specialist Steven Wright had quite a breakout in 2016, winning 13 games for the Red Sox and getting his first recognition as an MLB All Star.  Last year however, was a lost season for Wright as his numbers took a major hit, just like a lot of his pitches did.  In just 24 innings in 2017, opposing batters registered 40 base knocks and Wright's ERA skyrocketed as a result.  Now back in the Boston rotation, Wright is back to his 2016 form and his knuckle-ball is harder to hit than ever.  In just under 30 innings, the 33-year-old has only allowed 15 hits so far and he has blanked opponents for 22 2/3 consecutive innings, the longest active streak in the Majors. He shut down the Orioles for 6 2/3 innings in his start last Monday, which the Red Sox won in 12 innings. Now he will start a game in Safeco Field for only the second time in his career.  It's a place that should treat him and his almost uncatchable pitches well.  Boston is 13-3 in its last 16 on the road with a line of -100 to -150.  Take the Red Sox.  MLB Road Warrior.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 3 pm, on Saturday, our selection is on Croatia on the money line vs. Nigeria.  Croatia takes a backseat to no other national team when it comes to the talent.  The Vatreni are led by their captain Luka Modric, who has been the anchor for Real Madrid, which just completed its third straight Champions League title.  He is joined by his club-mate, Mateo Kovacic, along with Barcelona's Ivan Rakitic and a rising star in Inter Milan's Ivan Perisic to form one of the best midfield units in this World Cup.  Croatia suffered a heartbreaking 1-0 loss in overtime in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Euro to Portugal, which went on to win that championship.  But it proved its mettle earlier in that tournament with a deserved 2-1 win over Spain.  The leaders of this team have a sense of urgency since it is likely their last opportunity to replicate their national team's semifinal result in the 1998 World Cup.  It's true that Nigeria is a worthy opponent with a core of stars from the English Premier League.  However, players like Arsenal's Alex Iwobi and Chelsea's Mikel John Obi are not asked (or are not deemed capable) to take on the responsibilities that manager Gerndt Rohr needs from them.  The Super Eagles also have serious issues with their goalkeeping after Rohr benched Ikechekwe Ezenwe in their final two friendlies.  19-year-old Francis Uzoho was between the posts for those last two warm-ups earlier this month that resulted in a 1-0 loss to Czechoslovakia and a 2-1 loss to England.  Uzoho has limited experience for his La Liga team making this is a tremendous challenge for the youngster.  With Argentina and dangerous Iceland rounding out Group D, a good result is very important to both these competitors.  I believe Croatia's talent and experience will confer the edge to earn the win.  Take Croatia on the money line.  World Cup Game of the Week.  As always, good luck…Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over the Texas Rangers.  Some Rockies starters can handle pitching at Coors Field and some can't.  RHP Chad Bettis definitely belongs to the latter group -- at least based on this season.  If you look at Bettis' "last three" numbers -- a common stat for starters -- you will see some pretty ugly things, like an 8.62 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in 15 2/3 innings.  But all three of those starts were at Coors.  In fact, in six home starts this season, Bettis has no record (0-0) with a 7.76 ERA (how he didn't lose any of those games is a mystery).  But in seven road starts, he is 4-1 with a sparkling 2.03 ERA -- quite a contrast.  So it's safe to say he's happy to be in Arlington, Texas tonight (he's also from Lubbock so could have friends and family in the stands).  23-year-old Yohander Mendez will make his first MLB start.  Although the fact that he didn't allow any runs in his only 2018 relief appearance is positive, what's not is that In 10 Minor League starts this season, he has an 0-6 record with a 5.26 ERA.  The Rox are 4-1 in Bettis' last five inter-league starts,  Take Colorado.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Cincinnati Reds.  Look up "average Major League starter" in the dictionary and you're likely to see a picture of the Pirates' Chad Kuhl.  The RH has been in the league three seasons and after 58 starts, his record -- as well as that of his team when he starts -- is just a tick below .500 while his ERA hovers right around four runs.  He hasn't gotten support from his lineup lately as the Pirates have lost Kuhl’s last three starts despite a 3.12 ERA.  His last win came more than a month ago, but he’s been arguably the Bucs’ most consistent starter of late and he has a 2.45 ERA in two starts vs. the Reds this year.  Cincy will go with RH Matt Harvey.  Harvey was hurt by the long ball in his last start as three of the four hits he allowed left the park. Hoping to resurrect his career in Cincinnati, it hasn't happened as Harvey is 1-2 with a 5.04 ERA in six starts since joining the Reds.  The Pirates are in a great position to make things up to Kuhl, as they are 6-1 in his last seven home starts vs. teams with a losing record.  Take Pittsburgh.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles over the Miami Marlins.  It's been a very, very rough first half for the Orioles -- one of the worst in their modern history.  The O's come into this weekend series with the worst record in all of the Majors, and the only team not having won 20 games yet.  Perhaps a visit from one of the other worst teams in the league will jump start Baltimore a little bit.  The Marlins haven't visited Camden Yards since 2010, and granted this is a much different team than that one -- but one that is severely depleted from what they were only a year ago.  RHP Kevin Gausman will go to the mound for the O's for the 14th time this season.  After showing flashes of brilliance in late April/early May, Gausman has really struggled in his last five starts, going 0-3 while seeing his ERA rise from 3.18 to 4.58.  To be fair, Gausman has had to face some pretty stacked offenses over that time, and four of those five starts have been on the road.  He'll no doubt be happy to hit the reset button here at home against a pretty weak Marlins offense that is averaging just 3.5 runs per game.  Take the O's.

At 2:00 pm, on Friday, our selection is on Spain on the money line vs. Portugal.  Portugal is the reigning European champion who are typically considered a dangerous foe with Cristiano Ronaldo on the pitch.  However, that 2016 Euro championship looks much better on paper than it does for those of us who followed that tournament closely two summers ago.  The Seleccao failed to even win one match in regulation time before getting a fortunate semifinals encounter with a Wales side which had lost two of its best players to injury.  In fact, Portugal barely qualified for the knockout stage of that event after earning draws in all three of its group stage matches.  Manager Fernando Santos continued with cautious tactics in last year’s Confederation Cup which resulted in a semifinals exit to Chile.  And though Ronaldo remains an elite international player, at 33 years old, he is no longer quite as prolific from outside the box.  And too many of their key supporting players are coming off poor professional seasons.  In particular, an aging backline with a host of question marks is worrisome when facing this hungry Spain team which scored 36 goals in its 10 qualifying matches for the World Cup.  Back in 2014, La Roja hit rock bottom by not exiting the group stage of that World Cup.  But a 3-0 blanking of Italy last September, in a qualifying match which avenged its knockout stage loss to the Italians in the 2016 Euro, has the Spanish faithful confident once again. Manager Julen Lopetegui (before being removed on Wednesday) did a fine job of incorporating a new generation of talent while keeping a few key veterans who played important roles in their fabled 2008-2012 run that featured two Euro wins along with the 2010 World Cup championship.  Spain's roster arguably has as much talent as any team in the field.  Indeed, it includes no less than 17 players from Real Madrid, which has won three straight Champions Leagues!  The fact that there's been a coaching change doesn't detract from our play.  Instead, I like it a tad more, as I feel the players will rally around the new manager, Fernando Hierro.  The ex-Real Oviedo skipper with 89 caps himself with Spanish national team is popular with the current players and was considered the obvious choice to replace Lopetegui. The heavy lifting has already been done by Lopetegui in picking the roster and making the philosophical choice to stick with their tiki-taka ball control tactics while implementing more counter-pressuring maneuvers when the team loses possession. Lopetegui’s expertise will likely be missed moving forward but that should not be an issue in this opening match against Portugal.  Take Spain on the money line. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over the New York Mets.  Don't look now, but here comes the Diamondbacks.  Or more specifically, their offense, which has finally caught fire.  In the first month, the D-Backs were in the middle of the pack in run production (114 in 25 games) but in May they completely went to sleep, ranking last in the NL with just 77 runs in 27 games (almost 20 runs behind 14th-place Miami).  Two things have happened recently to change that.  The D-Backs went out and made a minor trade for a legit leadoff hitter (Jon Jay) and Paul Goldschmidt has finally woken up in a big way.  So far for June, the D-Backs rank 2nd in production, already having plated 86 runs in 12 games.  And they've scored 55 runs in their last six games going into tonight.  They'll send RH Matt Koch to the mound tonight.  Koch has been average at best (4-3 with a 4.20 ERA in 10 starts) but the way this lineup is scoring, that likely won't matter.  In fact it hasn't mattered lately as Koch has a 5.29 ERA in his last three starts but the D-Backs are 3-0 in those.  Take Arizona.

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the San Diego Padres.  It may be too early to give out the comeback player of the year award, but certainly one MLBer who deserves some attention is veteran RHP Anibal Sanchez.  The former AL ERA champ in 2013 looked like he would be out of pro ball after posting a 6.41 ERA in 28 games last season and then becoming a Free Agent with virtually no takers.  But then along came the Braves who were in need of some pitching after suffering numerous injuries -- none too series it appears -- and now Sanchez seems to have resurrected his career.  The 34-year-old is 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA in six games including five starts and he gets another chance tonight at his new home park against the Padres.  It's a team that Sanchez almost always pitches well against, but has never beaten (0-2 with a 2.76 ERA).  But Sanchez might have the most talented offense he's ever had backing him up currently as the Braves keep on rolling in the NL East with little sign of wearing down.  The Braves are 11-2 in their last 13 at home when the total is 7 to 8.5,  Take Atlanta.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Tampa Bay Rays.  With two starters out with injuries it appears that for the time being, the Yankees have decided to go with a four-man rotation rather than insert someone new into the mix.  And so far anyway, the strategy appears to be working.  Domingo German may have felt like he was pitching for his Yankee rotation life last time out on June 9 as the 24-year-old RH had struggled mightily through his first five starts.  He responded in a big way, throwing his first quality start since May 6 in a 4-3 victory over the Mets, although he came out of the game before he could get the Win.  German will try to parlay that into another successful outing as he faces the Ray for the first time in his career.  Tampa LHP Blake Snell has been on cruise control lately, allowing just there earned runs in his last five starts covering 30 1/3 innings.  But he hasn't faced the Yanks since his first start of the season and that one was ugly as Snell allowed five runs in  3 1/3 innings right here in the Bronx.  The Rays are 8-25 in the last 33 meetings at Yankee Stadium.  Take New York.

At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the San Diego Padres.  The Padres came into Busch Stadium last night and beat this Cards team, 4-2 behind some pretty solid pitching.  Four of the five hurlers used in Tuesday's game did not allow a run, and the only one you've probably even heard of is closer Brad Hand who pitched a perfect ninth to nail down the victory.  Tonight the Pads will go with LHP Eric Lauer who will go to the mound for his 10th start of the season.  The 23-year-old arrived in the big leagues ahead of schedule in April, and it has been a grind for him since he got here.  He walked seven hitters over five innings in Miami on Friday in a 4-1 loss and his overall numbers now stand at 2-4 with a 6.64 ERA and unsightly 2.06 WHIP in just over 39 innings.  The Cards will go with RHP Luke Weaver who has struggled this season after a promising sophomore campaign in 2017.  Perhaps a start against San Diego will get Weaver back on track as in two starts against the Pads he has yet to allow a run (2-0 with 14 strikeouts and two walks in 12 innings).  Take the Cards.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.