Sports Picks & Predictions

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over Chicago.  We had a huge play last night on the Chicago White Sox over Cleveland, and easily cashed a 5-1 win by the underdog White Sox.  One of the factors for me last night was that the Indians started Adam Plutko.  Even though Plutko was 3-0 going into last night, he had surrendered a whopping five home runs over his 18 1-3 innings pitched.  Last night's game continued that trend, as Plutko gave up back-to-back HRs to the very first two batters he faced (so he's now given up seven HRs in 23 IP).  And the White Sox are (for them) a competitive 23-31 vs. pitchers who give up more than 0.5 HRs per start this season (but an awful 0-11 vs. pitchers who give up 0.5 (or less) HRs per start).  This will be Trevor Bauer's 14th start of the season, and he's surrendered just five home runs in 86 innings pitched!  Bauer's 6-2 in his career vs. Chicago, including 3-0 his last three.  Meanwhile, Dylan Covey's lone start vs. Cleveland wasn't inspiring, as he was on the short end of a 9-6 defeat, and put on eight baserunners in 4 1-3 innings.  Take Cleveland.

At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Anaheim Angels over Seattle.  The Mariners took the first two games of this 3-game series, but I love Anaheim to leave town off a win this afternoon.  Garrett Richards is 6-3 in his career vs. the M's with a super ERA of 2.52, and a WHIP of 1.09.  And he blanked the Mariners in a 5-0 victory back in May.  In contrast, Marco Gonzales' ERA vs. Anaheim is 4.40, and his WHIP is 1.46.  Earlier this year, Gonzales was roughed up by the Angels, as he gave up 10 baserunners and 4 runs in six innings, in a 9-8 defeat.  Take Anaheim.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Chicago White Sox over Cleveland.  The Indians shut out the Pale Hose, 4-0, last night behind Carlos Carrasco.  Tonight, Cleveland will hand the ball to rookie RHP Adam Plutko, who is 3-0 for the Indians this year.  And he also threw a no-hitter for Triple A Columbus in his last start (he's 5-3 with a 1.83 ERA for Columbus this season).  But the White Sox have seen Plutko once already this season, and actually hit him pretty hard (though they lost, 9-6).  In that game, played back on May 28, Plutko surrendered five runs and put on seven baserunners in just five innings.  Tonight, he'll face James Shields, who has given up 2 earned runs or less in six of his last eight starts vs. Cleveland.  With the Indians owning a poor 6-12 record as a favorite priced from -125 to -175 this season, we'll fade the Tribe and take the Underdog White Sox.  MLB Underdog of the Month.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the San Diego Padres.  No sooner did Alex Reyes make his long-anticipated 2018 debut after recovering from Tommy John surgery did the 23-year-old phenom land right back on the DL, requiring season-ending surgery for a torn lat muscle.  Enter RH Jack Flaherty.  Flaherty -- a year younger than Reyes -- had already made some spot starts thanks to injuries to Carlos Martinez and Adam Wainwright, and now with Reyes going down again it appears that the 2014 first round draft pick may be in the Cards rotation to stay.  It doesn't hurt that Flaherty is ultra-talented with a mid-90s fastball and an excellent slider that he's been developing.  With 70 innings under his belt between the Minors and St. Louis this season, the Cards will monitor his workload later on, but for now, Flaherty has a chance to get some starts in and establish himself as a permanent rotation member.  So far, he is 2-2 with a 3.20 ERA and 42 strikeouts with just 10 walks in 39 1/3 innings.  The Padres are 5-12 in the last 17 meetings and 16-45 in the last 61 in St. Louis.  Take the Cards.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Milwaukee Brewers.  The Cubs got off to a slow start this season, but have turned things around lately and that's exactly the situation for their RH starter, Jose Quintana.  After eight starts, Quintana was 4-3 with a 5.23 ERA.  In his last four, Quintana has gone 2-1 and lowered that ERA by more than a run to it current 4.20.  Quintana struck out a season-high 10 batters over 5 2/3 innings in his last start against Philly, but got a no-decision.  The other thing about him is he's done by far his best work on the road this season (4-2 with 2.62 ERA) and he hasn't allowed an earned run in his last three outings away from Wrigley Field.  Tonight he'll try to slow down a Brewers offense that plated 27 runs in the three-game weekend series against the Phillies.  He was certainly able to do that in his last start here in Milwaukee on April 8 as Quintana tossed six shutout innings allowing just three hits in a 3-0 victory.   The Cubs are 63-29 in their last 92 as a road favorite of -125 to -175 and they are 8-2 in the last 10 meetings at Miller Park.  Take Chicago.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the San Francisco Giants over the Miami Marlins.  Giants LH ace Madison Bumgarner got his first start since last September 23 on Tuesday, June 5 against the Diamondbacks.  Given the amount of rust that the 28-year-old had from missing the first two months+ of the season, it wasn't a bad effort at all as Bumgarner allowed two runs on eight hits in six innings.  He was limited to about 80 pitches so expect the Giants to give him a little more leash tonight in start number two in South Florida.  The Mariners will go with veteran LHP Wei-Yin Chen.  Like Bumgarner, Chen also started the season on the Disabled List (elbow) and didn't make a start until the end of April.  Chen has struggled however, and after eight starts he sits at 1-3 with a 5.86 ERA and a K:BB ratio of just 1.44 due to an unsightly walk rate of 4.6 per nine innings.  With their Sunday loss here at home, the Marlins are just 4-13 in their last 17 games and 1-6 in their last seven home games going back to May 17.  Miami is also 7-17 in its last 24 games vs. a left-handed starter.  Take the Giants.

At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over Anaheim.  The Angels bring a 6-game win streak into this afternoon game at Minnesota.  But we'll take Fernando Romero and the Twins today.  Romero's ERA at home is a solid 2.70, with a 1.14 WHIP.  And in daytime starts, his ERA is a sparkling 1.62.  He made one start already this season vs. Anaheim, and he pitched very well (5 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 6 K).  He'll face Nick Tropeano, who also has faced today's opponent once already this season.  In contrast to Romero, Tropeano didn't fare well vs. the Twins back in May, as he gave up 3 ER and 8 baserunners in 6 innings (a 6-3 Twins win).  Take Minnesota.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over the Tampa Bay Rays.  James Paxton is establishing himself not only as the best lefthander on his team, but one of the best in the American League.  Through his first four seasons, Paxton struggled with various injuries, then in 2017 he broke out and logged over 20 starts for the first time while posting a 2.98 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 156 strikeouts in 136 innings.  So far, Paxton is looking even better in 2018, with a 5-1 record, 2.95 ERA and career best 11.0 strikeout rate in 13 starts covering just over 82 innings.  And he also has two complete games and his first career no-hitter back on May 8 against the Blue Jays.  Paxton is a perfect two-for-two in starts against the Rays with victories in 2013 and 2016.  Tampa will go with veteran RHP Nathan Eovaldi who signed with the Rays in February then sat out with an elbow injury until about two weeks ago.  He pitched well in his debut in Oakland, but then got hit pretty good in DC against the Nats last Tuesday.  Tampa won on Saturday but is still just 7-21 in the last 28 meeting with the M's.  Take Seattle.

At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the Miami Marlins over the San Diego Padres.   Normally, it would be hard to make an argument for a starter who is 1-7 on the season and whose team has lost 12 of his 13 starts.  But one thing about Marlins' RHP Jose Urena is that he's had to face some pretty stiff competition and stacked offenses in many of his outings.  In one stretch between April 21 and May 25, Urena had starts against the Brewers, Rockies, Phillies, Cubs, Nationals, and Braves (twice).  His next start was against this Padres team in San Diego and he pitched very well but got very little run support.  Urena finally broke through and won in his last start against the Cards, despite the fact that it wasn't one of his best efforts.  He'll look for some revenge at home this afternoon against the Padres and southpaw Clayton Richard.  Richard is 4-6 with a 4.67 ERA in 13 starts so far.  For all of their struggles, the Marlins have done well in home games vs. bad teams as they are 22-9 in their last 31 games in South Florida against teams with a winning percentage below .460.  Take the Fish.

At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Seattle Mariners.  In 2015, Blake Snell won the coveted Minor League Player of the Year award and true to form, the young southpaw joined the Rays the next season and struggled.  When a hitter is named to top honors in the Minors, more often than not he can continue the hot play as soon as he gets to the Majors.  But pitchers are different.  So after struggling a bit in 2016 and 2017, Snell has now arrived in a big way.  The now-25-year-old looks like one of the best lefties in the AL right now, with a 7-3 record, 2.36 ERA and 10.4 strikeout rate through 13 starts.  Now Snell is one of the hottest pitchers in the league as he has not allowed an earned run in his last three starts covering 17 2/3 innings.  And he is 3-0 in his last four starts going back almost a month.  He'll face the Mariners for the fourth time in his career, and his previous three have yielded some pretty dominant results.  Snell is 1-1 with a microscopic 0.55 ERA in 16 1/3 innings vs. Seattle.  The Rays are also 9-2 in Snell's last 11 home starts vs. teams with a winning record.  Meanwhile, Felix Hernandez has an ERA north of 7 runs per game in his six road starts this season.  Take Tampa Bay.  Mound Mismatch Massacre.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 9:05 pm, on Friday, our selection is on the Cleveland Cavaliers + the points over Golden State.  It's deja vu all over again, as the Warriors once again have a 3-games-to-none stranglehold on the series.  However, the Cavs blew out the Warriors, 137-116, in Game 4 last season, and I expect another strong effort on Friday night.  Indeed, NBA teams have cashed 64.2% over the past 28 years in the NBA Finals off a pointspread defeat if they trail 2-0 or 3-0 in the series.  Even better:  LeBron James' teams have gone 47-27 ATS at home in the Playoffs provided they weren't leading in the series.  Take Cleveland + the points.  NBA Game of the Month.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over the Chicago White Sox.  I have never released a baseball play at this high a price.  But, as they say, there's a first time for everything.  Boston is a fantastic 45-11 (+20 games on the moneyline) when priced at -200 or higher, while the White Sox are a horrid 22-70 (minus 21 games on the moneyline) as an underdog of +200 or higher.  Even worse:  Chicago starter Dylan Covey is 0-7 on the road in his career, while the White Sox have lost his last nine road games.  Take Boston.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the New York Mets over the New York Yankees.  This is a whopping mismatch on the mound.  The Mets will give the ball to Jake deGrom, who leads the National League with a 1.49 ERA.  And he also has a career 0.64 ERA vs. the Yankees at home, in Citi Field.  Meanwhile, the Yankees will start Masahiro Tanaka, who has a 5.13 ERA in six road starts, and a 1-2 record with a 3.80 ERA in his career at Citi Field.  Take the Mets.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Miami Marlins over the San Diego Padres.  You'd be hard-pressed to find a player on the depleted Marlins roster who is worthy of All Star consideration in a few weeks when the rosters are put together.  But one player who has at least garnered some positive attention is LHP Caleb Smith.  The 26-year-old is putting together a very nice first half.  Ignore the fact that Smith is 4-6 as on this team that's about as good as any starting pitcher can hope to do.  But Smith's other stats are very solid: a 4.03 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP with 74 strikeouts and 28 walks in just over 60 innings of work (an 11.0 K rate and 2.64 K:BB ratio).  And the fact that he is a southpaw is a nice bonus as well.  Smith will get start number 13 tonight and it's at home where his ERA is almost a full run lower than it is on the road (3.51 vs. 4.41).  Smith already has a start against the Padres this season -- a little more than a week ago -- and it was a good one.  On May 28, Smith went seven strong innings at Petco Park allowing one run on four hits in a 7-2 win.  Take the Marlins.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Vegas Golden Knights over the Washington Capitals.  After not winning a single game in their last Stanley Cup Finals appearance 20 years ago, the Washington Capitals have now won three straight and are just one victory away from their first ever Cup.  But anyone who thinks this series is over should think again.  Vegas is a very dangerous team, and had a couple of bounces gone their way in the first five minutes on Monday night, the score could easily have been 3-0 in their favor instead of Washington's.  When Erik Haula tipped a shot off the post, Reilly Smith just missed off the side of the net, and James Neal somehow couldn't find a wide open net all within the first five minutes of Game 4, you just knew that all the wind had gone out of the Vegas balloon.  You wouldn't know it from the final score, but the Knights actually out-shot the Caps in Game 4 by a pretty wide margin (30-23).  It's also the third game of the series in which the Knights have won the shots battle, and DC hasn't tallied more than 28 shots in any of the games.  Here are some stats that should make Vegas fans feel pretty good about tonight:  In the last 10 years, only one Cup Final Series was decided in as few as five games (2014 when the Kings beat the Rangers, 4-1).   And in this year's post-season, teams that have lost by four or more goals have gone 11-3 in their next game (including a perfect 6-0 from the 2nd round forward).  And if one goes back to the 2015 Playoffs, such teams have gone 27-13 in that same situation.  Despite the fact that the Capitals will tonight try to do to the Knights what the Red Wings did to them 20 years ago -- beat them in four straight games -- four-game streaks in the NHL playoffs are extremely rare.  The Golden Knights are 6-1 in their last seven after allowing five goals or more in their previous game.  They are also 16-2 in their last 18 home games vs. teams with a winning road record.  Take Vegas.  NHL Game of the Month.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over the Baltimore Orioles.  It was only two games, but the Orioles can say they won a road series in New York after beating the Mets over the past two nights.  Baltimore will take anything it can get right now in a first-half that is one of the worst in recent memory.  The O's travel to Toronto to take on the Jays over the next four days.  They start out facing LHP Jaime Garcia.  And while that may not seem like a tough assignment, the O's have been pretty awful vs. southpaws so far in 2018.  They will counter with first-year rookie RHP David Hess.  Hess has decent numbers on the surface after four starts with a 2-2 record and 3.47 ERA.  But he has struck out just 12 batters in 23 1/3 innings and that lack of power may not play well at Rogers Centre.  There's no question the Jays have struggled mightily at home lately, but their last five series here have been against the Yankees, Angels, A's, Red Sox, and Mariners.  They will no doubt welcome the class relief this weekend as they are 5-1 in their last six home games vs. teams with a road winning % below .400.  Meanwhile, Baltimore's an awful 9-28 as an underdog.  Take Toronto.  MLB Division Game of the Month.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie

At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Under.  Analysis to follow.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Seattle Mariners.  Nobody would have blamed the Astros if they thought they would walk away with the AL West crown after winning it all last season.  On their way to their first World Title last season, the Stros absolutely destroyed the rest of their Division, finishing 21 games ahead of the second place Angels.  But the Mariners didn't care about that and re-tooled for 2018.  So now, more than 1/3 of the way through this season, Seattle's ball club -- and not Houston's -- is in first place in the West.  And in the first series between the two here at Minute Maid Park, the M's drew first blood last night, winning 7-1.  Tonight, Houston sends one of its aces to the mound in RHP Lance McCullers Jr.  McCullers is 7-3 with a 3.89 ERA this season.  On April 17, McCullers threw seven innings of one-run ball vs. Seattle, one of his best starts of the season.  That took his career record vs. the M's to 6-2 with a stellar 2.75 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 10 starts covering 55 2/3 innings.  Despite its win on Tuesday, Seattle is just 11-26 in the last 37 meetings.  Take the 'Stros.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Chicago White Sox.  Jake Odorizzi knows a thing or two about consistency.  The Minnesota Twins RHP has put up 11, 9, 10, and 10 wins with an ERA right around four runs over the last four seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays.  And now in his first season in Minneapolis, Odorizzi is right on pace for exactly the same type of season.  Through his first 12 starts, the 28-year-old is 3-2 with a 4.14 ERA -- the exact same number he had in 2017.  He goes in start number 13 tonight and has a great chance to get win number four against a team that has won just three times in the last nine games.  The White Sox will go with LHP Hector Santiago, who will go to the hill for his seventh start (he also has 10 relief appearances).  Santiago continues his rocky road in the Sox rotation.  In those six starts, the veteran southpaw owns a 6.59 ERA and has averaged less than five innings per start.  His only start vs. the Twins this year was his worst, as he gave up eight runs over 3 1/3 innings.  The Sox won last night but are just 2-7 in the last nine meetings.  Take the Twins.  Mound Mismatch Massacre.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:10 pm, in Game 2 of the Double-Header, our selection is on the Under in the White Sox/Twins game with Lucas Giolito and Zack Littell starting.  Giolito has pitched better on the road (six starts) than at home (five starts) this season, as his ERA is more than 8 runs per game better away from home.  Not surprisingly, a majority of his home starts have gone 'over' the total this season, while none of his six road starts have gone 'over' (4 'unders'; 2 'pushes').  And, in the last two seasons, none of his eight road starts have gone 'over' (6 'unders'; 2 'pushes').  Giolito will face Zack Littell tonight, and Littell has been tearing it up in AAA-Rochester this season, with a 2.57 ERA and 30 strikeouts over 28 innings pitched.  Take the 'under.'

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over Milwaukee.  Faithful followers know that Corey Kluber is one of my favorite pitchers.  This season, he's sprinted out to an 8-2 start (5-0 at home), with a 2.02 ERA (1.26 at home), and 0.83 WHIP (0.79 at home).  It's true that the Indians are currently on a 3-game losing streak.  But they've won 11 straight at home off 3+ losses.  Take Cleveland.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over Tampa Bay.  Max Scherzer is pitching as well as anyone this season.  Through 12 starts, he has a 9-1 record with a 1.92 ERA and 0.85 WHIP.  Those numbers improve to 1.77 ERA and 0.67 WHIP at home.  Scherzer has dominated Tampa Bay, as his teams (Washington/Detroit) have won his last five starts vs. the Rays, and his ERA is 2.82 in those five games.  In contrast, Eovaldi's teams have lost each of his last four starts vs. Washington (his ERA is 4.43).  Scherzer has dominated as a big favorite (116-43, +31 games on the moneyline), when priced at -150 or higher.  Take Washington.

At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over Atlanta.  We played on the Braves yesterday, and they rewarded us with a 4-2 victory over division rival, Washington.  After that win, the Braves had to travel cross-country to take on the Padres, here in San Diego.  The Braves will hand the ball to RHP Julio Teheran tonight.  Unfortunately for the Braves, they've been poor in night games with Teheran on the mound, as they've gone 18-34, minus 17 games on the moneyline.  Even worse:  Teheran's struggling of late, with a 5.50 ERA over his last three starts.  In contrast, Clayton Richard has pitched well over his last three outings, with a 3.54 ERA and a sparkling 0.93 WHIP.  Richard's also had four straight quality starts at home, including a 3-2 win vs. Miami last Wednesday when he gave up just 4 hits and 2 runs in 7 innings.  Over his last four home starts, he's allowed just 10 runs and 27 baserunners in 29 2/3 innings (3.03 ERA; 0.91 WHIP).  Mound Mismatch Massacre!  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, on Sunday, our selection is on the Cleveland Cavaliers + the points over Golden State.  The Warriors won Game 1, 124-114, in overtime, to take a 1-0 series lead.  Off that loss, we'll grab the points with Cleveland, as .610 (or better) NBA teams are 61-42 ATS as underdogs when down 1 game to none in a Playoff series.  And LeBron James' teams have gone 23-15 ATS on the road in the Playoffs off a SU loss.  Take Cleveland.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Boston Red Sox.  Two of the AL's best go at it tonight as the Red Sox visit Houston to finish up this four-game series.  The defending World Series champs took the first two games before the Sox avenged those two defeats with a 5-4 win last night to cut the series deficit to one game heading into Sunday.  RHP Charlie Morton is making a strong case so far for top pitching honors in the league and certainly looks like he's heading to DC for the mid-summer classic.  In 11 starts covering just under 68 innings, Morton is 7-0 with a 2.26 ERA and 1.02 WHIP.  Red Sox RHP Rick Porcello started out the season also looking like a Cy Young contender.  But after going 5-0 with a 2.14 ERA thru his first start in May, Porcello has taken a few steps backwards.  Since that victory over the Rangers on May 4, Porcello has gone 2-2 and seen his ERA rise 1 1/2 runs to its current 3.65.  Morton has three career starts vs. the Sox, and he's 2-0 with a 1.74 ERA against them while his teams -- the Pirates and Stros -- are 3-0.  Moreover, this season, Boston hasn't stepped up against the better pitchers, as the Sox are just 6-14 this season in games vs. starters with a WHIP below 1.30.  Take Houston.  AL Game of the Month.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Minnesota Twins.  What is up the Minnesota Twins?  One of the worst hitting lineups in baseball has suddenly waked up from a slumber and plated 30 runs in the last four games.  The bad news is that in two of those games, the opposition scored a total of 20.  The Indians will turn to RHP Mike Clevinger for his 12th start of the season.  Clevinger has followed up his breakout sophomore campaign, in which he won 12 games with a 3.11 ERA, with numbers that are just as good and arguably even better.  Clevinger is 4-2 with a 3.14 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP (better than last year's number) and he's dramatically lowered his walk rate from 4.4 per nine IP to 2.9.  This will be Clevinger's first start of the season against Minnesota.  But in four previous starts against them, he has allowed more than two runs just once (and that was three).  Twins' RHP Kyle Gibson has pretty solid numbers this season, but he hasn't won a game since his season debut on March 31 against the Orioles and his team is 0-3 in his last three trips to the mound.  Even worse:  Minny is a poor 29-46 (minus 21 games on the moneyline) in its last 75 daytime games at home, while Cleveland is 84-55 in its last 139 day games (including 15-9 this year).  Take the Indians.  MLB Road Warrior Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 1:35 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over Washington.  The Braves will hand the ball to Anibal Sanchez today, and he's a spectacular 9-1 with a 2.16 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in his career vs. Washington.  The Nationals did win in 14 innings here on Saturday.  But the Nats are a poor 1-8 after their bullpen threw for 7+ innings.  And Atlanta is 19-11 when priced between -125 and +125 this season, as well as 17-6 off a loss.  Take Atlanta.

At 7:15 pm, our selection is on the New York Mets over the Chicago Cubs.  Mets ace Jacob deGrom is making a strong case for top pitching honors in the NL this season.  Of course, there's a guy in DC named Scherzer who may have something to say about that.  But that doesn't change the fact that deGrom is having one of his best seasons ever with a league-leading 1.52 ERA and a career best strikeout rate of 11.7 (85 K's in 65 1/3 innings).  And deGrom has yet to lose a decision (4-0) in his 11 starts.  Southpaw spot starter Mike Montgomery is back in the starting role again tonight due to the injury to Yu Darvish.  It will be Montgomery's second start of the season after he made 14 in 2017.  But his ERA is the highest it's been since his rookie season (4.35) and his only other start against the Mets -- almost exactly a year ago here at CitiField -- was a 9-4 beat-down.  The Mets are 17-4 in deGrom's last 21 home starts with a money line of -100 to -150.  Heading into this evening's game, the Cubs are also just 3-8 in the last 11 meetings with the Mets in Queens.  MLB Roadkill Winner!  Take New York.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Angels over the Texas Rangers.  His name wasn't on the radar for top rookie honors in the AL back in March, but Angels' RHP Jaime Barria is making a strong case right now.  Over his first six starts, the 21-year-old from Panama is 4-1 with a 2.97 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 24 strikeouts to just eight walks (a K:BB ratio of 3.0).  Those are the kind of numbers that will get you noticed -- and also help you stick in the rotation.  With plenty of injuries on the LA staff (Alex Meyer, Matt Shoemaker, JC Ramirez) Barria will continue to get starts, and number seven will be against the Rangers and a man more than twice his age in RHP Bartolo Colon.  Colon got off to a hot start, going 1-0 with a 2.87 ERA in April.  But May has seen a regression as "Big Sexy" has gone 1-2 and seen his ERA rise to 3.55 in five starts this month.  He's only made two starts in Anaheim since 2014, but they were both ugly as in those two combined he allowed 18 runs (11 earned) on 18 hits in just 7 1/3 innings.  Take the Halos.  MLB Roadkill Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 9:05 pm, on Thursday, our selection is on the Golden State Warriors minus the points over Cleveland.  The Western Conference has been dominant vs. the East, as its teams have now had home court advantage in the NBA Finals for 18 of the last 21 years!  In the previous 20 seasons, over those 17 NBA Finals openers where it owned home court advantage in the finals, the Western Conference has won Game 1 all but two seasons (2001, 2004), and has gone 13-4 ATS.  Even worse for LeBron James & Co., the Western Conference has now won and covered 10 STRAIGHT TIMES (since 2005) in Game 1 when it owned home court advantage in the Finals!  And LeBron James teams accounted for six of those 10 defeats.  I look for Golden State to blow out Cleveland, as it's 7-1 SU and 6-2 ATS in the last eight meetings between these two teams, with those seven wins by an average of 15.28 ppg.  Moreover, Golden State has gone 15-1 SU and 10-6 ATS in the opening game of its last 16 Playoff series, and it also falls into 90-49 and 32-10 ATS Playoff Systems of mine, that take certain teams in Game 1, based on various team statistics.  Lay it.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins 'under' the total.  If you want to see some unbelievable minor league pitching stats, look up Cleveland RH prospect Shane Bieber.  At every level of the minors, Bieber has averaged about a strikeout per inning and walked around 0.5 per nine.  Bieber will make his MLB debut tonight in Minnesota.  The rub against him is that he is a command and control pitcher with a fastball that sits in the low-90s and we've seen guys like this with crazy Minor League numbers come up and get hit hard.  But the fact that Bieber gets his first start against the light-hitting Twins should help.  And while he may suffer later on if he sticks with the Tribe, look for him to excel in his debut tonight.  Despite Cleveland's 9-1 victory on Wednesday, the runs have been hard to come by in this series, as the under is 20-8 in the last 28 between the Tribe and Twins.  The under is also 8-2 in Minnesota's last 10 overall.  Take the 'under.'  MLB Total of the Month.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Boston Red Sox.  Southpaw Drew Pomeranz is having a horrible season.  He's made seven starts, and has a 6.75 ERA and 1.87 WHIP.  Even worse, he's averaged just 4.4 innings per start.  That bodes well for Lance McCullers and Houston tonight, as McCullers has a 1.73 ERA at home.  And Houston is 56-22 at home in games vs. starting pitchers that average less than 5 innings per start.  Take the Astros.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Washington Nationals.  The best pennant race in the Majors so far?  That's easy.  Only one game separates the top three teams in the NL East, and it's likely not the three teams you thought it would be back in March.  The Braves are for real, with a young nucleus of both hitters and pitchers that seem like they can keep pace with the ultra-talented Nationals and upstart Phillies.  The Nats and Braves begin a huge four-game series at SunTrust Park tonight with RH Tanner Roark coming in to face southpaw Sean Newcomb.  It's a big revenge situation for Newcomb as he was beaten badly by the Nats and Roark in his first start of the season on April 2, by a score of 8-1.  Since then, Newcomb has been solid, with a 5-0 record in nine starts and the Braves are 6-4 in his 10 outings overall.  Compare that to the 4-6 record that the Nats have when Roark has taken the mound this season.  The Braves are 5-1 in Newcomb's last six starts and 6-2 in his last eight following a loss.  Take the Braves.

At 7:15 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the Pittsburgh Pirates.  It seems that the Cardinals have gone from a shortage of talented young starting pitching to a glut in the span of less than a year.  Super-prospect Alex Reyes just returned from elbow surgery and his numbers during his rehab were so ridiculously good, it looked like somebody made them up.  And, tonight, you have 22-year-old Jack Flaherty making his sixth start in place of the injured Carlos Martinez.  But once Martinez is back (he's only 26, himself), the Cards will likely have to decide between Reyes and Flaherty (and Flaherty may once again be the odd man out).  So, I look for him to put forth a major effort tonight, at home, in order to convince the Cards otherwise.  With Flaherty pitching to a 1.40 ERA over his last three starts, he certainly has a made a case to stick around.  The Pirates will go with RHP Trevor Williams who made his shortest start of the season his last time out, when he allowed four earned runs over four innings against the Cardinals.  Pittsburgh is 18-37 in their last 55 as a road underdog, priced from +100 to +150.  Take the Cards.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Oakland Athletics over the Tampa Bay Rays.  In 2015, the Royals traded away their 2013 first round draft pick so they could acquire IF Ben Zobrist from the Athletics.  It would be hard to say at the time that the Royals regretted the trade since Zobrist helped them win a World Series, but now the folks in KC must cringe a little bit when they see LH Sean Manaea go to the mound for the A's.  2015 seems like a long time ago if you're the 2018 Royals and their decimated pitching staff could sure use some young talent like the first-rounder (Manaea) they traded away.  The 26-year-old southpaw could be on the verge of a breakout.  Manaea announced his arrival on the big stage by posting the first no-hitter of the season on April 21 against Boston (there have been two since).  And with the talent he is still developing, it is likely not to be his last.  He has thrown two gems in his only two career starts against the Royals (2016 and 2017).  Finally, the A's are 473-223, +64 games on the moneyline, as a favorite of -150 or more, while Tampa is an awful 180-378, minus 43 games on the moneyline, as a dog of +150 or higher.  Take Oakland.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Pirates over Chicago.  The Buccos are 4-1 this season as a home underdog (and 30-27, +11 games on the moneyline) as a home underdog the last three seasons.  Tonight, Pittsburgh will give the ball to Joe Musgrove, who worked seven shutout innings in his first start of the season five days ago.  Kyle Hendricks' ERA away from home this season is a poor 4.71.  And the Cubbies have won just one of his previous four starts vs. Pittsburgh, even though they were priced, on average, -159 in those four games.  Take Pittsburgh.

At 6:35 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Houston Astros.  In what could very well be a preview of the ALCS, the Astros and Yankees will clash tonight for the seventh time in the last month.  The meetings between these two have been very competitive and tonight will be the final one of the season (until that possible post-season match-up).  It's hard to imagine many AL Starters who have had a better first half than the Yankees' RHP Luis Severino.  The 24-year-old is 7-1 with a 2.28 ERA and 1.00 WHIP and the Yankees are 10-1 in his starts so far this season (including a win vs. Houston and Dallas Keuchel earlier this month).  No doubt he would like nothing more tonight than to put another feather in his cap by beating the defending World Champs for a second time.  In that earlier game, he hurled the first complete game of his career -- a two-hit shutout with 10 K's and one walk.  Meanwhile, Keuchel is just 3-6 on the season after winning 14 games in 2017 for this team.  The Yankees are also 12-2 in Severino's last 14 home starts vs. teams with a winning record.  Take New York.

At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over the Miami Marlins.  The Padres pulled off a minor trade over the weekend, when they acquired veteran starter Phil Hughes from the Minnesota Twins for some cash and a Minor League catcher named Janigson Villalobos.  The Padres hope Hughes can regain his form of a few years ago and help their struggling (and injured) rotation.  One starter who doesn't have to look over his shoulder right now is veteran RH Tyson Ross.  Ross has been San Diego's most consistent starter, and leads the team in Wins (4), ERA (3.13), and strikeouts (64).  Tonight, he will face one of the few teams in the league worse than his own in the Marlins.  Miami will give the ball to RHP Dan Straily, who was once a top prospect in the A's organization.  But Straily has had major problems with his control recently.  This season, he has already walked 17 batters in just 26 innings, despite an ERA of 3.12.  Ross's teams (the Padres and Rangers) are 11-4 in the last 15 night games he's started.  And the Padres are 8-1 in his last nine starts with five days of rest.  Take San Diego.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie. 

At 7:40 pm, our selection is on the St Louis Cardinals over Milwaukee.  Michael Wacha's been terrific this season, as he's 5-1 with a 2.88 ERA, while the Cardinals are 7-2 in his nine starts.  He's also not given up more than 2 earned runs in seven of his nine starts.  Take St. Louis.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles over Washington.  The Birds will hand the ball to RHP Dylan Bundy tonight.  And Bundy comes into this game off an extremely impressive complete game victory at Chicago.  Bundy struck out 14 and gave up just two hits in that game -- a 9-3 Orioles win.  Tonight, I expect Bundy to follow up that performance with a strong outing vs. Washington, as Bundy has a career 3.00 ERA and 1.16 WHIP vs. Washington.  And Baltimore's also 45-25 at home in interleague games.  Take the Orioles.

At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Rockets + the points over Golden State.  This will be the fourth Game 7 of this year's NBA Playoffs.  The home team has won two of the first three, with Boston, last night, being the sole loser.  Dating back to 1991, the home teams have gone 55-16 straight-up and 41-28-2 ATS in the 71 Game 7s.  Interestingly, this will be just the 2nd time a home team has been an underdog in a Game 7 since 1991, and the other time was also with this Houston Rockets squad, back in 2015, when they were a 2.5-point dog to the Clippers.  Houston pulled the upset in that game, and I wouldn't be surprised if it shocked the world, here, tonight -- especially since they were blown out by 29 on Saturday.  Indeed, since 1991, underdogs have cashed 89% of the time off a loss in the semi-finals or finals by 22+ points, if they didn't trail in the series.  Take Houston.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Under.  (Analysis to follow.)

At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over Milwaukee.  The Redbirds will hand the ball to RHP Luke Weaver this afternoon.  And, though he is just 1-2 over his last three starts, he's been pitching very well, with a 1.89 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in those games.  He'll face LHP Brent Suter today.  Suter's ERA at home this season is north of 6 runs per game (6.10 ERA, 1.54 WHIP).  And he's also never defeated the Cardinals in his career (the Brewers are 0-3 in his starts vs. St. Louis, and his ERA is 5.28).  St. Louis has won 11 of the last 17 meetings here in Milwaukee.  Take the Cardinals.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the San Francisco Giants.  The start for the home team in this Nationally televised game tonight was originally supposed to belong to Yu Darvish.  But now the Japanese veteran has landed on the DL for right triceps tendinitis so tonight it will be RHP Tyler Chatwood having his Monday start moved up and going to the hill for the 10th time this season.  Chatwood took his propensity for walks to a new level in his last start, issuing six free passes in just 2 2/3 innings.  That one was against the Cleveland Indians and word has it that Cubs pitching coach Jim Hickey has been working with Chatwood on his mechanics since that start, so look for him to rebound tonight against a Giants squad that has scored just 84 runs in 27 road games so far this season.  For Giants' LHP Ty Blach, it's not walks that are the problem but rather hits and a lack of strikeouts.  In 57 2/3 innings, Blach has allowed 67 hits and punched out just 27 batters.  Heading into Sunday's game, the Giants are 4-13 in the last 17 meetings at Wrigley.  And they're an awful 9-27 on the road off a win.  Take the Cubbies.  Sunday Night Baseball Game of the Month.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie. 

At 3:05 pm, our selection is on the Texas Rangers over the Kansas City Royals.  The Texas Rangers may not be a playoff team this season, but at least we are getting to see some new youngsters in their lineup everyday.  And some of those youngsters are very good baseball players.  Guys like former No. 1 MLB prospect IF/OF Jurickson Profar, OF Nomar Mazara (12 HR; 34 RBI), multi-positional IF Isiah Kiner-Falefa (7 doubles; 4 SB), and 1B Ronald Guzman are all seeing plenty of playing time and giving fans a reason to come to the ballpark.  On the mount this afternoon, it won't be a youngster, but a solid veteran in LHP Cole Hamels.  After regressing last season (11 wins and a 4.20 ERA), Hamels has bounced back nicely in 2018 with a 3.38 ERA in 10 starts and he's seen his strikeout numbers go back to where they used to be (9.8 per nine IP) after dipping badly in 2017.  With their victory yesterday, the Rangers are now 17-5 in the last 22 meetings.  Take Texas.  MLB Roadkill.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over the Atlanta Braves.  The Red Sox will hand the ball to southpaw Chris Sale, who has a 5-1 record with a 2.16 ERA and 0.90 WHIP.  And, at home, Sale's ERA drops to 1.96, while in the daytime, his ERA is a microscopic 1.00, with a 0.72 WHIP.  None of this, of course, bodes well for Atlanta, which has been installed as a huge underdog on this Sunday.  But to make matters worse, consider also that Boston is 44-10 as a favorite priced at -200 (or higher), 20-4 in interleague contests, and 30-10 vs. right-handed starters!  Take the Red Sox.  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 Dodgers are 23-27, but have finally started to play better baseball.  After starting the season 16-26, LA has now cashed seven of its last eight games, including a 4-1 win vs. the Padres here last night.  That was the sixth straight win for Los Angeles at home vs. San Diego (by a combined score of 44-13).  Tonight, the Dodgers will face Jordan Lyles, who has a miserable 0-3 career record vs. LA in six starts, with a 7.34 ERA and 1.79 WHIP.  Meanwhile, Alex Wood's career ERA in eight starts vs. the Padres is 2.6, with a 1.15 WHIP.  Take Los Angeles.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Under in Game 6 between Golden State and Houston.  We have won each of the first five games of this series, including a play on the Under in Game 5.  That game went Under by a whopping 28 points, as Houston won, 98-94, to take a 3-2 series lead.  The bad news for the Rockets is that PG Chris Paul (24.39 PER this season) suffered an injury, so he won't play tonight.  This season, Paul missed 24 games.  And while the Rockets were 15-9 straight-up in those games, they were 9-15 ATS, including 0-4 SU/ATS as an underdog.  Even worse, the Rockets averaged just 107.7 ppg without Paul in the line-up (compared to 112.7 ppg with him on the court).  Certainly, his 18.6 points, 7.9 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game were missed.  Not surprisingly, the Rockets have gone 15-9 Under the total without Paul in the line-up this season, including 9-2 Under on the Road, and 8-0 Under when not favored by more than 5 points!  I look for a relatively low-scoring game tonight.  Take the Under.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Baltimore Orioles.  The Rays are trying something quite unorthodox this season.  They now will often start relievers instead of regular rotation starters in order to avoid having their pitchers face the opposing team's top of the lineup three times.  This afternoon, it will be little-used RHP Ryne Stanek going to the mound for the first start of his MLB career (though he likely won't pitch to more than six hitters).  Stanek's numbers don't jump off the page at you, but he has a very good splitter and four-seam fastball.  Going opposite Stanek will be RHP Andrew Cashner.  The O's acquired the veteran in the off-season hoping he could slot in with Alex Cobb as a number three/four starter for the team.  But Cashner has struggled as an Oriole starter, going 2-5 with a 4.72 ERA in 10 starts so far.  The Orioles are 3-8 in their last 11 road games vs. teams with a losing home record and they are 1-5 in the last six meetings here in St. Pete.  Take the Rays.

At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over Boston.  The Red Sox will face a tough lefty this afternoon in Sean Newcomb.  The Braves 2nd year player has a 5-1 record, including a spotless 4-0 mark on the road (1.49 Road ERA).  Newcomb will no doubt be excited to make his Fenway Park debut, as he grew up a Red Sox fan in Middleborough, Massachusetts.  The Red Sox have struggled vs. lefty starters this season (4.1 runs per game; .241 ba), so I expect Newcomb to do very well.  His mound opponent will be Drew Pomeranz -- also a lefty.  In contrast, the Braves have crushed lefties this season with a 9-3 record, .288 ba, and 6.3 rpg vs. southpaw starters.  Take Atlanta.

At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over the Minnesota Twins.  It's hard to imagine a starter who is hotter than Seattle southpaw James Paxton.  The 29-year-old is 2-0 with a 1.70 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 37 innings over his last five starts, with two complete games and a no-hitter.  But perhaps the most impressive statistic is that in the 24 innings he's thrown in his last three, Paxton has only allowed nine hits.  Not surprisingly, his WHIP is 0.54 over that period and 1.02 for the season.  Paxton is something you don't see much anymore -- a workhorse who can go deep into games, to give the bullpen a rest.  And those two complete games lead the league so far.  Tonight, he gets to face a Twins offense that has manged just 188 runs so far -- next to last in the AL (CWS trails with 182).  Minnesota will go with RHP Fernando Romero.  Although Romero is having a solid rookie campaign, he has battled control issues over his four starts, including his last time out against the Brewers over five innings.  The Twins are 5-12 in their last 17 road games vs. teams with a winning home record.  Take the Mariners.  MLB Roadkill Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:35 pm, our selection is on the Under in the Cleveland/Boston game, as it falls into an 82-42 Totals system of mine.  These two teams have played four of their first five games in this year's Playoffs Under the total.  And that has continued a long-term trend in this series, as 18 of the last 27 games have gone Under.  Additionally, Boston's 17-6 Under on the road in the Playoffs.  And teams, like Cleveland, that scored less than 85 points in their previous game, and now trail in a Playoff series, and face elimination, have gone Under the total 58.41% the past 25 years.  Take the Under.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Golden State/Houston game to go 'under' the total.  This series has seen three of its first four games go 'under' the total.  And Game 4 went under by a whopping 40 points.  I look for this trend to continue on Thursday, as the 'under' falls into an 195-139 totals system of mine.  Additionally, Playoff games have gone 'under' the total 68.1% of the time the past 25 years if the previous playoff game went 'under' by more than 36 points.  Take the 'under.'  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles over the Chicago White Sox.  After a very hot start to the season, O's RHP Dylan Bundy has come down to earth.  And you could say it's been with a thud.  After five brilliant outings to start the season, Bundy had a 1.42 ERA, but since then he has seen that number rise all the way to 4.70 in just five more starts.  In his last three trips to the mound, Bundy is 1-2 with a 7.62 ERA and 1.54 WHIP over 13 innings.  But if there's an opportunity to break out of his doldrums, it just might be an afternoon start against the White Sox, as Chicago is an awful 2-10 at home in daytime games this season.  And Bundy has a 0.70 ERA in daytime starts this year.  Also, in four career appearances -- three starts -- against Chicago, Bundy is 3-0 with a 4.26 ERA in 19 innings.  Meanwhile, White Sox RHP Lucas Giolito has really struggled this season.  The 23-year-old former Nationals top prospect is 3-4 in nine starts and his 6.42 ERA is almost two runs higher than Bundy's.  Finally, the Orioles are 9-4 in Bundy's last 13 starts vs. teams with a losing record.  Take Baltimore.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:35 pm, our selection is on the Boston Celtics over the Cleveland Cavaliers.  It's well-chronicled that the Boston Celtics have yet to lose a playoff game at home this season (they're 9-0 -- both straight-up and against the spread).  That's one reason to favor the Celtics in Game 5, tonight.  Another is that Boston has been the much superior team against the point spread this season.  Boston's covered 63.5%, while Cleveland's cashed just 39.5%.  That's a whopping 24 percent difference.  And in the Playoffs, home teams that have covered more than 17.1% of the time than their opponents have cashed a staggering 82.35% since 1991!  Take Boston in Game 5.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Washington Capitals.  While the Western Conference playoffs haven't had all that much drama (the Knights dispatched the Jets in five games), the East has been a different story.  The Caps had a huge victory over the Penguins in six games and have now taken the Eastern Finals to a seventh game against the Lightning with a dominant performance, at home, on Monday.  But there is some cause for concern as the Caps head south.  Alex Ovechkin was leveled by an illegal hit in the third period on Monday (no penalty was called) and he clearly was not himself after that.  The Caps have been mum about any problems with their superstar, but surely hope he doesn't have any lingering issues.  The other key to this game is Braden Holtby.  If he lets the sold-out crowd get to him like he did in Game 5 when he allowed three goals in just 22 shots faced, then it will be trouble and the Caps will be eliminated.  The Bolts are 17-5 this season when avenging a loss by two or more goals (the Caps won Game 6, 3-0).  Take Tampa.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Cleveland Indians.  The Cubs are said to be ready to make an all-out effort to get Manny Machado from the Orioles.  And with SS Addison Russell producing almost nothing at the plate, you can certainly understand why.  Fortunately, the Cubs have enough offense around Russell to offset his anemic production, but landing a player like Machado would automatically make them a World Series favorite once again.  The lack of offense was on display on Tuesday when the Indians trounced them here at Wrigley and no doubt the Cubs would like to prevent home beatings like that in the future if at all possible.  There may have been some concern when LHP Jon Lester took a step backwards last season.  But Lester has laid those fears to rest by bouncing back strong so far in 2018, with a 4-1 record and 2.52 ERA in nine starts so far.  He gets start number 10 tonight and would like nothing better than to beat the same team that he faced three times in the 2016 World Series.   The Cubs are 20-2 in Lester's last 22 home night starts.  Take Chicago.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Cincinnati Reds.  You can say what you want about the Reds, but one thing you can't call them is disloyal.  Take the case of Homer Bailey.  The veteran RH has only called Cincinnati home since he came into the league and despite a plethora of injuries and just nine victories in the last four seasons, the Reds are sticking with Bailey at least through 2019, which would be his 13th year with the team.  Once in a while, Bailey will throw in a gem, but more often than not, he struggles to get through a minimum number of innings as evidenced by the fact that the Reds are 1-9 in his 10 starts this season.  And Pittsburgh is not a team that is ideally suited to Bailey busting out of his slump.  Although his career record vs. the Bucs is 10-7, the Reds are 2-8 in Baliey's last 10 starts vs. them, including a 5-2 defeat in his last one on April 5.  Meanwhile, Pirates' RHP Chad Kuhl won't be on anyone's All Star list, but the Pirates are 6-3 in his starts this season including 3-0 in his last three.  The Reds are 5-18 in Division match-ups this season.  Take Pittsburgh.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the New York Mets over Miami.  Jake deGrom has been brilliant this season.  And his last start was his best yet, as he struck out 13, and walked none, in a 3-1 win over Arizona.  Jake deGrom's ERA over his last three starts is 0.75, and he'll face a Marlins squad which is 26-77 (minus 24 games on the moneyline) priced as a road underdog of +175 to +250.  Miami will hand the ball to Dan Straily, who has a pedestrian WHIP of 1.45.  Also, New York is a solid 14-4 vs. teams scoring 4 or less runs per game this season.  Take the Mets.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Oakland Athletics over the Seattle Mariners.  At 25-22, the Oakland A's are quietly putting a very nice first half together.  Unfortunately, they're in the same Division as the Astros, Angels, and Mariners so their solid performance to date has only been good enough for fourth place (but just 4 1/2 games out of first).  Tonight they will send RH starter Trevor Cahill to the mound for his sixth start of the season, and Cahill will be opposed by Mike Leake.  Originally a starter when he came into the league in 2009 (with Oakland), Cahill has bounced around and been relegated to the bullpen over most of the past four seasons, mainly due to various injuries.  But his return to the Bay Area has seen a return to form as Cahill has a 2.79 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in his five starts, although he's been a bit unlucky with only one win so far.  In his last four starts vs. the M's, Cahill's teams (KC, Arizona, the A's) are 4-0.  The A's are 5-0 in their last five games (8-2 in their last 10 home games) vs. teams with a right-handed starter.  They are also 5-1 in Cahill's last six starts vs. AL West teams.  Meanwhile, Cahill's teams have cashed his last eight home games, while Leake's teams are a poor 12-23 in division games.  Take Oakland. MLB Division Game of the Month.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Rockets + the points over Golden State.  The Rockets owned the best record in the league this season.  But all of that success went out the window in Game 3 when they lost by 41 points.  I love Houston to bounce back on Tuesday, as .667 (or better) teams are a perfect 17-0 ATS as road underdogs, priced from +7 to +13 points, in Games 2, 3 or 4 of a Playoff series, if they trail by 1 or 2 games in the series.  Take Houston.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8:35 pm, our selection is on the Boston Celtics + the points over Cleveland.  The Celts were bombed by 30 points by Cleveland on Saturday.  Unfortunately for LeBron James & Co., favorites off a playoff blowout win by more than 21 points generally fail to cover the spread in their next playoff game vs. that embarrassed opponent, and especially if they trail in the series.  Since 1991, such teams have covered just 24.2% of the time, including 0-8 ATS in the last two rounds of the Playoffs.  Cleveland is a poor 22-50-1 ATS this season as a favorite, including 1-11 ATS vs. foes off a loss by 14+ points.  The Celtics, meanwhile, are 61-34-2 ATS on the season, including 10-1-1 ATS when they lost their previous game by double-digits.  And they're 16-4 ATS when playing with revenge from a loss earlier in the season, including a perfect 6-0 ATS vs. .600 (or better) foes.  Take Boston.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Capitals over the Tampa Bay Lightning.  The Caps finally got Monkey #1 off their backs by beating the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round of the playoffs.  But after taking a 2-0 lead in round three, the Caps have now gone on to lose three straight.  It was their first three-game losing streak since January.  Tampa scored early in Game 5's 3-2 victory and it looked like it would be a rout by early in the second period when the Bolts got their third goal.  But the Caps can feel good about the fact that they came back strongly and completely dominated the second half of that game, out-shooting Tampa 26-9 (13-4 in the third period).  If they can put together 60 minutes at that level of play, they should be able to take this series to a Game 7 back in central Florida.  In fact, Washington has out-shot Tampa in each of the three straight losses and the total shots over that span has been a lopsided 106-65.  The Caps haven't had a four-game losing streak in over a year (March 6-12, 2017) and they are 20-8 in their last 28 home meetings with the Bolts.  Take DC.  NHL Non-Division Game of the Year!  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Atlanta Braves.  At first look, Nick Pivetta's numbers don't seem all that impressive.  The Phillies' RHP has a 3-2 record with a 3.72 ERA in his nine starts.  But were it not for one particularly bad start on May 4 against the Nats in which Pivetta allowed six runs in one inning, his stats would look much better, with an ERA under three runs, a WHIP of just 0.80, and an incredible K:BB ratio of 49:6.  Perhaps most important is the fact that the Phillies are 7-2 in Pivetta's starts this season.  The Braves will go with RHP Mike Foltynewicz who -- in his age 26 season -- is experiencing a bit of a breakout campaign.  But while the 2.87 ERA and 10.9 strikeout rate are very good numbers, Foltynewicz's walk rate is way up as he has issued 24 free passes in 47 innings so far (4.6 per nine IP).  Perhaps not too surprisingly as a result the red-hot Braves are just 3-6 in his nine starts (and 3-13 in his last 16 going back to last season).  You can reverse those numbers for Pivetta (the Phils are 13-3 in his last 16).  The Phils are also 20-7 in their last 27 here at home.  Take Philly.  NL East Game of the Month.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Golden State Warriors.  Analysis to follow.

At 3 pm, our selection is on the Winnipeg Jets over Vegas.  (Analysis to follow.)

At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over Milwaukee.  The Twins will try to salvage the 3rd game of this series after dropping the first two.  The good news for Minny is that Jake Odorizzi is on the hill today.  He has a 1.00 ERA at home this season (2 ER in 18 innings), while his mound opponent, Junior Guerra, has been struggling of late with a 6.19 ERA over his last three starts.  Odorizzi's career ERA vs. the Brewers is 1.29, with a 0.42 WHIP.  Take Minnesota.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 1:35 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Pirates over the San Diego Padres.  RHP Jordan Lyles hasn't had a regular rotation spot since 2015 when he was a member of the Rockies.  But with Dinelson Lament and Joey Lucchesi on the shelf, it looks like Lyles will get the chance to start some games for the Padres.  Lyles has earned this opportunity over anyone else by virtue of his 2.53 ERA and 0.91 WHIP in his 15 appearances (mostly out of the bullpen).  But given that Lyles' career numbers leave a lot to be desired (29-49 with a 5.30 ERA in 713 innings) there is little to suggest that he's all of sudden found the formula for being a winning MLB starter.  Even more telling is the fact that Lyles has started against the Pirates on seven previous occasions (one with Houston and six with Colorado) and his teams are 0-7 in those.  Trevor Williams may not make many Pittsburgh fans forget Gerrit Cole, but the 26 year old RH is having a solid sophomore campaign with a 5-2 record and 2.72 ERA in nine starts.  Heading into Sunday, the Padres are 4-8 in the last 12 meetings at PNC Park.  Take the Bucs.

At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over Baltimore.  The Red Sox have been dominant as a big favorite, as they're 30-5 when priced at -200 or higher.  Meanwhile, Baltimore is 4-18 on the road this season, and 7-35 (minus 23 games on the moneyline) when priced at +150 or higher.  Finally, Eduardo Rodriguez' teams are 13-2 when he's been priced at -150 or higher.  Take Boston.

At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Angels over the Tampa Bay Rays.  We're not sure what the record is for most MLB relief appearances before making a start, but there's a pretty good chance that Rays RHP Sergio Romo will be on the list after tonight.  The 35-year-old career reliever will get the first start of his career after appearing a total of 588 times out of the bullpen over his 12 seasons in the league.  Romo was offered tonight's start due to the hip injury to Blake Snell and he's in a tough spot having to face a very good Angels line-up on the road.  He will probably be on a short leash as it's rumored that rookie LH Ryan Yarbrough will relieve Romo and pitch most of the innings.  LHP Andrew Heaney will go for the Angels in his seventh start of the season.  Once a top prospect in the league, Heaney's arrival was delayed due to various injuries, but he finally seems to be blossoming as a Major League southpaw, posting a 3.93 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in just over 34 innings so far.  L.A. is 13-5 in its last 18 vs. teams with a losing record.  Take the Angels.  MLB High Roller.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:35 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Cavs.  (Analysis to follow.)

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Winnipeg Jets over the Vegas Golden Knights.  The Golden Knights are one win away from taking a commanding 3-1 lead in this series and therefore only two wins away from an appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals in their inaugural season as an expansion team.  That's a feat that would have been thought of as being impossible just six months ago.  But before they start popping the Champagne corks, there is still a very good team that they still need to defeat twice.  The Jets after all, finished the regular season with the second-best record in the entire league.  And then, just for good measure, they beat the team with the #1 record (the Predators) in the quarter-finals, so they're not going down without a fight.  The Jets have lost two in a row coming in, but they are 8-2 in their last 10 after losing two straight.  Even better:  Winnipeg is 24-3 when playing with revenge from a road loss this season.  Take the Jets.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over Cleveland.  The indians are 21-21 this season, and have not been able to step up vs. the better teams.  Indeed, they're 0-3 as an underdog this season, and 6-14 vs. foes that are currently .500 (or better).  That doesn't bode well tonight, as they'll be going up against the defending champs, who also own the 3rd best record in baseball.  And, to make matters worse, Charlie Morton will be on the mound, and he owns a 5-0 record, 2.03 ERA, with a 0.96 WHIP this season.  He will face Mike Clevinger this season.  Against .500 (or better) teams, with Clevinger on the hill, the Indians are 1-3 this season.  Finally, Houston's 105-50 (+30 games on the moneyline) vs. righties.  Take the Astros.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Milwaukee Brewers.  The Brewers will be without slugger Ryan Braun in this series, as he was placed on the disabled list yesterday.  And they'll have to face a tough pitcher tonight in Kyle Gibson, who has a 3.43 ERA this season.  And in his last four starts he's been even better, as he's given up just seven earned runs in 23 2-3 innings (2.66 ERA).  He'll face southpaw Brent Suter tonight, and the Brewers have won just one of Suter's last six starts.  And that was just because they outscored Miami 6-5 in that game.  In his last six starts, the Brewers' opponents have averaged 5.83 runs per game.  Milwaukee's also lost all nine of Suter's career starts on the road when installed as an underdog.  Take Minnesota.  Perfect 10 Club. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over the Detroit Tigers.  Mariners 2B Robinson Cano got a double-dose of bad news when he had surgery to repair his broken hand and also found out that he had been suspended 80 games for violating the league's drug policy.  He likely won't be back until the middle of August.  But Seattle dodged a bullet as well as DH Nelson Cruz was hit on the foot with a pitch and had to be helped off the field the other night.  X-rays determined that Cruz's foot is only bruised and he could be back very soon.  Meanwhile, the Tigers had a three-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday when they were shut out, 6-0 by the Indians.  Tonight, Detroit will send LHP Matt Boyd to the mound for the eighth time this season.  But Seattle has been murdering southpaw pitchers this season, with a league-leading .281 batting average, .358 on-base pct, and .803 OPS against them.  LHP Marco Gonzalez has struggled a bit in eight starts for the Mariners, but they are 5-3 in his trips to the mound so far.  The M's are also 8-0 in their last eight games following a loss. Take Seattle.  MLB High Roller Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Capitals over the Tampa Bay Lightning.  Here is the most important game the Caps have played so far all year -- perhaps this century.  A victory tonight at home would put them one win away from their first Stanley Cup Finals in 20 years.  A loss would put the home ice advantage back in the hands of the Lightning with the series returning to Tampa.  The Lightning did everything in game three that they weren't able to do in the first two games of this series at home.  Washington just needs to get back to playing their aggressive brand of hockey, throwing the puck and their forwards to the net as much as possible.  They can feel good about the fact that they out-shot the Bolts by a wide margin in game three -- 38-23.  Now they just need to make those shots count and protect Braden Holtby more tonight and they should be fine.  The Capitals are a very strong revenge team recently, as they are 20-7 in situations where they are revenging a loss vs an opponent this season.  Take Washington.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Los Angeles Angels.  Last season, the Astros picked up ace and Cy Young/MVP award winner RHP Justin Verlander from the Tigers at the end of August.  The hope was that Verlander could lead Houston to a World Series championship and Verlander did not disappoint.  Now the 'Stros want Verlander to do it again and so far it's been business as usual for the 35-year-old.  Verlander is 4-2 with a ridiculous 1.21 ERA in nine starts coming into tonight's critical match-up against the Angels.  The Angels may be the team which poses the most serious threat to Houston's goal of repeating in the AL West, but Verlander has had no problem against them since he joined the team.  In three starts against L.A. as a member of the 'Stros, Verlander is 3-0 with a 0.82 ERA in 22 innings.  Verlander looks to take another important step tonight against Mike Trout & Co. in Anaheim.  And Houston hasn't minded playing on the road recently, going 11-3 in its last 14 games away from Minute Maid Park.  Take the 'Stros.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Rockets.  (Analysis to follow.)

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over Oakland.  Chris Sale will get the start for Boston tonight, and his teams have gone 32-7 vs. American League foes with a .255 (or worse) team batting average.  Even worse for Oakland, the Red Sox are 29-5 when priced -200 (or higher).  Take Boston.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over Anaheim.  The Astros dropped Game 1 of this series last night, 2-1, but should bounce back on Tuesday behind RHP Gerrit Cole.  Cole's teams have gone 23-5 with him on the mound, when priced as a road favorite of -125 or more.  Meanwhile, the Angels are an awful 7-20 as a home underdog of +125 or higher.  Take Houston.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over Milwaukee.  There's not been a better pitcher in his home ball park than Zack Greinke.  Indeed, his teams have gone 112-41 in his home starts (+50 games on the moneyline) when priced as a favorite, including 77-19 when priced -150 and higher.  Take Arizona.

At 8:35 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Cavaliers over the Boston Celtics.  The Cavs were blown out by 25 to start this series.  But I love Cleveland to bounce back on Tuesday, as .610 (or better) teams have cashed 35 of 50 playoff games off a road defeat by more than 21 points.  And LeBron James' teams have gone 10-6 SU/ATS in the playoffs when down 1-0 in a series.  Take Cleveland.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Washington Capitals.  The Caps didn't just beat the Lightning in the first two games, but completely dominated them.  Game 2, in particular, was about as thorough a road bashing as we've seen in these playoffs.  And clearly Tampa got frustrated towards the end and tried to get overly physical with its opponent when it knew a victory was out of reach.  But tonight the Bolts will try to take a page from the playbook of the Capitals, as the Caps lost their first two games at home in their opening round series against the Blue Jackets before they won four straight to advance.  And Tampa no doubt knows that the Caps have been much better on the road in these playoffs (7-1) than they have been here at Capital One Arena (3-3).  Their victories in the first two games also mean that the Caps don't have to rush Nicklas Backstrom back from his hand injury and they can let it continue to heal.  So he won't be on the ice tonight, a decision the Caps may regret by the third period.  The Caps won Game 2, 6-2, but they may have wanted to save some of those goals for tonight as they are 3-7 in their last 10 after scoring 5+ goals in their previous game.  Even worse for Washington:  Tampa is 12-3 when playing with double-revenge, and 23-11 when trailing in a playoff series.  Take the Lightning.  NHL Game of the Week.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over Detroit.  The Tigers won last night, 6-2, in Game 1 of this series.  But they're still a poor 56-94 (minus 32 games on the moneyline) vs. righties.  Meanwhile, Cleveland is 79-52 vs. lefties, and 108-56 (+18 games on the moneyline) vs. division foes (including 21-10 with Josh Tomlin on the hill).  Tomlin faced Detroit earlier this season, and shut out the Tigers over 5 innings.  Take Cleveland.

At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Golden State Warriors + the points over Houston.  The Rockets' win percentage (including playoff games) is substantially higher (.793 vs. .717) than the Warriors' win percentage, and Houston also enjoys home court advantage.  Yet Houston's not being given much respect in Vegas, as it's favored by a very short price.  The knee-jerk reaction might be to play on the "better" team in Game 1 laying a very short price, but consider that NBA teams that owned a much better (at least .060) win percentage have covered just 26% of their Game 1s since 1991 when not favored by more than four points!  Take the Warriors.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Detroit Tigers.  At age 31, it may be time for Cleveland RHP Carlos Carrasco to make the transition from very good pitcher to bona-fide, Cy Young quality ace.  The Tribe already has one of those -- RHP Corey Kluber -- but Carrasco seems to be on the doorstep, especially considering the aging decline of AL aces like Felix Hernandez, David Price, and Cole Hamels.  Carrasco finished fourth in the Cy Young voting last season after posting a league-leading 18 wins with a 3.29 ERA and he seems to be on a mission to improve on that in 2018.  So far, in his first eight starts, Carrasco is 5-1 with a slightly higher 3.61 ERA, but a superior 1.03 WHIP and he has two complete games already (he had one in all of 2017).  He's got a great opportunity for win number six tonight against the team that he owns more victories against than any other.  In 26 games -- including 21 starts -- covering 125 innings vs. the Tigers, Carrasco is 11-7 with a 3.67 ERA.  More importantly, the Tribe is an amazing 12-1 in Carrasco's last 13 starts vs. Detroit.  Take Cleveland.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Washington Capitals.  Those Tampa fans logically hoping that the Caps would have a Game 1 let-down after arguably the biggest win in franchise history (the series-clinching, Game 6 triumph over the Pens) were sorely disappointed.  Not only didn't the Caps show any signs of complacency, they came out with perhaps their best two periods of hockey in these playoffs.  In those periods, they totally dominated the Bolts and raced out to a 4-0 lead.  It got so bad, the Lightning pulled goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy and replaced him with Louis Domingue, a move that seemed to pay off as Tampa won the third period, 2-0, but still lost the game.  Vasilevskiy should be back in goal tonight and will look to redeem himself.  There is no need to panic in Central Florida as the Bolts also lost the first game of their second round series here at home but then reeled off four straight against Boston.  And while that is not likely to happen against the Caps, Tampa should be able to answer the call tonight.  The Bolts are 5-0 in their last five after scoring two goals or less in their previous game, and they're also 11-3 when playing with revenge from a home defeat.  Take the Lightning.  NHL Elite Info Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie

At 9:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Cincinnati Reds.  Matt Harvey made a successful debut for Cincinnati -- a positive development in what has otherwise been a dreadful season for the once mighty Reds.  We're a long way from the days of the "Big Red Machine" and though there are a few names you could come up with for the 2018 version of this team, they are not very complimentary.  And while a losing Reds season in 2018 is no surprise, it is not expected to apply to the Dodgers who are just 16-22 after that loss last night.  You just knew there would be some injuries on the Dodgers pitching staff, and although the one to Kershaw is a bit of a shock, the fact that Hyun-Jin Ryu is once again on the shelf is certainly no surprise.  This opens the door for RHP Ross Stripling.  Stripling posted four scoreless innings in an emergency start due to the Kershaw injury last time out. This time, he will enjoy a normal routine with plenty of notice.  Despite their loss last night, the Dodgers are still 27-9 in their last 36 vs. teams from the NL Central.  Meanwhile, Homer Bailey is now 0-5 in his eight starts this season (while the Reds are 0-8 in those eight games).  Take Los Angeles.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Kansas City Royals.  This afternoon, the Indians will hand the ball to Mike Clevinger, who owns a super 2.76 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in his 7 starts this season.  Clevinger also has dominated the Royals, as he's 2-0 in five starts (the Indians are 4-1 in those five games), with a 2.17 ERA and 1.31 WHIP.  This season, the Royals are an awful 5-18 (minus 12 games on the moneyline) vs. right-handed starters, and they're 4-23 (minus 15 games on the moneyline) when priced from +175 to +250.  Take Cleveland.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Even if Clayton Kershaw wasn't on the DL, the Nationals' RHP Max Scherzer would still almost certainly be the best starter in the National League.  All Scherzer has done this season is go 6-1 with a 1.74 ERA and 0.85 WHIP in eight starts covering 51 2/3 innings.  And just for good measure, Scherzer has posted a career-best 13.9 strikeouts per inning.  It seems there's almost nothing Mad Max can't do as he is also hitting a respectable .238 at the plate in 21 ABs with a couple of RBI and even a stolen base (the first of his career).  Some pitchers might be concerned facing the D-Backs, but not Scherzer it would seem.  The Nats' ace is 5-0 in his career against Arizona with a 3.13 ERA in seven starts covering 41 innings.  Heading into Friday's game, the Nationals are 29-13 in the last 42 meetings with the Diamondbacks.  And Scherzer's teams have gone 63-20 (+24 games on the moneyline) when priced from -175 to -250.  Take DC.  Mound Mismatch Massacre!  As always, good luck...Al McMordie

At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the San Diego Padres.  About 1/4 of the way through the season, and the NL Central is shaping up to be the most competitive race in the Majors.  As of last night, only one game separated first place (the Cards) from fourth (surprisingly, the Cubs), with only the Reds looking like they are out of it already (not surprisingly).  One of the biggest positive developments on this St. Louis team has been RHP Miles Mikolas.  Back in the big leagues after three seasons in Japan, Mikolas has quickly become one of the sport’s most efficient and effective starters. In  six starts covering 40 innings he is 4-0 with a 2.70 ERA with a league-leading 0.5 walk rate and sparkling 15.5 K/BB rate.  He'll get start number seven tonight in San Diego's very pitcher-friendly Petco Park, a place where he's never pitched before.  He should find it to his liking.  RH Jordan Lyles hasn't started a game since last September, but he gets the chance tonight after throwing just under 20 innings from the Padres' bullpen.  The Cards are 10-3 in the last 13 meetings with the Pads.  Take St. Louis.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:40 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over Milwaukee.  Both of these teams enter tonight's game with identical 21-16 records.  We'll back the homestanding Rockies, as Jhoulys Chacin's ERA away from home this season is 5.73 with a 1.72 WHIP.  Meanwhile, the Rockies with German Marquez are 6-0 as a home favorite priced above -145, while Chacin's teams are a poor 11-25 in his starts when priced from +125 to +175.  Take Colorado.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over the New York Yankees.  The Red Sox lost last night, but they're still 79-50 their last 129 nighttime road games (+24 games on the moneyline).  Also, Eduardo Rodriguez' career ERA in his nine starts vs. New York is 2.96, while CC Sabathia's ERA in his 41 starts vs. Boston is a pedestrian 4.37.  Take the underdog Red Sox.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over the Seattle Mariners.  Two veteran southpaws go to the mound in Toronto tonight as the Mariners send out Wade Leblanc opposite the Jays and Jaime Garcia.  Leblanc got his first MLB start in almost two years last Friday as Erasmo Ramirez has landed on the 10-day DL with a muscle strain.  It was a solid effort, but Leblanc was only allowed to go four innings and 70 pitches.  He will likely get a longer look tonight but it will have to be against a pretty strong offense.  The Jays have put together a solid season, going 19-17 heading into today, but it may be all for naught if the Red Sox and Yankees don't cool off at some point.  Garcia is having a bit of a resurgence with the Jays this season and they are 4-2 in his six starts so far.  The Mariners, behind James Paxton, no-hit this Blue Jays team last night, but they are still just 21-41 in the last 62 meetings here in Toronto.  They are also just 1-5 in their last six games vs. teams from the American League East.  Take the Blue Jays.  MLB Roadkill Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 3:10 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over the Los Angeles Angels.  Colorado snapped its 9-game losing streak to Anaheim with a 4-2 win in Game 1 of this series last night -- its sixth straight win, overall.  The Rockies' pitching used to be the worst in the league, year in and year out.  But recently this is not the case.  We're starting to see some potential aces emerge from the Rox system.  Case in point is LH Tyler Anderson.  The 28-year-old is in his third MLB season -- all with Colorado -- and he seems to be on the verge of a breakout.  Anderson is 2-0 with a 3.78 ERA in seven starts, and his strikeout numbers have increased dramatically (10.0 per nine IP).  Most importantly, throughout his career, Anderson has pitched much better here at Coors (9-5; 3.36) than he has on the road (4-7; 4.93).  The Rox are 4-0 in Anderson's last four starts, while the Angels are 1-4 in their last five vs. a LH starter.  Look for the Rockies to stretch their win streak to 7 games this afternoon.  Take Colorado.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Texas Rangers over the Detroit Tigers.  When we last saw RHP Mike Minor starting games in the Major Leagues, it was in 2014 when he was a member of the Atlanta Braves.  After numerous injuries, Minor re-surfaced last season in a relief role with the Kansas City Royals, and he was pretty successful, logging a 2.55 ERA and six saves in just under 78 innings.  The Rangers saw enough in Minor last season that they signed him to a three-year contract in December and with all of their defections and injuries, they made Minor a starter and probably aren't regretting that decision at all.  In six starts so far, Minor is 3-1 with a 4.36 ERA and although that number is a bit high, it's mostly due to Minor's two road starts against two very potent offenses in Houston and Toronto.  At home here in Arlington, Minor is 2-1 with a 2.86 ERA in four starts covering 22 innings.  After last night's defeat, the Tigers are 2-7 in their last nine visits to Arlington, Texas.  Take the Rangers.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Utah Jazz + the points over Houston.  The Rockets took a 3-1 series lead with a sweep of the Jazz in Salt Lake City.  The series returns to the Toyota Center tonight, where the Rockets will look to eliminate the Jazz.  Unfortunately for Houston, it's been installed as a huge favorite.  And home favorites of 12+ points off a win in the playoffs are a poor 13-34 ATS if they're not trailing in the series.  Take Utah.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Cincinnati Reds over the New York Mets.  What a difference a few weeks can make. Back in the beginning of April, the New York Mets looked all but invincible.  Now, they are struggling to just win a game.  The Mets defeated the Reds on Monday night to snap a 6-game losing strek.  But they just barely won, as they edged Cincy, 7-6, here at Great American Ball Park.  As always seems to happen, the injuries are piling up for the Mets, with the latest being RH ace Jacob deGrom who landed on the DL with a hyper-extended elbow, adding to their already substantial list of wounded players.  They will go with LHP Jason Vargas tonight.  Vargas had an All Star first half of the season with the Royals in 2017, but completely fell apart in the second part of the season.  The Mets signed him to a two-year contract in the off-season hoping they would get the first-half version.  Unfortunately, what they've gotten so far is an even worse-than-second-half version.  The 35-year-old is 0-2 with an ugly 16.20 ERA in two starts.  Take the Reds.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles over the Kansas City Royals.  The teams with the two of the three worst records in the American League meet tonight in the first of a three-game series.  You may not be surprised to hear that one of them is the Royals.  But it might cause a bit of a double-take to learn that the Orioles are the other.  This is a team that has had one of the most feared offenses in the league the past several seasons, but so far, almost nothing has gone right for them in 2018 -- either with the lineup or on the mound.  The O's had a day off on Monday after a disastrous west coast road trip that saw them go 0-6.  But the Angels and Athletics are much better teams right now than the Royals.  So, if there is any situation which they would want to come back to after a tough road trip, it's with their ace on the mound against an 11-23 opponent.   RHP Dylan Bundy may be just 1-4 but he has a nice 3.76 ERA and solid 4.36 K:BB ratio in his seven starts.  The Royals will go with LHP Danny Duffy, and the Royals are 0-8 in Duffy's last eight starts.  Take the Orioles.

At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over the San Diego Padres.  Nationals RHP Stephen Strasburg will make his fourth career start in San Diego and given that this is his hometown, there will probably be plenty of friends and family in the crowd to root on the 29-year-old.  He obviously doesn't mind coming home, as Stras is 2-1 with a 2.84 ERA and 0.89 WHIP in those three starts covering 19 innings here at Petco Park.  After a slower-than-slow start to the season, the Nats have been coming on strong of late, going 7-3 in their last 10 games coming into tonight.  And with the return of 3B Anthony Rendon, who played his first game in three weeks on Saturday, the Nats offense gets an additional boost.  There are now only two games separating the first place Braves from the fourth place Nationals, so by the end of the week, the NL East could easily be completely different than it is right now.  The Padres do return home from a Cinco de Mayo series in Mexico but they are 3-8 in their last 11 home games vs. DC.  Take the Nats.  MLB Road Warrior. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.