For any resources you could need like sports handicapping odds, handicapping stats, schedules, or handicappers free picks and tips please click on any of the links on the right hand side of this page.
CLICK A CAPPERS NAME TO SEE THEIR PREMIUM DAILY EXPERT PLAYS + PREDICTIONS!
Schedule: NFL |Â CFB |Â MLB |Â NBA |Â CBB |Â NHL
WANT FREE SPORTS PICKS to your inbox? | Newsletter Sign-UP!
Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
05-16-17 | Braves v. Blue Jays UNDER 8.5 | 9-5 | Loss | -110 | 9 h 34 m | Show | |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Tuesday 8* UNDER the total in Toronto Blue Jays vs Atlanta Braves @ 4:05 ET - The Braves Jaime Garcia has given up only 19 hits in the 24 and 1/3 innings spanning his last 4 starts. While he occasionally does have some issue with command, the fact is that he has allowed just 2 earned runs in 3 of his last 4 starts. The Blue Jays haven't hit lefties well this season and that certainly has a lot to do with their 2-6 record against southpaw starters this season. Look for the Jays to struggle as Garcia produces another quality start. However, the strength for Toronto today is the fact that they have Marco Estrada on the mound. The Blue Jays right-hander is undefeated in his 3 home starts this season and has compiled a minuscule 0.95 ERA in home outings. Estrada also has shut out the Braves in his last 3 starts against them - a span of 21 and 2/3 scoreless innings! As you would expect, all 3 of those starts stayed under the total. Though yesterday's game flew over the total (one of my plays yesterday), that had a lot to do with the pitching match-up. As for today's game, it has the makings of a pitchers duel. The under is 12-7 in Jays home games this season and 8-4 in Blue Jays day games this year. There has not been a single over in Estrada's home starts this season and I expect that streak to remain intact today as he throws another gem. 8* UNDER the total in Toronto |
|||||||
05-15-17 | Braves v. Blue Jays OVER 9 | 10-6 | Win | 100 | 7 h 6 m | Show | |
Total Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Monday 8* OVER the total in Toronto Blue Jays vs Atlanta Braves @ 7:05 ET - Bartolo Colon continues to get roughed up and has an 11.66 ERA and 1.98 WHIP in his last 3 starts. The over is a perfect 3-0 in these starts. The Braves right-hander will be opposed by the Blue Jays Mike Bolsinger and he managed to escape trouble in his first start of this season despite walking 4 in less than 6 innings of work. Bolsinger gave up 5 earned runs in less than 4 innings of work in one of his two starts against the Braves in his career. In Colon's most recent start against the Jays he allowed 6 earned runs in 4 and 1/3 innings of work. Colon also has given up 5 homers in his last 2 road starts! The veteran right-hander is facing a Blue Jays lineup that will step to the plate with plenty of confidence as they have averaged 5.8 runs per game during their current 5-game winning streak. The Braves offense has cooled a bit recently but Bolsinger should bring out the best in Atlanta. The Blue Jays right-hander was 1-4 with a 6.83 ERA in his 6 starts last season. Two years prior Bolsinger was 1-6 with a 5.50 ERA and that was his rookie campaign. As you can see from these numbers he has not enjoyed a lot of success at the MLB level and I expect that trend to continue here. The over is 15-9 in Atlanta's night games this season and the over is 13-7 this season when the Braves are off of a loss. 8* OVER the total in Toronto |
|||||||
05-14-17 | Philadelphia Phillies - Game #1 v. Washington Nationals - Game #1 OVER 8.5 | 4-3 | Loss | -105 | 5 h 7 m | Show | |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Sunday 8* OVER the total in Washington Nationals vs Philadelphia Phillies @ 1:35 ET in Game ONE of a double header - With yesterday's 6-4 Nats win, the Phillies are now 8-2 to the over in their last 10 games and the Nationals have now gone over the total in 5 straight games. Washington will be seeing the Phillies Jeremy Hellickson for the 4th time already this season and they just saw him last Sunday and the Phils right-hander struggled. Hellickson has now struggled badly in each of his last two outings and given up 5 homers in the process. I expect more of the same on Sunday. The Nationals will have Gio Gonzalez on the mound and he was strong against the Phillies earlier this season but the Nats southpaw has struggled recently. Gonzalez has walked 11 in his last 2 starts and he was reached for 6 earned runs in 6 innings of work in his most recent start. The over is 14-5 this season when the Phillies are off of a loss. Also, Philadelphia is 7-2 to the over this season when they are a road dog of +125 to +175 this season. The over is 4-1 in Nationals Sunday games this season and they are 5-0 to the over in their last 5 games as noted above. Look for the early Sunday match-up to make it 6 in a row. 8* OVER the total in Washington in Game One of the double header |
|||||||
05-13-17 | Tigers v. Angels OVER 8 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -115 | 12 h 50 m | Show |
Global Smash - Rickenbach MLB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Los Angeles Angels vs Detroit Tigers @ 9:05 ET - It has been feast or famine lately for the Tigers sticks and, based on the fact they're facing the Angels Ricky Nolasco tonight, I definitely look for more feast than famine in this one. Detroit, prior to getting shutout yesterday, had scored 5 runs or more in 8 of their last 10 games. Yesterday's loss was the 3rd time in 8 games that the Tigers had been held to 2 runs or less but, as you can see, they've had some big production on offense in most of their games. As far as facing Nolasco, he has given up 3 homers in his last 2 starts versus Detroit and plus has walked 6 while striking out just 2. Look for the Tigers to making plenty of contact against him and they have roughed him up for 9 hits in 6 innings in 2 of his last 3 starts against them. The Angels are also likely to hit well in this one. Los Angeles is facing a struggling Daniel Norris. The Tigers left-hander has an ugly 2.05 WHIP in his last 3 starts so truly he is fortunate that his 5.52 ERA is not higher than it is! The Angels exploded for 7 runs on 14 hits yesterday and I look for them to carry some momentum from that performance right into today's game. The over is 0-1 this season (but went 15-8-1 the prior 2 seasons) when the Angels are off of a shutout win. Detroit is 8-1 to the over this season (and 47-20 to the over the past 2+ seasons) when they are on the road and the posted total is 8 or 8.5 runs. Also, when off of a loss this season the Tigers have gone 12-3 to the over. 10* OVER the total in Los Angeles Angels |
|||||||
05-13-17 | A's v. Rangers OVER 9.5 | 5-6 | Win | 100 | 11 h 2 m | Show | |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Saturday 8* OVER 9.5 runs in Texas Rangers vs Oakland Athletics @ 8:05 ET - The Rangers, for the 2nd night in a row, won a game with a 9th inning 3-run bomb last night. Overall, the hitting has not been impressive though and each of the past two games have stayed under the total. Look for that to change tonight. Sonny Gray gets the start for the A's and he only just made his first start of this season earlier this month. He allowed 3 homers in that road outing. He followed it up by allowing 7 hits in less than 5 innings of work in his 2nd start of the season. The point is that Gray is not in great form since returning to the big club and he also has allowed 22 hits (including 5 homers) in 18 innings spanning his last 3 starts against the Rangers! Texas may have a pitching concern of their own tonight too. Taking the mound for the Rangers is Nick Martinez and Texas is winless in his last 3 starts and he has given up 7 homers in the 17 and 1/3 innings spanning those 3 starts. The right-hander also gave up 3 homers in just 4 innings in his lone start versus Oakland last season. As you can see from the stats above, this one could easily turn into a slugfest tonight at the ballpark in Arlington. The Athletics were on an 8-2 run to the over before last night's game stayed under the total. The "over" trending resumes for the A's tonight. 8* OVER 9.5 runs in Texas |
|||||||
05-13-17 | Reds v. Giants OVER 8.5 | 1-3 | Loss | -105 | 9 h 50 m | Show | |
Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Saturday 8* OVER 8.5 runs in San Francisco Giants vs Cincinnati Reds @ 4:05 ET - Needless to say neither team's bullpen situation is very good after last night's 17-inning marathon. Taking a look at the weather for this afternoon's game, the wind will be blowing out to center at a good clip and the ball tends to carry better in day games compared to night games on the west coast. As for the starting pitchers here, Matt Moore has given up 12 earned runs in his last 2 starts even though those outings combined for less than 9 innings! Lisalverto Bonilla gets the start for the Reds and this will be his first start in the majors in 3 years. In his lone appearance for Cincinnati this season he worked in long relief and gave up 4 earned runs in 5 innings. In his 5 starts in the minors this season, opponents have hit him at a .324 clip and he has compiled a 5.61 ERA that easily could be even higher based on how hard Bonilla has been getting hit. The over is 6-3 this season in Reds road games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs. Also, the over is 7-4 in Cincinnati's day games this year. On the season, look for the over to improve to 5-0 in Reds Saturday games! 8* OVER 8.5 runs in San Francisco |
|||||||
05-13-17 | Cubs v. Cardinals OVER 7.5 | 3-5 | Win | 100 | 9 h 44 m | Show | |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Saturday 8* OVER 7.5 runs in St Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs @ 4:05 ET - I know this is a bit of a "contrarian play" as two big-name pitchers are on the mound but long-time followers know that being a contrarian is a big part of long-term success in this industry. This total was an 8 and has dropped to a 7.5 and I like the value here on what will be a warm, sunny afternoon with a light breeze in St Louis. The ball tends to carry well in day games at Busch Stadium and there is reason to believe that each of these two hurlers could get a little roughed up here. Jon Lester's first road start this season saw him allow just 1 earned run to these same Cardinals but he did give up 7 hits in 5 innings of work. Giving up all those hits was foretelling of what was to come as he has since been rocked for 11 runs (10 earned) on 19 hits in just 11 and 1/3 innings of work spanning his other 2 road starts this season. The Cardinals will have Carlos Martinez on the mound and the over is 3-1 in his last 4 starts as he has allowed at least 3 earned runs in 3 of his last 4 outings. By the way, the over is a perfect 4-0 in Lester's last 4 starts. The over is 9-5 in Cubs day games this season and a perfect 5-0 in their Saturday games. The over is 6-3 in Cardinals day games this year. 8* OVER 7.5 runs in St Louis |
|||||||
05-12-17 | A's v. Rangers OVER 9.5 | Top | 2-5 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 26 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 runs in Texas Rangers vs Oakland A's @ 8:05 ET - The Rangers got a huge come from behind win last night and are now 3-0 in their last 3 games and have scored 20 runs in the 3 victories. On a night when the wind will be blowing out to right and there there two right-handed pitchers on the mound and I won't expect to see some more bombs hit tonight. The A's are off of a 3-1 win Wednesday but previously the over was 8-1 in their last 9 games. Oakland, like Texas, comes into this game with some confidence at the plate as they've won 5 of their last 7 games and have averaged 5.6 runs in the 5 victories. The A's will are likely to get to the Rangers Andrew Cashner as he has been quite fortunate. In his two home starts he has walked 10 batters in only 10 innings of work. In his last home start, Cashner gave up 5 hits and walked 6 in only 4 innings of work and, though he allowed two homers, miraculously only gave up 2 earned runs. That is helping to give us line value here because Cashner is 11-30 in his last 41 decisions and had a 4.34 ERA two years ago (helped by pitching home games in San Diego) and a 5.25 ERA last season. He got hit at a .279 clip for the season each year. He's just not that solid of a pitcher and his issues with command of his pitches this season is foretelling of the damage that will be coming his way. The A's will have Jesse Hahn on the mound and he's been rocked for 8 runs (5 earned) on 14 hits in his last 2 starts which have spanned less than 10 innings. Also, Hahn walked 4 in his last start and that outing didn't even last 4 innings. The over is 2-0 in his last 2 starts and Oakland is 4-1 to the over this season in games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs. Also, the A's are 10-5 to the over when off of a win. Look for another one here. 10* OVER the total in Texas |
|||||||
05-12-17 | Astros v. Yankees OVER 8 | 5-1 | Loss | -110 | 8 h 49 m | Show | |
Rickenbach MLB Friday 8* OVER the total in New York Yankees vs Houston Astros @ 7:05 ET - Lance McCullers is off of a great start in Anaheim but the Angels have struggled to score runs this season. Never make the mistake of putting too much weight into one start. In his other two road starts this season McCullers was rocked each time for 5 earned runs in each even though each start was 5 innings or less. Look for more of the same here as the Yankees had a man thrown out at the plate for the final out last night in a 3-2 loss. This season the Yanks are 7-3 to the over when off of a loss. Also, the Yankees are 12-3 to the over when the posted total is 8 or 8.5 runs. The Astros are 31-16 to the over the last 2+ seasons (including 3-0 this year) when they are a road favorite in a range of -125 to -175. Also, Houston is 7-2 to the over this season when they are on the road and the posted total is 8 or 8.5 runs. The Astros will be teeing off against a young southpaw who has some good numbers so far this season but he has walked 8 batters in his last 2 starts and those outings spanned less than 12 innings. Houston has won their last two starts against lefties by a combined score of 12 to 9. The Astros have averaged 6.4 runs per game in their last 9 wins - part of a huge 9-2 run. Houston is one of the top scoring road teams in the majors this season with 5.2 runs per game while the Yankees are one of the top scoring home teams with 6.5 runs per game. 8* OVER the total in New York Yankees |
|||||||
05-11-17 | Twins v. White Sox OVER 8.5 | Top | 7-6 | Win | 100 | 8 h 54 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Chicago White Sox vs Minnesota Twins @ 8:10 ET - I know Phil Hughes is off of a good start but he was rocked for 10 hits in less than 6 innings in his most recent road start and was certainly lucky he only allowed 4 earned runs in that outing. Look for Hughes to again get hit hard again now that he's back on the road for this one. He faced off with tonight's counterpart, Derek Holland, 5 weeks ago and both had solid outings. However, this will now be a 2nd look for these lineups and the weather will also be much better than it was in early April. Certainly more favorable for the hitters here. Holland has been pitching well but the Twins are crushing the ball of late and have just 1 under in their last 10 games. In their last games Minnesota is averaging 5.2 runs per game and they are averaging 4.8 runs per game on the road this season while the ChiSox are averaging 4.7 runs per game at home this season. Look for both teams to get to at least 4 runs here and that guarantees us of no worse than a 5-4 final which sends this one over the total. The over is 23-15 when the White Sox are playing after a day off. Also, the over is 4-2 this season in ChiSox games where the line ranges from -125 to +125. Look for the over to improve to a perfect 4-0 in White Sox Thursday games this season. As for Minnesota, the over is 4-2 this season when playing with a day off and also the Twins are 38-19 to the over in May games the past 2+ seasons. Minny also is 84-54 to the over the past 2+ seasons in games against teams with a losing record. 10* OVER the total in Chicago White Sox |
|||||||
05-11-17 | Mariners v. Blue Jays OVER 9 | 2-7 | Push | 0 | 7 h 52 m | Show | |
Rickenbach MLB Thursday 8* OVER the total in Toronto Blue Jays vs Seattle Mariners @ 7:05 ET - I know this total seems a little high considering that Marco Estrada is on the mound for the Blue Jays. However, the Mariners are hitting a ridiculous .343 over the past week! The M's possess one of the hottest lineups in the league. Seattle has gone 6-1 in their last 7 games and they averaged nearly 9 runs per game in those 6 wins. In the 7 games the Mariners averaged 13 hits per game! Estrada gave up 5 earned runs in his most recent start and Seattle's lineup will present a huge challenge. The M's issue tonight is going to be their own starting pitcher. Chase DeJong gets the start and I know he is off of a solid start against Texas but the Rangers lineup has really been struggling this season. Prior to that outing, DeJong gave up 6 earned runs in a start where he couldn't even make it out of the 3rd inning. He'll have his hands full again on the road here (just like that ugly road start at Cleveland) as the right-hander faces a solid Blue Jays lineup. I know Toronto hasn't been impressive at the plate this season but they'll take advantage of facing an inexperienced hurler and the Jays are off of a big 8-7 win yesterday. The over is a respectable 60% in the Blue Jays last 15 games while the Mariners are 7-2 (78%) to the over in their last 9 games. More "fireworks" expected north of the border tonight. 8* OVER the total in Toronto |
|||||||
05-11-17 | Astros v. Yankees OVER 7.5 | 3-2 | Loss | -100 | 7 h 48 m | Show | |
Rickenbach MLB Thursday 8* OVER the total in New York Yankees vs Houston Astros @ 7:05 ET - Two solid pitches here but Dallas Keuchel has allowed 2 homers in EACH of his last two road starts and he's known for dominating at home but certainly being less dominant on the road. Keuchel gave up 5 earned runs at Los Angeles when he faced the Angels this past weekend. Michael Pineda gets the start for the Yankees and the last time he faced the Astros in the Bronx he was rocked last season for 3 homers in 5 innings. In fact, in his last two home starts versus Houston, Pineda has given up 11 earned runs in just 9 and 1/3 innings. This match-up features two of the hottest lineups in baseball. Of course all the hot hitting has played a big role in Houston having had just 2 unders in their last 8 games. As for the Yanks, the over is 9-2 in their last 11 games. Take advantage of the low posted total here. The over is 9-4 in Astros road games this season and 11-4 in Yankees home games. Also, the Yanks are 7-2 to the over when off of a loss this season and 6-1 to the over in games against left-handed starters. 8* OVER the total in New York Yankees |
|||||||
05-10-17 | Red Sox v. Brewers OVER 9.5 | Top | 4-7 | Win | 100 | 8 h 35 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Milwaukee Brewers vs Boston Red Sox @ 8:10 ET - A lot of times when teams are off of a high-scoring game where both clubs knocked the cover off of the ball it is good to come back with the under in the next game. However, I am going contrarian in this one because the Red Sox have now scored 35 runs in their last 3 games and they've given up 17 runs in their last two games. As for the Brewers, they're averaging 5.5 runs per game at home this season including 7 per game in their last 5 played at Miller Park. The Brewers Chase Anderson got off to a great start this season but he's now given up 4 earned runs in each of his past 2 starts and now faces a red hot and powerful Boston lineup. As for the Red Sox Kyle Kendrick, he got hammered by Baltimore in his first start this season and he is now facing one of this season's most powerful lineups thusfar as the Brewers have 52 homers in their first 33 games. The last 30 times the BoSox were off of a game where they allowed 10 runs or more - they lost 11-7 yesterday - they have had just 11 unders in those 30 occurrences. The over is 11-5 this season when Milwaukee is off of a win. Also, they are 13-5 to the over in their home games this season. In their last 43 interleague games, the Brewers have had just 15 unders. Look for another wild one here as Kendrick has been hit at a .285 clip in his last 3 seasons at the big league level. He just doesn't have the same stuff he used to. 10* OVER the total in Milwaukee |
|||||||
05-10-17 | Orioles v. Nationals OVER 7.5 | 6-7 | Win | 100 | 7 h 39 m | Show | |
Total Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Wednesday MLB 8* OVER the total in Washington Nationals vs Baltimore Orioles @ 7:05 ET - This total has dropped from an 8 to a 7.5 and this is a low total considering the potency of these two lineups. The Orioles are averaging 5 runs per game on the road so far this season. The Nationals are averaging 6.2 runs per game on the season and hitting a ridiculous .297 at home this season. Of course the reason we're getting a low total is because of the pitching match-up. However, Wade Miley was hit by two line drives in his last start and has now allowed 11 hits and walked 5 in his last 5 and 2/3 innings on the mound! Stephen Strasburg had to work through a calf cramp in his last start and did walk 4 batters in a start where he was unable to complete the 6th inning. The point is that I don't expect either hurler to be absolutely on top of their game here and, with any slip up for either and how strong these lineups are, we should easily get over the low total here. Miley has walked 11 in his last 12 and 2/3 innings. The Nationals are 12-5 to the over in night games this season. When off of a loss, the Nats have gone 7-3 to the over. In games against teams with a winning record, the Naitonals have gone 6-2 to the over this season. More of the same early Wednesday evening. 8* OVER the total in Washington |
|||||||
05-10-17 | Angels v. A's OVER 7.5 | 1-3 | Loss | -110 | 4 h 6 m | Show | |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Wednesday 8* OVER the total in Oakland A's vs Los Angeles Angels @ 3:35 ET - After opening up at an 8.5 this total has dropped to a 7.5 as of gameday morning and this is offering fantastic line value on the over. Yesterday's game totaled 10 runs and I expect more of the same today. The A's are starting Andrew Triggs and he has been rocked for 11 runs (9 earned) in his last 2 starts at home and those outings totaled only 10 innings! The Angels are starting Jesse Chavez and he gave up 4 earned runs on 8 hits in 6 innings in his last road start. He's 0-2 on the road this season and facing an A's team that has averaged 5 runs per game in going 4-2 in their last 6 games. The Angels have averaged 4.8 runs per game in their last 5 road games and will look to continue the momentum from yesterday's 7-run outburst. The Halos, when off of a win this season, have had just 5 unders in 16 games! The Athletics are 8-1 to the over in their last 9 games and are 39-24 to the over in games played in the month of May the last 2+ seasons. Good weather for an over in Oakland this afternoon with the wind blowing out, rather mild temperatures, and the ball carries better in day games (compared to night games) on the West Coast. 8* OVER the total in Oakland |
|||||||
05-09-17 | Twins v. White Sox OVER 9 | Top | 7-2 | Push | 0 | 8 h 13 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 9 runs in Chicago White Sox vs Minnesota Twins @ 8:10 ET - Mike Pelfrey gets the start for the White Sox and he doesn't pitch deep into games and has more walks than strikeouts in his starts this season. He is truly fortunate he has a 5.02 ERA this season as it easily could be higher. Look for the Twins to pound him here as Pelfrey has allowed 11 earned runs in his last 11 innings against Minnesota and that spans 3 starts and all were last season. The Twins are averaging 5.6 runs per game in their last 8 games. The over is 8-1 in Minnesota's last 9 games as their bullpen has also been struggling badly in recent games. The Twins are already 5-1 to the over this month and are now 38-19 to the over in their last 57 games played in the month of May. Look for the Twins to improve to 5-2 to the over this season when playing with a day off. The White Sox should also be pounding the ball this evening. I know Hector Santiago has some strong numbers early this season but the ChiSox rank #2 in the majors as they're hitting .292 against left-handers on the year. Also, Santiago was fortunate in his most recent road start as he allowed 6 hits and walked 4 for a total of 10 baserunners in just 5 innings of work. He may not be so fortunate against the ChiSox to allow only 2 earned runs with numbers like that! The White Sox are 8-3 in games against left-handed starters this season and have averaged 5.8 runs per game in those contests. The White Sox are averaging 5 runs per game at home this season and in their last 40 games when playing after a day off they've had just 15 unders. Look for the over to improve to 5-2 in White Sox home games where their money line has ranged from -125 to +125 so far this season. 10* Top Play OVER 9 runs in the Chicago White Sox game. |
|||||||
05-09-17 | Cardinals v. Marlins OVER 8 | 6-5 | Win | 100 | 8 h 34 m | Show | |
Rickenbach MLB Tuesday 8* OVER 8 runs in Miami Marlins vs St Louis Cardinals @ 7:10 ET - The Cards Adam Wainwright is struggling badly this season. He has given up 8 earned runs on 19 hits in just 11 and 1/3 innings spanning his last two starts and those were at home. Wainwright, on the road this season, has a 7.24 ERA so far. Now he faces a Marlins team that is starting to swing the bats better after a slow start this season. Miami, despite still losing, has been scoring a fair number of runs with an average of 5 runs per game in their last 9 games. The issue for the Marlins tonight is going to be in trying to turn off a red hot Cardinals lineup. St Louis is 8-3 in their last 11 games thanks to a lineup producing an average of 6 runs per game during this solid stretch. Miami will have Daniel Straily and he certainly has cooled off of after a hot start earlier this season. Straily has allowed 7 earned runs in the 10 and 1/3 innings spanning his last two starts. The right-hander has as many walks as strikeouts in those two outings and the 8 walks in roughly 10 innings of work is certainly a concern. The red hot Cardinals will make him pay. St Louis is 9-3 to the over this season in their games against teams with a losing record. Also, the Cards are 5-1 to the over in Wainwright's starts this season. The Marlins are 14-7 to the over in night games this season. More of the same on Tuesday evening. 8* OVER 8 runs in Miami |
|||||||
05-09-17 | Rangers v. Padres OVER 8.5 | 11-0 | Win | 100 | 6 h 30 m | Show | |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Tuesday 8* OVER 8.5 runs in San Diego Padres vs Texas Rangers @ 3:40 ET - The wind will be blowing out at Petco Park on a mild afternoon in San Diego. These are two of the weaker hitting teams in the majors so far this season. No one can really argue that. However, the ball carries better in day games on the West Coast and Jered Weaver gets the start for the Padres here. He has allowed 12 homers in his 6 starts this season! He's allowed 7 long balls in his last 3 starts including 2 in each of his home starts so far this year. Weaver also has allowed 4 homers in his last 3 starts against Texas and he gave up 4 earned runs in 6 innings in his most recent start versus the Rangers. Weaver will be opposed by AJ Griffin. The Texas right-hander has certainly been a pleasant surprise with his early season results this year. However, the Padres have averaged 5 runs per game in their last 8 games facing a right-handed starter. I see each team getting to at least 4 runs here and, of course, that guarantees us of no less than a 5-4 final here and that gets us the cash! The over is 3-1 in Griffin's 4 starts this season and a perfect 2-0 in Weaver's 2 home starts this year. The Rangers have lost 3 straight games and the over is 3-1 this season when they enter a game on a losing streak of 3 games or more. Texas is also 8-3 to the over this season when they are on the road and the posted total is 8 or 8.5 runs. San Diego has had just 14 unders in their last 41 inter-league games. The Padres also are 5-1 to the over this season in home games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs. 8* OVER 8.5 runs in San Diego |
|||||||
05-08-17 | Yankees v. Reds OVER 8.5 | 10-4 | Win | 100 | 9 h 43 m | Show | |
Rickenbach MLB Monday 8* OVER the total in Cincinnati Reds vs New York Yankees @ 7:10 ET - The Reds are one of the hotter teams in the league with 5 straight wins and a 7-1 run their last 8. The key has been a lineup that has produced 8.4 runs in their last 5 victories. I look for more of the same on Monday as the Reds catch the Yankees Masahiro Tanaka off of a start where he allowed 4 earned runs in 6 innings and gave up a pair of homers. The Reds just aren't going to be shut down at home. As for the Yankees sticks, spurred on by a sweep of the Cubs, look for them to pound Cincinnati's Rookie Davis. The right-hander has a 7.36 ERA on the season and is allowing 2 baserunners per inning so far on the year. Davis is facing a Yankees team that has won 5 straight games and averaged 7.6 runs per game during this hot streak. The over is 8-1 in the Yankees last 9 games and the over is 12-3 in the Reds last 15 games. Both lineups remain red hot Monday. 8* OVER the total in Cincinnati |
|||||||
05-07-17 | Diamondbacks v. Rockies OVER 11.5 | Top | 2-5 | Loss | -115 | 6 h 26 m | Show |
Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Colorado Rockies vs Arizona Diamondbacks @ 3:10 ET - Must admit I have been burned so far in this series but that changes in a big way Sunday. Wind blowing out, mild temperatures, and thin mile high air all combine for a great afternoon for the ball to carry extremely well at Coors Field. That said, Tyler Chatwood is in trouble here as the Rockies right-hander has a 7.16 ERA at home with a 1.90 WHIP and, overall, he has allowed 9 homers in his 6 starts this season. Chatwood has as many walks as strikeouts in his last 3 starts combined. Also, he has been rocked for 11 earned runs in the 11 innings spanning his last two starts against the Diamondbacks. Arizona will have Taijuan Walker on the mound for this one and he is only 4-9 in road starts in his career. Surprisingly he had a decent start at Colorado in his only career appearance here but the Rockies have been heating up their bats at home recently and have averaged 7.4 runs per game in their last 9 games at Coors Field. The Diamondbacks sticks were quiet yesterday but they had previously scored at least 5 runs in 7 of their last 11 games. Look for more of the same here as Chatwood's struggles continue. By the way, Walker did walk 5 in less than 5 innings of work in his most recent start and that was on the road just like this one is. The over is 2-1 in Walker's last 3 starts and 3-0 in Chatwood's last 3 starts. In home games with a line between -125 and +125 for the Rockies, the over has gone 6-2 this season! Look for a slugfest here. 10* OVER the total in Colorado |
|||||||
05-07-17 | Brewers v. Pirates OVER 8 | 6-2 | Push | 0 | 5 h 51 m | Show | |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Sunday 8* OVER the total in Pittsburgh Pirates vs Milwaukee Brewers @ 1:35 ET - The wind will be blowing out at PNC Park for this early afternoon match-up and, after the bats have gone quiet for the first two games of this series, there is reason to believe we'll see plenty of offense in the finale of the 3-game set. The Brewers are 11-3 to the over in games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs this season. The Pirates are 7-2 to the over in home games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs this season. Zach Davies shows the betting markets a low ERA in his last 3 starts but he's been quite fortunate in those games. Hence the value here as Davies has actually been knocked around for 21 hits in the 15 and 1/3 innings spanning his last 3 starts. Tyler Glasnow gets the start for the Pirates and the young hurler is still struggling. He has made 3 home starts this season and has gone winless with an 8.38 ERA in those outings. Glasnow has been hit hard plus has issued far too many walks. The over is 4-1 in his starts this season and the over is 6-0 in Davies starts this season. Look for more of the same in this match-up! 8* OVER the total in Pittsburgh EARLY Sunday afternoon. |
|||||||
05-06-17 | Diamondbacks v. Rockies OVER 11.5 | Top | 1-9 | Loss | -103 | 11 h 15 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Colorado Rockies vs Arizona Diamondbacks @ 8:10 ET - I lost with this play yesterday as the Dbacks had 5 runs very early in the game but then it settled into a surprisingly low-scoring affair the rest of the way and fell just short. I won't hesitate to come right back with the over in Colorado today. The temperatures will be very warm today in Denver so it will be a mild evening at Coors Field AND the wind will be blowing out. It is the perfect set-up for a slugfest to develop in the thin Mile High air tonight. The Rockies send Tyler Anderson to the mound and he's an awful 1-3 with a 7.71 ERA this season and that is even though 4 of his 6 starts have been away from hitter-friendly Coors Field this season. He'll also be facing Arizona for the 4th time in less than a year and the results have not been good. Anderson has compiled a 7.80 ERA in his 3 starts against the Diamondbacks with an ugly 2.07 WHIP. That's right, the Rockies southpaw is allowing 2 baserunners per inning in his outings versus Arizona in his career. Pat Corbin gets the starts for the Dbacks here and he had a great start versus the Rockies last weekend but that was in Arizona. Now he faces them in Colorado where he got rocked for 6 earned runs in 4 and 1/3 innings last season. In fact, prior to the strong start versus the Rockies last weekend, Corbin had allowed 5 homers in his last 2 starts versus Colorado. The over is 6-2 this season in Rockies home games with a money line in a range of -125 to +125. The over is also a perfect 4-0 this season in Arizona's Saturday games. More of the same this Saturday. 10* OVER the total in Colorado |
|||||||
05-06-17 | White Sox v. Orioles OVER 9 | 5-6 | Win | 100 | 11 h 15 m | Show | |
Rickenbach MLB Saturday 8* OVER the total in Baltimore Orioles vs Chicago White Sox @ 7:05 ET - Yesterday's game stayed under the total as the O's prevailed 4-2. However, the White Sox had previously won 8 of their last 11 and the ChiSox averaged 7.5 runs per game in those 8 victories. Though Dylan Bundy of the Orioles certainly has some impressive numbers early this season, he has more walks than strikeouts over his last 2 starts combined and his strikeout numbers have been trending downward. That is a sign of what is to come and I expect him to surprise many by struggling against the White Sox today. As for Dylan Covey and facing the high-powered Orioles, this could get ugly in a hurry! Covey is winless in his 4 starts this season and he has compiled a 7.29 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP on the season. Covey has been completely crushed in his last 2 road starts and I look for more of the same on a hitter-friendly evening at Baltimore. The White Sox are 15-8 to the over in recent seasons in road games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs. Look for more of the same on Saturday! 8* OVER the total in Baltimore |
|||||||
05-06-17 | Nationals v. Phillies OVER 8.5 | 6-2 | Loss | -112 | 11 h 0 m | Show | |
Rickenbach MLB Saturday 8* OVER 8.5 runs in Philadelphia Phillies vs Washington Nationals @ 7:05 ET - The Phillies Vincent Velasquez is one of those guys that sometimes can pitch extremely well but other times struggles with command and location of his pitches and he pays for it. Considering he's facing one of the top hitting teams in the majors today I look for him to struggle again in this outing. Velasquez has a 5.47 ERA on the season and in his three home starts this season he has gone 1-2 with a 7.05 ERA. He has a 6.30 ERA against the Nationals in his career and the Nats saw him earliers this season so that favors the hitters here as they get a quick second look. The Phillies should enjoy success at the plate after being held to just 2 runs yesterday against Stephen Strasburg. They go from facing an ace to facing a pitcher called up from the minors. The Nats will have A.J. Cole on the mound and the right-hander was struggling in the minors this season. Also, he has struggled at the MLB level so far in his career with a 5.29 ERA in 11 appearances (9 starts). Even with yesterday's under, Washington is 10-4 to the over in night games this season and the Phillies are 12-6 to the over this season in their games against teams with a winning record. 8* OVER the total in Philadelphia |
|||||||
05-05-17 | Diamondbacks v. Rockies OVER 11 | Top | 6-3 | Loss | -115 | 9 h 15 m | Show |
Total Crusher - Rickenbach Friday MLB 10* Top Play OVER 11 runs in Colorado Rockies vs Arizona Diamondbacks @ 8:40 ET - Light winds, mild temperatures, thin air will all combine to make for a very hitter-friendly night at Coors Field Friday. Zach Greinke gets the start for the Diamondbacks and he allowed 3 homers versus the Rockies in Arizona last week. In his last start at Colorado he also also was hit quite hard but managed to allow "only" three earned runs in an outing where he was knocked out in the 6th inning. This will be a tough outing for him as the Rockies bats have been heating up at home after a slow start earlier this season. As the weather has warmed so too have the Colorado sticks. The Rockies are averaging 8 runs per game in their last 7 home games! However, Colorado has also allowed 14 earned runs per game in their last 3 home games and German Marquez is likely to struggle tonight. The Rockies starter used a fantastic curveball to get some key strikeouts against the Dbacks last week in Arizona. However, in the thin air of Colorado the ball doesn't always break as well. Of course this was clearly evident in the most recent home start Marquez made. The Rockies righty was rocked for 8 earned runs in just 4 innings of work and tonight he faces a Dbacks team that had won 7 of 11 games and averaged 6 runs per game before back to back low-scoring games at Washington. In other words, a bounce back can be expected here in a hitter-friendly situation. The Diamondbacks are 14-8 to the over in night games this season. The Rockies are 6-1 to the over this season in home games where their line is an a range of -125 to +125 and I look for another slugfest in this one. 10* OVER the total in Colorado Friday night. |
|||||||
05-05-17 | Yankees v. Cubs UNDER 6.5 | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 4 h 3 m | Show | |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Friday 8* UNDER the total in Chicago Cubs vs New York Yankees @ 2:20 ET - Don't let the low total scare you here. The fact is that it is going to be a raw blustery afternoon at Wrigley Field. Temps will struggled to get above the 50 degree mark and a north wind at 20 miles per hour will be blowing in from left field. This game is set up well to be a low scoring pitchers duel. The Cubs Kyle Hendricks has allowed only 11 hits in his last 17 innings of work and only 2 earned runs in his last 12 innings. Hendricks has never made a start against the Yankees in his career so that is a big edge for him too. As for the Yanks Michael Pineda, he has compiled a fantastic 3.14 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in his 5 starts this season. He only has one career start against the Cubs and he shut them out over 6 innings in that one! That start was 3 years ago so, just like Hendricks, Pineda has the "lack of familiarity" angle working in his favor here in terms of keeping the hitters off-balance. Look for the under to improve to 3-0 in Hendricks last 3 starts. Though both of these teams have been trending over of late, the weather conditions and the solid current form of both of these starting pitchers dictate that this one should stay under the total. The under is 101-81 in Yankees games the past 3 seasons when they are off of a win. In the Cubs last 50 inter-league games there have only been 18 overs - that's an over rate of only 36%! Also, Cubs home games are on a 102-78 run to the under. This match-up also features two of the best bullpens in the majors. 8* UNDER the total in the Chicago Cubs game in afternoon action Friday. |
|||||||
05-04-17 | Brewers v. Cardinals OVER 7.5 | Top | 5-4 | Win | 112 | 7 h 57 m | Show |
Total Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in St Louis Cardinals vs Milwaukee Brewers @ 7:15 ET - Chase Anderson has been strong early this season for the Brewers but I feel he has truly pitched "over his head" and there have been signs that a "reality check" is on the way. Anderson had more walks than strikeouts in his most recent start and he allowed 4 earned runs in that outing. In his most recent road start, Anderson allowed 7 hits in 5 innings and was fortunate to only be charged with 2 earned runs. The game between these clubs yesterday was rained out and they had a 2-1 game in the prior game. However, the Cardinals had been red hot at the plate with an average of 5.7 runs per game in their 9 prior games. The Brewers also had been red hot at the plate with an average of 7.3 runs per game in their 7 prior games. Look for the hot hitting to resume here as Anderson is unlikely to be the only pitcher struggling in this one. The Cardinals will have Adam Wainwright on the mound and he has been rocked for 10 earned runs on 25 hits in just 16 innings of work spanning his last 3 starts. Each of these guys had a solid start against the opposing club about two weeks ago but look for the quick 2nd look to bring out the best in both lineups. The over is 14-5 in Brewers divisional games this season and 5-2 in Cardinals games when they are playing with a day off. After yesterday's rain out, even though it will be a cool night at Busch with the wind blowing in from left, the value is with the over in this one with the weather helping to push this total lower than it should be. 10* OVER the total in St Louis |
|||||||
05-04-17 | Rockies v. Padres OVER 8 | 3-2 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 54 m | Show | |
Rickenbach MLB Thursday 8* OVER the total in San Diego Padres vs Colorado Rockies @ 3:40 ET - Colorado rolled to an 11-3 win yesterday but the Padres had previously averaged nearly 8 runs per game in winning 3 straight games. This afternoon I look for both teams to score early and often and will take advantage of a low posted total here. Part of the reason this total is low is because it's being played at San Diego but the ball does carry better in day games compared to night games on the west coast. Another reason this total has been set low is because of the low ERA of each of these two pitchers. However, the issue for these hurlers today is they've each had trouble with the lineups their facing today. Adding to the concern for the pitchers today is the fact that each of these teams step into the batters box with plenty of confidence today as the Rockies are off of a game where they scored 11 runs yesterday and the Padres have averaged 6.5 runs per game in their last 4 games. With yesterday's result, the over is now 8-3 in San Diego's last 11 games. The over is also 6-3 in the Rockies last 9 games. Luis Perdomo gets the start for the Padres and he is 0-2 with an 8.18 ERA against Colorado (both starts last season). Kyle Freeland gets the start for the Rockies and he faced San Diego three weeks ago and got rocked for 6 earned runs in less than 5 innings of work. The over is 6-2 in Padres day games this season and a perfect 5-0 in home games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs this season. The Rockies are a perfect 4-0 to the over in road games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs this season. 8* OVER the total in San Diego |
|||||||
05-04-17 | A's v. Twins OVER 9 | 8-5 | Win | 105 | 6 h 55 m | Show | |
Rickenbach MLB Thursday 8* OVER the total in Minnesota Twins vs Oakland A's @ 1:10 ET - I don't see how either starting pitcher can be trusted in this one and I expect this one to fly over the total. With yesterday's 7-4 Twins win going over the total, the over has now cashed in 5 straight Minnesota games. The Twins are now 36-18 to the over in May games the past 3 seasons combined and are 6-2 to the over this season in home games where the line is between -125 and +125 for Minny. The A's are now 6-2 to the over this season in their games against teams with a winning record. Jharel Cotton gets the start for the Athletics and he is 1-2 with a 5.75 ERA in his last 3 starts. That included his most recent road start where he was pounded for 10 hits in only 4 and 1/3 innings of work. Kyle Gibson gets the start for the Twins and he's having an awful start to the season with an 0-3 record and 8.06 ERA in his 5 starts thusfar. Look for the over in Minny games to improve to 6-0 their last 6 as both these hurlers struggle again this afternoon. 8* OVER the total in Minnesota |
|||||||
05-03-17 | White Sox v. Royals OVER 8 | Top | 1-6 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 14 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Kansas City Royals vs Chicago White Sox @ 8:15 ET - Weather is an important factor in MLB Totals but sometimes it can actually help lead to line value when the weather factors are actually going against the play that we want to make. That is precisely the situation here. The wind is expecting to be blowing in tonight at Kauffman Stadium and the temps will be in the upper 40s on a rather chilly evening. As a result, this total has been dropping this morning and we can now take the over at 8 runs and not even have to lay juice. This is offering great line value considering this pitching match-up absolutely spells O-V-E-R! Mike Pelfrey gets the start for the White Sox and, amazingly, he is in his 12th MLB season even though he's never been that damn good! Seriously guys, this is a pitcher that has been hit at a .293 clip by major league hitters in his career. Pelfrey just doesn't fool many hitters and we're getting some line value here because of the pitcher-friendly weather and the fact Pelfrey hasn't pitched much yet this season. The fact is he is not a strong hurler. 5 walks and 10 hits in 9 innings this season while only striking out 3 batters. Against the Royals, Pelfrey is 1-4 with a 6.37 ERA and a 1.98 WHIP in his career. He won't be the only hurler getting pounded tonight either. Nate Karns gets the start for KC and he's facing a ChiSox lineup that has helped lead the way to a 7-2 run for the White Sox as they've averaged 6.2 runs per game their last 9 games! Karns has allowed 10 earned runs in the less than 11 innings spanning his last two starts and one of those outings was against Chicago. Karns is winless in his 4 career starts against the White Sox. The ChiSox had just 1 under in their last 7 games before the first two games of this series stayed under the total. The overs resume for the White Sox tonight. Look for the over to improve to 9-5 this season when the ChiSox are off of a win. As for the Royals, their 10 divisional games have resulted in only 3 unders this season. 10* OVER the total in Kansas City |
|||||||
05-03-17 | Orioles v. Red Sox OVER 9 | 2-4 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 28 m | Show | |
Rickenbach MLB Wednesday 8* OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs Baltimore Orioles @ 7:10 ET - A cool night at Fenway Park but the wind will be blowing out toward right and, of course, this is known as a hitter-friendly ball park. The first two games of this series stayed under the total but the Orioles came into this series having just 1 under in their prior 7 games. As for the Red Sox, they have been trending under this season but this pitching match up is deal to bring out the best in both lineups. The BoSox will be teeing off against Kevin Gausman of the Orioles. The Baltimore right-hander has an 11.57 ERA in his last 3 starts and has given up 6 homers in those 3 outings. That included allowing 3 homers when he faced the Red Sox in Baltimore on the 23rd of April. As for the Boston hurler in this one, Drew Pomeranz has a 5.17 ERA in his last 3 starts and, like Gausman, he has also been having problems with the long ball. Pomeranz has given up 5 homers in his last 3 starts and the O's dangerous lineup will be getting a quick second look at him as they just faced him on the 21st at Camden Yards! Pomeranz has allowed 6 earned runs in 8 innings the last two times he's hosted the Orioles. Gausman has allowed 5 earned runs in EACH of his last two starts against the Red Sox. The over is 6-2 this season when Baltimore is off of a loss. Look for another one here! 8* OVER the total in Boston |
|||||||
05-02-17 | White Sox v. Royals OVER 7.5 | Top | 6-0 | Loss | -110 | 9 h 12 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 7.5 runs in Kansas City Royals vs Chicago White Sox @ 8:15 ET - Danny Duffy of the Royals just got rocked by the White Sox in Chicago last week and that doesn't bode well for a quick turnaround match-up. Having just seen him (and pounded him!) the ChiSox will step to the plate with plenty of confidence in this one. Although Jose Quintana of the White Sox had a solid start versus the Royals last week, his only road start this season was ugly. Overall, Quintana had allowed 8 earned runs on 14 hits and 8 walks in his last 11 and 2/3 innings of work prior to success at Kansas City last week. By the way, the last time the ChiSox southpaw pitched at Kauffman Stadium he was rocked for 6 earned runs on 10 hits in just 4 innings of work in September. The over is 2-0 in Duffy's last 2 starts versus the White Sox and the games totaled 28 runs! Tonight's game will mark the 10th divisional game for the Royals this season and so far only 2 of their divisional match-ups have stayed under the total! The White Sox are hitting .279 this season against southpaws and that's #1 in the American League. Even though the Royals have been at the other end of the spectrum I like the fact that they are at home and Quintana has a history of struggling on the road. In other words, the low total here is offering exceptional line value on the over! 10* OVER the total in Kansas City |
|||||||
05-02-17 | Pirates v. Reds OVER 8.5 | 12-3 | Win | 100 | 8 h 23 m | Show | |
Rickenbach MLB Tuesday 8* OVER 8.5 runs in Cincinnati Reds vs Pittsburgh Pirates @ 7:10 ET - Tyler Glasnow gets the start for the Pirates and he has struggled badly this season. The Pittsburgh right-hander is winless in his 4 starts this season with a 7.98 ERA that clearly could be even WORSE as he has a horrible 2.45 WHIP on the season! He had a nightmare outing versus the Reds earlier this season and I wouldn't be surprised to see another one here on a very hitter-friendly night at Cincinnati. The Red starter tonight is Scott Feldman and, though he has pitched well early this season, I just don't see it lasting. Sure enough he has walked 5 batters in 2 of his last 3 starts and he did allow 4 earned runs in his most recent start which spanned only 5 innings of work. Yesterday's game stayed under the total but the over is still 12-5 in Reds divisional games this season and each of Glasnow's last 3 starts have gone over the total for the Bucs. Look for more of the same here as both starters are likely to get pummeled. 8* OVER 8.5 runs in Cincinnati |
|||||||
05-01-17 | Pirates v. Reds OVER 8 | Top | 3-4 | Loss | -114 | 12 h 6 m | Show |
Total Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cincinnati Reds vs Pittsburgh Pirates @ 7:10 ET - The wind is going to be blowing out to left field at a good clip for this one and of course Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati is known for being a hitter-friendly venue. That said, we are getting great line value here with this total being held lower than it should be due to the pitching match-up. As solid as Gerrit Cole is for the Pirates, he does have a 4.76 ERA in road starts this season. He's opposed by the Reds Amir Garrett who was off to a great start this season before getting completely rocked by the Brewers in his most recent start. That poor outing versus Milwaukee showed that the 24 year old is still adjusting to the big leagues and he now faces a Pirates team that had a .350 on base percentage versus southpaws last season and that was tied for 2nd in the league out of all 30 teams in the majors. Pittsburgh's game went over the total yesterday for the 6th time in their last 9 games. The Reds game went over the total yesterday for the 8th straight game! Sometimes, due to pitching match-ups, the odds makers feel forced to over-adjust totals downward to appease the betting markets based on pitching match-ups. In Cincy, more often than not, that just does not work! The over is 45-25 in Reds home games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs the past 3 seasons. The over is 12-4 this season in Cincy's divisional games. Also, the Pirates are seeking revenge for a 3-game home sweep at the hands of the Reds in early April. While I expect the Bucs bats to respond, don't be surprised if Cole gets a little touched up here. He is 0-6 with a 5.44 ERA in his 8 career starts against the Reds. 10* OVER the total in Cincinnati |
|||||||
04-30-17 | Mariners v. Indians OVER 9.5 | 4-12 | Win | 100 | 3 h 51 m | Show | |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Sunday 8* OVER the total in Cleveland vs Seattle @ 1:10 ET - Unbelievable warmth in Cleveland today for late April as warm air is pushing in from the south in advance of the next cool-down. With winds out of the south or south-southwest (which means it will be carrying the ball out) and temperatures warming into the low 80's, a slugfest can be expected here. Of course the Indians Josh Tomlin is a big-name pitcher but he's 1-3 with a 9.32 ERA so far this season and, even though he's been a little better in his last 2 starts, he did get hit hard by the Mariners when he faced them last season. Seattle's bats have cooled some the last couple days but they still are averaging 6 runs per game in their last 6 games and nearly 10 hits per games in their last 7 games. The Indians have won 8 of their last 11 games and have averaged nearly 6 runs per game in those 8 wins. They'll be facing Chase De Jong who is only getting this start because of the injury to Felix Hernandez. This will be De Jong's first ever MLB start and he also only has made 3 starts at the AAA level in his minor league career. In other words, most of his success has been at the AA level or below in the minors and I'll gladly "test him" here on a very hitter-friendly afternoon in warm conditions. 8* OVER the total in Cleveland |
|||||||
04-29-17 | Angels v. Rangers OVER 8.5 | Top | 3-6 | Win | 100 | 9 h 30 m | Show |
Total Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Texas Rangers vs Los Angeles Angels @ 7:15 ET - Both of these clubs have trended heavily to the under this season but that is simply serving to give us line value on what will be a very hitter-friendly night at the ballpark in Arlington. The wind is going to be blowing out to center at a good clip and some drier air is moving in behind a cool front. Look for the ball to be carrying very well in this one. The Angels are starting Jesse Chavez and he got roughed up by the Rangers for 5 earned runs in less than 5 innings of work earlier this month. Chavez has a 5.24 ERA versus Texas in his career. The Rangers will have Yu Darvish on the mound. He has had great success against the Angels in his career. However I do like the fact that he just faced them a few weeks ago and the Angels now get a quick second look. Since that strong start against Los Angeles, Darvish has given up 3 homers in his last 2 starts. The Angels bats are starting to heat up with 16 runs on 31 hits in their last 3 games. Surprisingly the over is 10-3 in the career starts Darvish has made against the Angels. Also, the over is 3-1 in the 4 career starts Chavez has made against the Rangers. Texas is 3-0 to the over in their games against teams with a winning record this season. The Rangers have pounded out 21 hits in their last 2 games and should pound Chavez here. 10* Top Play OVER the total in Texas |
|||||||
04-29-17 | Orioles v. Yankees OVER 8.5 | 4-12 | Win | 100 | 5 h 15 m | Show | |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Saturday 8* OVER the total in New York Yankees vs Baltimore Orioles @ 1:05 ET - I had the over in Game 1 of this series yesterday and the teams combined for 25 runs. Oftentimes I'll look to come right back with an under after an insanely high-scoring game like that occurs. However, the fact is that another slugfest should erupt this afternoon. Mild and dry air at Yankee Stadium with the wind blowing out toward right-center. Even though Michael Pineda has pitched well for the Yankees early this season he has given up 5 earned runs in the 12 innings spanning his last two starts. This has included allowing 3 homers so it's not as if he's pitching "lights out" right now. As for the Orioles, they'll have Ubaldo Jimenez on the mound and he's been rocked in 3 of his 4 starts this season. Also, Jimenez has a 6.35 ERA in his career starts against the Yanks and he allowed 5 earned runs against them in less than 5 innings of work in his start versus New York earlier this season. Pineda most recently faced the Orioles in September and he was rocked for 5 earned runs in less than 5 innings of work as well. Just like Jimenez, he allowed 2 homers in that start. The over is a perfect 4-0 in games between the Yanks and O's this season. Also, the over is 6-2 in Yankees day games and 7-3 in their games against teams with a winning record this season. 8* OVER the total in New York Yankees early Saturday |
|||||||
04-28-17 | Cubs v. Red Sox OVER 8.5 | 4-5 | Win | 100 | 8 h 16 m | Show | |
Rickenbach MLB Friday 8* OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs Chicago Cubs @ 7:10 ET - The Red Sox bats were quiet in their series with the Yankees but the first game got rained out and that was after already having an off day in front of the originally scheduled first game of the 3-game set. That said, the Red Sox had been hitting well at home (at least in terms of batting average) before struggling against the Yanks hurlers. Now, playing their third straight day after having had 2 straight days off, look for the Boston sticks to get back on track here. Jake Arrieta is a big name pitcher and that is helping to keep this total low. The fact is that the Cubs right-hander has been hit hard and has given up 4 homers in his last 2 starts. He'll be opposed by the Red Sox Drew Pomeranz whom also has been hit quite hard and has given up 3 homers in his last 2 starts. The 12 hits the Cubs had Wednesday was the 8th time in 9 games that Chicago has tallied at least 9 hits. The Cubs have scored 5 runs or more in 7 of their last 8 games. On an 8-1 run to the over, the Cubs surge at the plate is likely to continue at hitter-friendly Fenway Park. The over is a perfect 5-0 in Cubs road games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs so far this season. Look for that perfect record to remain intact after this one goes final Friday night. 8* OVER the total in Boston |
|||||||
04-28-17 | Pirates v. Marlins UNDER 7.5 | 12-2 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 51 m | Show | |
Rickenbach MLB Friday 8* UNDER the total in Miami Marlins vs Pittsburgh Pirates @ 7:10 ET - Jameson Taillon gets the start for the Pirates and he has not allowed a single earned run in his 14 innings of work on the road this season. Adam Conley gets the start for the Marlins and he has allowed only 11 hits in his 17 innings of work while compiling a 2.65 ERA early this season! Only 1 of Taillon's starts has resulted in an over this season. Also, on the road this season, Pittsburgh is a stellar 8-1 to the under thusfar. The Pirates bullpen has a 2.45 ERA in road games this season and the Marlins pen has a solid 2.32 ERA in home games so far this season. Conley handcuffed Pittsburgh the only time he's faced them (June of last year) and Miami has never faced Taillon which is generally a big edge for the hurler - especially when that hurler has allowed 0 earned runs in his 14 innings on the road this season! 8* UNDER the total in Miami Friday |
|||||||
04-28-17 | Orioles v. Yankees OVER 8.5 | 11-14 | Win | 100 | 8 h 16 m | Show | |
Rickenbach MLB Friday 8* OVER the total in New York Yankees vs Baltimore Orioles @ 7:05 ET - Kevin Gausman gets the start for the Orioles and he got rocked by the Yankees three weeks ago. Overall, the Baltimore right-hander comes into this start struggling with 13 earned runs allowed in the 9 innings spanning his last two starts. He'll be opposed by C.C. Sabathia who also is likely to struggle tonight. The Yankees southpaw has allowed 3 homers in his last 2 starts and got roughed up at Pittsburgh in his most recent outing. Sabathia gave up 6 hits and walked 4 in his 6-inning stint versus Baltimore earlier this season and he certainly was fortunate the damage wasn't worse than the 3 runs (2 earned) that he allowed in that start. The over is 6-3 in Yankees games against teams with a winning record this season. Also, only 1 of Gausman's last 4 starts has resulted in an under. The Yankees had averaged scoring 5.2 runs per game in their last 9 games before getting shutout yesterday. Baltimore and the Yanks combined to go over the total in all 3 games of their most recent series, back in early April. 8* OVER the total in New York Yankees |
|||||||
04-27-17 | Yankees v. Red Sox OVER 7 | Top | 3-0 | Loss | -119 | 8 h 9 m | Show |
MLB Network Blowout Rout - Rickenbach MLB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 7 runs in Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees @ 7:10 ET - This is a contrarian play of course considering that Chris Sale has been phenomenal for the Red Sox early this season. I am expecting the Yankees to do a little damage against him. The Yanks have averaged 7.8 runs per game in their last 5 wins and before being held a little quiet in their last two games, the Yankees had reached double digits in hits in 5 of their last 7 games. As for Masahiro Tanaka getting the start for the Yanks, look for him to get pounded here. The Red Sox are hitting nearly .300 at home this season and Tanaka is winless with a 11.73 ERA and 2.61 WHIP in his two road starts this season. The Yankees right-hander has been hit at a .294 clip this season and also has been having more issues with command of his pitches. This has led to 10 walks in his 21 innings this season. Also, he has hit two batters and allowed 2 homers in his road starts this season. Making those numbers even uglier is the fact that he didn't even total 8 innings in the two starts. With this total dropping to a 7 and with my contrarian nature, I love backing the over in this spot. The last 16 times a Red Sox game had a total of 7 runs or less only 6 of the 16 stayed under the total. The Yankees are 6-2 to the over this season in their games against teams with a winning record and also the Yanks are a perfect 3-0 to the over against left-handed starters. 10* Top Play OVER 7 runs in Boston |
|||||||
04-27-17 | Blue Jays v. Cardinals OVER 8 | Top | 4-8 | Win | 100 | 4 h 33 m | Show |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 8 runs in St Louis Cardinals vs Toronto Blue Jays @ 1:45 ET (Game 1 of double header) - The wind will be blowing out and there is reason to believe both pitchers will struggle here. Mat Latos gets the start for the Blue Jays and he got roughed up by an Angels lineup that has been struggling this season. That was Latos first start of the season and the fact that the Angels got to him a bit plus he walked 3 and struck out only 1 in 5 innings is not a good sign for the right-hander. Thursday he faces a Cardinals team that has averaged 5.2 runs per game in their last 5 games and 4 of the 5 went over the total. The Cards will have Carlos Martinez on the mound and he's off to a bit of a rough start early this season. He's 0-3 with a 7.05 ERA and 1.83 WHIP in his last 3 starts. Martinez will be facing a Blue Jays lineup that is starting to swing the bats better as they've reached double digits in hits in 6 of their last 11 games. The Jays have averaged 5 runs per game in their last 5 games and this will be their 4th game this season as a road dog of +125 to +175 and, so far, none of these games have resulted in an under! As for the Cardinals, look for their Thursday games to go to 3-0 to the over with a wild one in the first game of their day night double header. 10* OVER 8 runs in St Louis |
|||||||
04-26-17 | Twins v. Rangers OVER 9 | Top | 3-14 | Win | 100 | 6 h 10 m | Show |
Total Dominator - Rickenbach Wednesday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Texas Rangers vs Minnesota Twins @ 8:05 ET - The wind will be blowing out to center field at a pretty good clip early on in this game. That is bad news for both of these hurlers as, despite good numbers early this season, each has found tonight's opposition to be a bit of a nemesis. The Rangers Cole Hamels allowed 5 earned runs in each of his two starts against the Twins last season and he didn't even last 5 innings in either start! The Twins Hector Santiago allowed 12 earned runs in 13 innings in his 3 starts versus Texas last season. The Rangers offense has certainly been a little "up and down" this season but they had scored at least 5 runs in 6 of their first 10 home games this season before being shutdown in the first two games of this series. Now, after getting drilled 8-1 yesterday, look for the Rangers bats to respond versus a pitcher they've certainly enjoyed success against. As for the Twins, they've won 3 straight road games and averaged 7.3 runs per game in those 3 victories. The over is 30-19 in Minnesota's Wednesday games in recent seasons and 36-17 in Rangers Wednesday games in recent seasons - including a perfect 3-0 this season. Look for the over to improve to 5-1 in Hamels starts against the Twins in his career. 10* OVER the total in Texas |
|||||||
04-25-17 | Cubs v. Pirates OVER 7.5 | 1-0 | Loss | -105 | 11 h 2 m | Show | |
Rickenbach MLB Tuesday 8* OVER the total in Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs @ 7:05 ET - With yesterday's 14-3 blowout win, the Cubs are averaging 6.7 runs per game on the road this season. As you would expect with those types of numbers, Chicago has gone 7-2-1 to the over away from home so far this year. I don't expect that to change here. This is a rematch of the pitching match-up between these division rivals on the 14th at Wrigley Field when Gerrit Cole and Kyle Hendricks squared off. That game did stay under the total but neither pitcher was dominant in that start and having just faced these lineups, I expect the batters to hold the upper hand in the rematch. Cole was rocked for 5 earned runs in less than 5 innings of work the last time he hosted the Cubs. Also, the over is now 7-2-1 in Pirates home games this season. The Bucs should pound Hendricks as he has a 6.19 ERA so far this season and has given up 13 hits in his last 11 innings versus Pittsburgh. Also, Hendricks ERA on the road last season was more than 1.6 runs higher than at home and this has been a trend throughout his young career as he's dominated at Wrigley Field but not so away from home. The over is 6-2 in Hendricks starts versus the Pirates in his career. More of the same on a mild evening in western PA this evening and we can take advantage of the low total posted on this game. 8* OVER the total in Pittsburgh |
|||||||
04-25-17 | Astros v. Indians OVER 8.5 | 4-2 | Loss | -110 | 10 h 28 m | Show | |
Rickenbach MLB Tuesday 8* OVER the total in Cleveland Indians vs Houston Astros @ 6:10 ET - The wind is going to be blowing out to left field on a mild evening in Cleveland and this is a classic case of an ideal situation I like when grabbing an over. Here you have a struggling pitcher, Josh Tomlin, at home and you have the hotter pitcher, Dallas Keuchel, on the road. I like overs in these situations because the home team usually has the edge at the plate so don't be surprised when the Indians do their fair share of damage at the plate but, at the same time, Tomlin's early season struggles mean that the Astros should have no trouble piling up runs here. The Indians right-hander has a 11.94 ERA in his first 3 starts this season. The Astros are 7-1 to the over in road game this year and that includes a perfect 5-0 when the posted total is 8 or 8.5 runs. Taking at look at Houston's Keuchel, he did allow 8 hits in 7 innings in his most recent start and he's well known for being a much stronger pitcher at home compared to on the road. The last time he pitched at Cleveland he allowed 9 hits in 6 innings. The Indians are 42-23 to the over in home games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs the last 3 seasons combined. The Astros have scored 6 runs or more in 6 of their last 7 road games while the Indians are averaging 6 runs per game in their last 4 home games. Look for a slugfest in this match-up. 8* OVER the total in Cleveland EARLY Tuesday evening |
|||||||
04-24-17 | Twins v. Rangers OVER 9.5 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 54 m | Show |
Total Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Texas Rangers vs Minnesota Twins @ 8:05 ET - Martin Perez gets the start for the Rangers and his 3.60 ERA is deceiving as he has a 1.80 WHIP so he's truly been flirting with disaster in his outings this season. In his last 3 starts the Texas southpaw has allowed 20 hits and walked 8 batters in 14 innings. Of course that works out to a WHIP of 2.00 and if you're allowing an average of 2 baserunners per inning it's going to eventually catch up with you. Look for the Twins to 'make him pay' on Monday evening. The ball carries very well in Texas and it will be a mild evening at the ballpark. The Twins counter with Phil Hughes and he's been roughed up for 13 hits (including 3 homers) in his last 2 starts. This has led to 10 runs (8 earned) in just 9 innings spanning his last two outings. Also, the Minnesota right-hander has been rocked for 8 earned runs on 20 hits in his last 2 starts at Texas. The Rangers haven't been overly hot at the plate early this season but they have scored 5 runs or more in 2 of their last 3 games and a struggling Hughes should certainly bring out the best in them. As for the Twins sticks, they have scored at least 4 runs in 4 of their last 5 games and they did erupt for 11 runs in their most recent road game. When the Rangers have a big posted total at home it proves to be justified more often than not. The last 104 times they are at home with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs they have stayed under the total just 44 times! The over is a solid 78-52 the last 3 seasons combined in Twins games against teams with a losing record. 10* OVER the total in Texas |
|||||||
04-23-17 | Giants v. Rockies OVER 11.5 | Top | 0-8 | Loss | -100 | 4 h 9 m | Show |
Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Colorado Rockies vs San Francisco Giants @ 3:10 ET - Mild afternoon in Colorado and both of the first two games in this series have gone over the total with 26 runs scored in the first two games. Although I respect the Giants Jeff Samardzija, there is no denying he is having some trouble keeping the ball down in the zone this season and he allowed 3 homers in his only road start this season. He is 0-3 with a 6.16 ERA so far this season and the Rockies are a dangerous lineup at home that is very familiar with him. The issue for Colorado today will be their own starting pitching. The Rockies have southpaw Kyle Freeland on the mound and the lefty is really struggling after his surprising success in his debut effort. In his two home starts he has a 5.91 ERA and has been hit at a .300 clip. The Giants are likely to tee off on him in "hitter friendly" conditions this afternoon. The over is 8-3 in Giants road games this season and San Francisco is also 8-3 to the over when they are off of a game where they allowed 10 runs or more. The over is 3-0 in Rockies home games this season where their line ranges from +125 to -125. Look for another one to fly over the total here as the Rockies and Giants hot hitting continues on an afternoon where the ball should be carrying very well in the dry air conditions at Coors Field. 10* OVER the total in Colorado Sunday afternoon |
|||||||
04-23-17 | Cubs v. Reds OVER 9 | 5-7 | Win | 100 | 3 h 56 m | Show | |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Sunday 8* OVER the total in Cincinnati Reds vs Chicago Cubs @ 1:10 ET - Even though the wind is blowing in from left field for this game, temperatures will be rather mild and there is also plenty of reason to expect both of these starting pitchers to get hammered. The Cubs John Lackey allowed 3 homers while striking out just 2 batters versus Milwaukee in his most recent start. That strikeout number is very concerning for Lackey considering he had struck out 17 in his two prior starts and then struggled to strike out the free-swinging Brewers. The point is that this could be a sign of things to come for Lackey and he faces a Reds team that got to him for 5 earned runs or more in 2 of his 3 starts against them last season. As for Bronson Arroyo, he allowed 5 earned runs the last time he faced the Cubs and he comes into this outing off of a choppy start to the season. Arroyo has already allowed 5 homers in his first three starts this season. The veteran right-hander has an 8.40 ERA so far this season and the Cubs finally have their sticks going as they've averaged 8.5 runs per game in their last 4 games. The Reds also have gotten their bats going in this series as they've scored 13 runs on 24 hits in the first two games of this 3-game set. The over is a perfect 5-0 in the Cubs last 5 games and also 9-4 in their divisional games this season. The over is 5-2 when the Reds are off of a loss this season and 4-2 in Cincy's day games and 3-0 as a home dog of +125 to +175 this season. Amazingly, the over is on a 16-2 run in games between these two teams and I look for more of the same on Sunday where we're getting some line value because of the weather and because of Lackey's overall reputation. 8* OVER the total in Cincinnati goes early Sunday afternoon |
|||||||
04-22-17 | Marlins v. Padres OVER 8 | Top | 6-3 | Win | 100 | 12 h 21 m | Show |
Total Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in San Diego Padres vs Miami Marlins @ 8:40 ET - The Padres got a big inning yesterday to get their bats going in a 5-3 win over the Marlins. Even though San Diego hasn't hit well overall this season, the Padres have now scored at least 4 runs in 3 of their last 5 games and I expect them to enjoy success against Dan Strailly. The right-hander was a fantastic 8-1 at home last season but went 6-7 with a 4.70 ERA on the road last year. He's having some issues with command of his pitches (walked 5 in 5 innings in his most recent start) and, true to last season's performance, Strailly struggled in his only road start so far this season. As for the Padres starter in this one, Jered Weaver gets the call. Though his overall numbers are decent early this season, the veteran righty has allowed 5 homers in his 3 starts. Also, behind him is a Padres bullpen that has a 5.61 ERA (one of the worst in majors) so far this season. Weaver got hit at a .297 clip last season and he's likely in trouble tonight as he faces a tough Marlins lineup. Miami is hitting .264 in road games this season and that's good for 3rd in the majors out of all 30 teams. Before being held to 3 runs yesterday, the Marlins had scored 4 runs or more in 7 of their last 9 games. Keep in mind a 4-4 game guarantees of no worse than a 5-4 final and that get this over the total. The over is 5-1 this season in Padres games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs. The over is 7-3 in Miami's night games so far this season. Look for both lineups to do plenty of damage in this one given the pitching match-up. 10* OVER the total in San Diego |
|||||||
04-22-17 | Tigers v. Twins OVER 9 | 5-4 | Push | 0 | 7 h 50 m | Show | |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Saturday 8* OVER the total in Minnesota Twins vs Detroit Tigers @ 2:10 ET - A match-up of southpaws here with Adalberto Mejia going up against Matthew Boyd. The Tigers are the #1 team in the American League for slugging percentage versus lefties as they have a .454 slugging percentage against southpaws so far this season. Detroit should pound Mejia as he has walked 5 and given up 6 hits for a total of 11 baserunners in less than 7 innings of work in his 2 starts this season. The Twins got the win yesterday by a 6-3 count and that was the 3rd straight over for Detroit and their 6th over in their last 8 games. Their bullpen continues to be an issue and the Tigers pen currently ranks last in the league with a 6.79 ERA on the season. Each of these teams is 4-1 this season in their games against left-handed starters so they'll have plenty of confidence at the plate. It will be a rather mild afternoon in Minnesota with the wind blowing out and I look for another one to fly over the total today as the over improves to 7-2 in Tigers road games this season. The past 3 seasons combined the Twins are 30-20 to the over in home games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs. 8* OVER the total in Minnesota early Saturday afternoon |
|||||||
04-21-17 | Giants v. Rockies OVER 9.5 | Top | 5-6 | Win | 100 | 8 h 25 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Friday 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 runs in Colorado Rockies vs San Francisco Giants @ 8:40 ET - This total has dropped down from a 10.5 to a 9.5 and I am well aware of the Carlos Gonzalez injury for the Rockies as well as the fact that both the Giants and Rockies have been on huge 'under' streaks. However, the Rockies are back home and the games at Coors Field will start getting 'crazy' again despite a slow start this season. In this case we're getting exceptional line value because Johnny Cueto has great recent numbers versus the Rockies and Tyler Chatwood has great recent numbers versus the Giants but the key is all the most recent match-ups were in pitcher-friendly San Francisco. That is significant because Chatwood got hit hard in his lone home start this season and, last season at Coors Field he got hit at .303 clip in home starts with a 6.12 ERA in 14 outings there! With these lineups getting a quick second look at these starters (both of them pitched in San Fran within the past week), look for the hitters to enjoy a lot more success than they did in the most recent match-ups. Cueto has had some success even in starts at Coors Field but this quick "second look" does him in here while Chatwood continues to find home starts to be a nightmare. Look for the over to improve to 7-3 in Giants road games this season and 23-14 in Rockies games the L3 seasons combined when they are playing with a day off between games. 10* OVER the total in Colorado |
|||||||
04-21-17 | Indians v. White Sox OVER 7 | 3-0 | Loss | -110 | 8 h 59 m | Show | |
Rickenbach MLB Friday 8* OVER 7 runs in Chicago White Sox vs Cleveland Indians @ 8:10 ET - I am well aware of the fact it will be chilly in Chicago this evening but, keep in mind, sometimes that effects the pitchers ability to grip the ball well. That said, with two struggling hurlers on the mound and with this total dropping down to a 7, there is great value with the over in this one. The White Sox Jose Quintana is 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA this season while the Indians Corey Kluber has a 6.38 ERA this season. Kluber has allowed 4 homers in his 2 road starts this season and Quintana has given up 4 homers in his 2 home starts this season. The over is 22-14 in ChiSox games the past 3 seasons when they're playing with a day off. The over is 6-3 in Indians night games this season. We're getting line value here because of the weather and the fact that these starters have some good long-term numbers against the lineups they're facing here. The fact is that neither one of these hurlers is in good current form early this season and I look for this one to fly over the total. 8* OVER the total in the Chicago White Sox game Friday |
|||||||
04-20-17 | Royals v. Rangers OVER 9 | Top | 0-1 | Loss | -100 | 12 h 31 m | Show |
Total Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Texas Rangers vs Kansas City Royals @ 8:05 ET - Danny Duffy is off to a strong start this season for the Royals but he did allow 8 hits in his most recent road start. Now he gets a start at Texas where he has allowed 9 earned runs in less than 10 innings of work spanning his last two starts. In fact, in his most recent visit to Arlington he walked 6 in less than 4 innings of work. I would not be surprised to see him struggle here as the Rangers are a dangerous hitting team when at home and are already averaging 5.5 runs per game here this season. After a lengthy road trip, Texas is happy to be back home and should hit well tonight. The issue for the Rangers tonight will be their own starting pitching as Andrew Cashner gets the start. He wasn't sharp at all in his first start this season after returning from injury as he had a tough outing at Seattle that certainly could have resulted in a lot more runs. Also, he wrapped up last season struggling so there are some concerns with Cashner right now. The Royals are coming off of a low-scoring series with San Francisco but did notch 10 hits in each of the last two games versus the Giants. Also, on the road this season Kansas City took 2 of 3 at Houston and averaged 5.3 runs per game. In the Royals 6 road games this season only 1 has resulted in under. Also, in 25 road games the past 2 seasons with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs, only 9 (36%) have resulted in an under. The big total here is justified as the ball will carry very well tonight and there is plenty of reasoning to support both of these starters struggling. 10* OVER the total in Texas |
|||||||
04-20-17 | Angels v. Astros OVER 8 | 1-2 | Loss | -105 | 6 h 18 m | Show | |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach Thursday MLB 8* OVER the total in Houston Astros vs Los Angeles Angels @ 2:10 ET - I know some of the trends, particularly recent trending, won't support the over here but I like a lot of what I see here. The Astros will be starting Lance McCullers and he allowed 5 earned runs in 4 and 1/3 innings on 8 hits (including 2 homers) in his most recent start. This was the 2nd straight start he allowed 2 homers. The Angels will have Matt Shoemaker on the mound and he has allowed 8 earned runs in just 9 and 2/3 innings spanning his last 2 starts. On the season he has already allowed 4 homers in his 3 starts. The over is 2-1 in 3 starts for each of these hurlers so far this season. The Astros, after yesterday's 5-1 win, have averaged 6.3 runs per game in their last 7 games. Also, because these teams are division rivals, their lineups are very familiar with the opposing starting pitchers they are facing today. Look for the over to improve to 3-1 in Astros day games with a slugfest today and I like the fact this total has dropped to as low as a 7.5 from an opener of 8.5 in most books. 8* OVER the total in Houston |
|||||||
04-19-17 | Red Sox v. Blue Jays OVER 8.5 | Top | 0-3 | Loss | -100 | 6 h 3 m | Show |
Total Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Blue Jays vs Boston Red Sox @ 7:05 ET - Francisco Liriano is off of a fantastic start for the Blue Jays but he previously had an awful start at Tampa Bay. Even though he is back at home like he was in his dominating effort versus the Orioles last week, he faces a red hot Boston team. The Red Sox are 7-3 in their last 10 games and have averaged 5.1 runs per game during this stretch. The BoSox have averaged 11.8 hits per game in their last 8 games. I don't see Liriano shutting down this Boston lineup with how hot they've been. The Red Sox will need all the runs they can get tonight because I expect Rick Porcello to get pounded. The Blue Jays lineup is finally heating up as Toronto has averaged 10 hits per game in their last 4 games and the over was 3-1 in those 4 games. Porcello has been extremely hittable this season as he's allowed 19 hits (including 5 homers) in his two starts even though these outings have spanned just 10 and 1/3 innings. Also he has had some struggles at Toronto throughout his career and, last season, Porcello went 13-1 at home but on the road he is only a combined 13-11 the past two seasons and that included a 5.56 ERA on the road in 2015. The Jays have scored 4 runs or more in 3 of their last 4 games and the Red Sox have scored 4 runs or more in 7 of their last 8 games. Of course a 4-4 game ensures no worse than a 5-4 final and also like the trending of the home plate umpire in this one as he's been trending over in recent games behind home plate. A tight strike zone could frustrate Liriano as he has walked 6 in 7 innings this season and he's walked 12 in the 12 innings spanning his last two starts against the BoSox. The Blue Jays bullpen has a 5.11 ERA on the season and the Red Sox pen was a little shaky last night. Look for more of the same Wednesday evening. 10* OVER the total in Toronto |
|||||||
04-18-17 | Indians v. Twins OVER 9 | Top | 11-4 | Win | 100 | 7 h 18 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Twins vs Cleveland Indians @ 8:10 ET - Josh Tomlin is not right, to say the least, early this season. The Indians right-hander has given up 13 earned runs in 6 and 1/3 innings in his first two starts this season and until he shows signs of turning things around I'll fade him. In this case I am fading him by using the over because I also expect Phil Hughes to get rocked. The Twins righty gave up 2 homers at Detroit in his most recent start and was fortunate the damage wasn't worse than the 4 earned runs allowed in less than 6 innings of work. Hughes had a surprisingly good start against the Indians in the most recent meeting but prior to that he allowed 11 earned run on 19 hits in 9 and 1/3 innings of work and he's facing an Indians lineup that is starting to get it going again with an average of 11 hits per game in their last 5 games. As for the Twins, they did pound Tomlin the last time they faced him and he's in very poor current form. Look for the over to improve to 78-52 (60%) the last 3 seasons in Twins games against teams with a losing record while Cleveland improves to 4-0 to the over this season in their road games where the line is between -125 and +125. The wind is expected to be blowing out to right in this game! Cool evening but rather hitter friendly. 10* OVER the total in Minnesota |
|||||||
04-18-17 | Brewers v. Cubs OVER 9.5 | 7-9 | Win | 100 | 7 h 58 m | Show | |
Rickenbach MLB Tuesday MLB 8* OVER the total in Chicago Cubs vs Milwaukee Brewers @ 8:05 ET - South wind blowing out to left at a decent clip. Mild spring evening temperatures and rather dry air in the forecast in Chicago tonight. That means the ball should be carrying very well at Wrigley Field tonight. After last night's game flew over the total there is no reason not to expect more of the same here. As mentioned in my write-up yesterday, Milwaukee has one of the top slugging percentages in the majors so far this season and last night the Brewers offense erupted in a 6-3 win and they're averaging 6 runs per game in their last 5 games. Though the Cubs truly haven't gotten their big bats going yet this season, they certainly have a very potent lineup and they're getting a quick second look at the Brewers Jimmy Nelson here. They struggled with him at Milwaukee but the last two times they faced Nelson here at Wrigley Field they crushed him to the tune of 9 earned runs in 11 innings. Each of the last 3 meetings between these teams have gone over the total and have averaged 12 runs per game and the Brewers should also enjoy success tonight as they get a quick second look at the Cubs Brett Anderson. The lefty had good success versus the Brewers in Milwaukee but the prior time he faced them he allowed 8 hits including 2 homers. The Brewers are 18-9 to the over the L3 seasons in road games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs. The Cubs are 14-7 to the over the L3 seasons when they enter a game on a losing streak of 3 games or more. 8* OVER the total in the Chicago Cubs game Tuesday |
|||||||
04-17-17 | Indians v. Twins OVER 8 | Top | 3-1 | Loss | -110 | 7 h 15 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Monday 10* Top Play OVER 8 runs in Minnesota Twins vs Cleveland Indians @ 8:10 ET - The Indians Danny Salazar has pitched well early this season but in last season's 3 starts versus the Twins he struggled in each outing and ended up allowing 12 earned runs in the less than 11 innings of work spanning the 3 outings! As for Kyle Gibson, he is struggling early this season with an 8.00 ERA in his first two starts and now faces a team that has given him fits in recent meetings. The Indians hammered Gibson for 10 runs (all earned) on 20 hits in the less than 11 innings of work spanning his last 2 starts against them. That included 3 homers. By the way, Salazar's numbers against the Twins include 5 homers allowed in his last 2 starts against them. The weather will be chilly this evening with a light wind blowing in but that won't be enough to stop these two lineups as they continue to feast on starting pitchers they have enjoyed great success against. With both teams off of frustrating low-scoring losses yesterday, look for a breakout game from each lineup today. The over is 77-51 in Twins games against teams with a losing record. The over is 4-1 this season in Indians games against a right-handed starter and also a long-term 84-65 in divisional games. The Indians have averaged 12 hits per game in their last 4 games. The Twins had averaged 5.6 runs per game in their 5 home games this season before yesterday's poor performance at the plate. They'll bounce back Monday. 10* OVER the total in Minnesota |
|||||||
04-17-17 | Brewers v. Cubs OVER 7 | 6-3 | Win | 100 | 7 h 53 m | Show | |
Rickenbach MLB Monday 8* OVER 7 runs in Chicago Cubs vs Milwaukee Brewers @ 8:05 ET - With this total dropping down to a 7 from a 7.5 we are getting even more line value here on the over. I am well aware of the fact that Chase Anderson has great numbers so far this season but the Brewers right-hander faced Toronto and Colorado in his first two starts and both are struggling miserably at the plate with team batting averages of .212 and .227, respectively. Even though the Cubs are also off to a slow start at the plate this is still a very potent Chicago line up and they're familiar with Anderson. The Brewers lineup has produced a .457 slugging percentage so far this season and that ranks them 2nd out of all 30 teams. While I certainly respect the Cubs John Lackey and know that he's capable of racking up strikeouts, I also know he has a tendency to give up extra base hits. The Brewers have 5 homers against him in the last 2 starts Lackey has made against them. Also, Lackey did get a little "touched up" in his only other start against a divisional foe (St Louis) so far this season. This is a bit of a contrarian play but the Cubs are off of 3 straight losses and that is a situation that saw them go 13-7 to the over the past 2 seasons. Look for their bats to come alive tonight even though it will be a cool evening with the wind blowing in at Wrigley Field. That is what helping to drive this total lower than it should be. 8* OVER the total in Chicago Cubs |
|||||||
04-16-17 | Rangers v. Mariners OVER 7.5 | 7-8 | Win | 100 | 5 h 15 m | Show | |
Over Easy - Rickenbach MLB Sunday 8* OVER 7.5 runs in Seattle Mariners vs Texas Rangers @ 4:10 ET - First two games of this three game set both stayed under the total but the Rangers Cole Hamels has allowed 13 earned runs in the 6 innings spanning his last two starts against the Mariners. Also, Seattle's Hisashi Iwakuma has given up 4 homers and 8 earned runs in the 10 innings spanning his last two starts against Texas. In Hamels ten career starts against the Mariners, only 3 have stayed under the total. With yesterday's 5-1 win, the Mariners have tallied at least 5 runs in 5 of their last 6 games as their potent lineup is finally starting to heat up. Though the Rangers have struggled at the plate so far in this series, let's not forget they entered this series having won 4 of their last 6 games and having averaged 6 runs per game on the season before struggling here in Seattle. With past success against Iwakuma, I expect that to be the key to getting the Rangers bats right back on track here. 8* OVER 7.5 runs in Seattle |
|||||||
04-16-17 | Diamondbacks v. Dodgers OVER 7.5 | 3-1 | Loss | -110 | 5 h 12 m | Show | |
Slugfest - Rickenbach MLB Sunday 8* OVER 7.5 runs in Los Angeles Dodgers vs Arizona Diamondbacks @ 4:10 ET - The Dodgers bats are heating up again at home and they've been strong in day games all season long. Under the sun, Los Angeles has averaged 7 runs per game and hit .282 with a slugging percentage of .494 on the young season. All of those stats have the Dodgers ranked near the top in all of those hitting categories in daytime action. They should have no trouble with the offerings of Taijuan Walker whom they pounded in his most recent visit to Dodger Stadium. Walker comes into this start having struggled with command of his pitches in his most recent start and having been hit too hard when he did find the plate (in his prior start). I don't expect Walker to slow down the Dodgers on a hitter friendly afternoon in LA. Dry air, light wind blowing out, it sets this one up for a decent offensive showing for both clubs. That said, this total is rather low and the Dodgers two daytime home games this season averaged 14.5 runs per game. Rich Hill gets the start for LA and has looked strong early this season but Arizona did just see him in September and that should help their cause here. The Diamondbacks did get to him for 4 earned runs in 5 and 1/3 innings in that outing. The over is 3-1 this season (and 51-33 the L3 seasons) when the Dbacks face a left-handed starter). Look for the over to improve to 5-2 in Dodgers home games with another wild one today. 8* OVER 7.5 runs in LA Dodgers Sunday |
|||||||
04-15-17 | Angels v. Royals OVER 9 | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -110 | 7 h 16 m | Show |
Total Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Kansas City Royals vs Los Angeles Angels @ 7:15 ET - Wind blowing out today at Kauffman Stadium and two starting pitchers likely to struggle. Also, before yesterday's under, the Angels had gone over the total in 5 straight games. Also, after yesterday's 7-1 loss, LA has allowed an average of 6 runs per game in their last 7 games. The Angels hitting has slowed down the last few things but they do have a potent lineup and they should enjoy success here. Nate Karns gets the start for the Royals and he is winless with a 5.82 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP in his 3 career starts against the Angels. Speaking of struggling with match-ups, Los Angeles will have Matt Shoemaker on the mound for this one and he is winless with an 8.34 ERA and a 1.99 WHIP in his 5 career starts against the Royals. Also, Shoemaker has struggled early this season with as many walks as strikeouts in his 2 starts. The over is 4-1 in Shoemaker's five starts against Kansas City in his career and the over is a perfect 3-0 in Karns 3 starts against the Angels. The Royals bullpen is 0-3 with a 7.28 ERA this season and I look for Karns to get knocked out early while Shoemaker also gets pounded on a hitter-friendly evening at a hitter-friendly venue. Hopefully they get this game in before the storms move in to the area because this is an ideal situation for what should be a slugfest. 10* OVER the total in Kansas City |
|||||||
04-14-17 | Brewers v. Reds OVER 9 | Top | 10-4 | Win | 100 | 9 h 49 m | Show |
Total Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cincinnati Reds vs Milwaukee Brewers @ 7:10 ET - The Reds will have Scott Feldman on the mound and he's off of a surprisingly strong start at St Louis in his most recent outing. However, prior to that outing, the veteran right-hander struggled against the Phillies right here at Great American Ballpark. Feldman, over the past three seasons, got hit a clip of .266, .275, and .282 so, as you can see, he's getting a little more hittable with each and every season! The last time Feldman faced the Brewers he got rocked last season in an ugly outing that lasted only 4 innings. The Reds should also enjoy plenty of success at the plate here as Tommy Milone is on the mound for the Brewers. The Milwaukee southpaw had a very tough time with the Cubs in his opening start and in, his last 3 starts dating back to last season, has allowed 13 earned runs in less than 13 innings of work. Prior to scoring just 1 run yesterday, the Reds had averaged 7.5 runs per game in their last 4 games and their offense will get right back on track here. As for the Brewers, with yesterday's 5-1 win, they have scored at least 4 runs in 4 of their last 5 games. The over is 17-10 when Milwaukee enters a game on a winning streak of 3 games or more. Also, the Brewers are 16-8 to the over when they are on the road with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs. Despite a slow start in terms of runs in home games so far, the Reds are 91-64 to the over in home games the past 2+ seasons. Each of Milone's last 3 starts have gone over the total and the Reds are 3rd in the majors with a .582 slugging percentage against southpaws this season. 10* OVER the total in Cincinnati |
|||||||
04-14-17 | Phillies v. Nationals OVER 8 | 2-3 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 32 m | Show | |
Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Friday 8* OVER the total in Washington Nationals vs Philadelphia Phillies @ 4:05 ET - These teams just faced each other in Philly over the weekend and they combined for 40 runs in the 3 games. I look for another high-scoring match-up here. Even though Stephen Strasburg is a fantastic pitcher, he has allowed 7 earned runs in the 14 innings spanning his last two starts versus the Phillies. As for the Phils Aaron Nola, he had a rough spring training and that seems to have carried into the regular season as well as he has not looked sharp. Nola has given up 6 earned runs on 15 hits in 11 innings of work spanning his first two starts. Also, he allowed 4 earned runs on 7 hits in less than 4 innings of work in his last road start at Washington. With these lineups having just faced each of these two hurlers this past weekend, that is an added edge for the hitters. The Phillies and Nationals bullpens each rank near the bottom of the league early this season and all signs point to a rather high-scoring afternoon match-up. The Nationals scored just 1 run Wednesday but their slugging percentage on the season ranks them #1 in the majors and they'll bounce back here against Nola. The over is 4-2 this season in Nats games against teams with a losing record. The over is 4-1 in Phillies games against teams with a winning record this season and also a perfect 5-0 this season when Philadelphia is off of a loss. 8* OVER the total in Washington Friday afternoon |
|||||||
04-13-17 | Rangers v. Angels OVER 7.5 | 8-3 | Win | 100 | 7 h 6 m | Show | |
Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Thursday 8* OVER the total in Los Angeles Angels vs Texas Rangers @ 3:35 ET - The total on this game has already dropped from an 8.5 to a 7.5 as of early Thursday morning and this is offering fantastic line value on the over. Certainly Yu Darvish is a solid hurler but the over is 9-3-1 in his 13 starts against the Angels in his career and he has allowed at least 3 earned runs (and 2 homers) to LA in 2 of his last 3 starts at Anaheim. It will be a pleasant afternoon at the ballpark with the wind blowing out and the ball does carry better in day games compared to night games on the west coast. The Angels will have Ricky Nolasco on the mound and he got roughed up at Texas last season. He'll struggle again here as the Rangers bats are heating up (7 runs per game in their last 3 games). The Angels struggled at the plate yesterday but previously had scored at least 5 runs in 6 of their 7 prior games. The over is 4-1 in Angels home games this season and Nolasco has struggled with the long ball already this season and Darvish (as is often the case for him) has had some struggles early this season with command of his pitches. The Rangers right-hander has already walked 8 in his first two starts this season while Nolasco has allowed 3 homers in his first two starts. Look for the over to improve to 3-0 in Nolasco's career starts against the Angels. 8* OVER the total in Los Angeles Angels |
|||||||
04-13-17 | Pirates v. Red Sox OVER 9.5 | 3-4 | Loss | -100 | 5 h 29 m | Show | |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Thursday 8* OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs Pittsburgh Pirates @ 2:05 ET - The Pirates got drilled 9-2 yesterday at home versus the Reds and the Red Sox also got hammered 12-5 at home versus the Orioles yesterday. Needless to say, neither bullpen is in the best of shape heading into this one after yesterday's ugly results. This game is a rescheduled game from the rain-out in the early season series between these two. The weather is likely to favor the hitters in this afternoon affair at Fenway Park as the wind will be blowing out toward right field. Both Pittsburgh's Chad Kuhl (command issues, too many walks) and Boston's Eduardo Rodriguez (two homers allowed) are off of shaky outings in the first starts of the season. The Pirates, after yesterday's result, have had just 1 under in their last 6 games. The over is 39-27 in Red Sox home games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs after yesterday's game totaled 17 runs. When these teams first met this year it was the very first series of the new season and the bats were a little cold. The Pirates now are facing a left-handed starter for the 2nd straight game and 3rd time in last 4 days. Look for them to get their sticks back on track as Rodriguez struggles again. As for the Red Sox, they've scored 5 runs or more in 5 of their 8 games this season and Kuhl's late season fade (was hit hard after August of last season) seems to be carrying into this season. 8* OVER the total in Boston |
|||||||
04-12-17 | Brewers v. Blue Jays UNDER 9 | Top | 2-0 | Win | 100 | 8 h 9 m | Show |
Total Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play UNDER the total in Toronto Blue Jays vs Milwaukee Brewers @ 7:05 ET - Because this is an interleague match-up there is a lack of familiarity between most of the hitters and the pitchers they are facing. Lack of familiarity almost always favors the pitchers and Marcus Stroman has never faced the Brewers and Chase Anderson has never faced the Blue Jays. That's a big edge for the starting pitchers and Stroman's 19 outs in his first start this season featured 17 via the strikeout or on the ground. As you can see, he was dominant. As for Anderson, he had a fantastic quality start in his first outing and, keep in mind, he did go 5-1 with a 3.02 ERA after the All Star break last season so he is carrying momentum from last season right into this season. The Blue Jays only had 5 hits yesterday and have now been held to 7 hits or less in 5 of their last 6 games. Even though the Brewers hit the ball better yesterday, it was preceded by them averaging just 6 hits per game in their 4 prior games and Milwaukee is known for striking out a lot. In other words, facing Stroman is a nightmare match-up for the Brewers and I also expect the Blue Jays struggles at the plate to continue. Look for the under to improve to 6-2 in Blue Jays games this season and 5-2 in the Brewers last 7 games as the struggles at the plate continue for both clubs. The under is a long-term 92-58 in Milwaukee's games played on turf and the under is 3-0 this season in Brewers games where the posted total is 9 or 9.5 runs. The under is a long-term 45-31 in Jays home games where the posted total is 9 or 9.5 runs. 10* UNDER the total in Toronto early Wednesday evening |
|||||||
04-12-17 | Twins v. Tigers OVER 8 | 3-5 | Push | 0 | 6 h 55 m | Show | |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Wednesday 8* OVER the total in Detroit Tigers vs Minnesota Twins @ 1:10 ET - These teams are off of a 2-1 pitchers duel yesterday but I expect much different results today. The Twins Kyle Gibson just doesn't miss many bats and he was fortunate that the two homers he allowed in his first start of the season were both solo bombs. The Minnesota right-hander has a losing record and a 4.84 ERA and 1.51 WHIP in his 10 career starts against the Tigers. Gibson will be opposed by last season's rookie of the year as Michael Fullmer gets the start for Detroit. Though he had a great season and has good stuff, he did allow 7 hits in just 5 innings in his lone start against the Twins last season. Fullmer did give up a lot of contract through the air in his first start this season. The wind, though not a huge factor, will be blowing out toward left in this afternoon match-up at Comerica Park and the over is 3-0 this season in Tigers games against right-handed starters. Also, the over is 82-55 in Detroit's games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs the last 3 seasons combined. The over is 30-18 in Twins Wednesday games the past 3 seasons combined. The Tigers bullpen struggled to close out yesterday's game and their 6.97 ERA so far this season ranks as one of the worst in the majors for bullpen ERA. Gibson gets pounded and Fullmer (and then the struggling relievers behind him) combine to give up enough to send this one over the low total. After opening up at an 8.5o-25 this one has dropped to an 8 as of early Wednesday morning. I'll take it! 8* OVER the total in Detroit early Wednesday afternoon |
|||||||
04-11-17 | Padres v. Rockies OVER 12 | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -110 | 10 h 43 m | Show |
Total Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Colorado Rockies vs San Diego Padres @ 8:40 ET - Mild temperatures in Denver this afternoon. Dry air as usual. Wind blowing out to left field at Coors Field. Rockies rookie 22 year old Antonio Senzatela making his first ever start in Colorado (was on road last week) and veteran Jered Weaver coming off of an outing where he had more walks than strikeouts plus allowed 2 homers in 5 innings in a pitcher-friendly venue. Add it all up and you have the perfect ingredients for a slugfest tonight in Colorado. Ironically, because he had spent his entire career in the American League before this season, Weaver has never started at Coors Field either. In extremely hitter-friendly conditions tonight, I expect both hurlers to struggle in their first ever experience with this crazy ball park. Weaver just doesn't get many strikeouts and that means plenty of contact (which leads to problems at Coors Field) and Senzatela was not a strikeout pitcher in the minors and just because he struck out 6 Brewers at Milwaukee does not mean that will translate to the same success here. The Brewers are known for striking out too much and already lead the league in that category this season. San Diego however has already improved in that category early this season and is in the middle of the pack. Stats and trends won't necessarily back this play up but pitchers generally do struggle badly in their first starts at Coors and Senzatela was fortunate to get out of a first inning bases loaded jam in his MLB debut and Weaver got hit at a .323 clip in night games last season! 10* OVER the total in Colorado Tuesday night |
|||||||
04-11-17 | White Sox v. Indians OVER 8.5 | 1-2 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 59 m | Show | |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Tuesday 8* OVER the total in Cleveland Indians vs Chicago White Sox @ 4:10 ET - James Shields had a solid first outing to begin this season. Though he walked 5 he allowed only 2 hits and 1 earned run in his 5+ innings versus the Tigers. However, that was at home and Shields is now back on the road where he went a combined 1-8 last season with the Padres and White Sox. That includes, after coming to the White Sox during the year last season, going 0-5 with an ERA north of 9.00 in his starts away from home! The Indians have a number of hitters who have enjoyed great success against him and Shields allowed 8 earned runs in less than 2 innings of work in his most recent start at Cleveland. The Tribe are likely to rock Shields here but don't be surprised if Carlos Carrasco gets a little "touched up" too. The right-hander has allowed 10 runs (8 earned) on 16 hits in less than 11 innings of work spanning his last two starts against the White Sox. Also, the other concern for the Indians is that behind Carrasco is a bullpen that is getting hit at a .292 clip so far this season. Even though the ChiSox pen has performed well so far this season they could be asked to do too much here as Shields road outings have been, for the most part, shortened greatly by his lack of success away from home. The over is 11-6-1 in Shields' 18 starts against the Indians in his career. As a road of +175 or more the over is 7-3 in White Sox games. Also, the ChiSox are 22-14 to the over when playing with a day off between games. The over is 39-21 (65%) in Indians home games where the posted total is 8 or 8.5 runs. Also, the over is 7-0 (100% PERFECT) when the Tribe are at home and favored in a range of -200 to -225. The over is also 2-0 this season in their games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs and 2-0 in their games against right-handed starters this season. By playing the over here, as you can see, we're testing a combined 11-0, 100% mark! 8* OVER the total in Cleveland Tuesday afternoon |
|||||||
04-10-17 | Diamondbacks v. Giants OVER 8 | 1-4 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 48 m | Show | |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Monday 8* OVER the total in San Francisco Giants vs Arizona Diamondbacks @ 4:35 ET - This is another match-up where the hitters have the advantage of having just faced these hurlers last week. The Giants Matt Moore gave up 6 runs (3 earned) on 8 hits in just 5 and 1/3 innings of work Wednesday. He was matched up with the Diamondbacks Taijuan Walker in that game and he allowed 4 earned runs on 7 hits in 6 innings in that start. The Giants did get their sticks going again with some big hits in yesterday's 5-3 win at San Diego. San Francisco's bats had been a little quiet, prior to that, in the series with the Padres. However, the Giants are now facing a Dbacks team they crushed for 19 runs on 36 hits in the first 3 games of the 4-game set at Arizona to open up the season. All 4 of those game went over the total and, on the season, San Francisco is 6-1 to the over and Arizona is now 5-1-1 to the over after a low-scoring win over the Indians yesterday. Today I expect the Diamondbacks to again hit Moore hard again. Also, behind the Giants left-hander is a SF bullpen that has been hit at a .302 clip this season and is 0-2 with a 6.48 ERA so far. The Diamondbacks .504 slugging percentage leads the majors thusfar and the Giants .443 slugging percentage has them at #7 out of all 30 teams. Even though AT & T Park is not a hitter friendly park, the wind will be blowing out today and the ball does carry better in day games compared to night games on the West Coast. The over is 50-32 in Dbacks games against left-handed starters and also 25-11 in Monday games! Look for another one here as these teams continue to pound each other like they did in Arizona. 8* OVER the total in San Francisco |
|||||||
04-10-17 | Rays v. Yankees OVER 8 | 1-8 | Win | 100 | 6 h 37 m | Show | |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Monday 8* OVER the total in New York Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays @ 1:05 ET - Both teams are off of wins and are off of games that went over the total on Sunday. Yankees games have now gone over the total in 3 straight and the Rays have now won 3 straight games and averaged scoring 6.7 runs per game in the process. The point is that you have two very confident lineups stepping into the batters box on Monday afternoon. Also, the weather will be favorable for an over on an mild afternoon with a south wind likely blowing out toward left field. Since these teams just faced each other down in Tampa, both lineups are getting a quick second look at the pitchers they'll face today. Alex Cobb of the Rays and Michael Pineda of the Yankees just squared off on Wednesday. Cobb had a decent start that day but the last time he faced the Yanks twice in the same month he got ripped for 7 earned runs on 9 hits in just 1 and 1/3 innings of work. Also, in his last start at New York, Cobb allowed 4 runs (3 earned) on 9 hits in 6 innings of work. The TB righty gave up 2 homers that day too so the damage easily could have been worse. The Yankees Pineda struggled with the Rays Wednesday and has now given up 19 hits in the less than 14 innings of work spanning his last 3 starts against Tampa Bay. The over is 9-4 in Pineda's 13 starts versus the Rays in his career. Look for the over to improve to 4-0 in Yankees day games (and 3-0 in Rays day games) this season as the Yankees home opener flies over the total. The over is 20-10 in Tampa Bay's Monday games the past 2+ seasons and I expect another one here given the situation and the pitching match-up. 8* OVER the total in New York Yankees |
|||||||
04-09-17 | Marlins v. Mets UNDER 7 | 2-5 | Push | 0 | 10 h 36 m | Show | |
ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach MLB Sunday 8* UNDER the total in New York Mets vs Miami Marlins @ 8 ET - This total opened up at a 6.5 and then crept up toward 7.5 before seeming to settle in at 7. Having the under at plus money is a big value here because these two starting pitchers are both capable of shutting down the opposition. Noah Syndergaard gave the Mets 6 scoreless innings against the Braves in his first start this season. The righty has a stellar 1.80 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in his 3 career starts against the Marlins. Miami will have Edinson Volquez on the mound for this one and he gave the Marlins 5 scoreless innings against the Nationals in his first start this season. The Mets are hitting just .192 this season and have been held to 2 runs or less in 3 of their last 4 games. Volquez has held the Mets to just 1 earned run on only 4 hits in 12 innings of work spanning his last two starts against them. That said, look for the Mets struggles at the plate to continue here. As for the Marlins, though they have hit well this season, Syndergaard is a very tough hurler and he can shut them down here. Look for the under to improve to 3-0 in Mets home games with a posted total of 7 or less this season. Also, New York is 68-41 to the under long-term when they are a home fave in a price range of -175 to -200. Look for a tight, low-scoring pitchers duel in this one. 8* UNDER the total in New York Mets |
|||||||
04-09-17 | Reds v. Cardinals OVER 8 | Top | 8-0 | Push | 0 | 4 h 57 m | Show |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in St Louis Cardinals vs Cincinnati Reds @ 2:15 ET - Temperatures will be very mild this afternoon in St Louis ans the wind is going to be blowing out to left at a strong clip. Look for plenty of offense as a result. Even though the Reds Scott Feldman only allowed 3 earned runs in his season-opening start he was very fortunate. His outing lasted less than 5 innings and he gave up 7 hits (and 2 homers) and this was against a Phillies team not exactly known for it's hitting prowess (yesterday's unusual Philadelphia results notwithstanding). The point is that Feldman is very likely to get rocked here and the Cardinals did get things rolling with a big 10-run performance yesterday. The over is 19-9 the past 2 seasons when Cincinnati is off of a game where they allowed 10 runs or more. Also, the over is 70-51 long-term in Reds games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs. The Cardinals bullpen has struggled (7.43 ERA) so far this season and they may be called upon early in this one. The Cards Carlos Martinez is off of a strong season-opening start where he struck out 10 and St Louis may not allow him to go real long in this one if they get a big lead with some strong offensive production. Martinez did give up 12 baserunners in 6 innings when he most recently faced the Reds and he was fortunate the damage was minimized in that game. The Reds are 4th in the majors in slugging percentage so far this season and the Cardinals should crush Feldman and that should lead to an easy over in this one. 10* OVER the total in St Louis |
|||||||
04-08-17 | Yankees v. Orioles OVER 8 | 4-5 | Win | 100 | 5 h 34 m | Show | |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Saturday 8* OVER the total in Baltimore Orioles vs New York Yankees @ 4:05 ET - Masahiro Tanaka can say what he wants but I believe he is being impacted by the opt-out clause in his contract. He had a horrible opening day start against the Rays and this is lingering in his head as he takes the mound at hitter friendly Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Yesterday's game went over the total and, though the Orioles are 3-0 this season, I don't trust Kevin Gausman enough here to back them. Instead, I feel the value is with the over as Tanaka struggles again and Gausman's location issues continue. He walked 4 in the season opener and he did have some trouble with command in spring training too. Gausman is known for bouts with giving up the home ball too frequently and we could see some taters today. The Yankees have hit 5 in 4 games and the Orioles have hit 5 in 3 games. It will be a mild afternoon at Baltimore and, though the bullpens have excelled for these clubs early this season, the Orioles flirted with trouble yesterday and the Yankees did allow 2 runs in the later innings. With warmer temps and an afternoon game where the starters could have some struggles, too much is likely to be asked of the bullpens today. 8* OVER the total in Baltimore |
|||||||
04-07-17 | Royals v. Astros OVER 8.5 | Top | 5-1 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 51 m | Show |
Total Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Houston Astros vs Kansas City Royals @ 8:10 ET - This total is offering great line value on the over as both starting pitchers are likely to struggle. Of course I am well aware of the fact that Kansas City is off to an 0-3 start to the season and hasn't impressed at the plate but Michael Fiers should bring out the best in them. The Astros right-hander is winless in 3 career starts against the Royals and his 6.46 ERA could easily be higher as he does have a 1.96 WHIP against KC. You give up 2 baserunners per inning and things can get ugly in a hurry and that is what I am expecting here as Fiers has a history of slow starts to seasons with some very ugly early season numbers, particularly in April, in recent seasons. He'll be opposed by Jason Vargas and the Royals southpaw is unlikely to enjoy success here. The Kansas City left-hander is winless in his 4 careers starts against Houston and he has compiled an 8.41 ERA against them. The lefty is still trying to battle back from Tommy John surgery and has not been on a major league mound much in recent seasons. He's facing an Astros lineup that has plenty of confidence thanks to a 3-1 start to the season. Houston hasn't been knocking the cover off of the ball early this season but this will be their 3rd game in 3 days against a left-handed starter and that certainly will help them as they look to get to Vargas early and often in this one. Off of their first loss of the season, Houston will be looking to get back on track here but the Astros bats are going to have to do the heavy lifting because I look for Fiers annual early season struggles to be an issue here. Look for the over to go to 3-1 in his career starts against the Royals and to go to 4-1 in Vargas' career starts against the Astros. 10* OVER the total in Houston |
|||||||
04-07-17 | Dodgers v. Rockies OVER 11.5 | 1-2 | Loss | -120 | 8 h 27 m | Show | |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Friday 8* OVER the total in Colorado Rockies vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 4:10 ET - Weather is so important in Denver and April can be a strange month. You can certainly have snow storms and very cold conditions in Colorado at this time of year. But you can also have days like today's expected weather conditions that are perfect for baseball and perfect for the hitters. Temperatures will reach up into the 70s with winds, though not strong, blowing out toward center. In the thin air at Coors Field where the ball carries so well, this is the type of game that turns into a slugfest. This is especially true when you consider the starting pitching match-up for today. The Dodgers will have Hyun-Jin Ryu on the mound and the southpaw is trying to return from what has basically been two months worth of injuries. The Rockies will have Kyle Freeland on the mound and the southpaw is certainly thankful for this start as he gets the home opener for the Rockies and he is a Denver native. However, that also puts a ton of pressure on the 23 year old hurler and he's facing Dodgers lineup that has scored 24 runs in their two day games this season. The Rockies offense has been rather quiet their past two games but they are a different team when at home and I look for an explosion this afternoon against Ryu. The over went 23-12 the past two seasons when the Rockies are at home and priced between -100 and -125. Look for more of the same on this mild, hitter-friendly afternoon at Coors Field. 8* OVER the total in Colorado Friday afternoon |
|||||||
04-07-17 | Braves v. Pirates UNDER 8 | 4-5 | Loss | -120 | 6 h 32 m | Show | |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Friday 8* UNDER the total in Pittsburgh Pirates vs Atlanta Braves @ 1:05 ET - Chilly, raw conditions expected in Pittsburgh for this early afternoon start. Even though the wind will be blowing out the air is quite dense on a cold PA afternoon and I don't expect a lot of good contact from the hitters here. Both lineups have struggled early this season and this match-up features a pair of solid hurlers on the mound. Mike Foltynewicz gets the start for the Braves and he went 4-0 with a 1.97 ERA in his 5 day game starts last season. He is coming off of a solid spring training as is Ivan Nova. The Pirates right-hander seems rejuvenated since coming over to Pittsburgh during the season last year. Nova went 3-1 with a 2.45 ERA in his 6 home starts with the Pirates and threw 3 complete games. The Braves have scored only 5 runs in their first 3 games this season and the Bucs have scored only 3 runs in their first 2 games this season. Look for a pitchers duel on a very blustery afternoon at PNC Park. 8* UNDER the total in Pittsburgh early Friday afternoon |
|||||||
04-06-17 | Padres v. Dodgers OVER 8 | Top | 2-10 | Win | 100 | 6 h 16 m | Show |
Total Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 8 runs in Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Diego Padres @ 3:10 ET - The first game in this series was a day game and it easily flew over the total. The next two games were night games and they easily stayed under the total. Now we get a day game to wrap up the 4-game series and the ball just carries better in day games than in night games out west. Couple that with the fact that Jered Weaver's "heater" was only in the low 80s in spring training and you have the type of game that should see plenty of offense. While a tired-arm Weaver gets the start for the Padres, the Dodgers will have Brandon McCarthy on the mound in this one and he's missed a lot of time due to injuries. When healthy and on the mound, the results still haven't been good for McCarthy against San Diego. In his last 3 starts opposing the Padres, McCarthy has given up 13 earned runs in 15 innings. He's given up 6 San Diego homers in those three starts. The Dodgers should have no trouble with the offerings of Weaver either. The veteran righty gave up 10 hits (including 2 homers) in 7 innings in his most recent start at Dodger Stadium. The over is 23-13 the past 2 seasons in Padres games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs. This will be their first of this season and the higher total on this game (first three games were all between 6.5 and 7.5) is absolutely justified. 10* OVER the total in Los Angeles Dodgers Thursday afternoon. |
|||||||
04-06-17 | Cubs v. Cardinals OVER 7.5 | 6-4 | Win | 100 | 5 h 13 m | Show | |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Thursday 8* OVER 7.5 runs in St Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs @ 1:45 ET - This is a make-up game after yesterday's rain-out and the wind will be blowing out toward right field on a dry afternoon in St Louis. The ball is known for carrying better in day games at Busch Stadium and we are getting a low total here considering the potency of these two line-up. Keep in mind, even though neither of the first two games in this 3-game set have gone over the total, the Cardinals did strand 21 baserunners in those two games and, so certainly, more runs could have been scored. As for the Cubs, I look for their sticks to come alive against Lance Lynn this afternoon. The Cards right-hander is making his first start since 2015 and, in that year, he faced the Cubs 3 times and the results were not good. Lynn allowed 14 earned runs in less than 12 innings of work! As for John Lackey, I certainly respect the veteran hurler but he has been known for slow starts in recent season with sub-par Aprils. That said, after lackluster spring training numbers (just like last year) I look for Lackey to likely have a bit of sub-par April (just like last year). In the Cubs last 44 April games, only 16 have stayed under the total. Look for the ball to carry quite well at Busch this afternoon. 8* OVER the total in St Louis Thursday afternoon. |
|||||||
04-05-17 | Mariners v. Astros OVER 8 | Top | 3-5 | Push | 0 | 12 h 3 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Houston Astros vs Seattle Mariners @ 8:10 ET - The Mariners opened up as the favorite here but the Astros are getting a lot of attention from the markets and are now favored. My take on this situation is that Seattle's James Paxton could struggle some here as he has allowed 11 earned runs in his last 17 innings against the Astros and those were all recent starts. However, the reason the odds makers had the Mariners favored here is because the Astros Charlie Morton could struggle in this spot. I am well aware of his long-term numbers and that he's a ground ball pitcher and put up solid numbers in spring training. However, this is first MLB regular season start in nearly a full year and the Mariners lineup is a potent one. They've been held in check in the first two games in this series but I sense a big breakout game for them today. Morton is being given way too much respect from the betting markets. That is also why we've seen a total that opened up at 9 move all the way down to an 8 with the over available without laying any juice. This is what you call value and I just don't see a 3rd straight pitchers duel in this match-up. Let's not forget, two of Paxton's last three starts against the Astros resulted in games that totaled double digits in runs. I expect that again on Wednesday evening. 10* OVER the total in Houston |
|||||||
04-04-17 | Rockies v. Brewers OVER 8 | 6-5 | Win | 105 | 5 h 15 m | Show | |
Total Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Tuesday 8* OVER 8 in Milwaukee Brewers vs Colorado Rockies @ 7:40 ET - The very first total that was posted on this game was a 9 and now it's all the way down to an 8 plus the over is available at plus money. I won't hesitate to step in and grab the value here. Tyler Anderson did have a good start at Milwaukee last season but good starts away from home were rare for the southpaw. Anderson went 0-4 with a 4.71 ERA in his 7 road starts last season. Also, the left-hander had an ERA nearly 2 full runs higher in night games compared to day games last season. Anderson struggles much more against right-handed hitters (.281 BAA) than left-handed sticks and he'll see plenty of right-handed lumber in this one. Though the Brewers didn't hit well yesterday they did get some key extra base hits and they'll do better the 2nd time around against Anderson who finished up last season giving up 27 hits in less than 18 innings of work over his last 3 starts. The Rockies had a big day at the plate yesterday and should enjoy success against Zach Davies. The Brewers right-hander went 0-3 with an 8.78 ERA in his 3 April starts last season and I look for him to again struggle early this season. The Rockies saw him in the same game where they threw Anderson at Milwaukee last season and they'll enjoy better success in their 2nd look at him. Colorado has plenty of confidence at the plate after a big day yesterday. More of the same today. 8* OVER the total in Milwaukee |
|||||||
04-03-17 | Phillies v. Reds OVER 8.5 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -100 | 5 h 38 m | Show |
Total Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cincinnati Reds vs Philadelphia Phillies @ 4:10 ET - No disrespect to these two starting pitchers as both are certainly "quality" starters but when you look at the list of opening day starters this is one match-up where you have to scratch your head a little bit. The Phillies Jeremy Hellickson has a 4.48 ERA over the last 4 seasons combined. The Reds Scott Feldman, other than his solid 2009 season, has gone 54-69 in his career. Opposing batters the past 3 seasons have hit .266, .275, and .282 against him with the average going up in each season. Simply put, neither one of these guys are dominant hurlers. That, of course, is why the odds makers opened up this line at 9o-20 but we've seen it move all the way down to as a low as a 8 in some spots but at the dominant number of 8.5 (and + money on the over) as of late morning Monday, this total is offering great line value for the over. Both teams have questionable bullpens. The Phillies hit better on the road than at home last season. The Reds play in a hitter friendly park and averaged 4.5 runs per game at home last season. In fact, Cincinnati is 44-23 to the over the past two seasons when they are at home and the posted total is 8 or 8.5 runs. Also, 8 of the past 12 meetings between the Reds and Phillies have gone over the total. Look for more of the same on Monday afternoon. 10* OVER the total in Cincinnati |
|||||||
11-01-16 | Cubs v. Indians OVER 7 | Top | 9-3 | Win | 100 | 13 h 50 m | Show |
Top Total Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #951/952 Tuesday - 10* Top Play OVER in Cleveland Indians vs Chicago Cubs @ 8 ET - Unbelievably mild air in Cleveland for this time of year. Temperatures will be near 70 degrees at the time of the first pitch in this one at Progressive Field. The wind is expected to be blowing out to center at a decent clip (10 mph) and couple that with the mild air and these teams getting a 2nd shot at starting pitchers they just recently faced and you have the makings of a solid over here. This total is current sitting at a 7 and the Cubs are 10-4 to the over this season in road games with a posted total of 7 runs or less. The Indians are 5-1 to the over this season in home games with a posted total of 7 runs or less. The Cubs Jake Arrieta pitched well at Cleveland earlier in the series but previously he had compiled a 6.75 ERA in his 4 prior road starts. The Indians Josh Tomlin pitched well in his most recent home start but previously he had compiled a 5.59 ERA in his 4 prior home starts. 10* OVER in Cleveland Tuesday |
|||||||
10-28-16 | Indians v. Cubs UNDER 8.5 | 1-0 | Win | 100 | 10 h 29 m | Show | |
Game 3 Contrarian - Rickenbach MLB Game #901/902 Friday - 8* UNDER 8.5 in Chicago Cubs vs Cleveland Indians @ 8:05 ET - This total has risen from a 7.5 to an 8.5 for Friday's Game 3 and I completely understand the move. Of course understanding the move doesn't mean I agree with it and this is a classic case of getting extra line value because of a false move. Certainly the move makes sense from the standpoint of the weather expected at Wrigley Field this evening. The weather will be mild (by late October standards) and the wind will be blowing out at a decent clip. Normally that leads to an over at Wrigley Field but the key is making solid contact. Balls have to be hit well to carry out of a ball park no matter what the weather conditions are. In this case, I don't expect a lot of solid contact. Not only is Kyle Hendricks 10-3 with a 1.31 ERA in his home starts this season, the Indians have never faced him. Not only is Josh Tomlin 3-0 with a 2.50 ERA and 0.89 WHIP in his last three starts, the Cubs have never faced him. Both pitchers are currently in top form and both lineups will be at a huge disadvantage here having not faced these hurlers. On top of that, both bullpens are rested after yesterday's off day and both bullpens have been rock solid in this post-season. The under is 11-5-1 in Hendricks 17 home starts this season. The under is 7-0 in Tomlin's last 7 starts. Also, the under is on a 13-2 run in Cleveland's October games. The under is on a 38-19 run in Cubs inter-league games the past three seasons combined. Look for another pitchers duel tonight as the hitters struggle to get good wood on the ball. 8* UNDER 8.5 in Chicago |
|||||||
10-25-16 | Cubs v. Indians UNDER 6.5 | Top | 0-6 | Win | 100 | 13 h 43 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #951/952 Tuesday - 10* Top Play UNDER 6.5 in Cleveland Indians vs Chicago Cubs @ 8:05 ET - Very chilly conditions expected at Progressive Field tonight. The wind will be blowing in from center. The temperatures will be in the upper 40s and the ball will not carry very well at all given the cold dense air. Of course there also may not be a lot of contact made for the ball to even carry. Both of these hurlers - Cubs Jon Lester and Indians Corey Kluber - are capable of piling up big strikeouts. The issue for the Indians sticks could be a long layoff as they wrapped up their series with their Blue Jays on the 19th! Another concern for Cleveland is they averaged only 5 hits per game in that 5-game series with Toronto. As for the Cubs sticks, they certainly showed some life late in the series with the Dodgers. However, the Cubs now face a pitcher they haven't seen much of and the results when they have seen him were not good. In fact, the Cubs current hitters who may face Kluber tonight have combined to go only 4 of 38 lifetime against him. Kluber also has a 0.98 ERA in his three starts in this post-season. Each of those 3 starts stayed under the total. Lester also has been piling up some incredible results as he has allowed 1 earned run or less in 11 of his last 12 starts. This certainly has the makings of a 1-0 or 2-1 type game with the bullpens also rested for this Game 1 match-up. 10* UNDER 6.5 in Cleveland Tuesday Night. |
|||||||
10-19-16 | Indians v. Blue Jays OVER 8 | Top | 3-0 | Loss | -112 | 11 h 36 m | Show |
Top Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Game #903/904 Wednesday - 10* Top Play OVER in Toronto Blue Jays vs Cleveland Indians @ 4:05 ET - The Blue Jays erupted for 5 runs yesterday but the total still fell short of going over. Every game in this series has stayed under the total but that appears poised to change in Game 5. Yes, Indians left-hander Ryan Merritt has some impressive stats at the MLB level but he has logged very few innings so it is important to look a little deeper in a pressure packed playoff situation where a rookie is likely to struggle. Note that, at the AAA level in the minors this season, Merritt was rocked at a .279 clip by opposing hitters. Overall, in his minor league career from rookie level all the way up to AAA level, Merritt has been hit at a .267 clip. The point is, it is not like this guy has overpowering stuff and now he faces major league hitters in a situation that is not the easiest for a young hurler. The Blue Jays will counter with Marco Estrada. Though the right-hander has pitched very well this post-season, he is now giving the Indians bats a quick second look at him as they just faced Estrada on Friday. The righty has allowed 4 homers in his 12 innings against the Indians in his two starts against them at the Rogers Centre. One of those outings was earlier this season and the other was last season so it's not like that is ancient history. In fact, he allowed another homer to them in his Game 1 ALCS start at Cleveland, but the Indians are in line to get much more today as they get a quick second look at him here. The over is 5-1 (83%) in Estrada's last 6 home starts and he was hit quite hard in all 5 of those games that ended up going over the total. I expect another one here. 10* OVER in Toronto |
|||||||
10-18-16 | Indians v. Blue Jays OVER 7.5 | 1-5 | Loss | -101 | 4 h 27 m | Show | |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Game #955/956 Tuesday - 8* OVER in Toronto Blue Jays vs Cleveland Indians @ 4:05 ET - This total opened up at an 8 and quickly dropped to a 7.5 which certainly is not surprising when considering that each of the first three games in this series have stayed under the total. However, on Tuesday, the Indians Corey Kluber will be pitching on short rest as he just faced Toronto on Friday. Though he pitched well in that start the outing was at home and, not only are the Blue Jays getting a quick "second look" at him, Kluber got hammered for 5 earned runs in 3 and 1/3 innings in his most recent visit to Toronto in July. The Jays will have Aaron Sanchez on the mound and he's pitching with too much rest. He's been off since the 9th. That start against Texas saw him allow 6 earned runs in less than 6 innings of work and Sanchez had some issues with command of his pitches. Now pitching with over a week off between starts, the issues with command are not likely to improve. Also, Sanchez had a higher ERA at home than on the road this season and Kluber had a higher ERA on the road compared to at home this season. The over is 7-3 in Kluber's last 10 road starts and Sanchez has allowed 6 earned runs in 2 of his last 3 home starts and is feeling the pressure here of a 3-0 series deficit for he and his teammates. 8* OVER in Toronto Tuesday afternoon |
|||||||
10-17-16 | Indians v. Blue Jays OVER 8.5 | Top | 4-2 | Loss | -105 | 10 h 9 m | Show |
MLB Top Total Annihilation - Rickenbach Game #951/952 Monday - 10* Top Play OVER in Toronto vs Cleveland @ 8:05 ET - The bats have been quiet so far in the ALCS but look for plenty of noise from the sticks now as this series shifts to north of the border. Toronto scored 22 runs in their 3 game series against the Rangers and they have scored 12 runs in their last two games played at the Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays will be facing Trevor Bauer who has allowed 4 homers in his last 3 starts and struggled in his only outing so far in this post-season. Bauer gave up 3 earned runs on 6 hits (including 2 homers) in an outing that lasted less than 5 innings. The Indians right-hander also got rocked for 5 earned runs on 6 hits in less than 2 innings of work in his most recent start at the Rogers Centre. Bauer will be opposed by Marcus Stroman. The Blue Jays right-hander has given up 6 earned runs on 13 hits in his last two starts while compiling a 4.15 ERA in those two outings. Respectable numbers but nothing earth-shaking. The Indians have won 4 straight road games and averaged 5 runs per game in the process. The Blue Jays averaged 5 runs per game this season in home games. The over is 3-1 this season in Indians games where they are a road dog in the +150 to +175 range. The bats come alive for both clubs tonight as Bauer struggles again like he did in his most recent start and Stroman struggles against an Indians lineup stepping to the plate with plenty of confidence thanks to the 2-0 series lead. 10* OVER in Toronto Monday night |
|||||||
10-15-16 | Dodgers v. Cubs OVER 7.5 | Top | 4-8 | Win | 100 | 9 h 4 m | Show |
Total Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #903/904 Saturday - 10* Top Play OVER in Chicago Cubs vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 8:05 ET - The wind is going to be blowing out at Wrigley Field on a mild evening in Chicago. Even though the Dodgers have to face a tough Jon Lester they have enough pop in their lineup to take advantage of the favorable hitting conditions for this one. Wrigley Field can be one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in the league when the weather conditions are mild with the wind blowing out to left field. Both lineups will be able to take advantage and Lester did allow 5 earned runs to Cincinnati two weeks ago. The Dodgers will have Kenta Maeda on the mound and he has gone 0-3 with 12 earned runs allowed in less than 10 innings of work spanning his last three starts. This is his first ever start at Wrigley Field and the Cubs lineup is ultra dangerous at home with the wind blowing out. The over is a perfect 7-0 the past three seasons when the Dodgers are a road dog of +150 to +175. Also, the Dodgers come into this match-up having had just 1 under in their last 6 games. The Cubs come into this game having had just 2 unders in their last 11 games! The over is 10-4-1 in Maeda's last 15 starts. More of the same in Game 1 of the NLCS. 10* OVER in Chicago Cubs Saturday |
|||||||
10-15-16 | Blue Jays v. Indians OVER 8.5 | 1-2 | Loss | -100 | 5 h 52 m | Show | |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Game #905/906 Saturday - 8* OVER in Cleveland Indians vs Toronto Blue Jays @ 4:05 ET - The wind will be blowing out at Progressive Field on Saturday afternoon and that strong south wind is bring in milder than normal temperatures for a mid-October day in Cleveland. The hitters will take advantage. I had the under in yesterday's game as I mentioned the layoff for the batters between games would have an impact on the sticks and plus there were two strong hurlers on the mound for that one. That game finished as a 2-0 pitchers duel as expected but much different results are expected today. The Indians will have Josh Tomlin on the mound and he has given up 4 homers among 16 hits in just 10 and 1/3 innings spanning his last two starts against the Blue Jays. Toronto got to him for 6 earned runs in their most recent shot at him in late August. As for the Jays pitcher, J.A. Happ, he allowed 4 earned runs in 2 and 1/3 innings in his most recent start ta Cleveland. Also, even though the Blue Jays southpaw allowed only one earned run in his most recent start (at Texas about a week ago), Happ did give up 9 hits in only 5 innings. He won't be fooling many hitters this afternoon either. The over is 8-5 in Blue Jays playoff games. Also, the over is 23-11 in Indians home games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs this season. 8* OVER in Cleveland Saturday afternoon |
|||||||
10-14-16 | Blue Jays v. Indians UNDER 7.5 | 0-2 | Win | 100 | 11 h 31 m | Show | |
ALCS Total Annihilation Friday - Rickenbach MLB Game #901/902 - 8* UNDER in Cleveland Indians vs Toronto Blue Jays @ 8:05 ET - With both of these teams off of sweeps in their respective ALDS match-ups, each club has been off since Sunday/Monday. The layoff doesn't help bats. If you look at what happened after the All-Star break this season (and it's happened a lot in the past too) there are a lot of unders that follow a "break" in the action. The hitters tend to lose their timing a bit and it gives an added edge to the pitchers. That is what I am fully expecting here on a chilly night in Cleveland with the air being fairly dense, two solid rested bullpens, and a pair of starters who are in top form. Add it all up and you have the makings of a tight low-scoring ball game at Progressive Field tonight. The Indians will have Corey Kluber on the mound and he is 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA in his last three starts. Cleveland is 12-5 in his home starts this season and he has a solid 3.05 ERA in those outings. The Blue Jays will have Marco Estrada on the mound and he is also undefeated in his last three starts while compiling a stellar 1.33 ERA. He is 7-2 in road starts this season and has compiled a solid 3.19 ERA away from home. The under is 3-1 in Estrada's last 4 starts and also 3-1 in Kluber's last 4 home starts. As a road dog of +100 to +150 this season, Toronto has gone 7-19 to the under! The Blue Jays are also on a 36-15 run to the under in their games against teams with a winning record. The Indians have gone over the total just once in their five October games. More of the same in Game One of the ALCS. 8* UNDER in Cleveland Friday |
|||||||
10-10-16 | Nationals v. Dodgers OVER 7.5 | Top | 8-3 | Win | 102 | 6 h 43 m | Show |
Daytime Smash - Rickenbach MLB Game #901/902 - 10* Top Play OVER in Los Angeles Dodgers vs Washington Nationals @ 4:05 ET Monday - Very warm temperatures, dry air, and a light breeze blowing out at Dodger Stadium Monday afternoon means this game is likely to be much higher scoring than many are expecting. Yes, the Dodgers are known for struggling against southpaws but the Nationals Gio Gonzalez comes into this start struggling. Washington has lost each of the last three starts the left-hander has made. In his last 5 starts Gonzalez has had only one quality start. In the other 4 outings he gave up 18 earned runs on 30 hits in just 16 innings of work. As for Los Angeles, they will have right-hander Kenta Maeda on the mound and he also comes into this start struggling. Maeda has given up 8 earned runs on 12 hits in less than 7 innings of work spanning his last two starts. There have only been 4 unders in Maeda's last 14 starts. As for Gonzalez, his last start stayed under the total despite his poor results on the mound but 5 of his last 7 starts resulted in overs. Before yesterday's under, the over was 5-1 in the Dodgers last 6 games and 4-1 in the Nationals last 5 games. 10* OVER in Los Angeles Dodgers Monday afternoon |
|||||||
10-05-16 | Giants v. Mets UNDER 6 | 3-0 | Win | 100 | 46 h 2 m | Show | |
Rickenbach MLB Game #933/934 - 8* UNDER in New York Mets vs San Francisco Giants @ 8:05 ET Wednesday - Noah Syndergaard vs Madison Bumgarner has pitchers duel written all over it and I see no reason NOT to get involved here even though this total is only a 6. A 1-0, 2-1, or (at worst) 3-2 game seems to be in the offering here on what will be a cool evening in New York where it is the pitchers with the big edges. Of course Bumgarner had a phenomenal post-season in 2014 while Syndergaard also fared well in his first post-season last year. The Giants were held to 3 runs or less in 6 of their last 7 road games in the regular season. The Mets are a long-term 50-26 to the under in October games. The Giants are on a 23-13 run to the under in their last 36 games against teams with a winning record. The under is 15-8 in San Francisco games when they are on a winning streak of 3 games or more and SF carries a 4-game winning streak into this Wild Card match-up. The under was 6-2 in Syndergaard's starts against NL West opponents this season and the under was also 4-1 in his starts where he was opposed by a southpaw starter. Syndergaard has allowed 2 earned runs or less in 7 of his last 8 starts. Bumgarner's career numbers at New York are ridiculously dominant. After tossing six shutout innings against the Mets in a 6-1 victory earlier this season, the 2014 World Series MVP has allowed a TOTAL of ONLY two earned runs in 29 innings pitched at Citi Field. Bumgarner is 4-0 lifetime at the stadium, with a 0.62 ERA which is the lowest of any pitcher in baseball at Citi Field! The Giants big lefty also has an 18-inning scoreless streak at Citi Field dating back to 2013. A pitchers duel appears imminent and, of course, both bullpens are rested a ready with the layoff since Sunday's regular season finales. 8* UNDER in New York Mets Wednesday evening. |
|||||||
10-04-16 | Orioles v. Blue Jays OVER 8.5 | 2-5 | Loss | -102 | 24 h 2 m | Show | |
Rickenbach MLB Game #931/932 - 8* OVER in Toronto Blue Jays vs Baltimore Orioles @ 8:05 ET Tuesday - There will be plenty of opportunities for UNDERS as the MLB post-season gets going but this is not only NOT one of them, it is the precise opportunity to go with an OVER! The Orioles are starting Chris Tillman and he had a "weak" finish to the season with 5 runs (4 earned) on 11 hits and 6 walks in the 7 and 1/3 innings spanning his last two starts. The big concern too was not only the 6 walks but also the fact that he struck out only 2 in the 5 and 2/3 innings spanning his most recent start and that was against the Blue Jays. By the way, this is a Toronto team that has given him a lot of trouble throughout his career. Tillman is 5-10 with a 5.18 ERA in the 24 starts he has made against the Blue Jays in his career. There is so much power in BOTH of these lineups that I would not be surprised to see some big homers hit in this game. The Jays are one of the top home run hitting teams in the league while the Orioles are THE top home run hitting team in the majors! Baltimore feasts on right-handed pitching and should enjoy continued success against Marcus Stroman. The Toronto right-hander has seen the Blue Jays lose 4 of the 6 starts he has made against the O's in his career and Stroman has compiled a 5.84 ERA in those outings. Baltimore went 13-8 to the over as a road dog of +125 to +150 this season. Toronto is 6-3-1 to the over in playoff games. Just 3 unders in 10 games. Look for that trend to continue here. 8* OVER in Toronto in Tuesday's AL Wild Card match-up. |
|||||||
10-02-16 | Brewers v. Rockies OVER 10.5 | Top | 6-4 | Loss | -110 | 5 h 45 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Game #961/962 - 10* Top Play OVER in Colorado Rockies vs Milwaukee Brewers @ 3:10 ET Sunday - The first two games of this series both stayed under the total and, of course, this is not only the series finale Sunday but also the season finale for these two non-playoff teams. The fact is that it is very rare for all games of a series at Coors Field to stay under the total and I feel, based on this pitching match-up as well as the fact that this is an afternoon game in mild conditions in the thin air of Colorado, that we are getting superb line value here. This total is only a 10.5 and that means getting each team to 5 runs guarantees us of no worse than a 6-5 game and, therefore, a winning ticket. The Brewers are starting Tyler Cravy and, though he has pitched well out of the bullpen, he got rocked in his lone start this season. Also, he has faced the Rockies a few times recently out of the bullpen and this helps give the Colorado lineup familiarity with him. Repetition against a hurler helps the hitters greatly and the Rockies are hitting .303 and averaging 6.3 runs per game in their home game this season. German Marquez gets this start for the Rockies and he was rocked for 6 earned runs on 12 hits in 4 and 1/3 innings in his most recent start. Though his prior start did see him enjoy some success, Marquez did hit two batters in that outing and he certainly is having trouble with command of his pitches and placement in the strike zone. Remember this is a young pitcher still adjusting to life in the bigs and he has been hit at a .355 clip in all of his appearances in the majors this season. This is the 58th day game of the year for the Brewers and they've only had 22 unders thus far. I expect a wild one Sunday as there is no pressure on either team and the weather is favorable for a high-scoring slugfest under the sun. Both pitchers are unproven and likely to struggle. 10* OVER in Colorado Sunday afternoon |
|||||||
10-01-16 | Tigers v. Braves OVER 9 | Top | 3-5 | Loss | -105 | 9 h 42 m | Show |
Total Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #979/980 - 10* Top Play OVER in Atlanta Braves vs Detroit Tigers @ 7:10 ET Saturday - Yesterday's posted total was an 8.5 and the game landed on 8 so it was a tight loss for those who had the over like I did. I won't hesitate to come right back with it here though as the Braves were one of the hottest hitting teams in the league in September and the Tigers scored 6 runs yesterday to notch their 8th win in their last 11 games. Detroit continues to battle hard to stay alive for a Wild Card spot and Detroit is averaging 7.2 runs per game during this 8-3 hot streak. The Tigers are turning to Jordan Zimmerman for this "must win" game and that is a tough situation for Detroit as he has not pitched well at all and has also been battling neck problems. Zimmerman has a 16.61 ERA in his last 3 starts and has allowed an average of 3 baserunners per inning during this very rough stretch. He'll be opposed by the Braves Aaron Blair who is coming off another poor outing where he again had issues with command of his pitches. Blair has gone 1-7 with an 8.02 ERA in his 14 starts this season. The over is 9-3 in Blair's last 12 starts and 8-1-1 in Zimmerman's last 10 starts. That means we are testing a combined 17-4 run to the over with this play and I'll gladly elevated this one to a top play rating! 10* OVER in Atlanta Saturday evening |
|||||||
10-01-16 | Orioles v. Yankees OVER 8.5 | 3-7 | Win | 100 | 5 h 23 m | Show | |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Game #967/968 - 8* OVER in New York Yankees vs Baltimore Orioles @ 4:05 ET Saturday - The Orioles are starting Wade Miley who just became a father for the first time. Even without that distraction, the other concern for the Orioles southpaw here is the fact that the Yankees have had his number. Miley is winless in the 6 starts he has made against the Yankees in his career. In his three most recent starts against the Yanks, Miley has been rocked for 14 earned runs in 15 and 1/3 innings. It will be a cool day in the Bronx with the wind blowing in at Yankee Stadium but that still doesn't warrant this total dropping to an 8.5 given the situation. The Orioles are still battling hard to try and secure a post-season spot while the division rival Yankees would certainly love nothing more than to prevent that. The issue for the Yanks today will be that Luis Severino is getting the start. The right-hander is 0-8 with an 8.59 ERA in the 10 starts he has made this season. Opposing hitters have batted .339 against him in those ten outings. Look for the over to improve to 4-0 in Miley's last 4 road starts while also improving to 4-1 in Severino's last 5 home starts. 8* OVER in New York Yankees Saturday afternoon |
|||||||
09-30-16 | Tigers v. Braves OVER 8.5 | 6-2 | Loss | -102 | 8 h 10 m | Show | |
IL Blowout - Rickenbach MLB Game #929/930 - 8* OVER in Atlanta Braves vs Detroit Tigers @ 7;35 ET Friday - The Tigers are fighting to stay alive in the Wild Card race while the Braves are playing excellent baseball in recent weeks even though their post-season chances have been over for many months. That sets up a very nice situation here on the total because an 8.5 means we just need to get each team to 4 runs in this game and we're guaranteed of no worse than a 5-4 final score and, therefore, a winning ticket on the over. Detroit has won 7 of their past 10 games and has averaged 7.3 runs during this hot streak. The Tigers have scored at least 4 runs in all 10 games. The Braves are on a 10-1 run in their last 11 games and Atlanta has averaged 6 runs per game and scored at least 4 runs in 10 of those 11 games! In other words, tonight game should have no trouble in getting each team to 4 runs. Matt Wisler gets the start for the Braves Friday and he has a 4.84 ERA at home this season where only 5 of his 14 starts have resulted in an under. The Tigers are going with Daniel Norris who has a respectable 3.33 ERA on the road this season but 4 of his 5 starts away from home have gone over the total. Also, the southpaw was rocked for 5 runs (4 earned) in less than 3 innings of work in his lone start against the Braves (last season). The Tigers are 13-4 to the over in inter-league games this season and have gone over the total in 6 straight games entering this match-up with the Braves who are 22-9 in home games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs this season. Also, the over is 23-10 in the Braves last 33 games against teams with a winning record. 8* OVER in Atlanta Friday |
|||||||
09-29-16 | Reds v. Cardinals OVER 8 | Top | 3-4 | Loss | -100 | 12 h 56 m | Show |
Best Bet Slugfest - Rickenbach MLB Game #957/958 - 10* Top Play OVER in St Louis Cardinals vs Cincinnati Reds @ 7:15 ET Thursday - Admittedly I got hurt with this same play yesterday but that certainly ended up being a strange game and one that was tough to stomach as my other two plays (one was a free play) were both easy winners with the Mariners in afternoon action and the Rockies under in late night action. As for this match-up, I won't hesitate to come right back with it as, amazingly, there was only ONE INNING in last night's game where the pitcher did not have to pick out of the stretch. That's right, only ONE inning out of NINE (the 7th inning) featured a "1-2-3 inning) with three straight outs. The rest of the game 8 innings - both teams - 16 half-frames had baserunners! The problem? The teams combined to leave 18 men on base and also combined for a pitiful 2 for 19 performance with runners in scoring position. Look for the lineups to make up for that pathetic effort with some clutch hitting coming back to the forefront tonight and I'll gladly fade the early line move here as this total dropped from an opener of 8.5 down to an 8 as of this morning. Daniel Straily gets the start for the Reds tonight and he has a 4.69 ERA on the road this season. Also, he just faced the Cardinals earlier this month and was fortunate to escape virtually unscathed as he walked 7 in less than 6 innings of work! As for the Cards, they will have Alex Reyes on the mound. I am well aware of the fact that the rookie has pitched fairly well overall but note how the Cubs gave him some trouble in his most recent start. That is because he was facing them for a 3rd time (including bullpen work) and they had already seen him for 7 innings. That is similar to this case with Reyes facing the Reds for a 3rd time. He's already logged 7 innings against them (1 out of pen and 6 as a starter) and the more a team sees a rookie hurler, the better the results usually are for that lineup. We saw that already with the Cubs against Reyes and I expect to see a repeat tonight with the Reds. After last night's nonsensical 2-1 final, look for both teams to return to "normal' tonight and that means this one flies over the total. The Cincy bullpen is weak and the Cardinals came into yesterday's game having allowed an average of 6.9 runs per game in their last 7 games. The Reds are 11-6 to the over as a road dog of +175 to +200 this season. Cincinnati is also 10-3 to the over in Thursday games this season. 10* OVER in St Louis Thursday |
- Early Lines
- High Limits
- NEW VIP Rewards
- VIP Program
- Mobile Betting
- Crypto
- VIP Program
- Crypto
- Live & Mobile Betting!
- Crypto
- Live & Mobile Betting
- 48 Hour Payouts
- 35% Crypto Bonus
- Live Betting
- Mobile Friendly
Guaranteed Winners or your money back and Free Picks in the NFL football, NBA basketball, MLB baseball, NCAA college football and basketball, Nascar Racing, Arena Football nhl hockey leagues and more.
We are part of the internets Premier Sports Handicappers League with full documentation of all members on this sports betting news and info portal. Free Membership, Join Today and start Winning!
For any resources you could need like sports handicapping odds, handicapping stats, schedules, or handicappers free picks and tips please click on any of the links on the right hand side of this page.