Cappers Sports Picks

Seattle cooled off the red hot Astros with a 13-3 victory last night, halting the Houston four-game winning streak while staying red hot on its own. The Mariners are on a season-high six-game winning streak and are playing like the team many expected coming into the season. They are 18-8 over their last 26 games and while they are still 11.5 games behind Houston in the American League West, they are very much alive in the Wild Card picture. The Mariners are 23-8 in their last 31 when their opponent allows five runs or more in their previous game. Houston has been in cruise control for some time now but has been pretty average over the last few weeks as it is 8-9 over its last 17 games and despite the outstanding road record, the Astros are extremely overvalued here. The Astros are 1-4 in their last five games when their opponent scores five runs or more in their previous game. Lance McCullers gets the ball for Houston as he is back from a stint on the disabled list with back issues which is never something you want to hear from a starting pitcher. The recent time off put a hold on a great start to the season but he has proven to be a bit inconsistent on the road. The Mariners hand the ball to Sam Gaviglio who is also off to a great start. He has a couple not-so-good outings on the road but he has been dominant at home, posting a 1.71 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in four starts at Safeco Field with Seattle going a perfect 4-0 in those games. 10* (978) Seattle Mariners

The Reds dropped another tough one on Friday as they lost 6-5 to Washington in 10 innings which was their 11th loss in 12 games including their third loss in four games by just one run. that dropped Cincinnati to 5-12 in one-run games which is the second fewest one-run wins in baseball. The Reds have a 6.08 ERA from the starting pitching which is worst in all of baseball but they finally get a break today. Washington is 7-9 over its last 16 games but playing below average baseball has not hurt the Nationals as they remain nine games up in the weak National League East. Despite the win last night, the Nationals are still just 2-6 in their last eight home games against teams with a losing record. The break Cincinnati is getting today is the return of ace Homer Bailey who is making his season debut. Bailey was 13-10 with a 3.68 ERA in 2012 and 11-12 with a 3.49 ERA in 2013 before he began to have injury issues. He made three rehab starts, going 3-0 with a 1.08 ERA at three different levels, including a 5.2-inning performance for Triple-A Louisville on Monday. When healthy, he can be a very dominant pitcher and he owns two no-hitters, one in 2012 and the other in 2013. Joe Ross counters for Washington and he has been very inconsistent with a 5.98 ERA in nine starts. While four of those have been quality outings, he has allowed five runs or more in the other five starts. 10* (951) Cincinnati Reds