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Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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08-05-20 | Dodgers v. Padres +117 | Top | 7-6 | Loss | -100 | 15 h 17 m | Show |
At 9:10 pm our selection is on the San Diego Padres over the Los Angeles Dodgers. San Diego was high on Garrett Richards for this season, and the early returns on the Padres veteran appear to validate the team's expectation. Over two starts, Richards has been very very good, with a 3.38 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 3.00 K:BB ratio (12 Ks and 4 BBs in 10 2/3 IP). The only stat that hasn't been there for the 32-year-old starter so far is a victory. Tonight, Richards faces a very good Dodgers team. But Richards has some pretty sick numbers against the Boys in Blue over his nine-plus seasons in the Majors. In six appearances vs. the Dodgers -- including four starts -- Richards is 1-0 with a 1.78 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in just over 30 innings. He's struck out 30 batters and allowed just 23 hits over that span. The Dodgers will go with RH Ross Stripling, who owns a decent career 3.57 ERA against the Padres but who is just 4-5 against them in 15 games -- including seven starts. Take San Diego as the home underdog. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-04-20 | Dodgers -120 v. Padres | Top | 5-2 | Win | 100 | 14 h 30 m | Show |
At 9:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over San Diego. We played on LA on Saturday and Sunday (and won both games), but went against it last night, and cashed on San Diego as the home dog. But off that loss, we'll switch again, and get back on the Dodgers tonight. Dustin May will get the start for Dave Roberts' crew. He's not gone deep into the game in either of his two previous starts. But he has been effective, with a 2.35 ERA. May's mound opponent tonight will be Dinelson Lamet, who has a 5.14 ERA in his four career starts vs. the Dodgers (all four were Dodger wins). Notwithstanding yesterday's defeat, the Padres are a horrid 26-54 (minus 23 games on the moneyline) as a home underdog, while the Dodgers are 41-23 when playing with revenge from a loss as a road favorite, and 51-28 off a loss by less than three runs. Take Los Angeles. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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08-03-20 | Dodgers v. Padres +127 | Top | 4-5 | Win | 127 | 14 h 5 m | Show |
At 9:10 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over Los Angeles. We played on the Dodgers the past two days, and won each game. But we will fade the Dodgers tonight in San Diego. Chris Paddack will get the start for the Padres, and all he's done is compile a 1.64 ERA in his two 2020 starts. In contrast, the Dodgers' Walker Buehler got off to a slow start last week, as he allowed four baserunners and two runs in just 3 2-3 innings. The Padres have gone 9-3 (+5 games on the moneyline) in Paddack's 12 home starts, while the Dodgers have burned money as a road favorite the past few years. Take San Diego as a home underdog. Good luck as always...Al McMordie. |
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08-02-20 | Dodgers -175 v. Diamondbacks | Top | 3-0 | Win | 100 | 10 h 13 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Arizona Diamondbacks. We played on the Dodgers yesterday with Julio Urias, and will come right back with L.A. this afternoon. Indeed, we'll probably be on Los Angeles an awful lot this year, as it was our Futures pick (at 4-1 odds) to win the World Series (last year, we cashed the Nationals at 18-1 odds). Dodgers' ace LH Clayton Kershaw was going to start opening day but was a late scratch due to a stiff back. So Kershaw's 2020 debut was delayed about 10 days, but he's been declared ready to go this evening. He might be monitored carefully today. However, with the way the Dodger bullpen has been performing, that's probably fine with him and the rest of the team. Kershaw may not be quite so dominant against the D-Backs as he is against the Giants (his original opening day opponent) but he still has a pretty gaudy record against them. In 33 starts vs. the D-Backs covering just under 206 innings, Kershaw is 16-10 with a 2.84 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. The D-Backs will go with RHP Merrill Kelly who flirted with a no-hitter in his first start (7 2/3 IP, 1 ER), but that was in the new Rangers pitcher-friendly Park. Kelly has a 5.40 ERA in two starts (10 innings) vs. the Dodgers. Finally, the Dodgers are 76-27 (+33 games on the money line) in Kershaw's last 103 daytime starts. Take L.A. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-01-20 | Dodgers -141 v. Diamondbacks | Top | 11-2 | Win | 100 | 17 h 37 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Julio Urias made his MLB debut more than four years ago so it's hard to imagine that the talented southpaw is still only 23 years old. The sky seems to be the limit for Urias and clearly we haven't seen the best of the young Mexican phenom. Urias gets his second start of the season tonight and it will be his first career start in Arizona's Chase Field. He has two relief appearances here and in five innings he has yet to surrender a run, allowing just one hit with four strikeouts. After a solid 2019 campaign in which he posted a 2.94 ERA in 12 starts, RHP Luke Weaver would like to forget his first start of this season. Weaver allowed six runs on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings last Monday against the Padres and things won't get any easier for him against a stacked Dodgers lineup. In three career starts vs. L.A., Weaver has a 8.00 ERA and 2.00 WHIP -- not exactly confidence-building numbers. Arizona is 4-13 in its last 17 games as a dog. Take the Dodgers. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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08-01-20 | Rays -205 v. Orioles | Top | 4-5 | Loss | -205 | 16 h 1 m | Show |
At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Baltimore Orioles. The O's are probably happy to see the Rays come to town after having to face the Yankees after the Marlins had a number of players test positive for COVID. Somehow Baltimore -- which resembles a AAA team at this point -- managed to win Game 1 of this series last night here at home. But things could get a lot tougher for the O's tonight with RHP Tyler Glasnow getting his second start of the season for the Rays. Tampa was cautious with Glasnow earlier this week, as he only stayed in for four innings in his first start of 2020. But as far as four-inning starts go, that one last Monday was about as dominant as it gets. The 26-year-old allowed one hit while striking out nine Braves hitters in a 14-5 Rays rout. Facing the O's lineup after one that includes Ronald Acuna, Freddie Freeman, and Ozzie Albies is a dream come true for Glasnow in his second start of the season. The O's are 9-43 (-23 games on the money line) in their last 52 games as a home dog of +175 or more. Take Tampa. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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07-31-20 | Rays -210 v. Orioles | Top | 3-6 | Loss | -210 | 17 h 19 m | Show |
At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over Baltimore. The Orioles took two of three at Boston to start the season, but then came home to face the Yankees. Baltimore dropped each of those, and that continued a long-term trend where the Orioles are a wallet-busting 35-92 (minus 39 games on the moneyline) as a home underdog. Even worse: Baltimore's 61-152 (minus 67 games on the moneyline) in nighttime games, and 43-75 (minus 11 games on the moneyline) vs. lefty starters. Tampa's Blake Snell -- the Cy Young Award winner two seasons ago -- looks to bounce back this season from a disappointing 2019. And Snell threw a couple of scoreless innings in his season debut last week. I look for him to go deeper into tonight's game, and expect him to shut down the Orioles. Take Tampa. |
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07-31-20 | Indians v. Twins +115 | Top | 1-4 | Win | 115 | 17 h 57 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Cleveland Indians. If you haven't heard of Twins pitcher Randy Dobnak don't feel bad -- you're not alone. The RH signed with the Twins as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and made it to the Majors after less than three seasons of Minor League ball. And all Dobnak did when he got to Minneapolis last year was post a 1.59 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in nine appearances (five starts) covering just over 28 innings. That's enough of a sample size to tell the Twins that Dobnak was worthy of a roster spot this season and with all the weird stuff going on, the 25-year-old found himself starting the Twins' second game of the season last Saturday. He and the Twins took the "L" that day, but Dobnak continued to show that he belonged here, throwing four innings while allowing just one run on three hits. It's no secret by now that the Twins have a powerful offense and that offense took the night off on Thursday, but everybody does that these days when facing Shane Bieber. The Twins are 83-47 (+22 games on the moneyline) vs. righties, and I look for them to come back to life tonight. Take Minnesota. |
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07-31-20 | Reds v. Tigers +166 | Top | 2-7 | Win | 166 | 16 h 56 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Detroit Tigers over Cincinnati. The Tigers have gotten off to a surprising 4-3 start this season, including a 2-1 series win over Cincinnati to start the season. One of Detroit's two wins earlier this season vs. the Reds featured the same pitching match-up as tonight: Shane Turnbull vs. Luis Castillo. In that game, Turnbull struck out eight Cincy batters, and permitted just one run, over five innings. The Reds are a horrible 64-98 (minus 16 games on the moneyline) on the road, and 158-220 (minus 59 games on the moneyline) vs. American League foes. Take the home underdog Tigers. |
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07-30-20 | Rays +131 v. Braves | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -100 | 13 h 21 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Atlanta Braves. You may be surprised by the fast start of the Rays but you probably shouldn't be. This is a talented team with star-quality players on both the hitting and pitching sides of the roster. The Rays always seem to make the right moves and in the off-season they did it again, bring in one of the biggest power bats from Japan (Yoshi Tsutsugo) and trading for talented OF Hunter Renfroe (Padres). They really didn't have to do much on the pitching side in the off-season as there was already plenty of young (and older) talent on the staff including tonight's starter, LHP Ryan Yarbrough. Yarbrough already has a scoreless outing to his credit this season, although he took a no-decision in the Rays 4-1 win over Toronto last Saturday. Yarbrough transitioned from the bullpen to the rotation last season and it doesn't look like he'll be heading back to relief duty anytime soon as he seemed to gain confidence with each start. Yarbrough is 7-3 in his last 10 road starts. Take Tampa. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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07-30-20 | Red Sox v. Mets -143 | Top | 4-2 | Loss | -143 | 13 h 20 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Mets over Boston. In this battle of southpaws, we'll take the homestanding Steven Matz of the Mets. Matz grew up in Stony Brook, about 40 miles from Citi Field. And he's always pitched great here, as the Mets are 14-4 (+8 games on the moneyline) his last 18 starts as a home favorite. Matz made one start earlier this season, and pitched very well against a solid Braves club, as he gave up just one run over six innings, and struck out seven. In contrast, Martin Perez faced a poor Orioles team, and was crushed for five runs (four earned) in five innings in a 7-2 defeat. Perez made one start last season vs. New York, and the Mets won that game, 14-4, as a +155 underdog. Dating back to last season, Boston's excelled against bad teams, but has come up short vs. the better clubs (29-42, minus 20 games on the moneyline vs. winning foes). And this year's squad should fare even worse, as it's taken a big step backward. The Mets have won two of the first three games of this four-game set, and have averaged 6.66 runs per game vs. Boston. I look for them to hit Perez hard, and blow out Boston tonight. Take New York. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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07-28-20 | Blue Jays v. Nationals -132 | Top | 5-1 | Loss | -132 | 13 h 1 m | Show |
our selection is on the Washington Nationals over the Toronto Blue Jays. It wasn't long ago that RHP Tanner Roark looked like he would have a bright future in DC as a member of the Nats' rotation. But after a breakout season in 2016, Roark started nose-diving at the ripe age of 30 and the Nats began bringing in some big-gun arms and they basically gave him away at the end of 2018. Now Roark is the epitome of the term "journeyman" as the Jays become his third MLB team in less than two years. This will be Roark's second career start vs. his former team and he hopes it goes better than the first one, a 5-2 loss back on June 1 of last year when he was a member of the Reds. The Nats will go with talented sophomore starter RH Austin Voth. The 28-year-old really put up some nice numbers in limited play in 2019, going 2-1 while posting a 3.30 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in nine appearances (eight of those starts) covering just under 44 innings. Toronto will actually be designated as the "home" team in this game at Nationals Ball Park, and will bat last. Still, it's worth noting that the Blue Jays are 1-8 in their last nine inter-league games away from home vs. RH starters. Take Washington. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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07-27-20 | Brewers -145 v. Pirates | Top | 6-5 | Win | 100 | 17 h 6 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm. our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the Pittsburgh Pirates. If the Brewers were hoping to compete in the NL Central this season, they got a rude awakening in their first series over the weekend in Chicago. The Cubs took two of three from Milwaukee and throttled them good in the two victories (3-0 on Friday and 9-1 on Sunday). Perhaps a trip to Pittsburgh will be just what the doctor ordered for the Crew as they will face a team which they've dominated recently. RHP Adrian Houser goes for the Brewers and, although he's a #4 starter on paper, many would argue that he should be #2 behind Brandon Woodruff. He gets a chance to prove it tonight following up on a solid rookie season in 2019 in which he posted a 3.72 ERA in 35 games -- including 18 starts -- with a healthy 9.5 K rate and 3.16 K:BB ratio. The Brew Crew finished their season series vs. the Bucs last year with six straight wins (three in August and three in September) including three in a row here at PNC. They are 19-7 in the last 26 vs. Pittsburgh. Take the Brewers. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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07-26-20 | Twins -131 v. White Sox | Top | 14-2 | Win | 100 | 11 h 40 m | Show |
At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Chicago White Sox. Given everything that's happened since the year began, it's not surprising that many MLB transactions back in January and February flew under the radar. And none of those was as quiet as the Dodgers' trade of Kenta Maeda to the Twins back on February 10. The Japanese star may be 32-years-old but he is just four seasons removed from his rookie campaign in which he won 16 games and posted a 3.48 ERA for Los Angeles, finishing 3rd in the NL Rookie of the Year balloting (2016). His numbers last season (10-8 with a 4.04 ERA) are very much in line with his MLB average and there's little to suggest that he can't be an effective starter in the AL for the foreseeable future. He'll get his first start as a Twin against a White Sox team that (notwithstanding yesterday's 10 runs) has a lot of swing-and-miss to its game. In his only other career start vs. the Sox, Maeta threw five strong innings allowing just one run while picking up the victory. Despite the loss on Saturday, the Twins are 5-1 in the last six meetings here in Chicago and 6-2 in the last eight overall. And they pounded Reynaldo Lopez last season -- scoring 20 runs in just 15 innings (over three starts). With the Twins 56-29 (+27 games on the moneyline) their last 85 on the road, we'll take Minnesota. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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07-24-20 | Tigers v. Reds -168 | Top | 1-7 | Win | 100 | 12 h 8 m | Show |
At 6:10 pm, our selection is on Cincinnati Reds over the Detroit Tigers. This is a "why not us" moment for the Reds. In a shortened season, the Reds have to be thinking they can win the division. The NL Central is clearly the weakest in the NL, given that the Cubs are a shell of their former selves, and nobody else looks like world-beaters. The Reds should clearly be improved over last season when they had more wins (75) than in any of the past five seasons. The ace of their staff, RH Sonny Gray, takes the mound for the opener against a team which should have no delusions about where it will finish this year. The Tigers are a bad team and could remain that way for the foreseeable future. The Yankees gave up on Gray too soon and basically gave him to the Reds for a minor-leaguer. So, Gray is a bargain for the next three seasons (around $10M/year) provided he continues to pitch like he did in 2019. I believe he'll get off to a great start this evening, as the Tigers are 34-89 (minus 37 games) their last 123 against righties. And they're 2-5 in the last seven meetings and 0-4 in the last four here in Cincy. Take the Reds. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-30-19 | Nationals +125 v. Astros | Top | 6-2 | Win | 125 | 18 h 31 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over the Houston Astros. In early September, I released the Washington Nationals at 18-1 odds to win the World Series. So, now that they are in a Winner-Take-All game for the Title, it's not a surprise that I will go with the Nats, who will have their ace, Max Scherzer on the hill. (And, should it hit, it would be our 2nd monster futures winner this year, as we also had Virginia at 22-1 odds to win the NCAA Basketball Title.) When Scherzer was scratched from his planned Sunday start in Game 5 in Washington, it sounded like there was no way he would make another appearance in this series. But great athletes sometimes find a way to come back, even when they are in so much pain they can't get out of bed. One cortisone shot and a bullpen session later and Scherzer has declared himself ready to go in the ultimate baseball game of the season. And who are we to doubt a three-time Cy Young award winner who is as big a competitor as there is in the game? We also played on the Nationals in Game 6 yesterday. And their resounding 7-2 victory should only serve to get Scherzer's juices flowing even more. RHP Zack Greinke will go the mound for the 'Stros tonight and although he pitched very well in Game 3 in DC, it's interesting to note that all season Greinke did better on the road than he did at home (which is quite unusual for Greinke, as he has been a dominant home pitcher for most of his career). His regular season ERA at Minute Maid Park after coming over to the Astros was a pedestrian 3.99 (in five starts) and in his only previous post-season start here, Greinke allowed three runs in six innings in a lopsided 7-0 loss in Game 1 of the ALCS vs. the Yanks. Washington is 22-8 in the last 30 meetings and 11-1 in the last 12 in Houston. Take the Nats. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-25-19 | Astros -133 v. Nationals | Top | 4-1 | Win | 100 | 29 h 30 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Washington Nationals. In a somewhat surprising turn of events, it's the Nationals and not the Astros that are leading the World Series, 2-0, after the first two games in Houston. As expected, both teams' starting pitching has been very good up to this point. But not as expected is the fact that it's the Nationals' hitting, bullpen, and defense that has been stellar -- not the Astros' -- thereby leading to a lopsided first two games in which DC has out-scored Houston by a combined 17-7. If ever there was a time for RHP Zack Greinke to show the 'Stros that it was a good idea to trade for him at the deadline, tonight is it. Greinke gets the ball for Game 3 against RHP Anibal Sanchez. Sure, Greinke has not been very good this post-season (0-2 with a 6.43 ERA in three starts) but if there's one thing that can get him on track, it might be a start vs. the Nats. In nine career starts against them, Greinke is 6-1 with a 1.27 ERA and 0.83 WHIP. And four of those were here in DC, where the ERA is even better (1.11). Greinke's teams have also been fantastic with him on the mound following a loss, as they've gone 30-11 (+17 games on the money line). Finally, the Astros are 74-33 as a road favorite priced from -125 to -175 (+25 games on the money line). Take Houston. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-23-19 | Nationals v. Astros -170 | Top | 12-3 | Loss | -170 | 19 h 15 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Washington Nationals. A lot of baseball people scratched their heads when they heard the Nats were starting Max Scherzer in Game 1 opposite Gerrit Cole. It is generally thought that Stephen Strasburg is the Nats de facto #1 starter now after his Playoff performances vs. Milwaukee, Los Angeles and St. Louis (22 innings, 4 runs). But now that Scherzer has beaten Cole and the Astros last night, it will be RHP Strasburg to face Justin Verlander in Game 2 tonight, so Washington Nationals fans must be pleased. But Houston is in a similar situation. It's certainly not a bad deal for A.J. Hinch to be able to hand the ball to a two-time Cy Young award winner in the second game of a World Series after you've dropped the first one. And in this case, Verlander just might be the best option -- Cole included. The veteran RHP also has a ridiculous record of 34-8 with an ERA of 2.81 and WHIP of 1.05 in 50 inter-league starts covering just over 330 innings. And in two career starts vs. the Nationals, Verlander is a perfect 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 14 innings. They may have lost Game 1 on Tuesday, but the Astros are still 23-10 in their last 33 post-season home games. And they're 78-25 (+30 games on the money line) when favored by -150 or more. Take Houston. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-22-19 | Nationals v. Astros -185 | Top | 5-4 | Loss | -185 | 42 h 15 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Washington Nationals. If the Astros win their second World Series in the last three years -- and if it's close -- they will likely look back on the Game 6 win over the Yankees in the LCS as the key. That's because the 'Stros won that game with a collection of relief pitchers which allowed them to save their best starter -- RHP Gerrit Cole -- for Game 1 at home tonight. And it means that Cole should be available to at least pitch out of the bullpen in a Game 7 if it comes down to that. The Nats' story so far is amazing, both for the franchise and its fans. A four-game sweep of the Cards in the NLCS is more than anyone could have hoped for, but even the Nats would have to admit that they're taking a huge step-up in this series. There are almost no weaknesses on the Houston roster and the Nats were just .500 (48-48) against winning teams in the regular season (and few of those winning teams were at the Astros' level). The Nats will go with RH Max Scherzer who has had a solid season, but one that pales in comparison to what Cole has done.  Cole is on one of the most amazing runs of any pitcher in recent history, going 19-0 with a 1.59 ERA and 0.81 WHIP in his last 25 starts, including the playoffs. The Astros have also won each of his last 16 starts. But it's not just this current year's streak which impresses me. In Cole's career (mostly with a mediocre Pittsburgh Pirates franchise), his teams have gone 78-24 (+32 games on the money line) when favored by -150 (or more). I won't step in front of this Gerrit Cole freight train. Take Houston. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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10-19-19 | Yankees v. Astros -128 | Top | 4-6 | Win | 100 | 3 h 29 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the New York Yankees. In this series, we played on the Astros in Game 2 (win), and then played on the Yankees in Games 3 (lose) and 5 (win). The Yankees were able to win last night's game, 4-1, to stay alive in the 7-game series. But now that the ALCS has returned to Minute Maid Park, we'll have no problem taking Houston at home to close out New York. Indeed, the Astros have gone 64-22 (+18 games on the money line) here, at home, this season. Even better: they're 80-43 (+24 games on the money line) after scoring less than two runs in their previous game. Meanwhile, the Yankees are an ugly 5-20 (minus 14 games on the money line) their last 25 as road underdogs of +150 or less. Veteran RHP Brad Peacock will get the start for Houston, and his ERA this season vs. New York is 3.00 (2 runs, 6 IP). But most impressive is that he had 11 strikeouts against 0 walks. Chad Green will open the game for New York, but he struggled vs. Houston this season (10.13 ERA). Take the Astros. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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10-18-19 | Astros v. Yankees +131 | Top | 1-4 | Win | 131 | 9 h 50 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Houston Astros. After the victory by the Astros in Game 3 here, the Yankees are one loss away from elimination. They will turn to their southpaw James Paxton tonight in Game 4. Although he only lasted 2 1/3 innings in Game 2 of this series, Paxton didn't pitch that badly in Houston and should be very fresh tonight in this must-win situation. The Astros will hand the ball to RH Justin Verlander and, although his success in the regular season in his career is well documented, the veteran's post-season resume is less settled, especially when it comes to road games. For example, in his last road start -- Game 4 of the ALDS against the Rays -- Verlander lasted just 3 2/3 innings allowing four runs on seven hits with three walks and two homers allowed in a 4-1 loss. And Yankee Stadium could be a much tougher place for him tonight than Tropicana Field was 10 days ago, especially if Verlander gets into trouble early. Getting Paxton this start while they're still at home could be huge for the Yanks who are 6-0 in his last six starts in the Bronx. Take New York. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-15-19 | Cardinals +148 v. Nationals | Top | 4-7 | Loss | -100 | 19 h 40 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the Washington Nationals. With the Nats holding a commanding a 3-0 NLCS lead and the Cards completely unable to solve their opponents' pitching (only two runs scored in three games), you would think a series sweep would be a done deal. And, certainly, the historical stats bear that out. In Baseball history, Best-of-Seven series have been sweeps in 29 of 36 series where one team held a 3-games-to-none lead. This, by the way, is the primary reason for the inflation of the Nationals' odds for this game. Of course, the last two times this has happened (2016 Indians/Blue Jays; 2017 Dodgers/Cubs), the team down 3-0 actually won Game 4. Of course, the Nationals are now overwhelming favorites to advance to the World Series (and I hope they do, as I released them at 18-1 odds to win the World Series), but I don't think they'll win tonight. For one thing, Washington will start a left-hander (Patrick Corbin) for the first time in this series. And the Cards have done pretty well with an .810 OPS in eight games vs. southpaws this post-season (that's the second-best number of any club). Second is the fact that the visitors will start RHP Daniel Hudson. Although not garnering the notoriety of Flaherty, Wainwright, or Mikolas, the 24-year-old won 16 games in the regular season with a 3.35 ERA. And his only post-season start was a good one (NLDS Game 3 vs. the Braves). More importantly, during the regular season, Hudson was 1-1 vs. the Nats with a 2.08 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in two starts covering 13 innings. Finally, the Cards are 6-0 in their last six road games vs. left-handed starters. Take St. Louis. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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10-13-19 | Yankees v. Astros -152 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 20 h 56 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the New York Yankees. The Yankees surprised the Astros with an upset, shutout victory on the road in Game 1 here at Minute Maid Park. And while it's never a good feeling going down 1-0 in a series in which you're heavily favored, the 'Stros have to be feeling pretty good about the fact that they will come back in Game 2 with a future Hall-of-Famer taking the mound. RHP Justin Verlander won 20+ games for just the second time in his career this season. And he led the league with 223 strikeouts (and became just the 18th pitcher in MLB history to reach 3000 Ks for his career). You could argue that Gerrit Cole has been a slightly better performer this season, but Verlander is still probably the one guy you'd want on the hill in this situation. Despite their surprising win last night, the Yankees are just 4-10 in the last 14 meetings in Houston, and 3-12 in their last 15 American League Championship Series road games. Meanwhile, the Astros are 5-1 in Verlander's last six starts vs. the Yanks and 21-5 in their last 26 home games vs. a LH starter (Paxton goes for NY). Take Houston. AL Game of the Week. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-12-19 | Nationals v. Cardinals +136 | Top | 3-1 | Loss | -100 | 14 h 43 m | Show |
At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the Washington Nationals. Both of these teams had victorious performances on the road in their respective Game 5s on Wednesday. Unfortunately, each team was forced to use its best pitcher in its win, so neither team will have its #1 starter on the mound for the first two games of this series. Last night, the Nationals got off to a great start behind the no-hit bid of veteran Anibal Sanchez. We had the 'under' last night, so Washington's 2-0 triumph was welcomed by us. But for this game, we will go with St. Louis, and its RHP Adam Wainwright. He last pitched in Game 3 of the NLDS and he seemed to channel a younger version of himself in that performance. He threw 7 2/3 brilliant innings, and allowed just four hits with eight strikeouts and two walks. Unfortunately, the Cards' offense did little, and closer Carlos Martinez imploded, so Wainwright's effort was for naught in that one. Here, the Cardinals have been installed as a home underdog vs. Max Scherzer. However, St. Louis is 13-7 (+7.4 games on the money line) as a home underdog this season. And Wainwright is 10-4 with a 3.10 ERA in 17 career appearances (15 starts) covering 98 2/3 innings vs. the Nats. Take the Cards. MLB Elite Info Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-10-19 | Rays v. Astros -248 | Top | 1-6 | Win | 100 | 17 h 43 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Tampa Bay Rays. Last night, the wild card Nationals knocked out the #1-seeded Dodgers. Will lightning strike twice today? The surprising Rays have taken the team with the best record in baseball to a fifth game tonight, so Houston is trying to avoid the same fate which befell the Braves and Dodgers yesterday. That isn't likely to happen tonight with RH Gerrit Cole taking the mound for the 'Stros. Cole is the favorite for the AL Cy Young with a 20-5 record and league-leading 2.50 ERA and 326 strikeouts. None of that would matter to him, however, if he can't nail down the win tonight to advance Houston to its third straight LCS. The Rays may have tied this series up with two home victories, but they are 0-5 in their last five Division Series road games. Even worse: the Astros are 23-2 (+18 games on the money line) in Cole's home starts as a favorite of -200 or more. And they're 47-20 (+19 games on the money line) after not scoring 2+ runs in their previous game. Finally, Tyler Glasnow's teams are a money-burning 1-5 in his career as an underdog of +150 or more. Take Houston. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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10-09-19 | Nationals v. Dodgers -150 | Top | 7-3 | Loss | -150 | 27 h 35 m | Show |
At 8:35 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Washington Nationals. This is what a baseball fan hopes for: a win-or-go-home fifth game with each team's ace going to the mound. There isn't much to separate these two RHPs -- the Nationals' Stephen Strasburg and the Dodgers' Walker Buehler -- and each could throw six or seven shutout innings tonight. Which means this game could very well come down to the bullpens. And in that regard, it is no contest, as the Dodgers had the best relief in the NL (3.78 ERA), while the Nationals had the worst (5.66). The fact that Washington is still willing to trot out 42-year-old Fernando Rodney, who has been abominable, tells you all you need to know about Washington's bullpen. Meanwhile, L.A. has the triple threat of Japanese veteran RH Kenta Maeda, side-arm southpaw machine Adam Kolarek, and nasty RH closer Kenley Jansen. And none of them has given up a run thus far in the Playoffs. Despite their win on Monday, the Nats are just 5-11 in the last 16 meetings while the Dodgers are 7-1 in Buehler's last eight starts. Even better: the Dodgers are 38-19 (+11 games on the money line) off a loss, while Washington is 52-43 (but minus 8 games on the money line) off a win. And L.A.'s 28-12 (+10 games on the money line) as a home favorite, priced from -125 to -175. Take Los Angeles. MLB Elite Info Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-07-19 | Braves v. Cardinals -133 | Top | 4-5 | Win | 100 | 4 h 57 m | Show |
At 3:05 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the Atlanta Braves. Game 3 of this NLDS on Sunday was a thriller, with the Braves plating three runs in the top of the ninth off of St Louis closer Carlos Martinez to take a 3-1 victory. Game 4 is tonight and the Cards will send RHP Dakota Hudson to the mound for his first career post-season appearance. Dakota had one of the quietest 16-win seasons we've seen in quite some time, and this afternoon he takes the mound in a must-win start for the Cards who are one loss away from elimination. There are several reasons to think that the 25-year-old is up to the task today. First, and most obvious, is the fact that in 17 starts here at Busch Stadium this season, Hudson was 9-2 with a 2.75 ERA in just over 98 innings (and the Cards were 13-4 in his 17 home starts). Then there's also the fact he was very solid in his only start against the Braves in 2019 (6 1/3 IP, 2 ER on 5 hits). And Hudson finished the season strong, going 6-1 with a 2.35 ERA in 11 starts covering 61 innings in August and September combined. Despite their loss on Sunday, the Cards are still 9-5 in their last 14 home playoff games, and they're also 10-3 in Dakota Hudson's daytime starts. We will take St. Louis, and only list its starter, Hudson (and not Atlanta's starter). MLB High Roller Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-06-19 | Braves v. Cardinals +106 | Top | 3-1 | Loss | -100 | 30 h 2 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the Atlanta Braves. Sometimes, in a critical playoff game, the thing a team wants more than anything else is post-season experience on the mound. With this NLDS returning to St. Louis all tied-up at one game apiece, that's exactly what the Cards are thinking right about now. They'll send RHP Adam Wainwright to the hill for Game 3 with the knowledge that he has more playoff experience than the entire Braves' rotation combined. And it's not just experience, either, but rather very successful experience, at that. In a total of 24 post-season appearances (12 starts), Wainwright has a 3.03 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 89 innings. And he has never lost in an NLDS situation, going 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA in 12 appearances, including six starts, covering just over 45 innings. On the other end of the spectrum is Mike Soroka, who will make his playoffs debut for Atlanta. The Cardinals can also take comfort in the fact that Wainwright finished up the regular season strong, as he led the Cards to six wins in his last seven starts, going back to the end of August.  The Cards are also 10-4 in Wainwright's last 14 starts vs. the Braves (5-2 in his last seven at home). Take St. Louis. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-04-19 | Cardinals v. Braves +115 | Top | 0-3 | Win | 115 | 15 h 31 m | Show |
At 4:35 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the St. Louis Cardinals. All eight remaining teams are in action today and no match-up is more compelling than this one. When it comes to their starters, the Braves have decided to go with age and experience over perhaps the raw numbers in the first two games of this NLDS against the Cards. Veteran southpaw Dallas Keuchel got the call in Game 1 while Atlanta now turns to 27-year-old RHP Mike Foltynewicz for Game 2. Despite a winning record in the regular season (8-6), Folty's 4.54 ERA was not what he or the team expected coming out of his breakout 2018 campaign. Certainly his injuries played a big part in his struggles and it will all be forgotten if Foltynewicz can have October success. And his recent results point to him doing just that as Folty was 4-1 in September, with a 1.50 ERA and 0.70 WHIP, covering 30 innings. But there is perhaps only one recent stat which matters for today and that is the fact that the Braves are an incredible 12-1 in Foltynewicz's last 13 starts going back to early June. Take Atlanta. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-03-19 | Nationals v. Dodgers -162 | Top | 0-6 | Win | 100 | 22 h 45 m | Show |
At 8:35 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the |
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09-28-19 | A's -172 v. Mariners | Top | 1-0 | Win | 100 | 10 h 21 m | Show |
At 9:10 pm, our selection is on the Oakland Athletics over the Seattle Mariners. The A's have once again defied the baseball experts and are heading to the post-season for the fifth time in the last eight seasons. Oakland will be in a one-game Wild Card playoff against the Tampa Bay Rays. And, although they may be an underdog on paper facing either Charlie Morton or Blake Snell, that's been the A's situation pretty much all season. Tonight, they will send LHP Brett Anderson to the mound for his 31st start of the season. Anderson has already set a career high with 12 victories, and he has also posted a solid 4.00 ERA in his 30 starts. But the main reason to like Anderson tonight is the fact that, in 22 previous appearances against the Mariners (21 starts), the veteran southpaw has gone 10-5 with a 2.36 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in just under 130 innings. Those 10 victories represent the most that Anderson has logged against any team in the Majors by far. Finally, the A's are 9-1 in Anderson's last 10 road starts, while the Mariners are 6-23 in their last 29 home games vs. teams with a winning road record. Take Oakland. MLB Road Warrior Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-27-19 | Indians +117 v. Nationals | Top | 2-8 | Loss | -100 | 16 h 33 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Washington Nationals. In all likelihood, the Indians' hopes for a post-season spot will come to an end in DC this weekend. And it's a shame as the Tribe had a miraculous season once again, especially considering the amount of injuries it had to endure throughout. The chances of Cleveland sweeping the Nats -- who are still playing for home field advantage in the Wild Card Game -- on the road without the use of the DH are slim, at best (and then they would still need help from the Blue Jays vs. Tampa to get into the post-season). But we'll give the Indians the edge tonight in Game 1 with RHP Zach Plesac going to the mound opposite rookie RH Austin Voth. Plesac has had a very solid first season, going 8-6 with a 3.82 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 20 starts covering just under 111 innings. And although he is just 3-4 on the road, Plesac's ERA away from home is more than a half-run below what it is in Cleveland (3.51 vs. 4.10). The Nats are also 0-4 in their last four inter-league home games vs. teams with a winning record, while the Indians are 9-4 in Plesac's last 13 starts. Take Cleveland. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-26-19 | Indians -200 v. White Sox | Top | 0-8 | Loss | -200 | 18 h 14 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox dealt a blow to the Indians' post-season chances last night, beating them at home easily by the score of 8-3. Now Cleveland has to regroup for the final game of this series before traveling to DC to play a very good Nationals team over three games to end the regular season. Indians' rookie RHP Aaron Civale has only allowed one earned run in each of his three September starts coming into tonight, but all the 24-year-old has to show for his strong efforts is one victory. Of course, that one victory was against this White Sox club, in Cleveland back on September 2. For the season, Civale is 3-3 with an excellent 1.82 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in nine starts covering just over 54 innings. Start number 10 will be his first ever in Chicago. But, in general, Civale has pitched well on the road, with a 2.43 ERA in five away starts covering just under 30 innings. Despite their win on Wednesday, the Sox are just 4-11 in their last 15 vs. teams with a winning record. And Cleveland's 29-10, +9 games on the money line this season when priced from -175 to -250, while the ChiSox are 14-36 their last 50 as a home dog of +175 or more. Take the Tribe. AL Game of the Month. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-25-19 | A's -197 v. Angels | Top | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 11 h 6 m | Show |
At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Oakland Athletics over the Los Angeles Angels. A's starter Frankie Montas was setting the league on fire in the first half of the season. Through his first 15 starts, the 26-year-old RHP was 9-2 with a 2.70 ERA in 90 innings and seemed poised for an All Star selection in what appeared to be a breakout campaign. Then came news of a positive test for PEDs and Montas quickly went from hero to goat with an 80-game suspension. He's served his time now and Montas is back to make his first start since June 20 tonight in Anaheim. If he's 75% of what he was back in June, this should be Montas' time to shine to show the league that he's the real deal, and ready for the Post-season. Right after the All Star break, Angels LHP Andrew Heaney looked like he was going to finally break out and realize the potential which so many have predicted. July and August were solid for the 28-year-old but September has been a disaster (1-3 with a 9.31 ERA in four starts) so far. Oakland is 7-2 in Montas' last nine road starts vs. losing teams. Take the A's. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-25-19 | Cubs -188 v. Pirates | Top | 2-4 | Loss | -188 | 14 h 15 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Cubs have been all but eliminated from post-season contention with a losing streak which has now reached 7 games. Their stretch run couldn't have gone any worse, and it was wholly unexpected for the team that -- only three years ago -- was on top of the baseball world. And the future doesn't look all that bright for a team which has many of its best players already into their prime, and whose minor league system has been depleted through trades. But even this Cubs team can win this one tonight in Pittsburgh. Veteran LHP Jon Lester will go to the hill for the 31st time this season. Lester has been a Pirates slayer through most of his career, going 12-6 with a 3.18 ERA in 22 starts covering just over 124 innings against Pittsburgh. And here at PNC Park, Lester is 6-3 with a 3.39 ERA in 10 career starts (58 1/3 innings). It also doesn't hurt his chances that the Bucs are going with 24-year-old rookie RHP Dario Agrazal, who is 4-5 with a 5.08 ERA in 14 games (13 starts). Take the Cubs. |
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09-25-19 | Cardinals -113 v. Diamondbacks | Top | 7-9 | Loss | -113 | 11 h 51 m | Show |
At 3:40 pm, our selection is on the St Louis Cardinals over Arizona. The Cards gave up a run in the bottom of the 9th last night, which tied the game at 1-run apiece, and then proceeded to lose in extra innings, 3-2. We'll take St. Louis to bounce back on Wednesay afternoon, as it's 18-7 this season on the road when favored -150 or less. Michael Wacha will get the start today, and he's given up just 10 runs over his last eight games (2.52 ERA). The Cards are a solid 16-3 behind Wacha when he's not allowed 2+ earned runs in either of his two previous starts. Take the Cardinals. |
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09-24-19 | A's -205 v. Angels | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -205 | 16 h 42 m | Show |
At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Oakland Athletics over the Los Angeles Angels. It's looking pretty good for the Oakland A's to once again make the post-season when hardly anyone gave them a shot six months ago. The A's playoff probability is 97% heading into the week and they have series with the Angels and Mariners to close things out, so they are in the driver's seat. You can add Homer Bailey's name to the long list of veteran pitchers who have seen their careers rejuvenated in Oakland. The 33-year-old RH was 1-14 with a 6.09 ERA last season in Cincy, and then 7-6 with a 4.80 number in 18 starts with KC, before getting shipped off to the East Bay. Since donning the green and gold, Bailey has gone 6-2 with a 4.21 ERA in 12 starts, and he's coming off one of his best starts in a long time. Last Wednesday, Bailey threw seven innings of three-hit shutout ball against the Royals with 11 strikeouts and one walk. Anything close to that tonight should get him another victory and solidify his spot in the post-season rotation. Finally, we note that Bailey is 3-0 with a 2.39 ERA in six starts here at home this season. Take the A's. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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09-24-19 | Marlins v. Mets -250 | Top | 4-5 | Win | 100 | 13 h 46 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the New York Mets over Miami. The Mets lost last night, 8-4. And their post-season chances are now hanging by a thread. Tonight, they'll face Marlins RHP Sandy Alcantara, who has a dismal 1-8 record over his last 15 starts. Even worse for Miami: it's 18-54 (minus 21 games on the money line) on the division road its last 70. New York will hand the ball to Noah Syndergaard, who has dominated the Marlins in his career. He's made 10 starts vs. Miami, and owns a 7-1 record, with a 1.83 ERA and an 0.91 WHIP. Take New York. |
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09-24-19 | Cubs -185 v. Pirates | Top | 2-9 | Loss | -185 | 13 h 42 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Pittsburgh Pirates. It's do or die right now for the Chicago Cubs who are four games behind in the race for the final NL Wild Card with six games to go. If there can be any good news for a team that has lost six games in a row it is that they will be starting a three-game series against the Pirates. If there has been a more lopsided series lately than the Cubs and Pirates, it's hard to imagine what it might look like. In the last five meetings between these two clubs, Chicago is 5-0 and has out-scored Pittsburgh by an absurd total of 56-16. On top of that ridiculous stat, you have RHP Kyle Hendricks going to the mound for the Cubs. And the veteran has been pretty dominant against the Bucs this season. In three 2019 starts vs. the Pirates, Hendricks is 1-1 with a sparkling 2.25 ERA a 1.00 WHIP in 16 innings. Meanwhile, the Pirates have imploded in the second half as they are 8-22 in their last 30 home games. Finally, the Cubs are 5-1 in Hendrick's last six starts and 4-0 in his last four vs. teams with a losing record. Take the Cubbies. |
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09-23-19 | Red Sox v. Rays -190 | Top | 4-7 | Win | 100 | 18 h 59 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Boston Red Sox. Add Blake Snell's name to the long list of Cy Young winners who come back the year after they win the award to lay a big fat egg. Of course, injuries have played a significant part in the southpaw's disappointing numbers this season -- 6-7 with a 4.19 ERA in 21 starts. Snell was shut down in July in order to have surgery on his ailing elbow. Fortunately, the surgery was of the arthroscopic variety and Snell appears fully recovered less than two months later. In his first start back on Sept. 17, Snell was limited to two innings, but was perfect over that period. Tonight he will go a little bit longer, but likely not more than four frames. If the 26-year-old can get back to a full workload in time for the playoffs and then contribute to success for his team, all will be forgotten regarding his 2019 struggles. Now eliminated from any playoff contention, the Red Sox will go with veteran RHP Jhoulys Chacin who is an ugly 3-11 with a 5.66 ERA in 23 games (22 starts). The Rays are 18-4 in Snell's last 22 home starts vs. winning teams. Take Tampa Bay. MLB High Roller Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-22-19 | Cardinals v. Cubs -142 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -142 | 13 h 45 m | Show |
At 2:20 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals go for a rare, four-game sweep this afternoon in Chicago. And if the Cards are feeling sad about this series ending, they only have to wait a few days as they will get the Cubs again at home in the final series of the season next week. But for today's game, the Cards have to get by the pitcher who has been arguably the best starter on the team over the past month or so. In his last four starts, RHP Yu Darvish has allowed five earned runs on 16 hits in 26 innings with 41 strikeouts and only five walks. The key for Darvish this afternoon just might be that this is an early game. In nine starts during the day this season, Darvish is 3-1 with a 3.67 ERA, as opposed to 3-6 with a 4.15 ERA in 21 starts under the lights. The Cards will go with RHP Miles Mikolas who has taken quite a big step backwards after his breakout season of 2018. Mikolas is 9-14 with a 4.29 ERA in 31 starts after going 18-4 and 2.83 in 32 starts last year. Despite their defeat yesterday, the Cubs are still 21-8 in the last 29 home meetings with the Cards. Take Chicago. MLB Elite Info Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-21-19 | Cardinals v. Cubs -118 | Top | 9-8 | Loss | -118 | 16 h 2 m | Show |
At 2:20 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the St. Louis Cardinals. It's been a strange season for Cubs LHP Jose Quintana. Despite his highest seasonal ERA (4.38) and one of the worst WHIPs of his career (1.34), Quintana has tied his career mark of 13 victories and has notched his highest win percentage ever (.619). And in outings when he doesn't have his best stuff and leaves early with a no-decision, the Cubs often win anyway. That was the case in Quintana's last start -- one of the worst of the season for him -- when the Cubs blew out the Pirates 16-6 despite him lasting less than three innings. Quintana has some solid career numbers against the Cards. In 10 starts against them he is 5-3 with a 3.81 ERA in 52 innings. This season, Quintana is 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA in two starts vs. St. Louis. In the month of June, the Cubs lost all of Quintana's first five starts. But since the last start of that month, the club has been on a tear when he takes the mound, winning an incredible 11 of Quintana's last 14 starts. And they are 9-0 in his last nine starts vs. teams from within Chicago's division. NL Central Game of the Year on the Cubs. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-20-19 | Cardinals v. Cubs -120 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -120 | 3 h 48 m | Show |
At 2:20 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the St. Louis Cardinals. This afternoon's start was supposed to belong to Jose Quintana, but the Cubs decided to push the veteran southpaw to Saturday. Instead, they will go this afternoon with 27-year-old journeyman RH Alec Mills. Mills was a 22nd round draft pick of the Royals in 2012 and spent a very short stint in Kansas City in 2016 before being traded to the Cubs in 2017. Mills came up with the Cubs in 2018 and pitched well, albeit in a very limited role. And this season it's more of the same as Mills didn't make an appearance until after the All Star Game, but he's been very effective as both a starter an reliever so far. He will make his first start since July 22 this afternoon and it just happens to be in a bit of a "do-or-die" situation, as the Cubs have fallen four games behind the division leading Cardinals (and one game behind Milwaukee in the Wild Card race). Mills has only made four starts in his career, but he has a 4.29 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and very solid 4.80 K:BB ratio leading off games. Meanwhile, the Cards are just 6-21 in the last 27 meetings in Chicago. Take the Cubs. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-19-19 | Giants v. Red Sox -170 | Top | 4-5 | Win | 100 | 12 h 2 m | Show |
At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over the San Francisco Giants. If someone had told you that at the end of the regular season there would be a pitcher on the Red Sox staff that would be leading all others with close to 20 wins, an ERA in the mid-3's and better than a strikeout per inning and that pitcher was a left-hander, you would assume it would be Chris Sale. But in fact all of those things are true but we're talking about Eduardo Rodriguez. The 26-year-old southpaw broke out last season with 13 wins and a 3.82 ERA in 27 appearances (23 starts), but he's gone one better in 2019. Rodriguez is 17-5 with a 3.64 ERA in 31 starts covering just over 185 innings. He might not reach 20 victories, but he has a great shot at logging 200 strikeouts for the first time in his career (he has 189 coming into tonight). Start number 32 will be an inter-league game and E-Rod has done very well in those throughout his career. In 16 starts vs. the NL, he is 8-2 with a 3.28 ERA in 96 innings. More impressive, the Red Sox are 15-1 in Rodriguez's last 16 inter-league starts. Take Boston. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-18-19 | Marlins v. Diamondbacks -170 | Top | 4-5 | Win | 100 | 15 h 38 m | Show |
At 3:40 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Miami Marlins. Having lost last night to this same Marlins club, the Arizona Diamondbacks are now "running on fumes" as far as their chances for the post-season are concerned. Arizona is now six games behind in the race for the final NL Wild Card spot -- with three other teams in front of them. So tonight is a "must-win" along with some help the D-Backs will need from some other teams as well. It's times like this when you want a veteran on the mound and RHP Mike Leake is certainly that. He may only be 11-11 on the season (and 2-3 with Arizona), but Leake knows how to win in pressure situations. And the fact that he's facing the lowly Marlins, who are just 53-98 on the season, doesn't hurt. Leake's overall numbers may not be pretty, but in his last three starts he is 1-1 with a 1.93 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 18 2/3 innings. In his career, Leake has faced the Marlins eight times and he is 6-2 with a 2.74 ERA in just over 49 innings against them. Despite their win last night, the Marlins are still just 1-5 in the last six meetings in Arizona. Take the D-Backs. MLB Elite Info Winner. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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09-17-19 | Phillies +173 v. Braves | Top | 5-4 | Win | 173 | 14 h 35 m | Show |
At 7:20 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Atlanta Braves. There's no question it's been a dreadful season for Phillies starter/reliever Vince Velasquez. The 27-year-old RHP is 6-7 with 4.95 ERA in 30 games, including 20 starts, covering a total of 103 2/3 innings. With six victories, Velasquez is just three away from his career best of nine, but it is unlikely he will get there. But despite the dismal numbers, the Phillies -- for whatever reason -- seem to show up when Velasquez takes the mound, which may be the only reason that -- with their backs against the wall -- the Phils keep putting the veteran out there every five days. In June, the Phillies lost the last six games in which Velasquez pitched (three starts and three as a reliever). But since the beginning of July, the Phils have been winning at a 73% rate when Velasquez -- now a full-time starter -- has taken the mound. The Phillies are 8-3 in his last 11 starts going back to the end of June. And in eight of those games they plated at least six runs. The Phillies are also 18-11 this season off of back-to-back losses. Take Philadelphia as a big underdog on Tuesday. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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09-16-19 | Marlins v. Diamondbacks -207 | Top | 5-7 | Win | 100 | 20 h 52 m | Show |
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Miami Marlins. Each of Arizona LHP Robbie Ray's last two starts were cut short due to a lingering blister issue. And unfortunately for the 27-year-old strikeout artist, both of those outings were somewhat ugly, especially the last one when he lasted just 2/3 of an inning (five runs on five hits). The news coming out of Arizona is that there is no more blister concern. And if there is one opponent which can help get Ray back on track, it is likely the Marlins. He only has a career record of 2-3 against the Fish, but Ray owns a 2.43 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in five starts covering just under 30 innings as well. Ray has a 12-8 record and 4.30 ERA along with 208 strikeouts in 157 innings this season. Meanwhile, Miami's .245 team batting average vs. southpaws this season is the second-worst such number in the National League (Chicago - .240). Finally, the Marlins are 1-6 in their last seven road games vs. teams with a left-handed starter. Take the Diamondbacks. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-15-19 | Brewers v. Cardinals -140 | Top | 7-6 | Loss | -140 | 12 h 18 m | Show |
At 2:15 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers were doing pretty well recently, despite losing reigning MVP Christian Yelich to a season-ending knee injury. In fact, the Brew Crew had won seven games in a row between September 6th and 12th. But the loss of Yelich should eventually be the Brewers' undoing this season. The two teams split the first two games of this series, with the Cards winning 10-0 on Friday, before the Brewers came back last night, 5-2. The Cards will turn to RH Michael Wacha in the series finale. Wacha has struggled through much of the season, but has been pitching better since early August. After his first start last month, Wacha was sporting a 5.54 ERA. But since then, Wacha has allowed just nine earned runs over six starts covering 26 2/3 innings, lowering that ERA by more than half-a-run to 4.97. He allowed two runs in four innings in his last start, but it was in Denver against the Rockies, so it was much better than it first seems. The Cards are 8-2 in Wacha's last 10 home starts vs. teams with a winning record. And they're 41-17 this season (+19 games on the money line) when priced as a favorite of -150 or less, including 24-9 at home. Meanwhile, Milwaukee's a poor 13-23 this year as a road underdog of +150 or less, including 0-4 behind RHP Chase Anderson. Take St. Louis. MLB Elite Info Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-13-19 | Rays -132 v. Angels | Top | 11-4 | Win | 100 | 18 h 20 m | Show |
At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Los Angeles Angels. Until Blake Snell comes back from his injury -- he was scheduled to pitch for Durham on Thursday -- there's no question who the ace of the Rays' staff is. Veteran RHP Charlie Morton has been just what the doctor ordered this season for Tampa. For those who thought that Morton's numbers would fall off dramatically when he left Houston, they will need to think again. Morton's numbers in 2019 are every bit as good as they were in his two seasons with the 'Stros -- maybe better -- and one more victory would tie his career high of 15. His start tonight will also give him more than 30 for the first time in his career and he's already broken his career high in innings (176 1/3) and strikeouts (219). Start number 31 comes against an Angels team he has faced eight time already in his career with a 3-1 record to show for it. And talk about consistency. Morton has 15 starts both at home and on the road and he has an identical 7-3 record in both cases. The Rays are 12-4 in the last 16 meetings with the Angels. Take Tampa Bay. MLB Elite Info. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-12-19 | Dodgers -213 v. Orioles | Top | 4-2 | Win | 100 | 16 h 52 m | Show |
At 7:15 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Baltimore Orioles. The last time we saw veteran southpaw Rich Hill take the mound for the Dodgers was on June 19 in Los Angeles against the Giants. Hill was on a roll when he took the mound that day, but he had to leave after just one inning with a flexor strain and has not pitched for the Dodgers since. He'll make his return tonight in Baltimore against the Orioles and the Dodgers are certainly hoping they can add him to the combination of Hyun-Jin Ryu, Walker Buehler, and Clayton Kershaw in the rotation for the post-season. But first things first. Hill isn't expected to go too long tonight, but he probably couldn't have hand-picked a better spot to make his return in as he will face an Orioles team which is just 47-98 on the season. Despite the fact that Hill has only made 10 starts on the season, his numbers are pretty impressive -- 4-1 with a 2.55 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 53 innings. And the Dodgers are 7-3 in those 10 starts. The Orioles are 5-17 in their last 22 inter-league home games. Take Los Angeles. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-12-19 | Cubs -137 v. Padres | Top | 4-1 | Win | 100 | 12 h 16 m | Show |
At 3:40 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the San Diego Padres. It's been a weird season for Cubs veteran RHP Yu Darvish. Darvish's overall numbers do not inspire a high level of confidence -- 5-6 with a 4.12 ERA in 28 starts and leading the league in both HRs allowed and hit-by-pitches. But Darvish is also a strikeout machine and he's only allowed 125 hits in 157 1/3 innings pitched. While the Cubs' struggles on the road this season have been well documented by now, those struggles have not extended to Darvish. In 15 starts away from the North Side of Chicago, Darvish is 3-3 with a 3.30 ERA vs. 2-3 and 5.14 in 13 starts at Wrigley Field. And this afternoon's game isn't just on the road, but it happens to be at one of the most pitcher-friendly parks in baseball. The daytime aspect of this start is important as well. In 48 career afternoon outings, Darvish is 18-13 (.581) with a 3.13 ERA. In 119 starts under the lights, he is 44-38 (.537) with a 3.77 ERA. The Pads will go with RHP Dinelson Lamet (2-4; 3.95 in 11 starts) and they are a horrid 0-9 in his last nine starts here at home. Take the Cubs. |
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09-12-19 | Yankees -197 v. Tigers | Top | 10-4 | Win | 100 | 20 h 53 m | Show |
At 7:40 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over the Minnesota Twins. For almost seven innings on Tuesday night there was a good old pitchers' duel going on at Target Field between starters Jose Berrios and Anibal Sanchez. The Twins finally broke it open in the seventh and eighth innings and took a 5-0 victory into their locker room when all was said and done. We, of course, were happy with that result, as we had Minnesota, and won for the 17th time in our last 18 baseball releases. Tonight, though, we will switch gears and take Washington (which is our choice at 18-1 odds to win the World Series). In Game 2 of this series, RH Stephen Strasburg goes in his 30th start of the season. The 30-year-old is having arguably the best season of his career. His 16 wins is already a career-high, he has a 4.72 K:BB ratio, and he is on track to break his career season strikeout mark of 242 (he has 222 coming into tonight). And as far as this match-up is concerned, Strasburg is an inter-league machine, going 11-3 with a 3.14 ERA in 21 starts against the AL covering 131 2/3 innings. The Nationals are also 8-0 in Strasburg's last eight inter-league starts and 5-0 in his last five vs. AL Central teams. Take Washington. |
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09-11-19 | Nationals -138 v. Twins | Top | 6-2 | Win | 100 | 14 h 24 m | Show |
At 7:40 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over the Minnesota Twins. For almost seven innings on Tuesday night there was a good old pitchers' duel going on at Target Field between starters Jose Berrios and Anibal Sanchez. The Twins finally broke it open in the seventh and eighth innings and took a 5-0 victory into their locker room when all was said and done. We, of course, were happy with that result, as we had Minnesota, and won for the 17th time in our last 18 baseball releases. Tonight, though, we will switch gears and take Washington (which is our choice at 18-1 odds to win the World Series). In Game 2 of this series, RH Stephen Strasburg goes in his 30th start of the season. The 30-year-old is having arguably the best season of his career. His 16 wins is already a career-high, he has a 4.72 K:BB ratio, and he is on track to break his career season strikeout mark of 242 (he has 222 coming into tonight). And as far as this match-up is concerned, Strasburg is an inter-league machine, going 11-3 with a 3.14 ERA in 21 starts against the AL covering 131 2/3 innings. The Nationals are also 8-0 in Strasburg's last eight inter-league starts and 5-0 in his last five vs. AL Central teams. Take Washington. |
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09-11-19 | Diamondbacks -101 v. Mets | Top | 0-9 | Loss | -101 | 14 h 54 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over the New York Mets. The D-Backs and Mets are battling for an NL Wild Card spot and are separated in that regard by just a half-game, so this game is critical for both teams. Diamondbacks RH starter Robbie Ray is having another good season. The 27-year-old is putting up an ERA around four runs, double-digit wins, and is racking up a ton of strikeouts in the process. Ray hasn't reached the level of the elite strikeout pitchers in the league, but that day may be coming soon as the D-Backs fire-baller enters his prime. Ray was putting up those big strikeout numbers again in his last start in Cincinnati against the Reds when he had to leave the game after just 4 1/3 innings due to a blister on his throwing hand. He had a successful bullpen session the other day so Ray should be good to go tonight against the Mets in a very important game. The D-Backs are 8-0 in Ray's last eight road starts vs. teams with a winning record, while the Mets are 1-7 in their last eight games vs. teams with a left-handed starter. Take Arizona. |
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09-10-19 | Nationals v. Twins -145 | Top | 0-5 | Win | 100 | 17 h 27 m | Show |
At 7:40 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Washington Nationals. Tonight, the Nationals will visit Minneapolis for the first time since 2008 and play a game at Target Field for the first time ever (Target opened in 2010). This is a series that is critical to both teams as the Twins try to stay ahead of the pesky Indians in the AL Central and the Nationals try to secure an NL Wild Card position (I actually like the Nationals to win the World Series, and recently released them at 18-1 odds to win the title). The first of the three games will feature RHPs Anibal Sanchez of the Nats and Jose Berrios of the Twins. Berrios has had a bit of a rough patch lately, but three of his last four starts have been on the road and he is back home tonight for this -- his 29th start of the season. Berrios has a 3.62 ERA at Target Field (12 starts) and a 3.90 ERA elsewhere (16 starts). The home team has been very dominant in this series, taking nine of the last 10 meetings going back to June of 2007. The Twins are also 5-1 in their last 6 inter-league home games vs.teams with a right-handed starter. Take Minnesota. MLB Elite Info Winner! As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-09-19 | Cubs -134 v. Padres | Top | 10-2 | Win | 100 | 19 h 39 m | Show |
At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the San Diego Padres. The Cubs need their players to step up in the final month of the season -- none more-so than veteran RHP Kyle Hendricks. Hendricks has had a winning record in each of the previous five seasons he's been in the league (including 14 victories in 2018). But so far in 2019, the 29-year-old is just 9-9 even though he has a solid 3.39 ERA in his 26 starts. Hendricks gave up just one earned run over six innings last Monday vs. the Mariners. And that bodes well for him tonight, as the Cubs are 17-6 in Hendricks' last 23 starts following a Quality Start in his last outing. More good news is that, in four previous starts here at Petco Park, Hendricks is 3-1 with a 3.24 ERA and 0.88 WHIP in 25 innings. And overall, Hendricks is 5-2 with a 2.98 ERA in nine starts vs. the Pads covering just over 57 innings. In general, the Cubs do very well in San Diego, having won eight of the last 11 meetings here going back to May of 2015. Finally, the Padres are 4-11 in their last 15 home games vs. teams with a winning record. Take Chicago. MLB Game of the Week. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-09-19 | Diamondbacks v. Mets -217 | Top | 1-3 | Win | 100 | 16 h 38 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the New York Mets over the Arizona Diamondbacks. After winning the first game of their critical three-game series against the Phillies on Friday, the Mets proceeded to lose big on Saturday and Sunday. So now New York finds itself four games behind in the race for the NL Wild Card (catching the Braves atop the Division is out of the question at this point). The Mets are up to their tricks of 2018 when ace Jacob deGrom takes the mound. Namely, they don't give him much run support even when he pitches lights out -- which is most of the time. Perhaps a start outside of the Division against the Diamondbacks will light a fire under the offense tonight. The good news is that in three previous starts against Arizona, deGrom has not only pitched very well -- a 1.74 ERA in 20 2/3 innings -- but he is 2-0. His third start against them was this past June and the Mets lost that one by one run, so this a revenge situation for deGrom and the team tonight. The D-Backs will go with RHP Merrill Kelly (10-13; 4.69) and they are 1-5 in Kelly's last six road starts. Take the Mets. Mound Mismatch Massacre! As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-08-19 | Giants v. Dodgers -223 | Top | 0-5 | Win | 100 | 9 h 37 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the San Francisco Giants. Originally signed as a 16-year-old, Julio Urias was considered by some to perhaps be the heir-apparent to the veteran aces of the Dodgers staff (Kershaw, Greinke, Hill, etc.). He made his Major League debut at age 19 and now the young RHP has more MLB experience under his belt than almost any other 23-year-old out there. But Urias hasn't become the full-time starter that many envisioned as major shoulder surgery last season derailed his advancement significantly. But that doesn't mean Urias hasn't found an important role on the L.A. staff. The young Mexican has become a very effective middle reliever and short-stint "opener" for the Dodgers. In his last 12 appearances going back to June 20, the Dodgers are 9-3, and three of those appearances have been starts lasting three innings, and they are 3-0 in those. Despite their loss last night, the Dodgers are still 50-16 in their last 66 home games. Take Los Angeles. Mound Mismatch Massacre! As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-08-19 | Indians -162 v. Twins | Top | 5-2 | Win | 100 | 7 h 38 m | Show |
At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Minnesota Twins. Mike Clevinger has been the Indians' best starter this season and the team will likely go into the post-season with the 28-year-old RH as the leader of its rotation. Clevinger has been on quite a roll since June, allowing more than two runs on just two occasions in his last 12 starts going back to his July 3 outing against the Royals. And in eight of those 12 starts, Clevinger has allowed one run or less. Not surprisingly, the Tribe has gone 9-3 in those dozen outings. More importantly for this afternoon is the fact that Clevinger has faced the first-place Twins on two occasions this season and has given up just three earned runs on seven hits in 12 innings combined in those two starts. The road team is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings of these teams going back to June 6 of this season, and they are also 6-0 in his last six road starts. Finally, the Indians are 23-6 in Clevinger's last 29 starts vs. teams from the AL Central.  Take Cleveland. MLB Road Warrior Winner! As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-08-19 | Nationals -121 v. Braves | Top | 9-4 | Win | 100 | 6 h 49 m | Show |
At 1:20 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over the Atlanta Braves. The Nats came into this series in Atlanta hoping -- and needing -- at least two victories out of the four games. That's not going to happen now as the Braves have taken each of the first three games coming into this afternoon's finale. Today will feature each of these two teams' aces as RHPs Mike Soroka of the Braves and Max Scherzer of the Nationals take the hill. Scherzer hasn't won a game since his first start in July -- five starts ago. But the good news is that , despite the fact that he hasn't been racking up the individual stats, Scherzer's team has been winning the lion's share of his starts. In fact the Nationals are 10-1 in Scherzer's last 11 outings. Certainly, Soroka's had a great season -- one which should get him some Cy Young consideration. But he's done much better on the road (6-1; 1.44 ERA in 14 starts) than he has at home (5-2; 4.02 in 11). And the Nats are 38-16 in Scherzer's last 54 road starts. Take Washington. 5* MLB Game of the Month! As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-07-19 | Giants v. Dodgers -230 | Top | 1-0 | Loss | -230 | 17 h 41 m | Show |
At 9:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the San Francisco Giants. The Dodgers' pipeline runs deep -- both with offensive players and pitchers. One of those pitchers who arrived -- before rosters expanded -- is 25-year-old RH Tony Gonsolin. Gonsolin is proof of just how deep that pipeline is. Just a ninth round draft pick in the 2016 amateur draft, Gonsolin has been outstanding in his rookie campaign. In six appearances -- five starts -- Gonsolin is 2-1 with a 2.89 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 28 innings. Start number six will come tonight against a team he has yet to face. That shouldn't matter too much as Gonsolin will be pitching once again in his home park where he has been dominant. In two starts here at Dodger Stadium, Gonsolin is 2-0 with an incredible 0.82 ERA and 0.64 WHIP in 11 innings. The Giants will go with a RH rookie of their own as 26 year-old Tyler Beede goes to the mound for the 21st time this season (19th start). Things haven't gone as smoothly for Beede who is 3-9 with a 5.61 ERA in 96 1/3 innings. The Giants are also 0-8 in Beede's last eight starts. Take L.A. |
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09-07-19 | Tigers v. A's -270 | Top | 2-10 | Win | 100 | 17 h 39 m | Show |
At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Oakland A's over Detroit. Oakland blew a 4-0 lead last night, and lost, 5-4, in 11 innings. But that was a rare victory for Detroit this season. Indeed, it's an awful 33-82 (minus 25 games on the money line) as an underdog this season. Meanwhile, the A's have been spectacular as a home favorite, as it's gone 71-30 (+26 games on the money line, including 39-13 (+16 games on the money line), when priced -150 or higher. Jordan Zimmermann will get the start for Detroit, and he's 1-9 in his 10 decisions this season. And Detroit's won just 2 of his last 17 starts! That doesn't bode well against the A's Chris Bassitt, who is 9-5 with a 3.67 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. Take Oakland. |
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09-07-19 | Indians v. Twins -155 | Top | 3-5 | Win | 100 | 15 h 40 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Cleveland Indians. Twins' RHP Jake Odorizzi has already set a personal high for victories, having won 14 times this season in 27 starts heading into his outing this evening. None of those 27 has been any more important to the Twins than this one as Minnesota hopes to put away the pesky Indians and take home its first Division Title since 2010. The Twins lost a tough one in extra innings on Friday, and now they must re-group and come out firing. And firing is something this offense can definitely do. The Twins have already set the Major League record for home runs in a season, having passed the 267 number that the Yankees set the record with in 2018 -- and we still have an entire month to go. There's no doubt that Odorizzi -- and other Twins starters -- have enjoyed the benefits of that offensive output. But Odorizzi has pitched very well regardless with a 3.61 ERA that is the second-best number he's put up in his eight seasons in the Majors. Despite its win on Friday, the Tribe is just 1-6 in its last seven games vs. winning teams. Take the Twins. |
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09-06-19 | Cubs v. Brewers +111 | Top | 1-7 | Win | 111 | 15 h 53 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the Chicago Cubs. After a first half in which he went 7-2 with a 3.07 ERA in 18 starts, Brewers RHP Zach Davies has struggled since. But if the 26-year-old can have a strong month of September to help his team get to the playoffs, then all of those struggles will be forgotten. And that's what Davies did last season, when he posted his best ERA of 2018 (3.91) over five starts in the final month. His first start of this September is huge as the Cubs are in town for a 4-game set and they already drew first blood, beating the Brew Crew on Thursday, 10-5. Last season, Davies compiled a very strong 2.16 ERA in three starts vs. Chicago. This evening, the Cubs will go with LHP Cole Hamels in his 24th start of the season. Although he's been great at Wrigley (3-1 with a 2.66 ERA in 12 starts), Hamels has struggled in 2019 on the road. In 11 starts away from home, he is 4-4 with a 5.16 ERA. These two teams also met last weekend, and Davies blanked the Cubs over 4 2/3 innings last Saturday in Chicago. Finally, in Davies' career, when working on an extra day or two of rest, his teams have gone 27-18 (+11 games on the money line). Take Milwaukee. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-05-19 | Mariners v. Astros -258 | Top | 9-11 | Win | 100 | 16 h 1 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Seattle Mariners. After a rare loss on Tuesday, the Astros got a day off yesterday before playing eight straight against Division Opponents (four each against the Mariners and A's). Game 1 of the Mariners series kicks off tonight with Wade Miley going to the hill for the 'Stros. You can say what you want about the dominance of Houston's "big three" -- Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, and recently-acquired Zack Greinke. But when they needed a veteran LH in their rotation after not re-signing Dallas Keuchel, the Houston front office turned to Miley for a very affordable 1-year contract ($4.5 M). Miley has paid off big, proving more valuable to his team than many other southpaws out there making three times as much money. In 28 starts, Miley is 13-4 with a 3.06 ERA and 1.22 WHIP, making him perhaps the biggest veteran value in baseball this season. The Astros are also 20-8 in his starts. This will be his fifth Houston start against the M's and he is 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA against them coming in. Take Houston. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-04-19 | White Sox v. Indians -280 | Top | 6-8 | Win | 100 | 15 h 51 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Chicago White Sox. It's hard to imagine anyone other than one of the Houston Astros aces -- Verlander or Cole -- winning the AL Cy Young at this point, but the Indians' RH starter Shane Bieber has to at least be part of the conversation. The 24-year-old is only in his second season and he already has an All Star MVP trophy to his credit. But most impressively, Bieber has stepped up in the wake of the losses of Corey Kluber (injury), Carlos Carrasco (cancer), and Trevor Bauer (trade) to become the ace of the Cleveland staff, and the youngster hasn't let the pressure get to him. Bieber is 12-7 with 3.27 ERA in 29 appearances (including 28 starts) and he leads the league with three complete games (two of those are shutouts). Bieber has been on a tear lately, allowing two runs or less in seven of his last eight starts going back to July 24. Despite their victory on Tuesday, the White Sox are just 15-29 in the last 44 meetings. The Tribe is also 11-3 in Bieber's last 14 starts following a team loss in its previous game. Take Cleveland. MLB High Roller Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-04-19 | Mets +109 v. Nationals | Top | 8-4 | Win | 109 | 9 h 47 m | Show |
At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Mets over the Washington Nationals. There are comebacks and then there is the comeback that the Nats had on Tuesday night. Down 10-4 after the Mets scored five runs in the top of the ninth, the Nats responded in the bottom of the inning with seven runs, including the clincher -- a dramatic three-run, walk-off homer by catcher Kurt Suzuki. No matter what happens today, it won't match the drama of last night, and that will be fine with the Mets as long as they can avoid another meltdown. RHP Zack Wheeler will take his nine wins to the mound in the series finale this afternoon. Throughout his career -- all of which has been with the Mets -- Wheeler has consistently pitched better on the road than he has at home. In 64 career road starts, Wheeler is 24-15 (.615) with a 3.48 ERA vs. 18-22 (.450) with a 4.29 number in 57 starts in Queens. The Nats will go with veteran RH Anibal Sanchez. Despite a successful season overall, the Nats are 0-4 in Sanchez's last four home starts vs. teams with a winning record. And, notwithstanding yesterday's loss, the Mets are still 7-2 in the last nine meetings. Take New York. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-03-19 | Mets v. Nationals -129 | Top | 10-11 | Win | 100 | 15 h 23 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over the New York Mets. The Mets won Round 1 of this three-game series on Labor Day and it wasn't close. Noah Syndergaard bounced back and threw seven innings of shutout ball on the way to a 7-3 Mets victory in the Nation's capital. We had New York yesterday (part of a 3-0 Baseball sweep), but will switch gears and take the home team this evening. Tonight's Game 2 features a marquee pitching match-up that many will want to see. The top two starters in the League last season based on the NL Cy Young results will go to the mound as RH Jacob deGrom gets start number 28 for the Mets opposite RH Max Scherzer, who goes to the hill for the 23rd time for the Nationals. Scherzer made his first start back from a rare trip to the IL last time and was limited to 90 pitches in 4 1/3 innings against the Orioles in a game the Nats won easily 8-4. He didn't have his best stuff in that start last Wednesday but I expect to see a much-improved performance today in a game which means a lot more than Scherzer's last start. In fact, the Nats are now 9-1 in Scherzer's last 10 starts overall while the Mets are 1-4 in deGrom's last five road starts vs. teams with a winning record. Take the Nationals. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-02-19 | Mariners v. Cubs -275 | Top | 1-5 | Win | 100 | 10 h 42 m | Show |
At 2:20 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Seattle Mariners. There is quite a bit of hype surrounding Justus Sheffield. The 23-year-old southpaw was the first round draft pick of the Indians in 2014 when he was just 18 years old. He didn't last long in Cleveland, getting shipped to the Yankees and then from New York to Seattle last year in the deal that sent James Paxton to the Bronx. Despite appearing in three games last season and three more so far in 2019, it appears that Sheffield is still a work in progress. Even his numbers in AAA before he got the call-up to the Mariners indicated that Sheffield wasn't ready for the prime time. And in his three appearances in the bigs (including two starts), Sheffield is 0-1 with a 7.94 ERA and 1.94 WHIP in just over 11 innings. But regardless, the M's will put him back on the mound this afternoon in his first start at Wrigley Field. The Cubs will go with veteran RH Kyle Hendricks who is 9-9 with a 3.47 ERA in 25 starts, which pretty much mirrors the successful campaign he had in 2018. The Cubs are 12-2 in their last 14 interleague games vs. a LH starter, and we'll lay the big price on Monday. Take Chicago. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-02-19 | Giants v. Cardinals -173 | Top | 1-3 | Win | 100 | 10 h 36 m | Show |
At 2:15 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the San Francisco Giants. The Cards are the only team that veteran RHP Adam Wainwright has pitched for in his 15 years in the league. With his 1-year, $2 Million contract set to expire at the end of this season, it seems unlikely that Wainwright will be back in a Cardinals uniform. So no doubt, the veteran -- who has a World Series Ring from his second year in the Majors -- wants to go out on a high note and help his team make the post-season one last time before he departs. And one more victory would give Wainwright at least 10 for the 10th time in his stellar career as he currently sits at 9-9 with a 4.52 ERA in 25 starts. Wainwright has had a lot of success against the Giants in his career, as he owns a very nice 3.31 ERA in his 16 games (14 starts) vs. San Francisco. Even better: in 138 afternoon games (107 starts) in his career, Wainwright is 59-31 (.656) with a 3.37 ERA. Take the Cards. |
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09-02-19 | Mets -110 v. Nationals | Top | 7-3 | Win | 100 | 8 h 26 m | Show |
At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Mets over the Washington Nationals. Noah Syndergaard's last start on August 28 is one he'd rather just forget. The big 27-year-old RH took the mound at home against the Cubs on that day and proceeded to give up 10 runs (nine earned) on nine hits in just three innings -- quite possibly the worst start of his now five-season MLB career. Syndergaard will look to get back on the winning track this afternoon in DC in his 27th start of 2019. It will be his fifth start of the season against the Nats and that's not a bad thing as the man they call Thor is 1-1 with a 3.33 ERA and 0.89 WHIP with 24 strikeouts and five walks in 27 innings vs. them. And in two starts in 2019 at Nationals Park, Syndergaard is 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in 14 innings. Thanks in large part to that disastrous start last time out, Syndergaard's ERA on the road this season is more than a run better than it is at Citi Field (3.49 vs. 4.73). Finally, the Mets are 9-4 in Syndergaard's last 13 starts overall, 4-0 in his last four vs. NL East teams, and 6-1 in his last seven vs. teams with a winning record. Take the Mets. |
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09-01-19 | Red Sox -104 v. Angels | Top | 4-3 | Win | 100 | 11 h 6 m | Show |
At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over the Los Angeles Angels. After a strong bounce-back season in 2018 in which he won 16 games in 30 starts with a 3.58 ERA, veteran LHP David Price has taken a bit of a step backwards this season. But despite just seven victories and a 4.36 ERA in 21 starts covering 105 1/3 innings, there are some things to like about Price's campaign so far. The 33-year-old is punching out hitters at a higher rate this season than ever before (10.8 K rate) and he's kept his walk and home run rates down at the same level they were last season (1.3 and 2.6 respectively). So now that Price is healthy, I expect him to have a strong final month of the regular season, even if it won't help the Red Sox get to the post-season -- which seems unlikely at this point. In fact, September is Price's strongest month as he is 28-9 (.757) with a 3.03 ERA in 62 games (52 starts) in the final month throughout his career. The Red Sox are also 16-5 in Price's last 21 starts vs. teams with a losing record. Take Boston. MLB High Roller Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-31-19 | Dodgers -141 v. Diamondbacks | Top | 5-6 | Loss | -141 | 16 h 57 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Heading into last Sunday's marquee match-up against the Yankees in prime-time, Dodgers' LH ace Clayton Kershaw was a perfect four-for-four in his August starts, taking his record to 13-2 on the season. Despite pitching very well in that start against the Yankees -- three runs on four hits in seven innings with 12 strikeouts and no walks -- Kershaw took his first loss since the end of June. We actually played against Kershaw in that interleague game, and cashed a big play on the Yankees +158. But we will back Kershaw tonight on the road vs. the Dodgers' division rivals, Arizona. For his career, Kershaw has done well against the D-Backs, going 16-9 with a 2.69 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 32 starts covering just under 201 innings. Los Angeles is 8-3 in Kershaw's last 11 starts vs. Arizona, and it is also 57-16 in Kershaw's last 73 starts vs. division rivals. Take the Dodgers. MLB High Roller Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-31-19 | Mets v. Phillies -100 | Top | 6-3 | Loss | -100 | 12 h 51 m | Show |
At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the New York Mets. Five starts into his Philadelphia career, veteran southpaw Jason Vargas has yet to win his first game in a Phillies uniform. The good news is that the 36-year-old has been pitching well and the Phils have won two of his starts so far, including his last one against the Pirates last Monday. Vargas gets his first start as a Phillie against his former team this afternoon. Vargas pitched for the Mets in 2007, and also the last two seasons, before he was traded to Philadelphia at the end of July. The Mets will counter with LHP Steven Matz. In his fifth year in the Majors -- all with the Mets -- Matz is 8-8 with a 4.06 ERA in just under 129 innings. But the most telling statistic for this afternoon is Matz's record at Citizens Bank Park. In six starts here covering 22 innings, Matz is 0-4 with an ugly 8.18 ERA and 2.09 WHIP. The Phils got crushed on Friday by an 11-5 final score, which was a nice win for us, as we had our MLB Division Underdog of the Week on the Mets. However, we'll switch gears and take the home team this afternoon, as it is 19-9 in its last 28 after allowing five runs or more in its previous game. Finally, the Mets are 1-6 in Matz's last seven road starts. Take Philly. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-30-19 | Mets +128 v. Phillies | Top | 11-5 | Win | 128 | 16 h 52 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Mets over the Philadelphia Phillies. It's now or never for the Mets. The New York team from the NL has lost six straight, having been swept by both the Braves and Cubs and now the Mets are a whopping 13 games out of first place and five games behind in the race for the final Wild Card spot. To say that this weekend series against the Phillies is their biggest of the season would be an understatement. Game 1 will feature RHP Zack Wheeler whose season mirrors somewhat that of his team. The 29-year-old is 9-7 with a 4.46 ERA in 25 starts covering just over 155 innings. The good news for tonight is that Wheeler does very well against the Phillies and really enjoys pitching at Citizens Bank Park. In 14 career starts against tonight's opponent, Wheeler is 5-3 with a 3.43 ERA. And in six starts here in Philadelphia, he is 3-1 with a 3.55 ERA and 0.87 WHIP in 38 innings. The Mets are 12-2 in their last 14 road games vs. right-handed starters and 5-2 in their last seven road games vs. teams with a winning home record. Take New York as the road underdog tonight. MLB Division Underdog of the Week! As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-29-19 | Cubs v. Mets -183 | Top | 4-1 | Loss | -183 | 17 h 55 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the New York Mets over the Chicago Cubs. Jacob deGrom had one of the most amazing seasons in 2018. Despite getting little run support and barely finishing with a record over .500 (10-9), the Mets' RH ace had some of the best numbers of any starter in recent memory (a 1.70 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 269 strikeouts in 217 innings). In the end, deGrom was recognized for his incredible performance and was voted the NL Cy Young for the first time in his career. He's having another great campaign so far in 2019, notwithstanding his (once again) pedestrian 8-7 W/L record. Sure, the ERA is 2.56 instead of that eye-popping number last season, but he leads the league with 207 strikeouts and is among the league leaders in most other pitching categories. He'll get start number 27 tonight and it will come against a Cubs team against which he's had modest success. Jon Lester will start for Chicago and, after a successful July in which he went 2-0 with a 2.77 ERA in four starts, he has really struggled this month. In five August starts, Lester is 1-3 with an 8.51 ERA and 2.01 WHIP. Additionally, the Cubs are 8-20 as a road underdog this year, including 2-6 behind Lester. Take the Mets. MLB High Roller Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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08-29-19 | A's -188 v. Royals | Top | 9-8 | Win | 100 | 11 h 1 m | Show |
At 1:15 pm, our selection is on the Oakland Athletics over the Kansas City Royals. If the Oakland A's make the 2019 post-season, they will have done it with one of the largest and most varied collection of starting pitchers in recent memory. The A's have used no fewer than 13 different players as starters or openers this season, and you wouldn't think that would be a formula for success. But here we are almost in September, and Oakland is 20 games over .500 and right in the thick of the AL Wild Card race. One of those somewhat anonymous starters for the A's this season is 30-year-old RH Chris Bassitt. In 22 starts, Bassitt is 9-5 with a solid 3.59 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in just over 125 innings. Start number 23 will come against a Royals team which Bassitt has not faced so far this season. And KC has been the worst offensive team in the entire league this month. In 23 August games, the Royals are batting .219 and have plated a league-worst 88 runs. The A's are 16-6 in the last 22 meetings with the Royals, and we'll take them on the road this afternoon. Take Oakland. MLB Elite Info Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-28-19 | Rays +190 v. Astros | Top | 6-8 | Loss | -100 | 18 h 37 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Houston Astros. If this series is a playoff preview, then the Rays will have to do better than last night. The 'Stros embarrassed their visitors on Tuesday, handing the Rays a 15-1 beat-down here at Minute Maid Park. If anyone can get them out of their funk, perhaps it's LHP Ryan Yarbrough who's been doing it pretty much all season for the Rays. Most people didn't even know who Yarbrough was when he won 16 games and finished fifth in the Rookie of the Year voting for the Rays in 2018, and perhaps not many more do now. But nobody can deny the impact that the 27-year-old southpaw has had on his team this season, especially in the wake of the serious elbow injury to ace Blake Snell. All Yarbrough has done is go 11-3 with a 3.29 ERA in 22 games -- eight starts -- covering just over 109 innings so far. But the most impressive stat -- and most relevant to tonight -- is the fact that the Rays are 6-0 in Yarbrough's last six road starts. Take Tampa Bay. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-28-19 | Orioles v. Nationals -390 | Top | 4-8 | Win | 100 | 17 h 33 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over the Baltimore Orioles. In the Washington-Baltimore corridor they call it "The Battle of the Beltways" and round one went to the Orioles on Tuesday night. Who would have thought that of all the teams that could stop the offensive juggernaut that has been the Washington Nationals over the past 10 days it would be the Orioles? However they came into DC last night and shut down Turner, Rendon, and Soto in a 2-0 upset. But tonight they will have another problem to deal with and that problem is Max Scherzer. For only the second time since he joined the Nats, Scherzer had to go on the IL recently with a neck/back issue. But as you might expect with a player as intense as Scherzer, his stay on the shelf was short-lived and the veteran RH came back on August 22 with a shortened start (four innings) in a game the Nats won easily. He should be ready to go for a longer workload tonight as the Nats prepare for what appears to be an almost certain post-season run. Despite their win on Tuesday, the O's are just 3-8 in the last 11 meetings with the Nats. Take Washington. |
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08-28-19 | Pirates v. Phillies -134 | Top | 3-12 | Win | 100 | 16 h 32 m | Show |
At 6:05 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Pittsburgh Pirates. It's been a rough season for the Phillies veteran RH Vince Velasquez. Once thought of as a potential ace in 2016 when he posted eight wins with a 4.12 ERA and a 10.4 strikeout rate, things have gone downhill for the 27-year-old in the two plus seasons since then. So far in 2019, Velasquez is 5-7 with a 4.93 ERA in 27 games including 17 starts coming into tonight. But if there's a silver lining to his cloud -- at least for tonight -- it might be the fact that Velasquez has pitched substantially better at home this season than he has on the road. Velasquez's ERA is more than a full run better here at Citizens Bank Park this season than it is when he pitches elsewhere (4.22 vs. 5.31). And the Phils are 8-3 in Velasquez's last 11 home starts. The other major positive for him tonight is the fact that he will be facing a Pirates team that is currently 20 games under .500. And as bad as Velasquez has been, RHP Mitch Keller -- who will get his seventh start of the season tonight -- has been even worse (1-2 with a 7.24 ERA). Take the Phillies. |
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08-27-19 | Dodgers -176 v. Padres | Top | 9-0 | Win | 100 | 18 h 40 m | Show |
At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over San Diego. Walker Buehler will get the start for L.A. tonight, and he's absolutely dominated the Padres in his career. He's made 3 starts (including one against his mound opponent, Cal Quantrill, earlier this month), and has given up just 2 runs over 22 innings (0.82 ERA). He's also struck out 31 batters in those 22 innings, while allowing just nine hits and three walks (0.54 WHIP). San Diego's a horrid 23-46 (minus 18 games on the money line) as a home underdog, while Los Angeles is 63-26 (plus 17 games on the money line) as a favorite priced -150 or higher. Take the Dodgers. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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08-27-19 | Rays +171 v. Astros | Top | 1-15 | Loss | -100 | 16 h 39 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Houston Astros. This pitching match-up between RHs Charlie Morton of the Rays and Justin Verlander of the Astros has so many interesting angles to it. First, there's the fact that these two aces facing each other is something we could see in October in the post-season. Then there's the fact that Morton and Verlander were teammates in Houston the past two seasons and have a World Series ring together (2017). Finally, there's the irony that there's more pressure on Verlander as the favorite tonight because the Astros have lost each of the veteran Cy Young winner's last three starts at odds of -471, -187, and -518. We'll take Morton tonight in an underdog role, as he is enjoying another great campaign, with a 13-5 record and 2.85 ERA in 27 starts, covering 161 innings. The Rays are also 11-3 in their last 14 road games and 10-4 in Morton's last 14 road starts. Take Tampa Bay. |
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08-27-19 | Indians -148 v. Tigers | Top | 10-1 | Win | 100 | 5 h 24 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Detroit Tigers. Cleveland's sitting 3 1/2 games behind the first place Twins, and also just got the bad news that All Star 3B Jose Ramirez will be lost for the remainder of the year (hamate bone). So these intra-division series against losing teams are extremely important. And with starters Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco still down and out, the remaining starts from RHP Adam Plutko are also critical. Plutko goes to the mound for the 15th time this season (14th start) tonight in Detroit. He already has a win here as back on June 14, the 27-year-old threw six quality innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits with six strikeouts and one walk in a 13-4 Indians blow-out. That was his third victory of the season and he's added two more since then -- both in August. RHP Spencer Turnbull goes for the Tigers, and despite a decent ERA of 4.05, Turnbull has an ugly 3-12 record and Detroit is just 6-17 in his 23 starts (including 0-11 his last 11). Meanwhile, the Tribe is 11-4 in Plutko's last 15 starts. Take Cleveland. MLB Elite Info. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-27-19 | Braves -170 v. Blue Jays | Top | 1-3 | Loss | -170 | 8 h 49 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Toronto Blue Jays. For this game, please only list Atlanta's starter, Mike Soroka (and not Toronto's starter). There's no question that young Braves RHP Soroka will get some serious consideration for NL Rookie of the Year. But with the recent injury to Max Scherzer, and Hyun-Jin Ryu actually losing his last start, Soroka just might also garner some backing for the Cy Young award. After all, the second year player -- who is just 22 years old -- is 10-2 with a 2.41 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 23 starts covering just under 142 innings. And Soroka's HR rate of 0.5 per nine innings is the best in the league. (Some would argue that's the most important stat for a starting pitcher.) He'll get his third inter-league start of the season as the Braves will travel north of the border for the first time since last June. And it will be a "homecoming" of sorts, as Soroka is Canadian (though from western Canada). Soroka threw quality starts in each of his previous two inter-league outings against the Tigers and Twins. More importantly, Soroka has been an absolute beast on the road this season. In 10 starts in Atlanta, he is 4-2 with a 3.90 ERA. However, in 13 starts away, Soroka is an incredible 6-0 with a 1.32 ERA and 0.91 WHIP. Take the Braves. |
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08-26-19 | Cardinals v. Brewers -124 | Top | 12-2 | Loss | -124 | 14 h 36 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the St. Louis Cardinals. The Brewers were looking for a three-game home sweep of the D-Backs on Sunday, having easily won the first two games. But it didn't happen and now the Crew faces the most critical stretch of the season with the next 12 games coming against the Cubs (7), Astros (2), and Cards (3). But the good news is that nine of those 13 games are here at home, starting with the next three days. LHP Gio Gonzalez helped the Brewers win their Division and get to the NLCS last season and now the team is hoping he will do it again. It's almost September, and that's a good time of year for the 33-year-old southpaw who is 29-16 (.644) with a 3.42 ERA in 58 career games (55 starts) the last month of the season. And even though he is 3-4 in 11 career starts vs. the Cards, Gonzalez does own a very nice 3.11 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in just under 67 innings against them. The other good news is that the home team is 9-2 in the last 11 meetings of these two clubs. Take the Brewers. MLB Roadkill Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-26-19 | Pirates v. Phillies -127 | Top | 5-6 | Win | 100 | 14 h 36 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Pittsburgh Pirates. There have been plenty of highs and lows for the Phillies this season. Certainly one of the lows was the just-concluded weekend series in Miami. At the worst, one would have expected the Phils to take two of three from the Fish with a sweep being a distinct possibility. But instead, Philly left south Florida with just one victory and now find itself 5 1/2 and 11 1/2 games behind the surging Nats and Braves, respectively. The good news is it's back home to face a Pirates team that isn't much -- if any -- better than the Marlins right now -- and one which it has dominated recently. LHP Jason Vargas will go in his fifth start for the Phils. Still looking for his first Philly victory, Vargas has pitched well for the most part, posting a 3.91 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 23 innings so far. (That's better than he did with the Mets before he was traded here.) Vargas is also 2-0 in six career appearances (three starts) vs. the Bucs, while Pittsburgh is 12-22 (-8 games on the money line) in its last 34 games vs. LH starters. Take the Phillies. MLB High Roller Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-25-19 | Yankees +163 v. Dodgers | Top | 5-1 | Win | 163 | 17 h 17 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Los Angeles Dodgers. If you look up the term "breakout season" in the dictionary, you will likely see a picture of 2019's Domingo German. It hasn't always been pretty for the Yankees 27-year-old RH from the Dominican, but one thing you can't deny -- German knows how to win games. Despite an ERA slightly north of 4.00, German has a stellar 16-3 record in 22 games (21 starts), and the Yankees are 17-4 in his starts. And German's 16 wins are the most by any pitcher in the League. He'll go for no. 17 tonight on National TV in this rubber match in L.A. The Dodgers will counter with LHP Clayton Kershaw. Like German, Kershaw has had a very good, but injury-shortened, season, going 13-2 in 22 starts covering 143 innings. Kershaw's undefeated home record looks eerily similar to the one teammate Hyun-Jin Ryu had before Ryu took the mound here on Friday night. But the Yanks knew how to handle the southpaw Ryu and his spotless home ledger. Indeed, the Yanks are hitting .277 with a .496 SLG % vs. southpaws this season, and they're 25-14, +6 games on the money line vs. lefties. They'll look to do the same to Kershaw and his 9-0 Chavez Ravine record tonight. Take New York. MLB High Roller Winner. As always good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-25-19 | Giants v. A's -142 | Top | 5-4 | Loss | -142 | 14 h 19 m | Show |
At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Oakland Athletics over the San Francisco Giants. The Oakland A's are at it again -- taking veteran starters who appear to be washed-up and resurrecting their careers. One of the latest reclamation projects is LHP Brett Anderson. The oft-injured 31-year-old was little more than an afterthought when he signed with the A's in March of 2018 after two sign-and-release stints with the Cubs and Jays the year prior. And in fact Anderson pitched like an afterthought through most of last season, going 4-5 with a 4.48 ERA in just 17 big-league starts. But this season, it's starting to click once again for Anderson who is 10-9 with a 4.06 ERA in 25 starts. And those 25 starts represent something we haven't seen from Anderson very often -- an injury-free season. Start number 26 will come this afternoon against a team which Anderson is very familiar with from his two seasons with the Dodgers (2015-2016). The As are 15-10 in Anderson's starts this season and they are 36-17 in their last 53 home games, and 85-41, +28 games on the money line, their last 126 as a home favorite. Meanwhile, the Giants are 2-5 in their last seven inter-league games vs. winning teams. Take Oakland. MLB Roadkill Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-24-19 | Braves v. Mets -106 | Top | 9-5 | Loss | -106 | 16 h 31 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the New York Mets over the Atlanta Braves. With all of the bad pitching going around the league these days (both starters and relievers), it's good to see an old fashioned extra-innings pitching duel for a change. The Braves and Mets played just such a game on Friday night, with the Braves finally prevailing in extra innings. They will reload tonight and again it will be with a couple of pretty good pitchers going to the mound in the Mets' RH Zach Wheeler and the Braves' LH Max Fried. Wheeler has been pretty consistent all season, although he's lowered his ERA more than a half-run since the middle of June (from a high of 4.94 to its current 4.40). But Wheeler has definitely preferred pitching here at Citi Field this season, as in 11 home starts, he is 5-2 with a 4.20 ERA in 70 2/3 innings vs. 4-5 with a 4.58 ERA in just under 79 innings on the road. The Mets are 10-2 (+7 games on the money line) in Wheeler's last 12 starts as a home favorite of -110 or higher. And they are 18-7 (+12 games on the money line) in his last 25 second-half starts. Take New York. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-24-19 | Tigers v. Twins -300 | Top | 5-8 | Win | 100 | 15 h 30 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Detroit Tigers. After being mired in mediocre pitching numbers for years -- a roughly .500 record with ERAs around five runs -- Twins RH Kyle Gibson is finally having a productive campaign in his seventh season. Gibson is 11-6 (.647) with a 4.40 ERA and a career-best 2.96 K:BB ratio in 26 games (25 starts) covering 139 innings. Although Gibson's ERA is higher here at home than it is on the road, the 31-year-old has a substantially better record at Target Field (7-3) than he does when pitching elsewhere (4-3). The Tigers will go with the well-traveled RH Edwin Jackson. The 17-year veteran is in his second stint with the Tigers (he pitched for Detroit in 2009) and it's pretty clear at this point that the 35-year-old's best years are well behind him. In 11 games (eight starts) in 2019 with Toronto and Detroit, Jackson is 3-6 with an 8.46 ERA in just under 45 innings. The Twins are 22-5 (+10 games on the money line) in their last 27 as a favorite of -200 or more. Take Minnesota. |
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08-24-19 | Phillies -118 v. Marlins | Top | 9-3 | Win | 100 | 7 h 21 m | Show |
At 6:10 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Miami Marlins. After a promising 2018 campaign -- his third in the Majors -- in which he won 11 of 24 starts, expectations were pretty high for Phillies' RHP Zach Eflin coming into 2019. So far it's been a lost season for the 25-year-old who has managed a record of just 7-11 with a 4.57 ERA in 25 appearances (21 starts). But Eflin also knows that if he turns it around the rest of the way and helps his team get to the post-season, it will erase everything he's done up to this point. Tonight would be a great time to get started with that turnaround as Eflin faces the 46-81 Marlins for the fourth time this season. After a disastrous July (0-4 with an 11.88 ERA) Eflin was relegated to the bullpen to start August and has responded nicely. Eflin's pitched better this month and deserves another starting shot especially in light of the recent news that Jake Arrieta has been lost for the season (elbow). The Marlins won a shootout here in Miami last night, but they are still just 19-42 in their last 61 games vs. NL East opponents. Take the Phillies. |
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08-24-19 | Yankees v. Dodgers -144 | Top | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 12 h 27 m | Show |
At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the New York Yankees. The Dodgers were blown out, 10-2, last night. And that was the first time all season they lost at home with Hyun Jin Ryu on the mound. Today, they'll look to bounce back with Tony Gonsolin getting the start opposite CC Sabathia. And we'll go against the Yankee southpaw, as Sabathia has an 11.92 ERA in his last three starts (all New York losses). Even worse for New York: it's 4-17 its last 21 as road underdogs of +150 or less, while the Dodgers are 13-1 in daytime home games, and 51-17 overall at home this season. Take the Dodgers. |
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08-23-19 | Tigers v. Twins -200 | Top | 9-6 | Loss | -200 | 19 h 38 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Detroit Tigers. If the Twins are going to make a deep run in the post-season -- whether it's as a Division Champ or a Wild Card -- they will need their aces to step up. That includes RHP Jose Berrios. The 25-year-old Puerto Rican has been getting knocked around a bit in the month of August (0-1 with a 8.44 ERA in three starts). If something is going to help Berrios bounce back, then it might just be a start at home against the Tigers. In eight career games vs. Detroit (seven starts), Berrios is 4-1 in 36 innings -- although the ERA is quite high. One of those victories was earlier this season -- April 14 to be exact -- when he threw 6 2/3 quality innings, allowing just two runs on four hits with seven strikeouts and one walk in a 6-4 Twins win. And in 11 home starts this season, Berrios is 5-2 with a 3.27 ERA in just under 72 innings. The Tigers are 2-6 in the last eight meetings at Target Field and 4-12 in the last 16 meetings overall. Take the Twins against Drew VerHagen (6.67 ERA; 1.82 WHIP) and the Tigers tonight. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-23-19 | Royals v. Indians -168 | Top | 1-4 | Win | 100 | 18 h 37 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Kansas City Royals. The Indians return home after a rain-shortened loss last night in the third game of their series in Queens. They not only get TO step down in class by facing the Royals this weekend, but they also get to use a DH once again. Game 1 will feature RHPs Jakob Junis (KC) and rookie Zach Plesac. Plesac's debut season has been a success so far as the 24-year-old is 6-4 with a 3.53 ERA in 15 starts. He certainly shouldn't mind facing the Royals for the fourth time this season. In his three previous starts vs. KC (the most he's had against any team), Plesac is 2-0 with a 2.30 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in just under 16 innings. After a promising rookie campaign in 2017, Junis has really struggled last year and now in 2019. He went 9-12 with a 4.37 ERA in 30 starts last year and so far this season, the 26-year-old is 8-11 with a 4.78 ERA in just under 151 innings. And in five starts vs. Cleveland in 2019, Junis is 1-3 with a 6.52 ERA and 1.52 WHIP in 29 innings. Finally, the Royals are 8-25 in the last 33 meetings in Cleveland. Take the Tribe.  MLB Roadkill Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-22-19 | Rockies v. Cardinals -132 | Top | 5-6 | Win | 100 | 9 h 55 m | Show |
At 7:45 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the Colorado Rockies. There's no question that Cards' RH Miles Mikolas has taken a big step backwards from his breakout season of a year ago. For one thing, Mikolas' W/L ledger of 2019 (7-13) is almost the inverse of what he did in 2018 (18-4). And his ERA is 4.30 compared to the 2.83 stat he posted last year. But despite his numbers, the Cards know that Mikolas can still contribute to their final month and playoff push, and they will keep putting him out on the mound every five or six days. Two of his three starts this month have been on the road where Mikolas has had most of his struggles this season. He's back home for start number 26 and in his last six starts here at Busch Stadium, Mikolas has been brilliant. Over that span, he has allowed just nine runs (seven earned) in 37 2/3 innings while the Cards are 4-2 in those. That's an ERA of just 1.67 over that span, which includes Mikolas' only complete game of the season, a 7-0 shutout of the Pirates on July 15. The Rox are also a poor 17-39 in the last 56 games vs. St. Louis, and 6-21 in their last 27 road games. Take the Cardinals. MLB Roadkill Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-22-19 | Indians +130 v. Mets | Top | 0-2 | Loss | -100 | 16 h 41 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the New York Mets. When the Indians look back on the 2019 regular season -- especially if they don't win the AL Central -- the game from last night will be one they wish they could have back. Late Wednesday, the Tribe took a 3-2 lead in the top of the 10th inning and then put normally reliable closer Brad Hand on the mound in the bottom of the inning for what seemed like a sure save. But Hand gave it up and the Mets walked off in front of their delirious home crowd. Now Cleveland reloads with rookie RH Aaron Civale set to make his fifth start of the season. The 24-year-old has made the most of his opportunity to join the Cleveland rotation in the wake of all the pitching injuries the team has endured. Civale has done little wrong so far, posting a 1.50 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 3.67 K:BB ratio in 24 innings. The Mets will go with veteran RH Noah Syndergaard in his 25th start of the season. For whatever reason, most of Syndergaard's struggles have come here at home this season, where he has a 4.23 ERA in 12 starts (vs. 3.49 on the road). Take Cleveland in an underdog role. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-21-19 | Brewers +101 v. Cardinals | Top | 5-3 | Win | 101 | 18 h 10 m | Show |
At 7:45 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the St. Louis Cardinals. After two part-time seasons in the Brewers bullpen -- with a two-year gap in between -- RHP Adrian Houser was not on anyone's radar coming into 2019. But after being more-or-less forced into action as a starter due to their numerous injuries, Houser is now an important part of Milwaukee's team as it prepares for a prolonged fight for the post-season down the stretch. The 26-year-old is 5-5 with a 3.76 ERA in 27 games -- including 10 starts -- coming into tonight. His ability to start games as well as fill in when needed in long relief should prove valuable over the final six weeks. The Cards will go with veteran RHP Adam Wainwright, who is having a so-so season at 9-8 with a 4.33 ERA in 23 starts so far. The Brewers look to salvage the last game of this three-game series and they are 7-2 in their last nine in the third game of a series after losing each of the first two. Meanwhile, despite their back-to-back victories over the Crew, the Cards are still just 2-5 in their last seven vs. teams with a winning record. Take Milwaukee. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-21-19 | Nationals -145 v. Pirates | Top | 11-1 | Win | 100 | 18 h 31 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over the Pittsburgh Pirates. If the Nats' management thought that the three relief pitchers they picked up at the trade deadline -- Strickland, Elias, Hudson -- would mean the end of their bullpen woes, then they better think again. Washington's pen once again ruined a great start -- this time from Stephen Strasburg -- as the Pirates scored four runs in the 8th inning to beat the Nats, 4-1, on Tuesday. Of course, if the Nats' offense had put up anywhere close to the number of runs they'd been producing lately, then four runs wouldn't have mattered. In their previous three games, DC plated a total of 43 runs -- a club record -- before falling flat last night. They'll reload for tonight as LHP Patrick Corbin takes the mound for the 26th time this season -- his first with Washington. Corbin has been a welcome addition to the rotation, going 9-5 with a 3.34 ERA, including a complete game shutout back on May 25. In his only other start vs. the Bucs this season, Corbin threw seven innings of one-run, four-hit ball with 11 strikeouts and one walk back on April 12. Take the Nats. |
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08-21-19 | Mariners v. Rays -285 | Top | 6-7 | Win | 100 | 12 h 36 m | Show |
At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Seattle Mariners. When Charlie Morton left one of the best teams in baseball -- the Astros -- after the best season of his career and joined the Rays via free agency, there were probably only two people who thought he could improve on 2018: Morton and his Agent. But sure enough, 26 starts into the season and Morton is 13-5 (only two wins away from his 2018 total) with a career-best (and league-leading) 2.77 ERA in 156 innings. Start number 27 will come this afternoon at home against a Mariners team that is almost 20 games under .500 (54-73). Although his record at Tropicana Field is only .500 (6-6), Morton has a sparkling 2.86 ERA here in 15 starts covering just over 94 innings. And so far this season, Morton is 6-3 with a 2.50 ERA in 12 starts at his new home. He also won his only other start against the Mariners this season and he's 5-2 with a 2.93 ERA in 12 afternoon starts coming into today. Despite their victory here last night, the M's are just 8-26 in their last 34 road games vs. teams with a winning home record. Lay the big price with Tampa. |
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08-20-19 | Brewers -109 v. Cardinals | Top | 4-9 | Loss | -109 | 18 h 1 m | Show |
At 7:45 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the St. Louis Cardinals. There was little the Brewers' bats could do against the Cards' pitching Monday night as three St. Louis hurlers combined on a one-hitter in a 3-0 shutout. This is a huge series for both teams, but it's the Brew Crew who are feeling the pressure, now three games behind in the three-way NL Central race. Milwaukee will send LHP Gio Gonzalez to the mound for the 12th time this season. It is hoping that the veteran southpaw can recreate the magic he displayed after he came to the Brewers at the end of last August. In his five 2018 starts after the trade from the Nationals, Gonzalez went 3-0 with a 2.13 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in just over 25 innings. Re-signed as a free agent after being released by the Yankees at the end of April, Gonzalez has been solid so far with a 2-1 record and 3.81 ERA in his 11 starts. His only other start against the Cards as a member of the Brewers -- last September -- resulted in a lopsided 12-4 Milwaukee victory. The Brew Crew is 7-1 in Gio's last eight starts vs. winning teams and 4-1 in his last five on the road. Take Milwaukee. MLB Road Warrior of the Month!  As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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