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Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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06-08-19 | A's -127 v. Rangers | Top | 1-3 | Loss | -127 | 4 h 33 m | Show |
At 9:05 pm, in Game 2 of the Double Header, our selection is on the Oakland A's over the Texas Rangers. Chris Bassitt will start this game for Oakland, and it will be the 2nd time this season that he faced the Rangers. He also faced Texas in his season debut, and he held the Rangers scoreless over five innings en route to a 6-1 Oakland victory. For the season, Bassitt's 3-1 in eight starts with a 3.42 ERA. But he's done his best work away from home, where he's 1-0 in four starts, with a 2.66 ERA. Meanwhile, his mound opponent, Adrian Sampson, has an ERA north of 6 runs per game this season. We'll take Oakland as the road favorite tonight, as they are 101-55 (+27 games on the money line) as a favorite, in general. And they're 227-117 (+51 games on the money line) as a road favorite of -125 or higher. Take the A's. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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06-08-19 | Cardinals -108 v. Cubs | Top | 4-9 | Loss | -108 | 18 h 53 m | Show |
At 7:15 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the Chicago Cubs. As a second-year MLB Rookie last season, Cards RHP Jack Flaherty had a very successful campaign in virtually every category except for the wins and losses. In 28 starts in 2018, Flaherty went 8-9 with a 3.34 ERA an 1.11 WHIP and he ended the season by finishing fifth in the NL Rookie of the Year balloting. This season, Flaherty is out to show that 2018 was no fluke -- and that he can turn that losing record into a winning one. In 12 starts, Flaherty is 4-3 with a 3.76 ERA. And he has reduced his walk rate from 3.5 to 2.8, resulting in a very impressive K:BB ratio of 3.65. The Cubs will go with veteran LHP Jon Lester, who is hoping tonight goes better than his last home start against the Cardinals. Last July 20, Lester had one of the ugliest outings of his long and distinguished career, allowing eight runs on seven hits with five walks in just three innings here at Wrigley in an lopsided 18-5 loss to the Cards. The starter for the visitors in that one? None other than Flaherty. St. Louis is a super 19-5 (+13 games on the money line) as a favorite of -150 or less this season, including 6-1 on the road. Take the Cardinals. |
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06-08-19 | Yankees -135 v. Indians | Top | 4-8 | Loss | -135 | 15 h 48 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Cleveland Indians. CC Sabathia signed a very inexpensive (for MLB) $8 million, one-year contract last November for what could be his last Major League campaign. But persistent rumors that the Yankees could sign FA LHP Dallas Keuchel could put that contract -- and Sabathia's time in the Bronx -- in jeopardy. So it's clear that the best thing he can do is go out there every five days (or however often his team needs him) and pitch well. So far, the 38-year-old LHP has been doing that for the most part, with a 3-2 record and 3.61 ERA in nine starts. Start number 10 will come at the place Sabathia called home for the first seven-plus seasons of his MLB career. And the good news there is that Sabathia has had a lot of success in Cleveland, posting a 51-41 record and 3.81 ERA in 124 starts covering just under 793 innings. In fact, in his last seven starts here (all with the Yankees, and going back to the 2011 season), New York is 5-2. The Yanks are also 8-4 in their last 12 road games and 8-3 in the last 11 meetings with the Tribe. Take New York. |
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06-08-19 | Rays v. Red Sox -160 | Top | 9-2 | Loss | -160 | 12 h 42 m | Show |
At 1:05 pm, in Game 1 of the Double Header, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over the Tampa Bay Rays. And, for this game, please only list Boston's starter, Josh Smith. Due to a weather-related postponement on April 26, these two teams will play a twin-bill today at Fenway starting with this daytime affair. Since 2011, the MLB has allowed teams to add one player to its 25-man roster on days when they have a scheduled doubleheader. And so for this first game, the Sox have called up Smith, a 31-year-old RHP, from Pawtucket. This will be his second start of the season, and the 11th start of his MLB career. The good news, though, for the veteran pitcher is that, after short stints with the Reds and A's, he has the best offense he's ever had behind him -- even with Boston's many injuries. And the fact that the Red Sox lost the series opener bodes well for Smith this afternoon, as Boston is a fantastic 98-59 (+27 games on the money line) in its last 157 coming immediately off of a loss. And when playing in a double revenge situation (as they are in this game), the Sox are 11-3 (+8 games on the money line) this season, and 50-21 (+28 games on the money line) the last three years. Take Boston. |
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06-07-19 | Dodgers -228 v. Giants | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -228 | 18 h 7 m | Show |
At 10:15 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over San Francisco. Certainly, Clayton Kershaw has been one of the National League's very best (if not the best) pitcher over the last several years. And, out of all his great numbers, one of his very best is when he's faced bad teams on the road. Indeed, the Dodgers are an awesome 31-6 on the road with Kershaw on the hill when matched up against foes with a win percentage between .380 and .460. Likewise, the Dodgers are 112-51 (+19 games on the money line) with Kershaw when facing offensively-challenged teams that hit .255 (or worse). And they've gone 29-6 this season when priced at -150 (or higher). Kershaw will face a fellow lefty, Drew Pomeranz, tonight. And Pomeranz is hanging from a thread to stay in the rotation, as he's 1-6, with an 8.08 ERA. Last Friday's start in Baltimore, against the awful Orioles, was one of his worst: 1 1-3 IP, 8 runs, 6 H, 2 BB. Take the Dodgers. |
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06-07-19 | Yankees v. Indians +119 | Top | 2-5 | Win | 119 | 15 h 1 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the New York Yankees. Zach (nephew of Dan) Plesac has pitched great in his first two MLB starts -- both on the road. In his debut, he held the Red Sox to just 1 run in 5 1-3 innings. And, then, last Saturday, he gave up a single run over 7 frames to the White Sox. Tonight, Plesac will get his first home start, and he'll face Domingo German. The Yankee hurler was bombed in his only other start here, in Cleveland, as he gave up 6 runs over 4 innings. And he's also in poor form, as his ERA over his last three outings is an ugly 7.90. With the Indians installed as a home underdog, we'll take Cleveland tonight. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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06-07-19 | Cardinals v. Cubs -127 | Top | 1-3 | Win | 100 | 10 h 12 m | Show |
At 2:20 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the St. Louis Cardinals. Already a good team with a very good pitching staff, the Cubs landed another premier arm earlier this week when they signed RHP Craig Kimbrel. The Cubs' 3.89 team ERA ranks them third in the NL, but their 13 saves to this point is near the bottom. Kimbrel should take over as the closer, although that may not happen for a couple of weeks as he builds up his arm strength. This afternoon, the Cubs will send LHP Cole Hamels to the mound for his 13th start of the season and Hamels has been healthy and pitching well. The veteran is 4-2 with a 3.62 ERA and he's been especially tough here at home with a 3.26 ERA in five Wrigley starts. The Cards will go with RHP Miles Mikolas, whose overall numbers aren't horrible (4-5; 4.41) but who has some dramatic home-road splits. In seven starts at Busch Stadium, Mikolas is 3-3 with a very nice 2.87 ERA, however in five road starts he is 1-2 with an ugly 7.66 number. The Cardinals are 7-19 in the last 26 meetings with the Cubs at Wrigley. Take Chicago. |
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06-06-19 | Twins -108 v. Indians | Top | 5-4 | Win | 100 | 14 h 9 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over Cleveland. This game features a pitching match-up between Jose Berrios and Trevor Bauer. And the two right-handers are going in opposite directions. The Twins have won Berrios' last three starts (and eight of his last nine), while the Indians have lost each of Bauer's last three starts (and five of his last six). Even better for Minnesota: Bauer's Home ERA this season is an awful 5.86, and he's 0-3 (in four starts) with a 5.11 ERA within the division. In contrast, Berrios is 3-0, with a 1.93 ERA within the division (in four starts), and his Road ERA this season is 3.86. With Minnesota being 34-14 (+21 games on the money line) vs. righties this season, we'll back the road team on this Thursday night. Take the Twins. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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06-05-19 | Orioles v. Rangers -167 | Top | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 18 h 5 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Texas Rangers over the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles got their man on Monday night, taking catcher Adley Rutschman from Oregon State with the first overall pick in the MLB draft. Although he's no doubt the best young amateur offensive player on the planet, Rutschman unfortunately can't step in to help the O's right now -- and they need help. Baltimore's 19-41 record is the worst in the Majors, but they knew this was likely in 2019 -- and possibly next year as well. The O's will have their "Ace" on the mound in LHP John Means while the Rangers will turn to one of their best pitchers right now as well in LHP Mike Minor. These two have nearly identical stats so if the pitching match-up is a wash, then you have to like the Rangers who have a much better offense at this point. The Rangers' 334 runs scored through 58 games is second in the AL (only to the Twins), and their .791 OPS is third (MIN & HOU). Despite their upset win here last night, the O's are only 5-11 in the last 16 games at Globe Life Park. Take Texas. |
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06-05-19 | Yankees -202 v. Blue Jays | Top | 7-11 | Loss | -202 | 17 h 6 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over Toronto. James Paxton returned seven days ago from a multi-week stretch on the Injured List. And he was fantastic, as he pitched four no-hit innings in San Diego. He'll match up against Trent Thornton tonight at Rogers Centre, which bodes well for New York, as Thornton's 0-3 with a 6.23 ERA at home this season. The Yankees are a solid 12-3 this season as a road favorite, while the Blue Jays are a horrid 42-70 (minus 26 games on the money line) vs. lefties. Take New York. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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06-04-19 | Phillies +151 v. Padres | Top | 9-6 | Win | 151 | 21 h 57 m | Show |
At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over San Diego. The Phillies will hand the ball to Jerad Eickhoff, who has been terrific in his career vs. the Padres. In four starts, he's a perfect 3-0 (with one no-decision), and has a 1.96 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. Last night, the Padres walloped the Phillies, 8-2. But the Phils are an awesome 9-2 this season after giving up 8+ runs (and 6-1 after losing by 6+ runs). Even better: the Padres are a wallet-busting 8-14 (minus 10 games on the money line) this season in nighttime home games. Take Philly. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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06-04-19 | Rays -255 v. Tigers | Top | 6-9 | Loss | -255 | 18 h 58 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Detroit Tigers. Last season, Blake Snell went from relative unknown to Cy Young award winner with league-best numbers in two of the three major pitching categories -- Wins (21) and ERA (1.89). So heading into this season, there were no longer any secrets about the Tampa Bay southpaw and as you might expect, he has regressed somewhat off of those absurd numbers of 2018. But despite just three victories in his first 11 starts, Snell is still a bona-fide ace, and he will likely get stronger as the season progresses and with the Rays already 13 games over .500, that's a bit of a scary thought. A start in Detroit against the 22-34 Tigers should help get Snell -- who hasn't registered a victory since May 6 -- back on track. Although he's win-less over his last three, Snell has a 1.93 ERA and 1.18 WHIP over that time and the Rays are 2-1 in those. The Rays are 6-2 in the last eight meetings with the Tigers who are 5-16 in their last 21 home games. Take Tampa. |
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06-04-19 | Yankees -175 v. Blue Jays | Top | 3-4 | Loss | -175 | 18 h 54 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Toronto Blue Jays. With injuries to SPs Clay Buchholz and Matt Shoemaker, the Jays have been forced to rely on Trent Thornton, Edwin Jackson, and Clayton Richard. The results for the most part have not been pretty, although Richard -- who gets his third start of the year tonight -- is the only one with numbers that are somewhat respectable. The now-35-year-old came over to the Jays in a trade with the Padres back in December. But he is only 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA 1.38 WHIP in two starts so far. The Yanks have been rumored to be interested in FA Dallas Keuchel due to their own injury issues as ace starter Luis Severino is on the IL with a lat strain and rotator cuff issue. Perhaps surprisingly given his history, one of the Yanks most reliable players so far this season is RHP Masahiro Tanaka. Tanaka is only 3-4 in 12 starts, but he has a very nice 3.20 ERA in just over 70 innings. More importantly, Tanaka is 11-4 with a 2.69 ERA in 17 starts against the Jays and those 11 wins are tops for him vs. any of his MLB opponents. Take the Yankees. |
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06-02-19 | Red Sox -118 v. Yankees | Top | 8-5 | Win | 100 | 14 h 6 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over the New York Yankees. Two of the top AL southpaw starters of the last 10+ seasons take the mound against each other in Yankee Stadium in the Sunday night prime-time ESPN game. And, while 39-year-old CC Sabathia reached a milestone that few MLB pitchers will ever be able to claim earlier this season -- 3000 strikeouts -- it is 33-year-old David Price who has more seasons left in his arm. Sabathia is on the verge of another important milestone tonight -- 250 MLB victories -- but he will likely have to wait for that one. Not only does Price have a 2.83 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 4.82 K:BB ratio in his nine starts so far this season, but he also has not allowed an earned run in his last three starts (against the Jays, Indians, and Astros). This will be Sabathia's first start vs. the Sox since last October when he allowed three runs on five hits in three innings. It was also the second straight outing vs. Boston in which Sabathia didn't go further than three innings. Finally, the Red Sox are 22-4 in their last 26 games after losing the first two games of a series. Take Boston. |
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06-02-19 | Marlins v. Padres -190 | Top | 9-3 | Loss | -190 | 13 h 11 m | Show |
At 6:10 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over the Miami Marlins. After putting up a very nice 2.05 ERA in 41 appearances last season -- all but five out of the bullpen -- RHP Matt Strahm earned himself a shot at the Padres' rotation. And so far in 2019, Strahm has not disappointed, posing a 3.21 ERA in 10 starts. His record may be only 2-4 but you have to consider who he has had to face. Strahm's four losses have come against the Diamondbacks, Cardinals, Dodgers, and Yankees -- all teams with .490+ records -- and three of those four also came on the road (St. Louis, L.A., and New York). Since his first start at home (his first of the season -- a loss to Arizona), Strahm has had three subsequent starts here at Petco and he has allowed just five runs on 12 hits in 20 1/3 innings with 14 strikeouts and one walk issued. So he should be eager to face the team with the worst record in the League here this evening in the series finale. Heading into Sunday, the Marlins are just 14-44 in their last 58 road games and 2-6 in the last eight meetings with the Padres. Take San Diego. |
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06-02-19 | Cubs +100 v. Cardinals | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 16 m | Show |
At 2:15 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over St. Louis. The Cardinals' 37-year-old veteran RHP, Adam Wainwright, is entering the twilight of his career. And his 4-5 record, with a 4.94 ERA this season signals that his best days are surely behind him. Last month, Wainwright had five starts, and his ERA over those games was a nasty 6.33. One of them was against this Cubs team, and he gave up a season-high six run in five innings. That, along with the fact that his career ERA vs. Chicago is on the high side (for him) at 4.16, doesn't bode well for the Cardinals this afternoon. Take Chicago. |
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06-01-19 | Cubs +130 v. Cardinals | Top | 4-7 | Loss | -100 | 17 h 40 m | Show |
At 7:15 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the St. Louis Cardinals. It's been an up-and-down first half for Cubs LHP Jose Quintana. The 30-year-old has looked like a world beater in one start and then turns around with a clunker in his next. The good news for tonight is that Quintana's teams have won six of his nine career starts against the Cardinals. In fact, Quintana just faced the Cards a little more than three weeks ago and threw six quality innings in a 13-5 blowout win. He'll hope for that same level of run support tonight as he takes the mound for his 11th start of the season -- this time at Busch Stadium. Despite their loss on Friday, the Cubs have been pretty dominant in this series lately, taking six of the last eight meetings. And Quintana will also be starting with an extra day of rest -- a situation in which he's excelled, as his teams are 23-12 in his last 35 starts with an extra day or two of rest. I look for Quintana to pitch very well today, as the Cardinals have struggled vs. lefties this season, batting just .239 against them so far (compared to .254 against RHP). RHP Jack Flaherty gets the start for St. Louis and his last two against the Cubs -- one this season and one at the end of 2018 -- were ugly (7 ER; 8H; 7BB in just 8 1/3 IP). Take Chicago. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-01-19 | Tigers v. Braves -240 | Top | 5-10 | Win | 100 | 14 h 35 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over Detroit. Detroit won for just the fourth time in 16 games last night, but may have suffered a blow when 1B Miguel Cabrera had to leave the game in the 6th inning with left knee soreness. Cabrera will get an MRI today to determine his immediate playing status. He leads the team in RBI (22) and On Base Percentage (.356), so his absence (if it occurs) would be sorely missed. The Braves will hand the ball to Mike Soroka this afternoon. And all Soroka has done in 2019 is go 5-1 in his eight starts, with a 1.07 ERA and 0.88 WHIP. He's pitched between 5 2-3 and 8 innings in those eight games, and has yet to allow more than one earned run in any start. That bodes well for the Braves today, as Soroka's mound opponent -- Daniel Norris -- has allowed more than one earned run in six of his eight starts this season (4.15 ERA; 1.33 WHIP). The Tigers are a horrid 106-176 (minus 47 games on the money line vs. righties), and 13-38 (minus 12 games on the money line) when priced as a road underdog from +175 to +250. Likewise, they're 11-23 (minus 11 games on the money line) in Norris' last 34 starts. The Braves are a solid 10-3 as a favorite priced from -175 to -250, including a perfect 3-0 as a favorite of -200 or more. Take Atlanta to blow out Detroit. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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05-31-19 | Marlins v. Padres -160 | Top | 2-5 | Win | 100 | 20 h 8 m | Show |
At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over the Miami Marlins. After a solid rookie season at age 25, LHP Joey Lucchesi is putting up essentially the same numbers in his sophomore campaign that he did in 26 starts last season. But there are some encouraging signs that his numbers will get even better over the final four months. Lucchesi has reduced his walk rate from 3.0 to 2.3 and his HR rate is down as well. He gets start number 11 at home tonight and Lucchesi is a starter who really prefers pitching here (8-7 with a 3.63 career ERA vs. 3-5 and 4.94 on the road). It's true that Miami has won nine of 13 and just took a series against San Francisco. But the Giants are hapless, themselves, and are the only National League team other than Miami which has not won more than 40% of its games. The Padres come into this game off a 7-0 loss at the Yankees. However, that bodes well for the Padres, as they're 18-8 (+17 games on the money line) off a shutout loss. And the Padres are also a solid 6-1 in Luchessi's last seven starts when he was pitching with an extra day or two of rest. Take San Diego. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-31-19 | Astros -114 v. A's | Top | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 20 h 4 m | Show |
At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Oakland A's. One of the main reasons the Astros don't feel compelled to reach back out to their former ace, Dallas Keuchel (who is still unsigned) is because of the performance of their starting pitching this season. As of this writing, Houston's starting pitching is third best in the AL (in terms of ERA). And #1 is Tampa which doesn't really count since the Rays use openers in roughly half of their games. One of the main success stories for Houston has been RHP Brad Peacock. Peacock is 5-2 with a 3.19 ERA in 11 games (nine starts) and he's been probably the hottest starter in the league over his last four, allowing just a single run on 12 hits in 23 innings with 32 strikeouts and six walks. Not surprisingly, the Astros are 3-0 in those four starts. Peacock goes for Win #6 tonight in Oakland's pitcher-friendly Coliseum against the A's and RHP Mike Fiers. We'll go against the A's tonight, as Fiers' worst start this season came against the Astros back on April 7 when he allowed six runs in just 1 2/3 innings. Take Houston. |
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05-31-19 | Indians -165 v. White Sox | Top | 1-6 | Loss | -165 | 18 h 7 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Chicago White Sox. Slow starts are nothing new for Indians' RHP Trevor Bauer. Last season, Bauer went 7-6 in the months of April, May and June, but proceeded to go 5-0 after that, including a 0.73 ERA in the month of August before an injury shut him down. This season, Bauer seems to be following suit as he is 4-4 with a 3.99 ERA in 12 starts coming into tonight. This will be Bauer's first start of the season against the White Sox, and he is 8-4 with a 3.65 ERA in 19 games (17 starts) against them in his career. Perhaps even more important for tonight is the fact that Bauer is 4-2 with a 3.69 ERA in 10 games -- including nine starts -- here at US Cellular Field. The Sox may have won Game 1 of this series on Thursday by a 10-4 score, but the Indians are still 27-12 in the last 39 meetings. Chicago will go with RHP Dylan Covey and the ChiSox are 1-8 in his last nine home starts and 1-15 in his last 16 vs. AL Central teams. Take the Indians. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-31-19 | Royals v. Rangers -108 | Top | 2-6 | Win | 100 | 18 h 2 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Texas Rangers over the Kansas City Royals. There have been some pretty good MLB pitchers who came out of Panama (Mariano Rivera comes to mind). Perhaps in a few years we will be adding RHP Ariel Jurado to the list. The 23-year-old was signed as an amateur free agent by the Rangers when he was just 16 years old. It didn't take long for Jurado to shine in the Minor Leagues either but Texas took its time with him and he made his MLB debut last season. His 2018 numbers certainly don't jump off the page, but so far 2019 has been a different story. In 11 games -- including two starts -- Jurado has a 2.28 ERA and 1.18 WHIP and he has dramatically increased his strikeout rate and lowered his walk rate in the process. The Royals took a 4-2 victory on Thursday, but this series has been a challenge for them as KC is 7-21 in the last 28 meetings. And the Royals are also 15-39 in their last 54 road games. They will go with LHP Danny Duffy tonight and, although he's pitching well right now, KC is just 6-15 in his last 21 starts vs. teams with a .500 or better record. Take Texas. |
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05-31-19 | Red Sox -135 v. Yankees | Top | 1-4 | Loss | -135 | 17 h 4 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over the New York Yankees. In past seasons when it came to starters who were famous for home vs. road biases, it was names like Wandy Rodriguez who came to mind. And much more often than not, such pitchers had much more success at home than on the road. This season, we can add another pitcher to this list, and his name is J.A. Happ. But with respect to Happ, his advantage this season is when he pitches on the road. In five starts away from Yankee Stadium, Happ is 2-0 with a 4.18 ERA and 1.11 WHIP. Compare that to the 2-3 record and 5.93 ERA and 1.35 WHIP that the veteran southpaw has in six starts here in the Bronx. Tonight, he will be taking the mound at his home park -- and against a very formidable opponent. Perhaps more surprising than Happ's poor home numbers is the 1-6 record of Red Sox ace LH Chris Sale. However, I'm convinced this won't continue, and I look for Sale to step up big tonight on the biggest of stages. For technical support, consider that Boston is 27-11 in Sale's last 38 after a quality start in his last appearance. Take the Red Sox. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-30-19 | Brewers -122 v. Pirates | Top | 11-5 | Win | 100 | 17 h 30 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the Pittsburgh Pirates. While players like Christian Yelich and Josh Hader grab most of the headlines these days, there are some Brewers who are quietly having very good seasons. One of those is RHP Chase Anderson. Originally slated for the bullpen to start the season, injuries have given Anderson a shot at the rotation, and he has performed very well against some very tough competition. In four starts against the Mets, Dodgers, Phillies and Braves, Anderson is 1-0 with a 2.55 ERA in just under 18 innings. He'll get another shot tonight in Pittsburgh vs. a Pirate team against which he's had much success. In 14 starts vs. Pittsburgh, Anderson is 7-4 with a 3.61 ERA and 62 strikeouts in just over 72 innings. Those seven victories represent the most that Anderson has logged against any MLB team. The Pirates will go with RHP Joe Musgrove and Musgrove's teams are 5-16 (-10 games on the money line) in his last 21 starts as an underdog. Take Milwaukee. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-29-19 | Cubs -106 v. Astros | Top | 2-1 | Win | 100 | 12 h 16 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over Houston. The Astros will once again play tonight's game without three of their key players (Jose Altuve (leg), George Springer (hamstring) and Carlos Correa (ribs)). Additionally, SS Aledmys Diaz (hamstring) and C Max Stassi (knee) hit the Injured List this week, so Houston's depth will be tested -- especially up the middle with Tony Kemp (2B) and Jack Mayfield (SS). Chicago's Kris Bryant missed his second straight game last night, but manager Joe Maddon said Bryant could return tonight. Chicago's 4-1 in Kyle Hendricks' last five starts, and his ERA over this stretch is a solid 1.96. Take Chicago. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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05-29-19 | Nationals v. Braves -165 | Top | 14-4 | Loss | -165 | 1 h 54 m | Show |
At 7:20 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Washington Nationals. The Braves took part in the Orioles' fire sale in the latter part of last season and picked up Kevin Gausman -- who regularly throws in the mid-to-high 90s -- for some minor leaguers and international bonus slot money. They figured the 27-year-old RHP could be a boost to their rotation and, after they acquired him, they were rewarded. Gausman went 5-3 with a 2.87 ERA in 10 starts for the Braves last season. He hasn't repeated that so far in 2019, but there is no cause for concern as he is a notoriously slow starter. In fact after posting a 5.10 ERA over his first seven starts, Gausman has now had three quality starts in a row coming into tonight's outing against the Nationals. Washington will go with RHP Anibal Sanchez. It's unlikely it thought Sanchez would go 0-6 with a 5.10 ERA in his first nine starts when they signed him to a contract in December. But that is the reality they're faced with, and it's not likely to get better tonight. Atlanta is 8-2 in Gausman's last 10 home starts, while Gausman's WHIP at Home is 0.97. Meanwhile, Sanchez's Road WHIP is 1.84. Take the Braves. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-29-19 | Padres v. Yankees -130 | Top | 0-7 | Win | 100 | 5 h 11 m | Show |
At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the San Diego Padres. The only good news that can come from a team's big free-agent starter going down in the first two months of the season is that the injury is not related to his arm. Such is the case with the Yankees and LHP James Paxton. Paxton will return today from a knee injury for his first start since May 3 (a game against the Twins in which Paxton exited after just three innings).  The former Seattle Mariners' ace was having quite a campaign for his new team before he got hurt. His 12.4 strikeout rate is his career best and his 3.11 ERA is his second-best such number since his 2017 season (2.98). Paxton will go for victory number four today in his third career start vs. the Padres.  San Diego's 2-6 in its last eight games in the Bronx. And the Padres are 5-22 in their last 27 inter-league road games vs. teams with a left-handed starter. Take New York. |
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05-28-19 | Diamondbacks +125 v. Rockies | Top | 2-6 | Loss | -100 | 19 h 60 m | Show |
At 8:40 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Colorado Rockies. Successful 30-year-old rookies in the Majors are rare, but Merrill Kelly is looking to be the exception to that rule. The 30-year-old RHP was released by the Rays organization in 2014 and then spent the next four seasons in the South Korean league before being signed as a free agent by the Diamondbacks last December. And while nobody thinks that Kelly will win the Cy Young award, the veteran could be a solid #4/5 starter for a team which has been a pleasant surprise for much of the first half of the season. While there's nothing pretty about a 4-5 record with a 4.75 ERA, Kelly has had to face some pretty tough competition this season (Yankees, Red Sox, Braves, Cubs, Rays). And tonight he is clearly the better of the two starters taking the mound. Colorado's Antonio Senzatela is 3-4 with a 6.21 ERA and 1.62 WHIP in eight starts covering 42 innings. Despite their extra-innings loss on Memorial Day, the D-Backs are 5-2 in the last seven meetings with the Rockies. Take Arizona. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-28-19 | Cubs +117 v. Astros | Top | 6-9 | Loss | -100 | 19 h 30 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Houston Astros. In what could be a preview of the World Series in October, the Cubs travel to Houston for an inter-league series against the Astros. The starting pitching match-up tonight will be a contrasting one. The Cubs' Jon Lester is a 35-year-old left-hander with 390 MLB games (389 starts) on his resume. Meanwhile, Houston's Corbin Martin is a 23-year-old right-handed rookie with a total of three games and 12 2/3 innings in the Majors under his belt. Martin won his first MLB start against the Rangers on May 12. Since then, he has gone 0-1 while allowing seven runs (five earned) on 11 hits in 7 1/3 innings in his subsequent two starts against the Red Sox and White Sox. So this will be Martin's first inter-league start -- something Lester (not surprisingly) has a lot of experience with. But Lester is not only experienced in inter-league play, he's also very successful at it. In 50 inter-league starts, Lester is 26-14 (.650) with a 3.19 ERA. The Cubs are 5-2 in the last seven meetings going back to October 2012. Take Chicago. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-27-19 | Indians +177 v. Red Sox | Top | 5-12 | Loss | -100 | 14 h 6 m | Show |
At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox come home today after a seven-game road trip to Toronto and Houston, but they won't get much of a break as they have to face a good Indians team. The Sox will go with RHP Rick Porcello who has been on a Bret Saberhagen-like good season/bad season run since 2014. 2018 was a good season, and so far the "up-down" pattern is holding in 2019 as Porcello is 3-4 with a 4.45 ERA in 10 starts covering just under 57 innings. The Tribe will go with RHP Jefry Rodriguez who, despite a 1-4 record, is putting up significantly better numbers than he did in his rookie campaign. Rodriguez has a respectable 4.08 ERA (vs. 5.71 in 2018), 1.35 WHIP (vs. 1.54), and a 3.3 walk rate (vs. 6.4). The Indians are 10-5 in their last 15 vs. teams from the AL East and they are 6-2 in their last eight road games vs. teams with a winning record. Take Cleveland. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-26-19 | Braves +137 v. Cardinals | Top | 4-3 | Win | 137 | 16 h 18 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the St. Louis Cardinals. It seems like Julio Teheran has been in the league forever and yet the Braves' RHP is only 28 years old. So it's entirely possible that we still haven't seen the best of Teheran, who goes to the mound tonight in prime time to face the Cards in St. Louis. Teheran is having another solid campaign with a 3.67 ERA and 9.1 strikeout rate in 11 starts covering just over 61 innings. He also has performed well against the Cards in his career -- three victories with a 2.77 ERA in seven starts covering 39 innings. And in his last two starts against them, Teheran has tossed a total of 11 scoreless innings (only four hits) in a pair of Atlanta victories, out-scoring the Cards by a total of 16-3. This includes five shutout innings just 10 days ago at home in a 10-2 Braves win. The Braves are 12-5 (+9 games on the money line) in Teheran's last 17 starts as a road underdog of +100 to +150. Take Atlanta. |
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05-26-19 | Rangers +150 v. Angels | Top | 6-7 | Loss | -100 | 13 h 21 m | Show |
At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Texas Rangers over Anaheim. The Angels scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth last night to come back to win, 3-2, over Texas. That victory ended a 5-game skid for the Angels, and also stopped a 5-game win streak for Texas. But I look for the Rangers to bounce back today, and take the rubber match of this 3-game series. The Angels are an awful 6-15 in their last 21 division games. And their starter this afternoon -- Andrew Heaney -- has had just one quality start in his last six starts vs. Texas (7.25 ERA; 1.80 WHIP). Take Texas. Good luck, as always....Al McMordie. |
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05-26-19 | Phillies v. Brewers -158 | Top | 1-9 | Win | 100 | 11 h 24 m | Show |
At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the Philadelphia Phillies. The Brewers just activated SP Jimmy Nelson from the IL and they have decided to keep him in the Minors for now with no discernible timetable for him to join the Brewers. It is a testament to the fact that the Crew's rotation has been doing so well that they are able to keep the pitcher who was just recently thought to be their best down on the farm for the foreseeable future. And there's no better example of that than today's starter, RHP Brandon Woodruff. In his third MLB season, Woodruff is having an All Star-worthy first half, going 6-1 with a 3.51 ERA in 10 starts. Four of those six victories are here at Miller Park where he has yet to lose this season (4-0 in six starts). In his last three starts, Woodruff is 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA and 0.75 WHIP in 20 innings and the Brewers are 3-0 in those. The Phils will go with RHP Zach Eflin who had an ugly start against these Brewers just 10 days ago (four runs on seven hits in five innings in an 11-3 loss). The Brewers are 7-1 in Woodruff's last eight home starts. Take Milwaukee. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-26-19 | Rays v. Indians -101 | Top | 6-3 | Loss | -101 | 1 h 51 m | Show |
At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Tampa Bay Rays. The Storybook season of the Tampa Bay Rays continues. The Rays beat the Indians last night to extend their record to 30-19 and that's good for the fourth-best record in the American League. What makes the Rays run even more incredible is the number of injuries they have right now. No fewer than 10 of the Rays players are either out for the season, on the IL, or being held out as day-to-day. They will conclude their series with the Tribe this afternoon having to face one of Cleveland's best in Trevor Bauer. Bauer is off to a somewhat slow start, going 4-3 with a 3.95 ERA in his first 11 starts after winning 12 games with a 2.26 ERA in 2018. This will be his first start vs. Tampa this season. But the good news is that Bauer has a career 2.40 ERA in three career appearances against the Rays (two starts) covering 15 innings. Cleveland is 10-5 (+5 games on the money line) in Bauer's last 15 starts vs. AL East teams. Take the Tribe. |
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05-25-19 | Rays +116 v. Indians | Top | 6-2 | Win | 116 | 17 h 3 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Cleveland Indians. You would have been hard-pressed to find anyone who thought that RHP Charlie Morton would have the kind of success in Tampa that he had in Houston after he signed a two-year contract with the Rays over the Winter. But Morton continues to surprise just about everyone -- except perhaps himself -- as he is having another stellar campaign at age 35. Over his first 10 starts in a Tampa uniform, Morton is 4-0 with a 2.65 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. And he is potentially on his way to his second straight All-Star appearance in July. Although this will be his first start as a Ray vs. the Indians, Morton faced them twice last season and he was dominant, going 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 13 innings. Despite the Indians' victory on Friday, they are only 2-5 in the last seven meetings with the Rays going back to last September. The Rays are 5-1 in Morton's six road starts, as well as 5-1 their last six off a loss with Morton on the mound. Take Tampa. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-25-19 | Phillies v. Brewers -120 | Top | 7-2 | Loss | -120 | 14 h 19 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the Philadelphia Phillies. Brewers OF Christian Yelich became the first Major League player to reach 20 home runs with a blast against the Phillies last night. Despite his milestone home run, his team blew a lead, and lost to the Phillies, 6-4. They'll try again this afternoon, with veteran RHP Jhoulys Chacin going to the hill for the 11th time this season. Although Chacin's overall numbers are nothing special (3-5 with a 4.65 ERA), he has recently pitched well here at Miller Park. In his last two home starts, Chacin has allowed two runs on five hits in 11 innings in Brewer victories over the Nats and Rockies. And the Brew Crew is 3-1 in Chacin's four home starts this season. Chacin has also done very well against the Phils in his career. In nine appearances against them -- including seven starts -- Chacin is 4-1 with a 2.59 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in just under 49 innings. The Crew is 81-39 (+27 games on the money line) in their last 120 games as a home favorite, while the Phils are 51-92 (minus 30 games on the money line) in their last 143 as an underdog of +150 or less. Take Milwaukee. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-24-19 | Diamondbacks -128 v. Giants | Top | 18-2 | Win | 100 | 19 h 34 m | Show |
At 10:15 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over the San Francisco Giants. It was a less than a decade ago that the Cleveland Indians made Drew Pomeranz their first draft pick (2010). The highly-touted southpaw never pitched an MLB game in Cleveland as he was traded early on to the Rockies amid high expectations. And, except for one season in Boston (2017), those expectations have never been realized. Pomeranz's resume is a collection of injury-riddled campaigns with losing records and extremely inconsistent performances. Now he takes his act to San Francisco -- his fifth MLB stop. But the change of scenery hasn't helped as Pomeranz is 1-4 with an unsightly 5.66 ERA and 1.60 WHIP in eight starts coming into this start. Tonight could be more of the same as the 30-year-old is 0-3 with an ugly 7.76 ERA in nine appearances (six starts) vs. the D-Backs. Fellow LHP Robbie Ray will go for Arizona and the D-Backs are 7-3 in his last 10 road starts. Take Arizona. |
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05-24-19 | Red Sox v. Astros +125 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 125 | 16 h 29 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Boston Red Sox. A pair of veteran southpaws face off in Houston tonight as Chris Sale and Wade Miley go to the hill in Game 1 of this weekend series. And nobody would blame you if you thought that Sale had the better numbers coming into this evening. But it's Miley at 4-2 and 3.51 who has the bragging rights so far over Sale (1-5 with a 4.31 ERA in 10 starts). While Sale's overall numbers vs. the 'Stros are very good (5-2 with a 2.12 ERA in eight starts), since he's been with the Sox, he hasn't fared so well against them. In four starts against Houston in a Boston uniform -- including the post-season -- Sale is 0-2 with a 7.08 ERA (16 ER in 20 1/3 innings). In fact, Sale faced the 'Stros in his last start on May 19 and he lasted just 5 1/3 innings, and allowed three runs. The Sox are also 3-7 in Sale's last 10 starts, while Houston is 5-1 in Miley's last six. Take the Astros.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-24-19 | Phillies v. Brewers -125 | Top | 6-4 | Loss | -125 | 9 h 11 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over Philadelphia. These two teams met a week-and-a-half ago, and Milwaukee took three of the four games in Philadelphia, including a 6-1 victory against Jerad Eickhoff, who will get the start tonight for the Phillies. Eickhoff has had very little success vs. the Brewers in his career, as he's gone 1-3 with an ERA of 6.55 and a WHIP of 1.50. And he's also had very little success away from home, as the Phillies are 11-24, minus 9 games on the money line, with him on the hill in road games. Eickhoff will face face Chase Anderson tonight. Anderson's made three starts this season, and his ERA in those three starts is 1.32 (including relief appearances, his ERA is 2.66). It's been very profitable to back Anderson at home in his career (40-27, +11 games on the money line) compared to on the road (26-43, minus 12 games on the money line). And the Brewers have also been dominant as a home favorite of -150 or less, as they're 64-30, +28 games on the money line. Take Milwaukee. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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05-24-19 | Dodgers -194 v. Pirates | Top | 10-2 | Win | 100 | 3 h 20 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Pittsburgh Pirates. For this game, we will only list the Dodgers' starter, Walker Buehler, and will have a play on Buehler and the Dodgers regardless of who starts for Pittsburgh. After a very short MLB stint as a reliever in 2017 (9 1/3 IP), Buehler burst on the scene last season as a second-year rookie for the Dodgers. He went 8-5 with a 2.62 ERA and 151 K's in 137 1/3 innings while finishing third in the NL ROY voting. And so far in 2019 -- after a bit of a slow start -- there doesn't appear to be much of a Sophomore slump for the now-24-year-old RHP. So far, Buehler is 4-1 with a 3.83 ERA. And although his strikeout rate is down a bit, he has considerably reduced his walks so that his K:BB ratio is actually higher than it was in 2018 (4.60 vs. 4.08). He'll go to the hill for the 10th time tonight and it will be his first career start against the Pirates. There's no question that Buehler loves his pitcher-friendly home ballpark, but the youngster has also pitched well on the road, including his last start when he shined in Cincinnati but received no run support. The Pirates are just 4-9 in their last 13 home games while the Dodgers are 16-5 in the last 21 meetings with them. Take L.A. |
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05-23-19 | White Sox v. Astros -178 | Top | 4-0 | Loss | -178 | 16 h 46 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Chicago White Sox. While most baseball people thought it would likely be Forrest Whitley or Josh James who would make the first impact as a rookie starter for the Astros this season, it looks like it will instead be the much less-heralded RHP Corbin Martin. Martin is a 2017 2nd round draft pick out of Texas A&M, who won his very first MLB start on May 12 against the Rangers with 5 1/3 strong innings. His "reward" for that was getting his second start at Fenway Park against the red-hot Red Sox. Although he didn't pitch badly, the 23-year-old wasn't able to get his second victory against a very good Boston line-up. He's back home tonight and will face an easier situation. And, with a very good offense behind him, the youngster should be able to get back into the Win column. Admittedly, the White Sox did win big here last night. But this has still been one of the most lopsided series in Baseball recently, as the Astros are 11-2 in the last 13 meetings. Even worse for Chicago: its starter, RHP Lucas Giolito, is 0-3 in his career vs. Houston with a 7.31 ERA and 1.62 WHIP. And the Astros are an awesome 178-91 (+37 games on the money line) vs. righties. Take Houston. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-22-19 | Royals v. Cardinals -173 | Top | 3-10 | Win | 100 | 2 h 47 m | Show |
At 7:45 pm, in Game 2 of the Double Header, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over Kansas City. The Royals will hand the ball to RHP Homer Bailey tonight. And he's not made many friends "in Vegas" the past two seasons, as his teams have gone 5-24 in his starts. Even worse for the Royals: KC is a wallet-busting 21-46 (minus 15.5 games on the money line) when priced from +125 to +175. And it's a poor 7-18 in interleague games vs. teams from the NL Central. Meanwhile, the Cards are an awesome 150-81 (+27 games on the money line) as a favorite with Adam Wainwright on the mound. Take St. Louis. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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05-22-19 | Red Sox -145 v. Blue Jays | Top | 6-5 | Win | 100 | 16 h 48 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over the Toronto Blue Jays. Red Sox RHP Rick Porcello is looking to break a good-year/bad-year streak that's been going on for him since the 2014 season, when he won 15 games with a 3.43 ERA. The year after that Porcello went 9-15 and 4.92, but followed that with his Cy Young, 22-win campaign. However, in 2017, he then had a league-leading 17 losses with a 4.65 ERA, but came back strong in 2018 to notch 17 wins, along with a 4.28 ERA. So far, in 2019, he is having an up-and-down season. But it's early still and Porcello has pitched very well in his last four starts (eight ER in 27 2/3 innings). He lost his last time out, but we'll give him a mulligan as that was against the best team in the League (Houston) -- and he still had a quality start (7 IP; 2 ER). He should have an easier time tonight against the Jays and oft-injured starter Aaron Sanchez. The veteran Jays RHP is healthy for now. But given his history (just 38 starts in 3 seasons), Sanchez could go back on the IL at any moment. Boston is a solid 22-9 in the last 31 meetings in Toronto. Take the Red Sox. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-22-19 | Royals v. Cardinals -167 | Top | 8-2 | Loss | -167 | 1 h 19 m | Show |
At 1:15 pm, IN GAME 1 of the DOUBLE-HEADER, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the Kansas City Royals. These two were supposed to play yesterday, but Mother Nature interfered, so they will now play a double-dip this afternoon and evening. Game 1 will feature RHPs Brad Keller (KC) and Michael Wacha (STL). Keller had a pretty successful rookie season in 2018, going 9-6 with a 3.08 ERA in 41 games (20 starts). Unfortunately, Keller is struggling so far in 2019, with a 2-5 record and 4.66 ERA in 10 starts. Keller's biggest problem has been control. In 58 innings, Keller has issued a league-leading 37 free-passes for a walk rate of 5.7. Yikes! You won't win games when you're walking nearly six batters every nine innings. Wacha is trying to follow up his successful -- if injury-riddled -- 2019 campaign, in which he went 8-2 with a 3.20 ERA in just 15 starts. Since this is a common inter-league match-up, Wacha has faced the Royals six times and he's gone 3-1 with a 2.56 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in just under 39 innings. KC is also a poor 2-8 in the last 10 meetings, while the Cards are 9-3 in Wacha's last 12 home starts. Take St. Louis. |
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05-22-19 | A's v. Indians +112 | Top | 7-2 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 51 m | Show |
At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Oakland Athletics. Jefry Rodriguez was a mostly unknown rookie reliever/part-time-starter with the Washington Nationals last season. The 25-year-old RHP probably figured that his chances of being in a Major League rotation in 2019 were pretty slim, especially when the Nats made it clear they would go after a free-agent starter in the Winter. But then Rodriguez was shipped off to Cleveland in the Yan Gomes trade. And with the injuries the Tribe has sustained to its rotation, he now finds himself in the starting five. He has been mostly solid, with a 3.45 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in five starts -- even if he's only totaled one victory so far. He'll take a shot at win #2 this afternoon at home, where he has a 3.20 ERA in three career starts. The Indians are a super 39-16 in their last 55 home games vs. teams with a road win percentage of .400 or less, and I look for them to bounce back off Tuesday's loss. Take Cleveland. |
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05-21-19 | Phillies v. Cubs -128 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 16 h 14 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Philadelphia Phillies. Cubs LHP Jose Quintana had a sub-par outing his last time in Cincinnati, when he allowed three runs in five innings and picked up his third loss of the season. Perhaps his team needs to find a way to give the Columbian southpaw as many home starts the rest of the way as possible. And that's because Quintana has some of the most lopsided home-away stats in the Majors. When pitching here at Wrigley Field this season, Quintana is 3-1 with a 2.36 ERA in four starts covering just under 27 innings. In five road games (four starts) he is just 1-2 with an ugly 5.11 ERA in just under 25 innings. He's home tonight in an important game which could be a post-season preview, given how well both clubs are playing. Admittedly, he's never beaten the Phils (0-1 in four starts). But his two outings against them last season were very good (three ER on six hits in 11 2/3 IP with 17 K's and only three BBs). And most important is the fact that the Cubs are 22-7 in Quintana's last 29 home starts. Take Chicago. |
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05-21-19 | A's v. Indians -140 | Top | 5-3 | Loss | -140 | 15 h 19 m | Show |
At 6:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Oakland Athletics. There has been all kinds of talk this season about the injury-depleted Cleveland Indians and how they have been underachieving. And yet, there they are with a 25-21 record and certainly within easy distance of the first-place Twins. RHP Trevor Bauer isn't having quite the season he had last year (his walk rate is up and his K rate is down). But at 4-2 with a 3.76 ERA through 10 starts (with a league-leading 64 2/3 innings), Bauer has shown once again that he is a force in the league. He gets start number 11 tonight against the A's and young RHP Chris Bassitt. Although Bauer's splits at home aren't pretty this season, he has a career win percentage at Progressive Field of .611 (33-21) in 86 appearances (82 starts) there. And in his last two starts against the A's, Bauer has allowed just two earned runs on eight hits in 13 2/3 innings with 18 strikeouts and four walks. One of those was this season (May 11 in Oakland). Finally, Cleveland is 15-2 with Bauer on the hill at home vs. AL West division foes. Take the Tribe. |
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05-20-19 | Diamondbacks +135 v. Padres | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -100 | 17 h 23 m | Show |
At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over the San Diego Padres. A couple of very good young righthanders face off tonight at Petco Park. Chris Paddack is a 23 YO rookie who is developing into one of the best young control pitchers in the Majors. In all but one of Paddack's eight starts, he has walked only one batter. But his tendency to put pitches over the plate more than the average starter may be catching up to him. In his last start, he got knocked around pretty good, and allowed six runs on five hits (four earned) in 4 2/3 innings, while taking his second loss of the season. Paddack's mound opponent tonight will be Luke Weaver, who came to the D-Backs in the trade that sent Paul Goldschmidt to St. Louis. And, so far, he is really enjoying his new team. Weaver is 3-2 with a 3.16 ERA and a 9.6 K rate and 4.58 K:BB ratio in his nine starts. Also, in four career starts vs. the Padres, Weaver has a 2.28 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in just under 24 innings. And in his only previous start at Petco, he threw five shutout innings, to earn the victory. Finally, the D-Backs are 9-3 (+8 games on the money line) in their last 12 as a road underdog of +150 or less. Take Arizona. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-19-19 | Pirates v. Padres -106 | Top | 6-4 | Loss | -106 | 13 h 25 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Cal Quantrill was the Padres' first round selection in the 2016 draft and it didn't take long for the RHP to make it to the Majors as Quantrill debuted at the beginning of this month. He will get his third start for the Pads this afternoon opposite Pittsburgh's RHP Joe Musgrove. With San Diego's pitching injuries, Quantrill should be able to stay in the rotation if he continues to perform well. Although he is still looking for his first MLB victory, Quantrill has a 3.60 ERA and eight strikeouts in 10 innings so far. Musgrove is 2-4 with a 3.59 ERA in nine games, including eight starts, but he is just 1-3 in six games on the road so far. Musgrove has been a pitcher of extremes lately. He threw seven shutout innings in his last start. But prior to that, Musgrove had two of the worst outings of his career, as he allowed 15 runs (13 earned) on 12 hits in just 5 2/3 innings in starts against the A's and Cards. The Bucs were out-scored in those two by 31-5. San Diego is 7-3 in its last 10 home games vs. teams with RH starters, while Pittsburgh is a poor 41-63 (minus 14 games on the money line) on the road when priced from +100 to +150. Take the Pads. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-19-19 | Astros v. Red Sox -153 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 11 h 51 m | Show |
At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over the Houston Astros. How do you throw seven strong innings against an inferior opponent, allowing just two runs while striking out an absurd 17 batters and still not get a win? You can ask Chris Sale how (as that is exactly what he did in his last start), but it's unlikely he would have an answer for you. After that incredible performance against the Rockies (Sale also did not walk a single batter), his record is still a shocking 1-5 on the season. He will try to have better fortune this afternoon against Houston, which owns the best record in Baseball. The good news for Sale today is that the veteran southpaw has done very well against the Astros in his career, going 5-2 with a sparkling 1.83 ERA and 0.76 WHIP in seven starts. The 'Stros will go with LHP Wade Miley, who has has done well in his first season in Houston. But the veteran has an ugly 7.13 ERA in four career starts vs. the Sox. Boston is also 9-2 in Sale's last 11 following a quality start by Sale his last time out. Take the Sox. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-18-19 | Pirates v. Padres -141 | Top | 7-2 | Loss | -141 | 6 h 55 m | Show |
At 8:40 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over Pittsburgh. This game will match-up two rookie hurlers. The Pirates will hand the ball to Montana DuRapau, a reliever who will be making his first Major League start, while San Diego will start LHP Nick Margevicius. Pittsburgh has struggled vs. southpaw starters over the last few years. This season, the Buccos are a poor 5-8 vs. lefties. And over the last three years, they're a wallet-busting 43-59 (minus 13 games on the money line). That doesn't bode well for them tonight. Nor does the fact that Pittsburgh is a dreadful 27-53 (minus 28 games on the money line) vs. National League West division clubs. The Pirates won last night, 5-3, but they're just 2-5 this season as road underdogs off a win. Take San Diego. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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05-18-19 | Brewers +113 v. Braves | Top | 3-4 | Loss | -100 | 16 h 47 m | Show |
At 7:15 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the Atlanta Braves. After pounding the Phillies on the road on Thursday, 11-3, the Crew was embarrassed in Game 1 of this series in Atlanta on Friday. The Brewers' rotation is in a bit of flux at the moment, so having a guy like veteran RHP Chase Anderson, who can fill in and do a more-than-credible job is very important. After five appearances out of the bullpen to start 2019, Anderson has made a pair of starts and did little wrong. He currently stands at 2-0 with a 3.20 ERA. And that's more than enough to earn him his third start tonight as he returns from the IL due to an injured finger, while the Crew awaits the returns of Brent Suter and Jimmie Nelson. Don't be surprised if the Brewers come back tonight with a similar effort to the one they had against the Phillies as they are 11-3 (+10 games on the money line) in their last 14 vs. teams from the NL East. The Braves will counter with RHP Kevin Gausman, who threw six strong innings and got the win in his last start. But they are 0-4 in Gausman's last four after a quality start in his last. Take Milwaukee. |
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05-18-19 | Cardinals -117 v. Rangers | Top | 8-2 | Win | 100 | 3 h 29 m | Show |
At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the Texas Rangers. This afternoon will be 24-year-old Dakota Hudson's first-ever MLB inter-league start. And it's fitting since Hudson was an 18-year-old High School student in 2013 when he was drafted in June of that year by the Texas Rangers. He decided to forego professional baseball at that time and instead enrolled at Mississippi State University (and then was selected in a later draft by St. Louis). Now, Hudson gets to face the team that initially selected him in the 36th round almost six years ago. Certainly, Hudson is a work in progress. But the talent is there. And nobody would be surprised if, by the second half of the season, the youngster was a solid #3 starter. Despite the Rangers' win on Friday, the road team is still 6-1 in the last seven meetings between these two. And Texas is just 3-6 in its last nine home inter-league games. Take the Cardinals. |
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05-18-19 | Rays -119 v. Yankees | Top | 2-1 | Win | 100 | 10 h 38 m | Show |
At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the New York Yankees. We played against Tampa LHP Blake Snell in his last start, six days ago (also against the Yankees and RHP Masahiro Tanaka), and got the cash with New York as an underdog of +152. But we'll switch gears and take Snell and the Rays in the rematch. Tampa is a super 25-11 (+14 games on the money line) with Snell on the mound when he's pitched with an extra day or two of rest. And the Rays are 12-5 this season as a road favorite. Meanwhile, the Yankees have not been profitable as a home underdog over the last three seasons, and they're also dismal as an underdog (whether home or road) priced from +100 to +150 the past three years (21-36, minus 11 games on the money line). Take Tampa Bay. |
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05-17-19 | Cardinals -168 v. Rangers | Top | 3-7 | Loss | -168 | 10 h 4 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the Texas Rangers. After a three-year break from the Majors, RHP Miles Mikolas burst on the scene last year with the Cardinals, going 18-4 with a 2.83 ERA in 32 starts and earning an All-Star nod in the process. Much of his success can be attributed to his 1.3 walk rate which led the league last season. This year, Mikolas isn't off to quite the start he had in 2018, but he's starting to heat up recently. And his 1.7 walk rate is still among the best in the Majors. Check out Mikolas' numbers in his last three starts: 2-1 with a 1.35 ERA and 0.75 WHIP in 20 innings. Mikolas is near-perfect in his career in inter-league starts, going 3-0 with a 2.20 ERA in six appearances (four starts) covering just under 29 innings. And the Cards' lineup will get the added benefit of a designated hitter in this weekend series, in Arlington, against the Rangers. The Cardinals also love it when Mikolas starts on the road as they are 14-3 in his last 17 away from Busch Stadium. Finally, the Rangers are 2-6 in their last eight inter-league home games. Take St. Louis. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-17-19 | Cubs +140 v. Nationals | Top | 14-6 | Win | 140 | 16 h 32 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Washington Nationals. One starter in this game is 3-0 with a 3.08 ERA and the other is 2-4 with a 3.64 number. Can you guess which one is Max Scherzer? If you said it was the undefeated one, you'd be wrong. LHP Cole Hamels has done little wrong for the Cubs this season, while Scherzer has been the recipient of some of the worst luck of any starter in the league. But the simple fact is that Hamels' team -- mainly the offensive lineup of the Cubs -- has performed much better than the Nats so far this season. And there's no team in the Majors which Hamels has had more success against than Washington. In 37 starts vs. the Nats, the veteran southpaw is 16-9 with a 2.67 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in just under 246 innings. And here are some additional stats that point toward the Cubs tonight: the Nats are 1-5 in Scherzer's last six starts, 0-5 in his last five home starts, and 1-7 in their last eight games vs. teams from the NL Central. Meanwhile the Cubs are 6-1 in their last seven road games vs. teams with a losing home record. Take Chicago. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-16-19 | Cardinals +100 v. Braves | Top | 2-10 | Loss | -100 | 16 h 50 m | Show |
At 7:20 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the Atlanta Braves. In the world of MLB starters, there has been no bigger enigma over the past several years than that of Braves RHP Julio Teheran. Seemingly armed with as much raw talent as any starter in the league, nobody would have been surprised if the 28-year-old had won a Cy Young award by now. But we are almost a decade into his MLB career and Teheran's overall numbers look extremely average (a .511 winning percentage, with a 3.67 ERA, and just two All Star appearances). Although he's right in the middle of his prime, Teheran is having another very average campaign so far this season with a 2-4 record and 4.26 ERA in a league-leading nine starts. And, to make matters worse for him, the new home of the Braves -- SunTrust Park -- has not been to Teheran's liking as he is 8-14 with a 4.73 ERA in 37 starts covering just over 109 innings there. As good as the Braves have been recently, this has still been a lopsided series here in Atlanta, with the Cards taking nine of the last 11 meetings here. St. Louis' starter, Adam Wainwright, gave up just 1 run over 7 innings in his last start. And the Cards have gone 75-38 behind Wainwright following a start in which he gave up less than two earned runs. Take St. Louis. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-16-19 | Cubs +118 v. Reds | Top | 2-4 | Loss | -100 | 15 h 10 m | Show |
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Cincinnati Reds. With a 4-1 record, 1.76 ERA, and 32 hits allowed (with 70 strikeouts) in 56 1/3 innings, there is already talk about Reds' RHP Luis Castillo being an early favorite for the NL Cy Young. An All Star selection may seem inevitable -- barring injury -- but before we anoint him as the next Tom Seaver, let's consider a couple of other things about his numbers. For one thing, Castillo's walk rate this season is 3.8, which is very high for an ace and the worst of his three seasons in the league (at least so far). In his last start, Castillo struck out 11 in six innings, but he also walked five. And both of Castillo's starts this month have come against the Giants -- one of the most anemic offenses in the Majors. This will be his first start of the season against the Cubs, a team which figures to pose a lot more offensive challenges than did the Giants. The Cubs will go with RHP Jose Quintana and they are 5-1 in his last six starts and 18-7 in his last 25 following a team loss in their previous game. Take Chicago. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-15-19 | Padres +140 v. Dodgers | Top | 0-2 | Loss | -100 | 20 h 34 m | Show |
At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over Los Angeles. The Dodgers will start Kenta Maeda tonight with the hope that he deliver a repeat performance of his last start -- a 5-0 shutout win over Washington. Maeda tossed six scoreless innings in that game, and put just 3 Nationals on base (1 hit, 2 walks). However, in his career, Maeda's not been able to string great performances together very often. Indeed, the Dodgers are a horrid 1-7 (minus 10 games on the money line) in his starts following an outing in which he didn't allow an earned run! Meanwhile, the Padres have won each of Matt Strahm's last three starts. And Strahm's road ERA is a superb 2.05 this season. Take San Diego. |
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05-15-19 | Cardinals v. Braves -136 | Top | 0-4 | Win | 100 | 17 h 44 m | Show |
At 7:20 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the St. Louis Cardinals. You can look at Michael Wacha's MLB career and draw two completely different conclusions. On the one hand, there's the fact that Wacha has a .636 winning percentage (56-32) and an ERA under four runs (3.84) in six-plus seasons. Many starters in the league would love to be able to say that. But on the other hand, in two of his last four seasons, Wacha posted an ERA over five runs. And in every season since he came into the league, his walk rate has increased. This season, Wacha has a crazy walk rate of 5.4 per nine IP (22 walks in 37 innings). What's amazing is that, despite that ridiculous number and an ERA of 5.35, Wacha is 3-0 in his eight starts. This good fortune likely won't continue. The Braves will go with RHP Mike Soroka who, at just 21 years of age, would appear to have a bright future ahead of him. Soroka is 3-1, with an absurd 1.21 ERA in five starts, covering just under 30 innings. The Braves are 7-3 in Soroka's 10 career starts and 6-1 in his seven starts under the lights. Take Atlanta. |
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05-15-19 | Brewers v. Phillies -116 | Top | 5-2 | Loss | -116 | 16 h 29 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers will hand the ball to southpaw Gio Gonzalez, while Philly will start 33-year-old RHP Jake Arrieta. Arrieta may never have another 20-win season with an ERA under two runs, like he did in 2015 (when he won the NL Cy Young). But that doesn't mean he can't be an effective starter in the league. And with a much-improved Phillies offense backing him up, a successful season in 2019 looks extremely likely for the veteran hurler. Arrieta is 4-3 with a 3.78 ERA in eight starts so far. And, here at home, he his 3-1 with a 3.66 ERA in his five starts. This will be Arrieta's first start of the season against the Brewers, a team against which he is 8-6 with a 3.22 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 17 starts. And, given Philadelphia's 26-10 record vs. lefty starters, Arrieta has a great chance to improve on his W/L record this evening. Finally, Arrieta has always preferred pitching at home in his career, as he is 47-30 (.610) in 114 games (112 starts) with a 3.47 ERA at home. Take the Phils. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-15-19 | Pirates v. Diamondbacks -150 | Top | 1-11 | Win | 100 | 13 h 2 m | Show |
At 3:40 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over Pittsburgh. Yesterday, we cashed a big underdog play on the Pirates (part of a 3-0 Baseball sweep). But this afternoon, we will switch gears, and take Arizona. After all, Zack Greinke is on the hill for the Diamondbacks this afternoon. And he's been money in the bank throughout his career when pitching in front of the home faithful. Dating back to his early days with the Kansas City Royals, Greinke's teams have gone 145-79 (+46 games on the money line) at home, including a 81-24 (+38 games on the money line) when priced at -150 (or higher), and 40-10 (+23 games) when matched up against a team with a -0.50 (or worse) run differential. Greinke's mound opponent this afternoon will be Chris Archer. Unfortunately for the Pirates, Archer's struggled on the road this season, as his road ERA is 5.73, with a 1.36 WHIP. Arizona's 15-5 its last 20 games vs. the Pirates. Take Arizona. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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05-14-19 | Pirates +137 v. Diamondbacks | Top | 6-2 | Win | 137 | 18 h 26 m | Show |
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Arizona Diamondbacks. RHP Joe Musgrove came to Pittsburgh as part of the deal which sent its ace, Gerrit Cole, to Houston after the 2017 season. Musgrove's first season with the Bucs (2018) was nothing special. But despite just six wins in 19 starts with a 4.09 ERA, Musgrove had some solid numbers. In just over 115 innings, the 25-year-old allowed 113 hits with 100 strikeouts and 23 walks for a 1.18 WHIP and a very strong 4.35 K:BB ratio. In two previous appearances here at Chase Field -- including one start -- Musgrove has allowed just two ER in 7 2/3 innings (a 2.45 ERA). Like Musgrove, D-Backs RHP Luke Weaver came to Arizona in exchange for a very good layer -- in this case, Paul Goldschmidt, who was shipped off to St. Louis. Weaver is having a good campaign so far. But through his career, he has performed better on the road (13-10; 3.99 ERA) than he has at home (5-8; 5.04). The Bucs are 16-11 (+7 games on the money line) in their last 27 games vs. RH starters, and are a live underdog tonight. Take Pittsburgh. |
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05-14-19 | Cardinals -122 v. Braves | Top | 14-3 | Win | 100 | 16 h 6 m | Show |
At 7:20 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over Atlanta. Braves RHP Mike Foltynewicz had a breakout season in 2018, with 13 victories, a 2.85 ERA in 31 starts and his first trip to the All Star Game. But an elbow injury delayed Folty's follow-up season and, as a result, he didn't get his 2019 debut until April 27. So far, the 27-year-old is struggling to find his 2018 form, which is not all that surprising given the seriousness of the injury that kept him out in the Winter. In three starts covering just under 17 innings, Foltynewicz is 0-2 with a 5.94 ERA and 1.44 WHIP. The Cards will go with RHP Jack Flaherty who, like Foltynewicz, had a bit of a breakout in 2018. It was his second season in the Majors, but Flaherty was still a rookie, so he finished second in the NL ROY voting after posting eight wins with a 3.34 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 28 starts. Flaherty's 2019 is also off to a slower start (3-3 and 4.32 in eight starts) but his 3.62 K:BB ratio is a better number than he put up in 2018. The Braves are 4-11 in Foltynewicz's last 15 starts against NL Central opponents. Take the Cards. |
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05-14-19 | Rays -135 v. Marlins | Top | 4-0 | Win | 100 | 16 h 56 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over Miami. We played against the Rays in their last game, and were rewarded by a big underdog victory by New York. However, we'll switch gears on Tuesday night, and play on Tampa Bay, as it will be taking on the worst team in Baseball. The Marlins have lost their last five games (and eight of their last nine), and are now a horrid 10-29 on the season. The primary culprit of late has been Miami's offense, as it scored 2 runs or less in each of its last eight defeats. That doesn't bode well here vs. the Rays' Charlie Morton, who has given up 2 or less runs in seven of his eight outings this season (and also his last six road starts dating back to last season). Moreover, the Marlins are in their worst price range tonight, as they are a money-burning 3-17 this season when priced from +125 to +175. Take Tampa Bay. |
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05-13-19 | Pirates v. Diamondbacks -155 | Top | 3-9 | Win | 100 | 19 h 2 m | Show |
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Pittsburgh Pirates. D-Backs' RHP Robbie Ray is quietly putting together an excellent first half. In eight starts, Ray is 2-1 with a 3.30 ERA and 55 strikeouts in just under 44 innings. If Ray can ever get his walk rate under control, he could transition from being a very good starter to one of the NL's best. Recently, Ray has done a pretty good job in that department as over his last four starts, Ray has struck out 29 batters and walked only eight (in 22 1/3 innings). Tonight he faces a very good hitting Pirates team, so he will have his work cut out for him. However, he'll get a little bit of a break with his mound opponent. With both Jameson Taillon and Chris Archer winding up on the IL recently (joining Chad Kuhl), the Bucs promoted (from the pen) RHP Nick Kingham. The 27-year-old is in his second season, but has yet to distinguish himself. Last year, his ERA was north of 5 runs a game, and that hasn't changed this season. He has a 5.94 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in nine appearances (one start). The Pirates are a very poor 25-50 (-28 games on the money line) in their last 75 vs. teams from the NL West. Meanwhile, the D-Backs are 29-15 in Ray's last 44 nighttime starts, and 19-4 in his last 23 after he allowed one run or fewer in his last start. Take Arizona. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-12-19 | Indians +124 v. A's | Top | 5-3 | Win | 124 | 13 h 34 m | Show |
At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Oakland Athletics. After filling in as a spot starter for the A's last season, 25-year-old RHP Daniel Mengden started this season at AAA Las Vegas. He will get the call today to start in the big leagues again -- although it will probably be a one-and-done situation as the A's are trying to give their regular starters an extra day of rest. Mengden's AAA numbers so far are strong (3-2 with a 2.77 ERA in seven games -- six starts) and likely earned him this start. But there is a big difference between the hitters he faced down on the farm and the line-up he will see today. The Indians will hand the ball to 25-year-old RHP Jefry Rodriguez who, despite a 2.41 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in three starts, is still looking for his first victory of 2019 (he went 3-3 last year). Rodriguez could see that come tonight against an A's club that is just 5-9 (-7 games on the money line) in its last 14 day games. The Indians are also a solid 100-50 in their last 150 games vs. teams with a losing record. Take the Tribe. |
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05-12-19 | Pirates v. Cardinals -147 | Top | 10-6 | Loss | -147 | 11 h 42 m | Show |
At 2:15 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the Pittsburgh Pirates. With a strong rookie season as a reliever in 2018 (a 2.63 ERA in 26 games out of the bullpen), RHP Dakota Hudson earned a shot at a starting job coming out of Spring Training. After all, no rotation had gone through more changes than the Cards over the past few seasons, and the team was looking for new talent for its starting five. So far, the results are mixed, with Hudson showing flashes of brilliance from time to time, but still being hampered by inconsistency. Hudson has gotten the month of May off to a strong beginning, however, with a 2.45 ERA in two starts covering 11 innings. And those two outings were against the Nationals and Phillies. This will be Hudson's first-ever start against the Pirates (although he pitched 2/3 scoreless inning against them in relief earlier this season). Despite their victory on Saturday, the Pirates are still just 3-9 in the last 12 meetings with the Cards. Take St. Louis. |
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05-12-19 | Yankees +155 v. Rays | Top | 7-1 | Win | 155 | 10 h 36 m | Show |
At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Tampa Bay Rays. With all of the injuries the Yankees have had this season, what they've been able to accomplish in the standings is nothing short of miraculous. Despite getting a couple of their players back from the IL, the Yanks are still without the likes of Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, James Paxton, Luis Severino, Troy Tulowitzki, and DD Gregorious. But heading into today, they are sitting at 23-16 and just 1 1/2 games behind the first place Rays, who they just happen to be playing today. RHP Masahiro Tanaka has had a solid, if not spectacular, season so far, with a 3.77 ERA in eight starts. He'll make start number nine this afternoon and, even though will be facing one of the best in Tampa LHP Blake Snell, there are a couple of reasons to like Tanaka. First of all, Tanaka is 8-4 in 14 lifetime starts vs. the Rays. Second, Tanaka is 27-13 (.675) with a 3.55 ERA in 49 daytime starts. Finally, through his career, Snell is 23-13 (.639) in night games but only 12-10 during the day. Take New York. |
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05-11-19 | Braves v. Diamondbacks +109 | Top | 6-4 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 8 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Atlanta Braves. 30-year-old first year rookies in the Major Leagues are rare. And successful one are even rarer. The jury is still out on whether D-Backs RHP Merrill Kelly will be a success in this, his rookie season. But at 3-3 in his first seven starts, he at least has shown that he can win at this level. Kelly will get start number eight tonight against the Braves and RHP Kevin Gausman. Gausman was ejected two starts ago in the 2nd inning when he threw a retaliatory pitch behind a Marlins pitcher who had thrown at Ronald Acuna last season. It was a bizarre situation that certainly doesn't help Gausman's stock, which wasn't particularly high in the first place. Gausman proceeded to get hit pretty hard in his next start against the Dodgers. So, after winning his first start of the season with seven shutout innings, Gausman has now gone 0-3 with an ERA around six runs in his next six starts. Gausman's teams are a horrid 11-23 (-13 games on the money line) in his last 34 road starts. Take the Diamondbacks. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-11-19 | Brewers v. Cubs -146 | Top | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 12 h 50 m | Show |
At 2:20 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Milwaukee Brewers. Pre-season predictions that the NL Central would be the most competitive division in the Majors appear to be coming true. As of this writing, there are 3.5 games separating first place Chicago from fourth place Pittsburgh. And this weekend, the Cubs and Brewers are playing this series to determine who will ascend to the top of the division -- at least for now. The Crew easily won round one on Friday with a 7-0 shutout, behind some solid pitching and defense while handing Cubs starter Jose Quintana his second loss. This afternoon it will be veteran southpaw Cole Hamels taking the mound for the Cubs. At 3-0 with a 3.38 ERA in seven starts, Hamels is on track to have his best campaign since 2016 when he won 15 games and was an All Star. Hamels has had success against the Crew in the past, going 8-3 with a 3.57 ERA in 16 starts against them covering 106 innings. Despite their loss on Friday, the Cubs are super 9-2 in their last 11 home games vs. winning teams, and 5-1 in Hamels' last six starts. Take the Cubs. |
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05-10-19 | Nationals v. Dodgers -194 | Top | 0-5 | Win | 100 | 17 h 51 m | Show |
At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Washington Nationals. Patrick Corbin and a couple of relievers shut down the Dodgers on Thursday, but that's been a bit of a rare occurrence lately as the Nats have really struggled this season. Heading into Thursday, the Nats had only plated more than three runs once in their last 10 games. The fact that they scored six runs on Thursday doesn't guarantee anything as the Nats lineup is still pretty decimated with injuries. The Dodgers will send veteran RHP Kenta Maeda to the mound and, although Maeda's 4.66 ERA doesn't exactly jump off the page at you, he has done by far his best work at home this season. In his two starts at Dodger Stadium, Maeda is 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA and 1.05 WHIP with dominating victories over the Red and D-Backs. Meanwhile, Nats' RHP Anibal Sanchez is 0-4 with a 5.23 ERA in four starts away from DC this season. The Nationals are also 18-35 in the last 53 meetings with L.A. Take the Dodgers. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-10-19 | Pirates +136 v. Cardinals | Top | 2-1 | Win | 136 | 15 h 55 m | Show |
At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Pirates over the St. Louis Cardinals.  Adam Wainwright is clearly in the twilight of his career, but he's looking to show -- with the starts he has left -- that he can still be an important contributor to the Cardinals. Unfortunately, the numbers aren't pretty anymore, as Wainwright has posted a 4.71 ERA in seven starts with an ugly K:BB ratio of just 2.07:1 (29 Ks and 14 BBs). And although he is 13-7 against the Pirates in his career, Wainwright's ERA against them is 4.45. The Pirates will go with RHP Trevor Williams who has been a bit of a bad luck starter as far as victories are concerned. Despite a very solid 3.74 ERA and 1.11 WHIP, Williams has only won one time in seven starts. But more importantly, the Pirates are 5-2 in his trips to the mound this season and they're 7-3 in Williams' last 10 road starts. They're also 5-1 in Williams' last six starts vs. teams from their own Division (NL Central). Lastly, the Cards are 2-5 in their last seven games vs. teams with a right-handed starter. Take the Pirates. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-09-19 | Pirates +130 v. Cardinals | Top | 4-17 | Loss | -100 | 19 h 44 m | Show |
At 7:45 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Pirates over the St. Louis Cardinals. Despite the fact that he won just one game, Pirates RHP Joe Musgrove had a very good month of April. In all five of his April starts, Musgrove went into the seventh inning and ended up at the end of the month with a 1.54 ERA. But this month brought new challenges and, in his first start of May, things didn't go so well. Last Friday, Musgrove lasted just 2 2/3 innings at home in an inter-league start against the A's in an ugly 14-1 loss. He'll try to get back on track tonight back against NL competition, in St. Louis. And Musgrove has done his best work in his four road appearances this season (three starts), as he has a 1.23 ERA and 0.91 WHIP. The Cards will go with RHP Michael Wacha tonight. And it's hard to believe that Wacha has a 2-0 record when you consider that he pretty much can't find the strike zone. Wacha has a 5.17 ERA and has walked an absurd 21 batters in 31 1/3 innings. The Cardinals are playing awful baseball right now, with six losses in their last seven games (outscored 41-18), while the Pirates have won five of their last seven. Take Pittsburgh. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-09-19 | Mariners v. Yankees -162 | Top | 1-3 | Win | 100 | 18 h 35 m | Show |
At 6:35 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Seattle Mariners. When veteran southpaw JA Happ came to the Yankees in the second half of last season, he went on a tear. Happ was decent with Toronto, but coming to the Bronx seemed to put him at another level as he went 7-0 with a 2.69 ERA in 11 starts. Perhaps not surprisingly, this season hasn't witnessed a repeat of those ridiculous numbers. But even though Happ has just one victory and a 4.93 ERA in his seven starts, he's been on a nice run lately, posting a 2.75 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in his last three starts covering just under 20 innings. More importantly is the fact that, despite his troubles so far, the Yanks are 4-3 in his starts coming into tonight. Happ has a career record of 4-2 vs. the M's, and New York's 38-19 in their last 57 meetings with the Mariners. More good news for the Yanks: catcher Gary Sanchez (11 HR; 21 RBI in 22 games) should be back in the lineup tonight, after he was rested on Wednesday. Take New York. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-08-19 | Mariners +124 v. Yankees | Top | 10-1 | Win | 124 | 16 h 52 m | Show |
At 6:35 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over the New York Yankees. The decimated Yankees have begun getting some of their injured hitters back recently (like catcher Gary Sanchez) but now they have additional injuries to their pitching staff that they have to deal with. Newly-acquired starter James Paxton -- who was off to a hot start -- was just put on the IL for a knee injury and will be out for at least three weeks. Enter RHP Jonathan Loisiga who already has three appearances (two starts) this season and will get at least one more tonight. Although he has a 2.70 ERA, Loisiga continues to have control issues and has walked six batters in 10 innings (a 5.4 walk rate). The M's hitters should be able to take advantage of that, and get to the 24-year-old early and often with their strong lineup. LHP Yusei Kikuchi goes to the hill for the ninth time and, although he's only won one game in his MLB career, he's given the M's some quality innings so far (a 3.98 ERA and 1.16 WHIP). The Yankees are 2-5 in their last seven home games vs. teams with a LH starter. Take Seattle. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-08-19 | White Sox v. Indians -194 | Top | 3-5 | Win | 100 | 15 h 27 m | Show |
At 6:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Chicago White Sox. The Indians' offense took the night off on Tuesday, registering just five hits in an embarrassing 2-0 shutout at home against the Sox. They faced a hot starter in Lucas Giolito but tonight it should be a different story against Reynaldo Lopez and his 6.69 ERA and 1.76 WHIP in seven starts. In two starts here last season -- the only two of his career at Progressive Field -- things were ugly for Lopez as he allowed 12 runs (11 earned) on 14 hits in just seven innings. So you can certainly understand if the frustrated Cleveland batters are licking their chops a bit at the prospect of facing Lopez again. RHP Shane Bieber goes for the Tribe. And although he's been a bit of a tough luck starter with just two wins in six starts, his numbers are solid -- a 3.16 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 37 innings. The Indians simply win games at a high rate when Bieber takes the mound as they are 17-8 in his 25 career starts. And they are 13-5 in his 18 night starts. Take Cleveland. |
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05-08-19 | Phillies v. Cardinals -149 | Top | 5-0 | Loss | -149 | 11 h 32 m | Show |
At 1:15 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over Philadelphia. The Phillies will start Jerad Eickhoff this afternoon against the Cardinals' Jack Flaherty. Unfortunately for Philly, Eickhoff's been dreadful on the road this season (6.00 ERA; 1.83 WHIP), and in his career (Philly is 10-24 in his 34 starts). Meanwhile, Flaherty's been brilliant at home this season (3-0; 1.87 ERA; 0.83 WHIP). Additionally, Flaherty has faced the Phillies once in his short career, and dominated them, with 7 2-3 innings of two-hit ball. He also struck out 13 in that game (a 5-1 home win). With the Phillies owning a poor 44-89 record as a road underdog (minus 25 games on the money line), we'll fade them today. Take St. Louis. |
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05-07-19 | Mariners +139 v. Yankees | Top | 4-5 | Loss | -100 | 15 h 57 m | Show |
At 6:35 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over the New York Yankees. Few pitchers had a bigger break-out season in 2018 than Marco Gonzalez. The then-26-year-old southpaw went from being a part-time starter with an ERA around six runs to reliable member of the Seattle rotation with 29 starts, 13 wins, and a 4.00 ERA and 4.53 K:BB ratio. So far in 2019, the veteran has proven that last season was no fluke. In a league-leading eight starts, Gonzalez is 5-1 with a 3.28 ERA, and he looks to keep that going tonight with his second career start against the Yankees. After a week-long power shortage in which Seattle plated just 12 runs in six games, the M's woke up and exploded for 10 runs against the Indians on Sunday. And for Gonzalez's 2019 campaign, that type of support has been key as he ranks as one of the top starters in the AL so far this season with an average of 6.25 runs of support per start. Not surprisingly, the Mariners are 9-2 with Gonzales on the hill when priced as an underdog of +150 or less. Finally, the Yankees have been wallet-busters as a home favorite of -150 (or more), as they're 88-53 (minus 24 games on the money line). Take Seattle. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-07-19 | White Sox v. Indians -137 | Top | 2-0 | Loss | -137 | 15 h 31 m | Show |
At 6:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Chicago White Sox. The team which we expect to win the AL Central every season is off to a rocky start in 2019. Indians' starters Corey Kluber (broken arm), Mike Clevinger (back), and Danny Salazar (shoulder surgery) are all on the IL; All-Star 3B Jose Ramirez is batting .200 with two homers and nine RBI; and the Tribe is hitting an AL-worst .211. Adding insult to injury, the Indians were throttled by the rival White Sox on Monday, 9-1. Perhaps it's time for an unfamiliar face to step up for them tonight. Enter RHP Jefry Rodriguez. The 25-year-old Dominican will get his third start of the season. And, so far, Rodriguez has done little wrong, despite not registering a win. J-Rod is 0-1, but has a very nice 2.13 ERA and 0.79 WHIP in just under 13 innings. The Sox will go with the very inconsistent Lucas Giolito. The big RHP has faced the Indians twice before and he is 0-2 with a 7.36 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in 11 innings. The Sox are also a poor 3-8 in Giolito's last 11 starts, and 58-105 as a road underdog. Take Cleveland. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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05-06-19 | Diamondbacks v. Rays -194 | Top | 1-12 | Win | 100 | 16 h 52 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The team that revolutionized the "opener" (using a starting pitcher for only one or two innings) was set to go with its most effective one yesterday -- Ryne Stanek. But although Stanek and the Rays must be disappointed that they didn't get to employ their favorite strategy against arguably the worst team in the League, they needn't worry. The rain-out on Sunday has allowed the Rays to travel home a bit earlier than they would have. And, now, they'll get to bypass Stanek in favor of last season's Cy Young winner, Blake Snell, in an interleague match-up with the D-Backs. And the fact that the southpaw Snell has a 2-3 record and 4.31 ERA in his first six starts shouldn't really cause any alarm. Snell still has a lower walk rate and higher strikeout rate than he did last season. Also, he'll be at an advantage tonight since the Diamondbacks have never faced him before. Snell really excels in interleague play, as the 26-year-old is 6-2 with a sparkling 1.60 ERA in 11 starts covering just under 68 innings. And Arizona is an ugly 41-137 (minus 58 games on the money line) as an underdog priced from +175 to +250. Take the Rays. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-05-19 | Dodgers v. Padres +124 | Top | 5-8 | Win | 124 | 13 h 54 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over the Los Angeles Dodgers. When the Dodgers signed RHP Kenta Maeda as an international free agent before the 2016 season, they hoped he would help fill the shoes of the departing Zack Greinke, and add to an otherwise strong staff which included Clayton Kershaw. After Maeda won 16 games in 2016, there was every reason to believe he would help bring a World Series Championship to L.A. But injuries and inconsistency have plagued him the past two seasons, and his 2019 campaign has been up-and-down, as well. Maeda's worst games this season have been on the road (5.59 ERA, 1.81 WHIP in four starts), and against winning teams (7.87 ERA; 1.56 WHIP in three starts). He'll match up against Padres lefty Nick Margevicius this afternoon. And the 22-year-old rookie has a solid 3.23 ERA and 1.10 WHIP over his first six starts. We'll play against the Dodgers in a road favorite role this afternoon, as we note that they have been poor as a favorite of -150 or less (70-68, minus 19 games on the money line). Take San Diego. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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05-04-19 | Dodgers v. Padres +115 | Top | 7-6 | Loss | -100 | 17 h 5 m | Show |
At 8:40 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over Los Angeles. The Dodgers won last night, 4-3, with a run in the 9th inning to break a tie game. We'll back the Padres as a home underdog tonight, as they are 9-6 this season when installed as an underdog (+6 games on the money line). And tonight's starter -- Joey Lucchesi -- has a super 2.35 ERA at home this season in four starts. Meanwhile, the Dodgers are an awful 61-62 (minus 27 games on the money line) on the road vs. division rivals. Take the Padres. |
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05-04-19 | Astros -131 v. Angels | Top | 14-2 | Win | 100 | 16 h 36 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Los Angeles Angels. This is the first of a two-game series in Monterrey, Mexico. The pitching match-up isn't the most glamorous as a pair of journeymen -- Wade Miley for the 'Stros and Trevor Cahill for the Halos -- will face off in the game tonight. Miley's signing of a one-year, $4.5 Million contract in the off-season was hardly front-page news. But despite his 1-2 record, Miley has performed well as a back-of-the rotation starter in his first year in Houston. In six starts, Miley has a 3.24 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP in just over 33 innings. And, in a small sample size, Miley is unbeaten against the Angels, going 2-0 with a 2.01 ERA and 0.72 WHIP in three starts against them. The Angels are officially the home team tonight, but with Houston's championship pedigree (and Texas' proximity to Mexico), don't be surprised if much of the crowd is mostly behind Houston. Miley's teams are 17-6 (+ 10 games on the money line) in his last 23 starts as a favorite (11-1 in his last 12 priced as a favorite between -125 to -175). Take Houston. |
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05-04-19 | Mariners +195 v. Indians | Top | 4-5 | Loss | -100 | 13 h 35 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over Cleveland. The Indians have been installed as a massive favorite today. But Cleveland's been extremely poor as a home favorite, priced from -175 to -250, as it's 39-34, minus 31 games on the money line. Likewise, its starter this afternoon -- Carlos Carrasco -- has burned money at home in his career, with a 43-44 record (minus 22 games on the money line). That doesn't bode well for Cleveland today. And especially because Seattle's done its best work away from home this season (11-5, +7 games on the money line). And its starter -- Mike Leake -- has gone 18-14, +8 games on the money line away from home. Take Seattle. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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05-02-19 | Astros -105 v. Twins | Top | 2-8 | Loss | -105 | 8 h 12 m | Show |
At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over Minnesota. The pitching match-up this afternoon is Brad Peacock for Houston and Jose Berrios for Minnesota. On the surface, Berrios' numbers are favorable to Peacock's. The Twins righty has a 2.97 ERA and 0.96 WHIP, which is better than Peacock's 3.67 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. But when one goes beneath the numbers, one learns that Peacock has started against much better offenses than has Berrios. Indeed, Berrios has made six starts this season. And his five starts against American League clubs (Royals, Tigers, Indians, Orioles (twice)) have all come against teams that rank among the bottom half of MLB offenses. The Astros have won 16 of Peacock's last 22 starts, and they're also 123-69 (+31 games on the money line) in their last 192 road games. Take Houston. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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05-02-19 | Padres +120 v. Braves | Top | 11-2 | Win | 120 | 7 h 11 m | Show |
At 12:10 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over the Atlanta Braves. Matt Strahm is a 27-year-old LH pitcher for the Padres who, until this season, was used almost exclusively as a reliever. In 86 appearances heading into 2019, Strahm had only started eight times. But that appears to have changed. Strahm has made five starts this season without coming out of the bullpen and it appears that the rotation spot is his to lose at this point. The ERA (3.05) and WHIP (1.05) are fine and all that needs to happen now is for Strahm to win his first game of the season, as he is currently 0-2 in 26 2/3 innings. The Braves will go with RHP Mike Foltynewicz, who had a breakout season in 2018, winning 13 games while registering a 2.85 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 31 starts. As a result, Folty was an All Star for the first time. He started this season on the injured list and only just came off it to make his first start. The rust was evident as Foltynewicz allowed four ER on six hits in six innings in a 9-5 loss to the Rockies. Including that one, the Braves are 3-8 in Foltynewicz's last 11 starts. Take the Padres. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-01-19 | Rays -210 v. Royals | Top | 2-8 | Loss | -210 | 1 h 34 m | Show |
At 4:35 pm (approximately), our selection in GAME 2 of the Double Header is Tampa Bay over Kansas City, with Blake Snell and Glenn Sparkman the listed pitchers. This is a big mismatch on the mound, as KC's Sparkman has yet to win a game in the Majors. He's 0-4 in his career, with a 6.26 ERA (including an 8.10 ERA this season in three relief appearances). Sparkman will oppose Tampa starter, Blake Snell, who won the American League Cy Young Award last season after leading the league in both Wins (21) and ERA (1.89). And his ERA was the lowest in the American League since Pedro Martinez compiled a 1.74 ERA in 2000. This season, Snell's started 2-2, with a 2.54 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP. Snell did lose his last start (7 days ago) against these Royals, so he'll be looking for a bit of redemption this evening. And that was a rare loss by Tampa vs. Kansas City, as the Rays have won 11 of the past 13 meetings between these clubs. The fact that Snell will be pitching with an extra two days of rest bodes well for his club on this Wednesday, as the Rays are 15-1 behind Snell when he's pitched on an extra day or two of rest. Take Tampa. MOUND MISMATCH MASSACRE! Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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05-01-19 | Yankees -114 v. Diamondbacks | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -114 | 12 h 37 m | Show |
At 3:40 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Arizona Diamondbacks. It's still early in the season, but perhaps the most impressive performance by a team is that of the New York Yankees. Never mind that New York's 17-11 record is one of the best in the League. What's really impressive is the fact that the Yanks have done it despite a plethora of injuries. If I tried to document in this write-up the number of players that the Yanks have placed on the IL, or who are otherwise unavailable, I would run out of room. It's an injury list that is basically unprecedented this early in an MLB season. Despite the adversity, New York's most famous professional sports team is only two games out of first place. Ironically -- given his injury history -- one of the players who has been healthy so far is RHP Masahiro Tanaka. The 30-year-old Japanese import has had winning seasons in each of his five MLB campaigns and, although he's just 2-2, he has a very competitive 3.60 ERA in six starts. Despite their win on Tuesday, the D-Backs are just 3-10 in their last 13 vs. AL East Teams. And, finally, the Yankees are 7-0 this season when priced as a favorite of -150 or less. Take the Yanks. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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04-30-19 | Cubs v. Mariners +130 | Top | 6-5 | Loss | -100 | 21 h 49 m | Show |
At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over the Chicago Cubs. If you went into a coma at the turn of the decade and woke up today and looked at the Mariners roster, there is only one name you would recognize. Veteran RHP Felix Hernandez has called Seattle his professional baseball home since 2005. And just when it seemed like the man they call 'King Felix' was fading into oblivion, Hernandez seems to have been rejuvenated at the age of 33. The 1-2 record in five starts doesn't recall memories from his Cy Young-caliber seasons, but he also has a sub-4.00 ERA, a 1.22 WHIP, and 21 strikeouts with only three walks. And that 7:1 K:BB ratio would be the best of his career if the season ended now. He suffered a tough 1-0 loss in his last outing as Seattle's offense went to sleep to spoil his gem (7.0 IP; 1 ER; 3 H; 8 K; 1 BB). Hernandez has loved it here at home through the years with a 91-64 record and 3.24 ERA in 207 starts. It's true the Mariners were crushed 15-1 and 14-1 over the weekend by Texas. But Seattle's 40-23 (+20 games over the money line) in its last 63 after a loss by 10 or more runs. Take Seattle as a home underdog tonight. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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04-30-19 | Astros -157 v. Twins | Top | 11-0 | Win | 100 | 18 h 18 m | Show |
At 7:40 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Minnesota Twins. Last year, Gerrit Cole's first season in Houston was a resounding success, as he went 15-5 with a 2.88 ERA in 32 starts. And Cole was named to the All Star squad for the second time. So far, his follow-up in 2019 has been a good news-bad news situation. On the bad news side, the 28-year-old RHP has an ugly 1-4 record and 4.71 ERA over his first six starts. But on the good news side, Cole also has a league-leading 54 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings. And he sports a league-leading 13.4 strikeouts-to-walks ratio. You have to believe that the W/L record and ERA will come back to where Cole has been over his six-plus year career (a .600 winning percentage and a 3.42 ERA). There's no better place to start turning it around than here in Minneapolis against the Twins -- a team which has never seen Cole before. The Astros are 16-5 in their last 21 meetings with the Twins, including 7-2 in the last nine here at Target Field. Take Houston. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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04-29-19 | Rockies v. Brewers -111 | Top | 1-5 | Win | 100 | 15 h 42 m | Show |
At 7:40 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the Colorado Rockies. Two seasons ago, Zach Davies had the quietest 17-win season of any starter in the league. The slightly-built RHP (Davies is listed at 6'0" and 155 lbs) doesn't throw hard and has an above-average walk rate, but he finds ways to get guys out. After a sub-par campaign in 2018, Davies is back this season with a 2-0 record and 1.65 ERA in five starts. For the Rockies, Kyle Freeland was a surprise 17-game winner with a 2.85 ERA last season, and finished fourth in the NL Cy Young voting as a result. But the 25-year-old LHP hasn't been able to follow that up with anything similar so far in 2019. Freeland is just 2-3 with a 4.23 ERA in five starts. And Freeland recently developed a blister on his finger which resulted in a stay on the IL so this will be his first action since April 18. The Brewers are 76-35 (+26 games on the money line) in their last 111 as a home favorite.  Take Milwaukee. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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04-28-19 | Rangers v. Mariners -121 | Top | 14-1 | Loss | -121 | 12 h 2 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over the Texas Rangers. It appears that rookie RHP Erik Swanson may have picked just the right time to come up from the Minors and join the Mariners. In need of some rotation help and with a rejuvenated -- and extremely productive -- offense, Seattle seems to be just the place for an unproven 25-year-old former 8th round draft pick. His 0-2 record in three appearances (two starts) along with a 4.61 ERA may not seem like much. But Swanson also boasts 12 strikeouts and two walks along with 12 hits in 13 2/3 innings for a very solid 1.02 WHIP and 6.00 strikeouts-to-walks ratio. Swanson's only previous start here at T-Mobile Park was a gem: 1 run in 6 innings pitched, with 2 hits, 5 K and 0 walks. MLB Victory #1 could come this afternoon against a Rangers team which sports an ugly 5.87 team ERA (second-worst in the AL only to the lowly Baltimore Orioles). Texas will go with veteran RHP Lance Lynn, whose teams are 12-23 (-11 games on the money line) in his last 35 road starts. Take the Mariners. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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04-27-19 | Pirates +190 v. Dodgers | Top | 1-3 | Loss | -100 | 19 h 3 m | Show |
At 9:10 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Pirates over Los Angeles. The Pirates will no doubt have a tall task tonight with Clayton Kershaw on the hill for Los Angeles. But the Pirates' hurler, Joe Musgrove, has been every bit as good as Kershaw so far this season. Musgrove has a 1.71 ERA with a 0.91 WHIP in his four starts. Take Pittsburgh as a big underdog. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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04-27-19 | Rays +135 v. Red Sox | Top | 2-1 | Win | 135 | 14 h 59 m | Show |
At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Boston Red Sox. It's not surprising that a series between the Rays and Red Sox is featuring the first-and-last place teams in the AL East. What is surprising is that it's the Rays who are sitting on top, and the Red Sox who are in the cellar. This likely won't be the case all season (maybe not even a few weeks from now), but for now Tampa is no doubt enjoying its view from on high. RHP Charlie Morton is one of the major reasons why the Rays have been so successful. Signed in December to a modest two-year free agent deal, Morton has gone 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA in five starts so far. Morton has been solid on the road this season and he's perfect at Fenway Park in his career, going 2-0 with a 3.48 ERA in two starts here. The Rays are also 16-5 in their last 21 road games. Meanwhile, the injury bug has bit the Sox hard as they are down to a fourth-string 2B with Pedroia (knee), Nunez (back), and Holt (eye) all out of action. Take Tampa. ****Also, for this game, please ONLY list Tampa's starter, Morton.**** We will have a play on the Rays regardless of who starts for the Red Sox. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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04-27-19 | Indians v. Astros -128 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 14 h 58 m | Show |
At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Cleveland Indians.  RHP Shane Bieber made the Indians roster out of Spring Training but was initially shut out of the rotation when the season began. But injuries to Mike Clevinger and Danny Salazar have opened up a slot for the 23-year-old. So after one bullpen appearance, Bieber was thrust into a starting role and he tore through his first three starts, allowing just three earned runs in 19 innings before hitting a major speed bump in his last outing at home against Atlanta. Bieber lasted just 2 1/3 innings in that one, allowing seven runs (five earned) on five hits in an 11-5 loss. Bieber will have his hands full against a loaded Houston lineup, which is averaging 5.64 runs per game at home this season, to go with a .397 OBP and .315 BA. The Astros will go with RHP Brad Peacock, who has gotten his shot at the rotation due to the season-ending surgery for Lance McCullers. Peacock is following up his solid 2018 with another good campaign so far (2-1 with a 4.29 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in five games -- three starts). The 'Stros are 6-2 in Peacock's last eight home starts and 9-3 in his last 12 following a team loss in their previous game. Take Houston. |
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04-27-19 | A's -111 v. Blue Jays | Top | 1-7 | Loss | -111 | 13 h 59 m | Show |
At 3:10 pm, our selection is on the Oakland Athletics over the Toronto Blue Jays. There may have been some established names in the lineups in Game 1 of this series (K. Davis, M. Stroman, J. Smoak), but all eyes were on a 20-year-old with no Major League experience. Vlad Guerrero, Jr. made his MLB debut last night for the hometown Jays and that's all anyone pretty much cared about in the stands. So, now that he's already donned the uniform, things may be a little different this afternoon in Game 2. LHP Brett Anderson gets his sixth start of the season for the A's and Anderson cruised through his first four starts before running into trouble in start number five. The good news is that the last one was also against this Jays team so Anderson has a chance today to redeem himself as he faces them for the second straight time. The Jays are hitting just .238 vs. lefties this season and their .630 OPS against southpaws is the worst such number in the league. The A's are a super 29-14 (+10 games on the money line) in their last 43 games as a road favorite. Take Oakland. |
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04-26-19 | Yankees -121 v. Giants | Top | 7-3 | Win | 100 | 21 h 45 m | Show |
At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over San Francisco. This is a great battle between lefties tonight in the Bay Area. New York will hand the ball to James Paxton, while the Giants will start Madison Bumgarner. Unfortunately for San Francisco, it's won just 14 of Bumgarner's last 43 starts. And the Giants will surely have their hands full with Paxton, who comes into this game with a 14 scoreless innings streak. And Paxton struck out 24 batters in those 14 innings, while he only gave up 5 hits and 2 walks for a WHIP of 0.50 and a K:BB ratio of 12:1. The Yankees are an awesome 32-13 when priced as a favorite of -150 or less. Take New York. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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04-26-19 | Pirates +163 v. Dodgers | Top | 2-6 | Loss | -100 | 21 h 40 m | Show |
At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Los Angeles Dodgers. After a two-game sweep by the D-Backs in Pittsburgh, in which the Pirates were out-scored 16-2, the Bucs have to get on a plane and travel across the country to play an even better team from the NL West division. Thursday's shutout loss to Arizona was an early game (12:35) so at least Pittsburgh will have enough rest by the time it gets to LA to face the Dodgers in the first of this weekend series. It looks clear now that when the Pirates shipped Tyler Glasnow and Austin Meadows to Tampa in exchange for Chris Archer, the Rays got the best of that deal. But that doesn't mean that the veteran RHP can't be an asset for the Pirates. Archer overstayed his welcome in Tampa and he seems to be thriving so far in the Steel City. He is 1-1 in four starts and his 2.74 ERA would count as the best of his career if he can continue on this path. The Dodgers will go with LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu and they are 7-18 in Ryu's last 25 starts vs. teams with a winning record. Take the Pirates as a big underdog. |
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04-26-19 | Brewers v. Mets -188 | Top | 10-2 | Loss | -188 | 20 h 21 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the New York Mets over the Milwaukee Brewers. When Jacob deGrom left the Mets' recent road trip to have his elbow examined by a doctor, a collective groan went up from the Queens area. The reigning Cy Young winner had described his elbow as "barking" when he was throwing a side session. Fortunately for the Mets and their fans, deGrom's injury was not serious and he is ready to return to the rotation tonight after missing just one start. It's a tough assignment against a very good Brewers team -- one he has hasn't faced in almost two years. But deGrom should be up for it here at home where he has only started one game so far this season. With the Crew's list of walking wounded starting pitchers (Nelson, Peralta, Suter) plus Guerra, who is on bereavement leave, they are looking for arms to plug the holes (they've even re-signed Gio Gonzalez). So Milwaukee will call on RHP Chase Anderson to return to the rotation for just his second start of 2019. The Brewers have not fared well at Citi Field, as they are 3-9 in their last 12 games in Queens. Take the Mets. |
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