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Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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10-01-20 | Reds +125 v. Braves | Top | 0-5 | Loss | -100 | 6 h 35 m | Show |
At 12:10 pm, our selection is on the Cincinnati Reds over the Atlanta Braves. Game 1 of this series went 13 innings before the Braves finally got a run across the plate in a 1-0 victory. The Braves used their ace on Wednesday and LHP Max Fried was spectacular, throwing seven six-hit innings with 5 K's an 0 walks. But there's a pretty big drop off from Fried to rookie Ian Anderson. More importantly is that Anderson isn't a southpaw. The Reds simply can't hit lefties as evidenced by what happened Wednesday and so we can expect their offense -- which isn't bad -- to at least score some runs. They led with their ace, Trevor Bauer, in Game 1, but not far behind Bauer is RHP Luis Castillo who will get the call this afternoon. Castillo followed up his 15-win All Star 2019 with just a 4-6 record this season but his 3.21 ERA and 3.71 K:BB ratio were both improvements. The Braves are 1-5 in their last six playoff games as a favorite. Take Cincy. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-30-20 | Yankees v. Indians +118 | Top | 10-9 | Loss | -100 | 14 h 44 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the New York Yankees. Yesterday, the Yankees drew first blood with a 12-3 blowout win over Cleveland. Still, New York is a wallet-busting 13-18 (minus 13 games on the moneyline) on the road this season. And it also has won just three of its previous nine games, while the Indians have won seven of their previous nine. I love Cleveland to bounce back this evening against the Yankees' Masahiro Tanaka. Tanaka has made four starts on the road this season, and the Yankees lost each of those four games -- by a combined score of 22-3! Yet, the Yankees have been installed as a road favorite in this game. I'm not buying it. Take the Indians as a home underdog. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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09-30-20 | White Sox v. A's -120 | Top | 3-5 | Win | 100 | 9 h 5 m | Show |
At 3:10 pm, our selection is on the Oakland Athletics over the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox drew first blood Tuesday, taking a 4-1 decision from the A's to go one win away from advancing in the AL playoffs. Tonight it will be on 31-year-old RH Chris Bassitt to keep the series alive for the A's and force a deciding third game. Bassitt just might be the least-known starter with ace-like numbers in the league. In 11 starts this season, Bassitt is 5-2 and his 2.29 ERA puts him third in the AL in that category.  Bassitt has never pitched in the playoffs before but he should be up to the task. Through his career Bassitt has done his best work here at home. In 38 games (32 starts) at the Coliseum, Bassitt has a 2.63 ERA, a number that is two runs better than when he's pitching elsewhere. And in four previous starts vs. the Sox, Bassitt is 2-1 with a 3.04 ERA in 23 2/3 innings. This is a good month for Bassitt as the A's are 6-0 in his last six September outings and they are also 6-0 in his last six starts after he allowed one run or less in his last. Take Oakland. |
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09-30-20 | Astros v. Twins -142 | Top | 3-1 | Loss | -142 | 7 h 4 m | Show |
At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Houston Astros. We played on the Astros yesterday as a huge underdog, and they surprised the Twins in Game 1 of this series by scoring three runs in the 9th, and are now sitting in the catbird seat, needing only one more victory to advance. The Twins could have something to say about that this afternoon as they send veteran RH Jose Berrios to the mound. Berrios had some pedestrian numbers on the regular season (5-4 with a 4.00 ERA in 12 starts) but he has a way of stepping up in big situations and none is bigger than facing elimination. Incredibly, with the defeat on Tuesday, the Twins have now lost 17 post-season games in a row and if that doesn't motivate a team then nothing will. These two teams didn't play in the 2020 regular season, but prior to Tuesday's game, their last meeting was on May 2, 2019 -- a game won by Berrios after he pitched seven stellar innings, allowing two runs with five K's and no walks. This game will be played at Target Field and the Twins are 23-8 (+11 games on the moneyline) in their last 31 home contests. And unlike yesterday's game, where manager Dusty Baker could hand the ball to a gamer like Zack Greinke, his starting pitcher options today are not nearly as good. Notwithstanding yesterday's win, the Astros are 4-12 this season in the underdog role (minus 7 games on the moneyline),  Take Minnesota. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-30-20 | Reds v. Braves -120 | Top | 0-1 | Win | 100 | 6 h 3 m | Show |
At 12:10 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds are in the playoffs. As strange as that sounds, it's true -- even if their 2020 post-season is a short-lived one. The first round is after all a best-of-three series and nobody would be surprised if the Braves move on in two games. But being here is still something for the Reds and their fans to be proud of. Game 1 features a couple of strikeout artists in RH Trevor Bauer (CIN) and LH Max Fried. The Braves would probably be smart to go with lefty starters in Games 1 and 2, if possible. The Reds simply could not hit southpaw pitching this season, batting a paltry .200 against them with a .291 OBP (worst in the NL). Only the Cubs' .196 BA vs. LHP kept Cincy out of the cellar in that category. And Fried isn't just any southpaw -- he's one of the best in the game. In 11 starts this season, the 26-year-old went 7-0 with a 2.25 ERA in 56 innings. The Braves are 16-2 (+14 games on the moneyline) in their last 18 immediately after scoring two runs or less in their previous game. Take Atlanta. |
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09-29-20 | Blue Jays +176 v. Rays | Top | 1-3 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 18 m | Show |
At 5 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over the Tampa Bay Rays. The Blue Jays are the biggest underdog on today's card, and I think the number is a bit out-of-whack. Yes, Matt Shoemaker is not in the same class as Tampa Bay's Blake Snell. But it's a team game, and the Blue Jays outscored Tampa 48-44 in their 10 games this season. In Snell's last start vs. Toronto (August 24), the Blue Jays won 6-4. And Toronto's won three of Snell's five starts vs. it over the last two seasons. The Blue Jays were 12-8 (+5 games on the moneyline) vs. lefties this season. And Shoemaker's 4-0 with a 2.56 career ERA vs. the Rays. Take the underdog Blue Jays. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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09-29-20 | White Sox -119 v. A's | Top | 4-1 | Win | 100 | 8 h 21 m | Show |
At 3 pm, our selection is on the Chicago White Sox over the Oakland A's. The White Sox will hand the ball to their big right-hander, Lucas Giolito, on this Tuesday afternoon. Certainly, it was an up-and-down season for Giolito. The high point was no doubt his no-hitter vs. Pittsburgh in late August. And, at the time, that was his second straight game he struck out 13 batters. But Giolito wasn't as effective after that, and he had a 4.07 ERA over his last five starts. Still, he possesses a ton of talent, and has been installed as a favorite on the road today. The ChiSox are 23-9 their last 32 as a road favorite. And they're a jaw-dropping 14-0 this season vs. lefty starters. Finally, Giolito has led Chicago to wins in 24 of his last 36 road starts -- and he was an underdog in most of those. Take Chicago. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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09-29-20 | Astros +159 v. Twins | Top | 4-1 | Win | 159 | 7 h 22 m | Show |
At 2 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Minnesota Twins. There's no doubt which team, and which pitcher has had the better 2020 season. And that's Minnesota and Kenta Maeda. But Houston should not be discounted. Yet, that's exactly what the bettors are doing. As of this writing, the price is up 20 cents from the opening odds, and 67% of the bets are going on Minnesota. It's hard for me to pass up Houston and Greinke at this price. After all, Houston's 29-6 (+18 games on the moneyline) when playing with rest. And Greinke's 8-5 as an underdog of +150 or less. And, of course, Minnesota's lost an MLB-record 16 straight playoff games since 2004. So, yes, it's true that Maeda's Twins were 8-3 in his 11 starts this season, and he led the league with a 0.75 WHIP. But it's also true that, in his only start vs. Houston in his career, he was bombed for 5 runs in 5 1-3 innings (a 14-0 Astros win). Take the underdog Astros. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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09-26-20 | Cubs v. White Sox -150 | Top | 5-9 | Win | 100 | 14 h 45 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Chicago White Sox over the Chicago Cubs. By now, most baseball followers know that the Nationals traded their #1 pitching prospect, RH Lucas Giolito, to the White Sox for OF Adam Eaton. But what they may not know is that the Nats included another talented righthander in that deal. That pitcher was former (2016) first round draft pick Dane Dunning. The 25-year-old is making his MLB debut this season for the Sox and it has to be at least a little bit painful for the Nats to not only see Giolito doing so well, but also now Dunning developing nicely for Chicago. The former Florida Gator will get his seventh start tonight and it will be first vs. the Sox cross-town rivals. Dunning has done by far his best work in his new home ballpark, going 1-0 with a 2.20 ERA in three starts covering 16 1/3 innings here at Guaranteed Rate Field (vs. 1-0 and 4.30 on the road). The Cubs will go with LHP Jon Lester and the White Sox are an incredible 13-0 in their last 13 games vs. southpaw starters. Take the Sox. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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09-26-20 | Astros -194 v. Rangers | Top | 1-6 | Loss | -194 | 14 h 39 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Texas Rangers. The Astros will turn to Lance McCullers tonight, and he's been spectacular over his last two starts. McCullers faced this Rangers team on Sept. 16, and threw seven scoreless innings (2 hits, 0 BB, 8 K), and he followed that up with 6 2-3 innings of shutout baseball at Seattle. He'll match up against veteran RHP Kyle Gibson tonight, and Gibson has a horrid 5.87 ERA in 11 starts (7.18 ERA at home). In his last outing, Gibson was bombed for 7 earned runs in 4 innings at the Angels. Houston is 101-44 (+21 games on the moneyline) as a favorite of -125 (or more) on the road, while Texas is a wallet-busting 43-79 (-8 games on the moneyline) as a home dog, priced from +150 to +200. Take Houston. |
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09-26-20 | Marlins v. Yankees -185 | Top | 4-11 | Win | 100 | 8 h 39 m | Show |
At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Miami Marlins. The Yankees are no strangers to finding a kid somewhere down south and signing him as a 16-year-old before anyone else can grab him. A case in point is now-21-year-old Deivi Garcia. The Yanks signed Garcia out of the Dominican Republic five years ago and this season the RHP is making his debut in pinstripes. For the most part, it's been a successful coming-out party as Garcia is 2-2 in five starts so far. The 4.88 ERA may seem a bit high, but Garcia also has a K:BB ratio above 5:1 as he has punched out 26 hitters and walked just 5 in 27 1/3 innings of work. Garcia had back-to-back strong seven-inning outings against a very good Blue Jays lineup but then threw in a bit of a clunker against the Red Sox in his last. But that was Garcia's first start at Fenway Park, and Fenway can be difficult for pitchers who have never thrown there. The Marlins just punched their post-season ticket with their win over this Yankee club yesterday, so a letdown could be in order this afternoon. Take the Yanks. |
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09-25-20 | Padres -148 v. Giants | Top | 4-5 | Loss | -148 | 5 h 42 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, in Game 1 of the double-header, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over San Francisco. The Padres will hand the ball to RHP Dinelson Lamet tonight, while the Giants will start southpaw Tyler Anderson (3-3, 4.53 ERA). Lamet's been consistently brilliant this season. He's made 11 starts, and has a 2.07 ERA and 0.87 WHIP. And, most importantly, the Padres win when he starts, as they've won his last six outings, and nine of his 11 this season. In those 11 starts, he's given up 1 earned run or less in eight of them, while he gave up 2 runs once, and 3 runs twice. He's in great form, as he has had 32 strikeouts against just four walks and 11 hits in his last three games (20 2/3 innings), for an 0.87 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and 8:1 K/BB ratio. And his numbers have been solid against the Giants, as he has a career 2.70 ERA vs. SF. Meanwhile, Tyler Anderson's teams have won just 12 of his 39 starts vs. division rivals. Take San Diego. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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09-24-20 | A's v. Dodgers -200 | Top | 1-5 | Win | 100 | 16 h 59 m | Show |
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Oakland Athletics. The future of the NL West may someday belong to the San Diego Padres, but for now it's the Dodgers who reign supreme. Los Angeles has clinched its eighth straight Division Crown and it will also finish with the League's best record in this shortened season. But nobody knows better than the Dodgers that those eight pennants have resulted in zero World Series rings and it's now been more than 30 years since they have won it all. If they're going to do it this year, they're going to need to stay as healthy as possible. That's been problematic for young RH ace Walker Buehler. But the good news is that it's been a blister problem that has sidelined the 26-year-old and those are normally very manageable. Buehler gets his first start since September 8 tonight and no doubt he will be carefully watched. He's been a beast in inter-league games, going 3-0 with a 2.74 ERA in eight starts covering just under 43 innings vs. teams from the American League. Take L.A. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-24-20 | Astros -125 v. Rangers | Top | 12-4 | Win | 100 | 14 h 23 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Texas Rangers. Houston's magic number to clinch a playoff spot is down to 2. So, if the Astros win tonight, and the Angels lose, Houston would qualify for the playoffs. We'll play on Houston, which is now 100-43 (+22 games on the moneyline) as a road favorite of -125 (or more). Meanwhile, Texas is 14-31 (minus 10 games on the moneyline) as an underdog. Take the Astros. |
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09-24-20 | White Sox +113 v. Indians | Top | 4-5 | Loss | -100 | 12 h 28 m | Show |
At 6:10 pm, our selection is on the Chicago White Sox over the Cleveland Indians. With a long-sought post-season spot now secured, it seems that the White Sox are going to be cautious with some of their veteran starters. And none more-so than the southpaw leader of the rotation, Dallas Keuchel. The former Astros-Braves veteran appears to be on some type of a pitch count, having not allowed a run in his last three starts, but also only having thrown a total of 14 innings in those (5 IP, 5 IP and 4IP in his last one). That last start was a gem as he held the Reds scoreless while the Sox beat them and ace Trevor Bauer 4-0 in what would be a no-decision for Keuchel. This shows how confident the Sox are in their bullpen right now and rightly so. Chicago relievers are 16-8 with a 3.69 ERA on the season so far. The Indians batting order has struggled mightily against LHP this season, hitting just .227 against them (fourth-worst in the AL). Chicago is 19-8 in its last 27 games vs. teams from the AL Central. Take the White Sox. |
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09-24-20 | Cubs -180 v. Pirates | Top | 0-7 | Loss | -180 | 8 h 55 m | Show |
At 1:35 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Cubs RHP Alec Mills gets his second start since tossing his first career no-hitter on September 13. Not surprisingly, Mills' first start since the no-no was a bit of a let-down as the Cubs were soundly beaten 8-1 (and we cashed our highest-rated play of the season in that game on the Twins). But that outing last Saturday was against one of the best offenses in the league, and Mills really didn't pitch that badly (4 ER in 6 IP with 7 Ks and 1 BB). He gets a significant break tonight by facing the Pirates. Just how bad is the Bucs' hitting this season? They are batting a paltry .214 (somehow not the worst in the league -- CIN @ .211) and their OPS is an MLB-worst .619 which is almost 20 points below the next team. Somehow, Mills lost to this team back on September 3, but that means this afternoon is a revenge situation as well.  Pittsburgh will go with RH Chad Kuhl and to say that the Cubs are a problem for him is an understatement. In 11 previous games (10 starts) vs. the Cubs, Kuhl is 1-6 with a 6.75 ERA. Take Chicago. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-23-20 | A's +151 v. Dodgers | Top | 6-4 | Win | 151 | 14 h 26 m | Show |
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Oakland Athletics over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Sean Manaea's much-anticipated season got off to a rocky start as the 28-year-old RHP went 0-2 with a 7.65 ERA through his first five starts. But after that point, Manaea got hot and reeled of four straight wins, allowing just one run in each and lowering his ERA more then three runs to 4.46. Manaea's string got snapped in his last start on September 15, but that was at Coors Field so we'll give the Oakland ace a mulligan on that one and look for him to start a new streak tonight in Los Angeles. Unlike Coors, Dodger Stadium is a good place for Manaea to get back on track as his only other start here was a good one (5 IP; 2 R; 5 K; 1 BB).  The A's are on a high right now, having just clinched their first Division Title since 2013. The Dodgers will go with LHP Julio Urias and that may not be the best thing against this A's team. Oakland has been feasting on southpaw pitching lately, going 9-2 (+6 games on the moneyline) in its last 11 games vs. LHs. Take the A's. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-23-20 | Brewers v. Reds -150 | Top | 1-6 | Win | 100 | 11 h 26 m | Show |
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Cincinnati Reds over the Milwaukee Brewers. These two NL Central clubs are locked into a tight race with the Giants and Phillies for the final two Wild Card berths in the National League. Tonight's match-up favors the home team, as Trevor Bauer has a spectacular 1.80 ERA in 10 starts this season, while Adrian Houser's ERA in his 10 starts is north of 5 runs per game (5.33). Bauer faced the Brewers twice this season, and pitched well, with a 3.65 ERA over 12 1-3 innings, and 20 strikeouts, against just 13 baserunners (1.05 WHIP). In contrast, Houser's ERA vs. the Reds is 6.23, with a WHIP of 1.53. In his lone start vs. Cincy this season, he was bombed (4 runs, 4 IP, 10 baserunners). Take the Reds. |
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09-23-20 | White Sox +142 v. Indians | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -100 | 11 h 57 m | Show |
At 6:10 pm, our selection is on the Chicago White Sox over the Cleveland Indians. When White Sox RHP Lucas Giolito threw his first career no-hitter on August 25 against the Pirates, he saw his ERA for the season drop from 3.89 to 3.09. But that seemed to be the high point (or should we say low point) as in Giolito's four subsequent starts, his ERA has risen back to 3.53. But the good news is that although he hasn't come close to duplicating that August 25 accomplishment, Giolito has leading his team to victory. In fact, the White Sox are 3-1 in those four starts and it's safe to say that his team wouldn't have clinched its first post-season appearance since 2008 if not for the work that Giolito has contributed. Now a start opposite Shane Bieber is not easy to say the least, but the Cleveland ace hasn't been at his best recently, allowing six earned runs in his last two starts with one of them resulting in his first loss of the season. Giolito's teams are 18-9 (+18 games on the moneyline) in his last 27 starts as a road underdog. Take the White Sox. |
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09-22-20 | Phillies -189 v. Nationals | Top | 1-5 | Loss | -189 | 9 h 26 m | Show |
At 3:05 pm, in Game 1 of the doubleheader, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Washington Nationals. It's been a yo-yo type of season for Phillies RH ace Aaron Nola. Two starts ago on September 11, Nola had his best outing of the season, tossing seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits with 10 strikeouts and no walks in an 11-0 rout of the Marlins. But the 27-year-old followed that up last time out with a clunker against the Mets, allowing five runs in 5 1/3 innings. And that's the type of campaign it's been for Nola so far -- a good start/bad start pattern for the most part. That bodes well for this afternoon affair against the Nats in Game 1 of a DH. What also bodes well for him is his winning record and 3.56 ERA in 10 starts covering just under 56 innings here in DC. Last night's loss here ended what had been a six-game winning streak for the Phillies over the Nats -- all this season. The Nats will go with RHP Austin Voth (7.17 ERA; 1.67 WHIP) and they are 5-14 (-13 games on the moneyline) in his 19 starts. Even worse: they're 10-27 against righty starters (-22 games on the moneyline) this season. Take Philly. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-21-20 | Cubs -160 v. Pirates | Top | 5-0 | Win | 100 | 13 h 53 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Nobody can argue that Cubs' LH Jon Lester is now in the twilight of his career. But having said that, crafty southpaws have a way of hanging around in the Majors if they can prove to still be useful out on the mound every five days (or in relief if necessary). And despite some numbers that are tailing off, Lester has shown that he can definitely be a useful starter. Like in his last start last Wednesday when the 36-year-old held a strong Indians offense in check long enough (five innings in this case) for his team to get the win. Tonight, the Cubs will face a much weaker opponent, as the Bucs have won just once in their last 13 games. In his career, Lester is 12-6 with a 3.30 ERA in 25 starts vs. the Bucs, including a 6-3 record (in 12 starts) here in Pittsburgh. The Cubs are 5-1 in the last six meetings and they are also 14-5 (+10 games on the moneyline) in Lester's last 19 starts after he allowed no more than two ER in his two previous games. Take Chicago. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-21-20 | Phillies -150 v. Nationals | Top | 1-5 | Loss | -150 | 12 h 52 m | Show |
At 6:05 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Washington Nationals. The free agent pool for starting pitchers wasn't all that deep at the end of last season and with Gerrit Cole out of reach, the Phillies decided to gamble on former Mets' RHP Zack Wheeler. Gamble is the right word too because $120 Million is quite a bit for a guy with a record barely over .500 and ERA around four runs, especially when he's already 30-years-old. But right now the Phils are looking pretty smart with their decision to lock up the former first round pick (Giants). In nine starts, Wheeler is 4-0 with a 2.62 ERA and 1.08 WHIP 58 1/3 innings. It certainly looks as if the Phillies are getting their money's worth so far. After back-to-back starts against his former team, Wheeler will get his second start of the season against the Nats. The first one was near flawless as Wheeler tossed 6 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits in a 3-0 Phils victory. The Nats are 9-26 (-22 games on the moneyline) in their last 35 games vs. RH starters. Take Philly. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-20-20 | Twins v. Cubs -147 | Top | 4-0 | Loss | -147 | 13 h 20 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Minnesota Twins. When veteran Yu Darvish signed a six-year, $126 Million contract with the Cubs before the 2018 season, many were skeptical. And then when Darvish got injured and proceeded to go 1-3 with a 4.95 ERA in just eight starts, the skeptics appeared correct. But now that contract is looking like a bargain. Darvish's 2019 may seem somewhat ordinary (6-8 with a 3.98 ERA in 31 starts), but when you look at the second half of last season (4 wins with a 2.76 ERA and 0.81 WHIP) and then what he's done so far in 2020, all of sudden you're talking Cy Young-type stuff. In his first 10 starts this season, the RH is 7-2 with a 1.86 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. He looks to continue his dominance tonight against the Twins and an inter-league start just might do that. In 21 starts vs. the opposite League, Darvish is 10-3 with a 3.06 ERA and he has a 1.77 ERA in three starts vs. Minnesota. The Cubs are 6-1 (+5 games on the moneyline) in Darvish's last seven night games. Take Chicago. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-20-20 | Blue Jays -101 v. Phillies | Top | 6-3 | Win | 100 | 4 h 45 m | Show |
At 3:05 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over the Philadelphia Phillies. There haven't been many trades during this short season, but one that seemed to make a lot of sense for both teams was when the Mariners sent veteran RHP Taijuan Walker to the Blue Jays for a player to be named later. With the M's not going anywhere this season it was logical for them to move their one-time top pitching prospect who is due to be a free agent at the end of the season. And it makes sense for the contending Jays to have another seasoned arm in their rotation. Walker is only 27, after all, and it seems as though he can make an impact for this young Jays team that has a shot at the playoffs. Walker had a 4.00 ERA in five starts for Seattle, but since coming east he has logged a sparkling 1.56 ERA in four starts covering 17 1/3 innings with the Jays. Walker has a 3.30 ERA in 10 previous inter-league starts and the Phillies have never seen him before. Philadelphia is 8-11 (-6 games on the moneyline) in its last 19 day games. Take Toronto. |
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09-20-20 | Indians -190 v. Tigers | Top | 7-4 | Win | 100 | 7 h 22 m | Show |
At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Detroit Tigers. Carlos Carrasco is having a very nice comeback campaign having posted a 3.27 ERA over 10 starts covering 55 innings. That 3.27 number -- if the season were to end today -- would be the lowest ERA that Carrasco has logged since 2014 and the second-lowest of his MLB career which began 11 years ago. The only number that's been elusive for Carrasco so far is victories as he is just 2-4 heading into this afternoon. A start against the Tigers could help get Carrasco on the winning track. The veteran RH has 11 victories in 30 games (24 starts) covering just under 142 innings vs. Detroit -- the second-most that he has logged against any team (KC - 12). Despite their struggles at time this season and their loss here last night, the Indians are 26-8 in their last 34 road games against teams with losing records and 14-3 (+10 games on the money line) in their last 17 as a road favorite of -125 or more. Detroit is 11-22 in its last 33 vs. Division opponents. Take the Tribe. |
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09-19-20 | Twins -125 v. Cubs | Top | 8-1 | Win | 100 | 15 h 2 m | Show |
At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Chicago Cubs. Chicago's Alec Mills threw the second no-hitter of the MLB season in his last start. And while the first one -- by White Sox ace Lucas Giolito -- was not surprising, Mills' accomplishment came out of left field (pun intended). Mills was a 22nd round pick of the Royals back in 2012 who, in his last two seasons at AAA Iowa had amassed a record of 11-16 with an ERA around five runs. And prior to last Sunday's no-no vs. the Brewers, Mills was 4-3 with a 4.74 ERA in 43 2/3 innings for the Cubbies. The Twins will go with veteran RHP Michael Pineda tonight. After missing all of 2018, Pineda had a very strong come-back season in 2019, going 11-5 with a 4.00 ERA and so far he's building on that in 2020. In three starts, the 31-year-old is 1-0 with a 3.57 ERA and an outstanding 20 strikeouts vs. just four walks in 17 2/3 innings. In 18 career inter-league starts, Pineda is 8-4 with a 2.91 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in just over 105 innings (vs. his overall career ERA of 4.03). The Twins are 8-1 behind Pineda when priced as a favorite of -150 or less, while the Cubs are a poor 28-41 (minus nine games on the moneyline) when priced as an underdog of +150 or less. Take Minnesota. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-18-20 | Padres -170 v. Mariners | Top | 6-1 | Win | 100 | 14 h 55 m | Show |
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over the Seattle Mariners. Despite everything that's going on right now, it's a good time to be a member of the Padres (or a fan). San Diego's young baseball team is looking like the 2nd best club in the National League right now and what seemed like an impossible feat only a few weeks ago -- catching the Dodgers -- is now within grasp. While L.A. has to go into Denver (always dicey) this weekend, the Padres get three games vs. Seattle. Also, San Diego will be designated as the "road" team in this series, but each game will be played in San Diego, as Seattle's air quality was deemed unsafe, due to the fires, so the games were moved away from Seattle. Starting things out on the mound will be RHP Chris Paddack. Paddack was looking like a sure-fire ace heading into this season after a 2019 in which he won nine games with a 3.33 ERA, but he's struggled a bit so far. But while his ERA is high at 4.74 (in 10 starts), Paddack's walk rate has actually improved (to a low 1.6 free passes per nine innings) and his K:BB ratio has increased as a result (5.78). A start vs. Seattle should be just what Paddack needs. The Pads are 7-3 in the last 10 meetings. Take San Diego. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-17-20 | Indians -272 v. Tigers | Top | 10-3 | Win | 100 | 7 h 53 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Detroit Tigers. In his last start, Indians' RHP Shane Bieber did something he doesn't do very often. The leading candidate for the AL Cy Young took his first loss of the season in his 10th start and so he is now 7-1 on the season. But in true Bieber style, the 25-year-old still had a quality start, tossing seven innings of five-hit, three-run ball against a very good Twins lineup. He gets rewarded tonight by getting his second start of the season against the Tigers. Overall Bieber is 4-1 with a 1.82 ERA and 0.78 WHIP in five career starts vs. Detroit so the Cleveland ace stands a good chance of redeeming himself tonight in Detroit. If those numbers seem dominant, check out his career stats here at Comerica Park: 3-0 with a 0.83 ERA and 0.60 WHIP in three starts covering 21 2/3 innings. If there's anything that can get Cleveland out of its current funk, it's a series against Detroit. The Tribe is 42-9 in the last 51 meetings overall and 22-5 in the last 27 in the Motor City. Take Cleveland.Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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09-16-20 | Indians -119 v. Cubs | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -119 | 16 h 19 m | Show |
At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Chicago Cubs. There was a time not that long ago when Jon Lester was one of the top half-dozen southpaw starters in the League. It appears that those days are behind him as Lester is struggling for the second consecutive year. Lester did turn things around a bit in his last start, throwing six shutout innings against a very good Brewers line-up, allowing just three hits with eight punch-outs and two walks. But his offense did nothing and the Cubs lost 1-0. For the season, Lester has an ERA north of five runs. And at home, the ERA balloons to 9.00, with a 1.63 WHIP in four Wrigley Field starts. Aaron Civale will get the start for the Tribe, and he has a 3.88 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in nine starts, including 3.43/1.09 in interleague games. Cleveland is a super 12-5 this season as a road favorite, and 25-14 their last 39 vs. NL Central division foes. Take the Indians. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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09-15-20 | Dodgers -122 v. Padres | Top | 3-1 | Win | 100 | 14 h 49 m | Show |
At 9:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the San Diego Padres. Tony Gonsolin was a 9th round pick of the Dodgers in the 2016 Amateur draft so you wouldn't think given the depth on this team that he would make much of an impact four years later. But here we are and Gonsolin is now a 26-year-old second-year rookie who looks like he could be a fixture in this rotation for the foreseeable future. After posting a solid 4-2 record and 2.93 ERA in his time split between starting and relieving in 2019, Gonsolin now looks like a serious breakout candidate for a club that has some of the deepest pitching in the Majors. In six appearances this season (five starts) Gonsolin is 0-1 but he has posted a 1.57 ERA and 0.84 WHIP with 28 strikeouts and six walks in 28 2/3 innings coming into tonight. The Padres are having a great season to be sure, but they are still 5-14 in their last 19 games as a home underdog. The Dodgers are 7-2 in the last nine meetings in San Diego. Take Los Angeles. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-13-20 | Indians +129 v. Twins | Top | 5-7 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 53 m | Show |
At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Minnesota Twins. When MLB teams draft 18-year-old high school pitchers, those players usually end up either on another team by the time they reach the Majors, or they simply never get there. But in the case of RHP Triston McKenzie, patience may be paying off -- and in a big way. Cleveland made McKenzie its first-round pick in the 2015 Amateur Draft and now, five years later, he has finally made his MLB debut. With the young pitchers they've had come up recently, the Indians were able to take their time with McKenzie and that may prove to be valuable in the long run. So far, McKenzie has been dazzling, posting a 2-0 record with a 2.57 ERA in four starts covering 21 innings and he has a superb 5.20 K:BB ratio (26 Ks vs. six walks). This will be his first start vs. the Twins and it's safe to say they will represent the most potent offense he's seen. But he should be up to the task. Cleveland is 11-3 in its last 14 road games vs. RH starters. Take the Tribe. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-12-20 | Astros v. Dodgers -142 | Top | 7-5 | Loss | -142 | 16 h 51 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Houston Astros. The Dodgers had a rare Friday off last night and now begin a two-game series against the team that beat them in the World Series three years ago. But this is a better team than that one (or the one that lost the series again the following season). And, in fact, it just might be the best Dodger team in a very long time (which could bode well for us, as the Dodgers were our Futures pick to win the World Series at 4-1 odds). No National League club has finished the season with a winning percentage over .700 since 1909, but L.A. has a chance to do it (although this accomplishment in 2020's shortened season would have an asterisk associated with it). LHP Julio Urias has successfully made the transition from starter-reliever to full-time rotation member. In eight starts, the 24 year-old is 3-0 with a 3.86 ERA and almost a strikeout per inning. Urias has never faced the Astros before, including the 2017 World Series as he was not on that roster. But he loves pitching here at home where he has a 7-3 record and a 3.21 ERA in just under 121 innings. And the Dodgers are 13-4 (+7 games on the moneyline) behind Urias at home, when priced from -125 to -175. Finally, Houston is 3-14 in its last 17 road games. Take L.A. As always, good luck...Al Mcmordie. |
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09-12-20 | Braves -110 v. Nationals | Top | 2-1 | Win | 100 | 14 h 47 m | Show |
At 6:05 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Washington Nationals. After scoring 36 runs over their two previous games, the Braves "only" scored 7 runs last night, but lost 8-7 in 12 innings to the Nationals. Tonight, we'll take the Braves to bounce back behind rookie RHP Ian Anderson, who is 2-0 this season, with a 2.40 ERA and 1.06 WHIP. Washington will counter with southpaw Patrick Corbin, who is having a down season, with a 2-4 record, and 4.34 ERA. Washington has now dropped Corbin's last five starts, and is also 2-7 his last nine starts as an underdog. The Braves are outscoring their opponents by 1.15 runs per game this season. And that bodes well for them this evening, as Washington is a poor 10-23 at home vs. foes that outscore their opponents by 1+ runs per game. Take Atlanta. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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09-11-20 | Indians v. Twins +102 | Top | 1-3 | Win | 102 | 8 h 31 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Cleveland Indians. This is a great matchup tonight between the Twins' Kenta Maeda, and Cleveland's undefeated (7-0) Shane Bieber. The two teams are separated by just a half-game in the standings, as Cleveland (26-18) has one less win than does Minnesota (27-18), so this is a critical series for Playoffs seeding purposes (both should eventually make the expanded Playoffs). We'll take the homestanding Twins, as Maeda's home ERA is an impressive 1.80, with a microscopic 0.40 ERA. The Twins have won all of his home starts this season, including a 3-0 shutout of these Indians on August 1. And Maeda also was victorious in his lone start at Cleveland (August 24) when he held the Indians to just one run over eight innings, and struck out 12 batters. Cleveland's a poor 29-46 (minus 18 games on the moneyline) on the road vs. American League starting pitchers with an ERA of 3.40 (or better), and was no-hit for 7 2-3 innings last night by rookie Brady Singer. Take Minnesota. |
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09-11-20 | Red Sox v. Rays -228 | Top | 1-11 | Win | 100 | 5 h 20 m | Show |
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Boston Red Sox. Two seasons removed from his Cy Young campaign and it appears that Blake Snell is back to being close to what he was in 2018. 2019 was for the most part an injured and lost season for the 27 year-old LH ace, but so far this season, Snell has shown some of the form that won him 21 games with a league-leading 1.89 ERA two seasons ago. In eight starts, Snell is 3-1 with a 3.74 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 3.75 K:BB ratio in just under 34 innings. That 3.75 ratio is actually better than the one he put up in his Cy Young campaign and the best so far in his five MLB seasons. The good news for him tonight is that Snell has more victories (six) against the Red Sox than he has vs. any other team in the league. In 11 games vs. Boston (all starts), Snell is 6-3 with a 2.83 ERA in just over 57 innings. And southpaws have been posing quite a problem for Boston lately as the Sox are 4-13 (-9 games on the moneyline) in their last 17 games vs. LH starters. Take Tampa. |
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09-11-20 | Phillies -145 v. Marlins | Top | 11-0 | Win | 100 | 11 h 27 m | Show |
At 5:10 pm, in Game 1 of the double-header, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Miami Marlins. After Aaron Nola won 17 games and finished 3rd in the Cy Young balloting for the Phillies in 2018, many people expected an even bigger season the following year. But that didn't happen and 2019 was a bit of a regression for the then-26-year-old RH ace. But so far, 2020 has seen a similar performance to the one that Nola put up two seasons ago. In eight starts, Nola is 3-1 with a 2.74 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 5.15 K:BB ratio (67 strikeouts vs. 13 walks). Those last two numbers are the best of Nola's career to this point. The Marlins will go with first-year southpaw Trevor Rogers (1-0; 3.00 ERA in three starts). The Phillies are 5-1 in their last six games vs. lefthanded starters. Meanwhile the Marlins are 2-6 in their last eight home games vs. teams with a winning record. Finally, the Phillies are 12-2 (+9 games on the moneyline) in their last 14 as a favorite of -125 to -175. Take Philadelphia. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-10-20 | Reds v. Cubs +127 | Top | 5-8 | Win | 127 | 15 h 53 m | Show |
At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Cincinnati Reds. In his last start, the Reds' RHP, Sonny Gray, didn't make it out of the first inning, as he gave up 6 runs, 5 hits, 3 walks, in just two-thirds of an inning.  The Reds are a poor 13-20 (minus 14 games on the moneyline) vs. right-handed starters this season (compared to 5-4 vs. lefties). And they're 74-110 (minus 20 games on the moneyline) on the road. Take the Cubs as a home underdog. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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09-10-20 | Royals v. Indians -200 | Top | 11-1 | Loss | -200 | 13 h 47 m | Show |
At 6:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Kansas City Royals. The Royals pulled off a big upset on Wednesday, beating the Indians and starter Carlos Carrasco, 3-0. Of course when you can't score runs, it doesn't matter how good your starting pitching is -- and Carrasco really couldn't do much more than he did last night. But KC can't put southpaw Danny Duffy out there again tonight, so instead it will go with rookie RH Brady Singer. Singer might be a star one day, but that won't be 2020, as the 2018 first-round draft choice has struggled through eight MLB starts so far. Singer is 1-4 with a 5.58 ERA and 1.44 WHIP, with just a 2.40 K:BB ratio (36:15) in over 40 innings coming into tonight. Cleveland will go with RHP Aaron Civale who, like his teammate Carrasco, had a bad beat in his last start, with a no-decision in a 4-3 loss to the Brewers, despite a quality effort. Look for a bounce back tonight. The Indians are 19-9 in their last 28 home games vs. teams with a RH starter. Take Cleveland. |
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09-10-20 | Astros +132 v. A's | Top | 1-3 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 17 m | Show |
At 3:40 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Oakland Athletics. Jose Urquidy pretty much came out of nowhere in the latter half of last season to post some pretty eye-popping numbers for the Astros. In nine appearances, the then-24-year-old RH went 2-1 with a 3.95 ERA and 1.10 WHIP with 40 strikeouts and seven walks in 41 innings (a 5.7 K:BB ratio). Urquidy's anticipated 2020 debut was delayed by an undisclosed injury and as a result, his first start was -- in a word -- underwhelming (two runs on four hits in 3 2/3 innings). That first start was against the Angels in Anaheim and now start number two comes this afternoon in Oakland, a much friendlier place for young starting pitchers and it will be Urquidy's first start here. The A's will go with LH Sean Manaea. And the 'Stros are 45-15 in their last 60 games vs. southpaw starters and 39-14 in their last 53 road games vs. lefthanders. Houston is also 79-39 (+11 games on the moneyline) in its last 118 daytime games. Take the Astros. |
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09-09-20 | Astros v. A's -165 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 10 h 57 m | Show |
At 9:10 pm, our selection is on the Oakland A's over the Houston Astros. Southpaw rookie Jesus Luzardo will face the team against which he earned his first Major League win, back on August 9. In that game, Luzardo held the Astros to 2 runs and 5 hits over 5 2-3 innings, en route to a 7-2 victory. Oakland is a solid 90-39 (+31 games on the moneyline) as a home favorite, including 52-16 (+23 games on the moneyline) at -150 or more. Meanwhile, Houston is 6-13 on the road, including 2-7 as an underdog. Take the A's. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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09-09-20 | White Sox -157 v. Pirates | Top | 8-1 | Win | 100 | 8 h 50 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Chicago White Sox over the Pittsburgh Pirates. It may seem like the White Sox got one very talented pitcher -- Lucas Giolito -- from Washington in exchange for OF Adam Eaton back at the end of 2016. But now the trade may begin to look even more lopsided as the other pitcher the Nats sent to Chicago -- RH Dane Dunning -- could be a blossoming star, just like Giolito turned out to be. After all, the 25-year-old Dunning was a first round choice of the Nationals in the 2016 Amateur draft. And although it's taken him longer to get to the majors than Giolito, Dunning may be ready to break out. In three starts in his first MLB campaign, Dunning has posted a 3.86 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 14 innings. He's still looking for this first Major League win, but that could easily come tonight against the 14-26 Pirates. The Pirates somehow beat this team last night, 5-4, but they are just 2-11 (-9 games on the moneyline) in their last 13 interleague contests. Take the White Sox. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-09-20 | Yankees -133 v. Blue Jays | Top | 7-2 | Win | 100 | 7 h 23 m | Show |
At 6:35 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees are in the midst of a 5-15 stretch, but I love them to bounce back this evening. New York will have a decided advantage on the mound with Deivi Garcia (3.37 ERA) vs. Tanner Roark, given Roark's 5.75 ERA and 1.78 WHIP in his seven starts this season. And at home, those numbers deteriorate to 7.00 ERA and 2.00 WHIP. That's pretty ugly. New York is 76-40 as a favorite of -150 or less (+26 games on the moneyline), and they're 7-1 this season when the Over/Under is 10+ runs. Take the Yankees. |
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09-09-20 | Royals v. Indians -187 | Top | 3-0 | Loss | -187 | 7 h 56 m | Show |
At 6:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Kansas City Royals. Carlos Carrasco's return this season from a bout with cancer is nothing short of miraculous. If he had come back to get some part-time relief innings that would be considered enough of a success. But that fact that he's a full-time starter logging quality innings after what he went through is really quite remarkable. In eight starts covering 42 innings Carrasco has a 3.43 ERA and 52 strikeouts. The only stat that's been troubling for the 33-year-old righthander is his walk rate as Carrasco has issued a career-high 4.3 free passes on average every nine innings. Carrasco also only has two victories in his eight starts but perhaps getting the ball against KC tonight will help change that. In 26 games (21 starts) covering 128 1/3 innings vs. the Royals, Carrasco is 12-7 and those 12 wins represent the most that he's had vs. any team. The Indians are 55-18 (+11 games on the money line) in their last 73 home games as a favorite of -200 or more. Take Cleveland. |
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09-08-20 | Dodgers -220 v. Diamondbacks | Top | 10-9 | Win | 100 | 15 h 26 m | Show |
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Whether it was his nagging finger blister or some other reason, Walker Buehler got off to a very rough start this season. After four starts, the Dodger RH ace had a 5.21 ERA and was still looking for his first victory and his first quality start. He got both in his next start at the end of August, and then followed that up with five scoreless innings against these D-Backs in a home outing six days ago. So, if teams thought the Dodgers and their league-best .714 winning percentage were scary before, just think about how they feel now with Buehler potentially hitting his stride. He'll get his second start in a row vs. Arizona -- this time at Chase Field -- but that shouldn't matter. In two previous starts here, Buehler is 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA and 16 strikeouts with two walks in 14 innings. Overall, Buehler is 1-0 with a 2.61 ERA in seven starts vs. Arizona. The Dodgers are also 22-7 (+8 games on the moneyline) in Buehler's last 29 starts vs. division opponents. Take Los Angeles. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-08-20 | Yankees +106 v. Blue Jays | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -100 | 12 h 23 m | Show |
At 6:35 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Toronto Blue Jays. J.A. Happ spent the better part of six seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays during two different stints there (2012 - 2014 and 2016-2018). Arguably, the veteran southpaw had his best years with the Jays (he won 20 games with them in 2016 at the age of 33) so it must be at least a little bitter-sweet when he has to face them now. After two straight starts against the Mets, Happ will go opposite his old team for the sixth time since coming to New York, and the first time this season. Happ's numbers this season may not jump off the page at you (1-1 with a 4.68 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in five starts covering 25 innings) but he has a way of being effective even when he doesn't have his best stuff. Call him the quintessential "crafty lefty." The Yankees are 20-9 (+10 games on the moneyline) in Happ's last 29 road starts and 27-11 (+11 games on the moneyline) in his last 38 nighttime starts). Take New York. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-08-20 | Rays -156 v. Nationals | Top | 3-5 | Loss | -156 | 12 h 48 m | Show |
At 6:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Washington Nationals. Who would have imagined just two years ago that, in September of 2020, the Rays would be prohibitive favorites in DC against the mighty Nationals? Well, as crazy as this season has been, it's even crazier when you consider who the contenders and pretenders are at this stage. With Boston never getting out of the box, the Yanks faltering, and Toronto still at least a year away from being a true contender, the Rays are the overwhelming favorites to win the AL East. Tampa's roster is full of bargain players, and Ryan Yarbrough is a good example. He's not going to win a Cy Young anytime soon, but the 3rd-year southpaw (on a 1-year contract for about $500K) is a very good pitcher who can fill spots in the rotation and provide valuable innings in relief. This evening, he'll get start number eight after coming off the DL for a groin injury. Yarbrough is 16-7 with a 3.44 ERA in 43 night games (17 starts). And he's also 16-5 with a 3.32 ERA in 37 career road games. Take Tampa. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-07-20 | Tigers v. Twins -205 | Top | 2-6 | Win | 100 | 10 h 35 m | Show |
At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Detroit Tigers. When the Twins signed Michael Pineda to a two-year contract at the bargain price of $10 Million back in 2017, they knew they were getting some damaged goods and that Pineda would be a work in progress. And despite a rocky road in 2018 and 2019 that included just 26 starts, some nagging knee issues, and a drug suspension, the Twins thought enough of the veteran RHP to give him another two-year contract last year. It seems like Pineda has been around forever so it's hard to believe that he's just 31-years-old. Pineda is off the restricted list, healthy and ready to contribute. And his opponent this afternoon is, coincidentally, the team against which Pineda last earned an MLB win. That was last September, and he gave up just 5 hits and 1 BB over six innings, en route to an 8-3 victory. Today, Pineda will match up against RHP Michael Fulmer. Fulmer has gone from being the AL Rookie of the Year in 2016, at age 23, to basically being an afterthought just four years later. Fulmer has no wins, and a 7.27 ERA in six starts, covering 17 1/3 innings in 2020. Detroit also is 5-13 (-8 games on the moneyline) in Fulmer's last 18 daytime starts. Take Minnesota. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-06-20 | Astros -145 v. Angels | Top | 5-9 | Loss | -145 | 10 h 30 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Los Angeles Angels. Southpaw Framber Valdez will get the start for Houston today, and all he's done this season is compile a 2.77 ERA, including 1.23 on the road. Over the last three seasons, he's made four starts vs. the Angels. He's given up just seven runs over 23 innings (2.74 ERA), while striking out 25, and allowing just 12 hits. Meanwhile, his mound opponent, Jaime Barria, has a career 4.59 ERA vs. Houston. And Barria's teams have won just two of his seven starts vs. Houston. Take the Astros. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-06-20 | Padres -110 v. A's | Top | 5-3 | Win | 100 | 9 h 30 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over the Oakland Athletics. Few pitchers have benefited more from their offense this season than Oakland's Mike Fiers. The 35-year-old RH has some pretty scary numbers -- 10.2 hits allowed per nine innings, a 1.91 K:BB ratio, a 1.43 WHIP and an ERA of almost five runs. Yet somehow Fiers is 4-1 in his seven starts. And when you look at his run support, you can understand why he's had that much success. The A's have scored an amazing 7.1 runs on average per 27 outs that Fiers has pitched this season. Those numbers simply aren't sustainable and at some point the won-lost record is going to reflect Fiers' poor pitching stats. It could start to unravel this afternoon against one of the best offenses in the Majors. San Diego's 233 runs scored through their first 41 games is tops in baseball. The Padres lost last night to the A's and LH Sean Manaea but they are still 17-9 (+7 games on the moneyline) in their last 26 games vs. RH starters. Take San Diego. |
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09-06-20 | Nationals v. Braves -112 | Top | 3-10 | Win | 100 | 7 h 31 m | Show |
At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Washington Nationals. Call it what you want -- World Series Curse, target on their back, etc. -- but it doesn't look like there's any way the Nats are going to repeat as MLB Champs. In fact the way things are going, they'd be very lucky to finish the season with a .500 record and out of the cellar of the NL East. Sure, they were way under .500 early on in 2019, but this is different as we're already 2/3 of the way through 2020. Injuries have played a huge role in the Nats' demise and it seems like almost no player has been spared at this point. That has to be music to the ears of Braves veteran RHP Josh Tomlin, who won't face Starlin Castro -- out for the season -- and also likely won't see OFs Adam Eaton or Juan Soto who are questionable with minor injuries but who will both likely get the day off. Atlanta likes these afternoon affairs this season as the Braves are 7-1 (+7 games on the moneyline) in their last eight day games. They are also 20-4 in their last 24 as a favorite. |
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09-05-20 | Yankees -232 v. Orioles | Top | 1-6 | Loss | -232 | 8 h 47 m | Show |
At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over Baltimore.  New York's won 18 of the last 19 meetings with Baltimore here, at Camden Yards. Tonight, they'll hand the ball to Gerrit Cole, who had won 20 consecutive regular season decisions, dating back to last year, before dropping his last two outings. Cole's ERA is 2.29 vs. the Orioles, and his teams are 3-0 vs. Baltimore in his three career starts, including a 9-3 victory earlier this season at Camden Yards. Keegan Akin will make his second career start tonight after joining the rotation following the trade of Tommy Milone to the Braves. Akin was effective two years ago in AA ball for the Bowie Baysox, but struggled somewhat at AAA Norfolk last year, as he was 6-7, with a 4.73 ERA. It's true that Cole has "not been himself" over his last two starts (9 runs in 10 innings) -- so much so that he watched videotape to see if he was tipping his pitches (but didn't find anything). The most important thing is that he's healthy, so his poor outings are not injury-related. And it also must be noted that his last two outings were against the Rays and Braves, who are both leading their divisions. Cole's teams are 34-5 when favored by -200+ in his last 39 starts. Take New York. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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09-05-20 | Blue Jays -130 v. Red Sox | Top | 8-9 | Loss | -130 | 8 h 42 m | Show |
At 7:30 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over Boston. The Red Sox are a horrid 2-13 this season (and 9-23 their last 32) as a home underdog, and 7-22, overall, as an underdog this season. They'll hand the ball to RHP Ryan Weber this evening. Unfortunately, he's not been effective this year, as he's 0-2 in four starts, with an 8.36 ERA and 2.00 WHIP. He's given up six home runs, and walked nine batters, in just 14 innings this season. Even worse, in his career, his teams have won just one of his nine starts, when he's been installed as the underdog. Chase Anderson will start for Toronto, and he's been extremely consistent. In his five starts, he gave up exactly 1 earned run in four of them. And he's had just four walks, and given up just two home runs in his 19 2-3 innings. Take Toronto. |
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09-05-20 | Brewers v. Indians -112 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 7 h 20 m | Show |
Seven starts into the season, and Indians RH Aaron Civale has matched his record from all of 2019 (3-4). And despite his ERA being considerably higher so far this season (3.72 vs. 2.34) there are some other positive trends. Perhaps the most telling improvement for the 25-year-old is his control. Last season, Civale walked 2.5 hitters per nine innings on average. So far this season, Civale has cut that number by more than half, averaging just 1.2 free passes per game. So it's not too surprising that his ERA has gone up since he's putting more pitches over the plate. But at the same time, Civale has increased his strikeout rate this season almost a K per inning from 7.2 (2019) to 8.4. These improvements have a lot to do with Civale having tossed his first career complete game three starts ago at Pittsburgh, in a 6-1 victory over the Pirates. Cleveland lost to this club on Friday but is still 6-2 in its last eight interleague games vs. teams with a losing record. Take the Tribe. |
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09-04-20 | Padres v. A's -139 | Top | 7-0 | Loss | -139 | 15 h 44 m | Show |
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Oakland Athletics over the San Diego Padres. Oakland's starter tonight is LH Jesus Luzardo. There are plenty of young starters on the A's roster, but none is hyped any more than the 22-year-old from Lima, Peru (by way of Florida). Luzardo burst on the MLB scene last season with a 1.50 ERA in six relief appearances. And although his numbers aren't as eye-popping in 2020, Luzardo has become a full-time member of the rotation and he's making the most of it so far. In seven games -- five starts -- Luzardo has a 2-1 record with a 3.74 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 33 2/3 innings. The A's are 88-37 (+32 games on the moneyline) as a home favorite. Take the A's. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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09-04-20 | Cardinals +125 v. Cubs | Top | 1-4 | Loss | -100 | 13 h 20 m | Show |
At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the Chicago Cubs. It will be the battle of two aces tonight in Chicago -- one up-and-coming at just 24 years old -- and the other a wily veteran who is 10 years his senior (but who can still skillfully get batters out). That latter one would be RHP Yu Darvish who seems to be ageless as he is off to another fantastic start. RHP Jack Flaherty's numbers, though, would surely look a whole lot better if the Cards hadn't gotten stuck in COVID-19 purgatory for many days this season before finally resuming a normal schedule. The rust showed early on for Flaherty but now the Cardinals' young fire-baller is looking like an ace again. Darvish has struggled in his career against the Cards, posting a sub-par 1-2 record with a 3.56 ERA in five starts against them. The 3.56 ERA -- along with a 1.29 WHIP -- might seem great for most pitchers, but for Darvish, they are not up to his average numbers. The Cards are 6-1 in the last seven meetings with the Cubs in Chicago. Take St. Louis. |
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09-04-20 | Marlins +124 v. Rays | Top | 4-5 | Loss | -100 | 12 h 45 m | Show |
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Miami Marlins over the Tampa Bay Rays. With a .500 record, the NL East Pennant is actually within reach of the Marlins, which would explain their deadline trade that resulted in a significant outfield upgrade. The Fish shipped a pair of talented young pitchers to Arizona for 5-tool-OF Starling Marte. No doubt the main reason Miami felt okay dealing Caleb Smith and Humberto Mejia to the desert was the fact its pitching staff is loaded with young talent. Case in point is tonight's starter, RH Pablo Lopez. The 24-year-old Venezuelan is in his third MLB season and he appears to be breaking out in a big way. In six starts covering 34 1/3 innings, Lopez is 3-2 with a 2.10 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. This is a revenge situation for the Marlins and Lopez as, in his last start, he threw seven very strong innings against this Rays team, allowing just two runs on six hits with five Ks and no walks. But his offense came up empty in a 4-0 loss. The road team is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings of these two. Take Miami. |
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09-03-20 | White Sox -135 v. Royals | Top | 11-6 | Win | 100 | 15 h 26 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Chicago White Sox over Kansas City. The ChiSox have been playing great baseball, notwithstanding last night's 8-1 loss to the Twins. Tonight, Chicago will open up a 4-game series vs. the Royals, and RHP Dylan Cease will match-up against southpaw Danny Duffy. Dating back to last season, Cease has given up 2 earned runs or less in nine of his last 10 starts! And his ERA is 2.68 over that time. Duffy's career ERA vs. Chicago is north of 4 runs per game and, earlier this season, he gave up 3 earned runs (and 8 baserunners) in 5 2-3 innings, in a 6-5 loss. We'll back the White Sox tonight, as they're 11-0 this season vs. left-handed starters, and have scored an average of 6.7 runs in those 11 games, while hitting .342. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie |
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09-03-20 | Yankees -102 v. Mets | Top | 7-9 | Loss | -102 | 5 h 15 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the New York Mets. When JA Happ came to the Yankees from the Blue Jays at the end of the 2018 season, he proceeded to go on a tear, putting up a 7-0 record with a 2.69 ERA in 11 starts in pinstripes. That performance convinced the Yankees to re-sign the then-36-year-old southpaw to a two year, 34 million contract (albeit after they released him). But as could be expected, Happ came back to earth quite a bit in 2019, posting a 4.91 ERA in 31 games (30 starts). He's having a better season so far in 2020 which is good since he'll likely be a free agent again in a few months. Happ is 1-1 with a 4.05 ERA in four starts covering 20 innings. Happ has had success against the Mets in his career, going 4-2 with a 3.41 ERA in 12 appearances (10 starts) covering just over 63 innings. And he's also enjoyed success at CitiField, going 2-1 with a 3.27 ERA in six games here (five starts). The Mets are 4-10 (-10 games on the moneyline) in their last 14 games vs. LH starters. Take the Yanks. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-02-20 | Blue Jays -130 v. Marlins | Top | 2-1 | Win | 100 | 14 h 2 m | Show |
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over the Miami Marlins. No MLB Team has reworked its pitching staff from 2019 to 2020 more than the Blue Jays. Virtually every starter that the Jays used last season is either gone from the team or recovering from a long-term injury. In the off-season, the Jays brought in three new starters in Chase Anderson, Hyun-Jin Ryu, and Tanner Roark. And now, with their deadline trades, the makeover is complete with the additions of Robbie Ray and Ross Stripling. And the results are what was hoped as Toronto's team ERA is a full run lower this season than it was last (3.72 vs. 4.79). Tonight it's LH Ryu's turn. And the Korean veteran has not disappointed so far, going 2-1 with 2.92 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in seven starts covering 37 innings. He's familiar with the Marlins from his time in the NL and he's been very effective against them. In five careers starts covering 32 1/3 innings vs. Miami, Ryu is 3-1 with a sparkling 2.23 ERA. Finally, the Marlins are hitting a paltry .197 vs. lefty starters this season. Take Toronto. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-01-20 | Rays v. Yankees -144 | Top | 3-5 | Win | 100 | 7 h 26 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Tampa Bay Rays. RHP Masahiro Tanaka is in the last season of his seven year, $155 Million contract with the Yankees. He'd like nothing better than to go into the off-season on a high note as at age 31, Tanaka likely figures he has several more years left to contribute to somebody's staff. He won't keep his streak of double-digit victories going (six seasons since he came into the league in 2014) as Tanaka is still searching for his first win of 2020. But his other numbers are solid, as Tanaka has a 3.48 ERA to go with a 1.16 WHIP -- including 17 Ks and 3 BBs -- in five starts covering just under 21 innings. Perhaps that first W will come tonight against a team that he's had plenty of success against. In 20 career starts vs. the Rays, Tanaka is 10-5 with a 3.33 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in just over 124 innings. Those 10 wins are the second-most that he has notched vs. any team (Toronto - 13). The Yankees are also 19-12 in Tanaka's last 31 starts vs. Division opponents. Take New York. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-31-20 | Padres v. Rockies -109 | Top | 6-0 | Loss | -109 | 8 h 8 m | Show |
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over the San Diego Padres. German Marquez has been a workhorse for the Rockies this season, getting a league-leading seven starts already coming into tonight. Start number eight will be his first this season against the Padres, a team he's had a lot of success against in his career. In 11 lifetime games -- nine starts -- vs. the Pads, Marquez has gone 5-2 in just over 55 innings. And those five victories represent the most that Marquez has notched against any Major League Team. Marquez's 2020 ERA of 4.50 may not seem great but it's better than the number he put up last season and what's most encouraging is that Marquez -- who led the league with 14 wild pitches last season -- has only had one ball get away from him so far in 2020. This will be the rubber game in this five-game series -- all played here at Coors Field. San Diego's bullpen is decimated with injuries, as no fewer than six relievers -- including closer Kirby Yates -- are all out with various maladies. Take the Rox. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-31-20 | White Sox v. Twins +120 | Top | 8-5 | Loss | -100 | 7 h 40 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Chicago White Sox. Lucas Giolito is one of the game's best pitchers, and comes into tonight off his career highlight -- a no-hitter last Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. But he'll face a much better hitting team tonight, in Minnesota. And the Twins have had decent success vs. Giolito in his career, as they're 7-4 vs. him, while his ERA in those 11 starts is 5.34. One of those came earlier this season when the Twins roughed him up for seven runs on six hits, in just 3 2-3 innings. Minnesota is 51-28 (+16 games on the moneyline) off a loss; 12-3 this season at home; and 23-21 (+9 games on the moneyline) as a home underdog. And it's 34-22 (+13 games on the moneyline) in competitively-priced games where the Twins are -125 to +125. Take the Twins. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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08-29-20 | Padres v. Rockies -140 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 18 h 55 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over the San Diego Padres. Throughout his brief (three-plus seasons) MLB career, RHP Antonio Senzatela has shown flashes of brilliance, but has never finished a season with an ERA under 4.3 runs or a WHIP under 1.3. With the Talent the Venezuelan has, you have to wonder how his numbers would look if he pitched for any team other than Colorado. This season, at the age of 25, Senzatela may have gotten over the "Mile High hump" as he is 3-1 with a 3.96 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in six starts covering 36 1/3 innings so far. Senzatela has seen his K:BB ratio go from 1.33 (last season) to 4.17 so far in 2020 (25 K's with only six walks). Perhaps most important, Senzatela has a 1-0 record with a 4.50 ERA in two starts at Coors Field. That 4.50 ERA may not seem great on the surface, but it sure beats the 6.21 number he had here last season (12 starts). Senzatela has started 36 night games in his career, and the Rox are 24-12 (+17 games on the moneyline) in those. Take Colorado. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-29-20 | Braves +119 v. Phillies | Top | 1-4 | Loss | -100 | 1 h 22 m | Show |
At 1:15 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Philadelphia Phillies. This pitching match-up is a rematch of last Sunday's affair won by the Phillies, 5-4. Josh Tomlin took the loss in that game, but we'll look for Tomlin and the Braves to avenge that defeat, as Atlanta's 6-0 in daytime games this season, and 62-40 (+21 games on the moneyline) in its last 102 day games. Even better: Atlanta's up 43 games on the moneyline the past 3 seasons vs. righties, while Philadelphia's down 19 games on the moneyline vs. righties. Take Atlanta with Tomlin. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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08-28-20 | Cubs -123 v. Reds | Top | 5-6 | Loss | -123 | 9 h 41 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Cincinnati Reds. Kyle Hendricks has always been a bit of an on-again, off-again starter, and this season is certainly no exception. He started out 2020 with one of the best outings of his career, throwing a complete-game shutout (three-hitter) over the Brewers on opening day. He then followed that up with a real clunker (6 ER on 7 H in 4 1/3 IP) here in Cincinnati five days later. Then, after getting August off on a strong note with two very nice starts, Hendricks has now looked very average in his last two (both Cubs' losses). Perhaps a second start against the sub-par and re-building Reds will get the veteran RH's season back on track. Despite his ups and downs, Hendricks' season is still pretty darn good with a 3.55 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in his six starts covering 38 innings. Veteran LH Wade Miley was originally supposed to go for the Reds in this one, but he ended up starting the second game of last night's DH, so Tyler Mahle will get the call. Mahle has yet to win this season (the Reds are 0-3 in his starts), and has a 4.41 ERA. Even worse, the Reds are 63-88 (minus 26 games on the moneyline) off a win. Take the Cubs. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-28-20 | Mets v. Yankees -132 | Top | 6-4 | Loss | -132 | 6 h 37 m | Show |
At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the New York Mets. With a slew of postponements, get ready to see more double-headers than usual in the coming days. The Yankees and Mets play a twin-bill starting with this late-afternoon match-up. Once again, injuries are hitting the Yanks and, after a red-hot start, they've cooled off quite a bit. But the Pinstripes are still five games over .500 after losing a DH on Wednesday to the Braves. Now the Mets and Yanks will cram five games into three days to make this weekend series even stranger than it would have been. The injury to LHP James Paxson will keep LHP Jordan Montgomery in the rotation for now. And Montgomery goes in this first game for the Yanks. Despite an elevated ERA of 4.66, Montgomery has a very nice 1.09 WHIP and has won two of his four starts. He'll match up against Michael Wacha, who has an ERA of 6.43 with the Mets this season. The Mets are a dreadful 0-9 this season when priced as an underdog of +150 or less, and 11-29 (minus 16 games on the moneyline) over the last two seasons. Meanwhile, the Yankees are 45-22 (+18 games on the moneyline) as a favorite of -150 or less. Take the Yankees. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-27-20 | Mariners v. Padres -187 | Top | 8-3 | Loss | -187 | 1 h 8 m | Show |
At 6:10 pm, in Game 2 of the Doubleheader, our selection is on the San Diego Padres. The listed pitchers for Game 2 are going to be Garrett Richards vs. Yusei Kikuchi. In Kikuchi's four starts this season, he's allowed 14 runs and 28 baserunners in just 20 innings (6.30 ERA; 1.39 WHIP). And, on the road, those numbers balloon to 12.26 ERA; 2.45 WHIP. Kikuchi will face San Diego's Richards, who has a 2.40 ERA over his last three starts, which were against the Astros, Diamondbacks and Dodgers. Richards' teams have gone 36-23 (+6 games on the moneyline) in his career at home; 11-2 in his career in interleague games; and 24-8 (+9 games on the moneyline) as a favorite of -150 or more. Take San Diego. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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08-27-20 | Mariners v. Padres -200 | Top | 7-10 | Win | 100 | 12 h 17 m | Show |
At 3:10 pm, in Game 1 of its doubleheader, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over the Seattle Mariners. At the time of this writing, the pitching match-up for this first game is unclear, as the Padres have their choice between Garrett Richards and Dinelson Lamet, while Seattle will hand the ball to either Taijuan Walker or Yusei Kikuchi. The Padres are 7-1 in their last eight interleague match-ups. And we will be on the Padres in this first game of the doubleheader, regardless of which of the four possible pitching match-ups takes plays. Let's look at the possible San Diego starters. RH Garrett Richards will be toeing the rubber for the seventh time this season. Admittedly, the wins have been tough to come by for the 32-year-old, but otherwise Richards has been solid in 2020, with a 3.52 ERA through 30 2/3 innings. Richards has had plenty of experience against the Mariners from his time with the Angels in the AL West. And he's also had plenty of success. In 22 games vs. Seattle (14 starts) Richards is 7-4 with a 3.26 ERA and 1.20 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 96 2/3 innings. With respect to Lamet, the sky appears to be the limit for the Dominican ace, who is blossoming now with 1.89 ERA and 0.84 WHIP in six starts covering 33 1/3 innings. Either of these two Padres will have a decided advantage vs. either Kikuchi (6.30 ERA; 12.26 Road ERA) or Walker (4.82 Road ERA; 1.60 WHIP). Take the Padres. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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08-26-20 | Royals v. Cardinals -168 | Top | 5-6 | Win | 100 | 17 h 8 m | Show |
At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the Kansas City Royals. Dakota Hudson will get the start tonight vs. the Royals. And he dominated Kansas City in his lone start vs. it last season, when he threw six scoreless innings, en route to a 6-0 win. KC is a poor 46-112 as an underdog of +150 or more (minus 22 games on the moneyline), while the Cards are a solid 14-6 behind Hudson at home, and 4-1 his last five after he gave up 0 earned runs in his last outing. Take St. Louis. |
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08-26-20 | Yankees -168 v. Braves | Top | 1-5 | Loss | -168 | 4 h 18 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, in Game 1 of the double header, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Atlanta Braves. The Yankees will hand the ball to the most dependable pitcher in baseball this aftenroon, Gerrit Cole. All Cole has done is win his last 20 regular season decisions, with eight no-decisions! And his teams are 25-3 in those 28 regular season games (and 29-4 if you toss in five post-season starts). In his last start, the Yankees actually lost, but through no fault of Cole's, as he struck out 10, and allowed just 2 runs over 6 2-3 innings. He's faced the Braves six times in his career, and his teams have won five of those games. The Yankees are a solid 32-14 (+14 games on the moneyline off a loss by more than three runs). Take New York. |
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08-25-20 | Orioles v. Rays -210 | Top | 2-4 | Win | 100 | 15 h 13 m | Show |
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Baltimore Orioles. If someone had told you a month ago that the Baltimore Orioles would be a .500 team almost halfway through the season you would have thought they needed to have their head examined. But here we are almost at the halfway point and the O's are 14-14. Tonight, they take on another surprise AL East club in the Rays, although it's much less shocking what Tampa is doing given its plethora of young talent. Imagine how good the Rays would be if veteran starters Charlie Morton and Tyler Glasnow could turn things around? Both have been major disappointments so far (Morton is dinged up) and yet the Rays are still 19-11. Glasnow gets a great chance to start a rebound tonight against an O's team that he's dominated. In four career starts vs. Baltimore, the 27-year-old RH is 2-0 with a 1.99 ERA and 0.79 WHIP including 25 strikeouts and only three walks in 22 2/3 innings. It's true that Baltimore swept Tampa in a 3-game series earlier this season. But those three games were at Camden Yards; this evening's game is in central Florida. The Rays are 111-67 (+25 games on the moneyline) at home, while the Orioles are a dreadful 56-117 (minus 20 games on the moneyline) on the road. Take Tampa. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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08-24-20 | Marlins +113 v. Nationals | Top | 11-8 | Win | 113 | 12 h 28 m | Show |
At 6:05 pm, our selection is on the Miami Marlins over the Washington Nationals. Things just keep getting worse for the defending World Series Champs. The Nats just found out that ace Stephen Strasburg will need season-ending surgery on his wrist and they've already lost 2B Starlin Castro (wrist) and closer Sean Doolitle (knee) prior to Strasburg having gone down. Losing a home series to the Marlins would have been almost unthinkable the last few seasons, but that's what will happen if Miami takes game five tonight in DC. And you have to give the Fish the decided edge in the pitching match-up with 24-year-old phenom RH Pablo Lopez taking the mound for his fifth start of the season tonight. Lopez is 2-1 with a very nice 2.42 ERA and 1.16 WHIP including 24 strikeouts and only five walks in 22 1/3 innings so far. With Strasburg out, RHP Austin Voth will get an extra long look in the rotation the rest of the season, but the 28-year-old RH has struggled to an 0-2 record with a 5.00 ERA and 1.44 WHIP in four starts covering 18 innings. Take Miami. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-23-20 | Angels v. A's -123 | Top | 4-5 | Win | 100 | 9 h 58 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Oakland A's over the L.A. Angels. Frankie Montas will look to bounce back from his last effort, which was about as bad as a start could go. Montas gave up 9 earned runs in just 1 2-3 innings, and the A's lost 10-1 at Arizona. But Montas has been spectacular at home this season, with a 1.69 ERA in three starts. And he's 2-0 in five career starts vs. the Angels with a 3.12 ERA, including a 7-3 victory less than a month ago. The Angels are a horrible 4-15 vs. righties this season, while Oakland is 87-37 its last 124 as a home favorite. Take the A's. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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08-23-20 | Astros -110 v. Padres | Top | 3-5 | Loss | -110 | 5 h 51 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the San Diego Padres. Houston has a starter with a 1.84 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 6.25 K:BB ratio through five starts and it's not Justin Verlander, Lance McCullers, or some hot-shot youngster brought up from the minor league system. It's old reliable RH Zack Greinke. No ace starter flies under the radar more than the 36-year-old Greinke and it's probably because we've seen him put up 15-20 wins and an ERA under three runs for so many seasons now that we've just come to expect it from him. He won't win 15 games in this shortened season, but the rest of the numbers appear to be on track as Greinke seems to be as hard to hit as ever. This afternoon will be a good test as it seems this young upstart Padres lineup can hit just about anything lately. But Greinke has been dominant in his career vs. the Padres (he faced them a lot when he was in the NL West), posting a 13-3 record, 2.37 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in 25 starts covering just over 163 innings against San Diego. Take Houston. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-22-20 | Diamondbacks -154 v. Giants | Top | 1-5 | Loss | -154 | 8 h 26 m | Show |
At 9:15 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over San Francisco. We played (and lost) on the Diamondbacks last night, but will come back with them this evening. The Giants' Tyler Anderson has been largely ineffective this year. In four starts, his ERA is just south of six runs per game, while his WHIP is north of 1.60. Not surprisingly, the Giants have lost three of his four starts this season (and his teams have lost 18 of his last 22 starts over the past 2+ years). Indeed, since July 24, 2018, the only four times he has started in a game his team eventually won, it was when his team scored 7, 7, 12 and 9 runs! Now, of course, eventually, he'll win a low-scoring game, but I don't think it will be tonight. Arizona's Zac Gallen has a 2.40 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP in his five starts this season. And against some great competition (A's, Rockies, Astros, Dodgers, Padres). It doesn't get more impressive than that. Take Arizona. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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08-22-20 | Rockies +190 v. Dodgers | Top | 3-4 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 21 m | Show |
At 9:10 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Kyle Freeland is Mr. Reliable so far this season. Certainly not the sexiest pitcher going with just 18 strikeouts to go along with seven walks in 31 2/3 innings, Freeland has a pretty amazing streak of solid outings. The Colorado LH has thrown quality starts in each of his five trips to the hill in 2020, allowing three runs on just one occasion. And three of those five starts were at the hitters playground known as Coors Field which makes his accomplishments all that more impressive. So no doubt the 27 year-old must be looking forward to his first start this season in Dodger Stadium -- one of the most pitcher-friendly venues in the Majors. There's no question the Dodgers have excelled this season on both sides of the ball, but one thing they haven't done very well is hit lefties. In 258 ABs vs. southpaws, L.A. is hitting a paltry .213. The Rox are 12-3 (+11 games on the money line) in Freeland's last 15 starts after he allowed two runs or less in his last. Take Colorado. |
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08-22-20 | White Sox v. Cubs -175 | Top | 7-4 | Loss | -175 | 7 h 27 m | Show |
At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Chicago White Sox. The ChiSox have won six in a row. But four of those games were against the Detroit Tigers (who have lost nine of their last 10 games). Today, the Cubs will have the decided advantage on the mound, with Kyle Hendricks squaring off against Reynaldo Lopez. Lopez started just once this year, and it wasn't pretty. He didn't make it out of the first inning, as the Twins pounded him for four runs in 2/3 of an inning (in a game which wound up as a 14-2 score). Meanwhile, Hendricks has been exceptional, with a 3.31 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP (2.02; 0.62 at home). The Cubs are 31-9 at home (+18 games on the moneyline) when the over/under is 10+ runs, while the White Sox are 6-26 on the road (minus 16 games on the moneyline) when the total was 10+ runs. Take the Cubbies. |
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08-21-20 | Diamondbacks -110 v. Giants | Top | 2-6 | Loss | -110 | 15 h 0 m | Show |
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over San Francisco. We played (and lost) on the D-backs last night at Oakland. But we'll come right back with Arizona tonight, as they'll move across the bay to take on San Francisco. The pitching matchup will be the Giants' Logan Webb vs. Arizona's Robbie Ray. In Ray's last start, he gave up just one earned run in five innings, which was his best start yet of the 2020 campaign. He also has had success vs. San Francisco, as he's 5-2 in his 14 career starts, with a 3.33 ERA. The D-Backs are 18-11 as a road favorite with Ray on the mound, while the Giants are a poor 33-51 (minus 11 games on the moneyline) as a home underdog. Take Arizona to bounce back this evening. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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08-20-20 | Diamondbacks +148 v. A's | Top | 1-5 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 43 m | Show |
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Oakland A's. We played on Oakland last night, and got the $$$ with Jesus Luzardo, who shut out Arizona for 6 1/3 innings en route to a 4-1 run. But we'll switch gears tonight, and take the underdog D-Backs behind Alex Young. Young replaced the injured Madison Bumgarner in the rotation, and he comes into this game off a solid effort vs. San Diego (4 1/3 innings; 1 run). Young's ERA is 3.86 on the season, which compares favorably to that of his mound opponent tonight. Oakland will hand the ball to southpaw Sean Manaea, who is 0-2 with a 7.65 ERA. And, prior to last night's game, the A's pitching staff had allowed 49 earned runs over the previous eight games (6.36 ERA). Meanwhile, Arizona had won six straight games before last night's clunker. The D-Backs are 19-9 (+12 games on the moneyline) vs. American League foes. Take the Diamondbacks. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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08-20-20 | Astros v. Rockies -127 | Top | 10-8 | Loss | -127 | 9 h 30 m | Show |
At 3:10 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over the Houston Astros. German Marquez has had solid seasons in each of his first three full-time MLB campaigns. And in 2020 he's doing it again and he's only just now entering his prime at age 25. The Wins have been a little tough to come by, but in a league-leading five starts and 128 batters faced, Marquez has a fantastic 2.25 ERA. After logging quality starts in each of his first five outings, Marquez was on the verge of making it six-for-six when he was pulled from his last start with 5 2/3 IP (one out short of that QS). The key for Marquez continues to be that he doesn't seem to mind pitching at home in the toughest park in the league. Sure, his numbers are better on the road, but they're not bad at Coors. 2020 is a perfect example as Marquez has an outstanding 1.93 ERA in three road starts but his home number is a very respectable 2.70 (two starts). The Stros were favored last night (as they usually are) but not today and they are 0-6 in their last six, and 2-13 their last 15 games as an underdog. Take Colorado. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-19-20 | Diamondbacks v. A's -161 | Top | 1-4 | Win | 100 | 14 h 5 m | Show |
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Oakland Athletics over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Even though he hadn't started a game yet in the Majors (just six relief appearances in 2019), Jesus Luzardo's reputation preceded him into this shortened 2020 campaign. The early returns on the young Oakland LH didn't disappoint as Luzardo posted a 2.60 ERA and 1.15 WHIP through his first four games of 2020 (two relief appearances in July and two starts in August). But the wheels fell off in start number three (oddly enough at Oracle Park vs. the Giants) and so we've hit the pause button on handing him the Rookie of Year trophy. Look for a bounce back tonight as there's no doubt Luzardo has special skills which he's already put on display several times. And he has one of the best offenses in the league backing him up when he pitches. Although Luzardo got hammered in that last start, the A's still won and are 3-0 in his lifetime starts. The A's are 50-16 (+21 games on the moneyline) in their last 66 as a home favorite of at least -150. Take Oakland. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-19-20 | Astros v. Rockies +151 | Top | 13-6 | Loss | -100 | 13 h 5 m | Show |
At 8:40 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over Houston. The Astros are on a 6-game win streak, including 2 wins at home, in Houston, vs. these Rockies, on Monday and Tuesday. But the scene switches to Colorado for Games 3+ 4. Yesterday, Houston won in extra innings, but didn't score its first run until the 10th inning. Today, the Astros will face Ryan Castellani, a rookie right-hander, who brings a 1.04 ERA (in two starts) into this match-up. Colorado's 39-29 (+10 games on the moneyline) at home in games with high totals (over 12 runs), while Houston's Framber Valdez has lost each of his last four road starts (8.64 ERA). Take the home underdog Rockies. |
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08-19-20 | Blue Jays v. Orioles +104 | Top | 5-2 | Loss | -100 | 5 h 29 m | Show |
At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles over the Toronto Blue Jays. Although Tanner Roark has generally pitched for good teams, he hasn't fared well, of late, as a favorite, as his teams are a poor 10-20 (minus 20 games on the moneyline) as a favorite! Throw in the fact that the Jays are dreadful vs. lefty starters (40-72, minus 20 games on the moneyline), and 1-5 in day games this season, while Baltimore is 5-1 in the daytime. Let's pull the trigger on Baltimore. |
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08-17-20 | Blue Jays v. Orioles +133 | Top | 7-2 | Loss | -100 | 14 h 20 m | Show |
At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles over the Toronto Blue Jays. No team's start to the season has been more surprising than that of the Orioles. Most people probably would have bet that by the time they played their first 20 games, the O's would be close to -- if not at least -- 10 games under .500. But after losing game #21 to the Nats on Sunday, Baltimore finds itself at 12-9. Or course with the Yankees and Rays in their division, the O's likely won't be able to do any better than third place by season's end, even if they are able to maintain a .500 record. They begin a three-game series with Division rival Toronto tonight and although it's probably the Jays lineup that we'll be talking about next year and beyond, right now you have to give the edge to the no-names in Orange and Black. And the O's have managed to do what they've done so far without arguably their best hitter as OF Trey Mancini has been out since a cancer diagnosis in the off-season. The O's are 8-2 in their last 10 vs. losing teams. Take Baltimore. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-16-20 | Braves v. Marlins -103 | Top | 4-0 | Loss | -103 | 6 h 32 m | Show |
At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the Miami Marlins over the Atlanta Braves. You've probably heard of Latin American Players who were discovered as teenagers in their native countries and given contracts at age 16 by MLB teams because of their potential. Marlins' RHP Elieser Hernandez is one such player. The Astros gave Hernandez a contract back in 2011 but didn't keep him around and the Marlins took him in the 2017 rule 5 draft and two seasons ago he made his MLB debut at the age of 23. Now 25, Hernandez seems ready to fulfill that potential that Houston saw in him almost a decade ago and he will take the mound tonight for Miami looking for his first win of 2020. Hernandez has been stellar, posting a 2.79 ERA and 0.83 WHIP with 10 strikeouts and two walks in two starts covering 9 2/3 innings. Having run through their regular rotation the Braves will go with LHP Robbie Erlin today. Erlin has a career 13-20 record with a 4.66 ERA and has a 9.00 ERA in relief appearances with Pittsburgh and Atlanta this season. Meanwhile, the Marlins have yet to lose a competitively-priced game (between +125 and -125) this season, as they're 5-0. Take Miami. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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08-15-20 | Rangers v. Rockies -160 | Top | 6-4 | Loss | -160 | 14 h 57 m | Show |
At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over the Texas Rangers. Last season, the Rockies' German Marquez was a glass half-full/glass half-empty type of pitcher. On the half full side was Marquez' 12-5 record and 175 strikeouts vs. 35 walks in 174 innings (a 5:1 K:BB ratio). But on the other side was his 4.76 ERA and his league-leading 14 hit batsmen. So far in 2020, the glass has been more full than empty as the 25-year-old RH has a 2.08 ERA and 0.92 WHIP over his first four starts covering 26 innings. Even though his ERA is high at Coors Field (as is most starters'), Marquez wins here more often than not with a career 19-11 record in 46 games (45 starts) in Denver. He gets a chance to get win 20 tonight in his second career start vs. the Rangers. But Marquez's strongest angle by far is when he's a heavy favorite. Indeed, in his last 18 starts as a home favorite of at least -150, the Rockies are 18-2 (+14 games on the moneyline). This will be veteran RHP Kyle Gibson's first start in Coors Field and first vs. Colorado, and I expect the Rockies to give him a rude awakening. Take the Rockies. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-14-20 | Indians -170 v. Tigers | Top | 10-5 | Win | 100 | 13 h 25 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Detroit Tigers. After winning his first start of 2020, Indians' RHP Aaron Civale proceeded to lose his next two outings. But it wasn't the 25-year-old's fault. Civale -- who Cleveland selected in the 2016 Amateur draft out of Northeastern University -- has allowed just four runs on 10 hits in 13 innings in his two August starts. The problem is that the Indians offense decided to take a couple of days off when he pitched, losing 3-1 and 2-0 respectively in those last two efforts. He will try for win number two again tonight in Detroit against a Tigers team that seems to be doing it with smoke and mirrors so far. The Tigers are a surprising 9-7 in a season when most people wondered if they would even win a single game in their first three weeks of play. There's little to suggest that Detroit will be able to keep winning at this rate and the Tigers have certainly had their problems with Cleveland recently. The Indians are an incredible 43-9 in the last 52 meetings with the Tigers. Take the Tribe. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-13-20 | Padres v. Dodgers -135 | Top | 2-11 | Win | 100 | 15 h 56 m | Show |
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over Los Angeles. We played on Tony Gonsolin and the Dodgers last night, but will switch gears and take the Padres tonight. Chris Paddack will get the ball for the Padres, and he's been terrific this season, with a 3.18 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 21 strikeouts in just 22 2-3 innings (and just three walks). One of Paddack's victories was against this Dodgers team (and Walker Buehler) 10 days ago. Tonight, Paddack will face a very good southpaw in Julio Urias, who has also pitched well this season (2.40 ERA; 1.26 WHIP). But the biggest difference between these two pitchers is how deep they go into games. Whereas Paddack will generally pitch either 5 or 6 innings each game, Urias has averaged less than 4 1-3 innings over the last two years. We'll take the underdog Padres tonight. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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08-12-20 | Padres v. Dodgers -153 | Top | 0-6 | Win | 100 | 14 h 3 m | Show |
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the San Diego Padres. Dave Roberts will hand the ball to his young southpaw tonight, and that bodes well for the Dodgers, as the Padres are a horrid 36-60 their last 96 vs. lefties, including 3-15 on the road. Urias's ERA this season is 2.40, and he's given up 2 earned runs or less in each of his last eight starts (dating back to last season).  Take Los Angeles. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.    |
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08-12-20 | Twins -136 v. Brewers | Top | 12-2 | Win | 100 | 12 h 33 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over Milwaukee. The Twins have dropped five of their last six games, but will hand the ball to Kenta Maeda on this Wednesday. His ERA is a solid 2.65, and he has a career 3.00 ERA in his five starts vs. Milwaukee. Meanwhile, Eric Lauer (who goes for the Brewers) has a nasty 18.00 ERA on this young season. Finally, the Twins are an awesome 59-34 (+22 games on the moneyline) on the road. Take Minnesota. |
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08-12-20 | A's -105 v. Angels | Top | 8-4 | Win | 100 | 9 h 32 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Oakland Athletics over the Los Angeles Angels. There have been so many breakout pitching performances already in 2020 but none any more surprising than that of A's RH Chris Bassitt. The former 16th round draft pick by the White Sox in 2011, Bassitt has been in the league since 2014 and is already 31 years old. Although he's shown some flashes of brilliance in the past. Bassitt has never put it all together for an entire season. It's still early in the 2020 schedule, but Bassitt is off to a torrid start going 1-0 with a 1.08 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 15 strikeouts vs. just four walks in just under 17 innings. Oakland's offense has been firing so far as well, with 80 runs in the first 17 games -- fourth best in the AL (three teams are tied with 82). Even when Bassitt doesn't get the W, his team almost always does as the A's are 6-0 in Bassitt's last six starts going back to last season. Oakland is also 11-5 (+5 games on the money line) in Bassitt's last 16 daytime starts. Take the A's. |
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08-11-20 | Diamondbacks v. Rockies +101 | Top | 7-8 | Win | 101 | 12 h 15 m | Show |
At 8:40 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over the Arizona Diamondbacks. One year after having a season to remember, Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland had one to forget. Freeland's Sophomore effort in 2018 yielded a 17-7 record in 33 starts with a 2.85 ERA and a top-10 finish in the Cy Young balloting. 2019 however would look totally different. Last season the 26-year-old posted a 3-11 record with a 6.73 ERA. Injuries played a big role as Freeland only went to the mound 22 times last season. Healthy now, Freeland appears to be back to his Sophomore form. Through three starts, he is 2-0 with a 2.41 ERA, 1.07 WHIP in just under 19 innings. Start number four will come tonight at home (literally as Freeland is from Denver) and Freeland has had more success here than he has elsewhere. In 46 games (43 starts) at Coors, Freeland is 19-14 with a 4.22 ERA vs. 14-15 and 3.93 in 45 appearances (43 starts) on the road. The Rockies are 20-7 (+12 games on the money line) in Freeland's last 27 home starts. Take the Rockies. |
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08-11-20 | Cubs +134 v. Indians | Top | 7-1 | Win | 134 | 11 h 45 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Cleveland Indians. When talking about the 2020 version of the Cubs, one can't help but think of that famous Mark Twain quote "rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated". Many thought that the Cubs would be an afterthought in this shortened season as they re-grouped and prepared for a run in 2021 but so far at least that has not been the case. Chicago is 10-3 and already several 4.5 ahead in the NL Central as Milwaukee and St. Louis have struggled with injuries and sub-par pitching. Speaking of afterthoughts, many believed that Cubs' LH Jon Lester would be just that this season but instead the veteran has been lights out so far. Through two starts, Lester has allowed one run on four hits in 11 innings -- numbers that would rival the best in his prime. Lester is an awesome 43-23 his last 66 games, while Cleveland is 14-20 (minus 17 games on the moneyline) off a win. |
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08-11-20 | Marlins +160 v. Blue Jays | Top | 4-5 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 12 m | Show |
At 6:35 pm, our selection is on the Miami Marlins over Toronto. The Blue Jays will start Hyun Jin Ryu today, and his ERA is north of 5 runs per game. Even worse, the Jays are batting .218 as a team, and has a league-low 39 runs scored. Tonight, the Blue Jays will take on the surprising Marlins and pitcher Elieser Hernandez, who has an ERA of 0.00, and a WHIP of 0.69.  Take Miami. |
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08-10-20 | Diamondbacks v. Rockies -130 | Top | 12-8 | Loss | -130 | 14 h 43 m | Show |
At 8:40 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Two starters known for their strikeouts and lack of control go to the mound opposite each other tonight in Denver. But while the D-Backs LH Robbie Ray has put his wildness on full display while continuing his K numbers so far this season (he leads the league in walks allowed while averaging almost 12 punchouts per nine IP), Jon Gray is showing us something different. The 28 YO RH who has called Colorado his baseball home since he came into the league has only managed seven K's in 16 1/3 innings, but his walk rate is down and he has a very nice 3.31 ERA through three starts. Now he just needs to find a way to get a win on this hot Rockies club that is 11-4 despite losing on Sunday. Clearly the oddest thing about Gray is how well he pitches in Coors Field. In 58 games here (57 starts) Gray has an amazing 25-11 record and a solid (for Coors) ERA of 4.34. The Rox are 18-9 in Gray's last 27 home starts with a total of 10 runs or higher. Take Colorado. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-10-20 | White Sox -146 v. Tigers | Top | 1-5 | Loss | -146 | 12 h 15 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Chicago White Sox over the Detroit Tigers. It's been an interesting journey for LHP Dallas Keuchel that has landed him back in the AL. The Astros did not resign the veteran after the 2018 season despite some solid numbers that year (12 wins and a 3.74 ERA). After that, everyone -- including probably Keuchel -- figured he would land a lucrative deal somewhere. But it wasn't until the 2019 season was more than two months old that he finally landed a one-year deal with Atlanta. The Braves also cut him loose and now he's back in the AL on a three-year deal with Chicago. He's already paid dividends although Keuchel had a bad beat in his last start, allowing just one run on five hits in seven IP against the Brewers but coming up on the short end of a 1-0 loss. Still, he's off to a red-hot start (2-1 with a 2.55 ERA and 0.96 WHIP) and facing the Tigers tonight should help keep it going. Keuchel's teams are 11-3 (+6 games on the money line) in his last 14 starts as a road favorite of at least -125. Take the Sox. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-09-20 | Diamondbacks v. Padres -147 | Top | 5-9 | Win | 100 | 9 h 18 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over the Arizona Diamondbacks. If you're a casual baseball fan, then you may not know the name Dinelson Lamet. But chances are you will in a couple of years (or maybe sooner). Lamet was signed as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic back in 2014. And the fact that the Padres have stuck with him until now -- including Tommy John surgery and a lost 2018 season -- tells you what they think about the now-28-year-old. Their patience may finally be paying off as Lamet looks like a breakout candidate in this short season. Through his first three starts, the RHP is 1-0 with a 1.72 ERA and 1.15 WHIP including 11 hits allowed with 17 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings. The D-Backs will go with veteran LHP Madison Bumgarner who they signed as a free agent back in December. Mad-Bum's teams are 10-18 (-7 games on the money line) in his last 28 road starts. Heading into Sunday, the home team is 8-2 in the last 10 meetings of these two. Take the Padres. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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08-08-20 | Indians -120 v. White Sox | Top | 7-1 | Win | 100 | 8 h 29 m | Show |
At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Chicago White Sox. It's early still, but so far the hard-luck pitching award in the AL has to go to the Indians' sophomore RH Zach Plesac. Through two starts, Plesac has a 1.80 ERA over 15 innings and he's struck out 17 batters with just seven hits and one walk allowed. How do you put up numbers like that and not have a win to show for them? It's almost impossible to imagine but the so-far anemic offense of the Tribe has been the stifling factor. But Cleveland has shown flashes of what it can do at the plate like just last Thursday when the Indians put up 13 against the Reds in a romp (of course Plesac was not the beneficiary of that). In three career starts vs. the White Sox, Plesac has a 3.15 ERA and 0.90 WHIP so any offense this afternoon by his lineup and it should get him in the win column for the first time in 2020. The White Sox are just 46-85 (-27 games on the money line) in their last 131 day games. Take the Tribe. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-07-20 | Diamondbacks v. Padres -117 | Top | 0-3 | Win | 100 | 15 h 46 m | Show |
At 9:10 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over Arizona. The D-Backs' RHP starter, Luke Weaver, has been wholly ineffective this season, with a 14.73 ERA over two starts. And he was equally bad in both games, as he gave up six runs in 3 1-3 innings in his first start, and gave up six runs in four innings in his second start. And that first start was against these Padres, so San Diego's hitters should be champing at the bit to face him again tonight. Arizona's an awful 66-99 (minus 26 games on the moneyline) vs. division rivals.  Take San Diego.. Good luck, as always....Al McMordie. |
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08-07-20 | Yankees -105 v. Rays | Top | 0-1 | Loss | -105 | 12 h 17 m | Show |
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Tampa Bay Rays. Now that they're -- for the most part -- healthy, the Yankees look as dominant on the field as they are on paper. The pitching has been solid -- although not spectacular -- and the offense has produced runs like a well-oiled machine. A healthy Aaron Judge leads all Major League players with seven home runs although he was given a rare day off yesterday (the Yanks could have used him in their loss to the Phils). One Yankee who wasn't so healthy earlier in the summer was RHP Masahiro Tanaka. Tanaka was struck on the head by a teammate's line drive on July 4 and missed some considerable time as a result. But the veteran is healthy now and ready to make his second start of the season. And this is a great opponent for the 31-year-old to build his confidence. In 18 career starts vs. Tampa, Tanaka is 10-4 with a 3.20 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in just over 115 innings. The Yankees are 19-10 in Tanaka's last 29 starts vs. division opponents. Take New York. |
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