Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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04-25-18 | Tigers v. Pirates -191 | Top | 13-10 | Loss | -191 | 5 h 26 m | Show |
At 4:05 pm, in Game 1 of the Double Header, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Detroit Tigers. These two were rained out on Tuesday night, so they will play a day-night double header today beginning with this afternoon affair. Pittsburgh's Jameson Taillon is no doubt thrilled to be getting the start in the first game when you consider his record in daytime starts. The veteran RHP is a ridiculous 8-1 with a 2.59 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 13 career daytime starts (vs. 7-11; 4.42 at night). RHP Jordan Zimmermann will go for the Tigers. Zimmermann's struggles continue since he came over to the AL as he has a 7.71 ERA and 1.59 WHIP through his first four starts of 2018. These two teams started the season off with three games in Detroit that were all won by Pittsburgh. This series is in an NL park, so Detroit doesn't get the benefit of the DH. The Tigers are 5-18 in their last 23 road games vs. a team with a winning home record and 2-8 in their last 10 inter-league road games vs. teams with a RH starter.. Take the Pirates. Mound Mismatch Massacre. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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04-25-18 | Nationals -152 v. Giants | Top | 15-2 | Win | 100 | 5 h 43 m | Show |
At 3:45 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over the San Francisco Giants. Last season, Max Scherzer won the Cy Young award for the second straight season and third time in his career. And the way he's going in 2018, it could be three in a row. Scherzer is 4-1 with a 1.36 ERA in five starts and last time out -- Friday against the Dodgers in L.A. -- all he did was out-pitch Clayton Kershaw. He goes for victory number five today in one of his favorite parks. In four starts here at AT&T covering 23 innings, Scherzer has a 1.96 ERA and 37 Ks with only 10 BBs. He's only 1-1 in those four starts, but the Nats have won each of his last three vs. the Giants, including the last two here. Giants RH Jeff Samardzija had a late start to the season due to a pectoral muscle injury coming out of Spring training. He threw five shutout innings in his debut but tonight could be a different story against a team that's almost always given him trouble. Samardzija's teams (the Giants and Cubs) haven't beaten the Nats in his last five starts going back to 2013. Heading into today's game, the Nats are 6-3 in the last nine meetings. Take DC. MLB Road Warrior. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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04-23-18 | Padres v. Rockies -160 | Top | 13-5 | Loss | -160 | 17 h 28 m | Show |
At 8:40 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over the San Diego Padres. Even if you're not a fan of the Rockies, it's hard not to root for RHP Chad Bettis. Coming into the league in 2013, Bettis had a rough time in his first two seasons -- just like so many Colorado hurlers -- having to pitch all his home games in Denver. After a solid 2015 in which he went 8-6 with a 4.23 ERA, Bettis broke out with 14 wins in 2016 and looked like he was set for even better things in 2017. But after the 2016 season, Bettis learned he had testicular cancer and underwent treatment. He came back later that season and now he's 100% and looking better than ever on the mound. Bettis is 3-0 with a 1.44 ERA in his first four starts and looks to continue that success tonight at home against the Padres. It's only his second start of 2018 at Coors Field, but he was effective in his first one, allowing just one run on four hits in 5 2/3 innings against the Braves on April 7. And the Rockies are 16-4 his last 20 home starts. Also, Bettis has had success pitching against the Pads, going 4-2 with a 2.96 ERA in 12 games (nine starts covering 51 2/3 innings) vs. them in his career. One of those starts was earlier this season, in San Diego -- also against his mound opponent tonight, Bryan Mitchell -- and the Rockies bombed Mitchell for five runs in five innings. Mitchell's teams (Yankees, Padres) have won just one of his last nine starts. Take Colorado. Mound Mismatch Massacre. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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04-22-18 | Red Sox -134 v. A's | Top | 1-4 | Loss | -134 | 10 h 48 m | Show |
At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over the Oakland Athletics. The first no-hitter of the 2018 season came from the unlikely arm of the Oakland Athletics' Sean Manaea here last night. And the fact that it came against the best offense in baseball -- and opposite ace Chris Sale -- makes the accomplishment all the more amazing. So the Red Sox hitting took a rare night off on Saturday, but don't expect this lineup to remain dormant for two days in a row. This afternoon it will be David Price taking his comeback tour to the Coliseum as the southpaw looks to continue his successful campaign. Price struggled through an injury-riddled 2017 but looks rejuvenated -- if still a little rusty -- so far this season, going 2-1 with a 2.25 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in his first four starts covering 20 innings. Price has only pitched at the Coliseum on seven previous occasions, but the results are very good as he's 3-2 with a 3.02 ERA in just under 48 innings here. RHP Daniel Mengden gets the start for the A's who are 4-10 in his last 14 home starts. Take Boston. MLB Road Warrior Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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04-19-18 | Giants v. Diamondbacks -170 | Top | 1-3 | Win | 100 | 19 h 50 m | Show |
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over the San Francisco Giants. When you look at Arizona ace RHP Zack Greinke's ERA this season, you'll see a rather unsightly 5.29 number (in three starts). But look at the rest of his numbers, and you'll also see an amazing 21 strikeouts and only one walk, indicating that there's probably nothing wrong with the 34-year-old former Cy Young winner Greinke is probably going to be fine and that 5.29 ERA will come down over time and the victories will start coming as well. Here's a great chance to improve on his numbers as the Giants come to town for a weekend series. The D-Backs have won Greinke's last three starts vs. the Giants, including an eight-inning, two-hit gem the last time he faced them back on 9/17. The Giants will go with LHP Ty Blach in his fifth start of the season. Blach's strikeouts-to-walks numbers are pretty much the opposite of Greinke's. In 20 1/3 innings, Blach has punched out just nine batters and he has issued the same number of walks. The Giants are 1-8 in Blach's last nine start starts going back to last August. And Greinke's teams are 76-19 (+42 games on the money line) at home in his starts. Take the D-Backs. MLB Roadkill Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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04-17-18 | Astros -168 v. Mariners | Top | 4-1 | Win | 100 | 18 h 26 m | Show |
At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Seattle Mariners. Lance McCullers, Jr's dad played in the majors for seven seasons with four different teams and never won a World Series. The younger McCullers is all of 24 years old and already has one ring and should have plenty of chances for more. McCullers is a budding ace whose best seasons are likely still ahead. And with the likes of Justin Verlander, Dallas Keuchel, and now Gerrit Cole pitching in front of him, McCullers doesn't have the added pressure that comes with being one of the top three guys. McCullers started out 2018 with a solid start at home, but then got lit up in Minneapolis in start #2. We'll chalk that one up to the cold weather in Minnesota, and expect much better things tonight in Seattle where the Stros have won three of McCullers' last four starts. Seattle LH Ariel Miranda gets his first start of the season tonight. Miranda has a winning record in his career, but also a 4.79 ERA in 43 games (39 starts). He has a tough assignment at home where the M's have lost each of his last three starts vs. Houston. And Houston's 50-23 its last 73 as a road favorite. Take the 'Stros. MLB Payback Payday. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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04-16-18 | Rangers v. Rays -158 | Top | 4-8 | Win | 100 | 16 h 33 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Texas Rangers. While Mother Nature wreaked havoc on the weekend games, the Rangers won at home on Sunday night against their cross-state rivals Houston in extra innings. Now they have to travel to Florida for this series against the Rays. A pair of southpaws will go to the mound in game one of this three game set in St. Pete. Martin Perez has an unsightly 11.88 ERA in his first two starts of 2018 for Texas, having allowed a whopping 19 hits in 8 1/3 innings. The Rangers seem to be content on keeping Perez in their rotation despite his continued struggles. The Rays will go with Blake Snell. If Snell can learn to limit his walks he could be a very effective pitcher in the Majors. Snell has 17 strikeouts in 15 innings this season for one of the best K rates in the league, but he also has issued 15 free passes. That might play well tonight against the free-swinging Rangers lineup. The Rays are 4-0 in Snell's last four starts vs. teams from the AL West while the Rangers are 0-8 in their last eight during game one of a series. Take Tampa. MLB Game of the Month. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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04-15-18 | Brewers v. Mets -187 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 10 h 40 m | Show |
At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the New York Mets over the Milwaukee Brewers. The Mets historic April run -- their 11-1 start was the best in Franchise history -- hit a minor bump on Saturday. The Brewers came into Queens and beat the home team, 5-1 behind some very good pitching. The Mets respond today with one of their two aces as RH Noah Syndergaard takes the mound for his third start of the season. You can't help but feel that as the man they call "Thor" continues to progress from his 2017 injury we're going to see something special in 2018. And with the offense doing what it's done this season, run support should not be an issue like it has in the past. Syndergaard is 2-0 with a 3.94 ERA, but what really stands out are his 22 strikeouts and four walks in 16 innings. The Brewers won the game yesterday, but they may have lost the battle. With their outfield already missing Christian Yelich (he won't return from the DL today), Ryan Braun left Saturday's game with an apparent back injury. The Crew will also be without catcher Manny Pina again. They are 4-8 in the last 12 trips to NY, and 8-24 (minus 9 games on the money line) when priced from +175 to +250. Take the Mets. Mound Mismatch Massacre. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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04-14-18 | Pirates -155 v. Marlins | Top | 1-0 | Win | 100 | 14 h 2 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Miami Marlins. Gone are the two players who arguably meant the most to the Pirates -- Gerrit Cole and Andrew McCutchen -- and yet Pittsburgh is off to one of its best starts in recent memory. The Pirates are 9-4 and hold an unlikely 2 1/2 game lead in the National League Central. Almost everyone has been contributing to the Bucs success, but two players in particular have made the fans somewhat forget about the losses of Cole and Cutch. On the offensive side, OF Gregory Polanco is off to a scorching start, leading the lead with 15 RBI. And in the Bucs starting rotation, RHP Jameson Taillon seems to be on the verge of a breakout season at 2-0 with a 1.26 ERA and 0.49 WHIP in his first two starts. Taillon is coming off the first shutout of his pro career -- a one-hit gem against the Reds on Sunday at PNC Park. He pitched five innings and won his only start at Marlins Park last season where he'll go for start number three tonight. Despite their loss last night, the Pirates are still 7-3 in their last 10 road games. Take Pittsburgh. MLB Road Warrior Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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04-13-18 | A's v. Mariners +109 | Top | 4-7 | Win | 109 | 21 h 56 m | Show |
At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over the Oakland Athletics. When the Mariners needed another reliable starter to bolster their rotation late last year, they pulled off a sneaky-smart trade with the Cardinals to get RHP Mike Leake. Leake's not the kind that will strike out a bunch of guys, but for a #3 starter to be able to go out every five or six days behind the likes of Hernandez and Paxton, he's a great fit. The move paid immediate dividends for Seattle as Leake went 3-1 with a 2.53 ERA in five starts last season and he's off to a 2-0 start (3.00 ERA) in his first two starts of 2018. And the Cards are picking up a big chunk of his contract. He'll go for start #3 tonight at home against the A's, who he beat last September 1, tossing a gem (7 IP, 2 ER, 8H, 7K) while winning the game 3-2. Leake has a winning record (3-2) with a 3.44 ERA in six career starts here at Safeco Field. Leake has not allowed more than two runs in six of his last seven starts (and in the seventh he allowed three) going back to that win over Oakland last September. The A's are 1-8 in the last nine meetings. Take Seattle. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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04-11-18 | Blue Jays v. Orioles -113 | Top | 3-5 | Win | 100 | 13 h 57 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles over the Toronto Blue Jays. If you follow the Orioles, you pretty much knew that it was only a matter of time before the offense got going. That matter of time was this past weekend when they visited the Bronx. After plating a total of six runs in their first four games, the O's offense started to show signs of life in the last two in Houston, putting eight runs across. Then came the New York series, and Machado & Co. really got going, putting up 23 runs in four games and winning three of them as a result. Everyone who follows MLB knows that this is not a very good pitching staff and runs will have to come in bunches for the O's to be successful this season. The O's became the first MLB team to call up its #1 starting prospect when they promoted Hunter Harvey on Monday. Tonight it will be RHP Kevin Guasman who, after a sub-par first outing, pitched much better against the Yankees last Friday. The Blue Jays are 8-19 in their last 27 road games vs. teams with a right-handed starter. And Baltimore's 71-37 as a home favorite. Take the O's. MLB Roadkill Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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04-10-18 | Pirates v. Cubs -142 | Top | 8-5 | Loss | -142 | 13 h 60 m | Show |
At 2:20 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Pittsburgh Pirates. No doubt about it, the Pirates have been one of the big surprises in all of the Majors so far, getting off to a 7-2 start and holding a two game lead over the Cubs (who have played all nine of their games on the road). But after having faced Detroit, Minnesota, and Cincinnati, the Bucs get their first real test beginning this week with a three-game set in Chicago against the 2016 World Champs. RHP Ivan Nova had the strongest home field bias of any starter in the league last year. When pitching at PNC Park, Nova sported an 8-2 record with a 2.80 ERA in 12 starts. But when he was on the road, things got ugly -- to the tune of 3-12 with a 5.19 number in 19 starts (no doubt Nova wanted the number of home-road starts to be reversed). That bias was on full display in his last start here at Wrigley on August 30. In that one, Nova allowed four runs on five hits in just three innings in a 17-3 blasting by the Cubs. Chicago will go with newly-acquired RH Tyler Chatwood, who suffered a bad beat in his first start, losing 1-0 to the Reds despite a very good effort (one run in six innings). Take the Cubs to win their home opener. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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04-08-18 | Mets v. Nationals -159 | Top | 6-5 | Loss | -159 | 17 h 26 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over the New York Mets. If the Nationals thought that 2018 would be another walk in the park to a third straight NL East Title -- well it isn't starting out that way. Bryce Harper has done his part, with a league-leading five HRs, but the rest of the offense is sputtering, and the aces of the staff are off to a slow start as well. So maybe 2018 will be RH Tanner Roark's time? The #4 starter in this very talented rotation, Roark took a step back last season after a breakout 2016 campaign, but he appears ready to break out again. Roark's first start was a gem -- one run on four hits in seven innings with six K's and one BB in an easy win over Atlanta. He'll try to duplicate that tonight on National TV against the Mets and RH Matt Harvey. There's been no bigger enigma in MLB the last few seasons than Harvey, who also pitched very well in his debut. But given the recent problems he's had, we need to see more than just one quality start from the troubled veteran to be convinced he's turned the corner. The Nats are 8-3 in Roark's last 11 starts vs. the Mets. And they're also 72-39 (+19 games on the moneyline) when playing at night. Take Washington. MLB Game of the Month. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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04-05-18 | Marlins v. Phillies -152 | Top | 0-5 | Win | 100 | 12 h 27 m | Show |
At 3:05 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Miami Marlins. After visiting Atlanta and Queens, the Phillies will play their home opener this afternoon and they probably couldn't have asked for a better match-up. Much has been made of the off-season clearance sale that took place in South Florida courtesy of new owner Derek Jeter, and most baseball folks think it will be a long season for the Marlins as a result. Not only are Stanton, Ozuna, and Yelich gone, but the next best player on the team, catcher J.T. Realmuto has been out since the start of the season (back) and will not be rushed back to action. LHP Caleb Smith will get his second start of the season tonight, and he and the Marlins can only hope that it goes as well as his season debut. In that one, Smith allowed one run on four hits in five innings in a 2-1 victory over the Cubs (he did not factor in the decision). But Smith put up an ugly 7.71 ERA in nine games in his rookie season, so his 2018 debut was likely an aberration. Smith's mound opponent tonight will be Nick Pivetta (who we backed last week in a 5-4 win at Atlanta). Miami is 0-4 in the last four meetings and 1-4 in the last five trips to Philly. Take the Phils. MLB Roadkill Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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04-04-18 | Rangers v. A's -145 | Top | 2-6 | Win | 100 | 17 h 33 m | Show |
At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Oakland Athletics over the Texas Rangers. Both of the starters in tonight's game, RH Doug Fister of the Rangers and LH Sean Manaea of the A's pitched well in their season debuts against very good teams. Fister picked up the win against the Astros at home while Manaea took a tough loss against the Angels (also here at home). Fister joins the Rangers after spending 2017 with the Red Sox, and he will have a more prominent role for Texas given how thin its rotation is this season. But while Manaea is a potential star on the rise, Fister's best years are clearly behind him and he is a prime candidate for a regression tonight in his first road start of the season. Although Fister sports a career 2.61 ERA here in nine starts, he is just 4-4 in those. And it's important to note that most of those were with teams that were much better than this current incarnation of the Rangers. Manaea has pitched well against the Rangers in his career and the A's are 5-2 in this seven starts against them. Heading into Wednesday, Texas is 3-9 in the last 12 meetings and 2-10 in the last 12 in Oakland. Take the A's. AL West Division Game of the Month. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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04-03-18 | Dodgers -163 v. Diamondbacks | Top | 1-6 | Loss | -163 | 18 h 54 m | Show |
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Clayton Kershaw got his eighth opening-day start last week, and for the first time, the Dodgers lost the game. It really wasn't his fault, as the offense generated no runs to back another strong performance by their LH ace, and the Dodgers fell to the Giants at home, 1-0. They also failed to get a man across the plate in their second game, but by their third game, the Dodgers' hitters had come out of hibernation, as they throttled the Giants in back-to-back shutouts to the tune of 5-0 on Saturday and 9-0 on National TV the following night. Last night, unfortunately for LA, the Diamondbacks scored three in the bottom of the 9th to tie the game, and then proceeded to win 8-7 in extra innings. Now, the Dodgers and Kershaw get another chance tonight in Arizona, where rumor has it they are using a humidor in an effort to keep the balls in the Park more. That could definitely help the three-time Cy Young Award winner as Kershaw is 5-7 with a 3.75 ERA in 12 starts at Chase Field. But most of the damage was done in one particularly ugly start here back in 2014 (it might have been Kershaw's worst ever). L.A. is 12-1 in Kershaw's last 13 starts on four days' of rest. Take the Dodgers. MLB Payback Payday. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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04-02-18 | Rangers v. A's -136 | Top | 1-3 | Win | 100 | 20 h 1 m | Show |
At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Oakland Athletics over the Texas Rangers. The Energizer Bunny of Major League Baseball, RHP Bartolo Colon, will get his first start of the season tonight in Oakland. The Texas Rangers will be the 11th Major League team that Colon will pitch for when takes the mound tonight at The Coliseum. But as much as we want to root for the 44-year-old veteran, Colon fell off badly last season. After posting a 3.43 ERA and making the All-Star team in 2016 with the Mets, Colon went 7-14 with a 6.48 ERA in 28 starts in stints with the Braves and Twins in 2017. In some respects, Texas is the perfect team for him as it is clearly in rebuilding mode and will likely finish at or near the bottom of the AL West this year, so anything Colon can contribute will be seen as a success. RHP Andrew Triggs will get his first start of the season for the A's and Triggs has pitched very well in his two starts against the Rangers (one ER in 11 2/3 innings). Triggs also beat them in his only start against them last season, 4-2. Texas is 2-8 in the last 10 meetings and 0-8 in the last eight in Oakland. Take the A's. MLB Mound Mismatch Massacre. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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04-01-18 | Twins v. Orioles -102 | Top | 7-0 | Loss | -102 | 10 h 49 m | Show |
At 1:35 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles over the Minnesota Twins. The Orioles won their opening day game here on Thursday in dramatic fashion when Adam Jones hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 11th inning. It marked the third straight 3-2, walk-off victory for the Orioles on Opening Day. But that's likely to be somewhat the norm for the 2018 version of this team as the Orioles have plenty of hitting, but questionable-at-best pitching, meaning that last-minute heroics -- both for and against them -- could be something we see a lot of this season. Today it will be RHP Kevin Gausman going for Baltimore. Gausman came up just about the same time as their newly-minted ace, Dylan Bundy. And although he was thought to have as much potential, Guasman has yet to advance the way his young teammate has. But Gausman routinely throws in the mid-to-upper 90s and that's not something you can teach, so look for a possible breakout from him in 2018. The Twins will go with LHP Jose Berrios and they are 1-10 in his last 11 road starts. Take Baltimore. MLB Roadkill Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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03-30-18 | Phillies +115 v. Braves | Top | 5-4 | Win | 115 | 13 h 60 m | Show |
At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Atlanta Braves. The Phillies surprised a lot of people in the off-season. Instead of waiting for their talented group of youngsters to develop to the point where they could be competitive -- thought to be at least a year from now -- the Phils went out and signed some high-profile free agents. The most notable of these were 1B/OF Carlos Santana (previously with the Indians) and RHP Jake Arrieta (Cubs). These proven veterans, along with up and comers like Rhys Hoskins, Jorge Alfaro, JP Crawford, Cesar Hernandez, and Aaron Nola, add up to a team that could compete this season -- if not on the same level as the Nationals then definitely as a strong Wild Card contender. They play the second game in as many days against the Braves in Atlanta and will hand the ball to second-year RHP Nick Pivetta. Pivetta struggled through most of his rookie campaign, but he had a very solid Spring and at age 24 could be poised for a breakout in 2018. Philly is 4-0 in Pivetta's last four starts and 7-2 in their last nine following a loss. Take the Phils. MLB Division Game of the Month. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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03-29-18 | Twins v. Orioles -117 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 12 h 4 m | Show |
At 3:05 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles over the Minnesota Twins. The 2017 regular season will start out looking familiar for the Baltimore Orioles, but by the summer, things could change dramatically. Offensive stars Adam Jones and Manny Machado will be free agents at the end of this season, and assuming the O's are not in contention (an assumption almost everyone is making) then they may be saying goodbye to both of these familiar faces before the end of July. But for now, this is a team with a solid chance of winning when not facing the two "beasts from the east" (the Red Sox and Yankees). Budding ace RH Dylan Bundy gets his first opening day start, while the Twins #1 hurler, RH Ervin Santana, will be out for most of April with a finger injury. That leaves Minny's opening-day duties to newly-acquired RH Jake Odorizzi, who came over from the Rays in February. Odorizzi has never pitched well at Camden Yards (a 5.44 career ERA in nine starts here) while the suspension of SS Jorge Polanco won't help their offensive output today. Take the O's. MLB ROADKILL WINNER. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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11-01-17 | Astros v. Dodgers -142 | Top | 5-1 | Loss | -142 | 19 h 5 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Houston Astros. The Dodgers won a thrilling game six last night to force this final game of the 2017 season. Of course the big news from last night was that the Dodger bullpen didn't implode and give up the lead once they had it. Manager Dave Roberts didn't learn his lesson and he once again brought his closer, Kenley Jansen, into the game with six outs to go last night. But unlike in the previous games, this time Jansen was perfect, setting up this winner-take-all situation tonight. Tonight's starting pitching match-up switches from being "advantage: Houston" to "advantage: Dodgers," with RHP Yu Darvish taking the hill for the home team vs. RHP Lance McCullers. Even worse for Houston: in the last nine situations where a team came home down 3-2 in a World Series and won the sixth game, that home team went on to win Game 7 in eight of those nine. Take the Dodgers. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-31-17 | Astros v. Dodgers UNDER 8 | Top | 1-3 | Win | 100 | 20 h 24 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers 'under' the total. They're calling it basically the wildest World Series game ever. And with leads being lost on five different occasions before the Astros finally walked it off in the bottom of the 10th, it's hard to argue with that assessment. But even with 25 men crossing the plate, one thing that Sunday's game wasn't was the highest scoring in the Fall Classic. Back in 1993, the Phillies and Blue Jays played a 15-14 donnybrook in game four that was won by the eventual Series Champs - Toronto. So how did game five turn out in that series? After firing every bullet they had in that fourth game, the Phils and Jays fought to a 2-0 final the following day. And while this game may not turn out quite that way with a day of rest in between, two of the best starters of this post-season will lead their teams as RH Justin Verlander and LH Rich Hill take the mound in a must-win for the home team. The key in this pitching match-up is the fact that if both of these starters are on their game, they can potentially go nine innings, and that's important given what's happened with both of these bullpens in this series. The under is 19-8-3 in Astros last 30 when their opponent scores five or more runs in their previous game, while the Dodgers have gone 'under' in 12 of 14 following a game which produced 17+ runs. And, with respect to the two starters, Rich Hill has gone 'under' in 75 of 115 (65%), while Verlander has gone 'under' in 28 of his last 43 nighttime starts; 7 of his last 10 road games; and 13 of his last 20, overall. Take the 'under.' As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-29-17 | Dodgers -145 v. Astros | Top | 12-13 | Loss | -145 | 17 h 18 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Houston Astros. Game four of the 2017 World Series last night followed a pattern that we've seen before -- most recently in game two in L.A. That pattern is that both starters pitch very well deep into the game only to have the bullpen ruin it. Last night it was the Houston relievers that imploded and cost the home team the victory. It could prove to be a particularly costly meltdown (by Giles and Musgrove in this case) as the 'Stros must now face the best pitcher on the planet in what is essentially a must-win game five. There were some questions about Clayton Kershaw and his ability to perform in the post-season coming into October, but the southpaw ace seems to have put those behind him as Kershaw has gone 3-0 with a 2.96 ERA and 0.82 WHIP in four starts covering 24 1/3 innings (more than any other pitcher) this playoffs. And the scary thing for Houston is that Kershaw seems to be getting better with each start. With their win on Saturday, the Dodgers are now 22-7 in their last 29 inter-league games and 9-3 in their last 12 playoff contests. Take L.A. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-29-17 | Dodgers v. Astros OVER 7 | Top | 12-13 | Win | 105 | 17 h 16 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros 'over' the total. Once again a Manager decided to use his closer in a non-save situation in a critical game and once again it backfired horribly. This time, it was AJ Hinch bringing in Ken Giles with the score tied 1-1 in the ninth and Giles proceeded to give up three runs without recording an out. And, just like that, the Dodgers tied up this series. Now L.A. has to be considered the favorite going forward with Kershaw going tonight, and the subsequent game(s) being played back in L.A. But starting pitching hasn't been the problem -- for either team really -- in this series. With its melt-down last night, Houston's bullpen now sports a playoff ERA over five runs while the Dodgers pen -- though better -- hasn't been immune either. L.A.'s normally perfect closer, Kenley Jansen, gave up another run last night (a HR) and now has allowed two runs on four hits in his last three innings. LHP Dallas Keuchel gets the start tonight and, although he was very good this season, he allowed three runs in six innings (4.50) in his Game 1 start in pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium. The over is 4-1-1 in the Astros last six inter-league home games and 3-0-1 in their last four home games vs. teams with a winning road record. Take the 'over.' As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-28-17 | Dodgers +118 v. Astros | Top | 6-2 | Win | 118 | 15 h 21 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Houston Astros. The left-handed pitching for the Dodgers has been pretty good in this World Series. The right-handers however -- not so much. The Dodgers turned to their first righty starter last night and the 'Stros lineup proceeded to light up Yu Darvish for four runs in less than two innings. So tonight, the Dodgers will go back to one of their three southpaw starters in hopes of better things as Alex Wood takes the mound for his first-ever World Series appearance. Wood was probably one of the most unlikely All Stars in the league this season as he went 16-3 with a 2.72 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 27 games, including 25 starts. His 5.79 ERA this post-season doesn't sound great, but Wood also has a 0.86 WHIP and seven strikeouts with no walks in 4 2/3 innings. You may think that Wood is venturing into uncharted territory tonight, but that's not exactly the case. Wood's only other career start vs. Houston was here at Minute Maid Park in 2014 and he threw a gem (no runs on three hits in seven innings). Even with their loss on Friday, the Dodgers are still 8-3 in their 11 post-season games. Take L.A. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-27-17 | Dodgers v. Astros UNDER 8.5 | Top | 3-5 | Win | 100 | 19 h 54 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros 'under' the total. The fans who don't have a rooting interest, and the TV Networks that aired game two, no doubt loved what they saw on Wednesday night. The Astros won a see-saw affair by a 7-6 final score in 11 innings. But the managers likely didn't enjoy it much, as both bullpens imploded badly before the final out of a 4+ hour marathon. After a total of four runs were scored through the first seven innings, nine more crossed the plate in the last four. So, as tempting as it would be to assume that's going to happen again, it's not likely. RHP Yu Darvish goes to the hill for the visitors, and Minute Maid Park is a place with which he is very familiar. In six career starts here, Darvish is 4-1 with a 2.16 ERA and 0.74 WHIP. If Darvish pitches like that tonight -- and keeps his pitch count down -- then don't expect to see closer Kenley Jansen in the 8th inning, which was Dave Roberts' ill-fated decision in game two. That's a mistake that the LA manager is not likely to make again. The 'Stros will go with RHP Lance McCullers Jr., who, like Darvish, has a nasty arsenal of pitches at his disposal The under is 8-1 in the Astros last nine home games vs. teams with a RH starter, and 6-1-1 in the Dodgers last eight road games. Take the 'under.' As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-24-17 | Astros v. Dodgers -165 | Top | 1-3 | Win | 100 | 14 h 9 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Houston Astros. Houston was my preseason pick (at 10-1 odds) to win the World Series. But the Dodgers will be a formidable matchup for the Astros. Still, the 2017 version of the Fall Classic is intriguing for several reasons. First, the Astros and Dodgers have only played each other in three games in the last five years, so this is not a match-up that we see very often. Second, it is the first time that two teams with at least 100 victories have met in the World Series since 1970 when the Orioles and Reds got together. Finally, it will be the first World Series appearance for the pitcher who has been widely considered the best in the game over the last five years -- LH Clayton Kershaw. Because of the extended time off that the Dodgers have had since wrapping up the NLCS in five games, Kershaw will go to the mound tonight in game one despite starting that fifth game against the Cubs. He pitched brilliantly in that one and seemed to get the monkey off of his back that has been hounding him for years over his mediocre play in the post-season. But he will need to excel in his first World Series if he is to fully redeem himself and put an exclamation point on a career that's included three Cy Youngs and an MVP. And he's not yet 30 years old. The home team is 5-0 in the last five meetings, and Kershaw was 8-0 this season vs. teams that outscored their foes by at least 0.5 runs per game. Moreover, the Dodgers have gone 41-8 (+21 games on the moneyline) behind Kershaw when favored by -150 or more, while the Astros have gone a mediocre 51-51 (minus 17 games on the moneyline) vs. lefty starters the past two years. Take L.A. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-20-17 | Yankees v. Astros -135 | Top | 1-7 | Win | 100 | 18 h 40 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the New York Yankees. The Astros went into the Bronx with a ton of optimism, leading the ALCS two-games-to-none and figuring that in a worst-case scenario they would come home with a 3-2 series lead. But while the team flew from Houston to New York, the offense went somewhere else and the Yankees swept the 'Stros in the Bronx, and are now one victory away from their umpteenth World Series appearance. The only good news for Houston -- other than being back home -- is that RH ace Justin Verlander returns to the mound in game six. It was Verlander who got a victory in game two in a rare complete game, throwing 124 pitches. And if he pitches like that tonight, then the 'Stros won't really need their offense (at least not to be at its best). The Yanks have announced that RHP Luis Severino is healthy after he was forced to leave his game two start after just four innings and 62 pitches with an apparent injury. With the Yanks' sweep in games three through five, the home team is now 7-0 in the last seven meetings. Moreover, Verlander has gone 8-0 in his last eight starts, and is also 3-1 in his four career Playoff starts when facing elimination. Take Houston. American League Game of the Month. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-20-17 | Yankees v. Astros OVER 7.5 | Top | 1-7 | Win | 112 | 18 h 39 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees and Houston Astros 'over' the total. While the Astros offense may have gone to sleep in the three games in the Bronx, the Yankee hitters certainly woke up -- in a big way. New York scored a total of 19 runs in the three games which is the main reason the Yanks are one win away from yet another trip to the Fall Classic. Perhaps a trip back to Minute Maid Park will light a much needed fire under the Houston lineup. The 'Stros led all teams in scoring in the regular season (896 runs) so maybe the hometown fans will remind them of this fact and the likes of Altuve, Springer, Bregman, and Correa will respond in kind at the plate. The pitching match-up of RHs Justin Verlander vs. Luis Severino certainly favors the 'Stros tonight, but the big question is which version of Severino will show up? Look for the Astros line-up to try to jump on the 23-year-old early and often, as the Twins did in the Wild Card game. The over is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings of these two clubs and 12-3 in Severino's last 15 starts. Take the 'over.' As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-18-17 | Astros v. Yankees OVER 7.5 | Top | 0-5 | Loss | -120 | 3 h 56 m | Show |
At 5 pm, our selection is on the 'over' in Game 5 between New York and Houston. The Astros have destroyed Masahiro Tanaka the past three seasons. He's made six starts vs. Houston, and New York has lost five of the six games, while his ERA in those six starts was 7.62. And his worst start came right here, in the Bronx, earlier this season when he allowed 8 runs (4 home runs) in a 10-7 defeat. The Yankees have gone 'over' in 29 of 45 games vs. foes with a .620 (or better) win percentage, while Houston has gone 'over' a whopping 49 of 77 on the road this season, including 25 of 37 when priced between +125 and -125. Take the 'over.' Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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10-17-17 | Dodgers v. Cubs UNDER 8 | Top | 6-1 | Win | 100 | 5 h 27 m | Show |
At 9:05 pm our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs 'under' the total. After two games in balmy L.A., the NLCS will shift to Chicago where the temperatures are forecast to be in the forties tonight. The winds could also be blowing in from Wrigley's outfield, making it that much harder for the hitters in a series that's been dominated by pitching so far. RHP Kyle Hendricks was very good in the NLDS, going 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA in two starts against the Nats. Even more impressive, both of his starts were in DC with 40,000 screaming Nats fans trying to get him off of his game. Hendricks will have the full support of the crowd tonight as he tries to get his team back into this series. But the biggest problem for him might be run support as RH Yu Darvish goes to the mound for L.A. Ignore the fact that Darvish only has one previous start against the Cubs. His wide assortment of pitches could wreak havoc on the Cubs in the cold and windy conditions. After all, it's not like Chicago's hitters have been lighting it up in this series. Finally, the 'under' is 7-1-1 the last nine meetings between these two teams, while Hendricks (17-9 'under') and Darvish (20-11 'under') have been going 'under' all season. Take the 'under.' As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-16-17 | Astros v. Yankees -124 | Top | 1-8 | Win | 100 | 19 h 38 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Houston Astros. Two veteran starters go to the mound tonight in game three as the ALCS shifts to New York. But although RHP Charlie Morton and LHP CC Sabathia have 27 years and almost 4,400 innings of MLB experience between them, there is a big difference in the amount of post-season time the two have put in. Morton has pitched in just two playoff games totaling 10 innings coming into tonight and has never appeared in a Championship or World Series. Contrast that to the 21 post-season games totaling 117 innings that Sabathia has played in -- including four Championship Series and one World Series -- and you can see the true experience gap of the two starters. Also, Morton has a 5.68 ERA in two career starts at Yankee Stadium, while Sabathia is obviously comfortable pitching at home and owns a career 2-1 record with a 4.15 ERA in three starts vs. Houston. The Yanks are 13-3 in Sabathia's last 16 home starts. And, finally, the Astros have burned money this season vs. southpaws, with a 23-24 record (minus 12 games on the moneyline). Take New York. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-16-17 | Astros v. Yankees OVER 8.5 | Top | 1-8 | Win | 100 | 19 h 37 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros and New York Yankees 'over' the total. By now, it must be painfully obvious to the New York Yankees that if they're to have a chance in the ALCS against the Astros, they're going to have to play some high-scoring games. Both of Houston's victories in games one and two have been 2-1 affairs, leading to a 2-0 lead as the series now shifts to the Bronx. And the good news in that regard for the Yanks is the fact that nobody scored more runs at home this season. In their 81 games here, the Bombers plated 451 runs and blasted 140 homers, with both of those numbers being tops in the American League. The other bit of good news for them is that veteran Charlie Morton takes the mound for the 'Stros. Both of the RHP's career starts against the Yankees have come here in the Bronx where he has posted a 5.68 ERA in just under 13 innings. The over is 47-28 for the Astros on the road, including 10-2 when the Astros gave up 1 run or less in their previous game. The over is also 9-0 for the Yankees at home, if they allowed less than 4 runs in each of their three previous games. Take the 'over.' ALCS Total of the Year. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-15-17 | Cubs v. Dodgers OVER 7.5 | Top | 1-4 | Loss | -107 | 2 h 41 m | Show |
At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers 'over' the total. After a pair of lefthanders led the way on the mound in game one in Clayton Kershaw and Jose Quintana, tonight's game two will feature more of the same. The Dodgers won Saturday even though Kershaw wasn't at his best and tonight it will be veteran LH Rich Hill's turn. You may remember Hill from his failed attempt at a no-hitter after nine hit-less innings against the Pirates on August 23. For the Cubs, veteran southpaw Jon Lester will go to the mound. Lester started game two of the NLDS against the Nats and then came in in relief in game four. Both of these lefties are very talented, that's for sure, but in the Cubs and Dodgers you have two of the best hitting teams in the league vs. southpaws this season. The Dodgers hit more home runs off of left-handed pitching -- 65 -- than any other team in the NL, while the Cubs logged a .264 batting average against them (fourth-best) and a league-best .349 OBP. The over is 6-0-1 in the Dodgers last seven home games vs. teams with a winning record. Take the 'over.' As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-13-17 | Yankees v. Astros UNDER 8 | Top | 1-2 | Win | 105 | 17 h 48 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees and Houston Astros 'under' the total. The first game of an LCS usually features an exceptional pitching match-up, and this one between the Astros and Yankees is no exception. In his last two starts, LHP Dallas Keuchel has allowed just two earned runs on eight hits in 11 2/3 innings -- including his dominant performance against Boston in game two of the ALDS. And those stats come in second place tonight when compared to his opponent. RHP Masahiro Tanaka has been almost un-hittable in his last two starts, allowing no runs on six hits in 14 innings with an incredible 22 strikeouts and one walk. Despite those strong numbers over his last two, Tanaka is looking for some redemption tonight as his only start vs. the 'Stros this season was a disaster (8 ER on 7 H in just 1 2/3 innings). That was back in May, and the Japanese veteran has been pitching much better of late. But Keuchel's career numbers against the Yanks are ridiculous and he's never had anything but quality starts against them (in seven career starts, including one in the 2015 post-season). Finally, Keuchel's gone 'under' in 17 of 21 at home when priced between -125 and -175. Take the 'under.' As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-12-17 | Cubs v. Nationals +104 | Top | 9-8 | Loss | -100 | 16 h 34 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over the Chicago Cubs. As if the Cubs needed any more reasons to believe in curses, they may be able to blame Mother Nature for one after this season. These two teams were set to go on Tuesday night with the Cubs looking like clear favorites at home with Jake Arrieta scheduled to pitch vs. Tanner Roark. But then the before they could get started, the skies opened up and the game was postponed until Wednesday. While the Cubs stuck with Arrieta -- who had warmed up the night before and then had to sit -- the Nats switched to co-ace Stephen Strasburg, who was not available the night before. The result was a dominant pitching performance and a 5-0 victory for the visitors. Now the Nats come back home having to face a guy who completely shut them down in game one. And while RH Kyle Hendricks is certainly capable of a repeat performance, I believe the Nats' hitters are not going to let this one get away. Dusty Baker will hand the ball to his LH ace, Gio Gonzalez, who -- although not getting a W -- was the starter for the Nats victory in game two on Saturday. Including that win, the Nats are 9-4 in Gonzalez's last 13 starts. And Washington is 71-37 (+21 games on the moneyline) in nighttime games this season. Of course, in a winner-takes-all game such as this, both teams will have all hands on deck, so it wouldn't be surprising to even see Max Scherzer come into the game, at some point. Take DC. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-11-17 | Yankees v. Indians UNDER 7.5 | Top | 5-2 | Win | 100 | 15 h 26 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees to go 'under' the total. There's no question Corey Kluber is an ace, but the Indians' RH pitched like anything but in game two of this series. In that game last Friday, Kluber lasted just 2 2/3 innings while allowing six runs on seven hits. The Tribe offense bailed out its ace and won that game in extra innings by a 9-8 final score. The great thing about being the staff ace in the post-season is that, even in a three-out-of-five series, you will likely have a chance to redeem yourself if you had a bad outing in game one or two. And so Kluber has that chance tonight in the final game of the ALDS. And I think he will be stellar. Indeed, prior to his poor outing last week, Kluber had not given up more than two earned runs in nine straight starts. His previous four starts had gone 'under,' as had his previous six starts at home! The Yanks will go with LH (and former Indian) CC Sabathia, who will appear in his 21st post-season game tonight. Sabathia has gone 'under' in 19 of his last 24 starts. Take the 'under.' MLB Total of the Year. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-11-17 | Nationals +109 v. Cubs | Top | 5-0 | Win | 109 | 3 h 56 m | Show |
At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over Chicago. Stephen Strasburg has officially been named the starter for today's game. Yesterday, he had declined to pitch because he was 'under the weather,' but apparently feels that he's recovered enough to take the ball from manager Dusty Baker. That's good news for the Nats, as he dominated the Cubs in Game 1 of this series, by pitching 7 innings of 3-hit ball (with 10 strikeouts). Even better: in the 2nd half of the season, Strasburg's ERA was a microscopic 0.86 (the 2nd best mark ever for a pitcher with 10+ starts). Jake Arrieta will still be on the bump for the Cubs, and he struggled in his one start vs. Washington this season (5 earned runs in 4 innings). And that dovetails with his career marks of 5.48 ERA and 1.67 WHIP vs. the Nationals. This year, the Cubs are 38-36 (minus 20 games on the moneyline) in daytime affairs, while Arrieta is a poor 2-6 when priced as a home favorite of -150 or less. Meanwhile, Strasburg is 54-24 in his daytime starts, and 22-13 on the road when priced from +125 to -125. Take the Nationals. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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10-09-17 | Nationals -119 v. Cubs | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -119 | 18 h 52 m | Show |
At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over the Chicago Cubs. If the Nats come back to win this series and then go on to their first-ever World Series, they will remember the eighth inning of game two as the one pivotal moment that got them there. With one swing of his bat, not only did Bryce Harper tie the game on Saturday night, but he completely changed the momentum of this series, not to mention the mood of everyone in the dugout, the ballpark, and probably the entire city. The fact that Ryan Zimmerman would give the Nats the lead with another homer three batters later seemed to be a foregone conclusion after what Harper did. This afternoon the Nats finally get to send their ace, RH Max Scherzer, to the mound in this NLDS. Delayed a few days by a mild hamstring strain he suffered in his last regular season start, DC has declared Scherzer ready to go -- likely much to the Cubs dismay. Scherzer is that rare pitcher who can completely control a game from start to finish and even if the Nats put him on a pitch count, they now have a bullpen that can seal the deal. They just need to make sure that the fire that was finally lit under the lineup in the eighth inning on Saturday is still burning. The Nats are 3-1 in Scherzer's four starts against the Cubs since he joined the team. Even better: Scherzer is 35-14 as a road favorite (while the Nationals are 96-57). Meanwhile, Jose Quintana is 6-14 as a home underdog. Take DC. 5* MLB Game of the Year. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-08-17 | Indians v. Yankees UNDER 8.5 | Top | 0-1 | Win | 100 | 18 h 42 m | Show |
At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees 'under' the total. It's probably a good thing that these two clubs had the day off after the 13-inning marathon they played on Friday. The Yankees let a golden opportunity to tie this series at one game apiece slip through their fingers as they squandered a five-run lead as late as the sixth inning to lose, 9-8. That type of loss has to be at least a little demoralizing, but Yankee Stadium will still be plenty loud tonight as RHP Masahiro Tanaka takes the hill for only his second career post-season start. The Yankees probably set up this rotation on purpose so that Tanaka would get the first home game because he relished pitching at Yankee Stadium this season. In 15 starts here, Tanaka went 9-5 with a 3.22 ERA while in the same number elsewhere, he logged a 4-7 record and had an ERA that was more than double at 6.48. The Indians' RH Carlos Carrasco didn't pitch in the Bronx this season, but he has shown a strong affection for this place throughout his career. In four starts at Yankee Stadium, Carrasco - who won 18 games this season -- has gone 3-1 with a 1.40 ERA and 0.89 WHIP. The under is 12-4 in Cleveland's last 16 playoff games and 7-2 in NY's last nine playoff games at home. Take the 'under.' AL Total of the Week. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-07-17 | Cubs v. Nationals -117 | Top | 3-6 | Win | 100 | 17 h 5 m | Show |
At 5:35 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over the Chicago Cubs. Yogi Berra was never been a member of a Washington baseball team, but right now his phrase "It's deja vu all over again" seems very appropriate for the Nationals. After finishing the regular season with almost 100 wins and getting home field in the NLDS, the Nats dropped game one last night at home to the Cubs. But it's not the fact that they lost that is shocking, but rather the way they lost. The normally potent DC offense managed a total of just two hits over nine innings while getting shutout, 3-0. Zimmerman, Harper, Murphy and Co. simply couldn't solve the 89 MPH fastball and deceiving change-up of Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks. Tonight the lefties will take their turn as the Nats Gio Gonzalez and the Cubs Jon Lester go to the mound in a 'must-win' game for the home team. After a near-Cy Young campaign in 2016, Lester took a big step backwards this season, winning 13 games while posting an ERA almost two runs higher than last season (4.33). Gonzalez had the second-best season of his veteran career, winning 15 games while posting a 2.96 ERA in 32 starts. Gonzalez owns a career 3.06 ERA in 10 starts vs. Chicago. The Nats are 16-5 in Gonzalez's last 21 home starts vs. teams with a winning record. Take DC. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-06-17 | Cubs v. Nationals -149 | Top | 3-0 | Loss | -149 | 8 h 28 m | Show |
At 7:30 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over the Chicago Cubs. Some people in DC refer to the Nationals as the Capitals of Major League Baseball. And that's not meant as a compliment. This is a group that -- like the NHL team from the same city -- tends to crush it during the regular season, only to collapse come playoff time. But this year could be different. For years, the Achilles' heel of the Nats was its bullpen, and in 2012, 2014, and 2016, it was that pen that was the undoing of this club come October. But 2017 saw the Nats acquire not one or two, but three solid relievers before the trade deadline. And Brandon Kintzler (3.46 ERA since joining), Ryan Madson (3-0; 1.37), and closer Sean Doolittle (21 saves; 2.40) should make a big difference from here on out. Ironically, the only question mark now lies with the rotation. Ace RHP Max Scherzer tweaked his hammy in his last start and won't be able to go tonight, but even though the Nats have had to switch to RHP Stephen Strasburg, it likely won't matter much. Strasburg was nearly unhittable down the stretch for his team. The Cubs, somewhat surprisingly, will go with RHP Kyle Hendricks, who lost his only start vs. DC this season. Take the Nats. |
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09-29-17 | Astros v. Red Sox UNDER 10 | Top | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 1 h 8 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the 'under' in the Boston/Houston game. Charlie Morton gets the start for the Astros, and his ERA over his last three starts is 2.00. He's also 6-3 with a 3.00 ERA over his last 11 starts. He'll be opposed by Doug Fister tonight. Fister has had an up-and-down season, but did pitch well in his last start (5 1-3 innings, 3 runs, 0 walks and 9 strikeouts). Both pitchers also have good career numbers vs. their opponent: Fister's lifetime ERA vs. Houston is 2.77, while Morton's career ERA vs. Boston is 0.00. Take the 'under.' Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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09-25-17 | Nationals v. Phillies -140 | Top | 3-1 | Loss | -140 | 4 h 45 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Washington Nationals. The Nats clinched home field advantage in the Division Series playoff round with their win yesterday vs. the Mets. And, though it's remotely possible to catch the Dodgers for the overall best record, it's so unlikely that there really isn't much left to play for over the next week. Tonight, Dusty Baker will hand the ball to AJ Cole, who will make his eighth start of the season. Unfortunately, his first seven didn't go so well (2-5, 4.43 ERA). He'll match up against Aaron Nola, who is 1-0 with a 3.31 ERA in his four previous starts vs. Washington this season. And the Phillies are a perfect 7-0 in Nola's home starts when he's worked on extra rest this season (he last started six days ago). And, in those seven games, Nola not only went 7-0, but his ERA was 1.27. Take Philly. High Roller Winner. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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09-24-17 | Cubs v. Brewers +118 | Top | 5-0 | Loss | -100 | 11 h 15 m | Show |
At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the Chicago Cubs. If the Brewers don't make the 2017 post-season, they can look no further than the evening of September 20. Coming into the final game of the Pirates series, the Crew had won three straight. And on Wednesday, they had a 4-3 lead in the bottom of eighth. Coach Craig Counsell decided to put his closer in for the infamous "four-out save." But that move backfired as Corey Knebel threw a ball away, which resulted in a run. And then he gave up a two-run, walk-off in the ninth to take the loss. Because of that, Knebel was unavailable the following night in the first game of this Cubs series, and the Brewers lost again late in the game. On Friday, Knebel was back on the mound, but lost again, and all of a sudden the Brewers were 5 1/2 games behind the Cubs in the Central and one game out in the Wild Card race. Yesterday saw yet another nail-biter between these two. However, the Brewers snatched victory from the jaws of defeat when Travis Shaw hit a walk-off HR in the bottom of the 10th to secure the "must-win," and now sit just one game behind the Rockies for the final Playoff berth. This afternoon, in the fourth and final game of the series, the Brewers have to deal with a very tough customer in LHP Jose Quintana, who has gone 6-3 with a 3.95 ERA since joining the Cubbies at the end of July. The good news, though, for Milwaukee is that it will hand the ball to Chase Anderson, who has been unbeatable over his last three starts. Anderson's ERA over those starts is 0.55, and his WHIP was 0.91. Milwaukee's 9-4 as an underdog this season with Anderson on the hill, while Quintana's teams have gone 8-13 as a road favorite when he's started. Take the Brewers. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-23-17 | Cubs v. Brewers +117 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 117 | 2 h 36 m | Show |
At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over Chicago. The Brewers fell further behind the Rockies last night, as Colorado won, while Milwaukee lost in extra innings. With just eight days to go in the season, each game is critical at this point. This afternoon, it's Brent Suter vs. Kyle Hendricks. The Cubs have struggled in day games this season, with a 34-34 record (minus 21 games on the moneyline), compared to 52-33 under the lights. And, when Hendricks has started in the daytime, Chicago's 3-8. Suter, on the other hand, has a 1.17 daytime ERA. Furthermore, Suter has faced the Cubs once this season (back in July), and threw seven scoreless innings. He also has a 1.64 ERA over his last three starts. And Milwaukee's 21-10 when playing with double-revenge vs. an opponent this season. Take the Brewers. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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09-22-17 | Giants v. Dodgers -215 | Top | 2-4 | Win | 100 | 19 h 2 m | Show |
At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over San Francisco. The Giants just finished up a home stand, in which they went 4-4. But, now, it's back to the road where the Giants have compiled a 24-51 record this season (minus 26 games on the moneyline). And they've especially struggled as a road underdog of +150 or more (5-18 this season; 10-37 the last three years). The Dodgers are 123-38 their last 161 (+34 games on the moneyline) as home favorites of -200 or more. Take Los Angeles. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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09-22-17 | Rockies -160 v. Padres | Top | 4-1 | Win | 100 | 19 h 2 m | Show |
At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over San Diego. The Rockies are hanging onto their Wild Card berth by a thread following their 4th straight defeat last night, 3-0, to the Padres. But I love them to snap their losing streak tonight, as they'll face Jordan Lyles on the mound. Lyles virtually never makes a quality start (he's had just one quality start among his last 14 starts), and his ERA this season is a nasty 8.78. In contrast, Jon Gray has had quality starts in six of his last seven outings, and brings a solid (especially for a Colorado pitcher) 3.75 ERA into tonight's contest. Lyles' teams have won just 35 of 105 games with him as the starter, including 9-34 when priced from +125 to +175. Take Colorado. |
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09-22-17 | Cubs v. Brewers +110 | Top | 5-4 | Loss | -100 | 16 h 27 m | Show |
At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the Chicago Cubs. The Brew Crew lost a heartbreaker last night, but luckily stayed within a game of the Rockies, who fell once again to the Padres. We'll take Milwaukee to bounce back off its defeat, as it's 9-4 its last 13 following a loss, while the Cubs are a poor 12-16 on the season when priced between -125 and +125. Moreover, John Lackey has struggled on the road this season, with an ERA of 5.38. Take the Brewers. |
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09-21-17 | Rangers v. Mariners -150 | Top | 4-2 | Loss | -150 | 20 h 15 m | Show |
At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over the Texas Rangers. After taking the last three of a four game series from this Rangers club at the beginning of last week to move closer to a Wild Card spot, the Mariners then lost four straight games, including a sweep at the hands of the Astros. So with their post-season chances fading fast, the M's look to bounce back tonight as a pair of veteran southpaws go to the hill in a critical game in Seattle. James Paxton was cruising along with quality starts in nine straight outings before going down with an injury in early August. And in his return last Friday, Paxton lasted just 1 1/3 innings against the Astros. But one of Paxton's best outings was an eight-inning shutout performance right here against the Rangers back on April 15. The other veteran left-hander, Cole Hamels, will go to the mound for the Rangers tonight. Hamels has had a decent season in Texas (10-4 with a 3.96 ERA in 21 starts), however his team is 1-3 in his last four starts vs. the Mariners. Heading into Thursday, the Rangers are 3-7 in the last 10 meetings in Seattle, while Seattle's won seven of Paxton's last nine starts. Seattle's also 10-2 this season behind Paxton when priced from -125 to -175. Take the Mariners. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-20-17 | Indians v. Angels +100 | Top | 6-5 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 26 m | Show |
At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Anaheim Angels over the Cleveland Indians. The Indians had an historic streak of 22 straight victories broken on Friday night by the Royals, but since that 4-3 loss, the Tribe has started another winning streak. And speaking of streaks, Cleveland has a pretty good one against tonight's opponent as well, as it's 9-0 in the last nine meetings with the Angels going back to June of last season. But streaks always come to an end, and I like the Angels on Wednesday night at home, as they're 225-176 (+41 games on the moneyline) when priced from +125 to -125 at home. And they're also 42-31 this season (+17 games on the moneyline) off a loss. Take the Angels. MLB High Roller Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-19-17 | Indians v. Angels -105 | Top | 6-3 | Loss | -105 | 19 h 50 m | Show |
At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Anaheim Angels over the Cleveland Indians. With Minnesota's loss last night, Anaheim has moved to within 1.5 games of the final playoff spot in the American League. Thus, tonight's game is ultra-critical for the Angels. They'll hand the ball to southpaw Tyler Skaggs, who comes into this game off his best performance of the season -- a 3-hit, 0-run, 7-inning effort vs. Houston. The Angels are 92-58 (+15 games on the moneyline) as a home favorite, and 14-7 off back to back games where they failed to register more than 5 hits. Take the Angels. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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09-19-17 | Dodgers -157 v. Phillies | Top | 2-6 | Loss | -157 | 16 h 15 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Philadelphia Phillies. The Dodgers just went into DC for what could be a preview of the NLCS and proceeded to beat the Nats in two out of three games. Now they travel north about 2 1/2 hours to face the Phillies in what you think would be an even easier series for them. However in game one on Monday with their ace -- Clayton Kershaw -- on the mound, the Dodgers lost to the Phils. They'll reload and try again tonight as their newest star pitcher, Yu Darvish, goes to the hill for his eighth start as a member of this team. Darvish's numbers certainly don't jump off the page at you -- 3-3 with a 4.34 ERA in just over 37 innings -- but he's still one of the more difficult RH veterans to face in the league and a strikeout artist at the age of 31. Darvish has never pitched in Philadelphia before, but he may find the ballpark and the young Phillies lineup very much to his liking. RH pitcher Aaron Nola has pitched very well of late, but six of his last seven starts have come against the Giants, Mets, Braves, and Marlins (three starts). So it's safe to say he is looking at a major bump in class tonight against the Dodgers, who have won an NL-best 93 games. The Dodgers have taken seven of the last 10 meetings. Meanwhile, Philly is an awful 66-119 (-22 games on the moneyline) when priced from +125 to +175. Take L.A. |
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09-19-17 | Cubs v. Rays -109 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -109 | 16 h 56 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs have won six straight, but tonight's starter, Mike Montgomery, has not participated in this success. Indeed, he's been bombed in his last two starts (9.00 ERA; 1.71 WHIP), and his teams are 5-16 off a win, with him on the mound. He'll be matched up against Chris Archer tonight. Archer has faced the Cubbies twice in his career (3.00 ERA), and the Rays won both of those starts. Take Tampa Bay. |
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09-15-17 | Blue Jays -107 v. Twins | Top | 4-3 | Win | 100 | 8 h 5 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over the Minnesota Twins. Their multitude of pitching injuries has meant that 44-year-old RHP Bartolo Colon is going to continue to have a job in the Twins rotation as they battle down the stretch for an AL Wild Card spot. That may be a good thing for Colon, but a bad thing for the Twins as the veteran is clearly past his prime and has been struggling this season. Colon is 6-12 with a 6.41 ERA in 24 overall starts, although he has been better since signing with the Twins after being released from the Braves. But Colon's recent Minnesota outings have not gone that well as he is 0-2 with a 6.91 ERA in his last three starts covering just 14 1/3 innings. The Blue Jays will go with LHP J.A. Happ. Happ has allowed just a single earned run in each of this last three starts and he'll be looking for some revenge tonight as on August 25, Happ took his 10th (and most recent loss) in a game that he really didn't pitch that badly in. This has been an incredibly one-sided series lately, as the Jays are 49-19 in the last 68 meetings. Even more telling for tonight's game is the fact that Toronto is 22-9 in the last 31 meetings in Minneapolis. Take the Bue Jays. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-15-17 | Cardinals +104 v. Cubs | Top | 2-8 | Loss | -100 | 2 h 16 m | Show |
At 2:20 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals. St. Louis is still hopeful of catching the Cubs for the NL Central Division title, and this series will go a long way toward determining that. Today, the Cards will had the ball to their ace, Carlos Martinez. He's dominated the Cubs this year, as he is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in three starts. And the Cards have also won 20 of their past 31 games. Meanwhile, Chicago is a poor 6-11 off a win by more than 5 runs. Take St. Louis. |
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09-15-17 | Cardinals v. Cubs UNDER 9 | Top | 2-8 | Loss | -105 | 2 h 16 m | Show |
At 2:20 pm, our selection is on the 'under' in the St. Louis/Chicago game. The Cubs exploded for 14 runs against Seth Lugo and the Mets last night (and 17 runs the day before that). Unfortunately, the Cubs' offense generally underperforms off a win by more than 5 runs, as it's averaged just 3.5 runs per game (compared to 5.1 runs per game overall). And the Cubs' games have averaged just 7.4 runs after Chicago won by more than 5 runs in their previous game. This afternoon, of course, the Cubs won't be facing the likes of Seth Lugo; instead, they'll have to go against one of baseball's best pitchers in Carlos Martinez. Martinez has a 2.18 ERA over his last three starts. And St. Louis has gone 'under' in seven of its last eight games. The Cubs have also gone 'under' in 11 of 16 games this season at home, when priced as a favorite of -150 or less. Take the 'under'. |
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09-14-17 | Royals +201 v. Indians | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -100 | 18 h 21 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Kansas City Royals over the Cleveland Indians. The Indians now hold the record for the longest winning streak in the history of the American League and they have their sights set on the Major League record. But at some point, their good fortunes will come to an end, and there are some compelling reasons to think that it might be tonight against the Royals. For one thing, KC will send a very hot young pitcher to the mound in rookie RH Jakob Junis. Junis' numbers in his first season don't jump off the page at you at first glance (a 4.34 ERA for example) but he has caught fire of late. Consider the fact that Junis hasn't lost a game since June 29, and he's gone 5-0 in his last five decisions. Second, although that 4.34 ERA is far from ideal, it's down more than a run from the 5.66 number he had at the end of June. And Junis has given up more than two runs on just two occasions since that June 29 loss. The Tribe will go with RHP Josh Tomlin, and even though Tomlin looks to be just as hot as Junis lately, posting a 5-0 record with a 2.57 ERA in his last six starts, you have to consider the teams he's faced in those -- the Padres, Giants, Reds, White Sox, Tigers, and Orioles. Needless to say, this will be Tomlin's toughest assignment in a while. Finally, it's worth noting that, if this match-up had taken place three weeks ago, before the 21-game win streak, Cleveland would be favored -145, not the current price, north of -200. Admittedly, one can't ignore the 21-game win streak, but the point remains. If Cleveland was 16-5 its last 21, rather than 21-0, they wouldn't be favored by this price. Thus, there's significant value on the KC side. Take the Royals. MLB UNDERDOG of the YEAR. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-13-17 | Padres v. Twins UNDER 9 | Top | 1-3 | Win | 100 | 19 h 39 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres and Minnesota Twins 'under' the total. When the game in Minnesota between these two teams was over last night, the scoreboard looked more like it might have been a Vikings-Chargers game rather than Padres-Twins. Minnesota got their big bats out and did some yard work in completely dismantling the visitors by a score of 16-0. It's unlikely we'll see that kind of run production from the home team tonight, especially given that the pitching match-up is much better than it was yesterday. RHP Dinelson Lamet will go for the Padres opposite the Twins ace RH Ervin Santana. Lamet has had a serious run support issue lately. In his last four starts, Lamet has has allowed just seven runs in 22 2/3 innings, or an ERA below three runs. But in those four games, Lamet has gone 0-3 while the Padres are 0-4, largely due to the fact that they have managed a total of just three runs. Santana has faced the Padres a total of five times in his career (once with the Twins, twice with the Braves, and twice with the Angels) and the under is 5-0 in those. Take the 'under.' MLB Total of the Month. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-12-17 | Astros -129 v. Angels | Top | 1-0 | Win | 100 | 16 h 57 m | Show |
At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Los Angeles Angels. The combination of Houston's losing streak along with the incredible Cleveland winning streak has meant that the 'Stros have fallen behind the Tribe by one-and-a-half games in the battle for the top record in the A.L. and home field advantage in the post-season. So it might not be a good thing to be an Angels pitcher in this series after the 'Stros totaled just 15 runs in the four games this past weekend. Tonight will be the second start for newly-acquired Houston ace RH Justin Verlander, who was spared the Oakland series. Verlander made his Astros debut a successful one, allowing one run on six hits over six innings in a 3-1 victory over the Mariners in Seattle. The Stros are also 21-10 in the last 31 meetings with the Angels. Take Houston. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-12-17 | A's v. Red Sox UNDER 9.5 | Top | 1-11 | Loss | -120 | 13 h 3 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the 'under' in the Boston/Oakland game. The Red Sox may win the AL East when all is said and done, but can they really compete with the likes of the Indians and Astros with a five-man rotation that includes Doug Fister and Eduardo Rodriguez? On paper, it would seem the answer to that question is no. But the Sox have held on to their lead in the Division thanks to some solid performances from their less-than-ideal pitching staff. E-Rod will get his 21st start this evening coming off of a very nice effort in his last outing when he tossed six quality innings against the Blue Jays here at Fenway, allowing two runs on six hits with eight strikeouts and one walk in a 3-2 victory. A follow-up start against the team with the worst record in the league may be just what the LH needs to build some confidence heading into the final two weeks. He will surely have confidence, as his career ERA vs. Oakland is 1.69. Moreover, the A's should be due for an offensive let-down after an incredible weekend series in Houston in which they stunned the Astros by embarrassing them with a four-game sweep by a total score of 41-15. Take the 'under.' |
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09-12-17 | Orioles -123 v. Blue Jays | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -123 | 13 h 58 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles over the Toronto Blue Jays. It's now or never for the Baltimore Orioles. After their fourth straight loss last night -- here at the Rogers Centre after being swept in Cleveland over the weekend -- the O's are now 3 1/2 games back in the AL Wild Card with a slew of other teams ahead of them. If they're going to make a run at a quickly-fading post-season spot, they're going to have to catch fire now. They certainly have the offense to do that, but the question -- as it's been all year -- is whether they have the pitching. The send their "Ace" to the mound tonight as RH Dylan Bundy goes for this 14th win in his 27th start. The good news is that in two previous starts against the Jays this season, Bundy has been dominant, going 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA, which means one run on nine hits in 13 innings with 14 strikeouts and just one walk. And in his previous start here in Toronto, Bundy threw six scoreless innings in an 11-4 beat-down back in April. Although Bundy has been far from perfect lately, the Orioles are 8-1 in his last nine starts. Take Baltimore. |
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09-11-17 | Dodgers -180 v. Giants | Top | 6-8 | Loss | -180 | 18 h 10 m | Show |
At 10:15 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the San Francisco Giants. The current struggles of the Dodgers may not be the greatest second-half fall-off in MLB history, but it's certainly worthy of being in the conversation. After a red hot streak put the Dodgers at an incredible 91-36 on August 25, the Boys in Blue have proceeded to lose 15 of their next 16 games heading into tonight. Nobody has been immune -- Yu Darvish, Rich Hill, or even Clayton Kershaw -- and the recent string of losses has meant that the red-hot Nationals are now within striking distance of seizing the best record in the National League away from L.A. The Dodgers will hit the reset button as they head into San Francisco to face the Giants in the first of three before heading east to face the aforementioned Nats in DC. And this is a huge step-down in class for Los Angeles when comparing the quality of opponents during its 1-15 stretch. Indeed, the four teams L.A. has played (Arizona, Milwaukee, Colorado, San Diego) have all been playing very good baseball. Arizona's won 16 of 19; Milwaukee 16 of 25; Colorado 6 of 7; and San Diego 8 of 13). San Francisco, on the other hand, has dropped five straight series, and is 4-12 over that time. RHP Kenta Maeda takes the mound in game one opposite RH rookie Chris Stratton. Stratton saw his streak of three consecutive quality starts come to an end in his last outing as he lasted just four innings against the Rockies, allowing three runs on eight hits with three walks in a 4-3 loss. The Dodgers are 5-1 in Maeda's last six starts during game one of a series as well as 9-2 in their last 11 road games vs. teams with a losing home record. Take L.A. High Roller Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-10-17 | Angels v. Mariners -122 | Top | 5-3 | Loss | -122 | 13 h 42 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over the Los Angeles Angels. The Mariners made two "quiet" pitching acquisitions over the summer -- one at each of the two deadlines. At the August 31 deadline, the M's picked up Mike Leake from the Cardinals and that one barely caused a ripple. But if you think that went unnoticed, then how about Seattle's acquisition at the end of July of RHP Erasmo Ramirez from the Rays in exchange for former closer Steve Cishek? For Ramirez, this is a homecoming of sorts, as the Mariners are the team that the Venezuelan originally broke into the league with back in 2012. Ramirez should pay some dividends for the M's down the stretch as he's posted a very nice 3.52 ERA in seven starts (down from his 4.80 number with Tampa) as Seattle is right in the thick of the Wild Card race. The Angels are a team that Ramirez is familiar with from his early days in Seattle, and probably a team he doesn't mind facing. In 11 career appearances (seven starts) vs. Los Angeles, Ramirez is 4-2 with a 2.19 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in just over 49 innings. Heading into Saturday, the M's are 7-0 in their last seven home games vs. teams with a losing road record. Take Seattle. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-10-17 | Astros -181 v. A's | Top | 2-10 | Loss | -181 | 13 h 38 m | Show |
At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over Oakland. The A's have won the first three games of this series, but I love Houston to salvage a win in this final game. Houston will turn to its ace, Dallas Keuchel, who is 12-3 in his 19 starts, with a 2.88 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. His mound opponent will be righty Kendall Graveman. And Houston has feasted on righties this season, with a 68-35 record (compared to 18-21 vs. lefties). Meanwhile, Oakland has struggled vs. southpaws (46-80, minus 34 games on the moneyline). Take Houston. |
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09-10-17 | Astros v. A's UNDER 9 | Top | 2-10 | Loss | -115 | 13 h 38 m | Show |
At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the A's and Astros to go 'under' the total. Dallas Keuchel has had a lot of success vs. Oakland. The A's have won just five of the 15 games he's started against them, and seven of the last 10 have gone 'under' the total. Even better: this season, Keuchel's ERA in his daytime starts is 1.64. And 29 of his 47 career daytime starts have gone 'under' the total. Take the 'under.' |
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09-09-17 | Rockies v. Dodgers -215 | Top | 6-5 | Loss | -215 | 18 h 11 m | Show |
At 9:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over Colorado. After not scoring 2+ runs in any of its previous four games, Los Angeles finally broke through with 4 runs last night. Unfortunately, they lost 5-4. But they finally did some good things at the plate, as they drew 6 walks, and had baserunners in every inning but the 9th). That should give them an added boost of confidence today, as they'll attempt to snap their losing streak. They'll have a decided advantage on the mound, as Colorado will hand the ball to Chad Bettis. Bettis has an unsightly 9.00 ERA in five road starts, and his career numbers vs. L.A. are pretty ugly, as well (6.49 ERA, 1.89 WHIP in five starts). Meanwhile, Alex Wood is 7-1 at home, with a 3.02 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. Take Los Angeles. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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09-09-17 | Tigers v. Blue Jays -155 | Top | 4-5 | Win | 100 | 13 h 7 m | Show |
At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over the Detroit Tigers. If there's been a more injured pitcher over the last decade than Brett Anderson, we'd like somebody to point him out to us. Since he came into the league in 2009, the lefthander -- who is a pure starter and not a hybrid starter/reliever -- has had 30 starts only twice, in his rookie season and two seasons ago with the Dodgers. When he's healthy, Anderson can be devastatingly good, but he just can't stay healthy. Most of his early injuries centered around his elbow, but Anderson has also had major problems with his back (he had surgery on it), ankle, foot, and finger. The other thing Anderson has been known for -- not surprisingly given his injuries -- is moving around a lot. He's in his first stint with the Blue Jays who just signed him as a free agent a couple of weeks ago. He has two starts for Toronto, and so far...so good. Anderson is 0-1 with a 3.09 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in outings against two of the league's best offenses -- the O's and Red Sox. Tonight he'll face a Detroit lineup that's been decimated by deadline trades. Heading into Saturday, the Tigers are just 2-8 in the last 10 meetings in Toronto. Take the Jays. |
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09-08-17 | Giants v. White Sox -111 | Top | 9-2 | Loss | -111 | 16 h 39 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Chicago White Sox over the San Francisco Giants. Desperate for a leadoff hitter, the Nats took quite a gamble when they acquired Adam Eaton from the White Sox prior to this season. The gamble was packaging their #1 pitching prospect, Lucas Giolito in the deal that would send Eaton to DC. Now Eaton is on the shelf and the Nats appear to have a plethora of young OFs at their disposal. Meanwhile, Giolito -- who was the Nationals' first round draft pick in 2012 and considered their top prospect at the end of last season -- has started to shine for the Sox which may be difficult for the DC players and fans to stomach in the next few seasons. The big (6' 6") righthander is 2-1 with a 2.25 ERA and 0.80 WHIP in three starts. Giolito's last start may have been his coming out party, as he was dominant in seven innings against the Rays, allowing one run on three hits with 10 strikeouts and one walk. He really seems to like his new home ballpark, and this will be his fourth straight start here. LHP Matt Moore gets the start for San Francisco. The Giants may have one of the worst winning percentages in the majors at .386 (54-86), but it's not nearly as bad as their number when Moore goes to the hill this season (8-19, .296). Take the White Sox. Interleague Game of the Week! As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-07-17 | Yankees v. Orioles -108 | Top | 9-1 | Loss | -108 | 4 h 34 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles over the NY Yankees. This is a make-up game for the one rained-out last night. The Birds won in dramatic fashion Tuesday night, and have now moved to within one game of the 5th Playoff spot (currently held by the MInnesota Twins). Kevin Gausman will start for Baltimore, and we played on him in his last start -- a 1-0 win vs. Toronto. Gausman's thrown back to back scoreless games (6 innings last week; 7 2-3 innings two starts back), and also has a career 3.16 ERA vs. the Yankees. Sonny Gray, meanwhile, has struggled vs. Baltimore (1-3, 5.57 ERA), and also on the road (1-6 in nine starts). Finally, after facing southpaws in the first two games of this series, Baltimore will finally face a righty this afternoon. And the Orioles are 68-41 (+20 games on the moneyline) at home vs. righties. Take the Orioles. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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09-06-17 | Diamondbacks v. Dodgers -170 | Top | 3-1 | Loss | -170 | 11 h 60 m | Show |
At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The D-Backs continued to win yesterday -- even without All-Star Paul Goldschmidt in the line-up -- and stretched their win streak to 12 games. It was also Los Angeles' fifth straight loss, and 10th in its past 11 games. Notwithstanding those streaks, we're going to step in and take Los Angeles tonight. The Dodgers remain a great team. Indeed, they're 73-21 this season as a favorite priced at -150 or higher (+32 games on the moneyline). And Kenta Maeda, tonight's starter, is 8-1 in his 10 home starts this season, with a 3.12 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. Meanwhile, Taijuan Walker has a 6.13 lifetime ERA vs. the Dodgers. And when he last met them, he gave up 4 earned runs in 5 2-3 innings. Take Los Angeles. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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09-06-17 | Royals v. Tigers UNDER 9.5 | Top | 13-2 | Loss | -115 | 9 h 57 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers to go 'under' the total. Don't tell the Detroit Tigers team that showed up at Comerica Park last night that there is no longer any offense on the team. . The Tigers steamrolled the Royals -- who are playing for a Wild Card spot -- scoring 13 runs as Royals LHP Jason Vargas' struggles continued. There's no denying however that on paper, the Tigers are a mere shell of their former selves and it's highly unlikely you'll see this group put up a bakers dozen again anytime soon. Tonight, it will be veteran RH Jason Hammel for the visitors facing southpaw Matt Boyd of the Tigers. Hammel faced the Tigers twice last month and gave up just 4 earned runs in 12 innings. Likewise, in Boyd's July start for Detroit vs. KC, he also was fairly effective, as he gave up 3 runs over 6 innings. The Royals have gone 'under' in 12 of Hammel's 19 nighttime starts. Take the 'under.' |
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09-06-17 | Nationals -131 v. Marlins | Top | 8-1 | Win | 100 | 9 h 57 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over the Miami Marlins. Last Thursday, Washington Nationals LHP Gio Gonzalez did something he hasn't done very often lately. He lost. Gonzalez faced the Brewers and red-hot RH Zach Davies in Milwaukee and he just didn't have his best stuff as he allowed five runs on eight hits in six innings and suffered his sixth loss of the season. It was the first time Gonzalez had lost a game in more than a month (July 19) and it broke string of five straight victories going back exactly one month. Gonzalez will look to start another streak tonight, and if he was going to hand-pick an opponent against which to get things going, it would probably be this one. Not only is the 31-year-old originally from the south Florida area, but he has dominated the Marlins this season. In four starts against the Fish, Gonzalez is 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 29 innings. In the three victories, the Nats have out-scored the Marlins by a total of 23-4, with two of those being right here at Marlins Park (including a 12-3 beat-down on June 20). With their win here last night, the Nats are now 7-0 in the last seven meetings. Take DC. |
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09-05-17 | Diamondbacks v. Dodgers -124 | Top | 3-1 | Loss | -124 | 7 h 0 m | Show |
At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over Arizona. We played on Zach Greinke last week, at home, vs. these Dodgers, and were rewarded with a blowout victory. Of course, Greinke's been the league's best starter at home for years now. But on the road, he's fairly mortal. This season is no different. Greinke's just 3-5 in 11 road starts, with a 4.28 ERA (compared to 13-1 at home in 16 home starts). Take Los Angeles. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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09-05-17 | Blue Jays v. Red Sox -181 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 4 h 1 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over the Toronto Blue Jays. After getting August off to a very hot start (13-2 in 15 games beginning on July 31), making it look like they might run away with the AL East, the Boston Red Sox have more recently been making things very interesting. They come into this important match-up tonight having lost eight of their last 12 games while their lead in the Division has dwindled to just 2 1/2 games over the Yankees. The Sox know that if the Yankees catch them, they will then be in a dogfight for the Wild Card with no less than seven other teams, so they would much prefer to be not let it get to that. Tonight, they'll have another game against the pesky Blue Jays. Veteran RH Marco Estrada goes to the hill for Toronto and Estrada has really struggled on the road in 2017, going 3-5 with a 5.58 ERA in 16 starts away from Toronto (vs. 4-3 and 4.73 in 12 home starts). The Sox will look to recover from a 10-4 beat-down yesterday, on Labor Day. And they'll turn to LHP Eduardo Rodriguez tonight. That bodes well for the home team, as the Blue Jays are hitting just .239 vs. southpaws this season. Take Boston. |
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09-05-17 | Brewers -134 v. Reds | Top | 3-9 | Loss | -134 | 4 h 1 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the Cincinnati Reds. Zach Davies' surprising season continued last Thursday when he beat the Washington Nationals in Miller Park for his League-leading (tied) 16th victory. Davies threw seven strong innings, allowing two runs on six hits in the important 6-3 win which keeps the Crew within striking distance of the Cubs (not to mention very close in the Wild Card race as well). Davies will go for win #17 tonight in Cincinnati, a place where he's yet to win in two previous starts, despite pitching very well. In those starts, Davies allowed a combined three runs on eight hits in 12 innings. With his latest performance against the Nats, Davies has now allowed three runs in his last four starts covering 26 2/3 innings with 18 strikeouts and six walks. Davies last faced the Reds back on April 25 when he threw five scoreless innings, allowing six hits with six K's and one walk in a 9-1 rout. The real bad news for the home team tonight is that Davies has been much better on the road this season, going 8-1 with a sparkling 2.13 ERA in 14 starts away from Miller Park. The Brewers are 7-4 in the last 11 meetings. Take Milwaukee. |
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09-04-17 | Diamondbacks v. Dodgers -145 | Top | 13-0 | Loss | -145 | 24 h 19 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The D-Backs have now made it 10 wins in a row as they continue with one of the hottest streaks of the season for any team. Of course, the Dodgers know a little bit about hot streaks as the NL West Leaders won 11 straight of their own in July and went 32-5 between July 4 and August 18. Their current streak is one that the Dodgers would like to escape from however as they have gone 1-8 in their last nine overall coming into this crucial series against the second-place D-Backs. Rich Hill followed up his bizarre nine-inning, one-hit loss against the Pirates with a clunker against this Arizona club last Tuesday. That one was on the road (as was the Pittsburgh gem) but this one is at Dodger Stadium where the veteran LHP has an ERA that is more than a run lower than it is on the road (3.17 vs. 4.27). Although these games may be meaningless to the Dodgers in terms of their effect on their post-season seeding, L.A. would no doubt love to send a message to the D-Backs that they are still the team to beat in the NL. LH Robbie Ray will get the start for Arizona and the Dodgers are 26-6 in their last 32 games vs. teams with a southpaw starter, and 52-15 as a home favorite. Take L.A. MLB Game of the Month. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-03-17 | Diamondbacks v. Rockies -118 | Top | 5-1 | Loss | -118 | 3 h 39 m | Show |
At 3:10 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The D-Backs appear to be for real. They probably won't catch the Dodgers, but they're the hottest team in the Majors right now and poised to locked down the top Wild Card spot in the NL. With their 6-2 win here last night, the D-Backs have now won nine straight games and if the Rockies don't make the post-season, they might just want to blame Arizona, who has won five of the last six meetings. But this afternoon, the Rox might have their best chance to change their fortunes. That's because second-year RH German Marquez goes to the mound and Colorado is 9-0 in his last nine home starts. Marquez has come out of nowhere to put up double-digit wins and a solid 4.18 ERA for the Rox this season. He last faced the Diamondbacks here on June 20 and threw six strong innings, allowing one run on four hits in a 4-3 victory (although Marquez took a no-decision in that one). RHP Zack Godley will go for the Diamondbacks and they are 1-5 in his last six starts during game three of a series. Even worse for Godley: he'll have to battle without Paul Goldschmidt in the starting lineup this afternoon. Take Colorado. MLB Game of the Week! As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-03-17 | Rays -161 v. White Sox | Top | 2-6 | Loss | -161 | 9 h 18 m | Show |
At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Chicago White Sox. Matt Andriese was on his way to a possible breakout campaign in his third MLB Season when his 2017 was derailed by a bit of a strange injury at the beginning of June. The Tampa RH was diagnosed with something called a "stress reaction" in his right hip and was placed on the 60 day DL. He had gone 5-1 with a very strong 3.38 ERA in 13 appearances (12 starts) and had even notched a save in his only relief appearance when his season came to a halt. He's back this afternoon after a successful rehab assignment and after the trades they made, the White Sox are looking a lot like a minor league team right about now, so Andriese may feel like he's on that assignment when he steps to the mound today. There's no way to sugar-coat it, the Sox are a very bad team right now, even if their future might be bright in a few years. One of the players they are hoping will be a major piece for them down the road is Lucas Giolito. The big RH came to Chicago in the trade that sent Adam Eaton to the Nats and this will be his third start since getting recalled on August 22, and just his seventh start in his career. Unfortunately, he's had a quality start in just one of his first six starts. Take Tampa Bay. MLB Elite Info Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-02-17 | Nationals -180 v. Brewers | Top | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 16 h 9 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over the Milwaukee Brewers. If the Nationals thought they were going to waltz into Miller Park and flex their muscles against what would seem to be an over-matched Brewers club, well they better think again. The Brewers took the first two games of this series behind the very strong starting pitching of Zach Davies and Jimmy Nelson. Tonight, however, things could get a lot harder for the Brewers' hitters as RHP Max Scherzer goes to the hill for the 26th time this season -- and second since returning from a minor neck injury. Scherzer leads all starters in the league in strikeouts with 230, K's per nine IP (12.4), WHIP (0.85), and is tied for the lead with two complete games. This will be Scherzer's first start at Miller Park of 2017, but he has pitched well here in the past, with a 3.27 ERA and 0.86 WHIP including 34 K's in 22 innings through four appearances (three starts) here. Most importantly, however, is the fact that Scherzer has pitched much better on the road this season. In 12 starts at Nationals Park, he is 5-3 with a 2.64 ERA, however in 13 starts elsewhere, Scherzer is 8-2 and 1.79. Take the Nats. MLB ROAD WARRIOR WINNER. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-01-17 | Blue Jays v. Orioles -161 | Top | 0-1 | Win | 100 | 16 h 14 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles over the Toronto Blue Jays. The O's had their seven game winning streak stopped on Thursday in the first game of this four-game set with the Blue Jays. Of course, if Kendrys Morales had sat out the game, then the O's streak would still be intact as the veteran DH was a one-man wrecking crew in Baltimore last night (3 HR, 7 RBI). If the O's are not only going to make it to the post-season, but get past the Wild Card round, they're going to have to get some stingy performances from their most talented starters -- namely Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman. Bundy did his part on Tuesday, throwing not only his best start of his career, but one of the best starts in the entire Majors in 2017. Now it's Gausman's turn. We've seen flashes of his immense talent in the past, now he just needs to find consistency. The good news is that Gausman and the O's -- together -- have had a lot of success against Toronto this season. Incredibly, this will be Gausman's fifth start of the season against the Jays, and he is 1-0 with a sparkling 1.99 ERA in those previous four starts coming into tonight. The most important stat however is that the Orioles are 4-0 in Gausman's 2017 outings vs. Toronto. Take Baltimore. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-31-17 | Nationals v. Brewers -109 | Top | 3-6 | Win | 100 | 15 h 23 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the Washington Nationals. Two of the hottest starters of the second half of the season will go to the mound in game one of this series tonight in Milwaukee. The Nationals come off of a lopsided, three-game sweep of the over-matched Marlins, but will face a decidedly better Brewers club after traveling to Milwaukee. The Nats will turn to their LH ace, Gio Gonzalez, who will go to the mound for his 27th start of the season. Gonzalez has been very good all season, but he's been especially brilliant since the All Star break, going 6-1 with a 1.46 ERA and 0.89 WHIP in eight starts since the mid-summer Classic. But not to be outdone, the Brewers have their own ace lately -- a right hander -- as 24 year old Zach Davies has been on fire, arguably just as much as Gonzalez has. Since the break, Davies is 5-3 with a 2.28 ERA in nine starts. Davies also has more wins than Gonzalez, logging a league leading 15 W's vs. Gio's 13. But if Gonzalez has some reason for concern tonight, it's mainly due to his poor efforts here in Milwaukee. In three career starts at Miller Park, the southpaw is 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA and 1.60 WHIP in 15 innings. The Brewers are also 17-7 in Davies last 24 starts. |
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08-31-17 | Red Sox v. Yankees -132 | Top | 2-6 | Win | 100 | 7 h 29 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees have dropped their last three games, but I love them to snap their slide tonight. CC Sabathia will get the start, and he's led the Yankees to wins in 8 of 9 starts this season following a loss. Even better: he's been on the mound in 12 division games this season, and the Yanks have won 10 of those games. Likewise, New York's 41-22 at home vs. division rivals the past two seasons. Boston, meanwhile, has underperformed this season vs. southpaws, as it's just 16-15 (minus 4.2 games on the moneyline), while scoring just 4.5 runs per game in those contests (the Yanks average 5.4 runs at home this year). Eduardo Rodriguez has an ugly 6.11 ERA over his last three outings, including a 7-0 pasting by the Orioles last Saturday. Take New York. |
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08-31-17 | Dodgers v. Diamondbacks -105 | Top | 1-8 | Win | 100 | 11 h 3 m | Show |
At 3:40 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Zach Greinke has long been the best pitcher in baseball when playing in front of his home fans. This year, Arizona is 13-2 behind Greinke, and his teams are also 108-38 (+51 games on the moneyline) his last 146 as a home favorite. It's not often one can get Greinke at home laying a short price. With Arizona on a 6-game win streak, and the Dodgers mired in a 4-game slide, we'll take Arizona this afternoon. |
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08-31-17 | Rangers v. Astros -175 | Top | 1-5 | Win | 100 | 3 h 49 m | Show |
At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Texas Rangers. Texas has taken the first two games of this series. But Houston has a huge advantage on the mound this afternoon. The Astros will hand the ball to Collin McHugh, who has a 1.53 ERA over his last three sstarts. Houston is also 15-2 behind McHugh in division games, while Texas has lost Nick Martinez' last three starts. Take Houston. |
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08-30-17 | Mets v. Reds -130 | Top | 2-0 | Loss | -130 | 17 h 49 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Cincinnati Reds over the New York Mets. The Reds broke a 14-game losing streak to the Mets in a big way last night at home, plating 14 runs on 15 hits in a 14-4 blow-out. They'll look to run their streak to two-in-a-row tonight as veteran RH Homer Bailey takes the mound against the Mets and RHP Rafael Montero. It remains to be seen which version of Bailey shows up on the mound tonight. However, after two straight starts against the Cubs (preceded by games vs. Milwaukee and St. Louis), one thing seems certain and that is that Bailey will get some major class relief tonight. The Mets are just a really bad team right now. And they just lost their second star-quality outfielder for the season when it was announced that Yoenis Cespedes and his injured hamstring will be shut down for the rest of 2017. It's hard to imagine Bailey being very concerned on the mound tonight facing the few healthy hitters that the Mets have left. Montero will look to turn around his recent dry spell (1-5 with a 5.33 ERA since July 2), but to do so he'll have to solve his home run problem and there is no shortage of long-ball threats in the Reds lineup these days. Bailey would like nothing more than to get at least one victory in front of his home fans this season (he's 0-4 here) and he may have no better chance to do so than tonight. Take Cincy. 10* play. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-29-17 | Tigers v. Rockies -141 | Top | 3-7 | Win | 100 | 18 h 1 m | Show |
At 8:40 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over the Detroit Tigers. When it comes to the 2017 Colorado Rockies, we're seeing some things that we're not used to from this team. Primarily, what were seeing is multiple rookie starting pitchers who have solid records and ERAs that -- while not being confused with Clayton Kershaw -- do not qualify them for the bottom of the league. There's Kyle Freeland, with his 11-8 record and team-leading 3.81 ERA; and Antonio Senzatela with his 10-4 record, despite the fact that he was relegated to the bullpen on more than occasion. Then there's tonight's starter, RH German Marquez. Marquez just might be the quietest starter in the NL who has amassed double digit wins. He's 10-5 with a solid (for Colorado) 4.18 ERA in 22 starts. None of these three rookies are over 24 years old, either. Tonight, Marquez will face the Tigers and, although he has a higher ERA here in Denver, he is 6-2 in 10 starts at Coors vs. just 4-3 in 12 starts elsewhere. Michael Fulmer is not following up his Rookie of the Year season of 2016 quite the way he had hoped as he is 10-11 with a 3.69 ERA in 24 starts. And now he has to find out what it's like to pitch in the thin air of Coors for the first time. Take the Rockies. MLB Roadkill Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-28-17 | Red Sox v. Blue Jays -114 | Top | 6-5 | Loss | -114 | 15 h 50 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over the Boston Red Sox. Yesterday, Boston lost to Baltimore, and thus was swept at home in the weekend series, 3 games to none. The primary culprit in the loss was Boston's performance with runners in scoring position. The Red Sox were an ugly 1-for-13 in that situation, and stranded 13 baserunners in the game. Overall, Boston's dropped four in a row, and it won't get any easier tonight in Toronto. The Blue Jays will hand the ball to RHP Marcus Stroman, who we've backed a lot this season. Stroman's been especially strong at home, where his ERA this season is 2.63. Indeed, in his last 11 home starts, he hasn't given up more than three earned runs in any of those 11 games. The Red Sox are a poor 15-24 (minus 11 games on the moneyline) this season when priced +125 to -125 on the road (and 59-79 (minus 24 net games) the last three seasons). Take Toronto. MLB High Roller Winner. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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08-27-17 | Orioles v. Red Sox -134 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -134 | 12 h 43 m | Show |
At 1:35 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over the Baltimore Orioles. From the results of the first two games of this weekend series, you'd be hard pressed to tell which of these teams has a nice 3 1/2 game lead in the division and which one is fighting for the second Wild Card spot. The Orioles have come into Fenway and put an ole fashioned butt-whoopin' on the Red Sox through the first two, out-scoring them by 23-3 and out-hitting them by a staggering 30-10. The fun for the O's is likely about to stop however as LHP Wade Miley takes the mound for them in the series finale this afternoon. Miley actually pitched for Sox for the entire 2015 season so he is familiar with this ballpark, but the numbers for the most part are not pretty. The veteran southpaw has made 15 starts here and he has an ugly 4.82 ERA to show for them. Of course, he didn't have to face the Boston offense when he pitched here two seasons ago, but he has to face it today after two blowout losses. Boston RHP Doug Fister will try to keep the momentum going after the best start of his career, a complete-game, one-hit gem against the Indians last Tuesday which the Sox won, 9-1. The Orioles are 1-4 in Miley's last five road starts vs. teams with a winning record. Take Boston. Elite Info Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-26-17 | Twins v. Blue Jays -140 | Top | 9-10 | Win | 100 | 2 h 51 m | Show |
At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over the Minnesota Twins. After a disastrous month of June in which he went 0-4 with a 9.11 ERA, RHP Marco Estrada has gotten progressively better in July and now in August as veteran Mexican is 1-1 with a 4.44 ERA in four starts this month. Against the Twins, Estrada has a 4.23 ERA in eight career appearances holding them to 30 hits in 38 1/3 innings with 11 walks (a 1.07 WHIP). He will get another shot at them this afternoon at home where he is 3-3 this season, vs. 2-5 on the road. The Twins will go with veteran RH Dillon Gee who recently won the 5th starter spot on the team after allowing one run over six innings in Monday's doubleheader against the White Sox. Who knows where Gee's 1.95 ERA and 0.80 WHIP have come from, but one thing's for sure which is it appears he is performing way over his head right now when you consider his career numbers. The Jays are looking for some revenge today after falling 6-1 here at home last night. Despite that win, the Twins are just 9-27 in the last 36 meetings in Toronto. Take the Jays. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-25-17 | Rays v. Cardinals -161 | Top | 7-3 | Loss | -161 | 9 h 18 m | Show |
At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over Tampa Bay. The Cardinals are still in the NL Central race, but now sit 4.5 games out of first place, with just 35 to go. So, this home series vs. the Rays will be critical to their post-season hopes. Some good news comes in the form of tonight's mound opponent, Rays starter Jake Odorizzi. This season, Odorizzi has a 6-7 record, with a 4.74 ERA. But, over his last three games, those numbers are 0-3 with a 6.58 ERA. His last game was particularly bad, as the Mariners shelled him for seven runs, eight hits and five walks in just 3 2-3 innings. Take St. Louis. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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08-25-17 | Mets -133 v. Nationals | Top | 4-2 | Win | 100 | 8 h 9 m | Show |
Washington is 76-49 right now, but the team is a shell of its former self, with several players on the DL, including shortstop Trea Turner, outfielders Jason Werth and Bryce Harper, and pitchers Max Scherzer and Joe Ross. Tonight, A.J. Cole will fill in for Scherzer, and get the start. Unfortunately, he's not having a great season -- whether in AAA Syracuse, or in the big leagues. Down on the farm this season, he's 4-4 with a 5.82 ERA in 17 starts, while his MLB numbers are 0-3 (in 3 starts) with a 6.75 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. He has a tough match-up tonight against one of the National League's best. Jake deGrom is 13-7 with a 3.49 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. And deGrom has had a lot of success vs. the Nats (2.95 ERA in 10 starts; 1.11 WHIP). Take the Mets. |
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08-25-17 | Twins v. Blue Jays -187 | Top | 6-1 | Loss | -187 | 8 h 9 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over Minnesota. The Blue Jays have been one of the American League's disappointments this season, with a 60-67 record. But J.A. Happ has started to finally round into the form which made him a 20-game winner last season. He's given up just 8 earned runs in his last four games (3.04 ERA), and the Blue Jays were 3-1 in those contests. Tonight, he'll be back home to face Minnesota and the ageless wonder, Bartolo Colon. Although Colon is actually showing his age this season, as he's 5-10 with a 6.66 ERA. Take Toronto. |
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08-24-17 | Twins -167 v. White Sox | Top | 1-5 | Loss | -167 | 18 h 53 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is in on the Minnesota Twins over the Chicago White Sox. Sometimes there is a young pitcher in his second or third season in the Majors who looks like he is about to break out and go from being a very good starter to a bona-fide ace. The Twins 23-year-old RHP Jose Berrios appears to be just that type of star on the verge of dominance towards the end of his sophomore campaign. Berrios has solid, if not spectacular, overall numbers this season -- 11-5 with a 3.99 ERA in 18 starts covering 106 innings -- however he has shown flashes of brilliance, like in his last outing when he shut out a very good Diamondbacks offense over seven innings in a 5-0 victory. His longest start of the season was against this Chicago club when Berrios threw eight dominant innings, allowing just two runs on four hits in a 4-2 win back on June 21. The Sox will go with veteran LHP Derek Holland. The southpaw has struggled mightily over his last two starts. He lasted a combined 4 2/3 innings in those two, allowing 14 runs on 13 hits while walking seven in the process. He had an ugly relief stint after that to raise his ERA to a season-high 6.28. Take the Twins. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-24-17 | Rockies +101 v. Royals | Top | 3-2 | Win | 101 | 12 h 58 m | Show |
At 2:15 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over Kansas City. The Royals have taken the first two games of this series, but I like the Rockies to win this afternoon. Colorado has been terrific in daytime games this season, with a 29-17 record (+12 games on the moneyline). Also, German Marquez has excelled away from Coors Field, as he's 4-3 and his Road ERA this year is 3.95. He's also 2-0 in three interleague starts with a 2.00 ERA and 1.11 WHIP, and 3-1 in eight daytime starts, with a 3.09 ERA. Take Colorado. |
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08-24-17 | Yankees v. Tigers -105 | Top | 6-10 | Win | 100 | 11 h 54 m | Show |
At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the Detroit Tigers over New York. Michael Fulmer will get the start for the Tigers this afternoon. And he's a solid 6-4 at home this season, with a 3.37 ERA and a super 1.01 WHIP. Meanwhile, Jaime Garcia will start for the Pinstripes. But he's struggled over his last three outings, with a 6.32 ERA and 1.72 WHIP. Even worse: when priced between +125 and -125, the Yankees are a wallet-busting 15-27 on the road this year. Take Detroit. |
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08-23-17 | Padres v. Cardinals -165 | Top | 2-6 | Win | 100 | 19 h 56 m | Show |
At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the San Diego Padres. The Padres gave the Cardinals an old fashioned spanking last night, beating them 12-4 right here in front of their home fans. The Cards will try to get that one back tonight behind 24-year-old RH Luke Weaver. Weaver is taking Adam Wainwright’s place in the rotation and Weaver has made some nice progress since his 2016 debut campaign, going 1-1 with a 3.31 ERA in five appearances including two starts. This will be Weaver's first start against the Padres, who are 23-39 on the road this season. The Padres will go with RHP Jhoulys Chacin who has put up some surprisingly strong numbers in his first season in San Diego. Chacin is 11-8 with a 3.98 ERA in 25 starts. But the problem for him tonight is he has a very strong bias for his new home ballpark. In 13 starts at Petco, Chacin is 7-2 with a 1.86 ERA however in 12 starts elsewhere, he is 4-6 with a very ugly 6.90 number. And he's also 0-4 vs. the Cards in his career. Finally, even with their win last night, the Pads are still 15-44 in their last 59 games here in St. Louis. Take the Cards. MLB Roadkill Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-22-17 | Rangers v. Angels -130 | Top | 1-10 | Win | 100 | 17 h 50 m | Show |
At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Anaheim Angels over the Texas Rangers. Not many starting pitchers will survive for long in the Majors if they log the same number of strikeouts as walks, and the Rangers RH Tyson Ross is finding this out the hard way. In 42 1/3 innings, Ross has 31 K's and 31 BB's and not surprisingly he has a 7.02 ERA to go along with them. What is surprising is that Ross has a winning record at 3-2 and in fact the Rangers have won the majority of his starts (six of nine), but this simply will not continue if Ross keeps struggling with his command. In some ways, Ricky Nolasco's month of August is similar to Ross's season. The veteran RHP is 2-0 (and the Angels are 3-1 in his starts) despite the fact that Nolasco has a 5.66 ERA in his four starts. The difference is that at least Nolasco has punched out more batters than he's allowed on base via the free pass. It's been feast or famine for the Rangers offense lately as they followed up a 17-run outburst on Saturday with only a pair of runs on Sunday (before scoring five last night). Coming into Tuesday, the Angels are 9-3 in their last 12 games. And they're 65-33 (+19 games on the moneyline) when priced from -125 to -175. Take Anaheim. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-22-17 | Nationals v. Astros -170 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -170 | 15 h 55 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Washington Nationals. The Astros have been dominant in interleague play, with a 38-16 record over their last 54. We'll back Charlie Morton this evening, as he's pitched very well since coming off the disabled list last month. He's 5-2 in his eight starts, with a 3.26 ERA. And he's limited opposing hitters to a .192 batting average. Even better: in three interleague starts, his ERA is a sparkling 0.95. And he's 10-3 in his 16 nighttime starts. Take Houston. |
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08-22-17 | Blue Jays v. Rays -195 | Top | 5-6 | Win | 100 | 14 h 55 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over Toronto. This is a rematch of a game played five days ago at Rogers Centre, won by Toronto, 5-3. Blue Jays' rookie Chris Rowley went five innings in that game, while Rays starter Chris Archer went seven. And, even though the Blue Jays won, it was Archer who pitched decidedly better. Rowley allowed nine baserunners (including five walks) in his five innings, while Archer struck out 10 Jays, and only allowed five men to reach base in his seven innings. I look for Archer to have much better fortune tonight, as the Blue Jays are 0-5 this season when priced from +175 to +250. Take Tampa Bay. |
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Big Al McMordie MLB Picks
Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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04-25-18 | Tigers v. Pirates -191 | Top | 13-10 | Loss | -191 | 5 h 26 m | Show |
04-25-18 | Nationals -152 v. Giants | Top | 15-2 | Win | 100 | 5 h 43 m | Show |
04-23-18 | Padres v. Rockies -160 | Top | 13-5 | Loss | -160 | 17 h 28 m | Show |
04-22-18 | Red Sox -134 v. A's | Top | 1-4 | Loss | -134 | 10 h 48 m | Show |
04-19-18 | Giants v. Diamondbacks -170 | Top | 1-3 | Win | 100 | 19 h 50 m | Show |
04-17-18 | Astros -168 v. Mariners | Top | 4-1 | Win | 100 | 18 h 26 m | Show |
04-16-18 | Rangers v. Rays -158 | Top | 4-8 | Win | 100 | 16 h 33 m | Show |
04-15-18 | Brewers v. Mets -187 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 10 h 40 m | Show |
04-14-18 | Pirates -155 v. Marlins | Top | 1-0 | Win | 100 | 14 h 2 m | Show |
04-13-18 | A's v. Mariners +109 | Top | 4-7 | Win | 109 | 21 h 56 m | Show |
04-11-18 | Blue Jays v. Orioles -113 | Top | 3-5 | Win | 100 | 13 h 57 m | Show |
04-10-18 | Pirates v. Cubs -142 | Top | 8-5 | Loss | -142 | 13 h 60 m | Show |
04-08-18 | Mets v. Nationals -159 | Top | 6-5 | Loss | -159 | 17 h 26 m | Show |
04-05-18 | Marlins v. Phillies -152 | Top | 0-5 | Win | 100 | 12 h 27 m | Show |
04-04-18 | Rangers v. A's -145 | Top | 2-6 | Win | 100 | 17 h 33 m | Show |
04-03-18 | Dodgers -163 v. Diamondbacks | Top | 1-6 | Loss | -163 | 18 h 54 m | Show |
04-02-18 | Rangers v. A's -136 | Top | 1-3 | Win | 100 | 20 h 1 m | Show |
04-01-18 | Twins v. Orioles -102 | Top | 7-0 | Loss | -102 | 10 h 49 m | Show |
03-30-18 | Phillies +115 v. Braves | Top | 5-4 | Win | 115 | 13 h 60 m | Show |
03-29-18 | Twins v. Orioles -117 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 12 h 4 m | Show |
11-01-17 | Astros v. Dodgers -142 | Top | 5-1 | Loss | -142 | 19 h 5 m | Show |
10-31-17 | Astros v. Dodgers UNDER 8 | Top | 1-3 | Win | 100 | 20 h 24 m | Show |
10-29-17 | Dodgers -145 v. Astros | Top | 12-13 | Loss | -145 | 17 h 18 m | Show |
10-29-17 | Dodgers v. Astros OVER 7 | Top | 12-13 | Win | 105 | 17 h 16 m | Show |
10-28-17 | Dodgers +118 v. Astros | Top | 6-2 | Win | 118 | 15 h 21 m | Show |
10-27-17 | Dodgers v. Astros UNDER 8.5 | Top | 3-5 | Win | 100 | 19 h 54 m | Show |
10-24-17 | Astros v. Dodgers -165 | Top | 1-3 | Win | 100 | 14 h 9 m | Show |
10-20-17 | Yankees v. Astros -135 | Top | 1-7 | Win | 100 | 18 h 40 m | Show |
10-20-17 | Yankees v. Astros OVER 7.5 | Top | 1-7 | Win | 112 | 18 h 39 m | Show |
10-18-17 | Astros v. Yankees OVER 7.5 | Top | 0-5 | Loss | -120 | 3 h 56 m | Show |
10-17-17 | Dodgers v. Cubs UNDER 8 | Top | 6-1 | Win | 100 | 5 h 27 m | Show |
10-16-17 | Astros v. Yankees -124 | Top | 1-8 | Win | 100 | 19 h 38 m | Show |
10-16-17 | Astros v. Yankees OVER 8.5 | Top | 1-8 | Win | 100 | 19 h 37 m | Show |
10-15-17 | Cubs v. Dodgers OVER 7.5 | Top | 1-4 | Loss | -107 | 2 h 41 m | Show |
10-13-17 | Yankees v. Astros UNDER 8 | Top | 1-2 | Win | 105 | 17 h 48 m | Show |
10-12-17 | Cubs v. Nationals +104 | Top | 9-8 | Loss | -100 | 16 h 34 m | Show |
10-11-17 | Yankees v. Indians UNDER 7.5 | Top | 5-2 | Win | 100 | 15 h 26 m | Show |
10-11-17 | Nationals +109 v. Cubs | Top | 5-0 | Win | 109 | 3 h 56 m | Show |
10-09-17 | Nationals -119 v. Cubs | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -119 | 18 h 52 m | Show |
10-08-17 | Indians v. Yankees UNDER 8.5 | Top | 0-1 | Win | 100 | 18 h 42 m | Show |
10-07-17 | Cubs v. Nationals -117 | Top | 3-6 | Win | 100 | 17 h 5 m | Show |
10-06-17 | Cubs v. Nationals -149 | Top | 3-0 | Loss | -149 | 8 h 28 m | Show |
09-29-17 | Astros v. Red Sox UNDER 10 | Top | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 1 h 8 m | Show |
09-25-17 | Nationals v. Phillies -140 | Top | 3-1 | Loss | -140 | 4 h 45 m | Show |
09-24-17 | Cubs v. Brewers +118 | Top | 5-0 | Loss | -100 | 11 h 15 m | Show |
09-23-17 | Cubs v. Brewers +117 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 117 | 2 h 36 m | Show |
09-22-17 | Giants v. Dodgers -215 | Top | 2-4 | Win | 100 | 19 h 2 m | Show |
09-22-17 | Rockies -160 v. Padres | Top | 4-1 | Win | 100 | 19 h 2 m | Show |
09-22-17 | Cubs v. Brewers +110 | Top | 5-4 | Loss | -100 | 16 h 27 m | Show |
09-21-17 | Rangers v. Mariners -150 | Top | 4-2 | Loss | -150 | 20 h 15 m | Show |
09-20-17 | Indians v. Angels +100 | Top | 6-5 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 26 m | Show |
09-19-17 | Indians v. Angels -105 | Top | 6-3 | Loss | -105 | 19 h 50 m | Show |
09-19-17 | Dodgers -157 v. Phillies | Top | 2-6 | Loss | -157 | 16 h 15 m | Show |
09-19-17 | Cubs v. Rays -109 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -109 | 16 h 56 m | Show |
09-15-17 | Blue Jays -107 v. Twins | Top | 4-3 | Win | 100 | 8 h 5 m | Show |
09-15-17 | Cardinals +104 v. Cubs | Top | 2-8 | Loss | -100 | 2 h 16 m | Show |
09-15-17 | Cardinals v. Cubs UNDER 9 | Top | 2-8 | Loss | -105 | 2 h 16 m | Show |
09-14-17 | Royals +201 v. Indians | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -100 | 18 h 21 m | Show |
09-13-17 | Padres v. Twins UNDER 9 | Top | 1-3 | Win | 100 | 19 h 39 m | Show |
09-12-17 | Astros -129 v. Angels | Top | 1-0 | Win | 100 | 16 h 57 m | Show |
09-12-17 | A's v. Red Sox UNDER 9.5 | Top | 1-11 | Loss | -120 | 13 h 3 m | Show |
09-12-17 | Orioles -123 v. Blue Jays | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -123 | 13 h 58 m | Show |
09-11-17 | Dodgers -180 v. Giants | Top | 6-8 | Loss | -180 | 18 h 10 m | Show |
09-10-17 | Angels v. Mariners -122 | Top | 5-3 | Loss | -122 | 13 h 42 m | Show |
09-10-17 | Astros -181 v. A's | Top | 2-10 | Loss | -181 | 13 h 38 m | Show |
09-10-17 | Astros v. A's UNDER 9 | Top | 2-10 | Loss | -115 | 13 h 38 m | Show |
09-09-17 | Rockies v. Dodgers -215 | Top | 6-5 | Loss | -215 | 18 h 11 m | Show |
09-09-17 | Tigers v. Blue Jays -155 | Top | 4-5 | Win | 100 | 13 h 7 m | Show |
09-08-17 | Giants v. White Sox -111 | Top | 9-2 | Loss | -111 | 16 h 39 m | Show |
09-07-17 | Yankees v. Orioles -108 | Top | 9-1 | Loss | -108 | 4 h 34 m | Show |
09-06-17 | Diamondbacks v. Dodgers -170 | Top | 3-1 | Loss | -170 | 11 h 60 m | Show |
09-06-17 | Royals v. Tigers UNDER 9.5 | Top | 13-2 | Loss | -115 | 9 h 57 m | Show |
09-06-17 | Nationals -131 v. Marlins | Top | 8-1 | Win | 100 | 9 h 57 m | Show |
09-05-17 | Diamondbacks v. Dodgers -124 | Top | 3-1 | Loss | -124 | 7 h 0 m | Show |
09-05-17 | Blue Jays v. Red Sox -181 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 4 h 1 m | Show |
09-05-17 | Brewers -134 v. Reds | Top | 3-9 | Loss | -134 | 4 h 1 m | Show |
09-04-17 | Diamondbacks v. Dodgers -145 | Top | 13-0 | Loss | -145 | 24 h 19 m | Show |
09-03-17 | Diamondbacks v. Rockies -118 | Top | 5-1 | Loss | -118 | 3 h 39 m | Show |
09-03-17 | Rays -161 v. White Sox | Top | 2-6 | Loss | -161 | 9 h 18 m | Show |
09-02-17 | Nationals -180 v. Brewers | Top | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 16 h 9 m | Show |
09-01-17 | Blue Jays v. Orioles -161 | Top | 0-1 | Win | 100 | 16 h 14 m | Show |
08-31-17 | Nationals v. Brewers -109 | Top | 3-6 | Win | 100 | 15 h 23 m | Show |
08-31-17 | Red Sox v. Yankees -132 | Top | 2-6 | Win | 100 | 7 h 29 m | Show |
08-31-17 | Dodgers v. Diamondbacks -105 | Top | 1-8 | Win | 100 | 11 h 3 m | Show |
08-31-17 | Rangers v. Astros -175 | Top | 1-5 | Win | 100 | 3 h 49 m | Show |
08-30-17 | Mets v. Reds -130 | Top | 2-0 | Loss | -130 | 17 h 49 m | Show |
08-29-17 | Tigers v. Rockies -141 | Top | 3-7 | Win | 100 | 18 h 1 m | Show |
08-28-17 | Red Sox v. Blue Jays -114 | Top | 6-5 | Loss | -114 | 15 h 50 m | Show |
08-27-17 | Orioles v. Red Sox -134 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -134 | 12 h 43 m | Show |
08-26-17 | Twins v. Blue Jays -140 | Top | 9-10 | Win | 100 | 2 h 51 m | Show |
08-25-17 | Rays v. Cardinals -161 | Top | 7-3 | Loss | -161 | 9 h 18 m | Show |
08-25-17 | Mets -133 v. Nationals | Top | 4-2 | Win | 100 | 8 h 9 m | Show |
08-25-17 | Twins v. Blue Jays -187 | Top | 6-1 | Loss | -187 | 8 h 9 m | Show |
08-24-17 | Twins -167 v. White Sox | Top | 1-5 | Loss | -167 | 18 h 53 m | Show |
08-24-17 | Rockies +101 v. Royals | Top | 3-2 | Win | 101 | 12 h 58 m | Show |
08-24-17 | Yankees v. Tigers -105 | Top | 6-10 | Win | 100 | 11 h 54 m | Show |
08-23-17 | Padres v. Cardinals -165 | Top | 2-6 | Win | 100 | 19 h 56 m | Show |
08-22-17 | Rangers v. Angels -130 | Top | 1-10 | Win | 100 | 17 h 50 m | Show |
08-22-17 | Nationals v. Astros -170 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -170 | 15 h 55 m | Show |
08-22-17 | Blue Jays v. Rays -195 | Top | 5-6 | Win | 100 | 14 h 55 m | Show |