Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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09-08-20 | Rays -156 v. Nationals | Top | 3-5 | Loss | -156 | 12 h 48 m | Show |
At 6:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Washington Nationals. Who would have imagined just two years ago that, in September of 2020, the Rays would be prohibitive favorites in DC against the mighty Nationals? Well, as crazy as this season has been, it's even crazier when you consider who the contenders and pretenders are at this stage. With Boston never getting out of the box, the Yanks faltering, and Toronto still at least a year away from being a true contender, the Rays are the overwhelming favorites to win the AL East. Tampa's roster is full of bargain players, and Ryan Yarbrough is a good example. He's not going to win a Cy Young anytime soon, but the 3rd-year southpaw (on a 1-year contract for about $500K) is a very good pitcher who can fill spots in the rotation and provide valuable innings in relief. This evening, he'll get start number eight after coming off the DL for a groin injury. Yarbrough is 16-7 with a 3.44 ERA in 43 night games (17 starts). And he's also 16-5 with a 3.32 ERA in 37 career road games. Take Tampa. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-07-20 | Tigers v. Twins -205 | Top | 2-6 | Win | 100 | 10 h 35 m | Show |
At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Detroit Tigers. When the Twins signed Michael Pineda to a two-year contract at the bargain price of $10 Million back in 2017, they knew they were getting some damaged goods and that Pineda would be a work in progress. And despite a rocky road in 2018 and 2019 that included just 26 starts, some nagging knee issues, and a drug suspension, the Twins thought enough of the veteran RHP to give him another two-year contract last year. It seems like Pineda has been around forever so it's hard to believe that he's just 31-years-old. Pineda is off the restricted list, healthy and ready to contribute. And his opponent this afternoon is, coincidentally, the team against which Pineda last earned an MLB win. That was last September, and he gave up just 5 hits and 1 BB over six innings, en route to an 8-3 victory. Today, Pineda will match up against RHP Michael Fulmer. Fulmer has gone from being the AL Rookie of the Year in 2016, at age 23, to basically being an afterthought just four years later. Fulmer has no wins, and a 7.27 ERA in six starts, covering 17 1/3 innings in 2020. Detroit also is 5-13 (-8 games on the moneyline) in Fulmer's last 18 daytime starts. Take Minnesota. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-06-20 | Astros -145 v. Angels | Top | 5-9 | Loss | -145 | 10 h 30 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Los Angeles Angels. Southpaw Framber Valdez will get the start for Houston today, and all he's done this season is compile a 2.77 ERA, including 1.23 on the road. Over the last three seasons, he's made four starts vs. the Angels. He's given up just seven runs over 23 innings (2.74 ERA), while striking out 25, and allowing just 12 hits. Meanwhile, his mound opponent, Jaime Barria, has a career 4.59 ERA vs. Houston. And Barria's teams have won just two of his seven starts vs. Houston. Take the Astros. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-06-20 | Padres -110 v. A's | Top | 5-3 | Win | 100 | 9 h 30 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over the Oakland Athletics. Few pitchers have benefited more from their offense this season than Oakland's Mike Fiers. The 35-year-old RH has some pretty scary numbers -- 10.2 hits allowed per nine innings, a 1.91 K:BB ratio, a 1.43 WHIP and an ERA of almost five runs. Yet somehow Fiers is 4-1 in his seven starts. And when you look at his run support, you can understand why he's had that much success. The A's have scored an amazing 7.1 runs on average per 27 outs that Fiers has pitched this season. Those numbers simply aren't sustainable and at some point the won-lost record is going to reflect Fiers' poor pitching stats. It could start to unravel this afternoon against one of the best offenses in the Majors. San Diego's 233 runs scored through their first 41 games is tops in baseball. The Padres lost last night to the A's and LH Sean Manaea but they are still 17-9 (+7 games on the moneyline) in their last 26 games vs. RH starters. Take San Diego. |
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09-06-20 | Nationals v. Braves -112 | Top | 3-10 | Win | 100 | 7 h 31 m | Show |
At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Washington Nationals. Call it what you want -- World Series Curse, target on their back, etc. -- but it doesn't look like there's any way the Nats are going to repeat as MLB Champs. In fact the way things are going, they'd be very lucky to finish the season with a .500 record and out of the cellar of the NL East. Sure, they were way under .500 early on in 2019, but this is different as we're already 2/3 of the way through 2020. Injuries have played a huge role in the Nats' demise and it seems like almost no player has been spared at this point. That has to be music to the ears of Braves veteran RHP Josh Tomlin, who won't face Starlin Castro -- out for the season -- and also likely won't see OFs Adam Eaton or Juan Soto who are questionable with minor injuries but who will both likely get the day off. Atlanta likes these afternoon affairs this season as the Braves are 7-1 (+7 games on the moneyline) in their last eight day games. They are also 20-4 in their last 24 as a favorite. |
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09-05-20 | Yankees -232 v. Orioles | Top | 1-6 | Loss | -232 | 8 h 47 m | Show |
At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over Baltimore. New York's won 18 of the last 19 meetings with Baltimore here, at Camden Yards. Tonight, they'll hand the ball to Gerrit Cole, who had won 20 consecutive regular season decisions, dating back to last year, before dropping his last two outings. Cole's ERA is 2.29 vs. the Orioles, and his teams are 3-0 vs. Baltimore in his three career starts, including a 9-3 victory earlier this season at Camden Yards. Keegan Akin will make his second career start tonight after joining the rotation following the trade of Tommy Milone to the Braves. Akin was effective two years ago in AA ball for the Bowie Baysox, but struggled somewhat at AAA Norfolk last year, as he was 6-7, with a 4.73 ERA. It's true that Cole has "not been himself" over his last two starts (9 runs in 10 innings) -- so much so that he watched videotape to see if he was tipping his pitches (but didn't find anything). The most important thing is that he's healthy, so his poor outings are not injury-related. And it also must be noted that his last two outings were against the Rays and Braves, who are both leading their divisions. Cole's teams are 34-5 when favored by -200+ in his last 39 starts. Take New York. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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09-05-20 | Blue Jays -130 v. Red Sox | Top | 8-9 | Loss | -130 | 8 h 42 m | Show |
At 7:30 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over Boston. The Red Sox are a horrid 2-13 this season (and 9-23 their last 32) as a home underdog, and 7-22, overall, as an underdog this season. They'll hand the ball to RHP Ryan Weber this evening. Unfortunately, he's not been effective this year, as he's 0-2 in four starts, with an 8.36 ERA and 2.00 WHIP. He's given up six home runs, and walked nine batters, in just 14 innings this season. Even worse, in his career, his teams have won just one of his nine starts, when he's been installed as the underdog. Chase Anderson will start for Toronto, and he's been extremely consistent. In his five starts, he gave up exactly 1 earned run in four of them. And he's had just four walks, and given up just two home runs in his 19 2-3 innings. Take Toronto. |
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09-05-20 | Brewers v. Indians -112 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 7 h 20 m | Show |
Seven starts into the season, and Indians RH Aaron Civale has matched his record from all of 2019 (3-4). And despite his ERA being considerably higher so far this season (3.72 vs. 2.34) there are some other positive trends. Perhaps the most telling improvement for the 25-year-old is his control. Last season, Civale walked 2.5 hitters per nine innings on average. So far this season, Civale has cut that number by more than half, averaging just 1.2 free passes per game. So it's not too surprising that his ERA has gone up since he's putting more pitches over the plate. But at the same time, Civale has increased his strikeout rate this season almost a K per inning from 7.2 (2019) to 8.4. These improvements have a lot to do with Civale having tossed his first career complete game three starts ago at Pittsburgh, in a 6-1 victory over the Pirates. Cleveland lost to this club on Friday but is still 6-2 in its last eight interleague games vs. teams with a losing record. Take the Tribe. |
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09-04-20 | Padres v. A's -139 | Top | 7-0 | Loss | -139 | 15 h 44 m | Show |
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Oakland Athletics over the San Diego Padres. Oakland's starter tonight is LH Jesus Luzardo. There are plenty of young starters on the A's roster, but none is hyped any more than the 22-year-old from Lima, Peru (by way of Florida). Luzardo burst on the MLB scene last season with a 1.50 ERA in six relief appearances. And although his numbers aren't as eye-popping in 2020, Luzardo has become a full-time member of the rotation and he's making the most of it so far. In seven games -- five starts -- Luzardo has a 2-1 record with a 3.74 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 33 2/3 innings. The A's are 88-37 (+32 games on the moneyline) as a home favorite. Take the A's. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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09-04-20 | Cardinals +125 v. Cubs | Top | 1-4 | Loss | -100 | 13 h 20 m | Show |
At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the Chicago Cubs. It will be the battle of two aces tonight in Chicago -- one up-and-coming at just 24 years old -- and the other a wily veteran who is 10 years his senior (but who can still skillfully get batters out). That latter one would be RHP Yu Darvish who seems to be ageless as he is off to another fantastic start. RHP Jack Flaherty's numbers, though, would surely look a whole lot better if the Cards hadn't gotten stuck in COVID-19 purgatory for many days this season before finally resuming a normal schedule. The rust showed early on for Flaherty but now the Cardinals' young fire-baller is looking like an ace again. Darvish has struggled in his career against the Cards, posting a sub-par 1-2 record with a 3.56 ERA in five starts against them. The 3.56 ERA -- along with a 1.29 WHIP -- might seem great for most pitchers, but for Darvish, they are not up to his average numbers. The Cards are 6-1 in the last seven meetings with the Cubs in Chicago. Take St. Louis. |
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09-04-20 | Marlins +124 v. Rays | Top | 4-5 | Loss | -100 | 12 h 45 m | Show |
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Miami Marlins over the Tampa Bay Rays. With a .500 record, the NL East Pennant is actually within reach of the Marlins, which would explain their deadline trade that resulted in a significant outfield upgrade. The Fish shipped a pair of talented young pitchers to Arizona for 5-tool-OF Starling Marte. No doubt the main reason Miami felt okay dealing Caleb Smith and Humberto Mejia to the desert was the fact its pitching staff is loaded with young talent. Case in point is tonight's starter, RH Pablo Lopez. The 24-year-old Venezuelan is in his third MLB season and he appears to be breaking out in a big way. In six starts covering 34 1/3 innings, Lopez is 3-2 with a 2.10 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. This is a revenge situation for the Marlins and Lopez as, in his last start, he threw seven very strong innings against this Rays team, allowing just two runs on six hits with five Ks and no walks. But his offense came up empty in a 4-0 loss. The road team is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings of these two. Take Miami. |
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09-03-20 | White Sox -135 v. Royals | Top | 11-6 | Win | 100 | 15 h 26 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Chicago White Sox over Kansas City. The ChiSox have been playing great baseball, notwithstanding last night's 8-1 loss to the Twins. Tonight, Chicago will open up a 4-game series vs. the Royals, and RHP Dylan Cease will match-up against southpaw Danny Duffy. Dating back to last season, Cease has given up 2 earned runs or less in nine of his last 10 starts! And his ERA is 2.68 over that time. Duffy's career ERA vs. Chicago is north of 4 runs per game and, earlier this season, he gave up 3 earned runs (and 8 baserunners) in 5 2-3 innings, in a 6-5 loss. We'll back the White Sox tonight, as they're 11-0 this season vs. left-handed starters, and have scored an average of 6.7 runs in those 11 games, while hitting .342. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie |
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09-03-20 | Yankees -102 v. Mets | Top | 7-9 | Loss | -102 | 5 h 15 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the New York Mets. When JA Happ came to the Yankees from the Blue Jays at the end of the 2018 season, he proceeded to go on a tear, putting up a 7-0 record with a 2.69 ERA in 11 starts in pinstripes. That performance convinced the Yankees to re-sign the then-36-year-old southpaw to a two year, 34 million contract (albeit after they released him). But as could be expected, Happ came back to earth quite a bit in 2019, posting a 4.91 ERA in 31 games (30 starts). He's having a better season so far in 2020 which is good since he'll likely be a free agent again in a few months. Happ is 1-1 with a 4.05 ERA in four starts covering 20 innings. Happ has had success against the Mets in his career, going 4-2 with a 3.41 ERA in 12 appearances (10 starts) covering just over 63 innings. And he's also enjoyed success at CitiField, going 2-1 with a 3.27 ERA in six games here (five starts). The Mets are 4-10 (-10 games on the moneyline) in their last 14 games vs. LH starters. Take the Yanks. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-02-20 | Blue Jays -130 v. Marlins | Top | 2-1 | Win | 100 | 14 h 2 m | Show |
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over the Miami Marlins. No MLB Team has reworked its pitching staff from 2019 to 2020 more than the Blue Jays. Virtually every starter that the Jays used last season is either gone from the team or recovering from a long-term injury. In the off-season, the Jays brought in three new starters in Chase Anderson, Hyun-Jin Ryu, and Tanner Roark. And now, with their deadline trades, the makeover is complete with the additions of Robbie Ray and Ross Stripling. And the results are what was hoped as Toronto's team ERA is a full run lower this season than it was last (3.72 vs. 4.79). Tonight it's LH Ryu's turn. And the Korean veteran has not disappointed so far, going 2-1 with 2.92 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in seven starts covering 37 innings. He's familiar with the Marlins from his time in the NL and he's been very effective against them. In five careers starts covering 32 1/3 innings vs. Miami, Ryu is 3-1 with a sparkling 2.23 ERA. Finally, the Marlins are hitting a paltry .197 vs. lefty starters this season. Take Toronto. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-01-20 | Rays v. Yankees -144 | Top | 3-5 | Win | 100 | 7 h 26 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Tampa Bay Rays. RHP Masahiro Tanaka is in the last season of his seven year, $155 Million contract with the Yankees. He'd like nothing better than to go into the off-season on a high note as at age 31, Tanaka likely figures he has several more years left to contribute to somebody's staff. He won't keep his streak of double-digit victories going (six seasons since he came into the league in 2014) as Tanaka is still searching for his first win of 2020. But his other numbers are solid, as Tanaka has a 3.48 ERA to go with a 1.16 WHIP -- including 17 Ks and 3 BBs -- in five starts covering just under 21 innings. Perhaps that first W will come tonight against a team that he's had plenty of success against. In 20 career starts vs. the Rays, Tanaka is 10-5 with a 3.33 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in just over 124 innings. Those 10 wins are the second-most that he has notched vs. any team (Toronto - 13). The Yankees are also 19-12 in Tanaka's last 31 starts vs. Division opponents. Take New York. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-31-20 | Padres v. Rockies -109 | Top | 6-0 | Loss | -109 | 8 h 8 m | Show |
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over the San Diego Padres. German Marquez has been a workhorse for the Rockies this season, getting a league-leading seven starts already coming into tonight. Start number eight will be his first this season against the Padres, a team he's had a lot of success against in his career. In 11 lifetime games -- nine starts -- vs. the Pads, Marquez has gone 5-2 in just over 55 innings. And those five victories represent the most that Marquez has notched against any Major League Team. Marquez's 2020 ERA of 4.50 may not seem great but it's better than the number he put up last season and what's most encouraging is that Marquez -- who led the league with 14 wild pitches last season -- has only had one ball get away from him so far in 2020. This will be the rubber game in this five-game series -- all played here at Coors Field. San Diego's bullpen is decimated with injuries, as no fewer than six relievers -- including closer Kirby Yates -- are all out with various maladies. Take the Rox. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-31-20 | White Sox v. Twins +120 | Top | 8-5 | Loss | -100 | 7 h 40 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Chicago White Sox. Lucas Giolito is one of the game's best pitchers, and comes into tonight off his career highlight -- a no-hitter last Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. But he'll face a much better hitting team tonight, in Minnesota. And the Twins have had decent success vs. Giolito in his career, as they're 7-4 vs. him, while his ERA in those 11 starts is 5.34. One of those came earlier this season when the Twins roughed him up for seven runs on six hits, in just 3 2-3 innings. Minnesota is 51-28 (+16 games on the moneyline) off a loss; 12-3 this season at home; and 23-21 (+9 games on the moneyline) as a home underdog. And it's 34-22 (+13 games on the moneyline) in competitively-priced games where the Twins are -125 to +125. Take the Twins. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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08-29-20 | Padres v. Rockies -140 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 18 h 55 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over the San Diego Padres. Throughout his brief (three-plus seasons) MLB career, RHP Antonio Senzatela has shown flashes of brilliance, but has never finished a season with an ERA under 4.3 runs or a WHIP under 1.3. With the Talent the Venezuelan has, you have to wonder how his numbers would look if he pitched for any team other than Colorado. This season, at the age of 25, Senzatela may have gotten over the "Mile High hump" as he is 3-1 with a 3.96 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in six starts covering 36 1/3 innings so far. Senzatela has seen his K:BB ratio go from 1.33 (last season) to 4.17 so far in 2020 (25 K's with only six walks). Perhaps most important, Senzatela has a 1-0 record with a 4.50 ERA in two starts at Coors Field. That 4.50 ERA may not seem great on the surface, but it sure beats the 6.21 number he had here last season (12 starts). Senzatela has started 36 night games in his career, and the Rox are 24-12 (+17 games on the moneyline) in those. Take Colorado. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-29-20 | Braves +119 v. Phillies | Top | 1-4 | Loss | -100 | 1 h 22 m | Show |
At 1:15 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Philadelphia Phillies. This pitching match-up is a rematch of last Sunday's affair won by the Phillies, 5-4. Josh Tomlin took the loss in that game, but we'll look for Tomlin and the Braves to avenge that defeat, as Atlanta's 6-0 in daytime games this season, and 62-40 (+21 games on the moneyline) in its last 102 day games. Even better: Atlanta's up 43 games on the moneyline the past 3 seasons vs. righties, while Philadelphia's down 19 games on the moneyline vs. righties. Take Atlanta with Tomlin. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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08-28-20 | Cubs -123 v. Reds | Top | 5-6 | Loss | -123 | 9 h 41 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Cincinnati Reds. Kyle Hendricks has always been a bit of an on-again, off-again starter, and this season is certainly no exception. He started out 2020 with one of the best outings of his career, throwing a complete-game shutout (three-hitter) over the Brewers on opening day. He then followed that up with a real clunker (6 ER on 7 H in 4 1/3 IP) here in Cincinnati five days later. Then, after getting August off on a strong note with two very nice starts, Hendricks has now looked very average in his last two (both Cubs' losses). Perhaps a second start against the sub-par and re-building Reds will get the veteran RH's season back on track. Despite his ups and downs, Hendricks' season is still pretty darn good with a 3.55 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in his six starts covering 38 innings. Veteran LH Wade Miley was originally supposed to go for the Reds in this one, but he ended up starting the second game of last night's DH, so Tyler Mahle will get the call. Mahle has yet to win this season (the Reds are 0-3 in his starts), and has a 4.41 ERA. Even worse, the Reds are 63-88 (minus 26 games on the moneyline) off a win. Take the Cubs. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-28-20 | Mets v. Yankees -132 | Top | 6-4 | Loss | -132 | 6 h 37 m | Show |
At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the New York Mets. With a slew of postponements, get ready to see more double-headers than usual in the coming days. The Yankees and Mets play a twin-bill starting with this late-afternoon match-up. Once again, injuries are hitting the Yanks and, after a red-hot start, they've cooled off quite a bit. But the Pinstripes are still five games over .500 after losing a DH on Wednesday to the Braves. Now the Mets and Yanks will cram five games into three days to make this weekend series even stranger than it would have been. The injury to LHP James Paxson will keep LHP Jordan Montgomery in the rotation for now. And Montgomery goes in this first game for the Yanks. Despite an elevated ERA of 4.66, Montgomery has a very nice 1.09 WHIP and has won two of his four starts. He'll match up against Michael Wacha, who has an ERA of 6.43 with the Mets this season. The Mets are a dreadful 0-9 this season when priced as an underdog of +150 or less, and 11-29 (minus 16 games on the moneyline) over the last two seasons. Meanwhile, the Yankees are 45-22 (+18 games on the moneyline) as a favorite of -150 or less. Take the Yankees. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-27-20 | Mariners v. Padres -187 | Top | 8-3 | Loss | -187 | 1 h 8 m | Show |
At 6:10 pm, in Game 2 of the Doubleheader, our selection is on the San Diego Padres. The listed pitchers for Game 2 are going to be Garrett Richards vs. Yusei Kikuchi. In Kikuchi's four starts this season, he's allowed 14 runs and 28 baserunners in just 20 innings (6.30 ERA; 1.39 WHIP). And, on the road, those numbers balloon to 12.26 ERA; 2.45 WHIP. Kikuchi will face San Diego's Richards, who has a 2.40 ERA over his last three starts, which were against the Astros, Diamondbacks and Dodgers. Richards' teams have gone 36-23 (+6 games on the moneyline) in his career at home; 11-2 in his career in interleague games; and 24-8 (+9 games on the moneyline) as a favorite of -150 or more. Take San Diego. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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08-27-20 | Mariners v. Padres -200 | Top | 7-10 | Win | 100 | 12 h 17 m | Show |
At 3:10 pm, in Game 1 of its doubleheader, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over the Seattle Mariners. At the time of this writing, the pitching match-up for this first game is unclear, as the Padres have their choice between Garrett Richards and Dinelson Lamet, while Seattle will hand the ball to either Taijuan Walker or Yusei Kikuchi. The Padres are 7-1 in their last eight interleague match-ups. And we will be on the Padres in this first game of the doubleheader, regardless of which of the four possible pitching match-ups takes plays. Let's look at the possible San Diego starters. RH Garrett Richards will be toeing the rubber for the seventh time this season. Admittedly, the wins have been tough to come by for the 32-year-old, but otherwise Richards has been solid in 2020, with a 3.52 ERA through 30 2/3 innings. Richards has had plenty of experience against the Mariners from his time with the Angels in the AL West. And he's also had plenty of success. In 22 games vs. Seattle (14 starts) Richards is 7-4 with a 3.26 ERA and 1.20 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 96 2/3 innings. With respect to Lamet, the sky appears to be the limit for the Dominican ace, who is blossoming now with 1.89 ERA and 0.84 WHIP in six starts covering 33 1/3 innings. Either of these two Padres will have a decided advantage vs. either Kikuchi (6.30 ERA; 12.26 Road ERA) or Walker (4.82 Road ERA; 1.60 WHIP). Take the Padres. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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08-26-20 | Royals v. Cardinals -168 | Top | 5-6 | Win | 100 | 17 h 8 m | Show |
At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the Kansas City Royals. Dakota Hudson will get the start tonight vs. the Royals. And he dominated Kansas City in his lone start vs. it last season, when he threw six scoreless innings, en route to a 6-0 win. KC is a poor 46-112 as an underdog of +150 or more (minus 22 games on the moneyline), while the Cards are a solid 14-6 behind Hudson at home, and 4-1 his last five after he gave up 0 earned runs in his last outing. Take St. Louis. |
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08-26-20 | Yankees -168 v. Braves | Top | 1-5 | Loss | -168 | 4 h 18 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, in Game 1 of the double header, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Atlanta Braves. The Yankees will hand the ball to the most dependable pitcher in baseball this aftenroon, Gerrit Cole. All Cole has done is win his last 20 regular season decisions, with eight no-decisions! And his teams are 25-3 in those 28 regular season games (and 29-4 if you toss in five post-season starts). In his last start, the Yankees actually lost, but through no fault of Cole's, as he struck out 10, and allowed just 2 runs over 6 2-3 innings. He's faced the Braves six times in his career, and his teams have won five of those games. The Yankees are a solid 32-14 (+14 games on the moneyline off a loss by more than three runs). Take New York. |
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08-25-20 | Orioles v. Rays -210 | Top | 2-4 | Win | 100 | 15 h 13 m | Show |
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Baltimore Orioles. If someone had told you a month ago that the Baltimore Orioles would be a .500 team almost halfway through the season you would have thought they needed to have their head examined. But here we are almost at the halfway point and the O's are 14-14. Tonight, they take on another surprise AL East club in the Rays, although it's much less shocking what Tampa is doing given its plethora of young talent. Imagine how good the Rays would be if veteran starters Charlie Morton and Tyler Glasnow could turn things around? Both have been major disappointments so far (Morton is dinged up) and yet the Rays are still 19-11. Glasnow gets a great chance to start a rebound tonight against an O's team that he's dominated. In four career starts vs. Baltimore, the 27-year-old RH is 2-0 with a 1.99 ERA and 0.79 WHIP including 25 strikeouts and only three walks in 22 2/3 innings. It's true that Baltimore swept Tampa in a 3-game series earlier this season. But those three games were at Camden Yards; this evening's game is in central Florida. The Rays are 111-67 (+25 games on the moneyline) at home, while the Orioles are a dreadful 56-117 (minus 20 games on the moneyline) on the road. Take Tampa. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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08-24-20 | Marlins +113 v. Nationals | Top | 11-8 | Win | 113 | 12 h 28 m | Show |
At 6:05 pm, our selection is on the Miami Marlins over the Washington Nationals. Things just keep getting worse for the defending World Series Champs. The Nats just found out that ace Stephen Strasburg will need season-ending surgery on his wrist and they've already lost 2B Starlin Castro (wrist) and closer Sean Doolitle (knee) prior to Strasburg having gone down. Losing a home series to the Marlins would have been almost unthinkable the last few seasons, but that's what will happen if Miami takes game five tonight in DC. And you have to give the Fish the decided edge in the pitching match-up with 24-year-old phenom RH Pablo Lopez taking the mound for his fifth start of the season tonight. Lopez is 2-1 with a very nice 2.42 ERA and 1.16 WHIP including 24 strikeouts and only five walks in 22 1/3 innings so far. With Strasburg out, RHP Austin Voth will get an extra long look in the rotation the rest of the season, but the 28-year-old RH has struggled to an 0-2 record with a 5.00 ERA and 1.44 WHIP in four starts covering 18 innings. Take Miami. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-23-20 | Angels v. A's -123 | Top | 4-5 | Win | 100 | 9 h 58 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Oakland A's over the L.A. Angels. Frankie Montas will look to bounce back from his last effort, which was about as bad as a start could go. Montas gave up 9 earned runs in just 1 2-3 innings, and the A's lost 10-1 at Arizona. But Montas has been spectacular at home this season, with a 1.69 ERA in three starts. And he's 2-0 in five career starts vs. the Angels with a 3.12 ERA, including a 7-3 victory less than a month ago. The Angels are a horrible 4-15 vs. righties this season, while Oakland is 87-37 its last 124 as a home favorite. Take the A's. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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08-23-20 | Astros -110 v. Padres | Top | 3-5 | Loss | -110 | 5 h 51 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the San Diego Padres. Houston has a starter with a 1.84 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 6.25 K:BB ratio through five starts and it's not Justin Verlander, Lance McCullers, or some hot-shot youngster brought up from the minor league system. It's old reliable RH Zack Greinke. No ace starter flies under the radar more than the 36-year-old Greinke and it's probably because we've seen him put up 15-20 wins and an ERA under three runs for so many seasons now that we've just come to expect it from him. He won't win 15 games in this shortened season, but the rest of the numbers appear to be on track as Greinke seems to be as hard to hit as ever. This afternoon will be a good test as it seems this young upstart Padres lineup can hit just about anything lately. But Greinke has been dominant in his career vs. the Padres (he faced them a lot when he was in the NL West), posting a 13-3 record, 2.37 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in 25 starts covering just over 163 innings against San Diego. Take Houston. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-22-20 | Diamondbacks -154 v. Giants | Top | 1-5 | Loss | -154 | 8 h 26 m | Show |
At 9:15 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over San Francisco. We played (and lost) on the Diamondbacks last night, but will come back with them this evening. The Giants' Tyler Anderson has been largely ineffective this year. In four starts, his ERA is just south of six runs per game, while his WHIP is north of 1.60. Not surprisingly, the Giants have lost three of his four starts this season (and his teams have lost 18 of his last 22 starts over the past 2+ years). Indeed, since July 24, 2018, the only four times he has started in a game his team eventually won, it was when his team scored 7, 7, 12 and 9 runs! Now, of course, eventually, he'll win a low-scoring game, but I don't think it will be tonight. Arizona's Zac Gallen has a 2.40 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP in his five starts this season. And against some great competition (A's, Rockies, Astros, Dodgers, Padres). It doesn't get more impressive than that. Take Arizona. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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08-22-20 | Rockies +190 v. Dodgers | Top | 3-4 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 21 m | Show |
At 9:10 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Kyle Freeland is Mr. Reliable so far this season. Certainly not the sexiest pitcher going with just 18 strikeouts to go along with seven walks in 31 2/3 innings, Freeland has a pretty amazing streak of solid outings. The Colorado LH has thrown quality starts in each of his five trips to the hill in 2020, allowing three runs on just one occasion. And three of those five starts were at the hitters playground known as Coors Field which makes his accomplishments all that more impressive. So no doubt the 27 year-old must be looking forward to his first start this season in Dodger Stadium -- one of the most pitcher-friendly venues in the Majors. There's no question the Dodgers have excelled this season on both sides of the ball, but one thing they haven't done very well is hit lefties. In 258 ABs vs. southpaws, L.A. is hitting a paltry .213. The Rox are 12-3 (+11 games on the money line) in Freeland's last 15 starts after he allowed two runs or less in his last. Take Colorado. |
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08-22-20 | White Sox v. Cubs -175 | Top | 7-4 | Loss | -175 | 7 h 27 m | Show |
At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Chicago White Sox. The ChiSox have won six in a row. But four of those games were against the Detroit Tigers (who have lost nine of their last 10 games). Today, the Cubs will have the decided advantage on the mound, with Kyle Hendricks squaring off against Reynaldo Lopez. Lopez started just once this year, and it wasn't pretty. He didn't make it out of the first inning, as the Twins pounded him for four runs in 2/3 of an inning (in a game which wound up as a 14-2 score). Meanwhile, Hendricks has been exceptional, with a 3.31 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP (2.02; 0.62 at home). The Cubs are 31-9 at home (+18 games on the moneyline) when the over/under is 10+ runs, while the White Sox are 6-26 on the road (minus 16 games on the moneyline) when the total was 10+ runs. Take the Cubbies. |
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08-21-20 | Diamondbacks -110 v. Giants | Top | 2-6 | Loss | -110 | 15 h 0 m | Show |
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over San Francisco. We played (and lost) on the D-backs last night at Oakland. But we'll come right back with Arizona tonight, as they'll move across the bay to take on San Francisco. The pitching matchup will be the Giants' Logan Webb vs. Arizona's Robbie Ray. In Ray's last start, he gave up just one earned run in five innings, which was his best start yet of the 2020 campaign. He also has had success vs. San Francisco, as he's 5-2 in his 14 career starts, with a 3.33 ERA. The D-Backs are 18-11 as a road favorite with Ray on the mound, while the Giants are a poor 33-51 (minus 11 games on the moneyline) as a home underdog. Take Arizona to bounce back this evening. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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08-20-20 | Diamondbacks +148 v. A's | Top | 1-5 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 43 m | Show |
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Oakland A's. We played on Oakland last night, and got the $$$ with Jesus Luzardo, who shut out Arizona for 6 1/3 innings en route to a 4-1 run. But we'll switch gears tonight, and take the underdog D-Backs behind Alex Young. Young replaced the injured Madison Bumgarner in the rotation, and he comes into this game off a solid effort vs. San Diego (4 1/3 innings; 1 run). Young's ERA is 3.86 on the season, which compares favorably to that of his mound opponent tonight. Oakland will hand the ball to southpaw Sean Manaea, who is 0-2 with a 7.65 ERA. And, prior to last night's game, the A's pitching staff had allowed 49 earned runs over the previous eight games (6.36 ERA). Meanwhile, Arizona had won six straight games before last night's clunker. The D-Backs are 19-9 (+12 games on the moneyline) vs. American League foes. Take the Diamondbacks. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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08-20-20 | Astros v. Rockies -127 | Top | 10-8 | Loss | -127 | 9 h 30 m | Show |
At 3:10 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over the Houston Astros. German Marquez has had solid seasons in each of his first three full-time MLB campaigns. And in 2020 he's doing it again and he's only just now entering his prime at age 25. The Wins have been a little tough to come by, but in a league-leading five starts and 128 batters faced, Marquez has a fantastic 2.25 ERA. After logging quality starts in each of his first five outings, Marquez was on the verge of making it six-for-six when he was pulled from his last start with 5 2/3 IP (one out short of that QS). The key for Marquez continues to be that he doesn't seem to mind pitching at home in the toughest park in the league. Sure, his numbers are better on the road, but they're not bad at Coors. 2020 is a perfect example as Marquez has an outstanding 1.93 ERA in three road starts but his home number is a very respectable 2.70 (two starts). The Stros were favored last night (as they usually are) but not today and they are 0-6 in their last six, and 2-13 their last 15 games as an underdog. Take Colorado. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-19-20 | Diamondbacks v. A's -161 | Top | 1-4 | Win | 100 | 14 h 5 m | Show |
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Oakland Athletics over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Even though he hadn't started a game yet in the Majors (just six relief appearances in 2019), Jesus Luzardo's reputation preceded him into this shortened 2020 campaign. The early returns on the young Oakland LH didn't disappoint as Luzardo posted a 2.60 ERA and 1.15 WHIP through his first four games of 2020 (two relief appearances in July and two starts in August). But the wheels fell off in start number three (oddly enough at Oracle Park vs. the Giants) and so we've hit the pause button on handing him the Rookie of Year trophy. Look for a bounce back tonight as there's no doubt Luzardo has special skills which he's already put on display several times. And he has one of the best offenses in the league backing him up when he pitches. Although Luzardo got hammered in that last start, the A's still won and are 3-0 in his lifetime starts. The A's are 50-16 (+21 games on the moneyline) in their last 66 as a home favorite of at least -150. Take Oakland. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-19-20 | Astros v. Rockies +151 | Top | 13-6 | Loss | -100 | 13 h 5 m | Show |
At 8:40 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over Houston. The Astros are on a 6-game win streak, including 2 wins at home, in Houston, vs. these Rockies, on Monday and Tuesday. But the scene switches to Colorado for Games 3+ 4. Yesterday, Houston won in extra innings, but didn't score its first run until the 10th inning. Today, the Astros will face Ryan Castellani, a rookie right-hander, who brings a 1.04 ERA (in two starts) into this match-up. Colorado's 39-29 (+10 games on the moneyline) at home in games with high totals (over 12 runs), while Houston's Framber Valdez has lost each of his last four road starts (8.64 ERA). Take the home underdog Rockies. |
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08-19-20 | Blue Jays v. Orioles +104 | Top | 5-2 | Loss | -100 | 5 h 29 m | Show |
At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles over the Toronto Blue Jays. Although Tanner Roark has generally pitched for good teams, he hasn't fared well, of late, as a favorite, as his teams are a poor 10-20 (minus 20 games on the moneyline) as a favorite! Throw in the fact that the Jays are dreadful vs. lefty starters (40-72, minus 20 games on the moneyline), and 1-5 in day games this season, while Baltimore is 5-1 in the daytime. Let's pull the trigger on Baltimore. |
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08-17-20 | Blue Jays v. Orioles +133 | Top | 7-2 | Loss | -100 | 14 h 20 m | Show |
At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles over the Toronto Blue Jays. No team's start to the season has been more surprising than that of the Orioles. Most people probably would have bet that by the time they played their first 20 games, the O's would be close to -- if not at least -- 10 games under .500. But after losing game #21 to the Nats on Sunday, Baltimore finds itself at 12-9. Or course with the Yankees and Rays in their division, the O's likely won't be able to do any better than third place by season's end, even if they are able to maintain a .500 record. They begin a three-game series with Division rival Toronto tonight and although it's probably the Jays lineup that we'll be talking about next year and beyond, right now you have to give the edge to the no-names in Orange and Black. And the O's have managed to do what they've done so far without arguably their best hitter as OF Trey Mancini has been out since a cancer diagnosis in the off-season. The O's are 8-2 in their last 10 vs. losing teams. Take Baltimore. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-16-20 | Braves v. Marlins -103 | Top | 4-0 | Loss | -103 | 6 h 32 m | Show |
At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the Miami Marlins over the Atlanta Braves. You've probably heard of Latin American Players who were discovered as teenagers in their native countries and given contracts at age 16 by MLB teams because of their potential. Marlins' RHP Elieser Hernandez is one such player. The Astros gave Hernandez a contract back in 2011 but didn't keep him around and the Marlins took him in the 2017 rule 5 draft and two seasons ago he made his MLB debut at the age of 23. Now 25, Hernandez seems ready to fulfill that potential that Houston saw in him almost a decade ago and he will take the mound tonight for Miami looking for his first win of 2020. Hernandez has been stellar, posting a 2.79 ERA and 0.83 WHIP with 10 strikeouts and two walks in two starts covering 9 2/3 innings. Having run through their regular rotation the Braves will go with LHP Robbie Erlin today. Erlin has a career 13-20 record with a 4.66 ERA and has a 9.00 ERA in relief appearances with Pittsburgh and Atlanta this season. Meanwhile, the Marlins have yet to lose a competitively-priced game (between +125 and -125) this season, as they're 5-0. Take Miami. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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08-15-20 | Rangers v. Rockies -160 | Top | 6-4 | Loss | -160 | 14 h 57 m | Show |
At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over the Texas Rangers. Last season, the Rockies' German Marquez was a glass half-full/glass half-empty type of pitcher. On the half full side was Marquez' 12-5 record and 175 strikeouts vs. 35 walks in 174 innings (a 5:1 K:BB ratio). But on the other side was his 4.76 ERA and his league-leading 14 hit batsmen. So far in 2020, the glass has been more full than empty as the 25-year-old RH has a 2.08 ERA and 0.92 WHIP over his first four starts covering 26 innings. Even though his ERA is high at Coors Field (as is most starters'), Marquez wins here more often than not with a career 19-11 record in 46 games (45 starts) in Denver. He gets a chance to get win 20 tonight in his second career start vs. the Rangers. But Marquez's strongest angle by far is when he's a heavy favorite. Indeed, in his last 18 starts as a home favorite of at least -150, the Rockies are 18-2 (+14 games on the moneyline). This will be veteran RHP Kyle Gibson's first start in Coors Field and first vs. Colorado, and I expect the Rockies to give him a rude awakening. Take the Rockies. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-14-20 | Indians -170 v. Tigers | Top | 10-5 | Win | 100 | 13 h 25 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Detroit Tigers. After winning his first start of 2020, Indians' RHP Aaron Civale proceeded to lose his next two outings. But it wasn't the 25-year-old's fault. Civale -- who Cleveland selected in the 2016 Amateur draft out of Northeastern University -- has allowed just four runs on 10 hits in 13 innings in his two August starts. The problem is that the Indians offense decided to take a couple of days off when he pitched, losing 3-1 and 2-0 respectively in those last two efforts. He will try for win number two again tonight in Detroit against a Tigers team that seems to be doing it with smoke and mirrors so far. The Tigers are a surprising 9-7 in a season when most people wondered if they would even win a single game in their first three weeks of play. There's little to suggest that Detroit will be able to keep winning at this rate and the Tigers have certainly had their problems with Cleveland recently. The Indians are an incredible 43-9 in the last 52 meetings with the Tigers. Take the Tribe. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-13-20 | Padres v. Dodgers -135 | Top | 2-11 | Win | 100 | 15 h 56 m | Show |
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over Los Angeles. We played on Tony Gonsolin and the Dodgers last night, but will switch gears and take the Padres tonight. Chris Paddack will get the ball for the Padres, and he's been terrific this season, with a 3.18 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 21 strikeouts in just 22 2-3 innings (and just three walks). One of Paddack's victories was against this Dodgers team (and Walker Buehler) 10 days ago. Tonight, Paddack will face a very good southpaw in Julio Urias, who has also pitched well this season (2.40 ERA; 1.26 WHIP). But the biggest difference between these two pitchers is how deep they go into games. Whereas Paddack will generally pitch either 5 or 6 innings each game, Urias has averaged less than 4 1-3 innings over the last two years. We'll take the underdog Padres tonight. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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08-12-20 | Padres v. Dodgers -153 | Top | 0-6 | Win | 100 | 14 h 3 m | Show |
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the San Diego Padres. Dave Roberts will hand the ball to his young southpaw tonight, and that bodes well for the Dodgers, as the Padres are a horrid 36-60 their last 96 vs. lefties, including 3-15 on the road. Urias's ERA this season is 2.40, and he's given up 2 earned runs or less in each of his last eight starts (dating back to last season). Take Los Angeles. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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08-12-20 | Twins -136 v. Brewers | Top | 12-2 | Win | 100 | 12 h 33 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over Milwaukee. The Twins have dropped five of their last six games, but will hand the ball to Kenta Maeda on this Wednesday. His ERA is a solid 2.65, and he has a career 3.00 ERA in his five starts vs. Milwaukee. Meanwhile, Eric Lauer (who goes for the Brewers) has a nasty 18.00 ERA on this young season. Finally, the Twins are an awesome 59-34 (+22 games on the moneyline) on the road. Take Minnesota. |
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08-12-20 | A's -105 v. Angels | Top | 8-4 | Win | 100 | 9 h 32 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Oakland Athletics over the Los Angeles Angels. There have been so many breakout pitching performances already in 2020 but none any more surprising than that of A's RH Chris Bassitt. The former 16th round draft pick by the White Sox in 2011, Bassitt has been in the league since 2014 and is already 31 years old. Although he's shown some flashes of brilliance in the past. Bassitt has never put it all together for an entire season. It's still early in the 2020 schedule, but Bassitt is off to a torrid start going 1-0 with a 1.08 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 15 strikeouts vs. just four walks in just under 17 innings. Oakland's offense has been firing so far as well, with 80 runs in the first 17 games -- fourth best in the AL (three teams are tied with 82). Even when Bassitt doesn't get the W, his team almost always does as the A's are 6-0 in Bassitt's last six starts going back to last season. Oakland is also 11-5 (+5 games on the money line) in Bassitt's last 16 daytime starts. Take the A's. |
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08-11-20 | Diamondbacks v. Rockies +101 | Top | 7-8 | Win | 101 | 12 h 15 m | Show |
At 8:40 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over the Arizona Diamondbacks. One year after having a season to remember, Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland had one to forget. Freeland's Sophomore effort in 2018 yielded a 17-7 record in 33 starts with a 2.85 ERA and a top-10 finish in the Cy Young balloting. 2019 however would look totally different. Last season the 26-year-old posted a 3-11 record with a 6.73 ERA. Injuries played a big role as Freeland only went to the mound 22 times last season. Healthy now, Freeland appears to be back to his Sophomore form. Through three starts, he is 2-0 with a 2.41 ERA, 1.07 WHIP in just under 19 innings. Start number four will come tonight at home (literally as Freeland is from Denver) and Freeland has had more success here than he has elsewhere. In 46 games (43 starts) at Coors, Freeland is 19-14 with a 4.22 ERA vs. 14-15 and 3.93 in 45 appearances (43 starts) on the road. The Rockies are 20-7 (+12 games on the money line) in Freeland's last 27 home starts. Take the Rockies. |
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08-11-20 | Cubs +134 v. Indians | Top | 7-1 | Win | 134 | 11 h 45 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Cleveland Indians. When talking about the 2020 version of the Cubs, one can't help but think of that famous Mark Twain quote "rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated". Many thought that the Cubs would be an afterthought in this shortened season as they re-grouped and prepared for a run in 2021 but so far at least that has not been the case. Chicago is 10-3 and already several 4.5 ahead in the NL Central as Milwaukee and St. Louis have struggled with injuries and sub-par pitching. Speaking of afterthoughts, many believed that Cubs' LH Jon Lester would be just that this season but instead the veteran has been lights out so far. Through two starts, Lester has allowed one run on four hits in 11 innings -- numbers that would rival the best in his prime. Lester is an awesome 43-23 his last 66 games, while Cleveland is 14-20 (minus 17 games on the moneyline) off a win. |
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08-11-20 | Marlins +160 v. Blue Jays | Top | 4-5 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 12 m | Show |
At 6:35 pm, our selection is on the Miami Marlins over Toronto. The Blue Jays will start Hyun Jin Ryu today, and his ERA is north of 5 runs per game. Even worse, the Jays are batting .218 as a team, and has a league-low 39 runs scored. Tonight, the Blue Jays will take on the surprising Marlins and pitcher Elieser Hernandez, who has an ERA of 0.00, and a WHIP of 0.69. Take Miami. |
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08-10-20 | Diamondbacks v. Rockies -130 | Top | 12-8 | Loss | -130 | 14 h 43 m | Show |
At 8:40 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Rockies over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Two starters known for their strikeouts and lack of control go to the mound opposite each other tonight in Denver. But while the D-Backs LH Robbie Ray has put his wildness on full display while continuing his K numbers so far this season (he leads the league in walks allowed while averaging almost 12 punchouts per nine IP), Jon Gray is showing us something different. The 28 YO RH who has called Colorado his baseball home since he came into the league has only managed seven K's in 16 1/3 innings, but his walk rate is down and he has a very nice 3.31 ERA through three starts. Now he just needs to find a way to get a win on this hot Rockies club that is 11-4 despite losing on Sunday. Clearly the oddest thing about Gray is how well he pitches in Coors Field. In 58 games here (57 starts) Gray has an amazing 25-11 record and a solid (for Coors) ERA of 4.34. The Rox are 18-9 in Gray's last 27 home starts with a total of 10 runs or higher. Take Colorado. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-10-20 | White Sox -146 v. Tigers | Top | 1-5 | Loss | -146 | 12 h 15 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Chicago White Sox over the Detroit Tigers. It's been an interesting journey for LHP Dallas Keuchel that has landed him back in the AL. The Astros did not resign the veteran after the 2018 season despite some solid numbers that year (12 wins and a 3.74 ERA). After that, everyone -- including probably Keuchel -- figured he would land a lucrative deal somewhere. But it wasn't until the 2019 season was more than two months old that he finally landed a one-year deal with Atlanta. The Braves also cut him loose and now he's back in the AL on a three-year deal with Chicago. He's already paid dividends although Keuchel had a bad beat in his last start, allowing just one run on five hits in seven IP against the Brewers but coming up on the short end of a 1-0 loss. Still, he's off to a red-hot start (2-1 with a 2.55 ERA and 0.96 WHIP) and facing the Tigers tonight should help keep it going. Keuchel's teams are 11-3 (+6 games on the money line) in his last 14 starts as a road favorite of at least -125. Take the Sox. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-09-20 | Diamondbacks v. Padres -147 | Top | 5-9 | Win | 100 | 9 h 18 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over the Arizona Diamondbacks. If you're a casual baseball fan, then you may not know the name Dinelson Lamet. But chances are you will in a couple of years (or maybe sooner). Lamet was signed as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic back in 2014. And the fact that the Padres have stuck with him until now -- including Tommy John surgery and a lost 2018 season -- tells you what they think about the now-28-year-old. Their patience may finally be paying off as Lamet looks like a breakout candidate in this short season. Through his first three starts, the RHP is 1-0 with a 1.72 ERA and 1.15 WHIP including 11 hits allowed with 17 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings. The D-Backs will go with veteran LHP Madison Bumgarner who they signed as a free agent back in December. Mad-Bum's teams are 10-18 (-7 games on the money line) in his last 28 road starts. Heading into Sunday, the home team is 8-2 in the last 10 meetings of these two. Take the Padres. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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08-08-20 | Indians -120 v. White Sox | Top | 7-1 | Win | 100 | 8 h 29 m | Show |
At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Chicago White Sox. It's early still, but so far the hard-luck pitching award in the AL has to go to the Indians' sophomore RH Zach Plesac. Through two starts, Plesac has a 1.80 ERA over 15 innings and he's struck out 17 batters with just seven hits and one walk allowed. How do you put up numbers like that and not have a win to show for them? It's almost impossible to imagine but the so-far anemic offense of the Tribe has been the stifling factor. But Cleveland has shown flashes of what it can do at the plate like just last Thursday when the Indians put up 13 against the Reds in a romp (of course Plesac was not the beneficiary of that). In three career starts vs. the White Sox, Plesac has a 3.15 ERA and 0.90 WHIP so any offense this afternoon by his lineup and it should get him in the win column for the first time in 2020. The White Sox are just 46-85 (-27 games on the money line) in their last 131 day games. Take the Tribe. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-07-20 | Diamondbacks v. Padres -117 | Top | 0-3 | Win | 100 | 15 h 46 m | Show |
At 9:10 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over Arizona. The D-Backs' RHP starter, Luke Weaver, has been wholly ineffective this season, with a 14.73 ERA over two starts. And he was equally bad in both games, as he gave up six runs in 3 1-3 innings in his first start, and gave up six runs in four innings in his second start. And that first start was against these Padres, so San Diego's hitters should be champing at the bit to face him again tonight. Arizona's an awful 66-99 (minus 26 games on the moneyline) vs. division rivals. Take San Diego.. Good luck, as always....Al McMordie. |
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08-07-20 | Yankees -105 v. Rays | Top | 0-1 | Loss | -105 | 12 h 17 m | Show |
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Tampa Bay Rays. Now that they're -- for the most part -- healthy, the Yankees look as dominant on the field as they are on paper. The pitching has been solid -- although not spectacular -- and the offense has produced runs like a well-oiled machine. A healthy Aaron Judge leads all Major League players with seven home runs although he was given a rare day off yesterday (the Yanks could have used him in their loss to the Phils). One Yankee who wasn't so healthy earlier in the summer was RHP Masahiro Tanaka. Tanaka was struck on the head by a teammate's line drive on July 4 and missed some considerable time as a result. But the veteran is healthy now and ready to make his second start of the season. And this is a great opponent for the 31-year-old to build his confidence. In 18 career starts vs. Tampa, Tanaka is 10-4 with a 3.20 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in just over 115 innings. The Yankees are 19-10 in Tanaka's last 29 starts vs. division opponents. Take New York. |
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08-05-20 | Dodgers v. Padres +117 | Top | 7-6 | Loss | -100 | 15 h 17 m | Show |
At 9:10 pm our selection is on the San Diego Padres over the Los Angeles Dodgers. San Diego was high on Garrett Richards for this season, and the early returns on the Padres veteran appear to validate the team's expectation. Over two starts, Richards has been very very good, with a 3.38 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 3.00 K:BB ratio (12 Ks and 4 BBs in 10 2/3 IP). The only stat that hasn't been there for the 32-year-old starter so far is a victory. Tonight, Richards faces a very good Dodgers team. But Richards has some pretty sick numbers against the Boys in Blue over his nine-plus seasons in the Majors. In six appearances vs. the Dodgers -- including four starts -- Richards is 1-0 with a 1.78 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in just over 30 innings. He's struck out 30 batters and allowed just 23 hits over that span. The Dodgers will go with RH Ross Stripling, who owns a decent career 3.57 ERA against the Padres but who is just 4-5 against them in 15 games -- including seven starts. Take San Diego as the home underdog. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-04-20 | Dodgers -120 v. Padres | Top | 5-2 | Win | 100 | 14 h 30 m | Show |
At 9:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over San Diego. We played on LA on Saturday and Sunday (and won both games), but went against it last night, and cashed on San Diego as the home dog. But off that loss, we'll switch again, and get back on the Dodgers tonight. Dustin May will get the start for Dave Roberts' crew. He's not gone deep into the game in either of his two previous starts. But he has been effective, with a 2.35 ERA. May's mound opponent tonight will be Dinelson Lamet, who has a 5.14 ERA in his four career starts vs. the Dodgers (all four were Dodger wins). Notwithstanding yesterday's defeat, the Padres are a horrid 26-54 (minus 23 games on the moneyline) as a home underdog, while the Dodgers are 41-23 when playing with revenge from a loss as a road favorite, and 51-28 off a loss by less than three runs. Take Los Angeles. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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08-03-20 | Dodgers v. Padres +127 | Top | 4-5 | Win | 127 | 14 h 5 m | Show |
At 9:10 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over Los Angeles. We played on the Dodgers the past two days, and won each game. But we will fade the Dodgers tonight in San Diego. Chris Paddack will get the start for the Padres, and all he's done is compile a 1.64 ERA in his two 2020 starts. In contrast, the Dodgers' Walker Buehler got off to a slow start last week, as he allowed four baserunners and two runs in just 3 2-3 innings. The Padres have gone 9-3 (+5 games on the moneyline) in Paddack's 12 home starts, while the Dodgers have burned money as a road favorite the past few years. Take San Diego as a home underdog. Good luck as always...Al McMordie. |
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08-02-20 | Dodgers -175 v. Diamondbacks | Top | 3-0 | Win | 100 | 10 h 13 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Arizona Diamondbacks. We played on the Dodgers yesterday with Julio Urias, and will come right back with L.A. this afternoon. Indeed, we'll probably be on Los Angeles an awful lot this year, as it was our Futures pick (at 4-1 odds) to win the World Series (last year, we cashed the Nationals at 18-1 odds). Dodgers' ace LH Clayton Kershaw was going to start opening day but was a late scratch due to a stiff back. So Kershaw's 2020 debut was delayed about 10 days, but he's been declared ready to go this evening. He might be monitored carefully today. However, with the way the Dodger bullpen has been performing, that's probably fine with him and the rest of the team. Kershaw may not be quite so dominant against the D-Backs as he is against the Giants (his original opening day opponent) but he still has a pretty gaudy record against them. In 33 starts vs. the D-Backs covering just under 206 innings, Kershaw is 16-10 with a 2.84 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. The D-Backs will go with RHP Merrill Kelly who flirted with a no-hitter in his first start (7 2/3 IP, 1 ER), but that was in the new Rangers pitcher-friendly Park. Kelly has a 5.40 ERA in two starts (10 innings) vs. the Dodgers. Finally, the Dodgers are 76-27 (+33 games on the money line) in Kershaw's last 103 daytime starts. Take L.A. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-01-20 | Dodgers -141 v. Diamondbacks | Top | 11-2 | Win | 100 | 17 h 37 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Julio Urias made his MLB debut more than four years ago so it's hard to imagine that the talented southpaw is still only 23 years old. The sky seems to be the limit for Urias and clearly we haven't seen the best of the young Mexican phenom. Urias gets his second start of the season tonight and it will be his first career start in Arizona's Chase Field. He has two relief appearances here and in five innings he has yet to surrender a run, allowing just one hit with four strikeouts. After a solid 2019 campaign in which he posted a 2.94 ERA in 12 starts, RHP Luke Weaver would like to forget his first start of this season. Weaver allowed six runs on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings last Monday against the Padres and things won't get any easier for him against a stacked Dodgers lineup. In three career starts vs. L.A., Weaver has a 8.00 ERA and 2.00 WHIP -- not exactly confidence-building numbers. Arizona is 4-13 in its last 17 games as a dog. Take the Dodgers. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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08-01-20 | Rays -205 v. Orioles | Top | 4-5 | Loss | -205 | 16 h 1 m | Show |
At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Baltimore Orioles. The O's are probably happy to see the Rays come to town after having to face the Yankees after the Marlins had a number of players test positive for COVID. Somehow Baltimore -- which resembles a AAA team at this point -- managed to win Game 1 of this series last night here at home. But things could get a lot tougher for the O's tonight with RHP Tyler Glasnow getting his second start of the season for the Rays. Tampa was cautious with Glasnow earlier this week, as he only stayed in for four innings in his first start of 2020. But as far as four-inning starts go, that one last Monday was about as dominant as it gets. The 26-year-old allowed one hit while striking out nine Braves hitters in a 14-5 Rays rout. Facing the O's lineup after one that includes Ronald Acuna, Freddie Freeman, and Ozzie Albies is a dream come true for Glasnow in his second start of the season. The O's are 9-43 (-23 games on the money line) in their last 52 games as a home dog of +175 or more. Take Tampa. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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07-31-20 | Rays -210 v. Orioles | Top | 3-6 | Loss | -210 | 17 h 19 m | Show |
At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over Baltimore. The Orioles took two of three at Boston to start the season, but then came home to face the Yankees. Baltimore dropped each of those, and that continued a long-term trend where the Orioles are a wallet-busting 35-92 (minus 39 games on the moneyline) as a home underdog. Even worse: Baltimore's 61-152 (minus 67 games on the moneyline) in nighttime games, and 43-75 (minus 11 games on the moneyline) vs. lefty starters. Tampa's Blake Snell -- the Cy Young Award winner two seasons ago -- looks to bounce back this season from a disappointing 2019. And Snell threw a couple of scoreless innings in his season debut last week. I look for him to go deeper into tonight's game, and expect him to shut down the Orioles. Take Tampa. |
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07-31-20 | Indians v. Twins +115 | Top | 1-4 | Win | 115 | 17 h 57 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Cleveland Indians. If you haven't heard of Twins pitcher Randy Dobnak don't feel bad -- you're not alone. The RH signed with the Twins as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and made it to the Majors after less than three seasons of Minor League ball. And all Dobnak did when he got to Minneapolis last year was post a 1.59 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in nine appearances (five starts) covering just over 28 innings. That's enough of a sample size to tell the Twins that Dobnak was worthy of a roster spot this season and with all the weird stuff going on, the 25-year-old found himself starting the Twins' second game of the season last Saturday. He and the Twins took the "L" that day, but Dobnak continued to show that he belonged here, throwing four innings while allowing just one run on three hits. It's no secret by now that the Twins have a powerful offense and that offense took the night off on Thursday, but everybody does that these days when facing Shane Bieber. The Twins are 83-47 (+22 games on the moneyline) vs. righties, and I look for them to come back to life tonight. Take Minnesota. |
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07-31-20 | Reds v. Tigers +166 | Top | 2-7 | Win | 166 | 16 h 56 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Detroit Tigers over Cincinnati. The Tigers have gotten off to a surprising 4-3 start this season, including a 2-1 series win over Cincinnati to start the season. One of Detroit's two wins earlier this season vs. the Reds featured the same pitching match-up as tonight: Shane Turnbull vs. Luis Castillo. In that game, Turnbull struck out eight Cincy batters, and permitted just one run, over five innings. The Reds are a horrible 64-98 (minus 16 games on the moneyline) on the road, and 158-220 (minus 59 games on the moneyline) vs. American League foes. Take the home underdog Tigers. |
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07-30-20 | Rays +131 v. Braves | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -100 | 13 h 21 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Atlanta Braves. You may be surprised by the fast start of the Rays but you probably shouldn't be. This is a talented team with star-quality players on both the hitting and pitching sides of the roster. The Rays always seem to make the right moves and in the off-season they did it again, bring in one of the biggest power bats from Japan (Yoshi Tsutsugo) and trading for talented OF Hunter Renfroe (Padres). They really didn't have to do much on the pitching side in the off-season as there was already plenty of young (and older) talent on the staff including tonight's starter, LHP Ryan Yarbrough. Yarbrough already has a scoreless outing to his credit this season, although he took a no-decision in the Rays 4-1 win over Toronto last Saturday. Yarbrough transitioned from the bullpen to the rotation last season and it doesn't look like he'll be heading back to relief duty anytime soon as he seemed to gain confidence with each start. Yarbrough is 7-3 in his last 10 road starts. Take Tampa. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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07-30-20 | Red Sox v. Mets -143 | Top | 4-2 | Loss | -143 | 13 h 20 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Mets over Boston. In this battle of southpaws, we'll take the homestanding Steven Matz of the Mets. Matz grew up in Stony Brook, about 40 miles from Citi Field. And he's always pitched great here, as the Mets are 14-4 (+8 games on the moneyline) his last 18 starts as a home favorite. Matz made one start earlier this season, and pitched very well against a solid Braves club, as he gave up just one run over six innings, and struck out seven. In contrast, Martin Perez faced a poor Orioles team, and was crushed for five runs (four earned) in five innings in a 7-2 defeat. Perez made one start last season vs. New York, and the Mets won that game, 14-4, as a +155 underdog. Dating back to last season, Boston's excelled against bad teams, but has come up short vs. the better clubs (29-42, minus 20 games on the moneyline vs. winning foes). And this year's squad should fare even worse, as it's taken a big step backward. The Mets have won two of the first three games of this four-game set, and have averaged 6.66 runs per game vs. Boston. I look for them to hit Perez hard, and blow out Boston tonight. Take New York. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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07-28-20 | Blue Jays v. Nationals -132 | Top | 5-1 | Loss | -132 | 13 h 1 m | Show |
our selection is on the Washington Nationals over the Toronto Blue Jays. It wasn't long ago that RHP Tanner Roark looked like he would have a bright future in DC as a member of the Nats' rotation. But after a breakout season in 2016, Roark started nose-diving at the ripe age of 30 and the Nats began bringing in some big-gun arms and they basically gave him away at the end of 2018. Now Roark is the epitome of the term "journeyman" as the Jays become his third MLB team in less than two years. This will be Roark's second career start vs. his former team and he hopes it goes better than the first one, a 5-2 loss back on June 1 of last year when he was a member of the Reds. The Nats will go with talented sophomore starter RH Austin Voth. The 28-year-old really put up some nice numbers in limited play in 2019, going 2-1 while posting a 3.30 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in nine appearances (eight of those starts) covering just under 44 innings. Toronto will actually be designated as the "home" team in this game at Nationals Ball Park, and will bat last. Still, it's worth noting that the Blue Jays are 1-8 in their last nine inter-league games away from home vs. RH starters. Take Washington. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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07-27-20 | Brewers -145 v. Pirates | Top | 6-5 | Win | 100 | 17 h 6 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm. our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the Pittsburgh Pirates. If the Brewers were hoping to compete in the NL Central this season, they got a rude awakening in their first series over the weekend in Chicago. The Cubs took two of three from Milwaukee and throttled them good in the two victories (3-0 on Friday and 9-1 on Sunday). Perhaps a trip to Pittsburgh will be just what the doctor ordered for the Crew as they will face a team which they've dominated recently. RHP Adrian Houser goes for the Brewers and, although he's a #4 starter on paper, many would argue that he should be #2 behind Brandon Woodruff. He gets a chance to prove it tonight following up on a solid rookie season in 2019 in which he posted a 3.72 ERA in 35 games -- including 18 starts -- with a healthy 9.5 K rate and 3.16 K:BB ratio. The Brew Crew finished their season series vs. the Bucs last year with six straight wins (three in August and three in September) including three in a row here at PNC. They are 19-7 in the last 26 vs. Pittsburgh. Take the Brewers. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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07-26-20 | Twins -131 v. White Sox | Top | 14-2 | Win | 100 | 11 h 40 m | Show |
At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Chicago White Sox. Given everything that's happened since the year began, it's not surprising that many MLB transactions back in January and February flew under the radar. And none of those was as quiet as the Dodgers' trade of Kenta Maeda to the Twins back on February 10. The Japanese star may be 32-years-old but he is just four seasons removed from his rookie campaign in which he won 16 games and posted a 3.48 ERA for Los Angeles, finishing 3rd in the NL Rookie of the Year balloting (2016). His numbers last season (10-8 with a 4.04 ERA) are very much in line with his MLB average and there's little to suggest that he can't be an effective starter in the AL for the foreseeable future. He'll get his first start as a Twin against a White Sox team that (notwithstanding yesterday's 10 runs) has a lot of swing-and-miss to its game. In his only other career start vs. the Sox, Maeta threw five strong innings allowing just one run while picking up the victory. Despite the loss on Saturday, the Twins are 5-1 in the last six meetings here in Chicago and 6-2 in the last eight overall. And they pounded Reynaldo Lopez last season -- scoring 20 runs in just 15 innings (over three starts). With the Twins 56-29 (+27 games on the moneyline) their last 85 on the road, we'll take Minnesota. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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07-24-20 | Tigers v. Reds -168 | Top | 1-7 | Win | 100 | 12 h 8 m | Show |
At 6:10 pm, our selection is on Cincinnati Reds over the Detroit Tigers. This is a "why not us" moment for the Reds. In a shortened season, the Reds have to be thinking they can win the division. The NL Central is clearly the weakest in the NL, given that the Cubs are a shell of their former selves, and nobody else looks like world-beaters. The Reds should clearly be improved over last season when they had more wins (75) than in any of the past five seasons. The ace of their staff, RH Sonny Gray, takes the mound for the opener against a team which should have no delusions about where it will finish this year. The Tigers are a bad team and could remain that way for the foreseeable future. The Yankees gave up on Gray too soon and basically gave him to the Reds for a minor-leaguer. So, Gray is a bargain for the next three seasons (around $10M/year) provided he continues to pitch like he did in 2019. I believe he'll get off to a great start this evening, as the Tigers are 34-89 (minus 37 games) their last 123 against righties. And they're 2-5 in the last seven meetings and 0-4 in the last four here in Cincy. Take the Reds. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-30-19 | Nationals +125 v. Astros | Top | 6-2 | Win | 125 | 18 h 31 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over the Houston Astros. In early September, I released the Washington Nationals at 18-1 odds to win the World Series. So, now that they are in a Winner-Take-All game for the Title, it's not a surprise that I will go with the Nats, who will have their ace, Max Scherzer on the hill. (And, should it hit, it would be our 2nd monster futures winner this year, as we also had Virginia at 22-1 odds to win the NCAA Basketball Title.) When Scherzer was scratched from his planned Sunday start in Game 5 in Washington, it sounded like there was no way he would make another appearance in this series. But great athletes sometimes find a way to come back, even when they are in so much pain they can't get out of bed. One cortisone shot and a bullpen session later and Scherzer has declared himself ready to go in the ultimate baseball game of the season. And who are we to doubt a three-time Cy Young award winner who is as big a competitor as there is in the game? We also played on the Nationals in Game 6 yesterday. And their resounding 7-2 victory should only serve to get Scherzer's juices flowing even more. RHP Zack Greinke will go the mound for the 'Stros tonight and although he pitched very well in Game 3 in DC, it's interesting to note that all season Greinke did better on the road than he did at home (which is quite unusual for Greinke, as he has been a dominant home pitcher for most of his career). His regular season ERA at Minute Maid Park after coming over to the Astros was a pedestrian 3.99 (in five starts) and in his only previous post-season start here, Greinke allowed three runs in six innings in a lopsided 7-0 loss in Game 1 of the ALCS vs. the Yanks. Washington is 22-8 in the last 30 meetings and 11-1 in the last 12 in Houston. Take the Nats. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-29-19 | Nationals v. Astros UNDER 7.5 | Top | 7-2 | Loss | -113 | 27 h 56 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros 'under' the total. In their worst nightmare the Nationals probably wouldn't have imagined the first three home World Series games played in DC in almost a century in which they would score a total of three runs on only 17 hits. But that's what happened in Games 3-5 over the weekend and now the Nats must figure out a way to get some runs across the plate on the road. Sure, they were able to do that in Game 2, but they were also held to two runs on six hits through the first six innings of that one thanks to some solid pitching by starter Justin Verlander. Verlander gets the call again tonight opposite Nats' ace Stephen Strasburg, so this is the same match-up as that Game 2. The Houston bullpen imploded in that one, but it has really settled down of late. In the three games in DC, Astros' relievers allowed a total of just one run on four hits in 10 1/3 combined innings. The under is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings of these two teams in Houston and 16-6 in Verlander's last 22 starts vs. teams with winning records. Take the 'under.' As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-25-19 | Astros -133 v. Nationals | Top | 4-1 | Win | 100 | 29 h 30 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Washington Nationals. In a somewhat surprising turn of events, it's the Nationals and not the Astros that are leading the World Series, 2-0, after the first two games in Houston. As expected, both teams' starting pitching has been very good up to this point. But not as expected is the fact that it's the Nationals' hitting, bullpen, and defense that has been stellar -- not the Astros' -- thereby leading to a lopsided first two games in which DC has out-scored Houston by a combined 17-7. If ever there was a time for RHP Zack Greinke to show the 'Stros that it was a good idea to trade for him at the deadline, tonight is it. Greinke gets the ball for Game 3 against RHP Anibal Sanchez. Sure, Greinke has not been very good this post-season (0-2 with a 6.43 ERA in three starts) but if there's one thing that can get him on track, it might be a start vs. the Nats. In nine career starts against them, Greinke is 6-1 with a 1.27 ERA and 0.83 WHIP. And four of those were here in DC, where the ERA is even better (1.11). Greinke's teams have also been fantastic with him on the mound following a loss, as they've gone 30-11 (+17 games on the money line). Finally, the Astros are 74-33 as a road favorite priced from -125 to -175 (+25 games on the money line). Take Houston. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-23-19 | Nationals v. Astros -170 | Top | 12-3 | Loss | -170 | 19 h 15 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Washington Nationals. A lot of baseball people scratched their heads when they heard the Nats were starting Max Scherzer in Game 1 opposite Gerrit Cole. It is generally thought that Stephen Strasburg is the Nats de facto #1 starter now after his Playoff performances vs. Milwaukee, Los Angeles and St. Louis (22 innings, 4 runs). But now that Scherzer has beaten Cole and the Astros last night, it will be RHP Strasburg to face Justin Verlander in Game 2 tonight, so Washington Nationals fans must be pleased. But Houston is in a similar situation. It's certainly not a bad deal for A.J. Hinch to be able to hand the ball to a two-time Cy Young award winner in the second game of a World Series after you've dropped the first one. And in this case, Verlander just might be the best option -- Cole included. The veteran RHP also has a ridiculous record of 34-8 with an ERA of 2.81 and WHIP of 1.05 in 50 inter-league starts covering just over 330 innings. And in two career starts vs. the Nationals, Verlander is a perfect 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 14 innings. They may have lost Game 1 on Tuesday, but the Astros are still 23-10 in their last 33 post-season home games. And they're 78-25 (+30 games on the money line) when favored by -150 or more. Take Houston. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-22-19 | Nationals v. Astros -185 | Top | 5-4 | Loss | -185 | 42 h 15 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Washington Nationals. If the Astros win their second World Series in the last three years -- and if it's close -- they will likely look back on the Game 6 win over the Yankees in the LCS as the key. That's because the 'Stros won that game with a collection of relief pitchers which allowed them to save their best starter -- RHP Gerrit Cole -- for Game 1 at home tonight. And it means that Cole should be available to at least pitch out of the bullpen in a Game 7 if it comes down to that. The Nats' story so far is amazing, both for the franchise and its fans. A four-game sweep of the Cards in the NLCS is more than anyone could have hoped for, but even the Nats would have to admit that they're taking a huge step-up in this series. There are almost no weaknesses on the Houston roster and the Nats were just .500 (48-48) against winning teams in the regular season (and few of those winning teams were at the Astros' level). The Nats will go with RH Max Scherzer who has had a solid season, but one that pales in comparison to what Cole has done. Cole is on one of the most amazing runs of any pitcher in recent history, going 19-0 with a 1.59 ERA and 0.81 WHIP in his last 25 starts, including the playoffs. The Astros have also won each of his last 16 starts. But it's not just this current year's streak which impresses me. In Cole's career (mostly with a mediocre Pittsburgh Pirates franchise), his teams have gone 78-24 (+32 games on the money line) when favored by -150 (or more). I won't step in front of this Gerrit Cole freight train. Take Houston. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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10-19-19 | Yankees v. Astros -128 | Top | 4-6 | Win | 100 | 3 h 29 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the New York Yankees. In this series, we played on the Astros in Game 2 (win), and then played on the Yankees in Games 3 (lose) and 5 (win). The Yankees were able to win last night's game, 4-1, to stay alive in the 7-game series. But now that the ALCS has returned to Minute Maid Park, we'll have no problem taking Houston at home to close out New York. Indeed, the Astros have gone 64-22 (+18 games on the money line) here, at home, this season. Even better: they're 80-43 (+24 games on the money line) after scoring less than two runs in their previous game. Meanwhile, the Yankees are an ugly 5-20 (minus 14 games on the money line) their last 25 as road underdogs of +150 or less. Veteran RHP Brad Peacock will get the start for Houston, and his ERA this season vs. New York is 3.00 (2 runs, 6 IP). But most impressive is that he had 11 strikeouts against 0 walks. Chad Green will open the game for New York, but he struggled vs. Houston this season (10.13 ERA). Take the Astros. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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10-18-19 | Astros v. Yankees +131 | Top | 1-4 | Win | 131 | 9 h 50 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Houston Astros. After the victory by the Astros in Game 3 here, the Yankees are one loss away from elimination. They will turn to their southpaw James Paxton tonight in Game 4. Although he only lasted 2 1/3 innings in Game 2 of this series, Paxton didn't pitch that badly in Houston and should be very fresh tonight in this must-win situation. The Astros will hand the ball to RH Justin Verlander and, although his success in the regular season in his career is well documented, the veteran's post-season resume is less settled, especially when it comes to road games. For example, in his last road start -- Game 4 of the ALDS against the Rays -- Verlander lasted just 3 2/3 innings allowing four runs on seven hits with three walks and two homers allowed in a 4-1 loss. And Yankee Stadium could be a much tougher place for him tonight than Tropicana Field was 10 days ago, especially if Verlander gets into trouble early. Getting Paxton this start while they're still at home could be huge for the Yanks who are 6-0 in his last six starts in the Bronx. Take New York. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-15-19 | Cardinals +148 v. Nationals | Top | 4-7 | Loss | -100 | 19 h 40 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the Washington Nationals. With the Nats holding a commanding a 3-0 NLCS lead and the Cards completely unable to solve their opponents' pitching (only two runs scored in three games), you would think a series sweep would be a done deal. And, certainly, the historical stats bear that out. In Baseball history, Best-of-Seven series have been sweeps in 29 of 36 series where one team held a 3-games-to-none lead. This, by the way, is the primary reason for the inflation of the Nationals' odds for this game. Of course, the last two times this has happened (2016 Indians/Blue Jays; 2017 Dodgers/Cubs), the team down 3-0 actually won Game 4. Of course, the Nationals are now overwhelming favorites to advance to the World Series (and I hope they do, as I released them at 18-1 odds to win the World Series), but I don't think they'll win tonight. For one thing, Washington will start a left-hander (Patrick Corbin) for the first time in this series. And the Cards have done pretty well with an .810 OPS in eight games vs. southpaws this post-season (that's the second-best number of any club). Second is the fact that the visitors will start RHP Daniel Hudson. Although not garnering the notoriety of Flaherty, Wainwright, or Mikolas, the 24-year-old won 16 games in the regular season with a 3.35 ERA. And his only post-season start was a good one (NLDS Game 3 vs. the Braves). More importantly, during the regular season, Hudson was 1-1 vs. the Nats with a 2.08 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in two starts covering 13 innings. Finally, the Cards are 6-0 in their last six road games vs. left-handed starters. Take St. Louis. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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10-13-19 | Yankees v. Astros -152 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 20 h 56 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the New York Yankees. The Yankees surprised the Astros with an upset, shutout victory on the road in Game 1 here at Minute Maid Park. And while it's never a good feeling going down 1-0 in a series in which you're heavily favored, the 'Stros have to be feeling pretty good about the fact that they will come back in Game 2 with a future Hall-of-Famer taking the mound. RHP Justin Verlander won 20+ games for just the second time in his career this season. And he led the league with 223 strikeouts (and became just the 18th pitcher in MLB history to reach 3000 Ks for his career). You could argue that Gerrit Cole has been a slightly better performer this season, but Verlander is still probably the one guy you'd want on the hill in this situation. Despite their surprising win last night, the Yankees are just 4-10 in the last 14 meetings in Houston, and 3-12 in their last 15 American League Championship Series road games. Meanwhile, the Astros are 5-1 in Verlander's last six starts vs. the Yanks and 21-5 in their last 26 home games vs. a LH starter (Paxton goes for NY). Take Houston. AL Game of the Week. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-12-19 | Nationals v. Cardinals +136 | Top | 3-1 | Loss | -100 | 14 h 43 m | Show |
At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the Washington Nationals. Both of these teams had victorious performances on the road in their respective Game 5s on Wednesday. Unfortunately, each team was forced to use its best pitcher in its win, so neither team will have its #1 starter on the mound for the first two games of this series. Last night, the Nationals got off to a great start behind the no-hit bid of veteran Anibal Sanchez. We had the 'under' last night, so Washington's 2-0 triumph was welcomed by us. But for this game, we will go with St. Louis, and its RHP Adam Wainwright. He last pitched in Game 3 of the NLDS and he seemed to channel a younger version of himself in that performance. He threw 7 2/3 brilliant innings, and allowed just four hits with eight strikeouts and two walks. Unfortunately, the Cards' offense did little, and closer Carlos Martinez imploded, so Wainwright's effort was for naught in that one. Here, the Cardinals have been installed as a home underdog vs. Max Scherzer. However, St. Louis is 13-7 (+7.4 games on the money line) as a home underdog this season. And Wainwright is 10-4 with a 3.10 ERA in 17 career appearances (15 starts) covering 98 2/3 innings vs. the Nats. Take the Cards. MLB Elite Info Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-11-19 | Nationals v. Cardinals UNDER 8 | Top | 2-0 | Win | 100 | 18 h 53 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals 'under' the total. At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals 'under' the total. The Nats won their first NLDS in dramatic fashion, taking two of three victories on the road. So they shouldn't mind starting this series in St. Louis, especially knowing that they finished the season with a better record than the Cards. Having used all of their "Big 3" pitchers (Strasburg, Scherzer, Corbin) in some capacity over the last two games, the Nats will turn to veteran RH Anibal Sanchez. The 35-year-old very quietly had a solid season for DC (11-8; 3.85 ERA in 30 starts) as well as a great performance in his Game 2 start of the NLDS (5 IP; 1 ER; 4 H; 9K; 2 BB). And although the sample size is small, Sanchez seems to like pitching at Busch Stadium. In three starts here, Sanchez is 1-0 with a very nice 2.60 ERA. The Cards will go with RH Miles Mikolas and the under is 5-0-1 in Mikolas' last six home starts vs. teams with a winning record, and 9-1-2 in his last 12 overall vs. winning teams. Take the 'under.' MLB High Roller Total. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-10-19 | Rays v. Astros -248 | Top | 1-6 | Win | 100 | 17 h 43 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Tampa Bay Rays. Last night, the wild card Nationals knocked out the #1-seeded Dodgers. Will lightning strike twice today? The surprising Rays have taken the team with the best record in baseball to a fifth game tonight, so Houston is trying to avoid the same fate which befell the Braves and Dodgers yesterday. That isn't likely to happen tonight with RH Gerrit Cole taking the mound for the 'Stros. Cole is the favorite for the AL Cy Young with a 20-5 record and league-leading 2.50 ERA and 326 strikeouts. None of that would matter to him, however, if he can't nail down the win tonight to advance Houston to its third straight LCS. The Rays may have tied this series up with two home victories, but they are 0-5 in their last five Division Series road games. Even worse: the Astros are 23-2 (+18 games on the money line) in Cole's home starts as a favorite of -200 or more. And they're 47-20 (+19 games on the money line) after not scoring 2+ runs in their previous game. Finally, Tyler Glasnow's teams are a money-burning 1-5 in his career as an underdog of +150 or more. Take Houston. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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10-09-19 | Nationals v. Dodgers -150 | Top | 7-3 | Loss | -150 | 27 h 35 m | Show |
At 8:35 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Washington Nationals. This is what a baseball fan hopes for: a win-or-go-home fifth game with each team's ace going to the mound. There isn't much to separate these two RHPs -- the Nationals' Stephen Strasburg and the Dodgers' Walker Buehler -- and each could throw six or seven shutout innings tonight. Which means this game could very well come down to the bullpens. And in that regard, it is no contest, as the Dodgers had the best relief in the NL (3.78 ERA), while the Nationals had the worst (5.66). The fact that Washington is still willing to trot out 42-year-old Fernando Rodney, who has been abominable, tells you all you need to know about Washington's bullpen. Meanwhile, L.A. has the triple threat of Japanese veteran RH Kenta Maeda, side-arm southpaw machine Adam Kolarek, and nasty RH closer Kenley Jansen. And none of them has given up a run thus far in the Playoffs. Despite their win on Monday, the Nats are just 5-11 in the last 16 meetings while the Dodgers are 7-1 in Buehler's last eight starts. Even better: the Dodgers are 38-19 (+11 games on the money line) off a loss, while Washington is 52-43 (but minus 8 games on the money line) off a win. And L.A.'s 28-12 (+10 games on the money line) as a home favorite, priced from -125 to -175. Take Los Angeles. MLB Elite Info Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-07-19 | Braves v. Cardinals -133 | Top | 4-5 | Win | 100 | 4 h 57 m | Show |
At 3:05 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the Atlanta Braves. Game 3 of this NLDS on Sunday was a thriller, with the Braves plating three runs in the top of the ninth off of St Louis closer Carlos Martinez to take a 3-1 victory. Game 4 is tonight and the Cards will send RHP Dakota Hudson to the mound for his first career post-season appearance. Dakota had one of the quietest 16-win seasons we've seen in quite some time, and this afternoon he takes the mound in a must-win start for the Cards who are one loss away from elimination. There are several reasons to think that the 25-year-old is up to the task today. First, and most obvious, is the fact that in 17 starts here at Busch Stadium this season, Hudson was 9-2 with a 2.75 ERA in just over 98 innings (and the Cards were 13-4 in his 17 home starts). Then there's also the fact he was very solid in his only start against the Braves in 2019 (6 1/3 IP, 2 ER on 5 hits). And Hudson finished the season strong, going 6-1 with a 2.35 ERA in 11 starts covering 61 innings in August and September combined. Despite their loss on Sunday, the Cards are still 9-5 in their last 14 home playoff games, and they're also 10-3 in Dakota Hudson's daytime starts. We will take St. Louis, and only list its starter, Hudson (and not Atlanta's starter). MLB High Roller Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-06-19 | Braves v. Cardinals +106 | Top | 3-1 | Loss | -100 | 30 h 2 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the Atlanta Braves. Sometimes, in a critical playoff game, the thing a team wants more than anything else is post-season experience on the mound. With this NLDS returning to St. Louis all tied-up at one game apiece, that's exactly what the Cards are thinking right about now. They'll send RHP Adam Wainwright to the hill for Game 3 with the knowledge that he has more playoff experience than the entire Braves' rotation combined. And it's not just experience, either, but rather very successful experience, at that. In a total of 24 post-season appearances (12 starts), Wainwright has a 3.03 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 89 innings. And he has never lost in an NLDS situation, going 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA in 12 appearances, including six starts, covering just over 45 innings. On the other end of the spectrum is Mike Soroka, who will make his playoffs debut for Atlanta. The Cardinals can also take comfort in the fact that Wainwright finished up the regular season strong, as he led the Cards to six wins in his last seven starts, going back to the end of August. The Cards are also 10-4 in Wainwright's last 14 starts vs. the Braves (5-2 in his last seven at home). Take St. Louis. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-04-19 | Cardinals v. Braves +115 | Top | 0-3 | Win | 115 | 15 h 31 m | Show |
At 4:35 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the St. Louis Cardinals. All eight remaining teams are in action today and no match-up is more compelling than this one. When it comes to their starters, the Braves have decided to go with age and experience over perhaps the raw numbers in the first two games of this NLDS against the Cards. Veteran southpaw Dallas Keuchel got the call in Game 1 while Atlanta now turns to 27-year-old RHP Mike Foltynewicz for Game 2. Despite a winning record in the regular season (8-6), Folty's 4.54 ERA was not what he or the team expected coming out of his breakout 2018 campaign. Certainly his injuries played a big part in his struggles and it will all be forgotten if Foltynewicz can have October success. And his recent results point to him doing just that as Folty was 4-1 in September, with a 1.50 ERA and 0.70 WHIP, covering 30 innings. But there is perhaps only one recent stat which matters for today and that is the fact that the Braves are an incredible 12-1 in Foltynewicz's last 13 starts going back to early June. Take Atlanta. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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10-03-19 | Nationals v. Dodgers -162 | Top | 0-6 | Win | 100 | 22 h 45 m | Show |
At 8:35 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the |
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09-28-19 | A's -172 v. Mariners | Top | 1-0 | Win | 100 | 10 h 21 m | Show |
At 9:10 pm, our selection is on the Oakland Athletics over the Seattle Mariners. The A's have once again defied the baseball experts and are heading to the post-season for the fifth time in the last eight seasons. Oakland will be in a one-game Wild Card playoff against the Tampa Bay Rays. And, although they may be an underdog on paper facing either Charlie Morton or Blake Snell, that's been the A's situation pretty much all season. Tonight, they will send LHP Brett Anderson to the mound for his 31st start of the season. Anderson has already set a career high with 12 victories, and he has also posted a solid 4.00 ERA in his 30 starts. But the main reason to like Anderson tonight is the fact that, in 22 previous appearances against the Mariners (21 starts), the veteran southpaw has gone 10-5 with a 2.36 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in just under 130 innings. Those 10 victories represent the most that Anderson has logged against any team in the Majors by far. Finally, the A's are 9-1 in Anderson's last 10 road starts, while the Mariners are 6-23 in their last 29 home games vs. teams with a winning road record. Take Oakland. MLB Road Warrior Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-27-19 | Indians +117 v. Nationals | Top | 2-8 | Loss | -100 | 16 h 33 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Washington Nationals. In all likelihood, the Indians' hopes for a post-season spot will come to an end in DC this weekend. And it's a shame as the Tribe had a miraculous season once again, especially considering the amount of injuries it had to endure throughout. The chances of Cleveland sweeping the Nats -- who are still playing for home field advantage in the Wild Card Game -- on the road without the use of the DH are slim, at best (and then they would still need help from the Blue Jays vs. Tampa to get into the post-season). But we'll give the Indians the edge tonight in Game 1 with RHP Zach Plesac going to the mound opposite rookie RH Austin Voth. Plesac has had a very solid first season, going 8-6 with a 3.82 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 20 starts covering just under 111 innings. And although he is just 3-4 on the road, Plesac's ERA away from home is more than a half-run below what it is in Cleveland (3.51 vs. 4.10). The Nats are also 0-4 in their last four inter-league home games vs. teams with a winning record, while the Indians are 9-4 in Plesac's last 13 starts. Take Cleveland. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-26-19 | Indians -200 v. White Sox | Top | 0-8 | Loss | -200 | 18 h 14 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox dealt a blow to the Indians' post-season chances last night, beating them at home easily by the score of 8-3. Now Cleveland has to regroup for the final game of this series before traveling to DC to play a very good Nationals team over three games to end the regular season. Indians' rookie RHP Aaron Civale has only allowed one earned run in each of his three September starts coming into tonight, but all the 24-year-old has to show for his strong efforts is one victory. Of course, that one victory was against this White Sox club, in Cleveland back on September 2. For the season, Civale is 3-3 with an excellent 1.82 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in nine starts covering just over 54 innings. Start number 10 will be his first ever in Chicago. But, in general, Civale has pitched well on the road, with a 2.43 ERA in five away starts covering just under 30 innings. Despite their win on Wednesday, the Sox are just 4-11 in their last 15 vs. teams with a winning record. And Cleveland's 29-10, +9 games on the money line this season when priced from -175 to -250, while the ChiSox are 14-36 their last 50 as a home dog of +175 or more. Take the Tribe. AL Game of the Month. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-25-19 | A's -197 v. Angels | Top | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 11 h 6 m | Show |
At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Oakland Athletics over the Los Angeles Angels. A's starter Frankie Montas was setting the league on fire in the first half of the season. Through his first 15 starts, the 26-year-old RHP was 9-2 with a 2.70 ERA in 90 innings and seemed poised for an All Star selection in what appeared to be a breakout campaign. Then came news of a positive test for PEDs and Montas quickly went from hero to goat with an 80-game suspension. He's served his time now and Montas is back to make his first start since June 20 tonight in Anaheim. If he's 75% of what he was back in June, this should be Montas' time to shine to show the league that he's the real deal, and ready for the Post-season. Right after the All Star break, Angels LHP Andrew Heaney looked like he was going to finally break out and realize the potential which so many have predicted. July and August were solid for the 28-year-old but September has been a disaster (1-3 with a 9.31 ERA in four starts) so far. Oakland is 7-2 in Montas' last nine road starts vs. losing teams. Take the A's. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-25-19 | Cubs -188 v. Pirates | Top | 2-4 | Loss | -188 | 14 h 15 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Cubs have been all but eliminated from post-season contention with a losing streak which has now reached 7 games. Their stretch run couldn't have gone any worse, and it was wholly unexpected for the team that -- only three years ago -- was on top of the baseball world. And the future doesn't look all that bright for a team which has many of its best players already into their prime, and whose minor league system has been depleted through trades. But even this Cubs team can win this one tonight in Pittsburgh. Veteran LHP Jon Lester will go to the hill for the 31st time this season. Lester has been a Pirates slayer through most of his career, going 12-6 with a 3.18 ERA in 22 starts covering just over 124 innings against Pittsburgh. And here at PNC Park, Lester is 6-3 with a 3.39 ERA in 10 career starts (58 1/3 innings). It also doesn't hurt his chances that the Bucs are going with 24-year-old rookie RHP Dario Agrazal, who is 4-5 with a 5.08 ERA in 14 games (13 starts). Take the Cubs. |
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09-25-19 | Cardinals -113 v. Diamondbacks | Top | 7-9 | Loss | -113 | 11 h 51 m | Show |
At 3:40 pm, our selection is on the St Louis Cardinals over Arizona. The Cards gave up a run in the bottom of the 9th last night, which tied the game at 1-run apiece, and then proceeded to lose in extra innings, 3-2. We'll take St. Louis to bounce back on Wednesay afternoon, as it's 18-7 this season on the road when favored -150 or less. Michael Wacha will get the start today, and he's given up just 10 runs over his last eight games (2.52 ERA). The Cards are a solid 16-3 behind Wacha when he's not allowed 2+ earned runs in either of his two previous starts. Take the Cardinals. |
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09-24-19 | A's -205 v. Angels | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -205 | 16 h 42 m | Show |
At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Oakland Athletics over the Los Angeles Angels. It's looking pretty good for the Oakland A's to once again make the post-season when hardly anyone gave them a shot six months ago. The A's playoff probability is 97% heading into the week and they have series with the Angels and Mariners to close things out, so they are in the driver's seat. You can add Homer Bailey's name to the long list of veteran pitchers who have seen their careers rejuvenated in Oakland. The 33-year-old RH was 1-14 with a 6.09 ERA last season in Cincy, and then 7-6 with a 4.80 number in 18 starts with KC, before getting shipped off to the East Bay. Since donning the green and gold, Bailey has gone 6-2 with a 4.21 ERA in 12 starts, and he's coming off one of his best starts in a long time. Last Wednesday, Bailey threw seven innings of three-hit shutout ball against the Royals with 11 strikeouts and one walk. Anything close to that tonight should get him another victory and solidify his spot in the post-season rotation. Finally, we note that Bailey is 3-0 with a 2.39 ERA in six starts here at home this season. Take the A's. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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09-24-19 | Marlins v. Mets -250 | Top | 4-5 | Win | 100 | 13 h 46 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the New York Mets over Miami. The Mets lost last night, 8-4. And their post-season chances are now hanging by a thread. Tonight, they'll face Marlins RHP Sandy Alcantara, who has a dismal 1-8 record over his last 15 starts. Even worse for Miami: it's 18-54 (minus 21 games on the money line) on the division road its last 70. New York will hand the ball to Noah Syndergaard, who has dominated the Marlins in his career. He's made 10 starts vs. Miami, and owns a 7-1 record, with a 1.83 ERA and an 0.91 WHIP. Take New York. |
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09-24-19 | Cubs -185 v. Pirates | Top | 2-9 | Loss | -185 | 13 h 42 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Pittsburgh Pirates. It's do or die right now for the Chicago Cubs who are four games behind in the race for the final NL Wild Card with six games to go. If there can be any good news for a team that has lost six games in a row it is that they will be starting a three-game series against the Pirates. If there has been a more lopsided series lately than the Cubs and Pirates, it's hard to imagine what it might look like. In the last five meetings between these two clubs, Chicago is 5-0 and has out-scored Pittsburgh by an absurd total of 56-16. On top of that ridiculous stat, you have RHP Kyle Hendricks going to the mound for the Cubs. And the veteran has been pretty dominant against the Bucs this season. In three 2019 starts vs. the Pirates, Hendricks is 1-1 with a sparkling 2.25 ERA a 1.00 WHIP in 16 innings. Meanwhile, the Pirates have imploded in the second half as they are 8-22 in their last 30 home games. Finally, the Cubs are 5-1 in Hendrick's last six starts and 4-0 in his last four vs. teams with a losing record. Take the Cubbies. |
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09-23-19 | Red Sox v. Rays -190 | Top | 4-7 | Win | 100 | 18 h 59 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Boston Red Sox. Add Blake Snell's name to the long list of Cy Young winners who come back the year after they win the award to lay a big fat egg. Of course, injuries have played a significant part in the southpaw's disappointing numbers this season -- 6-7 with a 4.19 ERA in 21 starts. Snell was shut down in July in order to have surgery on his ailing elbow. Fortunately, the surgery was of the arthroscopic variety and Snell appears fully recovered less than two months later. In his first start back on Sept. 17, Snell was limited to two innings, but was perfect over that period. Tonight he will go a little bit longer, but likely not more than four frames. If the 26-year-old can get back to a full workload in time for the playoffs and then contribute to success for his team, all will be forgotten regarding his 2019 struggles. Now eliminated from any playoff contention, the Red Sox will go with veteran RHP Jhoulys Chacin who is an ugly 3-11 with a 5.66 ERA in 23 games (22 starts). The Rays are 18-4 in Snell's last 22 home starts vs. winning teams. Take Tampa Bay. MLB High Roller Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-22-19 | Cardinals v. Cubs -142 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -142 | 13 h 45 m | Show |
At 2:20 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals go for a rare, four-game sweep this afternoon in Chicago. And if the Cards are feeling sad about this series ending, they only have to wait a few days as they will get the Cubs again at home in the final series of the season next week. But for today's game, the Cards have to get by the pitcher who has been arguably the best starter on the team over the past month or so. In his last four starts, RHP Yu Darvish has allowed five earned runs on 16 hits in 26 innings with 41 strikeouts and only five walks. The key for Darvish this afternoon just might be that this is an early game. In nine starts during the day this season, Darvish is 3-1 with a 3.67 ERA, as opposed to 3-6 with a 4.15 ERA in 21 starts under the lights. The Cards will go with RHP Miles Mikolas who has taken quite a big step backwards after his breakout season of 2018. Mikolas is 9-14 with a 4.29 ERA in 31 starts after going 18-4 and 2.83 in 32 starts last year. Despite their defeat yesterday, the Cubs are still 21-8 in the last 29 home meetings with the Cards. Take Chicago. MLB Elite Info Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-21-19 | Cardinals v. Cubs -118 | Top | 9-8 | Loss | -118 | 16 h 2 m | Show |
At 2:20 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the St. Louis Cardinals. It's been a strange season for Cubs LHP Jose Quintana. Despite his highest seasonal ERA (4.38) and one of the worst WHIPs of his career (1.34), Quintana has tied his career mark of 13 victories and has notched his highest win percentage ever (.619). And in outings when he doesn't have his best stuff and leaves early with a no-decision, the Cubs often win anyway. That was the case in Quintana's last start -- one of the worst of the season for him -- when the Cubs blew out the Pirates 16-6 despite him lasting less than three innings. Quintana has some solid career numbers against the Cards. In 10 starts against them he is 5-3 with a 3.81 ERA in 52 innings. This season, Quintana is 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA in two starts vs. St. Louis. In the month of June, the Cubs lost all of Quintana's first five starts. But since the last start of that month, the club has been on a tear when he takes the mound, winning an incredible 11 of Quintana's last 14 starts. And they are 9-0 in his last nine starts vs. teams from within Chicago's division. NL Central Game of the Year on the Cubs. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-20-19 | Cardinals v. Cubs -120 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -120 | 3 h 48 m | Show |
At 2:20 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the St. Louis Cardinals. This afternoon's start was supposed to belong to Jose Quintana, but the Cubs decided to push the veteran southpaw to Saturday. Instead, they will go this afternoon with 27-year-old journeyman RH Alec Mills. Mills was a 22nd round draft pick of the Royals in 2012 and spent a very short stint in Kansas City in 2016 before being traded to the Cubs in 2017. Mills came up with the Cubs in 2018 and pitched well, albeit in a very limited role. And this season it's more of the same as Mills didn't make an appearance until after the All Star Game, but he's been very effective as both a starter an reliever so far. He will make his first start since July 22 this afternoon and it just happens to be in a bit of a "do-or-die" situation, as the Cubs have fallen four games behind the division leading Cardinals (and one game behind Milwaukee in the Wild Card race). Mills has only made four starts in his career, but he has a 4.29 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and very solid 4.80 K:BB ratio leading off games. Meanwhile, the Cards are just 6-21 in the last 27 meetings in Chicago. Take the Cubs. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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Big Al McMordie MLB Picks
Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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09-08-20 | Rays -156 v. Nationals | Top | 3-5 | Loss | -156 | 12 h 48 m | Show |
09-07-20 | Tigers v. Twins -205 | Top | 2-6 | Win | 100 | 10 h 35 m | Show |
09-06-20 | Astros -145 v. Angels | Top | 5-9 | Loss | -145 | 10 h 30 m | Show |
09-06-20 | Padres -110 v. A's | Top | 5-3 | Win | 100 | 9 h 30 m | Show |
09-06-20 | Nationals v. Braves -112 | Top | 3-10 | Win | 100 | 7 h 31 m | Show |
09-05-20 | Yankees -232 v. Orioles | Top | 1-6 | Loss | -232 | 8 h 47 m | Show |
09-05-20 | Blue Jays -130 v. Red Sox | Top | 8-9 | Loss | -130 | 8 h 42 m | Show |
09-05-20 | Brewers v. Indians -112 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 7 h 20 m | Show |
09-04-20 | Padres v. A's -139 | Top | 7-0 | Loss | -139 | 15 h 44 m | Show |
09-04-20 | Cardinals +125 v. Cubs | Top | 1-4 | Loss | -100 | 13 h 20 m | Show |
09-04-20 | Marlins +124 v. Rays | Top | 4-5 | Loss | -100 | 12 h 45 m | Show |
09-03-20 | White Sox -135 v. Royals | Top | 11-6 | Win | 100 | 15 h 26 m | Show |
09-03-20 | Yankees -102 v. Mets | Top | 7-9 | Loss | -102 | 5 h 15 m | Show |
09-02-20 | Blue Jays -130 v. Marlins | Top | 2-1 | Win | 100 | 14 h 2 m | Show |
09-01-20 | Rays v. Yankees -144 | Top | 3-5 | Win | 100 | 7 h 26 m | Show |
08-31-20 | Padres v. Rockies -109 | Top | 6-0 | Loss | -109 | 8 h 8 m | Show |
08-31-20 | White Sox v. Twins +120 | Top | 8-5 | Loss | -100 | 7 h 40 m | Show |
08-29-20 | Padres v. Rockies -140 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 18 h 55 m | Show |
08-29-20 | Braves +119 v. Phillies | Top | 1-4 | Loss | -100 | 1 h 22 m | Show |
08-28-20 | Cubs -123 v. Reds | Top | 5-6 | Loss | -123 | 9 h 41 m | Show |
08-28-20 | Mets v. Yankees -132 | Top | 6-4 | Loss | -132 | 6 h 37 m | Show |
08-27-20 | Mariners v. Padres -187 | Top | 8-3 | Loss | -187 | 1 h 8 m | Show |
08-27-20 | Mariners v. Padres -200 | Top | 7-10 | Win | 100 | 12 h 17 m | Show |
08-26-20 | Royals v. Cardinals -168 | Top | 5-6 | Win | 100 | 17 h 8 m | Show |
08-26-20 | Yankees -168 v. Braves | Top | 1-5 | Loss | -168 | 4 h 18 m | Show |
08-25-20 | Orioles v. Rays -210 | Top | 2-4 | Win | 100 | 15 h 13 m | Show |
08-24-20 | Marlins +113 v. Nationals | Top | 11-8 | Win | 113 | 12 h 28 m | Show |
08-23-20 | Angels v. A's -123 | Top | 4-5 | Win | 100 | 9 h 58 m | Show |
08-23-20 | Astros -110 v. Padres | Top | 3-5 | Loss | -110 | 5 h 51 m | Show |
08-22-20 | Diamondbacks -154 v. Giants | Top | 1-5 | Loss | -154 | 8 h 26 m | Show |
08-22-20 | Rockies +190 v. Dodgers | Top | 3-4 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 21 m | Show |
08-22-20 | White Sox v. Cubs -175 | Top | 7-4 | Loss | -175 | 7 h 27 m | Show |
08-21-20 | Diamondbacks -110 v. Giants | Top | 2-6 | Loss | -110 | 15 h 0 m | Show |
08-20-20 | Diamondbacks +148 v. A's | Top | 1-5 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 43 m | Show |
08-20-20 | Astros v. Rockies -127 | Top | 10-8 | Loss | -127 | 9 h 30 m | Show |
08-19-20 | Diamondbacks v. A's -161 | Top | 1-4 | Win | 100 | 14 h 5 m | Show |
08-19-20 | Astros v. Rockies +151 | Top | 13-6 | Loss | -100 | 13 h 5 m | Show |
08-19-20 | Blue Jays v. Orioles +104 | Top | 5-2 | Loss | -100 | 5 h 29 m | Show |
08-17-20 | Blue Jays v. Orioles +133 | Top | 7-2 | Loss | -100 | 14 h 20 m | Show |
08-16-20 | Braves v. Marlins -103 | Top | 4-0 | Loss | -103 | 6 h 32 m | Show |
08-15-20 | Rangers v. Rockies -160 | Top | 6-4 | Loss | -160 | 14 h 57 m | Show |
08-14-20 | Indians -170 v. Tigers | Top | 10-5 | Win | 100 | 13 h 25 m | Show |
08-13-20 | Padres v. Dodgers -135 | Top | 2-11 | Win | 100 | 15 h 56 m | Show |
08-12-20 | Padres v. Dodgers -153 | Top | 0-6 | Win | 100 | 14 h 3 m | Show |
08-12-20 | Twins -136 v. Brewers | Top | 12-2 | Win | 100 | 12 h 33 m | Show |
08-12-20 | A's -105 v. Angels | Top | 8-4 | Win | 100 | 9 h 32 m | Show |
08-11-20 | Diamondbacks v. Rockies +101 | Top | 7-8 | Win | 101 | 12 h 15 m | Show |
08-11-20 | Cubs +134 v. Indians | Top | 7-1 | Win | 134 | 11 h 45 m | Show |
08-11-20 | Marlins +160 v. Blue Jays | Top | 4-5 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 12 m | Show |
08-10-20 | Diamondbacks v. Rockies -130 | Top | 12-8 | Loss | -130 | 14 h 43 m | Show |
08-10-20 | White Sox -146 v. Tigers | Top | 1-5 | Loss | -146 | 12 h 15 m | Show |
08-09-20 | Diamondbacks v. Padres -147 | Top | 5-9 | Win | 100 | 9 h 18 m | Show |
08-08-20 | Indians -120 v. White Sox | Top | 7-1 | Win | 100 | 8 h 29 m | Show |
08-07-20 | Diamondbacks v. Padres -117 | Top | 0-3 | Win | 100 | 15 h 46 m | Show |
08-07-20 | Yankees -105 v. Rays | Top | 0-1 | Loss | -105 | 12 h 17 m | Show |
08-05-20 | Dodgers v. Padres +117 | Top | 7-6 | Loss | -100 | 15 h 17 m | Show |
08-04-20 | Dodgers -120 v. Padres | Top | 5-2 | Win | 100 | 14 h 30 m | Show |
08-03-20 | Dodgers v. Padres +127 | Top | 4-5 | Win | 127 | 14 h 5 m | Show |
08-02-20 | Dodgers -175 v. Diamondbacks | Top | 3-0 | Win | 100 | 10 h 13 m | Show |
08-01-20 | Dodgers -141 v. Diamondbacks | Top | 11-2 | Win | 100 | 17 h 37 m | Show |
08-01-20 | Rays -205 v. Orioles | Top | 4-5 | Loss | -205 | 16 h 1 m | Show |
07-31-20 | Rays -210 v. Orioles | Top | 3-6 | Loss | -210 | 17 h 19 m | Show |
07-31-20 | Indians v. Twins +115 | Top | 1-4 | Win | 115 | 17 h 57 m | Show |
07-31-20 | Reds v. Tigers +166 | Top | 2-7 | Win | 166 | 16 h 56 m | Show |
07-30-20 | Rays +131 v. Braves | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -100 | 13 h 21 m | Show |
07-30-20 | Red Sox v. Mets -143 | Top | 4-2 | Loss | -143 | 13 h 20 m | Show |
07-28-20 | Blue Jays v. Nationals -132 | Top | 5-1 | Loss | -132 | 13 h 1 m | Show |
07-27-20 | Brewers -145 v. Pirates | Top | 6-5 | Win | 100 | 17 h 6 m | Show |
07-26-20 | Twins -131 v. White Sox | Top | 14-2 | Win | 100 | 11 h 40 m | Show |
07-24-20 | Tigers v. Reds -168 | Top | 1-7 | Win | 100 | 12 h 8 m | Show |
10-30-19 | Nationals +125 v. Astros | Top | 6-2 | Win | 125 | 18 h 31 m | Show |
10-29-19 | Nationals v. Astros UNDER 7.5 | Top | 7-2 | Loss | -113 | 27 h 56 m | Show |
10-25-19 | Astros -133 v. Nationals | Top | 4-1 | Win | 100 | 29 h 30 m | Show |
10-23-19 | Nationals v. Astros -170 | Top | 12-3 | Loss | -170 | 19 h 15 m | Show |
10-22-19 | Nationals v. Astros -185 | Top | 5-4 | Loss | -185 | 42 h 15 m | Show |
10-19-19 | Yankees v. Astros -128 | Top | 4-6 | Win | 100 | 3 h 29 m | Show |
10-18-19 | Astros v. Yankees +131 | Top | 1-4 | Win | 131 | 9 h 50 m | Show |
10-15-19 | Cardinals +148 v. Nationals | Top | 4-7 | Loss | -100 | 19 h 40 m | Show |
10-13-19 | Yankees v. Astros -152 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 20 h 56 m | Show |
10-12-19 | Nationals v. Cardinals +136 | Top | 3-1 | Loss | -100 | 14 h 43 m | Show |
10-11-19 | Nationals v. Cardinals UNDER 8 | Top | 2-0 | Win | 100 | 18 h 53 m | Show |
10-10-19 | Rays v. Astros -248 | Top | 1-6 | Win | 100 | 17 h 43 m | Show |
10-09-19 | Nationals v. Dodgers -150 | Top | 7-3 | Loss | -150 | 27 h 35 m | Show |
10-07-19 | Braves v. Cardinals -133 | Top | 4-5 | Win | 100 | 4 h 57 m | Show |
10-06-19 | Braves v. Cardinals +106 | Top | 3-1 | Loss | -100 | 30 h 2 m | Show |
10-04-19 | Cardinals v. Braves +115 | Top | 0-3 | Win | 115 | 15 h 31 m | Show |
10-03-19 | Nationals v. Dodgers -162 | Top | 0-6 | Win | 100 | 22 h 45 m | Show |
09-28-19 | A's -172 v. Mariners | Top | 1-0 | Win | 100 | 10 h 21 m | Show |
09-27-19 | Indians +117 v. Nationals | Top | 2-8 | Loss | -100 | 16 h 33 m | Show |
09-26-19 | Indians -200 v. White Sox | Top | 0-8 | Loss | -200 | 18 h 14 m | Show |
09-25-19 | A's -197 v. Angels | Top | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 11 h 6 m | Show |
09-25-19 | Cubs -188 v. Pirates | Top | 2-4 | Loss | -188 | 14 h 15 m | Show |
09-25-19 | Cardinals -113 v. Diamondbacks | Top | 7-9 | Loss | -113 | 11 h 51 m | Show |
09-24-19 | A's -205 v. Angels | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -205 | 16 h 42 m | Show |
09-24-19 | Marlins v. Mets -250 | Top | 4-5 | Win | 100 | 13 h 46 m | Show |
09-24-19 | Cubs -185 v. Pirates | Top | 2-9 | Loss | -185 | 13 h 42 m | Show |
09-23-19 | Red Sox v. Rays -190 | Top | 4-7 | Win | 100 | 18 h 59 m | Show |
09-22-19 | Cardinals v. Cubs -142 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -142 | 13 h 45 m | Show |
09-21-19 | Cardinals v. Cubs -118 | Top | 9-8 | Loss | -118 | 16 h 2 m | Show |
09-20-19 | Cardinals v. Cubs -120 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -120 | 3 h 48 m | Show |