Football Free Picks - Win More Football Bets Starting Today!

Big Al McMordie MLB Picks

Date	Match Up	Rating	Score	Result	Profit	Lead Time	Analysis
10-02-24	Royals v. Orioles -149	Top	2-1	Loss	-149	12 h 5 m	Show
At 4:35 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles over the Kansas City Royals. Pitching dominated Game 1 as Corbin Burnes was brilliant for the O's, taking a one-run, five-hit performance into the ninth but it wasn't enough. That's because KC's pitching was even better behind ace Cole Ragans and three relievers. So, when the dust settled, the Royals escaped Camden Yards with a 1-0 win. This afternoon it will be up to RHs Zach Eflin (to even it for the O's) and Seth Lugo (to sweep it for KC) as these two face off in Game 2. Lugo's overall numbers this season were great: 16-9 with a 3.00 ERA in a league-leading 33 starts. The problem is that he tailed off quite a bit in the second half. After his first start after the break, Lugo was 12-4 with a 2.38 ERA and looking like the favorite for the Cy Young. But in the 12 starts that followed, Lugo went 4-5 with a 4.20 ERA and the Royals went 4-8 in those. , the other hand was strong for the O's from the get-go to his last outing, going 5-2 with a 2.60 ERA in his nine starts since being traded to Baltimore on July 26. Take the Orioles. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
09-29-24	Mets -115 v. Brewers	Top	5-0	Win	100	12 h 38 m	Show
At 3:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Mets over the Milwaukee Brewers. Welcome to MLB Final Sunday. It's the only day of the MLB Season when every game begins at the same time. While the Wild Cards in the American League are settled, the situation in the National League comes down to today and possibly even Monday when the Mets and Braves play a double-header. But, for today, the Mets will be wrapping up their series in Milwaukee against the Brewers, who have already punched their ticket with another NL Central division pennant. New York will send LH David Peterson to the mound for the 21st time this season, as they look to snap their 3-game losing streak. The veteran southpaw is having a breakout campaign, going 9-3 with a 3.08 ERA in 20 starts covering 114 innings. This will be Peterson's first start of 2024 against the Brewers. And he has done his best work on the road this season. In 11 starts away from Queens, Peterson is 5-1 with a 2.88 ERA (vs. 4-2 and 3.35 in nine starts at Citi Field). And New York is a solid 23-17 (+7.0 net games) on the road off a loss. Take the Mets. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
09-26-24	Padres +115 v. Dodgers	Top	2-7	Loss	-100	18 h 48 m	Show
At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over the Los Angeles Dodgers. By the end of the 2021 season, Dodgers RHP Walker Buehler looked like he would an ace of the future -- perhaps for the next 10 years like his teammate Clayton Kershaw. But the then-26-year-old ran into serious arm issues the following year and surgery would ensue, keeping Buehler out for the entire 2023 season. Buehler has been deemed healthy once again, but he's clearly not close to the starter he was three years ago. And at this point it's hard to know if he'll ever get back to that level. In 15 starts, Buehler is 1-6 with a 5.63 ERA but L.A. is going to keep putting him out there with the hope that the old Buehler will emerge. Speaking of starters who have returned from injury, RH Joe Musgrove (only 17 starts last season) will go for the Padres tonight. He started the season on time but suffered an elbow injury at the end of May. Since coming back, Musgrove has been getting better and better and he comes into tonight off back-to-back six-inning shutout starts. Take the Padres. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
09-25-24	Orioles v. Yankees -144	Top	9-7	Loss	-144	14 h 4 m	Show
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Baltimore Orioles. The O's not only beat the Yankees in the Bronx last night but, after the game, the Champagne was flowing in Baltimore's locker room. With the Twins' loss to the Marlins, Baltimore punched a ticket to the post-season for the second season in a row (the first time that's happened since 1996-1997). Although the Yanks know that the O's chances of catching them are extremely low, they still want to win this series and lock up another in a long line of division pennants sooner, rather than later. They will send out LH Nestor Cortes tonight for his 31st start of the season. Cortes just might be the best starter in the league with a losing record as the 29-year-old southpaw is 9-10 with a 3.77 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in his 30 starts covering just over 174 innings. Against the O's this season, Cortes has a 3.00 ERA in two starts covering 12 innings. And he's also done his best work at home. In 15 starts here in the Bronx, Cortes is 5-5 with a 3.11 ERA (vs. a 4.46 ERA on the road). Take the Yankees. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
09-24-24	Royals -161 v. Nationals	Top	1-0	Win	100	19 h 31 m	Show
At 6:45 pm, our selection is on the Kansas City Royals over the Washington Nationals. Earlier this month, the Royals appeared to be sitting in the catbird seat as far as making the post-season. And with the Orioles struggling, they looked like they might be able to move into the first Wild Card slot. But a disastrous string of games has seen KC lose seven in a row, so the team is hanging on for dear life with both Minnesota and Seattle breathing down its neck. Tonight, the Royals send their best starter to the mound in hopes of turning things around as All-Star RH Cole Ragans will get his 32nd start of the season -- his first-ever against the Nats. Ragans has been great this season with an 11-9 record, a 3.24 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. He also has 217 strikeouts and a league-leading 10.8 Ks per nine innings. In eight inter-league starts this season, Ragans is 2-1 with a 2.90 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with 57 strikeouts in just under 50 innings. Washington has been especially poor this season as an underdog, priced from +125 to +175 (22-47, minus 14.4 net games), while KC is 43-25 (+7.4 net games) as a favorite. Take the Royals. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
09-23-24	Cubs v. Phillies -170	Top	2-6	Win	100	15 h 5 m	Show
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Chicago Cubs. The Phillies have clinched another post-season appearance and they could have clinched another division title as well with a win over the Mets last night but that didn't happen. So now, with their Magic Number at one, the Phils only need a win over the Cubs today -- a seemingly easier task than they had on Sunday. They'll send one of their best to the mound tonight in RHP Aaron Nola. The 31-year-old is not the ace of the staff anymore and that's likely fine with him as he's still one of the top starters in the league. In 31 starts this season, Nola is 12-8 with a 3.54 ERA and 1.17 WHIP with 183 strikeouts in just over 188 innings. This will be Nola's first start of the season vs. the Cubs, but for his career, he has a 6-2 record against them in nine starts covering just under 56 innings. Nola has done his best work at home this season as he is 6-4 with a 3.31 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 16 starts here at Citizens Bank. Additionally, the Phillies are 24-10 (+8.2 net games) their last 34 at home with Nola on the mound. Take the Phillies. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
09-19-24	Yankees v. Mariners -103	Top	2-3	Win	100	12 h 32 m	Show
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over the New York Yankees. Two seasons ago, Logan Gilbert went 13-6 with a 3.20 ERA and last year he came close to matching those numbers with a 13-7 ledger and 3.73 ERA. So it's not surprising to see another full season of starts with an ERA of 3.24 but it certainly is a bit strange to see an accompanying won-lost record of 7-11. There's certainly nothing wrong with Gilbert's pitching but for whatever reason, he's not always gotten the love from his hitters this season. But none of that will matter if Gilbert can shine in his final two starts and help get his Seattle club to the playoffs. The good news for this afternoon is that the big righthander has done his best work at home this season, pitching to a 2.59 ERA in 14 starts here at T-Mobile Park vs. 3.82 in 16 starts elsewhere. He's also gone 2-3 with a 2.91 ERA in 10 daytime starts vs. 5-8 with a 3.41 number in 20 under the lights. Take Seattle. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
09-18-24	Giants v. Orioles -165	Top	5-3	Loss	-165	16 h 38 m	Show
At 6:35 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles over the San Francisco Giants. Hayden Birdsong will get the start for San Francisco, and he's lost his last five decisions. Even worse, the Giants are 0-7 in his last seven starts, and 0-5 in his five career interleague starts. Dean Kremer will toe the rubber for the Birds, and the Orioles have gone 30-18 (+11.8 net games) in his 48 career home starts. Kremer also has a 2.76 ERA over his last three outings, and is 1-0 in his career vs. the Giants with a 3.00 ERA. Take Baltimore. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
09-17-24	Tigers v. Royals -157	Top	3-1	Loss	-157	14 h 48 m	Show
At 7:40 pm, our selection is on the Kansas City Royals over the Detroit Tigers. If you looked at the AL standings a month ago, you probably would have come to the conclusion that the Central Division would come down to three teams -- the Guardians, Royals, and Twins with the latter two likely battling for a Wild Card spot. But now the Tigers have gone from a half-dozen games below .500 to five games over and all of a sudden they are in the mix along with the aforementioned Twins and Royals. So, this series is not only big for KC but also for Detroit. And with their win last night, the Tigers are only 1 1/2 games behind in that Wild Card chase. Royals ace Cole Ragans had another outstanding start last time out but took a no-decision in a tough 4-3 KC loss to the Yankees. The 26-year-old All-Star RH will make his 31st start of the season tonight and it will be his third against Detroit. In those other two, Ragans is 2-0 with a 1.54 ERA and 0.86 WHIP with 18 strikeouts and three hits allowed in 11 2/3 innings. KC is 6-2 in the last eight meetings. Take the Royals. As always, good luck...Al McMordie
09-16-24	Nationals v. Mets -180	Top	1-2	Win	100	18 h 17 m	Show
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the New York Mets over the Washington Nationals. The NL Comeback Player of the Year would likely have to go to Chris Sale of the Braves, but coming in second just might be the Mets' Sean Manaea. The veteran southpaw had two very uninspired seasons in San Diego and San Francisco and so New York's signing of the 32-year-old to a one-year contract back in January went largely unnoticed. But so far in 2024, Manaea has reminded the Mets -- and their opponents -- of the version of him that was dominating AL hitters in his final season in Oakland three years ago. In 29 starts, Manaea is 11-5 with a 3.35 ERA and 1.10 WHIP with 171 strikeouts in 164 innings coming into tonight. Manaea dominated the Nats in his only other start against them this season back on July 2 in DC when he held them to just one ER on five hits in seven innings in a 7-2 Mets win. No team in the league has benefited more from a starter this season than New York has from Manaea, as it's gone 13-2 in his last 15 starts going back to June 26. Take the Mets. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
09-15-24	Red Sox v. Yankees -160	Top	2-5	Win	100	13 h 21 m	Show
At 1:35 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Boston Red Sox. Boston evened this series in a bizarre game in the Bronx yesterday that saw the Yankees order an intentional walk from ace Gerrit Cole to Sox star Rafael Devers with one out and the bases empty. It was all downhill from there for Cole and the Yanks as Boston cruised to an easy 7-1 victory. Don't expect any intentional walks this afternoon from LHP Carlos Rodon as he goes to the hill for his 30th start of the season. After being a disappointment in his first season in the Bronx -- thanks in large part to injury -- Rodon has been a huge asset in 2024, posting 14 wins with a 4.15 ERA and 181 strikeouts in 158 1/3 innings. The 31-year-old southpaw has a career 3.88 ERA in eight regular season starts vs. the Red Sox and he's done by far his best work at home this season where he is 8-2 with a 3.07 ERA in 12 starts (vs. 6-7 and 5.01 in 17 starts on the road). Rodon is also 4-2 with a 3.78 ERA in nine daytime starts in 2024 (vs. 10-7 and 4.31 in 20 under the lights). Take New York. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
09-14-24	Orioles -175 v. Tigers	Top	4-2	Win	100	14 h 11 m	Show
At 6:10 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles over the Detroit Tigers. After a difficult stretch in which they've lost five of six games -- including a 1-0 defeat last night, in which they were almost no-hit -- it's put up or shut up time for the O's if they're going to win their second consecutive AL East pennant. The next eight games are non-division match-ups against the Tigers (three home and two away) and Giants and Baltimore will have to win the majority of those games before heading to the Bronx for three against the Yankees. RHP Corbin Burnes will toe the rubber this evening for the Birds. He's had a solid season -- his first in Baltimore -- with a 13-8 record, and a 3.18 ERA. In his career vs. the Tigers, he has a 1.20 ERA in two starts, including 7 shutout innings (1 hit, 11 strikeouts) in his only other start here, at Comerica Park. Take Baltimore. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
09-13-24	Rays v. Guardians -165	Top	3-1	Loss	-165	17 h 1 m	Show
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Guardians over the Tampa Bay Rays. Despite not playing their best ball since the break, the Guardians still hold a solid lead over the Royals and Twins in the AL Central. This four game set against non-division foes Tampa is super critical before Cleveland gets a final four games vs. Minnesota next week. A big part of the Guardians' success has been the play of starter Tanner Bibee. The 25-year-old RH has essentially been the number one man in the rotation since ace Shane Bieber went down with an elbow injury two starts into the season. Bibee is 11-7 with a 3.56 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 28 starts with 166 strikeouts in 154 innings coming into tonight. Bibee's only other start against the Rays was last August when he threw seven quality innings, allowing two runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and no walks in a 9-2 Cleveland victory. The Guardians are 6-3 in Bibee's nine starts since the All Star break. Take Cleveland. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
09-11-24	Mets -118 v. Blue Jays	Top	6-2	Win	100	13 h 48 m	Show
At 3:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Mets over the Toronto Blue Jays. Last season if you would have asked, "what the heck happened to Sean Manaea" you wouldn't have been alone. The big starter was once considered one of the budding southpaw stars in the majors. And when he went from Oakland to San Diego after the 2021 season, some big things were expected. But one season in a Padres uniform followed by another with the Giants brought more frustration than success as Manaea struggled to a 15-15 record with a 4.73 ERA -- with time spent in the bullpen as well as the rotation. So when the 32-year-old signed with the Mets this past off-season, it barely made a ripple on the baseball landscape. But Manaea is thriving in the Big Apple as in 28 starts he is 11-5 with a 3.43 ERA and 1.10 WHIP with 163 strikeouts in 157 1/3 innings and the Mets are 14-2 in his last 16 starts. In nine inter-league starts this season, Manaea is 3-2 with a 3.12 ERA and in six career regular season games vs. Toronto (five starts), Manaea is 2-0 with a 3.50 ERA. Take the Mets. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
09-10-24	Padres -108 v. Mariners	Top	7-3	Win	100	19 h 52 m	Show
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over the Seattle Mariners. Yu Darvish will get the start tonight at Seattle, and his road ERA is 1.59 this season. This will be his first start vs. the Mariners in 2024, but in 2023, he held Seattle to 0 earned runs over 6 innings. And in 2022, he blanked the Mariners over 8 innings. He also made exactly one start vs. Seattle in 2021, and the Mariners did score, but only 1 run over 7 innings. So, he's held the Mariners to 1 run over 21 innings in his last 3 starts vs. them. Meanwhile, George Kirby has a career 12.27 ERA vs. San Diego. Take the Padres. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
09-09-24	Royals v. Yankees -170	Top	4-10	Win	100	13 h 16 m	Show
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Kansas City Royals. The Royals are riding high right now coming off of perhaps their best series of the season as KC swept the Twins over three games this weekend, outscoring Minny by an aggregate scor- of 11-2. Together with their win in the last game of the Cleveland series, the Royals have now won four straight. But there is no rest for the weary as KC must travel to the Bronx to take on the Yankees tonight in the first of three. After a rough patch heading into All Star weekend, New York southpaw Carlos Rodon has really turned things around since the break. In eight second-half starts covering 45 1/3 innings, Rodon is 5-2 with a 3.18 ERA and 1.08 WHIP with 60 strikeouts and 16 walks. Rodon looks to keep it rolling tonight in his 29th start of the season. The veteran LHP has plenty of experience against the Royals from his time with the White Sox and he'll look to duplicate his start against them earlier this season when he allowed one run on five hits in seven innings in a 4-2 Yankee victory on June 10. Take New York. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
09-06-24	Yankees -136 v. Cubs	Top	3-0	Win	100	9 h 56 m	Show
At 2:20 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Chicago Cubs. The Yankees visit Wrigley Field for the first time in over seven years and if they think this three-game series against the Cubs is going to be a walk in the park, they should think again. Chicago is one of the hottest teams in the league right now and all the Cubs did in their latest victory on Wednesday is toss a combined no-hitter in beating the Pirates 12-0. Being in the midst of a very close pennant race should keep the Yanks sharp this weekend and they'll start out with with their ace RH as Luis Gil takes the mound for his 25th start of the season. Gil should be in the Cy Young discussion at the end of the season as the 26-year-old has gone 12-6 with a 3.39 ERA in just under 125 innings with 144 strikeouts. Gil comes off the IL today (lower back) to get his first start since August 20. In nine career starts with more than six days rest, Gil is 2-1 with a 3.32 ERA and he's also 5-2 with a 3.18 ERA in 10 career daytime starts vs. 8-5 and 3.62 in 21 starts under the lights. Take New York. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
09-05-24	Astros -144 v. Reds	Top	0-1	Loss	-144	12 h 10 m	Show
At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Cincinnati Reds. The Astros have been one of the hottest teams in the league in the last month, posting an 18-9 record since August 6. That recent success will hopefully help Houston get over one of the ugliest starts by a pitcher in team history. Last night, just 7 days removed from his best career start, when he flirted with a no-hitter, Spencer Arrighetti allowed nine runs in just 2/3 inning. Cincy ended up winning, 12-5, in a blowout. This afternoon, the 'Stros hope that another one of their young pitchers, Hunter Brown, will help erase the memory of Wednesday's loss. The 26-year-old RH is having a breakout campaign in his third season in the Majors, going 11-7 with a 3.55 ERA in 27 games including 26 starts with 155 strikeouts in 147 innings. After a slow start in which he registered just one victory over his first 11 games (10 starts) in the months of April and May, Brown has since gone 4-0 with a 1.16 in June, 4-2 with a 3.53 ERA (July) and 2-0 with a 1.45 ERA (August). The Astros are 11-4 in Brown's last 15 starts going back to June 8. Take Houston. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
09-04-24	Guardians v. Royals -132	Top	1-4	Win	100	13 h 38 m	Show
At 7:40 pm, our selection is on the Kansas City Royals over the Cleveland Guardians. Cleveland has won the first two games in this very important series which will go a long way toward not only determining supremacy in the AL Central, but could also have a say in who goes to the post-season. As a result of the Guardians' win last night, the Royals are now not only 5 1/2 games back but they've also fallen to third place in the Division, a full game behind the Twins. The good news for KC is that it is still 5 games clear of Boston for the final Wild Card berth. The Royals will send RHP Seth Lugo to the mound tonight for this crucial game. The 34-year-old is having a break-out campaign, which earned him a ticket to the mid-summer All-Star Game. Lugo has 14 wins and a 3.12 ERA in 28 starts covering 179 innings. This will be his third start of the season vs. Cleveland and he is 1-0 with a 3.75 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. Ben Lively will toe the rubber for Cleveland. He was shelled in his last game, giving up 6 runs and 9 hits in 4 1/3 innings vs. Pittsburgh. Take the Royals. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
09-04-24	Red Sox -107 v. Mets	Top	3-8	Loss	-107	12 h 5 m	Show
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over the New York Mets. It's a replay of the 1986 World Series as the Red Sox visit Citi Field to face the Mets for three games. A lot has changed in the almost 40 years since that series -- there are no Mookie Wilsons or Bill Buckners on these teams. The Mets have taken the first two games and that -- combined with the recent success of the Orioles and Yankees -- means that Boston is now behind in the AL East by double digits. The Sox will turn to RH Tanner Houck tonight to try to avoid a sweep. The 28-year-old continues to pitch very well but doesn't always get the love from the rest of his team as, despite a 3.12 ERA in 27 starts, Houck is just 8-9 coming into tonight. In his last start, Houck did get some run support and left his start vs. the Tigers with a 3-0 lead after six shutout innings. But in that case it was his bullpen which let him down and, although Boston won, Houck did not factor. He'll face the Mets for the first time in his career tonight. Prior to this series, Boston was 7-1 in the last eight meetings. Take the Sox. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
09-01-24	Blue Jays v. Twins -184	Top	3-4	Win	100	14 h 34 m	Show
At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Toronto Blue Jays. The Twins suffered their worst loss of the season last night, falling behind the Blue Jays 11-0 by the third inning and going on to an embarrassing 15-0 defeat. They will regroup at home this afternoon in an attempt to take this series with Toronto before heading to Tampa next week. Bailey Ober will go to the mound today for his 26th start of the season. Like his team coming off one of their worst losses, the 28-year-old RH comes into this afternoon off of one of the worst outings of his professional career, as Ober allowed nine runs in two innings to the Braves last Monday. But going into that game, Ober had been on quite a roll, throwing quality starts in 11 straight outings going back to his June 16 victory over the A's here at Target Field. In four career starts vs. the Jays, Ober is 2-2 with a 3.05 ERA and 0.82 WHIP with 26 strikeouts and only three walks in just under 21 innings. Take the Twins. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-31-24	Braves v. Phillies -138	Top	0-3	Win	100	14 h 54 m	Show
At 7:15 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Atlanta Braves. The Phillies and Braves have split the first two games of this series with the visitors dominating last night here at Citizens Bank Park and coming away with an easy 7-2 win. Now the rotations reset for Game 3 with aces Max Fried and Zack Wheeler going for the Braves and Phillies respectively. With a 12-6 record through 26 starts this season, Wheeler has an excellent chance of tying or surpassing his career high in wins -- 14 -- which he logged in 2021. Along with those dozen victories, the 34-year-old RHP has also posted a very nice 2.74 ERA and 0.99 WHIP with 176 strikeouts in 160 2/3 innings. Wheeler was an All-Star for the second time in his career and for good reason. Tonight will be Wheeler's third start of 2024 against the Braves and although he is looking for his first win of the season against them he has posted a 1.50 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in 12 innings thus far. For his career vs. Atlanta, Wheeler is 12-8 with a 3.07 ERA in 29 regular season starts covering 182 innings. Take Philly. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-30-24	Orioles -150 v. Rockies	Top	5-3	Win	100	19 h 32 m	Show
At 8:40 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles over the Colorado Rockies. The Orioles lost two of three to the Dodgers in L.A., but Los Angeles has the best record in baseball, so they needn't feel bad as they leave Tinseltown. Now they head east to Denver to face the Rockies for three weekend games. It's sort of like going from "first to worst" as Colorad has the worst run differential in the National League (-202). This will be the first visit of the Orioles to Coors Field in over five years, and it's safe to say that these two clubs have been going in different directions since they last met here. The Rox rotation is a combination of older journeymen and unproven rookies. And tonight they will send one of the former to the mound in 30-year-old LH Austin Gomber. Gomber's numbers this season are not pretty: a 4-9 record with a 4.70 ERA in 25 starts covering 138 innings and he's only won one of his 10 starts here at home. Gomber's career numbers in interleague games are pretty good (12-9 with a 3.92 ERA), but this season he has struggled against AL clubs, going 1-4 with a 5.13 ERA in nine starts covering just under 53 innings. Take the Orioles. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-29-24	Braves v. Phillies -145	Top	4-5	Win	100	12 h 49 m	Show
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Atlanta Braves. The battle for supremacy in the NL East was expected to be a barn-burner this season between the Phillies and Braves. But injuries to many of Atlanta's players -- including stars like Ronald Acuna, Ozzie Albies, and Spencer Strider -- have turned a two horse race into a one-and-a-half horse race. Still, you would have to say that with all those injuries, Atlanta is hanging in there better than most would expect. The two clubs will begin a huge four-game series tonight at Citizens Bank Park with LH Cristopher Sanchez taking the hill for the home team for the 26th time this season. Although he has struggled a bit since the break, the 27-year-old southpaw has pitched better of late, posting quality starts in three of his last four outings. And Sanchez has been superb here at home where he has logged a 7-3 record with a sparkling 2.18 ERA in 13 starts covering 86 2/3 innings (vs. 2-6 and 5.43 in 12 starts on the road). Take the Phillies. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-28-24	Giants v. Brewers -156	Top	3-5	Win	100	15 h 51 m	Show
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the San Francisco Giants. Freddy Peralta may not be the best starter in the game -- quite a ways from it these days -- but he is definitely one of the most consistent. Two seasons ago, the RH went 4-4 with a 3.58 ERA in 18 games (17 starts) in an injury-plagued season with the Brew Crew. Then last season when healthy again, Peralta went 12-10 with a 3.86 ERA in 30 starts and now through 26 starts in 2024, the 28-year-old is 8-7 with a 3.86 ERA. Start number 27 will come tonight against the Giants in the second game of this three-game home set after the visitors took Game 1 last night here at American Family Field. Peralta threw five three-hit shutout innings in his last start but got no help from his offense in a no-decision in St. Louis last Thursday. After a tough month of July (0-2 with a 4.10 ERA in five starts), Peralta has bounced back nicely in August with a 2-1 record and 3.68 ERA in four starts covering 22 innings. Take the Brewers. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-27-24	Blue Jays v. Red Sox -142	Top	3-6	Win	100	15 h 29 m	Show
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over the Toronto Blue Jays. It's hard to imagine a tougher stretch for the Red Sox than the one they're in right now. First, Boston gets swept at home by the Diamondbacks, being out-scored by 23-8 over the three games. Then -- still playing this week at Fenway Park -- the Sox lose to the Jays 4-1 in the completion of a game from June that was suspended by rain and follow that up with another loss to Toronto in the second half of the double-header. Tonight the Sox get another crack at the Jays having lost their last five in a row. 28-year-old RH Cooper Criswell will get his 15th start of the season tonight for the home team and although his overall ERA this season is 4.41, in his 14 starts, Criswell is 4-3 with a 3.88 ERA and 58 strikeouts in just over 67 innings. Tonight will be Criswell's first ever appearance against the Blue Jays who will start rookie RH Yariel Rodriguez. The 27-year-old Cuban is just 1-5 on the season. Take Boston. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-26-24	Royals -115 v. Guardians	Top	4-3	Win	100	6 h 24 m	Show
At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the Kansas City Royals over the Cleveland Guardians. The Royals' big home match-up with the NL's Phillies over the weekend didn't go so well. After taking the first game, 7-4, KC got throttled in the next two, 11-2 and 11-3. But there's no time to think about that right now as perhaps the biggest series the Royals have left on the schedule is staring them in the face in the form of four games in Cleveland against the Division-leading Guardians which starts with a day-night doubleheader. A sweep in this series for the visitors, as unlikely as that is, would put the Royals in first place. And they'll lead off with their ace RH Cole Ragans. The All Star is once again among the League leaders in strikeouts as the 26-year-old has punched out 183 batters in just 152 1/3 innings. Here's some good news: Ragans' ERA is over a run lower on the road this season (2.70 in 11 starts) than it is at home (3.83 in 15 starts). And Ragans has been a machine during the day with a 2.30 ERA in 10 afternoon starts vs. 3.94 in 16 under the lights. Take the Royals in Game 1. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-23-24	Rangers v. Guardians -132	Top	5-3	Loss	-132	12 h 27 m	Show
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Guardians over the Texas Rangers. The Guardians' second-half swoon continues as the Yanks finished off the recent series with a 6-0 shutout on Thursday. Cleveland has now lost 12 of its last 18 games and the fact that the Guardians are still in first place in the AL Central is a testament to how great they played in the first half of the season. Tonight they hope to start a new win streak as they welcome the Rangers into town for a three-game series. Cleveland will send its one true ace to the mound tonight in RHP Tanner Bibee. The 25-year-old 2nd-year starter is having a strong campaign with a 10-5 record, 3.33 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 144 strikeouts in 132 1/3 innings. But most important is the fact that when Bibee goes to the mound, the Guardians usually win as they have been victorious in seven of his last 10 outings (and four of his last five). And Bibee threw 5 1/3 shutout innings against this Rangers club, allowing just three hits back on May 13 in a 7-0 Cleveland victory. Take the Guardians. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-20-24	Twins -106 v. Padres	Top	5-7	Loss	-106	19 h 57 m	Show
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the San Diego Padres. Bailey Ober will get the ball tonight, and make his 24th start of the season. Ober got his 2024 campaign off to a slow start. After 13 starts, his ERA was 5.13. But he's thrown 10 straight quality starts since, and has lowered his season ERA to 3.49. In those last 10 starts, the Twins have gone 8-2, including 5-0 his last 5 outings. And his ERA over this stretch was 1.87. Ober's mound opponent tonight will be Martin Perez. The veteran lefty has a 4.62 ERA on the season, and a 1.49 WHIP. And in his career vs. the Twins, he is 0-4, with a 5.40 ERA. Take Minnesota. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
08-19-24	Red Sox +112 v. Astros	Top	4-5	Loss	-100	17 h 23 m	Show
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over the Houston Astros. This is a critical stretch for the Red Sox, with series against AL Contenders (KC, Houston, Baltimore) along with last season's World Series Champs. The Sox took two of three from the Royals and Rangers before splitting a four-game set over the weekend with the O's. In between Kansas City and Texas, they were swept by this Astros club at home so they are looking for some revenge over the next three days down in Houston. They start tonight with their ace RH Tanner Houck going to the hill for his 25th start of the season. Houck is 8-8 with a 3.01 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with a 127 strikeouts in 145 innings. And he also has a complete game shutout to his credit this season (April 17 vs. the Guardians). Houck has thrown back-to-back quality starts coming into tonight -- 12 2/3 combined innings with three ER on 10 hits -- and one of those was against this Astros club 10 days ago. Take the Red Sox. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-14-24	Mariners -135 v. Tigers	Top	2-3	Loss	-135	14 h 32 m	Show
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over the Detroit Tigers. Last night, there were multiple upsets in baseball. The Orioles were beaten the by Nationals. The Phillies were shut out by the Marlins. The Mets got crushed by the Oakland A's. And all of those occurred at the better team's home ballpark. The only thing less embarrassing about the Mariners being beaten 15-1 by the Tigers is that it happened in Detroit. Tonight, Seattle will have to forget that unfortunate drubbing as the M's send their #5 starter to the mound. Normally "#5 starter" would sound ominous, but in the case of the Mariners, it means Bryan Woo is coming to the rescue. The 24-year-old RH has been phenomenal this season with a 5-1 record in 13 starts covering 67 1/3 innings. He has a 2.27 ERA, a 0.88 WHIP, and a superb K:BB ratio (50 strikeouts, seven walks). Suffice it to say, there are #1 starters who would kill for those numbers. Seattle is 10-3 in Woo's starts this season, including 4-0 in his last four. Take the Mariners. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-13-24	Royals -105 v. Twins	Top	3-13	Loss	-105	14 h 53 m	Show
At 7:40 pm, our selection is on the Kansas City Royals over the Minnesota Twins. Seth Lugo will toe the rubber tonight for the Royals. This will be his 3rd start this season vs. the division rival Twins. In his first two, he allowed just one earned run and 8 hits over 12 innings. For his career, Lugo's ERA in 6 appearances vs. the Twins is 1.73. Additionally, Lugo is 8-2 on the road this season, with a 2.37 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. Take Kansas City. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
08-12-24	Braves -105 v. Giants	Top	1-0	Win	100	18 h 60 m	Show
At 9:45 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the San Francisco Giants. Right now you'd probably have to say that Chris Sale is the favorite in the NL Cy Young race. But if the 35-year-old LH doesn't crank it up in his final 10 or so starts, that favorite status could slip away. Sale hasn't won a start in almost a month (July 14) and he's lasted just 4 2/3 and 5 2/3 innings in his last two outings, allowing a total of five runs on 15 hits in the process. Perhaps a start at pitcher-friendly Oracle Park tonight will help get Sale back on track as he makes his first appearance here in 10 years when he was a member of the White Sox. He did shut down the Giants earlier this season at home with six strong innings, allowing one run on three hits with nine strikeouts and two walks in a 3-1 Atlanta win. Overall against the Giants, Sale is 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA in three career starts covering 20 innings with 28 strikeouts and five walks. Take the Braves. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-10-24	Cardinals v. Royals -130	Top	3-8	Win	100	17 h 3 m	Show
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Kansas City Royals over the St. Louis Cardinals. Round one of the latest edition of the battle for bragging rights in the Show Me State went to the visiting Cardinals, 8-5. For the second game, the Royals will send veteran RHP Michael Wacha to the hill for his 21st start of the season. It's a chance for Wacha to beat his former team as the 33-year-old was drafted by the Cards in 2012 and spent his first seven MLB seasons in St. Louis before moving on. And he's showing little sign of wearing down as Wacha is 8-6 with a 3.55 ERA in 114 innings coming into tonight. In his three previous starts against the Cardinals (one with KC and two with the Padres), Wacha is 3-0 with a 3.12 ERA in just over 17 innings. In 42 career inter-league games (40 starts), Wacha is 16-11 with a 3.69 ERA with 192 strikeouts in just over 229 innings. Wacha is also 7-2 with a 3.33 ERA in 14 starts covering 81 innings here at Kaufmann Stadium. Take the Royals. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-07-24	Brewers v. Braves -155	Top	8-5	Loss	-155	17 h 34 m	Show
At 7:20 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Milwaukee Brewers. If there's an MLB comeback pitcher of the year to be awarded it should probably be unanimous for the Braves' Chris Sale. The 35-year-old southpaw starter saw his time in Boston come to an end after six injury-plagued seasons with the Red Sox. His final campaign in 2023 was nothing special -- a 6-5 record with a 4.30 EA in 20 starts (cut short by injury) -- and it was his fourth season in a row with less than seven victories. So few thought that Sale would return to his All Star form in 2024 when the Braves signed him to a two-year contract this past winter. But that's exactly what Sale has done, making his annual $19 Million salary look like a bargain. In 20 starts covering 123 innings, Sale has a league-leading 13 wins (against just three losses) with a 2.71 ERA and 0.95 WHIP with 155 strikeouts and 28 walks. Those numbers rival the best of his career as Sale is now the front-runner for the Cy Young. Despite the loss last night, Atlanta is 6-2 in the last eight meetings with Milwaukee. Take the Braves. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-06-24	Phillies -103 v. Dodgers	Top	6-2	Win	100	17 h 58 m	Show
At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Phillies are in the toughest stretch they've seen all season, having lost 13 of their last 17 overall coming into the second game of this big series against the Dodgers. Newly-minted All Star Cristopher Sanchez will go to the mound for his 22nd start of the season tonight for the Phillies. The 27-year-old has come up huge for his team this season, especially in the wake of the loss of the Phils' other southpaw starter, Ranger Suarez, who is still out with an injured back. Sanchez is 7-7 with a very nice 3.36 ERA in just under 121 innings so far and he'd like nothing better than to get his eighth win tonight against a team that the Phils could very well see in the playoffs. The good news for the Phillies tonight is that despite the loss in Game 1 they have dominated this series lately taking four of the last five meetings with the Dodgers. Take Philadelphia. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-05-24	Astros -114 v. Rangers	Top	3-4	Loss	-114	16 h 22 m	Show
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Texas Rangers. This season's battle for bragging rights in the Lone Star State has been a virtual tie so far with each team taking five of the 10 meetings. This three-game series in Arlington will be the last between the Rangers and Astros and Houston will lead off tonight with its hottest starter on the mound. And while RH Hunter Brown's numbers may not look that great on the surface -- 9-7 with a 4.11 ERA in 22 games including 21 starts -- since the beginning of June, the 25-year-old has been on a tear. Going back to his start on June 2, Brown is 8-3 with a 2.43 ERA with 73 strikeouts and 20 walks in just under 67 innings. That includes his most recent start against the Rangers on July 12 in which Brown went six innings allowing two runs on five hits in a 6-3 Astros victory. Five of Brown's nine victories this season have come on the road. Take Houston. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-04-24	Phillies -126 v. Mariners	Top	6-0	Win	100	14 h 47 m	Show
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Seattle Mariners. Zach Wheeler is one of the best pitchers in the Majors -- that's a fact. But every Superman has a Kryptonite and Wheeler's appears to be the two best teams in the AL East. On June 16, the 34 year-old RH allowed eight runs in just 4 1/3 innings to the Orioles and then in his last start on July 29, Wheeler gave up seven in five innings to the Yanks. Fortunately, the next time he would have to face either of those teams would be the World Series so he'll take that. This afternoon, Philly's ace will get his 22nd start of the season and it will come against another very good AL team in the Mariners, who improved themselves at last week's trade deadline. But the Mariners have never had to face Wheeler before and that should give today's advantage to the Phils. In 96 career daytime starts, Wheeler is 42-26 (.618) vs. 55-42 (.567) in 152 under the lights. Take the Phils. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
08-03-24	Dodgers -168 v. A's	Top	10-0	Win	100	16 h 3 m	Show
At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Oakland A's. Jack Flaherty will make his first start for Los Angeles after being acquired from Detroit at the trade deadline. This season, the veteran righty has a super 2.95 ERA with a 0.95 WHIP. And over his last 8 starts, his ERA is 1.77, with a WHIP of 0.78. Mitch Spence will oppose Flaherty, and Spence has been pedestrian in his rookie season. His ERA is 4.47, with a WHIP of 1.29. Take Los Angeles to snap its 3-game losing streak tonight. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
08-03-24	Orioles -125 v. Guardians	Top	7-4	Win	100	14 h 11 m	Show
At 7:15 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles over the Cleveland Guardians. Joey Cantillo will get his second start for Cleveland after making his debut last weekend vs. Philadelphia. Cantillo was ineffective in that first start, as he gave up three runs in 3 1/3 innings. He had trouble finding the plate, as he had 3 bases on balls. And he also gave up 2 home runs. Zach Eflin will start for the Orioles. He's 5-4 with a 3.65 ERA in his 13 nighttime starts this season. Take Baltimore.
08-03-24	Diamondbacks v. Pirates -113	Top	2-4	Win	100	14 h 36 m	Show
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Pirates picked up a couple of quality bats at the deadline in IF Isaiah Kiner-Falefa and OF Bryan De La Cruz and that hopefully will translate into more run support for the starters. There's other good news for Pittsburgh as well as SP Bailey Falter was just activated from the IL and closer David Bednar has pitched pretty well since his activation back on July 12. If the Pirates' offense does get a boost, then RH Mitch Keller certainly won't mind -- not that he's needed it lately. Keller's run support has been very good lately as the Pirates have plated 38 runs in Keller's last six starts -- or more than six runs per start. Not surprisingly, when Keller goes to the mound the Bucs usually win. In Keller's 14 starts from May through July, Pittsburgh went 12-2. Keller gets his 22nd start of the season tonight and in four career starts vs. Arizona covering 25 1/3 innings, he's 1-0 with a 2.49 ERA and 0.75 WHIP. Take the Pirates.
08-02-24	Orioles -121 v. Guardians	Top	4-8	Loss	-121	18 h 45 m	Show
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles over the Cleveland Guardians. The O's were hoping to pick up a couple of legit #3/4 starters at the trade deadline to go along with their top two aces, Corbin Burnes and Grayson Rodriguez. The first arm they acquired, RH Zach Eflin (Rays), seems to have worked out okay in his first start although it's too early to tell if he's a legit #3. But the other one, LH Trevor Rogers, didn't do so well in Game 1 of this series last night. So, now the O's are left wondering if they did enough. RH Dean Kremer is still around and he'll get the ball tonight to start his 15th game of the season. Perhaps the arrivals of Eflin and Rogers will give Kremer a boost as his numbers are down from 2023 when he won 13 games for the O's. The good news is that Kremer has done by far his best work away from Baltimore this season with a 3-3 record and 3.05 ERA in seven starts covering just over 38 innings on the road (vs. 1-4 and 5.40 in the same number of home starts). Take the Orioles. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-31-24	Yankees v. Phillies -120	Top	6-5	Loss	-120	13 h 11 m	Show
At 12:35 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the New York Yankees. The Yanks pulled of a deadline deal for a star player, IF/OF Jazz Chisolm who has already paid huge dividends for his new team. The Phillies on the other hand opted for what you could call "quantity over quality" making four separate deadline trades -- two with the Orioles -- for lesser players (although Carlos Esteves could work out as their new closer). But Philly also knows that if it's going to win another World Series, it's going to have to prove itself in series against the best teams in the league. And so far that hasn't happened with the Yankees in town for these three games. New York is going for the sweep today and it will be up to All-Star starter Cristopher Sanchez to prevent that from happening in front of the sold out crowd at Citizens Bank Park. The 27-year-old southpaw is having a breakout campaign for the Phillies, going 7-5 with a 3.05 ERA in 20 starts. And in his 11 starts here at home, Sanchez is 6-2 with a 1.75 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 72 innings. Take the Phillies. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-30-24	Blue Jays v. Orioles -1.5	Top	2-6	Win	107	9 h 52 m	Show
At 6:35 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles minus 1.5 runs over the Toronto Blue Jays. Chris Bassitt will start tonight for Toronto -- his first game vs. the O's in 2024. Last season, Bassitt made two starts vs. Baltimore and was shelled. He gave up 12 runs in nine innings. And Baltimore won each game by an aggregate score of 15-8. The Birds will hand the ball to Corbin Burnes, who faced Toronto twice this season. In those two games, the Blue Jays scored just 2 runs over 13 innings, and the aggregate score in those games was 12-4. For Burnes' career, in three starts vs. Toronto, he's 2-0, with a 2.18 ERA. And Burnes has done his best work at Camden Yards in this, his first year with the Orioles. At home this season, Burnes is a superb 5-2, with a 2.03 ERA. Meanwhile, Bassitt's career ERA at Camden Yards is 6.88. Take the Orioles minus 1.5 runs. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
07-29-24	Yankees v. Phillies -142	Top	14-4	Loss	-142	12 h 48 m	Show
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the New York Yankees. The Phillies dropped their series finale to Cleveland on Sunday, 4-3. After nine games in 10 days, Philadelphia's rotation was spent -- not to mention the fact that they just put Ranger Suarez on the IL -- so the Phils went with journeyman Kolby Allard to start the game yesterday. Allard has had a horrible career, with a 9-24 record, and a 6.11 ERA, but the Phillies still almost pulled off the game. Now with the rotation reset, the Phils begin a huge three-game series against the Yankees with their ace, RH Zack Wheeler. The 34-year-old is 10-4 with a league-leading 2.55 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in 20 starts covering just under 124 innings. In 46 career inter-league starts, Wheeler is 16-13 with a 3.70 ERA with 267 strikeouts in just under 270 innings. This season Wheeler has been most dominant here at home where he is 7-2 with a 1.77 ERA in 11 starts covering 71 1/3 innings. Take the Phillies. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-24-24	Angels v. Mariners -185	Top	2-1	Loss	-185	13 h 27 m	Show
At 3:40 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over the Los Angeles Angels. Seattle will hand the ball to ace, Luis Castillo, this afternoon. This will be Castillo's 3rd career start vs. the Angels. And all he has done in his two prior starts is go 2-0, while tossing 13 scoreless innings, with 11 strikeouts, and just six hits. At home this season, Castillo has a solid 3.07 ERA with a 1.04 WHIP, and a 5.75 K:BB ratio. In contrast, away from home, those numbers dip to 4.11 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and a poor 2.17 K:BB ratio. Of course, even those road numbers for Castillo are better than anything Griffin Canning has done this season. Canning is 3-10, and his ERA in 20 starts is 5.20, with a WHIP of 1.42. And, over his last four starts, he's compiled an abysmal 8.00 ERA with a 1.83 WHIP, and a 1.75 K:BB ratio. The worst part of Canning's season has been on the road, where he's gone 0-8 in 9 starts (the Angels have lost all 9), with a 6.31 ERA (he's 3-2 at home). And in the daytime, he's 0-6, with a 5.74 ERA (compared to 3-4 at night, with a 4.96 ERA). Take Seattle. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
07-23-24	Angels v. Mariners -176	Top	5-1	Loss	-176	20 h 49 m	Show
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over the Los Angeles Angels. The Mariners will hand the ball to RHP Logan Gilbert tonight. This will be his 7th start this season vs. a division rival. And all he's done in the first 6 is compile a microscopic 1.05 ERA and a 0.70 WHIP. One of those 6 starts was against this Angels team, and he tossed 7 scoreless innings, striking out 9, while allowing just 2 hits and 0 walks. Gilbert's ERA over his last 8 starts is a stellar 2.26. Meanwhile, the Angels' Jose Soriano is not in good form, with a 4.80 ERA over his last three outings. Take Seattle. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
07-23-24	Orioles -175 v. Marlins	Top	3-6	Loss	-175	17 h 48 m	Show
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles over the Miami Marlins. Apparently all the Orioles' struggling offense needed was some time off. Prior to the All Star Break, Baltimore managed just seven earned runs in six games, including that wild win over the Yanks on the final Sunday. But since coming back, the O's took two of three from the Rangers, plating 19 runs in the process -- with eight homers over the three games. So it would seem that the offensive woes are behind them for now as they head into a stretch of their schedule (10 games against the Marlins, Padres, and Blue Jays) where they can put some distance between themselves and the struggling Yankees. RHP Albert Suarez will get the ball in Game 1 in Miami tonight. The veteran is 5-3 with a 2.82 ERA in 19 games including 12 starts this season. He's not a big strikeout pitcher, however Suarez has proven to be a reliable innings-eater both at the back end of the rotation as well as in a long relief role. The O's have won four straight over the Fish going back to July of 2021. Take Baltimore. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-22-24	Phillies v. Twins +101	Top	2-7	Win	101	9 h 29 m	Show
At 7:40 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Philadelphia Phillies. When you look at Ranger Suarez's numbers this season, you see the obvious: a 10-4 record with a 2.76 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in 19 starts with a complete game shutout and a well-deserved All Star nod. What you don't see unless you look a little deeper is this: 0-3 with a 7.06 ERA. That's Suarez's stats over his last four starts. The LH will try to re-boot his season with his 20th start tonight but it won't be easy against a very good Twins team and the veteran southpaw is just 1-2 in four inter-league starts so far in 2024. Going for the Twins will be RHP Bailey Ober. The 28-year-old starter was not an All Star but he's having a very strong season -- his fourth in Minnesota. In 18 starts covering 100 innings, Ober is 8-5 with a 4.14 ERA and 1.08 WHIP and he's notched quality starts in each of his last five trips to the mound. The Twins took two of three from the Phils in their only series in 2023 last August (the first time they've played since 2019). Take Minnie. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-22-24	Cardinals v. Pirates -127	Top	1-2	Win	100	17 h 45 m	Show
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Pirates over the St. Louis Cardinals. The Buccos had their 6-game win streak snapped by cross-state rival, Philadelphia, yesterday. Still, Pittsburgh is 8-2 its last 10 games. This evening, Pittsburgh will hand the ball to Mitch Keller who, along with Jared Jones and Paul Skenes, would form a terrific 3-man rotation should the Pirates reach the post-season. Pittsburgh is 50-49, but is only a half-game behind the New York Mets for the final wild card spot. Keller is once again having a nice season. He's 10-5, with a 3.46 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. At home, those numbers get even better (2.91 ERA, 1.12 WHIP). And the Pirates have won 10 of his last 12 starts. He'll match up against the Cardinals' Andre Pallante, who has a pedestrian 4.21 ERA, with a 1.38 WHIP. Even worse: Pallante has struggled in his nighttime games this season, as his ERA is 6.60 under the lights (compared to 3.22 in the daytime). Take Pittsburgh. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
07-21-24	Brewers v. Twins -154	Top	8-7	Loss	-154	7 h 49 m	Show
At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Milwaukee Brewers. Last night's game was a brutal beat for "under" bettors. The game was led, 1-0, by Milwaukee going into the bottom of the 8th inning. The Twins tied it at 1, and the game went into extra innings. The Brewers scored 2 in the top of the 11th to make it, 3-1. Minny tied it at 3 in the bottom of the frame, but the game was still under the total of 7.5. In the 12th, the Brewers scored 4 to finally send it over the total, and the game finished, 8-4. That was the Twins' 2nd straight loss. This afternoon, they'll send righty Joe Ryan against the Brewers' newly-acquired RHP, Aaron Civale. Formerly with the Rays, Civale was brought over on July 3 via a trade where the Brewers shipped out infield prospect, Gregory Barrios. Civale made a start with Tampa here at Target Field back on June 18, and was shelled. In that game, the Twins tallied 7 hits, and four runs in 3 2/3 innings. For the season, Civale has a poor 2-7 record, with a 4.94 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. And he's 1-4 with a 4.19 ERA in 10 career starts vs. the Twins (0-2 with a 4.33 ERA at Target Field). Meanwhile, Ryan's career ERA vs. the Brewers is 1.69. And Ryan's ERA in the daytime is 1.06 runs better than his nighttime ERA (3.31 in 34 starts vs 4.37 in 46 starts). Take the Twins. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
07-20-24	Astros v. Mariners -112	Top	4-2	Loss	-112	15 h 55 m	Show
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over the Houston Astros. With the possible exception of the Phillies, no team in baseball enters the second half with a rotation from top to bottom as talented and healthy as the Mariners. Castillo, Kirby, and Gilbert all have 20 starts while Bryce Miller has 19. And all four of those starters have exceptional numbers. The only blemish as far as health has been #4/5 starter Bryan Woo who has been limited to nine starts due to arm and hamstring issues. Tonight it will be Kirby's turn as the 26-year-old RH gets his 21st start of the season against a team he's pretty familiar with. And those numbers against the 'Stros are very good: 2-0 with a 1.57 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in five career starts covering just under 29 innings. The fact that he gets them at home tonight is another plus as Kirby has been outstanding here this season: 5-2 with a 2.63 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in nine starts covering just under 55 innings. Take the Mariners. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-13-24	Mariners -157 v. Angels	Top	1-2	Loss	-157	14 h 3 m	Show
At 9:35 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over the Los Angeles Angels. George Kirby was an All Star last year for the first time -- and deservedly so with eight wins and a 3.09 ERA and 1.04 WHIP at the break. But Kirby is having almost exactly the same type of first half in 2024 that he did last season and yet he has been left off the roster this time around. Part of the reason may be because his teammate Logan Gilbert has been named an All Star for the first time but by almost any measuring stick, Kirby deserves to be there alongside his fellow Mariner. The 26-year-old RH is 7-6 with a 3.39 ERA and 1.00 ERA in 19 starts and his 9.91 K:BB ratio is tops in the League. Start number 20 will come tonight in Anaheim against the Angels, a team that has struggled through injury and underperformances the entire first half of the season. In three career starts at Angels Stadium covering 18 2/3 innings, Kirby is 2-1 with a 2.89 ERA and 0.80 WHIP with 20 strikeouts and two walks. Heading into Friday, Seattle has won six straight vs. the Halos. Take the Mariners. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-13-24	Braves v. Padres -105	Top	0-4	Win	100	12 h 40 m	Show
At 7:15 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over the Atlanta Braves. Dylan Cease will get the start for the homestanding Padres tonight. And his ERA at home (3.69) is more than a full run better than his road ERA (4.72). Cease matched up with the Braves' Reynaldo Lopez earlier this season, and the Padres won that game, 6-5. It's true that Lopez is having a fantastic season, and was just named to the National League All-Star team. But teams often lose games with All-Star pitchers immediately following the announcement of the All-Stars (witness the Phillies, Tigers and White Sox last night). Take San Diego.
07-13-24	Twins -112 v. Giants	Top	4-2	Win	100	12 h 40 m	Show
At 7:15 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the San Francisco Giants. Simeon Woods Richardson was only 17 in 2018 when he was drafted in the second round by the New York Mets. And it didn't take long for the RHP to make his pro baseball debut that same year in the Mets farm system. Woods Richardson was traded the following season however and then again in 2021 to the Twins and he made his MLB debut the next year at the very end of the season. He had another cup of coffee with the Twins last season in April before spending the rest of 2023 in the Minors. Now for the first time at age 23, Woods Richardson is finally being handed the ball by the Twins on a regular basis and he is making the most of his opportunity. In 15 starts covering 77 2/3 innings, Woods Richardson is 3-1 with a 3.48 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 64 strikeouts and only 63 hits allowed. Start number 16 will be his fourth inter-league outing and in his prior three, Woods Richardson logged a very strong 2.20 ERA and 0.98 WHIP over 16 1/3 innings. Take the Twins.
07-12-24	Cubs v. Cardinals -196	Top	5-1	Loss	-196	16 h 27 m	Show
At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the Chicago Cubs. As recently as a week ago you would have said that the Cubs will be in selling mode at the trade deadline. But back-to-back inter-league series wins over the Angels and Orioles may have given this team new life and now the Cubs are certainly within striking distance of the NL Wild Card if they stay hot after the All Star break. A real test however will come this weekend with a three-game series against their Division rivals in St. Louis as the Cards have taken five of the last six meetings going back almost a year (July 30, 2023). The Cubs will have to face Cards ace Sonny Gray tonight in Game 1. The 34-year-old RHP is having another solid season, posting a 9-5 record with a 3.30 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in 16 starts covering just under 93 innings. Gray has plenty of previous experience vs. Chicago from his three seasons in Cincinnati and overall he is 5-3 with a 2.76 ERA in 12 starts covering 65 1/3 innings against the Cubs. The Cards are 4-1 in Gray's last five starts. Take St. Louis. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-11-24	Braves -135 v. Diamondbacks	Top	0-1	Loss	-135	16 h 33 m	Show
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Braves lost last night, 7-5, and are now 1-29 their last 30 when giving up 4 or more runs. The good news, then, for Atlanta tonight is that its ace, Max Fried, will be on the mound. And the Braves' opponents have only scored 4+ runs in two of Fried's last 10 starts. Over this stretch, Fried's ERA is 2.54. And on the road this season, he has a 5-2 record, with a 2.90 ERA. Brandon Pfaadt will start tonight for Arizona, and he's not fared well at night, with a 2-4 record, and a 5.06 ERA this season, and a 2-6 record, with a 6.10 ERA last year. In contrast, his ERA in his daytime starts is significantly better, at 4.17. Pfaadt has faced the Braves once in his career. That was earlier this season at Truist Park. Atlanta scored 5 runs in his 5 2/3 innings, and won that game, 9-8. Take Atlanta. Good luck, as always....Al McMordie.
07-10-24	Cubs v. Orioles -164	Top	4-0	Loss	-164	17 h 10 m	Show
At 6:35 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles over the Chicago Cubs. The Orioles came back from a week on the west coast and played like a tired team on Tuesday -- and in less than ideal weather -- and were humiliated by the Cubs, 9-2. That loss, along with a Cleveland victory, means that the Guardians now have the best record in the AL as the Os try to regroup tonight in Game 2. They will send their ace, newly-minted All-Star RH Corbin Burnes to the mound to face fellow All-Star Shota Imanaga. Imanaga's stats look impressive on the surface -- 7-2 with a 3.16 ERA in 16 starts -- but when you consider that he was 5-0 with a 0.84 ERA on May 18 after nine starts, then you realize how rough the last six weeks have been for the Japanese RH. In contrast, Burnes has been pretty consistent the entire season as he is 9-3 with a 2.32 ERA in 18 starts covering 112 2/3 innings. In 30 career inter-league games (26 starts), Burnes is a terrific 13-3 with a 2.67 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in just under 169 innings. Take the Orioles. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-09-24	Dodgers v. Phillies -135	Top	1-10	Win	100	17 h 26 m	Show
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Heading into the last week before the All Star break, both of these teams have comfortable leads in their Divisions with the Phillies sporting the best record in the NL and the Dodgers not too far behind them. So this is a huge three-game series at Citizens Bank Park and it will begin with Philly sending out its ace RH, Zack Wheeler. With a hefty contract, Wheeler will be a Phillie for a long time and he's making the team feel good about spending all that money on him as 2024 has been arguably the best first half of a season he's ever had. The 34-year-old is 9-4 with a 2.74 ERA in 18 starts covering just under 112 innings. And if you think those stats are good, check out these numbers here at home: 6-2 with a 1.76 ERA in 10 starts covering 66 1/3 innings. In his two starts vs. L.A. since joining the Phils, Wheeler has allowed three runs on 11 hits in 11 1/3 innings with 13 strikeouts. And Philadelphia is 2-0 in those starts. Wheeler is also 9-1 in his last 10 decisions. Take the Phillies. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-08-24	Mets v. Pirates -110	Top	2-8	Win	100	10 h 7 m	Show
At 12:35 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Pirates over the New York Mets. Although he's been overshadowed by younger teammates Jared Jones and Paul Skenes -- just named as a rookie to the NL All Star squad -- it should be mentioned that Pirates' RHP Mitch Keller is having arguably his best season. And the 28-year-old probably doesn't mind at all that the spotlight is not on him nearly as much this season. In 17 starts, Keller is 9-5 with a 3.48 ERA in just over 101 innings -- stats that don't get mentioned much in light of what Skenes and Jones are doing. Keller's 18th start will come this afternoon in the finale of this four-game series with the Mets as the Bucs try to salvage a 2-2 split. After a bit of a slow first month, Keller is 8-2 since the beginning of May and he's 4-2 with a 3.02 ERA in eight home starts (vs. 5-3 and 3.93 in nine on the road). Keller's career ERA in day games is more than a run lower than it is when he pitches under the lights (3.75 vs 4.96). And in three career starts vs. NY, Keller is 2-1 with a 1.89 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. Take the Pirates. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-07-24	Blue Jays v. Mariners -150	Top	5-4	Loss	-150	11 h 45 m	Show
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over the Toronto Blue Jays. As most people who follow baseball know, the Mariners have some very solid pitching this season. Their offense however leaves a lot to be desired. With the trade deadline less than a month away and Seattle with a tenuous lead in the AL West, look for the M's to shop for some help in the hitting department. One of the teams that may be able to provide that help is the Jays. Toronto is going nowhere fast and they have some salary on the roster that they'd likely rather move now than hold onto for the next year when it appears things won't get much better -- if at all. But for this afternoon's series finale, Seattle has to use the lineup it currently has as it tries to win its first series since sweeping Texas back in mid-June. No one knows how badly some help is needed than RH George Kirby, who is having an outstanding campaign despite a 7-6 record. Kirby has a 3.32 ERA and 0.98 WHIP overall this season, and at home he has been at his best with a 5-2 record, and a 2.40 ERA in eight starts covering just under 49 innings. Take the Mariners. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-07-24	Royals -153 v. Rockies	Top	10-1	Win	100	10 h 44 m	Show
At 3:10 pm, our selection is on the Kansas City Royals over the Colorado Rockies. Please note that this play will be an "Action" play; do not list pitchers. Colorado will hand the ball to Tanner Gordon, while the Royals will start Brady Singer. Back in 2015, the Blue Jays took a chance on drafting the talented Singer in the 2nd round, but he decided to stay in school and attend the University of Florida instead of turning pro. Next it was the Royals' turn as they drafted Singer with the 18th overall pick three years later and the 27-year-old RH is rewarding them after some struggles earlier on in his career. Now in his fifth season in the Big Leagues, Singer is 4-5 with a 3.05 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 17 starts covering just over 94 innings for KC. Start number 18 will come this afternoon and it will be his first appearance ever at Coors Field. In his only other career start vs. the Rockies, Singer threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings at home last June in a 2-0 shutout of Colorado. He'd love to duplicate that effort on the road today and he has a great chance to do so as Singer has allowed just one run in each of his last three starts going back to June 21. Take the Royals. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-06-24	Astros v. Twins -113	Top	3-9	Win	100	10 h 39 m	Show
At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Houston Astros. Don't look now, but here come the Astros. On May 8, after a loss to the Yanks, Houston was 12-24 and in last place in the AL West. If you'd have asked people then, they probably would have said that the 'Stros were on their way to being sellers at the trade deadline. But fast forward two months, and now Houston is not only over the .500 mark, but because of its weak division, the team is in 2nd place and probably looking to acquire some talent for the second half. The 'Stros took Game 1 of this series last night over the Twins who are in a similar position over in the AL Central. Despite the loss yesterday, the Twins are still 10 games over .500 and this afternoon they'll send RH Joe Ryan to the hill for his 18th start of 2024. Ryan is having another solid season, going 5-5 with a 3.21 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 103 innings with 110 strikeouts and only 15 walks. Ryan's career ERA during the day is a full run lower than it is under the lights (3.27 vs. 4.28). Take the Twins. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-05-24	Red Sox v. Yankees -134	Top	5-3	Loss	-134	15 h 7 m	Show
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees are mired in their worst slump of the season, going 4-14 in their last 18 games and they haven't won a series since taking three of four from the Royals almost a month ago. Perhaps a visit from their one-time rivals from Boston will help turn the tide. The Red Sox come into the Bronx for the first of three games tonight (and ending with the ESPN Sunday night game on July 7). The Sox are off a three-game road sweep, but that was in Miami against the woeful Marlins and prior to that, they were beaten up pretty badly by the Padres. "Nasty" Nestor Cortes will get his League-leading 19th start of the season tonight. So far, the veteran southpaw has done everything well except be on the right side in the Win column, logging a 4-7 record despite a 3.51 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 105 innings. But he's 2-0 in four career regular season starts vs. Boston and this season he is 4-3 with a 1.84 ERA in nine home starts (vs. 0-5 and 5.63 on the road). Take the Yankees. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-04-24	Reds v. Yankees -165	Top	8-4	Loss	-165	11 h 22 m	Show
At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Cincinnati Reds. Look up the word "workhorse" in the dictionary and you might just see a picture of Marcus Stroman. The veteran RH will likely never win a Cy Young award and he won't be inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame, but Stroman has a way of putting up solid seasons as a Major League starter. After opting out of the 2020 season due to the COVID pandemic, Stroman logged seasons of 33, 25, and 25 starts with the Mets and Cubs before signing as a free agent with the Yankees this past January. Stroman has registered double-digit wins in two of the last three seasons and he's heading there again as he is 7-3 with a 3.29 ERA in 17 starts covering just under 96 innings in his first campaign in pinstripes. Stroman has seen the Reds plenty of times in his career from his time with the Cubs and he is 4-2 with a 3.76 ERA in seven starts against them with 35 strikeouts and 11 walks in just over 38 innings. The Yankees are 6-1 in Stroman's last seven starts going back to May 25 in San Diego. Take New York. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-03-24	Astros -105 v. Blue Jays	Top	9-2	Win	100	15 h 19 m	Show
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Toronto Blue Jays. Despite throwing this season's only complete-game no-hitter in his first start on April 1 at home, the Astros' Ronel Blanco is hardly a household name. The 30-year-old Dominican has had a solid -- but not spectacular -- season since his hit-less performance and he still has a tendency to walk too many batters from time-to-time. Which Blanco will show up tonight in Toronto? Will it be the one who struggled through 5 2/3 innings in Queens in his last start or the one who had three straight wins in his three starts before that, logging a 0.90 ERA in 20 innings against the Orioles, Tigers, and Giants? We'll bet on the latter as it was the Blue Jays that Blanco "blanc-ed" in his gem back in April and this will be his first start against them since the no-no. His only other start here at Rogers Centre was a quality outing as Blanco allowed two runs on three hits in six innings in a start here last July. Take the Astros. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-02-24	Diamondbacks v. Dodgers -180	Top	5-6	Win	100	18 h 8 m	Show
At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Arizona Diamondbacks. After a very successful rookie campaign, Dodgers RHP Bobby Miller looked poised for a huge sophomore season. He lit it up in the spring and then came out firing in his season debut, tossing six shutout innings while striking out 11 in a win against the Cardinals. But Miller developed shoulder inflammation right after that and likely pitched hurt in his next two starts, before going on the IL in mid-April. He came back in June and made two starts and, although the return numbers don't look great, both of those were on the road, with one of them being in the high altitude of Coors Field. Miller gets his first Dodger Stadium start since that season debut tonight so I expect much better things from him (although he will likely still be on a pitch count). In 2023, Miller went 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in two regular season starts vs. the D-Backs. Take Los Angeles. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
07-01-24	Astros v. Blue Jays UNDER 8.5	Top	3-1	Win	105	9 h 7 m	Show
At 3:07 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays UNDER the total. July kicks off with just three MLB games on the ledger today starting with this afternoon affair north of the border. Hunter Brown was going to be the next big pitching prospect for a deep Astros system. And after steadily progressing with big strikeout numbers through the Minor Leagues in 2019-2022, Brown's MLB career got off to a promising start at the tail end of 2022 when he went 2-0 with a 0.89 ERA in seven games. But 2023 was a big step backwards as the luster wore off quickly in a season in which he posted a losing record with an ERA over five runs. The beginning of this season appeared to be more of the same until about a month ago when it came together for the 25-year-old RHP. June was a breakout month for Brown, as he went 4-0 with a 1.16 ERA in five starts covering 31 innings with 36 strikeouts and eight walks. I look for another strong performance this afternoon, and will take this game UNDER the total. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
06-30-24	Guardians v. Royals -126	Top	2-6	Win	100	9 h 27 m	Show
At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Kansas City Royals over the Cleveland Indians. You can't argue about Lugo's numbers as the 34-year-old RH has a League high 10 wins (to go along with just two losses) with a 2.29 ERA and 1.05 WHIP with 95 strikeouts and 110 innings. Lugo would be 11-2 if he had any run support in his last start when he shut out the Marlins over six innings, allowing just two hits while punching out eight and walking two. But maybe the reason to like Lugo the most today is his 1.80 ERA in six afternoon starts this season (vs. 2.57 in 11 starts under the lights). Lugo wasn't at his best in his other start this season vs. the Guardians in Cleveland so this also is a chance for him to get some revenge. Despite the loss here last night, the Royals are 6-2 in the last eight meetings with the Guardians. Take Kansas City. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
06-29-24	Padres v. Red Sox -138	Top	11-1	Loss	-138	13 h 59 m	Show
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over the San Diego Padres. Tanner Houck may not be the best pitcher in the American League this season, but the Red Sox probably wouldn't want to trade him for anyone else right now. That's because when Houck goes to the mound to start, the Sox just win. In fact, in his last seven starts -- going back to May 20 -- Boston is 7-0 while Houck is 4-0 over that span. He didn't win his last start, but he recorded a quality outing (2 ER in 6 2/3 IP) here at home against the Blue Jays. He's back at Fenway again tonight for his 17th start of the season and although his home ERA is higher than it is on the road (2.41 vs. 1.85) Houck has 56 Ks and only 8 BBs in his nine starts here, or a K:BB ratio of 7.00 (vs. 4.50 on the road). The Padres hitters have not seen the 27-year-old RH before and that could be a problem for them. Take Boston. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
06-28-24	Pirates v. Braves -165	Top	1-6	Win	100	17 h 38 m	Show
At 7:20 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Pittsburgh Pirates. After playing his first MLB season in Atlanta in 2008, Charlie Morton was promptly traded to the Pirates the following year. The RHP endured some difficult seasons in Pittsburgh but he stuck around the Steel City through 2015 after which he signed with Houston where he had two of his best seasons as a professional. Morton is 41 now and in his fourth season in his return with the Braves and tonight he will face his former team for only the second time in his career (his first was a no-decision back in 2022). In 14 starts this season covering 79 1/3 innings, Morton is 4-4 with a 4.20 ERA with 80 strikeouts and 68 hits allowed. Morton has had two home starts this month and in those outings he is 1-0 while the Braves are 2-0. And he has allowed just one earned run on four hits in 12 innings. The Braves are 153-69 (+14.8 net games) as a favorite of -150 or more, and 39-21 (+6.6 net games) off back to back losses. Take Atlanta. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
06-27-24	Yankees -130 v. Blue Jays	Top	2-9	Loss	-130	14 h 39 m	Show
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Toronto Blue Jays. With the Mets sweeping them in a two-game subway series, combined with an Orioles win yesterday, the Yankees' lead in the AL East is now down to one game. The loss to the Mets was the Yanks' third in a row and their sixth in the last seven games. They'll try to regroup this weekend with a four-game series in Toronto against the Blue Jays. At 36-43, Toronto's first half has been a huge bust and there's talk of the Jays going into selling mode as the trade deadline approaches. LH Carlos Rodon will take the mound for the Yankees for the 17th time this season. After a 2023 campaign -- his first in pinstripes -- that was an injury-riddled waste, Rodon has bounced back nicely in 2024, going 9-4 with a 3.86 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with 84 strikeouts and 25 walks in just under 89 innings. In five career regular season starts vs. the Jays, Rodon has a 3.29 ERA with 30 strikeouts and 10 walks in just over 27 innings. Take the Yankees. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
06-26-24	Guardians v. Orioles -174	Top	2-4	Win	100	14 h 32 m	Show
At 6:35 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles over the Cleveland Guardians. After getting swept by the Astros and losing the first two games of this series, the Orioles have now lost five games in a row for the first time this season. The O's will send RHP Grayson Rodriguez to the mound tonight for his 14th start of the season. The 24-year-old has followed up his successful freshman season with an even better sophomore campaign. In 13 starts covering 75 1/3 innings, Rodriguez is 8-3 with a 3.82 ERA. Gray-Rod's only other career starts vs. the Guardians was a good one as he threw five innings against them last September, allowing two earned runs on five hits with seven strikeouts in a 5-2 loss in Cleveland. Rodriguez doesn't have to duplicate those numbers tonight to get a victory as he's been on the winning end in nine of his 13 starts this season. Take Baltimore. As aLways, good luck...Al McMordie
06-26-24	Mariners -114 v. Rays	Top	5-2	Win	100	7 h 32 m	Show
At 12:10 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over the Tampa Bay Rays. George Kirby will make his 4th career start vs. the Rays this afternoon. And he was solid in his previous three, as his career ERA vs. Tampa is 2.79, with a sparkling 0.77 WHIP. Kirby's in very good form, as his ERA over his last five starts is 1.74. In contrast, Ryan Pepiot's ERA over his last five outings is 5.61 (and 7.07 over his last three). Finally, in Kirby's career, the Mariners have gone 25-10 with him on the mound, and priced as a favorite of -150 (or less). Take Seattle. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
06-25-24	Guardians v. Orioles -133	Top	10-8	Loss	-133	15 h 54 m	Show
At 6:35 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles over the Cleveland Guardians. The O's suffered their 4th consecutive loss last night, a 3-2 defeat in which they only mustered five hits. We'll take Baltimore this evening, as it's a stellar 69-48 (+28.4 net games) after scoring 2 runs or less in its previous game. And it's 51-27 (+21.0 net games) vs. southpaw starters. Cleveland's Logan Allen has been atrocious under the lights, as his ERA in 11 nighttime starts is an ugly 6.49, with a 1.59 WHIP. That doesn't bode well for the road team. Nor does the fact that the Orioles' starter, Cole Irvin, as a 2.97 ERA in seven home starts this season. Take Baltimore. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
06-24-24	Guardians v. Orioles -109	Top	3-2	Loss	-109	14 h 25 m	Show
At 6:35 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles over the Cleveland Guardians. Heading into this season, the Orioles had a long streak of not being swept in a series. That streak stood at 91 on opening day and it reached 106 until the Cardinals ended it in May. The O's then went eight more series before being swept a second time in 2024 this past weekend by the Astros in Houston. A string of injuries to its starters has Baltimore in a bit of a pickle as we approach the halfway point of the season. Nevertheless, the show goes on and tonight the O's will look to their latest rookie pitching prospect as 24-year-old LH Cade Povich gets his fourth Orioles start. He's still looking for his first MLB victory and it could come tonight at home as the youngster has been solid for his team, and appears to be getting better with each start. Indeed, in his last outing, Povich out-pitched Gerrit Cole. Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee has had a solid season, but he hasn't faced many lineups with the power of the O's. Take Baltimore. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
06-23-24	Braves -102 v. Yankees	Top	3-1	Win	100	9 h 49 m	Show
At 1:35 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the New York Yankees. After getting blown out in the first game of this series on Friday night, the Yankees came back yesterday and did a little thumping of their own, beating the Braves 8-3 to set up this rubber game. But this is the fifth series in a row that New York has played against a team which is well over the .500 mark. And so far it has lost three of the first four series, so it's not like the Yanks are out of the woods just yet. This afternoon they have to face one of the best LHPs in the league in Max Fried. The 30-year-old is 6-3 with a 3.11 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 14 starts covering 84 innings. And Fried has two complete games and one shutout to his credit already. The Yankees will counter with Nestor Cortes. Despite a solid 3.36 ERA in a league-leading 16 starts, Cortes' record is just 4-5 coming into this afternoon's match-up with the Braves. This will be Cortes' first career appearance vs. Atlanta. Fried, on the other hand, is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in two career starts vs. the Yanks. Take the Braves. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
06-22-24	Braves v. Yankees -134	Top	3-8	Win	100	19 h 49 m	Show
At 7:15 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Atlanta Braves. With the Yankees having lost four straight series to the Dodgers (47-31), Royals (42-35), Red Sox (40-36), and Orioles (49-26), followed by a blow-out loss in the first game of this series against the 41-31 Braves, it begs the following question: is the 2024 version of the boys in pinstripes just an average team which has benefited by beating up on sub-.500 teams through the first half? We will find out some more this evening, as New York sends out veteran RH Marcus Stroman to face 41-year-old Charlie Morton. At age 33, Stroman is having a resurgence of sorts with a 6-3 record and 3.08 ERA in just under 85 innings so far. Stroman lost his last game at Fenway last Sunday. But prior to that, he went 3-0 in four straight starts while the Yanks won all four of those -- and against pretty good teams in the Royals, Twins, Giants and Padres. For his career, Stroman is 4-3 with a 2.61 ERA in eight regular season starts vs. Atlanta covering 38 innings. Take the Yankees. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
06-20-24	Rays v. Twins -123	Top	7-6	Loss	-123	8 h 9 m	Show
At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Tampa Bay Rays. Minny's 6-game win streak ended in extra innings last night, as Tampa prevailed, 3-2. We'll take the Twins to bounce back this afternoon, as Tampa has struggled vs. righties this season, going 23-32 (minus 15.0 net games), compared to 12-7 (plus 3.5 net games) vs. lefties. The Twins are also a solid 103-57 (plus 11.7 net games) as a home favorite, while Tampa is a terrible 47-71 (minus 16.2 net games) as an underdog. Finally, Minnesota has clobbered losing teams this season, going 26-8 (+15.5 net games). Take the Twins. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
06-19-24	Royals -170 v. A's	Top	1-5	Loss	-170	19 h 16 m	Show
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Kansas City Royals over the Oakland A's. The A's snapped their 9-game losing streak last night, with a 7-5 victory vs. Kansas City. But winning 1 of 10 games doesn't inspire confidence. We'll take Kansas City to bounce back off that loss, as it will hand the ball to Cole Ragans tonight. Ragans has had 10 quality starts of 15 this season. His ERA is 3.24, and his WHIP is 1.15. And over his last 6 outings, his ERA is a spectacular 1.94, and his WHIP is 0.97. Ragans has made 3 career starts vs. the A's, and his teams have won all 3 of those games. Oakland will counter with Luis Medina, who has a 5.87 ERA and 1.49 WHIP this season. The A's have lost 16 of his last 20 starts. And Oakland is also an ugly 30-82 (minus 22.9 net games) vs. AL starters with WHIPs of 1.20 (or less), and 22-59 (minus 22.0 net games) as a home underdog of +125 (or greater). Take KC. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
06-18-24	Orioles v. Yankees -140	Top	2-4	Win	100	16 h 51 m	Show
At 7:05 pm our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Baltimore Orioles. The Red Sox ran crazy all over the Yankees on Sunday night — literally with nine stolen bases — to take the three-game series at Fenway. Now, New York comes back to the Bronx to face the AL East team which is breathing down its neck, in the Orioles. But it also comes home to some very good news, which is that Gerrit Cole will be making his season debut for the Pinstripes on Wednesday. That’s bad news for the rest of the American League as the starting rotation minus Cole has been one of the best — and healthiest — in the Majors throughout the first half. So adding him to the mix almost seems unfair. Tonight it will be Nestor Cortes making his 16th start of the season. The Cuban southpaw has been the most unlucky of the Yankee starters as, despite a 3.59 ERA and 1.12 WHIP, Cortes is just 3-5 in the won-lost column. But more important for tonight is the fact that the 29-year-old has pretty much owned the O's, going 4-1 with a 2.45 ERA in 10 career games -- eight starts -- against them. Take the Yankees. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
06-17-24	Tigers v. Braves -190	Top	1-2	Win	100	14 h 48 m	Show
At 7:20 pm our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Detroit Tigers. Braves starter Max Fried got pounded pretty good in his last start and Atlanta was shut out 4-0 by the Orioles in Baltimore. But there are no Gunnar Hendersons, Adley Rutschmans or Jordan Westburgs in tonight’s Tigers lineup that the 30-year-old southpaw will be facing in his 14th start of the season. In fact you could say that Detroit’s inability to hit the ball consistently has been a major disappointment so far. Despite his last outing, Fried is still one of the best lefthanders in the game with a 6-3 record and 3.20 ERA in 13 starts covering just under 69 innings. And Fried is an inter-league monster with a 2.35 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 18 starts vs. teams from the American League with 107 strikeouts in 111 innings. Take the Braves. As always, good luck...Al McMoride.
06-16-24	Royals v. Dodgers -1.5	Top	0-3	Win	100	9 h 50 m	Show
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers minus 1.5 runs over the Kansas City Royals. In Tyler Glasnow's career, he's been favored 15 times at home between -175 and -250. And his teams have gone 15-0 in those games. Glasnow's also been perfect against the Royals in his career, with a 1-0 record in four starts, and a 1.88 ERA. And his teams won all four of those games. The Dodgers have excelled in interleague games, going 53-27 (+9.2 net games), while the Royals have gone 28-49 (minus 10.3 net game) vs. the National League. We'll lay the 1.5 runs with the Dodgers on Sunday afternoon. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
06-15-24	Reds v. Brewers -120	Top	1-3	Win	100	12 h 6 m	Show
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the Cincinnati Reds. The Brewers fell behind early and then the Reds stopped a late comeback from them on Friday and won 6-5 in the first game of this three-game series between the NL Central rivals. Milwaukee will counter this afternoon with RH swing man Bryse Wilson. The 26-year-old has made 16 appearances this season with exactly half of those being starts. His overall record is 3-3 with a 4.19 ERA in 58 innings, and his ERA as a starter is slightly better at 4.14. Although Wilson hasn't had a start against the Reds this season, in two relief appearances against them he is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in four innings with three strikeouts and no walks. For his career, Wilson is 2-2 with a 2.66 ERA and 0.98 WHIP with 29 strikeouts and only five walks in 44 innings vs. Cincy. Despite the loss on Friday, the Brewers are 16-8 in their last 24 games against division opponents and they're also 20-11 in their last 31 day games. Take Milwaukee. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
06-14-24	Rangers v. Mariners -145	Top	2-3	Win	100	17 h 25 m	Show
At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over the Texas Rangers. Andrew Heaney will get the start for the defending champions, and he's 1-7 in 12 starts this season (Texas is 2-10 in those games). Heaney will match up against Luis Castillo. Castillo's home ERA this season is a solid 2.95, with a 1.12 WHIP. And Seattle has won his last four home starts in a row. Both pitchers will be working on an extra day of rest. But that's not necessarily a good thing for Heaney, as the Rangers have lost his last 7 starts when he pitched with an extra day or two of rest. Also not very good are the Rangers' bullpen statistics on the road (6.73 ERA; 1.69 WHIP), especially compared to its very good numbers at home (2.79 ERA; 1.04 WHIP). And, given Heaney's average innings pitched is 4.8 on the road, Seattle should see a lot of the Rangers' bullpen tonight. Finally, the Mariners are 24-11 (+10.0 net games) at home this season (compared to 16-20, minus 4.8 net games, on the road). Take the Mariners. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
06-13-24	Braves +108 v. Orioles	Top	6-3	Win	108	9 h 50 m	Show
At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Baltimore Orioles. Over the weekend, the Orioles swept a four-game series in Tampa for the first time in their history. They've followed up that success with two straight wins at home over a very good Atlanta Braves team, so they are assured of another series win as the third game is set to go this afternoon at the Yards. It's a good thing too, because this weekend they will welcome the best team in the National League (the Phillies). And then, after that series, they will travel to the Bronx to play three games against the best American League team -- the Yankees. But amid all this success in Baltimore are also some challenges as three of the O's starters have gone on the IL, with two of them -- John Means and Tyler Wells -- being lost for the season. So LHP Cole Irvin will once again fill in today and he'll be going against another surprising success story this season in RHP Reynaldo Lopez. Irvin has not had any success in his career starts vs. Atlanta, as his ERA in those games is 9.90. In contrast, Lopez's career ERA in his starts vs. Baltimore is 3.72. And in 11 starts this season, covering 63 1/3 innings, Lopez is 3-2 with a 1.85 ERA, with the Braves going 7-4 in those games. Take Atlanta. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
06-11-24	Rangers v. Dodgers -155	Top	2-15	Win	100	7 h 25 m	Show
At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Texas Rangers. The big weekend series between the Dodgers and Yankees in the Bronx lived up to the hype for the most part with the Dodgers winning the first two games before the Yankees came back on Sunday night to take a 6-4 decision without the services of star OF Juan Soto (arm). Now the Dodgers go from one AL powerhouse to another as the defending World Series Champion Rangers come to Los Angeles for a three-game set. LHP James Paxton will go to the hill for his 12th start of the season. The 35-year-old southpaw will look to redeem himself after one of the worst starts of his career last time out against the Pirates in Pittsburgh. In that one, Paxton lasted just 1 2/3 innings, allowing seven runs (six earned) on six hits. He's back home tonight where he's done by far his best work this season, going 2-0 with a 2.78 ERA in four starts covering 22 2/3 innings (vs. 3-1 and 5.23 in seven road starts). The Dodgers are 6-2 in the last eight meetings with the Rangers. Take L.A. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
06-10-24	Blue Jays v. Brewers -107	Top	1-3	Win	100	16 h 0 m	Show
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Brewers over the Toronto Blue Jays. There's no question the Brewers' starting rotation is a bit of a mess right now. In fact, Milwaukee recently did something you don't see very often -- if at all -- when it used the same starter -- an opener named Jared Koenig -- in back-to-back games on June 3 and 4 against the Phillies. That didn't work too well (the Brewers lost both games). Colin Rea has been used twice as the long reliever when the Brewers have used an opener this season but now he is back in the rotation and will get his 11th start tonight at home against the Jays. The 33-year-old has been bright spot as a starter this season so it seems a bit odd that Milwaukee would want to use him in long relief. In his 10 starts, Rea is 3-2 with a 3.86 ERA and he has a 3.07 ERA at home this season (vs. 3.93 on the road). This will be the first meeting of these two teams this season. The Brewers are 12-3 in Rea's last 15 nighttime starts and they're 6-0 in his last six when he's had at least seven days between starts. Take Milwaukee. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
06-08-24	Dodgers v. Yankees -118	Top	11-3	Loss	-118	16 h 15 m	Show
At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Los Angeles won Game 1, 2-1, in 11 innings on Friday night. That loss snapped New York's eight-game win streak, but the Yankees still have the most wins (45) in baseball. We'll take New York to bounce back on Saturday night. Southpaw Nestor Cortes will get the start for the Yankees, and he's been exceptional at home this season with a 3-1 record and 1.12 ERA (compared to 0-3, 6.17 ERA on the road). And that dovetails with his results over the last 3 seasons, as the Yankees have gone 22-9 at home with Cortes, but have gone 12-13 in his 25 road starts. New York is a solid 344-233 (+30.9 net games) following a game where they scored 1 run or less. Take the Yankees. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
06-07-24	Red Sox v. White Sox -107	Top	2-7	Win	100	9 h 20 m	Show
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Chicago White Sox over the Boston Red Sox. The Southsiders have lost 14 straight games, and will turn to their best pitcher -- Garrett Crochet -- to stop that streak tonight. Crochet has a 3.49 ERA (2.50 at home), with a superb 0.93 WHIP. And he's given up 2 runs or less in each of his last seven starts, with a 1.35 ERA in those 7 outings (The White Sox are 4-3 in those games). Boston has gone just 6-11 (-6.8 net games) this season vs. lefty starters (compared to 26-20 (+6.8 net games) vs. righties). And the White Sox are 57-38 (+28.1 net games) after allowing more than 6 runs in three straight games. Take Chicago. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
06-06-24	Mariners -140 v. A's	Top	3-0	Win	100	9 h 33 m	Show
At 3:35 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over the Oakland A's. Bryan Woo is off to a great start this season. In 5 starts, he has a 1.30 ERA and a microscopic 0.57 WHIP. And Seattle is a perfect 5-0 in those starts. This will be Woo's second game against Oakland in 2024, and he shut out the A's over 4 1/3 innings back on May 10 (Seattle won, 8-1). In Woo's career, he's made 3 starts vs. the A's, and did not give up a run over the 15 1/3 innings he pitched. Seattle won all three of those games (by a combined score of 20-1). The A's are a poor 7-15 (minus 6.8 net games) as a home underdog this season (and 54-110 (minus 25.3 net games) the past 3 seasons, while Seattle is 52-28 (+9.6 net games) as a road favorite. Take Seattle. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
06-04-24	Royals v. Guardians -110	Top	5-8	Win	100	13 h 15 m	Show
At 6:40 pm, our selections is on the Cleveland Indians over the Kansas City Royals. Who would've thought that a June series between the Guardians and the Royals would be featuring two teams that are on top in the division -- with both being more than 10 games over the .500 mark? Both of these teams have been led by their pitching and two of their best go the hill today in Seth Lugo of the Royals and Triston McKenzie of the Guardians. McKenzie got some major run support his last time out as Cleveland beat Colorado 13-7 last Tuesday. That marked the Guardians' seventh victory in the last eight starts for McKenzie, a tall, lanky RH who's had injury problems in the past, but who appears to be 100% now and flourishing with this young lineup behind him. In 11 career regular season games vs. the Royals -- nine starts -- McKenzie is 4-2 with a sparkling 2.70 ERA and 0.97 WHIP with 56 strikeouts in 56 2/3 innings. Take Cleveland. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
06-03-24	Brewers v. Phillies -1.5	Top	1-3	Win	100	9 h 33 m	Show
At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies minus 1.5 runs over the Milwaukee Brewers. Zack Wheeler will toe the rubber for the Phils this evening, and his career ERA in 9 starts vs. Milwaukee is a stellar 2.68, with a WHIP of 1.07. In contrast, Bryse Wilson's career numbers vs. the Phillies are ugly (7.84 ERA in 3 starts with a 2.03 WHIP). Philly lost a rare game at home last night to St. Louis in extra innings, but it is still 24-9 (+11.4 net games) at Citizens Bank Ballpark this year. And Wheeler's home ERA this season is 1.77 with a 0.83 WHIP. Lay the 1.5 runs with Philly. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
06-02-24	Padres v. Royals -125	Top	3-4	Win	100	11 h 12 m	Show
At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Kansas City Royals over the San Diego Padres. After winning games on Friday and Saturday, the Padres go for the series sweep in Kansas City this afternoon. Cole Ragans was the Texas Rangers first round draft pick in 2016 and spent 1 1/2 seasons with the Big League club in a swing man sort of role. But when Ragans was traded to the Royals as part of the deal that sent reliever Aroldis Chapman to Texas, it was clear that his new team wanted him as a starter. After arriving in KC last August, the 26-year-old LHP put up impressive numbers as a full-time member of the rotation, going 5-2 with a 2.64 ERA in 12 starts covering 71 2/3 innings with 89 strikeouts. Ragans is out to show that the last half of 2023 was no fluke as he's following up that strong second half with an equally solid first half of 2024, including his first career complete game. He'll go for his fifth win of the season today in his first career start vs. San Diego. In 13 inter-league games (six starts) Ragans is 3-1 with a 3.40 ERA with 56 strikeouts in 45 innings. Take the Royals. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
06-01-24	Rockies v. Dodgers -1.5	Top	1-4	Win	100	18 h 49 m	Show
At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers minus 1.5 runs over Colorado. The Dodgers are 5.5 games ahead of the Padres in the race for the NL West division crown, while the Rockies are in last place, 13.5 games behind L.A. For the season, the Dodgers rank #4 in run differential, as they've outscored their foes by 79 runs this season. That bodes well for Los Angeles today, as Colorado is 1-18 on the road vs. foes that have a run differential of at least 1 run per game. And the Rockies are 8-52 as an underdog of +200 (or higher). Even better: the Rockies' Cal Quantrill has been horrible in his career starts vs. Los Angeles, with an 0-3 record, a 9.42 ERA, and 1.95 WHIP. But rather than lay a big price greater than -300, we're going to lay 1.5 runs instead. Take Los Angeles. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
05-29-24	Red Sox v. Orioles -175	Top	1-6	Win	100	16 h 14 m	Show
At 6:35 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles over the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox beat the O's and Grayson Rodriguez last night to even this series at one game apiece. Baltimore will turn to its newly-acquired ace, RH Corbin Burnes, to try to send the Red Sox home with a series loss. Burnes was acquired by way of a trade with the Brewers in the off-season and so far the former NL Cy Young has been as good as advertised -- if not better. In 11 starts covering just under 66 innings, the 29-year-old is 4-2 with a 2.60 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with 66 strikeouts and 17 walks. Burnes has faced the Sox twice before in his career and he is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 12 innings against them coming into tonight. In eight career starts here at his new home ballpark, Burnes is 2-1 with a 1.70 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with 52 strikeouts and 10 walks in just under 48 innings. The Sox will go with RH Kutter Crawford who has been an enigma this season. Despite a 2.89 ERA and 1.20 WHIP, Boston is just 3-8 in Crawford's 11 starts. Take the O's. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
05-28-24	Dodgers -1.5 v. Mets	Top	5-2	Win	100	15 h 7 m	Show
At 4:10 pm, in Game 1 of the double-header, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers minus 1.5 runs over the New York Mets. The Dodgers' march to their eighth World Championship hit a bit of a speed bump over the weekend. L.A. went into Cincinnati for what should have been a relatively easy three-game series against the Reds but instead it was Cincy that came away with a sweep. The Dodgers will try to re-group on Tuesday in Queens as they begin a three game series against the 22-30 Mets. Tyler Glasnow will get the start in Game 1. And Glasnow has a 3-0 record, and a 0.90 ERA in three daytime starts this season, including a 10-0 shutout win over these Mets back on April 21. Additionally, Los Angeles is 18-6 following 2 games where they had 0 home runs. Take the Dodgers minus 1.5 runs. As always, good luck...Al McMordie

More Content