Daily MLB Moneyline Odds Analysis & Betting Picks 10/26/19

The all-important Game 4 of the World Series goes tonight, as the Houston Astros look to even the series, while the Nationals are trying to put themselves in position to wrap it up at home. Officially both teams are undecided on their starting pitchers, but going to assume that we get Jose Urdquidy for the Astros and Patrick Corbin for the Washington Nationals. The Astros are -107 and the total on the game is 9-under (-120). It goes without saying the Nationals have the pitching advantage in this one. While Urquidy's stats don't look bad at all, the Astros have allowed 5.57 runs per game when he starts, which includes 8 or more runs in three of his seven starts, as well as 5 or fewer runs in the other four, so we're using his median number of 5 runs. Corbin is a different story, as Washington allows 3.81 runs when he's on the mound and he's been better at home, where Washington is 15-3 when he starts and allow just 2.89 runs per game. The Nats have won 13 of the last 14 games he's taken the hill at home. The Astros average 5.04 runs against southpaws on the road and were 17-7 on the season in that spot, but the Nationals are averaging 5.70 runs per game at home and had won nine straight until Greinke defeated them on Friday night. Home teams in the playoffs who lost the previous game at home by at least three runs are 43-35, so a slight edge to the Nats here, while home teams who scored one run or less in their previous game are 29-22 as long as that previous game was also at home. While the Astros need this one a little more at least on paper, don't think the Nationals won't give everything they have, as they'd like to avoid going back to Houston and getting the best of Cole and Veralnder twice will be easier said than done. The public is on Houston a little bit in this one, but will go the other way and take Corbin -103 in this spot, as he's been exceptionally tough at home this season. Record 45-53 +4.48 END OF OCT. 26 PICKS Back with baseball for the first time in about 10 days, as the MLB playoffs haven’t been particularly kind to us, as favorites are still 19-13 in the postseason even with Washington’s two victories in Houston to start the World Series. The series has moved to Washington and the Nationals will look to take a 3-0 lead when they send out Anibal Sanchez to be opposed by Zack Greinke. The Astros opened -115 and have shot up to -140. While you would expect the public to be all over Houston, who needs this game, the betting has been pretty well split down the middle. Sanchez pitched a great game in the playoffs against St. Louis, but people have been quick to forget his dismal showing against the Dodgers, when LA came away with a 10-4 victory. Sanchez has pitched better on the road this season, with the Nats allowing 3.75 runs per game when he’s on the mound, compared to allowing 5.81 runs when he’s pitching in front of the home fans. Washington has allowed 6 or more runs in 7 of his 16 home starts and are 9-7 when he starts at home. Greinke may have switched teams this season, but he’s been solid away from home, where the Astros are 5-2 when he takes the hill. His teams have allowed 3.55 runs with him on the mound at home, which includes an ugly showing at Tampa Bay in the playoffs, but then he rebounded with a solid effort at the Yankees. You can find trends that support both teams in this game, so not really a whole lot to go on from that perspective, so instead will just turn to the numbers and the betting. I have the Astros -162 and that’s giving Sanchez a break by using 5.0 runs allowed instead of his actual 5.81 runs, while using Greinke’s actual number of 3.55 runs allowed. If both starters were calculated in the same manner, I’d have the Astros closer to -200 in this one. The wagering is also something that bears looking at in this game, which isn’t just another game, as it’s the biggest stage MLB has to offer and for the line to move 25 cents with the number of wagers on both teams being fairly equal is a good indication that some good-sized bets are coming in on Houston, so I’ll follow the numbers and the line move and take the Astros -140 in this one. Record 44-53 +3.48 END OF OCT. 25 PICKS Back with two games on the diamond today, so we'll get back after it, as we're hit a bit of a slump with favorites doing well so far in the playoffs. Houston at New York Yankees: The Astros opened -150 and the line has climbed to -155 with Houston getting 45% of the wagers in this one, where Cole and Severino are getting the starts. There is a light breeze blowing out towards left field, but just in the 2-3 mph range. Cole has been dominant in the playoffs so far, but there's a big difference between facing the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees. Cole only faced the Yankees once this year and the Astros won 6-3. Houston was 10-5 with Cole on the road during the regular season and 1-0 in the playoffs. Severino missed the majority of this season and the Yankees have brought him along slowly. New York is 3-1 in the games he started and the Yankees were 5-4 as a home underdog this season, with most of those games occurring when Happ or Sabathia was on the mound. This is the first time Severino has been a home underdog since 2017 and the Yankees are 2-3 with him on the mound in that role, losing his first two efforts and taking two of the last three. I have the Yankees -110 in this one, using the 3.25 runs allowed average Severino has through his four games, so will take a shot on the Bronx Bombers +145 in this one. St. Louis at Washington: The Nationals are one game away from the World Series and are decent-sized favorites in this one, opening -155 and moving up a couple of cents after getting two-thirds of the wagers. Corbin was excellent at home, with the Nationals going 14-3 in games he started and allowing an average of 2.82 runs per game. One of those three losses did come at the hands of the Cardinlas, as he lost 6-3 to Michael Wacha, but awfully hard to go against a pitcher who has pitched his team to victory in 12 of his last 13 home starts. Dakota Hudson hasn't been bad on the road, where the Cardinals are 9-6 when he starts. He had a rough outing last time out and has done a pretty good job of bouncing back afterwards, allowing 6 runs in the three starts after St. Louis allowed 8 runs or more with him on the mound. Definitely lean to St. Louis, but not sure if I can pull the trigger. Record 44-52 +4.48 END OF OCT. 15 PICKS Two games on the diamond today, as the American League begins action and we have Game 2 of the NL series. New York at Houston: The Yankees originally had planned to start James Paxton but changed their mind last night and will go with Tanaka and start Paxton in Game 2. Not sure if it’s because they believe they can hit Greinke better than they will Verlander in Game 2 and will save Paxton for that one. But sharp bettors don’t seem to think that’s the case, as the Astros opened -150 and are now -155 even though the Yanks are getting a pretty good majority of the wagers. Greinke wasn’t very good in Tampa, but Tanaka has labored on the road this season and has been more effective at home. I made the Astros -136 in this one, so not really a whole lot of value either way, so will just stay away from this one. Washington at St. Louis: Decent game last night and another on tap today, as Max Scherzer and Adam Wainwright take the hill for their teams. The Nationals and Scherzer opened -137 and they’re now -135 with pretty even betting coming in. Scherzer was a better pitcher on the road than he was at home this season, as the Nats were 8-4 when he started on the road and just 8-9 when he started at home and allowed nearly 1 fewer run per game. But the one problem for Washington is that Wainwright was also much better at home than he was one the road, as St. Louis allowed an average of 2.65 runs with Wainwright at home, and more than 5.50 runs when he started away from home. The Cardinals didn’t always take advantage of his solid pitching at home, however, as we saw in the playoff game against Atlanta, and we’re just 10-7 with him on the mound at home and 9-6 away from home despite his rather ugly numbers. Still, I have the Cardinals winning this one both on straight averages and medians, so will have to take Wainwright +125 in this spot, which has been a decent situational spot, also, as home underdogs who lost the previous game as a home favorite have gone 8-3 since 2004 in the playoffs.   END OF OCT. 12 PICKS We move to Game 5 of the American League series between the Houston Astros and the Tampa Rays after splitting on Wednesday, dropping the side in ugly fashion and taking the win in the Washington game that saw my Dodgers eliminated from the postseason. The Astros opened -290 and the line has trickled down a little bit and is now Houston -275, with the takeback +250 on the Rays at 5Dimes. Surprisingly, the game is being pretty much evenly bet, as bettors are likely a little reluctant to lay those types off odds on the Astros. As you’d expect, there are trends all over the place for this one and you can make a case for both teams based on previous results, as home playoff favorites of -200 or greater have gone a solid 28-7 going back to the 2004 season and they’re 6-1 if they scored fewer than 3 runs last game and 10-3 if they’re coming off a loss. But home favorites off of two road games are just 66-52 and going against them has resulted in a 4.1% profit, while away underdogs off a win are 86-105 for a profit of more than $1000 and a return of 5.4%. Looking at the numbers, the Rays were 7-1 with Glasnow on the road, with the lone loss coming last game in the playoffs, when the Rays shot themselves in the foot in the field. It was the first time in Glasnow’s 13 starts in 2019 that Tampa had allowed more than 4 runs in a game and while Glasnow has to share in the blame, there is also plenty to go around. For the season, the Rays were 30-25 on the road against RHP, with two of the losses coming in Game 1 and 2. The Rays scored just three runs in the two games in Houston, exceeding that number in both home games after scoring 10 and 4 runs. Houston is 41-17 at home against RHP this season and 16-2 with Cole on the mound at home. Glasnow’s numbers are a little better than Cole’s in terms of runs allowed per start in this location, so I have the Rays -120 in this one, but we’re also looking at trying to buck some pretty significant trends regarding large favorites. So, will split the wager into two, taking Tampa +250 for half-unit and grabbing the Rays +1.5 at +120 for another half-unit. Record 44-49 +6.48 END OF OCT. 10 PICKS A pair of Game 5s in the National League today, so what we lack in quantity we’re making up for in quality, as it’s tough to top that. St. Louis at Atlanta: A rematch between Jack Flaherty and Mike Foltynewicz on the mound and it’s the Cardinals who are attracting a little bit of sharp money, as the Cards opened -106 and the line is now St. Louis -115 after the Braves received 58% of the early wagers in the game. Flaherty was one of those tough luck pitchers on the road this season, as St. Louis is just 7-11 when he starts away from home despite allowing 3.61 runs per game. The Cardinals scored 2 runs or less in half of those 18 starts. Flaherty pitched twice in Atlanta this season, allowing three runs both times, including the 3-0 loss earlier in this series. Foltynewicz turned things around in a big way after coming back from the disabled list, as Atlanta was 10-1 since his return on Aug. 6, allowing 2.45 runs per game. The Braves were 4-7 in his first 11 starts and were allowing 7 runs per game. Have to respect the money coming in on St. Louis, but going to have to take Atlanta +105 in this one. Washington at Los Angeles: The Dodgers are starting Walker Buehler in this one, but pretty much everybody will be available for this one and the same goes for Washington, who is giving the ball to Stephen Strasburg. The Dodgers opened -145 and LA is now -160 with 57% of the wagers, so a slightly bigger move than we should have seen. The Nationals are 11-8 with Strasburg on the mound away from home, allowing 4.47 runs. He’s pitched in Los Angeles twice, allowing 6 runs the first time and earning the 4-2 win over Kershaw in Game 2. Strasburg doesn’t show much difference in his numbers pitching on four or five days rest, so coming back earlier than the Dodgers’ pitchers shouldn’t have any effect. Buehler pitched well at home this season after a bit of a rough start. He had just one poor home start from June onward and the Dodgers were 11-4 with him on the mound at home this year. I have the Dodgers -179 in this one so there really no value one way or the other and will just sit this one out. Record 44-48 +7.48 END OF OCT. 9 PICKS Tough break with the Cardinals yesterday thanks to another brutal outing by Carlos Martinez, so we settle for the split with the Dodgers win and over being negated by the pitching change. Atlanta at St. Louis: The Braves still haven't officially listed their starter for this one, so there's no line out. Keuchel has been listed a few places, while a few others seem to think Julio Teheran could get the start, which would save Keuchel for a Game 5 if needed. Los Angeles at Washington: The Nationals pushed Scherzer back a day, where he'll be opposed by Rich Hill, who has pretty similar numbers as Ryu on the road. The Nationals opened -135 and the line has dropped a couple of cents to Washington -132 after the Dodgers received 58% of the wagers. I have the Dodgeres -200 in this one, so will come back with the Dodgers +122 in this one. Houston at Tampa Bay: The first game of the day sees Zack Greinke and the Astros visiting Tampa Bay, where the Rays will start former Astro Charlie Morton. Greinke and the Astros opened -142 and the line has just come down to Houston -136 with the road team getting a little more than 60% of the wagers in the game. The Astros averaged 5.36 runs on the road against right-handed starters, but that number is a bit inflated due to a few huge outputs, including 23 runs in a game at Baltimore and several double-digit efforts at the Angeles. The Rays averaged 4.66 runs against right-handed starters at home, but were much more consistent, having just one game where they reached double-digits in runs. I made the Rays -103 in this one, so will go ahead and take a stab on Tampa Bay +126. New York at Minnesota: Severino and Odorizzi get the starts in this one and it's hard to tell what Severino is going to do in this one. He has just three starts this season and if the Yankees weren't up 2-0 he might not get the nod here. The Yankees averaged 5.69 runs against right-handed pitchers on the road, while the Twins averaged 5.18 runs at home against RHP. The Yankees are up to -147 after opening at -135 and getting two-thirds of the wagers. I have Minnesota -124, but am using Severino's numbers from last year, so will just stay away here. Record 43-47 +7.22 END OF OCT. 7 PICKS Yesterday completely stunk, as the Twins bullpen took us out of it early and now we’re back down to the two National League games and Monday will again be a full four-game slate, but first things first. Los Angeles at Washington: The Nationals opened -130 and the line has dropped to Nats -115 as the Dodgers have received two-thirds of the wagers, which is a bit of a surprise, as Scherzer is a pretty big-name pitcher, while Ryu really isn’t. Despite having a team full of left-handed hitters the Dodgers were just 32-23 on the road against right-handed starters, while the Nationals were 13-5 against LHP at home this season. Ryu was a better pitcher at home this season, as the Dodgers were 7-8 when he started on the road compared to 13-1 at home, while Scherzer was the opposite. The Nationals were 8-4 when he started on the road and 7-9 when he started at home. Ryu was better on the road than Scherzer was at home this season, so I have the Dodgers -185 in this one and will go ahead and take LA +105 in this one. Atlanta at St. Louis: The Braves opened -115 in this one, with Soroka and Wainwright the scheduled starters and the Braves are now -117 with the betting being pretty well split down the middle. Soroka was solid on the road this season, as the Braves were 9-6 when he started away from home and he posted better numbers on the road, although Atlanta was 9-3 when he started at home, although they’re a better-hitting team in front of the home fans. Overall, the Braves were 37-26 on the road against right-handed starters. Wainwright was better at home this season and St. Louis went 10-6 when he started at home. The Cardinals were 9-6 when he started away from home, but won a few games they had no business winning, such as a 12-11 decision over the Reds and a 14-8 game over the Pirates. His last road start was a 9-7 win over Arizona and when you allow 7,8 or 11 runs, you shouldn’t be winning. Neither of his last two starts are anything to get excited about, but he has shown an ability to bounce back after a poor effort. I made the Cardinals -111 in this one, so since it’s the playoffs, will go ahead and take a shot on St. Louis +107. Record 43-46 +8.22 END OF OCT. 6 PICKS A split on the diamond yesterday, winning with the Braves, but losing a tough one on the total, where we had our share of similar type games all season long. But all you can do is move forward to the next day and we have just the two American League games. Minnesota at New York: A few people are surprised the Twins are starting Dobnak here, but Rocco Baldelli knows his team better than I do and if he believes Dobnak is up to the task, we'll have to take his word. Dobnak was let down by the bullpen in a couple of his starts, so he didn't have the best numbers in terms of runs allowed per start, but he doesn't deserve all the blame. Tanaka was pretty solid at home this season, where the Yankees were 11-5 and allowed 3.44 runs per game, although the Twins were a decent-hitting team on the road, averaging more than 6 runs per game against right-handed starters. The Yankees averaged 5.68 runs per game against right-handed starters at home, so I have Tanaka and the Yankees -128 in this one. The Yankees won yesterday 10-4, which sets up a couple of decent situational trends, as away underdogs in the playoffs who allowed 10 or more runs the previous game are just 7-15, but a solid 14-5 on the run line for an ROI of 16.7%, while teams who lost the previous game by at least 6 runs were just 12-18 straight-up, but 19-10 on the run line for a solid 8% ROI. Not usually a fan of taking underdogs on the run line, but will take the Twins +1.5 at -125 in this spot. Tampa Bay at Houston: My current least favorite team, Tampa Bay, takes on Gerrit Cole and the Astros here and the money is coming in on the home team to the tune of 62% of the wagers. The Astros opened -300 and are now -320, with the buy-back on the Rays +270. Snell hasn't shown a whole lot this season in which he's been bothered by injuries, so no desire to go against Houston, who was 20-4 at home against LHP this season. Since the game is expected to be lower-scoring than the New York game, the Rays are just +125 on the run line and probably a game best to just stay away from. Record 43-45 +9.47 END OF OCT. 5 PICKS We pulled out one late in Atlanta last night and now have all eight teams in action today, where the games are spread out throughout the day, with action beginning mid-afternoon. St. Louis at Atlanta: A wild game last night and now the Braves find themselves down 1-0 and they’re underdogs in this one, as the Cardinals and Flaherty opened -123 and are now -125 with Atlanta getting close to 60% of the wagers. Home underdogs in the playoffs have fared fairly well, going 66-61 over the years and an ROI of 12%, so not the worst wager you can make. Foltynewicz was a completely different pitcher after returning, as Atlanta allowed 27 runs in his 10 starts from Aug. 6 onward after allowing 77 runs in his first 11 starts. I made the Braves -135 in this one, so will take a shot on Atlanta +115. Washington at Dodgers: Kershaw and Strasburg get the starts here and the Dodgers opened -145 and are now up to -155 after getting close to 60% of the wagers. Teams who were shutout in the playoffs are 28-27 in their next game, but just 13-19 on the road and 9-15 if they’re away underdogs. Kershaw tailed off a little bit at home late, as LA allowed 5 runs in each of his last three starts, but still I have the Dodgers -185 in this one. Minnesota at New York: Berrios and Paxton get the starts in this one and the Yankees opened -190 and the line is down to NY -185 with the Yankees getting a slight majority of the wagers. The Twins averaged 6.44 runs on the road against left-handed starters, but that’s a little misleading, as they had 18 in one game in May at Seattle and when you only have 18 road games against LHP that’s going to inflate the numbers a bit, so using a median of 5.5, I’d have Paxton -108, so perhaps a little value in taking in the Twins, but I’ll just stay clear. Tampa Bay at Houston: Verlander and the Astros opened -210 and the line has climbed to Astros -215 after Houston received 80% of the early wagers. Much like the other AL game, the line is a bit on the high side, as I have the Astros -130, so while there’s a little value on the away underdog, I still have them projected to lose. Record 42-45 +8.32 END OF OCT. 4 PICKS Dismal effort by the A’s last night and now we moved to the two National League games for Thursday, where the home teams are decent-sized favorites in both games. St. Louis at Atlanta: Dallas Keuchel and the Atlanta Braves opened -130 over Miles Mikolas and the St. Louis Cardinals and the money has been coming in on the home team, as Atlanta is now up to -140 after getting pretty close to 70% of the wagers. My basic numbers would have the Braves -145 in this one and it’s a game I’d normally skip over, but this one is interesting if we look at medians, as the Cardinals have allowed 3 runs or less with Mikolas on the road in nine of his 17 starts, so his median would be 3, while the Braves have allowed 3 runs or less in four of Keuchel’s home starts, so his median number would be 4. The Cardinals average 5.76 runs per game against LHP on the road, but get a median of 5 offensively, while the Braves average 5.37 runs against RHP at home, but with 62 games to draw upon, there’s really no need to use medians, as you can feel pretty confident in that number. In this case, we’d have the Cardinals -142, so will go ahead and take a shot on St. Louis +130. Washington at Dodgers: The Dodgers opened -165 and the line is still there with LA getting 70% of the wagers. Not a bad move starting Buehler, as he’s been a better pitcher at home than on the road and LA is 10-4 when he starts at home, where he allowed 3.64 runs per game and has a median of 3. The Nationals average 5.38 runs per game against RHP on the road, but the key here is the Dodgers vs. Corbin, as it’s pretty well-known the Dodgers don’t hit southpaws as well, as they average just 4.69 runs per game against LHP at home. The Dodgers get a median of 4 runs against LHP, as they were held to four or fewer runs in 16 of their 26 home against a LHP, but Corbin allows 4.64 runs per game on the road with a median of 4.5. Our basic numbers would have the Dodgers -121, but by using medians and recalculating everything, we wind up with almost the exact same number with the Dodgers -120, so a bit of value in taking the Nats, although we still have them projected to lose. Record 41-45 +7.02 END OF OCT. 3 PICKS We move to the American League wild card game tonight, where the Tampa Bay Rays travel to Oakland to face the Athletics. Charlie Morton will get the start for Tampa Bay, while Oakland is giving the ball to Sean Manaea in a bit of a surprise, as he’s only pitched in six games since returning from injury. The A’s opened -142 and the line is now at Oakland -132 with pretty even betting coming in on the game, as Oakland is currently getting 52% of the wagers. As we saw last night, with Stephen Strasburg pitching in relief, pretty much everybody is available to pitch in this game, perhaps a little bit more, as both teams have been off since Sunday and have had two full days of rest, although they each practiced Tuesday. So while the A’s are going to start Manaea, he is also subject to a bit of a quick hook. Since we really can’t look at his games this season and get an accurate reading, the A’s are 10-6 with Manaea on the mound at home dating back to the start of last season. They were 8-6 in 2018 and 2-0 this season. The A’s allowed 4.0 runs per start with Manaea at home last year and have allowed four runs in his two home starts this season. The Rays were 21-11 with Charlie Morton on the mound and 10-5 away from home, where they allowed an average of 4.87 runs, which is slightly higher than the league average. Taampa Bay was 48-33 both at home and on the road this season, with Tropicana Field taking a bit of a toll on the numbers, as the Rays scored a little more and allowed a little more away from home, but considering the team’s record, there really isn’t a big drop-off in performance once the team leaves the Sunshine State. The A’s were 52-29 at home this season, which is a fair amount better than they were on the road. At home, the A’s score less and allow less, but they do play a little better at home overall, which is evidenced in their record. There is expected to be a little bit of a breeze blowing out and the A’s do have a bit more power than Tampa Bay, so that should play to their favor a bit. I made Oakland -148 in this one, using Manaea’s 2018 and 2019 numbers, so will take a shot on Oakland -132. Record 41-45 +8.35 END OF OCT. 2 PICKS We’re down to the final regular season day in Major League Baseball and a lot of players will be exiting early, including several of the starting pitchers, so you kind of have to take it into consideration. If I’m Houston, I’m not throwing Cole for more than a few innings here. Last year home teams went 12-3 on the final day of the season, but as is often the case, they were just 6-9 the previous year, so not a whole lot to go on. Dodgers at San Francisco: Hill and Bumgarner take the mound for their teams and the Dodgers opened -175 and are still there even though the Giants have gotten tha majority of the wagers. I made LA -160 in this one. Miami at Philadelphia: Alcantara and Parker get the starts here and the Phillies opened -175 and are now -172 after getting more than 70% of the wagers. I made the Phillies -140, but hard to get a read on Parker and his one start. Cincinnati at Pittsburgh: After losing his first 12 starts on the road this year, the Reds have won Mahle’s last two away games and he opened -145 over Trevor Williams and the line is down to Cincinnati -118. Will go ahead and take the Pirates +108 in this game, which I have even, as I think it means a little more to the Pirates. Milwaukee at Colorado: Houser and the Brewers opened -175 and the line has dropped a cent or two and is Milwaukee -174 with the Brewers getting a slight majority of the bets. I made the Brewers -160. Atlanta at Mets: Syndergaard and the Mets are -110 over Soroka and the Braves and I have Atlanta -225, but don’t think Soroka goes too long here, at least he shouldn’t, so will stay clear. San Diego at Arizona: Baez and Walker are making their first starts of the season and I have the Diamondbacks -120, while Arizona is -131. Cubs at St. Louis: The Cubs send Holland to the mound in this one and he hasn’t started in quite a while, while Flaherty gets the nod for St. Louis. I have the Cardinals -175 and they’ve been bet up to -300. Cleveland at Washington: Clevinger and the Tribe are -150 in this one, so have to assume the Nats are resting a lot of players, as they return to action on Tuesday. I made Ross -140, but will just stay clear. Record 41-44 +9.35 END OF SEPT. 29 PICKS Hit a bit of a slump with the side plays, which is going to happen when you take nearly all underdogs. In retrospect probably should have backed off the last week, although you can't really blame the losses on that, as we've had a bit of bad luck and some pretty shoddy relief pitching, as was the case last night. Dodgers at San Francisco: The Dodgers send Ryu to the mound where he'll be opposed by Webb and the Dodgers opened -220 and the line has dipped slightly to -200. I made Los Angeles -235. Miami at Philadelphia: Caleb Smith and Zach Eflin get the starts in this one, where the Phillies opened -175 and are now -172 with close to 65% of the wagers. I made Eflin -160 in this one. Cincinnati at Pittsburgh: Sims and Marvel get the starts here and Sims opened -120 and now the Reds are up to -123. Marvel threw well in his debut and has been hit hard in last two starts, while Sims has been pretty average. I have the Pirates -120 but not a game really worth making a stand in. Atlanta at Mets: Foltynewicz gets the start for the Braves, while Steven Matz gets the ball for the Mets. This one opened -110 both ways and now the Mets are slight favorites of -107 despite getting less than 40% of the wagers here. I made New York -145 in this one. Cubs at St. Louis: Wainwright and the Cardinals opened -200 and the line has dropped to -185 with St. Louis getting close to two-thirds of the wagers in the game. I made St. Louis -220 here, and Hamels is only expected to throw a few innings as sort of a showcase to teams, as he becomes a free agent after this season. San Diego at Arizona: Robbie Ray and the Diamondbacks opened -165 and the line has dipped to -153 with Arizona getting a little more than 60% of the wagers. I have Arizona -200 in this one. Milwaukee at Colorado: Gonzalez and Gonzalez the starters in this one and Gio and Milwaukee opened -190 and this line has dropped all the way down to Brewers -145 with Milwaukee getting roughly 70% of the early wagers. I have the Brewers -140, but will go ahead and tag along with the Rockies, as Chi Chi has thrown better his last few starts. Cleveland at Washington: Corbin and the Nationals opened -205 and are now up to -210, while I made Washington -200 in this one. Record 40-44 +8.00 END OF SEPT. 28 PICKS Tough loss with the Padres, who make a fielding blunder that led to the only run of the game in the 1-0 loss to the Dodgers, but on to Friday’s games, where a few lines still aren’t out yet, as oddsmakers are waiting to see what type of lineup teams send out. Miami at Philadelphia: The Phillies and Velasquez opened -180 and the line has dropped a little bit to -170 with the Fish getting a slight majority of the early wagers. I made the Phillies -200 in this one. Cincinnati at Pittsburgh: The Reds and DeSclafani opened -145 and have dropped down to -139 with Cincinnati getting a little more than 60% of the early wagers. Brault hasn’t been very good this season, so I have the Reds -175 in this spot. Atlanta at Mets: Decent matchup here, with Keuchel and Stroman getting the starts, where the Mets opened -119 and the line is now -117 with pretty decent two-way action. I have the Braves -122, but not too sure that all of their regulars will be playing in this one. Milwaukee at Colorado: There’s no line out on this one, where Zach Davies and Antonio Senzatela get the starts for their teams and I’d have the Brewers -150 in this one. Cubs at St. Louis: There’s no line out on this one, as the Cubs haven’t officially named their starter, although all signs are pointing to Alec Mills, who hasn’t pitched badly. The Cardinals will counter with Dakota Hudson. Expecting the Cubs to win at least one of the games, but won’t be playing them here. San Diego at Arizona: Lauer and Clarke get the starts in this one and the Diamondbacks opened -135 and the line has dropped to -125 with Arizona getting roughly 57% of the early wagers in the game. I have this one at -115 for Arizona. Dodgers at San Francisco: The Dodgers and Giants get together one final time this season and Buehler and Cueto will start things off. Buehler has had a couple of decent road outings in a row now after a slow start, while Cueto really hasn’t thrown enough to get much of a read on. The Dodgers are -180 and I have them -200. Cleveland at Washington: The Nationals and Voth opened -115 and the line has climbed to Nats -123, while I made Cleveland -123 and will take the Tribe +113. Record 40-43 +9.00 END OF SEPT. 27 PICKS A split on the diamond Wednesday, winning the total but getting some shoddy relief pitching from the Phillies for the second straight day to drop the side. Numbers were released late on the majority of games today and there’s a fair amount of day action. Milwaukee at Cincinnati: A little surprised to see the Reds favored in this one, with Anderson and Castillo the scheduled starters, as Milwaukee is still fighting for home field advantage in the wild card game. The Reds opened -120 and the line is still there, while I made Castillo -108 in this one. Dodgers at San Diego: Kershaw and Lucchesi get the starts in this one and it will be the last start of the year for Luchhesi, while Kershaw has a few more starts ahead of him. Not sure how long Kershaw will go in the this one, which is on five days rest, something the veteran lefty doesn’t really like and the numbers support that, as LA allows 3.92 runs per game when he pitches on five days rest, as opposed to 3.25 when he throws on four days. The Dodgers opened -220 and are up to -230, while I made the Dodgers -110, so will take a stab on the Padres as a price play. Colorado at San Francisco: The Giants opened -130 with Beede and Freeland the starters here and the Rockies became the favorites for a while, but the line has moved back to SF -114 with the Rockies getting the majority of wagers in this one. I have the Rockies -135, but no real interest in the side here. Philadelphia at Washington: Strasburg and the Nationals opened -240 and the line has climbed to Washington -260 even though Strasburg doesn’t have the greatest numbers at home this season. I have Washington just -120, but no real desire to play Vargas in this one. Cubs at Pittsburgh: The Cubs were eliminated, finally, although it’s a pretty safe beat the team had been resigned to its fate before yesterday when they were in the midst of their slump. Quintana opened -125 and the line has climbed a couple of cents to Chicago -128, while I have the Cubs -160. Miami at Mets: Wheeler and the Mets are -260 over Yamamoto and the Marlins and I made New York -250 in this one. Yamamoto really tailed off after a decent beginning. Oakland at Seattle: No wager in this one, which is probably the last game for Felix Hernadnez, at least in a Seattle uniform, as injuries have taken their toll the past couple of seasons. The A’s opened -250 and the line is down to -220 with Oakland getting 80% of the wagers. Record 40-42 +10.00 END OF SEPT. 26 PICKS One of the more frustrating losses of the year last night, as some poor decisions by Kapler did the Phillies in. You’re really going to put in a guy who allows a home run every three innings since you acquired him and act surprised when he gives up a game-winning grand slam to the first batter he faces? But it happens, so on to Wednesday. St. Louis at Arizona: Wacha and Kelly the starters here and the Cards opened -120 and the line is holding pretty steady with St. Louis getting nearly three-quarters of the wagers. I have Arizona -140 in this one. Milwaukee at Cincinnati: The Brewers and Lyles opened -145 and the line has dropped a little bit to Milwaukee -133 with the Brewers getting two-thirds of the wagers. I have Milwaukee -160 in this one, as the Brewers could sew-up a playoff spot today. Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh: The Cubs and Lester opened -185 and are now -180 after getting two-thirds of the wagers in the game. I also have the Cubbies -180. Philadelphia at Washington: The Nationals opened -165 and have been bet up slightly to Washington -171 after receiving the majority of the wagers in this one. Smyly has pitched decently on the road this year, while Sanchez still doesn’t have the greatest of numbers at home, so once again going to take a shot on the Phillies +161 in this game. Miami at Mets: Once again the Mets are overpriced here, as deGrom is now -425 over Dugger, while I have New York -200. The Fish gave one away last night and could very well do so again. Colorado at San Francisco: The Giants and Samardzija opened -160 and are now -155. I have this one even, but not quite sure what to think of Melville, who hasn’t bad been on the road, although that’s just a couple of starts, while he’s been roughed up at Coors Field, which is no great crime. Dodgers at San Diego: Stripling and the Dodgers opened -165 and are now -185 in a game that’s off the board at some sportsbooks. I have the Dodgers -250 in this one. Atlanta at Kansas City: The Braves made a late pitching change with Josh Tomlin and he opened -136 over Montgomery and the line has inched up a couple of cents to -138. I made Atlanta -130 in this one. Record 40-41 +11.00 END OF SEPT. 25 PICKS A full slate of games for this Tuesday, so we'll get right to it. Philadelphia at Washington: The first game on the schedule is showing Parker and Ross as the starters and the Nats opened -170 and the line has dropped down to -160 on pretty mixed betting. I have Ross -200 in this one. Milwaukee at Cincinnati: The Brewers are getting some action in this one, as Gray and the Reds opened -140 and the line is down to Cincinnati -110 after the Brewers received 58% of the wagers. I have the Reds -150 in this one. Cubs at Pittsburgh: The Cubs are playing themselves out of the postseason, but are still favored in this one, as Chicago opened -200 and the line has dropped down to Chicago -175 even with the Cubbies getting more than 80% of the wagers. I have the Cubs -140 in this one. Philadelphia at Washington: Good pitching match-up in the late game, with Nola and Scherzer the listed starters. The Nationals opened -170 and the line has climbed to Washington -190 with the Nats getting close to three-quarters of the wagers. I have this one even, so will take a shot on the Phillies +175. Miami at New York Mets: Syndergaard and the Mets opened -240 and are up to -260 after getting more than 80% of the wagers. I have this one a bit closer and have New York just -125. St. Louis at Arizona: Flaherty and the Cardinals opened -190 and the line is holding steady with St. Louis getting close to three-fourths of the wagers. I have the Cards -140 here. Colorado at San Francisco: The Giants and Bumgarner opened -175 and the line has come down a little bit to San Francisco -165. I made the Giants -145 here. Dodgers at San Diego: Rich Hill and the Dodgers opened -200 and are up to LAD-215 after getting more than 80% of the wagers. I made the Dodgers -205 here. Atlanta at Kansas City: Teheran and the Braves opened -155 and just now jumped to Atlanta -165 after the visitors received three-quarters of the wagers here. I made the Braves -145 in this spot. Record 40-40 +12.00 END OF SEPT. 24 PICKS The typical fare for a Sunday, with lots of day action, so we’ll get to it after an ugly Saturday. Mets at Cincinnati: Stroman was a late pitching change for the Mets, who are now up to -135 over Bauer and the Reds. I made New York -160 in this one. Washington at Miami: The Nationals and Austin Voth opened -210 over Lopez and the Fish and the line is now Washington -185 with the visitors getting more than three-quarters of the early wagers. I have Washington just -115 so going to go ahead and take the Marlins +170 as a price play here. San Francisco at Atlanta: Webb and Keuchel get the starts in this one and the Braves have moved from -225 to -220 after getting close to three-quarters of the wagers. I made Keuchel -230 in this one. Pittsburgh at Milwaukee: You’re paying a premium to back the Brewers in this one, although it’s probably justified in this case as Milwaukee sends Woodruff to the mound and the Brewers are 11-1 with him on the mound at home and 6-3 when he starts on the road. The Pirates counter with Williams and the Brewers are -250 here. I have Milwaukee -200 but wouldn’t want to go against Woodruff in this spot. St. Louis at Cubs: Another game where the wind is blowing out and Darvish looks to be getting a little sharp action, as the Cubs have moved from -139 to -158 with just a little more than half of the wagers in this one. I made the Cubs -148 in this spot. Colorado at Dodgers: Ryu and the Dodgers opened -360 and the line has climbed to LAD-380 with Los Angeles getting more than three-fourths of the wagers. I have the Dodgers -350 here. Arizona at San Diego: The Diamondbacks are still alive for the playoffs, but are going to need some help along the way and send Robbie Ray to the mound to face Garrett Richards, who is making just his second start this season. The Diamondbacks opened -120 and have been bet to -130 after getting three-quarters of the wagers and I made Ray -120 here. Philadelphia at Cleveland: The Indians opened -155 and the line dropped to -122 and has climbed a little bit and is now hovering in the -127 range. I have Plutko -105 over Velasquez. Record 39-40 +10.30 END OF SEPT. 22 PICKS Several pitching changes announced this morning, so things a little bit hectic, as lines are being readjusted. St. Louis at Cubs: The Cardinals have won the first two games and now will face Jose Quintana and counter with Dakota Hudson. The Cubs opened -120 and the line has climbed a bit to -128 even though the Cardinals are getting the majority of the wagers. The wind is blowing out strong, which should favor the Cubs a little bit. I made St. Louis -116 but will be staying away from this one. Mets at Cincinnati: Wheeler and DeSclafani take the mound for their respective teams and the Mets opened -120 and have been bet up to -130 after getting close to 70% of the early wagers in the game. I have the Mets -110 in this one. Washington at Miami: The Nationals send Strasburg to the mound and he'll now be opposed by Jordan Yamamoto, who gets the start in place of Hernandez, which changes things considerably. I have the Nats -225 in this one. Pittsburgh at Milwaukee: Davies and the Brewers opened -220 and are now -240 after getting more than 80% of the wagers in the game so far. I have Milwaukee -150, but not really sure what to make of Marvel, who had a good start, followed by a brutal one. San Francisco at Atlanta: Fried and Cueto get the starts in this one, where the Braves have moved from -140 to -145 after getting a little more than 60% of the wagers. I made Atlanta -150 in this one. Arizona at San Diego: Luke Weaver is going to get the start for the Diamondbacks, but don't expect to see him in there for more than two or three innings. He threw two innings in a California League game and the Diamondbacks will keep close tabs on him this one. He'll be opposed by Cal Quantrill, who hasn't been very good recently. Arizona is -114 and will take a shot on the Padres +104, as expecting to see Taylor Clarke or Duplantier get multiple innings for Arizona. Colorado at Los Angeles: The Dodgers are sending Buehler to the mound over Ryu and the adjusted line came out LAD -400, which is a bit on the high side. I made the Dodgers -230 in this one. Philadelphia at Cleveland: Plesac and the Indians opened -185 and the line has dropped to Cleveland -160 with the Indians getting 62% of the wagers. I made Cleveland -190 in this one. Record 39-39 +11.30 END OF SEPT. 21 PICKS A pretty small slate of games on the diamond for Thursday with a couple of early starts. So far this month, totals of 10 and higher are 33-32-4, which is down a bit from where they have performed in the past, while the large favorites of -250 or more are 36-9 and showing a 7% ROI even with a pair losses Wednesday. Of those nine losses, seven have been by one run and the other two have been by a pair of runs. Philadelphia at Atlanta: Aaron Nola and Mike Soroka get the starts in this 12:10 p.m. game, where the Braves opened -140 and the line has climbed to Atlanta -150 with the Braves getting a little more than 55% of the wagers. I made Atlanta -115 in this one. San Diego at Milwaukee: Jordan Lyles and Joe Lucchesi take to the hill for this one, where Milwaukee opened -165 and the line has climbed to -175 with the Brewers getting more than three-quarters of the wagers. A bit of that likely has to do with the Brewers essentially being in a ‘must-win’ situation, so they are a bit over-priced in this spot. I made the Brewers -106. St. Louis at Chicago: Flaherty and Hendricks get the starts in this one, which is a pretty big series for both teams. This one opened -105 both directions and has stayed there on pretty even betting, although the Cubs have gotten a few more wagers this morning and now lead in the number of bets. I have Chicago -180 here, as while Flaherty has been solid on the road, Hendricks has been better at home. Will go ahead and take the Cubs -105 here. Seattle at Pittsburgh: The line here opened late and came out Pittsburgh -135 and is now Pirates -140 with Pittsburgh getting 60% of the wagers. Musgrove is bordering on being one of those inconsistent pitchers I try to avoid, as in his 14 home starts, the Pirates have allowed 1 run or less in four of them and have also allowed double-digits five times. Kikuchi is a bit the same, as in his last 10 starts the Mariners allowed 2 runs or less four times and 9 runs or more three times. Will just stay away. San Francisco at Boston: Both teams are soon to be eliminated from the playoffs, but are technically alive entering today, as Rodriguez and the Red Sox opened -175 over Bumgarner and the line has dropped to Boston -161, which is where I have it. Record 39-38 +12.35 END OF SEPT. 19 PICKS A few day games on the Major League Baseball slate today, so we’ll get right to it. Washington at St. Louis: Pretty decent pitching matchup here, as Scherzer and Wainwright get the nods for their teams and Washington opened -153 and the Nats are now -155 in a game that has seen pretty good two-way action. Washington did hit close to -170 earlier this morning. I have Wainright -140 in this one, so will go ahead and take the Cards +145 in this one. Mets at Colorado: Snydergaard and the Mets opened -155 and the line has dropped slightly to New York -147 with the Mets getting more than 80% of the early wagers in the game. I made the Mets -160. Miami at Arizona: The Diamondbacks have moved from -174 to -151 after getting three-quarters of the wagers in the game, while I have Leake -130 over Alcantara. Philadelphia at Atlanta: Julio Teheran and Atlanta opened -165 and the line has been gradually trickling down and is now Braves -142. I have Atlanta -198 in this one. San Diego at Milwaukee: The Brewers and Adrian Houser opened -150 and the line is now -148 with the home team getting a little more than three-quarters of the early wagers. I made Milwaukee -130 in this one. Cincinnati at Cubs: Jon Lester and the Cubbies opened -180 and are now -170 over Mahle and the Reds and I made Chicago -180 here. Seattle at Pittsburgh: The Pirates opened -130 and the line is now Pittsburgh -113 after pretty decent two-way action came in on this one. Agrazal doesn’t have the same numbers at home as he does on the road, although tough to get a read on Dunn. San Francisco at Boston: Chacin and the Red Sox opened -170 and the line is now -155 with the Sox getting close to two-thirds of the wagers in this one. I made the Red Sox -125. Tampa Bay at Dodgers: Gonsolin and the Dodgers opened -140 and the line is now down to Los Angeles -125 with the Dodgers getting 60% of the wagers in the game. I made LA -139 here. Texas at Houston: Probably the most interesting game on the schedule, as Cole and the Astros opened -500 and are now -480 after getting close to 80% of the wagers. Allard has pitched well for the Rangers, who have gone 6-1 with him on the mound, while the Astros are 14-2 with Cole on the mound at home and favorites of -320 and greater are 12-0 this month. I have this one Astros -160, so Texas +2.5 at +110 looks a bit enticing, but still not sure if I’ll play it. Record 38-38 +10.90 END OF SEPT. 18 PICKS Small slate of games for Monday, where we're coming off a pretty crappy weekend overall. You're going to have plenty of those over the course of the year, so nothing to do but bear down and plug ahead. San Diego at Milwaukee: Zach Davies and the Brewers opened -170 and the line has dropped to -155 even after Milwaukee received three-quarters of the wagers. A little surprised to see Garrett Richards getting the start in this one, as he was anything but impressive in a couple of minor league outings. He allowed 11 earned runs in less than 10 innings, while striking out 13, but walking 11. He averaged less than two innings in five starts, but the Padres must know something that isn't evident in his stats. Still, can't see him going very long in this one. I have the Brewers -175 but pretty much a guess as to Richards' effectiveness. Washington at St. Louis: Strasburg and the Nationals opened -115 and the line is all the way up to Washington -147 with the betting pretty well split. I made the Cardinals -127 in this one and will go ahead and take a shot on Hudson +137 in this game. Cincinnati at Cubs: Cole Hamels and the Chicago Cubs opened -140 and have climbed to Cubs -170 with Chicago getting close to three-quarters of the wagers in the game. Gausman is making his first start for the Reds and his first start since Aug. 2. The Cubs have been tough on right-handed starters at home this season, going 41-17, so I have the Cubs -245 in this one. Mets at Colorado: The Mets and Steven Matz opened -150 and the line has dropped to New York -148 after the visitors received 60% of the wagers. This is one of those games that you really don't even want to touch due to the two starters pitchers. With Matz on the road, the Mets have gone 5-9, but allowed three runs or less in eight of his 14 starts. New York has allowed six or more runs in his other six road starts, so no middle ground. Senzatela is pretty much the same, just with fewer quality starts. The Rockies have allowed two runs or less in three of his 10 home starts and seven runs or more in the other seven starts. A game I don't even want to attempt to handicap. Miami at Arizona: Robbie Ray and the Diamondbacks opened -205 and the line is holding steady with Arizona getting more than 80% of the early wagers. I have Arizona -175 in this one. Record 37-38 +9.53 END OF SEPT. 16 PICKS Coming off one of those days where you probably deserved better, but the only thing that matters is the results, so on to today’s MLB slate. Dodgers at Mets: The Dodgers bullpen let us down last night, giving up three runs in their only inning of work and now Buehler and Wheeler face off in the rubber game of the series. Both pitchers have been a bit inconsistent and I have LA -110 after the Dodgers opened -140 and have dropped to -136 after getting more than 70% of the wagers in what will be the late ESPN game. Atlanta at Washington: The Nationals and Sanchez opened -115 and now Atlanta is -112 after getting close to 60% of the wagers. I made Atlanta -120 in this one. Milwaukee at St. Louis: Michael Wacha and the Cardinals opened -155 and the line is now St. Louis -131 after the Cards received 70% of the wagers, making it one of several decent-sized reverse line moves on the day. I the Brewers -122, so will take a shot on Milwaukee +121. Pittsburgh at Cubs: Quintana and the Cubs opened -195 and have moved up to -215 after receiving more than three-quarters of the early wagers. I made Chicago -128. San Diego at Colorado: The Rockies and Gonzalez opened -130 and the line is now Colorado -114 after the home team received 55% of the early wagers. I have the Rockies -127 in this one. Miami at San Francisco: Johnny Cueto makes his second start of the season for the Giants and once again, a bit of money is coming in the other way, as San Francisco opened -180 and the line has dropped to Giants -158 after the Giants received more than 70% of the wagers in this one. I made the Giants -150 although a little tough to get a decent read on Cueto and how he’ll fare on the mound. Cincinnati at Arizona: The Diamondbacks opened -145 and have climbed up a few cents after getting 58% of the wagers. The Reds are 0-5 in Bauer’s road starts with Cincinnati, while Gallen has pitched well at home or on the road and I have the slumping Diamondbacks -200 in this one. Boston at Philadelphia: Vargas and the Phillies opened -125 and now the Red Sox are -110 in game that the Phillies have a slight edge in regarding the number of wagers. I have the Phillies -140 here. Record 36-38 +8.32 END OF SEPT. 15 PICKS Just a few early starts for this Saturday on the diamond, where it looks like rain won't be much of a factor. Pittsburgh at Cubs: Kyle Hendricks and the Cubbies opened -190 and the line has climbed to Chicago -220. Marvel was decent in his debut, but just has the one start to his credit, so hard to get much of a read on. The Cubs are 8-4 with Hendricks on the mound at home. Atlanta at Washington: The Nationals opened -115 and the line is holding pretty stead with the Braves getting 56% of the wagers on the game. Foltynewicz is coming into form and hasn't thrown that bad lately, while Voth has been pretty average, which is really all the Nats need with their offense. I made Washington -115. Dodgers at Mets: The Mets and deGrom opened -145 and the line is down to New York -138 after the Dodgers received two-thirds of the wagers. I made the Dodgers -148, so will take Los Angeles +128 in this one. Milwaukee at St. Louis: Flaherty and the Cardinals have held pretty steady at the opening line of -200 over Lyles and the Brewers, with St. Louis getting 60% of the wagers. I made the Cards -160. Cincinnati at Arizona: The Diamondbacks are faltering fast, but getting some action in this one, as Kelly has moved from -120 to -131 over DeSclafani and the Reds with Arizona getting a little more than 70% of the wagers. I made Arizona -110 in this one. San Diego at Colorado: The Padres opened -115 and now Lambert and the Rockies are -106 after getting 63% of the early wagers. I made Lauer and the Padres -126. Miami at San Francisco: Bumgarner and the Giants opened -205 and the line has climbed a bit and is now San Francisco -215 with the Giants getting more than three-quarters of the wagers in the game. I made Bumgarner -160 over Dugger. Boston at Philadelphia: Aaron Nola and the Phillies opened -125 and the line has dropped a few cents to Phils -118 with the betting being pretty well split on this one. I have Rodriguez and the Red Sox -112 in this one. Record 36-37 +9.32 END OF SEPT. 14 PICKS The usual slate of games for a Thursday with just a few early starts, so we’ll get to it. Milwaukee at Miami: Gio Gonzalez and the Brewers opened -135 over Caleb Smith and the Marlins and the line is now up to -142. The Brewers have only scored more than two runs once in their last six against LHP on the road, but Smith is laboring a bit himself. I made the Brewers -145. Arizona at Mets: Huge move here, as Stroman and the Mets opened -120 and the line has jumped to New York -150 even though the Diamondbacks are getting the slightest of majorities of the wagers. I have Arizona -155, but no intertest bucking the move in this one. St. Louis at Colorado: Miles Mikolas and the Cards are -170 in this one, while I have St. Louis -125. Melville was roughed up in his lone home start, but had decent outings on the road. Cubs at San Diego: Yu Darvish and the Cubs opened -140 and are now -139 over Lamet and the Padres. I have Chicago -175 and San Diego is 0-5 in Lamet’s home starts. Pittsburgh at San Francisco: The Giants opened -130 and the line has dropped to -118 with San Francisco getting three-quarters of the early wagers. I made Pittsburgh -145 in this one. Atlanta at Philadelphia: Teheran and the Braves opened -130 and the line has dropped to -121 after the Braves received more than 70% of the wagers in this one. I have Atlanta -130. Dodgers at Baltimore: Rich Hill and the Dodgers opened -230 over Dylan Bundy and the Orioles and Los Angeles is now -220 after getting more than 80% of the wagers in the game. I have the dodgers -200 here. Washington at Minnesota: Patrick Corbin and the Nationals opened -120 over Kyle Gibson and the Minnesota Twins and the line has inched upwards to Washington -123 after the road team received 63% of the early wagers in the game. I have the Twins -150, so will take Minnesota +113 in this one. Cincinnati at Seattle: Tyler Mahle and the Reds opened -115 and the line is now Cincinnati -110 after the Reds received close to two-thirds of the wagers in the game. Mahle hasn’t pitched all that bad on the road, yet the Reds are a mind-boggling 0-12 in his previous away starts even though they just allow 4.83 runs per game. I have Seattle -110. Record 36-36 +10.32 END OF SEPT. 12 PICKS The Nats fell by the wayside last night, wasting a solid outing by Sanchez, so on to Wednesday, where we have under the lights. Atlanta at Philadelphia: Dallas Keuchel and the Braves opened -137 and the line has dropped to -122 after Atlanta received 75% of the wagers in the game. I made Atlanta -125 in this one. Milwaukee at Miami: The Brewers have dropped from -170 to -142 after getting 62% of the early wagers, along with news that Yelich is out for the season. I made Davies -140 over Lopez. Arizona at Mets: The Mets opened -119 and are now -112 on a game with pretty even betting. I have Ray -108 over Matz in this one, with Matz having solid numbers at home being the primary reason the Diamondbacks aren’t a little higher. St. Louis at Colorado: Dakota Hudson and the Cardinals opened -155 and the line has dropped to St. Louis -142 even though the road team is getting more than three-quarters of the wagers. Senzatela hasn’t been good at home this season, so I have St. Louis -180. Pittsburgh at San Francisco: This one opened a bit late, with the Giants coming out -148 and San Francisco is now -140. I have Agrazal -175 over Webb, so will take the Pirates +130 in this one. Cubs at San Diego: Hamels and the Cubs have moved from -110 both ways to Chicago -107 in a game the Cubs are getting three-quarters of the wagers, while I have the Padres -150, with Hamels being a bit inconsistent on the road. Dodgers at Baltimore: Ross Stripling and the Dodgers have moved from -205 to -175 after getting close to three-quarters of the wagers in this one, while I made Los Angeles -165. Washington at Minnesota: Stephen Strasburg and the Nationals opened -142 and the line has dropped a few cents, with Washington -140 at most places after getting 70% of the wagers. The Nationals are 3-3 after being blanked their previous game. I made Washington -105 in this spot. Cincinnati at Seattle: Sonny Gray and the Reds opened -145 and the line is holding pretty steady with Cincinnati getting 57% of the early wagers in this one. I made the Reds -145 in this one, also. Record 35-36 +9.02 END OF SEPT. 11 PICKS A few more games than normal today, as there are three interleague contests, so we'll get to it. It was more of the same last time, winning the side play and dropping the total. Atlanta at Philadelphia: The Braves and Fried opened -152 over Vargas and the Phillies and the line has climbed slightly to -156 after Atlanta received 70% of the wagers. I have the Phillies -147 in this one. Milwaukee at Miami: Anderson and the Brewers have moved from -165 to -175 after getting more than three-quarters of the early wagers. I have this one even. Arizona at Mets: Zack Wheeler and the Mets opened -137 and the line is down to New York -123 after the Diamondbacks received 58% of the early wagers. I have Gallen -160 in this one. St. Louis at Colorado: Michael Wacha and the Cardinals have moved from -150 to -140 after St. Louis received more than 80% of the early wagers. The Rockies are 0-6 in Chi Chi Gonzalez' start, but he's still getting some sharp money here. I have the Cards -145. Pittsburgh at San Francisco: Johnny Cueto makes his 2019 MLB debut after pitching some rehab games in the minors, where he was average. Huge reverse move here, as the Giants have moved from -155 to -118 even after getting more than 70% of the wagers. Cubs at San Diego: Quintana and the Cubs opened -135 and the line has shot all the way to Chicago -155 after the road team received more than three-quarters of the wagers. I made the Cubs -150. Dodgers at Baltimore: Walker Buehler and the Dodgers have moved -290 to -300 over Ty Blach and the Baltimore Orioles, while I have this one LAD -175 due to Buehler laboring on the road at times this season, but he is coming off his best awy start of the year. Washington at Minnesota: Jose Berriors and the Twins have moved from -125 to -141 over Sanchez and the Nationals after getting 60% of the wagers. I have Washington -165, so will take a shot on the Nats+131 in this one. Cincinnati at Seattle: Trevor Bauer and the Reds opened -140 and the line has dropped to -126 after the Reds received 62% of the early wagers. I have this one even. Record 35-35 +10.02 END OF SEPT. 10 PICKS Not the greatest of MLB schedules for this Sunday, although what takes place on the diamond will take a backseat to the opening of the NFL season. The usual assortment of day games today. Arizona at Cincinnati: The Reds opened -130 and the line has dropped to -124 after the Diamondbacks received close to 60% of the wagers. I have DeSclafani -135 in this one. Philadelphia at Mets: Syndergaard and New York opened -170 over Velasquez and the Phillies and the line has trickled down a few cents to Mets -164 with New York getting close to 75% of the wagers. I made New York -110 in this one. Washington at Atlanta: Decent matchup here, with Scherzer and Soroka getting the starts for their respective teams. Scherzer opened -115 and the line has climbed to Nats -130 with Washington getting 50% of the wagers in this one. I made Washington -116. St. Louis at Pittsburgh: Jack Flaherty and the Cardinals opened -205 over James Marvel and the Pirates and the line is up to Cards -210 with St. Louis getting more than 80% of the early wagers. Marvel has pitched pretty well in the minors this season, going 7-0 with a 2.67 ERA at Indianapolis of the International League. If he had more innings he would be the league leader in ERA. He’s not an overpowering pitcher, but averaged close to 8 strikeouts per 9 innings this season. The Cards are probably a little overpriced here. Cubs at Milwaukee: Adrian Houser and the Brewers opened -120 over Lester and the Cubs and the line is holding pretty steady. I made the Brewers -103 in this spot. San Francisco at Dodgers: The Dodgers and Urias opened -240 and the line has dropped to -220 after Los Angeles received 80% of the early wagers. I made LA -185 in this one. Colorado at San Diego: Lauer and the Padres opened -165 over Lambert and the Rockies and the line has dropped down to San Diego -146 after the Padres received 65% of the early wagers. Lambert has been bad both at home and on the road and I made San Diego -250 in this one. Kansas City at Miami: The Marlins and Alcantara opened -120 and now Montgomery and the Royals are -110 after getting 55% of the wagers. I made the Fish -130 and will take a shot on the Marlins to avoid the sweep at the hands of the Royals today. Record 34-35 +9.02 END OF SEPT. 8 PICKS A couple of late afternoon games on today's baseball schedule, with no true day games. Arizona at Cincinnati: The Reds and Castillo opened -155 and the line is now down to Reds -150 with the Diamondbacks getting close to 60% of the wagers. I have Arizona -130 and will take the Diamondbacks +140 in this one. St. Louis at Pittsburgh: Wainwright has put together a few solid starts on the road, but the Cardinals are still allowing 5.77 runs when he starts away from home, but they've allowed just 10 over his last three road starts. The Cards are 2-0 at Pittsburgh with Wainwright on the hill, winning 6-5 and 14-8 so it's hard to say he's been responsible. Brault has been inconsistent at home, allowing 7 or more runs in four of his seven home starts and a combined 10 runs in the other three. The Cards opened -135 and are now -142, while I made this one St. Louis -115. Cubs at Milwaukee: The Cubs opened -130 and are now -120 after pretty equal betting. Gonzalez just blanked the Cubs last weekend, so a little surprising the Cubs are favored here. I made Chicago -102. Philadelphia at Mets: Stroman and the Mets opened -155 and are now -160 after getting close to 70% of the wagers, here. I made the Mets -125 in this one. Washington at Atlanta: Voth gets the start in place of Ross in this one and he's coming off a decent outing against Baltimore, so not sure if we might see a little bit of a bounce factor. I made the Braves and Teheran -160 in this one. Colorado at San Diego: Hoffman and Lucchesi get the starts in this one and the Padres opened -170 and are all the way down to -152 after getting 65% of the wagers. I have San Diego -173. San Francisco at Dodgers: The Dodgers and Gonsolin opened -250 and the line is now hovering around LAD -220 with three-quarters of the bets on LA. I made Los Angeles -160. Kansas City at Miami: Caleb Smith and the Marlins have moved from -120 to Miami -113 after getting 55% of the wagers. Smith hasn't been too effective recently, with the Marlins going 1-5 in his last six starts and allowing seven or more runs in five of those six games. Record 33-35 +7.62 END OF SEPT. 7 PICKS More of the same Thursday, as totals continue to stink, while sides have done fairly well, but not quite enough to make-up for the dismal showing in totals, so have to pick it up here these next few weeks. Not a great slate today, as we have a few more of the pitchers who are up-and-down, the greatest sin a pitcher can make from a sports betting perspective. St. Louis at Pittsburgh: Miles Mikolas and the Cardinals opened -130 and are now -127 after getting close to 80% of the wagers in the game. The Pirates have allowed 10 or more runs five times in Musgrove’s 14 home starts, while allowing 1 run or less in four of those 14 starts, so it’s anybody’s guess which Musgrove shows up today. I made the Cards -120 in this one. Arizona at Cincinnati: The Diamondbacks are still fighting for a playoff berth and this one opened -110 both ways, which is a bit of a surprise. The Diamondbacks are now -115 after getting three-quarters of the wagers. After holding four of the first five opponents to 3 or fewer runs with Mahle on the mound at home, the Reds have allowed 8 or more runs in his last three home starts. I made Arizona -175. Philadelphia at Mets: Eflin and Matz take the mound for their teams in this one and the Mets opened -145 and have climbed a few cents after getting 62% of the early wagers. Matz has been decent at home and the Phillies haven’t tore it up against southpaws so I made New York -250. Washington at Atlanta: Corbin and the Nationals are -113 over Keuchel and the red-hot Braves, but Atlanta is in a bit of a tough spot, as home underdogs who have won at least seven straight games are just 22-29 over the years. They’re 0-2 this season and one of those losses was by the Braves. I made Atlanta -115 but will stay away. Cubs at Milwaukee: This one also opened -110 both ways and now the Cubs are -117 after getting 63% of the wagers. I have Chicago -108 in this one. San Francisco at Dodgers: Kershaw and the Dodgers opened -240 over Samardzija and the Giants and have climbed to -280 after getting more than 80% of the early wagers, while I have the Dodgers -270. Colorado at San Diego: The Padres and Lamet opened -160 over Melville and the Rockies and the line has stayed pretty steady with pretty even betting. The Padres are 24-22 as a home favorite this season and 7-6 as a home favorite of -150 or more. San Diego has dropped all four of Lamet’s home starts and I have this one even, so will take the Rockies +150 in this spot. Kansas City at Miami: Not sure if they could pay people to attend this series, as the Marlins opened -130 and the line is now -128 in this match-up between Jorge Lopez and Pablo Lopez. I have the Fish -160. Record 32-35 +6.12 END OF SEPT. 6 PICKS No play last time out due to a pitching change, which stinks, as Gonzalez and the Brewers didn’t allow a run and were still dogs with Chatwood pitching instead of Darvish, but those things happen. Fairly small slate of games today, so we’ll get to it. Mets at Washington: An afternoon start in this one, as Anibal Sanchez and the Nats opened -130 and the line has dropped to -127 with Washington getting three-quarters of the early wagers. That isn’t indicative of a reverse move as much as it is the shift from the 20-cent opening line to the traditional 10-cent line. I also have the Nats -130 in this one. Philadelphia at Cincinnati: The Phillies opened -125 and have moved to -132 after getting pretty close to three-quarters of the wagers in the game. Nola has been better on the road recently and Bauer is struggling with the Reds. I made Philadelphia -158 here. Miami at Pittsburgh: The Pirates opened -185 and the line has dropped a couple of cents to Pittsburgh -183 with the home team getting three-quarters of the wagers. It’s just the second time all season the Pirates have been -180 or higher. I made the Pirates -180 in this one. Dugger is coming off a decent start, so a little curious how he throws in this one. San Francisco at St. Louis: The Cardinals and Wacha opened -125 and the line has climbed several cents to -128 after St. Louis received 56% of the early wagers in this one. I have this one even, so will go ahead and take Bumgarner and the Giants +118 over Wacha. Several places still have listed Wacha as the starter for the Cards, but others have him penciled in. San Diego at Arizona: Zac Gallen and the Diamondbacks opened -130 and the line has climbed a little bit to Arizona -136 after the home team received close to 75% of the wagers. Gllen has thrown well this season, while the Padres can score a little bit away from home and I have Arizona -150. Colorado at Dodgers: Ryu will try to bounce back after a rough start here last time against the Yankees and the Dodgers opened -355 and has dropped to LAD -290 after the Dodgers got a little more than 70% of the wagers. Senzatela hasn’t really put it together this season and I made LA -300 in this one. Record 31-35 +4.94 END OF SEPT. 4 PICKS The usual assortment of day games for this Sunday, and it will be more of the same tomorrow, although a fair number of teams will have Labor Day off. Miami at Washington: Battle of left-handers in this one, as Smith and Corbin are the listed starters. The line here opened Nationals -260 and is pretty much holding steady with Washington getting 70% of the wagers. I made this one Nats -208. Cincinnati at St. Louis: The teams are playing a doubleheader today and this is for the early game with Mahle and Mikolas the listed starters. The Cardinals opened -145 and have moved to -159 after getting close to 70% of the wagers in this one. I made the Cards -180. Milwaukee at Cubs: Darvish and the Cubs opened -150 and the line has climbed to Chicago -170 with the Cubbies getting close to 75% of the wagers. The Cubs are just 12-16 against left-handed starters and I have Gonzalez and the Brewers -190, so will take Milwaukee +160 here. Pittsburgh at Colorado: The Pirates and Brault opened -115 and now the Rockies are favored -113 with Colorado getting 45% of the early wagers. I made the Pirates -130 in this one. San Diego at San Francisco: Lauer and San Diego opened -115 and now this one is -105 both ways with the Giants surprisingly getting 70% of the early wagers. I have San Diego -210 in this one. Dodgers at Arizona: The Dodgers were late naming Stripling as their starter, so there’s no line out on this one, where I’d have Los Angeles -160. Mets at Phillies: The ESPN Sunday night game, where the Mets and Stroman opened as -120 favorites and the line has dipped slightly to New York -115 with the Mets getting the slightest of majorities. I have the Mets -170 in this one. White Sox at Atlanta: The one drawback to focusing on the National League is that we seldom run into our man Lucas Giolito, who we were on frequently last season when he was on the road. He’s continued to do better on the road this year and I made the Sox -105 here. The Braves and Teheran opened -155 and the line is down to Atlanta -143. Cincinnati at St. Louis: The write-in game, where Castillo and Daniel Ponce de Leon are expected to go, sees the game -105 both ways, while I have St. Louis -103. Record 31-35 +4.94 END OF SEPT. 1 PICKS Another split in MLB on Friday, and we head to a fair slate of games on Saturday. Reds at Cardinals: The early game looks to be Friday's scheduled starters, with Bauer and Hudson getting the starts. The Cardinals are a bit higher than they were yesterday and are -130 right now, while I have it -160 for St. Louis. Milwaukee at Cubs: Hamels and the Cubs opened -135 and are now -153 over Davies and the Brewers, while I have Chicago -181 in this one. Mets at Philadelphia: The Phillies and Vargas opened -115 but now the Mets and Matz are favored even though the betting has been pretty even. I made Philadelphia -110 in this one. Miami at Washington: Strasburg and the Nationals opened -325 and the line has dipped slightly to Washington -300, while I have the Nats -230 in this one. Cincinnati at St. Louis: The game with Gray and Wacha is -105 in both directions, as the Reds are getting a majority of the wagers. I made Cincinnati -103 in this one. Dodgers at Arizona: Kershaw and Ray are the listed starters for this one and the Dodgers opened -150 and the line just dropped to -140 even though Los Angeles is getting close to 80% of the early wagers. I have this one even and am going to go ahead and take a shot on the Diamondbacks +130 in this one. Pittsburgh at Colorado: Going to jump off the Pirates' bandwagon for this one, as Melville has just the one start, although it was fairly impressive. Musgrove a little better than expected on the road and Pittsburgh is now -121 after the Rockies opened -120 and we've seen pretty even betting. San Diego at San Francisco: The Padres opened -120 and the line has dropped to SD -107 on pretty even betting. I have the Padres -175, but no interest in this one. White Sox at Atlanta: Keuchel and the Braves opened -190 and have climbed to Atlanta -210 after the Braves attracted 80% of the early wagers. I have Atlanta -175. Record 30-35 +3.64 END OF AUG. 31 PICKS Another split on the diamond for Thursday, as we can’t quite get over the hump and have spun our wheels the last few days. Smaller slate than we typically look at today, with just one interleague contest. Milwaukee at Cubs: An afternoon start here, as Anderson and Quintana get the ball for their respective teams. The Cubs opened -145 and the line has just hit Chicago -152 with the Cubbies getting 58% of the early wagers. I have Chicago -200 in this one. Mets at Philadelphia: Aaron Nola and the Phillies opened -155 and the line has dropped slightly to Philadelphia -147. The Phillies are getting two-thirds of the early wagers and I have the Phils -138 in this one. Miami at Washington: Anibal Sanchez and the Nationals opened -270 over Hernandez and the line has come down a little bit and is in the -250 range even though Washington is getting more than three-quarters of the early wagers in this one. I made Washington -185 in this one. Cincinnati at St. Louis: Trevor Bauer and the Reds are getting a little action in this one, as Dakota Hudson opened -145 and the line is all the way down to Cardinals -116 even though St. Louis is getting three-quarters of the early wagers. This is one of those “evening out” games, as Bauer’s teams have given up 40 runs in his last four road starts, while the Cards have allowed two runs in Hudson’s last three home starts. The premise behind this is that Bauer is due for a decent start, while Hudson isn’t. But since I have St. Louis -160 will just stay away from this one, but can see the rationale behind the move. Pittsburgh at Colorado: Sentzatela and the Rockies opened -125 and the line is now Colorado -135 with 58% of the wagers coming in on the home team. This is the only game where I have the underdog favored, as I made Pittsburgh -130, so will take the Pirates +124, although a few reservations about the game. Dodgers at Arizona: Gonsolin and my Dodgers opened -140 over Gallen and Arizona and now LA is -120, which is the same as I have. San Diego at San Francisco: Bumgarner and the Giants have moved from -155 to SF -130 even though the Giants are getting 70% of the wagers. I made Bumgarner -124 here. White Sox at Atlanta: Fried and Atlanta have moved from -190 to -202 and are getting 80% of the wagers, while I have it a little closer at Braves -125. Record 29-35 +2.40 END OF AUG. 30 PICKS Smaller slate of games for Thursday, so we’ll look at each one in a little more detail and try to come up with something decent after splitting our two games on Wednesday. Cincinnati at Miami: Alex Wood gets the start for the Reds and Robert Dugger goes for the Fish in his second start. Wood has had a couple of decent starts in his six outings, but a couple of pretty ugly ones among his last few trips to the mound, while Dugger was roughed up a bit in his first start. There’s no line out on this one yet, where I have Wood and the Reds -155. Cubs at Mets: The Cubs finally gave Hendricks some support yesterday and took the 10-7 victory, but the Cubs are just 8-11 after scoring 9 or more runs. Lester gets the start for the Cubs and the Mets are 8-4 at home against LHP and last game out against Keuchel was the lone time they failed to score at least 3 runs against a lefty at home. Still, the Mets have scored 4 or more runs in 10 of their 12 home games where they faced a left-handed starter. The Mets opened -185 in this one, which is a bit on the high side, as I have New York -110, but the trends make this one a no-play. Pittsburgh at Colorado: The Rockies opened -125 in this one and now the Pirates are -106 after getting 63% of the early wagers. Trevor Williams hasn’t been bad on the road this season, where the Pirates allow just 4 runs per game, while Gonzalez is still looking for a win. I made the Pirates -140 in this one and will go ahead and take Pittsburgh -106. Dodgers at Arizona: Ryu and the Dodgers opened -200 and the line has trickled down a little to -190 with Los Angeles getting more than 80% of the wagers in the game so far. Arizona still has a slim shot at the postseason, with the rapidly-fading Mets, Brewers and Phillies in front of them. I have the Dodgers -125 here and both starters are coming off poor starts, so will just stay clear of this one. San Diego at San Francisco: The Padres opened -120 with Paddack and Rodriguez the starters here and the line is up to SD -129, while I have the Padres -145. Rodriguez has been up-and-down his last four starts, allowing 10 or more runs twice and a combined one run in his other two starts. Record 28-35 +1.40 END OF SEPT. 29 PICKS Decent slate of games on tap for Wednesday, with an early one in Milwaukee. St. Louis at Milwaukee: The Cardinals and Flaherty opened -130 and the line is now -127 with the Cards getting two-thirds of the early wagers. I have Lyles and the Brewers -110 in this one and will take a stab on Milwaukee +117 in the afternoon game. Pittsburgh at Philadelphia: Velasquez and the Phillies opened -145 and the line has dropped a couple of cents to -142 with Philadelphia getting more than three-quarters of the early wagers in this one. I made the Phillies -120 in this spot. Cincinnati at Miami: DeSclafani and Cincinnati opened -135 and the line has climbed to Reds -150 with the visiting team getting pretty close to two-thirds of the wagers in the game so far. I made the Reds -161. Cubs at Mets: Noah Snydergaard and the Mets opened -130 and the line has dipped down to New York -113 with the betting being pretty even on this one. Hendricks hasn’t pitched poorly on the road but has been hurt by lack of support, with the Cubs averaging just 2.15 runs in his road starts, which is the Cubs are just 4-9 when Hendricks starts on the road. The Cubs have scored two runs or less in his last six away starts, but I still have the Cubs -140 in this one. Dodgers at Padres: Maeda and the Dodgers opened -180 and the line is now -175 with Wingenter the listed starter for San Diego, while Nix had also been mentioned as San Diego’s starter. I have LA -170 in this one. Baltimore at Washington: Max Scherzer and the Nationals are -400 over Baltimore in this one and I have the Nats -250, as Scherzer has labored at times at home, but still no interest in taking either side in this one. Atlanta at Toronto: Another game that opened a bit late, Mike Foltynewicz and the Braves opened -140 over Waguespack and the Blue Jays and the line has climbed a few cents to Atlanta -143 after the Braves received 70% of the early wagers. I have the Jays -160, although Foltynewicz has thrown better since returning. Boston at Colorado: Rodriguez and the Red Sox opened -165 over Colorado and Lambert and the line has held pretty steady with more than three-quarters of the wagers coming in on the visitors. I made the Red Sox -240 here. Record 27-35 +.23 END OF AUG. 28 PICKS A few games still without lines, but wanted to get the baseball write-ups taken care of, as plenty of football work to be done over the next few days, as we gear up for another season there. Philadelphia at Miami: Nola and Hernandez get the starts in this one and the Phillies opened -220 and the line has dropped a little bit to Philadelphia -190 with more than 80% of the early wagers landing on Philadelphia. I have the Phils -145 in this one. Atlanta at Mets: Battle of southpaws here, as the Mets and Matz opened -119 and the line is now New York -113 with Keuchel and the Braves getting the slightest of majorities in the wagers. I have New York -123. Cincinnati at Pittsburgh: No line here, as Pittsburgh was late naming Agrazal as its starter against Bauer. I have the Pirates -137. Arizona at Milwaukee: The Diamondbacks have let me down in back-to-back games, scoring a total of one run against very average pitchers and the Brewers and Davies opened -125 over Ray and the line has dropped to -106. I have Arizona -118. Colorado at St. Louis: Wacha and the Cardinals opened -165 over Senzatela and the Rockies in a game that released late. I have St. Louis -120 in this one. Washington at Cubs: Strasburg and the Nationals opened -118 and the line is now -120 with the Nats getting close to 60% of the early wagers. I have Hamels and the Cubs -170 here, so will take a stab on the Cubs +110 as slight home underdogs. San Francisco at Oakland: The A’s and Brett Anderson opened -165 and the line is now down to -145 with Oakland getting three-quarters of the early wagers. Webb wasn’t bad in his debut, allowing two runs over five innings, with one of the two unearned. He allowed five hits and fanned seven. I have Oakland -170, but would rather wait and see another outing or two from Webb, as the Giants’ bullpen was pretty dismal in Webb’s start, which gives him worse numbers than he probably should have. Boston at San Diego: Johnson and Lucchesi get the starts in another battle of southpaws in this one and the Padres opened -120 and are now -116 with Boston getting more than 60% of the early wagers. I have San Diego -103. Yankees at Dodgers: The Dodgers and Kershaw opened -190 and now the line is down to -167 with pretty good two-way action. I have the Dodgers -208. Record 27-34 +1.23 END OF AUG. 25 PICKS Decent slate of games for Saturday, with a couple of day contests and everything else under the lights. We've dropped our last two year, which is going to happen when you're playing nearly all underdogs. Washington at Cubs: The Nationals are still officially undecided, although seeing Ross listed at a few places. On the assumption that Ross does start for Washington, I'd have the Cubs -116, while the current line has Chicago -150. Philadelphia at Miami: Eflin and the Phillies opened -140 and the line is down to -123 even though Philadelphia is getting more than three-quarters of the early wagers. I have the Phillies -141 in this one. Cincinnati at Pittsburgh: Alex Wood and the Reds opened -119 and the line is down to Cincinnati -110 after the Reds received two-thirds of fthe early wagers. The Pirates have struggled against left-handed starters at home, so I have the Reds -175. Arizona at Milwaukee: This one opened even and now the Brewers are -122 after getting 60% of the early wagers. I have Arizona -150 and even though the Diamondbacks let me down last night with a dismal offensive effort, will come right back with Arizona +112 in this one with Gallen and Anderson the expected starters. Atlanta at Mets: Wheeler and the Mets opened -135 and are now -110 after the Braves received 55% of the early wagers. I have Wheeler -135 over Fried. Colorado at St. Louis: Dakota Hudson and the Cardinals opened -190 against Chi Chi Gonzalez and the Rockies and the line has dropped to St. Louis -175 with the Cards getting almost 80% of the wagers in this one. I have the Cards -190. Yankees at Dodgers: The Dodgers opened -155 and are now -140 after getting 55% of the early wagers. I have this one even, as Gonsolin hasn't been that impressive, but did throw well in his lone home start of the three starts he's made. Boston at San Diego: Eovaldi and the Sox have moved from -119 to -114 after getting two-thirds of the wagers, while I have Boston -175, as they play better on the road. San Francisco at Oakland: Bassitt and the A's moved from -130 to -140 with close to 70% of the wagers and I have Oakland -174 in this one. Record 27-33 +2.23 END OF AUG. 24 PICKS A decent schedule for Friday, with the big game of the day naturally being the Yankees at Dodgers, in what is also a bit of a challenge for handicappers, as we’ll look at it in more detail when we get to the game. Washington at Cubs: The Cubs opened -129 with Lester and Sanchez the scheduled starters and the line has dropped a little bit to Chicago -125 with Lester getting 58% of the early wagers. I made the Cubs -155 here. Cincinnati at Pittsburgh: A decent move on the Pirates in this one, as DeScalfani and Cincinnati opened -120 and have gotten three-quarters of the early wagers, yet the Pirates are now favored -114. I have the Reds -170 in this one. Philadelphia at Miami: The Phllies and Velasquez are -175 over Noesi and the Fish, which is down a little bit from the opening number of -185. The Phillies are getting three-quarters of the wagers, but the line move is more a reflection of the change from the overnight line to the regular line. I also have the Phillies -175. Atlanta at Mets: Jacob deGrom and the Mets opened -210 and are now -170 in a game that has seen surprisingly decent two-way action, with New York getting a slight majority. I have the Mets -190. Arizona at Milwaukee: Lyles and the Brewers opened -155 and the line is down to -143 with Milwaukee getting 62% of the early bets in the game. I have Kelly and the Diamondbacks -107, so will take a shot on Arizona in this one at +133. Colorado at St. Louis: Flaherty and the Cards opened -220 and the line is holding pretty steady with St. Louis getting close to 80% of the early wagers in the game. Lambert hasn’t been as bad on the road as he has been in his home starts, so I have the Cardinals -145. Yankees at Dodgers: The Dodgers opened -180 and the line is all the way down to LAD -140 after Los Angeles received 62% of the early wagers. I have the Dodgers -150 in this one, which will see something give, as New York has averaged 7.43 runs per game against southpaws on the road and the Dodgers allow 2.09 runs per game when Ryu takes the mound at home. New York has 35 runs in their last three games on the road against LHP. Boston at San Diego: The Sox opened -135 and are down to -114 after getting 63% of the wagers. Paddock has allowed two runs or less in five of his eight home starts, so I made San Diego -165, but the Sox have played better on the road this season. Record 27-32 +3.23 END OF AUG. 23 PICKS A smaller slate of games than normal, so we’ll run down the entire slate. San Francisco at Chicago: Hendricks and Samardzija get the starts in this afternoon game, where Chicago opened -165 and have climbed slightly to -175 with pretty even betting. I have the Cubs -126. Washington at Pittsburgh: Scherzer returns to the mound for the Nationals, who last started July 25, and the Nats have moved from -200 to -220 after getting three-quarters of the wagers. I made Washington -150. Miami at Atlanta: Soroka and the Braves opened -290 and the line has dipped slightly to Atlanta -275, while I have the Braves -183 in this one. The Braves have received more than 75% of the wagers, but the drop in the line is more of the correction in moving from the overnight line to the regular game day line. Colorado at St. Louis: Decent pitching match-up here, with Marquez and Mikolas, as the Cardinals moved from -145 to -137 after getting a slight majority of the wagers. I made St. Louis -108. Tampa Bay at Baltimore: The Rays opened -240 and the line has dropped to -210 with Tampa Bay getting three-quarters of the early bets. I made Tampa Bay -250 here. Detroit at Houston: The Astros and Cole opened -500 and have pretty much stayed there with three-quarters of the wagers coming in on Houston. The Astros are just 17-17 this season after a loss. I made Cole -260 over Zimmermann. Texas at White Sox: Jurado and Texas opened -115 and have dropped a cent or two and are -114 with the betting being pretty well mixed on this one. I made Texas -150. New York at Oakland: Tanaka and the Yankees opened -130 over Roark and the Athletics and the line has dropped down to NY -113 with the Yanks getting a little more than 60% of the early wagers in this one. I made New York -150 here. Cleveland at Mets: Syndergaard and the Mets opened -140 and the line is down to New York -134 with the Indians getting 57% of the early wagers in the game. I made Cleveland -150 in this one, so will take a shot on the Tribe +124, although not thrilled they’re getting the majority of the wagers. Toronto at Dodgers: The Dodgers and Maeda opened -265 and the line is down to LA -225 with the Dodgers getting close to two-thirds of the wagers in the game. I have LA just -130. Record 27-31 +4.23 END OF AUG. 22 PICKS The Red Sox came up a run short last night in a strange game, as Philadelphia scored three runs in the first and Boston scored two in the third and that was all she wrote. A couple of early games on today’s slate. San Diego at Cincinnati: Castillo and the Reds opened -180 and the line is still holding there with three-quarters of the wagers coming in on Cincinnati. I have San Diego -155, but Castillo has been pretty good about bouncing back after a poor home start. In the five games the Reds have allowed 6 or more runs with him on the hill, they’ve allowed two or fewer runs in four of those five, so will stay away. Colorado at Arizona: The Diamondbacks opened as slight favorites and now this one is -105 both ways with Colorado and Gray getting two-thirds of the wagers. I made the Rockies -178. Washington at Pittsburgh: Corbin and the Nationals opened -150 and are now -145 in a game I have Washington -215. Miami at Atlanta: Julio Teheran and Atlanta opened -210 and the line has dropped to -190 after the Braves received three-quarters of the early wagers. I made Atlanta -141. Milwaukee at St. Louis: Wainwright and the Cardinals opened -130 and the line has dropped to -108 with pretty even betting coming in. I made St. Louis -131. San Francisco at Cubs: Darvish and the Cubs opened -190 and are now up to -225 with 60% of the wagers in this one. I have it a lot closer, with Chicago -105. Philadelphia at Boston: Porcello and the Sox opened -160 and are still hovering in that area with more than 70% of the early wagers. Smyly doesn’t have the best of numbers, but has been pretty decent in his road starts, where the Phillies allow 3.75 runs. The Sox are averaging 5.56 runs against LHP at home, but that’s a little misleading, as Boston has scored 4.0 runs or less in 11 of 18 games, so I have the Phillies -170 and will take Philadelphia +150 here. Cleveland at Mets: The Mets are -145 in this one with Plutko and Stroman and I made this one even. Toronto at Dodgers: Buehler and the Dodgers are -340 over Font and the Blue Jays and I have LA just -140 due to Font’s starts this year, although history says he isn’t as good of a pitcher as he looks right now. Record 26-31 +2.73 END OF AUG. 21 PICKS Bigger slate of games for Tuesday, so we’ll get right to it. Washington at Pittsburgh: The Nationals and Strasburg opened -170 and the line has dropped all the way to Washington -148 even though more than 80% of the early wagers are on Washington. I made Strasburg -115 in this one. San Diego at Cincinnati: Sonny Gray and the Reds opened -170 and the line has dropped a bit to Reds -158 with Cincinnati getting a bit more than 60% of the early wagers in this one. I have the Reds -115 in this one. Miami at Atlanta: Keuchel and the Braves have gone from -325 to -265 with more than three-quarters of the wagers, while I have Atlanta -185 in this spot. Milwaukee at St. Louis: The Brewers and Gonzalez opened -115 in this one and the line is now -105 both directions with Milwaukee getting the slightest of the majority of wagers so far. I made Gonzalez -154. San Francisco at Cubs: Cole Hamels and the Cubs opened -187 and the line is up slightly to Chicago -195. I made the Cubs -200 over Beede. Colorado at Arizona: Young and the Diamondbacks opened -155 and the line has come down slightly to Arizona -150 after the home team received 55% of the early wagers in the game. I have Young -200 over Freeland in this one. Philadelphia at Boston: Aaron Nola and the Phillies opened -115 over Brian Johnson and Boston and the line is now Red Sox -112 with Philadelphia getting close to 60% of the wagers in the game. I made Boston -163 here, so will go ahead and take the slight favorite in the Red Sox. Cleveland at Mets: Shane Bieber and the Tribe opened -140 over Matz and New York and now Cleveland has climbed a couple of cents to -142 after getting pretty close to two-thirds of the wagers in this one. I made Cleveland -128 in this spot. Toronto at Los Angeles: Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers opened -315 and the line is now hovering around the LA -310 mark with Los Angeles getting a little more than 80% of the early wagers in this one. I made Kershaw and the Dodgers -220, as Reid-Foley hasn’t been all that bad in his limited starts, with the Blue Jays allowing 4.17 runs per game. Record 26-30 +3.85 END OF AUG. 20 PICKS The Reds’ rally came up a run short for us on Sunday and now we move to the typical smaller slate of games for Monday, so we’ll go down the list of all the games on the schedule. Washington at Pittsburgh: The Nationals and Joe Ross opened -135 and the line is now -125 with the Nats getting more than 75% of the early wagers in this one. Ross has looked much better this year and I have Washington -160. San Diego at Cincinnati: Lauer and Bauer get the starts for their respective teams in this one and the Reds opened -165 and are now -160 with two-thirds of the wagers coming in on the Reds. Lauer’s away numbers aren’t that great, but he did have a couple of brutal outings in Colorado and the Padres have allowed four runs or less in six of his 11 starts, so I made San Diego -125 and will take the Padres +150 in this one. Milwaukee at St. Louis: Hudson and the Cardinals opened -125 and are now -120 after getting a little more than 60% of the wagers here. I have St. Louis -116. Colorado at Arizona: The Diamondbacks just opened at -170 with Gallen and Gonzalez the starters and I made Arizona -150. Kansas City at Baltimore: Means and the Orioles opened -140 and are now -130 with a little more than 60% of the early wagers. I have Baltimore -200 in this one. Seattle at Tampa Bay: McKay and the Rays opened -185 and are still there for the most part, with the Rays getting a small majority of the wagers. I have Seattle -105 here, and will take Seattle +165 in this one for a second play today. Angeles at Texas: The Angeles and Peters opened as slight favorites over Allard and the Rangers and Los Angeles is -114. I have the Rangers -125 in this one. White Sox at Minnesota: Gibson and the Twins opened -190 and are now up to -200 over Nova and the Sox after getting more than three-quarters of the early bets. I made the Twins -170. Detroit at Houston: The Astros and Miley opened -400 and the line has dropped to -390 or so at the majority of sportsbooks, with the buyback on Detroit in the +330 range. I made the Astros -339 in this one. Favorites of -390 and higher are 15-5 over the past 15 years. Record 24-30 +.70 END OF AUG. 19 PICKS The usual assortment of day games for Sunday, along with the Williamsport game between the Cubs and the Pirates tonight. San Diego at Philadelphia: The Phillies and Vargas opened -135 and the line has dropped to -105 both ways after the Phils received three-quarters of the early wagers in what has been a bit of a strange series in relation to opening numbers. I have the Phillies -125. St. Louis at Cincinnati: The Cardinals and Flaherty opened -165 and the line is now St. Louis -160 after the Cards received 60% of the early wagers. The Cardinals have allowed three runs or less in Flaherty’s last seven starts, while Wood has had one poor start in his four outings. I have the Reds -125 in this one and will take a shot on Wood +150. Dodgers at Atlanta: The Braves opened -120 in this one, which was posted late, and the line has dropped to Atlanta -112, while I have the Dodgers -130. Milwaukee at Washington: The Brewers opened -115 in this one and the line is now Milwaukee -108, which is more of a reflection of the overnight line being phased out for the regular line. The Brewers are getting 58% of the early wagers in this one and I made Anderson -125 over Fedde. Miami at Colorado: Lambert and the Rockies opened -150 and the line is now up to Colorado -175 after the home team received more than 70% of the early bets. I have the Rockies -254 in this one, primarily due to the difference in offense between the two teams. San Francisco at Arizona: Burmgarner and Kelly take the mound for their respective teams in this one, which saw the Giants opened -130 and fall down to -107 after getting close to two-thirds of the wagers. I have the Giants -109 in this spot. Cubs vs. Pittsburgh: The Pirates are the home team in this one and at least it’s in their home state, as Quintana and Keller get the starts. Keller has been a little better in his last few starts, but always tough to get involved with these type of games, which are played at different stadiums. I have the Cubs -150 in this one. Mets at Kansas City: The Mets opened -180 and are now up to -185 in this one, with Wheeler and Sparkman the starters. I have this one even, as Sparkman has been decent at home, but no interest with Kansas City a dismal 15-31 as home underdogs. Record 24-29 +1.70 END OF AUG. 18 PICKS Some shoddy relief work by the Braves sent us to a loss on Friday, as the Dodgers rallied in the final three innings to take the victory. For Saturday, the usual couple of day games, with the majority of action taking place under the lights. Cubs at Pittsburgh: The Cubs opened -140 and have climbed a little bit to -143 after getting close to 80% of the early bets in this one. The Cubs haven't been that great against southpaws on the road, going 4-10 and 1-10 in games they didn't score 10 or more runs in. I made Chicago -150 here. St. Louis at Cincinnati: The Reds opened as slight favorites and now the Cardinals and Mikolas are -116 after getting more than 70% of the early wagers. I have the Cardinals -115 here. San Diego at Philadelphia: For the second straight day, the Padres were made slight favorites over the Phillies and for the second straight day, bettors have disagreed, as the Phillies and Eflin are now -113 over Lamet and the Padres after getting more than 70% of the early wagers. I have the Padres -150. Milwaukee at Washington: Sanchez and the Nationals opened -125 over Lyles and the Brewers and the line has held pretty steady, while I made Washington -135. Dodgers at Atlanta: Ryu and the Dodgers opened -155 and the line has dropped a little to -148 after Los Angeles received more than 70% of the wagers. The Braves are 14-7 after losing at home last time to today's opponent, but no desire to go against LA here, who I made -200. San Francisco at Arizona: The Giants prized pitching prospect makes his debut tonight, as Logan Webb and Taylor Clarke take the mound for their respective teams. Clarke opened -125 and the line has held there, but going to take a stab on the Giants in this one with Webb +115. Miami at Colorado: Marquez and Colorado opened -250 and are still there with three-quarters of the early wagers. I made Colorado -175. Mets at Kansas City: The Mets and deGrom opened -210 and are hovering around -200, while I made New York -175. Record 23-29 +.55 END OF AUG. 17 PICKS The A’s got the job done for us last night, but still a bit miffed I didn’t have the cahones to pull the trigger on the Marlins, so on to Friday’s games, where we have just one interleague game. Milwaukee at Washington: Corbin and the Nationals opened -150 in this one and the line has trickled up a few cents this morning, with Washington getting three-quarters of the early wagers in the game. I made the Nats -175 here. San Diego at Philadelphia: Paddock and the Padres opened -115 in this one and bettors don’t agree, with more than three-quarters of the early wagers landing on the Phillies. Velasquez is now -112, while I have the Padres -140. Cubs at Pirates: Hendricks and the Cubs opened -150 and have dropped to -140 with close to 70% of the wagers coming in on Chicago. I made the Cubs -140 here. St. Louis at Cincinnati: Castillo and the Reds opened -160 over Wainwright and the Cardinals and the line has since dropped to Cincinnati -143 with the Reds getting 60% of the wagers. I made the Reds -160. Dodgers at Atlanta: The Braves and Soroka opened -125 and the line has come down a few cents to Atlanta -118 with the Dodgers getting the majority of the wagers. I have the Braves -160 in this one, so will take a rare favorite and go against my Dodgers and take Atlanta -118 in this one. Miami at Colorado: Jon Gray and the Rockies opened -185 and the line has shot up to Colorado-235 with the Rockies getting more than 65% of the early wagers in the game. I have Colorado -250. San Francisco at Arizona: Leake and the Diamondbacks opened -120 and the line has climbed to Arizona -135 although the betting has been pretty equal in this one. I have San Francisco -160, but much of that has to do with Leake’s struggles with the Mariners, which are overblown a little as he has decent more often than not at home, but his numbers are a bit misleading due to a couple of poor starts and his teams allowed four runs or less in seven of 11 home starts. Mets at Kansas City: Syndergaard and the Mets opened -190 and the line has dropped to New York -170 even though the Mets are getting more than three-quarters of the wagers. I made the Mets -150 here. Record 23-28 +1.75 END OF AUG. 16 PICKS Fairly small slate of games for Thursday, with just five contests involving National League teams. Dodgers at Miami: The Dodgers and Walker Buehler opened as hefty -270 favorites over Caleb Smith and the Fish and the line is holding steady for the most part, with Los Angeles getting more than 80% of the early wagers in the game. The Dodgers are 5-0 this season against the Marlins and have won the last three games by a combined 33-2 margin and scored at least nine runs in each of the last four meetings. Buehler hasn’t been the same pitcher on the road, however, as the Dodgers are 6-5 in his road starts, allowing 5.27 runs per game, compared to 8-3 in his home starts, where they allow 3.36 runs per game. Miami is 4-3 with Smith on the mound as a home, dog, but have only scored more than four runs once in those seven outings. I have the Dodgers -135. Cubs at Philadelphia: The Cubbies opened -140 and this one has also held pretty steady with Chicago getting more than 70% of the early wagers in the game. Chicago is 30-25 after a loss and 8-4 after a loss of five or more runs. I have Chicago -113 in this spot. St. Louis at Cincinnati: Gray and the Reds opened -160 over Wacha and the Cardinals, which seems a bit on the high side, and I have the Reds -144. The betting is pretty even in this one. Mets at Atlanta: Decent match-up here, with Stroman and Teheran getting the starts, where the Braves opened -140 and the line is now down to -122 after New York has received a slight majority of the wagers. I have the Mets -110, as Stroman has been solid on the road, but Teheran is pretty decent at home. San Francisco at Arizona: The Diamondbacks opened -125 and the line is now up to Arizona -140 with the home team getting more than 80% of the early wagers. I made Arizona -135 in this one. Houston at Oakland: Will jump down to an American League game, as the Astros send Aaron Sanchez to the mound to face Mike Fiers and the A’s. Houston opened -125 and the line is now Astros -118 with 58% of the early wagers on the road team. I made the A’s -150, so will go ahead and take Oakland +108 in this one. Record 22-28 +.67 END OF AUG. 15 PICKS A couple of early starts today, although the majority of the action is taking place under the lights. Arizona at Colorado: Arizona and Robbie Ray opened -125 and are now -140 after getting 70% of the early wagers. I have the Diamondbacks -175 and it’s practically impossible to go with Freeland now. Cincinnati at Washington: Washington opened -154 and after dropping a bit in the early morning, Washington is now -165 after receiving more than 60% of the bets. I made Strasburg -111. Cubs at Phillies: The Phillies opened -117 and are now -115 after Chicago received two-thirds of the wagers. I made Philadelphia -150, so will take a rare favorite in this one and grab Nola at home. LA Dodgers at Miami: The Dodgers opened -280 and are still there after receiving more than 80% of the early wagers in the game. I made LA -175, as Kershaw hasn’t quite been himself on the road this season, as LA is 5-3 in his road starts and 11-1 in his home starts. Mets at Atlanta: The Braves have moved from -145 to -142 after getting 57% of the wagers in this one and I have Keuchel and Atlanta -225. Minnesota at Milwaukee: Gonzales and the Brewers opened -130 over Gibson and the Twins and the line has moved all the way down to Milwaukee -114 after 55% of the wagers have come in on the road team. I have the Brewers -130 in this one. Tampa Bay at San Diego: The Padres opened -120 in a game that was posted late due to the Rays not naming a starter, although it doesn’t really matter much, as Beeks isn’t likely to throw too much. The Padres are down to -107 and I made the Rays -140 here. Oakland at San Francisco: The A’s and Homer Bailey opened -120 and the line is holding pretty steady even with three-quarters of the wagers coming in on Oakland. I have the A’s -150, which has more to do with the Giants’ offense than it does Bailey. Pittsburgh at Angeles: Peters and the Angeles have moved from -135 to -124 even after getting two-thirds of the early wagers. I have Los Angeles -150 in this one. St. Louis at Kansas City: Hudson and the Cardinals opened -145 in this one and the line has dropped down to St. Louis -127 after two-thirds of the wagers came in on the Cards. I have the Royals -128. Record 21-28 -.33 END OF AUG. 14 PICKS The usual slate of day games for this Sunday, so we’ll get right to it. Atlanta at Miami: The Braves opened -200 and are still hovering in that vicinity with a little more than 80% of the early wagers. The line is a little too high given how Foltynewicz has performed this season, so I have the Braves -125 in this one, although would like to see a few more starts out of Noesi after his return to the majors. Ideally, he would be coming out of the pen. Cubs at Cincinnati: The Reds and Castillo opened -135 and are now -127 after getting 57% of the wagers and that move is basically the change in the 20-cent overnight line to the traditional 10-cent line. I made the Reds -145. Washington at Mets: Jacob DeGrom and the Mets opened -190 and are still there with 60% of the wagers in this one. Sanchez has pitched well on the road for the most part, so I have the Nats -140 in this one and will take a shot on Washington +175. Pittsburgh at St. Louis: Mikolas and the Cardinals opened -185 and are now up to -195, while I madr the Cardinals -125 in this one, so a bit of value with the away dog. Colorado at San Diego: This line opened late and Lamet and the Padres moved from -120 to -113 pretty quickly. I have the Rockies and Marquez -150. Philadelphia at San Francisco: The game here opened -110 both ways and now the Giants are slight favorites at -107. I have the Phillies and Arrieta -125. Arizona at Dodgers: Interesting game here, as the Diamondbacks have been strong Against Lefties on the road, checking into this one with a 10-8 record and scoring 6.72 runs per game. That record would be even better if the Diamondbacks weren’t allowing 5.89 runs in those games. But the Dodgers only allow 2.0 runs per game at home with Ryu on the mound, while Leake has been pretty inconsistent this season, so I have the Dodgers -210. LA opened -240 and the line has come down all the way to Dodgers -200 even with the boys in blue getting more than 80% of the early wagers. Texas at Milwaukee: The Brewers and Lyles opened -150 and the line has dropped all the way to Brewers -135. I have Texas and Minor -145 in this spot. Record 20-28 -2.08 END OF AUGUST 11 PICKS