Jimmy Boyd
Giants vs. Cubs
Play: Over 10
You can pretty much count on a high-scoring game when the wind is blowout out at Wrigley Field and tonight we are expecting it to be blowing roughly 15 mph straight out to center. This Cubs lineup can destroy teams with the long ball and right now their offense is clicking, as they have scored 7 or more runs in 4 of their first 5 games on their current homestand, including a 13-run outburst yesterday in the series finale against the Brewers.
Hard to see the offense slowing down against San Francisco starter Ty Blach, who has a 4.03 ERA in 5 starts (1-4 team record), a 5.82 ERA and 1.471 WHIP in his last 3 outings and gave up 10 runs (8 earned) in his only road start of the season. Cubs will counter with John Lackey, who despite a 4-3 record has a very mediocre 4.37 ERA and 1.352 WHIP in 8 starts and is actually slightly worse at home, where he's got a 4.43 ERA and 1.478 WHIP in 4 starts.
Dennis Macklin
Angels vs. Rays
Play: Rays -118
Jake Oderizzi is your classic Tampa Bay pitcher who has great stuff but whose W/L record just does not equate to a lot of wins. Nice spot for the Rays who are 14-8 off a loss Odorizzi has been razor sharp at home allowing two earned on just seven hits in his last two starts at The Trop. The price is definitely right vs. the hit and miss Angels.
Wunderdog
Chicago @ Arizona
Pick: Under 9.5
Chicago is #17 in runs scored, #24 in on-base percentage, and #24 slugging. It's the pitching that has carried the load; fourth in baseball in team ERA (3.66) allowing one run in each of the last three contests. The White Sox 12-5-2 UNDER the total against a team with a winning record. They are also 15-6-1 UNDER in interleague road games against a right-handed starter. They face Diamondbacks ace righty Zack Greinke (3.09 ERA) here. He has a 2.82 ERA at home with a 49-7 strikeout to walk ratio in 38 innings here. Batters are hitting .203 off him at home and .269 on the road. Arizona is also 10-4 UNDER the total when their opponent allows two runs or less in their previous game.
Greg Smith
Warriors vs. Spurs
Play: Spurs +12.5
This is a tough one to swallow because normally play with a team that has a 3-0 lead and getting ready to sweep is the trendy play, but this trend does not put into play the coach for the Spurs. I the Spurs will be ready for this game. They not win it, but they should be able to keep it within the big number.
Will Rogers
Pittsburgh vs. Atlanta
Pick: Pittsburgh
The set-up: What's going on with the Braves? Atlanta lost six in a row from May 3 through May 10 to fall to 11-20. However, the Braves took two of three in Miami and then won three of four at Toronto before falling just short of sweeping Washington on Sunday, when they dropped a 3-2 decision in the finale of their three-game series. Pittsburgh is 2-0-1 in its last three series, after capturing two of three against Philadelphia over the weekend. The Pirates visit SunTrust Park with a 20-24 record.
The pitching matchup: Gerrit Cole (2-4 & 2.84 ERA) will get the ball for Pittsburgh and Mike Foltynewicz (2-4 & 4.10 ERA) for Atlanta. Cole finally ended his five-start winless streak last Wednesday, when he limited Washington to one run on three hits over seven innings in a 6-1 victory. Cole has been unlucky in 2017, as after allowing five runs in his season debut at Boston on April 3, he's never allowed more than three runs in any his other eight starts. In fact, he has allowed two earned runs or less in each of his last seven outings but is only 2-3 (team is 3-4). Foltynewicz has won two consecutive starts, including last Wednesday vs. Toronto in which he allowed three runs aon six hits over six innings of an 8-4 win. It was only the second time in seven outings this season that he has given up more than two ERs and fifth occasion in the last six starts in which he has worked at least six frames.
The pick: However, Foltynewicz remains in search of his first career win against the Pirates, as he fell to 0-3 with a 9.00 ERA in three starts against them on April 7 after yielding two runs on six hits and three walks in 3 2/3 innings at Pittsburgh in a 5-4 loss. As for Cole, he has yet to lose to Atlanta in his career, going 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA in five starts all Pittsburgh wins. Can you say 6-0?
Larry Ness
Cleveland vs. Cincinnati
Pick: Cleveland
The Cleveland Indians were AL champs last yera and actually led teh Cubs 3-1 in the World Series, before succumbing. However, it's been a bumpy start to the 2017 season, although it has to feel good to Terry Francona's team that it just swept the Astros in Houston over the weekend. Even after the sweep, the 29-15 Astros still own MLB's best record but the sweep has the Indians at 23-19, leaving them in a virtual tie atop the AL Central with the 22-18 Twins. The Indians will now open a four-game, home-and-home Ohio Cup series with the struggling Cincinnati Reds. Cincinnati got off to a promising 19-15 start but has dropped eight of its last nine contests and at 20-23, is just one-half game out of last place in the National League Central. The first two games are in Cincy, then it's on to Cleveland for Wednesday and Thursday contests.
The pitching matchup will feature Josh Tomlin (2-5, 6.86 ERA) vs Scott Feldman (2-4, 4.29 ERA). Tomlin saw a stretch of five solid starts end when he allowed six runs and seven hits (two HRs) over just 2.1 innings in a 7-4 loss to Tampa Bay at home on Wednesday. He had given up just 12 runs over 32 innings in his previous five outings and has walked just four in 40.2 innings this season.
Scott Feldman permitted seven runs (five earned) on five hits and three walks over only 2.2 innings against the Chicago Cubs in a 7-5 loss last Wednesday, after producing two of his best performances of the season. He had yielded just two runs on 11 hits over 16 innings over his previous two outings, both against San Francisco. Feldman is 2-3 with a 3.02 ERA in 15 games (six starts / teams are 2-4) vs Cleveland.
Tomlin is 2-2 with a 4.55 ERA in five career starts (team is 3-2) against the Reds but I see the Indians building off their sweep of the Astros. Let's not also forget that the Reds limp in having lost EIGHT of nine and have allowed 59 runs over their last seven games (that's 8.43 per).
John Martin
Detroit vs. Houston
Play: Houston -131
The Houston Astros were just swept by the Cleveland Indians at home last season. They still have the best record in baseball at 29-15, and I look for them to refocus and get back in the win column today at home against the Detroit Tigers. This is a tough spot for the Tigers after playing the Sunday night game on ESPN last night, having to fly after the game and getting into Houston in the early morning hours today. Houston is 27-10 as a favorite of -110 or higher this season.
Darryl Tucholski
Chicago at Arizona
Play: Under 9½
Zach Greinke, despite his longball issues over the last four games (7 HR allowed) he's been able to not lose himself on the mound. Allowing only 3 ER or less in 3 of the last 4 games. The O/U will be contingent on the ability of the D-backs to score on Miguel Gonzalez. He's allowed 10 ER in his last 2 outings. Arizona is missing Pollock, they have not been able to get the production they've hoped from the leadoff spot (Polanco, Fuentes both under .200)
Larry Wallace
Royals vs. Yankees
Play: Yankees -171
I like the Yankees in this match-up against the Royals. Michael Pineda this year is 4-2 with a 3.42 ERA. While pitching at home Pineda is 3-1 with a 2.02 ERA. Jason Vargas in his career against the Yankees he is 0-6 with a 7.27 ERA. The Yankees are 6-1 in their last 7 games when Pineda is taking the mound.
Jack Jones
White Sox vs. Diamondbacks
Play: Diamondbacks -1.5
Zack Greinke has been a safe bet at home throughout his career. His teams are 100-38 in his home starts all-time and winning by 1.4 runs per game on average. I expect the Diamondbacks to win by multiple runs tonight against the Chicago White Sox behind Greinke.
The right-hander has returned to ace form this season, going 5-2 with a 3.09 ERA and 1.028 WHIP in nine starts. He has been at his best at home, going 4-0 with a 2.82 ERA and 0.913 WHIP in six starts. The Diamondbacks have gone 5-1 in those starts.
Miguel Gonzalez is 3-4 with a 4.29 ERA and 1.470 WHIP in eight starts this season, 1-3 with a 4.88 ERA and 1.595 WHIP in five road starts, and 0-3 with a 6.23 ERA and 1.730 WHIP in his last three outings. He'll be up against an Arizona lineup that is hitting .297 and scoring 6.0 runs per game at home this year.
The Diamondbacks are 22-8 in their last 30 home games. Arizona is 8-2 in Greinke's last 10 starts during game 1 of a series. The White Sox are 0-6 in their last six during game 1 of a series. Chicago is 0-4 in Gonzalez's last four starts. The White Sox are 37-76 in their last 113 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
Dave Price
Cleveland at Cincinnati
Play: Cleveland -124
The Cleveland Indians just swept the MLB-best Houston Astros on the road last series, outscoring them 16-9 in the series. Now they head into this series with Cincinnati with a ton of confidence. The Reds are just 1-8 in their last 9 games overall as their pitching staff has been absolutely destroyed. The Reds have allowed a total of 61 runs in their last 7 games, or an average of 8.7 per game. Scott Feldman is 1-10 against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons. Josh Tomlin is 14-6 against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons. The Indians are 24-8 in their last 32 interleague games vs. a team with a losing record. Cleveland is 7-0 in Tomlin's last 7 road starts vs. a team with a losing record.
Brad Wilton
Monday night comp play is the Rockies over the Phillies.
Anytime I can get a team that is 11 games over .500 playing against a team that is 11 games under .500 at pretty much a pick'em price, consider me in!
Colorado has won 5 of their last 7 games, and have taken 4 of their first 6 on their current road trip which stops in Philadelphia this Monday night.
The Phillies have dropped 6 of their last 7, and are just 3-14 over their last 17 games contested.
Jeff Hoffman will make just his second start of the season, an he did win his debut back in early May.
Jerad Eickhoff pitched well against Texas his last time out, but is still winless for the 2017 campaign. He is 1-1 in his 2 career starts against Colorado with 11 runs allowed in 11 innings worked.
Go with Colorado in this one.
4* COLORADO
Jeff Benton
Monday night comp play is the Pirates over the Braves.
The Pirates took all 3 of a 3 game set in early April at home over the Braves, and I like them to start the 3 game set tonight with a victory behind Gerrit Cole.
Pittsburgh is 15-6 overall their last 21 showdowns with Atlanta, and Cole was able to end a 5-start winless stretch with 7 shutdown innings - just 1 run allowed - in a win over the Nationals his last time out. He is 1-1 with a 1.71 ERA over his last 3 starts, and he is 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA in his 5 career starts versus the Braves.
Mike Foltyniewicz will counter for the host, and Folty did match pitches against Cole and the Bucs back on April 7th when he dropped to 0-3 with an ERA of 9.00 in his 3 career starts against the Pirates.
Stick with Pittsburgh and Cole on Monday night.
4* PITTSBURGH
Jack Brayman
My free pick for today is on the Kansas City Royals over the New York Yankees. It's a big price, and yeah, it's in the Bronx, but I like the pitching matchup here and want you listing both starters: Jason Vargas and Michael Pineda.
This is a revenge game from May 17, when the Yankees went into Kansas City and won 11-7, with Pineda getting the win and Vargas taking the L.
The Yankees tagged Vargas pretty good, as he allowed six runs over seven hits in just four innings. But here's the thing, Pineda wasn't all that either, as he gave up four runs and six hits in six innings.
Vargas is still in search of his first career victory against the Yankees, and I think he will be motivated for this one.
Look for the Royals to win with Vargas getting it done over Pineda.
3* ROYALS
Chris Jordan
My free Monday winner is on the Angels over the Rays, in American League action, and I want you listing only Tampa Bay starter Jake Odorizzi in this game.
It's real simple with this comp play, as I'm playing against Odorizzi, who is 0-3 with a 6.98 ERA in four career starts versus the Angels.
I know the Rays' right-hander has been a model of consistency for the Rays, and last Tuesday in Cleveland he earned his third win of the campaign by holding the Indians to four runs on seven hits in six innings, but tonight he will struggle against the Halos.
Take the Angels.
2* RAYS