Cappers Sports Picks

My 8* Situational Stunner is on the Cleveland Indians (10:05 EST). 

Matt Shoemaker was sent to the minors after a dreadful April and since returning he’s set a club record by striking out 39 batters without a single walk. Unfortunately for Shoemaker, his team has struggled at the plate, losing five in a row. The Tribe on the other hand has won eight of their last ten and own first place in the AL Central since June 4th. Trevor Bauer has been a big part of Cleveland’s turnaround, he’s won two straight in giving up four runs off nine hits with 16 K’s and four walks in 14 2/3’s innings. One other player to keep your eyes on today is the Indians’ Mike Napoli who has hit .319 vs. his former team with 18 home runs and 38 RBI’s in 56 games. For arguments sake, I’ll call the starters a “wash,” but I’m going to give Cleveland the big nod at the plate and look for it continue its hot streak. 

Good luck…Larry

This is a 10* Weekend Wipeout Winner on the New York Yankees (7:15 EST). 

The Yanks are surging, looking for a sixth straight victory. I think the home side continues to roll in what I feel to be an extremely favorable pitching mismatch. New York has plated 33 runs during its win streak and is over .500 (31-30) for the first time since early April. Mashairo Tanaka has struggled against the Tigers in the past, but he comes into this contest on top form, ranking third in the AL with a tiny 1.01 WHIP, seventh in ERA and fourth in walks per nine innings ratio. Most recently Tanaka held the Angels to two runs off six hits in an unfortunate no-decision on Monday. After equaling a season-high with five straight victories, the Tigers have been held to two runs in their last 18 innings. The visitors hand the ball to Justin Verlander who has historically struggled in the new Yankee Stadium, going 0-4 with a pedestrian 4.84 ERA in seven matchups. Verlander has been decent of late, but note that he’s just 1-3 with a poor 5.01 ERA on the road. I like Tanaka in this matchup and am also giving a big nod to the red hot Yanks at the plate. All things considered, this is a great price, play on New York.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Daytime Dominator is on the Cincinnati Reds (4:10 EST). 

The A’s have recalled Daniel Mengden from Triple-A Nashville to make his major league debut. Mengden was impressive in the minors, posting a tiny 1.19 ERA in 11 starts. The home side turns to Dan Straily (3-2, 3.34) who would allow two runs off two hits over seven innings in an unfortunate no-decision vs. the Nationals on Saturday. Straily has steadily improved as the season has progressed and has in fact been “lights out” in this spot all year, going 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA at home and is also 3-0 with a 3.29 ERA in all “day” games. I think Mengden is getting too much respect from the bookmakers, the kid has yet to throw a single pitch in the big leagues, while Straily seems poised to produce the best campaign of his career. All things considered, I think this is a great price, play on the Reds.

Good luck…Larry

The first 8* pick of my Superstar Triple Play is on the Pittsburgh Pirates (7:05 EST). 

Pittsburgh looks to continue its success vs. St. Louis, it would open the season with a series sweep at PNC Park and then took two of three last month in St. Louis. The Pirates have to be liking their chances with ace Gerrit Cole (5-4, 2.85 ERA) on the hill, he’s 5-2 with a 2.91 ERA in 11 starts vs. the Cardinals. The visitors counter with the struggling Michael Wacha (2-6, 5.16) who hasn’t won a game since mid April in San Diego and is coming off another poor outing, getting shelled for four runs over five innings vs. the Giants on Saturday. Cole is the clear favorite here, he owns a very respectable 3.38 ERA at home and an even better 3.30 ERA in all night games. Conversely, this is a spot that Wacha has struggled in, going 1-4 with a ballooned 6.38 ERA in all night contests. Lay the price in this mismatch.

Good luck…Larry

The second 8* pick of my Superstar Triple Play is on the New York Yankees (7:05 EST). 

The Yanks come in off a four-game sweep of the Angels and I think the Evil Empire keeps the momentum rolling in this favorable pitching mismatch. Keep your eyes on the Yankees’ Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury, who have scored in same game in 13 times this season. The New York bats have come alive, it scored 29 runs and batted .343 vs. the Angels, with Gardner and Ellsbury combining to score 12 while batting .560. The home side sends CC Sabathia (3-3, 2.58 ERA) to the hill, he’s 7-4 with a 3.33 ERA in 12 starts against Detroit since joining the Yanks in 2009. Sabathia has quietly been turning the corner, over the last ten months he’s 5-6 with a very respectable 2.72 ERA, most recently scattering two hits and going five scoreless in a 3-1 loss to the Orioles on Sunday. Detroit’s five-game win streak came to an end in Wednesday’s 7-2 setback to the Jays. The visitors counter with the struggling Mike Pelfrey, who is a poor 2-4 with a 4.74 ERA in seven career starts vs. New York (note that when he opposed Sabathia on April 9th in Detroit he was shelled for six runs off seven hits over 3 2/3’s innings). Everything considered, this is indeed a very fair price on the home side, play on New York.

Good luck…Larry

The first 8* pick of my Superstar Triple Play is on the Washington Nationals (8:10 EST). 

The Nationals are rolling in interleague play and I expect them to close the deal this evening and complete the three-game sweep of the White Sox. The Nats have taken the first two games by a 21-9 margin and have plated 31 runs over their last three to rank second in the NL with a run differential of plus-66. Chicago comes in with zero momentum, it’s lost five straight and 20 of the past 26 games and now faces Gio Gonzaelz (3-4, 3.93 ERA) who has already won two interleague starts this season, allowing just two earned runs over 12 innings with a tiny 1.50 ERA, walking three and striking out nine in the process. The home side counters with Miguel Gonzalez (0-1, 3.93), who is called into action with the injury to Carlos Rodon. Gonzalez has been all over the map as far as his game-to-game consistency is concerned and owns a pedestrian 4.67 ERA in all “night” games this year. I like Gio in this spot, he’s eager to return to his early season form and he certainly will feel comfortable in this interleague scenario. Miguel on the other hand is being thrown to the wolves and I think his inconsistency comes back to haunt him here vs. the hard-hitting Nationals. Lay the price.

Good luck…Larry

The second 8* pick of my Superstar Triple Play is on the Miami Marlins (8:10 EST). 

Tom Koehler (3-6, 4.50 ERA) has been getting better as the season has progressed, most recently he allowed three earned runs and a walk off six hits over six innings in a 6-2 loss to the Mets on Friday, also striking out six in the process. It was Koehler’s fourth quality start in his last six trips to the mound and it was the first time in six outings that he’d given up a home run. Koehler has been great in all “night” games thus far with a respectable 3.67 ERA. The home side counters with the volatile Ervin Santana (1-5, 4.50) who served up three home runs on his way to giving up five runs overall off six hits over six innings in a loss to Tampa Bay on Saturday. He struck out four, but walked three. Santana has regressed as the season has worn on, he’s now given up a deplorable 14 runs over his last 16.2 innings of work (giving up five dingers in that stretch as well). Unfortunately for Santana, a date at home is not what the doctor ordered to get back on track, he’s a poor 0-3 with a 5.46 ERA in Minnesota thus far. Koehler gets the big nod on the bump tonight and that’s more than enough to tip the scales in favor of the Fish. Play on Miami.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Situational Stunner is on the Texas Rangers (2:05 EST). 

Houston snapped its eight game losing streak in this series in yesterday’s 3-1 victory, but I’m expecting the home side to respond in the finale this afternoon. And despite the loss snapping a five-game win skein, Texas is still leading the AL West and is tied for the best record in club history after 59 games (36-23). The Rangers are in fact 11-3 in their last 14 overall. The home side turns to Martin Perez (4-4, 3.24 ERA) who has posted three consecutive quality starts and in five of his last six outings. Perez has been “lights out” vs. the Astros over his career, going 4-2 with a tiny 1.71 ERA in six matchups. The visitors counter with Colin McHugh (5-4, 4.97) who is 4-0 vs. the Rangers, but who comes in with little momentum, going just 2-2 with a ballooned 5.27 ERA on the road thus far. One other player to keep your eyes on today is Texas slugger Jurickson Profar, who is hitting .380 during an 11-game hit streak. McHugh is getting way too much respect from the oddsmakers in my opinion, Perez has been much more consistent and I think he’ll prove to be the difference today. Play on Texas.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on the New York Mets (7:05 EST).

Jameson Taillon will make his major league debut tonight and clearly the kid has a lot of potential. He’s being thrown to the wolves though in having to face the potent Mets’ lineup that’s looking to break out of a slump and throwing opposite the red hot Noah Syndergaard. Taillon was drafted in 2010, but Tommy John and hernia surgery delayed his career. Taillon looked sharp in Triple-A, going 4-2 with a 2.04 ERA. Syndergaard (6-2, 1.91) has been one of MLB’s best to this point, most recently he gave up two runs and six hits over seven innings in a 6-1 win over the Marlins on Friday. The big right-hander has struck out eight or more in seven of his 11 starts and is 4-1 with a tiny 1.85 ERA on the road this year. For this selection I’m looking only at the starting pitchers and think the value is simply to good to turn down in this matchup. Syndergaard is throwing at an All Star level, while the book is still clearly out on Taillon. Lay the price.

Good luck…Larry

The third 10* pick of my Superstar Triple Play is on the San Diego Padres (10:10 EST). 

The visitors hand the ball to Aaron Blair (0-4, 7.55 ERA) who went four innings vs. the Giants on Thursday, allowing six runs off five hits with four walks in the setback. Blair has registered just a single quality outing in his first seven big league starts and owns a horrible 1.81 WHIP to go along with his atrocious 7.55 ERA. Note that the rookie has been particularly horrible on the road thus far, going 0-1 with a 12.27 ERA. The home side counters with Colin Rea (3-2, 4.85) who gave up five earned runs off six hits with one walk while stirking out three over 5.1 innings in a no-decision vs. the Mariners on Thursday. Rea had a 12-2 lead after five innings, but the bullpen exploded in the eventual setback. Rea will look to get back to his winning ways an improve upon his pedestrian 2-1, 4.72 ERA record at home. While I certainly don’t have much faith in Rea, he’s light years ahead of his counterpart. I’m banking on the home side to build off last night’s victory, making this a price that I have no issues at all with paying. Play on San Diego.

Good luck…Larry

The second 8* pick of my Superstar Triple Play is on the Milwaukee Brewers (8:10 EST). 

Zach Davies got off to a horrible start to the 2016 campaign, but has since turned the corner, going 3-0 with a highly respectable 2.97 ERA in his last six outings, posting a career-high with nine K’s in his last start. The Brewers’ lineup gets an expected boost today with the return of slugger Ryan Braun who had been out with a neck issue. The visitors counter with Sean Manaea (2-3, 6.16) who for the most part has struggled mightily in his rookie season. Manaea is primed for a letdown after notching his second win, holding the light-hitting Twins to a single run over six innings. The A’s are also struggling at the plate after getting swept by the Astros over the weekend. I’m giving Davies the big nod on the bump in this matchup and that’s more than enough to tip the scales in favor of the home side tonight. All things considered, this is a very fair price, play on the Brewers.

Good luck…Larry

The first 8* pick of my Superstar Triple Play is on the Texas Rangers (8:05 EST). 

Houston has lost 11 straight in Arlington dating back to 2015 and has dropped all seven vs. the Rangers this season, most recently falling 6-5 on Monday. Sending the volatile Dallas Keuchel (3-7, 5.50 ERA) to the hill isn’t going to help matters either, he’s given up 13 runs on 22 hits over two matchups with Texas already this season. The home side counters with Cole Hamels (5-1, 3.39), who is 4-0 with a very respectable 2.75 ERA vs. the AL West already this season. Coles has faced the Astros twice this year and gone 2-0, holding them to just three runs total. One other player to keep your eyes on today is the Rangers’ second baseman Jurickson Profar, who was called up to replace Rougned Odor, who continues to serve suspension for punching Jose Bautista in the face last month. Profar has hit safely in ten games, including posting multiple hits in five. Both teams are red hot, but clearly Hamels comes in on top form and all things considered, this is indeed a great price. Play on Texas.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Situational Stunner is on the San Diego Padres (10:10 EST). 

Atlanta hasn’t won a game in San Diego since 2012 and I don’t expect that trend to change tonight. The visitors send Williams Perez (2-1, 3.86 ERA) to the hill, he most recently allowed four runs off five hits over 5 2/3’s innings in a fortunate 5-4 home victory over the Giants on Wednesday. When Perez faced San Diego last year, he allowed four runs off seven hits with four walks in six innings in the 5-3 defeat on August 17th. Slugger Matt Kemp is 1 for 2 off him, with a home run. The home side counters with Christian Friedrich (2-1, 2.53) who gave up three earned runs over five innings in a 14-6 rout over the Mariners on Wednesday. A date vs. the anemic Braves’ line-up is just what the doctor ordered for Friedrich, Atlanta did muster up some offense in yesterday’s 12-6 loss, but note that it had posted just two runs in its previous three games. Slugger Freddie Freeman is just 4 for 26 in his last eight games. I think the price is right here and expect Friedrich and the home side to find a way to get the job done at the end of the night. Play on San Diego.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Weekly Wipeout WInner is on the New York Yankees.

The Angels pulled off a come-from-behind 5-4 victory over the Pirates yesterday, scoring four runs over the final three innings. Unfortunately for LA, a date in The Big Apple is not what the doctor ordered to keep the momentum rolling, as it’s just 8-23 at the new Yankee Stadium all time, including the postseason. Note that the Angels have in fact dropped five in a row there and 14 of the last 18. That’s good news for the red hot Masahiro Tanaka (3-1, 2.78), who comes in off his first loss of the year despite giving up just two runs over six frames in Toronto on Wednesday. Tanaka now has a minuscule 0.90 ERA over his last three starts. The visitors counter with the inconsistent Matt Shoemaker (3-6, 5.50) who also comes in off a loss despite throwing decently, giving up two runs over seven innings in a 3-0 setback to Detroit on Wednesday. Note though that Shoemaker gave up a season-high ten hits in that one. Shoemaker has looked better of late, but clearly if he’s had once weak point this season, it’s been his play on the road where he’s a poor 2-2 with a ballooned 5.49 ERA. All things considered, I feel we’re getting excellent value on Tanaka, who to this point of the season must be included in the early Cy Young candidate talk. Play on New York.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on the St. Louis Cardinals (8:05 EST). 

Despite a “strong” finish to May, I have no faith in Giants’ veteran Jake Peavy and look for Carlos Martinez and the home side to take full advantage of what I feel to be a very favorable matchup. Would it be too hard to imagine the Giants getting caught “looking ahead” to the comforts of friendly confines? This is the conclusion of a ten-game trip for San Francisco, setting this up as a classic letdown spot for the visitors. Peavy (2-5, 6.34 ERA) is coming off a 4-0 win over the Braves on Tuesday, but I’m not reading too much into that outing. Atlanta is the worst offensive club in the league and note that previous to that, Peavy had gone 0-4 over six outings. The Cardinals on the other hand will be hungry to build on yesterday’s victory which snapped a three-game home slide, Brandon Moss had three hits, including a homer to help his team rebound from the 5-1 loss in the series opener on Friday. Martinez (5-5, 3.69) would also struggle throughout most of May, only to close the month with a gem, striking out eight and walking one over eight innings in a 6-0 victory at Milwaukee. Martinez gets the slight nod on the bump in this matchup in my opinion and the Cards also have some strong situational and motivational factors working in their favor tonight as well. All things considered, this is indeed a fair price, play on St. Louis.

Good luck…Larry

The third 8* pick of my Superstar Triple Play is on the San Diego Padres (10:10 EST).

Colorado is struggling, it’s won just twice in its last eight games. The Padres have started to turn things around and yesterday’s 4-0 win was their fifth in seven games vs. the Rockies this year. San Diego also scored 27 runs on 39 hits in its previous two games vs. the Mariners. And that’s bad news for Rockies’ starter Chad Bettis (4-4, 5.46) who has been blasted for 13 runs off 15 hits over his last 8 1/3’s innings of work spanning two starts. Most recently Bettis went just 3 2/3’s innings in Monday’s 11-8 setback to Cincinnati, getting shelled for eight hits and six runs. After returning from a two week stint on the DL, Andrew Cashner (2-5, 4.79) has posted back-to-back quality starts for the Friars. I’ll call the starters a “wash,” but clearly San Diego has turned things around at the plate and I believe that momentum gets carried over here. All things considered, this is a very fair price, play on the Padres.

Good luck…Larry

The second 8* pick of my Superstar Triple Play is on the Baltiomre Orioles (7:15 EST). 

The Orioles have won three straight behind some timely starting pitching and some even better hitting and I think that momentum gets carried over into this game. Mark Trumbo had three hits and scored two runs in a come-from-behind 6-5 victory over New York in yesterday’s series opener. Trumbo is unstoppable right now with 17 home runs on the season, while batting .359 with four home runs, 11 RBI, four doubles and nine runs his last last ten games. That’s bad news for Yanks’ starter Ivan Nova, as Trumbo is 9 for 16 with two dingers lifetime vs. him. You’ll also want to keep your eyes on Baltimore rookie Hyun Soo Kim, who is batting .400 over a nine-game stretch. On the other end of the spectrum is New York, which is hitting .194 during a 3-7 period. Nova (3-3, 3.98 ERA) has lost back-to-back starts, giving up eight runs off 15 hits over 12 2/3’s innings. And a date vs. the Orioles is not what the doctor ordered to get back on track, as he’s 1-2 with a horrendous 7.59 ERA over the last four matchups. The home side counters with Tyler Wilson (2-4, 3.83) who has pitched at least six frames in five straight starts, while allowing more than three earned runs just once in his last seven outings. I’ll be generous and call these starters a “wash,” but clearly the Orioles have a ton of momentum at the plate right now and that’s going to be more than enough to tip the scales in their favor. All things considered, this is a very fair price, play on Baltimore.

Good luck…Larry

The third 10* pick of my Superstar Triple Play is on the San Diego Padres (10:40 EST).

Despite allowing Seattle to mount an epic comeback in yesterday’s 16-13 loss (I had the M’s in that one), the Padres have woken up at the plate. San Diego has lost nine of its last 11, but has won 14 of the last 18 of this series at home and I’m expecting that strong trend to continue tonight. The Friars hand the ball to Drew Pomeranz (4-5, 2.48 ERA) who leads the team in wins and K’s (60). Pomeranz rolled with a 1.70 ERA through his first nine starts, but comes into this one off his worst outing of the campaign, giving up six runs off five hits over five innings in a 6-3 loss to the Diamondbacks on Sunday. He did strike out nine though (also note that Pomeranz did settle down after allowing five runs in the second, not allowing a hit over the final 13 opponents he faced). The visitors counter with the struggling Chris Rusin (1-3, 4.75) who was shelled for six runs off 11 hits over five innings on Sunday. Rusin has been the very definition of a “gas can” of late, giving up 40 hits and 19 runs over his last 21 1/3’s innings of work spanning his last four starts behind a deplorable 8.14 ERA. I like San Diego to keep the “hit parade” rolling and for Pomeranz to outduel his struggling counterpart. All things considered, this is indeed a very fair price to pay in this situation, play on the Padres.

Good luck…Larry

The second 8* pick of my Superstar Triple Play is on the Washington Nationals (7:10 EST). 

Keep your eyes on Nationals’ slugger Daniel Murphy, who is hitting a league-best .394 after the first two months of the season and who has nine home runs and 34 RBI thus far. The visitors send Gio Gonzalez to the hill, who after a blistering start to the 2016 campaign, has come back down to earth of late, most recently getting rocked for six runs off six hits in a 9-4 loss to the Cardinals on Saturday. Here’s a great opponent to get untracked against, the Reds’ offense has looked a bit better of late, but note that Gonzalez is 2-0 with a very respectable 2.52 ERA on the road to date. The home side counters with Brandon Finnegan (1-4, 4.14) who hasn’t won in eight starts and who owns a poor 5.40 ERA in front of the home town crowd. All things considered, I think we’re getting a great price on Gonzalez and the hard-hitting Nationals in this matchup.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on the Detroit Tigers (7:10 EST). 

Jordan Zimmermann (7-2, 2.52 ERA) was a big off-season acquistion for the Tigers and he has already paid dividends. After an unreal start in which posted a tiny 0.55 ERA over his first five outings, Zimmermann came back down to Earth, but he enters this one off a solid performance, giving up two runs over six innings in a victory over Tampa Bay on May 22nd. Zimmermann had his last start skipped because of a groin issue, but the hard-throwing right-hander has been cleared to play, he’ll be looking to improve upon his 1.29 ERA in two starts vs. the White Sox. Chicago had dropped seven in a row before winning Tuesday and then parlayed that into another 2-1 victory in 13 innings on Wednesday. The visitors counter with Carlos Rodon (2-4, 4.24) who has been all over the map as far as his game-to-game consistency has been concerned this season, though he does enter off a decent outing in which he allowed one run over five innings vs. the Royals on Saturday. Rodon faced the Tigers as a rookie last year and was shelled for four runs off eight hits over five innings. For this selection I’m concentrating completely on the starting pitchers and all things considered, definitely feel that we’re getting great value on the home side in this one. Play on Detroit.

Good luck…Larry

The first 8* pick of my Superstar Triple Play is on the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Phillies will be eager to slow down the suddenly surging Brewers, who have won four-straight on the road and nine in a row in Philadelphia. They’ll also be looking to break a season-worst seven-game slide of their own. Jimmy Nelson (5-3, 2.88 ERA) gets the call for the visitors. He’s the leader of Milwaukee’s rotation, but note that he posted a pedestrian 4.63 ERA in two starts vs. the Phillies last year. The home side counters with Vince Velasquez (5-2, 3.63) who looks to recapture his early season form which saw him going 4-1 with a 1.44 ERA. Velasquez comes in off an outing to forget in which he gave up seven runs over four innings in Sunday’s 7-2 road loss to the Cubs, but note that he’s been nearly unhittable at home this year, going 3-1 with a minuscule 0.74 ERA thus far. I’m banking on Velasquez bouncing back and continuing his strong play in front of the home town crowd, play on Philadelphia.

Good luck…Larry

The third 8* pick of my Superstar Triple Plays is on the Seattle Mariners (9:10 EST).

The Padres got trounced 16-4 in Seattle on Tuesday and then came out and responded with a 14-6 win at home yesterday. Suffice it to say, I think the light-hitting Friars make an immediate return to mediocrity and look for Wade Miley to outduel his young counterpart. Colin Rea (3-2, 4.47 ERA) had his last start skipped as the team looks to limit his innings this year. In his last outing he gave up three runs over five innings in a 9-5, 17-inning loss to the Dodgers on May 22nd. The M’s have dropped four of six but despite yesterday’s setback, they still had 14 hits and were unfortunate to go just 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position and stranding 11 overall. Miley (5-2, 4.95) has struggled after a great start to the season, but has posted a tiny 2.25 ERA in six career outings vs. San Diego, while not allowing a homer in the last five. I’m banking on Miley bouncing back and to continue his strong play vs. the Padres, play on Seattle.

Good luck…Larry

The first 8* pick of my Superstar Triple Play is on the Boston Red Sox (7:05 EST).

Boston sends veteran Rick Porcello (7-2, 3.68 ERA) to the hill. Porcello has been a pleasant surprise for the Red Sox this season, most recently he gave up four runs off seven hits over seven innings vs. the hard-hitting Blue Jays in his team’s eventual 10-9 loss on Saturday. Porcello was in line for the win before his bullpen let him down. Porcello has had difficulties with the Orioles in the past, but he’ll look to take advantage of his favorable matchup and outlast his struggling counterpart as Ubaldo Jimenez (2-6, 6.36) has gotten progressively worse as the season has worn on, most recently he was shelled for six runs off five hits with three walks over 1 2/3’s innings in an 11-4 loss to the Indians on Saturday. Jimenez’s 5.16 walks per nine innings is just one of four in baseball over 5.00. And that doesn’t bode well vs. the red hot Red Sox, who hit five home runs in yesterday’s 13-9 setback. Boston’s three-game win skein came to a close, but it’s averaging 7.2 runs per game and hitting .308 over its last five. I don’t have a ton of confidence in either of these starters, but clearly Porcello is performing at a much higher and more consistent level than the struggling Jimenez, who will likely be out of the rotation after this outing. Play on Boston.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Daytime Dominator is on the Chicago Cubs.

The Cubs are leading the majors in runs (277) and on-base percentage (.354). They also have one of the best rotations in the league and Kyle Hendricks has done his part. Hendricks (3-4, 2.93 ERA) is coming off a 4-1 win over the Phillies on Saturday, scattering five hits with seven K’s and on walks in his second career complete game. LA turns to top prospect, Julio Urias (0-0, 10.13) who gave up three runs off five hits over 2 2/3’s innings ina  6-5 loss at the Mets on Friday. The book is still out on Urias obviously and LA certainly hasn’t wasted any time in throwing the rookie to the wolves. I wasn’t overly impressed with Urias in his opener and I think he’ll struggle again today vs. the top offensive club in the majors. Hendricks is firing on all cylinders (has a 1.93 ERA at home, compared to a 4.37 on the road) and in my opinion, is well worth the price of admission in this matchup. Play on Chicago.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on the New York Yankees (7:05 EST). 

Masahiro Tanaka (3-0, 2.89 ERA) has won two straight starts and he’ll be looking to help his team avoid a three-game series sweep in Toronto for the first time in 16 seasons this evening. Tanaka has given up one run over his last 14 innings of work, most recently scattering two hits with zero runs in his team’s 4-1 win at Tampa Bay on Friday. Tanaka has been especially sharp on the road thus far, going 2-0 with a tiny 1.34 ERA in five such instances. And a date vs. the Jays is just what the doctor ordered for Tanaka to keep the momentum rolling as he’s 2-0 with a 2.14 ERA in three starts at Rogers Centre lifetime. The home side counters with Aaron Sanchez (4-1, 3.29), who most recently gave up three earned runs over 6 2/3’s innings in a no-decision vs. the Red Sox on Friday. Sanchez though has been better on the road that in Toronto, posting a pedestrian 4.88 ERA in front of the home town crowd to date. I think we’re getting great value on the better pitcher and expect New York to find a way to avoid the sweep.

Good luck…Larry

The third 10* pick of my Superstar Triple Play is on the Pittsburgh Pirates. (7:10 EST).

With Monday’s 10-0 win in the opener of this four game set, Pittsburgh is 9-1 while limiting the Marlins to 20 runs since August 6th, 2014 and is 18-5 in this series dating to July 20th, 2012. Clearly it won’t be a cake-walk in having to face the red hot Jose Fernandez (7-2, 2.82 ERA) who has given up three runs over his last 27 innings of work. Fernandez has split two starts vs. the Bucs, giving up ten hits and four runs over 13 innings. The visitors though counter with the equally as hot Gerrit Cole (5-3, 2.53) who has won three of his last four starts behind a minuscule 1.04 ERA. Cole has fared decently against the Marlins for his career, going 2-1 with a respectable 3.42 ERA in four lifetime matchups. I’m calling the starters a “wash,” but giving the big nod to the Pittsburgh line-up. Play on the Pirates.

Good luck…Larry

My 10* Weekly Wipeout Winner is on the Baltimore Orioles (7:05 EST). 

After the Red Sox moved two games ahead of them in the division with yesterday’s 7-2 victory, I’m expecting the Orioles to find a way to get the job done once it’s all said and done this evening. Boston has been tearing the cover off the ball, but I think will have its hands full with hard-luck Kevin Gausman (0-2, 3.24 ERA), who has clearly been the victim of poor run support to this point, as Baltimore has backed him up with one run or less in four of his seven starts, while being denied a victory in two others after his bullpen blew late leads. The Orioles look to get back on track at the plate and catch a break in getting to face 23-year old Eduardo Rodriguez, who makes his season debut. Rodriguez was injured in spring training and was 10-6 with a 3.85 ERA in 21 starts as a rookie last season. The book is still out on Rodriguez. The value in this matchup is on Gausman and the home side (2.84 ERA at home), play on Baltimore.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on the Cleveland Indians.

The Indians are 16-2 in starts by Josh Tomlin since he returned from surgery about half way through the 2015 season. Tomlin (7-0, 3.35 ERA) has clearly been the beneficiary of a massive amount of run support with an average of 6.88, but that said, there’s no denying anymore that he’s turned the corner. A date vs. the Rangers is just what the doctor ordered as well as he’s 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in two career starts vs. them. The visitors counter with Derek Holland (3-4, 5.21) who has had plenty of success in Cleveland in the past, but who comes into tonight’s game struggling with consistency. Note that Holland owns one of the worst road ERA’s (6.41) in the league. Both teams have been consistent at the plate of late, so I’m going to call this area a “wash.” For this pick I’m concentrating completely on the starting pitchers and also looking at what I feel to be a very reasonable mid-sized price and having no choice but to pull the trigger on Tomlin and the home side in this matchup. Play on Cleveland.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on the Oakland A’s (4:05 EST).

I think Rich Hill is worth the price of admission in this spot. Hill (7-3, 2.18 ERA) has been Oakland’s best to this point, he’s given up more than two earned runs in just two starts and only two home runs over 57 2/3’s innings of work. Hill comes in off his best effort of the season, giving up zero walks over eight innings in a 5-0 victory at Seattle on Monday. HIll’s numbers are some of the best in the entire league, he’s posted a 1.61 ERA with 46 K’s over his last 44 2/3’s innings over his last seven trips to the hill. When Hill faced the Tigers on April 26th, he’d scatter four hits while striking out eight over seven frames in the 5-1 win. Mike Pelfrey (0-4, 5.55) was opposite Hill that day and he was shelled for five runs off nine hits over 6 2/3’s innings to fall to a deplorable 0-3 with an 11.05 ERA vs. Oakland lifetime. Pelfrey continues to struggle as he hasn’t thrown a quality start in seven straight outings, most recently getting blasted for four runs on 11 hits over six innings in Monday’s 5-4 victory over the Phillies. And that’s bad news for Detroit, as Oakland has suddenly woken up at the plate, yesterday’s 12-3 rout was its highest scoring game of the season. All things considered, I think we’re getting a great price in this one. Play on the A’s.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Daytime Dominator is on the Milwaukee Brewers (2:10 EST). 

Analysis to be posted at least 3 hours before game time.

My 8* Weekend Wipeout Winner is on the Seattle Mariners (10:10 EST). 

After falling 7-2 in yesterday’s series opener, I’m expecting the home side to bounce back this evening. The Mariners hand the ball to Wade Miley (5-2, 4.50 ERA) who got off to an awful start in his first three outings for Seattle, but who has since gone 5-0 with 3.12 ERA, the latest was a 5-4 victory over the Reds on Sunday, giving up four runs off eight hits over six innings (note that three of the runs allowed vs. Cincinnati came in the first inning, Miley then settled right down). The visitors counter with the volatile Phil Hughes (1-7, 5.55) who gave up three runs off eight hits over six innings in a 3-1 loss to the Jays on Sunday. Hughes is now 0-5 with a poor 6.23 ERA since his only victory all the way back on April 18th. Note that Hughes has given up five home runs over his last three games. And that’s bad news for the Twins, as despite yesterday’s setback, the Mariners have still won seven of their last ten while averaging 5.7 runs per game. One other player to keep your eyes on tonight is M’s slugger Robinson Cano, who is 5 for 13 over his last three contests. I’m backing Miley and the revenge-minded home side. Play on Seattle.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on the Colorado Rockies (8:40 EST). 

For the most part MLB handicapping comes down to the starting pitching and in this case, the home side has a clear advantage in this match-up. The Giants seem poised for a letdown here, they’re coming off a 5-1 homestand after sweeping the Padres, part of an overall 13-1 stretch. The Rockies though are 4-3 in the season series thus far. The visitors hand the ball to veteran Matt Cain (1-5, 5.37 ERA), who has looked much better of late by posting a 1.71 ERA over his last three starts. Cain though has been horrible on the road this year, posting a deplorable 6.62 ERA thus far. And note that the Rockies have already torched Cain to the tune of 14 runs and 16 hits over 8 2/3’s innigns this season. The home side turns to Tyler Chatwood (5-3, 3.02), who has had difficulty vs. San Francisco in the past, but who has pitched at least six scoreless frames in three of his nine outings this year and who gave up just one run over six in a 5-1 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday. For this pick, I’m concentrating solely on the starting pitching and think Chatwood offers the best value. Play on Colorado.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Situational Stunner is on the New York Mets (7:10 EST). 

Alex Wood was scratched in this game for the Dodgers with injury, which means that teenager Julio Urias will make his major league debut on the road in New York. Urias has been promoted from Triple-A Oklahoma City where he posted a 4-1 record and a 1.10 ERA in seven starts. LA comes in off a three-game sweep of the Reds and is primed for a letdown in the opener in my opinion. The home side counters with Jacob deGrom (3-1, 3.07 ERA) who comes in off an outing to forget in which he gave up a season-high four runs over five innings in a 5-4 victory over Milwaukee on Saturday. A date vs. the Dodgers is just what the doctor ordered to get back on track though, on May 10th DeGrom held LA to two runs over a season-high seven innings of work. Despite getting sub-par starting pitching of late, the Mets come into this one on fire at the plate, they’ve hit ten homers in winning five of their last six. One other player to keep your eyes on today is Mets’ slugger David Wright, who has gone yard in back-to-back games. I’m banking on DeGrom outdueling his rookie counterpart in this one, play on New York.

Good luck…Larry

My 10* Daytime Dominator is on the Miami Marlins (1:10 EST).

I think we’re getting great value on Marlins’ ace Jose Fernandez in this matchup. Fernandez (6-2, 3.02 ERA) is better at home than he is on the road, but he comes into this game red hot, most recently he allowed one run off four this and one walk while striking out nine over six innings to earn a victory vs. Washington on Saturday. Fernandez has now held opponents to one or fewer runs in each of his last three outings and note that he’s still a great 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA on the road thus far. The home side counters with southpaw Drew Smyly (2-5, 3.54) who gave up three runs off seven hits and two walks while striking out five over 6.1 innings in a setback to Detroit on Saturday. Note though that home field advantage has been anything but for Smyly this season, as he’s a poor 0-3 with a pedestrian 4.01 ERA in Tampa Bay to date. For the most part MLB handicapping is all about the guys on hill and in this case, everything does indeed point to the visitors as the correct call today, play on the Marlins.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Situational Stunner is on the Houston Astros (8:10 EST).

Houston’s rotation has let it down to this point. but Colin McHugh (4-4, 5.13 ERA) has started to turn things around of late, most recently he gave up two runs off five hits over seven innings in a 2-1 loss to the White Sox on Thursday, throwing opposite Chris Sale. McHugh is actually walking fewer batters this year (2.28 per nine frames) than he ever has over his career (2.36). The visitors counter with Tyler Wilson (2-2, 3.68) who was shelled for five runs off six hits and three walks over six innings in a 7-2 home loss to Seattle on Thursday. So far Wilson is a pedestrian 2-2 with a 4.40 ERA since moving into the starting rotation. Houston comes in with momentum after yesterday’s 3-2, 13 inning victory and one other player to keep your eyes on today is George Springer, who was 3 for 4 with two walks and who has a 420 on-base percentage on a 14-game stretch of reaching base at least once. I think McHugh continues his progression and outduels his over-matched counterpart, play on the Astros.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on the Chicago White Sox (2:10 EST). 

The White Sox look to rebound here after ace Chris Sale was knocked around for his first loss of the season in yesterday’s 6-2 setback. The home side turns to Jose Quintana (5-3, 1.98 ERA) who gave up more than two runs for the first time in nine starts on Friday, allowing four along with eight hits over 6 1/3’s frames of work in a 4-1 loss to the Royals. After receiving an average of 4.73 runs of support in his first seven outings of the year, Quintana has gotten one run of production in each of his last two starts. A date for the Tribe is just what the doctor ordered for Quintana to get back into the winners circle, he would give up two runs over 22 innings to win two of three vs. Cleveland last year (note that Carlos Santana is 4 for 23 off him (.174), while Yan Gomes is just 1 for 15). The visitors send the volatile Corey Kluber (3-5, 4.10) to the hill, he was 0-2 with a poor 5.32 ERA in three starts vs. Chicago last year. Kluber is coming off a win over the Red Sox on Friday, giving up two runs over seven innings, but he’d allowed nine runs over 9 1/3’s innings spanning two starts prior to that (note that White Sox slugger Jose Abreu is 10 for 28 with two doubles and three home runs off Kluber, while Melky Cabrera is 9 for 19 with three doubles). This is great value on Quintana and the White Sox.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Weekly Wipeout Winners is on the New York Yankees (7:05 EST).

Nathan Eovaldi is coming off his best start of the year, an outing which sparked the Yanks to their longest win streak of the season. Alex Rodriguez is expected to make his return and when the smoke clears at the end of this one, I look for the home side to take advantage of the Jays’ struggling knuckle-baller. Eovaldi (4-2, 4.44 ERA) would allow a leadoff double to Jean Segura, before then retiring 18 consecutive Diamondbacks’ hitters in Wednesday’s 4-2 victory. Eovaldi has won his last three strarts by posting a highly respectable 2.84 ERA. New York is in the midst of a 12-5 stretch, not only the beneficiary of some great starting pitching, but also at the plate as Carlos Beltran was 9 for 18 with eight RBI’s vs. Oakland over the weekend, while Jacoby Ellsbury is 7 for 19 with a .500 on-base percentage over the streak. The visitors send veteran RA Dickey (2-5, 4.50) to the hill, he’s 0-3 with a 3.43 ERA in six starts at Yankee Stadium since last winning there back in 2011. Dickey has been the victim of the long-ball of late, allowing seven home runs over his last five starts. Eovaldi is the play here, lay the price.

Good luck…Larry

My 10* 32 Club Play is on the St. Louis Cardinals (8:15 EST). 

There’s more than 100 games still to be played this season, but this is an important series for the Cardinals, who sit seven games back of the Cubs for the NL Central lead and who are just 12-13 at home to open the season. They play with revenge as well after the Cubs took two of three from them April 18th-20th. St. Louis faces former teammate John Lackey (4-2, 3.31 ERA), who owns a 1.86 ERA over his last four outings, most recenlty coming off a 2-1 win over Milwaukee on Wednesday. Lackey will be opposed by Cards’ ace Adam Wainwright, who finally seems to be turning things around. Wainwright (4-3, 5.92) struggled to open the season, but comes in off his best performance of the year by scattering six hits over 6 2/3’s innings in his team’s 2-0 win over Colorado on Wednesday. And a date vs. the Cubs is in fact just what the doctor ordered to keep the momentum roling for Wainwright as he hasn’t given up a run in 20 innings over his last three starts vs. them. And that’s bad news for a Chicago team which has slowed right down after it’s big start to the season, dropping five of its last seven. The Cubs are second in the NL in runs beyhind St. Louis, but are averaging just 2.7 during their cold streak. Of injury note, Chicago will once again be without the services of slugger Jason Heyward, who suffered a rib contusion on Friday diving for a catch. I think this is a great spot to pull the trigger on Wainwright, fantastic value on the Cardinals.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on the Washington Nationals (7:05 EST). 

Gio Gonzalez (3-1, 1.86 ERA) has given up one earned run or less in six of eight outings this year and has domianted the Metropolitans throughout his career. I’m a big fan of Bartolo Colon’s, but I feel that this is a much larger mismatch on the mound than what the oddsmakers are leading us to believe. Most recently Gonzalez would give up one solo home run and scatter five other hits over 6 1/3’s innings in his team’s 7-1 win over New York on Wednesday. The southpaw is now 10-4 in 18 career starts vs. the Mets (and note that Gonzalez is 7-1 with a tiny 1.38 ERA over his last 15 vs. NL East teams, allowing two runs or fewer in each). Gonzalez has been especially sharp in front of the home town crowd as well, giving up just five home runs over his last 31 starts at Nationals Park and none in four this year. Colon turns 43 tomorrow and struggled against the Nats last week, issuing five walks and allowing three runs over 4 2/3’s innings. It was his second consecutive loss. Of injury note, the Mets will once again be without the services of first baseman Lucas Duda for a third straight game due to a sore back. I’m giving Gonzalez the big nod in this matchup, play on Washington.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Situational Stunner is on the Kansas City Royals (8:10 EST).

The Royals are playing a lot better of late and will look to take advantage of the floundering Twins and build upon their latest road series victory. Kansas City just took two of three from the White Sox over the weekend, falling 3-2 in yesterday’s finale, just its second loss in seven contests. The Royals have to be feeling pretty confident in this spot, they’ve won six in a row over Minnesota and swept three matchups at home in early April. The Royals also love playing in Minnesota as they’ve won six straight there. The hapless Twins are coming off their ninth loss in their last ten games after falling 3-1 to the Blue Jays yesterday and now have to contend with the ever improving Ian Kennedy (4-3, 3.24 ERA) who actually beat the Twins 7-0 in his debut for the Royals back on April 9th. Kennedy most recently gave up two runs over 5 2/3’s innings, while also striking out a season-high nine vs. Boston on Wednesday. The struggling home side counters with the volatile Ricky Nolasco, who is 0-2 with a ballooned 6.21 ERA over his last five starts. Twins’ slugger Joe Mauer has had success vs. the Royals in the past, but he comes into this series with zero momentum whatsoever, batting .137 over his last 14 overall (and note that his team is hitting just .181 with 16 runs over its last six games). All things considered, this is a very fair price. I’m backing Kennedy and expecting a rout. 

Good luck…Larry

My 10* Weekend Wipeout Winner is on the San Francisco Giants (8:05 EST). 

San Francisco has won five straight starts by Madison Bumgarner (5-2, 2.45 ERA) who has returned to form by going 4-1 with a tiny 1.69 ERA over his last six outings. Most recently the southpaw struck out 11 in a complete game 5-1 win over the Padres on Tuesday, the only run coming on a ninth-inning homer. Bumgarner has now struck out at least ten in two of his last three outings. And that’s bad news for the Cubs today, as Bumgarner has domianted them throughout his career, going 3-0 with a 1.95 ERA in four matchups. Most recently vs. Chicago he gave up a run off two hits while striking out 12 over six innings in a 9-1 home win back on August 27th. The Cubs are now showing some signs of slowing down, while they still own the best record in the league, they’ve dropped six of their last ten following Saturday’s 5-3 setback. Note that Chicago has been held to three or fewer runs in five of its last six. The visitors counter with the volatile Kyle Hendricks (2-3, 3.51) who owns a 1-2, 5.19 ERA road record. Most recently Hendricks was shelled for four runs over 5 1/3’s innings in a 4-2 loss at Milwaukee on Tuesday. And unfortunately for the hard-throwing right hander, a date vs. the Giants is not what the doctor ordered to get back on track, he faced them twice last year and went 1-1 with poor 5.56 ERA, the loss coming in San Francisco. One other player to keep your eyes on today is Giants’ slugger Buster Pose, who is 2 for 6 off Hendricks and who is 10 for 30 in his last eight games vs. Chicago. And of injury note to the Cubs, Jason Heyward will once again be sitting due to an injury he sustained in Friday’s series opener. All things considered, I think we’re getting a great price on the home side tonight, play on San Francisco.

Good luck…Larry

The third 10* pick of my Superstar Triple Play is on the Houston Astros.

Dallas Keuchel will look to reverse his fortunes and I think he offers pretty good value in this matchup. The visitors hand the ball to Cole Hamels (4-0, 3.10 ERA) who was rocked for four runs off nine hits over 6.2 innings vs. the A’s on Tuesday. Hamels was done in by the long-ball, allowing three home runs and it was also the second consecutive start in which he’d allowed nine hits (note that Hamels owns a poor 4.58 ERA in all “day” games this season). The home side counters with Keuchel (2-5, 5.43) who gave up three runs off six hits and three walks over 6.1 innings with five K’s in an unfortunate no-decision vs. the White Sox on Tuesday. The struggling Astros ace has slowly started to turn the corner and now has two quality starts out of his last three trips to the hill. I think the Cy Young award winner continues his progression back to prominence and outduels his veteran counterpart. Great value on Houston this afternoon.

Good luck…Larry

The second 8* pick of my Superstar Triple Play is on the Boston Red Sox.

Two veteran hurlers go head to head in this one, but I think Rick Porcello is a little undervalued in this spot. The visitors hand the ball to Danny Salazar (4-2, 1.80 ERA) who gave up one run off five hits and one walk while striking out eight over 7.1 innings in a victory over Cincinnati on Tuesday. Salazar issued just one walk in the win, after surrendering six free passes in his previous outing. Porcello (6-2, 3.51) is coming off an outing to forget in which he gave up five runs off eight hits and two walks with three K’s over five frames in a loss to the Royals on Tuesday. The right-hander has been as solid as the Red Sox could have hoped for this year though as he had posted six consecutive quality starts previous to that. Porcello now has 49 K’s in 51.1 innings of work and is 4-0 with a 3.00 ERA in front of the home town crowd. Salazar’s high walk count won’t cut it against the hard-hitting Red Sox, Porcello is the play here. 

Good luck…Larry

The second 8* pick of my Superstar Triple Play is on the Tampa Bay Rays (4:10 EST). 

I think Drew Smyly and the visitors are worth the price of admission in this spot. Smyly (2-4, 3.44 ERA) gave up one run off four hits and four walks with six K’s over five frames in a victory over the Jays on Monday. Smyly now has 58 K’s in 49.2 innings of work and perhaps most impressively in his victory over Toronto is that he’d keep the ball in the yard, surrendering zero home runs to the Jays’ dangerous lineup (note that Smyly has been particularly sharp on the road this year as well, going 2-1 with a 2.88 ERA). The home side counters with Michael Fulmer (2-1, 6.52 ERA) was rocked for five runs off five hits and three walks while striking out six over 4.1 innings in a fortunate no-decision vs. the Orioles on Sunday (note that Fulmer owns an 8.31 ERA in “day” games this season). The Tigers’ are obviously pretty desperate for starting pitching right now, this is clearly a much bigger pitching mismatch than what the oddsmakers are leading us to believe. Play on Tampa Bay.

Good luck…Larry

The 8* pick of my Superstar Triple Play is on the Toronto Blue Jays (2:10 EST).

I think that JA Happ is worth the price of admission in this spot. Happ (5-1, 3.40 ERA) is coming off his worst start of the year, allowing eight runs off seven hits and a walk over just two innings in a setback to the Rays on Monday. I don’t think there’s any need to hit the panic button if you’re a Jays fan though, Happ had opened the season with seven consecutive quality starts. Happ’s numbers were bound to take a hit at some point after the blistering start, but note that he’s excelled in this spot all year, going 2-0 with a 1.91 ERA on the road and 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA in all “day” games. The home side counters with the inexperienced Pat Dean (0-1, 4.50) who made an appearance vs. the Tigers last Monday, giving up two runs over 5.1 innings of work. This is Dean’s first major league start and obviously he’s being thrown to the wolves in squaring off against Happ and the hard-hitting Jays. Lay the price.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on the Seattle Mariners (7:10 EST).

The Mariners have been winning big away from friendly confines this season, going 6-0-1 in road series and 15-7 overall. The M’s are slugging .268 with 5.3 runs per game and 34 dingers on the road, compared to a .218 average, 3.7 runs and 21 homers in front of the home town crowd. Slugger Robinson Cano has thrived on the road thus far, hitting .370 with nine home runs and 24 RBI, while batting just .213 with three longballs and 12 RBI in Seattle. The visitors hand the ball to Hisashi Iwakuma (1-4, 4.38 ERA), who despite posting a 3.38 ERA in five away outings, has just one win. Iwakuma has been the victim of poor run support, getting two runs or fewer in six of his eight starts this year. The home side counters with Dan Straily (2-1, 3.05) who has given up three runs or fewer in each of his last six starts and struck out six over five scoreless innings in Sunday’s 9-4 victory at Philadelphia (note though that Straily is 0-2 with a 6.20 ERA in five starts against the Mariners). Cincinnati has zero momentum whatsoever, Thursday’s 7-2 loss to Cleveland capped a four-game sweep at the hands of its interstate rivals, it would allow 43 runs and 24 walks in the pathetic effort. I think the hard-hitting Mariners take full advantage and all things considered, this is indeed a very fair price. Play on Seattle.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Situational Stunner is on the Philadelphia Phillies (7:05 EST).

I think Aaron Nola and the home side are worth the pirce of admission in this spot. The Braves hand the ball to Matt Wisler (1-3, 3.14 ERA) who gave up two runs off eight hits over 7.1 innings in a no-decision vs. the Royals on Sunday. Wisler has for the most part been as sharp as Atlanta could possibly hope for, but if he’s had one weakness it’s been his performance in all “night” games this season, going just 1-3 with a pedestrian 4.01 ERA. Nola (3-2, 2.89) gave up two runs (one earned) off five hits while striking out nine and walking only one in a victory over Cincinnati on Saturday. Nola would throw 71 of his 100 pitches for strikes, including 15 swing and misses (note that it’s the second time this year that he’s posted nine K’s). Unlike his counterpart, Nola has been sharp in all night contests this season, going 3-1 with a 2.73 ERA. As decent as Wisler has been of late, I’m giving Nola the nod in this matchup and that’s going to be more than enough tip the scales in favor of the home side tonight, lay the price.

Good luck…Larry

The second 5* pick of my Superstar Triple Play is on the Chicago White Sox (8:00 EST).

This is admittedly a large price to pay, but one well worth it in my opinion. Chris Sale is arguably the best pitcher on the planet right now, while Colin McHugh has struggled with consistency so far in 2016. When the smoke clears at the end of this one, I’m expecting another dominant peformance from the White Sox ace. Sale (8-0, 1.67 ERA) is off to one of the best starts in MLB history and he’ll be eager to help his team avoid a fifth straight loss. Most recently the southpaw struck out six with zero walks in a 7-1 win over the Yanks on Friday. Houston has won two straight after Wednesday’s 5-3 victory, but is primed for a letdown today in handing the ball to the volatile McHugh (4-3, 5.58), who has been all over the map as far as his game-to-game consistency is concerned, most recently he was shelled for four runs off ten hits and three walks over six innings in a 6-5 loss to the Red Sox on Saturday. And note that McHugh has been particularly horrible on the road this year, posting a brutal 8.74 ERA in three starts away from friendly confines. Lay the price with confidence.

Good luck…Larry

The first 8* pick of my Superstar Triple Play is on the St. Louis Cardinals (7:15 EST).

Michael Wacha (2-4, 3.23 ERA) has posted a 3.60 ERA over his last four outings, but his offense has supported him with just 1.80 runs per game in that span (after he received an average of 8.87 runs of support while going 2-0 with a 2.82 ERA over his first four). Wacha looks to bounce back off his worst outing of the season, giving up six runs over four innings of an 8-4 loss to the Dodgers on Friday. To be fair to Wacha though, it wasn’t entirely his fault as only two of the runs were earned, his team would commit four of its major league-leading 36 errors in the setback. Wacha is 1-1 with a 3.93 ERA in three starts against the Rockies, whose five-game win streak was snapped in yesterday’s 2-0 loss. The visitors counter with Jon Gray (1-1, 4.71) who earned his first victory in his 14th start on Friday, giving up two runs over seven innings of a 5-2 win over the Mets. Gray has been a bit over the map with his consistency this year, he’s posted a great 1.38 ERA on the road with a 7.47 ERA at home. I think we’ll start to see these lop-sided numbers correct themselves. Momentum is difficult to build and even harder to re-gain after losing it, I think Colorado is primed for another letdown tonight. I like Wacha at home (2.08 ERA in St. Louis) and expect the Cards’ bats to finally deliver with some support. Play on St. Louis.

Good luck…Larry

My 10* Situational Stunner is on the Toronto Blue Jays (7:05 EST). 

RA Dickey has arguably been the hottest pitcher in all the majors in the month of May and I think the crafty knuckle-baller will outduel his volatile counterpart. The visitors hand the ball to Jake Odorizzi (0-2, 3.83 ERA) who was shelled for five earned runs and a walk over four innings in a 6-3 loss to Oakland on Friday. Odorizzi gave up seven hits, including three home runs in the sub-par effort (note that he’s 0-1 with a ballooned 6.19 ERA on the road this year). The home side counters with the veteran Dickey (2-4, 4.31) who struggled a bit with consistency to start the season, but who comes in off his best outing of the campaign, going eight scoreless vs. the Rangers on Friday. Through his first three starts in May Dickey owns a tiny 1.27 ERA (and note that one of his wins came vs. the Rays in his first start of the season). I look for a focused and confident Dickey to once again go deep today and to find a way to get the job done once it’s all said and done, play on Toronto.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Weekly Wipeout Winner is on the Philadelphia Phillies (7:05 EST). 

The Fish send Wei-Yin Chen (3-1, 4.40 ERA) to the hill, he looks primed for a letdown after coming off his best start of the year, striking out 12 over 6.1 innings, allowing two runs off six hits and two walks in a 3-2 victory over the Brewers on Wednesday. The 12 K’s were obviously a surprise as Chen failed to even strike out a single batter in his previous outing, giving up four runs over five innings to these very Phillies. Chen simply isn’t a big strkeout guy and I’m expecting an immediate return to mediocrity tonight. The home side counters with Vince Velasquez (4-1, 2.70) who is coming off an outing to forget, giving up four runs off five hits over six innings vs. the Braves on Thursday. He actually held Atlanta scoreless through six innings before giving up all four runs in the seventh. Despite the “brain fart,” Velasquez has been sharp this year as evidenced by his rock solid 2.70 ERA, and 49:13 K:BB ratio in 43.1 innings (and note that Velasquez is 2-1 with a 0.93 ERA at home already this season). All things considered, I think we’re getting great value on Velasquez and the home side in this one, play on Philadelphia.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on the Toronto Blue Jays.

The visitors hand the ball to Drew Smyly (1-4, 3.63 ERA) who gave up ten hits and six earned runs over five innings in Tuesday’s 6-4 loss to Seattle, striking out five. Smyly has only been able to reach the fifth inning in each of his last two starts and the six runs he gave up were the most he’s served up all season. The home side counters with JA Happ (5-0, 2.05) who scattered six hits over 8.2 innings in a 4-0 win over the Giants on Tuesday. Happ has been particularly masterful of late, surrendering just a single earned run over his last 15.2 innings of work, while recording ten K’s with zero home runs in the process. Happ has also been dominant in Canada, going 2-0 with a tiny 1.91 ERA in front of the home town crowd thus far. In my opinion, Happ is throwing at an entirely different level than his inconsistent counterpart and all things considered, this is indeed a great price. Play on Toronto.

Good luck…Larry

The first 8* pick of my Superstar Triple Play is on the New York Mets (4:10 EST).

New York will be desperate to avoid the three-game sweep and has to be feeling pretty confident it can break the slide by sending Jacob deGrom (3-1, 2.12 ERA) to the hill, he most recently gave up two runs over seven innings in an unfortunate no-decision vs. the Dodgers on Tuesday. A date vs. the Rockies is just what the doctor ordered for DeGrom to continue the hot play, he faced them twice last season and scattered five hits while striking out 19 over 15 scoreless innings, both victories. This is the final game of a long road trip for the Mets and they’ll be eager to face Tyler Chatwood (4-3, 3.09) who has been a “Jekyll and Hyde” pitcher this year, posting a 0.33 ERA in four road starts, but a 7.88 ERA in three outings at Coors Field. In his most recent home start Chatwood was shelled for six runs over six innings in a 10-5 loss to Arizona. A focused Mets team backed by a hungry DeGrom = big time value in my opinion, play on New York.

Good luck…Larry

The second 10* pick of my Superstar Triple Play is on the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Arizona will be eager to avoid the four-game sweep today. The visitors hand the ball to Matt Cain (0-5, 6.69 ERA) who is actually 0-8 with a 6.72 ERA in 16 starts since last winning at San Diego back on July 22nd. Let’s not read too much into one decent outing, as Cain would complete at least seven innings in a 4-0 loss to Toronto on Tuesday, the first time he’d go into the seventh frame in 20 starts. The hungry home side hands the ball to Rubby De La Rosa (4-4, 3.93 ERA) who for a third time in his last four starts, allowed one or no runs over 7 1/3’s innings of a 5-1 win at Colorado on Tuesday. De La Rosa dominated the Giants as a starter in 2015, going 3-1 with a 3.16 ERA and not allowing a run over his last 16 1/3’s innings vs. them. All things considered, I think we’re getting great value in this matchup, play on the Diamondbacks.

Good luck…Larry

My 10* Weekend Wipeout Winner is on the Philadelphia Phillies.

Philadelphia is rolling, it’s won five of its last six and sends Aaron Nola (2-2, 3.13 ERA) to the hill, he schooled the Reds in his only meeting, giving up one run with eight K’s over seven innings in a 3-2 loss back on April 6th. So far Nola has dominated on the road and struggled at home, but he comes in with a ton of momentum, going 2-0 with a tiny 1.33 ERA over his last four outings. And that’s bad news for Cincinnati, which is batting .228 and averaging just three runs while dropping 11 of 13 on the road. The visitors counter with Tim Adleman, who gave up one run and four hits over five innings in his team’s 5-1 win over Milwaukee on Friday. Philadelphia hasn’t been lighting up the scoreboard either, but it’s doing the little things and finding ways to win at the end of the day. I think the book is still out on Adleman and give the big nod to Nola in this matchup, play on the Phillies.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Situational Stunner is on the Tampa Bay Rays (6:10 EST). 

Tampa Bay has lost four straight, but has to be feeling confident today in sending Matt Andriese to the hill, he was impressive in his debut on Sunday, giving up one run off four hits over seven innings to beat the Angels 3-1. Andriese was just recently recalled, but will have another opportunity to prove himself and help his team stop its slide. A date vs. the volatile Kendall Graveman (1-4, 5.74 ERA) is just what the doctor ordered to get back on track as he’s 0-3 with an obscene 10.54 ERA over his last three outings. Graveman was most recently shelled for six runs over just 2 2/3’s innings in an 11-3 setback at Baltimore on Sunday. The Orioles hit four home runs off him, the most he’s ever given up in his career in a single start. Clearly something is wrong with Graveman right now. The A’s snapped a five-game slide with yesterday’s 6-3 series opening victory, but I’m not reading too much into that result, as note that they had been outscored 51-18 over their previous four, allowing at least 11 runs in four straight for the first time in franchise history. I think Andriese and the Rays offer great value in this particular match-up.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Daytime Dominator is on the Chicago White Sox (1:05 EST). 

I had Chris Sale and the White Sox in yesterday’s 7-1 series opening victory and I think Chicago will find a way to get the job done again on Saturday. The visitors send Jose Quintana (5-1, 1.38 ERA) to the hill, he’s won his last four starts behind a minuscule 0.64 ERA to go along with 24 K’s in 28 innings during that stretch of time. Quintana most recently held the Twins to one run over seven innings in his team’s 3-1 win on Sunday, marking his 11th quality start in 12 outings. The home side counters with Ivan Nova (1-1, 4.34) who gets the start in place of the injured CC Sabathia. Nova made his first start on Monday, going 4 2/3’s innings and giving up one run vs. Kansas City. Nova has had success against the White Sox in the past, but this is a spot which favors Quintana. The Yanks had a hell of a time with Sale the southpaw on Friday and it won’t get any easier today in facing the crafty left-hander Quintana. All things considered, I think we’re getting pretty good value on the visitors in this matchup, play on the White Sox.

Good luck…Larry

The first 8* pick of my Superstar Triple Play in on the Chicago White Sox (7:05 EST). 

Chris Sale (7-0, 1.79 ERA) gets the call for the visitors, he’s gone at least seven frames in six of his seven starts with 47 strikeouts to only 29 hits allowed over 50 1/3’s innings of work. Sale has given up just three home runs and is one of nine pitchers with a sub-2.00 ERA with opposing batters hitting only .165 against him. Sale allowed two runs in the first inning vs. the Twins on Saturday, but settled down after that to allow three hits over seven frames in the eventual 7-2 victory. And that’s bad news for the Yanks, as Sale has gone 3-1 with a tiny 1.31 ERA in six outings with 50 K’s in 41 1/3’s innings lifetime against them. The home side counters with Luis Severino (0-5, 6.12 ERA)  who was shelled for four runs over six innings in a 5-1 loss to Boston on Sunday. Severino has shown flashes of brillianace at times this year, but clearly he’s not on the same level as Sale (who is?!). Chicago hasn’t fared particularly well in the Bronx over the last few seasons, but that was then and this is now. Everything points to Sale continuing his hot start to the season. Lay the price.

Good luck…Larry

The second 8* pick of my Superstar Triple Play is on the Baltimore Orioles (7:05 EST).

The visitors send the volatile Justin Verlander (2-3, 5.40 ERA) to the hill, he’s coming off his best start of the season, allowing three hits and striking out nine over seven scoreless in an unfortunate no-decision vs. Texas on Sunday. Previous to that though the veteran had allowed at least three runs in five of his first six starts, getting shelled for seven runs off Cleveland in his last outing. Unfortuantely for Verlander, a date vs. the Orioles is not what the doctor ordered to get back on track, he’s 2-3 with a ballooned 6.20 ERA in seven starts lifetime vs. them. The last time Verlander faced Baltimore, he was rocked for seven runs over 3 2/3’s innings on July 19th. The O’s come in with a ton of momentum as well, taking the series opener 7-5 and sending Detroit to its ninth loss in its last ten games. Baltimore has won five straight by outscoring its opposition 37-15, slugger Chris Davis is nine for 14 with five extra-base hits and six RBI in his last three games. The home side sends Chris Tillman (4-1, 3.05 ERA) to the hill, he’s posted a tiny 1.80 ERA over his last three starts, most recently giving up three runs over 6 1/3’s innings in an 11-3 win over the A’s on Sunday. Tillman has dominated the Tigers throughout his career, winning four straight starts and posting a minuscule 1.27 ERA over the last three. Why are Verlander and the Tigers getting so much respect here? This line is way off, play on Baltimore.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Situational Stunner is on the Philadelphia Phillies (7:10 EST). 

I think the talent discrepancy on the mound in this one is a lot larger than what the oddsmakers are leading us to believe. The visitors hand the vall to Vince Velasquez (4-1, 2.17 ERA) who looks to bounce back off his first poor start of the season, giving up four runs off seven hits over six innings vs. the Marlins on Friday, striking out five and walking one. Velasquez though gave up all of the runs in the first two innigns, before then settling down to retire ten straight. Velasequez owns a great 44:11 K:BB ration in 37.1 innings this season. The home side counters with rookie Aaron Blair (0-2, 3.31 ERA) who gave up three runs off five hits with four walks over five innings in a 7-2 loss to the Diamondbacks on Friday. Control issues have been Blair’s biggest problem so far this year, note that he’s 0-2 with a 4.35 ERA at home this season. These are a couple of the weakest offenses in the league, but clearly Velasquez has the upper hand in this matchup. Great price on Philadelphia.

Good luck…Larry

The second 8* pick of my Superstar Triple Play is on the Seattle Mariners (3:40 EST).

The visitors send Chris Archer (2-4, 4.23 ERA) to the hill, he’s coming off his best start of the season, going six scoreless in a 5-2 win over the Angels on Friday. Archer though has been consistently inconsistent this season and I’m not convinced that he’s fully turned the corner yet (note that he’s a poor 1-2 with a ballooned 7.04 ERA on the road this season). The home side turns to Taijuan Walker (2-2, 1.97) who returns to the rotation after being pulled from his last start with a neck spasm. Walker has been cleared to go and owns a 2.25 ERA in front of the home town crowd. Seattle has been hitting the cover off the ball of late and I think that momentum gets carried over here, play on the Mariners.

Good luck…Larry

The first 8* pick of my Superstar Triple Play is on the Colorado Rockies (3:10 EST).

The visitors turn to Robbie Ray (1-2, 4.70 ERA) who gave up two runs off six hits over 5.1 innings vs. the Fish on Thursday. It was Ray’s best start of the entire season, so don’t read too much into his performance. Previous to that he’d allowed ten runs over seven innings spanning two starts. Ray’s inconsistency continues to hurt him, note that he’s 0-0 with a 15.00 ERA in day games this season. The home side counters with Chad Bettis (3-2, 4.40) who is coming off his first “clunker” of the year, allowing five runs off eight hits with two walks over six innings in a loss to the Giants on Friday. No need to hit the panic button if you’re a Bettis fan though, he had tossed a quality start in four of his previous five outings heading into that one (note that Bettis is already 3-0 with a tiny 2.52 ERA in all day games this season). I’m giving Bettis the big nod in this matchup, great value on the home side today. Play on Colorado.

Good luck…Larry

My 10* Weekly Wipeout Winner is on the New York Mets (10:10 EST). 

Mets’ starter Jacob deGrom is coming off a crummy outing, but I think he’ll bounce back in fine form today and outduel his struggling counterpart. DeGrom (3-1, 1.99 ERA) gave up three runs off eight hits over five innings in a 5-3 loss at San Diego on Thursday, surrendering his first home run of the season. DeGrom though has had plenty of success against the Dodgers in the past, including in last year’s NL division series, where he’d give up a combined two runs and 11 hits over 13 innings while walking four and striking out 20 over two victories. In all DeGrom is 2-2 with a 2.76 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in five career outings vs. LA. The home side counters with Alex Wood (1-3, 5.18 ERA) who was shelled for five runs off six hits over five innings in an 8-5 loss at Tampa Bay on Wednesday. Unfortunately for Wood, a date vs. the Mets is not what the doctor ordered to get untracked as he’s 0-3 with a ballooned 5.01 ERA in eight starts vs. them. This is a major mismatch, I like DeGrom to go deep and for the visitors to find a way to get the job done at the end of the night. Play on the Mets.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Situational Stunner is on the Baltimore Orioles.

Minnesota has lost nine of ten and sends rookie Jose Berrios (1-1, 6.75 ERA) to the hill. Berrios looked great in a win over Dallas Keuchel in his second major league start, allowing a pair of solo home runs, but just three hits over 5 1/3’s innings in the 6-2 victory. Berrios though was rocked in his first outing. Clearly the book is still out on the 21 year old prospect. Minnesota enters this one on a five-game losing streak behind a poor .207 average. The Twins posted just six runs and struck out 35 times in three losses to open the year at Baltimore, which comes in off an 11-3 spanking of the A’s on Sunday. Slugger Manny Machado had a grand slam and a two-run shot and he’s now hitting .400 with three dingers and 11 RBI over his last ten games (also note that Machado owns a .410 average with two homers in nine games at Target Field). The visitors counter with Kevin Gausman (0-1, 1.42) who scattered three hits over eight innings without issuing a walke while striking out four in his team’s 1-0, 10-inning victory over the Yankees on Thursday. Gausman has been sharp this year, giving up ten hits over 19 innings with three walks and 14 K’s spanning three starts. All things considered, I think we’re getting a fantastic price in this matchup, play on the Orioles.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on the Atlanta Braves.

Philadelphia has a better record than Atlanta, but the teams aren’t seperated by much in terms of offensive production. Atlanta will clearly be looking to get off the schneid and break its ten game losing slide in front of the home town crowd. The Braves are off to their worst 30-game start since at least the turn of the 19th century. The Phillies have a .227 batting average, while Atlanta clocks in at .226. How could Philadelphia not come into this one a tiny bit contented, it would plate four runs for the first time in 13 games on Sunday, posting two in the eighth to beat the Marlins 6-5, improving its record to 11-3 in one-run games, after going a conference worst 16-27 in such situations a year ago. Atlanta on the other hand is desperate, it would most recently fall 5-3 in 11 innings to Arizona on Sunday. The Braves have to be feeling pretty good about their chances today in sending Matt Wisler (1-2, 3.24 ERA) to the hill, who scattered a single hit over eight innings in Tuesday’s 3-0 victory over the Mets. Wisler’s .175 opponent batting average is sixth-best in the majors. And note that Wisler has been especially dominant in this spot as well, he improved to 4-0 with a 2.52 ERA in five career starts on at least six days’ rest, which he’ll also be coming into with in tonight’s contest. The visitors counter with Adam Morgan (0-0, 6.00 ERA) who gave up three runs and six hits over four innings in Wednesday’s 5-2 loss at St. Louis. Morgan faced the Braves three times as a rookie in 2015 and lost all three outings behind a pedestrian 4.00 ERA. I think the stars have finally aligned for Atlanta, play on the Braves.

Good luck…Larry

The third 8* pick of my Superstar Triple Play is on the Seattle Mariners (10:10 EST). 

I got down on this game early and got (-155) and as of writing this analysis, the line has already started to climb. Whatever it settles at, I love this pick as I expect The King Felix Hernandez to bounce back from a tough start and to outduel his struggling counteraprt. The visitors hand the ball to Matt Moore (1-3, 4.95 ERA) who was shelled for seven runs off eight hits and three walks while striking out a season-low two over 4.1 innings in a loss to the Dodgers on Tuesday. Moore has gotten progressively worse as the season has worn on and has now dropped three straight decisions. Hernandez (2-2, 2.21 ERA) was rocked for eight runs off nine hits over four innings in a fortunate no-decision vs. Oakland on Wednesday. Hernandez though had been solid up to that point, striking out 16 batters over his first two starts to the season. I think he bounces back tonight. The Mariners have been tearing the cover off the ball of late and are well worth the price in this spot. Play on Seattle.

Good luck…Larry

The second 8* pick of my Superstar Triple Play is on the Cleveland Indians (8:10 EST).

I think the talent discrepancy on the mound today is a lot bigger than what the oddsmakers are leading us to believe. I got down on this play early (have -127) and as of writing this analysis, the line has already started to climb. Regardless, I love this pick, as I expect Corey Kluber to outduel his struggling counterpart today. Kluber (2-3, 3.35 ERA) has gotten progressively better as the season has worn on, most recently he tossed a complete game shutout vs. the Tigers on Wednesday, scattering five hits with two walks while striking out seven. The big right-hander generated 16 outs via the ground ball, including a pair of double plays. Kluber is on track for a big season and owns a spectacular 42:7 K:BB ratio through his first six starts. The home side counters with the volatile Mike Fiers (2-1, 5.35) who gave up four runs off nine hits and a walk over 4.2 innings in his last outing. Fiers is a confirmed “gas can,” he’s given up 43 hits so far, including eight homers over 33.2 innings of work. Kluber goes deep, Fiers gets chased, lay the price.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on the Boston Red Sox (8:05 EST). 

Boston hasn’t been swept in the Bronx in four season’s and I’m banking on that strong trend continuing today as I expect Steven Wright and the Red Sox to salvage the finale and get the better of the Yanks and Luis Severino. New York took the first game 3-2 and yesterday’s contest 8-2, the first time it’s won back-to-back games since early April. Boston had won nine of 11, including a three-game sweep of the Yankees at Fenway just last week before heading to the Big Apple. Wright (2-3, 1.67 ERA) is tied with Roger Clemens as the only other Red Sox pitcher in the last 100 years to allow two runs or less and six or fewer hits in eight straight starts. Wright is 1-1 with a tiny 0.69 ERA in two career starts against New York and posted a 2-1 win at Yankee Stadium in his only one last year on August 5th. Severino (0-4, 6.31 ERA) has lost six straight starts dating to October. Most recently he would give up four runs over six innings in a 4-1 setback to the Orioles on Tuesday. I like Wright to “right” the ship for Boston and all things considered, definitely feel we’re getting great value in this matchup.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Situational Stunner is on the Atlanta Braves (7:10 EST). 

The Diamondbacks took the opener of this series 7-2 last night (I had Arizona in that one), but with what I feel to be the superior starter backing it today, I think the home side finds a way to get the job done this evening. The visitors hand the ball to Shelby Miller (0-3, 8.49 ERA) who owns the second-worst ERA for pitchers who have logged more than 21 innings. So far Miller has failed to last four innings in three of his last four starts. The home side counters with Julio Teheran (0-3, 3.72 ERA) who is coming off consecutive strong outings, scattering eight hits and giving up one run over 14 innings while walking four and striking out 17. Miller has had success against his former team and Teheran has domianted the Diamondbacks throughout his career as well. Recent performance is sometimes the best barometer we have to properly judge starting pitching and in this case, these two hurlers couldn’t be more polar opposite. All things considered, I think we’re getting great value on the Braves in this matchup.

Good luck…Larry

My 10* Weekend Wipeout Winner is on the Houston Astros (7:10 EST). 

Dallas Keuchel (2-4, 5.11 ERA) had won 17 in a row at home before getting shelled for five runs, seven hits and five walks over a season-low 4 1/3’s innings in a 6-2 loss to the Twins on Monday. Note that he’d posted a tiny 1.47 ERA over his previous 22 regular-season home starts. His club is finally showing some life at the plate though, it’s coming off its fourth win in its last five games following Friday’s 6-3 victory. The Astros are now averaging 7.8 runs and hitting .382 with runners in scoring position over their last four, Jose Altuve had led the charge by going 7 for 9 over his previous two games, before being held hitless yesterday. The visitors counter with Nathan Karns (3-1, 3.81 ERA) who comes into this one having won three straight decisions, most recently he held the A’s to three runs over six innings in a 4-3 road victory on Monday. I don’t think Keuchel is as bad as he’s shown of late and I don’t think that Karns is as good as his recent little surge would indicate. The value is on the suddenly hot hitting home side today, lay the price.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Daytime Dominator is on the Boston Red Sox (1:05 EST).

The visitors turn to David Price 4-0 (6.14 ERA) who earned a win over the Yankess on Sunday despite allowing six runs off eight hits and a walk over seven innings while striking out three. His ERA leaves something to be desired, but the final stat that ultimately matters are the wins and losses and that’s one area which he remains perfect in this year. I think Price returns to form, he’s been a bit sloppy at times, but note that he was 11-2 with a 2.05 ERA on the road last season and 6-0 with a 2.04 ERA in all day games. The home side counters with Nathan Eovaldi (1-2, 5.46) who was shelled for six runs off ten hits and three walks over five innings, lucky to earn a no decision in his last start. Eovaldi has now allowed at least three runs in four of his five starts. For this selection I’m going to concentrate on the starting pitching and while neither hurler instills much confidence right now, Price is clearly on the cusp of turning the corner while Eovaldi has more questions than answers. All things considered, I think this is a very fair price on the Red Sox.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The visitors send Zack Greinke (2-2, 5.50 ERA) to the hill, who has obviously not gotten out to the start he’d hoped for for his new team, most recently he’d give up two runs and eight hits over seven innings in a 5-2 home loss to Colorado on Saturday. A date vs. the punchless Braves is just what the doctor ordered to continue his climb back to prominence though, note that Greinke is 1-1 with 2.53 ERA in five starts against Atlanta. The struggling home side sends Aaron Blair to the mound to make his third career start. Blair (0-1, 3.18) got shelled in his first outing, but looked decent in Friday’s 6-1 loss at the Cubs, giving up one run off two hits over six innings. Atlanta has managed just two runs in Blair’s 11 1/3’s innings of work and has scored just nine runs over a 2-3 slide, batting .198 in that span. Two struggling teams send a couple of suspect starters to the mound, but I think Greinke is the smart move here. The veteran has slowly started to turn things around and this is the perfect opponent to get untracked against. Lay the price.

Good luck…Larry

My 10* Oddsmaker’s Error is on the Philadelphia Phillies (7:10 EST). 

The Phillies enter this game sitting at 16-13, a six-game improvement from their 2015 start and send Vince Velasquez (4-1, 1.44 ERA) to the hill. Velasquez has posted three scoreless outings in his first five starts, including on Sunday when he scattered two hits and four walks over six innings to beat Cleveland 2-1. Note that his .164 opponent batting average ranks second in the National League behind just Jake Arrieta. Miami is 15-12 and three games over .500 for the first time since 2014. The Fish have won ten of their last 11 after yesterday’s 4-0 win over the Diamondbacks. The home side counters with Wei-Yin Chen (2-1, 4.26), who had a disastrous opening start for his team, but who has recovered to post a 3.38 ERA over his last four. Most recently Chen gave up three runs over 6 2/3’s innings of a 7-5 win at Milwaukee on Saturday. The Marlins have the advantage at the plate, but Philadelphia has what I feel to be a much bigger advantage on the mound than what the oddsmakers are trying to lead us to believe. The value is on the visitors, play on the Phillies.

Good luck…Larry 

My 10* American League GAME OF THE MONTH is the Boston Red Sox (7:05 EST). 

Boston pitcher Rick Porcello is looking to become the first on the club to win his first six starts in three years and to help his AL East leading team to a 10th victory in its last 12 games. Slugger David Ortiz leads an offense which is averaging 5.8 runs and hitting .298 over its last 11 games. Ortiz has been particularly potent of late, batting .381 with three home runs, four doubles and ten RBI over his last 11 contests. Big Papi was 5 for 11 in a three-game sweep over the Yanks last weekend and is 9 for 19 with five RBI over a six-game hitting streak against New York. Porcello (5-0, 2.76 ERA) comes into this one on a 13 1/3’s scoreless innings streak after allowing five hits and striking out six over seven innings in a victory over the Red Sox on Saturday. Porcello is now 5-2 with a 2.44 ERA in his last nine starts against the Yankess dating back to his time with the Tigers. And that’s bad news for a New York team mired in a hitting slump, it’s now scored two runs or less six times while dropping seven ot its last eight. The home side counters with Michael Pineda (1-3, 6.33 ERA) who dropped his third straight decision on Saturday, allowing two runs off five hits with three walks over five innings throwing opposite Porcello. Pineda has enjoyed success against the Red Sox in the past, but he’ll have to be wary of not only Ortiz, but also Jackie Bradley Jr, who is batting .350 with ten RBI over an 11-game hitting streak. I think Porcello and the Red Sox offer great value in this spot, play on Boston.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Situational Stunner is on the Toronto Blue Jays (7:05 EST). 

The visitors hand the ball to Derek Holland (3-1, 2.48 ERA) who has three quality outings in five starts after going six scoreless to beat the Angels 7-2 on Saturday. Unfortunately for Holland though, he’s struggled against the hard-hitting Jays, posting a pedestrian 5.44 ERA in seven career starts vs. them. The home side counters with JA Happ (3-0, 2.76 ERA) who went 6 2/3’s innings vs. Tampa Bay on Saturday, receiving a no-decision for his effort. Happ is now 11-3 with a 3.20 ERA over his last 21 starts and is 2-1 with a 1.83 ERA in his previous three starts vs. the Rangers. And that’s bad news for Texas, which is now 5-8 on the road this season and which has lost six of its last seven away from friendly confines. Happ is the superior starter in this matchup and the scales definitely tip in his favor with the home field advantage. I like Toronto to find a way to get the job done at the end of the night, lay the price.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on the San Diego Padres (3:40 EST). 

The visitors hand the ball to Tyler Chatwood (3-2, 2.73 ERA) who is coming off his best start of the season, giving up zero runs off five hits and three walks while stirking out four over 6.1 innings in a victory over Arizona on Friday. Colorado though has dropped nine of its last 13, it would sweep Arizona to open its ten-game trip, but is now in danger of being swept in San Diego. Keep your eyes’ on Padres slugger Matt Kemp, who is  4 for 11 with a home run in this matchup dating to his time playing with the Dodgers. Kemp was 2 for 4 with a home run yesterday, while Wil Myers had two hits and two RBI. Both players have been on fire of late, Kemp is hitting .390 with three home runs and nine RBI over his last ten games, while Myers is batting .379 over his last 16. The home side counters with Cesar Vargas (0-0, 0.87 ERA) who is well on his way to earning a permanent spot in the rotation, he would allow one run over five innings in an 11-2 loss to the Cards on April 23rd, before scattering four hits over 5 1/3’s scoreless innings in Friday’s 5-1 victory at Dodger Stadium. And that’s bad news for a struggling Colorado line-up which has posted just four runs in the first two games of this series. I think Vargas can hang with Chatwood into the latter frames, so I’m going to call the pitchers a “wash” today. The difference is clearly at the plate, this is a great price for the home side. Play on San Diego.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Daytime Dominator is on the Seattle Mariners (3:35 EST). 

I think the talent discrepancy on the mound is a lot larger than what the oddsmakers are leading us to believe and look for “King Felix” and the visitors to find a way to get the job done at the end of the night. The Mariners hand the ball to Felix Hernandez (2-2, 1.38 ERA) who gave up zero runs off five hits and three walks while stirking out four over seven innings to earn a win vs. Kansas City on Friday. The M’s veteran has now allowed one earned run or fewer in four of his first five starts and is well on his way to becoming another strong Cy Young candidate. The A’s counter with Sean Manaea (0-0, 7.20) who was shelled for four runs in five innings while striking out three in his major league debut on Friday vs. the Astros. Manaea also walked four and will remain in the rotation as Oakland is hurting for starters right now. This is a mismatch of epic proportions, all signs point to a wire-to-wire lop-sided destruction, play on the Mariners.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Situational Stunner is on the Chicago White Sox (8:10 EST).

The White Sox return hom after a 5-2 road trip which was capped with a 7-1 victory over Baltimore on Sunday. Brett Lawrie was 3 for 3, hitting a home run for a third-straight game and finishing 6 of 14 in the four-game series. The Red Sox have been surging, they’re coming off an 8-7 home win over the Yankees on Sunday night, but I think will have a letdown in the opener of this series. The visitors hand the ball to Steven Wright (2-2, 1.37 ERA), he most recently struck out a season-high eight over seven innings in his team’s 9-4 win at Atlanta on Wednesday. Jose Quintana (3-1, 1.47 ERA) will be just the third southpaw that Boston has faced this season, which is a huge advantage for the home side in this matchup. Quintana struck out ten over six innings in a 4-1 win at Toronto on Wednesday and is 2-0 with a 2.14 ERA in five starts vs. the Red Sox, limiting Boston slugger Ortiz to two hits in 12 at-bats. Note that the visitors have an AL-worst .204 average vs. lefties. Chicago took four of seven from Boston last year and I think there are enough factors working in its favor tonight to pull the trigger. Lay the price.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Weekly Wipeout Winner is on the Baltimore Orioles (7:05 EST).

The Yanks are tanking right now, they’ve lost five in a row and five straight to the Orioles. Baltimore is coming off a second straight loss, a setback which cost it first place in the East. The Orioles managed a split with the White Sox over the weekend, scoring 23 runs in the first three, before scoring just one vs. Chris Sale in Sunday’s 7-1 setback. New York though has been a disaster of late, it did bust out with its highest run total in 18 games in an 8-7 setback to the Red Sox on Sunday, but had scored just five runs over its previous four games. The home side sends Chris Tillman (2-1, 3.24 ERA) the hill, he’s given up two runs over 12 2/3’s innings to go along with 13 K’s over his last two starts. A date in Baltimore vs. New York is just what the doctor ordred for Tillman to keep the momentum rolling as he’s 3-1 with a 2.79 ERA in his last six home starts in this series. The visitors counter with Luis Severino (0-3, 6.86 ERA) who is coming off a 10-1 loss at Texas on Tuesday, getting shelled for six runs over three innings. A ticket back to the minors is now likely in the cards for Severino. I think Tillman and the Orioles are worth the price of admission in this spot.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on the Pittsburgh Pirates (7:05 EST). 

The last time Chicago was in PIttsburgh, it was celebrating a victory in the 2015 Wild Card Game. It was Gerrit Cole (2-2, 2.78 ERA) who faced the Cubs in that one and he was throwing opposite Jake Arrieta. Cole was 2-1 with a 2.13 ERA in four 2015 regular-season starts against the Cubs, allowing no home runs over 25 1/3’s innings, before giving up two long-balls in the Wild Card Game. Cole is 7-1 with a 2.88 ERA in nine regular-season starts vs. Chicago and is coming off a 9-4 win at Colorado on Tuesday, giving up four runs (two earned) over six innings of work. The visitors counter with the suprising Jason Hammel (3-0, 0.75 ERA) who owns the best ERA in the National League, most recently he’d strike out seven over six innings in a 9-0 rout of the Reds on April 24th. It’s been a great little run for Hammels, but I think the veteran comes back down to Earth today, note that he was 1-2 with a pedestrian 4.35 ERA in four 2015 starts vs. the Bucs. One other player to keep your eyes on today is Pirates’ slugger Andrew McCutchen, who is a .300 hiter in 30 at-bats in this matchup. Fancisco Cervelli is 5 for 10 off Hammel as well and he’s expected to be back in the lineup after he sat out of Sunday’s 6-5, 11-inning loss to Cincinnati, which snapped Pittsburgh’s six-game win streak. Chicago has yet to lose two in a row this year, but there’s no question that this sets up as a letdown spot for the club after falling 4-3 in ten innings at home to the lowly Braves last night. I like Cole to outduel his counterpart and think Hammel’s ERA will rise dramatically once it’s all said and done. Play on the Pirates.

Good luck…Larry

My 10* Weekend Wipeout Winner is on the Boston Red Sox (8:05 EST). 

The visitors hand the ball to Nathan Eovaldi (1-2, 4.38 ERA) who is coming off his best start of the season, going seven shutout innings in a victory over the Rangers on Monday, ultimately allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out six batters. After allowing four home runs over his first three starts, Eovaldi would give up zero for the first time. Eovaldi has a ton of potential, but has struggled with consistency throughout his career (note that he posted a pedestrian 5.21 ERA on the road last year). The home side counters with ace David Price (3-0, 5.76 ERA) who gave up two runs off six hits and two walks while striking out 14 over eight innings in a victory over Atlanta on Tuesday. Eight of of Price’s final nine outs were recorded via the strikeout. Price bounced back fine after getting rocked for eight runs over 3.2 innings vs. Tampa in his previous outing. All starters have a brutal performance like the one Price had at some point in the season, the most imporatnt thing is how they perform in their next start. Clearly there’s no need to panic if you’re a fan of the big southpaw. Price is the more consistent pitcher and I think he’s worth the price of admission in this spot, lay the price.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Situational Stunner is on the Chicago White Sox (1:35 EST).

I think this is a great price for the best pitcher on the planet. Chris Sale (5-0, 1.66 ERA) gets the call for the visitors, he’d most recently dominate the Blue Jays, giving up one run off four hits with two walks and six K’s spanning eight innings in his team’s 10-1 victory on Sunday. Sale has been unstoppable to this point and is a clear early front-runner for Cy Young Award. The home side counters with Ubaldo Jimenez (1-2, 3.91), who gave up three runs off six hits with six K’s and three walks in a losing effort vs. Tampa Bay on Tuesday. Jimenez had a decent opener vs. the anemic Twins but has struggled ever since, he’s walked 13 batters over 16 innings and his 3.91 ERA through his first four starts is now primed to catch up to his pedestrian 1.57 WHIP. Sale is in a league of his own and if I can get him at this price, I’d take him against any opponent and whether he was on the road or at home. Great value, play on the White Sox.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on the Boston Red Sox (7:10 EST).

Last year, Michael Pineda would have been the slight road favorite in this matchup, but that was then and this is now. I think Rick Porcello offers great value in this spot and look for the home side to give him just enough support to secure the victory at the end of the afternoon. Pineda (1-2, 6.95 ERA) was shelled for seven runs off ten hits in in a loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday. The hard-throwing right hander would serve up four home runs among those ten hits. The home side counters with Porcello (4-0, 3.51) who shut out the Braves over 6.1 innings on Monday, scattering four hits while walking two and striking out six. Porcello’s WHIP is now a tiny 0.94 on the year. Recent performance is always a good indicator when judging starting pitching and in this case, the scales are clearly swinging in favor of the home side, play on the Red Sox.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Daytime Dominator is on the Detroit Tigers (2:10 EST). 

No matter who the opponent is, or whether he’s pitching at home or on the road, if you can get what is arguably the best pitcher in all of baseball at this price, you have to take advantage. The oddsmakers seem slow in recognizing just how big the talent discrepancy is in this matchup. Jordan Zimmermann (4-0, 0.35 ERA) gets the call for the visitors, most recently he gave up three runs (one earned) over 6.2 winnings vs. the A’s on Monday. After striking out eight in his previous outing, Zimmermann had just one vs. Oakland, however he also issued just a single walk. The home side counters with Tyler Duffey (0-0, 2.25 ERA), who was recalled from Triple A-Rochester last week and was pulled from from his start on Sunday in the fifth inning after taking a come-backer off his shoulder vs. the Nationals. Clearly there are more questions than answers surrounding Duffey at the moment, while Zimmermann continues to dominate for his new team. I think these trends continue on Saturday afternoon, play on the Tigers.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Weekly Wipeout Winner is the Seattle Mariners (10:10 EST). 

Seattle sends ace Felix Hernandez (1-2, 1.80 ERA) to the hill, who allowed three runs over seven innings in a 4-2 defeat to the Angels on Saturday. Hernandez had his original start pushed back a day because of the flu and he was still dealing with the effects from that: “I think we know what to expect out of Felix, even coming back from being sick," M’s manager Scott Servais assessed afterwards. "He looked good. You could tell when he walked in here today that he was ready to go and ready to compete and give us a great effort, which he did." The Mariners have won six of their last nine and look primed to keep the momentum rolling behind the red-hot hitting of slugger Robinson Cano, whose eight home runs have matched his career high for April and his 24 RBI’s are the most in that month. And that’s bad news for the Royals, who were outscored 19-7 in a three-game sweep at the Angels this week, they had ten hits on Wednesday but went 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position in the 4-2 setback. It was KC’s fifth straight setback away from friendly confines. The visitors counter with Kris Medlen (1-1, 6.00) who comes in to this one off the worst performance of his career, giving up seven runs in 3 2/3’s innigns in an 8-3 loss in Baltimore on Saturday. No need to overanalyze this matchup too much, clearly Hernandez is the better pitcher and his team has been hitting the ball well lately. After the Royals took two of three at Safeco last year, look for the home side to respond in the series opener. Play on Seattle.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Situational Stunner is on the Chicago White Sox.

The White Sox are coming off a rare loss, while the Orioles come in off a rare victory. I look for everything to return to normal in Game 2 of this series and think we’re getting pretty good value on what I feel to be the superior starter. Baltimore exploded for a 10-2 win yesterday, snapping Chicago’s six-game win streak. The White Sox are still a potent 10-4 on the road this season though. Veteran John Danks was blasted for 15 hits, but note that Chicago had allowed only 14 runs in its previous nine games. The visitors hand the ball to Carlos Rodon (1-2, 4.05 ERA), who held Texas to two runs and two hits over 6 2/3’s innings of a 4-3 win last Saturday, his third quality start of the season, with only one dud thus far. The home side counters with Mike Wright (1-2, 6.23 ERA) who was shelled for five runs in a 6-1 loss to KC on Sunday. After a decent start to his big league career, Wright has been a major disappointment, he has been unable to hold an opponent to fewer than three runs while going 2-7 with a poor 8.46 ERA in his last ten (note that Wright has 1.68 WHIP, while allowing opponents to hit .319 with 12 home runs in that span). I’m banking on the southpaw Rodon to outduel his counterpart, play on the White Sox.

Good luck…Larry

My 10* Daytime Dominator is on the Detroit Tigers (1:10 EST). 

Oakland will likely rest a few starters today as it’s the conclusion to a ten-game road trip. Oakland sends Chris Bassitt (0-1, 4.44 ERA) to the hill, he was most recently shelled for six runs off nine hits over five innings in a loss to the Jays on Saturday. His ERA rose from 2.79 to the aforementioned 4.44 after the atrocious start. The home side sends veteran Anibal Sanchez (2-2, 7.00) to the mound, most recently he would get blasted for seven runs off nine hits over just 2.1 innings of work vs. Cleveland. Sanchez though catches a break here in facing what I think will be an A’s team looking ahead to its home-stretch. Neither starter has an advantage today, I’m going to call them a “wash.” I’ll point out though that Oakland is just 1-6 in Bassitt’s past seven road starts, while the Tigers are 8-1 in Sanchez’s last nine home starts and 4-0 in his last four home starts vs. a team with a winning record. I think the value is on the home side in this particular situation, play on Detroit.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on the St. Louis Cardinals (9:40 EST). 

The Cards have won three of four and will now look to help Adam Wainwright notch his first victory in over a year. Wainwright (0-3, 7.25 ERA) missed most of last season with a torn Achilles before throwing out of the bullpen in the NLDS. So far he’s given up 18 runs and 29 hits over 22 1/3’s innings while walking ten and striking out nine. He’s inching his way back into form though and I think he’ll break out finally tonight, note that he would allow just three runs over six innings in a 4-1 loss at San Diego on Friday: “They beat me and I'm getting tired of losing, I know that," Wainwright said after the setback to the Padres. "So I'm just going to keep grinding, keep working. But that start right there is miles ahead of my last start, so that is how I'm going to look at it." The Cards have won six of seven at Chase Field, including Tuesday’s 8-2 beatdown victory to open the series. Note that Wainwright is 6-3 with a 2.15 ERA in nine starts vs. the Diamondbacks. The home side counters with Patrick Corbin (1-2, 3.51 ERA) who will have to contend with a St. Louis line-up which has smashed out 52 hits and 34 runs while winning three of its last four. Corbin most recently was shelled for four runs off seven hits, including three homers, over six innings in an 8-7 loss to Pittsburgh on Friday. And unfortunately for Corbin, a date at home is not what the doctor ordered to get back on track as he’s posted a 5.54 ERA in two outings at Chase Field, compared to a 1.42 ERA in two on the road. I’m going to back the hot hitting visiting side and think Wainwright will outperform his counterpart to finally get off the schneid. Play on St. Louis.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Daytime Dominator is the San Francisco Giants (3:45 EST).

Analysis to be posted at least 3 hours before game time.

My 8* Situational Stunner is on the Pittsburgh Pirates (8:40 EST).

The Pirates are rolling, they’re looking for their fifth win in their last six games and are also seeking a franchise-best seventh straight road victory at Colorado. The visitors hand the ball to Gerrit Cole, who looked shaky in his season debut, but who bounced back in his second outing, falling to 0-2 despite giving up two runs over six innings in a 7-4 home loss to Detroit. Cole looked sharp in his third outing, he’d scatter four singles and strike out seven without walking a batter over six scoreless innings in his team’s 11-1 destruction of San Diego on Thursday. Pittsburgh has come alive at the plate, averaging 7.6 runs over its last five games and it’s hit .355 while outscoring Colorado 46-23 during a six-game win streak at Coors Field. Matt Joyce hit a three-run homer in Monday’s 6-1 victory in the opener of this four-game set. You’ll also want to keep your eys on Josh Harrison, who is batting .480 over his last six at Colorado. The home side sends Jorge De La Rosa (1-2, 9.87 ERA) to the hill, he had his original start pushed back a day because of the stomach flu. De La Rosa has now given up at least four runs in each of his last four starts after giving up four, along with six hits over just two innings of work in his team’s 4-3 loss at Cincinnati on Tuesday. This is a major mismatch, both on the mound at the plate. Lay the price.

Good luck…Larry

My 10* GAME OF THE WEEK is the Seattle Mariners.

Houston has lost four straight on the road, while Seattle returns home after a successful trip. So far the M’s have struggled to put runs on the board in front of the home town crowd, but they are now primed for a break-out in what I feel to be a big mismatch on the mound: “We've got into a little bit of a rhythm here," Mariners’ slugger Kyle Seager assessed last night. "I think (the play on the road) is more the brand of baseball we'll be playing going forward." Seattle has to be feeling pretty confident in sending Taijuan Walker (1-0, 1.50 ERA) to the hill, most recently he allowed an unearned run, three hits and struck out six over six innings of Wednesday’s 2-1 win at Cleveland. Walker is now 1-0 with a tiny 1.89 ERA in his last three starts at Safeco. He’s also 1-0 with a 3.24 ERA in three home starts vs. Houston. And that’s bad news for an Astros team which owns an AL-worst 6.57 ERA while going just 2-7 away from friendly confines this year. The visitors counter with Doug Fister (1-2, 5.94 ERA), who comes in off his best start of the year, allowing two runs over six innings in a 2-1 loss at Texas on Wednesday. Previous to that though, Fister had allowed nine runs over just 10 2/3’s innings of work. This is a monster mismatch on the hiil and I think the oddsmakers are slow in recognizing the talent discrepancy. Lay the price.

Good luck…Larry

My 10* Weekend Wipeout Winner is on the Boston Red Sox (8:05 EST).

I think we’re getting pretty good value on Henry Owens and the Boston Red Sox in this matchup. Boston looks to bounce back after yesterday’s 8-3 setback, a victory which snapped a four-game slide for the Astros. Note that Houston had posted an average of 2.7 runs in its ten previous contests while hitting .136 with runners in scoring position and a paltry .215 overall. Owens looks to put an immediate stop to the Astros offensive output, he’s a former top prospect and 2011 first-round draft pick. Owens returns to the bigs after posting a tiny 1.00 ERA with 23 K’s in 18 innings over three starts at Triple-A Pawtucket. The home side counters with Scott Feldman (0-2, 4.11 ERA) who has yet to win this year and who has been rocked by the Red Sox whenever he’s faced them, going 1-4 with a 9.37 ERA in seven career starts, including posting a ghastly 15.23 ERA in losing the last three. Keep your eyes on Boston slugger Dustin Pedroia, who is 7 for 15 with three extra-base hits in his last three games overall and who is 10 for 23 lifetime vs. Feldman. Also note that Boston is expected to welcome back slugger Xander Bogaerts, who sat out yesterday’s game with a right wrist injury. As mentioned off the top, I think we’re getting great value on the superior pitcher, play on Boston.

Good luck…Larry

My 8* Daytime Dominator is the Kansas City Royals (2:15 EST).

This is a mismatch. A big one. The visitors send Mike Wright (1-1, 5.73 ERA) to the mound and he’s coming off a poor start, allowing three runs off six hits and three walks while striking out four in a loss to the Blue Jays on Tuesday. Wright was 1-3 with a 6.00 ERA on the road last year and posted a pedestrian 4.72 ERA in all “day” games. The home side turns to Yordano Ventura (1-0, 2.81) who looked sharp in a win over the hard-hitting Tigers on Tuesday, giving up two runs off six hits and three walks to go along with five K’s over five innings. Ventura was particularly sharp at home last season, posting a tidy 3.84 ERA. With a chance to close this series with a win, I expect the Royals to full advantage of this favorable matchup. Play on Kansas City.

Good luck…Larry

My 10* Situational Stunner is on the Philadelphia Phillies (2:10 EST).

Recent performance is a good barometer to judge starting pitching and in this particular matchup, I don’t think there’s any comparison whatsoever. The visitors turn to Jerad Eickhoff (1-2, 1.89 ERA) who would give up two runs over seven innings, allowing five hits and walking three while striking out nine in an unfortunate setback to the Mets on Monday. Eickhoff has been taking names at the ballpark this year, surrendering just four earned runs in 19 innings spanning three starts. Note that last season the 25-year old posted a 2.65 ERA in eight starts and so far this year he’s been even more dominant. The Brewers counter with confirmed “gas can” Wily Peralta (0-3, 8.35) who gave up two runs off five hits and four walks while striking out just two over five innings, ultimately not figuring into the decision vs. the Twins on Tuesday. Peralta has yet to pitch more than five innings this year and his last outing was the first time that he’s allowed fewer than four earned runs this season. Note that he’s posted a deplorable 2.02 WHIP to go along with the atrocious 8.35 ERA thus far. This is a much bigger mismatch than what the oddsmakers are leading us to believe, I’m backing the hotter hurler. Play on Philadelphia.

Good luck…Larry