Will Rogers
Chicago vs. Colorado
Pick: Over 12
The set-up: The Colorado Rockies returned home to begin the final week before the All Star break off a 1-8 road trip. The hope was that four games against the last-place Reds (NL Central) and the last-place White Sox (AL Central), would help turn things around. However, the Rockies were only able to split their four-game series with the Reds and now get set to welcome the White Sox to Coors Field having lost 12 of their last 15 games, overall (Colorado now sits 8 1/2 games back of the LA Dodgers in the NL West). The White Sox come in off back-to-back losses and are just 18-29 away from home in 2017. However, Chicago has fared well in its previous visits to Coors Field, going 6-3 and twice scoring 15 runs, including a six-HR game back on April 8, 2014.
The pitching matchup: Derek Holland (5-8 & 4.52 ERA) will start for Chicago and German Marquez (5-4 & 4.41 ERA) for Colorado. Holland enters on a brutal stretch in which he owns a 7.91 ERA over his last seven starts (he's 1-5 and the team 1-6). Holland has served up 14 HRs over his past 10 starts after giving up just three in his first seven. This marks his first-ever start against Colorado. Marquez is a rookie (pitched 20 2/3 innings in 2016) but after picking up victories in four of his first seven starts in 2017, has won just one of his last six outings (Rockies are 3-3). Marquez is also making his first-ever start against the White Sox and comes into this contest 2-2 with a 4.85 ERA in five starts at Coors Field this season (Rockies are 3-2)..
The pick: I had thought a return to Coors against two last-place teams would be just what the doctor ordered for the Rockies. However, that hasn't been the case. That said, Holland's brutal stretch coming (7.91 ERA over his last seven starts) should spark an suddenly anemic Colorado lineup which has hit .226 as a team (including .216 with runners in scoring position) over its current 3-12 slide. As for Colorado shutting down the opposition, how could one bank on that? During the same 15-game stretch, Colorado pitchers own a 6.43 team ERA, 7.29 by its starters and a 5.17 by the bullpen.
CHASE DIAMOND
Atlanta vs. Washington
Pick: Washington -1.5
Big match-up between the 41-43 Braves and the 50-35 Nationals. Nationals send their ace Max Scherzer who is 10-5 with a 1.94 ERA he has 163 strike outs and just 26 Walks. Dickey will not be able to hold down the Nationals bats who look for revenge from last night's loss. Washington is 21-9 SU against the Braves in the last 30 meetings.
DOC'S SPORTS
Miami vs. San Francisco
Play: Miami -110
Dan Straily has been one of the most undervalued starters in the National League. He’s won four straight starts and seven of his past nine, and he’s still been posted as an underdog in nearly half of those plays. He has a sub-4.00 ERA and he has a 3-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The Marlins can hit. They are No. 6 in the Majors in team batting. But they don’t get enough decent pitching. Straily is one of the few reliable arms they have. San Francisco is starting to play better and has swept back-to-back series. But they still have one of the worst records in baseball and this team has a popgun offense. On top of that, Matt Moore is scheduled to start and his ERA is up near 6.00. He’s been a mess and is just 2-6 in his last eight outings.
TONY STOFFO
New York at St Louis
Play: St Louis -110
NY Mets are coming off a three game slide while giving up 21 runs. RH Jacob deGrom with a 8-3 record and 3.55 ER will take the hill. He comes in with two extra days of rest due to Wednesday's series finale against the Washington Nationals being rained out. The Mets are 3-7 in their last 10 games following an off day and 2-7 in their last 9 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. St. Louis hands the ball to RH Carlos Martinez, (6-7, 3.15), who has a 3-1 record with a minuscule 1.26 ERA in seven appearances (four starts) against the Mets. The Cardinals are 5-2 in their last 7 during game 1 of a series and 5-2 in Martinez's last 7 home starts.
SCOTT RICKENBACH
Orioles vs. Twins
Play: Twins +117
The fact that Felix Jorge has already made an MLB start (and it was on the road and he got the win) will certainly help him here as he makes just his second MLB start. The 23-year old has made the jump directly from AA ball and that is not easy to do but he is 8-1 in the minors this season and certainly could be helped here by facing a floundering Orioles team. Baltimore has lost 4 straight games and 6 of their last 7. Also, the O's have averaged just 2.6 runs per game in their last 10 games! Conversely, the Twins have averaged 5.6 runs per game in their last 7 games and Minnesota has currently won 4 of their last 6 games overall. Look for Minny to be helped by facing Baltimore's Kevin Gausman here. The Orioles are 2-6 in his road starts this season and that comes as no surprise considering that Gausman has a 1.98 WHIP and 7.60 ERA in his starts away from home this season! The Twins are 28-19 (+$10,600) in night games this season and the Orioles are 14-29 (-$13,600) in road games this year! A lot of home dog value in this one and I'll gladly take it! Free Pick on Minnesota Twins on the money line in evening action Friday.
BRANDON LEE
Royals vs. Dodgers
Play: Royals +190
Kansas City comes into this series off a 3-game sweep at Seattle and have really been playing well over the last month. The Royals are 18-6 over their last 24 games, which spans back to June 10th. That includes a 11-3 record on the road. I see no reason to expect KC to not keep playing at this level going into the All-Star break. Every game matters to them, as they are 1-game back of first in the AL Central. The Dodgers have a 5.5-game lead over the Dbacks after completing a 3-game sweep at home against Arizona, which included a thrilling 5-4 win in the finale after trailing 1-4 going into the 9th. Given how big that series was and no real extra motivation to play the Royals, I think we could see a flat Dodgers team in the finale series before the All-Star break. Biggest thing here is that the Royals are swinging a hot bat and will face one of the lesser Dodgers starters in Kenta Maeda, who has a 4.76 ERA in 13 starts and just gave up 5 run in 3 2/3 innings at San Diego. Royals starter Jason Hammel did struggle in his last start, but had pitched well in each of his previous 5 starts.
JIMMY BOYD
Mets vs. Cardinals
Play: Under 7½
I like the value with the UNDER in Friday's total between the Mets and Cardinals. Two of the NL's best will take the mound in this one. New York will start Jacob deGrom, who has been nothing short of spectacular in his last 4 starts. He's allowed just 3 earned runs on a mere 15 hits with 31 strikeouts in 32 innings of work, lasting at least 7 innings in all 4 starts.
St Louis counters with Carlos Martines, who is in a prime bounce back spot after a less than impressive showing against the Nationals high-powered offense. Martinez still owns a great 2.42 ERA and 0.963 WHIP in 9 home starts, averaging 7 innings/start at home on the season. Not to mention he's 3-0 with a 1.16 ERA and 1.200 WHIP in 4 career starts against the Mets.
It's also worth noting that Friday night at Bush Stadium (big crowds) has a history of low-scoring games, as the UNDER is 23-9 in the Cardinals last 32 home games on Friday. UNDER is also 12-2 in the Mets last 14 road games against a marginal losing team and 9-2-1 in the Cardinals last 12 when playing a series opener.
JACK JONES
Padres vs. Phillies
Play: Phillies -112
The Philadelphia Phillies are worth a bet today as a small home favorite over the San Diego Padres. This is a Padres team coming off a huge series win over the Indians, and they certainly won't be up for the Phillies in this series after facing Cleveland.
Nick Pivetta has pitched well at home this season with a 3.50 ERA and 1.111 WHIP in three starts. Pivetta is coming off one of this best starts of his career as he allowed just one earned run and five base runners over 7 innings of a 7-1 road win at the Mets on July 2nd.
Clayton Richard is 5-8 with a 4.85 ERA and 1.510 WHIP In 17 starts this season. He has really been rocked in his last two starts, giving up 12 earned runs, 3 homers and 24 base runners over 9 2/3 innings for an 11.17 ERA. Richard has never beaten the Phillies, going 0-3 with a 3.98 ERA in three career starts against them.
San Diego is 11-35 in its last 46 games after having won three of its past four games coming in. The Padres are 25-56 in their last 81 road games. San Diego is 5-21 in Richard's last 26 vs. NL East opponents. Philadelphia is 39-14 in the last 53 meetings, including 10-3 in the last 13 meetings.
JOHN MARTIN
Brewers vs. Yankees
play: Yankees -1.5
After a 6-16 stretch, the New York Yankees are looking for a big finish before the All-Star Break. I like their chances of getting back on track in blowout fashion today against the Milwaukee Brewers, who are coming off a big win over the Cubs yesterday. The Yankees had yesterday off and will be the fresher team as a result. Jordan Montgomery is riding a six-start unbeaten streak while going 4-0 with a 2.95 ERA in the process. Opponents are only hitting .171 (12-for-70), including .080 (2-for-25) with runners in scoring position against him during this stretch. Junior Guerra has been rocked of late, going 0-2 with a 9.64 ERA and 2.43 WHIP in his last three starts. The Yankees are 32-6 in their last 38 home games against NL Central teams while winning by 2.7 runs per game on average.
DAVE PRICE
Marlins vs. Giants
Play:Marlins -110
The Miami Marlins have a big advantage on the mound today. Daniel Straily has gone 6-4 with a 3.51 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 17 starts this year. Straily has never lost to the Giants, going 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA and 0.85 WHIP in 3 lifetime starts against them. Matt Moore is 3-8 with a 5.78 ERA and 1.62 WHIP in 17 starts this season. Moore is 0-1 with a 5.73 ERA in his last 2 starts against the Marlins, yielding 7 runs and 19 base runners in 11 innings of work. The Marlins are scoring 4.9 RPG on the road while the Giants are scoring just 3.4 RPG at home. The Marlins are 4-0 in Straily's last 4 starts. The Giants are 1-5 in Moore's last 6 home starts. Miami is 15-7 in its last 22 meetings in San Francisco.
SLEEPYJ
Athletics +1½ -145
Taking +1.5 looks good to me for a few reasons...First off the price to take +1.5 is very fair....The other reason is the total in this game is rather low for two AL teams...THey know both pitchers can bring it tonight...Manaea is almost my biggest reason...He has been very good this year and a pitcher that is often overlooked....He hasn't lost back to back games going back to mid April also...He also pitched here in Seattle back on May 15th...He lost that game, but he should feel more comfortable on the hill this time around...Also the A's have won 3 in a row now and they've scored 7 runs in each of those 3 games...So getting +1.5 looks go to me here.....Mariners have lost 4 in a row and 9 of the last 11...They are in a slump and facing Manaea and a hot A's hitting team isn't going to be that easy....I won't be surprised of the A's jump out early and win this game at the end...This rated a 2** play for me today.
Stephen Nover
Philadelphia -125
I see the Phillies playing better during the second half of the season. I'm going to back them here with their promising rookie, Nick Pivetta, on the mound. The Phillies have some good young hitters, who haven't performed up to expectations this season. Expect better things from Maikel Franco and Odubel Herrera, who are beginning to step up their game.
Pivetta was outstanding in his last start this past Sunday against the Mets. He held the Mets to one run in seven innings.
But the biggest reason I like the Phillies' side at this price is a fade on the road Padres and their starting pitcher, Clayton Richard.
The Padres are 14-27 away from Petco Park. They are 7-20 the past 27 times they've been on the road going against a foe with a losing home mark. The Padres might even be feeling a bit fat and happy after winning a road series against the Indians.
Richard has never defeated the Phillies. He's 0-4 against them. Richard is in terrible form allowing 12 runs in his past two starts spanning 9 2/3 innings. Richard has a 4.85 ERA on the season, which stretches to 4.95 when he pitches in the evening.
Buster Sports
Houston vs. Toronto
Play: Toronto +117
The Blue Jays and Astros continue their 4 game series in Toronto tonight and the Blue Jays have got some nice momentum going coming off of an easy victory last night. The starters for today's game are for the Astros RH Charlie Morton (5-3, 4.06 ERA) and he will face the Blue Jays RH Aaron Sanchez (0-1, 3.33 ERA) Both of these starters are coming off of the DL and haven't pitched in over a month in the big leagues. Morton has had it tough on the road this year with a 6.89 ERA in 3 starts. Sanchez, before heading to the DL was starting to pitch real well and in his 2 starts against Houston in his career he is 2-0. We will be more than happy to take the home dog here as we are getting plus 117 at the time of this writing.
The Prez
Royals at Dodgers
Play: Under 9
Kansas City and Los Angeles are one of three interleague events on Friday night and if the MLB postseason were to begin today both would have spots in the Fall Classic tournament. First pitch for tonight's affair is scheduled for 10:10 p.m. ET at Dodger Stadium with the Royals sending Jason Hammel (4-7, 5.08 ERA) to the hill to oppose Dodgers Kenta Maeda (6-4, 4.56).
Right-hander Hammel lost for the first time in seven turns on Saturday dropping a decision to the Minnesota Twins. The former Chicago Cub allowed six earned runs in 5 1/3 innings of work in a 10-5 loss. Hammel had been solid since late May going 3-1 with a 3.58 ERA in his previous six outings. Hammel has allowed more than three runs just once (his last turn) since May 29 when he suffered a no-decision against the Detroit Tigers surrendering four earned runs on four hits over 4.1 frames.
Maeda is off a start that saw him allow five runs over 3 2/3 innings of work. The Dodgers right-hander has been terrific this season despite the fact that the organization won't commit him to the rotation. Maeda has been moved between the pen and the rotation over the last month registering a 2-1 mark with a 1.71 ERA in five games (three starts) over a span of 21 innings. Maeda has allowed hard contact less than 26 percent of the time while garnering swinging strikes at a 14 percent clip this season.
Both the Royals and the Dodgers have struggled to score runs in interleague events and are a combined 10-2 to UNDER the TOTAL in their last 12 AL/NL affairs.
Bruce Marshall
Oakland at Seattle
Pick: Oakland
The A's continue to play in streaks, winning their third in a row on Thursday with a 7-4 cruise in the opener of this series at Safeco Field behind rookie Paul Blackburn. For the skidding Mariners, it was loss four in a row, and Friday starter James Paxton has seen his ERA rise from 1.69 to 3.02 over the last month. Moreover, he was shelled by the A's in his last appearance vs. them on April 20, allowing five runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 IP. Meanwhile A's lefty Sean Manaea continues to impress, allowing foes to three runs or less in eight of his last nine starts.