ASA
San Diego at Chicago
Play: San Diego +1.5
We lost with this pick yesterday after winning with it Monday and we won't hesitate to come right back with the same selection today given the numbers below. Although the Padres are only 4-4 on the money line in their last 8 games, 3 of the 4 losses have come by a single run! That means we have excellent line value here with San Diego at nearly even money on the run line. At +1.5 runs the Padres are now on a 7-1 run at the betting window and Miguel Diaz has held opponents to a .203 batting average in road games and a .226 batting average in day games this season. While Diaz is still a bit of an unknown, you can see he has had some strong performances (mostly out of the bullpen) and he is opposed by a starting pitcher today who certainly is not an unknown! Eddie Butler toes the rubber for the Cubs this afternoon and he is 9-18 with a 6.12 ERA in his MLB career with opponents hitting a lofty .310 against him! Also, the Cubs right-hander is 0-3 with a 9.00 ERA in his 3 starts against the Padres in his career. The fact is that the Cubs continue to be over-priced because of being the defending champs. Even with getting the win yesterday, Chicago has a record of 6-7 in their last 13 games. Also, the Cubs have lost 4 of their last 7 games at home. We'll grab the extra insurance of the +1.5 runs here as we expect Diaz to surprise a lot of people as he excels against a Chicago lineup that has been held to 4 runs or less in 8 of its last 12 games.
Doc's Sports
Indians at Orioles
Play: Orioles
We've been playing the Orioles at home a lot this season as they've been really successful in Camden. The O's are 24-12 at home in 2017 and just 11-23 on the road. Tonight they are pretty big underdogs against the Indians, and I think the line is too high. Kevin Gausman has been struggling for Baltimore, but now's the time to buy low.
Jack Brayman
Now on a 9-5 run with my complimentary plays. Let's head to Los Angeles for tonight's freebie, as I like the Dodgers on the Run Line, as they'll get things done against the New York Mets. Now look, there is no overnight line on the game, but rest assured this number is going to be relatively high, so be sure you're playing it on the run line.
On the heels of concluding their six-game road trip by sweeping the Cincinnati Reds, the Los Dodgers opened a nine-game homestand with a blowout win over the Mets on Monday, and backed it up with last night's 12-0 win.
Tonight I'll back the Dodgers, who are one-half game back of the National League West-leading Colorado Rockies. Los Angeles has won five straight and 11 of 12.
New York traveled cross country and didn't get a night off. You see how that worked for them in Monday night's series-opener, and last night's blitz. Tonight the Mets are back on the field for another 10:10 p.m. eastern start.
The Mets have lost eight of their last nine against National League West foes, and will get trounced in this one.
Play Los Angeles on the run line.
3* DODGERS -1.5
Jeff Benton
Wednesday comp play release is the Angels and Yankees to land Over the total.
Last night's series opener saw the game land Over the total, as the Halos have gone 4-1-1 Over the posted price in their last 6 games.
The Yankees have played 4 of their last 6 games Over the posted total as they head into this Wednesday affair.
Ricky Nolasco hasn't been fooling too many batters this season, as he sports an over 5 ERA for the year.
Rookie Jordan Montgomery will counter for New York, and while he has been a welcome addition to the rotation, each of his last pair of starts have played Over the total, and 4 of his 6 season starts at Yankee Stadium have also played Over the total.
Look for more runs tonight in the Bronx.
Angels-Yankees Over the total.
3* L.A. ANGELS-N.Y.YANKEES OVER
Brad Wilton
Wednesday's comp play is the Twins on the Run Line over the White Sox.
Big fan of Jose Berrios, as all he has done is light it up this season for Minny.
The Twins starter enters tonight with a 6-1 mark for the year, and he has won each of his last 3 starts with just 6 total runs allowed in 19-plus innings worked. He has also fanned 18 batters along the way.
Minnesota took last night's opener by a pair of runs, as they ended a 4-game slide that knocked them out of first place in the Central thanks to Cleveland's rising.
The Twins have now won 6 of the 9 season series meetings against the White Sox, and Chicago is 16-26 away from home for the season.
Rookie David Holmberg has looked good in limited action, but I will side with the Twins to get to him, and win this game by at least a pair of runs.
Minnesota and Berrios on the Run Line for Wednesday.
4* MINNESOTA -1.5
BRANDON LEE
Astros vs. Athletics
Play: Astros -121
This is simply too good of a price to pass up on the Astros, who own baseballs best record at 48-24. Houston has won each of the first two in the series, including a 8-4 win yesterday at basically a pick'em (-105). The offense is in great form right now, averaging 5.7 runs/game and hitting .317 as a team over their last 7. Not to mention Houston is scoring a ridiculous 6.6 runs/game on the road on the season. I like their chances of getting to Oakland's Sean Manaea, who is coming off a miserable start at home against the Yankees, where he allowed 5 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks. Houston will send out Michael Fiers, who has been lights out in his last 2 starts, giving up just 1 earned run on 7 hits over 14 1/3 innings (1.40 ERA in L3 starts). Houston is also 14-4 in their last 18 road games after 2 or more wins and 11/2 in their last 13 road games after a win by 4 or more runs.
ANDREW MARCHENKO
Arsenal de Sarand vs. Quilmes
Play: Quilmes +500
Quilmes is playing at home against a team who is located below them in the league table. In last tour, Quilmes played away against a strong team and won 0-1. I had a chance to watch that game and I have to say that Quilmes didn't play as an underdog at all. I don't understand the line on this game and this is definitely a worthy risk to take a home team to win for +500
SPORTS WAGERS
Toronto -1½ +151 over TEXAS
The Blue Jays are slight favorites here, which in itself is a little telling when you consider that Joe Biagini is 0-3 on the road with a 5.52 ERA. Biagini is 1-6 overall and he was absolutely crushed in his last start at home against the South Side in which he lasted one inning and surrendered eight runs. The Blue Jays were a 2-1 favorite that day and lost 11-4. Now we get Biagini at a rock bottom price, as he goes from a 2-1 favorite to a -103 (flat bet) underdog and the opposing pitcher he’ll face today (Tyson Ross) is absolutely worse than the pitcher he faced (Jose Quintana) last time out. That’s true value.
Play the Jays if you like at -103 or thereabouts because there is great value in that bet but we like to go for the throat so we’ll spot the runs and take back a nice price. Again, Joe Biagini’s stock is low but his skills are outstanding. Biagini had a big second half in 2016 out of the Jays bullpen. He transitioned to a starting role in May of this year and didn't skip a beat with 8 K’s/9, a 63% groundball rate and an xERA of 3.61. He threw strikes early (69% first-pitch strike %) and often (32% ball%). He missed bats too (12.7% swing and miss %). Biagini’s 58% groundball rate this year is elite. His 14% line-drive rate is also elite and one of the best in the game. Throw all these skills into one pitcher and you've got a sterling speculation. The oddsmakers know it and now you do too.
Tyson Ross has made one start this year and it came last week when he defeated the Mariners while allowing just two runs over 5.2 innings. That’s nice but it was much prettier on paper. Ross produced a swing and miss rate of 6% in that start. He also walked three batters. Every hard hit ball, and there were plenty of those, were hit right at people. After an awful Opening Day start for the Padres last year, shoulder inflammation eventually led to thoracic outlet syndrome surgery at the end of the season. Ross threw 5.1 innings all of last year and while we like his upside, it’s difficult to come back from a year off at the age of 30 and be successful right away. There are likely going to be some major bumps in the road for Ross and this is likely the first of those. The line says so.
Arizona -1½ +225 over COLORADO
We’re not going to go into a lot of details here regarding the pitchers because it matters not when playing at Coors Field. We are going to commit to playing the underdog all season long at Coors Field on the ALTERNATIVE run line. What that means is that we are playing the remainder of Colorado’s home games this season and we’ll be playing the underdog in each game, whether it’s the Rocks or the opposition and we’ll be playing it regardless of who’s pitching. We’re suggesting that this wager has nothing but big profits in store. With totals being in the 10 to 12½ range daily at this venue, far more games are decided by two runs or more than one run and the underdog wins just as much as the favorite. The pitching matchups rarely matter because even the best get rocked at this park. We’ll keep a running record on this angle all season long.
Year to date:
13-17 + 23.40 units
OAKLAND +107 over Houston
Houston opened as the chalk last night in Oakland against Sonny Gray but money was pouring in on the Athletics all day. By game time, Oakland was a -123 favorite against a rookie pitcher but the Astronauts scored five first innings run en route to an easy victory. That sets up this classic zig-zag angle. After last night, those same folks will not be anxious to get behind the A’s again here. That’s our cue to step in.
Mike Fiers comes into this start with a 4-2 record and a 4.00 ERA after 13 starts covering 72 frames. What we have here is the evolution of a junk-baller. After allowing 19 HR via a 90 mph four-seam fastball in 2015, Fiers scaled back and threw his change/curve/cutter more. This helped cut down his fly-balls, but his hr/f jumped instead and it came with a K-rate/swing and miss cost. The end result is that Fiers is not better off than he used to be. He’s still the same below average pitcher that he’s always been with a steady xERA history in the 4.50 range.
Meanwhile, Sean Manaea is anything but average. “Poised to take a step up" was the final call for Sean Manaea in our preseason analysis thanks to an impressive mix of skills in his rookie season. Manaea, however, hasn't yet taken that step with a 4.01 ERA through 12 starts in his sophomore campaign -- at least on paper. Under the hood it’s a different tale. Manaea's producing whiffs with ease. His change-up (25% of pitches) and slider (20%) have been dominant, as each has produced a 20%+ swing and miss rate. His xERA keeps getting better with each passing start. Sean Manaea is "one of the best breakout targets in the game," which makes complete sense given his electric swing-and-miss, groundball% tilt, and favorable home park. As a dog at home, where the A’s have a 23-15 record, Manaea's a growth stock worth targeting against anyone. That includes the Astronauts.
Pittsburgh +117 over MILWAUKEE
Trevor Williams is trending the right way and so are the Pirates after a horrible start. Winners in seven of its last 10 and the first two games of this series, Pittsburgh has outscored the Crew 15-4 and there’s no reason they can’t keep it going here. Williams’ swing and miss rate in his last start was 14%. He has impeccable control with just 15 walks issued in 14 appearances and has not walked a batter in three of his last five starts. Williams is not a breakout target but his low 63% strand rate has led to a poor 5.16 ERA. Furthermore, he’s not the second best pitcher in this matchup, thus creating some good value here.
The market overvalues ERA. In that regard, Junior Guerra comes in with a 2.84 ERA after six starts but that is one of MLB’s most misleading marks. Over his last 29 frames, Guerra has walked 17 and struck out 17. His 89% strand rate is 26 points higher than Williams’ and it is also the highest in the league among pitchers with five or more starts. We could attribute some of that good fortune to a guy with a high groundball rate that induces double-plays but that’s not the case here. Guerra’s groundball rate of 37% is 24th best out of 30 starters today. Guerra’s 5.56 xERA tells the real story of a pitcher with some of the weakest skills in the game. Guerra found some success as a rookie last year and it appears to have carried over into this year but it’s all an illusion. His underlying metrics scream that he’s not going to continue to produce the magic show he’s fooled so many with already. This is a weak, overvalued starter.
SPORTS WAGERS
Travelers Championship
Moved in the schedule last year to accommodate the Olympic Games, the Travelers is usually played a week after the U.S. Open and has that lull feeling to it. An angle of attack this week may be to bet on those players not in the U.S. Open field but that may be too general. The players that played last week face a 1,000 mile trip from Wisconsin to Connecticut – or four hours on a plane – and after playing in a tough major, that’s a tough assignment while trying to get acclimatized to the East Coast. For some, it's not so difficult.
Once again, the Travelers Championship will be hosted by TPC River Highlands, which happens to be one of the shortest tracks on the PGA TOUR at just 6,841 yards. It’s very much a different test to that experienced at Erin Hills – good news for those with aching shoulders and legs. TPC River Highlands is originally a Robert J. Ross design dating back to 1928, but is barely recognizable from then given that it has enjoyed not one but two overhauls since then courtesy of Pete Dye (1982) and Bobby Weed (1989).
TPC River Highlands is fairly nondescript in its looks and character. It features a number of different hazards, but greens are average sized and fairly slow, so really there aren’t that many demons lurking. Strategic shot placement and course management is the order of the day here. For spectators and anybody watching at home, the so-called ‘Golden Triangle’ of holes from 15-17 can serve up plenty of drama. They meander around a large lake, so water is very much in play with a risk-reward driveable Par 4, a Par 3 pitching over the water, and approaches played to the left and then back over the drink on the 17th.
Short, accurate hitters are what we’re looking for here. It’s noticeable that the bombers tried to rein in their natural instincts off the tee last year and were found wanting, while those that still gave it a bump didn’t quite get into the mix. None of the top five in the Driving Distance stat – Gary Woodland, Bubba Watson, Tony Finau, Bryson DeChambeau, and Jason Kokrak – finished any higher than 25th a year ago. Another angle to pursue is to dig out the SG (Shots Gained) stats from last year, find those that performed well from tee to green but perhaps didn’t putt so well. As we know, form with the short stick can come and go in a heartbeat.
There are plenty of big names in the field with Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, Brandt Snedeker and Justin Thomas among others all making the trip but once again, we’re not interested in anyone under 30-1 because it’s proven that there is no value whatsoever in the favorites. Thus, we’ll look for some hidden value and hopefully one or more of the following will be in the mix on Sunday
Unless otherwise stated, the following bets to win outright will be placed at Bet365 because of their cash-out option during the event. Unless otherwise stated, the head-to-head match-ups will be bet at
David Lingmerth 66-1
Despite missing the cut at THE PLAYERS, Lingmerth has notched Top 21 finishes in five of his last six events played (including three Top 15s). He’s a solid player on the greens (which we all know will be important this week) with a TOUR rank of 28th in SG: Putting and a field rank this week of 12th. Lingmerth recently shot a round of 65 at Muirfield. We also like that he doesn’t over-exert himself. Lingmerth generally plays two events per month and he usually delivers something of value. In his last six events, he finished T21 (U.S. Open), T15, T12, T72, T18 and T12. His form is good, he’s a TOUR winner and this is a course he’s capable of slaying (Risking 0.2 units to win 13.2 units).
Head-to-head matchup:
In the head-to-head matchup available, Lingmerth is up against Adam Hadwin but we also like Hadwin so we’re going to add an unrelated play here.
B. Harman +101 over C. Hoffman
Both Hoffman and Harman played in the U.S. Open last week and there is no question there will be some hangovers this week. Both players had the lead at one point on the weekend but that taxing course at Erin Mills is very likely going to have a bigger negative effect on the 40-year-old Hoffman than it will on the slim, 10-year younger Harman. Although bogeying the final hole to drop to 3rd place is not how you want to finish a major, we don’t think that will phase Harman coming into this week. Although he ultimately couldn’t maintain it, Harman did hold the U.S. Open 54-hole lead. He’s also played well here in the past with a 3rd place finish two years ago and he’s probably one of the most accurate guys in the field; which works well here. Given that putting is such an important stat this week it’s obviously also worth noting that Harman ranks 11th on TOUR in Strokes Gained Putting while Hoffman ranks 11th on TOUR in the most all-you-can eat buffets attended. After last year’s U.S Open, Hoffman took two weeks off. This week, he’s extremely likely to be fatigued and off his game.
B. Harman +101 over C. Hoffman (risking 1 unit to win 1.01 units).
Kevin Streelman 70-1
Streelman did not have to make the travel arrangements from Erin Hills to TPC River Highlands. After sitting last week out, Streelman has been preparing for what may be another historic run on a course that he has dominated in the past. He’s accurate off the tee (44th in driving accuracy) but occasionally struggles with the flat stick. We’re hoping his recent trend of T18-T3 will transition over to a strong performance this week for the returning 2014 champion. Every so often, the narrative of bringing a course to its knees is tossed around and usually in the context of an implication that there's only one dragonslayer out there. It's obviously true that it takes only one to wear the badge and there's only one winner in any PGA TOUR event, but it would be foolish to ignore Streelman for that role here. Streelman methodically beat down this course in 2014 and it would not surprise us one bit if he did it again in 2017 (risking 0.2 units to win 14 units).
Head-to-head matchup:
K. Streelman +116 over J. Lovemark (Risking 1 unit to win 1.16 units).
Adam Hadwin 80-1
Not long ago (Dean & DeLuca), Hadwin had an $8,400 DFS price tag and this week he’s dropped to a $6,800 price tag. Here’s a guy with four Top 10s this season and seven Top 25s with 16 of 18 cuts made so obviously we trust that he’s been grossly undervalued. That’s when we like to step in. Hadwin is a horse and usually makes it to the weekend, which is all we can ask for. Once you make the weekend, anything is possible but we trust Adam can give us much more than just a cut made this week. As far as key stats go, he ranks 8th in the field (14th on TOUR) in scrambling and sits at 28th on TOUR in SG: Total. His putter is usually hot and we’ll certainly take a guy like Hadwin who ranks 36th on TOUR with an average drive of 292 and who has very few flaws in his game. This is a great price on a great pro. (Risking 0.2 units to win 16).
Head-to-head matchup:
In the head-to-head matchup available, Hadwin is up against Lingmerth so we’re going to add an unrelated play here
K. Stanley -103 over T. Finau
A modest 3-for-7 record at TPC River Highlands doesn't tell Kyle Stanley's entire story since two of those paydays went for a top 20. The more recent was in 2015 (T20). This season, Stanley has missed only three of 18 cuts and sits 39th in the FedExCup standings with four top 10s. He recorded two in his last four starts, including a season-best T4 at THE PLAYERS. Ranks third in total driving, second in greens hit, third in proximity to the hole, fifth in strokes gained: tee-to-green and 11th in adjusted scoring. Meanwhile, Finau is a bomber that isn’t in great form and that doesn’t do well on short courses.
K. Stanley -103 over T. Finau (Risking 1.03 units to win 1).
Michael Thompson 250-1
Talk about a ‘Super-Long Shot’ Sleeper and one need not look further than Michael Thompson. Here’s the horse in the race with the broken leg but somehow still has a chance to make people a lot of money, as he could be real close on Sunday so we’ll have the “cash-out option available and for DFS players, he costs $6,500 which frees up tons of roster space for big names up top. But it’s not just Thompson’s price tag that we’re after. He also ranks 2nd on TOUR in SG: Putting and 1st in this week’s field. Given how important putting will be this week, that alone makes him worthy of getting behind. Despite the hot putter, his ‘off-the-tee’ stats are not impressive but we don’t think that should matter on such a forgiving course like TPC River Highlands. He hasn’t made much noise this year but like we said, anything can happen with a hot putter on a course that produced a score of 58. Thompson is just 32 years old. He’s been off since June 8 so he figures to be fresh and well-prepped for this event and it’s not like he’s been silent all year. He shot -12 and finished T13 at the RSM Classic. After a two-month layoff from November to January, he returned and shot -12 again and finished T20 and the Sony Open. In March, Thompson shot -15 at the Puerto Rico Open and finished T10. Finally, he shot -17 at the Zurich Classic and T14. Put him in the “bet small, win big category and don’t leave him out (Risking 0.2 units to win 50 units).
Head-to-head matchup:
There are no head-to-head matchups available for Thompson so we’ll play an unrelated one here.
We are going to play Brandt Snedeker in two separate head-to-head matchups:
It’s actually a surprise that Snedeker has never won this tournament. Put simply, he ticks all the boxes. To do well here you need to find a lot of fairways - check! You need to be able to hit the ball close with a mid or short-iron in your hands - check! Oh yes, and you need to be able to putt - check! In other words, if you were asked to put together the identikit golfer to win here, the person you would come up with is Brandt Snedeker and we all like his easy going demeanor after last week’s major event.
B. Snedeker -116 over B. Watson (Risking 1.16 units to win 1).
B. Snedeker -110 over M. Leishman (Risking 1.10 units to win 1).
For Fantasy Players:
We don’t bet on favorites to win any event because there is no value but DFS is different. We like to pick one “horse”, which is a top tier golfer and this week’s horse is Brandt Snedeker, as previewed above.
Others worth considering (NOT HORSES) that are undervalued.
Harris English
The career arc is a funny thing regardless of pedigree. Harris was on cruise control during his first five seasons. A continuation of that this season could have been classified as a glass ceiling, but a professional golfer arguably learns more about who he is inside the ropes when facing adversity. In other words, stagnation may not be as valuable as a rut because clarity and refined focus can be a byproduct of failure. As he encroaches on his 28th birthday (July 23), the two-time PGA TOUR winner is out there battling for his card for 2017-18, and he'd be winning in a decision right now. With glimmers in his last three starts, including a T10 at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, he's 102nd in the FedExCup standings and poised to pile on at TPC River Highlands where he's 4-for-4 with a T7 in 2014 and a T25 in 2015.
Wyndham Clark
The wiry 23-year-old from Denver is making his PGA TOUR debut and might need to downshift right out of the gate on relatively short TPC River Highlands. He's fresh off Player of the Year honors in the Pac-12 Conference.. He claimed the individual title by three shots. It was the perfect conclusion to a phenomenal and, at times, heartbreaking college career that began at Oklahoma State. While enrolled in Stillwater, he lost his mother to breast cancer. Oregon presented a fresh (re)start for his senior season. He's since secured status on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada and a sponsor exemption into the John Deere Classic, just as he did for the Travelers Championship.
Kelly Kraft
He's missed the cut both times he's played here, but Kraft is having the best season of his young career and is nails from the key approach range for this course. Kraft has been very inconsistent, but his three best finishes this year (2, 3, 18) have come following missed cuts. A better putter than his ranking supposes, Kraft is very high-risk/high-reward
Graham DeLaet
This very talented ball striker can drive fantasy owners crazy by missing cuts when he looks like a great pick, but we need to have a selective memory when it comes to daily fantasy golf. DeLaet has enormous upside with two top 10s in his last five starts this season and two top-5 finishes in his last three starts at TPC Highlands. He's priced too low this week on based upon his odds so there is plenty of value in this pick.
Zack Cimini
Cleveland vs. Baltimore
Pick: Cleveland
The Indians had their six-game win streak snapped last night to the Orioles. Today in the final game of their series the Indians find themselves as lopsided favorites against the home Orioles. Similar struggles have lurked for Kevin Gausman minus his high strikeout rate of a year ago. That's resulted in easy access for hits and walks for opposing teams. Grab the road Indians to fare well against Gausman.
Bruce Marshall
Arizona at Colorado
Pick: Colorado
In this unexpected showdown of NL West leaders, Colorado proved its mettle in last night's 4-3 comeback win. Tonight the Rocks look to make it two in row over the D-backs with impressive rookie starter Jeff Hoffman, whose ERA is at 2.25, with Colorado wins in his last five starts. Taijuan Walker pitching well for Arizona, but prefer to stick with Hoffman until further notice.
Bob Balfe
Giants -115
The Giants broke out of their losing streak last night thanks to a 3 error inning by the Braves late in the game. Samardzija has struggled this year, but does have great strikeout potential. Newcomb has little work for the Braves so far this year and has walked a lot of guys in that limited work. Look for San Francisco to string together another win after that long losing streak.
Harry Bondi
COLORADO (-145) over Arizona
Colorado is 5-0 in Hoffman’s starts this season and the pride of East Carolina sports a 2.25 ERA. Rockies also own the majors current longest winning streak at 6 games and have won 13 of their last 16. They have also owned the Dbacks recently winning 5 of their last 7 with Arizona. Rock, Chalk, Rockies!
Buster Sports
St. Louis Cardinals at Philadelphia Phillies
Play: Philadelphia Phillies +120
The last time the Phillies starting pitcher RH Nick Pivetta (1-3, 4.46 ERA) was on the hill in Philadelphia he was winning a pitchers duel with one of the best pitchers in baseball in Chris Sale. Although Pivetta didn't actually get the win he threw 7 strong innings of 4 hit ball. Today he faces the Cardinals RH Michael Wacha (3-3, 4.78 ERA) We gave you Philadelphia that day with a free play that was a plus 220 winner. Today the Philles are not as big of underdogs but we are taking them again tonight. Pivetta is getting better with every start and the 24 yr old has cut his ERA by almost 2 runs from May to June. As for Wacha after a nice month of April where he had a 2.55 ERA in 4 starts, the wheels have fell off and he has been just terrible of late. In his last 3 starts he has a 7.54 ERA with a WHIP of 1.884. When Wacha hits the road this year he has been just as bad as he is sporting a nasty 7.53 ERA. We are happy to take the up and coming youngster Pivetta tonight especially when we are getting a little plus money at home.
Scott Spreitzer
Arizona Diamondbacks at Colorado Rockies
Play: Colorado Rockies -140
Colorado just keeps on rolling with a 4-3 win last night for its sixth in a row and the Rockies improve to 22-13 at home. Arizona dropped to .500 on the road and will face Jeff Hoffman in tonight's matchup. Hoffman is 4-0 with a 2.25 ERA and has not allowed more than a run in any of his last four starts and Colorado has won his last five starts. Taijuan Walker is making his second start since coming off the the disabled list due to a blister. Walker faced the Rockies once this year and gave up three runs (one earned) on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. The Rockies have won 10 of their last 13 against right-handed starters and 21 of their last 28 against NL West teams. Look for Colorado to get its seventh straight win.