Chris Jordan
My free winner is the Houston Astros on the Run Line, over the struggling Detroit Tigers.
That's because the Tigers have lost three in a row, and this time of the year is always tough to play in Houston.
It is one of the most humid cities in America, along with Miami and St. Charles, La. Houston is no joke, and it can be hard on opposing team not used to the climate.
The Tigers already struggle at the plate, hitting .240 - which is 24th in the league - but factor in their second-worst .219 road batting average, and a .229 clip in May, and this team is going to be in for a long night.
Take Houston in a rout.
4* ASTROS -1.5
Zack Cimini
Colorado vs. Philadelphia
Pick: Philadelphia
The Rockies continue to bolster their record as they now stand at 30-17. They'll aim for a sweep over the Phillies Wednesday as Tyler Chatwood takes the mound. Thus far they've outscored the Phillies 16-3 in both games. That has created value for the home Phillies Wednesday who have received one-third of their wins courtesy of Hellickson.
Jack Jones
Rockies vs. Phillies
Play: Phillies +116
I'm giving the Philadelphia Phillies a shot today as home underdogs to the Colorado Rockies. The Phillies have lost four in a row, including the first two games of this series, so they'll be highly motivated for a victory tonight.
And they clearly have the edge on the mound behind Jeremy Hellickson, who is 5-1 with a 3.44 ERA and 1.027 WHIP in nine starts, including 2-0 with a 2.38 ERA and 0.882 WHIP in four home starts. The Phillies are actually 8-1 in Hellickson's nine starts this year.
Tyler Chatwood has been one of the worst starters for the Rockies, going 3-6 with a 5.10 ERA and 1.415 WHIP in nine starts. Chatwood is 0-2 with an 8.00 ERA in his last two starts against the Phillies, allowing 8 runs and 22 base runners in 9 innings of work.
Hellickson is a very profitable 6-1 (+7.1 Units) against the money line as an underdog of +100 or higher this season. The Rockies are 1-4 in Chatwood's last five starts. The Phillies are 19-7 in Hellickson's last 26 starts. Philly is 6-0 in Hellickson's last six home starts.
Frank Sawyer
Marlins vs. A's
Play: A's -142
Take the Oakland A’s with the money-line versus the Miami Marlins listing both starting pitchers Sonny Gray and Edinson Volquez. Miami (16-28) looks to build off their 11-9 victory over the A’s last night. But the Marlins have then lost 6 straight games after a win. Miami has also lost 13 of their last 16 games after allowing at least five runs in their last game. And in their 21 games this month, the Marlins have been money-line losers 16 times. Oakland (20-25) has won 12 of their last 17 games at home. Take Miami with the money-line while listing both starting pitchers.
Andrew Lange
Texas vs. Boston
Play: Under 8.5
Nine of Boston's last 10 games have gone over the total including last night's 11-6 softball score. The lone exception was last week's 3-2 loss at Oakland in which Chris Sale fanned 10 over seven innings but the bullpen coughed one up in the 10th. Sale is back on the hill tonight and we'll look for another lower scoring affair. The numbers thus far are borderline ridiculous with Sale striking out over 13 batters per nine innings. As of today, he's been the most dominant starter in MLB. And he walks into another situation tonight where we can expect stellar results. The Rangers rank in the bottom third in virtually every offensive category vs. lefties including OPS (23rd, .672). And a closer look shows they've faced a fairly soft slate of southpaw starters. When asked to step up in class against Seattle's James Paxton and Kansas City's Danny Duffy, Texas failed to plate a single run over 15.1 innings. Texas counters with Martin Perez who has shown improvement across the board this season. His strikeout rate is up, home run rate down, and over his last three starts flashes a 2.79 ERA. He's not the most ideal fit for Fenway Park but cooler temps and virtually no wind give him a shot at a quality start. Tricky to get involved with Sale on the moneyline (Boston a modest +1.35 when he starts). We'll instead look towards the under 8.5.
Harry Bondi
PITTSBURGH (+115) over Atlanta
Tonight we jump on the Pirates ship and back Pittsburgh over the Braves. Braves starter Julio Teheran has been horrendous at home going 5-18 in his last 23 home starts including which includes this season’s tough home record of 1-4 with an awful 10.50 ERA. Pirates starter Trevor Williams started the season in the bullpen. This will be his 5th start and he has pitched better in each consecutive start.
Bob Balfe
Phillies +105
The Rockies won the first two games of the series with ease and the Phillies have been in a major slump, but tonight they do have clear starting pitching advantage. Look for Philadelphia to grab a win behind a rare offensive outbreak. Chatwood has really struggled for the Rockies and I expect similar results tonight.