Kansas City @ Houston | 07/06 | 12:10 AM UTC
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ANALYSIS: The Royals have won three of their last five and the Astros... Join SportsLine here to see the full pick!
ANALYSIS: The Royals have won three of their last five and the Astros... Join SportsLine here to see the full pick!
ANALYSIS: Miami goes for its sixth straight win. ... Join SportsLine here to see the full pick!
ANALYSIS: Will the Brewers post their third straight win? ... Join SportsLine here to see the full pick!
ANALYSIS: Rarely will I lay this big of a price, but it's justified tonight in Atlanta. Also fine with a runline play. Not only did the Cardinals travel following Sunday Night Baseball, but the Braves have a significant pitching edge with Kyle Wright versus Dakota Hudson. Hudson is substantially worse on the road and gives up a ton of contact -- a bad recipe against the Braves. Atlanta averages 4.85 runs at home. Look for the Braves to beat the Cards for the fifth straight time.
ANALYSIS: While JP Crawford comes off his suspension for the Mariners tonight, Jesse Winker starts his -- and the team remains without its top hitter, Ty France, still on the injured list. Chris Flexen is someone I often back when in Seattle but he's 1-5 with a 4.71 ERA on the road. Looks like all the key healthy Padres are in the lineup. Sean Manaea (3-3, 3.92 ERA) hasn't personally lost since early May and has been excellent at home except for one outing vs. the Dodgers on April 24.
ANALYSIS: Houston has won six straight, with five of the victories coming by at least two runs, against the Mets, Yankees and Angels. Now they get the Royals, who are 15-23 on the road. K.C. starter Jonathan Heasley has a 5.20 ERA and got knocked around in his only start this season versus Houston. Play the Astros -1.5 runs at -130.
ANALYSIS: I pondered the Reds runline here because rookie Hunter Greene can be dominant at times, but I'd have to say it's more likely that the Mets tear him up as he has a 5.87 home ERA. Cincinnati is still without regulars Tyler Stephenson (catcher) and Kyle Farmer (shortstop). The Mets are pretty much starting their regulars on the holiday, and Taijuan Walker has had four straight quality starts. Walker has allowed just three home runs in 72.2 innings this season. His 0.33 ERA at Great American Ball Park is the lowest among all pitchers with at least 25.0 innings pitched at the venue. The Reds are 1-8 in their last nine home games vs. a right-handed starter.
ANALYSIS: And we're back! Just needed a Sunday off to clear my head a bit -- and glad I did with all the favorites losing on Sunday. Probably will skip the sabbath the rest of the season. Milwaukee pitcher Eric Lauer hasn't been great of late, but he has been much better at home this year with a 2.25 ERA, and when he faced the Cubs on April 30 in Beer Town, he allowed one run with 11 Ks over seven innings. Chicago is 1-4 in its past five vs. a lefty. Former NL MVP Christian Yelich is rolling for the Brewers with a 12-game hitting streak. Cubs southpaw Justin Steele is 0-2 with a 7.29 road ERA. Yelich has good splits off Steele, so perhaps consider a hitting prop on him. Milwaukee has won four straight vs. lefties.
ANALYSIS: Last season, the Braves dominated the Cardinals, winning six of their seven meetings. After losing to Cincinnati on Sunday, this should be a great bounce-back spot for Atlanta. When the Cardinals are road underdogs with Dakota Hudson pitching this year, they are 0-4. Take the Braves -1.5 runs at +110.
ANALYSIS: We’ve all heard about how poorly teams coming off Sunday Night Baseball have played this season, and we saw that trend continue last week with the Dodgers losing in Colorado after playing on SNB. The Cardinals are coming off SNB last night and they face one of the hottest teams in the league in the Braves who have won 20 of their last 27 games. Ronald Acuna Jr. also returned to the lineup recently. Kyle Wright has been very consistent all season and he is coming off a very good start against the Phillies. He was 5-1 with a 3.52 ERA in June. Dakota Hudson has been very hit or miss this season, but he has been much worse on the road just like the Cardinals. He is 2-3 with a 4.57 ERA this season on the road and the Cardinals are actually under .500 at 20-21 on the road. I like the Braves at home here.
ANALYSIS: The White Sox are coming off a three-game sweep at San Francisco. They travel back home to take on AL Central-leading Minnesota. Being at home with RHP Johnny Cueto on the mound doesn’t mix. In four home starts, he is winless and has received little run support. Take the Twins as road underdogs.
ANALYSIS: Zach Plesac has been very good lately pitching six straight quality starts, and I think he should continue to have success against a Tigers team that struggles to score. He was 1-1 with a 2.10 ERA in June. Garrett Hill will be making his Major League debut for the Tigers and he is their 22nd ranked prospect. He doesn’t throw it harder than the low 90s, yet he manages to just rack up strikeouts and groundballs because of his splitter. Anyone who throws low 90s with the type of strikeout numbers he had in the minors should have a successful career, but this is also his first Major League start. His heart should be beating a million miles per hour and that usually leads to missed spots and an overthrown splitter. Both teams have very good bullpens if they get the lead but I like the Guardians in Game 1 because of the starting pitching and lineup advantages.