Robbie Ray is coming off a disastrous start at Arizona. But now he’s back home where Ray is 3-1 with a 1.91 ERA. He also owns a career 2.78 ERA versus the White Sox. Look for the Giants to take Sunday’s rubber game.
Angels ace Jose Soriano has given up a .996 OPS to current Athletics' batters. And he has cooled off after a brilliant start this season. Luis Severino owns a 3.02 ERA in 14 career road starts with the Athletics. Back the A's, who have scored 20 runs in back-to-back wins, at even money.
Look for the second-place Dodgers to bounce back from Monday's 1-0 loss and even the series in convincing fashion. They should tee off on Griffin Canning, who has given up six earned runs in each of his past two starts. He walked four in 1.2 innings last time out. Emmet Sheehan should produce another strong outing against San Diego, which ranks fifth-worst in OPS against right-handed pitching.
Astros starter Spencer Arrighetti (4-1, 1.88 ERA) is a major regression candidate with an expected ERA of 5.40. The Rangers, who have won four of five, rank fifth in OPS on the road (.734) and ninth in OPS (.711) over the past seven days. Texas' Jack Leiter (16 strikeouts in 11.1 innings this month) should be in for a good start against a Houston offense that's produced 11 runs total over its past six games.
The Astros have scored a total of four runs during their four-game skid. Seattle should have success against Lance McCullers, who owns a 9.39 ERA over his last five starts. Look for Randy Arozarena and Julio Rodriguez to lead the way as the Mariners improve to 7-0 against Houston this season.
The surging Rays are underdogs Friday evening in Pittsburgh in a game that should be more like a pick-'em. Pirates rookie starter Bubba Chandler has an expected ERA of 5.57 and has allowed a nearly 11 percent barrel rate. He has walked 12 in 14 innings. Back the Rays to win their seventh straight.
This is an excellent starting pitching matchup, but it's the Orioles who should have a solid advantage in the later innings. Baltimore owns a 3.62 bullpen ERA, compared to Cleveland's 5.08 bullpen ERA. Guardians star Jose Ramirez is batting .205 and fouled a pitch off his shin in Wednesday's loss at St. Louis. He's expected to play, but is not the same offensive force, at least not yet.
The Guardians imploded with a late error in Tuesday's loss at St. Louis, but I like them to bounce back and win the rubber game. Cards starter Dustin May was shelled in his first two starts before shutting down the Red Sox last time out. For the season, he has given up a whopping 53.2 percent hard-hit rate. Slade Cecconi also has been bad in two of his three starts, but this is a nice price on the better overall team.
The Pirates are probably glad they didn't trade Mitch Keller, as the 30-year-old is off to a dominant start. With increased use of a changeup, Keller sports a 1.00 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. Pittsburgh should have success against struggling Miles Mikolas (12.41 ERA) and an already-depleted Washington bullpen. Back the Pirates, who are 9-3 in their last 12 games, on the run line.
Look for the Dodgers to bounce back from Sunday's loss and get to Mets lefty David Peterson. The 2025 All-Star posted an 8.42 ERA over his last nine starts of last season, and so far in 2026 he owns a 6.14 ERA over three starts. The Mets desperately miss Juan Soto (calf). They have scored a total of nine runs during their current five-game skid.
The Angels have won all three of Jose Soriano's starts, which is no surprise given his 0.45 ERA and 0.65 WHIP. Soriano's dominance appears to be sustainable given his increased velocity and improved knuckle-curve. Andrew Abbott has been solid for the host Reds. But the Halos' offense has performed better lately, ranking 10th in OPS over the past seven days compared to Cincy's 21st ranking. Take the Angels in Sunday's rubber game.
The Marlins have been hammering right-handed pitching, and I like them to at least be tied through five innings versus Tigers starter Keider Montero. Detroit has lost five straight and nine of 11. The Tigers also just lost CF Parker Meadows to a concussion. Back the Marlins in the first five.
The Guardians own the second-worst OPS against left-handed pitching (.631) this season. Over the past 15 days, they rank 10th in strikeout rate versus southpaws. It's a great matchup for Garrett Crochet, who has fanned at least eight batters in each of his last five home starts. Look for Crochet to pitch into the seventh inning and extend that streak.
San Francisco ranks dead last in OPS (.616) versus left-handed pitching, and collectively current Giants are 9-for-49 with a .522 OPS against Cubs lefty Matthew Boyd. Boyd owns a 2.14 ERA over his last 12 starts. I like the Cubs to get to Justin Verlander, who gave up seven earned runs in his last start. The 42-year-old has yielded the highest WHIP (1.44) since his rookie year in 2005. Back Chicago in the first five.
Rangers lefty Patrick Corbin has been shellacked in August, posting an 11.48 ERA and giving up at least three earned runs in each of his four starts. Current Angels hitters have a strong history against Corbin. He might not last long, but I bet him to give up at least three earned runs before he departs.