The Dodgers are continuing a poor July...

Eduardo Rodriguez’s best year of his career was 2019 with Boston, when he went 19-6 with a 3.81 ERA. But in his 11th season, he's having his best year yet with the Diamondbacks at 10-3 and a 2.48 ERA. In the last two seasons, he posted ERA’s over 5.00. But he found the fountain of youth in 2026. In 22 starts this year, the Diamondbacks have won 17 of them. The problem today is he's got to face the Padres, who hit him hard last year, beating him twice while giving up nine runs off five homers in 10 innings. The new Eduardo Rodriguez shows up to stop the Padres this time. Arizona to win.

Freddy Peralta was considered one of the best pitchers in the National League in his eight seasons at Milwaukee, and then this year he went to the Mets. He looked lost all season except for one stretch. On May 6th, Peralta started at Colorado and allowed no runs in five innings, grabbing the win and starting a run of Mets wins in five of his next six games. And that's it. Everything before and after was disastrous, so at the trade deadline, he got sent to Tampa Bay, and I think it's going to work out. He'll have confidence after having a great outing at Colorado this year. A new setting and scenery are the best things for Peralta. Tampa Bay to win.

The Pirates have won the last four meetings against the Brewers and six of the last seven this season, which changes an almost two-decade dominance by the Brewers. The Pirates won last night's meeting, 4-3, but they've lost five of their last seven games, the last five of which were on the road. This is a spot where I think both teams will help get over the low total after combining for 10.09 runs scored per game. The Pirates are the best over team in baseball, getting there 64 times or 57.7% of their games. Jared Jones has stayed under in his last five starts, but I think the bullpens will help each team get this game over.

The Diamondbacks went into the final weekend of the last two seasons alive for the playoffs, and in both seasons the Padres eliminated them. In 2024, the Diamondbacks were the highest-scoring team in baseball, and the Padres took them out in Arizona; last year they were taken out on the last weekend in San Diego. So far this year, they're 3-3 against the Padres, who are heating up of late, having won eight of their last nine games, and sit only one game behind the Diamondbacks. But Arizona has a new and improved Brandon Pfaadt, who beat the Padres 8-0 on July 6th. Arizona has won his first six starts since a brief stay in the minors. Arizona gets the win.

The Astros beat the Blue Jays two games to one in late June, and in the second game they defeated Shane Bieber 9-7. He allowed four runs off nine hits in 3.2 innings in that game. Bieber comes off a rough outing at Washington, where he allowed four runs off of six walks and a hit and didn't make it out of the first inning of an 8-6 loss. Now he faces the Astros again, who have won six straight and 11 of their last 12 ball games. The hope is that the streak is more powerful than Cristian Javier in his fifth start, who has struggled in three of his starts. Astros to win.

The Nationals have lost their last five games, and they've stayed under the total in four of them to move down to the fourth-best over team in baseball, hitting the over 56.5% of the time. The Nationals may have surrendered their chances for the playoffs this year by making a pair of trades the last 2 weeks, the most notable being Luis Garcia Jr to the Yankees on Sunday. But I think the Nationals lineup thrives against Aaron Nola, who the Phillies have lost his last six starts. Andrew Alvarez will also allow a few runs to the Phillies. It's a good pitching mix for the over.

The Red Sox have gone 25-5 since June 25th and have vaulted themselves into playoff contention. They have a four-game lead as the second wild-card contender and currently sit 59-51. They currently have a four-game win streak and go for the sweep tonight in Los Angeles against the World Champion Dodgers. The Red Sox have shown the Dodgers a sample of all their strengths, beginning with their pitching that only allows 3.73 runs per game, which is the same amount the Dodgers allow. Rookie left-hander Jake Bennett (2.74 ERA) starts tonight after losing at Sacramento against the Athletics, stopping a five-game win streak he had. He goes against Emmett Sheehan of the Dodgers, who have lost his last four starts. Red Sox to win.

You got a ride a hot team, and there's no hotter team than the Houston Astros, who have won nine of their last 10 games and are now in first place at 56-55. The Astros were once 11 games under .500 on May 20th. The Rangers have lost three games in a row to fall right at .500 and a half game out of first. Jacob deGrom goes for the Rangers, but they've lost his last two games. Ronel Blanco goes for the Astros, and he's allowed nine runs in his two starts this year. But this is an Astros squad finding new ways to win each night, and they'll survive poor pitching from Blanco. The bonus is if Blanco pitches well. Astros to win.

Tampa Bay has a two-game lead in the AL East, and fortunately for this bet, they're not on the road, where they're 24-28. They're at home against the Rangers, where they're 39-16 and have the best home record in baseball by a large margin. This is the rubber match in their first meeting this year. They swept them in Tampa Bay last year, making them 4-1 in their last five meetings. They've got their best on the mound with Shane McClanahan, who the Rays have won three of his past four starts, with him allowing only one combined run in the three games. McClanahan and the Rays at home are the play.

Rookie left-hander Jake Bennett has got the winning decision in his last five starts, and he's only allowed six runs in his last six starts. While Bennett wins, the Red Sox have moved up to 55-50 with a two-game lead in the wild card hunt. The Red Sox have won 18 of their past 20 games while tonight’s opponent, the Athletics, have lost 24 of their last 30 games. After a fantastic start, Athletics rookie left-hander Gage Jump has lost his last five starts with a 9.65 ERA over that stretch. Red Sox to win.

Brandon Pfaadt was sent down to the minors in early June and came back and hasn't lost since. That's five starts and five wins, with him getting credit for the wins as well. Whatever he worked on in the minors turned out to be good for business, and it also turned the Diamondbacks season around. But the Pirates won last night to make it three straight over the Diamondbacks and five of their last six meetings. Their records are now identical at 55-52 on the season with both teams tied for the last wild card slot. The last eight meetings have stayed under the total, and Bubba Chandler has been outstanding in his last two games, allowing only two earned runs. The under.

Cleveland has lost five games in a row, and they play in Cincinnati on Monday, with Slade Cecconi coming to the rescue. Cleveland has lost his last two starts. They've gone over his last three starts, and he's allowed 15 runs during that span. Chase Burns should be okay, only allowing at most two runs, and I think Cincinnati will score five to six runs. Cleveland is sliding fast, and they now have a one-game lead in the wild card chase over Minnesota. Cincinnati comes home after a nine-game road trip where they went 6-3, leaving them five games back in the wild card hunt. The Reds have won the last seven games started by Chase Burns, and they've won by two runs or more.

The Rays have won five of their last six games after having a 5 game losing streak. Tampa Bay will tell you that winning is much better than losing, and I think they want to keep winning at home and sweep Cleveland this weekend. Drew Rasmussen won his last outing against Toronto 12-2, where he allowed two runs in five innings, but I think this is more about the team knowing where they are right now. When Tampa Bay is at home, they are 37-15. While they're at home, they’re going for another sweep Sunday. Tampa Bay to win.

The Giants just ended a five-game losing streak with the win last night, and they have their best pitcher, Robbie Ray, on the mound going against the Angels, who are 17-35 on the road, which is tied for the worst road record in baseball. Ray has only allowed five runs between his last six starts, and the Giants have won eight of his last 10 starts. The Giants get the win today.