Houston has won 9 of their last 10 games...

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.

Shane Bieber might finally be looking like himself from the past after he pitched a 1-0 game against the White Sox in his last outing. That's two straight wins by the Blue Jays started by him allowing only two combined runs in those games. But the Blue Jays have lost their last four and seven of their last eight to make them look done for the playoffs this year. Their body language is terrible from all the players, and they’re 10 games under .500 now, with the team talking about being sellers at the trade deadline. They're on the brink of getting swept four games by the Rays. Tampa Bay has won eight of the last nine meetings with Toronto. Rays to win.

Jake McCarthy has a seven-game hitting streak going in his breakout year playing for the Rockies. He's also got a great shot of hitting his 11th home run of the year today off of Miles Mikolas of the Nationals. Four games have passed since he last hit a home run at San Francisco, and I think Mikolas' poor Colorado history will help him find his power source (Carson Palmquist is the opener for Washington). McCarthy is a football player from Scranton who plays baseball, and Arizona gave up on him after 5 years only to watch him flourish in Colorado. He leads the Rockies with a .305 batting average. He's the number two player in the Rockies offense, and he's just reaching his potential.

Washington is +925 in the profit margin and averages 10.75 runs per game while being 50-50, two games out of a wild-card slot. Best yet for tonight at Colorado, they are 30-19 on the road. The Rockies are 40-61 on the season, but they average 10.48 runs a game. The wind is swirling around Coors Field, but throughout the game tonight it'll be blowing out to left field and out to right field at 8 mph. Both starting pitchers should help this game get started on an over pace. Over is the play.

The Diamondbacks have won six of their last seven games to pull to 51-48, 11.5 games out of first place behind the Dodgers. But the Athletics present a problem for the Diamondbacks because they're playing their worst possible baseball right now, and that's just the type of team that gives the Diamondbacks trouble. Over the last 30 days, the Athletics have been the worst team in baseball, with a 4-19 record, the highest ERA at 6.74, and the most home runs allowed (45). Left-hander Mitch Bratt makes his third career start for the Diamondbacks, and his last one went well as he beat the Dodgers. The Athletics come with Jeffrey Springs, who's good for about six runs given up. Diamondbacks to win.

Jameson Taillon hasn't pitched since June 7th, and it's just his luck that Monday's forecast at Wrigley Field has the wind blowing straight out to center-field at 15 mph and 85° with a 23% chance of rain. Taillon, with his 5.19 ERA, probably didn't get much sleep knowing that he's coming back to the wind blowing out hard at Wrigley. We’ve got the Tigers and Cubs both hitting the ball extremely well at the moment, and I could see a 9-6 game quite easily in this pitching matchup that includes Jack Flaherty. The Tigers likely win, but the game going over is a much better play.

Cleveland and Pittsburgh come in hot, but the question is whether the 4-day All-Star break cooled them both off. Cleveland has won their last four games, including the last three at Miami, which has one of the best home-field advantages in baseball. The Pirates won three straight, sweeping the first-place Brewers and six of their last eight. I'm looking at a high-scoring game because of Pittsburgh, despite Gavin Williams pitching. Over the last 30 days, Pittsburgh is the No. 1 hitting team in baseball at .288. They're doing everything right offensively, and I think they get to Williams. Over is the play.

The Tigers went 9-3 before the All-Star break to pull within 3.5 games in the wild card chase. They're on a mission, and I think this group of guys can accomplish the goal of making the playoffs, but they have to win games like this against the Angels in Anaheim. The Tigers went 5-1 in Troy Melton's last six starts, with his last four starts staying under the total. Milton is from Anaheim Hills, and he pitches at home for the first time. I think he'll continue his success. In two July starts, he hasn't allowed an earned run. Tigers to win.

The Red Sox have won nine games in a row, but the question is whether the All-Star break slowed their groove. Did the Red Sox forget about their daily mindset and routine after the 4-day All-Star break? They play Tampa Bay out of the gate to start the second half, who have beaten the Red Sox four straight meetings and six of seven. Griffin Jax has had some success lately and beat the Rays 8-4 his last time facing them on May 7, where he pitched four innings and allowed three runs. Left-handed Boston rookie pitcher Jake Bennett has a 2.64 ERA in eight career starts. The Rays have only won four of their last nine games. Red Sox to win.

The Mets' Juan Soto has hit .290 this season with 21 homers, and apparently, everyone else isn't hitting, as the Mets have only won 40 games and sit in last place. Soto hasn't hit a home run in his last three games against the Red Sox, but four games ago against the Royals, he went deep. In six games against the Phillies this season, he has seven hits in 19 at-bats, two home runs, and six walks. I think the Mets are going to take this game, and Soto would be the perfect send-off for the Mets offense, showing themselves that they're back for business in the second half. Aaron Nola is starting for Philly. Soto to hit a home run.