Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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09-03-16 | Diamondbacks v. Rockies OVER 12 | Top | 9-4 | Win | 100 | 12 h 34 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #961/962 - Total Annihilation - 10* Top Play OVER 12 in Colorado Rockies vs Arizona Diamondbacks @ 8:10 ET Saturday - The Rockies will have Tyler Chatwood on the mound tonight as he makes his first start since coming off of the disabled list. The right-hander is facing the wrong team at the wrong time. Coming off of the DL is never easy but especially when you have to face a team that has gotten to you for 6 earned runs in 6 innings the last time you faced them. Indeed Chatwood will be tested tonight and, after last night's 14-7 Rockies win, the over is now 10-3 (77%) this season in match-ups between these clubs. Chatwood allowed 23 earned runs in 41 and 2/3 innings in his 8 starts that preceded going on the disabled list and walks were an issue for him too. Amazingly, there has been just one under in the dozen home starts Chatwood has made this season even though he has a 5.43 ERA at Coors Field this year. In other words, the trending to the under is a fluke. Being opposed by Braden Shipley tonight should help the cause here in terms of tonight's game getting over the total. It will be his first start ever at hitter-friendly Coors Field and he's off a start where he allowed just one earned run versus Cincinnati but note he walked 4 while striking out just 1 in that outing. Additionally, prior to that outing he was rocked for 13 earned runs in his 2 prior starts. Look for more of the same tonight as the Rockies have averaged 9.6 runs per game in their last 5 home games and the Dbacks are averaging a solid 5.2 runs per game in their last 10 games. The over is 12-4 this season in Arizona games when they are off of a game where they allowed 10 runs or more. Also, the over is 40-20 this season in Diamondbacks games against teams with a losing record. 10* OVER in Colorado Saturday night |
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09-03-16 | Western Michigan v. Northwestern -4.5 | Top | 22-21 | Loss | -108 | 21 h 31 m | Show |
Rickenbach NCAA FB Game #160 - High Noon Top Blowout - 10* Top Play Northwestern Wildcats -4.5 vs Western Michigan Broncos @ Noon ET Saturday - You can tell by the line movement on this game (downward) that many are looking at the Broncos as an underdog in this early Saturday match-up. I completely respect Western Michigan as a MAC team but that is the key to the equation surrounding my big play on Northwestern in this match-up. The Wildcats are a Big Ten team that went 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS in their non-conference games last year. Note that the Broncos went just 1-3 SU and 2-2 ATS outside of the MAC last season. I am well aware of the fact that Western Michigan has gone bowling each of the last two years and has been a team on the rise in the MAC. However, the last time they played Northwestern they got rolled by a 3 TD margin and the Wildcats have won 8 of their last 9 home openers. With this line moving down there is even more value on Northwestern here as we laying a rather small number against a team from an inferior conference. Remember last year the Wildcats home opener featured an upset win over Stanford. Even though Western Michigan is no Stanford (in terms of motivation for a big win) there is no way that the Wildcats will overlook the Broncos as Northwestern has Illinois State on deck. That means there is definitely no lookahead factor here. The Wildcats were very strong on defense last year and return 6 starters from that D which gives them a huge edge in comparing the defensive capabilities of these two teams. Northwestern allowed only 16 points per game last year while Western Michigan allowed 28 points per game. Over the last 25 years the Broncos are 3-26 SU against Big Ten teams. Over this same period, the Wildcats are 12-5 SU against MAC teams. Big difference in terms of the level of competition and I feel this is a very reasonable line on the superior team whom also has the home field edge. Lay it. 10* NORTHWESTERN early Saturday. |
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09-02-16 | Diamondbacks v. Rockies OVER 11.5 | Top | 7-14 | Win | 100 | 11 h 52 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #911/912 - NL Total Annihilation - 10* Top Play OVER 11.5 in Colorado Rockies vs Arizona Diamondbacks @ 8:40 ET Friday - The Diamondbacks are a perfect 4-0 to the over this season as a road fave of -100 to -125. Arizona is also 8-4 to the over when playing after a day off. The Dbacks also have seen the over go 39-20 in their games against teams with a losing record this season. The Diamondbacks will have Robbie Ray on the mound and he's facing a Rockies team that is averaging 6.3 runs per game (and hitting .304) at home this season. Ray has faced Colorado twice in 2016 and he's allowed 8 earned runs on 16 hits (including 5 homers) in less than 9 innings of work. The Arizona southpaw will be opposed by fellow southpaw Jorge De La Rosa in this one. The Rockies left-hander has given up 14 hits and 7 walks in less than 11 innings against the Diamondbacks this season. That is not a huge surprise as the Dbacks have been tough on left-handed pitching this season and are averaging 5 runs per game against lefties on the year. De La Rosa has a 5.36 ERA in his home starts this season and the over is 7-2 in his starts at Coors Field this year! The Rockies have scored at least 7 runs in 5 of their last 6 home games. Arizona, prior to a loss in their last game of August, had averaged 5.4 runs per game in going 5-3 in their last 8 games. Both teams, after an off day yesterday, resume the hot hitting tonight in the dry air at Coors Field and with the wind blowing out. 10* OVER 11.5 in Colorado Friday |
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09-02-16 | White Sox v. Twins OVER 9 | Top | 11-4 | Win | 104 | 10 h 20 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #921/922 - AL Total Annihilation - 10* Top Play OVER 9 in Minnesota Twins vs Chicago White Sox @ 8:10 ET Friday - The Twins snapped their 13-game losing streak with an 8-5 win yesterday. Even though Minnesota has been losing it hasn't necessarily kept their bats quiet. In fact, the Twins have averaged 5 runs per game in their last 10 games and the over is on an 8-2 run during this stretch. They have enjoyed success against Carlos Rodon of the White Sox as Minny has got to him for 9 earned runs in 12 innings in his last two starts against them and the Twins hit 4 homers in those two games! Minnesota will have Kyle Gibson on the mound and he has allowed 9 earned runs on 15 hits in 10 and 1/3 innings spanning his last two starts. The over is 6-0 in Gibson's last 6 starts and the over is 8-1 this season in White Sox road games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs. The Twins have been an over machine this season including 54-25 to the over in night games. They also are 34-14 to the over when off of a win and 32-15 to the over when facing a team with a losing record. Minny is facing a southpaw again after facing one last night and the over is now 22-12 in Twins games against left-handed starters this season. The ChiSox bullpen has a 4.92 ERA on the road this season and the Minnesota bullpen certainly has played a role in the Twins allowing 7.3 runs per game in their last 12 games! More of the same tonight. 10* OVER in Minnesota Friday |
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09-01-16 | White Sox v. Twins OVER 8 | Top | 5-8 | Win | 100 | 12 h 10 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #957/958 - Total Annihilation - 10* Top Play OVER 8 in Minnesota Twins vs Chicago White Sox @ 8:10 ET Thursday - With their game going over the total at Cleveland last night, the Twins are now 53-25 to the over in night games this year. In games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs Minnesota has gone 36-18 to the over this season. In games against teams with a losing record the Twins have gone 31-15 to the over this year. Also, against left-handed starters, the over is 21-12 in Minnesota games this year. Certainly the White Sox Jose Quintana has been pitching very well but he has been more hittable on the road than at home. Also, the Twins are very familiar with him as they'll be facing him for the fourth time in less than four months. As for the Minnesota starter today, Ervin Santana has given up 20 hits in his 16 and 1/3 innings against the ChiSox this season and he'll be facing them for the 4th time this season. Familiarity in terms of match-ups almost always favors the hitters. The more they see of a pitcher the better shot they have at making solid contact and Santana is coming off of a start where he struggled with his command and gave up 6 earned runs at Toronto. The White Sox bullpen has a 4.92 ERA on the road this season and the Twins bullpen has played a role in the fact that Minny has allowed 7.4 runs per game during their current 13-game losing streak. Though the pitchers have some decent numbers of late, that is merely serving to give us some extra line value with a low total in this one. 10* OVER 8 in Minnesota Thursday evening. |
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09-01-16 | Ottawa -2.5 v. Montreal | Top | 19-14 | Win | 100 | 8 h 42 m | Show |
Rickenbach CFL Game #215 - Divisional Dominator - 10* Top Play Ottawa Redblacks -2.5 @ Montreal Alouettes @ 7:30 ET - Not only are the Alouettes without their star receiver (Duron Carter) due to suspension, their offense has struggled for much of this season. 4 interceptions created a disaster for the Als last week and now they face an Ottawa team fully focused on exacting revenge after an ugly, embarrassing home loss (43-19) two weeks ago. The Redblacks now have their starting QB back and he should be even stronger in his 2nd game back. Ottawa was heavily penalized in last week's game (a loss) and they'll have that cleaned up for this rematch with a division rival this week. The Redblacks had won 4 straight meetings with Montreal before the loss in Ottawa two weeks ago. As a road fave of 3 points or less Ottawa is on a long-term 4-1 (80%) ATS run. Also, the Redblacks excel in games that are projected to be tight. In games with a line of +3 to -3 Ottawa has gone 20-9 SU and 19-10 ATS long-term. Montreal is 0-3 ATS as a home dog of 3 points or less this season. Also, the Als are 9-17 ATS when playing with 6 days or less of rest. Look for the Redblacks to get revenge against a short-handed Alouettes team. 10* OTTAWA Thursday evening. |
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08-31-16 | Twins v. Indians OVER 8 | Top | 4-8 | Win | 100 | 10 h 15 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #925/926 - Total Annihilation - 10* Top Play OVER 8 in Cleveland Indians vs Minnesota Twins @ 7:10 ET Wednesday - My clients and I took a bad beat with the over in the Twins/Indians game yesterday but, the least we can do is get some payback today. Yesterday's game was 4-4 in the SECOND inning and yet did not go over the total. Many crazy things happened that prevented that game from going over but let's focus on going forward rather than looking back. Both bullpens got some extra work yesterday so that helps in terms of today's over. The big key here is that the Twins Pat Dean should get rocked but I also believe the Indians Corey Kluber will give up his fair share as well. Over the past 12 months Kluber has faced the Twins 3 times and he has given up 4 earned runs in EACH of those three outings. Kluber has compiled a 6.61 ERA in those 3 most recent starts versus Minnesota. As for the Twins Dean, he has allowed 13 earned runs in only 5 and 1/3 innings spanning his last two starts. The southpaw has made 7 starts this season and 5 of those have resulted in overs as Dean has compiled a 6.88 ERA as a starter this year. Each of his last 4 starts have gone over the total and I look for the "over streak" to reach 5-0 today. The Twins are 36-18 to the over this season in games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs. The Indians are 19-7 to the over this year in home games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs. Today's play on the over should make up for yesterday's nonsense as the match-up is right for an easy over here! 10* OVER 8 in Cleveland Wednesday |
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08-30-16 | Twins v. Indians OVER 9.5 | Top | 4-5 | Loss | -112 | 11 h 22 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #971/972 - Div Total of the Year - 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Cleveland Indians vs Minnesota Twins @ 7:10 ET Tuesday - After yesterday's 1-0 battle, today's game is likely to make up for that in terms of runs scored. The Indians Josh Tomlin has gone 0-5 in August and has compiled a 10.80 ERA for the month. Home runs allowed continue to be a problem for Tomlin as he has given up 7 homers in his last 3 starts. The last time Tomlin faced the Twins in Cleveland he gave up 3 homers in a mid-May start. Minnesota will have Andrew Albers on the mound and he is making his first MLB start in 3 years. The big concern with Albers it that, even at at the minor league level, he has been getting hit hard! Albers, at AAA Rochester, has a 3.69 ERA but a .305 BAA. In other words, he's fortunate to have such a low ERA. The prior season, at AAA Buffalo, Albers went 2-11 with a 5.70 ERA and he was hit at a .324 clip. In other words, this guy has proven he still ultra-hittable and he now faces major league hitters that are ready for another breakout game (like the 12-1 Indians win over the Rangers Friday) after some recent frustration at the plate. The over was 6-0 in the Twins last 6 games before yesterday's pitchers' duel. The over is 8-2 in Tomlin's home starts this season. The over is 11-3 this season in Minny's road games where they are a dog of +175 to +200. The over is 9-2 the last 3 seasons combined in Cleveland home games where they are a favorite of -200 to -225. 10* OVER in Cleveland Tuesday. |
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08-29-16 | Yankees v. Royals OVER 8.5 | Top | 5-8 | Win | 100 | 12 h 52 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #923/924 - Total Annihilation - 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Kansas City Royals vs New York Yankees @ 8:15 ET Monday - Michael Pineda is having a tough season for the Yankees and he has particularly struggled on the road. Away from home this season Pineda has gone 2-6 with a 5.37 ERA and has been hit at a .287 clip. The over is 7-3 with two pushes in his 12 road starts this year. He'll be opposed by Dillon Gee who got hit at a .329 clip last season and is getting hit at a .293 clip this season. The Yankees are a tough match-up for him as they have hit right-handed pitching very well this year. The Yanks will be looking to bounce back after getting shut out yesterday. That was only the 7th time the Yankees have been shut out this season and they've only had 1 under (out of 6 games) in their next game after a shutout loss this season. Prior to yesterday's shutout, the Yanks had scored at least 5 runs in 9 of their last 10 games. During this solid stretch the Yankees averaged 6.4 runs per game. As for the Royals, after smashing the Red Sox at Fenway Park last night, they remain red hot. Kansas City has averaged 6.7 runs per game in going 11-3 in their last 14 games. As a small home dog priced between +100 and +125 this season the Royals have gone 11-6 to the over. The Royals Gee has struggled badly against left-handed bats throughout his career and the Yankees will be loaded up from that side of the plate tonight. 10* OVER in Kansas City Monday evening |
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08-29-16 | White Sox v. Tigers -1.5 | Top | 3-4 | Loss | -103 | 11 h 48 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #918 - Run Line Rout - 10* Top Play Detroit Tigers -1.5 -105 vs Chicago White Sox @ 7:10 ET Monday - The White Sox James Shields is off of a better start against the Phillies but Philadelphia hadn't faced him since last season. Now he faces a Tigers team that is very familiar with him and seeing him for the 4th time in the last 2 and 1/2 months. That doesn't bode well for Shields who has allowed 14 runs in the 16 innings spanning these three recent starts against Detroit. Also, Shields comes into this start having gone 0-4 in his 5 August starts with a 13.95 ERA and he's been rocked at a .408 clip in these outings. He's likely to get clobbered by the Tigers here and that should provide plenty of run support for Detroit's Matt Boyd to win this game by at least two runs. The Tigers southpaw is 5-0 with a 2.38 ERA in his last 8 starts (and 1 relief appearance) since he moved back into Detroit's rotation. The Tigers are hungry to bounce back after back to back losses to the Angels followed a 5 game winning streak that saw Detroit score 7.8 runs per game with every victory coming by a margin of at least two runs. The White Sox last 16 losses have come by an average margin of 3 runs per defeat and, with a complete pitching mismatch here, this looks like another blowout loss for Shields and the ChiSox. Each of the White Sox last 4 losses with Shields on the mound have come by at least 2 runs with 3 of them by 6 runs or more. 10* DETROIT -1.5 runs on the Run Line Monday Evening. |
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08-28-16 | Royals v. Red Sox OVER 9 | Top | 10-4 | Win | 100 | 12 h 55 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #971/972 - Primetime Punisher - 10* OVER 9 in Boston Red Sox vs Kansas City Royals @ 8:05 ET Sunday - These teams had been trending under recently but yesterday's game (went over by the 5th inning) is a sign of things to come. The Royals are hitting .275 against left-handed pitching this season and that places them 3rd out of all 30 MLB teams. They'll be facing Eduardo Rodriguez tonight. The Red Sox southpaw missed his last start due to hamstring tightness and the Red Sox are 0-6 in his home starts this season and Rodriguez has compiled a 5.08 ERA at Fenway Park on the year. When people see the stats of Rodriguez over his last three starts they may think he'll come up big tonight but he faced the Orioles and Yankees and they are the two worst teams in the AL in terms of slugging percentage against southpaws. Rodriguez also faced the Dodgers who have only hit .221 against left-handed pitching this season. He faces a much tougher match-up with the Royals tonight and his hamstring may give him issues too. The wind is going to be blowing out to left tonight at Fenway and the Royals Yordano Ventura is off of a start where he did not allow a homer but previously he gave up 6 homers in his last 4 road starts. The KC right-hander has a 5.48 ERA and 1.61 WHIP in his 4 starts against the BoSox in his career. Boston is hitting .304 at home this season and averaging 6 runs per game there! Look for the over to improve to 16-9 in Red Sox home games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs this season. 10* OVER in Boston Sunday evening. |
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08-28-16 | Hamilton v. Calgary OVER 54 | Top | 24-30 | Push | 0 | 32 h 40 m | Show |
Rickenbach CFL Game #307/308 - Total Annihilation - 10* Top Play OVER 54 in Calgary Stampeders vs Hamilton Tiger-Cats @ 7 ET Sunday - The Tiger-Cats have had a big boost on offense with the return of QB Zach Collaros but don't be fooled by the fact that the Hamilton defense only allowed 7 points last week. The Ti-Cats D took advantage of facing a Saskatchewan team that is, by far, the worst team in the CFL. The Roughriders are now 1-8 on the season and after another loss Friday night. Prior to Hamilton's win over Saskatchewan last week, the Tiger-Cats had allowed 28 points per game on the season. Their now facing the team in the CFL with the best record YTD and Calgary is getting the job done on offense with averaging 31 points per game. I am well aware of the fact that the under is a perfect 7-0 in the last 7 meetings between Hamilton and Calgary but this one has the makings of a very high-scoring game Sunday evening. The Stampeders defense is due for a letdown as they had a key divisional win over 2nd place BC last week. Before holding the Lions to just 9 points, Calgary had given up 25.4 points per game in their 5 games this season that were not against last-place Saskatchewan. In other words, against potent offenses, the Stampeders tend to give up their fair share of big points. I just don't see the Calgary defense stepping in back to back weeks in this non-divisional setting but I do know that the Stampeders offense should have no trouble moving the ball against a Hamilton team whose defense is its weakest link. Add it all up and you have the makings of a back and forth shootout here between Bo Levi Mitchell and Zach Collaros. 10* OVER in Calgary Sunday evening. |
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08-28-16 | Indians v. Rangers OVER 9.5 | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -106 | 7 h 55 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #977/978 - Daytime Dominator - 10* OVER 9.5 in Texas Rangers vs Cleveland Indians @ 3:05 ET - Yesterday's game was 7-0 in the 3rd inning but miraculously stayed under the total as the Rangers AJ Griffin surprisingly had his best start of the year and the teams also went a combined 2 for 15 with runners in scoring position. The beleaguered Texas bullpen also had a surprisingly successful night as they had gotten pounded the night before and have the highest bullpen ERA of any team in the AL. After last night's surprising result, look for a return to "normal" this afternoon. Danny Salazar gets the start for the Indians and he has been struggling since coming off of the disabled list. In fact, struggling doesn't even describe it properly. Salazar has just been plain awful with a 15.55 ERA in the 11 innings spanning his last four starts. He's running into a Rangers lineup known for pounding the ball at home. The only good news for Salazar is that he should get plenty of run support here as the Rangers hand the ball to Derek Holland and the Indians should respond off of a rare shutout loss. Holland is coming off of a solid start in his last outing but that was his first start in two months and the issue he had was with shoulder inflammation. In other words, don't be surprised if he has a little flare-up of that again here in only his 2nd start since his return. He's facing Cleveland team that is hitting .276 against left-handed pitching this season which ranks them 2nd out of all 30 MLB teams. The over in Salazar's starts is on a perfect 6-0 run. 10* OVER in Texas Sunday afternoon. |
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08-28-16 | Chargers +5.5 v. Vikings | Top | 10-23 | Loss | -107 | 23 h 44 m | Show |
Rickenbach NFLX Game #277 - Game of the Year - 10* Top Play San Diego Chargers +5.5 @ Minnesota Vikings @ 1 ET Sunday - After opening up at a 4 this line has been driven as high as a 5.5 in some shops as of about 24 hours before kickoff. I am pulling the trigger now on what I feel is a fantastic value situation. I am certainly well aware of the stellar record that the Vikings have had in PreSeason action under head coach Mike Zimmer. However, they won their first game this season by just a single point. Then, even though they won the 2nd game by a full TD that came on an INT returned for a touchdown. The point is that the Vikings have not been as impressive this preseason as they were the last two years. They are opening up a new stadium Sunday but, in PreSeason action, that is just not going to be the boost that it will be in the regular season when crowd noise is truly a factor. That's, of course, because that's when the games count. As for this NFLX match-up, I don't see the Vikings being able to create a big margin in this game. The Chargers are off a win last week and their defense was very strong against the run. San Diego, in my mind, is rallying around the entire Joey Bosa situation and his holdout is actually strengthening the resolve of this defensive unit. I look for another strong effort from the Chargers Sunday. The Chargers ugly loss in Week 1 of this PreSeason was a wake-up call and they've answered it. San Diego was "only" 2-2 SU in the PreSeason last year but the two losses came by a COMBINED 3 points. In other words, as a dog in this pointspread range the Bolts would have been 4-0 ATS last NFLX season and they'd now be on a 6-1 ATS run dating back to the final game of the 2014 preseason. The point is that, as a general rule, the Chargers have avoided ugly losses in preseason action. After resting QB Phillip Rivers last week, the Chargers are ready for the "dress rehearsal" game and I like the value with the big points here as the Vikings only had 258 yards of offense last week and they only won their week 1 game by a single point as I noted above. The Vikings will be the "trendy" pick in this one but I am fading the masses and everything I am seeing points to a very focused effort from the Chargers in this one. 10* SAN DIEGO Sunday |
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08-27-16 | Reds v. Diamondbacks OVER 9.5 | Top | 13-0 | Win | 100 | 23 h 17 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #911/912 - Slugfest Smash - 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Arizona Diamondbacks vs Cincinnati Reds @ 8:10 ET Saturday - The Diamondbacks entered this series having gone 10-2 to the over in their last 12 games. The Reds entered this series having gone 13-4 to the over in their last 17 games. Arizona will have Zack Godley on the mound and the right-hander has struggled this season as he has compiled a 5.87 ERA in his 8 starts. 6 of those 8 outings have resulted in overs. His only starts against the Reds saw him struggle with 5 earned runs allowed on 10 hits in less than 6 innings of work. The Reds will have Anthony DeSclafani on the mound and he'd likely rather not be facing the Dbacks. Against Arizona, DeSclafani has given up 9 earned runs on 20 hits in 11 innings spanning two starts! He comes into this start having allowed 21 hits (including 3 homers) in the 18 inning spanning his last 3 starts. DeSclafani shows some impressive full season stats for the betting markets to ingest but the fact he's on a downward trend of late and has struggled against Arizona in the past has me expecting him to get throttled here. There is little doubt that the Reds should pile onto Godley's struggles. The over is 12-5 the last 3 seasons in Reds games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs. Also, entering Friday's action, the over was 57-32 this season in Cincinnati games against right-handed starters. Arizona is 14-3 to the over this season in home games where they are priced between -100 and -125. The Diamondbacks were on a long-term 21-6 run to the over entering Friday's action. Based on this pitching match-up tonight these strong trends are likely to add another W Saturday. 10* OVER in Arizona Saturday. |
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08-26-16 | Angels v. Tigers -1.5 | Top | 2-4 | Win | 100 | 13 h 26 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #972 - Run Line Rout - 10* Top Play Detroit Tigers -1.5 -105 vs Los Angeles Angels @ 7:10 ET Friday - The Angels, the last two games notwithstanding, have truly struggled on the road this season. After a 2nd straight upset win at Toronto last night, Los Angeles now faces a Tigers team that has won four straight games. Detroit also is happy to be back home as they look at atone for a rare, tough performance in their most recent homestand as they went 2-5 at home before going to Minnesota and getting the series sweep. Again, looking at the long-term numbers here you can see the Tigers at home have a big edge over the Angels on the road. Couple that with a huge pitching edge and we have the makings of a blowout win for Detroit in this one. That is why taking the run line at very nearly even money is offering great line value here. Of the last 14 team wins that the Tigers have had with Verlander on the mound, 11 of them have come by a margin of 2 runs or more. Verlander is 5-1 with a 1.93 ERA since the All Star break and teams are hitting a paltry .170 against him in those 8 starts. The Angels send Rickey Nolasco to the mound and they have lost all 4 of his starts since they acquired him. Overall this season Nolasco is 4-11 with a 5.22 ERA. The Tigers have hit him hard 2 of the 3 times they have faced him this season and the Angels bullpen is certainly not an area of strength. 10* DETROIT Run Line Friday |
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08-26-16 | Winnipeg v. Montreal | Top | 32-18 | Win | 100 | 23 h 43 m | Show |
Rickenbach CFL Game #303 - Game of the Year - 10* Top Play Winnipeg Blue Bombers (Pick'em) @ Montreal Alouettes @ 7 ET Friday - Winnipeg is fresh off of their bye week and has won three straight games. QB Matt Nichols has led the way and the Blue Bombers have begun to surge following the handing of the pivot duties to Nichols from Drew Willy. This is a revenge game from a 22-14 home loss for Winnipeg earlier this season. The Blue Bombers have payback on their minds and Winnipeg has gotten the cash in 4 of their last 5 visits to Montreal. The Bombers certainly are catching the Alouettes at an ideal time. Montreal's offense has been very inconsistent this season. That said, it is hard to imagine that the Als will be able to have another big game after their huge divisional win at Ottawa last week. That win over the Redblacks was a key win for Montreal and is likely to leave them a little flat this week. Keep in mind too that the Alouettes offense has struggled for much of this season. The rested and highly motivated Blue Bombers are the play here as they continue their surge with Nichols orchestrating the offense. Montreal has another match-up with division rival Ottawa on deck while the Bombers only have last place Saskatchewan on deck. Situational edge definitely goes to the road team here and I expect the Blue Bombers to improve to 4-1 on the road and 4-1 against the East this season. Look for the Alouettes to drop to 1-4 in home games this season. 10* WINNIPEG Friday |
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08-26-16 | Twins v. Blue Jays OVER 10 | Top | 8-15 | Win | 105 | 13 h 12 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #967/968 - Slugfest Smash - 10* Top Play OVER 10 in Toronto Blue Jays vs Minnesota Twins @ 7:05 ET Friday - Pat Dean is getting this start as a spot start for the Twins because Hector Santiago is dealing with a bruised thumb. This is not a good match-up for Dean as he has been getting rocked by right-handed batters to the tune of a .315 batting average. The Blue Jays are loaded with right-handed lumber up and down their lineup and they'll be ready for a big night after wasting opportunities in last night's 6-3 home loss to the Angels. The Jays will have Francisco Liriano on the mound facing his former team. Facing the Twins has not been kind to Liriano in recent meetings. The Toronto southpaw faced them twice last season and he gave up 10 runs (9 earned) on 15 hits (including 2 homers) in the less than 8 innings spanning the two starts. The Twins are off of a 9-5 loss to the Tigers that went over the total. Minnesota continues to be an "over machine" this season as they are now 77-43 to the over. The over is also 51-23 in Twins night games and 42-21 in their games against teams with a winning record this season. The Blue Jays had scored 6 runs or more in 5 of their last 8 games before coming up short in the final two games of their series with the Angels. They make up for that today as they pound Dean in their second shot against him this season. 10* OVER in Toronto Friday |
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08-25-16 | Angels v. Blue Jays OVER 9.5 | Top | 6-3 | Loss | -109 | 12 h 44 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #913/914 - Total Annihilation - 10* OVER 9.5 in Toronto Blue Jays vs Los Angeles Angels @ 7:05 ET Thursday - A big part of pitching is the mental aspect. That said, I am not necessarily saying that J.A. Happ is weak when it comes to the mental side of pitching but I will say that he could be a little "off his game" when it comes to facing the Angels. Not only did Los Angeles pound out 17 hits in yesterday's 8-2 win, the Angels have "owned" Happ in his career. The Blue Jays left-hander is 0-4 with an 8.00 ERA and a 1.83 WHIP in his four starts against the Angels in his career. Happ also comes into this outing off of a start where he allowed 3 homers to the Yankees. Both of these factors could impact his psyche for tonight's match-up with Los Angeles. As for the Angels, they send a struggling hurler to the mound for this one. Jered Weaver gets the start and the right-hander is 0-3 with an 8.40 ERA and a 2.13 WHIP in his last 3 starts. The veteran righty has given up a ridiculous 7 homers in his last 3 starts. With the Blue Jays expected to have slugger Jose Bautista back in the lineup for this one tonight, the formidable task for Weaver just got even tougher. These are two very potent lineups squaring off tonight and the Angels got back on track offensively with their huge performance last night. As for the Blue Jays, they had gone 6-3 (and averaged scoring 7.5 runs in the 6 victories) before they were held "in check" in last night's loss. Look for the Jays to get a boost with the imminent return of Bautista from the disabled list and look for the Angels to enjoy another big night at the plate. 10* OVER 9.5 in Toronto Thursday evening. |
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08-25-16 | Tigers v. Twins OVER 9.5 | Top | 8-5 | Win | 100 | 7 h 1 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #909/910 - Earliest Cash - 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Minnesota vs Detroit @ 1:10 ET Thursday - Although it may seem enticing to play the Tigers here and look for the Twins losing ways to continue, I just don't trust Daniel Norris. He shows a 3.81 ERA this season but that's just scratching the surface. The fact is that the Tigers southpaw has had as many walks as strikeouts over his last three starts and he's getting hit at a .319 clip on the season! The Twins are a bad team but they have a lineup that hits well enough to do damage against an inconsistent southpaw. Norris won't be the only starting pitcher getting knocked around in this one. Minnesota sends Jose Berrios to the mound and he has a 9.28 ERA on the season as a starter with NONE of his 8 starts resulting in an under. There have been two pushes and a 6-0 over record in Berrios' starts this season. One of those outings came against the Tigers in May and was an absolute disaster. I look for more of the same today on Thursday. The wind is going to be blowing out to center on a pleasant afternoon in Minnesota and so the hitters should absolutely rule the day in this one. Norris has not gone longer than 5 and 1/3 innings in any of his starts this season and Berrios only eclipsed the 5 and 1/3 innings mark once in his 8 starts this season. That means two questionable bullpens have plenty of involvement in this one as well. The over is 41-21 in Twins home games this season. The over is also 41-21 in Minny's game against teams with a winning record this year. No matter how you look at it, this one should be a slugfest. 10* OVER in Minnesota early Thursday afternoon. |
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08-24-16 | Angels v. Blue Jays OVER 8.5 | Top | 8-2 | Win | 100 | 11 h 27 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #965/966 - Total Annihilation - 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Toronto Blue Jays vs Los Angeles Angels @ 7:05 ET Wednesday - Though Matt Shoemaker recently enjoyed a solid extended stretch, he has shown signs of falling out of good current form and this has been particularly true on the road. Shoemaker gave up 5 earned runs on 12 hits in just 6 innings of work in his most recent road start. This marked the 3rd time in his last 6 road starts that he has allowed at least 5 earned runs. A trip to Toronto is unlikely to change his fortunes away from home. Not only do the Blue Jays have a rock solid lineup, Shoemaker was rocked for 8 runs (7 earned) in 6 innings in his lone visit to Rogers Centre. Marco Estrada gets the start for the Jays and he has a 4.97 ERA in his two career starts against the Angels. Also, though he has had a solid season, Estrada is fading of late. In his last two starts the Toronto right-hander has given up 7 earned runs on 12 hits (including 4 homers) plus he has walked 4 in only 9 innings of work. Yesterday's game came up just short of going over the total but certainly wasted a lot of opportunity. There were multiple double plays, multiple guys caught stealing, a guy picked off, and also a guy thrown out at 2nd base from the outfield. The point is, anything that could go wrong seemed to go wrong and yet the game still totaled 9 runs. With both of these pitchers shaky of late, and with two solid lineups in play, today's game should fly over the total. Yesterday the teams only combined for 3 of 16 with runners in scoring position. 10* OVER in Toronto Wednesday evening. |
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08-24-16 | Cubs v. Padres OVER 8.5 | Top | 6-3 | Win | 110 | 9 h 42 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #953/954 - Daytime Dominator - 10* OVER 8 or 8.5 in San Diego Padres vs Chicago Cubs @ 3:40 ET Wednesday - This total is an 8.5 in most shops as of very early Wednesday morning. However, there are signs it may drop to an 8. I love to fade the masses and we'll gladly grab the value on the over in this match-up. Yes, the Cubs Kyle Hendricks has great numbers on the year but his road ERA is nearly two full runs higher than his home ERA. This is the finale of a 7-game homestand for the Padres and they have averaged 5 runs per game in the first 6 games. The Cubs should certainly enjoy another big day at the plate. The Cubbies come into this one averaging 6 runs per game in their last 12 games and they face a struggling Paul Clemens. The Padres right-hander has seen each of his last three starts fly over the total as he has had plenty of run support but he's also struggled on the mound. Clemens has never worked more than 5 innings in an outing in his 7 starts this season. Also, he has had at least as many walks as strikeouts in more than half of his starts. Clemens has a 5.32 ERA in his career and has been hit at a .277 clip. Wednesday he is facing one of the toughest lineups in the league. The results are likely to get ugly in a hurry. The over is 23-13 this season in Padres games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs including 14-7 in home games! As a road fave of -175 or more, the Cubs have gone 13-7 to the over this season. In day games the Cubs are 33-22 to the over this season. The Cubbies .355 on base percentage in day games is #1 in the majors. 10* OVER in San Diego Wednesday afternoon. |
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08-23-16 | Tigers -115 v. Twins | Top | 8-3 | Win | 100 | 30 h 1 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #915 – Divisional Dominance – 10* Top Play Detroit Tigers Money Line -115 @ Minnesota Twins @ 8:10 ET Tuesday – Not only have the Twins lost four straight games, their 25-37 record in home games is the worst home record in the American League. Minnesota is hosting a Detroit team that has played near .500 ball on the road this season and has a decided pitching edge on the mound. That said, I like grabbing the Tigers in this price range based on the favorable odds. Last Wednesday, Detroit’s Anibal Sanchez faced a Royals team that is currently the hottest team in the majors (8 straight wins) and he took a no-hitter into the 7th inning of that game. He struck out 8 in that game and he also struck out 10 Twins the last time he faced them and that was only 5 weeks ago. Sanchez is fully capable of dominating Minnesota again Tuesday. He has been a different pitcher (in a good way) in recent weeks after going through some struggles earlier this season. Sanchez has produced a quality start in 4 of his last 6 outings. A big key to this play Tuesday evening is the fact that Kyle Gibson is off of a strong start in his most recent outing but he threw 115 pitches. The last four times that Gibson has thrown 100 pitches or more in a start, he’s given up at least 4 runs in the next start every single time. Overall, Gibson is only 1-5 in his home starts this season and he’s been hit at a .300 clip. Before his strong start (albeit against the Braves!), Gibson had been rocked for 35 hits in his last 20 and 2/3 innings! Look for more of the same here. 10* Detroit Tigers money line Tuesday. |
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08-23-16 | Angels v. Blue Jays OVER 9.5 | Top | 2-7 | Loss | -110 | 29 h 0 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #911/912 – Total Annihilation – 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Toronto Blue Jays vs Los Angeles Angels @ 7:07 ET Tuesday – The Angels will have Tyler Skaggs on the mound Tuesday. The left-hander has given up 15 earned runs in his last three starts. His most recent start only lasted 3 and 1/3 innings and he is facing a Blue Jays team that had won 7 of its last 11 games before a 3-2 loss Sunday. The Jays will be looking to bounce back in this series opener and the lineup had produced an average of 5.4 runs per game in those 11 games. Toronto should enjoy big run production Tuesday but the problem will be on the mound where R.A. Dickey gets the start. The knuckle-baller is 1-4 with a 6.68 ERA since the All Star break and he has failed to complete 6 innings in 4 of his last 5 starts. Pitch counts are up and success is down for Dickey and note that he has gone 2-8 with a 5.57 ERA at home this season. This one has the makings of a slugfest based on the struggles of these pitchers and, also, the Angels (before their 2-0 shutout win – RARE – on Sunday) had allowed 6.6 runs per game in their 10 prior games. The over is 3-0 in Skaggs road starts this season and also 3-0 in Dickey’s last 3 home starts. 10* OVER in Toronto Tuesday. |
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08-22-16 | Rockies v. Brewers OVER 9 | Top | 2-4 | Loss | -120 | 25 h 11 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #953/954 - Total Annihilation - 10* Top Play OVER 9 in Milwaukee Brewers vs Colorado Rockies @ 7:20 ET Monday - The Rockies got their sticks back on track against the Cubs yesterday and I look for carry-over from that strong performance at the plate right into Monday's match-up. Certainly Colorado will take advantage of facing a struggling hurler as Jimmy Nelson gets the start for the Brewers and he has allowed 6 earned runs in 4 of his last 5 starts! This has resulted in an ugly 10.57 ERA in his last 5 starts and more struggles are expected Monday as Nelson's current form won't bode well the way the Rockies are swinging the bats. Colorado will have Chad Bettis on the mound and he's been dropping into a negative cycle of late. Bettis has seen his strikeout numbers drop recently and, in fact, has as many walks as strikeouts over his last three starts. He's also been getting hit harder of late with 21 hits allowed in the 14 innings spanning his last three starts. He'll be tested here by a Brewers lineup that is very powerful at home. In home games this season their .432 slugging percentage ranks them 3rd in the National League! Bettis is 10-6 this season but note the 5.28 ERA and that is NOT just because of Coors Field as he has a 5.20 ERA in road games this season. The over is 6-1 this season in Rockies games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs. The Brewers are happy to be back home where they've averaged 6.2 runs and 10.4 hits per game in going 3-2 in their last 5 games in Wisconsin. As you can see, both teams should pile up the runs Monday. 10* OVER 9 in Milwaukee early Monday evening. |
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08-21-16 | Mets v. Giants OVER 7.5 | Top | 2-0 | Loss | -100 | 23 h 5 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #909/910 - Sunday Night GOY - 10* Top Play OVER 7.5 in San Francisco Giants vs New York Mets @ 8:05 ET Sunday - Yesterday's 9-5 Mets win easily flew over the total. The over is now on a perfect 6-0 run in the Mets last 6 games and the Giants have not had a single under in their last 8 games. I see no reason for this "over trending" to stop on Sunday night. The fact is that the Mets lineup is finally healthier again as they recently welcomed back a number of key players from the disabled list. Also, the pitching match-up tonight is great for an over because both of these hurlers have a bit of a reputation and that is keeping the total lower than it should be because the reality is that there is plenty of reason to expect both of these hurlers to get rocked. Noah Syndergaard gets the start for the Mets and he has a 2.78 ERA on the season but he has given up 9 earned runs on 22 hits in the 16 and 2/3 innings spanning his last three starts. Also, Syndergaard is 0-2 with a 6.17 ERA in his two career starts against the Giants. San Francisco will have Jeff Samardzija on the mound Sunday night and, though he has a solid 1.22 WHIP on the season, he has been hit harder at home compared to on the road this season. Also, he is 0-3 with an 11.40 ERA in his three career starts against the Mets. From late May through early August, Samardzija gave up at least 4 earned runs in 9 of his 12 starts! He's facing another tough match-up here. 10* OVER in San Francisco Sunday night. |
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08-21-16 | Brewers v. Mariners OVER 9 | Top | 7-6 | Win | 100 | 18 h 46 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #929/930 - Total Annihilation - 10* Top Play OVER 9 in Seattle vs Milwaukee @ 4:10 ET Sunday - The Brewers will be starting Matt Garza in this one. I am well aware of the fact that he has a low ERA of late but I am not "sold" on him as he more walks than strikeouts over his last 3 starts. Garza has given up 12 hits and 6 walks in his last 11 innings and it was not that long ago that he went through a stretch where he gave up at least 4 earned runs in 5 straight starts. Look for him to struggle at Seattle Sunday as the Mariners entered Saturday's action having scored an average of 5 runs per game in going 5-2 in their last 7 games. The Brewers entered Saturday's action having scored 6 runs in back to back games and they should have no trouble with the offerings of Ariel Miranda. Milwaukee has averaged 5.2 runs per game in their games against left-handed starters this season and the southpaw allowed 8 hits in 6 innings in his first start and then walked 4 while striking out just 2 in his 2nd start. In other words, he's been "shaky" so far in his first two starts. The Brewers are on a long-term 12-6 run to the over in road games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs. Milwaukee is 27-17 to the over in day games this season. The Mariners entered Saturday's action with a record of 13-5 to the over in inter-league games this season. Look for the hot hitting to resume on Sunday as two sub-par starting pitchers square off. 10* OVER in Seattle Sunday |
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08-20-16 | Twins v. Royals OVER 9 | Top | 0-10 | Win | 115 | 11 h 24 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #975/976 - Total Annihilation - 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 or 9 in Kansas City Royals vs Minnesota Twins @ 7:15 ET Saturday - Yesterday's game was 4-4 by the top of the fifth but amazingly it did not go over the total. Both bullpens put in a lot of work as neither starter completed 5 innings in the eventual 5-4 win in the 11th inning for the Royals. Kansas City is surging with confidence right now as they have won 6 straight and 11 of their last 13 games. The Royals have averaged 6.2 runs per game during their current winning streak and they certainly should have no trouble with the offerings of Hector Santiago. The Twins southpaw is 0-3 with an awful 9.42 ERA in his last three starts. As you would expect with those types of numbers, each of Santiago's last 3 starts have gone over the total. The Royals will have Ian Kennedy on the mound. Though he has pitched better of late, Kennedy only lasted 3 and 1/3 innings in his most recent start against the Twins and Minny comes into this game hot at the plate. The Twins have averaged 9.5 hits per game in their last 12 games and have scored at least 4 runs in 8 of their last 12 games. The Royals have scored at least 4 runs in 9 of their last 13 games. Keep in mind that each team getting to at least 4 runs here guarantees over players no worse than a push as the game would have to finish at least 5-4. I look for plenty of runs here as Minnesota is 14-6 to the over as a road dog of +125 to +150 and the over is 48-23 in their night games this season. 10* OVER in Kansas City |
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08-20-16 | Edmonton v. Toronto +3.5 | Top | 46-23 | Loss | -115 | 8 h 14 m | Show |
Rickenbach CFL Game #126 - Daytime Dominator - 10* Top Play Toronto Argonauts +3.5 vs Edmonton Eskimos @ 4 ET Saturday - The Argonauts are off of an ugly loss as Logan Kilgore had an awful game at pivot last week and threw 5 interceptions. He'll bounce back strong this week as he also gets a couple of key receiving targets back this week. Toronto is hungry to come up with a big game at home as, like most of the CFL, home wins have been hard to come by so far this season. The Eskimos are off of a big win last week but that could result in them coming up a little bit flat here this week against a non-divisional foe. Edmonton has struggled against the East this season and also, Eskimos pivot Mike Reilly has struggled against Toronto with a 1-4 mark in his career against Edmonton. The Eskimos also are without the services of a key defensive lineman for this game. The Argos are getting healthier, the Eskimos are not, the Argos are motivated off of an ugly home loss, Edmonton is flat off of a big home win last week. Add it all up and you have the perfect situation to back the motivated home dog in this weekend match-up that has been moved up from a 7 ET to a 4 ET start time. Daytime domination for the home team expected here as the Argos are hungry and ready to atone for last week's ugly loss. 10* TORONTO Saturday. |
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08-19-16 | Dodgers v. Reds OVER 9 | Top | 2-9 | Win | 100 | 10 h 8 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #905/906 - NL Total of the Month - 10* Top Play OVER 9 in Cincinnati Reds vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 7:10 ET Friday - This total has dropped from an opener of 9.5 to a 9 in some big books as of early Friday morning. This is offering even more line value with the over here. The Dodgers are likely to have 6 left-handed batters in their lineup tonight (including one switch-hitter) and that is significant because the Reds Tim Adleman has dominated right-handed hitters in his limited appearances this season but left-handed hitters are batting .324 against him. Also, overall, Los Angeles has been ultra-hot at the plate as the Dodgers have averaged 6.4 runs per game in their last 11 games. LA has a pitching concern of their own tonight as Bud Norris is returning from the DL to make this start. Not only does the question mark of Norris coming off of the disabled list loom large tonight but, also, the Dodgers right-hander has struggled on the road this season. Norris has been hit at a .308 clip in road games. Pitching in hitter-friendly Cincinnati is much different than pitching in pitcher-friendly LA and I look for Norris to struggle here. The veteran righty is also 2-7 with a 5.03 ERA in evening games this season. The Reds are 7-4 in their last 11 games and have averaged 5.4 runs per game during this stretch with the over going a fantastic 9-2 in these 11 games. The Dodgers have recorded just 1 under in their last 10 games! The Reds are 55-32 to the over this season in their games against a right-handed starter and the over is also a perfect 5-0 this year when Cincy enters a game on a winning streak of 3 games or more. 10* OVER in Cincinnati Friday. |
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08-19-16 | Montreal +10 v. Ottawa | Top | 43-19 | Win | 100 | 12 h 13 m | Show |
Rickenbach CFL Game #121 - Div Game of the Month - 10* Montreal Alouettes +9 @ Ottawa @ 7 ET Friday - The Redblacks are struggling on offense as they continue to be without starting pivot Trevor Harris and have had to turn to 41 year old Henry Burris at the pivot. Friday Ottawa faces a hungry Alouettes team that is looking to get their season turned around before it is too late and one of the keys that Montreal can fall back on is the fact that their defense has been solid this season. i look for the Als to turn this into a tight, defensive battle and that means it will be tough for the Redblacks to create any type of margin in this game. Ottawa, earlier this season, had an underdog mentality but now they are in the #1 spot in the East and have a bit of a "target" on their backs now. The Redblacks are unlikely to handle this as well as they handled their "dog" mentality and I look for the Alouettes to possibly even spring the upset here but certainly they should at least keep the game within a one score margin when all is said and done. Look for the Als to improve to 3-1 ATS in Friday games this season. Also, the road team has taken 4 of the last 6 meetings between these teams and one of those two losses came by only 3 points. Look for the road team to again get the cash here as Ottawa drops to 0-3 ATS this season when they are a favorite in a range of 3.5 to 9.5 points. 10* MONTREAL Friday. |
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08-18-16 | Twins v. Royals OVER 9 | Top | 1-8 | Push | 0 | 11 h 58 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #969/970 - Slugfest Smash - 10* Top Play OVER 9 in Kansas City Royals vs Minnesota Twins @ 8:15 ET Thursday - The Twins Tyler Duffey is off of back to back solid starts but those were both at home. In his last two road starts Duffey has been rocked for 11 earned runs in 8.1 innings. He has been homer-prone with 16 homers given up in his last 14 starts. The reason the play here is the over rather than the Royals is because Duffey should receive plenty of run support in this match-up. The Twins scored 10 runs yesterday, have been red hot at the plate of late, and they have been an "over machine" for many weeks now. The Royals will do their damage against Duffey as KC has gotten back on track with wins in 9 of their last 11 games, Kansas City has averaged 5 runs per game during this hot 11-game stretch and KC averaged 7 runs per game in a recent 3-game set at Minnesota. The Twins should fare just fine against the Royals Dillon Gee tonight. The Royals right-hander went 0-3 with a 6.04 ERA in July. So far this month he's been rocked in both of his starts (including one against the Twins) and Gee simply has not been able to get the job done as a starter. More struggles for him here and that should lead to another high-scoring match-up between these divisional rivals as they total double digits in runs for the 6th time in their last 7 meetings. 10* OVER in Kansas City |
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08-17-16 | Mets v. Diamondbacks OVER 10 | Top | 5-13 | Win | 100 | 13 h 7 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #911/912 - Total Blowout - 10* Top Play OVER 10 in Arizona Diamondbacks vs New York Mets @ 9:40 ET Wednesday - The Mets are off of a 7-5 win yesterday and have their offense back on track as they've now scored 5 runs or more in 4 of their last 5 games. Also, New York has notched a dozen hits in each of the last two games. They should have no trouble with the offerings of Zack Godley tonight as the Diamondbacks right-hander has a 6.11 ERA in his last 3 starts and continues to get hit hard. On the season, Godley is getting hit at a .298 clip in his home starts. Chase Field is a hitter-friendly venue and the Diamondbacks games, both home and away, continue to fly over the total with great regularity. The over is 15-4-1 in the Dbacks last 20 games. The Mets are heating up as usual in the late summer as the over is now 42-26 in their August games the past 3 seasons combined. With Jon Niese on the mound for the Mets tonight, another wild game should be expected tonight. The southpaw has a 6.42 ERA and an ugly 2.07 WHIP in his last 3 starts. Also, in Niese's 8 career starts against Arizona only 1 has stayed under the total. The left-hander has a 6.02 ERA in his career outings versus the Diamondbacks. Niese has been hit hard in 6 straight starts and he has given up at least 4 earned runs in 5 of his last 6 starts. Look for more of the same here. 10* OVER in Arizona |
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08-17-16 | Pirates v. Giants OVER 8.5 | Top | 6-5 | Win | 100 | 7 h 6 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #903/904 - Daytime Dominator - 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in San Francisco Giants vs Pittsburgh Pirates @ 3:45 ET Wednesday - Each of these teams had gone over the total in 3 straight games before yesterday's game ended up being a push to the closing number. The Pirates have been an "over machine" in many respects this season. This includes Pittsburgh going 13-4 to the over in Wednesday games this season and 31-21 to the over in games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs and 24-14 to the over in day games. The Giants are 31-18 to the over this season when they are off of a loss. The Bucs will have Ivan Nova on the mound and he allowed just 1 earned run in his most recent start but was very fortunate as many outs were hard hit balls and plus he did allow 9 hits in 5 and 1/3 innings. The Giants starter today, Matt Cain, also was hit hard in his most recent start as he gave up 5 earned runs on 11 hits in only 4 innings of work! The Giants have averaged 5 runs and 10 hits per game in their last 4 games. The Pirates have averaged 6 runs and 10 hits per game in their last 6 games. Neither starter is likely to enjoy success here and the ball carries better in day games at AT & T Park. 10* OVER in San Francisco |
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08-16-16 | Nationals v. Rockies OVER 11 | Top | 2-6 | Loss | -120 | 12 h 25 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #959/960 - Total Dominator - 10* OVER 11 in Colorado Rockies vs Washington Nationals @ 8:40 ET Tuesday - Each team had double digits in hits last night and there also were 8 walks issued but the teams combined for 3 double plays and 16 men left on base as the teams fell short of going over the total. Look for tonight to make up for that with some better clutch hitting as a pair of hurlers likely to get hit hard will be on the mound at Coors Field. The Rockies will have Chad Bettis on the mound and his strikeouts are down in his last two starts and he has a 5.82 ERA in his last 3 starts and all 3 went over the total. Gio Gonzalez gets the start for the Nationals and he was rocked for 5 runs (4 earned) in 6 innings in his only career start at Coors Field. He allowed 4 earned runs in 5 innings in his starts Wednesday against Cleveland. Though he has pitched a little better of late, he still has given up 5 earned runs or more in 4 of his last 9 road starts and pitching at Colorado is the toughest road venue of them all! Yesterday was only the 3rd under the Rockies have had in their last 10 games. The over is 40-24 in Nationals games in the month of August the past 3 seasons combined. This will be the Nats 50th game this season against a team with a losing record and so far only 18 have resulted in an under. Each of these teams had gone over the total in 4 straight games before yesterday's game fell just short of going over. The hot hitting resumes today. 10* OVER in Colorado Tuesday |
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08-16-16 | Dodgers v. Phillies +153 | Top | 15-5 | Loss | -100 | 11 h 53 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #954 - Underdog Shocker - 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line +150 vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 7:05 ET Tuesday - Vincent Velasquez gets the start for the Phillies and is from the LA area. That said, he is fired up after having a bad outing against the Dodgers last week in Los Angeles. Velasquez is a fierce competitor and the Phillies are also playing well as they have won 4 straight games since his turn in the rotation. Philadelphia's four game winning streak is tied with Boston for the longest in the majors right now. Velasquez is 4-1 in home starts this season with a stellar 1.72 ERA and a sparkling 0.98 WHIP. He'll be opposed by the Dodgers Kenta Maeda tonight and certainly the right-hander has pitched well. However, the Phillies lineup is surging with confidence right now and the Dodgers are simply way over-priced here considering they truly have no starting pitching edge here and their road record this season is no better than the Phillies home record this season. Tremendous home dog line value for a Philly team that has averaged 6.2 runs per game in their last 12 games. The Dodgers are an ugly 7-13 this season in road games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs. The Phillies have won 5 of their last 6 home games and Velasquez has been fantastic in home starts this season and the bullpen is rested after yesterday's off day. 10* PHILADELPHIA Tuesday |
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08-15-16 | Nationals v. Rockies +1.5 | Top | 5-4 | Win | 103 | 12 h 7 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #904 - RL Game of the Week - 10* Top Play Colorado Rockies +1.5 runs +105 vs Washington @ 8:40 ET Monday - The Rockies Jorge De la Rosa has pitched much better than his full season records show. In his 11 starts since mid-June he has allowed more than 3 earned runs only 1 time! In the other 10 starts he has made over this two month period De la Rosa has compiled a fantastic 2.69 ERA. De la Rosa also has a stellar 5-2 record in his career starts against Washington and he has a 1.86 ERA against the Nationals in his last 3 starts. Max Scherzer gets the start for the Nats in this one. Though he has pitched very well of late, pitching at Coors Field is always a challenge. Also, in his last two starts against the Rockies (both last August) Scherzer was quite hittable with 7 earned runs on 16 hits in his 12 innings of work. Scherzer is only 1-4 in his career against the Rockies. With the wind expected to be blowing in at Coors Field tonight I expect it to be tough for the Nationals to get any kind of big inning against De la Rosa in this one and the Rockies are likely to be in this one all the way which is why I see big value with the +1.5 runs available at plus money for this one. The Nationals are 4-3 in their last 7 games but two of those wins came by just a single run. The Rockies have been in a tough stretch on the road but 3 of their last 6 losses have come by a single run and certainly they are happy to be back home where De la Rosa is a fantastic 52-19 in his career! Fantastic underdog value here with the Rockies. 10* COLORADO Run Line +1.5 RUNS Monday |
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08-14-16 | Mariners v. A's OVER 8.5 | Top | 8-4 | Win | 100 | 8 h 23 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #973/974 - AL West Total of the Year - 10* OVER 8.5 in Oakland Athletics vs Seattle Mariners @ 4:05 ET Sunday - Seattle southpaw Wade LeBlanc has a 5.00 ERa in his last 3 starts but it easily could be worse. LeBlanc has been knocked around for 24 hits (including 5 homers) in the 18 innings spanning his last 3 starts. In his last starts he registered more walks than strikeouts as he struggled and that was at home. Now he is on the road and he got crushed in his only start away from home this season. He'll be opposed by the Athletics Zach Neal. Though the right-hander is off of a solid start against Baltimore, his prior start was at Seattle and he got rocked by the Mariners for 7 earned runs in 4 innings of work. As you can see, this is not a good match-up for him Sunday. Yesterday's game was 4-3 in the 6th inning and certainly should have gone over the total but there was no more scoring beyond the 6th. Still it marked the 3rd straight game that the A's reached double digits in hits. As for Seattle, they have now won 9 of their last 11 games and are certainly feeling the extra confidence at the plate as a result. In 48 games against teams with a losing record this season, the M's have had just 19 unders. The over is 19-9 in A's games against left-handed starters this season. 10* OVER in Oakland Sunday |
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08-14-16 | White Sox v. Marlins UNDER 7 | Top | 4-5 | Loss | -100 | 6 h 31 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #975/976 - Top Play - 10* UNDER 7 in Miami Marlins vs Chicago White Sox @ 1:10 ET Sunday - The ChiSox Chris Sale has never faced the Marlins and Miami's Tom Koehler has only faced the White Sox once and that was a successful outing 3 years ago. That said, the lack of familiarity these lineups will have with these starting pitchers is a big edge to the hurlers. Considering both pitchers are also in top current form one should absolutely expect a pitchers duel in this game Sunday. Sale has a 3.00 ERA in his last 3 starts and has struck out 17 in his last two starts. The Chicago southpaw is 7-3 on the road this season with a stellar 2.28 ERA. Miami's Koehler is 3-0 with a 0.67 ERA in his last 4 starts! Amazingly the Marlins right-hander has given up only 12 hits in the 27 innings spanning those 4 starts. He also has 18 strikeouts in the 19 innings spanning his last 3 starts. The under is 10-5 in White Sox Sunday games this season. The ChiSox have played 5 road games with a posted total of 7 runs or less this season and only 1 of the 5 went over the total. The under is 9-5 in the Marlins last 14 games against teams with a losing record on the season. 10* UNDER in Miami Sunday |
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08-13-16 | White Sox v. Marlins OVER 8.5 | Top | 8-7 | Win | 100 | 11 h 15 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #925/926 - IL Game of the Month - 10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Miami Marlins vs Chicago White Sox @ 7:10 ET Saturday - As I mentioned in my most recent write-up involving James Shields, the veteran right-hander has been one of the streakiest pitchers in baseball this season in terms of his performance. He has not varied from start to start. He is simply either "on or off" and right now he is "off" again. Shields had a good cycle of 10 starts to begin the season, then had 5 rough starts, then had 6 solid starts, and now he is in a "down" cycle again. Shields has been reached for 14 runs in the minuscule 6 and 1/3 innings spanning his last two starts. Overall, in a White Sox uniform, Shields has a 6.68 ERA and it certainly looks like the "fade" is on for him once again. He will be opposed by a fellow struggling hurler tonight as Adam Conley gets the starts for the Marlins. The Miami left-hander, since the All Star break, is simply not the pitcher he was before the break. Perhaps fatigue - both mental and physical - are kicking in but Conley is not pitching deep into games and has walked 13 in this last 3 starts which have spanned less than 16 innings! Conley also has given up 26 hits in his last 21 and 1/3 innings of work. In his 5 starts since the break only 1 has stayed under the total. The over is 12-5 in Miami's Saturday's games this season and 9-3 in Marlins interleague games this year. This total is still a 9 in many places as of early Saturday morning but we're seeing some 8.5 starting to pop up. Note that the White Sox are 7-1 to the over this season in road games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs. 10* OVER in Miami Saturday |
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08-13-16 | Calgary v. Saskatchewan +6 | Top | 19-10 | Loss | -103 | 11 h 10 m | Show |
Rickenbach CFL Game #306 - Best Bet - 10* Top Play Saskatchewan Roughriders +6 vs Calgary Stampeders @ 7 ET Saturday - The final score shows an ugly 20 point loss for the Roughriders last week against the Stampeders. However, that game was tight until the fourth quarter and now Saskatchewan gets a shot at revenge and the rematch is at home for them. The Riders have extra motivation after the Stampeders incited some trash talk following the win at Calgary last week. Saskatchewan has a solid veteran QB that does not make many mistakes and, in fact, has not thrown a pick this season. The Stampeders have won 5 straight in this series and have covered 4 of those 5 games. However, this situation is a highly motivate spot for Saskatchewan at home as they won't be home again for another 3 weeks. With the way road teams dominated early this season we all know a reversal is coming...at least in terms of ATS numbers...and I am confident that, this time, the Roughriders keep this one tight for all 4 quarters rather than just the first 3. That said, there is great line value with the generous points being offered here. 10* SASKATCHEWAN +6 Saturday |
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08-12-16 | Winnipeg +4 v. Toronto | Top | 34-17 | Win | 100 | 12 h 49 m | Show |
Rickenbach CFL Game #303 - 10* Top Play - Winnipeg Blue Bombers +4 @ Toronto Argonauts @ 7:30 ET Friday - The Argonauts are coming off of a win and a bye week and, as they've pushed up the East Division standings, may seem like a good "play on" team this week. However, the Blue Bombers have also been surging up the standings in the West Division and they have a bye week on deck. While Winnipeg will "leave it all on the field" this week knowing they have a bye on deck, note that Toronto has a game with the Grey Cup Champs, Edmonton, on tap for next week. The road teams have dominated much of this season so far in the CFL and the Blue Bombers have just one road loss this year while the Argos have only one home win so far this season. The Winnipeg secondary has been playing very well and, on the other side of the ball, they've been getting solid QB play. This is very significant because the passing game has been more emphasized than ever so far this season in the CFL. The Argonauts are dealing with the Ricky Ray injury at the QB position and this has put a lot of pressure on a young Logan Kilgore. That pressure tends to be amplified in home games. That said, I love the line value here with the road dog Blue Bombers as they continue to play solid defense. I look for Winnipeg to improve to 4-1 ATS so far this season in games where they are a dog in a range of 3.5 to 9.5 points. As for the Argonauts, they are 1-6 ATS the last 7 times they have entered a game on a winning streak of 2 games or more. Also, Toronto is on a 5-14 ATS run in home games! 10* WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS Friday |
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08-11-16 | Montreal v. Edmonton -6.5 | Top | 12-23 | Win | 100 | 11 h 31 m | Show |
Rickenbach CFL Game #302 - 10* Top Play Edmonton Eskimos -6.5 vs Montreal Alouettes @ 9 ET Thursday - Not going to get too wordy here. The Eskimos have uncharacteristically slumped early this season and they need a bounce back effort at home. Their offense is led by the league-leading passer and their defense has also forced a ton of fumbles this season. The Alouettes anemic offense simply won't be able to keep up. In fact, shut down their red-hot leading receiver and you've basically shutdown the Montreal offense. Edmonton is fired up for a huge effort at home after a tight road loss last week. As for the Als, they simply can't get it going and are off another embarrassing home loss last week where they were dominated. The Eskimos have won (and covered!) 4 straight against Montreal and I look for a big home win here and will take advantage of the downward line move. This one opened up at a 7.5 but has dropped to a 6.5 which is giving us even more value in a game that has the makings of a home rout. 10* EDMONTON |
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08-09-16 | Braves v. Brewers OVER 9 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -120 | 12 h 56 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #907/908 - Slugfest Smash - 10* Top Play OVER 9 in Milwaukee vs Atlanta @ 8:10 ET Tuesday - Last night's game went 12 innings so some extra bullpen work was required. That is significant here because neither pitcher is likely to go deep in this game. The Braves Tyrell Jenkins has not gone longer than 6 innings in any of his starts since moving into the rotation. Also, he's been stellar at home but has struggled in his road starts with a 6.43 ERA and a 1.86 WHIP in his 3 starts away from home. The Brewers will have Wily Peralta on the mound and he's only getting this start because of the injury to Junior Guerra. The Milwaukee right-hander has a 7.79 ERA in his 7 home starts this season and the over is a PERFECT 7-0 in his home outings this year! Peralta was so ineffective that he was sent to AAA. Even at the AAA level he has struggled too as he was roughed up for a 6.31 ERA in his 10 starts at the minor league level. Even though it did take extra innings to get there, the fact is that the Braves reached double digits in hits yesterday for the 8th time in their last 12 games. The over was 7-4 in Atlanta's last 11 games before yesterday's game fell short. Jenkins gave up 3 homers in his most recent road start and the Brewers offense had been producing well in home games. They bounce back here and turn this one into a slugfest. 10* OVER in Milwaukee |
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08-08-16 | Reds v. Cardinals OVER 9 | Top | 4-5 | Push | 0 | 12 h 40 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #955/956 - Slugfest Smash - 10* Top Play - OVER 8.5 or 9 in St Louis Cardinals vs Cincinnati Reds @ 8:15 ET Monday - This is a rematch of a pitching match-up in Cincinnati on Wednesday. That game got "stuck" at 9 runs after a fast start but this one should easily get over the total as these lineups get a quick "second look" at hurlers they just faced last week. Cody Reed of the Reds and Michael Wacha of the Cardinals combined to allow 14 hits in their 10 innings of work and strikeouts were few and far between. In other words, they certainly weren't fooling a lot of hitters. The over is a perfect 4-0 in Reed's road starts this season and he is 0-6 on the season with a 7.30 ERA .The over is 15-6 in Wacha's starts this year and he has struggled more at home than on the road. In his starts in St Louis, Wacha has compiled a 4.67 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP! The over is 8-2-1 in the Cardinals last 11 games and though the Cards were held to 3 runs yesterday, they previously had scored at least 5 runs in 6 of their last 10 games. St Louis is hosting a Reds team that has averaged 5.3 runs per game in their last 18 games. The over is 24-13 in Cincinnati's divisional games this season and the over is 11-3 in their Monday games. The over is 18-11 in Cardinals games against left-handed starters this season. The Reds bullpen has a 5.01 ERA this season and the Cards pen has an ERA up in the range of 4.00 in home games. 10* OVER in St Louis Monday |
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08-07-16 | Red Sox v. Dodgers OVER 7.5 | Top | 5-8 | Win | 100 | 9 h 38 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #929/930 - Sunday Night Game of the Month - 10* Top Play OVER 7 or 7.5 in Los Angeles Dodgers vs Boston Red Sox @ 7:10 ET Sunday - Saw some early 7's on this game but it quickly jumped to a 7.5 and that is absolutely justified as there should be plenty of offense in this one after yesterday's 3-0 win for the Dodgers. The Red Sox are 2-1 to the over this season after getting shutout but the lone under was a game which totaled 9 runs. In other words, with a low total like we're seeing on this Sunday night match-up, the over would be a perfect 3-0 in Red Sox games off of a shutout loss. They should have no trouble with the offerings of Brandon McCarthy. The right-hander came back strong in his early outings after returning from Tommy John surgery. However, "the fade" has since already begun. McCarthy has a 7.71 ERA in his last two starts with a 2.00 WHIP as walks allowed and giving up big hits have both been problems for the righty. David Price gets the call for the Red Sox and though he is a "big name" pitcher that gets plenty of respect from the odds makers as well as the betting markets, the lefty hasn't been himself of late. Price has given up at least 3 earned runs in 6 of his last 8 starts. During this 8-game stretch the southpaw has allowed 69 hits in 51 innings of work! Price has a 4.41 ERA over his past 8 starts but, as you can see by those hits, he has been fortunate the damage hasn't been worse. As a home dog of up to +125, the Dodgers have gone 3-0 to the over this season. Yesterday's win was the Dodgers 10th shutout win of the season. So far this year, when off of a shutout win, the next game has stayed under just 3 of 9 times. 10* OVER in Los Angeles Dodgers |
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08-07-16 | Angels +115 v. Mariners | Top | 1-3 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 31 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #923 - Underdog Shocker - 10* Top Play Los Angeles Angels +115 @ Seattle @ 4:10 ET Sunday - The Angels blew a 6-2 lead in yesterday's game and will be looking to bounce back in the series finale with the Mariners. They certainly have the right guy on the mound to get the job done. Matt Shoemaker will be on the hill for the Angels. The right-hander has been on an extended fantastic stretch. Shoemaker's consistency has led the way as he has allowed 3 earned runs or less in 12 of his last 15 starts. Shoemaker has a 2.85 ERA during this stretch and has averaged nearly 7 innings per start and about 7 strikeouts per start as well with an average of only 1 walk per outing. I expect more of the same here at Seattle. The Angels have won 3 straight games against left-handed starters and the Mariners will have lefty James Paxton on the mound. The M's southpaw is off of a solid outing at home versus Boston but in his 3 prior home starts, Paxton was rocked for 15 runs (14 earned) in the less than 16 innings spanning the 3 starts. As a small home fave of up to -125, the Mariners have gone 5-10 this season and 22-35 the past three seasons combined. I am forecasting Seattle to drop to an ugly 4-14 in Sunday games this season as, in addition to struggling on Sundays, the Mariners simply haven't had many sweeps this season. Series sweeps are always tough to come by and I believe Shoemaker will make sure of that here. 10* LOS ANGELES ANGELS |
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08-06-16 | Brewers v. Diamondbacks OVER 9.5 | Top | 15-6 | Win | 100 | 12 h 22 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #959/960 - Slugfest Smash - 10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Arizona vs Milwaukee @ 8:10 ET Saturday - Yesterday's game stayed under the total but the over was 7-1-1 in the Diamondbacks 9 prior games and, based on Saturday's pitching match-up we should see the hot hitting in Arizona games resume tonight. Before diving into the pitchers, note that the Brewers are 12-4 to the over in Saturday games this season and the Dbacks are 10-3 to the over in home games where their money line is -100 to -125. Milwaukee will have Matt Garza on the mound tonight and the Brewers are 0-6 this season in his road starts as he has a 5.93 ERA and 1.78 WHIP in his starts away from home. He is again matched up with Patrick Corbin (just as he was on July 26th) and that game went over the total and the rematch should as well as these lineups are getting a quick 'second look' at these hurlers. Arizona's Corbin has given up at least 4 earned runs in each of his last seven starts and is winless during this stretch while compiling a 7.08 ERA. Also, Corbin is an incredibly poor 0-7 with a 7.23 ERA and 1.68 WHIP in his home starts this season. There is simply every reason to believe that both of these hurlers will get rocked Saturday evening. The over is 15-6-1 in Corbin's starts this season and this includes 7 in a row! I expect that over streak to reach a perfect 8-0 tonight. 10* OVER in Arizona Saturday. |
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08-06-16 | Edmonton +4 v. Ottawa | Top | 20-23 | Win | 100 | 11 h 20 m | Show |
Rickenbach CFL Game #127 - Game of the Month - 10* Top Play Edmonton Eskimos +4 @ Ottawa @ 7 ET Saturday - Edmonton is off of a loss in a divisional battle and they are 5-1 SU an ATS the past two seasons when off of a loss in West Division action. Now they take on an East Division foe with revenge on their minds as the Eskimos lost to the Redblacks earlier this season. Ottawa is trying to fight off a losing streak but they are 4-10 SU the past two season when they enter a game on a losing streak of 2 games or more. That said, there is great value with Edmonton here as the Redblacks are laying 4 points even though they notoriously struggle to snap losing streaks and they've had issues at QB because of the injury to pivot Trevor Harris. Ottawa will prove to be no match for the Eskimos and QB Chris Reilly who is having a fantastic season thusfar. The Redblacks won the first meeting this season (in overtime) to get some revenge for the Grey Cup loss last season. That said, it is now Edmonton that is the revenge-seeker and the Eskimos are positioned well for the upset here. Look for the Eskimos to improve to 5-0 ATS in their last 5 road games with a posted total of 52 points or more. As you can see from the O/U on this game, a lot of points are expected here and I just don't see the struggling Ottawa offense as being able to keep up in this one based on all the question marks they have at QB right now. 10* EDMONTON +4 |
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08-05-16 | Rangers v. Astros OVER 8.5 | Top | 0-5 | Loss | -100 | 13 h 57 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #919/920 - AL West Total of the Year - 10* OVER 8 or 8.5 in Houston vs Texas @ 8:10 ET Friday - This is a battle of southpaws here with Dallas Keuchel facing Martin Perez and both lineups will be helped by the fact that they just faced a left-handed starting pitcher yesterday as well. The big keys to this play are the fact that Perez has been struggling badly and Keuchel has struggled all season against the Rangers. Versus Texas this season, Keuchel has gone 0-3 with 17 earned runs allowed on 32 hits in only 19 and 1/3 innings spanning three starts. As for the Rangers Perez, he is off of a rare, strong start. Prior to holding Kansas City to just one earned run in seven innings, Perez had given up 29 runs (22 earned) on 34 hits in 21 and 2/3 innings spanning his four prior starts. As you can see, there is plenty of reason to believe that both starting pitchers will struggle this evening in this divisional battle. Neither lineup has been hitting the ball particularly well of late but the odds makers knew what they were doing when they hung an 8.5 on this game even though it involves a "big name pitcher" like Keuchel. By the way, the Rangers are hitting .286 against left-handed pitching this season and that ranks them 1st out of all 30 teams. The over is 3-1 in the last 4 starts Perez has made against AL opponents. Also, heading into yesterday's game with Toronto and southpaw J.A. Happ, the over was 4-1 in Astros games against left-handed starters since the All Star Break. Though yesterday's game stayed under, they will enjoy plenty of success facing the struggling Perez tonight. 10* OVER in Houston Friday |
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08-04-16 | Cardinals v. Reds OVER 9 | Top | 0-7 | Loss | -114 | 4 h 2 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #951/952 - Top Total - 10* OVER 9 in Cincinnati vs St Louis @ 12:35 ET - Yesterday I used this play as my free pick and the game was 4-2 after just ONE inning! Inexplicably, the game did not go over the total. It ended up being a push at 9 runs. I expect to get some payback today as both of these starting pitchers are likely to get roughed up. Mike Leake gets the start for the Cardinals and he has allowed 6 earned runs in each of his last two starts. Coincidentally, Leake also gave up 6 earned runs the last time he faced the Reds which was in Cincinnati less than 2 months ago. Cincy will have Brandon Finnegan on the mound and the southpaw is off of a strong start at San Diego. However, prior to the solid effort versus the Padres, Finnegan had given up 21 earned runs on 24 hits and 12 walks in just 17 and 1/3 innings spanning his 4 prior starts. Each of those 4 starts went over the total and each of Leake's last 3 starts went over the total as well. The over is 7-3 in Finnegan's home starts this season and 7-4 in Leake's road starts this season. The Cards lineup has the edge of facing a southpaw starter for the 2nd straight game and the over is 18-10 in their games against left-handers this season. The over is also 31-18 in Cardinals road games this season. As for the Reds, the over is 9-1 in their Thursday games this season and 23-10 in their divisional games. 10* OVER in Cincinnati Thursday |
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08-03-16 | Hamilton -4 v. Winnipeg | Top | 11-37 | Loss | -108 | 16 h 16 m | Show |
Rickenbach CFL Game #121 - 10* Top Play Hamilton Tiger-Cats -4 @ Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ 8:30 ET - Big revenge game for Hamilton as they lost at home to Winnipeg in Week 3 of this season. Prior to that loss, the Tiger-Cats had won and covered 6 of their last 7 meetings with the Blue Bombers. Hamilton has an edge here as they are coming off of their bye week. Even though both teams are off of a win over Edmonton, the Tiger-Cats have the edge with the bye week. Winnipeg got a boost last week with the play of QB Matt Nichols who took the place of a struggling Drew Willy. However, the Blue Bombers are now dealing with a lot of injuries at the skill positions on offense. This will make it tough for Winnipeg to move the ball well here because Hamilton has a solid defense with arguably the best front seven in the league. They are "sack machines" and Nichols won't find it near as easy against this defense as he did against the Eskimos last week. The road team is a perfect 5-0 SU and ATS in Tiger-Cats games this season and Hamilton should get their revenge easily on the road against an injury-depleted Blue Bombers squad. Winnipeg is 1-17 SU against teams with a winning record and 6-11-1 ATS in those 18 games. This is a very manageable line here and I'll gladly lay it with the road fave. 10* Top Play HAMILTON Wednesday |
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08-01-16 | Yankees v. Mets -105 | Top | 6-5 | Loss | -105 | 12 h 1 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #916 - Revenge Rout - 10* Top Play New York Mets -105 vs New York Yankees @ 7:10 ET - The Yankees lost again yesterday for their fourth straight defeat. The Yanks are on a 4-6 run and have been held to 3 runs or less in 8 of those 10 games. The Yankees are likely to struggle again at the plate today as they are unfamiliar with Logan Verrett. The Mets right-hander has a 3.44 ERA in his last 3 starts and also has a 3.66 ERA in his 3 home starts this season. He'll be opposed by C.C. Sabathia. The Yankees southpaw had a tough July as he compiled a 5.93 ERA. In fact, before a win in his last start, the Yanks had lost 4 of the last 5 starts that Sabathia had made. The lefty had a 7.46 ERA in his 5 starts prior to notching a victory at Houston in his final start of July. The Mets have some experience against the veteran left-hander and Sabathia has given up 14 hits in less than 12 innings of work in his last two visits to Citi Field. Also, the southpaw got rocked for 7 earned runs in 5 innings of work the last time he hosted the Mets. Sabathia is facing a Mets team that got back on track with a 6-4 win yesterday. The Mets are 5-2 this season in home games where they have a money line of -100 to -125. Also, the Mets are 7-3 this season and 31-15 the last 3 seasons in their Monday games. The Yankees are 5-14 as a road dog of +100 to +125 this season! I expect the Yanks to drop to 5-9 in interleague action with another loss this evening. 10* NEW YORK METS Monday. |
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07-31-16 | Toronto +10.5 v. Ottawa | Top | 23-20 | Win | 100 | 12 h 49 m | Show |
Rickenbach CFL Game #307 - East Game of the Year - *10* Top Play Toronto Argonauts +10.5 @ Ottawa Redblacks @ 7:30 ET Sunday - Big revenge game for Toronto after losing at home to Ottawa on July 13th. The Argonauts were seeking their first home win at BMO Field which, as a result of the loss to the Redblacks, did not occur until last week. That's when the Argos knocked off the Alouettes in a solid 30-17 win. The Argonauts will look to build off of that win over Montreal while Ottawa is still licking their wounds after their upset loss at Saskatchewan last week. The Redblacks have significant injury issues at QB but at least can turn to veteran Henry Burris. However, the 41 year old is matched up with a rookie and what is interesting is that Burris is 0-4 the last 4 times he has made a start against a rookie QB. The Argos will have 26 year old Logan Kilgore making this start. Note also that the Argonauts are a perfect 4-0 in a game following a Ricky Ray injury the last 4 times he's gotten hurt and missed a start. Interesting combined 8-0 angle favoring revenge-minded Toronto here. This game is for first place in the East Division and the Argonauts had won 4 of their last 5 meetings with Ottawa before coming up short against the Redblacks earlier this month. The Argos are looking to go to 3-0 in road games this year and, overall the early season CFL action has been dominated by road teams. I look for that trend to continue here and I like having the big points as Burris will be looking to work the rust off in this game and I don't see Ottawa as being able to create much separation on the scoreboard in this one. *10* TORONTO +10.5 |
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07-28-16 | Royals v. Rangers OVER 9 | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -102 | 13 h 3 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #911/912 - Slugfest Smash - *10* Top Play OVER 9 in Texas vs Kansas City @ 8:05 ET - The Royals finally got their offense back on track even though it took a strange play on a bunt to "open things up" for Kansas City last night. Still it was a much needed 7-5 win for KC who will now look to build on that in this road trip to Texas. The trouble for the Royals is that their pitching staff has given up 6.5 runs per game in their last 8 games and they will have Yordano Ventura on the mound this evening. He is 2-5 with a 5.26 ERA in his road starts this season. Also, he just faced the Rangers in Kansas City on Saturday and that means the Texas sticks are getting a quick "second look" at him. The same holds true for Cole Hamels as the Rangers southpaw just faced the Royals in that Saturday match-up in Kansas City so the KC lineup is getting a quick second look at him. Hamels has a 6.55 ERA and a 1.91 WHIP in his two career starts against the Royals. Also, the left-hander did give up 5 earned runs in each of his first two starts of the month and one of those was a situation like this where a team (in that case the Twins) was seeing him in consecutive starts. The over is 10-3-1 in Hamels last 14 starts. Also, Ventura has a 6.33 ERA in his last 5 starts and he has averaged less than six innings per outing in those starts. Look for the over to improve to 4-1 in Royals road games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs this season. The over is also 20-10 in Rangers home games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs this season and the Texas bullpen has a 5.58 ERA at home this year. 8 of the Rangers last 9 games against teams with a losing record on the season have gone over the total. More of the same here. *10* Top Play OVER in Texas |
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07-28-16 | Orioles v. Twins OVER 9.5 | Top | 2-6 | Loss | -105 | 12 h 33 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #917/918 - Contrarian Total of the Month - *10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Minnesota vs Baltimore @ 7:10 ET - The Orioles Ubaldo Jimenez has not pitched since prior to the All Star Break. His first daughter was born Saturday. Needless to say there are multiple reasons to believe this start is unlikely to go well for Jimenez and that certainly includes the fact that he is unlikely to be sharp. The Orioles right-hander has had a rough season as he has gone 5-9 with a 7.03 ERA and a 1.95 WHIP. Of course giving up an average of 2 baserunners per inning can certainly result in a lot of trouble and that is what Jimenez has experienced throughout this season. He now faces a Twins team that has scored 7 runs or more in 3 of their last 4 games and has allowed 8 runs or more in 4 of their last 6 games. The "contrarian" aspect to this play is the fact that Baltimore has recorded 15 straight unders. How could I possibly fade that, especially with a "big" play? There a couple of key factors here. Kyle Gibson gets the start for the Twins and he is off of a fantastic outing but previously allowed 4 earned runs or more in 5 of his 8 prior starts. In his start just before the break and just after the break Gibson gave up a total of 8 earned runs on 17 hits in 11 innings of work. Gibson also gave up 4 earned runs on 7 hits and 5 walks in 5 innings of work in his only start against the Orioles this season. Even though the O's have the long "under streak" noted above, note that Jimenez has not only seen each of his last 3 starts go over the total, the over is an amazing 10-1 in his last 11 starts including 5-0 in his last 5 road starts. The over is also 11-4 in Orioles road games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs this season and the over is 38-17 this season in Twins night games. *10* Top Play OVER in Minnesota Thursday |
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07-27-16 | Yankees +117 v. Astros | Top | 1-4 | Loss | -100 | 13 h 33 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #963 - Underdog Shocker - *10* Top Play New York Yankees +120 @ Houston @ 8:10 ET - The Yankees won again yesterday and are now 8-2 in their last 10 games. The Astros, with yesterday's 6-3 loss, dropped to 5-5 in their last 10 games. Lance McCullers gets the start for Houston and he is off of a strong start against the Angels although he did walk 4 batters for a 3rd straight start. McCullers gave up 11 hits in just 9 and 1/3 innings spanning his prior two starts. McCullers threw a season high 117 pitches in his most recent start and I look for him to show the "after effects" of that in this start. He'll be opposed by Masahiro Tanaka of the Yankees. The Yanks have gone 15-5 in his 20 starts this season. He's been fantastic in his first two starts after the break as he has allowed just 1 earned on only 7 hits in the 12 innings of work spanning his last two starts. The Yankees have won 7 straight Tanaka starts and also 12 of his last 14. Tanaka has held the opposition to 2 earned runs or less in 14 of his 20 starts. The line on this game has continued to drop early this morning and it is certainly worth noting that the Astros are an ugly 3-6 (-4.0 units) this season in home games where they are favored by -125 or less so far this season. Look for the Astros to lose for the 5th time in McCullers last 8 starts. *10* NEW YORK YANKEES |
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07-27-16 | Rockies v. Orioles OVER 9 | Top | 3-1 | Loss | -105 | 12 h 30 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #975/976 - Slugfest Smash - *10* Top Play OVER 9 in Baltimore vs Colorado @ 7:05 ET - Yesterday I played the over in the Yankees game and saw their streak of unders snap. Today I expect to do the same with the Orioles. With yesterday's 6-3 O's loss to the Rockies staying just under the total, Baltimore has now stayed under the total in 14 straight games! However, today they have Dylan Bundy getting the start and he is off of a successful start against the Indians but allowed 3 homers in less than 4 innings of work in his prior start and that was against light-hitting Tampa Bay. He'll be facing a tough test today as Bundy faces a confident Rockies lineup as Colorado has won 5 of their last 6 games and averaged 6 runs per game in doing so. The Rockies will have Jon Gray on the mound and certainly he has put up some impressive numbers of late. However, Gray faced the Braves twice and the Phillies once in his last 3 starts. Prior to facing these weak-hitting teams, Gray had gone through a three-start stretch where he had compiled a 5.82 ERA. The Orioles, though they hadn't been knocking the cover off the ball, did have a 5-game winning streak prior to yesterday's loss. That said, they step to the plate with plenty of confidence today and Gray gets a reminder of what is like to face a tough lineup (i.e. NOT the Braves or Phillies). The over is 22-12 in Orioles games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs this season. The over is 5-1 in Colorado's games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs this season. *10* OVER in Baltimore |
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07-26-16 | Diamondbacks v. Brewers OVER 9.5 | Top | 4-9 | Win | 102 | 13 h 0 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #905/906 - Slugfest Smash - *10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Milwaukee vs Arizona @ 8:10 ET Tuesday - I had a tough loss in this match-up yesterday and I won't hesitate to come right back with it here. Yesterday's over was also a 9.5 and the game had 9 runs through 6 innings but stalled there. The game had 21 hits and it was truly a fluke (it happens!) that it did not go over the total. Look for today's match-up to make up for it. Neither team has a particularly strong bullpen so that is what made yesterday's end result even more surprising. As for the starting pitchers today, Patrick Corbin gets the start for Arizona and he is 0-3 with an 8.79 ERA and a 2.16 WHIP in his last 3 starts. The southpaw is on the fade and 3 of the Brewers 4 games against left-handed starters since the All Star break have gone over the total. Milwaukee will have Matt Garza on the mound Tuesday and he, like Corbin, is also 0-3 in his last 3 starts. Garza has compiled a 9.21 ERA and a 1.91 WHIP in his last 3 outings. The over is 5-0 in Corbin's last 5 starts and 13-4-1 in his last 18 starts overall! The over is 27-16 in Arizona's games against teams with a losing record this season. *10* OVER 9.5 in Milwaukee |
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07-26-16 | Cubs v. White Sox +161 | Top | 0-3 | Win | 161 | 12 h 52 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #928 - ESPN Best Bet - *10* Top Play Chicago White Sox +160 vs Chicago Cubs @ 7:10 ET Tuesday - James Shields had a rough time when he first came over to the White Sox from the Padres. However, he certainly has settled into a nice groove now with a 2.09 ERA over his last 5 starts. Shields faced the Cubs twice last season and struck out 20 in 13 innings. He comes into this start having allowed only 20 hits in the 27 and 2/3 innings spanning his 4 July starts. There is great home dog value here with Shields and the White Sox in this spot. The Cubs will have Kyle Hendricks on the mound tonight and he is only 2-5 in his road starts this season. The Cubs are only 12-19 since June 20th. This match-up is a big inter-league rivalry and, with yesterday's win, the White Sox have now taken 7 of the last 11 meetings. Hendricks gave up 5 earned runs in only 3 and 1/3 innings in his last start at U.S. Cellular Field and I look for another rough outing here. In home games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs, the White Sox are now 9-5 this season. I'll gladly grab the big dog value here. *10* CHICAGO WHITE SOX |
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07-25-16 | Angels v. Royals OVER 8.5 | Top | 6-2 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 32 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #965/966 - Slugfest Smash - *10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Kansas City vs Los Angeles Angels @ 8:15 ET Monday - The Royals are hitting .281 this season against left-handed pitching. That is good enough for the #3 spot out of all 30 MLB teams. They're catching the Angels Hector Santiago at the right time to enjoy some success at the plate. The southpaw allowed 3 runs in just 5 innings in his most recent start and he also issued 3 free passes in that short outing. However, the Royals hurler is the big story here. Ian Kennedy continues to struggle with the long-ball and the wind will be blowing out at Kauffman Stadium this evening in Kansas City. Kennedy gave up 4 homers in his most recent start and no pitcher has given up more than the 26 he has allowed so far this season. The over is 3-1 in Kennedy's last 4 home starts. The Angels enter this game off of 3 straight losses. They are 9-4 to the over this season and 25-12 to the over the last 3 seasons when they enter a game off of 3 or more consecutive losses. The Angels are hitting .272 on the road this season and that ranks them 3rd in the majors. LA resumes the hot hitting they had been enjoying before the 3-game losing streak while KC continues to hit lefties well. That spells an easy over here. *10* OVER in Kansas City |
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07-25-16 | Montreal v. Toronto -5.5 | Top | 17-30 | Win | 100 | 11 h 44 m | Show |
Rickenbach CFL Game #127/128 - CFL East Game of the Month - *10* Top Play Toronto Argonauts -5.5 vs Montreal @ 7:30 ET Monday - The Alouettes have averaged only 14 points per game so far this season. Now they visit the Argonauts whom they crushed 34-2 last October in Toronto. That said, there is no shortage of motivation for the Argos here who also are not happy about having started this season 0-2 at home! Toronto is off of a loss last week but they have yet to lose 2 straight this season as they opened up their schedule with a home loss and then followed it up with back to back road wins. Now, after another home loss last week, it is time for the Argonauts to inflict some punishment on a short-handed Montreal team who has lost their last two games by an average of 19.5 points per game. With the line move on this game from a -7 down to a -5.5 we also are being offered exceptional line value here and we'll take it! *10* TORONTO |
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07-25-16 | Tigers +139 v. Red Sox | Top | 4-2 | Win | 139 | 11 h 31 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #959 - ESPN Best Bet - *10* Top Play Detroit Tigers +140 @ Boston @ 7:05 ET Monday - Red Sox acquisition Drew Pomeranz is feeling the pressure of pitching for a contender instead of pitching for a struggling team like San Diego. In his Boston debut the southpaw got rocked by San Francisco. He now faces a solid Detroit lineup and that means things are unlikely to improve for Pomeranz. That makes this is a fantastic value spot for the underdog Tigers. With Justin Verlander on the mound as a dog matched up with a pitcher who is feeling the pressure and finding out what it is like to pitch at hitter-friendly Fenway Park instead of pitcher-friendly Petco Park, this is a steal of a price. Verlander has a 1.66 ERA and has struck out 32 in 27 and 2/3 innings spanning his last 4 starts. He also has a stellar 0.82 ERA in his last 3 starts against the Red Sox. Detroit is off of back to back losses and they have not lost three straight games in the past 4 weeks. Look for Verlander to step up as "the stopper" here as he puts an end to the streak. The Red Sox are only 10-10 this season as a home fave of -125 to -175 and that means that Boston has already lost plenty of juice in this role. *10* DETROIT |
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07-24-16 | Dodgers v. Cardinals OVER 9 | Top | 9-6 | Win | 100 | 13 h 37 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #911/912 - Total Dominator - *10* Top Play OVER 9 in St Louis vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 8:05 ET Sunday - The Cardinals are turning to rookie Mike Mayers for this spot start. It will be his MLB debut. Mayers may indeed end up having success at the MLB level but I don't expect it right off the bat. In looking at Mayers trek through the minors he struggled every time he was bumped up a level. This is the first season he's enjoyed success at the AAA level and I expect him to struggle in his first time up in the bigs. Mayers is certainly facing a confident Dodgers lineup. Los Angeles won 7-2 yesterday and the Dodgers have averaged 5.5 runs per game in their last 8 games. The Cardinals should be able to match LA run for run here as the Cards "tee off" against Scott Kazmir. The Dodgers southpaw is off of a strong start but the soft-throwing lefty has had trouble stringing together quality back to back starts this season. He did pitch well against St Louis in May but that means the Cardinals are getting a 2nd look now and Kazmir has been known for getting roughed up in situations like this. The over is 7-2 in Kazmir's 9 road starts this season and all 3 of his career starts against the Cards have gone over the total. The over is also 5-1 in the Dodgers last 6 games overall. The over is also 17-10 in Cardinals games against left-handed starters this season and 10-4 in their Sunday games this year. *10* OVER 9 in St Louis |
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07-24-16 | Rays -116 v. A's | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -116 | 8 h 24 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #927 - Revenge Rout - *10* Top Play Tampa Bay Rays Money Line -115 @ Oakland @ 4:05 ET Sunday - The Rays lost a heart-breaker yesterday as closer Alex Colome blew the save and then took the loss - all in the bottom of the 9th - after having converted 21 straight save opportunities. As you can see, that was an unlikely defeat for the Rays to suffer and I look for them to bounce right back here based on a huge pitching edge. Blake Snell gets the start for Tampa Bay and he has a 1.53 ERA in his road starts this season and he is off a stellar outing at hitter-friendly Coors Field. In July, teams are hitting just .153 against him. The A's will have Jesse Hahn on the mound. The right-hander was optioned to AAA about 6 weeks ago and, on the year, he is just 1-5 in the minors. In the bigs, Hahn has struggled with a 2-4 record and a 6.49 ERA. He'll face a Rays lineup whose confidence has been surging lately as a road trip to Coors Field helped get their sticks back on track. Off of back to back losses, the Rays resume their hot hitting ways this afternoon against a hurler who is struggling to find consistency right now and whom has a combined 3-9 record in the majors and minors on the year. Oakland is 5-10 in Sunday games this season and 15-23 in day games. Also, even with yesterday's miraculous win, the A's are still on an ugly 54-72 run in their games against left-handed starters. *10* TAMPA BAY RAYS |
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07-24-16 | Angels v. Astros OVER 9.5 | Top | 3-13 | Win | 110 | 6 h 27 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #923/924 - Slugfest Smash - *10* Top Play OVER 9 or 9.5 in Houston vs Los Angeles Angels @ 2:10 ET Sunday - The Astros Mike Fiers is coming back down to reality after pitching better than expected for much of the first half of the season. There is a mental aspect to pitching that is extremely important and I would not be surprised to see Fiers really struggle here. He got into altercations both with his manager as well as teammates after being taken out of his last start during the 4th inning. The fact is he deserved to get yanked from the outing and it was his 2nd straight rough outing. Now he faces an Angels team that rocked him for 7 earned runs in less than 4 innings back in May. That said, don't be surprised if Fiers has another short and ugly outing here as it is not the right lineup for him to "get right" against. The Angels will have pitching issues of their own in this one as Tim Lincecum gets the ball. He gave up 5 earned runs in less than 5 innings of work when he faced the Astros in late June. Also, Linceum has simply been awful overall this season as his ERA could easily be higher than the 6.59 it currently sits at as he has been hit at an ugly .370 clip on the year. That is not a misprint, opponents are hitting .370 against Lincecum on the season! Look for both pitchers to get rocked here as the over goes to 13-5 in Fiers' starts this season. *10* OVER in Houston |
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07-23-16 | Rays v. A's OVER 8.5 | Top | 3-4 | Loss | -100 | 15 h 47 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #977/978 - MLB Game of the Month - *10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Oakland vs Tampa Bay @ 9:05 ET Saturday - The over is 7-1 in the Rays Drew Smyly's road starts this season. He comes into this match-up with the A's struggling badly. Smyly has given up at least 4 earned runs in 8 of his last 9 starts! The southpaw is not showing any signs of improving either as he has walked 5 while striking out just 3 in his last 2 starts. Smyly has given up 22 hits (including 4 homers) in his 16 career innings against the Athletics. The A's will have Kendall Graveman on the mound for this one. Graveman faced the Rays in May this season and he gave up 4 earned runs on 6 hits and 3 walks while striking out just 1 in less than 6 innings of work. Graveman has a losing record in night games this season and opponents have hit him at a .293 clip in night games on the year. The Rays lineup comes into this game with plenty of confidence. Although they were shutout last night, Tampa Bay previously scored an average of 7.4 runs per game in their last 5 games. A road trip to hitter-friendly Coors Field helped the Rays lineup get back on track and they'll respond after the shutout loss yesterday. In games this season where Tampa Bay is a road dog of +100 to +125, they over is 11-3 on the year. The over is 17-6 in A's games against left-handed starters this season. *10* OVER in Oakland |
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07-23-16 | Twins v. Red Sox OVER 9.5 | Top | 11-9 | Win | 100 | 13 h 4 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Game #973/974 - Slugfest Smash - *10* Top Play OVER 9.5 in Boston vs Minnesota @ 7:10 ET Saturday - After winning three straight games and averaging 9 runs per game, Boston had a frustrating effort at the plate last night and they'll make up for it Saturday. Facing the Twins Ricky Nolasco insures that! The Minnesota right-hander is off of a rare strong effort against the Tigers where he held them to 1 earned run in 6 innings of work even though he walked 3 and did not record a single strikeout. His strikeout numbers have been trending downward and, prior to the solid start against Detroit, Nolasco gave up 17 earned runs in his last 24 and 1/3 innings. Also, he has given up 58 hits in his last 43 innings on the mound. The Red Sox should pound this ultra-hittable veteran hurler. The Red Sox have David Price on the mound but the big name southpaw hasn't been living up to his reputation in many of his recent starts. Price has given up 44 hits in his last 30 and 1/3 innings. The Boston lefty has a 4.75 ERA during this stretch and the Twins will benefit from facing lefties in back to back starts as they faced Rodriguez yesterday. The over is 13-4 in Nolasco's starts this season and the Twins are 36-16 to the over in night games this season. Look for the Red Sox over to improve to 10-4 in Saturday games this season as they get back to their big hitting ways after yesterday's dismal effort at the plate. *10* OVER in Boston |
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07-23-16 | Hamilton +5 v. Edmonton | Top | 37-31 | Win | 100 | 13 h 39 m | Show |
Rickenbach CFL Game #125/126 - *10* Top Play Hamilton Tiger-Cats +5 @ Edmonton @ 7:00 ET Saturday - The Eskimos have the bulls-eye on their backs after winning the Grey Cup last season. Keep in mind it was the Tiger-Cats that had lost each of the prior two Grey Cups so they are hungry to get back there. I like the underdog value being offered with Hamilton here on the road. Overall, road teams have dominated so far this season in CFL action and the Ti-Cats are already a perfect 2-0 away from home. Edmonton is off of another win last week but it was a tight one (by 4) and they are being asked to lay an even bigger number this week against a much tougher opponent. The Tiger-Cats are 15-7 ATS on the road the past 2+ seasons and that includes a stellar 8-2 ATS when it is a road game with a posted total of 52 points or more. Look for Edmonton to drop to 1-4 ATS in home games the past 2+ seasons with a posted total of 52 points or more. The tough defensive line of the Tiger-Cats is going to prove to be a difference maker here. The Eskimos are allowing an average of 32 points per game this season while the Ti-Cats are allowing only 21 points per game. Defense will play a key role in this game and the Tiger-Cats are fired up about facing the defending champs! *10* HAMILTON +5 |
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07-22-16 | Angels +134 v. Astros | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -100 | 12 h 43 m | Show |
MLB Game #923 - Underdog Shocker Rickenbach *10* Top Play Los Angeles Angels +134 @ Houston @ 8:10 ET - Lance McCullers of the Astros has a solid 3.61 ERA on the season but also has a 1.64 WHIP. As evidenced by those statistics he has been quite fortunate. In his last two starts he has walked 8 in 9 and 1/3 innings of work so he is constantly having to work his way out of jams. The Astros have held the upper hand in this series this season but the Angels have enjoyed a recent surge that they should carry into this series and they also have Matt Shoemaker on the mound in the first game of the 3 game set. Shoemaker has given up 2 earned runs or less in 7 of his last 11 starts. He is coming off of an absolute gem against the White Sox as he shut them out and struck out 13 in his 9 innings of work versus the ChiSox. Shoemaker shutout the Astros over a solid 6 inning start 4 weeks ago. Although McCullers held the Angels to just 1 run in that match-up with Shoemaker, he did allow 6 hits plus walked 3 in less than 6 innings of work. The Astros have lost 4 of the last 6 starts that McCullers has made and he has struggled to work deep into games lately. Look for the Angels to win their 7th straight game and to make it three straight victories in Shoemaker starts. The Angels are 8-6 as a road dog of +125 to +150 and that has produced more than 5+ net games thanks to the positive returns of big dog action. I love this big dog spot with the better hurler on the mound and a red hot lineup backing him. The Angels have not only won 6 straight, they've scored at least 7 runs in 5 of those games. The Astros are off of a win but previously had gone just 3-4 in their last 7 games and averaged only 2 runs per game in the 4 losses. They are not hitting like LA is right now. *10* Los Angeles Angels Money Line |
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07-22-16 | Twins v. Red Sox OVER 10.5 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -105 | 12 h 10 m | Show |
MLB Game #919/920 - Slugfest Smash Rickenbach *10* Top Play OVER 10.5 in Boston vs Minnesota @ 7:10 ET - These teams combined for 15 runs for an easy win for my Top Total yesterday and I expect a similar total to result today. Kyle Gibson of the Twins and Eduardo Rodriguez of the Red Sox square off tonight in Boston. The last time these hurlers faced these opponents it also was a match-up against each other and that game totaled 19 runs. Gibson gave up 5 runs in less than 6 innings and Rodriguez gave up 4 runs in less than 5 innings. Although Rodriguez had a strong start last week in his return from AAA, he did face a Yankees team that has often struggled this season against lefties. Also, Rodriguez managed only 1 strikeout in the game and I again expect plenty of contact against the southpaw tonight. With the wind blowing out at Fenway Park this evening and with Rodriguez being homer-prone this season, don't be surprised if the Twins get some dingers in this one. Minnesota has averaged 6 runs per game in their past dozen road games. As for the Red Sox, they are averaging 6 runs per game in their home games and they should have no trouble with the offerings of Gibson here. He has allowed 8 earned runs on 17 hits in the 11 innings of work spanning his last two starts. Gibson has a 6.75 ERA and 1.85 WHIP in his road start this year. The over is 16-9 in Twins games against left-handed starters this season and 36-15 in their night games this year. The over is 40-29 in Red Sox games against right-handed starters this season. *10* OVER 10.5 in Boston |
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07-21-16 | Tigers v. White Sox -122 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -122 | 11 h 27 m | Show |
Rickenbach Game #966 - Revenge Rout MLB *10* Top Play Chicago White Sox Money Line -122 vs Detroit @ 8:10 ET - Both starting pitchers in this match-up have some poor numbers on the season. But the difference is that Mike Pelfrey of the Tigers is certainly showing no signs of a turnaround while the White Sox James Shields is absolutely heading the right direction now. Pelfrey has allowed 4 earned runs or more in 4 of his last 6 starts. The damage for the veteran righty also could have been even worse as he has given up a ridiculous 40 hits in his last 24 and 1/3 innings. Pelfrey also is 1-5 with a 5.81 ERA in his career starts against the ChiSox. As for Shields, he has thrown 4 straight quality starts and has a stellar 1.59 ERA in these outings. He's facing a Tigers team that has been struggling at the plate for 2 weeks now. Detroit, in going 4-6 in their last 10 games, has averaged just 2.4 runs per game and only 7.2 hits per game. The White Sox have also certainly had their fair share of recent struggles but they do seem to have their sticks going again as they've now reached double digits in hits in three straight games. Facing the struggling Pelfrey should insure that the ChiSox stay hot at the plate. The Tigers are 1-4 this season in road games with a posted total of 10 or 10.5 runs. Detroit has taken 4 of the 6 meetings so far this season between these clubs and it's time for a little payback. I am forecasting (and fully expecting!) a "revenge rout" based on this pitching match-up. *10* CHICAGO WHITE SOX |
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07-21-16 | Twins v. Red Sox OVER 10 | Top | 2-13 | Win | 100 | 10 h 29 m | Show |
Rickenbach Game #963/964 - Slugfest Smash MLB *10* Top Play OVER 10 in Boston vs Minnesota @ 7:10 ET - The Red Sox finally got their sticks going again in yesterday's offensive onslaught against the Giants. I look for carry over of momentum for the BoSox lineup from that big victory right into tonight's game. Boston will be facing Tyler Duffey of the Twins and he has allowed at least 4 earned runs in 9 of his last 11 starts. Duffey will be opposed by knuckle-baller Steven Wright of the Red Sox who has hit a very tough stretch over the past month. Wright has given up 15 earned runs on 27 hits in the less than 22 innings of work spanning his last 4 outings. Minnesota will fare better against him than they did last month as they now get a quick second look at his offerings and he is in a downward cycle. Duffey was the opposing starter in that outing coincidentally and he got rocked for 6 earned runs on 10 hits in 5 and 1/3 innings of work. The over is 8-4 in all of Duffey's starts this season and 6-3 in all of Wright's home starts this year. The Twins scored 10 runs in their last 2 games at Detroit (both victories) so they have some momentum coming into Fenway Park. The over is 22-11 this season in Twins games when they are off of a win. Also, Minnesota is 35-15 to the over in night games this year. The Red Sox and Twins have played 3 games this season and none have stayed under the total. Look for the over to improve to 7-2 in Thursday BoSox games this season. *10* OVER in Boston |
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07-20-16 | Marlins v. Phillies UNDER 8 | Top | 1-4 | Win | 102 | 12 h 54 m | Show |
Rickenbach Divisional Game of the Month MLB *10* Top Play UNDER 8 in Philadelphia vs Miami @ 7:05 ET - The Phillies have been one of the streakiest teams in the league this season. They were hot early in the year and getting great pitching. Then the Phils started struggling and endured long losing stretches. Then they got hot again and even started winning games with their sticks. Now though they have reverted back to their season long struggles at the plate and I expect that to continue today. The Phillies are facing a southpaw and they rank last in the league against left-handed pitching for runs scored, home runs, and slugging percentage. That is out of all 30 teams in the majors, the Phillies are dead last. In the last 11 games for Philadelphia, only one has resulted in an over. The Phils have been getting good starting pitching again and that should continue today with Jeremy Hellickson on the mound. Each of his last 5 starts have stayed under the total and the Phillies righty has a solid 2.90 ERA during this stretch. He has held the Marlins to a 3.97 ERA in his 6 career starts against them and 5 of those 6 outings resulted in an under. 8 of the Marlins last 12 games have stayed under the total and Miami is also 10-4 to the under in Wednesday games this season. As a home dog of +100 to +125, the Phillies are 9-4 to the under this season. 12 of their 19 games against left-handed starters have resulted in unders this season. The Marlins have been held to 8 hits or less in 6 of their last 9 games. The Phils have been held to 5 hits or less in 3 straight games and 4 of their 5 games since the All Star Break. Wei-Yin Chen has a 1.11 WHIP on the road this season which is outstanding. His biggest problem recently has come via the long-ball but the Phillies have struggled to generate power against southpaws all season long. That sets this one up nicely for another pitchers' duel. *10* UNDER in Philadelphia |
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07-20-16 | Astros v. A's OVER 8.5 | Top | 7-0 | Loss | -110 | 8 h 28 m | Show |
Rickenbach Slugfest Smash MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Oakland vs Houston @ 3:35 ET - The Astros Doug Fister has had great success against the A's this season but Oakland will now be seeing him for the fourth time this year. Fister also was hit harder in his only start that was at Oakland this season and the other two starts were in Houston including a solid outing two weeks ago. Looking at Fister's other recent starts (his last three not against the A's) he has given up 12 earned runs on 22 hits in 16 and 1/3 innings. Look for more struggles for him here. The Athletics will have some pitching issues of their own here. Daniel Mengden gets the start and the right-hander is having an awful July. So far this month he has a 10.80 ERA and a 2.10 WHIP. Also, in his lone start against the Astros this season he was rocked for 6 earned runs in less than 5 innings of work. Yesterday's game between these divisional foes stayed under the total but that was just the 2nd under the Astros have had since the All Star Break and it was the first one for the A's since the break. The over is a perfect 4-0 in Mengden's last 4 starts. Also, the over is 23-13 in A's games against teams with a winning record this season. As a home dog of +100 to +125 Oakland is 7-3 to the over this season. As a road fave of -100 to -150 the Astros have gone 19-10 to the over this season. *10* OVER in Oakland |
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07-18-16 | Rays v. Rockies OVER 11.5 | Top | 4-7 | Loss | -110 | 14 h 24 m | Show |
Rickenbach Slugfest MLB *10* Top Play OVER 11.5 in Colorado vs Tampa Bay @ 8:40 ET - As a road dog of +100 to +125 the Rays are 10-2 to the over this season. The over is 6-2 in Tampa Bay's Monday games this year and the over is 8-2 in Rockies inter-league games this season. Colorado got shutout yesterday. The last 4 times they scored three runs or less they responded with a big effort at the plate each time averaging 9 runs per game in the process. The Rockies should have no problem with the offerings of the Rays Drew Smyly here. The Tampa Bay southpaw is an ugly 2-10 on the season and he has given up at least 4 earned runs per game in 7 of his last 8 starts! His ERA over this rough two month stretch is a 7.92 and going to hitter-friendly Coors Field is unlikely to help matters for Smyly! He'll be opposed by the Rockies Tyler Anderson tonight and the young southpaw has an impressive ERA this season but he's been quite fortunate. He has an amazing 2.63 ERA at home this year despite getting hit at a .313 clip at Coors Field! Anderson has given up 25 hits in less than 18 innings of work spanning his last 3 home starts. It catches up with him here. The Rays have a .471 slugging percentage against lefties this season and that is #1 in the American League. The Rockies have a ridiculous .533 slugging percentage in home games this season which is far and away the best mark in the majors. This one gets crazy EARLY in the thin air of Denver. *10* OVER in Colorado |
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07-18-16 | Marlins v. Phillies +180 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -100 | 12 h 41 m | Show |
Rickenbach Underdog *10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line +180 vs Miami @ 7:05 ET - The Phillies are off of a shutout loss and that is significant in terms of huge home dog value here because the Phillies have not lost back to back games in 4 weeks! Philadelphia should respond here and I like the "live arm" of Aaron Nola with a lot of extra rest as he's fully refreshed mentally and physically with all the time off. The Phillies right-hander had his last start skipped in the rotation and then of course had extra time off because of the All Star Break. With all the extra rest, Nola will come up with a big effort here against Miami. He had been rock solid and the Phillies had won 7 of his last 9 starts before he hit this tough stretch. Though it may seem "tough" to fade Jose Fernandez of the Marlins, he has struggled in recent road outings. Miami has lost each of the last two road starts that Fernandez has made and he was pounded for 13 runs (10 earned) in less than 12 innings of work spanning those two starts. Also, Fernandez has allowed 8 earned runs in the 10 innings of work spanning his last two starts at Philadelphia. Look for the Phillies to improve to 8-0 their last 8 when off of a loss. Miami is 16-24 in divisional games this season and I see them dropping to 0-4 the last 4 times they have been installed as a road favorite of -175 or more. Insane home dog line value in this one. *10* PHILADELPHIA |
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07-17-16 | Red Sox -115 v. Yankees | Top | 1-3 | Loss | -115 | 22 h 37 m | Show |
Rickenbach Revenge Rout *10* Top Play Boston Red Sox -115 @ New York Yankees @ 8:05 ET - The Yankees showed yesterday, by not being able to hit a struggling lefty (Eduardo Rodriguez) that they simply stink against left-handed pitching. No excuse for their performance at the plate yesterday and it just proves how bad they are against southpaws. To not hit Rodriguez was insane. The Yanks are now 11-17 in their games against left-handed starters this season and one of the rare victories, surprisingly, came against Boston's David Price. Of course that makes this a revenge spot for Price and he has settled down a lot since his early season inconsistencies. Price has struck out 10 in 3 straight starts and has a solid 2.82 ERA during this stretch. Additionally, he has produced 10 quality starts in his last 12 outings since tough back to back outings against the Yankees in early May. You can bet, literally, that Price has been chomping at the bit for this rematch. He'll be opposed by the Yankees Masahiro Tanaka and that keys this play. He has struggled in 2 of his last 3 starts overall and also in 2 of his last 3 home starts. In fact, Tanaka has a 5.05 ERA in home starts this season. The Yanks right-hander has given up at least 4 earned runs in 2 of his last 3 starts against Boston and simply is not in good current form heading into this game. With the loss yesterday, the Yankees are now 10-19 in divisional games this season. The Red Sox are 8-1 in their last 9 games. Look for Price to get his revenge this evening. *10* BOSTON Sunday |
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07-17-16 | Blue Jays v. A's OVER 8 | Top | 5-3 | Push | 0 | 18 h 3 m | Show |
Rickenbach Slugfest MLB *10* Top Play OVER 8 in Oakland vs Toronto @ 4:05 ET Sunday - This will be a contrarian play and I am taking advantage of the early line move here from an 8.5 down to an 8. Certainly I understand the move based on this match-up of crafty left-handed pitchers but there is plenty of reason to expect a lot of offense in this one. Afternoon games at Oakland are a little more hitter-friendly as you don't have the same dense night air you have in night games along the West Coast. Additionally, the wind is going to be blowing out at Oakland Coliseum Sunday afternoon. The over is 16-5 this season in Oakland's games against left-handed starters as they have hit southpaws well this season. Sunday they face the Blue Jays J.A. Happ who gave up 5 earned runs in 5 innings in his most recent road start. Also, Happ has given up 3 earned runs in each of his last 2 starts against the Athletics. Rich Hill gets the start for the Blue Jays tonight and he allowed 3 earned runs in his only recent start against the Blue Jays. Also, although he has impressive numbers this season Hill has been dealing with a blister on his throwing hand which certainly could be an issue as he tries to command his pitches Sunday. It did push his start back from it's original schedule and he could be a little rusty here. The A's are 22-12 to the over this season in their games against teams with a winning record. *10* OVER 8 in Oakland |
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07-16-16 | Royals -119 v. Tigers | Top | 8-4 | Win | 100 | 22 h 17 m | Show |
Rickenbach Revenge Rout MLB *10* Top Play Kansas City Royals -120 @ Detroit @ 7:10 ET - Danny Duffy is seeking revenge and certainly should get it. He had a tough outing in June against the Tigers but he was matched up with Justin Verlander in the eventual 10-4 Royals loss. The good news this time is that Verlander pitched yesterday and that means Mike Pelfrey is Duffy's counterpart this time. Pelfrey is 2-8 on the season and also has a 7.12 ERA in his home starts this year. Pelfrey has managed to escape big trouble in many of his recent starts where he's put himself in tough situations with too many baserunners but then managed to work his way out of it. There is only so many times a "magician" can accomplish that before "playing with fire" eventually burns. Pelfrey is ultra-hittable and he has been hit at an insane .363 batting average in his home starts this season! Kansas City should pound him while Duffy shuts down the Tigers. Yes, he had a tough outing in his last start against the Royals but he he still has a 1.16 WHIP in his 12 career starts against the Tigers. By comparison, Pelfrey has an ugly 1.84 WHIP in his 7 career starts against the Royals. Kansas City is 8-3 in Duffy's 11 starts this season and the Royals southpaw has a solid 3.11 ERA and 1.02 WHIP on the year. The loss in Duffy's start against the Tigers in mid-June was the only defeat in a 4-game set as KC won the other 3 games. He and the Royals get their revenge for that here. *10* KANSAS CITY |
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07-16-16 | BC v. Saskatchewan OVER 50 | Top | 40-27 | Win | 100 | 94 h 37 m | Show |
Rickenbach CFL *10* Top Play OVER 50 in Saskatchewan vs BC @ 7 ET Saturday - All 3 of the Lions games have stayed under the total so far this season but BC made a QB change in last week's game and Travis Lulay came in and was 12 of 15 for 156 yards. Look for that effort to be a wake-up call for the Lions offense and this week they will take advantage of a Saskatchewan defense that has allowed 34.5 points per game so far this season. The bright spot for the Roughriders was their solid effort on offense last week which included QB Dariant Darant connecting on 27 of his 38 passes and leading the offense to 4 TDs and over 300 yards through the air. With BC off of their first loss of the season last week the Lions defense could show a little "unbeaten letdown" this week as their undefeated start is now history. I expect Saskatchewan at home to put up huge numbers this week but, once again, their defense is an issue and BC moves the ball well after the spark generated by QB changes in last week's game. I am well aware of the fact that this series is known for unders. I also know that is particularly true when the teams meet in Saskatoon. However, this total was set at 50 for a reason. BC has gone under in all 3 games this season but the Lions offense will enjoy a breakout game against the defense they are facing this week. Additionally, the Roughriders offense is full of confidence and poised for another huge effort here. *10* OVER in Saskatchewan |
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07-16-16 | Red Sox v. Yankees OVER 9.5 | Top | 5-2 | Loss | -108 | 21 h 43 m | Show |
Rickenbach Divisional Total of the Month MLB *10* Top Play OVER 9.5 runs in New York Yankees vs Boston @ 4:05 ET - A pair of struggling southpaws match up at Yankee Stadium Saturday afternoon and that means, even though the Yanks have had some struggles with lefties this season, there should be a barrage of hits against Boston's Eduardo Rodriguez in this one. The southpaw has gone winless with an 11.54 ERA in his last 3 starts. His lefty counterpart tonight is C.C. Sabathia who is likely to get lit up by Boston. Sabathia is also winless in his last 3 starts and he has a 7.71 ERA during this stretch. The veteran left-hander has in fact allowed 5 earned runs or more in 4 straight starts! The over, heading into the All Star Break, was on a 14-5-3 run in Yankees games. The over in Boston games was on a 12-6 run heading into the All Star Break. The mindset of Rodriguez for the Red Sox also could be called into question because his winless in the 7 starts he has made at the minor league level as well this season. Yankees bats should have no trouble with his offerings while Boston has one of the most dangerous lineups in baseball and should have no trouble pounding a struggling hurler whom they are very familiar with. Indeed Sabathia's struggles continue. The over is 9-3 in Red Sox Saturday games this season and Boston entered last night's action with a mark of 8-2 to the over this season in road games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs. Yankees are 5-1 to the over this season in home games where their money line is -100 to -125. *10* OVER in New York Yankees |
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07-15-16 | Indians v. Twins +135 | Top | 5-2 | Loss | -100 | 31 h 0 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Underdog Shocker *10* Minnesota Twins Money Line +140 @ Cleveland @ 8:10 ET - The Twins won 7 of their last 9 games before the All Star break. The two losses came by a total of just 3 runs. The 7 wins came by a combined 45 runs. Minnesota is undervalued now in this opening game spot after the All Star break. The Indians come into this game having lost 6 of their last 9 games and Cleveland lost 4 of those games by a margin of 3 runs or more including a pair of losses by double digit margins. Certainly I respect the Indians Carlos Carrasco, the starting pitcher for this one, but he got rocked by the Yankees in his final start before the All Star break. Also, he is only 1-5 in his career against Minnesota and the Twins got to him for 11 earned runs in less than 16 innings in his last three starts against them. Ervin Santana gets the start for Minny in this one and he has allowed just 2 earned runs on 10 hits in 13 innings of work in his last two starts against the Indians. Additionally, the Minnesota right-hander has given up a total of only 5 earned runs on 17 hits in the 28 and 2/3 innings spanning his last 4 starts before the All Star break. The Twins are the hotter team with arguably the hotter pitcher. They also, as you can see, are a sizable home dog here, and that makes them well worth the play. As a road favorite of -125 to -150, look for the Indians to drop to a money-burning 5-7 on the season. Santana wins his 3rd straight over the Tribe. *10* MINNESOTA |
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07-15-16 | Mets v. Phillies OVER 9 | Top | 5-3 | Loss | -100 | 30 h 60 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Slugfest *10* Top Play OVER 9 runs in Philadelphia vs New York Mets @ 7:05 ET Friday - Bartolo Colon gets the start for the Mets Friday. Although he was successful in shutting down the Phillies quite well in a pair of starts in April, the Phils were winning with pitching back then. Philadelphia's current winning streak has been thanks to hitting and they're catching Colon at the right time to do some damage. Not only are they seeing him for a 3rd time this season but also he was rocked for 6 earned runs on 10 hits in less than 5 innings of work in his final start before the all star break. He'll be opposed by the Phillies Jeremy Hellickson in this one. The veteran righty gave up 4 earned runs on 10 hits in only 4 and 1/3 innings of work the last time he faced the Mets and they'll be seeing him for a 3rd time this season. Hellickson has not pitched as well in evening games as he has under the sun as he has a 2.78 ERA in day games but a 4.50 ERA in night games this season. Citizens Bank Field is hitter-friendly and the Phillies entered the All Star Break having gone 23-13 to the over in their last 36 games! The Mets 56 homers on the road ranks them 4th in the National League and I look for some fireworks as they have already hit 3 homers in Hellickson's 10 innings against them this season. *10* OVER in Philadelphia Friday |
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07-14-16 | Edmonton -3 v. Winnipeg | Top | 20-16 | Win | 100 | 49 h 2 m | Show |
Rickenbach CFL *10* Top Play Edmonton Eskimos -3 @ Winnipeg @ 8:30 ET - The Eskimos are off of a win versus Saskatchewan but they blew a huge late lead and are not happy about that. Edmonton's defense was one of the best in the league last season but that has not been the case at all this season and certainly it is now time for "heads to roll" for the Eskimos. They need a huge effort this week and they are certainly catching the Blue Bombers at the right time. Winnipeg is off of a huge upset win at Hamilton but let's not forget they had lost each of their first two games by an average margin of defeat of 11 points per game. The Blue Bombers are averaging only 21 points per game so far this season and simply won't be able to keep up with a highly motivated Eskimos team here. Edmonton has been led by Mike Reilly at QB and John White in the running game and this balanced attack will prove to be too much for a Winnipeg team still celebrating last week's upset win. The Blue Bombers had lost 12 of it's last 14 games straight-up before the upset win last week and I'll gladly lay the small number with Edmonton here. The Eskimos have covered 5 of their last 6 meetings with Winnipeg and they have all the edges in this one, including situational. *10* EDMONTON |
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07-12-16 | American League v. National League OVER 7.5 | Top | 4-2 | Loss | -105 | 30 h 48 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play OVER 7.5 in National League vs American League @ 8:15 ET Tuesday - Unlike the NFL (Pro Bowl) or NBA (All Star Game), the MLB game is anything but meaningless. The fact that the World Series host league is decided based on who wins this game definitely has helped to keep the competition level up for this game. That said, I look for another dandy this year. Even though Petco Park is certainly known as a pitcher-friendly park, the Padres have surprisingly been recording a lot of overs in their home park this season. This has been especially true over more than the past month too so it's no fluke. Certainly San Diego's home park is no hitters' park but the production at the plate here has been stronger than usual this season. Three of the last four All Star games have totaled at least 8 runs and, though it was more than two decades ago, historians will be glad to know the last time an All Star Game was held in San Diego it totaled 19 runs! This season overall in the big leagues it has been notable that offense does seem to be "up" on the year. Even in April there seemed to be more high-scoring games than usual but certainly once the warmer weather of May and June (and now July) arrived, the scoring really seems to be on an "uptick" this season. Of course it goes without saying that there will be plenty of talented pitchers as well as talented players in San Diego for this one. The keys for me are the fact that hitters have had the upper hand quite often this season and the fact that Petco Park has been playing to unusually high-scoring games this season. The past 7 weeks the over is 16-7 (70%) in games played at Petco Park. For the 4th time in the past 5 years, and with plenty to play for again this season, I look for at least 8 runs to be scored in the MLB All Star Game. *10* OVER in MLB All Star Game Tuesday |
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07-10-16 | Phillies +168 v. Rockies | Top | 10-3 | Win | 168 | 9 h 59 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Revenge Rout *10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line +165 @ Colorado @ 4:10 ET - There is tremendous line value here. The Phillies and Rockies have nearly identical records on the season and even Philadelphia's road record is not much worse than Colorado's home record. The Phils are seeking revenge after the 8-3 beating they took last night and, odds are, they will get it! That is another reason the big dog price here is certainly a "risk" well worth the taking! Believe it or not, the Phillies have not lost back to back games since June 21st and 22nd. That means that for the past three weeks you can't find a set of back to back losses for the Phils and I expect them to again bounce back strong here off of a defeat. The Phillies were on a 9-2 run their last 11 games prior to yesterday's loss. Philadelphia's Zach Eflin gets the start here and he has pitched very well ever since a rough outing in his MLB debut. The Phillies have won each of his last two starts and Eflin has compiled a 1.71 ERA and stellar 0.81 WHIP in his last three outings overall. The Rockies Tyler Chatwood has been going the opposite direction. He has only lasted a total of 6 and 2/3 innings in his last two starts and he has a 4.72 ERA in his last 3 starts that easily could be much higher as walks have been a major issue for the Rockies right-hander. Chatwood has a losing record (and a 5.10 ERA) in his home starts this season. Colorado had lost 8 of its last 10 games before yesterday's victory. The Rockies haven't won back to back games since winning three straight from June 25th to the 27th. Insane underdog line value here and I'll take it. *10* PHILADELPHIA |
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07-10-16 | Mariners v. Royals OVER 9 | Top | 8-5 | Win | 100 | 5 h 52 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Slugfest *10* Top Play OVER 9 in Kansas City vs Seattle @ 2:15 ET - Yesterday's game stayed just under the total but, based on the pitching match-up and the wind blowing out to left at a good clip this afternoon, a slugfest can be expected Sunday. The Mariners are starting Mike Montgomery. The southpaw has pitched well out of the bullpen this season but is now making a spot start for Seattle. The M's lefty struggled often in the starting role last year and, in his last three starts of 2015, Montgomery gave up 17 earned runs on 23 hits in less than 10 innings of work! He's facing a Royals team that did get the sticks going again yesterday as they pounded out 12 hits in only 8 innings! Kansas City is hitting .286 against left-handed pitching this season which is good for the #2 spot out of all 30 MLB teams. Seattle is hitting .266 against right-handed pitching and that is good for the #5 spot among AL teams. The Mariners should have no trouble with the offerings of Dillon Gee. The Royals right-hander was 0-3 with a 7.90 ERA last season with the Mets in 8 games (7 starts) and he got hit at a .329 clip! This season, opponents are hitting .299 against Gee and that includes his numbers out of the pen but he's been even worse as a starter. This will be just his 5th start of the season and he's making a spot start here. Gee has gone 2-2 with a 6.05 ERA and a 1.81 WHIP this year as a starter. Gee has been particularly roughed up in his last two starts and they both went over the total. This one should too because neither pitcher is likely to enjoy success here and the Mariners had gone 8-6 and averaged 5 runs per game in their last 14 games before yesterday's tough effort at the plate. The Royals are averaging 5 runs per game in their last 13 home games and will build off of yesterday's strong effort at the plate. *10* OVER in Kansas City |
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07-09-16 | Twins v. Rangers OVER 11.5 | Top | 8-6 | Win | 105 | 13 h 60 m | Show |
Rickenbach AL Total of the Month *10* Top Play OVER 11.5 in Texas vs Minnesota @ 9:05 ET - The Rangers are turning to Kyle Lohse for this start. That is unlikely to have positive results for Texas as Lohse is 3-5 with a 5.06 ERA in his 10 starts at AAA Round Rock this season down in the minors. In his most recent MLB activity, last season, Lohse compiled a 5-13 record with Milwaukee as he was done in by a 5.85 ERA and getting hit at a .297 clip. The 37 year old right-hander is simply not the pitcher he once was and the Twins should pound him. Yesterday's game went over the total and Minnesota had had just 3 unders in their last 10 games. The Twins have produced 6.4 runs per game while averaging nearly 10 hits per game in their last 12 games. Lohse faced Minny twice last season and he gave up 9 earned runs in 12 innings against the Twins. Minnesota has a pitching concern of their own in this game. Ricky Nolasco gets the start and he is 3-7 with a 5.26 ERA on the season plus he has allowed 14 earned runs on 23 hits in the 18 and 1/3 innings spanning his last 3 starts. His last game stayed under the total but that was just the 3rd under in 17 Nolasco starts this season! Yes indeed, he has been an "over machine" in 2016. Texas has also been an "over machine" of late as they have had just 3 unders in their last 12 games. The Rangers are a top 5 team this season for home batting average (.281) and the Twins are averaging 7.6 runs per game in their last 7 games. The over is an incredible 26-12 in Minnesota's games against teams with a winning record this season and even more incredible 34-12 in Twins night games this season! The Rangers have scored at least 5 runs in 12 of their last 16 games and both teams have had bullpen issues this season too. All signs point to an absolute slugfest here. *10* OVER 11.5 in Texas |
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07-09-16 | Cubs v. Pirates +151 | Top | 6-12 | Win | 151 | 12 h 38 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Pennsylvania (PA) Insider *10* Top Play Pittsburgh Pirates Money Line +150 vs Chicago Cubs @ 7:15 ET - The Cubs continue to be over-priced. I faded them yesterday successfully and I again like my chances today with the big dog Pirates. Yesterday's 8-4 Pittsburgh win dropped the Cubs to 5-14 in their last 19 games. Jon Lester gets the start for the Cubs today and certainly has been a successful pitcher for a very long time but the veteran southpaw is off of a poor start where he allowed 8 earned runs in only 1 and 1/3 innings of work. Lester has enjoyed success against the Pirates this season but this will already be the 4th time they have seen him in the last couple months. Pittsburgh got to him for 3 earned runs on 7 hits and 3 walks in 6 innings of work in their most recent match-up on June 18th. Also, when Lester most recently pitched in Pittsburgh he did manage to keep the Pirates off the scoreboard but he was quite fortunate as they got to him for 8 hits and 2 walks in 5 and 2/3 innings of work. In other words, the Pirates certainly had some scoring chances versus Lester but they couldn't take advantage. This evening they likely will as the Pirates are hot with an 11-3 mark in their last 14 games. Pittsburgh has averaged 5.3 runs per game during this streak and they shouldn't need a lot of run support with Chad Kuhl on the mound. The Cubs have never faced him and he has allowed 3 earned runs or less in each of his first two outings. Look for the Pirates to improve to 14-8 against left-handed starters this season as they stay hot and continue to close the gap on the fading Cubs. *10* PITTSBURGH |
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07-08-16 | Cubs v. Pirates +155 | Top | 4-8 | Win | 155 | 13 h 53 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Revenge Rout *10* Top Play Pittsburgh Pirates +155 vs Chicago Cubs @ 7:05 ET - Tremendous line value here with the home underdog. With yesterday's loss the Cubs have now lost 13 of their last 18 games. Their slump is noteworthy and should not be ignored. As for the Pirates, they also did lose yesterday but they had previously won 7 straight and 10 of their last 12. That said, Pittsburgh has been closing the gap with the Cubs in the NL Central and they view this weekend series before the All Star Break as a golden opportunity to make a little more headway with their endeavor. The Cubs Jake Arrieta has been slumping as he has a 5.87 ERA and 1.76 WHIP in his last three starts. He has walked 11 in the 15 and 1/3 innings spanning these three starts and though he's had great success against the Pirates this season, he is not pitching like he was earlier in the season! Pittsburgh will have Franciso Liriano on the mound and the veteran lefty has shown the ability in his career to be a "big game" pitcher and he knows this one is big! Liriano wasn't overly dominant in his most recent start but he got the win and got his walks back under control too. He's given up 26 hits in his last 26 innings so his pitching hasn't been as bad as his ERA during this stretch may lead you to believe. Showing better command against the A's and now back in Pittsburgh where he allowed 2 earned runs or less in 5 of his first 6 home starts I expect Liriano to come up big tonight with a strong outing. The Pirates are 7-1 their last 8 games and 38-21 in July games the past three seasons and 43-21 in Friday games the past three seasons. Look for the Cubs to drop to 1-7 in July as they lose for the 8th time in their last 9 games. Huge value with the home dog in this one. *10* PITTSBURGH |
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07-08-16 | Tigers v. Blue Jays OVER 10 | Top | 0-6 | Loss | -107 | 13 h 52 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Slugfest *10* Top Play OVER 10 in Toronto vs Detroit @ 7:05 ET - The Tigers Mike Pelfrey is off of a RARE good start as he held the Rays in check in Tampa Bay Sunday. He still is winless on the road this season and has a 5.42 ERA on the year. Also, even including that good start, Pelfrey has allowed 30 hits in the less than 17 innings of work spanning his last three starts. Now he faces a red hot Blue Jays team that has won 6 straight games and is on a 9-4 run in their last 13 games that has seen Toronto produce an average of nearly 7 runs per game! Pelfrey has been rocked for 9 earned runs in the 10 and 1/3 innings spanning his last two starts against the Blue Jays. He'll be opposed by Toronto's J.A. Happ this evening in Toronto. The Jays southpaw has led his team to only 1 win in his 5 career starts against the Tigers while producing a 5.16 ERA in those outings. In his 3 starts against Detroit within the past year, Happ has been rocked for 13 earned runs in 16 innings of work. The over is 6-2 in Happ's 8 home starts this season. Pelfrey's most recent start was a surprising one that stayed under the total but 7 of his 11 prior starts went over the total and I look for a return to "normalcy" for the ultra hittable Pelfrey tonight. Detroit's games against team with a winning record this season have gone 30-15 (67%) to the over. The Tigers, before last night's 5-4 loss here, had won 7 of their last 9 games and averaged nearly 7 runs per game during the hot streak. Plenty of pop in both of these lineups and plenty of reason to believe both hurlers struggle tonight. *10* OVER in Toronto |
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07-07-16 | Phillies v. Rockies OVER 12 | Top | 2-11 | Win | 100 | 13 h 51 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Slugfest *10* Top Play OVER 12 in Colorado vs Philadelphia @ 8:40 ET - The Phillies Adam Morgan has a 1.60 WHIP. The Rockies Chad Bettis has a 1.52 WHIP. Allowing too many base-runners (measured by Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched) is a key measurement in looking at all MLB match-ups but it is especially key at Coors Field. That's because it is the most hitter-friendly ballpark in the entire league and the ball carries so well that big innings are commonplace in this venue. Yes the total of 12 (and possibly moving to 12.5 or higher) is certainly a big number but it is absolutely justified in this situation. The Phillies have been hitting the ball very well. The Phils 4-3 win yesterday makes them 9-3 their last 12 games. Philadelphia has averaged scoring 6 runs per game in these dozen games! The Rockies, as so typically happens, struggled to score runs on their west coast road trip that wrapped up last night in San Francisco. However, Colorado is thrilled to be back home where they are simply a different team! The Rockies are hitting .305 at home this season (and remember the pitcher bats too in NL parks so this is an insane team batting average) and Colorado has averaged 6.34 runs per game at Coors Field. The Phillies Morgan has a 6.55 ERA on the season and the Rockies Bettis has a 6.69 ERA in his 7 home starts this season. 4 of his last 5 home starts have gone over the total while Morgan's starts have resulted in 5 straight overs! I expect 6-0, 100% here and I also expect the Rockies to improve to 8-0, 100% overs in Thursday games this season. Two 100% streaks being tested here. *10* OVER in Colorado |
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07-07-16 | A's +116 v. Astros | Top | 3-1 | Win | 116 | 10 h 22 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Revenge Rout *10* Top Play Oakland A's +115 @ Houston @ 8:10 ET - Oakland is off of a shutout loss at Minnesota yesterday. Houston is off of a win where they got some surprising big hits and also took advantage of an uncharacteristic 3 errors on the part of Seattle. The Astros are still only 11-15 against left-handed starters this season and Rich Hill is a tough one. He's a perfect 6-0 on the road this season for the A's while compiling a 1.40 ERA away from home. Hill has simply been phenomenal. The Astros are 1-8 on Thursdays this season and coupling that with the Athletics 6-0 mark in Hill's road starts and you have a combined 14-1 angle working in Oakland's favor here. I look for the A's to improve to 3-1 this season when off of a shutout loss. The Athletics should take advantage of the Astros Doug Fister as the Houston right-hander has allowed 9 earned runs on 17 hits in the 11 and 1/3 innings spanning his last two starts. Also, Fister walked 5 in his most recent start and he wasn't even able to complete 5 innings in that outing. The Astros had a 3-game losing streak in Fister's starts earlier this season and I look for a defeat today to make it another 3-game losing streak in his starts. The A's .261 batting average on the road ranks them in the top third of the majors while the Astros .229 batting average against southpaws ranks them dead last in the American League. *10* OAKLAND |
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07-07-16 | Winnipeg v. Hamilton OVER 52.5 | Top | 28-24 | Loss | -106 | 11 h 56 m | Show |
Rickenbach CFL Total Dominator *10* OVER 52.5 in Hamilton vs Winnipeg @ 7 ET - The Tiger-Cats were held to just 3 points last week. They moved the ball quite well but just couldn't get points and were bothered by wind which also didn't help in terms of missed field goals. Hamilton scored 42 points in their week 1 win and I fully expect them to bounce back in week 3 after a frustrating effort last week versus BC. The wind will not be an issue tonight and the high-powered Ti-Cats offense can attack a Blue Bombers defense that has some injury issues and Winnipeg gave up 36 points at Calgary last week. The Blue Bombers have moved the ball fairly well on offense and they get a key receiver back this week as well. Some of Winnipeg's numbers on offense have been accumulated in "mop-up time" later in games but a similar situation this week would not surprise as Hamilton is absolutely justified as nearly a double digit fave here. The Blue Bombers offense was expected to be a key positive for them this season after some off-season upgrades and I expect them to put up some big points tonight against a Ti-Cats defense that has shown they have some holes to exploit. There are a lot of trends supporting the under in this game but this is a different Blue Bombers offense this season and they are ready for a breakout game and will definitely be looking to "air it out" tonight after starting the season 0-2. As for Hamilton, they put up 90 points in their two games against Winnipeg last season and the Tiger-Cats are poised for a breakout game on a warm evening with light winds that will wear down a pair of tired defenses as this game goes on. *10* OVER in Hamilton |
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07-06-16 | Mariners +146 v. Astros | Top | 8-9 | Loss | -100 | 13 h 3 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB 1st Half Game of the Year *10* Top Play Seattle Mariners Money Line +140 @ Houston @ 8:10 ET - Wade LeBlanc has been phenomenal in his first two starts since the Mariners picked him up. It really is no fluke as LeBlanc had been fantastic and consistent at the AAA level (Buffalo) in the Blue Jays organization when Seattle picked him up from Toronto. LeBlanc has struck out 8 while walking just 2 and allowing only 6 hits and 2 earned runs in 12 innings of work spanning his first two starts as a member of the M's. A big key here for the Mariners southpaw is that he is facing a team that is the worst in the American League in terms of batting average versus southpaws. Houston is hitting a paltry .226 against left-handed pitching this season! To put that in perspective, every other American League team is hitting at least .250 against lefties this season! Another key angle here is that the Astros are a former team of LeBlanc's so, even though his stay in Houston was very short, he certainly would love nothing more than to beat an organization that didn't give him much of a chance. Simply put, LeBlanc has been on top of his game all season long and that should continue against a team that is simply awful against lefties this season. The Astros will have Mike Fiers on the mound and I am well aware of his successful numbers at home this season. However, this is still a guy who, overall, is getting hit at a .282 clip on the season! In other words, Fiers has been playing with "fire" for much of this season and it is only a matter of time before a true "correction" to his numbers takes place. He's off of a good start against the White Sox but previously was hit hard in 3 of his last 6 starts and I expect the Mariners to certainly do enough damage to support the red hot LeBlanc in this one and that leads to a road victory at a fantastic underdog price. The Mariners had won 7 of their last 9 games heading into this Houston series and they avoid the sweep and resume the winning this evening. *10* SEATTLE |
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07-06-16 | Brewers v. Nationals OVER 8.5 | Top | 4-7 | Win | 100 | 9 h 59 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Slugfest *10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Washington vs Milwaukee @ 4:05 ET - Matt Garza has a 3.74 ERA on the season in his limited action thusfar but he's been about as lucky as you can be. Garza has given up 29 hits in less than 22 innings of work spanning his 4 starts. One of those starts came against the Nationals less than 2 weeks ago so the Nats will be getting a quick second look at him. Likewise, Washington's Tanner Roark just faced the Brewers less than 2 weeks ago so Milwaukee is getting a quick second look at him. These types of scenarios (especially with two mediocre pitchers) usually work out well for the hitters! Roark has allowed 15 hits in the 14 innings spanning his last two starts but amazingly has given up only 2 earned runs during this time. His "luck" runs out today in a rematch with the Brewers. Yesterday's game was a 5-2 Milwaukee win and there hasn't been much scoring so far in this series but that should change on a mild afternoon in DC with favorable conditions for the hitters. The ball should be jumping off the bats today and Garza is not a strikeout pitcher and Roark's strikeout numbers have been trending downward of late. This is one of those contrarian plays where the public sees two guys with low ERAs but I see two pitchers who have been fortunate and are currently over-rated as a result. Roark was 4-7 with a 4.38 ERA and a .279 BAA last season. Garza was 6-14 with a 5.63 ERA and was hit at a .294 clip last season. Back to reality for these two hurlers today as the bats come alive in the finale! *10* OVER in Washington |
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07-05-16 | Yankees v. White Sox +115 | Top | 9-0 | Loss | -100 | 12 h 37 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Revenge Rout *10* Top Play Chicago White Sox Money Line +115 vs New York Yankees @ 8:10 ET - With the Yankees 8-2 loss yesterday to the White Sox, the Yanks have now lost 6 of their last 9 games. The ChiSox have been heading the other direction as they have won 10 of their last 14 after yesterday's blowout win. Still this is a bit of a revenge spot for the White Sox as they face Masahiro Tanaka whose team has defeated the ChiSox both times in his career starts against them. The most recent was earlier this season and that was a 7-5 Yankees win despite Tanaka allowed 4 earned runs on 8 hits and 3 walks in only 5 innings of work. As you can see, he and the Yanks were quite fortunate in that one and I don't see them being so fortunate tonight. Tanaka comes into this start having allowed 6 earned runs in 6 innings in his most recent start. Also, he'll be opposed by a southpaw tonight and left-handers have given the Yankees trouble this season. Carlos Rodon gets the start for the White Sox and he held the Yanks to just 2 earned runs in 6 innings when he faced them in late September. This season the Yankees are just 10-16 against southpaw starters and 11-17 in their games against teams with a winning record. Against left-handed pitching this season, the Yankees rank at or near the bottom of the AL in batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage! I expect the Yanks to drop to 22-40 in their last 62 Tuesday games! As for the ChiSox, look for them to improve on a 33-23 (+16.4 net!) in July games the past three seasons. Rodon was rolling great until he ran into trouble in the 6th inning against Minnesota in his most recent start and, prior to that outing, he had given up 2 earned runs or less in 5 of his last 6 starts. He should dominate here. *10* CHICAGO WHITE SOX |
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07-05-16 | Braves v. Phillies OVER 8.5 | Top | 1-5 | Loss | -120 | 11 h 35 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Slugfest *10* Top Play OVER 8.5 in Philadelphia vs Atlanta @ 7:05 ET - With yesterday's 8-2 Phillies victory, the Braves have now gone 6-2 to the over in their last 8 games and Philadelphia is now 22-10 to the over since June 1st. Earlier this season it was the Phillies pitching staff that was a key in their surprising solid start to the season. Then, after a slump followed the hot start, it is now the Phillies lineup that is leading the resurgence. Philadelphia has averaged 6 runs per game in their last 13 games and they have won 8 of their last 11 games! The Phillies Zach Eflin gets the start today and the over is 3-1 in his 4 starts so far. His first start, his MLB debut, looks like the ugliest outing he's had but though his stats indicate he may have recovered a bit from that he truly hasn't. Eflin gave up 4 runs (3 earned) to the Diamondbacks in his most recent start. In his prior start, at San Francisco, the numbers look okay but he gave up a ton of line drives in that game and was just fortunate that many were caught for outs. Eflin doesn't get many strikeouts and contact at Citizens Bank Park can be a problem. He'll be opposed by Mike Foltynewicz and he only went 3 innings in his return from the disabled list as his start was shortened due to rain. He was not overly impressive in that outing and he certainly wasn't overly impressive in his lone career start against the Phils which was last season as he allowed 4 earned runs in 5 and 1/3 innings. That game went over the total and Atlanta is 17-9 to the over this season in games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs. The Phillies are 46-31 to the over the past three seasons in home games with a posted total of 8 or 8.5 runs. *10* OVER 8.5 in Philadelphia |
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07-04-16 | Orioles +140 v. Dodgers | Top | 5-7 | Loss | -100 | 14 h 47 m | Show |
Rickenbach MLB Revenge Rout *10* Top Play Baltimore Orioles +140 @ Los Angeles Dodgers @ 9:10 ET - The Orioles are looking to avenge a series sweep at the hands of the Mariners in Seattle and that means revenge will have to be served against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Based on the pitching match-up tonight, I believe the O's have a great shot at getting right back on track. Baltimore's Yovani Gallardo has been a different pitcher (in a good way) since returning from the disabled list. The Orioles are a perfect 3-0 in the 3 starts he's made since coming back from the DL and Gallardo has given up 3 earned runs or less in every single start. In his last two starts against the Dodgers Gallardo has given up just 1 earned run only 10 hits in 15 innings of work! The Dodgers come into this game off of a series sweep of the Rockies but Los Angeles is only playing about .500 ball in inter-league action and the past three seasons combined and this has netted -5.5 net games. As for the Orioles, they are 3-1 this season and 27-17 the last three seasons combined in inter-league action. The O's are also 35-23 this season (and 162-116 the las three seasons combined) in night games. Julio Urias gets the start for the Dodgers and he walked 6 batters in his most recent outing. Prior to that start, Urias had allowed 31 hits in the 27 innings spanning his first 6 starts this season. Now having issues with command of his pitches, Urias has been quite hittable at the MLB level and the young left-hander has been fortunate he has been able to maintain a low ERA. The Dodgers have won four straight games and only ONCE this ENTIRE season has LA had a winning streak go beyond four games. The Orioles have lost four straight games but NEVER this entire season have the O's lost more than 4 in a row. It's bounce back time for the sizable road dog (value!) here and I am happy to go against a 19 year old southpaw who has been hit at a .284 clip by right-handed lumber at the MLB level. *10* BALTIMORE |