We give Berrios the edge in the pitching match-up and Toronto the edges in both the splits with the sticks and the bullpen comparison. Also, the Blue Jays are hot right now, Minnesota, not so much, and diverging trends like that mean a lot to us when handicapping baseball games. So we're betting Toronto Friday night.

We give Carrasco a slight edge in the pitching match-up thanks to the slightly better past performance against these opponents. From there, New York owns an edge with the sticks, while Atlanta owns an edge in the bullpen comparison. So the line on this game looks about right. But we like the Mets' pick-up of LH stick Vogelbach, who hit a grand slam Wednesday, and New York owns a wonderful record against RH starters. So we like the Mets for Thursday night.

We give Urias the edge in the pitching match-up thanks to some great numbers against San Francisco this season. From there, we give Los Angeles our handicapping check-marks in both the splits with the sticks and the bullpen comparison. Also, the Dodgers are trying to secure the No. 1 seed for the upcoming NL playoffs, while the Giants are on the verge of playing themselves out of postseason contention. So we like LA here, and in knowing the visitors will bat nine times, we'll play the Dodgers against the run line at a price of +105.

It's nearing gut-check time for Tampa Bay right now, as far as making the upcoming playoffs. The Rays gotta turn this mini-slump around, lest they lose ground. As for Tuesday night, we call the pitching match-up a push while giving the edges to Toronto with the sticks but to Tampa in the bullpen comparison. So to us, the line on this game seems a bit steep. We like the value with the Rays at home getting the underdog price here.

Garcia gets our handicapping check-mark in the pitching match-up, and Houston owns a significant edge in the bullpen comparison. Also, the Astros are trying to overtake the Yankees in the League race while Boston is heading in the wrong direction. So we like Houston here. We also like taking chances. So we'll chase the better price and give the run and a half with the Astros against the run line. 

Rodon gets the check-mark in the pitching match-up, but it's closer than first glance might indicate. From there, we give Chicago slight edges in the splits with the sticks and the bullpen comparison. So it's apparent to us the line on this game is way too high. Also, the Cubs are actually playing the better ball as of late. Betting baseball is often about finding the value on the daily dime lines, and we like the value here with Chicago at that fat underdog price.

We give Musgrove the check-mark in the pitching match-up, but it's closer than first glance might indicate. From there, we give Minnesota the edge with the sticks while calling the bullpens about equal. But we wonder if Musgrove might feel some pressure Saturday night with the new contract, and we feel the Twins are good enough to bounce back after taking a beating Friday night. So we like the underdog price with Minnesota in this spot.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Woodruff gets a solid check-mark in the pitching match-up against the rookie. Milwaukee also owns the hotter bats and the better bullpen. So we like the Brewers here. We also like taking chances. So in knowing the visitors will bat nine times,  we'll play Milwaukee against the run line at a price of around +100. 

We give Gilbert the edge in the pitching match-up because of the better recent track record against these opponents. But from there, we give Houston short edges in both the splits with the sticks and the bullpen comparison. Also, we note that the Astros batted 2/18 with runners in scoring position during their three games in Oakland earlier this week, but that's a stat we expect to reverse upon itself over the near future. So we're betting Houston for our free baseball pick for Thursday.

We give Gausman our handicapping check-mark in the pitching match-up and Toronto owns a big advantage in the splits with the sticks. So we like the Blue Jays here. But we don't like that price. So we'll take a chance and give the run and a half with Toronto against the run line.

We give Walker the edge in the pitching match-up, but the Yankees own edges in the splits with the sticks and in the bullpen comparison. Also, when a good team like the Yanks goes through an iffy stretch - 4-5 over their last nine games - we expect and bet on a reversal of fortunes. So we like the Yankees Tuesday night.

We give Kluber the check-mark in the pitching match-up while calling the splits with the sticks and the bullpen comparison washes. So we like Tampa Bay. Also, while Baltimore is a nice story so far this season, with their recent run toward .500, we get the feeling the Orioles are coming back to Earth. So we're betting the Rays to take the opener of this series Monday night at the very reasonable price.

We're giving Carrasco a short edge in this pitching match-up because he's been a little better as of late. We also give New York short edges in the splits with the sticks and the bullpen comparison. Plus, you know the Mets don't want to get swept at home. So we're betting New York with our free baseball pick for Sunday.

Heading into Saturday's National League matchup between Colorado and Milwaukee, the over-under betting line is set at 8.5 runs. Even with the moderately low run total, I still recommend taking the under, despite yesterday's game between the Rockies and Brewers ended with a total of 11 runs, the teams combined for just 6 runs before extra innings. Look for Saturday's showdown to be another low-scoring contest. I recommend taking the under.

We give Gonzales the edge in the pitching match-up because of the much better recent track record against these opponents. From there, we're calling both the splits with the sticks and the bullpen comparison washes, so to us; it appears the wrong team is favored here. We're betting this hot Seattle team Friday night.

Rodon gets our baseball handicapping check-mark in the pitching match-up, while Los Angeles owns advantages in the splits with the sticks and the bullpen comparison. But when we tally up those Dodgers check-marks, it becomes apparent the line on this game is too high. Betting baseball often comes down to finding the value on those dime lines, and we like the value with Rodon and the Giants for Thursday night. 

We give Taillon a very slight edge in the pitching match-up because of the slightly better performance against tonight's opponents. From there, we give New York an edge in the bullpen comparison while we'll call the splits with the sticks a push. But when we add all that up, it does not warrant a price of -160. We search every day for baseball betting value on those dime lines, and we like the value with Boston at the underdog price Saturday.      

Baltimore is a hot outfit right now, playing with a ton of care-free confidence, and we give big props to that when handicapping this game. From there, we give Wells the edge in the pitching match-up while calling the splits with the sticks and the bullpen comparison washes. So we're riding the Orioles Friday night.

We give Burnes a slight edge in the pitching match-up, but both these guys have been just great lately. However, Rodon threw 112 pitches his last time out; his previous high this season was 110; in his next outing, he got bombed for eight runs in less than four innings. From there, we give San Francisco an edge with the sticks, but Milwaukee owns the edge in bullpen comparison.

It's not often you can get Burnes at such a low price; we're betting the Brewers Thursday night.