Arizona might own a slight edge in the pitching match-up, but Oakland holds an edge in the bullpen comparison. So this game is lined about right, according to our main handicapping factors. But we do believe the A's are the better and more complete team, and they're on a roll, coming from behind to win games late. We like Oakland here for our free MLB pick for Monday.

Civale owns the edge in the pitching match-up, but the Indians just aren't scoring any runs. Meanwhile, we believe Detroit is on the improve under Gardenhire. The Tigers may not be able to continue to play above .500 for the full 60 games this season, but they're a live dog here. We'll take the home-dog price. 

We're gonna give Davies a slight edge in the pitching match-up, based on his numbers against LA last year. And while the Dodgers might own advantages with the sticks and in the bullpen comparison, those are not enough to justify a price so high. So we like the betting value with underdog San Diego here.

We're gonna give Davies a slight edge in the pitching match-up, based on his numbers against LA last year. And while the Dodgers might own advantages with the sticks and in the bullpen comparison, those are not enough to justify a price so high. So we like the betting value with underdog San Diego here.

This game is lined as a pick 'em, and with good reason. We call the pitching match-up a push, and while Minnesota owns an edge with the sticks, Milwaukee owns the advantage in the bullpen comparison. Ultimately, the Brewers are playing a little better ball as of late, and while they might get a stick back in the lineup with the return of Ryan Braun, the Twins might be down a stick if Josh Donaldson can't play. We like Milwaukee here, the home team, at a short price.

McCullers owns the edge in the pitching match-up, and Houston also holds a big advantage with the sticks. So we like the Astros here. And in knowing Houston will bat nine times, we'll gamble a bit and give the run and a half with the Astros against the run line.

Buehler might own the edge in the pitching match-up, and Los Angeles probably holds an advantage with the sticks. But the Dodgers also might be without a couple of bats Monday night. Meanwhile, we like the vibe around San Diego right now. We'll take the Padres with Paddack as home dogs for our free MLB pick for Monday.

We'll call Friday's pitching match-up a wash, but we give Houston the check-marks in the batting splits and in the bullpen comparison. On top of that, Los Angeles is playing without Trout. So we like the Astros here. We also like chasing better prices, so we'll play Houston and give the run and a half on the run line.

San Diego is 4-1 this season and would be 5-0 if it hadn't blown a game against Arizona over the weekend. San Francisco, meanwhile, is shorthanded and struggling, as this team goes through a rebuilding process. So we like the Padres here, and we also like taking chances. So we'll chase a better price and play SD against the run line.

We're calling this pitching match-up a push, and while Chicago might own a slight edge with the sticks, Milwaukee owns a slight edge in the battle of the bullpens. So we see this game as a pick 'em. Which means we also see betting value, which is what betting baseball is all about, with the underdog Brewers.

We gotta give Cole a slight edge in the pitching match-up, and once the bullpens get involved, it's still advantage Yankees, even without Chapman. Plus, the Nats are gonna miss Rendon. So we like New York here. And we also like taking chances. So we'll chase a price and take the Yankees getting +125, giving the 1.5 runs on the MLB run line.

We give Scherzer the check-mark in the pitching match-up, and while Houston might own statistical edges with the sticks and in the bullpen comparison, those have been wiped out somewhat by Washington's recent play. So the betting value here resides with the underdog. We're going all the way with the trend on the visitors in this World Series; we like the Nationals to win Game 7.

We're gonna give Strasburg the edge in this pitching match-up, and while Houston gets the check-marks with the sticks and in the bullpen comparison, they're not enough to warrant a line so high. So we're sticking with the trend on the visiting team and taking Washington at the underdog price.

Many signs point toward Houston here; Greinke owns an edge in the pitching match-up, the Astros own advantages with the sticks and in the bullpens, and they're now playing in desperation mode. However, Washington is riding a wave of momentum and an eight-game winning streak, and it's getting a home-dog price. We're riding the Nationals for our free MLB pick on Game 3.

It's very difficult to beat Cole and Verlander back-to-back, but the way the Nats are playing, we're asking, "why not?" Washington's riding a huge wave of momentum, it's getting excellent starting pitching, timely hitting, the bullpen is better as of late, and it's getting another attractive underdog price. We like the value here with the Nationals.

Cole is ridiculously hot, so he gets the check-mark in the pitching match-up, but Scherzer's no slouch, so it's close. Also, while Houston owns edges with the sticks and in the bullpen comparison, it's not enough to warrant a line so high. And Washington's riding a wave of momentum. We are going with the betting value here and taking the Nationals at the fat underdog price for Game 1.

It's time for Houston to put New York away and advance on to the World Series. We give the Astros advantages with the sticks and in the comparison of the bullpens, and the line on this game, when it comes out, shouldn't be too prohibitive, considering neither Cole or Verlander will pitch. The home team is only 2-3 in this ALCS, but that seems like a lean due for a correction. We're going with Houston for our free MLB pick here.

Houston is hot, with three wins in a row in this series, while New York looks lost, striking out 13 times Thursday night, committing four errors. Now the Astros get to throw Verlander on regular rest, and they're excellent against left-handed pitching. We're going with Houston here to finish off this series, with a World Series berth for the taking.

We're giving Tanaka the edge in the pitching match-up, and with other factors basically equaling out, we like New York to take Game 4 for our free MLB playoff pick here.

New York owns a slightly better record this season without its main starting pitchers. Also, the line on this game, when it comes out, will be very close to a "pick 'em", and the Yankees might even be posted as home dogs. And if there's ever a time to bet against Houston, it's right here, with both Cole and Verlander watching from the dugout. We'll take New York for our free MLB pick on Game 4.