Xam’s Daily Gems:
Astros Money Line -144 FanDuel 5 Units
Justin Verlander makes his return to the Astros starting rotation today, and it couldn’t come at a BETTER time for the team. The future Hall of Famer landed on the IL with a neck injury, but returns as the Astros go for the series win against the Red Sox. The Red Sox counter with Cooper Criswell, who’s struggled in both starting and relief roles. He has a 5.48 ERA and an UGLY 1.70 WHIP in his last 7 games (2 starts). He’s also a COMPLETELY different pitcher on the road, struggling to pitch effectively away from Fenway Park ALL SEASON LONG! The Astros will undoubtedly get a jolt of energy getting Verlander back on the hill, and they SHOULD have their best bullpen arms ready to go in this game. If Verlander can pitch effectively in his return, Houston’s DEEP lineup should be able to produce against Criswell and get the Astros a series win.
Rangers Money Line -162 FanDuel 5 Units
After winning 90 games in the regular season and the World Series last year, it’s safe to say there hasn’t been a single bigger disappointment in baseball this season than the Texas Rangers. However, they have a chance to grab a series win today. They are facing Domingo German, who’s pitched a grand total of 3 innings this year. It’s his first start of the season! Southpaw Andrew Heaney goes for the Rangers today. While he’s battled inconsistency, he’s been better at home than he’s been on the road. The Rangers have a better lineup than they’ve shown for much of this season. They’re barely averaging 4 runs per game at home this season! They SHOULD be able to produce against German today, however. If Heaney can get himself righted, the Rangers SHOULD take care of business.
Giants -1 -174 DraftKings 5 Units
The Giants are HEATING UP! The Giants find themselves just 3.5 games back of the last Wild Card spot in the National League! They have won 3 straight games and now send their ace to the mound to finish off the sweep of the White Sox. Logan Webb has REALLY turn it on recently. He’s given up 1 earned run or less in 3 straight starts. In his last 2 starts, he’s gone 7 innings or longer. At home this season, he has a SPARKLING 2.26 ERA, .223 batting average against, and 1.00 WHIP. The HISTORICALLY inept White Sox will send southpaw Garrett Crochet to the mound. He’s struggled mightily recently, to the tune of a 6.17 ERA and 1.67 WHIP. The White Sox are trying to finish up one of the worst seasons in MLB history as quickly as possible. They are 12-53 on the road! The Giants have ALL the momentum and the better pitcher going. If their offense can get things going, expect them to finish off the sweep!
Nationals Money Line -162 FanDuel 5 Units
The Nationals send southpaw Mitchell Parker to the mound to try and get themselves back on track against the Rockies. It’s been an up and down season for him, but he’s been A LOT better at Nationals Park than he’s been on the road. His 3.00 ERA, .231 batting average against, and 1.03 WHIP is lightyears better than his 5.98 ERA, .280 batting average against, and 1.53 WHIP on the road! He’s coming off a start where he gave up a WHOPPING 9 earned runs, so you KNOW he’s going to be locked in tonight! Parker’s success at home is bad news for a Rockies team that just DOESN’T score on the road! They are averaging 3.65 runs per game, which goes a LONG way in explaining their WOEFUL 18-46 road record. It’s also bad news for Rockies starter Tanner Gordon and his 7.00 ERA! In 4 road starts, he’s pitched to an UGLY 8.04 ERA, .328 batting average against, and 1.66 WHIP! Yeah, we have NO PROBLEMS fading that!
Yankees First 5 Innings Money Line -164 FanDuel 5 Units
The Yankees lost a BRUTAL 12 inning affair last night to the Guardians. They had the winning run on 3rd base TWICE in extra innings with less than 2 outs and couldn’t score the game winner. They NEED southpaw Nasty Nestor Cortes to deliver tonight at Yankee Stadium. He’s battled inconsistency all season long, but he’s been A LOT better pitching at home than he’s been pitching away from Yankee Stadium. He has a respectable 3.05 ERA, .224 batting average against, and 0.96 WHIP pitching in front of Yankees faithful this season. He’s also coming off 7 shutout innings on the road in his last start, so he’s coming into this start with momentum. The Guardians counter with their own southpaw tonight in Joey Cantillo. This is going to be a BRUTAL matchup for the kid with just 13 innings pitched this season! His 6.23 ERA and 1.62 WHIP sure leaves A LOT to be desired. While the Yankees can be very inconsistent at the plate, this is still a ROUGH assignment for the kid. If Cortes can keep the momentum going, the Yankees SHOULD be able to take care of business and score some runs early in this game!
Royals -1 -152 DraftKings 5 Units
The Royals come into play tied with the Twins for the 2nd Wild Card spot, so losing a series at home to the Angels would be nothing short of EMBARRASSING. They turn to newly acquired starter Michael Lorenzen to get the job done tonight. He’s been completely ineffective over his last 7 starts, pitching to an UGLY 7.36 ERA. However, his last start was a good one, going 5.2 innings and giving up just 1 earned run on the road to the Reds. He SHOULD be able to follow up that performance with another solid outing against a TERRIBLE hitting team! Despite their offensive outburst yesterday, the Angels have struggled to score runs on the road all year, even when Mike Trout was in the lineup. They are averaging just 3.85 runs per game over their last 40. 38 year old Johnny Cueto makes his 2024 debut tonight for the Angels. This is a BRUTAL matchup for him. The Royals can LIGHT UP the scoreboard at home. The Royals are averaging 5.58 runs per game in their last 40 games and average 5.26 runs per game at Kauffman Stadium! This is matchup that is BEGGING the Royals to take advantage of. Royals manager Matt Quatraro KNOWS how important this game is. Expect him to manage like it!