Xam’s Daily Gems:
Yankees -1 -179 DraftKings 5 Units
After sleepwalking through last night’s game, the Yankees need to get back on track. They turn to southpaw Carlos Rodon, who’s been wildly inconsistent this season. However, despite his 4.34 ERA and ugly 6.88 ERA in his last 7 starts, each of his last 2 starts have been great. He has back-to-back quality starts against divisional opponents. It’s also worth noting that he’s been at his best pitching at home at Yankee Stadium during the day. Compare that to Toronto’s starter, Jose Berrios. He’s also really struggled in his last 7 starts, but he’s also been REALLY bad on the road. Pitching to a 4.99 ERA away from Rogers Centre. He’s also been historically bad against the Yankees, with a 4.96 ERA against the Yankees in his career. The Yankees KNOW they need this game and can’t afford to lose a home series to the lowly Blue Jays. Expect the Yankees to come out fired up and ready to go. If Rodon can keep his recent stretch going, don’t be surprised to see the lineup produce some runs and get the Yankees the win!
Pirates -1 +123 DraftKings 5 Units
Mitch Keller has long been unheralded for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He’s been a MODEL OF CONSISTENCY all season long for the Pirates, but he’s really turned it on at home. He has a sparkling 2.74 ERA at home AND a 2.60 ERA over his last 15 starts! He’s coming off 2 straight starts going 7 innings and giving up 2 earned runs or less. The story couldn’t be much different for Arizona’s starter, southpaw Jordan Montgomery. Simply put, he’s been AWFUL in his first season in the desert. He has an UGLY 6.51 ERA this season. That goes up to 7.42 in his last 7 starts AND he’s given up 6 earned runs or more in 2 of his last 3 starts! The Diamondbacks also got ROCKED in the bullpen yesterday, and it’s becoming an issue for them. The Pirates are scoring just under 5 runs per game over their last 20 games and they’ll NEED that offensive output today. If Keller can continue his strong performance recently, the Pirates SHOULD be able to produce offensively to even up this series!
Astros -1 -110 DraftKings 5 Units
WE’RE RIGHT BACK ON THE ASTROS BANDWAGON! They’re still tied atop the AL West with the Mariners, so every game is of vital importance. Ronel Blanco has been nothing short of AWESOME for an Astros team that’s needed guys to step up in the starting rotation. He comes into tonight with an ERA of just 2.95. What’s more is that he’s been as consistent on the road as he has been on the road. He’s struggled a bit over his last couple of starts, but tonight is the PERFECT get right game for him. The Rays sold off major pieces of their lineup and bullpen at the Trade Deadline, and their lineup simply lacks the firepower it needs to win games against good teams, and especially so on the road. Tampa Bay’s starter tonight, Zack Littell, has REALLY struggled on the road this season. His 5.81 ERA is nearly DOUBLE that of his home ERA! That’s bad news facing an Astros lineup that can score runs in bunches. The Astros should have ALL of their best bullpen arms ready for this game as they look to win a series against a team they SHOULD beat!
Reds -1 +103 DraftKings 5 Units
The Reds let us down last night, but tonight they’re sending their ace Hunter Greene to the mound to try and even up this series! Greene has been nothing short of FANTASTIC this season, pitching to an ERA under 3. He’s been even BETTER as the season has gone on. He has a 2.71 ERA in his last 15 starts and an UNBELIEVABLE 1.71 ERA over his last 7 starts! He has two consecutive starts of 7 shutout innings AND has done so in 3 of his last 4 starts overall. He’s given up 1 earned run in his last 4 starts! Southpaw Kyle Harrison has been solid for the Giants this season, but he’s been a little worse on the road than he’s been at home. The Reds come into tonight 6 games back of the last Wild Card spot, so there’s definitely got to be a sense of URGENCY with every game they play! They couldn’t even muster a single HIT last night, so expect their young bats to come ready to go. Expect manager David Bell to do use all of his best bullpen arms as well, as the Reds REALLY need this game to even up this series!
Padres -1 -156 DraftKings 5 Units
Will the Padres embarrass themselves and lose a series at home to the Rockies? That’s hard to imagine! The Padres have been one of the hottest teams in baseball recently, despite losing last night. Southpaw Martin Perez goes for the Padres tonight. While he hasn’t been particularly effective this year, he’s coming off one of his best starts of the year, pitching 6 scoreless innings against the Cardinals. Now, he faces one of the WORST lineups in baseball. The Rockies haven’t been scoring all year, but it’s been even WORSE on the road. They’re averaging a WOEFUL 3.71 runs per game away from Coors Field, which goes a long way of explaining their 17-41 road record. That’s bad news for tonight’s starter, Tanner Gordon. In 3 starts this year, he has an absolutely HORRIFIC 8.80 ERA! Now he goes into the lion’s den to face one of the hottest teams in the game. Expect the Padres to come out MAD tonight and have their ELITE bullpen ready to go to lock down the win!
Dodgers -1 -143 DraftKings 5 Units
The Dodgers lost their 3rd straight game last night and 6th in their last 10 games. Now they turn to newly acquired Jack Flaherty to try and right the ship. Flaherty was a STUD all season long for the Tigers this season, and that’s what the Dodgers need tonight. He comes into play with a 2.95 ERA but has an even BETTER 2.08 ERA in his last 7 games! He ALSO hasn’t been fazed by pitching on the road and has been BETTER on the road this year. Mitch Spence hasn’t had anywhere near that level of success. He has a 4.47 ERA on the year and that’s up to 5.26 over his last 7 starts. Simply put, the Dodgers are too good to be losing games to the Athletics. They HAVE TO get themselves right, or their lead in the NL West will continue to shrink! Don’t be surprised to see manager Dave Roberts pull out all the stops to try and secure the win tonight and even up this series!