MLB Premium Play 08/26: Houston Astros @ Chicago White Sox

MLB - 965 Houston Astros @ 966 Chicago White Sox

(Starting Pitchers: B. Oberholtzer vs A. Rienzo)

The White Sox have been playing well and they won series at Minnesota, at Kansas City and this weekend they defeated Texas on a big series. Now against the lowly Astros, I expect an emotional letdown. On the other side, Houston almost swept Toronto at home if it wasn't for a blown save. The Astros will start Brett Oberholtzer tonight and he is coming from four good outings, with 3, 2, 0 and 0 earned runs allowed. The most impressive fact is that he faced Baltimore, Boston, Texas and the LA Angels in those outings! The White Sox are red hot on offense right now, but it's not because of a great offense, as the good pitching is the main reason why they've been winning so much lately.

Andre Rienzo will start for the White Sox tonight and he has been decent, even though he has a 10.7% BB%, something that is preventing him from going deep on his outings. Houston is hitting .291 BA against RH pitchers over their last 10 games, they are confident right now and I believe they should be able to make this game competitive against the White Sox that will be on a clear letdown spot tonight. Therefore, I'll be taking Houston in here.

Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 965 Houston Astros RL +1 (w/ B. Oberholtzer) @ -109 / 1.92 on 5Dimes

MLB Premium Play 08/10: Texas Rangers @ Houston Astros

MLB - 973 Texas Rangers @ 974 Houston Astros

(Starting Pitchers: D. Holland vs B. Peacock)

Derek Holland is coming from a great outing at Oakland, where he didn't allow a single run in eight innings. He has been super consistent this season with a 3.02 ERA and 2.97 FIP and he is rested for tonight, so he shouldn't have problems in dominating the Astros' lineup. Houston will Brad Peacock, who is coming from three earned runs allowed in seven innings against Minnesota. He has a 47.7% FB% and 24.3% LD% and these are clearly red flags, especially against a red hot offense like the Rangers. I believe Texas will dominate Peacock tonight, while Holland will be once again impressive, so I expect Texas to have a blowout win tonight. I'm taking the Rangers in the runline in here.

Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 973 Texas Rangers RL -1.5 (w/ D. Holland) @ -130 / 1.77 on 5Dimes

MLB Premium Play 08/01: Houston Astros @ Baltimore Orioles

MLB - 915 Houston Astros @ 916 Baltimore Orioles

(Starting Pitchers: J. Lyles vs B. Norris)

Bud Norris will make his debut for Baltimore tonight and he will do it exactly against his former team. He is well rested, as he hasn't pitched in seven days, but he has some issues with LH batters, as he is allowing .300 BA, .373 wOBA, 5.04 FIP and 5.10 xFIP against them this season! However, Houston's lineup is full of RH batters, so Norris should be able to have a decent outing tonight. On the other side, Houston will start Jordan Lyles, who is coming from allowing four runs over five innings against Toronto last Friday. Lyles has the same problem as Norris when it comes to facing LH batters, but his matchup for tonight will be much tougher, as Baltimore will be more than ready to pound him tonight. Baltimore struggles against LH pitchers as seen once again yesterday, but against poor RH pitchers like Lyles, the Orioles don't forgive a single error from the opposing SP. Therefore, I expect an easy win for Baltimore tonight and so, I'll be taking them on the runline in here.

Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 916 Baltimore Orioles RL -1.5 (w/ B. Norris) @ -115 / 1.87 on Betonline

MLB Premium Play 07/30: Houston Astros @ Baltimore Orioles

MLB - 915 Houston Astros @ 916 Baltimore Orioles

(Starting Pitchers: L. Harrell vs W. Chen)

***DOUBLE DIME PLAY***

Lucas Harrell will replace Bud Norris tonight and he has been struggling so much as of late that he was sent into the bullpen. He allowed eight runs with a horrible 2/9 K/BB ratio in 11.1 innings over four appearances, so he is slumping right now and he is going to get pounded by Baltimore tonight. Harrell allowed 7 ER in two of his last three starts and tonight's game shouldn't be any better for him. On the other side, Baltimore will start Wei-Yin Chen, who has been in good form since returning from the DL, with 3, 1 and 1 earned runs allowed. Houston's offense was good on their previous series against Houston, but that was due Toronto's terrible pitching. Baltimore is coming from back to back poor series and with a day off yesterday, they will be ready to pound Harrell tonight and get a blowout win tonight. Therefore, I'll be taking the Orioles on the runline in here in a Double Dime Play!

Pick: 4 units (Double Dime Play) on 916 Baltimore Orioles RL -1.5 (w/ W. Chen) @ -125 / 1.80 on 5Dimes

MLB Premium Play 07/26: Houston Astros @ Toronto Blue Jays

MLB - 915 Houston Astros @ 916 Toronto Blue Jays

(Starting Pitchers: J. Lyles vs R. Dickey)

Houston will start Jordan Lyles tonight, who started the season well, but he is now struggling big time with a 4.64 FIP, 10.0% K% and 8.8% BB% in July. He is more than likely to get pounded tonight by Toronto's lineup. On the other side, R.A. Dickey has finally a nice matchup to bounce back, after a very tough schedule, where he faced Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Detroit, Tampa Bay against and Baltimore in five of his last six games. With a clear SP and offensive edges tonight, I expect Toronto to pick up an easy win tonight. Therefore, I'll be taking the Blue Jays on the runline tonight.

Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 916 Toronto Blue Jays RL -1.5 (w/ R. Dickey) @ -115 / 1.87 on Bookmaker

MLB Premium Play 07/14: Houston Astros @ Tampa Bay Rays

MLB - 923 Houston Astros @ 924 Tampa Bay Rays

(Starting Pitchers: E. Bedard vs C. Archer)

Erik Bedard will start for Houston today and he has allowed five runs (four earned) on 6.1 innings last Sunday against Texas. Prior to that, he had another poor outing against the Rays, with four earned runs allowed in 5.1 innings, while having a terrible 3/6 K/BB ratio. Bedard's command is out of control right now and he has walked a total of 11 batters on his last two outings! Now on the road against the #1 team in the league in hitting versus LH pitchers, this screams disaster for Bedard today.

The Rays will start Chris Archer, who is coming from holding the Twins to one unearned run in six innings last Tuesday. Archer has allowed three or fewer runs in each of his last seven outings, in a clear sign that he is currently in very good form. He is fighting to stay in the rotation during the second half of the season and after a super tough schedule, where he faced Boston (x3), Baltimore (x2), the NY Yankees and Detroit, he is now on an easier span of games, as he faced the Twins and he will now face Houston. We have in here a tremendous SP edge for the Rays, while Tampa Bay's lineup will also pound another LH pitcher today, especially when Bedard is struggling so much right now. I can only expect an easy win for the Rays today and so, I'll be taking them on the runline in here.

Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 924 Tampa Bay Rays RL -1.5 (w/ C. Archer) @ -120 / 1.83 on Bovada

MLB Premium Play 07/13: Houston Astros @ Tampa Bay Rays

MLB - 969 Houston Astros @ 970 Tampa Bay Rays

(Starting Pitchers: D. Keuchel vs R. Hernandez)

Yesterday's shocking loss was certainly a lesson for Tampa Bay. It was a clear letdown spot for them. The Rays were coming from two straight sweeps against the White Sox and Minnesota, so they overlooked the lowly Astros, especially with an unknown SP on the mount last night, while they had their own ace playing at the same time. It's important to note that Houston's lineup is #7 in the league versus LH pitchers, while they are #29 versus RH pitchers. This will be a revenge game for Tampa Bay today, so this is a good spot for an offensive bounce back for them. Tampa Bay is by far the best offensive team in the league versus LH pitchers this season and so, they will have in the struggling Dallas Keuchel an easy target. Keuchel got crushed by the Rays two weeks ago and their numbers against RH batters (4.83 FIP and 4.22 xFIP) are very poor. Therefore, Keuchel will struggle once again against the Rays today.

On the other hand, Roberto Hernandez is coming from allowing three runs in six innings against the Twins. He hasn't been great as of late, but he isn't being disastrous neither. Now against Houston, I expect him to have a nice matchup in the Astros. Houston has the second lowest wOBA against righties at .284 and they also have the highest strikeout rate against them at 25%! With Hernandez limiting the damage today and with the Rays' lineup bouncing back against the struggling Keuchel, I can only expect an easy win for Tampa Bay today and therefore, I'll be taking them on the runline in here.

Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 970 Tampa Bay Rays RL -1.5 (w/ R. Hernandez) @ -119 / 1.84 on Bookmaker

MLB Premium Play 07/01: Tampa Bay Rays @ Houston Astros

MLB - 961 Tampa Bay Rays @ 962 Houston Astros

(Starting Pitchers: M. Moore vs D. Keuchel)

The Rays will start Matt Moore tonight, while the Astros will start Dallas Keuchel. Both pitchers are left-handed and these are great news for both offenses, as the Rays are #1 in the league versus LH pitchers, while Houston is #4! Matt Moore will be on an ultimate fade spot tonight, as he is coming from an 120-pitches start against Toronto. He had 11 strikeouts and that was great, but it's also important to mention that he also walked six batters! In fact, he walked 6, 3 and 4 batters on his last three outings. Now against a very good hitting team versus LH pitchers, I expect Moore to struggle tonight.

On the other side, the Rays' offense has been struggling to generate some runs lately, but they are coming from facing Detroit's aces and the red hot pitching staff of the Blue Jays as well. They will now face Dallas Keuchel, who started three games in June and where he played well with three, two and one run allowed. But he faced the Cubs, the White Sox and Seattle, three teams that are very far from the level of Tampa Bay's lineup on hitting versus LH pitchers. Therefore, I expect Keuchel to struggle in here. With both pitchers struggling, I believe this will be a high scoring contest and so, I'll be taking the Over in here.

Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 961/962 Over 8 (w/ M. Moore & D. Keuchel) @ -125 / 1.80 on 5Dimes

MLB Premium Play 06/17: Chicago White Sox @ Houston Astros

MLB - 969 Chicago White Sox @ 970 Houston Astros

(Starting Pitchers: J. Quintana vs B. Norris)

Houston will be looking for a 4-games series sweep against the White Sox tonight and the truth is that they have just two losses against them this season! This will be the fourth straight game where the White Sox will send a LH pitcher to the mount to face Houston and the Astros are #10 in the league on hitting against LH pitchers. Jose Quintana will start for Chicago tonight and even though he has been decent lately and had a tough schedule, he has a 5.23 FIP with .284 BA allowed in June with three starts. Therefore, I believe the Astros will have some production on offense tonight against him.

The Astros will start Bud Norris in the mount and since he got crushed by the Tigers, he had five straight quality outings, with 6, 7 and 6 strikeouts on his last three games. It's also important to note that he faced Baltimore and LA Angels in two of these three outings, two red hot offenses right now. Norris's best pitch is the slider and the White Sox are the worst team in the league in hitting against this kind of pitch. So, if the White Sox's offense is being poor on this series, it won't get any better against Norris tonight.

Houston has the momentum of the series on their side, they are playing with confidence and with a SP edge tonight, I see the Astros picking up another win over the White Sox in here.

Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 970 Houston Astros ML (w/ B. Norris) @ -101 / 1.99 on Bovada

MLB Premium Play 06/16: Chicago White Sox @ Houston Astros

MLB - 921 Chicago White Sox @ 922 Houston Astros

(Starting Pitchers: H. Santiago vs D. Keuchel)

Houston will start Dallas Keuchel today, who has been great as of late, with his last two outings being against the top offenses of Oakland and Boston, with him striking out six and nine batters! Look at his evolution this season FIP wise:

March/April: 5.78 FIP

May: 4.58 FIP

June: 3.39 FIP

Keuchel has the best groundball ratio of the league and he will have a very favorable matchup for him, as the White Sox are an awful offense against LH pitchers (#25), as they are also a team whose offense is more comfortable in hitting flyballs. Their GB% rate is 40.6%, the second worst in the league! So, this is a great spot for Keuchel to keep dominating.

On the other side, the White Sox will start Hector Santiago, who is coming from a start against Oakland, where the advanced numbers (4.64 FIP; 4.14 xFIP) were much worse than his 1.42 ERA! Houston's offense is currently very confident with 2-0 on this series and they are a great hitting team versus LH pitchers by being #6 in the league! The White Sox has exclusively sent LH pitchers to the mount on this series, so the Astros will be more than ready to pound Santiago, picking up another win today, also with the help of the in-form Keuchel.

Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 922 Houston Astros ML (w/ D. Keuchel) @ +119 / 2.19 on Bovada

MLB Premium Play 04/22: Seattle Mariners @ Houston Astros

MLB - 971 Seattle Mariners @ 972 Houston Astros

(Starting Pitchers: F. Hernandez vs B. Peacock)

On his first four starts of the season, Felix Hernandez has already faced three offensive teams in Oakland, Texas and Detroit. On his last outing against the Tigers, he was simply phenomenal with a 12/0 K/BB ratio and his advanced numbers show his great performance: 0.00 ERA, 0.03 FIP and 0.38 xFIP! He will have a favorable matchup tonight against the little hitting Astros, where only two players have previous AB's against Hernandez for a combined of 2-20 .100 BA!

On the other side, I expect the Mariners's offense to wake up tonight. Brad Peacock didn't impress on his first three starts, with a 15/7 K/BB ratio that didn't impress anybody and this is why he is yet to reach the 6th inning on an outing this season. His 60% FB% rate is also worrying, as it makes him homerun prone, something problematic against Seattle's power lineup. There is also the fact that he has already pitched against the Mariners this season, where he had a lucky outing with a 5.40 ERA, 8.23 FIP and 5.55 xFIP! This time, I expect the Mariners to pound him, while Felix will dominate, allowing Seattle to have an easy win tonight.

Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 971 Seattle Mariners RL -1 (w/ F. Hernandez) @ -137 / 1.73 on 5Dimes