The Yanks starter Masahiro Tanaka has been either excellent or dreadful this season in his four games, He does have an excellent back record against both Los Angeles and the projected line-up, so I'm going to call for one of those of those good ones tonight. Angels starter Garrett Richards has atrocious numbers against the Yankees in his career, but his pitcher vs. batter history against the current line-up is OK but limited facing only Gregorius (1 of 1), Gardiner (2 of 7) and Hicks (0 for 4). Richards could continue his dominant pitching in this match, but the Yankees haven't been held to fewer than four runs in nine straight games, and I feel confident rising that streak in this one.

We had the same starting pitching match-up earlier this season when Detroit registered a 4-2 home win over Baltimore. I think it goes the other way this time around. Cashner has pitched well enough to win in four of his starts this season but carries a 1-3 mark into this game. The offense has been the problem with the team scoring a meager six runs in his last three outings. The team has picked up the scoring in the previous few games averaging five runs per game, and with the ice-cold bats of the Tigers in town, I like Cashner’s chances of being at least part of the equation in a win tonight. I also think that we could see a 4-2 type scoring again making the total a play I'll be on.

The Rangers starter Mike Minor has solid back numbers against Toronto, but note that two of his three starts came in 2013 and 2011. His pitcher versus batter stats are decent, but Pillar, Pearce, Solarte, and Granderson have all had success against him. The Texas lefty has one start on the road this season, and he wasn't sharp getting tagged for five runs over five innings. The Jays send out Marcus Stroman for his fifth outing of the campaign, and he'll be looking for his first quality start of the season after four subpar performances. Stroman has had control issues this season, and Texas took advantage of it their earlier meeting roughing him up for five runs on six hits and five walks over 4 2/3 innings. Texas has a lengthy injury list which has hampered their scoring somewhat, so I'm going to pass on a Rangers plus the money bet, but I'm willing to take a shot at the total.

Lucas Giolito has pitched OK on the road with a 4.38 earned run average over two starts both of which he recorded a QS. He’ll face a Royals team that has scored the least runs in the Majors this season. Kansas City starter has three quality starts from four outings and also faces a struggling offense with Chicago ranked 26th in overall runs scored. This game has UNDER written all over it.

Both starters have been pitching well this season and have good back numbers against the opposing team. The Indians Trevor Bauer does have superior historical pitcher versus batter stats in a limited sample size and the Cubs Jon Lester doesn’t have the best numbers in this metric, but some of the data is based on seasons long past. The Cubs bats have been on fire, but they haven’t been facing top wrung starters and can be contained tonight.

Boston starter Porcello has been brilliant on the road this season with 0.79 earned run average in two starts. He has excellent back numbers versus the Jays lineup and should be up to the task tonight. The Jays send J.A. Happ to the mound, and while he hasn't been that impressive in his four starts this season, he has pitched well against the Red Sox. Both squads haven't hit the ball well in their last two making the UNDER a logical play here. 

I’m willing to take a shot on the run line here. Texas has been atrocious at home going 3-10 and while their starter Matt Moore looked good in his latest that was against the pop gun offense of the Rays. The Athletics have been on a roll winning six of seven and looked impressive taking two of three versus the Bosox. They hit lefties well averaging 5.49 runs per nine innings and have the bullpen that can hold.

The Braves Mike Foltynewicz will make his fifth start, and while he hasn't reached the required innings to record quality starts, he has allowed two or fewer runs in each outing this season a streak that has now hit eight games (four consecutive LY). Reds starter Sal Romano has pitched well enough to give his team a shot at the win in all four of his starts this campaign, and he does have a quality start in his resume against the Braves. Both teams’ projected lineups have sub .200 batting averages against today's starters and to and keep in mind that Cincinnati has scored three or fewer runs in eight of their last nine games.

Today's starting pitchers are off to solid starts this season, and if they keep up this pace, they're inline for career seasons. That's not likely to be the case, and I feel that one of them will come back down to earth today. Wheeler historically has had trouble with control, and he's up against the Braves today who are tied for the lead in the NL in on-base percentage. Atlanta starter Mike Foltynewicz has been ultra-consistent allowing three or fewer runs in eight consecutive starts. He doesn’t have good back numbers against the Mets in two starts both in New York, but the long ball has been the problem, and he appears to have that under control allowing just three in his last ten starts. The wind blowing in will also help the cause.

I prefer taking the money and backing the home side here. The Dodgers starter Hyun-Jin Ryu has been fabulous in his last two after a rough beginning to the season. In his previous two outings both quality starts, he allowed two runs over 12 innings striking out 17 while walking just one. Los Angeles is a money-burning 4-6 at home this season, but overall, they've been hitting the ball well over their last five and can be forgiven for not lighting it up against Max Scherzer (which team does?) last night.

I’m willing to trust the Twins bats over the Rays today based on a few statistics. The Twins are scoring at a rate of 4.09 runs per nine innings versus RHP this campaign compared to the Rays who have recorded 3.41. Minnesota comes into this match scoring only three runs in their last two but when you factor in the starters they faced in Carlos Carrasco and Corey Kluber it's not a reach to think that they can revert to the form that saw them score four or greater runs in seven of their last eight games. Tampa Bay starter Chris Archer hasn't been sharp for maybe half a season dating back to last year and while Lance Lynne has had his own troubles as of late with control the Rays bats are unlikely to "take him to task". The value is with the visitor tonight.

The historical pitcher vs. batter metrics of both starters would suggest a low scoring game tonight, but that's not the side of the total line I think this one will land. Bosox starter Eduardo Rodriguez pitched well is his latest but he wasn't sharp in his opener, and he was up and down last season in 24 starts. Angels starter Nick Tropeano impressed in his seasonal debut, but he missed all of last season, and he may not be as sharp in this outing. We have the two best hitting clubs in the majors and have an OVER favoring umpire behind Homeplate.

We have two starting pitchers who have opened the season with strong numbers over three starts. Carrasco has been fabulous after a rough start in Seattle allowing three runs in 15 innings. Jose Berrios hasn't been comparable with two brilliant games sandwiching a rough game also against the Mariners. Both starters have sub-00 WHIPs, and with the limited early season scoring prowess by either team a wager on the total seems the way to go.

The Braves starter Mike Foltynewicz has allowed three or fewer runs per game in seven consecutive starts dating back to last season, but rarely gets run support with the team losing nine of previous ten starts. The exact opposite is true for Phillies starter Nick Pivetta with Philadelphia winning nine of last ten. Pivetta also has been strong against the Braves holding them to a combined seven runs over 21 innings pitched in the previous two seasons. I'll take my shot on the road team that has proven it can score consistently tallying four or greater runs in seven of their last ten and five of Pivetta’s last six.

Neither offense can be counted on to put large numbers on the board. The Orioles have failed to score higher than three runs in four of their last five, and the Tigers went five straight games scoring three or fewer runs per game until their latest. Both pitchers have been pitching well and have good back numbers against tonight's opponent.

When you have two starters with relatively high WHIPs 1.74 for Marquez and 1.46 for Brault, the first thing that you should be doing is looking at the total. German Marquis is capable of tossing a good game, and he did do exactly that last July throwing seven innings of two-run ball, but he can also be erratic with ten walks in his first two games this season. Steven Brault rarely impresses and can be counted on to give up his share of runs. The lefty may have his work cut out for himself tonight against the Rockies who have averaged 5.43 runs per nine innings against lefties this season.

Milwaukee has been struggling at the plate over the last eight games scoring over three runs in just two of the matches. That said, the starters they have faced over the eight-game stretch are some of the best arms in the NL. That's not the case with tonight's starter Steven Matz who has gone ten straight starts without recording a QS and don't look for him to get it at home tonight. The lefty went 0-4 with a 10.38 ERA in five starts at Citi Field last season and was chased after only four innings in his one start there this season. The pitching staff of New York has been the most significant factor in their winning streak, but it's not like their bats have been silent putting up four or more points in six of their last seven contests. The Brewers starter Zach Davies is coming off a good outing against the Cubs, but he did get his pitch count extended over 100 pitches, and he may feel the effects of that tonight. I have this game hitting double digits.

New York starter Sonny Gray pitched well enough to give his team a chance at the win in his last visit to Fenway Park on 08/20/17 going five innings allowing two runs on seven hits. His overall numbers against the Bosox hitters are decent allowing a career .241 batting average to the expected starters. That said, Boston starter Rick Porcello’s pitcher vs. batter numbers are better than Gray's, and he’s been outstanding against the Yankees over the last two seasons with six QS in seven starts. Both teams have been hitting the ball well, but my money is going on the home side with an on-paper edge on the mound.

The Angels lead the majors in runs scored averaging a ridiculous 6.58 runs per game. They send out rookie Jaime Barria to make his first career major league start in tonight's game, and he didn't look out of place in spring training fanning a dozen batters in just over nine frames of work. Lefty Matt Moore gets the ball for the Rangers, and he has excellent historical numbers against the Angels, but not the lineup. LA Angels starters have lit up Moore for five home runs in just 37 career, and this season they have a projected average of 8.1 runs per nine innings against left-handed pitching. I'm willing to take a shot on the rook in this spot with him having the hitting behind him to make up for any jitters.

Both starters are coming off decent performances and the UNDER may be the way to go tonight, but I’m going to stay away from the total with the wind blowing out at Oriole Park. Baltimore starter Kevin Gausman has owned the Toronto batters in the past, but this is a different team this is a different lineup. The Jays projected starters have solid career numbers against the Orioles starter hitting a combined career .316 and Granderson, Pearce, Pillar, and Diaz all hitting well over .300 against him.