Welcome back everybody, I hope you had a very safe and happy 4th of July. The Nationals showed out like I suspected in front of the nations capital. The Yankees won in extra innings with a huge 10th inning. Rangers came back to win on the day Tyler Skaggs was scheduled to pitch. Dodgers continue their domination over cross town rivals in the Padres. All-Star events and activities are approaching fast so we only have a few more days before we are half-way through with this season.

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Orioles @ Blue Jays (Bundy vs Sanchez)

Orioles are taking their show on the road to Toronto where the Blue Jays have been improving their offense lately. We should see a decent outing for all hitters in this game as pitching is definitely not the strong suit of the Orioles, especially Bundy, and Sanchez has had spotty performances this season. Blue Jays should excel here, Guerrero Jr should go yard in this “batting practice” chance here at home. Look for him to start to heat up before the home run derby.

BAL: Mancini, Villar, Ruiz, Davis, Sisco

TOR: Guerrero, Sogard, Galvis, Tellez, Biggio

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Marlins @ Braves (Yamamoto vs Tehran)

Yamamoto has been my interesting pick for the day as the red hot braves are about to run into a brick wall. Braves who are known to sweep the Marlins in almost every series in every year will stave off that opportunity here. Yamamoto, who has been recently called up to the bigs, is 3-0 and averages an ERA of 2.35. He has been allowing the other teams lineup average .133 and stifled the Phillies earlier this year by only allowing 2 hits and 2 runs in his last win. For the Braves Tehran has been the definition of mediocre for this team as their bats have been carrying them for the most part. Braves fall in this one to the Marlins who start to figure things out as bottom feeders. Freeman always tends to get a hit no matter who he faces, part of the everyday player and veteran you can always trust.

MIA: Castro, Puello, Granderson, Rojas

ATL: Freeman, Riley, Acuna, Camargo

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Red Sox @ Tigers (Rodriguez vs Soto)

Red Sox have been able to figure out things under pressure after coming back to win against the Blue Jays yesterday. You simply can not sleep on this team when you are up in the later innings. This team can come back fast and burn you greatly if you aren’t playing your best. Bad news for the Tigers is that the season is only half way over, there’s still a second half to play. Still plenty of rebuilding to do for the Detroit Tigers to do before they can start to be competitive in the MLB.

BOS: Devers, Chavis, Bradley Jr, Nunez, Bogaerts

DET: Cabrera, Hicks

Updated Results

Hits: Villar, Ruiz, Davis, Sisco, Galvis, Castro, Granderson, Freeman, Riley, Acuna, Devers, Chavis, Bradley Jr, Nunez, Bogaerts, Caberera, Hicks. (17)

No Hits: Mancini, Guerrero, Sogard, Tellez, Biggio, Puello, Rojas, Camargo. (8)

No AB’s/NIL: none.

Happy fourth of July everybody! There is nothing more American than being at America’s favorite past time, with some burgers or hotdogs, and watching a classic game of baseball. No matter what team you root for on Thursday, we’re all rooting for America. Regarding other events around the league I was right about the Yankees seeking revenge against the Mets but was ultimately wrong about the Diamondbacks as they took the Dodgers to extra innings but were unable to keep Bellinger silent as he sent one into the stands to seal the win. Most of the teams are staying in their series except for the Mets and Giants. Thursday we might see some games propelled by the American spirit and large crowds that might fill the stands.

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Marlins @ Nationals (Hernandez vs Sanchez)

Of course I have to include the key iconic game in Washington D.C. on their most famous day of the year. This game should be a complete sell out for the Nationals. Should it be enough for Sanchez to pitch a decent game for the fans? We think so, we’re going to give him the win. Marlins are still trending sideways to upwards as they have some offense but not enough to defeat great pitching. Trea Turner has been amazing in the past few games and comes up clutch when the Bats need him most. He’s the key to this team going forward with his speed and knack for hitting.

MIA: Castro, Riddle

WSH: Rendon, Soto, Kendrick, Suzuki, Turner, Adams

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Twins @ Athletics (Berrios vs Anderson)

This series is shaping up to be better than expected from both teams. Athletics have been able to keep themselves close enough to the Twins run line to make their pitching the deciding factor for these games. Unfortunately Athletics still need some work on their relievers and closers so yesterday we saw the Twins take advantage of this to go for the win. Twins will put up Berrios on the mound Thursday as they look for another win at Oakland. The A’s will place the winless Anderson on the mound in a tough matchup to win. Anderson has an ERA greater than 7 and will be tough for him to notch his first win here. Twins should be able to tee off here in a comfortable setting.

MIN: Rosario, Polanco, Cron, Buxton, Kepler

OAK: Davis, Laureano, Phegley, Piscotty

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Yankees @ Rays (Happ vs Chirinos)

Yankees are coming off a split in the subway series to play an AL East rival down in Tampa Bay for the fourth of July. This game should be a very high scoring game for both teams with multiple hits for few players on the lineups. Rays will have no choice but to chase pitches in order to get hits. It’s really anybodies game here in this matchup. Take advantage of this opportunity to pick hitters that come in clutch for their team.

NYY: Judge, Sanchez, Gardner, Torres, Encarnacion

TB: Meadows, Choi, Lowe, Pham, Zunino

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Padres @ Dodgers (Lament vs Ryu)

This game could be more of a wildcard than any other game mentioned or scheduled to play today. Last time the Padres faced the Dodgers was when they were without Fernando Tatis Jr, arguably one of their best players. Tatis is fully healed and is coming off an announcement of him getting snubbed in the All-Star game this year. He’s smart, fast, strong and his reaction time is impeccable and can’t be compared to anybody else that has played the game. Expect him to get a hit against the Dodgers in LA in a revenge matchup. Dodgers should manage to do fair against a pitcher making his debut from Tommy John surgery. Tatis and Machado should be the saving grave in this series as the trading deadline looms. Bellinger adds more hits to his crazy average this season. At this point he could probably hit baseballs in his sleep. Don’t “sleep” on this series though as it’ll be an interesting series to watch as these teams are big rivals.

SDP: Tatis, Machado, Hosmer

LAD: Bellinger, Verdugo, Turner, Martin

Updated Results

Hits: Castro, Riddle, Rendon, Suzuki, Kepler, Davis, Sanchez, Gardner, Encarnacion, Meadows, Pham, Tatis, Machado, Hosmer, Bellinger. (15)

No Hits: Soto, Turner, Polanco, Buxton, Laureano, Torres, Verdugo, Turner, Martin. (9)

No AB’s/NIL: Kendrick, Adams, Rosario, Cron, Phegley, Piscotty, Judge, Choi, Lowe, Zunino. (10)

The Angels memorialized Tyler Skaggs by showing his jersey during the national anthem and putting his jersey in the dugout. The post game press conferences were extremely hard to listen to as this team “won’t be the same” without him. In other games, the battle of NY started at Citi field in where the Mets took game one and ended the Yankees 31 HR game streak. The Houston and Rockies had a strong offensive outing. Reds are climbing out of the NL Central hole, Josh Bell is red hot in his 3 HR game against the Cubs. Grand slam for the A’s help them win over the tough Twins.

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Yankees @ Mets (German vs Vargas)

Were highlighting game two of the subway series predicting that the Yankees will bounce back from their broken HR streak from yesterday. Yankees played really good baseball but were just out hit yesterday. With strong baseball IQ I believe the Yankees should pull ahead of them early and able to put on the throttle in the later innings for the Mets. Not every player on either lineup will get hits but the stars will. Voit is on the IL temporarily.

NYY: Gardner, LeMahieu, Judge, Hicks, Sanchez

NYM: Conforto, Ramos, Cano, Frazier

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Diamondbacks vs Dodger (Kelly vs Buehler)

Diamondbacks and Rockies have been the only teams to solve the Dodgers lately. Although they didn’t win yesterday they gave them quite a scare by only losing by one. The Diamondbacks have been waking up the bats lately to turn on their offense. Ill give them the benefit of the doubt tonight and give them the win over the Dodgers, but barely. Buehler will still have a decent outing which means most of the Diamondback hits will come against he relievers. Dodgers will still have a good outing with more than 10+ hits.

ARI: Ahmed, C. Kelly, Dyson, Peralta, Marte, Jones

LAD: Bellinger, Hernandez, Verdugo, Beaty, Muncy

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Updated Results

Hits: LeMahieu, Judge, Hicks, Conforto, Ramos, Ahmed, C. Kelly, Dyson, Marte, Bellinger, Hernandez, Beaty, Muncy. (13)

No Hits: Gardner, Sanchez, Cano, Frazier, Peralta, Verdugo. (6)

No AB’s/NIL: Jones. (1)

Yesterday we lost one of the most prolific young pitchers in MLB at the age of 27. Tyler Skaggs has been in the big leagues since 2012 and with two teams, the Diamondbacks and the Angels. Tyler was found unresponsive in his hotel room in Texas before the game on Monday. Thoughts and prayers go out to the family and the baseball community that mourns the passing of a life that was cut short. The Angels canceled the game on Monday but look towards the game on Tuesday against the Rangers.

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Angels @ Rangers (Suarez vs Minor)

The Angels, if they play, are going up against a tough battle in the Rangers pitching. Mike Minor has been really hot as of late while decimating the Tigers in his outstanding month of June. Suarez has some improvement to do on the mound as his ERA has climbed above 5. I expect a very emotional game from both teams as the first game post Tyler Skaggs death. Trout and Ohtani should get memorable hits for their fallen teammate.

LAA: Ohtani, Simmons, Trout, La Stella, Lucroy

TEX: Odor, Forsythe, Andrus, Gallo

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Astros @ Rockies (TBD vs Marquez)

Marquez has been a very dominant pitcher at home but his ERA has averaged around 4 in those games. This demonstrates that he is able to commandeer high scoring games in the confines of Coors Field. Coors Fields ground crew should be finishing up the rounds on the field as like plenty of other games on the field, it should be a hit show. We should see 20+ hits in a very high scoring game with Astros coming out on top. Blackmon continues his dominance at home, Arenado starts to find a grove at home too. These Rockies could be dangerous heading into the second half of the season. Astors are starting to get their grove back after a few stints on the injured list. Altuve and Brantley should fair well in this high altitude game. Springer should be able to get a rocky home run thanks to the wind up there.

HOU: Altuve, Springer, Brantley, Kemp, Reddick

COL: Blackmon, McMahon, Dahl, Arenado, Wolters

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Updated Results:

Hits: Altuve, Springer, Brantley, Blackmon, McMahon, Dahl, Arenado, Lucroy, Trout, Andrus, Odor. (11)

No Hits: Reddick, Wolters, La Stella. (3)

No AB’s/Not In Lineup: Ohtani, Simmons, Kemp. (3)

Happy Bobby Bonilla day everyone! On this date in 2000, the NY Mets agreed to buyout the reaming money on his 5.9 million dollar contract. Bobby negotiated a 8% interest rate in which the Mets felt satisfied because they believed they would be rich due to Madoff’s promises. Well, we all know how Bernie Madoff scandal ended up. It now causes Bobby Bonilla to make $1.1 million dollars a year til 2035. Unfortunately the Mets do not play today so I could not pick them for today’s games. As usual Monday is the short list of MLB games as majority of the teams are traveling to play in a new series.

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Orioles @ Rays (Eshelman vs Stanek)

Eshelman is making his major league debut with the Orioles after being acquired from the Phillies. He has averaged an ERA of about 4 pitching in the minors. After the Orioles waking up the bats in the first two games against the Indians then going cold in the finale against Bieber. The Oriole bats should be looser than yesterday, allowing for more hits for the team. Rays should also have a solid outing against a nervous pitcher on the mound.

BAL: Mancini, Santander, Davis

TBR: Choi, Kiermaier, Pham, d’Arnaud, Adames

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Giants @ Padres (Samardzijia vs Allen)

Rookie pitcher Logan Allen has had a very impressive two starts in the bigs so far and looks to keep that pace going against a Giants team that been able to get their bats going offensively. Allen will have to calm the storm here at home against a veteran pitcher in Samardzijia. Hosmer has been able to be the team leader in BA and RBI for the Padres and is consistent in being an “everyday player.” My prediction is that Logan Allen will need help from his relievers to be able to hold back the Giants. Buster Posey has been red hot in the past few games after starting the season ice cold. Maybe there’s a revival for him this season? Dickerson will be facing his former team, look for him to get a few hits in front of his former home crowd.

SFG: Posey, Pillar, Dickerson, Crawford, Panik

SDP: Hosmer, Machado, Tatis Jr, Renfroe, Garcia

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Updated Results

Hits: Mancini, Santander, Choi, Kiermaier, Adames, Posey, Pillar, Panik, Tatis Jr. (9)

No Hits: Hosmer, Machado, Renfroe. (3)

No AB’s/Not In Lineup: Davis, Pham, d’Arnaud, Dickerson, Crawford, Garcia. (6)

Its going to be hard to watch a baseball game again after that amazing Yankees/Red Sox game in London yesterday. The two teams combined for 30 runs, 37 hit game in which almost every single player up and down each line up got a hit except for Sanchez and Benintendi. I was spot on about Aaron Judge and Chavis showing out for the London fans. The Royals were on a good run during their game with the Blue Jays yesterday but ultimately fell short when they gave up a walk off home run to Jansen. Homer Bailey did not secure a win and was stuck with another no decision. Orioles managed to beat the Indians yet again which continues to baffle baseball predictors. Dodgers and Rockies cool off in Colorado, only amounting to 15 total hits.

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Pirates @ Brewers (Brault vs Davies)

In the past few weeks the Pirates have strung together some much needed wins to stay in contention for wild card or even in NL Central. Its coming at a perfect time as the Brewers offense has significantly cooled off and the Cubs faltering to the Braves in the past series. Both starting pitchers have low strikeout numbers so expect the batters to put the ball in play. Newman has a current league high 19 game hitting streak, lets ride the wave with him. Brewers offense should start to wake up here before the All-Star break.

PIT: Newman, Bell, Dickerson, Moran

MIL: Yelich, Braun, Cain, Moustakas

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Dodgers @ Rockies (Maeda vs Gonzalez)

Maeda has been a decent pitcher this season for the Dodgers while Gonzalez just recently played his first game since 2016, coming off Tommy John surgery. It will take a while to get Gonzalez accustomed to pitching again on the big stage before we can fully judge and predict how his games might turn out to be. Ones thing is for sure though, there will be a return to the norm of a lot of hits inside the Coors Field. Blackmon is hitting past .400 at home which is incredible. Dodger rookies should shine in their first tour with a World Series hopeful team. Rockies win, take the series at Coors this time around. Stray away from picking Russell, he could be lifted later in the game for Barnes.

LAD: Verdugo, Muncy, Hernandez, Pederson

COL: McMahon, Blackmon, Arenado

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Updated Results:

Hits: Dickerson, Yelich, Braun, Cain, Moustakas, Muncy, Hernandez, Pederson, McMahon, Blackmon, Arenado. (11)

No Hits: Newman, Bell, Moran. (3)

No AB’s/Not In Lineup: Verdugo. (1)

All I can say is wow, the Indians really let me down yesterday. They gave up 13 runs on 16 hits while not scoring a single run for themself. Nobody could’ve of predicted this result from that game. It was a fluke and a freak result that shouldn’t have happened from the Indians. Marlins are completing their dominance over the Phillies in the regular season. Mariners and Astros was a pretty low scoring game which ended when Gurriel hit a walk off homer run in the 10th inning. Newman and Reynolds continue their hit streak, with Reynolds’ 3 hits in yesterdays game to give the Pirates the win. Games in Colorado have been turning into a slugging fest with more than 20+ hits in each game. It’s shaping up to be an ideal location for BTS fans to pick a player playing there. Today begins the series between the Yankees and Red Sox in London, are you ready mate?

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Red Sox vs Yankees (Tanaka vs Porcello)

MLB is going on a tour “across the pond” to put on a show for the young fans in London. This would be an ideal place for MLB to display their offensive display and to not “bore” fans with low scoring, low hitting, game based on pitching. This should be an even matchup with both teams hitting bombs to give the fans what they want, a baseball for a souvenir. Look for Judge to go long and have the best day for the Yankees. Chavis should have a good day for the Red Sox as a new rookie playing over seas should be excited.

BOS: Betts, Devers, Martinez, Chavis

NYY: Judge, Voit, Encarnacion, Gardner, Gregorius

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Rangers @ Rays (Sampson vs McKay)

Rangers got the best of the Rays in the series opener by blanking them. McKay is making his debut today in a much needed spot as the Rays are looking to bounce back. Rays should make the bounce here with a plethora of hits form Pham and Choi. Rays mentality shouldn’t be a problem here as the managers and owners try to cut a back door deal of splitting their home games in Montreal soon.

TEX: Cabrera, Gallo, Pence

TBR: Choi, Adames, Pham, Meadows, Wendle

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Royals @ Blue Jays (Bailey vs Stroman)

Two bottom feeders in the standings face off in a meaning less game of baseball this afternoon. Bailey has been pretty good in most of his outings, stifling his opponents and allowing only a few runs and hits an outing. Royals are looking to turn the corner and start winning some games here and there to start making other teams above them in the standings to sweat. Royals win in a close game here, Homer Bailey looks like a solid piece for the Royals going forward.

KCR: Merrifield, Gordon, Duda, Dozier

TOR: Biggio, Gurriel Jr, Galvis, Tellez

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Updated Results:

Hits: Betts, Devers, Martinez, Chavis, Judge, Voit, Encarnacion, Gardner, Gregorius, Cabrera, Gallo, Adames, Wendel, Merrifield, Duda, Dozier, Biggio, Gurriel Jr, (18)

No Hits: Choi, Pham, Meadows, Gordon, Galvis. (5)

No AB’s/Not In Lineup: Pence, Tellez. (2)

Yesterdays picks had some very good offense in the Dodgers/Rockies with 33 total hits and mostly everyone in the starting line up got a hit minus a select few. The Cubs and Braves shows why they were front runners for the All-Star selection. So with the announcements of the All-Star starters, we should take a look at players who just missed the cusp of being named a starter. I believe their attitude should be fueled by proving to the fans and doubters that they should’ve been starters all along. Have a fun Friday everyone, lets get the bats cracking for the streak.

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Indians @ Orioles (Clevinger vs Means)

This matchup features two starters that have recently been off the injured list. Indians are featuring Clevinger who has been considered an ace and stellar pitcher but his injured stints have put him on the back burner of consideration of among the leagues greatness. Means needs to stay healthy in order for the Orioles to even have somewhat of a fighting chance. I believe the Indians will have a good outing and pick up a much needed win.

CLE: Santana, Mercado, Luplow, Bauers

BAL: Mancini, Villar, Ruiz, Nunez

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Mariners @ Astros (TBD vs Miley)

Miley has had a decent season so far for the Astros. Lately the Astros are in need of a “pick me up” in the win column. With 3 stars starting in the All-Star game for the Astros, they should dazzle home fans before the break. The Mariners are in much need of bullpen help if they want to go anywhere. Astros will pick up the win but not without a battle with the Mariners bats. Over 18 hits total for this game in a coming out game for the Astros offense. Altuve has shown that his consistency at the plate is much needed for the BTS fans. Springer dingers are much to be had in this home series.

SEA: Vogelbach, Gordon, Beckham, Seager

HOU: Kemp, Altuve, Springer, Brantley, Gurriel

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Phillies @ Marlins (Velasquez vs Hernandez)

Theres too much to say about these two teams as they meet again in opposite trends as they were at a week before. After the series at home, the Phillies were able to sweep the Mets in three games after being swept by the Marlins in the series earlier. Marlins ended up getting swept themselves by the Nationals in the last series. Marlins are trending back to where they started the season while the Phillies have regained momentum of the star studded lineup they have. You can’t simply count out the Marlins as they are a tricky team to defeat in the MLB but the Phillies on paper should be able to take care of themselves. Look for the Marlins to sneak out a win as momentum in this series swings back and forth. Phillies would like these wins as they are inching closer to the NL East leader in the Braves.

PHI: Harper, Segura, Bruce, Hoskins

MIA: Riddle, Castro, Rojas

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Player Spotlight:

Kevin Newman

Kevin Newman has been quietly tearing up other teams with his contact hitting and ability to run out plays to get hits. He currently has a 17 hitting streak along with his teammate Bryan Reynolds. There are multiple games where he has more than one hit and has been able to rack up a batting average of a staggering .333. He has mostly gone under the radar and is considered a very hot batter to play. I’m issuing a BTSWM first Double Play alert on him. He’s very likely to keep your streak alive and will count for the hits tally today. Happy hitting.

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Updated Results

Hits: Bruce, Hoskins, Riddle, Castro, Rojas, Mercado, Santana, Mancini, Villar, Ruiz, Newman, Gordon, Brantley, Gurriel. (14)

No Hits: Harper, Segura, Luplow, Bauers, Vogelbach, Beckham. (6)

No AB’s/Not In Lineup: Nunez, Kemp, Seager. (3)

Well yesterdays predictions weren’t exactly where I wanted them to be but the hits were plentiful and the outcomes were different that I thought about. The Pirates took revenge on the Astros with a beat down that involved a grand slam in the 9th to bury them. The Brewers are still in an offensive slump, amounting to only 5 hits and 2 runs, Yelich is now hitless in the past 2 games. Yankees are still hitting the ball like its underhand softball toss. Some series are over and a few teams are traveling tomorrow for Fridays games so we have less games than yesterday.

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Athletics @ Angels (Anderson vs Canning)

Both teams are trending up as they have been winning key games to stay in the chase for the post-season. These AL west teams are clashing at a great time as they both will put on an offensive showing. Advantage goes to the Athletics as their team has had PA with Canning on the mound. Anderson should also face a tough outing with the stars of the Angels finding their grove. La Stella is likely to make the All-Star game so a good outing here should seal his fate.

OAK: Semien, Piscotty, Davis

LAA: Trout, Ohtani, Bour, La Stella

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Braves @ Cubs (Wilson vs Chatwood)

It’s not the Cubs fault for losing the past 2 games with the Braves. The Braves are just offensively on fire with players that are almost guaranteed to get a hit during the game. According to the final All-Star voting there could be up to 7 starters for them in Cleveland. Cubs are looking to bounce back and even the series here with two games a piece. Wilson takes the mound on a promotional outing after “Folty” was sent down after giving up a carousel of runs.

ATL: Freeman, Albies, Donaldson, Acuna, Flowers

CHC: Rizzo, Bryant, Baez, Heyward, Almora

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Dodgers @ Rockies (Buehler vs Lambert)

Dodgers dropped 2 games to the Diamondbacks in a struggle to comeback. Their pitching is still top notch as the ace Buehler takes the mound in Colorado. Rockies are hovering just north of .500 but after a few meetings with the Dodgers they should fall closer than .500. Rockies should have a tough time hitting off Buehler with only a few hits for them. Look for Bellinger to go long, Turner to bounce back, and Verdugo as a utility position.

LAD: Bellinger, Turner, Muncy, Verdugo

COL: Blackmon, Dahl, Wolters

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Updated Results:

Hits: Freeman, Albies, Acuna, Rizzo, Baez, Heyward, Ohtani, La Stella, Bellinger, Turner, Muncy, Verdugo, Blackmon, Dahl, Semien, Trout. (16)

No Hits: Donaldson, Flowers, Bryant, Wolters, Davis. (5)

No AB’s/Not In Lineup: Almora, Bour, Piscotty. (3)

Yesterday the Royals really surprised me as they forced a blown save from Brad Hand in what looked like they would come up short in a comeback effort. Dozier took Hand deep for a grand-slam. Royals shut down the Indians in the 9th for the amazing win. Unlucky day for the Bieber as he had a great outing and deserved the win. Padres looked great in a battle of offense in Manny Machado’s homecoming to Camden Yards. Manny homered along with a few other Padre teammates in a much needed win. Manny looks like he is getting very comfortable in the box as the season goes on as compared to the Harper deal. Angels continue to pour on an offense as La Stella scored an inside the park lead off home run. Teams currently trending down are the Marlins, Tigers, Cardinals, and the surprising Brewers. Trending up are the Phillies, Astros, and the Diamondbacks. I have 4 games written up today, the main overall goal now is to increase the accuracy of my picks to 80% before the season is ultimately over. Other stories, spotlight articles, event write ups are in development so stay tuned and happy streaking!

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Mariners @ Brewers (TBD vs Houser)

Im not sure what to make of this series as the Mariners are really needing the wins and the Brewers are slipping in the standings. Yelich was hitless in the opener last night and will look to have more production to be able to carry this team through offensive struggles it is now in. At home, the Brewers have a good chance to start winning again and find out how to get their “mojo” back. For the Mariners, they must keep Vogelbach in the lineup in order to out power the homer hitters on the other side of the field. This game should be wildcard outcome but batters should be able to get some hits out of this game as they start to figure out where their team will trend.

SEA: Vogelbach, Crawford, Gordon

MIL: Yelich, Moustakas, Arcia, Aguilar

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Pirates @ Astros (TBD vs Valdez)

Are the Astros we know, finally back? “Houston, we have lift off.” After getting mocked by the Yankees, the Astros are hitting in strides at home against the Pirates. With 10 team hits in yesterdays game, it is something to build on as they look to win a second game in a row at home against to Pirates. For the Pirates, Josh Bell needs to get hot as his production has fallen off in the past few games, even though he’ll probably make the All-Star Game. Pirates need to fix their batting order or they will find themselves in games which they’re unable to string hits together. Yesterday the first 4 hitters went 2-15, something needs to change here. Im staying away from Bell until he’s shown some consistency. Altuve would be a solid pick for this series as he is a contact hitter and pulls hits to safely get on base.

PIT: Cabrera, Frazier, Marte, Newman

HOU: Altuve, Brantley, Springer, Reddick, Kemp, Bregman

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Blue Jays @ Yankees (Thornton vs Paxton)

The Yankees are now in the record books for 28 games straight with a home run. Their entire lineup is dangerous to the point where they had to option Frazier to minor league so that they could have their ideal lineup with Encarnacion. To the Yankees there is no such thing as “too much power.” The Yankees will beat you with the long ball every single time. For the Blue Jays, their power is in one rookie named Guerrero Jr. This has turned out to be a “test” season for Guerrero, as of right now the Blue Jays are not in shape to make the post season. The Yankees will keep steam rolling over foes until they face a true ace in any of these top AL teams. I still would say hands off on Encarnacion because he is still getting settled in to the AL East surroundings. Until he finds a stride I would play other stars like Judge, Sanchez or Gardner.

TOR: Grichuk, Sogard, Guerrero Jr

NYY: LeMahieu, Gardner, Voit, Sanchez, Maybin, Judge, Hicks

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Padres @ Orioles (Strahm vs Bundy)

This one seems like another “no-brainer” to examine for picks. After yesterday, it was shown that this series will likely be played for offense as pitchers will give up hits. I believe some Orioles will break through Strahm’s pitching and start getting hits in the lineup from players other than Mancini. The victor will be the traveling team again as Machado will put on a show in front of his fans that he has known since coming to the show. Hosmer will also continue to dazzle as he is familiar with the AL Central from his time on the KC Royals. Padres will play around with their power outfielders to figure out who to keep before the trade deadline in this series. Nunez was hitless last game but won’t go hitless again today.

SDP: Machado, Tatis Jr, Hosmer, Myers, Reyes

BAL: Villar, Nunez, Mancini, Ruiz, Wilkerson

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Updated Results:

Hits: Machado, Tatis Jr, Hosmer, Reyes, Villar, Nunez, Grichuk, LeMahieu, Voit, Sanchez, Judge, Cabrera, Newman, Crawford, Moustakas, Arcia. (16)

No Hits: Wilkerson, Mancini, Guerrero Jr, Hicks, Frazier, Marte, Vogelbach, Gordon, Yelich. (9)

No AB’s/Not In Lineup: Meyers, Ruiz, Sogard, Gardner, Maybin, Kemp, Aguilar. (7)