Today’s games start at 7:05 ET and will kick off 14 games with majority of them in a new series with exciting pitching matchups to start the MLB week. Around the MLB we’ve seen the Phillies snap a slight skid, Dodgers keep trucking in NL West as they set a new MLB rookie record, Yankees win series against Astros as Altuve makes return, Indians are closing the gap. Most teams that are sub .500 are facing a defining moment in their season as the point of coming back and making the postseason would be almost impossible if they keep losing critical games. We’ll look to see if teams like the Pirates, Diamondbacks, Padres, Reds, Angels, and the Mets can make the turn and change their outlook on the season.

Royals @ Indians (Sparkman vs Bieber)

Bieber didn’t have his ideal start in Texas or earlier in the year against the Royals. Bieber gave up 4 earned runs in 5.1 innings. Although his track record might suggest you to believe he’ll some how give up this game, he should come out and make a statement that he has command over his pitches and throw a decent game at home. Sparkman was on target in his last performance with throwing 91 pitches, 61 being strikes. He should be very careful getting too much of the plate against the Indians this time around or he’ll be pulled early. Bieber gets the much needed win at home but not without giving up a few ER. Indian relievers should be able to clean up the mess as the Indians win big. Merrifield has an 11 game hitting streak, Santana a 12 game hitting streak. Press their luck here to keep it going?

KCR: Merrifield, Soler, Hamilton

CLE: Kipnis, Lindor, Bauers, Perez

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Padres @ Orioles (Allen vs Yacabonis)

After the Padres were swept by the Pirates in Pittsburg in multiple games where the pitching has let them down, they give the rookie the nod to turn the ship around. Allen allowed only 3 hits in his debut in a pitch capped outing at 90. Was this just rookies luck? Maybe John Cena fueled him to succeed in his first start? Allen has a favorable matchup against an abused bullpen in the Orioles organization. Yacabonis is expected to be the “opener” and Rogers will be the predicted main pitcher for the Orioles. Its safe money to bet that the Padres will make a very much needed bounce back here with plenty of hits. As the season starts to heat up, so does Machado, look for him and Hosmer to be the consistent hitters in this Padre group.

SDP: Machado, Hosmer, Tatis Jr, Kinsler

BAL: Mancini, Nunez, Wilkerson

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Reds @ Angels (Mahle vs Heaney)

Mahle is coming home, sort of, to his hometown to show off his talents in front of his community. Interestingly, Mahle’s brother is in the AAA affiliate team for the Angels. Mahle has had a below average season so far with an ERA above 4 and 2-7 in his decisions. It’s tough to rule out the kid making a homecoming statement but we think this one will be a no decision for Mahle as the Reds relievers will give the game up to the Angels. I could be wrong about this kid but the Angels are trending upward even if they are 1-4 in their last 5 games. Pujos is electrified after playing at Busch Stadium (even if he doesn’t start), Ohtani hit for the cycle a week or two ago, and they also have this guy named Mike Trout. Angels win this one in L.A. as they start to rack up much needed wins in what could come down to a very tight AL West race as the Astros get their players to form in Altuve and Correa. This will be an interesting game to watch for sure, first pitch is 10:07pm EST.

CIN: Dietrich, Votto, Puig, Senzel

LAA: Simmons, Ohtani, Trout, Pujos, Fletcher

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Updated Results:

Hits: Machado, Hosmer, Tatis Jr, Kinsler, Mancini, Merrifield, Lindor, Perez, Senzel, Votto, Pujos, Fletcher, Trout, Ohtani. (14)

No Hits: Nunez, Kipnis, Soler, Puig. (4)

No AB’s/Not In Lineup: Wilkerson, Bauers, Hamilton, Dietrich, Simmons. (5)

Yesterday featured some spot on predictions from the Royals/Twins and the Orioles/Mariners game. Homer Bailey picked up the win and Ynoa was pulled from the game after just one inning due to his poor performance. Today only has 7 games in store, with two being NL West games. While new series get underway and teams travel to their new matchups I only have one game breakdown for today. We should be back to 3-4 tomorrow depending on striating pitchers.

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Braves @ Cubs (Tehran vs Lester)

Both of these pitchers have a plethora of experience under their belt as they take the mound Monday. Both team stocks are on the rise after offensive power over the few games. Braves have a chance to increase their lead in the NL East tonight but I predict that the Cubs will halt that chance with a win in the opener. Look for “lights out” Lester on the mound for the Cubs and possibly an appearance with Kimbrel closing the game against his old team.

ATL: Freeman, Donaldson, Albies

CHI: Baez, Bryant, Almora, Heyward

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Updated Results

Hits: Freeman, Albies, Baez, Bryant, Heyward. (5)

No Hits: Donaldson. (1)

No AB’s/Not In Lineup: Almora. (1)

Yesterday featured many low hitting/scoring games which does not help when picking players to get hits. We did however, successfully predict that the Nationals and Braves game had the most hits between both teams. Around the MLB the Dodgers do their thing, the Marlins are surprisingly winning, and Dietrich has a literal target on him from opposing pitchers. These series matchups this weekend aren’t ideal but we try to find trends and topics that might be able to help us this time around.

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Blue Jays @ Red Sox (Stroman vs Porcello)

Stroman heads to the mound for the Blue Jays after having a decent game against the Angels in his previous outing. For the Red Sox, they have plenty of history against Stroman which favors them greatly for the scouting reports. Porcello is looking to even his record in this starting role. After the Blue Jays evened up the series yesterday, I expect the Red Sox coming back with vengeance.

TOR: Biggio, Sogard, Guerrero Jr

BOS: Chavis, Holt, Bogaerts, Leon, Devers, Betts

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Twins @ Royals (Pineda vs Bailey)

Im picking this game once again because The Twins narrowly escaped last time but this time Homer Bailey is up for the Royals. Bailey with a 4.82 ERA will be sure to have one of his best outings this season against the Twins in this matchup. Bailey will either get a win or no decision in this matchup. Pineda hasn’t been so lucky this season as he has a losing record and will look to pick up a much needed win. This game will go to the home team, barely but with plenty of hits for the Twins.

MIN: Polanco, Cruz, Astudillo, Schoop, Rosario

KCR: Duda, Maldonado, Gordon, Merrifield, Soler

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Orioles @ Mariners (Ynoa vs Kikuchi)

Ynoa has been rattled for the Orioles but they simply have no other pitchers to rely on at this point. With only 31 strike outs, no wins and an ERA north of 5, this may shape up to be a “gimme” situation for the Mariners. Kikuchi is no ace yet, but he has better numbers than his rival tonight and should be able to weather the storm of the Oriole lineup. This game will have around 20 hits and the lead will play hot potato between the two teams. Mariners should fair well by the end of the 9th inning with a W in their column.

BAL: Mancini, Davis, Santander

SEA: Vogelbach, Nola, Gordon, Crawford, Moore

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Updated Results

Hits: Biggio, Sogard, Holt, Betts, Polanco, Rosario, Gordon, Merrifield, Mancini, Santander, Nola, Gordon, Crawford. (13)

No Hits: Guerrero Jr, Chavis, Bogaerts, Cruz, Maldonado, Soler, Vogelbach. (7)

No AB’s/Not In Lineup: Leon, Devers, Astudillo, Schoop, Duda, Davis, Moore. (7)

As the results for the All Star finalist have made their rounds, players are in the home stretch to prove that they want to be there. Yesterday we had a homecoming of Albert Pujos at Busch Stadium where he hugged Yadier Molina before stepping into the box. We had the Twins win a close one in Kansas City, Giants bouncing back after taking a beating with a Dodgers in the previous series. The most interesting game came from the Marlins as they pulled out yet another win in a weak effort from the Phillies offense.

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Twins @ Royals (Berrios vs Duffy)

The Twins are looking to pull away from foes in their division. The Royals have always been the one to give them fits as they barely won last night. With the ace of Berrios on the mound, they should be able to seize a commendable win this time around.

MIN: Cron, Rosario, Polanco, Cave

KCR: Merrifield, Duda, Gallagher

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Padres @ Pirates (Paddack vs Archer)

Paddack is called back up once again after having an up and down season so far. He is looking to have that flair as he did when he faced the Mets. Archer will be on the mound for the Pirates. Archer hasn’t been himself this year and look for him to underestimate this Padres team.

SDP: Tatis Jr, Hosmer, Reyes, Renfroe

PIT: Bell, Moran, Cabrera

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Braves @ Nationals (Foltynewicz vs Sanchez)

This matchup features pitching that has given up a combined ERA of at least 9. It wouldn’t be too hard to make the prediction that this game will include the most offense of the day and had to be included in todays pick. Look for the Braves to win this one in extra innings. Freeman is in the top 20 of BA in all of the league and on track to safely make the all-star game. Josh Donaldson won his appeal on his game suspension which should only bolster his attitude and mood towards smashing the baseball at the plate.

ATL: Freeman, Acuna, Albies, Donaldson, Swanson

WSH: Suzuki, Robles, Soto, Kendrick

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Updated results:

Hits: Cron, Rosario, Polanco, Cave, Merrifield, Hosmer, Bell, Freeman, Acuna, Albies, Swanson, Suzuki, Soto. (13)

No Hits: Duda, Gallagher, Tatis Jr, Renfroe, Moran, Donaldson. (6)

No AB’s/Not in lineup: Reyes, Cabrera, Robles, Kendrick. (4)

I should have known the Rangers are going to make a mid-season come back in the standings to stir up conversation of them squeaking into the post-season. They sure proved their point against an Indian lineup that was mostly squashed by Minor who took his pitching into the 8th inning. The Marlins won in extra baseball with the Cardinals which has been a turn around consecutive month for them. Red continued their stride in Milwaukee where the Brewers offense has turned as cold as the beer that’s served inside their park. The Twins are starting to slip slightly against the speedy Royals team. The most predictable outcome is still happening as the Dodgers are steam rolling over anybody who comes in their way. Dodgers are making a case for a return to the World Series, but this time can they change the outcome of all the past appearances? Time will have to tell.

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Marlins @ Phillies (Alcantara vs Nola)

Marlins again? Yes, but hear me out on this one. Marlins are coming off an exhilarating high by beating the Cardinals twice and have won 8 games this month with a 16-0 win against the Brewers. Im calling them fools gold as they potentially play the spoiler for any team looking for and “easy” win against them. Marlins have gotten stronger with the debut of Yamamoto and others starting to come up through the pipeline. Theres a case that Derek Jeter actually knows what he is doing down in Miami. For the Phillies this is a must win scenario for them. They are starting their ace in Nola in hoping for a win. Nola will expect to silence this newly found life Marlin team quickly and put them back in their place. Would it be safe to say Nola achieves up to 7k’s? Bryce Harper is looking to increase his numbers, this will be a good start right here.

MIA: Riddle, Castro

PHI: Harper, Realmuto, Hoskins, Segura

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Blue Jays @ Red Sox (Thornton vs Sale)

It’s safe to say that the Red Sox have finally figured out themselves by now. After what looked like to be a hangover season for the World Series champions, they have quickly caught up to the Yankees in the standings. It’s tough to figure out the Blue Jays as they have many holes in their offense and pitching. The Angels have absolutely abused the Blue Jays on the mound and they are looking at another tough matchup by trying to cage the newly found beast in the Red Sox in Boston. Sale should be able to notch a win behind some run support.

TOR: Gurriel, Smoak, Guerrero Jr

BOS: Holt, Martinez, Chavis, Devers, Nunez

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Rockies @ Dodgers (Marquez vs Buehler)

You know you have to ride the hot hand right? Dodgers have been on tear to prove that they should’ve won the World Series last year. They might even win it this year, at the rate they are going. The Dodgers are now .671 for the season and have a chance to bury the teams in their conference. The Rockies who were off to a “cold” start this season have started to heat up behind Blackmon, Desmond, and Arenado. It’s tough to say when the Dodgers will come back to earth but we think it’s not this week. Buehler is coming off an extra day of rest and will get the win at home.

COL: Blackmon, Dahl, Story

LAD: Bellinger, Verdugo, Muncy, Freese, Barnes, Martin, Turner

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Rays @ Athletics (TBD vs Anderson)

Two teams that are headed in opposite directions will meet tonight. Rays coming off of an up and down series against the Angels and Yankees will look to face a new challenger out west. They are coming off the news of the owner shopping the idea of splitting their home games in Edmonton, Canada and Tampa Bay which will make it really interesting how their fan base will come together. Rays have been a very good team this year all around, especially with the acquisition of Austin Meadows and proven young power hitters like Tommy Pham. Makes you think about the mental toughness that players must face in the game that might make them lose control. This game will be closer than it should be with the Athletics coming out on top with later runs to bury the Rays. Rays will have to start putting together some win streaks to prove that they are post-season ready.

TBR: Pham, Meadows, Adames, Kiermaier, Zunino, Choi

OAK: Davis, Semien, Priscotty, Phegley, Olson

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Updated Results

Hits: Castro, Harper, Hoskins, Segura, Guerrero Jr, Holt, Martinez, Chavis, Nunez, Blackmon, Bellinger, Verdugo, Muncy, Pham, Meadows, Adames, Kiermaier, Choi, Davis, Priscotty, Olson. (21)

No Hits: Riddle, Realmuto, Gurriel, Dahl, Barnes, Turner, Semien, Phegley. (8)

No AB’s/Not in lineup: Smoak, Devers, Zunino, Story, Freese, Martin. (6)

We were back on track for our picks the other day, increasing our accuracy. Max Scherzer came out and dazzled in an impressive outing with a black eye and broken nose. Angels are north of .500 and their bats are leading the way. Reds swept the Astros in closely contested games. The Brewers were swept by the Padres. Some trends are changing but the Dodgers still remain as the number one team to beat in the MLB.

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Indians @ Rangers (Bieber vs Minor)

This game might be more interesting than any other today. Surprisingly these two teams almost have identical records and the pitchers facing off have almost identical stats. Bieber should have a decent outing in this one and come up the victor in a much needed win to stay in the race for AL Central or wild card as the Twins are ahead of them. Indians bats will come up big in this one as they will pull ahead late against the Ranger relievers.

CLE: Lindor, Plawecki, Bauers, Santana

TEX: Choo, Odor, Andrus

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Astros @ Yankees (Valdez vs Green)

Again, another game with teams almost in the same position. Both are super powers in the AL division, both teams have key injuries to their stars. Playing at home should be enough to give the Yankees the edge they need as the Astros will slip into a 4 game losing streak. With the addition of Encarnacion and Stanton coming back the Yankees should be able to cruise in this one.

HOU: Kemp, Brantley, Gurriel

NYY: Sanchez, Voit, Encarnacion, Gardner

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Marlins @ Cardinals (Gallen vs Wainright)

Gallen will make his MLB debut against the team that originally drafted him. In what should’ve been an easy series to win for the Cardinals has turned into a salvage mode for the home team. The Marlins are a different team from the start of the baseball season. Although Gallen is unproven at the majors level, he should have a reason to show out with a little vengeance.

MIA: Castro, Granderson, Rojas

STL: DeJong, Molina, Fowler

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Updated Results:

Hits: Santana, Andrus, Brantley, Gurriel, Sanchez, Voit, Encarnacion, Gardner, Castro, Rojas, DeJong, Molina. (12)

No Hits: Lindor, Plawecki, Bauers, Choo, Odor. (5)

No AB’s/Not in lineup: Kemp, Granderson, Fowler. (3)

Welcome back MLB fans or Beat The Streak participants. To be frank my picks haven’t been as polished as I want to be. The series between the Nationals and the Phillies have been postponed yet again and will try again to play today with different starting pitchers. Yamamoto has been an interesting find for the Marlins as I predicted that he would in his second outing but not I suggested that the Cardinals lineup was going to be able to get more hits than they did. Logan Allen had an impressive start against the Brewers and silenced Yelich till the end of the game where he managed to single to right field in a hit that didn’t matter. Max Scherzer suffered a broken nose from bunting drills where a ball that ricochet from his bat hit his face. Interestingly Scherzer will (attempt, albeit the weather) start against the Phillies.

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Tigers @ Pirates (Zimmermann vs Williams)

The Pirates are in need of a turnaround after they have fallen below .500 and sinking fast. They will have a perfect opportunity to do that here at home against the Tigers and a winless pitcher taking the mound. Josh Bell has been the spotlight for the Pirates team and looks to dazzle fans to earn more votes in his All Star campaign.

DET: Cabrera, Lugo, Hicks

PIT: Bell, Cabrera, Moran, Frazier

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Angels @ Blue Jays (Heaney vs Sanchez)

In the previous days leading up to today I have discussed the Angels miraculous turnaround. With impressive series with the Rays, Dodgers, and now the Blue Jays, it looks like the Angels have finally found a rhythm and its finally a team effort rather than a one person showing. The Angels should be able to switch it into high gear against the Blue Jays. Ohtani’s DH spot has been a god send for this team and might be able to save them from the bottom of the standings this year.

Angels: La Stella, Bour, Ohtani, Calhoun, Goodwin

TOR: Galvis, Guerrero Jr, Sogard

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Rockies @ Diamondbacks (Gray vs Greinke)

We have seen two different sides of Jon Gray which makes me believe that he has been inconsistent and will have to put himself in a mental state in order to have a strong outing tonight. The only good news for Jon Gray is that he will likely get run support behind the hottest hitter in baseball right now in Blackmon. Gray will need it as he is going up against the reliable Greinke who is a complete assassin on the mound and in the batters box. Look for the usual suspects for the Rockies tee off with Jones and rookie Kelly from the Diamondbacks tonight in a close game.

COL: Story, Blackmon, Desmond, Arenado

ARI: Jones, Kelly, Dyson, Marte

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Updated Results:

Hits: Lugo, Moran, Frazier, La Stella, Bour, Ohtani, Calhoun, Galvis, Guerrero Jr, Sogard, Blackmon, Story, Arenado, Dyson, Marte. (15)

No Hits: Hicks, Bell, Kelly, Jones. (4)

No AB’s/Not in lineup: Cabrera, Cabrera, Goodwin, Desmond. (4)

Yesterday’s picks have been a wash since the key highlighted game was rained out and will play today. We went 7-7 with a few players not in the lineup in what was a low hitting day for all teams across the board. Today should be fairly different with different pitching matchups that we can take advantage of. Yesterdays game between the Phillies and the Nationals will be copied here since they will not change their starting pitchers.

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Phillies @ Nationals (PPD from yesterday)

PHI: Harper, Realmuto, Bruce, Hernandez, Hoskins

WSH: Soto, Suzuki, Robles, Turner, Kendrick

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Brewers @ Padres (Woodruff vs Allen)

The Brewers were blanked last night from what could be claimed as the Padres best pitcher this season in Lucchesi, as the young star Paddack has been exposed. This game, the Padres will call up Allen from AAA who bolstered a 5.15 ERA. Allen, has not been proven yet but the Brewers ace Woodruff has. The Brewers were silent on the hitting last night but awaken tonight. Hosmer and Machado’s stock have been going up with consistent hits ion the past games in the Rockies. Look for Allen to get rocked early on in his rookie debut.

MIL: Yelich, Braun, Moustakas, Aguilar

SDP: Hosmer, Machado, Tatis Jr, Kinsler

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Mets @ Braves (DeGrom vs Teheran)

The Braves have only lost a total of 3 games in this month of June. With sweeps over the Marlins and Pirates. Sportscasters have been touting that they are “all-in” on the Braves this season’s performance. This performance from the Braves doesn’t seem like a mirage and looks like a perfect opportunity to continue against a Mets team that has dealt with numerous injuries in the past weeks. As long as the Braves relievers keep up the great work, they look like they are in great form. Look for a close game today with the Braves winning yet another game to add to their most impressive month yet.

NYM: Alonso, Gomez, Frazier

ATL: Donaldson, Acuna, Albies, Swanson, Riley, Freeman

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Marlins @ Cardinals (Yamamoto vs Flaherty)

Yamamoto was impeccable in his debut allowing no runs through 7 innings while striking out 5. It will be interesting if he can follow up his performance with another amazing start against a hard hitting Cardinals lineup. Flaherty will be looking to bounce back from his mediocre start, pitching only through 5 innings before being pulled. The Marlins will pull ahead of this one in Yamamoto’s great start. Yamamoto will start to make the analysts talk about him after tonight.

MIA: Castro, Riddle, Rojas

STL: Goldschmidt, Molina, DeJong, Ozuna

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Updated Results:

Hits: Yelich, Machado, Tatis Jr, Donaldson, Swanson, Freeman, Alonso, Gomez, Frazier, Castro, Riddle, Rojas. (12)

No Hits: Braun, Moustakas, Aguilar, Hosmer, Acuna, Albies, Riley, Goldschmidt, Molina, DeJong, Ozuna. (11)

No AB’s/Not in lineup: Kinsler. (1)

Hope everyone had a great fathers day, I sure know the Padres did in Colorado. The primetime game in LA was expected as a defensive battle between pitches. I am back today with more games than yesterdays holiday matchups. There are new series beginning today with battles between hotly contested Division leaders. We will break down the predictions and outline who we think you should play depending on the key matchups.

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Astros @ Reds (Miley vs Castillo)

Don’t let the 3 loses from Miley fool you in this duel, he has been a very consistent pitcher for the Astros. The same can’t be said for Castillo as he has shown some wavering in some spots including bases loaded situations. Castillos bends but does not break on the mound in mental situations which makes it hard for situation or PH batters. The bottom line of this match is that the Astros are still one of the top few teams in baseball and a force to be reckon with.

HOU: Kemp, Gurriel, Reddick, Brantley

CIN: Senzel, Dietrich, Votto, Winker

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Phillies @ Nationals (Arrieta vs Corbin)

This is part 2 of Harper’s return to the nations capital. The Phillies are in need to get back on track after letting the Braves get ahead of them in the NL East in a blowout loss yesterday. Arrieta has ben struggling as of late but looks to turn it around if possible. For the Nationals their pitching has been their biggest struggle as Corbin will take the mound to remedy those critics. This matchup has potential to be a high scoring game since both of these pitchers are prone to make mistakes and the young Nationals team should become victorious in this duel.

PHI: Harper, Realmuto, Bruce, Hernandez, Hoskins

WSH: Soto, Suzuki, Robles, Turner, Kendrick

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Angels @ Blue Jays (TBD vs Jackson)

The Angels are coming off what could be the most successful and suprising week or so in the MLB. This could be the start of a very much needed spark in the AL West to give the Astros a run for their money. At the current time they are still 13 games back from the leader and will need to jump the Athletics and Rangers to get to the Astros. Jackson is on the mound against the Angels and won both of his starts against them last year. Management feels good about his start as they might see him as the “Angel killer.” The Blue Jays might be able to secure the win tonight in a close matchup to pay attention to.

LAA: Ohtani, Trout, Goodwin, La Stella, Lucroy, Calhoun

TOR: Guerrero Jr, Smoak, Gurriel, Biggio, Drury

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Updated Results:

Hits: Gurriel, Brantley, Senzel, Ohtanti, Trout, Calhoun, Biggio. (7)

No Hits: Kemp, Reddick, Votto, La Stella, Lucroy, Guerrero Jr, Drury. (7)

No AB’s/Not in lineup: Dietrich, Winker, Goodwin, Smoak, Gurriel. (5)

Yesterdays games were fairly accurately predicted. We had less picks but more success in the ratio of hitters and non hitters. Its fathers day today and most of the MLB games started at 1pm with only a few evening games. Today I only have two games picked out for some couch surfing action that many fathers may be doing today. I hope everyone has a beautiful day today and takes things easy.

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Padres @ Rockies (Margevicious vs Lambert)

Excluding the amazing comeback game a few nights ago where the Padres sent the game to extra innings and then scored a few runs in the 11th, they have been absolutely terrible. Rockies have been surging, especially at home with players like Blackmon and Desmond finding the much needed grove their team needs to succeed. Both teams should be able to find hits but the lack of patience at the plate for the Padres will eventually hurt them today. Reyes, if he plays, should be able to ride the elevation in the mile high city to a homer today.

SDP: Hosmer, Machado, Tatis Jr, Reyes

COL: Desmond, Arenado, Dahl, Wolters

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Cubs @ Dodgers (Quintana vs Ryu)

Ryu has been a menace against other teams offense. Ryu uses tantalizing pitches to fool batters as he rarely walks anybody and forces them to swing. Quintana has been performance ironed and game up 3 ER last time out in the Rockies. Look for him to give up more runs against the buzzsaw that is the Dodgers tonight.

CHC: Rizzo, Bryant, Baez

LAD: Bellinger, Verdugo, Muncy, Turner, Beaty

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Updated Results:

Hits: Machado, Tatis Jr, Desmond, Rizzo, Bryant, Baez, Bellinger, Muncy. (8)

No Hits: Hosmer, Arenado, Turner. (3)

No AB’s/Not in lineup: Reyes, Dahl, Wolters, Verdugo, Beaty. (5)