Bruce's Picks (1 Live)
Bruce's Past Picks
Who is the AL's hottest pitcher since the beginning of May? It It can be argued that it's KC's Kris Bubic, as across his last six starts, he has an 0.69 ERA and an 0.86 WHIP, both stellar numbers. The Royals should also be in a very ornery mood tonight after being whipped 10-2 last night as rookie starter Noah Cameron finally hit the wall against the big Yankees bats. For New York, however, it's not Max Fried on the mound tonight, but rather Clarke Schmidt, whose numbers are not quite as impressive (including a 4.79 ERA on the road), and the Yanks have lost in three of his last four starts. Play Royals on Money Line
Call us a bit perplexed by the prices in this series and Detroit not being favored for a second straight night in Baltimore. With MLB's best record (Tigers 44-24) against arguably its most disappointing team, the markets seem to be reading a bit too much into efforts by the respective starting pitchers. Which shouldn't be the end-all anyway, especially as the last two quality starts by the Birds' Zach Elfin have come vs. the inconsistent bats of the Chisox and Mariners. Would much rather back the Tigers and Casey Mize, who despite a couple of subpar recent efforts still has a 2.91 ERA this season, and, most importantly, Detroit a winner in seven of his ten starts. Play Tigers on Money Line
Here come the Reds! Don't look now, but Cincy is just 3.5 games out of the last NL wild card spot and gaining momentum fast. Pitching continues to impress, especially Andrew Abbott's complete game shutout in Cleveland last night. Now, it's the turn for Nick Lodolo, who has been very representative this season with a solid 3.21 ERA into Wednesday afternoon as Terry Francona is on the verge of a sweep in his return to Cleveland. The Guardians' offense continues to be in and out, and hardly sure Logan Allen (6.75 ERA last three starts) can outpitch Lodolo. Play Reds on the Money Line.
Jesus Luzardo better hope his last two starts were an aberration....if not, he and the Phils are in trouble. Consider that in those last two outings, Luzardo has been raked for 21 runs and 21 hits, plus 5 walks, across just 5 2/3 IP. To summarize, that's an ERA of 33.33, and a WHIP of 4.59. Sheesh! Let's see Luzardo pull out of this major tailspin before considering a recommendation on the Phils (already 2-10 their last 12) with him on the mound. Meanwhile, the Cubs' Ben Brown is off of his two best starts of the season, surrendering just 2 runs across 13 IP, with 16 Ks, against the Reds and Tigers. Play Cubs on the Money Line.
The Bucs reminded us last night why we don't trust them as favorites, as the offense stalled again in a 3-2 loss to the Marlins. The 10 runs on Monday night were an outlier, as Pittsburgh was held to just 2 runs for the third time in four games. The 27-41 Pirates now turn to matinee starter Bailey Falter, off one of his worst efforts of the season on the mound, surrendering 4 runs and 5 hits across just 3 2/3 IP last Friday vs. the Phils. Note serviceable efforts in the last four starts made by Miami's Cal Quantrill, who's posted a 2.95 ERA that span. Play Marlins on the Money Line.
The Chisox seem to have progressed beyond the knee-jerk, go-against phase mostly because of a young and emerging pitching staff, with rotation pieces like tonight's starter Shane Smith, with a very solid 2.45 ERA across his 12 starts this season. At the moment, however, the go-with vibes are with the ascending Astros, who won another series on the weekend in Cleveland, and look to be into one of their patented June surges, having won 10 of 14 to take control of the AL West race. Lance McCullers is also off of his best effort since his return to active duty, spinning six shutout innings last Tuesday at Pittsburgh, and Houston has won in his last four starts. Play Astros on Run Line
Their win pace has slowed a bit, but with Miles Mikolas on the mound at a very fair price, the Cardinals deserve a lot of attention on Tuesday night. Though Mikolas has been merely okay stat-wise (3.96 ERA and 1.27 WHIP), all the Redbirds have done with him on the mound is win the last seven games in which he has started, not losing since April 23 at Atlanta. Moreover, though a loser in extra innings last night to the Blue Jays, the Cards are 22-12 this season at Busch Stadium. Note Toronto vet Chris Bassitt has had several uneven performances on the mound, and his road marks have been a bit subpar (1-3, 4.96 ERA). Play Cards on Money Line
The Rays are on the move, winning again last night at Fenway Park to make it 15-4 across the past nineteen games. The bats are very alive, scoring another ten runs last night (the fifth time in the past 15 games with double-digit runs) while 30 homers have been belted across the uptick as well. Wednesday starter Ryan Pepiot has also been excelling, as across his last three starts, the ex-Dodger has allowed just two runs, with an 0.92 ERA that span. Meanwhile, the Bosox might still be decompressing from the weekend series vs. the Yankees and the disappointment of last night's extra-innings loss, with Wednesday starter Lucas Giolito having endured some brutal outings as his 6.42 ERA suggests. Play Rays on Run Line
Still a bit bumpy lately for Rays starter Shane Baz, who hasn't quite regained his April form when he spun a 2.45 ERA. Yet his recent outings have at least been serviceable, working into the sixth innings, and Tampa Bay winning three of those. Speaking of winning, the Rays are doing a lot of that lately, taking 14 of their last 18, and along with the Yankees and Tigers are the only AL teams with winning records on the road. Tampa Bay also catches the Bosox off an adrenaline high in the Bronx, taking 2 of 3 vs. the Yanks, and starter Brayan Bello has a 5.63 ERA across his last four starts. Play Rays on Money Line
We're still not comfy laying a price with the Pirates, unaccustomed as they are to the role of favorite after their sweep of the Phils. Another idea here might be on the totals side as Pittsburgh rookie Mike Burrows is off of an impressive 5 1/3 shutout innings last Wednesday in a 3-0 win over the Astros, and the Bucs offense, even in the sweep of the Phils, didn't do much damage (two runs was enough each of the past two days). This is also the return game for once ballyhooed Marlins prospect Eury Perez, who hasn't pitched since 2023 after Tommy John surgery. Only the lowly Rockies have scored fewer runs in the NL than these sides. Play Marlins-Pirates Under
It's a homecoming for Terry Francona, back in Cleveland where he was skipper for a decade, but this time as manager of the Reds. He'll keep an eye on starter Wade Miley, whose first start of 2025 last Wednesday against the Brewers turned into a debacle, pulled after allowing 4 runs across the first two innings of a 9-1 loss. The veteran Miley has hardly pitched since 2023 after Tommy John surgery, but was signed last week to take the place of injured Hunter Greene in the rotation. He'll be on a short leash. As for the Guardians, they've been playing lots of unders (6-1 the last seven), and Monday starter Luis Ortiz has a 2.28 ERA across his last five starts. Play Reds-Guardians Under
As it was last Sunday night vs. the Dodgers, here's a chance for the Yanks on national TV to avenge a loss the previous night. On Saturday it was the Bosox erupting for a 10-7 win, but the Sox offense has been sporadic at best lately, and not expecting similar tonight in the Bronx. That's also because the Bosox will be taking swings against Carlos Rodon, who has emerged as a viable AL Cy Young contender thanks to a 1.27 ERA across his last nine starts. It's a tough spot for Bosox rookie Hunter Dobbins, slotted back into the rotation tonight by Alex Cora after being sent to the bullpen two weeks ago following a succession of tough starts. Play Yankees on Run Line
A tough weekend for the Dodgers, on the verge of getting swept at Busch Stadium, where they have tallied just one run across the first two vs. the Cards. The state of the depleted LA rotation is summed up by looking forward to Clayton Kershaw on the mound despite his struggles and a 5.17 ERA. Kershaw is going to have to come up big, however, because the Cards have recalled highly-rated prospect Michael McGreevy, who starts on Sunday and has posted a 1.57 ERA in 28 2/3 IP (plus an 0.70 WHIP) in the bigs, as Ollie Marmol goes to a six-man rotation with 13 games in as many days. Note LA just 13-16 as a true visitor this season. Play Cards on Money Line
With the two best records in the bigs, is this a possible World Series preview? For Sunday's rubber match, on the surface it might seem advantage Detroit with Jack Flaherty off of two of his best starts of the season, allowing just 1 run across 12 IP in wins over the Giants and Chisox, but let's not overlook the the magic the other way surrounding rookie starter Cade Horton (solid 3.21 ERA) , as the Cubs have won in all five of his starts this season. Chicago enters Sunday on a 12-4 run, and pitching has been superb, not allowing more than three runs in any of the last seven games. A plus price makes the Cubs even more tempting. Play Cubs on Money Line