Cardinals/Marlins UNDER 7
I like the value we are getting here with this total, as I'm not expecting either offense to do much of anything in this one. The Cardinals' Carlos Martinez has a 1.80 ERA over his last 3 starts and a 2.84 ERA on the season. Miami's Jose Urena has been getting better and better with each start. He's got a 2.84 ERA at home and a 1.93 ERA over his last 3 starts. UNDER is 5-0 in Urena's 5 starts, 20-13 in Miami's 33 home games and 16-6 in the Cardinals last 22 following a loss. Roll the UNDER 7!
Chicago Cubs +115
Chicago extended their winning streak to 3 with a 4-2 win over the Kershaw and the Dodgers on Monday. While the Cubs are trending upwards, the Dodgers have lost 6 of their last 8 and are just 12-19 on the road this season.
Two quality starters take the mound in this one and I think there's a slight edge with Jason Hammel over Zach Greinke. While Greinke has been the better pitcher so far in 2015, he's had little to no success in his 3 career starts at Wrigley Field, posting a hefty 11.57 ERA (worst of any NL park). As for Hammel, he's 5-1 with a strong 2.50 ERA over 12 career starts at Wrigley.
The Dodgers are also just 2-9 in their last 11 games when listed as a favorite of -110 to -150, 1-5 in their last 6 during game 2 of a series and 1-7 in their last 8 road games against a team with a winning record. Cubs are 13-3 in Hammel's last 16 starts against a team with a winning record and 4-0 in their last 4 home games with a total set at 7 to 8.5 runs. Take Chicago!
Blue Jays/Rays OVER 7
Toronto has a winning record because of a recent hot streak and the Rays are 6-1-2 over the total against a team with a winning record. Toronto has the top offense in baseball but starter R.A. Dickey (3-6, 4.96 ERA) is not throwing well: he is 0-4 on the road with a 6.17 ERA. The Tropicana dome is indoors, great for hitters, bad for knuckleball pitchers. Dickey has a 13.50 ERA here this season and the over is 3-1-1 in Dickey's last 5 starts on astroturf. Chris Archer is 6-0 on the road for Tampa Bay with an ERA just over 1, but at home he's 2-4 with an ERA of 2.95 -- and this is no ordinary offense he's facing. The Over is 9-3-1 in Archer's last 13 home starts vs. a team with a winning record, plus the over is 6-2 when Dickey faces the Rays. Play Toronto/Tampa Bay Over the total.