Winning plays across all sports

Tonight the white sox take on the astros for the thrid time this season, with the series currently tied at one game apiece. So far this season these teams have combined to go under 73 times and have gone over just 51 times (59%). the astros rank 3rd in the MLB across the board in runs per 9 against (3.48), batting average allowed, and OPS against. While the White sox don't boast a defense of the same quality they have struck out batters the 3rd most in the MLB. Tonight we get to watch a battle of two starting pitchers who have played extremely well to this point in the season. For the White Sox, Michael Kopech is set to get the start. Through 51.7 innings pitched this year Kopech has allowed just 24 hits and 13 runs while registering 51 strikeouts. The astros will send out Christian Javier to start on the mound. Through 50.7 innings pitched this seaons Javier has allowed just 40 hits and 18 runs while registering 63. These two pitchers have combined for 12 unders and just 6 overs this year in games they have started. in his last seven games starting agaist teams with a losing record (which teh White Sox currently have) Javier has gone under six times. Houston's bullpen is also the best in the league in terms of ERA (2.55). Expect a low scoring battle tonight in Houston as these two starting pitchers duel it out.

In this matchup between two below average teams the value falls on the Orioles as they have the better pitcher on the mound in Jordan Lyles and the better lineup as of late. Lyles has posted subpar numbers this season with a 4.70 ERA and 1.41 WHIP but has been improving in his last few starts. In Lyles last 3 starts he has posted a much improved 3.20 ERA and 1.20 WHIP while pitching at least 6 innings in all of those outings. This recent success is not the result of facing poor lineups as he has faced the White Sox and Twins who both have hit the ball well this season. Tonight he faces one of the worst lineups in  baseball in the Angels who have been unable to hit the ball. LA has hit a horrific .188 batting average and scored only 2.79 runs per game over their past 10 games and will continue to struggle tonight against Lyles. They have scored 2 or less runs in 4 of their past 5 games and will likely continue this streak against Lyles and allow him to have a great 6 plus inning performance. Silseth takes the mound for the Angels and has played very poorly, posting a 5.23 ERA and 1.40 WHIP which has led to a 1-4 record for LA. Additionally, Silseth seems to have gotten worse with each start and is coming off back to back awful performances where he allowed 9 hits and 7 earned runs in only 5 innings pitched. His struggles will not come to an end against Baltimore as they have been hitting the ball well recently, earning a .254 batting average and scoring 4.04 runs over their past 5 games which has resulted in a 4-1 record over that span. Baltimore will score several runs against Silseth and gain an early lead that will be protected throughout by a strong performance by Lyles against a very bad Angels lineup, resulting in a victory for Baltimore at home.

Star pitcher Gerrit Cole and the Bronx Bombers have the advantage over rookie Josh Winckowski and Red Sox in this AL east showdown at Fenway. Cole has unsurprisingly been an elite pitcher this season for the Yankees, posting an identical 2.99 ERA and xERA to go along with a 1.01 WHIP which has led to a 7-2 record and 12-4 team record with him starting on the mound and he is only getting better as the season progresses. In Cole's last 3 games he has been absolutely dominant, earning a ridiculous 1.77 ERA and 0.79 WHIP while pitching 6 plus innings in all 3 starts. These games included talented lineups including the Houston Astros and he will be able to continue this success against a good Red Sox lineup. Although Boston ranks at the top of the MLB in batting average, runs per 9, and OPS, they have been playing below their season averages as of late against right handed pitching, scoring only 3.49 runs per 9 compared to their season average of 4.46. This offensive decline will not bode well against Cole who is trending in the opposite direction and will have an exceptional 6 plus inning performance, likely allowing 2 or less runs. Boston will need more offensive production than this to keep up with this incredible New York lineup that is facing rookie Josh Winckowski who is making the 6th start of his young career. Winckowski has played well in his first few outings, posting a 3.12 ERA and 1.38 WHIP but has yet to face a lineup even close to as talented as New York and will surrender several runs tonight to the Yankees have been the best lineup in the MLB this season, ranking first in runs per 9, OPS, and HR per game. New York will likely put up many runs early in this one and force Winckowski to exit early, putting an inconsistent Boston bullpen in a tough spot. This will result in a few more runs for the Yankkes, allowing them to secure the victory on the road in Fenway.

The value on the third game of this series between the Phillies and Nationals is on the over in the first 5 due to two bad pitchers on the mound in Falter and Adon. Both of these pitchers have faced these lineups in the past month and surrendered a combined 12 hits 8 runs through 5 innings pitched and will repeat this performance tonight. Adon has been dreadful for the nationals this season, posting a terrible 6.97 ERA and 1.75 WHIP which has led to a 1-11 record on the year. Adon has been one of the worst pitchers in the MLb this season and will continue his struggles against a Phillies lineup that has been red hot, hitting .263 and scoring 6.07 runs per game in their last 10 outings. Philadelphia could hit this first 5 over alone against Adon as they scored 5 runs in their first matchup and have been playing even better recently. Additionally, two games ago the Phillies scored 6 runs against a much better pitcher in Espito and will have a great chance of repeating that feat against the awful Adon. With this being said, this high of a run total will not be needed as the Nationals will score multiple runs against Falter. Falter has been below average this season posting a 4.88 ERA and 1.42 WHIP which has led to an 0-2 record. He faced this lineup two starts ago and allowed 5 hits and 3 earned runs through 5 innings and seems to be on the decline as he played even worse in his last start. Although Washington has not hit the ball well recently, they have a lineup that favors left handed pitching and will be able to produce runs against the subpar Falter. Both pitchers will surrender multiple runs and this total will likely soar past the 6 runs needed.

The value in the final game of thies series between the Braves and Cardinals is on Atlanta due to their superiority both at the plate and on the mound with Strider pitching against Liberatore and a slumping St.Louis lineup. Strider has pitched well this season posting a great 2.87 ERA and 2.90 xERA which signals that he has truly earned his low ERA this season. Additionally, he has earned a low 1.01 WHIP which demonstrates his ability to get batters off the basepath and all of these factors have led to a 4-2 record this season. Tonight, he faces a St.Louis team that has struggled at the plate recently, hitting well below their season averages over their last 10 games, with a .241 batting average and 3.55 runs per 9 average, compared to .247 and 4.69 averages on the season. Strider will take advantage and continue his success, pitching 6 innings and allowing 2 or less runs in this meeting. This performance will allow the Braves to take a large lead in this game as they will score several runs against Liberatone who is starting for the CArdinals. He has been below average in his 5 starts this season, posting a 5.66 ERA and very high 1.79 WHIP. This high WHIP signals that his ERA should likely be even higher than it is now and this potent BRaves lineup will take advantage of the high numbers of batters on base and score several runs against him in this matchup, likely forcing him to exit before the end of the 5th inning, something he has done in 3 of 5 starts this season. The Braves have been one of the best teams against lefties this season, hitting a .256 batting average and scoring 5.21 runs per game, this will translate very well against Liberatone who is a bad left handed pitcher and they will likely score 4 or more runs against him alone. Once he exits, they will tack on a few more against this solid bullpen and put this game out of reach behind a strong performance by Strider. Atlanta will hold a lead throughout this game and close out the series sweep by winning this game by multiple runs for the 4th straight night.