This is a play on the ST. LOUIS CARDINALS for our MLB Tuesday Sweet Spot. Oakland is coming off a 6-4 homestand to improve to 24-19 at home but it is just 17-19 on the road and the bullpen is a big reason as it has a 5.57 ERA in those 36 games. St. Louis dropped its series finale against the Angels on Sunday and it is now 4-3 on this current homestand. The Cardinals are 24-16 at home this season and are a perfect 10-0 at home against teams averaging 1.5 or more home runs per game. Additionally, the Cardinals are 23-7 as favorites of -150 or less. Jack Flaherty gets the ball for St. Louis and while he has a 4.24 ERA, his 1.18 WHIP more than makes up for it and he is much better at home where he has a 2.49 ERA and 0.83 WHIP in eight starts. Chris Bassitt counters for Oakland and he is having a decent season as well which is keeping this price at a good range. He does not go very deep into which is an issue because of the bullpen and going back, Oakland is 4-11 in his last 15 starts after allowing five runs or more in its previous game. 10* (978) St. Louis Cardinals

This is a play on the PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES for our MLB Monday Sweet Spot. Philadelphia is 2-11 over its last 13 games including losses in seven straight and has now fallen 6.5 games behind the Braves in the National League East. The Phillies are still a game over .500 and right in the Wild Card mix but the streak needs to end and this is an important series after getting swept by the worst team in the National League. The Phillies are 19-7 in their last 26 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400. The Mets are 3-4 on this current roadtrip which is actually above the norm as they are still 8-22 in their last 30 road games. Steven Matz gets the call for New York and he has been up and down this season, especially on the road. He has a 6.21 ERA and 1.59 WHIP in eight starts on the highway with only two of those being quality outings. The Mets are 6-21 in his last 27 starts when their opponent allows five runs or more in their previous game. The Phillies counter with Zach Eflin who has tossed three straight quality starts and on the season, he has a 2.83 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 14 outings. This includes a 2.13 ERA and 0.99 in six home starts, five of which have been quality performances. The Phillies are 5-0 in his last five home starts against teams with a losing record. 10* (902) Philadelphia Phillies

This is a play on the ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS for our MLB Sunday Sweet Spot. Arizona has dropped the first two games of this series and has now lost six straight games including the first five of this homestand. The Giants had dropped three in a row prior to the weekend and they have yet to produce a road sweep this season. The Giants are 10-28 in their last 38 games during game 3 of a series while the Diamondbacks are 5-1 in their last six games during game 3 of a series. Merril Kelly posted three straight quality outings but got lit up for six runs in six innings against the Rockies in his last start but gets a much better matchup today. He dominated the Giants in one earlier head-to-head this season, shutting them out over 5.1 innings in a 7-0 home win in May. Shaun Anderson has been solid for the Giants but his worst start of the season came against Arizona where he allowed six runs over five innings. Here, we play against National League teams with a starting pitcher whose ERA is 3.70 to 4.20 on the season, after two straight games where the bullpen gave up no earned runs. This situation is 144-93 (60.8 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (964) Arizona Diamondbacks

This is a play on the HOUSTON ASTROS as part of our MLB Friday Triple Play. After a 10-6 loss last night, the Astros have now dropped five straight games but they still have a comfortable 7.5-game lead in the American League West over the Rangers. Nonetheless, the losing has to stop and Houston is in good position to end the skid tonight and at a great price. The Yankees meanwhile have won six straight games to take a 4.5-game lead in the American League East but they are overpriced here because of the pitching matchup hat is not even that significant. James Paxton is having a solid season but it is nothing over the top as he has a 3.93 ERA and 1.31 WHIP through 11 starts. The Astros are 37-14 in their last 51 road games against left-handed starters and their .278 average this season against lefties is sixth best in baseball. Brad Peacock is having a better season with a 3.67 ERA and 1.12 WHIP through his 13 starts and the Astros are 9-2 in his last 11 starts when their opponent scores five runs or more in their previous game. 9* (965) Houston Astros

This is a play on the PITTSBURGH PIRATES as part of our MLB Friday Triple Play. Following a home sweep of the Brewers, San Diego has now won four straight games to move back over .500 on the season and while it is well behind the Dodgers in the National League West, the Wild Card race is very alive. This being said, the Padres are -32 in scoring differential which is by far the worst of any team in playoff contention. Pittsburgh is having a lousy season as a seven-game losing streak to open its most recent roadtrip knocked it way down in the standings. The Pirates are coming off a win against Detroit after falling behind 7-3 so there is some positive momentum heading into this weekend series. Joe Musgrove has pitched better than his 4.87 indicates as he comes in with a 1.27 WHIP through 14 starts and he faces a Padres offense that is the eighth worst hitting team in baseball. Eric Lauer has been all over the place and he has been especially poor on the road with a 7.81 ERA and 1.66 WHIP in six starts. 10* (958) Pittsburgh Pirates

This is a play on the MILWAUKEE BREWERS as part of our MLB Friday Triple Play. The Brewers have dropped their last four games to fall a game and a half behind the Cubs in the National League Central after losing the series opener yesterday with the offense scoring just one run. The Brewers are 37-18 in their last 55 games after scoring two runs or less in their previous game. Cincinnati meanwhile has now won five straight games with the pitching making the difference by allowing an average of just 2.2 rpg. The Reds are still five games under .500 on the road as the offense is hitting just .223, the worst average in baseball. Sonny Gray is having a solid first season in Cincinnati but he has not been able to go deep into games and he has not been able to make it through six innings in each of his last three starts. Chase Anderson is having a very similar season of not being able to go deep but he has been solid at home and going back, the Brewers are 8-3 in his last 11 home starts against teams with a losing record. 9* (960) Milwaukee Brewers