MLB opinions

"Despite commissioner Rob Manfred’s proclamations to the contrary, there has been a significant decline in parity within MLB during the last few years and it has reached a peak this year. Never have we seen so many bad teams continually losing and perhaps it’s time to start taking advantage. It gets harder to win for bad teams in June, July and August because more runs are being scored in the warmer weather and superior teams are starting to gain traction. Whether due to tanking or some other factor, the top and bottom of the league are diverging, producing a class of super-teams with near-certain playoff potential and a cellar-dwelling group of also-rans biding their time for future seasons."

"Toronto loses almost every day and they don’t just lose, they usually lose by three runs or more. When the Jays score a run it’s a near miracle and we highly doubt they’ll get to the filthy stuff that Masahiro Tanaka (RHP - NYY) delivers. Tanaka’s xERA and overall skills, while never elite, are consistently upper-tier."

Cleveland @ TEXAS
Cleveland -1½ +134 over TEXAS
Pinnacle -1½ +134 BET365 -1½ +125 SportsInteraction -1½ +130 5DIMES -1½ +131

Posted at 1:30 PM EST. 8:05 PM EST. The Rangers return home from a seven-game trip through Boston and Cincinnati in which they won four of those seven games. Texas continues to win/defy logic with weak pitching, a weak bullpen (their pitching ranks 24th in xERA) and a slightly below average offense in terms of xBA and wRC (Weighted Runs Created). While heart cannot be measured in stats, stats in baseball do not lie and over 162 games the truth eventually comes out. In other words, the Texas Rangers will hit the skids at some point but it’s best to start fading before that happens because the prices to fade them now as good as it’s going to get unless they keep winning. Lance Lynn (RHP - TEX) is at the top of that fade list. Lynn is currently a top-15 starter over the last 30 days and is sporting a 3.18 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 11.3 K’s/9 (12% swing & miss), and a 61% first-pitch strike rate since May 10th. However, Lynn has traditionally been a pitcher that struggles against lefties. That has been the case so far in 2019 too with a 4.35 ERA, 4.95 xERA, 39% grounders and an ugly 1.52 WHIP in 41 innings. The Indians are a loaded left-handed batting lineup and they’re heating up. The Tribe have won six of eight and have scored 48 runs over those eight games. Mike Clevinger (RHP - CLE) was placed on the 60-day injured list after two starts due to an upper-back and Teres major muscle strain and now returns to the mound for this one. Clevinger will not only be raring and ready to go, he has the goods to be one of the very best in the business. Last year, Clevinger rode an improved curve/slider to new heights and his first 200-K season. Repeatable? Damn straight it is. His big control improvement was backed by his impressive first-pitch strike rate, velocity uptick & swing and miss rate. In 12 innings before his injury, Clevinger had struck out 22 batters. Since last season and including two starts this year, Clevinger has featured a 3.11 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and near 26% strikeout rate. Clevinger's biggest transition was from nibbling often with heaters and sliders and missing outside the zone to pumping strikes with confidence and earning first pitch strikes close to 70% of the time. Dude has ACE written all over his profile and that’s why oddsmakers have Cleveland favored here. We’ll use the run-line and take back something.