Baseball Thursday: Albert’s Quick Pitches on Indians v Orioles, Phillies v Brewers, Cubs v Reds, Royals v Rangers

Favorite Pick of the Day:
Indians (-273) over Orioles

Ride the Wave Pick of the Day:
Phillies (-111) over Brewers

Are you sure? Pick of the Day:
Cubs (+111) over Reds

Pick’em of the Day:
Royals (-110) over Rangers

The Skinny:
Trevor Bauer against the Orioles. That’s about all I should need to say, but I’ll hit you with some stats anyways: The Indians are 4-1 in Bauer’s last five starts during Game 1 of a series, 10-1 in Bauer’s last 11 Thursday starts and 4-1 in their last five games following an off day. Good? Good. . . . This isn’t about riding the Phillies wave, specifically, but rather the Zach Eflin wave. The Phillies are 5-0 in his last five starts at home and 5-1 in his last six starts after allowing five runs or more in their previous game. If there’s anyone to get them off the snide, it’s Eflin. . . . Are you sure the Cubs aren’t supposed to be favorites? I understand that Luis Castillo has been great lately when his team needs him. The Reds are 4-1 in Castillo’s last five starts after allowing five runs or more in their previous game. But the Cubs are red hot. Either Vegas knows something we don’t or this is a great chance to make some money. . . . There’s not a ton to love about the Royals-Rangers matchup from either a betting perspective or simply an enjoyment perspective, so throwing money on it is a great way to make it more fun. The Royals are 4-1 in Homer Bailey’s last five starts on grass, while the Rangers are 1-4 in their last five games vs. a team with a winning percentage below .400. Good enough for me.