Ricky Dimon

The Phillies are absolutely unconscious right now, having surged to the best record in baseball at 25-11. They have won 6 in a row, 10 of their last 11 and 17 of their last 20. Until they lose, backing them looks like a smart play – even on the run line (especially when you can get it as high as +170). Christopher Sanchez is taking the mound on Tuesday and he is sporting a 3.68 ERA to go along with 29 strikeouts in 29.1 innings. The left-hander has allowed only 1 earned run in 3 of his last 4 starts. The Phillies don’t have an easy matchup with Jose Berrios of the Blue Jays, but with the way their bats are cooking right now, they can light up pretty much any pitcher.

Getting Zac Gallen well into plus money on the run line? Yes, please! It is true that he struggled a bit in his last 2 starts, but the right-hander is still 3-2 with a 3.38 ERA this season. The pitching matchup undoubtedly favors Arizona, as Frankie Montas is taking the mound for Cincinnati and has not pitched since April 21 because of an arm injury. Montas has logged a total of 0.2 innings since April 15 and 2.2 innings since April 9. He is 2-2 with a 4.19 ERA in 2024 and 1-1 with an 11.74 ERA lifetime against the Diamondbacks. The Reds have lost 5 in a row, including 4 by multiple runs after getting humiliated by the Orioles 11-1 this past Sunday.

The Astros have a chance to make amends in this upcoming 3-game series after getting swept by the Yankees in 4 straight games to begin the season. Justin Verlander wasn’t a part of that 4-game set due to injury, but he is back now and will toe the rubber on Tuesday in the Bronx. At 41 years old, Verlander is up to his usual tricks with a 1-0 record, 2.08 ERA and 1.15 WHIP through 3 appearances. New York is countering with Luis Gil, whose numbers are mostly good so far in 2024 but has walked 20 batters in 31.0 innings. That isn’t going to get the job done against a dangerous Houston lineup that is finally starting to show some signs of life. The Astros are 5-3 in their last 8 games after starting the season 8-17. I expect things to be different from the first series of the year.