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Free MLB Pick Thursday

905/906 UNDER 9 Texas Rangers (Minor) at Oakland Athletics (Fiers) 2:40 PM CT

Mike Minor has lost both of his starts this season but his FIP of 3.36 sits well below his 5.91 ERA, he has simply had terrible luck with nearly half of his base runners coming around to score. Minor has been a reliable option for the Rangers the past two seasons but he has struggled vs. Oakland allowing 17 runs in three starts last season. The Athletics crushed left-handed pitching with an .811 OPS in 2019 but the splits have gone the other way so far this season. With five straight wins and 28 runs so far in August, Oakland is emerging as a serious AL contender but the Coliseum remains a favorable pitching park. Mike Fiers also had a FIP much lower than his 5.40 ERA and should have better luck with base runners in upcoming starts. Fiers actually pitched quite well in his last three starts of 2019 vs. the Rangers and last night’s 10-run output was quite misleading. There were only 14 hits in the game and a combined seven at-bats with runners in scoring position. Even with the loss the Rangers preserved its bullpen last night while Burch Smith gave an extended relief outing to keep Oakland with most top options available today. Last night’s total was just 8 and there isn’t significant reason to move today’s number a full run given a pitching matchup that is of similar caliber, albeit with much less strikeout potential. Both teams are outside MLB’s top 18 in team wOBA and strong walk rates for both lineups aren’t likely to be a big factor in this pitching matchup.

Nelly’s Baseball has hit 60% in 2020 including three straight wins the past three days including a nice underdog win on the Blue Jays last night. Join us for a TOTAL for Thursday night for only $15!


Nelly’s has also hit 60% in the NBA Restart to build on great gains in the 2019-20 regular season. Check out tonight’s Basketball Pick as well or join for the Playoffs!

Bobby Dalton has offers in MLB, NBA, and NHL action today – also check back for Horse Racing this weekend with the Big Dog!

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Daytime NBA Monday + Free Pick

Nelly’s was on a 10-1-1 NBA run at the Covid Break and we have restarted with a 3-1 record in our picks and opinions so far in Orlando action to close the regular season. We have a pick for DAYTIME NBA ACTION Monday with our next guaranteed selection! We are on pace for a third straight NBA Regular season hitting over 63%!

Nelly’s had a 60% July in MLB and we expect to deliver Monday night on the diamond with a $15 rated selection.

Bobby Dalton is stepping up with a big play on the diamond with a 10* MLB BEST BET tonight! He is 4-0 in 10* picks in the 2020 MLB season! Pay after you win with the Big Dog in a big division game on Monday!

Bobby Dalton also has NHL and NBA Picks for Monday as well!

Free NBA Pick for Monday:

#744 Oklahoma City Thunder -6 over Denver Nuggets 3:00 PM CT


With a statement win over Utah to open the restart the Thunder are a team that is being overlooked in the Western Conference. Oklahoma City is now relatively safe from falling to the #7 spot sitting three games ahead of Dallas and ultimately the quartet of Denver, Houston, Utah, and Oklahoma City are all likely to wind up in the 3/6 and 4/5 matchups. With no home court advantage to speak of there isn’t great urgency in the coming weeks for these teams. Denver is at risk to slide from its current #3 spot but the priority for the Nuggets is to get healthy for the playoffs, currently without Will Barton, Gary Harris, and likely still Jamal Murray, or in other words, without 45 points per game from three significant contributors. Andre Roberson is the only Thunder player on the injury report and his role has been diminished this season anyhow. The Thunder actually have a stronger season scoring differential than the Nuggets despite the gap in the standings and Oklahoma City at 20-11 has the second-best road record in the entire Western Conference behind only the Lakers. Denver meanwhile has had its success built on a favorable home court edge at altitude and is just 18-14 on the road this season. Already short-handed the Nuggets are facing a second game in three days after allowing 125 points to Miami on Saturday while for Oklahoma City this is a critical game knowing they have a very tough test ahead on Wednesday vs. the West leaders. The Nuggets and Thunder have split two meetings this season and while the injuries have pushed this line to an elevated favorite spread for a Thunder team that was just -1 in Oklahoma City in February, the unheralded Thunder have more at stake and clear personnel edges in the current formations of these teams.

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Huge Sports Saturday + Free Pick

Bobby Dalton has you covered for a HUGE sports Saturday – after a long layoff sports are back and this is the first big Saturday on the schedule. Dalton has offers in the NBA, MLB, NHL, and Horse Racing!

Check our his HORSE RACING selections at Monmouth, his home track. His first selection was in the money in 27 of 31 races last weekend!

Dalton is 2-0 in MLB 10* Best Bets this season – get his SATURDAY 10* PAY AFTER YOU WIN!

Nelly’s wrapped up a 60% July in MLB with an underdog winner Friday night – we are perfect on totals this season and have an over/under pick ready to go for Saturday night!

We have split our first two NBA restart picks with a brutal miss yesterday on the Celtics +5, a tie game into the final minutes before a controversial finish. We feel locked in even with the tough miss looking to build on an active 11-2-1 run and three straight regular seasons over 60%! Get Saturday’s Side Play for $15!

Free Pick Saturday:

#961 Cleveland Indians (Carrasco) + over Minnesota Twins (Maeda) 6:10 PM CT

This series for the top spot in the AL Central could continue to zig-zag with these teams splitting the first two games of the series. Scoring has been at a premium and more quality pitching should be on its way Saturday. Carlos Carrasco’s promising career was sidetracked last season but he looked like his peak self in his 2020 debut with 10 strikeouts in six innings as the pitching-rich Indians should be in a great position to take back the lead in the Central today. Carrasco was unfortunate in that start with a .385 BABIP but still effectively got the win. Yesterday’s 4-1 loss was a bit misleading as the Indians had plenty of men on base but faltered in some big at-bats while also getting some tough breaks with well hit balls being caught for huge outs. Minnesota used its top four options in the bullpen last night and two of those pitchers threw at least 19 pitches as there could be some wear if either is called on tonight. Kenta Maeda made a successful Twins debut in Chicago but there were some red flags in his numbers last season, including a .243 BABIP to help produce a still mediocre 4.04 ERA in 153+ innings. That was pitching with the Dodgers in a very favorable ballpark with plenty of support. Maeda gave up 22 home runs last season and isn’t the same caliber of strikeout pitcher that Carrasco can be. Even so this line has shifted back to the Twins as a slight favorite after Cleveland was favored on Friday and it will again make sense to take the favorable price with the adjustment. As was the case Thursday, Cleveland has the much higher ceiling starter on the mound yet is the underdog in what may continue to be a back-and-forth series. As formidable as Minnesota’s lineup is, Josh Donaldson will likely sit today and after the big first series, the Twins have scored only seven runs the past three games.

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1-0 NBA Restart, 11-1 NBA RUN!

Nelly’s took an 10-1-1 run into the NBA break and we added our first winner in the restart last night, now over 63% on the 2019-20 season. Join us for a pick tonight for only $15 or play through the NBA Finals for only $199 as we look to build on a now 11-1 run!


Nelly’s Baseball was also a winner last night and we’ve had a productive start to the 2020 season on the diamond. Daily selections are available from Nelly’s and Bobby Dalton.


The Big Dog Bobby Dalton is also releasing Horse Racing advice for tonight’s action at his home track, Monmouth Park. He hit 16 of 29 winners in races Friday/Saturday/Sunday last week at Monmouth. For just $12 get his picks on tonight’s concise 6-race card. 


Keep posted for Free Picks and updates on all the daily selections at www.nellysports.com.


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NBA is back + Free MLB Pick

The NBA is back – Nelly’s has hit 62.9% in the 2019-20 NBA season, going for our third straight NBA regular season at over 60%. We have a live 10-1-1 NBA run active as we were on a roll when things halted in March. Watch us get right back on track with a pick in the opening double-header for Thursday – $15 pay after you win! Consider joining for the entire NBA season for just $199!

Nelly’s MLB missed last night with a lead blown by one of the top MLB bullpens but we are ready to release our first MLB total of the season tonight. Win with that guaranteed pick for only $15 pay after you win, or join through the World Series for just $199.

Bobby Dalton is 2-0 in MLB 10* picks after a 2-0 night yesterday that included a 10* win and a sizable underdog cash! Join the Big Dog for Thursday Baseball and keep posted for his first NBA selection of the restart. Dalton also put together a strong horse racing card last weekend hitting 16 of 29 winners Friday-Sunday at Monmouth. He will be posting picks for the track Friday night with a six-race slate.

Here is a free pick for Thursday MLB:

#951 Chicago Cubs (Darvish) + over Cincinnati Reds (Castillo) 5:10 PM CT

The Reds lineup got a jolt last night as Nick Senzel and Mike Moustakas returned to action after it was feared that they would be out for weeks. A 9-0 lead was threatened however as Chicago made a run late in the eventual 12-7 defeat. Cincinnati scored 12 runs on only 10 hits and only had three at-bats with runners in scoring position, fewer than the Cubs had last night. Chicago’s bullpen has displayed some problems in the season’s first week but the late innings for the Reds have fared no better and Cincinnati has needed significant relief innings already in this series. Luis Castillo emerged as the Cincinnati ace last season and he pitched well in his 2020 debut with six strong innings, posting 11 strikeouts and allowing only one run. That outing came vs. the lowly Tigers however and Castillo allowed nine runs over four starts vs. Chicago last season including six runs allowed in his most recent two starts vs. the Cubs. Yu Darvish has the best strikeout rate of any active MLB starter and that was on display in his season debut despite a tough luck loss vs. Milwaukee last weekend. He struck out 45 Reds over five starts last season and remains a high ceiling option on the mound, while rarely generating this type of an underdog price since joining the popular Cubs.

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NBA Restart in 48 Hours!

On Thursday, July 30 the NBA will return with the start of an eight-game conclusion to the regular season to finalize the seeding for the playoffs. We discussed each team with notes and standings in our NBA Restart Preview Guide a few weeks ago.

While the new format with a possible play-in round for the #8 spot is alluring, ultimately the positioning changes won’t be of critical importance to most of the contenders. Most teams will simply be looking to stay healthy and get back in sync for a playoff run. That will still mean some great opportunities, particularly for certain underdog situations in games that may only carry meaning on one side.

Once the playoffs begin, it could be wild run of closely contested series. The long layoff and the lack of a home court advantage will certainly penalize the favorites that built great records before the break, and certainly this could be a second straight season with a surprise NBA champion. The NBA playoffs are notoriously chalky but that may not be the case in this unusual shortened season run where every team will be at risk to have juggle its roster in key stretches.

Here are the top contenders and the adjusted NBA title prices, some of which have changed from the numbers in our NBA Restart Preview Guide which was put together several weeks ago:

Los Angeles Lakers (+250): Everyone will be expecting a LA/LA Western Conference Finals but the Lakers are moving forward without Avery Bradley who started 44 games and was a great defensive asset. Rajon Rondo is also likely out until September. Anthony Davis may open up the restart on the shelf along with Dwight Howard, though the Lakers have very little risk of losing the #1 seed in the West.

Milwaukee Bucks (+250): The Bucks are a massive favorite to win the Eastern Conference and almost certainly will be the #1 seed in the playoffs. A franchise and city in a long title drought will have a harder path than they deserved in these circumstances as no team was likely hurt more (in terms of championship probability) than the Bucks. Milwaukee had rested Giannis Antetokounmpo consistently to prepare for this run. Adding to the challenge has been the opportunity for several quality East teams that underachieved to get healthy.

Los Angeles Clippers (+333): The Clippers have pulled a slightly easier schedule than the Lakers in the 8 games to finalize the seeding but 5.5 games is an overwhelming hurdle even if the Clippers take the opener with their rival. This group isn’t a lock to hold on to the #2 seed as Denver or Utah will try to make a run at passing them up. That is of particular importance with Houston lurking as the likely #5 or #6 seed though many seeding scenarios are still in play in the middle of the West playoff standings. The Clippers have roster issues as well with Patrick Beverley, Montrezl Harrel, and Lou Williams all leaving the team for various situations as this team could be vulnerable.

Given the unusual nature of this playoff season the variance figures to be higher and we’ll be looking to take a shot with some of the sleepers listed deeper in the odds. Be sure to join us for our NBA Restart Package for only $199.

Nelly’s has had three absolutely huge NBA regular seasons in a row, hitting just over 63% in 2017-18, just over 66% in 2018-19, and we were riding a 62.9% record including a 10-1 run before Covid-19 shut down the 2019-20 season. We’ll be well prepared for the resumption of the regular season and the playoff schedule in Orlando expected to span from late July through the Finals in late October (we went 4-1 in the NBA Finals last season).

Nelly’s and Bobby Dalton have both had winning starts through the first five days of the MLB season, check out daily picks or join for the rest of the MLB season!

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75% MLB start in 2020 + Free Pick

Nelly’s hit underdogs over the weekend to climb to 3-1 on the season for a great start in baseball’s return. Join us for a NL Contender Clash selection for only $15 on Monday night – or consider signing up for the whole season through the World Series for three months of updates for just $199!

Bobby Dalton also has a winning record in MLB to start the season including cashing his first 10* Best Bet of the season on Friday. The Big Dog looks to move to 2-0 on Best Bets with another great pick for Monday’s schedule just $19.99!

Dalton also turned in a nice weekend in horse racing with 16 first places out of 29 at Monmouth. Don’t miss his horse selections next week.

The NBA is set to return on Thursday as Nelly’s looks to build on three consecutive over 60% regular seasons in the NBA, taking an active 10-1 run into the restart. Join for all picks through the NBA Finals for $199.

Check out Monday’s Free Pick in MLB action below:

#910 Tampa Bay Rays (Glasnow) – over Atlanta Braves (Foltynewicz) 5:40 PM CT
Tyler Glasnow had impressive results over 12 starts in a season cut short in 2019 for the Rays. He took only one loss and posted a better than 5:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Even with those high strikeout marks he allowed only four home runs in over 60 innings of work and had an over 50 percent groundball rate. Glasnow is likely to be eased into the season and shouldn’t be counted on for a deep outing but he should leave the excellent Rays bullpen in a good position. After an opening day loss the Rays won back-to-back games vs. Toronto, getting the job done in extra-innings yesterday. The deep pitching staff has plenty of options and should have most top relievers available for Monday aside from Trevor Richards and Andrew Kittredge who both threw 40 pitches Sunday in relief. The Tampa Bay offense still lacks big names but so far has the third best walk rate in all of MLB to offset marginal production numbers as the Rays are 2-1 despite only hitting two home runs so far. After low-scoring games to start the season the formidable Braves offense exploded for 14 runs Sunday to take the opening series with the Mets. Atlanta had seven hits with runners in scoring position and six two-out RBI while hitting four home runs. They won’t get to face Rick Porcello today however and will face a travel turnaround for the first time this season after a big first series in Queens that featured tense games Friday and Saturday including the extra-innings escape on Saturday. Atlanta has been a very poor OBP team so far this season and has a 28 percent strikeout rate that is among the worst in baseball so far. Tampa Bay is among the best in baseball at exploiting those opportunities and a Rays team that was great at home last season and is one of the few true AL contenders is priced about as lightly as they should expect to be all season long at Tropicana with Glasnow on the mound.

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MLB Saturday + Free Pick

Check out MLB action on Saturday – Nelly’s and Bobby Dalton have single play offers! Nelly’s has a daytime pick in AL action for $15 while Dalton has an evening selection for only $12! Dalton won 10* pick last night on the diamond.

NBA action starts next Thursday, Dalton is also featuring Horse Racing selections for Saturday at Monmouth Park with 13 races predicted.

Free MLB Pick for Saturday:

#913 Colorado Rockies (Gray) + over Texas Rangers (Minor) 4:05 PM ET

Last night’s narrow win for the Rangers in this contest to open the season has pushed the favorite line 30 cents for the hosting Rangers, a number that could climb back by first pitch Saturday afternoon. Both offenses struggled last night with only three hits apiece as Texas plated the only run in the sixth inning, getting the only hit with runners in scoring position in the entire game. Colorado had more chances but struck out 14 times. Mike Minor had a strong season for the Rangers last year but he isn’t the strikeout pitcher that Lance Lynn is and his fly ball tendencies will carry greater risk against a still powerful Colorado lineup. Minor struggled with his command relative to his career totals with a 2.9 BB/9 last season and he’ll be making his debut in this ballpark like everyone else. Minor had an xFIP more than a run higher than his ERA as he is a prime AL regression candidate on the mound for 2020. Jon Gray has had an odd career over four-plus seasons, looking like one of the best young pitchers in the NL in 2016 and 2017 before greatly struggling and being sent to the minors in 2018. He rebounded last season even as the Rockies struggled and remains a high ceiling option with strikeout potential. He also became an over 50 percent groundball out pitcher last season and that should pay dividends in this matchup of powerful lineups. Colorado made just 22 relief pitches yesterday as the bullpen will be in great shape for the second game of this series while the Rangers needed three full innings plus 20+ pitch outings from its top two relievers to seal the one-run game. Both of these teams should greatly benefit from the playoff expansion as middle-of-the-pack squads that could rise into the field in the 16-team format. Expect another tight game Saturday but the pricing adjustment makes Colorado an attractive play in this pitching matchup.

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1-0 MLB Starts – Free Pick Friday

Nelly’s and Bobby Dalton both won last night for 1-0 starts to the 2020 MLB season last night!

Get offers for Friday night with a single play from Nelly’s for $15 and a 2-for-1 offer from Bobby Dalton for $19.99!
Season Subscriptions for the 60-game regular season and playoffs are available at very reasonable prices. 

Bobby Dalton is also posting Monmouth Park Horse Racing advice for Friday night as well for only $15, win on his home track tonight. 
Don’t miss NBA action starting next week – email us if you missed our MLB or NBA Preview Guides. 

A Free Pick for Friday night is posted below. Our Free Pick phone line is no longer active but we’ll be posting picks regularly on the site. 

Friday MLB Free Pick:

#965 Colorado Rockies (Marquez) + over Texas Rangers (Lynn) 7:05 PM CT

The Rockies were a huge disappointment in 2019 dropping 20 wins from its 2018 playoff season. German Marquez was a bright spot however with steady numbers for the Rockies, compiling a third consecutive double-digit win season. Marquez is still only 25 and could climb higher in stature with a K/9 that was north of 9.0 last season and great improvement in his walk rate. Pitching at Coor’s Field his ERA soared to 4.76 but an xFIP of 3.54 was much more impressive and he also significantly gained on his groundball rate last season. Bullpen depth won’t be a strength for the Rockies but Wade Davis is an elite option while Jairo Diaz and Carlos Estevez can generate strikeouts as Colorado will be in position to close out games even while Scott Oberg is on the IL. Marquez also owns a 3.72 ERA away from Coor’s as he should be in position to have success Friday night. The new ballpark in Texas opens tonight to offer some unknowns but obviously it won’t be the celebratory debut the Rangers hoped for. Texas is an intriguing team in the AL with some quality veteran starters but Lance Lynn is a candidate to slide backwards this season. Lynn won 16 games and posted a career high K/9 last season, somewhat out of the blue after an uneven 2018 season. He transformed into much more of a strikeout/fly ball pitcher last season but also benefited from a light path as nine of his quality starts came vs. the Royals, Mariners, and Angels, accounting for nearly a third of his season statistics. The first month of the season is historically Lynn’s worst with a 3.94 ERA in March and April. Texas has six possible contributors likely ruled out for tonight with a lengthy IL report as while the Rangers may be a viable AL playoff threat in the expanded format, the opening night matchup looks problematic.

Don’t miss our rated pick tonight for only $15! We started the season 1-0 on Thursday!

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MLB Season Opens July 23

Baseball is finally ready to start its season on Thursday night!

We posted our usual MLB Preview Guide a few weeks ago with the below win total predictions for the abbreviated MLB season. We are ready to go and could have our first pick on opening night!

Daily updates via email and/or text are included with our 2020 MLB Season Subscription available for only $199 – with the season from late July to the end of October that is just ~$60 a month!

Bobby Dalton also expects to post regular MLB updates and has his season package available with a great history of success on the diamond.

Here are the win totals we posted in early July:

NL EAST

BEST BET: UNDER 31½ – Philadelphia Phillies: A third of the games for the Phillies will be against the Nats and the Braves, clear NL contenders. Add in 10 more games with a formidable Mets rotation and wins will be tough to come by for a limited offensive team. The Marlins pitching staff even offers some promise while the AL East draw won’t do the Phillies any favors. New acquisition Zack Wheeler has already questioned being able to finish the season with his first child on the way while putting the DH in the NL isn’t likely to benefit the Philadelphia lineup as much as other teams in the division with better offensive depth. Aaron Nola regressed last season and returning to his 2018 form isn’t likely in a short season as he has been a very slow starter with a 5.68 ERA in March/April in his career. Rookie Spencer Howard is likely the leading candidate for the fifth spot in the rotation with Jake Arrieta and Zach Eflin at best average options after Nola. The Philadelphia bullpen is already littered with injuries for a unit that had limited promise to start with. 31½ doesn’t sound like an overwhelming figure, but the Phillies were just a .500 team in 2019 and haven’t topped .500 in a season since the 2011 campaign.  

NL CENTRAL

BEST BET: OVER 30½ Wins – Milwaukee Brewers: The Brewers don’t have many household names in the rotation following rising star Brandon Woodruff but the Brewers should be well-suited for a short campaign as they can lean on the deep and versatile bullpen. Milwaukee is 55 games above .500 the past three years combined and last season made its great late season run without Christian Yelich. The Cubs and Pirates are surely candidates to decline in 2020 compared to last season while drawing a third of the schedule against the AL Central while completely avoiding the NL East and NL West teams is a huge plus for Milwaukee’s chances at returning to the playoffs for a third straight season. While Craig Counsell’s creativity may take a hit with the implementation of the DH in the NL this season, the Brewers have viable DH candidates in an aging Ryan Braun and defensively challenged Keston Hiura, while sluggers Ryon Healy and Logan Morrison are also in camp looking to possibly earn a spot behind new addition Justin Smoak. Another newcomer Avisail Garcia also could reemerge as a major contributor after battling injuries the past two seasons in Chicago and Tampa Bay.

NL WEST

BEST BET: OVER 31 – Arizona Diamondbacks: The Dodgers are certainly the favorites in the West but Arizona held its own in that series last season and went 39-32 after the All Star break in 2019 despite falling out of the playoff race with a mid-September slide. Madison Bumgarner is the high-profile addition to lead the staff but Robbie Ray, Zac Gallen, and Luke Weaver give the Diamondbacks a solid rotation top-to-bottom. The schedule will also work out well for Arizona with 30 games ahead vs. the Rockies, Padres, and Giants, division foes that Arizona could have done much better against last season. Houston and Oakland will be difficult draws from the AL but that division crossover will also bring four games with Seattle and will mean much lesser travel than the team is accustomed to. Arizona has had three consecutive winning seasons, even in years dealing with a historically great Dodgers team and a more formidable Colorado team than is expected this season. The Rockies have a bit of rebound potential this season but the Giants aren’t as likely to hang around as long this season, while San Diego remains a team with many question marks. The Dodgers will also lean on three ultra-young starters behind Clayton Kershaw which could mean some inconsistency and more work for the bullpen.

AL EAST

BEST BET: UNDER 31½ – Boston Red Sox: The 2018 Red Sox were a historically great team with 108 wins and a World Series title. Last season Boston dropped to just 84 wins and the climb downward could continue in the abbreviated 2020 season. New York and Tampa Bay look like perhaps the top two AL contenders and those two teams will fill a third of Boston’s schedule, teams the Red Sox combined to go 12-26 against last season. Last season’s #5 starter for the Red Sox Eduardo Rodriguez is now the staff ace by default while Nathan Eovaldi and Collin McHugh back from injuries and an aging Martin Perez off a season overachievement will need to fill out the rotation. Subtracting Mookie Betts isn’t going to spell improvement as the lineup is much less intimidating and will also draw 20 games against the pitching-rich NL East as well, with Boston only 10-10 in interleague play last season. Boston went 21-11 vs. the AL Central last season and had a winning record against four of five AL West teams and now has all of those opponents erased. 31½ sounds low for a popular Red Sox team accustomed to being in contention but winning 32 games means a 53.3% winning percentage for at team that won at a 51.9% clip last season. 

AL CENTRAL

BEST BET: UNDER 34 – Minnesota Twins: Given that the Twins will play the Royals and Tigers 20 times and capable but not overly formidable Cleveland and Chicago squads 20 times, many will call for a great season in Minnesota. The Twins were clear overachievers last season with 101 wins however in a historically great home run season. Minnesota got unexpected starting pitching last season and now is turning to three veterans that have battled injuries and inconsistency in recent years to replace much of that success. Jose Berrios and Jake Odorizzi also are regression candidates at the top of the rotation and the short summer camp will likely mean more reliance on a bullpen that lacked quality depth last season. The NL Central draw is a tricky one with likely four quality teams in that group and the Twins were just 8-12 in interleague games last season. Minnesota still lost its season series with the Indians last year and was a fortunate team in one-run games with a 23-12 record. A huge 21-8 May buoyed the season with Minnesota a more average performer in the mid-summer months before another embarrassing playoff sweep. Josh Donaldson is a high profile addition but several returnees might struggle to match their 2019 pace.

AL WEST

BEST BET: OVER 28½ – Texas Rangers: The new ballpark will be an unknown factor but there remains a lot to like about the Texas lineup. Adding Corey Kluber gives the Rangers a potential ace to match with the quality results Lance Lynn and Mike Minor have provided while Kyle Gibson remains a pitcher with a tantalizing upside. The rotation is high on experience which could help to offset some of the uncertainty in the bullpen. The case for the Rangers also hinges on clear paths to decline from Houston and Oakland. The Astros will remain formidable but two expected starters in the rotation haven’t even reported yet and everyone will be looking to spoil Houston’s season. Oakland also has some regression potential after back-to-back 97-win seasons. The five projected starters for Oakland won a combined 30 games last season and while the bullpen can carry the team it may be a tougher path. Seattle looks like one of the worst teams in baseball this season as Texas could produce a much better record in that series this season. The NL West interleague draw also offers some matchup and travel benefits to the Rangers as this team that was 48-42 at the All Star break last season has the potential to be a sleeper in the AL playoff race. Texas should at least have a good shot for a .500 campaign following three straight losing seasons.