Will the Cubs roll to victory? ...

Will the Red Sox win their fifth straight? ...

Both teams combined for 16 runs yesterday. ...

Coming right back with it. ...

Bailey Ober is having a career best season. ...

Here are the early bets I made after the NFL schedule release ...

Andre Pallante has been over this strikeout total in five of six starts since the move from the bullpen. There's talk of him sticking as the 5th starter moving forward, because of his solid results, so trust is being built with each start. He's bumped his pitch count up to a full starter's workload as well, throwing 95 and 88 pitches the last two times out, so he should have enough run to at least get opportunities to hit the over here. Pallante should use his curveball against this lineup, as they've struggled with that pitch and it's a pitch he has a 40% whiff rate on.

Awful week. "Just a flesh wound!?" Had been a good season where avoided slumps because I play sides, totals and props but it's all going wrong. The Dodgers score four in the first Wednesday and lose at home. Sure. Will take a bit of a breather and let things settle. But can't NOT play one game on the holiday. Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet, etc. Haven't had a HD in years (might today), don't like apple pie and never owned a Chevy. The Reds likely won't have closer Alexis Diaz available and perhaps a few others behind inconsistent former Yankee Frankie Montas. Home teams have won 59 of past 82 on the holiday. Little extra motivation, big crowds, etc.

Something is wrong with the Mariners, who aren't even winning at home these days. More specifically, four straight losses at T-Mobile Park after they recently won 14 of 15 at home. But the offense has suddenly gone into neutral, generating just one run across the past two nights vs. the Orioles, and that's before facing Birds ace Corbin Burnes, with a 2.14 ERA since the start of May with the O's also winning in seven of his last eight starts. Thus we hardly give an edge to Seattle in any pitching battle here with Bryce Miller and his 4.94 ERA since the start of May.

If this series were a boxing match, it would have been stopped via TKO by now after the Red Sox have battered the Marlins two nights running by identical 8-3 and 7-2 scorelines. After facing a succession of capable offenses, Sox starter Nick Pivetta now gets the break of facing one of MLB's worst as Miami's run-scoring issues remain acute. Hardly good news for the Marlins as extended opener Kyle Tyler is going to give way early to his bullpen, which hasn't slowed down the Boston attack the past two nights.

Likely miffed after getting roughed up in front of the home crowd last night, the Twins looks a good bet to bounce back in this matinee. That's partly due to struggling Kenta Maeda (5.76 ERA) on the mound for Detroit, which has lost in Maeda's last six starts. A better option looks to be Minnesota and big Bailey Ober, who pitched six shutout innings vs. the Tigers on April 15 and has been on a good roll lately, allowing four runs and 12 hits across 21.1 IP in his last three starts.

The past seven times the Twins have won, it has been by two or more runs. Today's starter Bailey Ober has extreme home/road splits and loves pitching at Target Field with a 3.62 ERA and 37 Ks in 32.1 IP. He's faced the Tigers twice this season and gone six innings both times, allowing a total of one run on just five hits. Detroit's Kenta Maeda has been horrible overall and especially away from home, where he carries an 8.53 ERA, allowing seven HRs in just 25.1 IP with opponents batting .324 off him. The Tigers have lost four straight of his road starts, all by multiple runs and with a run differential of minus-18.

Cleveland had the best record in the AL not that long ago and the Pale Hose have given them more trouble than I figured. But we are still talking about a team with a +93 run differential against one with a minus-157. Ben Lively has been excellent for the Guardians and especially so at home, with Cleveland 5-0 in his home starts. Four of those came by two runs or more. He has a 2.15 home ERA. Chicago's starter is still somewhat murky. The Guardians have thrived in day games, going 21-10, while the Pale Hose are 10-26.

Chris Bassitt is having a solid season but get a tough matchup against a a very stingy Houston lineup that sports the lowest K Rate in the AL. Bassitt has failed to record 6+ Ks in 9/17 outings this season. Houston is very familiar with Bassitt and their lineup collectively possesses a sub 16% K Rate over 107 ABs.

The Yankees have lost the last two to the Reds but today on the 4th of July Frankie Montas is on the mound for the Reds and he's lost four straight starts meaning today's a great day to bet the Yankees. The last two games the Yankees let the Reds take charge at the beginning and came back at the end only to lose by one run. The key here is getting the upper hand and that's where Frankie Montas comes in play. Yankees will hit Montas and break their losing streak. Yankees have lost two in a row and seven of their last nine to cool off and their two aces in the rotation have failed miserably. Yankees to win.