The All-Star Game has come and gone (thank god) and not one person is talking about how great it was. That’s because aside from the first couple of innings, it really did suck. The only people who were interested in this game during the late innings were the die-hard fans of American League teams. Home field advantage is the big bonus of winning the Mid-Summer Classic, but with the 2-3-2 format, it’s almost a moot point.

Coming out of the break, we were treated to some decent baseball with the usual suspects picking up right where they left off. The Braves still suck (lost three of four), the Rays are terrible (lost three of four and what feels like 99 out of 100) and the Jays bullpen is still as shaky as ever. The next major MLB date to circle on your calendar is the MLB trade deadline on August 1. These next two weeks will determine if teams will be buyers or sellers and each start for a pitcher could serve as their audition for another team. Keep an eye out for any spot-starts, starts on shorter than normal rest, or if a key bat is out of the lineup for any peculiar reasons.

Tuesday’s MLB card offers up a full slate of games after last night’s slim pickings. The game everyone will be keeping an eye on is at Wrigley Field between the Mets and Cubs. This matchup features two of the games best pitchers squaring off in Noah Syndergaard and Jake Arrieta. The Cubs are a slight favorite in this one but the Mets have won eight of the last nine games between the two dating back to last year. I think this is the kind of game where watching might just be better than betting. The total is too low (7) to take the “under” but would you really want to take the “over” with these two pitchers starting? Didn’t think so. Lay off this game and follow me on two others I expect to make us some money.

These props are based on the First 5 Inning lines and I have the utmost confidence in what I expect to happen. As always, odds and lines are courtesy of 5dimes

Baltimore Orioles @ New York Yankees

With the Jays having an off day yesterday, Sportsnet Ontario (my home town Jays channel) decided it would be a good idea to air this game. While it looked good on paper and had the opportunity to provide fireworks and runs aplenty, Ivan Nova and Kevin Gausman combined to only give up three runs and ten hits. That’s not exactly how many people envisioned that game going. Well, I’ve got great news for “over” bettors. Tonight’s game will feature plenty of runs.

The pitching matchup for tonight’s contest sees a pair of relievers getting the start in hopes of adding some stability to their respective shaky rotations. For Baltimore, Vance Worley gets the ball tonight and he hasn’t started a game since April. In relief, Worley has a 2.23 ERA in 18 relief appearances. The thing is, it’s a much different feeling to start a game and turn in a quality start. Worley wasn’t the greatest starting pitcher during his time with the Phillies, so this will be a very tall task for him to overcome, especially at dinky Yankee Stadium. While the Yankees may not be the Yankees of old, they do have some pop in the lineup and could get Mark Teixeira back for this game after he sat out the last two with a sore foot.

Pitching for the Yankees tonight is Nathan Eovaldi. He will be returning to the rotation after making three appearances out of the bullpen. As a reliever he pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings, but as I already mentioned, it’s a different feeling all together. Coming out of the bullpen, you are put in spots that the manager feels you can succeed. It’s a lot tougher to start a game knowing you must pitch well to keep your team in the game for five or six innings. Prior to going into the bullpen, Eovaldi was torched for 15 runs, 19 hits and 8 walks in three games (15 2/3 innings).

I expect more of the same from him tonight against a potent Orioles lineup, which can use the small ballpark to their power advantage.

Pick: “Over” 4.5 �" First 5 Innings (-110)

Toronto Blue Jays @ Arizona Diamondbacks

Fresh off his All-Star appearance, Jays starting pitcher Aaron Sanchez goes for his ninth straight winning decision as he takes on the somewhat resurgent Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Sanchez comes into tonight’s game with a 9-1 record and a 2.97 ERA. He has not lost since April 22 when he lost at home to the Oakland Athletics.

The Jays as a team however have dropped two of three out of the All-Star break, losing 8-7 and 5-4 to Oakland before taking the finale on Sunday by a 5-3 score. The offense performed well despite playing in the massive Oakland Coliseum. The problem for them was the bullpen in game one and starting pitching in game two, which is par for the course so far this season. The good news for the Jays, is they get into a hitter-friendly ballpark in Arizona and they face off against a very light-hitting team. The starting pitchers should thrive in this series and anything short of a series win would be a disappointment.

The Diamondbacks come into this game after taking two of three from the Dodgers. They still sit in the middle of the pack for runs scored and on the lower end of the scale for runs allowed and hits allowed. Taking the mound tonight for them is Zack Godley who is 2-0 so far this season but with a 5.28 ERA and seven walks to offset 10 strikeouts. Godley last pitched against San Diego on July 5 and gave up eight hits and four runs with three walks.

Despite the unfamiliarity the Jays have with Godley, I don’t think those are the kind of numbers that make anyone feel confident in backing the Diamondbacks. This is a crucial series for the Jays if they want to remaining in the hunt for the AL East and I think they can ride Sanchez to the bank for at least one more game.

Pick: Toronto Blue Jays -0.5 �" First 5 Innings (-130)