As the first weekend of Major League Baseball's second half wraps up, MLB Handicapper Dalton Brown is back with two more plays for Sunday's packed slate.
1:37 p.m. ET: Arizona Diamondbacks at Toronto Blue Jays: Diamondbacks F5 moneyline (+150) at Bet365
The Arizona Diamondbacks will be looking to avoid a sweep as they finish out their series with the Toronto Blue Jays from north of the border Sunday, and I am backing young righty Tommy Henry to stake the snakes to an early lead.
Henry has found his groove of late, surrendering a run or less in three straight starts and two runs or less in four straight. The lefty has lowered his ERA for the season to 3.75 with his recent run, and takes on a Toronto team on Sunday that ranks just 16th in baseball in wRC+ vs. southpaws since June 1.
Blue Jays starter Yusei Kikuchi has not been nearly as hot of late, surrendering four or more runs in each of his last two starts. Kikuchi has been a volatile starter throughout his career, capable of either dominance or horror on any given night. That's exactly the kind of pitcher I'd like to take plus-money against, especially while he's in a bit of a rut.
I'm expecting a focused offensive approach from the Diamondbacks, who have now fallen two games behind the Dodgers in the competitive NL West. Arizona needs this game badly, and Tommy Henry is the man for the job - at least in the early going.
7:10 p.m. ET: Houston Astros at Anaheim Angels: OVER 9 (-115) at FanDuel
After Houston's bullpen and defense each imploded on Saturday night, allowing the Angels to even their three-game set with the Astros at one game apiece, I'm expecting more fireworks between these two red-hot offenses on Sunday Night Baseball. Both bullpens are incredibly taxed after a 13-12, extra-inning disaster, and neither starting pitcher taking the bump in the series finale inspires much confidence right now.
Cristian Javier will pitch for the Astros, a righty in the midst of a career-worst stretch. Javier has seen his ERA balloon to 4.34 after allowing 22 runs over his last five starts, including 14 runs over his last two. He has struggled with command at times and been hit hard at other times, and his 5.47 ERA away from Minute Maid Park does not bode well for him here. The Angels have been mashing right-handed pitching even without Mike Trout in the lineup, as evidenced by their wRC+ of 123 (third-best in MLB) since June 1 in that split.
Anaheim will counter with Tyler Anderson, a lefty who has not been able to replicate his 2022 success with the Dodgers. Anderson has been serviceable, but far from exceptional as evidenced by his 4.68 xERA for the season. The lefty is in for a potentially long night on Sunday with Houston in town, and lineup posting an absurd wRC+ of 125 (fifth-best in MLB) against lefties since June 1. And while both bullpens rank in the bottom half of the league in xFIP since June 15, it is Anaheim's unit that ranks dead-last in baseball.
Hot offenses, tired bullpens, and middling-to-struggling starting pitching. On national television, no less. The broadcast will spend the entire three hours talking about Shohei Ohtani, but try not to miss the barrage of offense along the way.