Jim Feist's FREE Play for Friday is the Miami Marlins against the Cleveland Guardians. Miami will have their ace Sandy Alcantara on the mound while Cleveland brings up rookie left-handed pitcher Parker Messick. Messick will have his hands full against a Miami batting order that ranks as one of the hottest offenses in the NL over the past week.

Miami has been playing really well coming into the All-Star break behind consistent offensive contributions from Otto Lopez, Xavier Edwards and Liam Hicks. Getting to play in front of their home crowd will give Miami another boost as well. If Alcantara can give them a quality start, the Marlins should be able to manage the game from about the 5th inning on.

Jim's Play: 926. Marlins

New York is coming in hot with four wins in its last five games and at least six runs scored in five consecutive games. After back-to-back victories against Kansas City by scores of 6-2 and 7-3, Juan Soto, Bo Bichette and the Mets’ young hitters have started clicking at the same time, allowing their lineup to look vastly improved from earlier in the season. They also hold home-field advantage. 

The Mets will send Nolan McLean to the mound who will be making his 21st start of the year. McLean comes in at 6-5 with a 3.73 ERA and 118 strikeouts. His swing-and-miss stuff should give him a chance against a Boston lineup that has hit well recently but is still only averaging around 4.1 runs per game. If he can limit Boston in the early innings, New York can rely on its bullpen to hold the fort and pick up the win.

Boston is sending Sonny Gray to the mound, who sports an excellent 10-1 record and 2.61 ERA on the year, so the Mets may not have a ton of opportunities to score runs. Still, New York has the power advantage with 110 home runs to Boston’s 81, and the Mets have simply been hitting better lately. Soto is near the .300 mark with 21 bombs of his own, and Bichette leads the club with 51 RBIs. The Mets have enough thump in the middle of their lineup to take advantage of any opportunity that comes their way, even against a good starting pitcher like Gray.

The money line also sees New York as a slight favorite, sitting at around -125. Boston is riding high with five wins in its last five games and 10 of its last 12, but they’ll be doing so on the road against a Mets team hitting the baseball well and playing with confidence after sweeping a series for the first time in a while.

Bet on the Mets to keep their hot streak alive by limiting Boston early and building up enough offense against Gray and the Red Sox bullpen.

Jim's Play: 928. Mets

Friday’s game between the Twins and Angels truly begins with the two offenses playing against each other. Minnesota comes into this one averaging more runs while also posting a better team batting average than Los Angeles, who has struggled to manufacture consistent offense despite their power. The Twins also have the home-field advantage after going 4-1 in their last five games.

Twins Starting Pitcher: Zebby Matthews is coming back to Earth after a rough stretch earlier this season. Matthews owns a 3.28 ERA and 1.14 WHIP across his last four starts and is getting a great home matchup against an Angels team that hasn’t hit for much power outside of Anaheim.

Angels Starting Pitcher: Grayson Rodriguez is healthy again and returning from the injured list due to lower-back inflammation. Rodriguez has been working on rehab starts, but there is still some mystery about how many innings he’ll be able to handle while also tuning up ahead of his first start back. Either variable has the potential to force Angels manager Phil Nevin to dip into his bullpen sooner than he wants to.

Minnesota’s lineup has more pop throughout the entire order than Los Angeles does. From Byron Buxton to Royce Lewis to Josh Bell, the Twins can accumulate damage at a quicker rate than anyone else in the Angels lineup. Minnesota’s offense leads the AL in runs per game, and it should be able to make Rodriguez work while also getting looks against an Angels bullpen that’ll be without key arms.

Jim's Play: 920. Twins

Starting pitching sets up an over-friendly scenario between the New York Yankees and Washington Nationals Friday.

Both offenses will have the opportunity to jump on their opponents early because the pitching matchup leans in that direction.

The Yankees will turn to Ryan Weathers, who has yet to prove he can go deep into games. If he struggles with command or leaves men on base early, Washington’s lineup should be able to work deep into New York’s bullpen before the night is over.

Washington counters with left-hander Carson Palmquist, who will miss some bats but is still inexperienced against major-league hitters. That will prove to be a tough assignment against a Yankees lineup that is full of right-handed bats with power to all fields. Look for New York to grind away at Palmquist, increase his pitch count and string together hits before Washington’s bullpen takes the mound.

The Yankees offense should also begin to come around and Washington has speed and power up and down its lineup that can hurt Weathers if he pitches poorly.

Weak relief corps from both teams gives the over another avenue to victory should the game hang tight entering the later innings.

Because Palmquist will have his work cut out for him against New York’s dangerous lineup, Weathers comes into the game with some concerning trends and both bullpens have the potential to give up runs, this game will hit double digits on Friday.

Jim's Play: 923. Yankees / Nationals OVER 

The Los Angeles Dodgers should easily cover the run line (-1.5) on Friday as they hold significant advantages on the mound, on offense and at home.

Pitching is the biggest advantage for Los Angeles. The Dodgers will start Shohei Ohtani who is 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA and has thrown at least six innings in 13 of his first 14 starts. Arizona will counter with Eduardo Rodriguez who has been stellar himself at 7-3 with a 2.25 ERA but Ohtani has been dominant this year and should give the Dodgers a chance to jump out to an early lead.

Los Angeles has the more powerful offense as well. Even against good pitching the Dodgers have game-changing talent at Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Andy Pages and Mookie Betts. Pages is the team leader with 64 RBIs, but Ohtani already has 20 homers and this lineup produces at an elite level no matter who is hitting in the heart of the order.

The Dodgers also have momentum riding into this series as they have the best record in the NL at 61-33. Arizona, on the other hand, has lost 10 of its last 16 games while just losing a tough series against the San Diego Padres. Los Angeles has opened up its division lead and have capitalized on other poor NL West teams at home.

Finally, Los Angeles is at home where it has been one of the best teams in baseball. Assuming Ohtani goes deep into the game and the bullpen is rested up, Los Angeles should be able to hold any lead and tack on some insurance runs late.

Jim's Play: 908. Dodgers -1.5 Runs

I'll be taking the over here on Friday and it starts with defense. Both teams lack defensive identity. Chicago is allowing opponents 88.8 points per game and the Sparks have consistently been a part of very high-scoring affairs. Los Angeles has averaged 90.4 points over its last five games while allowing 101.4 during that same span.

The Sparks should be able to move the ball efficiently against a bottom-third defense in Chicago. Los Angeles is scoring 88.4 points per game on 45.3% shooting from the floor, providing them with enough offensive firepower to reach 90 points at home. Chicago counters with an 86.1 points per game attack so expect both teams to contribute if the total lands in the upper 170s or around 180.

Chicago will likely be without Skylar Diggins and DiJonai Carrington, which could also bode well for the over. The duo’s absence obviously hinders Chicago’s perimeter defense and its ability to contain the Sparks guards. Chicago could lose a little bit of creation offensively without Diggins, but you have to assume they’ll also play at a faster pace and rely more on early offense instead of bogging things down with half-court sets.

Neither team has shown any sort of consistency on defense, which is why I'm looking at the over in this spot. Both teams should feel like they have a punchers chance in this game and attacking might be the best option for both teams. Expect an aggressive pace with tons of transition baskets and late game free throws if the game is close.

Jim's Play: 645. Chi Sky / LA Sparks OVER

Toronto is coming in with a three-game winning streak, and Chad Kelly is playing more like the MOP-caliber quarterback who took over games for the Argonauts in years past. Toronto’s offense has turned into one of the CFL’s most explosive units. Kelly is finding Damonte Coxie, David Ungerer III and Makai Polk while consistently making big plays downfield. The Argonauts have scored 30 or more points in three straight games proving they can win games throwing the ball and by putting together long drives.

The biggest storyline coming into this game is Winnipeg’s quarterback battle. Veteran Zach Collaros is questionable to play with a neck injury, and Winnipeg had yet to name a starter going into Thursday. If Collaros is ruled out or unable to go, Winnipeg’s offense loses valuable experience and their downfield passing game. Their offense would have to rely on forcing defensive scoring chances and the defense would need to keep them in games.

Winnipeg’s defense is still one of the tougher units in the league, but Toronto’s offense has been clicking on all cylinders. Chad Kelly is taking care of the football and making plays with his legs when plays break down. Toronto has also excelled at finishing drives in the red zone. Those two factors should be enough for them to overcome the tough road atmosphere at Princess Auto Stadium and cover and win here on Friday. 

Jim's Play: 695. Tor Argonauts