Sean Murphy

N.L. Total of the Month. My selection is on the 'over' between Los Angeles and Chicago at 2:20 pm et on Wednesday.

The Dodgers bats were held quiet in Tarik Skubal's team debut last night as the Cubs took the second straight games in this series, by a score of 5-1. I'm expecting the Los Angeles offense to bounce back in Wednesday's series finale. The conditions figure to favor the hitters at Wrigley Field this afternoon with warm temperatures and high humidity expected. We'll see a matchup of left-handed starters in Eric Lauer against Shota Imanaga. The Cubs rank best in baseball in wOBA against southpaw pitching this season while the Dodgers sit in sixth. I expect this contest to be taxing on both starters and while both bullpens do offer plenty of depth, they also have a number of higher-leverage arms that are likely unavailable for this contest due to recent workload. Look for plenty of offensive fireworks on Wednesday. Take the over (10*).

My selection is on Chicago over Boston at 7:10 pm et on Wednesday.

The White Sox were crushed in the opener of this series last night. I think the starting pitching advantage swings back in their favor on Wednesday, however, and we'll back them at an underdog price. Sean Burke is one of the most underrated starters in baseball right now for Chicago. He's 7-5 with a 3.29 FIP and 1.10 WHIP and figures to fare well at Fenway Park having yielded less than one home run and three walks per nine innings this season. Burke has struck out a whopping 20 batters in just 12 innings over his last two starts. Sonny Gray will counter for Boston. Current White Sox hitters have gone a healthy 17-for-52 (.327) with an .844 OPS against the veteran right-hander. Gray enters in poor form having allowed nine earned runs on 17 hits over his last two outings, covering a span of just 12 innings. Take Chicago (8*).

My selection is on Cleveland over New York at 6:40 pm et on Wednesday.

The Mets cruised to a 6-2 win to open this series last night. I'll call for the Guardians to answer back on Wednesday as they continue to try to track down the division-leading White Sox. New York is simply trying to play spoiler at this point as it has been a disappointing season to be sure. The Mets figure to be feeling good about themselves following last night's victory but I think a letdown is in order on Wednesday. Starter Christian Scott is being given plenty of respect with this line - a little too much in my opinion. While he did pitch exceptionally well throughout July, the Mets only managed to win two of his five starts. I'll also point out that Scott has lasted six innings or more just once in 15 starts this season meaning we're likely to see plenty of the Mets depth-shy bullpen. Tanner Bibee will counter for Cleveland. He was a hard-luck loser last time out as he gave up just two earned runs on three hits over 7 1/3 innings against the Diamondbacks. He has always been a better pitcher at home than on the road and while that dichotomy hasn't been quite as pronounced this season, he still owns a solid 3.86 ERA and 1.09 WHIP with a 2.9 strikeout-to-walk ratio at Progressive Field. The Guardians have one of baseball's better bullpens and figure to have all hands on deck for this one with none of their relievers in 'overworked' territory. Take Cleveland (8*).

Non-Conference Game of the Month. My selection is on Seattle plus the points over New York at 7 pm et on Wednesday.

The Liberty took the front half of this two-game set in Brooklyn by 12 points on Monday. Credit New York for battling through a tough spot (returning home on one day rest following a three-game in five-day western road trip) but that lopsided victory had more to do with Seattle's poor shooting performance than anything else. New York allowed 70+ field goal attempts for the fourth time in its last six games and if Wednesday's game plays out similarly as I expect it to, I'm confident the Storm can stay inside the inflated pointspread. The Liberty have shot the lights out (50% or better) in three of their last four games, yet Monday's ATS win marked just their first victory against the number in nine games. Seattle has held three straight opponents to 68 or fewer field goal attempts and mired in a nine-game losing streak including 0-2 on its current road trip, I expect it to play with some desperation on Wednesday. New York will be glancing ahead at three consecutive off days before it hosts Las Vegas in a much-anticipated matchup on Sunday. Take Seattle (10*).