This article is part of our MLB Picks series.
RotoWire record: 16-25, -9.62 units
Astros -1.5 runs (-110) at Nationals
Justin Verlander vs. Patrick Corbin
The red-hot Astros finally had their winning streak stopped last night, but they have a good chance of getting back in the win column with ace Justin Verlander on the mound. Last time out, Verlander took a no-hitter into the eighth inning in the sharpest effort of what's already been a great season for him. He leads the majors with an 0.64 WHIP and is fourth in ERA at 1.55. Conversely, the Nationals have lost all of Patrick Corbin's starts this year, with all but one of those losses by multiple runs. As if we needed more incentive, Corbin is a lefty, and the Astros are 10-2 vs. LHP. Let's go Stros.
Jays (-114) at Rays
Alek Manoah vs. Jeffrey Springs
Manoah has been predictably sharp to start the year, completing six innings in all but one start, while not allowing more than two runs in any. He also fared extremely well vs. Tampa Bay last year, pitching 24.2 innings while striking out 36 batters and coming away with a 1.46 ERA. It's foolish to expect anything but another fine performance Sunday.
Alek Manoah over 5.5 strikeout (-148)
Manoah has had huge strikeout success vs. the Rays, and consistently completes six innings on the mound. With the Rays residing in their normal spot among the leaders in team strikeouts, and Manoah seeming likely for 6-7 innings, it appears a safe bet that Manoah can get to six strikeouts. I generally don't like to lay this much juice, but this is seemingly a likely result, and I think Manoah can cover it often enough (in this spot) to make it profitable.
White Sox (+106) vs. Yankees
Michael Kopech vs. Nestor Cortes
I targeted Nestor Cortes in fantasy drafts this year (as he was somehow going in the 300s), and have picked him in every start this year. That said, this looks like a good spot for the White Sox, who have their own upwardly mobile starter Michael Kopech on the mound. The White Sox have crushed LHP the last few years, going 44-19 since the 2020 season. That number likely would be even better, execpt that Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez have missed time with injuries. For Kopech's part, he has been brilliant to start the year (as has Cortes), posting a 0.93 ERA and 0.97 WHIP over 29 innings, complete with his excellent strikeout rate. Getting even money at home with Kopech on the mound and facing a lefty, let's go with the White Sox.
White Sox vs. Yankees under 8.5 runs (-118)
Obviously, both teams have good offenses and have been scoring a lot of runs in this series, but this is a big number with these two pitchers on the mound. I don't see a lot of runs being scored.
