One of the few good things 2020 has brought us is the opportunity to fade the Pittsburgh Pirates on a nightly basis.

The Pirates have lost each of their last 8 games and appear to have completely checked out of the season.

Their offence has been near non-existent, never managing to eclipse 4 runs in that 8-game period.

They remain at the cellar of the National League at 14-34, with an awful -84 run difference.

St Louis are firmly in the mix at 22-23 ahead of a 5-game series with the worst side in the league.

I expect them to be motivated here and play hard to get back into the playoff picture.

They’ve actually got a positive run differential, which tells me they’ve been slightly unlucky with their record.

Dakota Hudson has been one of their better pitchers this season and should be able to continue limiting the Pittsburgh batting lineup here.

If Pittsburgh are the worst side in baseball, the Dodgers are clearly the best.

They sit atop the National League with a very impressive 35-15 record through 50 games.

They’ve also got a run differential of +102, considerably better than any other side and indicative of their dominance.

Colorado started the season brightly but have really faded since.

They’re now in the bottom 5 in the conference with a 22-26 overall record and -48 run differential.

I think the Dodgers have a big matchup advantage on offense in this series and should enjoy success against Colorado’s pitching staff.

Julio Urias has also given them some good innings at starting pitcher and another strong display from him here would lead to a likely win.

Fading Pittsburgh has been automatic money of late and I’ll keep riding the train until the wheels fall off.

They’re comfortably the worst team in the majors and appear incredibly disinterested out on the field.

This series has led to a resurgence for Cincinnati, who aren’t too far out of the playoffs at 24-26.

They have 10 more wins, 7 less defeats, and a run difference that is 67 better than their Pittsburgh counterparts, indicative of the gulf in quality.

Luis Castillo has probably been their best pitcher this season and he shouldn’t have any trouble against this anaemic Pittsburgh offense.

JT Brubaker has struggled for the Pirates and the lack of a reliable bullpen means Cincy should score comfortably.

Although not quite as bad as Pittsburgh, the Red Sox have also been good fade material all season.

They sit just 18-31 with a -70-run differential, good for 2^nd last in the American League.

Don’t look now but Miami are on track for a playoff berth this season, sitting 5^th in the Conference at 24-22.

Their run differential suggests they’ve been fairly lucky in close games, but I still rate them as a much better side than Boston.

I think home field is a bigger factor than usual here, with Fenway Park still a daunting place to play.

Boston’s pitching has been atrocious this season, largely due to injuries, and I think Miami has the hitting depth to make them pay.

If they can contain the Red Sox on the other end, they should emerge victorious here.

Fading Pittsburgh has worked very well of late and I’m planning to continue that trend here.

I think Cincinnati are a substantially better side and look like good value at the current $1.74 price point.

Pittsburgh remain as the worst side in the National League, now just 14-32 with a -80 run difference.

Cincinnati haven’t been great this season, but they’re in much better shape at 23-26 with a -19 difference.

These two sides played twice yesterday and Cincinnati’s matchup advantages were on full display.

Pittsburgh have struggled mightily in the pitching department of late and I don’t see that changing here with Joe Musgrove on deck.

If Cincinnati get a good pitching outing from Michael Lorenzen, they should win relatively comfortably here.

I like St Louis in this spot, currently instilled as $1.65 road favourites.

They’ve looked decent in a fairly disjointed season, currently sitting .500 with a +26 run differential.

Compare that to Milwaukee, who are 4 games back in the win column with a -33 run differential.

That is 59 runs of difference between these sides, which is a better indicator of their differences than their current records.

I also like the pitching matchup for St Louis, with Flaherty back on deck today. Milwaukee have struggled in the hitting department this season and that should continue here.

The Cardinals also have the offensive firepower to go after Anderson here, which I’d expect to ultimately prove the difference.

I like Atlanta in this spot, currently listed as $1.60 road favourites away in Baltimore.

The Braves continue to be one of the best sides in baseball this season.

They sit 3^rd in the National League with a 28-19 record and also boast a plus 57 run differential.

This is significantly better than their opponents here, with Baltimore at just 26-20 and with a minus 18 differential.

The pitching matchups are relatively even in this one, with Toussaint and Lopez having both had their struggles so far.

Where Atlanta really has the edge here is in their batting lineup, which is deeper and more versatile than Baltimore’s.

I expect a high-powered offensive performance here, which should be the foundation for this win.

Not a huge selection of available markets yet for today’s slate, but I’ll lean towards Minnesota here.

Chicago have put up some great numbers this season and currently sit in the lead in the American League.

I think they’ve become somewhat overvalued in the market and Minnesota are very close in terms of quality.

This is a decent pitching matchup for Minnesota, with Berrios having been one of the best options in the majors for several seasons now.

Cease has had an inconsistent season for Chicago and looked poor in a loss to lowly Pittsburgh last time out.

He’ll face an uphill battle against the strong Minnesota batting lineup, which should ultimately prove the difference here.

Having won with Kansas City yesterday, I continue to think they’re good value in this series.

The Pirates have been the worst side in baseball this season and clearly don’t have anything tangible to play for.

They are a miserable 14-29 with a minus 62 run differential. They are 5 wins and 30 runs behind Kansas City.

I think the KC hitters have a big advantage in this one, with Kuhl and the Pittsburgh bullpen having struggled so far.

Brad Keller has been dependable for KC for the last few seasons and I’d expect him to contain Pittsburgh nicely here.

Throw in an extra advantage for home field and the Royals look to be good value again here.

The Blue Jays have been really impressive this season in some adverse circumstances and I like them to win today against New York.

Toronto currently occupy a playoff spot in the American League, sitting in 6^th place with a 25-20 record and plus 4 run differential.

This is in stark contrast to the Mets, who are 21-25 and find themselves in the bottom 5 of the National League.

The 3-game series is currently tied 1-1, but I think Toronto have enough advantages to secure the decisive win here.

For starters, Hyun-jin Ryu has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season and appears to match up very well with this Mets lineup.

Toronto’s bullpen has also generally performed well this season and should help keep the score down.

Young David Peterson hasn’t been great for the Mets and I can see Toronto getting after him here.

This pitching mismatch should loom large, with the Blue Jays looking like decent value at $1.65.

I like the look of Atlanta in this one, currently listed as slight $1.85 road favourites against Washington.

I’ve said it a few times this season, but this Washington title defence has to be one of the worst in recent memory.

They’re sitting 13^th out of 15 in the National League with a porous 17-26 record and negative 16 run differential.

Atlanta have been better in all of those metrics and are really looking like they could make a post-season run.

The Braves find themselves 3^rd in the Conference at 26-19 with a plus 52 run differential.

This is 68 runs better than the Nationals over the season and is reflective of the gap between the two sides.

I like both the hitting and pitching matchups for them here and expect them to justify the value on this $1.85 price.

When you’ve got the Pittsburgh Pirates almost favoured on the road, it has to be a fade at this point.

They’ve been the worst side in all of baseball this season, racing out to a 14-28 record and negative 59 run differential.

Kansas City have hardly been world beaters, but they’re still comfortably better in all of those metrics.

They’ve won 4 more games on the season and have a run differential that is 24 runs better despite playing more games.

I think their hitters can really tee off against Trevor Williams here, who’s been out of sync all season.

There is some pressure on young Royals pitcher Carlos Hernandez, but he has a relatively easy assignment here against the anaemic Pirates batting lineup.

Backed up with a solid bullpen, I expect him to contain Pittsburgh en route to a home win.

I’m opting for a few value underdogs today, starting with the Cubs at $2.35 away at Milwaukee.

The Brewers have been nothing special this season, sitting 10^th in the National League with a 19-22 record and negative 20 run differential.

Compare that with Chicago, who are 4^th in the Conference at 25-19 with a plus 13 run difference.

All up, the Cubs have been 4.5 games better than the Brewers this season and have a run differential that is 33 runs better.

The pitching matchup is also in their favour here, with ace Jon Lester having significantly outperformed Brandon Woodruff from Milwaukee.

I’m also a huge fan of Chicago’s hitting lineup, with the likes of Baez, Rizzo, and Bryant giving them the edge here.

This is my second value underdog of the day, taking St Louis at $2 at home against Cincinnati.

Cincinnati have definitely been below average this season, 12^th in the National League at 19-24 with a negative 24 run difference.

St Louis are a few games up in 6^th place, currently 19-18 with a much better plus 27 run differential.

That is 51 runs better than what Cincinnati has amassed, suggesting there’s a huge gap between these two sides.

There is probably a little bias in the market for Reds pitcher Luis Castillo, who has strung a few strong seasons together.

I think Adam Wainwright is an even better pitcher for St Louis and gives them a further advantage.

Add in their better hitters and their home field and I’m not sure why they’re underdogs here.

This is a pure line value play, where I’m taking Texas as $2.65 home underdogs.

I’m not sure the Angels should be $1.50 road favourites against anyone right now and would expect a close one here.

Both sides have an equal number of losses this season, with Texas 2 wins behind LA having played 2 less games.

Texas have started this series relatively well, winning both games by a combined score of 14-4.

They have a disadvantage with the pitching matchup today, with Kyle Gibson taking on Dylan Bundy from LA.

The rest of the team matches up relatively evenly with LA and I don’t think the pitching is worth such a significant line move.

I was against Miami yesterday and they got absolutely slaughtered by Atlanta 29-9.

I’m not expecting it to be by the same margin, but I like the look of Philly here as narrow $1.88 road favourites.

The Phillies have been in the midst of a solid recent run, sitting 5^th in the NL overall at 21-18.

They are currently 2.5 games ahead of Miami in the standings and have an advantage of 16 runs in run differential.

I’d mark them as clearly the better team here, especially with Miami not having a strong home field advantage.

Sandy Alcantara has had a decent season for Miami, but I think the Phillies strong lineup has an advantage there.

If Jake Arrieta can break out of his recent slump, the Phillies look strong value to take this win.

I like Atlanta in this one, looking like decent value as $1.70 home favourites.

The Braves have been one of the better sides in baseball this season, sitting top 4 in the National League at 24-18 with a plus 32 run differential.

They’ve been clearly better than Miami, who are middle of the pack at 19-18 with a neutral run difference.

Having lost the first two games to start this series, I think Atlanta will have the motivation edge here on top of their existing matchup advantages.

Their batting lineup has the potential to go off in any game and I expect them to get after Pablo Lopez here.

The worry is that Tommy Milone is starting at pitcher for the Braves and he’s been an unmitigated disaster of late.

If he can start out better here and get some support from a strong bullpen, I like Atlanta at home here.

I’m opting for a relatively convincing home underdog in my second play, taking Colorado at $2.50 against San Diego.

While the Padres have played well this season, I think they’ve become somewhat overrated in the betting market.

Colorado aren’t a terrible side either, sitting middle of the pack at 20-22.

They have struggled a bit of late, which has largely been due to poor pitching.

Senzatela returns to start for this one and he’s been one of their better options this season.

San Diego’s hitters can be prone to off nights, which could make life difficult for Zach Davies here.

Even without fans in the stands, the altitude still provides somewhat of a home field advantage for Colorado.

Combine all those factors and I think the Rockies are worth a punt at a generous $2.50 price point.

Fading the Pittsburgh Pirates has been a profitable strategy all season and I see no reason to deviate from that here.

Pittsburgh currently sit bottom of the National League with a poor 13-26 record and horrendous negative 52 run difference.

They’re taking on a very competent White Sox side here, one which has climbed up to 3^rd in the American League at 26-15.

They have a plus 53 run difference, which means there’s a gap of 105 runs between these two teams so far.

Chicago enter this series in great form, recording an impressive 4-game sweep over Kansas City this past week.

They also match up fairly well with this Pittsburgh side, comfortably winning the 2-game series a fortnight ago.

Dylan Cease is up pitching for them today and I wouldn’t expect any troubles for him against this anaemic batting lineup.

Compare that to Joe Musgrove, who’s looked terrible all season and could be in for another bad day at the office here.

While it’s a bit of a ‘square’ play, it’s tough to overlook Chicago at current odds.

I see a bit of value on the underdog here, with Baltimore currently paying a handsome $2.60 away at the Mets.

The Mets have hardly been a great team this season, siting 11^th out of 15 in the National League at 19-23.

Baltimore actually have the better record of these two teams and appear firmly in the playoff mix in the American League.

Their recent form has been great, winning 5 of their last 7 overall, including 3 straight wins over the Yankees.

They also match up relatively well here against a Mets side with a leaky pitching staff.

Michael Wacha will start for New York here, but he’s hardly been a beacon of consistency and could struggle against a rapidly improving batting lineup.

If the Orioles can get a better outing from pitcher John Means here, this $2.60 is definitely overs.