We ended things on a high note last Friday, going 3-0 to finish the week with a strong 10-4 record.
Let's take a closer look at some favorites from Monday's card as we look to pick up where we left off.
Cubs (-125) @ Tigers (+105)
The Cubs are averaging a whopping 5.76 runs per game in August, good for fourth in the league. That puts them in company with teams like the Dodgers and scorching-hot Mariners.
They should be able to continue scoring in bulk against Alex Faedo and the Tigers. Faedo has posted some decent surface numbers of late, but he owns a 5.16 ERA this season. There are also red flags that suggest he could soon hit another wall.
Faedo has thrown balls at a high clip over the past 30 days and benefited from insane luck, with opponents sporting a .111 batting average on balls put in play during that span. That number should generally be in the realm of .275.
The Cubs' lethal attack is one that could bring that regression to the forefront.
On the flip side, I think the Tigers will be able to contribute their fair share of runs. They've scored at least four runs in four of the past five games and have looked potent with Spencer Torkelson, Kerry Carpenter, and a healthy Riley Greene leading the charge.
Javier Assad has pitched reasonably well this season, but, like Faedo, he's benefited from a lot of batted-ball luck lately.
Expect these offenses to knock the pitchers down a peg and expose them in a relatively high-scoring affair.
Bet: Over 8.5 (-125)
Cristian Javier under 5.5 strikeouts
Javier isn't having a good year by any stretch of the imagination. His ERA is more than a full run higher than his career average, and he's really struggled to generate punchouts.
Javier has recorded five or fewer Ks in 16 of his 23 starts this season, meaning he's gone over just 30% of the time.
The picture looks even worse when zooming in. Javier actually started the season fairly strongly with regard to strikeouts. He's since gone under the number in 13 of his past 15 games.
Javier has also often come up well short, averaging only 3.7 strikeouts per contest during that stretch.
There's not much reason to expect a step in the right direction against the Red Sox. They've struck out in 19% of their at-bats versus righties this month, which is one of the best marks in the league during that span.
Javier has been off for the majority of the season and thrown nearly as many balls as strikes over the past month. Given his inability to consistently hit the strike zone, he figures to be in line for a tough game against a disciplined Red Sox side.
Odds: -115 (playable to -135)
Luis Castillo under 1.5 walks
Castillo walked at least two batters in nine of his first 15 starts. He's since turned a corner, issuing multiple free passes in just three of his last 10 games.
I'm expecting another relatively clean effort from Castillo against the White Sox. For one, he's littering the zone with strikes right now. His swinging strike rate and total strike rate are multiple percentage points above the league average over the past month. It's no coincidence his walk rates are down.
He also finds himself in a very strong matchup. The White Sox have walked in just 5.6% of their at-bats against right-handed pitchers in August. That's well below the league average (8.1%) and ranks 28th in the league, ahead of only the Tigers and Angels.
Of the 15 starters the White Sox have faced this month, 10 have walked one or fewer. Castillo has a really strong chance of making it 11 of 16.
Odds: -140 (playable to -150)
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.
