The Oakland Athletics lead the American League with a team ERA of 3.54. The Seattle Mariners, with a team ERA of 3.83, aren’t too far behind. Unfortunately for both teams, their solid pitching statistics have not translated into wins as neither team is above .500.

The Athletics are heavy favorites in MLB lines at -200 while the run total is 7.

On Tuesday, the A’s will host a game with the Mariners. It will be the second of a three-game series. Oakland took the first game 6-2, extending Seattle’s streak of scoring three runs or less in a game to 11. A 12th game in which they score 3 or fewer runs would be a franchise record.

The Oakland Athletics (68-69, 41-28 home) have won six straight games at home against Seattle. They will look to starting pitcher Dallas Braden (9-10, 3.23 ERA) to extend the streak to seven. Braden has been solid as of late, giving up no more than one run in four of his last five starts.

The Seattle Mariners (54-84, 21-46 away) have been baseball’s worst offensive team. They are last in the MLB in both runs scored (440) and team batting average (.236). Center fielder Franklin Gutierrez may end up providing a spark for Seattle’s offense. He returned from a stomach bug Monday to hit a solo home run. He has played well against Oakland as well, accumulating a .341 batting average with a home run and six RBIs in seven road games against Oakland.

Doug Fister (4-11, 3.85 ERA) will make the start for the Mariners. The right-hander is 2-1 with a 1.50 ERA in three starts against the A’s. He has struggled lately, however, posting a 1-10 record over his last 11 decisions.

Since the NL Central division was formed in the mid-90s, the St. Louis Cardinals have finished the season in first place 50 percent of the time. This year, however, the Cincinnati Reds have emerged as the class of the NL Central and the Reds currently own an eight game lead over the Cardinals. The two division rivals begin a three-game series on Friday night in St. Louis.

The MLB Lines list the Cardinals as baseball betting favorites at -140 with an over/under of 7.5 runs.

The Cincinnati Reds (78-55, 37-28 away) have a great chance to win their first division title since 1995. Since being swept by St. Louis in a three-game series from August 9-11, Cincinnati has won 14 out of 18 games with nine such games on the road. If they hold on and end up winning the NL Central, it would be the first division title since 1995 for the Reds.

Bronson Arroyo (14-8, 3.82 ERA) will be Cincinnati’s starting pitcher on Friday night. Busch Stadium hasn’t been kind to Arroyo in recent years. He is 0-2 with a 9.72 ERA in three starts at Busch since getting his last win their in April 2008.

The St. Louis Cardinals (69-62, 41-23 home) has gone in the opposite direction of Cincinnati since sweeping them in their last series. They put together separate losing streaks of five and three and head into Friday’s game on the heels of another five-game losing streak. With so many games to make up against the Reds, this series may be what needs to happen to awaken the Cardinals.

The Cardinals will be starting Jaime Garcia (12-6, 2.33 ERA). Garcia has had a tremendous rookie season and may play an important role in snapping St. Louis’s current losing skid. He won in each of his last two starts, giving up zero runs in the process. Against the Reds, the left-hander is 3-0 with a 4.08 ERA in three starts.

The Philadelphia Phillies and the Colorado Rockies will have a chance to make up for a May rain delay on Thursday night at Coors Field. Philadelphia currently leads Colorado by 5.5 games for the NL Wild Card.

The Rockies are listed as slight favorites at -130 on the MLB line while the run total sits at 9.

As August drew to a close, the Colorado Rockies (69-63, 43-21 home) won seven of eight games to stay within striking distance of the fourth and final playoff spot. They proceeded to lose their next two games, however, and now face the prospect of a three-game losing streak.

The Rockies have played very well at home this season. They have won 12 of their last 15 home games and average 2.3 more runs per game at home than on the road.

The Philadelphia Phillies (75-58, 33-32 away) have proven over the past month that they are a quality road team. They take an 11-2 road record since the start of August into Thursday’s game.

The Phillies have owned the Rockies in recent years. They beat the Rockies three games to one in the 2009 NLDS and own a 17-4 record against them since the start of 2008. For the season, Philadelphia has won five of the six games in which the two teams have faced each other. Thursday night’s game will be the last regular season matchup between the two.

Joe Blanton (6-6, 5.15 ERA) will start for the Phillies and Jhoulys Chacin (7-9, 3.79 ERA) will start for the Rockies. Both pitchers are right handed and are coming off of starts in which they gave up one earned run in winning efforts. Blanton is 3-0 with a 3.27 ERA in his last seven starts against Colorado. Chacin has recovered nicely from a rehab stint by winning two straight starts since being recalled on August 16.

For much of the season, the Cincinnati Reds have led the NL Central. Much of the media has been skeptical of their success, pointing to their strong record against weak teams and poor record against good teams. They then proceeded to go a major league-best 19-8 in August to establish a comfortable seven-game lead for first place. On Wednesday, the Reds look to continue their August success into September by facing the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Reds are listed as heavy favorites in baseball odds at -180 with the Mets paying +155. The over/under is 7.5.

Cincinnati Reds (77-55, 40-27 home) look headed for their first winning season since going 85-77 in 2000. They have been led by the strong play of first baseman Joey Votto. Votto is a serious contender for the Triple Crown, as he leads the NL in batting average (.327) and RBIs (97) and is in third place in home runs (32).

Johnny Cueto (12-4, 3.49) will be Cincinnati’s starting pitcher on Wednesday. The right-hander is 2-1 with a 2.97 ERA in six career starts against the Brewers. In his last start, he gave up one run in eight innings in a 7-1 win over the Chicago Cubs.

The Milwaukee Brewers (62-70, 29-35) will go into Wednesday night’s game trying to avoid a sweep. They lost Monday’s opener 5-4 in the 10th inning and dropped Tuesday’s contest 8-4. The Brewers are 1-6 against the Reds in 2010 and have dropped ten out of the last eleven games between the two.

Chris Narveson (10-7, 5.52 ERA) will take the mound for the Brewers. The left-hander gave up two runs in seven innings of a 7-2 win over Pittsburgh in his last start, giving him his tenth win of the season. In his only other start against the Reds, he was the losing pitcher after giving up three runs in five innings of a 10-2 loss on July 28.

As the season nears its end, the likelihood of the New York Mets making the playoffs continues to decrease. The best they can hope for is to settle into a role as a playoff spoiler for other contending teams. One such team with playoff aspirations that the Mets can attempt to derail is the Atlanta Braves. The two division rivals will square off in the second of a four-game series Tuesday night in Atlanta.

The Braves are listed at -160 on the baseball betting line while the total is 7.5.

The New York Mets (65-66, 26-41) started the second half of the season with a 48-40 record. They have been inconsistent since then, however, and have been hovering around .500 since the end of July. After Monday’s 9-3 loss to the Braves, New York trails Atlanta by 11 games for first place in the NL East.

Jonathon Niese (8-6, 3.63 ERA) will be New York’s starting pitcher. The left-hander has never pitched at Turner Field. He has been brilliant on the road as of late, going 2-1 with a 1.89 ERA in six road starts since July 1.

The Atlanta Braves (76-55, 47-18 home) will be looking to win their fourth consecutive game after dropping four straight August 23-27. Jason Heyward, Atlanta’s rookie All-Star outfielder, continues to make a strong case for NL Rookie of the Year. He went 4 for 5 with a three-run homer to raise his average to .528 over the last nine games.

In addition to Heyward, Atlanta has another standout rookie to boast in Mike Minor, who will be Tuesday’s starting pitcher. Minor (2-0, 4.00 ERA) made his major league debut on August 9, just 14 months after the Braves selected him seventh overall in the 2009 draft. He proved he was worthy of the speedy call-up in his third start when he struck out 12 in a 16-5 win over Chicago.

With five weeks left in the regular season, the Chicago White Sox trail Minnesota by 4.5 games for first place in the AL Central. After Monday night’s game with the Cleveland Indians, it looks like the White Sox will have help as they make their final playoff push.

The White Sox go in to this baseball betting matchup as slight favorites at -140 on the MLB money line while the over/under is set at 9 runs.

The Chicago White Sox (70-60, 32-33 away) were awarded superstar Manny Ramirez in a waiver claim on Friday. The White Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers (Ramirez’s former team) have been negotiating the terms of the deal and the two sides will likely reach an agreement on Monday. The 12-time All-Star is hitting .311 with eight home runs for the season, but leg injuries have limited him to 66 games.

The White Sox start a ten-game road trip by handing the ball to Mark Buehrle (12-10, 3.93 ERA). Buehrle has traditionally struggled in second halves of seasons, but he has shown no signs of letting up this year. He is 4-3 with a 3.32 ERA in eight starts since the All-Star Break.

The Cleveland Indians (53-77, 29-36 home) comes into Monday night’s game having lost six of their last nine. They have played well against Chicago this season, however, winning in 8 of the teams’ 12 contests.

Mitch Talbot (8-11, 4.44 ERA) will start for the Indians. The right-hander is 0-5 with a 5.87 ERA in his last eight starts. He may have a good chance to pick up his first win since June 27, however, as he has pitched well against Chicago this season. He has a 3-0 record with a 1.57 ERA in three starts against the White Sox.

The Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays open a pressure-filled series on Friday night that will have playoff implications. Tampa Bay is tied with New York for first place in the AL East, but Boston has a chance to gain some ground on them as the two teams face each other six times over their next 12 games.

The Rays are the baseball odds favorites at -130 while the Red Sox pay +110. The over/under is 7 runs.

The Boston Red Sox (73-55, 33-29 away) have the misfortune of playing in the same division as baseball’s two best clubs, Tampa Bay and New York. They have struggled against the Rays this season, dropping 8 of 12 games against them.

Both Tampa Bay and New York were losers in their last respective outings, but the Red Sox were unable to capitalize. They lost to Seattle 4-2 on Wednesday, snapping a four-game winning streak.

John Lester (13-8, 3.26 ERA) will take the mound for the visiting Red Sox. The left-hander is 7-3 with a 4.18 ERA in 14 starts against Tampa Bay and is 3-0 with a 3.60 ERA in five starts at Tampa’s Tropicana Field.

The Tampa Bay Rays (78-49, 39-24 home) began the season by winning more games on the road than at home. Things have leveled off over the past 24 games, however, as they are 19-5 over that stretch. They have now won 39 games each at home and on the road.

The Rays will start David Price (15-5, 2.97 ERA). The left-hander is 7-1 with a 2.11 ERA in 11 starts at home. He set a franchise record for wins in a season when he got his 15th win on August 9, but he has not been able to get a win since. He is 0-0 with a 4.50 ERA in the two starts since then.

Stephen Strasburg has been the dominant storyline of the Washington National’s season. The standout rookie has exceeded expectations and has proven to be a strikeout machine. He was scheduled to start in Washington’s series-opening game with the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday, but was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Monday.

The Cardinals are heavily favored in baseball betting lines listed as -195 and the over/under is 7.5.

Instead of starting Strasburg, the Washington Nationals (53-74, 31-30 home) will hand the ball to Jordan Zimmerman. The right-hander will be making his first start in more than a year after undergoing Tommy John surgery last August. He has been solid in his rehab starts for Triple-A Syracuse, posting a 0.53 ERA in four starts.

The Nationals will face a Cardinals team that hasn’t been able to get the job done against bad teams. The St. Louis Cardinals (68-56, 27-33 away) are coming off of back-to-back losses to Pittsburgh, the worst team in the majors. In the seven series they have played against sub-.500 teams, they have lost six. They have lost 7 of 10 overall to fall 3 ½ games behind Cincinnati for first place in the NL Central.

St. Louis has had Washington’s number as of late, however. They have won 13 of their last 15 games with the Nationals and look to win their fifth in a row against them on Thursday.

Chris Carpenter (14-4, 2.88 ERA) will take the mound for St. Louis. The right-hander is 5-1 with a 1.99 ERA since the All-Star break. He gave up two runs in eight innings of a 3-2 win over Washington on May 18.

The Minnesota Twins will be in Arlington Wednesday night to face the Texas Rangers in a strong pitching duel. Brian Duensing of the Twins and C.J. Wilson of the Rangers have both won five decisions in a row.

The Rangers are listed as baseball money line favorites paying -150 to the Twins +130.

The Minnesota Twins (72-54, 32-32 away) will hope Duensing can deliver the goods especially after losing the first two games of the four-game series. After an 11-2 stretch from August 4 to August 18, the Twins have lost four of their last six.

The Twins have had a very strong second half of the season and have regained a comfortable lead in the AL Central. Duensing (7-1, 1.92 ERA) has been a big reason for their major league-best 26-12since the All-Star Break. The former reliever moved into the rotation earlier in the year and has proven to be a solid starter, going 5-0 with a 2.18 ERA in seven games – six starts – since the All-Star Break.

After being doubted for much of the season, the Texas Rangers (71-54, 41-23 home) appear to be the most sure bet to make the playoffs. They currently hold an 8.5 game lead over Oakland in the AL West.

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Left fielder Josh Hamilton hit his 29th home run Tuesday against the Twins to move up to fourth place in the AL in home runs. He leads the majors with a .356 batting average.

Wilson (12-5, 3.02 ERA) is also a former reliever turned starter for the Rangers, and the decision to make him a starter has been a wise one. The left-hander was Texas’s closer for most of the past three seasons but has become the ace of this year’s much improved rotation. He is 5-0 in seven starts since the All-Star break and struck out a career-high 12 in 8 2/3 innings in a 2-0 win over Baltimore.

The Los Angeles Dodgers opened up the second half of the season by getting swept on the road by St. Louis, and that series has set the tone for the way things have gone for LA since. They have not won a road series since before the All-Star Break and they will begin a road series with the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday night.

The Dodgers are the MLB odds favorites paying -135 to the Brewers +115. The over/under is 8.5.

The Los Angeles Dodgers (63-62, 24-35 away) led the NL West as recently as June 16 but there road struggles have got the best of them. They are 3-14 on the road since July 4 and now trail division-leading San Diego by 12 games.

The Dodgers will open up their six-game road trip by handing the ball to Ted Lilly (7-8, 3.23 ERA) for Tuesday’s start against Milwaukee. Lily has been a tremendous pickup for LA, having been acquired just prior to the non-waiver trade deadline on July 31. In his most recent start, he pitched a complete game shutout against Colorado. He is 4-0 in his last four starts and has given up just four runs in 28 innings.

The Milwaukee Brewers (59-65, 30-32 home) will not be happy to face Lily. Their offensive lineup has been limited to a .176 batting average in Lily’s last four starts against them. The Brewers will hope left fielder Ryan Braun will be a key in ending Lily’s dominance against them. Braun shook off a 22-game homerless streak by hitting one in each of Milwaukee’s last two game and has raised his average to .464 in the last seven games.

Dave Bush (6-10, 4.63 ERA) will start for the Brewers. The right-hander made the wrong kind of history on August 11, giving up four consecutive home runs against Arizona to match a major league record. He followed that up with a solid outing, however, giving up one run in six innings in a 3-2 win over St. Louis.