The Braves are listed as slight favorites at -115 on the money line at betED.

Jurrjens (5-0, 1.66 ERA) has been solid for the Atlanta Braves since returning from the disabled list earlier this season. The right-hander won his fourth straight start Saturday, retiring the first 17 batters he faced in Atlanta’s 5-3 victory over Philadelphia. He hasn’t done nearly that well in his two career starts at Arizona’s Chase Field, but he has a deceiving 2-0 record there. In those two starts, he gave up eight earned runs in 11 innings, but picked up wins because of a combined 21 runs of support from his teammates.

Atlanta (25-20, 11-10 away) will try to bounce back after having its four-game winning streak snapped with a 5-4, 11-inning loss at Arizona in Wednesday’s opener. The Braves held a one-run lead in the top of the 11th inning but couldn’t hold on as they allowed two runs in the bottom of the inning.

The Arizona Diamondbacks (19-23, 12-10 home) have looked good ever since its five-game losing streak ended on May 14. The Diamondbacks have won four of their last five games and have got solid production from Justin Upton. The right fielder is batting .389 with two home runs and four RBIs in his last four games.

Josh Collmenter (2-0, 0.90 ERA) will make his first career start against Atlanta. The rookie right-hander limited Los Angeles to two hits in six innings of a 1-0 victory in what was his first career start.

Atlanta Braves at Arizona Diamondbacks Preview by MLB Baseball Previews

Atlanta (23-19, 12-10 home) will likely be without Jason Heyward and might be missing Chipper Jones. Heyward has missed the Braves’ last five games with a shoulder injury and expects to be back Tuesday. Jones has a sore knee and was a late scratch Sunday in Atlanta’s 3-2 win against Philadelphia.

Dan Uggla was Atlanta’s hero in Sunday’s win against NL-leading Philadelphia. He hit a tiebreaking home run off Roy Halladay and had his first multihit game since May 4. He entered the game batting .196 and in an 0-for-10 slump over the previous three games.

Houston (15-25, 6-12 away) lost for the sixth time in eight games Sunday with a 7-4 defeat against the New York Mets. Carlos Lee extended his hitting streak to nine games in the loss.

Much of Houston’s struggles can be chalked up to ineffective pitching. The Astros’ 4.97 ERA going into Sunday was last in the majors. Brett Myers (1-3, 5.01 ERA) will be tasked with improving that number Monday as he takes the mound against Atlanta. He is 0-4 with a 5.86 ERA in his most recent five starts against the Braves.

Tommy Hanson (4-3, 2.51 ERA) will hope to continue his hot streak Monday. The right-hander has gone 3-0 with a 1.40 ERA in his last four starts after opening up the season 1-3 with a 3.86 ERA. He is 1-0 with a 0.78 ERA in three career starts against the Astros.

Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves meet Monday by MLB Baseball Previews

The Phillies head in to this game as slight favorites at -115 on the money line on betED while the total is 9.

A lot of the Phillies success will ride on the pitcher Cole Hamels. He was decent against the Braves and traded shutout victories before giving up two homers. Aside from those home runs, he has done a pretty good job.

Also, look for Placido Polanco to continue his positive batting streak. The Phillies also finally placed catcher Carlos Ruiz on the disabled list, opening up a spot for Joe Blanton to come back from the list and pitch in this series. Blanton has a 5-2 record in his 8 games against the Marlins and also has a 3.12 run average against them.

Javier Vazquez, the Marlin’s starting pitcher, hasn’t had as much success and is currently 0-2 in his first two starts, and only 2-2 over six starts. Anibal Sanchez, however, had a gem the other night when struck out 11 batters and only allowed two hits. Gaby Sanchez is another power on the Marlin’s offense that the Phillies will need to be aware of.

Overall, the Phillies have won 10 of the last 12 games and currently have a record of 15-3 in Florida spanning back over the last 2 seasons (2009).

Philadelphia Phillies at Florida Marlins by MLB Baseball Previews

The Phillies head in to this spot is massive favorites at -250 in MLB lines. The run line is offering even odds with the Nats taking 1.5 points.

The Philadelphia Phillies (20-9, 11-5 home) will be going for a three-game series sweep Thursday with ace Roy Halladay on the mound. The NL East-leading Phillies picked up their 10th win in 13 games Wednesday with a 7-4 victory against the Nationals.

Phillies outfielder Raul Ibanez had his second straight productive game Wednesday after a season of frustration. He went 3 for 4 with a homer on Wednesday, and the day before he hit a pair of doubles. Before Tuesday, Ibanez suffered an 0-for 35 slump, and he is batting .192 on the season.

Washington (14-16, 5-9 away) had won four out of five before starting this series with Philadelphia. The Nationals have now lost six in a row at Philadelphia and 23 of their last 27.

The Washington Nationals have had an especially hard time with Halladay (4-1, 2.14 ERA). The right-hander is 7-0 with a 1.54 ERA against the franchise since it relocated from Montreal to Washington in 2005.

John Lannan (2-3, 3.78 ERA) will start for Washington on Thursday in search of his first win against the Phillies. The left-hander fell to 0-9 with a 5.80 ERA in 12 career starts against Philadelphia last month when he gave up three runs in six innings. Halladay was credited with the win.

Washington Nationals at Philadelphia Phillies Preview by MLB Baseball Previews

The Orioles head in to this one as favorites, but only by the slightest of margins. They are -115 on the money line at betED online sportsbook. The total is set to 9.

The Kansas City Royals (16-13, 13-5 home) were 12-7 on Apr. 21 before they started a six-game road trip. The Royals went on to lose all six of those road games to fall below .500 for the first time since being 0-1. Since then, though, the Royals have been solid, sweeping Minnesota from Apr. 29-May1 and winning their first game against Baltimore 6-5 Tuesday.

The Royals needed 10 innings to beat Baltimore on Tuesday. Jeff Francoeur drove home the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning. He also hit the tying home run in the sixth inning.

The Baltimore Orioles (13-15, 6-7 away) got off to a 6-1 start before dropping eight in a row. Pitching has been an issue for the Orioles, as their 4.54 team ERA is the third-lowest in the AL.

Orioles left fielder Luke Scott hit a three-run shot Tuesday for his fourth homer in six games. He has one hit in eight at-bats against Kyle Davies, Kansas City’s scheduled starter for Wednesday’s game.

Davies (1-3, 7.98 ERA) is trying to bounce back from back-to-back road defeats. In his last outing, he lasted a season-low 3 1/3 innings and gave up eight runs and nine hits in Thursday’s 8-2 loss to Cleveland.

Jake Arrieta (3-1, 5.01 ERA) will take the mound for Baltimore. He picked up a win in his last outing, pitching 5 innings and giving up 3 runs in Friday’s 10-4 win against the Chicago White Sox.

Baltimore Orioles at Kansas City Royals Preview by MLB Baseball Previews

The visiting Cardinals are listed as -155 baseball betting favorites while the run total is 8.5.

The St. Louis Cardinals (13-11, 7-5 away) snapped a four-game road skid to Houston with a 6-5 win on Wednesday. Matt Holliday, who is batting .429 on the season, went 3 for 4 with a homer and two RBIs. Former Astro Lance Berkman had two hits to extend his streak of multi-hit games to six.

McClellan (3-0, 2.16 ERA) will be concluding what has been a solid first month as a full-time member of St. Louis’s starting rotation. The right-hander has allowed no more than two runs in any of his four outings. He is 0-2 with two saves and a 2.89 ERA in 17 relief appearances against the Astros, but this will be his first start against them.

The Houston Astros (9-15, 5-7 home) have lost four of their last six games. The Astros made a charge at the end of Wednesday’s game against the Cardinals, scoring five runs in the final two innings, but their rally ultimately came up short. Houston’s star of the game was Brett Wallace, who had his second straight three-hit game.

Figueroa (0-3, 8.55 ERA) is 1-1 with a 5.54 ERA in five starts against the Cardinals. The right-hander has struggled this season, allowing 19 earned runs and 31 hits in 20 innings over four starts.

St. Louis Cardinals at Houston Astros Preview by MLB Baseball Previews

The New York Mets (5-13, 1-8) are off to their worst start since going 3-15 in 1964. The Mets own the worst record in the majors, and their 1-8 home record is their worst start since they went 1-7 in 1962 when they managed a modern era-low 40 total victories.

The Mats are hoping that Jason Bay’s expected return Thursday will provide a spark. The left fielder was placed on the disabled list after a rib-cage strain and hasn’t played in a game since the beginning of the regular season. He went 6 for 12 with two home runs and four RBIs during a four-game rehab stint.

The Houston Astros (7-11, 3-5 away) are looking for their first three-game winning streak of the season. The Astros haven’t swept the Mets in New York since April 9-11, 1993. They haven’t even achieved a road sweep since winning four in a row at Philadelphia from Aug. 23-26.

The Astros handed the Mets their seventh straight loss on Wednesday by a score of 4-3. The win came at a price, though, as second baseman Bill Hall sprained his right ankle and will miss a few games.

Chris Capuano (1-1, 8.53 ERA) will pitch for the Mets on Thursday. The left-hander allowed seven runs and eight hits over 5 2/3 innings of a 9-4 loss to Colorado last Thursday.

J.A. Happ (1-2, 5.79 ERA) will take the mound for the Astros. The left-hander gave up four runs in seven innings of a 4-2 loss to San Diego on Friday.

Houston Astros at New York Mets Preview by MLB Baseball Previews

The White Sox are slight favorites at -115 on the money line at betED while the run total is set to 8.

The Chicago White Sox (7-9, 3-3 away) took three out of four in their first series with Tampa Bay. The White Sox have struggled ever since, though, and will be trying to avoid a sixth straight loss on Tuesday. They are on their longest losing streak since losing eight in a row last September.

The White Sox are hitting .199 and have scored just 11 combined runs over the course of their five-game losing streak. Their offensive struggles were on full display in Monday’s 5-0 loss to Tampa Bay in which they managed just four hits and were struck out 11 times.

After a rough start, it appears that the Tampa Bay Rays (7-9, 4-6 home) are starting to live up to its preseason expectations. The Rays have won six of their last seven after a 1-8 start.

Sam Fuld has been an unexpected hero during the Rays’ resurgence. He is leading the team with a .396 batting average and has played magnificently in the outfield. He went 4 for 4 with a double and a run scored in Monday’s win over the White Sox.

Designated hitter Johnny Damon sat out of Monday’s game with a bruised left ring finger. He is doubtful for Tuesday and expects to play later in the week.

Chicago White Sox at Tampa Bay Rays by MLB Baseball Previews

The Rays are very slight favorites at -130 at betED while the run total is 8.5.

The Tampa Bay Rays (3-8, 0-5 home) started its season off by losing its first six games. The Rays have bounced back somewhat since then by winning three of their last five, including a 16-5 win against Boston on Monday.

A lot of the Rays’ struggles stems from their inability to hit the ball. At .202, they own the big leagues’ worst batting average. But the Rays have looked better in recent outings, and manager Joe Maddon is optimistic about the future.

“We’re seeing some progress right now, and I feel good about that,” Maddon said. “We got some really good pitching (Tuesday), and finally, some timely hitting is showing up.”

The Minnesota Twins (4-7, 2-4 away) is last in the majors in runs at 28 for the season. Manager Ron Gardenhire gave struggling former MVP Joe Mauer the day off in Wednesday’s 10-5 loss to Kansas City. He is hitting .235 this season, but has had a lot of success last year against the Rays (10 for 27).

Wade Davis (0-2, 4.38 ERA) will start for the Rays in search of his first win. He gave up two earned runs in six innings against the Chicago White Sox on Apr. 9.

Carl Pavano (1-1, 6.00 ERA) will be Minnesota’s Thursday starter. He gave up one earned run in eight innings on Apr. 8 against Oakland for his first win of the season. He is 5-4 with a 3.84 ERA in 12 career starts against the Rays.

Minnesota Twins at Tampa Bay Rays Preview by MLB Baseball Previews

The White Sox are slight favorites at -125 in MLB odds while the total is at 9 runs.

Oakland (4-5, 3-3 away) totaled four runs in its three games prior to Sunday’s series finale at Minnesota. The A’s scored four runs in the sixth inning, including a solo shot home run by Josh Willingham. Hideki Matsui also hit a homer in the game to help the A’s pick up a 5-3 win over the Twins.

On Monday, the A’s will be up against Chicago’s Mark Buehrle (1-0, 7.36 ERA). Buehrle has pitched relatively well against the A’s over the course of his career, but his win-loss record sure doesn’t indicate that. He is a lifetime 4-13 against Oakland despite posting a decent 3.90 ERA.

Chicago (6-3, 3-1 home) will hope it can provide Buehrle with better run support than the White Sox have traditionally given him against Oakland. Judging from their most recent performance, their offense seems perfectly capable of doing exactly that. Paul Konerko hit two solo home runs in Chicago’s 6-1 win against Tampa Bay on Sunday, and Gordon Beckham added his second homer of the season in the first inning.

Dallas Braden (0-1, 6.43 ERA) will be Oakland’s starting pitcher. The left-hander allowed five runs and 10 hits through seven innings in Oakland’s 5-3 loss to Toronto. He is 2-0 with a 3.22 ERA in three career starts against the White Sox.

Oakland Athletics at Chicago White Sox Preview by MLB Baseball Previews