Joe D, the BEST BIG GAME HUNTER ON THE PLANET has 2 BIG MLB WINNERS for you today: MLB NL CENTRAL GAME OF THE MONTH and my (3-1) MLB MONEYMAKER. Join me and WIN BIG! Saturday’s FREE WINNER: Minnesota Twins. Game 980. 4:10 PM PST/7:10 PM EST. There wasn’t too much expected of the Colorado Rockies this season. And yet, they are still underachieving. At 32-50, the Rockies possess the worst record in all of baseball. They dwell in the National League West cellar, 20.0-games back. Their lineup has been decent, posting solid numbers. But their pitching staff ranks dead last in the Majors in team ERA, WHIP, and quality starts. Throw into the mix that their defense ranks 22nd in errors, committing 48 miscues already, and that is a recipe for disaster. They did compete in the series-opener yesterday, but fell short, 9-8. This is a team that does not travel well, possessing one of the poorest road records in baseball at 14-28 away from home in 2026. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Twins are starting to show some signs of life. They sit in third place in the American League Central division, 4.5-games back, at 39-44. If it wasn’t for a three-game home sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this week, they would own a winning record at Target Field. Their lineup has been very consistent, ranking in the top-10 and just about every major category. But just like their opponent, their pitching staff has left a lot to be desired. But today’s schedule starters compels me to side with them. Michael Lorenzen and Mike Paredes are slated. The Rockies right-hander owns some downright ugly numbers, going 2-9 with a whopping ERA of 7.10 on the season. Away from home it’s just as ugly, sporting a 1-5 record with a 6.05 ERA. Against American League foes in 2026, he is just 1-2. The Twins right-hander has yet to earn a decision this season, going 0-0 with a 4.05 ERA. He has made just three starts, and an overall five appearances. However, in his three turns, the team has won all three of his outings. I don’t expect him to go further than the fourth or fifth inning. But I do feel the Minny lineup will give him the run support he needs to get his first victory of the campaign. Take the Minnesota Twins. Thank you.

Milwaukee Brewers. Milwaukee has taken firm control of the National League Central, possessing one of the best overall records in baseball at 50-29. They currently own a 7.5-game cushion. Sitting in second place in division happens to be the Chicago Cubs. The Brewers took Game 1 of this series yesterday with authority, 6-2, to extend their domination over their division rival, winning all four games against them this season, and going back a bit five straight, and eight of the last 10 overall matchups. With all respect to Chicago Cubs, they are a good team. However, when they travel, they struggle a bit. Right now, they are just 21-21 on the road in 2026. But that was with a four-game road sweep against the lowly New York Mets earlier this week. While their lineup has been pretty decent all season long, their pitching staff has been absolutely inconsistent. Speaking of which, today they send David Peterson to the hill. The left-hander is 3-6 on the campaign with an ERA of 6.09. Between a combination of starting and relieving, he has made 16 appearances this season, and the team has dropped 10 of those 16 appearances. Over his last three outings he is 0-1 with a whopping ERA of 10.97. Away from home on the campaign he is really struggled as well, going just 2-3 with a 5.03 ERA. What can you say about the Milwaukee Brewers, my friends? With a combination of both the second-ranked scoring lineup and the second-ranked pitching staff, this team is really striding. They average over 5.23 runs per game, and own a team ERA of 3.36. Today, they will send Kyle Harrison to the bump. The left-hander has been outstanding this season, amassing an 8-1 record with a 2.50 ERA. The team has won 10 of his last 11 turns. And only once over his 14 outings in 2026 has he allowed more than two earned runs. It seems that when he is at American Family Field, he has been nearly unstoppable, going 5-1 with an anemic ERA of 1.29. My friends, the Brewers know they can further distance themselves against the rest of the division with another big victory over a team they have dominated. Take the Milwaukee Brewers. Thank you.

Los Angeles Dodgers on the run line. Once again, this season, the Los Angeles Dodgers are proving that they are a true force to be reckoned with. They possess the best overall record in the National League, at 52-30. Sitting just behind them in the National League West happens to be the San Diego Padres at 43-37. They have an 8.0-game cushion over their division rival. These two teams have split four meetings thus far this season, as San Diego took yesterday’s series-opener, 7-1. Rarely do the Dodgers get beaten badly. And when they get embarrassed, they usually come back the following game and make their opponents pay. They are one of the best road teams in the National League as well, as prior to yesterday’s defeat, they won three straight as a visitor. It’s no secret, their lineup is explosive, and their pitching staff has been superb. They rank third in scoring, first in team batting average, first in OPS, and third in home runs. All this and their pitching staff ranks fourth in the Majors, with a team ERA of 3.45. In all sincerity, the San Diego Padres pitching staff has been pretty good this season. But their lineup has been absolutely atrocious, ranking at or near the bottom of every major category; 29th in runs scored, 30th in team batting average, 30th in OPS, and 23rd in home runs. They average just 3.95 runs per game. Throw that into the mix today starters, and I really like the visiting team here to blow it up. Yamamoto and Vasquez are slated. The Dodgers right-hand is 7-5 with a 2.65 ERA in 2026. Over his last three outings, he is a perfect 3-0 with a 0.83 ERA, and on the road almost as impressive, going 4-2 with a 2.18 ERA. He faced the Padres just once this season back on May 18 on the road, and was the spectacular, yielding just one earned run on three hits. However, that game Los Angeles did not give him any run support and he lost 1-0. I look for him to come out with another stellar performance against a lineup that he will dominate. For San Diego, their right-hander is 6-5 with a 4.17 ERA this season. He is basically gotten shelled in most of his starts in June, and going back a bit, has yielded 21 earned runs in 28.1 inning pitched over his last six outings, in which he earned just one victory. Over his last three appearances, he is just 1-1 with a 5.14 ERA, and at home, he has struggled as well, going 3-3 with a 4.99 ERA. He got shellacked back on May 20 at home against Los Angeles, yielding three earned runs on six hits in 4.1 innings pitched getting blanked, 4-0. No matter how you slice it, I feel the Dodgers will explode today to redeem themselves from yesterday’s embarrassing loss. Take Los Angeles on the run line. Thank you.