deGrom In Texas And Yankees-Red Sox In The Bronx Headline The MLB Sunday Slate

Jacob deGrom takes the ball for Texas and remains appointment viewing every time out. The right-hander is 4-4 with a 3.48 ERA, but the underlying line is vintage deGrom: a 1.01 WHIP, 78 strikeouts against only 13 walks over 64.2 innings, the kind of strike-throwing dominance that makes the win-loss record almost irrelevant. Texas sits at minus-144 with Cleveland a plus-119 underdog and the total a low 7, the market clearly anticipating a pitcher-led afternoon.

Cleveland counters with left-hander Joey Cantillo, who has been solid at 4-2 with a 3.92 ERA but carries a high walk total, 34 free passes in 62 innings and a 1.45 WHIP, which is the lever the Rangers will try to pull. The Guardians have quietly become one of the better stories in the league at 36-29, and they will lean on contact and traffic to scratch across runs against deGrom, no small task given how rarely he allows a baserunner. With the total at 7, this projects as the lowest-scoring game on the board, a chess match where one swing or one walk-fueled rally could decide it.

This is one of the tightest lines on the slate, with the visiting Athletics actually a slight minus-112 favorite over the Astros at minus-108 and the total sitting at 9. Houston, 30-36, has been swinging a hot bat lately, plating 58 runs over its last 10 games, but draws young Athletics arm Gage Jump, who delivered seven innings of one-run, three-hit ball against the Cubs his last time out and brings a tidy 1.17 WHIP into the start.

Houston's own starter, Mike Burrows, has struggled to a 5.66 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP across his 12 starts, which is the reason the Astros are not a clearer favorite at home despite the recent offensive surge. The Athletics counter at 30-34 with a balanced .717-OPS lineup that has been better than its small-market reputation. The texture of this one hinges on whether Jump can carry his Cubs form into a tougher Houston park, or whether the Astros bats keep the 10-game heat rolling against a pitcher with limited big-league mileage.

Toronto, 31-34, hosts a Baltimore club that sits at the same 31-34 mark, and the Blue Jays are minus-143 home favorites with the total at 8. The pitching duel is the draw: Kevin Gausman has been excellent for Toronto at a 3.36 ERA with a sparkling 1.09 WHIP and 74 strikeouts to just 14 walks over 75 innings, the kind of efficient, deep-into-the-game profile that controls the tempo of an afternoon.

Baltimore answers with the hard-throwing Shane Baz, whose 4.29 ERA undersells how good he has been lately, three, one, one and two earned runs over his last four starts including a seven-inning, nine-strikeout effort against Tampa Bay. The wrinkle with Baz is the walk total, 29 on the year, which means traffic against a Toronto lineup that grinds at-bats. With two arms this locked in, the total of 8 reflects a market that expects a lower-event, command-driven game in the dome.

The best record on the slate belongs to Milwaukee, 39-23 and riding one of the deepest run-prevention groups in the National League into the thin air of Coors Field. The Brewers are heavy minus-186 favorites over the 24-41 Rockies at plus-153, and the total is the highest of the day at 11.5, the standard Coors tax on every number. Milwaukee leans on left-hander Shane Drohan, who has been outstanding in a multi-inning role with a 2.87 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, and an opponent average of just .218.

Colorado counters with Kyle Freeland, the veteran lefty who has endured a brutal season at an 8.06 ERA and a 1.71 WHIP across 10 starts, which is the primary reason the Rockies are such steep home underdogs despite the park. The Rockies offense has scored 130 runs over its last 30 games, but much of that is Coors-inflated, and a fresh, quality Milwaukee staff is exactly the kind of group that travels well into Denver. Altitude makes any total a live wire, but the pitching mismatch is stark.

The Cardinals host the Reds in an NL Central matinee with St. Louis a minus-156 favorite, Cincinnati at plus-129, and the total at 9.5. St. Louis sends out Michael McGreevy, who has quietly been one of the more dependable arms in the rotation at a 2.98 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP over 12 starts, a strike-thrower who keeps the ball in the yard and works efficiently through lineups.

Cincinnati answers with rookie Rhett Lowder, whose 5.40 ERA and 1.41 WHIP over eight starts tell the story of a talented young arm still finding his footing at the level. The Reds will need Lowder to keep the ball off the barrel against a St. Louis lineup that does its damage with contact and situational hitting rather than raw power. The gap in the starting matchup is the reason the Cardinals are priced as comfortable home favorites, and Cincinnati's path runs through an early Lowder settling in.

Atlanta closes out our featured board hosting Pittsburgh, with the Braves minus-161 favorites, the Pirates at plus-133, and the total set at 8.5. The Braves hand the ball to Bryce Elder, who has been a steadying force at 5-3 with a 2.63 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP across 13 starts and 78.2 innings, a ground-ball pitcher who fits Atlanta's pitch-to-contact identity and lets a strong defense work behind him.

Pittsburgh counters with the young left-hander Mason Montgomery, who carries a 4.74 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP over his first three starts, a high-strikeout profile, 32 punchouts in 24.2 innings, that comes paired with the command wobble you expect from a pitcher this early in his big-league run. The Braves lineup has the firepower to make a young arm pay if Montgomery falls behind in counts, while Pittsburgh will need to manufacture against Elder's grounders. The price reflects Atlanta's clear edge both on the mound and at the plate.