Jim Feist – Sports Handicapper

I like the Philadelphia Phillies to cover the Run Line here on Tuesday against the Washington Nationals. The Phillies have significant advantages when it comes to starting pitching, lineup depth and bullpen strength, so they have every opportunity to cover the run line at home against Washington on Tuesday.

The Phillies will send Jesus Luzardo to the mound to start. Luzardo sports a 9-5 record heading into Tuesday while tallying a 3.57 ERA. Luzardo has strikeout stuff and will give the Phillies an early edge against a Washington lineup that has failed to string many hits together of late.

Washington will counter with left-hander Carson Palmquist, who has primarily been used in relief to this point in his young career. Expect the Nationals to ask Palmquist to pitch only the first inning or two, putting the onus on their bullpen to record the majority of the outs. That won’t bode well against a Phillies lineup that boasts plenty of depth and should be able to wear down a handful of arms.

Philadelphia should also feel good about facing a southpaw on the mound. There are plenty of right-handed bats in the Phillies’ lineup that can inflict serious damage and both Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber can erase any matchup with one swing of the bat. Washington’s bullpen could also be exposed for multiple innings if Philadelphia can force Palmquist out of the game early.

Jim's Play: 952. Phillies -1.5 Runs

A San Francisco Giants victory against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday is possible for three reasons. The Rangers are struggling, MacKenzie Gore has been spotty and the Giants still have momentum after taking Game 1 of this series.

Giants toppled Rangers 5-1 Monday night behind two homers from Jung Hoo Lee and six scoreless innings from Logan Webb. San Francisco also committed no errors and capitalized on five Texas mistakes. Texas is now winless in its last six games and that should give Giants bettors some pause before laying big numbers against San Francisco.

Tidwell sports a 3.00 ERA with 10 strikeouts in his small sample of major-league work. He’s still very inexperienced, but the Giants will live if Tidwell misses some bats against a Texas offense that managed just one run Monday and got almost nothing from its lineup’s upper third.

Texas will counter with Gore, who is just 6-9 with a 4.77 ERA. Gore has generated plenty of strikeouts, but his results have been shaky overall. San Francisco won’t need to string many hits together to score some runs against Gore. A few walks, one extra-base hit and another Ranger defensive miscue should be enough to give the Giants an early advantage.

Giants didn’t deal away their most feared veterans at the trade deadline either. Rafael Devers, Willy Adames and Matt Chapman still reside in San Francisco’s lineup while Lee is coming off a two-homer game and should feel great about himself heading into Tuesday. The Giants still have power to take advantage of Gore if he falls behind in the count.

Texas is getting prices near -194, which makes San Francisco seem like a hefty underdog. That line seems way too high for a Rangers team that’s losing by the basketful and sending a pitcher to the mound with an ERA close to 5.00. Giants fans might not like the inconsistency from rookie Blade Tidwell, but San Francisco doesn’t need Tidwell to be lights out. If he pitches to contact and escapes innings with four or five outs, the Giants’ lineup and bullpen should be able to keep this one close and produce another upset swing win.

Jim's Play: 977. Giants

The Atlanta Braves will have several reasons to feel confident in their odds to beat the Miami Marlins on Tuesday. Atlanta’s starting pitching matchup tilts in its favor, it owns more lineup depth and it has home-field advantage.

Atlanta is projected to start Grant Holmes, who arrives having posted a 6-4 record with a 3.88 ERA and 87 strikeouts on the season. Miami is scheduled to start Ryan Gusto, whose ERA sits above 5.00. Holmes has emerged as the Marlins’ more reliable starter while also possessing better strikeout stuff, which will allow him to limit Miami when it comes to putting the ball in play. The Marlins lineup has not produced well on the road, so Holmes should be able to take advantage of that.

Speaking of advantages, Atlanta also simply has the better team heading into this matchup. The Braves have a record of 67-45 and they lead the NL East. Miami’s record is 58-55. Atlanta has more big bats at its disposal to be fearsome when Ronald Acuna Jr. lays down a sacrifice bunt to set the table.

Atlanta also improved its team by adding outfielder Lane Thomas at the trade deadline. It also acquired veteran starting pitching help in Tyler Mahle and left-handed reliever Brent Suter. All three of those acquisitions give Atlanta added depth that should help it fend off Miami once Holmes exits.

Miami has been a competitive team this season, but its play on the road continues to drag down its overall performance. Miami entered this game with a below-.500 record away from Marlins Park. Atlanta, meanwhile, has found consistent success playing its home games at Truist Park.

Grant Holmes should give Atlanta the edge in starting pitching, its lineup boasts more depth and it’s playing this game at home. For those reasons, the Braves will have the best chance to win on Tuesday.

Jim's Play: 954. Braves

The Cincinnati Reds will have a good opportunity to beat the Oakland Athletics when Brady Singer takes the hill against J.T. Ginn. Singer has been very good at Great American Ball Park when you compare his home numbers to his career totals.

In general, Singer is 5-10 with a 4.35 ERA. At home Singer sports a 2.73 ERA and can induce ground balls and weak contact when he has his sinker-slider working. The Athletics lineup has dealt with inconsistent offense and came into the series with one of the worst offenses in the AL.

J.T. Ginn actually has been better than Singer with an 8-6 record and 3.46 ERA. Cincinnati does not have a huge pitching edge and both pitchers could give them quality starts. However, the Reds have a much better offensive environment at home with Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain and the heart of the lineup to capitalize on mistakes in hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park.

Cincinnati will also need to force Ginn into deep counts. Ginn has been effective for Oakland, but he does not have overpowering stuff. If the Reds can manufacture traffic and get him out of the game before the bullpen comes into play, they can expose Oakland’s less-than-stellar bullpen.

Singer does not have to be dominant either. Five or six solid innings should suffice as long as Cincinnati bats early and plays with a lead. With Singer’s superior home numbers, Cincinnati’s power edge and home field advantage, the Reds have the better recipe for success.

Jim's Play: 974. Reds

Sunday night’s game lived up to the high totals set by the Toronto Tempo and Golden State Valkyries as they combined for 175 points in Golden State’s 96-79 win. Both teams have enough firepower to easily reach the OVER on Tuesday when they again meet and the total hovers around 168½-170½.

Four Golden State players scored in double figures, shot well from behind the arc and scored 52 points after halftime. That’s enough to indicate this offense can roll into the 90s against Toronto.

Toronto has the offensive prowess to keep up. They average 88.5 points per game and their offensive rating is seventh best in the league. But their defense is dreadful, ranking last in defensive rating while giving up 92.9 points per game. They’ve had numerous games with totals of 193 or more as a result, posting scores of 193 against Minnesota, 181 against Atlanta, 198 against Indiana and 175 against Golden State recently.

Golden State plays at a slower pace than most teams, but Toronto’s defense and rebounding should give them extra chances. Morrow should also help Toronto earn more second-chance opportunities and provide another scoring threat after pouring in 17.3 points per game over her last three outings.

Golden State hitting the low 90s and Toronto scoring around 80 should cover the bet if the total settles around 168½ to 170½.

Jim's Play: 657. Tor Tempo / GS Valkyries OVER

MLB

08/04/2026 (4:40 pt / 7:40 et)

965. Minnesota Twins vs 966. Kansas City Royals

Take: 965. Twins/Royals OVER 9

Jim Feist’s free play for Tuesday, August 4 is Minnesota and Kansas City OVER. Minnesota will have Joe Ryan on the mound. He has a solid 3.52 ERA but Kansas City has already scored five earned runs off him this season in their first meeting. Kansas City will counter with Randy Dobnak who has an impressive 1.04 ERA but the sample size is very small. He will get his first real test with a Minnesota lineup that has had much better power and on-base numbers as of late.

The Royals bullpen is also another factor in play here as they have a bloated 5.40 ERA which ranks second worst in all of baseball. Minnesota and Kansas City have also had finals of 8-6 and 6-5 in their previous meetings showing that both offenses have what it takes to push this game into the double digits.

Jim Feist’s free play: Minnesota Twins-Kansas City Royals OVER the Total.