Inside the Chalk

The San Diego Padres will open a 3-game set tonight at Petco Park with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 31-23 Padres sit just two games back of the LA Dodgers for the lead in the NL West. The Pirates come in at 21-36 and are the bottom feeders in the NL Central. Tonight’s expected starter for the Padres is Nick Pivetta and he has been delivering. Pivetta is 5-2 with a 2.72 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP, and was sharp in his last start against Atlanta allowing just one run on four hits over six innings of work, with San Diego winning 2-1. Mitch Keller is expected on the hill for the Pirates. Keller is just 1-6 with a 3.66 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. The Friars have owned the Bucs. San Diego has won 9 straight against Pittsburgh, including a 3-game sweep in early May at PNC Park. The Friars are an impressive 18-9 at home and the Bucs are a dismal 8-20 on the road. San Diego is the side to consider.
TONIGHT’S PICK: SAN DIEGO PADRES

The Houston Astros will go for their fifth straight win when they open a 4-game set tonight with the Tampa Bay Rays at Daikin Park. The expected starters are Shane Baz for the Rays and Ryan Gusto for the Astros. Neither one of these guys is going to win the AL Cy Young anytime soon. Gusto is 3-2 with a 4.59 ERA, a 1.53 WHIP, and Baz has been erratic all season. He is 4-3 with a 4.94 ERA and 1.39 WHIP. This will not be a walk in the park for Houston. Tampa has won 7 of their last 8 games but Houston is tough at home. The Astros are 20-10 at Daikin Park and their 4 straight wins have all been at home. Houston also has the edge in runs per game, run differential, hits, homers, and the list goes on.
TONIGHT’S PICK: HOUSTON ASTROS

The New York Yankees are firing on every cylinder, winners of 3 straight and 7 of their last 8. Tonight they will resume their 3-game set with the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim. New York took game 1 (5-1) and should come out on top again tonight with southpaw Carlos Rodón on the hill. Rodón has been in the zone. He is 6-3 with a 2.88 ERA, a 0.96 WHIP, and has won his last two turns allowing just 1 run on 4 hits over the 2 games. After winning 8 straight the Angels have come back to earth and have lost their last 3. The Halos will turn to another lefty, Tyler Anderson, to throw strikes. Anderson has pitched well with a record of 2-1, a 3.60 ERA and a WHIP of only 0.99 but if he makes any mistakes the Bronx Bombers will take advantage. New York has the edge in every conceivable category there is and with an Angels team that is 0-5 in their last 5 home games against a left-handed starter, the Yankees are the side to consider.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The Texas Rangers and the Toronto Blue Jays will open a 3-game set this afternoon in Arlington. Texas has played well at Globe Life Field with a record of 17-10 and will have their ace on the hill, two-time Cy Young winner Jacob DeGrom. DeGrom is back to doing what he does best and that is deliver. He is 4-1 with a 2.33 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP. The Jays will counter with Kevin Gausman, who has been inconsistent with a record of 4-4 and a 4.03 ERA but he does have an excellent 0.97 WHIP. Toronto was just swept by the Tampa Bay Rays and were outscored 19-2 over the three games. The Jays are just 9-15 on the road and do not score runs which doesn’t bode well for Toronto when you have a flamethrower like DeGrom on the bump.
TODAY’S PICK: TEXAS RANGERS

The Cleveland Guardians will go for a 4-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers in an early one today at Comerica Park – but not so fast. The Tigers will send the reigning Cy Young winner, lefty Tarik Skubal, to the hill. Skubal is delivering as he normally does with a record of 4-2, a 2.87 ERA, a WHIP of only 0.88, and Detroit is 4-0 in his last 4 home starts against team with a winning record. Despite their 3-game skid, the Tigers still have the best record in the American League, at 33-20. They are 17-8 at home and the Guardians are 0-5 in their last 5 against a left-handed starter.
TODAY’S PICK: DETROIT TIGERS

Last night the AL East leading New York Yankees fell to one of the worst teams ever in baseball history, the 9-42 Colorado Rockies, 3-2, but that won’t happen today when they resume their 3-game set at Coors Field. New York is expected to have their ace southpaw, Max Fried, on the hill and he has Cy Young numbers. Fried is 6-0 with an ERA of only 1.29 and a 0.94 WHIP. If numbers like that aren’t intimidating to a hitter, then what is? The Yankees lead the league in home runs; they are averaging over 5 runs per game and should light up the Rockies expected starter, Kyle Freeland. He is 0-6 with a 5.68 ERA, a 1.59 WHIP, and the Yankees are 4-0 in their last 4 following a loss. The Bombers won’t come cheap but should cruise to a victory.
TODAY’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES