Month: August 2016

The Baltimore Orioles are on the verge of being swept by the Oakland Athletics, losing the first 3 of a 4-game set at the Coliseum. The Orioles’ bats have gone silent, with All-Star Mark Trumbo going 0-11 in the series, and catcher Matt Wieters is just 1-10. The Orioles’ bats might wake up today when they face Andrew Triggs. Triggs is making his second start of the season and is 0-0, with a 5.35 ERA and opponents are batting .297 against him. Chris Tillman gets the nod for the Birds and he is 14-4 on the season, with a 3.50 ERA. Tillman is 3-0 with a 2.58 ERA in 6 career starts against Oakland, and last faced them on May 8th and notched a victory. Baltimore should avoid the sweep today.

Today’s pick:

Baltimore Orioles

If the New York Mets want to stay in the playoff hunt, they cannot afford to lose a home series to a bottom dweller like the Arizona Diamondbacks. Tonight they will try to even the score when they send the veteran Bartolo Colón to the mound. Colón is 10-6 on the season, with an ERA of 3.46 and was sharp in his last outing, holding the Yankees to 1 run in 6-2/3 innings. Robbie Ray gets the start for Arizona. Ray is 5-11 with an ERA of 4.83 and has lost his last 3 starts. The Diamondbacks are just 3-14 in Ray’s last 17 road starts and 1-5 in their last 6 in Queens. Even with all of their injuries, New York should get to Robbie Ray.

Tonight’s pick:

New York Mets

The Toronto Blue Jays will seek a series win over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays when they play the 2nd game of a 3-game set tonight at Rogers Centre. Marco Estrada gets the start tonight for the Jays. He comes into tonight’s game with a record of 7-4, an ERA of 2.92 and a WHIP of 0.99. Estrada has 3 career starts against the Rays and he is 1-1, with stingy ERA of 0.86 and a WHIP of 0.54. Tampa Bay sends the lefty, Drew Smyly to the hill. Smyly is 3-11, with an ERA of 5.14 and a WHIP of 1.29. The Rays are 5-17 in their last 22 road games and 0-4 in Smyly’s last 4 road starts. David Rackley is calling it tonight and Toronto is 4-1 in their last 5 with him behind the dish.

Tonight’s pick:

Toronto Blue Jays

Two flame throwers will square off tonight in Miami, when Johnny Cueto and the San Francisco Giants open a 3-game set against Jose Fernandez and the Miami Marlins. Cueto is having a stellar year, posting a 13-3 record with a 2.73 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. The same can be said for José Fernández, who is 12-6 on the season with an ERA of 2.87 and a 1.08 WHIP. Fernández last faced San Francisco on April 23rd in a loss, giving up 4 runs in 6 innings of work. The Giants are 10-2 in Johnny C’s last 12 road starts. With a little run support, the Giants should win this game.

Tonight’s pick:

San Francisco Giants

The New York Mets have been decimated with injuries this year and now they add outfielder Yoenis Cespedes to the growing list with a quad strain. Tonight the Mets will hobble into Comerica Park to open a 3-game set against the surging Detroit Tigers. The Tigers send Justin Verlander to the hill and he has been delivering. Verlander is 11-6 on the season, with a 3.54 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP and is 4-0 in his last 6 starts. The Tigers are 8-1 in their last 9 games overall, and 5-1 in their last 6 homestands. The Mets send Noah Syndergaard to the bump and he is 9-5 with an ERA of 2.48 and a WHIP of 1.14. It is rumored that Syndergaard has a bone spur in his elbow, which could explain his lack of control lately. New York is 0-4 in their last 4 meetings with Detroit. The Tigers stay hot.

Tonight’s pick:

Detroit Tigers