Month: April 2017

The Houston Astros and the Oakland Athletics will play the rubber match in a matinee today at Minute Maid Park. I like Houston Astros’ chances in this one because the flame-throwing southpaw, Dallas Keuchel, will be on the hill. Keuchel has been outstanding so far with a 4-0 record, a 1.22 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP. Houston is 6-1 in his last 7 starts overall and the Astros are 5-0 in Keuchel’s last 5 home starts against the Athletics. Jesse Hahn will take the mound for the A’s and he’s been on his mark as well. Hahn is 1-1, with a 2.08 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP, but Oakland is 1-5 in Hahn’s last 6 road starts and the A’s are 1-5 in their last 6 trips to Minute Maid Park. Oakland struggles against southpaws, with a record of 11-24 in their last 35. All the numbers lean towards Houston in this one.

Today’s pick:

Houston Astros

The New York Mets snapped their 6-game losing streak yesterday with a 7-5 victory on the road over the Washington Nationals. Today they will try to make it two in a row but that will be a difficult task because Washington is sending their ace, Stephen Strasburg, to the hill. Strasburg is a perfect 2-0 on the season, with a 2.89 ERA, and he is 4-1 in his last 5 starts against New York. The Mets will counter with Zach Wheeler, who is 1-2, with a 5.40 ERA, and New York is 1-6 in his last 7 starts against Washington. The Mets are 2-5 in their last 7 trips to Nationals Park. I’ll take my chances on Washington in this one.

Today’s pick:

Washington Nationals

The Kansas City Royals should snap their 7-game losing streak tonight at home against the Minnesota Twins and this is why. The Royals will send Ian Kennedy to the hill. Over his last 3 outings, Kennedy has a 1.29 ERA, a 0.90 WHIP, and has allowed just 3 runs and 10 hits in his last 21 innings of work. The Twins will counter with Kyle Gibson and he has been a disaster over his last 3, with a bloated ERA of 10.50 and a 2.17 WHIP. The Royals are 5-1 in Kennedy’s last 6 starts against the Twins, and Minnesota has dropped 3 of the last 4 trips at Kauffman Stadium.

Tonight’s pick:

Kansas City Royals

The Baltimore Orioles’ bats went cold last night when they were blanked at home, 2-0, by the Tampa Bay Rays. I see the Orioles bouncing back tonight when Dylan Bundy gets the nod. Bundy has been throwing flames and delivering. He is 3-1, with an ERA of 1.37, and a 0.99 WHIP. Bundy has not yielded a run in 13 innings and Baltimore is 5-1 in his last 6 home starts. The Rays will send Alex Cobb to the hill and he owns a record of 1-2, with a 4.88 ERA, a 1.42 WHIP, and Tampa is 1-5 in his last 6 road starts. The Orioles have not lost a series this season and I don’t see that happening tonight.

Tonight’s pick:

Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles will send the lefty Wade Miley to the hill tonight at Camden Yards to face Erasmo Ramírez and the Tampa Bay Rays in the second game of a 3-game set. Miley has been on his game, with a record of 1-0, an ERA of 1.89, and a 0.84 WHIP. The Rays Ramírez has also been sharp, with a record of 2-0, a 3.07 ERA and a 0.68 WHIP. Tampa Bay has struggled against Baltimore, going 4-12 in the last 16 meetings and 2-10 in their last 12 trips to Baltimore. The Rays have also had issues with southpaws, going 4-11 in their last 15 against them. The Orioles took game one, 6-3, and I like their chances again in this one.

Tonight’s pick:

Baltimore Orioles

The Arizona Diamondbacks will open a 4-game set today at Chase Field against their National League West rival, the San Diego Padres. Arizona is tough at home, with an 8-2 record, and tonight they will send their ace, Zack Greinke, to the hill. Greinke has an ERA of 3.28, a 1.22 WHIP, and Arizona is 7-3 in his last 10 home starts. The Padres are 3-8 on the road and will send Jhoulys Chacín to the hill, who has a 5.09 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. San Diego is 2-5 in their last 7 meetings with the Diamondbacks and 1-4 in their last 5 trips to Chase Field.

Tonight’s pick:

Arizona Diamondbacks