Month: July 2017

The Arizona Diamondbacks have now lost 3 in a row, after blowing a 4-1 ninth inning lead last night to the Los Angeles Dodgers. I like their chances for a victory tonight when they host the Cincinnati Reds. Zack Greinke is having another stellar year and will get the nod tonight for the Diamondbacks. Greinke is 10-4, with a 3.05 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. Arizona is 5-1 in Greinke’s last 6 starts and 6-0 in his last 6 starts at Chase Field. Tim Adleman will take the bump for the Reds. Adleman is 5-5, with a 4.67 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Cincinnati is 1-4 in his last 5 starts and 1-5 in his last 6 road starts. The Diamondbacks have won 8 of the last 11 meetings and should get this one tonight.

Tonight’s Pick:

Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks will try to avoid being swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers when they play the final game of a 3-game set tonight at Chavez Ravine. Two lefties will face off tonight with Robbie Ray going for the Diamondbacks and Rich Hill for the Dodgers. Hill is trudging along, with a record of 5-4, a 4.00 ERA, a 1.35 WHIP, and Los Angeles is 1-4 in his last 5 home starts against a team with a winning record. Robbie Ray has been on his mark. Ray is 8-4, with a 3.06 ERA, a WHIP of 1.20, and he has 128 strikeouts on the season. Arizona is 7-1 in his last 8 starts, 4-0 in his last 4 road starts, and 4-1 in his last 5 starts at Dodger Stadium. The underdog is a good play here.

Tonight’s Pick:

Arizona Diamondbacks

The New York Mets have a good chance for a victory tonight over the Washington Nationals when they play the final game of a 3-game set at Nationals Park. If the Mets are going to snap their 3-game slide, who would you rather have on the hill than Jacob deGrom? The New York hurler is 8-3 on the season, with an ERA of 3.55, a WHIP of 1.22, and over his last 3 starts, he has been lethal, going 3-0, with an ERA of 0.78, and a WHIP of 0.61. Tanner Roark will tap the rubber for the Nationals and he has been struggling. Roark is 6-6, with a 5.27 ERA, a 1.48 WHIP, and in his last 3 starts he is 0-2, with an inflated ERA of 11.57, a WHIP of 2.40, and the Nationals are 0-5 in his last 5 starts. New York is 4-0 in deGrom’s last 4 starts and 4-0 in his last 4 starts against the National League East. The Mets should get this one.

Tonight’s Pick:

New York Mets

I’m taking my chances on the Pittsburgh Pirates again today. Jameson Taillon will get the call for the Bucs to try to end this 4-game skid. Taillon has been delivering, with a record of 4-2, an ERA of 2.97, a WHIP of 1.35, and the Pirates are 6-2 in his last 8 road starts. Mark Leiter Jr. will get the nod for Philadelphia. Leiter is 1-0, with an ERA of 4.20, and a 1.27 WHIP. Leiter is vulnerable to the long ball, surrendering 3 homers in his last outing against Seattle. Ryan Blakney is calling the game and the road team is 4-0 in his last 4 when he is behind the dish. Cutch and company get it done today.

Today’s Pick:

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates have lost 3 in a row and will try to right the ship tonight when they travel to Citizens Bank Park to take on the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies are the worst team in baseball, with a record of 27-53, and are 14-20 at home. The Pirates will send the ex-Yankee Ivan Nova to the hill. Nova is having a productive year, with a record of 8-5, an ERA of 3.08, a 1.11 WHIP, and the Bucs are 5-0 in his last 5 starts against the National League East. Aaron Nola gets the nod for Philadelphia. Nola is 5-5, with a 4.13 ERA, and a WHIP of 1.39. The Phillies are 1-5 in their last 6 home games and 1-4 in Nola’s last 5 starts against the National League Central. Pittsburgh has owned Philadelphia, going 17-7 in the last 24 meetings. Good dog bet on the Pirates.

Tonight’s Pick:

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Atlanta Braves have their daggers out and are looking for a sweep of the Oakland Athletics in an early one at the Coliseum today. Not so fast. The leftie Sean Manaea will take the hill for the A’s and he has been delivering. Manaea is 7-4 on the season, with an ERA of 3.87, and a WHIP of 1.22. Oakland is 7-1 in Manaea’s last 8 starts and 4-1 in his last 5 home starts. Counter that with Atlanta’s Julio Teherán. Teherán is 6-6 on the season, with an ERA of 5.30, and a WHIP of 1.44. Atlanta has struggled on the road against southpaws, going 12-30 in their last 42. Edge Oakland.

Today’s Pick:

Oakland Athletics

The Los Angeles Dodgers manhandled the San Diego Padres last night in a 10-4 shellacking and will look to continue their dominance over the Padres when they play the second game of a 3-game set tonight at Petco Park. Two lefties will face each other, with Rich Hill going for the Dodgers and Dillon Overton for the Padres. Hill is having a mediocre year, with a record of 4-4, a 4.60 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. San Diego picked up Overton from the Seattle Mariners and he will be making his first start as a Padre. Overton is 0-0, with an ERA of 6.38. He made 1 start and 8 relief appearances for Seattle this year, where he yielded 15 runs over 18-1/3 innings of work, which is not good. Los Angeles has won 6 out of the 7 meetings this year against the Friars, and they are 4-0 in their last 4 trips to Petco Park. The Dodgers can hit southpaws, going 5-1 in their last 6 against them. This could be a long night or short night for Overton.

Tonight’s Pick:

Los Angeles Dodgers