The Minnesota Twins lost a tough one yesterday but they should rebound tonight when they play the final game of a 4-game set against the Chicago White Sox on the south side. There is a pitching mismatch in this one, with Derek Holland tapping the rubber for the White Sox and José Berríos for the Twins. Holland is 6-13, with a 6.28 ERA, a 1.70 WHIP, and in his last 2 starts against Minnesota, he has failed to make it past 3 innings. Chicago is 1-6 in Holland’s last 7 home starts and 0-7 in his last 7 starts against the American League Central. On the flip side, José Berríos gets the nod for the Twins. Berríos is 11-5, with a 3.99 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, and is 2-0 in 2 career starts against Chicago with a 2.08 ERA. Minnesota is 6-2 in their last 8 games and 8-3 in their last 11 trips to Guaranteed Rate Field.
TONIGHT’S PICK: MINNESOTA TWINS
Month: August 2017
Wednesday MLB Pick
The Boston Red Sox clobbered the Cleveland Indians last night, 9-1, and are a big underdog tonight when they play the third game of a 4-game set at Progressive Field. Two flamethrowers are expected to oppose each other, with Boston sending the lefty Drew Pomeranz to the hill and Cleveland with Corey Kluber. Kluber has been on his game, with a record of 12-3, an ERA of 2.67, a WHIP of 0.92, and is 3-0 in his last 3 starts with an ERA of 2.11. Pomeranz has been just as lethal, with a record of 12-4, a 3.31 ERA, a 1.35 WHIP, and is 2-0 in his last 3 starts with an ERA of 2.20. The Red Sox are 16-5 in their last 21 overall, 6-2 in their last 8 road games, and 4-0 in Pomeranz’ last 4 road starts against a team with a winning record. I see this as a good dog bet.
Tonight’s pick: BOSTON RED SOX.
Tuesday MLB Pick
The Arizona Diamondbacks and the New York Mets will play the second game of a 4-game set tonight at Citi Field. Arizona won the first game in extras last night, 3-2, and I see them coming out on top again tonight. Patrick Corbin will get the call for Arizona. Corbin has been delivering, going 2-1 in his last 3 starts, with an ERA of 1.27 and a WHIP of 0.94. New York will counter with Tommy Milone. Milone has been sidelined with a sprained left knee and will be making his first start in 3 months. He is 1-2, with an ERA of 7.91, a WHIP of 1.73, and in 2 career starts against Arizona, he is 0-1 with an ERA of 7.59. New York is 1-7 in their last 8 games overall and 1-6 in their last 7 at home. The Diamondbacks should get this one. They are 5-0 in their last 5 meetings with the Mets and 4-0 in their last 4 trips to Citi Field.
Tonight’s Pick:
Arizona Diamondbacks
Monday MLB Pick
The Baltimore Orioles have lost 2 in a row and they had better get back on track soon if they want to stay in the American League Wild Card hunt. A visit from the Oakland Athletics tonight to open a 3-game set might be the answer. The Athletics, who are 20-39 on the road, will send Chris Smith to the rubber. In his last 3 starts, Smith is 0-1, with an inflated ERA of 6.61, a WHIP of 1.35, and he last faced the Orioles at home on August 10th, yielding 5 runs on 7 hits in a 7-2 Orioles victory. Baltimore, who is 36-24 at home, will give the nod to the southpaw, Wade Miley. In his last 3 outings, Miley is 1-1, with an ERA of 2.70, a WHIP of 1.26, and he opposed Smith on August 10th, giving up just 1 unearned run on 3 hits in 7 innings of work. Oakland is 0-4 in their last 4 games against lefties and 1-6 in their last 7 trips to Camden Yards. I like Baltimore in this situation.
Tonight’s Pick:
Baltimore Orioles
Sunday MLB Pick
The St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates will play the final game of a 4-game set tonight but it won’t be at PNC Park. It will be at Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pennsylvania as part of the Little League World Classic. The Pirates finally snapped their 6-game skid yesterday with a 6-4 victory. They will try to make it two in a row tonight when they send Ivan Nova to the hill. Nova is 10-10, with a 3.77 ERA, a 1.21 WHIP, and he pitched well in his last outing, surrendering 2 runs, 1 which was earned, but had no run support in a 3-1 loss to Milwaukee. Mike Leake will get the call for the Cardinals. Leake is 7-11, with a 3.88 ERA, a 1.32 WHIP, and is winless in his last 4 starts, surrendering 19 runs during that span. St. Louis is 2-6 in Leake’s last 8 starts and 0-4 in his last 4 starts on the road. The Pirates’ Starling Marte has been on a tear, going 11-22 with 3 RBIs in his last 5 games. Baseball is a very streaky game and this could be the start of a run for the Bucs.
Tonight’s Pick:
Pittsburgh Pirates
Saturday MLB Pick
The Washington Nationals’ Stephen Strasburg has been on the shelf for 4 weeks with an elbow ailment but is expected to tap the rubber tonight at Petco Park when the Nationals look to make it 3 straight victories over the host San Diego Padres. The San Diego native is having another sensational year, with a record of 10-3, an ERA of 3.25, and has been a Padre killer. The flamethrower is 6-1 lifetime against the Friars, with an ERA of 2.93, and last faced them on May 27th when he tossed 7 scoreless innings, yielding just 3 hits and fanning 15 batters. Andy Green is expected to send Travis Wood the the hill. The southpaw is 2-4, with an ERA of 6.46, and is 1-1 with an ERA of 5.57 since coming over from Kansas City. Washington is 5-0 in their last 5 games against lefties, 4-1 in their last 5 meetings with the Padres, and 7-2 in their last 9 trips to Petco.
Tonight’s Pick:
Washington Nationals
Friday MLB Pick
The Minnesota Twins split a doubleheader yesterday with the Cleveland Indians so fatigue could be a factor tonight when they host the Arizona Diamondbacks at Target Field. Two quality pitchers will oppose each other, with Zack Godley going for Arizona and Ervin Santana for Minnesota. Santana is 12-7, with an ERA of 3.28, and a WHIP of 1.13 but Minnesota is 2-6 in his last 8 home starts and they are 1-5 in their last 6 games against the National League West. On the flip side, Godley is 5-5, with an ERA of 2.95, and a WHIP of 1.04. The Diamondbacks are 4-1 in Godley’s last 5 starts and 6-2 in his last 8 road starts. Arizona has dominated the American League Central, going 6-0 in their last 6 games and they are 8-2 in their last 10 interleague games. Edge Arizona.
Tonight’s Pick:
Arizona Diamondbacks