Month: September 2017

The New York Yankees put a beating on the Baltimore Orioles yesterday, 8-2, and I see that happening again today. Baltimore has had issues in the Bronx, going 8-21 in their last 29 trips to the Stadium, and they are 1-7 in the last 8 meetings overall. Joe Girardi is going to send Jordan Montgomery to the hill to face Baltimore’s Jeremy Hellickson. The southpaw Montgomery is 7-7 on the season with a 4.24 ERA and Hellickson is 8-9 with a 5.23 ERA. The Yanks are 6-1 in their last 7 overall and 4-0 in their last 4 home games. I like the Bombers in this situation.
TODAY’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The Tampa Bay Rays return home tonight to Tropicana Field and will open a 3-game set against Chris Sale and the Boston Red Sox. After a slight bump in the road, Sale is back to his dominant form. The lefty is 2-1 in his last 3 turns, with a 1.56 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, and last faced the Rays on Saturday when he gave up 6 hits with 8 Ks and no runs in a 9-0 Red Sox win. Matt Andriese gets the nod for Tampa. Andriese has been awful in his last 3 starts, going 0-2, with a 14.09 ERA and a 2.48 WHIP – and that’s not a typo. When Tampa Bay put Andriese up against Sale last Saturday, he gave up 8 runs on 7 hits and couldn’t make it out of the second inning. The Rays are 0-4 in his last 4 starts and 0-5 in their last 5 games against southpaws. That spells doom when you have to face a flame throwing lefty like Sale.
TONIGHT’S PICK: BOSTON RED SOX

The Houston Astros will send Brad Peacock to the mound tonight to oppose the Los Angeles Angels’ Ricky Nolasco in the rubber game of a 3-game set at Angel Stadium. Nolasco has not pitched well in the 2017 campaign, with a record of 6-13, an ERA of 5.19, a WHIP of 1.47, and he has given up 34 homers, which is tied for the third most in the Majors. The Angels are 3-8 in his last 11 home starts and 0-4 in his last 4 home outings against a team with a winning record. Peacock on the other hand has pitched well, with a record of 10-2, a 3.05 ERA, and a 1.24 WHIP with 150 strike outs. The Astros are 10-4 in his last 14 road starts and are 11-5 in their last 16 trips to Angel Stadium. The pitching match-up sides with Houston tonight.
TONIGHT’S PICK: HOUSTON ASTROS

The Boston Red Sox are peaking at the right time and are now 4 games up on the New York Yankees after pummeling the Oakland Athletics last night at Fenway, 11-1. The bottom dwelling Athletics have had issues against the AL East, posting a record of 3-9 in the last 12 games, and are a dismal 16-43 in their last 59 when they make the trip to Fenway. It doesn’t look any brighter for Oakland tonight when Jharel Cotton takes the hill. Cotton is 1-0 in his last 3 turns, with an ERA of 7.20, a 1.53 WHIP, and the Athletics are 2-5 in his last 7 road starts. The Red Sox, who are 5-1 in their last 6 overall and 5-1 in their last 6 home games, will send Doug Fister to the rubber. Fister has been sharp as a tack, going 2-1 in his last 3 outings, with an ERA of 1.71, a 0.90 WHIP, and Boston is 5-2 in his last 7 starts. In the last two meetings with Oakland, the Red Sox have outscored the Athletics, 23-4. The Red Sox are by far the superior team in this one.
TONIGHT’S PICK: BOSTON RED SOX

I like the Minnesota Twins chances for a victory tonight when they play host to the San Diego Padres at Target Field. San Diego has been playing good baseball but have struggled against Minnesota, going 2-10 in the last 12 meetings and 1-4 in their last 5 trips to Minnesota. Andy Green will send the lefty, Travis Wood, to the hill for the Friars. Wood is 0-1 in his last 3 starts, with an ERA of 7.15, a 2.47 WHIP, and was roughed up in his last outing, giving up 7 runs on 7 hits with 2 homers in just 2 innings of work. Kyle Gibson will get the nod for the Twins. Gibson has been sharp in his last 3 turns, with a record of 2-0, a 1.83 ERA, a WHIP of 1.12, and the Twins are 4-0 in his last 4 starts. Minnesota has been dominant in interleague play, with a record of 8-0 in their last 8 games, and they are 5-0 in their last 5 home games against southpaws.
TONIGHT’S PICK: MINNESOTA TWINS

The game between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays has been moved from Tropicana Field to Citi Field in Queens due to the hurricane so it will be like a home game for the Yankees. Joe Girardi will call on his veteran southpaw CC Sabathia to throw strikes. Sabathia might not have the velocity he once had but he knows how to pitch. He is 11-5 on the season, with a 3.91 ERA, a 1.29 WHIP, and has been a Tampa-killer. The Yankees are 8-0 in Sabathia’s last 8 starts against the Rays and they are 4-1 in the last 5 meetings. Jake Odorizzi is expected on the hill for the Rays. Odorizzi has a mediocre record of 8-7, with an ERA of 4.58, a 1.30 WHIP, and the Rays are 1-5 in his last 6 starts when he faces the powerhouse AL East. Tampa has had issues with lefties, going 1-5 in their last 6 games against them. I like the Yankees in this situation.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The Arizona Diamondbacks are on the verge of being swept at home by the San Diego Padres but Robbie Ray is on the hill today for Arizona and he won’t let that happen. Ray doesn’t get the attention like other lefties, such as Kershaw and Sale, but he is just as good. In his last 3 starts, the flamethrower is 3-0, with an ERA of just 0.93 and a stingy WHIP of 0.67. The pesky Friars, who are no push over, will counter with Luis Perdomo. Perdomo has pitched well in his last 3 outings, going 1-1, with an ERA of 2.50, and a 1.56 WHIP but San Diego is 1-7 in his last 8 starts against the National League West. The Diamondbacks are 11-4 in Ray’s last 15 starts and 7-1 in his last 8 starts against a team with a losing record. The number is high but they all are at this time of year. Lay it and take Arizona.
TODAY’S PICK: ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS