Month: October 2017

The New York Yankees find themselves down 0-2 to the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series and could have easily won one or both of the first two in Houston, if not for some unlucky breaks and two major blunders by the third base coach. However, that was then and this is now, and tonight the series switches to Yankee Stadium. Two hurlers will oppose each other with similar numbers, with CC Sabathia tapping the rubber for the Bombers and Charlie Morton for the Astros. Morton is 14-7, with a 3.64 ERA, a WHIP of 1.22, and Houston is 6-2 in his last 8 road starts. The lefty Sabathia owns a record of 14-5, with an ERA of 3.69, and a WHIP of 1.26. New York is 5-1 in Sabathia’s last 6 starts and 13-3 in his last 16 starts in the Bronx. When Sabathia takes the hill following a loss, he has been lights out, going 9-0 with an ERA of just 1.71 in 10 regular season starts. It goes without saying but the crowd will be up for this one. The Yankees cannot go down 0-3 or they are in major trouble and they know it.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The Los Angeles Dodgers are now 4-0 in post-season play after last night’s 5-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series. The Dodgers will seek their fifth straight victory tonight and are expected to send the ex-Cub, Rich Hill, to the rubber. The well-rested veteran southpaw is 12-8, with a 3.35 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, and the Dodgers are 4-0 in his last 4 starts. The Cubs are expected to counter with another lefty, Jon Lester. Lester is 13-8, with a 4.21 ERA, a 1.29 WHIP, and will be going on just three days’ rest, after throwing 51 pitches on Wednesday in Game 4 of the NL Division Series. After last night’s loss, Chicago is now 0-4 in their last 4 trips to Chavez Ravine and for what it matters, the Cubs are 0-6 in Lester’s last 6 Sunday starts. Fatigue has to be affecting Chicago. They played Game 4 of the NL Division Series on Wednesday, had a tough game against the Nationals in Game 5 on Thursday, a grueling flight on Friday, then had to play on Saturday and now another game on Sunday. That’s tough to do. The Dodgers are hot – ride them ’til their not.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS

The National League Championship Series will kick off tonight at Chavez Ravine between the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers have a significant edge in this one and this is why. The Cubs spent everything they had on Thursday night to take Game 5 from the Washington Nationals and then they had to catch a flight to the West coast. To make matters worse, due to a passenger’s medical issue, they had to make an emergency stop in Albuquerque which brought them into Los Angeles at noon on Friday. This forced them to skip Friday’s workout so they could catch up on some much needed rest. The Cubs skipper, Joe Maddon, will start the lefty, José Quintana, who is 11-11, with an ERA of 4.15, a WHIP of 1.22, and this bodes well for Los Angeles because they are 24-6 in their last 30 games against lefties. Dave Roberts will send their ace to the hill, Clayton Kershaw. The southpaw is 19-4, with an ERA of 2.43, and a 1.25 WHIP. The Dodgers are 47-10 in Kershaw’s last 57 home starts and 5-1 in his last 6 home starts against the Cubs. Chicago is 2-6 in their last 8 meetings with Los Angeles and 1-4 in their last 5 trips to Dodger Stadium.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS

The Washington Nationals have the momentum over the Chicago Cubs tonight when the series heads back to Washington for the decisive Game 5 of the National League Division Series. The Nationals are expected to hand the ball to Gio González. The lefty is 15-9, with an ERA of 3.01, and a WHIP of 1.17. Washington is 9-4 in his last 13 starts and 5-2 in his last 7 home starts. The Cubs are expected to counter with Kyle Hendricks. Hendricks, who looked sharp in his last turn, is 8-5, with a 2.88 ERA, a 1.17 WHIP, and will need to go deep into the game because of a tired Cubs bullpen. González could pose a problem for Chicago. They are 0-5 in their last 5 games against southpaws and 0-7 in their last 7 road games against lefties. Jerry Layne will be calling the game tonight and Chicago is 2-7 in their last 9 games with him behind the dish. Washington finally gets over the hump.
TONIGHT’S PICK: WASHINGTON NATIONALS

The Washington Nationals and the Chicago Cubs will play Game 4 of the National League Division Series in an early one today at Wrigley. Rumor has it that Dusty Baker may start Stephen Strasburg instead of Tanner Roark but the pick remains the same, regardless of the potential pitching change. Strasburg is 15-4, with an ERA of 2.52 and a 1.02 WHIP. Roark is 13-11, with an ERA of 4.67, a 1.33 WHIP, and has had success against Chicago, going 4-2, with an ERA of 4.06 in 6 career starts. Chicago will send their ace, Jake Arrieta, to the rubber. Arrieta is 14-10, with an ERA of 3.53, and a 1.22 WHIP, but has stumbled against the Nationals. In 9 career appearances, he is 1-2, with an ERA of 5.48. Arrieta has had a lingering hamstring problem which could become an issue as the game wears on. Washington is 4-1 in Roark’s last 5 road starts against a team with a winning record. The Nationals’ bats have been silent but have the potential to be lethal. Taking a shot on the road dog in this one.
TODAY’S PICK: WASHINGTON NATIONALS