Month: April 2019

The Detroit Tigers have lost 4 in a row and it won’t get any easier for them tonight when they open a 2-game set at Citizens Bank Park against Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies. The Tigers are expected to give the nod to Tyson Ross and he has not been delivering. Ross is 1-3, and has an elevated ERA of 4.03 with a 1.38 WHIP. The Phillies are expected to counter with Vince Velasquez and he has been on his mark at 1-0, with a 1.99 ERA, and a 1.01 WHIP. When Velasquez takes the hill at home, the Phillies are 6-0 in his last 6 turns and they are 6-2 in their last 8 interleague home games.
TONIGHT’S PICK: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

The St. Louis Cardinals are hot, winning 7 of their last 8, but they will be in Washington tonight to open a 4-game set and they have to face a flame thrower named Patrick Corbin. Why the Arizona Diamondbacks got rid of this lefty is beyond me. Corbin is dominating as usual, with a record of 2-0, a 2.48 ERA and a stingy WHIP of only 0.92. Enough said.
TONIGHT’S PICK: WASHINGTON NATIONALS

Chris Sale will be tapping the rubber today for the Boston Red Sox when they host the surging Tampa Bay Rays in an early one at Fenway. The best southpaw on the planet has yet to record a win, at 0-4, but that will change today. Boston is 4-1 in his last 5 starts against the Rays. Doug Eddings is pulling the strings behind home plate and the home team is 4-1 in his last 5 when he is in charge.
TODAY’S PICK: BOSTON RED SOX

Even without their heavy hitters, the New York Yankees are getting it done, winning 7 of their last 8. New York and San Francisco opened a 3-game set last night at AT&T Park with the Yanks getting the win, 7-3. Today they will play game 2 in a matinée with two southpaws opposing each other. J.A. Happ will get the nod for New York. Happ has yet to find his groove, at 0-2 with a 5.96 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP, but he will. Derek Holland will tap the rubber for San Francisco and, like Happ, he has been slow out of the gate. Holland is 1-3, with a 4.33 ERA, a 1.22 WHIP, and he has not fared well in his career against the Yankees, with a record of 1-7 and a 6.38 ERA. The Giants are just 1-5 in his last 6 starts and 1-4 in his last 5 turns at AT&T Park. This doesn’t bode well for San Francisco with the way the Bombers crush lefties.
TODAY’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The Minnesota Twins lost their last two on the road but will return home tonight with smiles on their faces because they open a 3-game set with the Baltimore Orioles. The Twins swept the Orioles just last week at Camden Yards, outscoring them 26-15. The Orioles are expected to give the nod to Alex Cobb and this guy has been getting lit up. Cobb has a bloated 11.88 ERA (and that is not a typo) and the Twins scorched him last Saturday for 9 runs on 10 hits in just 2-2/3 innings of work. The Twins are expected to counter with the southpaw Martín Pérez, who is 2-0 with an ERA that could be better at 5.31, but that shouldn’t be a factor because the Orioles are 0-7 in their last 7 games against a left-handed starter. Minnesota has had the upper hand against Baltimore, winning 23 of the last 31 meetings overall and the last 4 against them at Target Field.
TONIGHT’S PICK: MINNESOTA TWINS

The Seattle Mariners will be glad to get back home tonight to open a 4-game set against the Texas Rangers. Seattle lost its last 3 on the road and will turn to the leftie Marco Gonzales to right the ship. Gonzales has yet to lose a turn at 4-0, posting an ERA of 3.32 with a 1.36 WHIP. Texas is expected to go with southpaw Taylor Hearn. Hearn will be making his Big League debut and it could be a long night for the rookie. The Mariners are 4-1 in their last 5 home game against lefties and have won 4 of the last 5 meetings in Seattle against Texas.
TONIGHT’S PICK: SEATTLE MARINERS