Month: May 2019

The Miami Marlins will bring their dismal 8-17 road record to Petco Park tonight to open a 3-game set with the San Diego Padres. Two lefties will be tapping the rubber, with Caleb Smith starting for the Marlins and Joey Lucchesi for the Padres. Lucchesi has lowered his ERA over his last 3 starts to 2.84, with a WHIP of just 0.68. He will be working on six days’ rest where the Padres are 5-1 in his last 6 starts and they are 4-1 in his last 5 turns against the National League East. Over Smith’s last 3 starts, his ERA has ballooned to 6.08 with a 1.20 WHIP. San Diego has been smacking lefties at home, going 5-2 in their last 7, and they have won 5 of the last 6 against the Marlins. I like the Friars in this situation.
TONIGHT’S PICK: SAN DIEGO PADRES

The Milwaukee Brewers will visit PNC Park tonight to open a 4-game set against their division rival, the Pittsburgh Pirates. Joe Musgrove will get the nod for Pittsburgh and he is 3-5 on the season, with a 4.27 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. The Pirates are just 2-5 in his last 7 starts and he has struggled in his last two turns against the Brewers, with a bloated ERA of 6.94. Milwaukee will counter with Chase Anderson, who is 2-0, with a 3.25 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. The Brewers are 6-2 in his last 8 starts. Milwaukee was idle yesterday and after a day off, they are 20-6 in their last 26 and will be facing a Pirates team who has played four games in less than 54 hours, so fatigue will probably be an issue for the Bucs.
TONIGHT’S PICK: MILWAUKEE BREWERS

The surging Philadelphia Phillies will go for two in a row against the St. Louis Cardinals when the two teams play the second game of a 3-game set at Citizens Bank Park. The Cardinals will need all the luck they can get tonight. They are just 6-17 in their last 23 overall and have called up Genesis Cabrera to take the hill. Cabrera has not been getting it done in Triple-A, with a 6.35 ERA, and that doesn’t bode well when you have to face the Phillies offensive weapons. Philadelphia will send their ace, Aaron Nola, to the hill and he is a perfect 5-0 on the season. The Phillies are 19-10 at home and 3-1 this year against the Cardinals.
TONIGHT’S PICK: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

The New York Yankees are red hot, winning 12 of their last 14 games, and disposed of the San Diego Padres last night, 5-2. The two clubs will meet again tonight in the Bronx, with Masahiro Tanaka getting the nod for the Yankees and the southpaw, Eric Lauer, starting for the Padres. Tanaka has pitched well, with a record of 3-3, a 2.94 ERA, and a 1.12 WHIP. Lauer has not been producing, at 3-4, with an elevated ERA of 4.73, a 1.31 WHIP, and it could be a long night for him because the Yankees crush left-handed pitching and are 14-3 in their last 17 Interleague games against southies. The Padres have not fared well at the Stadium, going 0-6 in their last 6 trips to the Bronx.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The Los Angeles Angels are on a 4-game skid and will try to right the ship tonight when they host the red hot Texas Rangers but will be up for the challenge. The Rangers will send Drew Smyly to the rubber and he has been awful. Smyly is winless at 0-3, with a 6.51 ERA, a 1.73 WHIP, and in his career against the Angels, he is 0-4 with a 5.59 ERA. The best player in baseball, Mike Trout, has been a Rangers pitchers’ nightmare. In his career, he has launched 30 home runs, including 5 this year with 9 RBIs. 
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES ANGELS

The Houston Astros were pummeled last night by the Chicago White Sox, 9-4, but expect them to bounce back tonight when they conclude their 4-game set at Minute Maid Park. Lucas Giolito has been delivering and is expected be on the hill for Chicago. Giolito is 5-1, with a 3.35 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP, but he has struggled against the Astros, going 0-3 in his career with a bloated ERA of 7.31. Corbin Martin is expected to tap the rubber for Houston. Since being called up from AAA, he has been steady with a record of 1-0 in 2 starts and a 3.86 ERA. The Astros are resilient. After a loss, they are 5-1 in their last 6, winning 9 of the last 10 meetings with the White Sox and 6 of the last 7 against them at home. 
TONIGHT’S PICK: HOUSTON ASTROS