Month: September 2020

The Chicago White Sox are feeling the heat from the Minnesota Twins, who sit just a 1/2 game back of them for the Al Central lead. The Twins, who have won 3 straight, will wrap up a quick 2-game set with the Detroit Tigers tonight at Target Field. With last night’s win, Minnesota is now 22-5 at Target Field and own the best home record in all of baseball. The Tigers are 2-8 in their last 10 and are expected to send the promising rookie, Casey Mize, to the rubber. Mize is 0-2 with a 6.08 ERA and a 6.43 WHIP, and is better than his numbers reflect. The Twins have Kenta Maeda slated to take the hill. Maeda has been on his mark, posting a 5-1 record with a 2.52 ERA and a nasty WHIP of only 0.75. To say the Twins have had the Tigers number would be an understatement. They are 38-17 in their last 55 meetings and 6-1 in their last 7 against Detroit at Target Field.
TONIGHT’S PICK: MINNESOTA TWINS

With a win tonight at Citi Field against the New York Mets, the Tampa Bay Rays can clinch the AL East Division title, a feat they have not accomplished since 2010. The Rays are expected to send their ace to the hill, southpaw Blake Snell. Snell is back to what he does best and that is deliver. He is 4-1 with a 3.05 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. The Mets are hanging by a very thin thread to make the postseason and are expected to turn to Seth Lugo to throw strikes. Lugo is 2-3 with a 4.34 ERA, a 1.31 WHIP, and was lit up in his last turn against the Phillies, surrendering 6 runs in just 1-2/3 innings of work. Not good. New York has had issues against left-handed starters, going 0-4 in their last 4 overall and 1-5 in their 6 against southies at home. Tampa has been killing it on the road, with a record of 18-5 in their last 23 and with Snell on the hill, they are worth considering.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TAMPA BAY RAYS

The Miami Marlins sit 3 games back of the NL East leading Atlanta Braves and will have a chance to gain some ground when they open a 4-game series with the Braves tonight at Truist Park. The probable pitchers do not warrant much discussion. Lefty Trevor Rogers is expected to get the nod for the Marlins. Rogers is 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. On the flip side, the Braves are expected to have Huascar Ynoa on the hill. Ynoa is 0-0 with a 5.30 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP but was sharp in his last turn against Baltimore, where he pitched 4 scoreless innings and yielded just 2 hits. Atlanta has won 23 of the last 30 at home against Miami and annihilated the Marlins in their last meeting on September 9th, 29-9.
TONIGHT’S PICK: ATLANTA BRAVES

The San Diego Padres will still be considered the visiting team when they wrap up their 3-game set with the Seattle Mariners in a matinée today at Petco Park. San Diego has not been to the postseason since 2006 but a win today will put an end to that. The Mariners are expected to send the promising rookie, Justin Dunn, to the rubber and he has pitched well. Dunn is 3-1 with a 4.11 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP but was yanked in the second inning in his last turn after surrendering 5 walks to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Padres have their ace, Dinelson Lamet, slated to get the start and he is pitching like the Cy Young candidate that he is. Lamet is 3-1 with a 2.12 ERA and a stingy WHIP of only 0.89. The Padres flamethrower has struck out 11 batters in each of his last 2 starts and is 1-0 in his career against the Mariners with an ERA of 2.25. San Diego’s already potent offense has some more ammo, with the return of Eric Hosmer and Tommy Pham. The Friars are 9-4 in their last 13 meetings with the Mariners and are 7-1 in their last 8 following a loss.
TODAY’S PICK: SAN DIEGO PADRES

It wasn’t as easy as the previous three but the New York Yankees won again, beating the Boston Red Sox in extra innings last night, 6-5. The Yanks will seek their tenth straight win tonight when the archrivals play the second game of a 3-game set at Fenway. The Yankees’ bats have exploded, scoring a ridiculous 49 runs over their last 4 games, and expect more of the same tonight when they face Chris Mazza who is slated to start for the Red Sox. Mazza (1-1, 5.57 ERA, 1.67 WHIP) was lit up in his last turn against the Yankees, yielding 4 runs on 8 hits in just 3 innings of work. The Yankees are expected to turn to lefty J.A. Happ to throw strikes. Happ (1-2, 3.96 ERA, 1.18 WHIP) has been delivering over his last 5 turns with a 2.54 ERA. He has been a Red Sox killer in his career, with a record of 12-4 and an ERA of only 2.95. New York has won 11 straight meetings with Boston, 22 of the last 27, and are 4-0 in their last 4 trips to Fenway.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

Two southpaws are expected to oppose each other tonight when the NL East leading Atlanta Braves visit Citi Field to open a 3-game series with the New York Mets. The Mets have Steven Matz slated to take the hill and he is having a year he would like to forget. Matz is winless at 0-4 with a bloated ERA of 8.63 and a 1.50 WHIP. Max Fried is scheduled to start for the Braves and he is a perfect 6-0 with an ERA of only 1.98 and a 1.06 WHIP. Atlanta is 8-3 in their last 11 road games and have won 5 of the last 6 meetings with the Mets. New York has not fared well against left-handed starters, going just 4-11 in their last 15, and the way Fried throws flames, good luck.
TONIGHT’S PICK: ATLANTA BRAVES

The Cleveland Indians cannot catch a break, losing another one last night in extras, 3-2, to the Chicago Cubs. Tonight they will turn to their ace, Shane Bieber, to stop the bleeding when they head to the Motor City to open a 4-game set with the Detroit Tigers. Bieber has been nothing but spectacular. He is 7-1 with a 1.53 ERA, a 0.87 WHIP, and in his last turn he reached 100 K’s for the season in just 62-1/3 innings of work. Scary. Detroit is expected to give the nod to the rookie, Casey Mize. He was the Tigers #1 pick in 2018. Mize is 0-1 with a 5.85 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP but looked sharp in his last outing against the powerful Chicago White Sox, when he pitched 5 scoreless innings before being yanked in the sixth after surrendering a double and a walk. Keep an eye on this guy in the coming years. The Indians have won 22 of their last 27 at Comerica Park and the last time Shane Bieber faced the Tigers, he pitched 7 scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts, and he is 4-1 lifetime against Detroit with an ERA of 1.82.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CLEVELAND INDIANS