Month: May 2021

The Tampa Bay Rays have now won 9 straight but will have to face Toronto’s best, Hyun-jin Ryu, today in Dunedin and he can deliver. Ryu is 4-2 with a 2.51 ERA, a WHIP of only 0.99, and has a career 2.70 ERA against Tampa. Kevin Cash will do a bullpen session today for the Rays and Michael Wacha will probably get the nod for an inning or two. Wacha is 1-1 with an elevated 4.76 ERA and the Jays should be able to jump on him early.
TODAY’S PICK: TORONTO BLUE JAYS

Gerrit Cole will get the nod for the New York Yankees today when they go for two in a row against a very talented Chicago White Sox team. The Yanks needed just two runs to take care of Rodón and company yesterday, and that is all it will take today with Cole on the hill. Gerrit Cole is the best there is and he comes into today’s game with a 5-2 record, a 2.03 ERA, and a stingy WHIP of only 0.78. Dylan Cease is expected on the other side and he can deliver, with a record of 2-0, a 2.41 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP, but on the road he is 1-4 in his last 5 starts against a team with a winning record. Yanks at home with Cole on the hill. Forget about it.
TODAY’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The San Diego Padres are hot but trends end. Tonight the Friars will host the Seattle Mariners and they will have their weak link, Chris Paddack, on the hill. Paddack is 1-3 with a 3.26 ERA and 1.32 WHIP. The Mariners are expected to give the nod to Chris Flexen, who is 4-1 with a 3.46 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. The Mariners are a big dog in this one and the Padres are 1-4 in their last 5 interleague games. You have to consider the Mariners.
TONIGHT’S PICK: SEATTLE MARINERS

The play today is the New York Yankees over the Texas Rangers and this is why. The Bombers have won 2 in a row, 8 of their last 11, and are riding high after Kluber’s no-no yesterday.
TODAY’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The Milwaukee Brewers were unable to score a run yesterday against the Kansas City Royals but today should be a different outcome. The Royals are expected to send Brad Keller to the bump and he has an elevated ERA of 6.75 with a 1.86 WHIP – not good. The Brewers are expected to counter with Corbin Burnes and he has been on his mark, with an ERA of just 1.57 and a 0.64 WHIP. Give Burnes a run or two and you win.
TONIGHT’S PICK: MILWAUKEE BREWERS

The St. Louis Cardinals had a rare thing happen to them over the weekend; they were swept by the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. The Central-leading Cardinals will look to get back on track tonight when they return home to Busch Stadium to open a 3-game set with the Pittsburgh Pirates. St. Louis is 12-8 at Busch and won the first 3 meetings with the Pirates earlier this year in Pittsburgh, outscoring the Bucs, 22-8. Tonight’s probables are Pittsburgh’s J.T. Brubaker (3-2, 2.58 ERA) and St. Louis’ John Gant (2-3, 1.83 ERA), who faced each other on April 30th with Gant coming out on top. To say the Cardinals have owned the Pirates would be an understatement. They are 20-6 in the last 26 meetings.
TONIGHT’S PICK: ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

The Seattle Mariners will host the Detroit Tigers tonight to open a 3-game set at T-Mobile Park. After going on a 5 game skid, the Mariners are back on track winning 3 straight against a really talented Cleveland Indians team. Detroit has won 5 of their last 8 but all 5 wins were at Comerica Park. On the road they have struggled. The Tigers are just 5-14 away from home and a dismal 1-9 in their last 10 meetings with the Mariners. The probable pitchers tonight are southpaw Yusei Kikuchi for Seattle and Casey Mize for Detroit. Both hurlers got off to a bit of a rocky start but have turned it around over their last 3 starts. Mize is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. Kikuchi is also 1-1, with a slightly better ERA of 2.66 and a 0.79 WHIP. The Tigers do not hit lefties well, are next to last in the league in scoring, and that doesn’t bode well against a Mariners team that is a respectable 12-9 at home.
TONIGHT’S PICK: SEATTLE MARINERS