Month: September 2021

The San Francisco Giants’ lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers shrank to 1-1/2 games yesterday with their 9-6 loss to the San Diego Padres but no worries. The Giants rarely lose two in a row and will bounce back today in the final game of their 4-game set with the Pads. Kevin Gausman will toe the rubber for San Fran and he has been delivering all year. Gausman is 14-5 with a 2.65 ERA and in his last 8 starts, he is 5-0 and has dominated San Diego this year. In his 3 starts against the Friars, he is 2-0 with a 2.22 ERA. San Diego will have to turn to a bullpen session, with two of their starters on the IL, and they had better be dealing. The Padres are just 1-11 in their last 12 as a road dog, 2-7 in their last 9 following a win, and 1-4 in their last 5 at Oracle Park.
TODAY’S PICK: SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

Camden Yards has always been kind to the New York Yankees and that was evident last night when they smacked 5 homers and cruised to an easy 7-2 victory. New York will face lefty John Means tonight in the sandwich game of their 3-game set. Means (5-7, 3.42 ERA) is 1-5 in his last 10 starts with a 4.88 ERA and is 1-2 in his career against New York with a 5.81 ERA. Southpaw Nestor Cortes, Jr. (2-2, 2.70 ERA) will get the nod for the Yanks. Cortes is 1-0 lifetime against Baltimore with a 2.89 ERA and will be able to contain an already lethargic Orioles’ offense, who are expected to be without first baseman, Trey Mancini, and catcher Pedro Severino. The Yankees are 23-6 in their last 29 at Camden Yards and 5-1 in their last 6 road games against a left-handed starter.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The Oakland Athletics are very much alive in the AL Wild Card hunt and will have an opportunity to further their cause when they visit Kauffman Stadium for a 3-game series with the Kansas City Royals. Oakland is 20-8 in their last 30 meetings with the Royals and 4-1 in their last 5 in KC. Frankie Montas is expected to tap the rubber for the A’s and he has been delivering flames. Over his last 3, Montas is a perfect 3-0 with a nasty ERA of 1.74 and a WHIP of just 0.92. On the other side, Jackson Kowar is expected to get the nod for the Royals. His last 3 turns have been ugly. Kowar is 0-2 with a bloated ERA of 8.10 and a 1.80 WHIP. Consider the Athletics.
TONIGHT’S PICK: OAKLAND ATHLETICS

The New York Yankees will host the Minnesota Twins today in a makeup game before heading to Baltimore for a 3-game set with the Orioles. New York is spiraling out of control, going 3-12 in their last 15, and are now one game back for the second Wild Card spot in the AL. If there is a bright spot for the Yankees in this mess they find themselves in, it is that they have owned the Minnesota Twins. New York is 5-1 this year against Minnesota and 43-11 in their last 54 meetings in the Bronx. Expected starters for today’s matinée are Luis Gil for New York and John Gant for Minnesota. Gil will be making his fifth start of the season and overall he has pitched well for the Yankees, with a record of 1-0, a 1.42 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. Gant (5-9, 3.78 ERA, 1.49 WHIP) lasted just 3-1/3 innings in his last turn against New York, yielding 4 runs and 3 hits in a Yankees 7-5 victory. If the Yanks lose today, Aaron Boone needs to take it on the arches.
TODAY’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The Toronto Blue Jays are the hottest team on the planet, winning 13 of their last 15, and are now tied with the New York Yankees for the second AL Wild Card spot. Toronto’s offense has been off the rails and I expect that will continue today when they wrap up their 4-game set with the Baltimore Orioles at the Yard. Lefty Zac Lowther is expected to get the start for the O’s. The rookie, who is 0-1 with a 6.91 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP, could see an early exit. The Jays are averaging over 5 runs per game and are 4-0 in their last 4 against a left-handed starter. Steven Matz, who has been delivering all year, is expected to get the nod for Toronto. Matz is 1-0 over his last 3 turns, with a 2.12 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP, and has allowed just 2 earned runs or fewer in his last 7 starts. The Jays won both games of their doubleheader yesterday, in which they scored 22 runs, and are now 11-3 in their last 14 trips to Camden Yards.
TODAY’S PICK: TORONTO BLUE JAYS

With last night’s 5-4 victory over the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks, the Seattle Mariners are now just one game back of the stumbling, bumbling New York Yankees for the second Wild Card spot in the AL. Seattle will send Chris Flexen to the hill tonight in the sandwich game of their 3-game set. Flexen has been delivering all year, with a record of 11-5, an ERA of 3.56, and the Mariners are 8-0 in his last 8 starts against a team with a losing record. Arizona is expected to counter with Humberto Castellanos. He is 1-1 with a 3.65 ERA and did not look good in his last start against Seattle where he yielded 5 runs in just 3-2/3 innings of work. The Snakes have lost 6 straight, 11 of their last 12, and are 0-4 this year against the Mariners.
TONIGHT’S PICK: SEATTLE MARINERS