Month: September 2021

The Atlanta Braves return home tonight to face the Washington Nationals who are 2-8 in their last 10 and 6-20 in their last 26 road games. Atlanta holds a slim 1-1/2 game lead over the Phillies for the top spot in the NL East but that should change. Following Washington, the Braves will host the 57-80 Miami Marlins and the 63-74 Colorado Rockies. The expected starters for tonight’s game are Atlanta’s Max Fried and Washington’s Paola Espino. Fried is 11-7 with a 3.51 ERA and was dominant in his last turn against the Nationals, in the Braves 12-2 win. Espino is 4-4 with a 4.08 ERA and is 0-1 against Atlanta with a 5.00 ERA. The Braves are 12-4 this year against the Nats, 5-0 in their last 5 following a day off, and 14-3 in their last 17 against a team with a losing record.
TONIGHT’S PICK: ATLANTA BRAVES

The Chicago Cubs will have their 6-game winning streak on the line today when they open a 3-game set with the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley, but keep in mind their 6 wins were against the bottom dwelling Pittsburgh Pirates and the Minnesota Twins. After falling to the Detroit Tigers yesterday, 4-1, the Cincinnati Reds now reside a half game back of the San Diego Padres for the second NL Wild Card spot and will turn to Sonny Gray today to get them back on track. Gray has been throwing flames. Over his last 3 starts, he is 3-0 with a 1.00 ERA, a stingy WHIP of 0.56, and it doesn’t get much better than that. Rookie Justin Steele is expected to get the start for the Cubs. Steele is 1-1 over his last 3, with a 4.26 ERA, a 1.50 WHIP, and is 0-1 against the Reds with a 6.43 ERA. The Reds are averaging over 5 runs per game and have played well on the road, at 35-32. They are also 8-3 in their last 11 against the Cubs and 4-1 in their last 5 on the north side.
TODAY’S PICK: CINCINNATI REDS

The Tampa Bay Rays just keep on winning, and with the 11-4 pummeling of the visiting Minnesota Twins yesterday, Tampa is now 39-14 in their last 53 overall and hold a comfortable 7-1/2 game lead over the New York Yankees for the top spot in the AL East. The Rays’ bats erupted yesterday for 13 hits and 6 homers and I expect more of the same today when they wrap up their 3-games series with the Twins at the Trop. Griffin Jax, the expected starter for the Twins, has struggled over his last 3 turns, going 0-2 with a hefty ERA of 9.77 and a 1.85 WHIP. Kevin Cash is expected to send Luis Patiño to the hill. Over his last 3 starts, Patiño is 2-0 with a 3.07 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. The Rays are 45-25 in St. Pete and are averaging over 5 runs per game. They are worth a consideration over a Twins team that has lost 4 straight and are just 26-41 on the road.
TODAY’S PICK: TAMPA BAY RAYS

It was a strange finish last night in the Dodgers/Giants game at Oracle Park with the Dodgers losing in extras, 3-2. Los Angeles is now one game back of San Francisco for the lead in the NL West. Tonight the Dodgers should even the score with southpaw Julio Urías tapping the rubber. He has dominated all season with a mark of 15-3 and a 3.17 ERA. Over his last 3 turns, Urías is 2-0 with an ERA of only 1.13 and a 0.69 WHIP. The Dodgers are 5-0 in his last 5 starts and 7-0 in their last 7 following a loss. San Francisco has yet to announce their starter for tonight’s game.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS

The New York Yankees return home to the Bronx tonight after a lengthy road trip to face the worst team in baseball, the Baltimore Orioles. The number is high in this one and so it should be. Baltimore is 41-91 on the season, 22-47 on the road, and a dismal 18-41 in their last 59 against the Yanks. Lefty John Means is expected on the hill for the Orioles. Means is 0-2 in his last 3 turns with a 4.96 ERA and has not fared well in his career against New York, with a record of 1-2 and an elevated ERA of 6.23. Aaron Boone is expected to hand the ball to “Nasty Nestor” Cortez, Jr. The southpaw has pitched well over his last 3, going 2-1 with a 2.95 ERA. The Yankees are 5-0 in their last 5 after a day off, 5-0 in their last 5 against the AL East, 6-1 in their last 7 home games against a left-handed starter, and shortstop Gleyber Torres, who has been a Baltimore killer in his career, could be back in the lineup tonight. New York sits 6-1/2 games back of Tampa for the lead in the AL East. With Baltimore in for 3 games followed by Toronto, New York cannot squander this opportunity to gain some ground and they won’t.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The Oakland Athletics will go for a series win against the Detroit Tigers when they wrap up their 3-game set in a matinée today at Comerica Park. The Tigers won yesterday’s matchup, 8-6, thanks to Miguel Cabrera, who smacked his 502nd home run and drove in 3 but is not expected to suit up today which is good news for Oakland. Frankie Montas is expected to toe the rubber today for the A’s and he has been lethal. Over his last two starts, Montas faced two of the best teams in the Majors (the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants) and pitched a combined 14 scoreless innings, yielding just 4 hits and striking out 15. Detroit is expected to send rookie Matt Manning to the hill. Manning, who is 3-5 with a 5.46 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP, had better be in the zone or the Athletics’ bats will jump all over him. Oakland is still very much alive in the AL Wild Card hunt and need this win today before they head north of the border for a 3-game set with the always dangerous Toronto Blue Jays.
TODAY’S PICK: OAKLAND ATHLETICS

After winning 13 in a row, the New York Yankees have lost 4 straight and are on the verge of being swept by the Los Angeles Angels but not so fast. The Yanks will have their ace on the hill, Gerrit Cole, and he has been as close to perfect as you can get. Cole has been throwing flames. Over his last 3 turns, he is 3-0, with a nasty 0.51 ERA, a WHIP of just 0.96, and is 7-1 lifetime against the Halos with a 2.60 ERA. The Angels are expected to counter with lefty Packy Naughton, who will be making his first Big League start. Good luck. The Bombers are 8-2 in their last 10 against a left-handed starter.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES