Month: June 2022

The Oakland Athletics are in a tailspin, to say the least, losing 8 straight and 11 of their last 12. Tonight they will be in Cleveland to open a 4-game set against a hot Cleveland Guardians team. Cleveland has won 7 of their last 9 and have climbed their way back to .500. Tonight’s expected starters are lefty Konnor Pilkington for the Guardians and James Kaprielian for the Athletics. Pilkington is 1-0 with a 2.65 ERA, a 1.59 WHIP, and Kaprielian is 0-3 with a 6.06 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. The A’s are batting just .210, which is the worst in the majors, and are 0-4 in their last 4 against a left-handed starter. The Guardians swept the Athletics earlier this year in a 3-game series in Oakland and should come out on top in this one.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CLEVELAND GUARDIANS

After putting a beating on the host Minnesota Twins last night, 10-4, the New York Yankees have now won 7 straight and improved to 40-15 on the season. Tonight, in the middle game of their 3-game set, the Twins had better be clicking on every cylinder because southpaw Nestor Cortés Jr. will be toeing the rubber for New York and his numbers are off the charts. He is 5-1 with a 1.50 ERA, a 0.87 WHIP, and goes deep into games. The Twins will counter with Chris Archer. Archer’s best days are behind him. He comes into this matchup winless, at 0-2, with a 3.89 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. The Yankees have won 5 straight against the Twins and simply put, have their number.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The Toronto Blue Jays flexed their young muscles last night at Kauffman Stadium, shutting out the host Kansas City Royals, 8-0. Tonight there should be more of the same when they play the middle game of their 3-game set. Over their last 3 games, the Jays have produced 26 runs and should be able to get to the Royals expected starter, Brad Keller. Keller has struggled. He is 1-6 with a 4.15 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP, and over his last 3 starts it gets worse. He is 0-3 with a 7.41 ERA and a WHIP of 1.92. The Jays are expected to send the young flamethrower, Alek Manoah, to the hill. In just his second season in the majors, Manoah is quickly becoming one of the league’s elite. He is 6-1 with an ERA of just 1.98 and a 0.91 WHIP. Manoah has faced the Royals once in his career and was lethal as usual, pitching 7 scoreless and yielding only 2 hits, resulting in a 4-0 Toronto win. KC is 9-18 at home, have lost 2 straight, 7 of their last 8, and will have their hands full with the talented Toronto Blue Jays.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TORONTO BLUE JAYS

What has happened to the Los Angeles Angels? The Halos have now lost 11 straight after getting swept by the Phillies over the weekend. Tonight they will try to get back on track when they head home to SoCal for a 4-game series with the Boston Red Sox. Tonight’s expected starters are Michael Wacha for the Sox and Noah Syndergaard for the Angels. Wacha has been delivering, with a 3-1 record, a 2.43 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. Syndergaard’s numbers are nothing to write home about, at 4-3, with a 4.02 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP, but at Angels Stadium he has been on his mark, allowing 2 earned runs or fewer. Not only are the Angels struggling as a whole, so is the best player in baseball, Mike Trout. Trout is hitless in his last 26 at the plate but it’s just a matter of time before he finds the barrel. The Angels took 2 out of 3 from Boston at Fenway in early May and are 4-1 in the last 5 meetings overall.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES ANGELS

The Texas Rangers will go for a series win over the Seattle Mariners when they wrap up their 3-game set today at Globe Life Field. The first two games were both decided by just 1 run so starting pitching will be a big factor in this one and the edge goes to the Rangers. Texas will send southpaw Martín Pérez to the rubber and he has been dealing. Pérez is an impressive 4-2 with a 1.42 ERA, a 0.93 WHIP, and it gets better. Over his last 3 turns, he is 2-0 with a 0.39 ERA and a 0.78 WHIP. The young upstart, George Kirby, is expected to get the nod for the Mariners. Kirby is 1-1 with a 3.46 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. Seattle has struggled on the road against left-handed starters, going 0-5 in their last 5, and today should be no different.
TODAY’S PICK: TEXAS RANGERS

The AL West leading Houston Astros remained hot last night, knocking off the Kansas City Royals in Game 1 of their 3-game set, 10-3, and have now won 5 straight. The Royals, who are dead last in the AL Central, will try to snap their 5-game losing streak. With Zack Greinke on the shelf, KC had to recall lefty Kris Bubic from AAA and he is expected to get the nod for the Royals. Before being sent down, Bubic’s numbers were horrendous. He was 0-3 with a bloated ERA of 12.83 and a 2.25 WHIP. That is not good against an Astros team that has outscored their opponents, 25-10, over their last 5 games. Houston is expected to have Luis Garcia toeing the rubber. Garcia’s numbers are very respectable, at 3-3, with a 3.14 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, and he is 1-0 in his career against the Royals with a 2.31 ERA. Houston is 4-1 in their last 5 overall against KC and 9-3 in their last 12 at Kauffman Stadium. The Stros are hot; ride them ’til their not.
TODAY’S PICK: HOUSTON ASTROS

The San Diego Padres had their 3-game skid snapped last night only to blow it in the ninth, falling to the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-4, at American Family Field. Tonight they will have a chance to redeem themselves when they play the second game of their 4-game set with the Brewers. Two of the best in the Majors will oppose each other, with Joe Musgrove getting the nod for the Padres and Corbin Burnes for the Brewers. The reigning NL Cy Young winner Burnes comes it at 3-2 with a 1.95 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP. Musgrove is a little better. He is a perfect 5-0 with an ERA of only 1.86 and a 0.98 WHIP. This is a golden opportunity for the Friars to get back on track. They have their ace on the hill and he will be facing a banged up Brewers team. Milwaukee will be without catcher Omar Narváez and SS Willy Adames, just to name a few. Consider the underdog Friars tonight.
TONIGHT’S PICK: SAN DIEGO PADRES