Month: July 2022

The Philadelphia Phillies will look to end their 4-game skid when they head to Florida tonight for a 3-game set with the Miami Marlins but it’s not going to come easy. The Marlins will have their All-Star toeing the rubber, Sandy Alcántara. Alcántara has been delivering like the ace he is. The Sandman is 9-3 with an ERA of only 1.73, a 0.91 WHIP, and it gets better. Over his last 2 turns he has not allowed a run and has 14 K’s with only 1 walk in 15 innings of work. Now that’s dominance. Philadelphia is expected to send the veteran Kyle Gibson to the hill. Gibby is 4-3 with a 4.53 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP, and is 0-2 in his career against Miami with a bloated ERA of 6.50. The Marlins are 7-2 in their last 9 against the NL East and 5-1 in their last 6 at home against the Phillies.
TONIGHT’S PICK: MIAMI MARLINS

The Toronto Blue Jays finally came to their senses and fired skipper Charlie Montoyo, after under-achieving in the first half of the 2022 campaign. The Jays are coming off a 2-game sweep of a really good Phillies team and got interim manager John Schneider his first win yesterday. Tonight they will host the Kansas City Royals at Rogers Centre in Game 1 of a 4-game set. Toronto will have Kevin Gausman on the hill. He is better than his 6-6 record reflects. Gausman has a 2.86 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. KC has played better of late but are just 16-26 on the road and 1-5 in their last 6 against Toronto. The Royals have yet to announce a starter for tonight’s game. Usually when a team fires a manager they go on a run and I expect the Jays to do just that.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TORONTO BLUE JAYS

The San Diego Padres had their chances to win the game last night against the Colorado Rockies but due to errors and some bad luck they came up short, falling to the Rocks, 5-3. Tonight they will turn to their ace, Joe Musgrove, in the third game of their 4-game set at Coors Field to right the ship. Musgrove is one of the most underrated hurlers in the majors. He is 8-2 with a 2.09 ERA, a 0.93 WHIP, and has had Colorado’s number. Musgrove is 4-2 in his career against the Rockies with an ERA of just 1.21 and pitched 6 scoreless innings in his last turn against them on June 10th, resulting in a 9-0 blowout. Bud Black will give the nod to Chad Kuhl. He is 6-5 with a 4.02 ERA, a 1.35 WHIP, and was the starter in the 9-0 blowout on June 10th where he lasted just 4-1/3 innings, yielding 5 runs on 8 hits. Colorado could also be without two of their best, Kris Bryant, who is out on paternity leave, and C.J. Cron, who is dealing with a wrist injury.
TONIGHT’S PICK: SAN DIEGO PADRES

After squandering the last two games of their series over the weekend against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway, the New York Yankees will look to get back on track when they host the Cincinnati Reds tonight at The Stadium. The best team in baseball is 34-9 at home and will have their ace on the hill, Gerrit Cole. Cole is 8-2 with a 3.26 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. He will be opposed by the Reds’ Graham Ashcraft, who comes in at 4-2 with a 4.35 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. Cincinnati sits dead last in the NL Central and is a dismal 14-26 on the road. They are also 1-6 in the last 7 meetings with New York and 0-5 in their last 5 trips to the Bronx. New York is #1 in the league in runs scored, home runs, etc., etc., etc. The Bombers will not come cheap but if that’s not an issue, they are the side to consider, obviously.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The 41-43 Miami Marlins should feel pretty good about themselves when they return home tonight to open a 4-game set with the 36-50 Pittsburgh Pirates. Miami took 2 out of 4 from the NL East-leading Mets in Queens over the weekend, including a 2-0 shutout of the Metropolitans yesterday. Donnie Baseball’s team has won 7 of their last 10 and are now only 4 games back for a wild card spot. Who would have thought? The Pirates will also have their chests pumped after taking 2 of 3 from the NL Central-leading Brewers but are in the midst of a 12-game road trip and that takes its toll. Despite winning their last two on the road, the Pirates are still just 16-27 away from PNC Park. The Marlins are 8-1 in their last 9 home games against a team with a losing record and should come out on top against the road weary Bucos.
TONIGHT’S PICK: MIAMI MARLINS

The Cincinnati Reds will go for a 3-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays in an early one today at Great American Ball Park but the Rays rookie right-hander, Shane Baz, might have something to say about that. The young gun is delivering. Baz is 1-1 with a 2.92 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. In his last turn, Baz held the high-powered Toronto offense to just 1 run in 6 innings of work, resulting in a Rays 7-3 win. The Reds will send lefty Nick Lodolo to the rubber and he has numbers that do not thrill. Lodolo is 1-2 with a 4.19 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. The Reds were lucky to get the first two games, with both going to extras, but that luck runs out today.
TODAY’S PICK: TAMPA BAY RAYS

With last night’s heated 6-5 loss to the visiting Colorado Rockies, the Arizona Diamondbacks have now lost 3 straight and will turn to the veteran lefty Madison Bumgarner today to get them back on track. MadBum is not what he once was, with a record of 4-8 and a 3.74 ERA, but in his career against the Rockies he is 18-10 with a 3.39 ERA. Colorado will counter with their own southpaw, Kyle Freeland. Freeland is 4-6 with a 4.43 ERA and has not fared well against the Snakes in his career, with a record of 3-5 and an elevated ERA of 5.17. Take the Rockies out of the mountains and they are just 14-26. Arizona has lost 4 straight to Colorado so they are due.
TODAY’S PICK: ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS