Month: September 2022

The Washington Nationals’ rare 3-game winning streak came crashing down last night after losing to the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-1, at Busch Stadium. Tonight the two clubs will play the third game of their 4-game set. The Cardinals have a comfortable 8½ game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers for the top spot in the NL Central. They are 80-56 overall and 46-23 at home. Tonight they are expected to give the nod to southpaw Jordan Montgomery. He is proving to the Yankees that it was a huge mistake trading him. He is 8-3 with a 3.15 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. Since joining the Cardinals, Monty is a perfect 5-0 with an ERA of only 1.47, a 0.93 WHIP, and St. Louis is 6-0 in his 6 starts. The Nats are 48-88 overall, 26-41 on the road, and reside dead last in the NL East. Tonight they are expected to send Cory Abbott to the bump. Abbott is 0-2 with a 4.39 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. The Nationals’ bats had better be clicking because they are just 5-22 in their last 27 on the road against a left-handed starter. St. Louis is better by far, 1 through 9, and should come out on top.
TONIGHT’S PICK: ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

The New York Yankees better be looking over their shoulder because the Tampa Bays are surging and sit just 5 games back of the Yankees for the AL East lead with 29 games remaining. Yesterday at The Trop the Rays took Game 1 of their 3-game set with the Boston Red Sox, a team they have dominated this year. Tampa is 10-4 overall and 7-1 at home against Boston in 2022. Tonight’s expected starters are lefty Rich Hill for the Red Sox and Drew Rasmussen for the Rays. The 42-year-old Hill is 6-5 with a 4.52 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. Rasmussen has been dealing all year. He is 9-4 with an ERA of only 2.70 and a 1.05 WHIP. Tampa is 7-1 in Rasmussen’s last 8 starts and they are 7-0 in their last 7 home games against a left-handed starter.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TAMPA BAY RAYS

The New York Yankees finally got back in the Win column yesterday with a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays but does this mean the Yankees have crawled out of their abyss? Only time will tell. Today however, they finally return home to the Bronx for a matchup with the 68-64 Minnesota Twins. Despite their losing ways of late, the Yankees still occupy the top spot in the AL East with a record of 80-54, are an impressive 45-20 on River Ave., and have owned the Twins. New York has won 6 of the last 7 meetings, going 71-23 in the last 94 overall and 41-10 in the last 51 against Minnesota at home. Today’s expected starters are Jameson Taillon for the Bombers and Chris Archer for the Twins. Taillon has had a forearm issue but appears ready to go. He has been delivering with a record of 12-4, a 3.97 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. Archer is not the guy he was when he mowed them down for Tampa. He is 2-7 with a 4.52 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. The Yanks usually rise to the occasion at home and are worth considering.
TODAY’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

With the Atlanta Braves breathing down their necks for the top spot in the NL East, the New York Mets cannot afford to lose to the worst team in baseball today, the Washington Nationals – and they won’t. The two clubs will play the rubber game of their 3-game set in an early one today in Queens. New York is expected to send Carlos Carrasco to the rubber. Carrasco is 13-5 with a 3.92 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. The Metropolitans are 6-0 in his last 6 starts against a team with a losing record and 5-0 in his last 5 starts at Citi Field. The Nats are expected to counter with Erick Fedde. He is 5-9 with a 5.29 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. Washington is 0-5 in Fedde’s last 5 starts against the NL East and 0-5 in his last 5 starts against a team with a winning record. New York is 46-22 at home and 7-2 in their last 9 against Washington.
TODAY’S PICK: NEW YORK METS

The Los Angeles Dodgers are on a rare 3-game losing streak but that should change tonight when they play the second of their 3-game set with the San Diego Padres at Chavez Ravine. The Padres won last night’s game, 7-1, which is rare considering they are just 3-8 in the last 11 meetings. Tonight could be a long night for the Padres expected starter, lefty Sean Manaea. He is 7-7 with a 4.90 ERA, a 1.33 WHIP, and is a disastrous 0-2 this year against LA with an ERA of 15.12, and that is not a typo. The Dodgers are expected to counter with southpaw Julio Urías and he has been on fire. Urías is 14-7 with a 2.32 ERA and a WHIP of only 0.95. He is 11-1 in his last 13 starts and 4-1 in his career against San Diego with a 2.53 ERA. The best team in baseball owns the Padres and that is a fact. They are 36-15 in their last 51 meetings overall and 43-16 in the last 59 against them at home.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS 

The Toronto Blue Jays will hit the road tonight to open a 3-game set with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Jays are very much alive in the playoff picture and are starting to click. Toronto was 9-5 in the month of August and their pitching has been getting it done. Tonight they are expected to turn to the hard throwing righty, Alek Manoah. He has delivered all season long, with a record of 12-7, a 2.60 ERA, and a 1.07 WHIP. The Jays were idle yesterday and after a day off they are 10-1 in their last 11 and 6-1 in their last 7 road games. The Pirates are on course to lose 100 games this year so the Jays need to take care of bottom feeders like the Bucs and they will. Pittsburgh has yet to announce a starter for tonight but whoever it is it doesn’t matter because the Jays young guns can score runs on anybody.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TORONTO BLUE JAYS