Month: July 2023

The Houston Astros and the Cleveland Guardians will open a 3-game set tonight at Minute Maid Park. Cleveland is 53-53 overall and 25-29 on the road. Houston is 59-47 overall and 28-25 at home. Tonight’s expected starters are Noah Syndergaard for Cleveland and J.P. France for Houston. France has been dealing. He is 6-3 with a 2.87 ERA, a 1.22 WHIP, and Houston is 5-0 in his last 5 starts. Syndergaard will be making his Guardian debut after being acquired from the Dodgers and he has issues. His numbers are not good at 1-4, with a 7.16 ERA, a 1.45 WHIP, and he has been dealing with finger blisters, which last all season long. The Guardians are just 1-5 in their last 6 road games against a team with a winning record and with Thor on the hill, the Stros are the side to consider here.
TONIGHT’S PICK: HOUSTON ASTROS

The Minnesota Twins are on the verge of being swept today by the AL Central’s worst, the Kansas City Royals, at The K, but not so fast. With the Guardians breathing down their necks for first place in the AL Central, they cannot afford to let that happen. The Twins will turn to Kenta Maeda to throw strikes. Maeda’s numbers do not look good at 2-5 with a 4.62 ERA. However, since returning from the IL he has been delivering and is 3-0 in his last 3 starts against the Royals, plus Minnesota is 4-0 in his last 4 turns overall. Ryan Yarbrough is the expected starter for KC. He is 3-5 with a 4.70 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. If Minnesota can’t get to this guy, they have problems.
TODAY’S PICK: MINNESOTA TWINS

The Cleveland Guardians will resume their 4-game set tonight with the Chicago White Sox on the south side. The 52-52 Guardians are just 1½ games behind Minnesota for the top spot in the AL Central and will turn to lefty Logan Allen to try to inch closer. The rookie has pitched well and over his last 3 turns, he is 1-1 with an ERA of only 2.30 and a barely visible WHIP of 0.89. On the flip side, Chicago is 42-63, 12 games back of Minnesota in the AL Central, and just traded away most of their quality pitchers, so what does that tell you? They have packed it in for this season and they have yet to announce a starter for tonight. This game means more to the Guardians than the White Sox.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CLEVELAND GUARDIANS

The 54-50 Minnesota Twins will be in Kansas City tonight to face the 29-75 Royals. The Royals are just 15-36 at Kauffman Stadium and are expected to have Brady Singer on the hill. He has not pitched well, at 6-8 with a 5.55 ERA. Singer was lit up by the Twins on April 30th, when he surrendered 8 runs over 2-2/3 innings, and Minnesota went on to an 8-4 win. The Twins have won 9 of the 10 meetings this year with the Royals and are expected to have Sonny Gray tapping the rubber. Gray is 4-4 with a 3.15 ERA and is an impressive 9-2 in his career against KC with an ERA of only 1.54.
TONIGHT’S PICK: MINNESOTA TWINS

The New York Yankees bounce back tonight when they face their cross-town rival, the New York Mets, in the Bronx. The Bombers are 31-24 at home and will have Carlos Rodón on the hill. His numbers are not up to my liking, at 0-3 with a 7.36 ERA, but he is a quality southpaw and is due for his first Yankee win.   
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

Tampa Bay Rays will be hosting the Miami Marlins tonight at The Trop and they have had their number. The Rays are 9-1 in their last 10 meetings with the Marlins. Tyler Glasnow is expected on the hill tonight for Tampa and he is starting to heat up. Over his last 3 turns, Glasnow is 1-1 with a 1.93 ERA and a WHIP of only 0.91. Miami will counter with Edward Cabrera. Over his last 3 turns, Cabrera is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. The Rays have lost 2 straight. They are due for a win and are 36-18 at home.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TAMPA BAY RAYS