Month: July 2024

Round 1 of the Baltimore Orioles and the Miami Marlins 3-game set went the Marlins way with the Fish winning 6-3 but I expect the American League’s best, Orioles, bounce back tonight. The 36-65 Marlins are expected to give the nod to Edward Cabrera and the O’s should be licking their chops. Cabrera has only one win on the season and that was against the Chicago Cubs back in April. He also has a bloated ERA of 7.36 and a 1.67 WHIP. The 60-40 Orioles are expected to send Chayce McDermott to the hill for his big league debut but not to worry, Miami ranks 29th in the league in runs scored and Brandon Hyde would not send him out there if he wasn’t up for the task. The Orioles have been in a bit of a funk, going 3-7 over their last 10, but it’s just a matter of time before their prolific offense explodes. Tonight should be that night.
TONIGHT’S PICK: BALTIMORE ORIOLES

The best in the AL, the Baltimore Orioles, and the worst in the NL, the Miami Marlins, will open a 3-game set tonight in south Florida. Baltimore was off yesterday after taking 2 out of 3 from the World Champion Texas Rangers so they will be well-rested going into tonight’s matchup. The Oriole’s expected starter is Albert Suárez and he has been dealing, with a record of 5-3, a 2.82 ERA, and a 1.22 WHIP. The Marlins just wrapped up a tough 4-game set yesterday with the New York Mets. They will probably go with a bullpen game and that could be trouble. The Marlins’ starters did not go deep in the series with the Mets, and they had to call on their bullpen too often, so their arms are tired and that is not good against the Orioles. Baltimore is an offensive machine, averaging just shy of 5 runs per game and lead the league in homers with 157. The O’s are the side to consider.
TONIGHT’S PICK: BALTIMORE ORIOLES

The Pittsburgh Pirates are starting to click on every cylinder. The Bucs just took 2 out of 3 from the best in the Majors, the Philadelphia Phillies, and have won 6 of their last 7. Tonight, they will open a 3-game set with the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park. With a double-header Saturday, St. Louis has played 3 games in 2 days so fatigue could be an issue for the Red Birds tonight. St. Louis is expected to hand the ball to Andre Pallante who is 4-4 with a 4.21 ERA, a 1.38 WHIP, and the Cardinals are just 1-5 in his last 6 starts as the underdog. The Pirates are expected to counter with Mitch Keller. He is 10-5-with a 3.46 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. Advantage Pittsburgh.
TONIGHT’S PICK: PITTSBURGH PIRATES

Whenever the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays meet, they always trade punches and this 4-game set in the Bronx is no different. New York won the first game, 6-1, and then yesterday they ran into Tampa’s great young talent, Taj Bradley, and were embarrassed, 9-1, in front of the home crowd. Today at the Stadium it’s the Yankees turn to strike, and they will call on Marcus Stroman to get the job done. Stroman has been roughed up of late but is still 7-4 with a 3.51 ERA, a 1.32 WHIP, and is due for a dominant outing. The Rays are expected to counter with Shane Baz who is 0-1 with a 5.23 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. Baz had better be in the zone or the Bronx Bombers will light him up. Despite last night’s loss, the Yankees are still 26-20 at the Stadium and after a major beating they usually bounce back.
TODAY’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The New York Mets will look to snap their 2-game skid when they play the second game of their 4-game set with the Miami Marlins today at LoanDepot Park. New York lost the first one last night, 4-6, but I expect they bounce back today. The 49-47 Mets are a good road team, with a record of 23-21, and are expected to have Luis Severino tapping the rubber. The Ex-Yankee is 6-3 with a 3.78 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP, and New York is 6-1 in his last 7 starts against a team with a losing record. Pete Alonso and company, who are averaging just shy of 5 runs per game, should be able to get to the Marlins expected starter, Roddery Muñoz. He is just 1-4 on the season with an elevated ERA of 5.47 and a 1.41 WHIP. If the Mets want to make a push in the NL East, they have to take care of bottom feeders like the Marlins who are 34-63 overall and 19-31 in South Florida.
TODAY’S PICK: NEW YORK METS

The New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays will open a 3-game set tonight in the Bronx. The Yankees lost the last series with the Rays in St. Pete but now the venue switches to River Ave. The Yankees are 25-19 at the Stadium and will have their ace on the hill, Gerrit Cole. After a couple of rocky starts since returning from injury, Cole Train is back to his Cy Young form. In his last outing against the Orioles in Baltimore, he pitched 6 innings, yielding just 5 hits, 1 run, and the Bombers went on to a 4-1 victory. The Rays, who are 21-21 on the road, will have Zach Eflin on the hill and he has been in the zone. Over his last 3 starts, Eflin in 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA and an excellent WHIP of 1.00. However, I still like the Yankees in this one. New York has the best hurler in the AL on the hill. They are averaging 5 runs per game, and have the edge over Tampa in batting average, hits, homers, run differential, and team ERA.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES