Month: August 2024

The 68-48 Baltimore Orioles will travel south to St. Pete tonight to open a 3-game set with their AL East rival, the 58-56 Tampa Bay Rays. The Orioles have won 6 of the 7 meetings with the Rays this year including a 4-game sweep of Tampa at the Trop back in June. The expected starter for Baltimore is ex-Ray Zach Eflin who was traded to the O’s in July so he knows the mound, the stadium, the players’ likes and dislikes and will make the Rays pay for their mistake. Eflin is better than his record reflects. Ef is 7-7 with a 4.05 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. The Rays are expected to give the go-ahead to Zack Littell who is 5-7 with a 4.06 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Littell had better be in the zone because the Orioles can score, averaging over 5 runs per game.
TONIGHT’S PICK: BALTIMORE ORIOLES

After losing game 1 of their 3-game set with the Colorado Rockies, the New York Mets bounced back yesterday and will go for a series win this afternoon in a matinée at Coors Field. The Mets expected starter, David Peterson, is a Colorado native so he will be extra motivated to deliver, and he has been doing just that. The southpaw is 5-1 with a 3.47 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. The Rockies are expected to counter with Austin Gomber, who comes in at 3-7 with a 4.66 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. New York has played well on the road with a record of 30-25, average more runs per game than Colorado, belt more homers, average more hits per game, and the Rockies are 0-4 in their last 4 games against a left-handed starter.
TODAY’S PICK: NEW YORK METS

The San Diego Padres will not come cheap but should get the job done against the Colorado Rockies when they wrap up their 3-game set today at Petco Park. When you take the Rockies out of the mountains, they are just 17-42. On the flip side, the Padres are heating up, winning 8 of their last 10, and they are closing in on the LA Dodgers for the lead in the NL West. The pitching matchup today favors San Diego. The Friars will give the nod to Matt Waldron who has a 3.89 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. The Rockies will have Cal Quantrill tapping the rubber. He has a 4.50 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. Consider the Friars.
TODAY’S PICK: SAN DIEGO PADRES

The Arizona Diamondbacks and the Pittsburgh Pirates will play the middle game of their 3-game set tonight at PNC Park. The Snakes are hot, winning 4 straight and 8 of their last 10, but all good things must come to an end. Pittsburgh will have Mitch Keller on the hill, and he has been dealing. Keller is 10-5 with a 3.30 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. Jordan Montgomery is expected to get the nod for Arizona. His numbers are not good. Montgomery might be 7-5 on the season but he has an ERA of 6.51 and a bloated 1.69 WHIP.
TONIGHT’S PICK: PITTSBURGH PIRATES

The New York Yankees are hot and will go for their sixth straight win when they host the worst in the AL East tonight, the Toronto Blue Jays. The ex-Jay, Marcus Stroman, is expected to get the start for the Bombers and he will be extra motivated to stick it to his old club. Stroman is 7-5 with a 3.64 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. New York is averaging over 5 runs per game as opposed to Toronto’s 4 and the Jays will be without Bo Bichette, which will not help their cause. The Boys from River Ave. continue to roll.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

There will be a pitching mismatch tonight when the Kansas City Royals visit the Detroit Tigers. Seth Lugo will be on the hill for the Royals. He is 12-5 with a 2.66 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. Keider Montero is expected to get the nod for the Tigers. He is 1-4 with an elevated ERA of 6.78 and a 1.45 WHIP. The Royals are 4-2 this year against the Tigers and depending on where you do your shopping, Kansas City is around -155/-160. The Royals are worth considering.
TONIGHT’S PICK: KANSAS CITY ROYALS