Author: Roger

The Minnesota Twins will be a big dog tonight when they open a 3-game set with the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park, and understandably so. The Braves are the best in the National League with a record of 50-27 and are 24-15 at home but if anyone can slow them down it is Minnesota’s expected starter, Sonny Gray. Gray is 4-1 with an ERA of only 2.56 and a 1.30 WHIP. Atlanta is expected to counter with Spencer Strider and he can deliver. Strider is 8-2 with a 3.93 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP but over his last 3 turns he has an ERA of 8.40 and a 1.80 WHIP. The Twins are no slouch. They are 40-39 and atop of the AL Central. They have won 4 of their last 5 and with Sonny on the hill are worth a shot.
TONIGHT’S PICK: MINNESOTA TWINS

The Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets will play the rubber game of their 3-game set this afternoon at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies are 39-37 and 20-14 at home, with the Mets coming in at 35-41 and 18-26 on the road. Philadelphia has not been lighting up the scoreboard like they should be but that should change today when they face the Mets expected starter, Carlos Carrasco. His numbers are not good. Carrasco is 2-3 with a 6.34 ERA, a 1.55 WHIP, and over his last 3 starts it gets worse. He is 0-1 with an ERA of 7.82 and a 1.97 WHIP. The Phillies will counter with ex-Met Zack Wheeler, who has been dealing. Wheeler is 6-4 with a 3.48 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP, and over his last 3 starts he is 2-0 with a ridiculous ERA of only 0.47 and a 0.78 WHIP. Philadelphia is 5-0 in their last 5 in game 3 of a series and should come out on top today against the struggling New York Mets.
TODAY’S PICK: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

The 40-37 Boston Red Sox and the 32-45 Chicago White Sox will lock horns this afternoon on the south side. Boston took game 1 of their 3-game set last night, 3-1, and are starting to get on a roll, winning 7 of their last 9. The Red Sox are expected to send leftie James Paxton to the hill. Paxton has pitched well. He is 3-1 with a 3.29 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, and over his last 3 turns he is 2-0 with a 2.33 ERA and a nasty WHIP of 0.88. Lance Lynn will get the nod for Chicago. Lynn is 4-8 with a 6.51 ERA, a 1.51 WHIP, and Chicago is 1-5 in his last 6 starts against a team with a winning record. Boston has the edge in runs scored, run differential, and batting average.
TODAY’S PICK: BOSTON RED SOX

The 34-40 Pittsburgh Pirates lost again last night, falling to the 43-33 Miami Marlins 6-4, making it 10 losses in a row. The Bucs will try to pick up the pieces when the two clubs play the second game of their 4-game set tonight at LoanDepot Park. Pittsburgh is expected to send Luis Ortiz to the rubber and he is not the answer. Ortiz is 1-3 with a 4.30 ERA, a 1.73 WHIP, and over his last 3 turns he is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA. Miami is expected to counter with southpaw Jesús Lazardo. He is 6-5 with a 4.09 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP, and over his last 3 starts he is 2-1 with a 4.24 ERA. The Marlins have been really tough at home, with a record of 23-15. On the flip side, the Pirates are 16-21 away from PNC and are 0-5 in their last 5 against a left-handed starter. We know the Bucs are going to win eventually but go against them until they do.
TONIGHT’S PICK: MIAMI MARLINS

The Arizona Diamondbacks and the Washington Nationals will play a 1-game makeup game today in an early one at Nationals Park. The NL West leading Diamondbacks are an impressive 22-12 away from Chase Field and have won 4 of the 5 meetings this year with the Nats. The Nationals, who are dead last in the NL East, are just 13-26 on their home turf. If the D-Backs don’t take this one for granted in anticipation of their upcoming 3-game set with the red hot Giants, they win.
TODAY’S PICK: ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

The Oakland Athletics are back to doing what they do best and that is lose. With last night’s lost to the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field, the A’s have now lost 6 in a row. Cleveland will seek their third straight win tonight when the two teams play the middle game of their 3-game set. The Guardians are expected to unveil their top pitching prospect, flamethrower Gavin Williams. This kid tops over a hundred miles on his fast ball and was mowing them down in AAA. The A’s are a pathetic 10-27 on the road and are expected to send Paul Blackburn to the bump. Blackburn has been battling blisters on his throwing hand which is never good. He is 0-0 with a 3.48 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. The Guardians are 5-1 in their last 6 home games and have the edge in runs per game, run differential, batting average, and the list goes on.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CLEVELAND GUARDIANS

After going 3-4 on their 7-game road trip, the Tampa Bay Rays return home tonight to the Trop for a quick 2-game set with their AL rival, the Baltimore Orioles. Tampa is expected to have Tyler Glasnow on the hill. With each start since returning from TJ surgery, Glasnow gets stronger and stronger. He is 2-0 with a 3.43 ERA, a 1.29 WHIP, and in his career against the O’s, he is 4-0 with a 2.08 ERA. Kyle Bradish is expected on the hill for Baltimore. He is 2-3 with a 3.90 ERA, a 1.27 WHIP, and in his career against Tampa, things have not gone well. He is 0-1 with a bloated ERA of 10.24. Baltimore will be without two of their top producers, Cedric Mullins and Ryan Mountcastle, Without these two in the lineup, it will be tough to beat baseball’s best on their home turf.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TAMPA BAY RAYS