Author: Roger

The Hotlanta Braves are surging, winning 9 of their last 10, and that will continue tonight when they host the New York Mets. Mike Soroka will be tapping the rubber for the Braves. He has been lights out, with a record of 7-1, a 1.92 ERA, and a 0.97 WHIP. Now that is dominance. Zack Wheeler is getting the nod for the Mets and he has been mediocre as usual. Wheeler is 5-4, with a 4.87 ERA, and a 1.29 WHIP. Atlanta is 8-1 in their last 9 homestands. Run with the hot team. A play on the Braves is warranted.
TONIGHT’S PICK: ATLANTA BRAVES

The Tampa Bay Rays will seek a series split with the Los Angeles Angels when they conclude a 4-game set in a matinée today at Tropicana Field. The Rays are expected to hand the ball to Ryne Stanek in the “opening role” and he will probably see about 2 innings of work. Stanek has good numbers, with a 2.54 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. Jalen Beeks will likely take over for Stanek and he has been on his mark. In 16 relief appearances, he is 5-0 with a 2.55 ERA. The Angels are expected to give the nod to Griffin Canning. Canning’s numbers are respectable, at 2-2, with a 3.65 ERA, but over his last 3 turns, he is 0-1 with a 4.00 ERA. Tampa has won 7 of the last 10 meetings with the Halos and 6 of the last 8 against them at the Trop. The Rays will have extra incentive to pull out a victory today. Tomorrow they head to the Bronx for a 3-game set with the Yankees, who own a half game lead over Tampa for the top spot in the AL East.
TODAY’S PICK: TAMPA BAY RAYS

The New York Yankees were embarrassed last night by the Chicago White Sox, 10-2, and have now lost 3 in a row. They had better get back on track soon if they want to keep pace with the Tampa Bays Rays and they know it. The Yanks will be facing Reynaldo López and they should be able to light this guy up. Over his last 3 starts, López is 1-1, with a 6.89 ERA, a 1.79 WHIP, and the White Sox are just 2-5 in his last 7 turns against the American League East. Chad Green will get the nod for New York. Green has pitched well over his last 3 turns despite 3 no decisions, posting a 2.25 ERA, a 1.25 WHIP, and the Yankees are 5-0 in his last 5 starts. Consider a play on the Bombers.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The Milwaukee Brewers have been crushing the ball and look for that to continue tonight when they head to Oracle Park for a 3-game set with the San Francisco Giants. The Brewers lead the National League in homers with 121 and their outfielder, Christian Yelich, has 25, which doesn’t bode well for Drew Pomeranz and the Giants. Pomeranz is expected to take the hill and he has been awful. The southpaw is 1-6, with a 7.16 ERA, a 1.75 WHIP, and over his last 3 turns, it gets worse. He is 0-2 with an ERA that has sky rocketed to 13.00 and a 2.33 WHIP. The Brewers will send the unbeaten Zach Davies to the rubber. Davies is 7-0, with a 2.41 ERA, a 1.25 WHIP, and Milwaukee has won 6 of the last 7 meetings with San Francisco.
TONIGHT’S PICK: MILWAUKEE BREWERS

The Los Angeles Dodgers will look to snap their 2-game skid tonight at Dodgers Stadium but it won’t be easy as they will be hosting the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs will have the lefty, Jon Lester, tapping the rubber. Lester has won his last two outings after a rough month in May and is 5-4, with a 3.56 ERA, and a 1.29 WHIP. The Dodgers will counter with southpaw Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw is back to his dominating form, possessing a record of 5 wins with just 1 loss, a 3.00 ERA, and a 1.05 WHIP. Chicago has not been good on the road. They are 14-18 and just 1-5 in their last 6 away from Wrigley. The Dodgers are 5-2 in Kershaw’s last 7 starts against the Cubs and 6-2 in his last 8 turns against them at Chavez Ravine. Both teams have bullpen issues. If Kershaw can eat up innings and go late in the game, the Dodgers should get this one.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS

The St. Louis Cardinals will go for a series sweep of the reeling Miami Marlins when they conclude a 3-game set tonight at Marlins Park. Miami has lost 6 straight and reached down to AA Jacksonville for tonight’s starter. Jordan Yamamoto will get the nod for the Marlins. He has never pitched in AAA and will be making his Major League debut tonight. Good luck. The Cardinals will send Miles Mikolas to the rubber. His numbers are not great at 4-6, with a 4.54 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP, but that shouldn’t be a factor with the way the Cards have been dominating the Marlins. St. Louis is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings and 36-15 in their last 51 trips to South Florida.
TONIGHT’S PICK: ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

The San Diego Padres will be at Oracle Park tonight for a quick 2-game set against their National League rival, the San Francisco Giants. The Padres will send one of the best young arms in the Majors to the hill, Chris Paddack. He is 4-4, with a 2.97 ERA and a WHIP of just 0.89. The Giants will counter with Tyler Beede, who has yet to record a win at 0-2, with a bloated ERA of 8.15 and a 2.21 WHIP. The Giants are a dismal 1-7 in their last 8 home stands and the Padres have won 6 of the last 8 meetings. Consider the Friars tonight.
TONIGHT’S PICK: SAN DIEGO PADRES