Author: Roger

There will be a pitching mismatch tonight when the Tampa Bay Rays play host to the Oakland Athletics. Charlie Morton will be tapping the rubber for the Rays and he has been nothing but stellar. Morton is a perfect 7-0, with a 2.30 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP, and over his last 3 turns, his ERA has dropped to 1.35 with a 0.70 WHIP. Tanner Anderson is expected to get the nod for the A’s and he will be making his first Major League start. Anderson’s numbers were not good for AAA Las Vegas. He was 4-4 with a 6.26 ERA in 10 starts. Tampa has won 8 of the last 11 meetings with Oakland and 5 of the last 7 against them at home.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TAMPA BAY RAYS

The Minnesota Twins fell to the Detroit Tigers yesterday, 9-3, but look for them to bounce back today when they send the best in the business to the hill, Jake Odorizzi. Odorizzi’s numbers are off the Richter Scale. He is 8-2, with a 1.96 ERA, a 0.96 WHIP, and over his last 3, it gets even better, with a record of 2-0, a 0.00 ERA (that is not a typo) and a 0.67 WHIP. The Tigers will counter with the southpaw, Ryan Carpenter, and he has not been delivering. Carpenter is 1-2, with a 6.23 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. It could be an early exit for Carpenter. The Twins have launched a League-leading 121 homers, they are 5-1 in their last 6 road games against lefties, and 11-4 in their last 15 against Detroit overall.
TODAY’S PICK: MINNESOTA TWINS

The Atlanta Braves will look to continue their dominance over the Miami Marlins when they visit South Florida tonight to open a 3-game set. Atlanta has won 5 out of 6 this year against the Marlins and 20 of the last 26 overall. The Braves will hand the ball to Mike Soroka and he has been throwing flames. Soroka is 6-1, with an ERA of only 1.41, and a stingy 0.91 WHIP. The Marlins will give the nod to José Ureña and his numbers are not good. Ureña is 4-6, with a 4.14 ERA, a 1.34 WHIP, and Miami is 0-6 in his last 6 turns against Atlanta at Marlins Park.
TONIGHT’S PICK: ATLANTA BRAVES

The Texas Rangers will go for the series win today over the Baltimore Orioles when they conclude a 3-game set in Arlington. David Hess is expected to get the nod for the O’s and how this guy is still in the Bigs is beyond me. Hess is 1-7, with a 7.36 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP. In his last 3 starts, Hess is 0-2, with a 12.27 ERA, and the Orioles are 2-14 in his last 16 road starts – not good. Texas is expected to turn to Ariel Jurado to throw strikes. Jurado is 2-2, with a 2.43 ERA, and a 1.21 WHIP. You can’t complain with numbers like that. The Rangers are 8-2 in their last 10 home games and have won 12 of the last 17 against Baltimore at Globe Life. There is no hesitation on this pick.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TEXAS RANGERS

The New York Yankees are on a rare 2-game skid, falling to the Blue Jays last night, 4-3, at Rogers Centre but I expect them to get back on track when they resume play tonight north of the border. The lefty, James Paxton, will get the call for New York and he is living up to the Yankees expectations. He is 3-2, with a 2.81 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP, and has fond memories of Rogers Centre where he tossed a no-hitter with Seattle last year, becoming only the second Canadian in MLB history to do so. It could be a long night for the Jays when they send Trent Thornton to the rubber. Thornton is 1-4, with a 4.53 ERA, a 1.34 WHIP, and is 0-3 with a bloated 6.23 ERA in 6 starts at home. The Yanks have dominated the Jays, winning 10 of the last 14 meetings. Toronto has struggled against left-handed pitching, going 5-11 in their last 16 at home, and that is not good with a guy like Paxton on the hill. Consider the Bombers.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The San Francisco Giants will visit Citi Field tonight to open a 3-game set against the struggling New York Mets. The Mets have lost 2 in a row and 4 of their last 5. They will turn to Noah Syndergaard to throw strikes. Syndergaard has not been his normal lights out. He is 3-4, with a 4.90 ERA, and a 1.27 WHIP. Over his last 3 turns, Syndergaard is 0-1 and his ERA has grown to 5.40. The Giants will counter with Madison Bumgarner. Mad Bum, who sits at 3-5 with a 4.01 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP, is starting to find his groove. Over his last 3, he is 1-1 and has lowered his ERA to 3.93. Bumgarner has been a Met killer in his career. He is a perfect 6-0 with a 1.69 ERA and at Citi Field he is 5-0 with a ridiculous ERA of just 0.73. Mad Bum keeps it perfect.
TONIGHT’S PICK: SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS