Author: Roger

The Seattle Mariners and the Los Angeles Angels will play the rubber match of a 3-game set tonight at Safeco Field. Seattle will be sending the lefty Ariel Miranda to the hill and over his last 3 outings, he is 2-1, with a 2.93 ERA, a 0.98 WHIP and the Mariners are 5-1 in Miranda’s last 6 home starts. The Angels reach down to their AAA affiliate to bring back up Alex Meyer and in 10 career Big League appearances, Meyer has an ERA of 6.54. Meyer faced the Mariners in one outing last year and he surrendered 4 runs on 5 hits in 4 innings of work, which included a 2-run dinger by Seattle’s Nelson Cruz. Cruz has been on fire, going 20-43 during his 12-game hitting streak. I like Seattle in this spot.

Today’s pick:

Seattle Mariners

The Houston Astros and the Oakland Athletics will play the rubber match in a matinee today at Minute Maid Park. I like Houston Astros’ chances in this one because the flame-throwing southpaw, Dallas Keuchel, will be on the hill. Keuchel has been outstanding so far with a 4-0 record, a 1.22 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP. Houston is 6-1 in his last 7 starts overall and the Astros are 5-0 in Keuchel’s last 5 home starts against the Athletics. Jesse Hahn will take the mound for the A’s and he’s been on his mark as well. Hahn is 1-1, with a 2.08 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP, but Oakland is 1-5 in Hahn’s last 6 road starts and the A’s are 1-5 in their last 6 trips to Minute Maid Park. Oakland struggles against southpaws, with a record of 11-24 in their last 35. All the numbers lean towards Houston in this one.

Today’s pick:

Houston Astros

The New York Mets snapped their 6-game losing streak yesterday with a 7-5 victory on the road over the Washington Nationals. Today they will try to make it two in a row but that will be a difficult task because Washington is sending their ace, Stephen Strasburg, to the hill. Strasburg is a perfect 2-0 on the season, with a 2.89 ERA, and he is 4-1 in his last 5 starts against New York. The Mets will counter with Zach Wheeler, who is 1-2, with a 5.40 ERA, and New York is 1-6 in his last 7 starts against Washington. The Mets are 2-5 in their last 7 trips to Nationals Park. I’ll take my chances on Washington in this one.

Today’s pick:

Washington Nationals

The Kansas City Royals should snap their 7-game losing streak tonight at home against the Minnesota Twins and this is why. The Royals will send Ian Kennedy to the hill. Over his last 3 outings, Kennedy has a 1.29 ERA, a 0.90 WHIP, and has allowed just 3 runs and 10 hits in his last 21 innings of work. The Twins will counter with Kyle Gibson and he has been a disaster over his last 3, with a bloated ERA of 10.50 and a 2.17 WHIP. The Royals are 5-1 in Kennedy’s last 6 starts against the Twins, and Minnesota has dropped 3 of the last 4 trips at Kauffman Stadium.

Tonight’s pick:

Kansas City Royals