Author: Roger

The Detroit Tigers own the best record in the American League, at 20-12. Detroit has put together one of the best teams in baseball by bringing up players through their organization, not by buying them. When you do that, you have a team that will dominate for a long time. Tonight the Tigers and Angels will play the second game of their 4-game set in Anaheim. Detroit took game one with a 10-4 blowout over Los Angeles. Expect more of the same tonight. Year in and year out, the Halos are a mess, and this year is no different. They are 12-18 on the season, lost 6 straight, and 8 of their last 9. Tonight the Angels are expected to turn to José Soriano to right the ship, but he is not the answer. Soriano is 2-4 with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. In his last turn against Minnesota, Soriano yielded 5 hits and 4 runs over 5 innings of work and the Twins went on to a 5-0 victory. The Tigers have won 2 straight, 6 of their last 8, and are expected to give the nod the reigning AL Cy Young winner, southpaw Tarik Skubal. Skubal comes in at 3-2 with a 2.34 ERA and a WHIP of only 1.04. In his last turn against the Orioles, Skubal worked 6 strong innings, yielding just 4 hits, no runs, struck out 11, and Detroit went on to a 7-0 thumping of Baltimore. Keep an eye on the Tigers this year and consider them tonight.
TONIGHT’S PICK: DETROIT TIGERS

The red hot Philadelphia Phillies will go for their fifth straight win and a sweep of the Washington Nationals when they wrap up their 3-game set tonight at Citizens Bank Park. Philadelphia has been dominant at home, with a record of 11-4, and is expected to send Taijuan Walker to the bump. Walker has pitched better than his 1-2 record reflects, with an excellent ERA of 2.78 and a 1.37 WHIP. Washington is expected to counter with Brad Lord. Harper and company should be able to light him up. Lord is winless, at 0-3, with a 4.67 ERA, a 1.73 WHIP, and the Nationals are a dismal 4-11 on the road. The Phillies have the edge in runs scored, run differential, batting average, hits, and they are the side to consider.
TONIGHT’S PICK: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

The Texas Rangers and the Oakland Athletics will play the third game of their 4-game set tonight in Arlington. Texas evened the series at a game apiece by pummeling Oakland last night, 15-2, and is now an impressive 11-4 at Globe Life Field. Nathan Eovaldi is expected to get the nod for the Rangers. Eovaldi will be able to keep the A’s bats in check, with a record of 2-2, an ERA of only 2.21, and a nasty 0.74 WHIP. The Athletics will turn to Luis Severino to throw strikes. Severino is 1-3 with a 3.49 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP, and you cannot rely on this guy. He is inconsistent which is why the Yankees sent him packing. Texas put the screws to Oakland last night. Why not again tonight?
TONIGHT’S PICK: TEXAS RANGERS

The New York Mets and the Washington Nationals will wrap up their 4-game set today in DC. The 19-9 Mets will look to get out of Wahington with a split and will turn to Griffin Canning to throw strikes. Canning comes in at 3-1 with a 3.12 ERA, a 1.38 WHIP, and was sharp in his last turn against the Phillies potent offense, yielding just 1 run over 5 innings of work and resulting in a Mets 5-1 victory. The 13-15 Nationals will have Trevor Williams toeing the rubber. His numbers are not good, at 1-2 with an elevated ERA of 5.11 and a 1.58 WHIP. New York is the better team, by far, on the field today. The Nationals were lucky to get 2 wins in this series. The Mets blew the first game with the lead in the 9th and then squandered a 7-1 lead yesterday; that won’t happen again. 
TODAY’S PICK: NEW YORK METS

Yesterday’s game between the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays was postponed. Today they are scheduled to play a doubleheader at the Stadium. Refer to yesterday’s blog for game 1; nothing has changed and the pitching matchup remains the same. 
TODAY’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES – GAME 1