Category: Baseball

The Houston Astros will go for a series win over the Texas Rangers today in a matinée at Globe Life Field. The expected starters for today’s matchup are Justin Verlander for the Astros and southpaw Martín Pérez  for the Rangers. Verlander is doing what he does best and that is deliver. He is 1-1 with an ERA of only 1.89, a nasty WHIP of 0.74, and has dominated Texas in his career, going 18-8 with an ERA of 2.71. Pérez is winless at 0-2 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. Houston has feasted on left-handed starters, going 5-1 in their last 6, and they are 4-1 in their last 5 in Arlington.
TODAY’S PICK: HOUSTON ASTROS

The Detroit Tigers will be a big dog tonight when they play the middle game of their 3-game set with the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Ex-Twin Michael Pineda is expected to toe the rubber for Detroit. He will be out to prove that Minnesota made a mistake by not resigning him and he is up for the task. Pineda was lights out in his season debut against the Yankees, pitching 5 scoreless innings, allowing just 3 hits and walking none. Pineda was 22-13 in his 3 years with the Twins with a 3.80 ERA and they sent him packing. If that doesn’t give him incentive to throw flames tonight, what does? Joe Ryan is expected on the hill for Minnesota. Ryan has been dealing, going 2-1 with a 1.69 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP, but the last time he faced Detroit he was lit up for 6 runs on 6 hits in just 4-2/3 innings of work. The Twins have won 5 straight but were lucky to notch a win yesterday against the Tigers and all streaks must come to an end.
TONIGHT’S PICK: DETROIT TIGERS

The San Diego Padres will head to Great American Ball Park to open a 3-game series with the Cincinnati Reds. The 10-7 Padres swept the 3-13 Reds just last week at Petco Park, outscoring them 16-3 over the 3-game set. Tonight’s expected starter for San Diego, Joe Musgrove, who is 2-0 with a 1.89 ERA and a 0.74 WHIP, was on the winning end against the Reds on Tuesday, pitching 6-1/3 innings, allowing just 2 runs on 4 hits in a San Diego 6-2 victory. His opposition in that game was Reiver Sanmartín, who is 0-2 with a 7.11 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP, and he is expected to take the bump tonight for Cincinnati. Sanmartín was lit up in Tuesday’s game for 5 runs on 8 hits in 5-1/3 innings of work. The Friars have won 9 of the last 10 meetings with the Reds and are worth considering.
TONIGHT’S PICK: SAN DIEGO PADRES

The Houston Astros snapped their 4-game skid with a dramatic 8-7 win in extras over the Toronto Blue Jays yesterday. They will carry that momentum to Arlington tonight when they open a 4-game set with the Texas Rangers. Houston has dominated Texas in recent years and are expected to turn to lefty Framber Valdez to throw strikes. Valdez is off to a 1-1 start with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP but don’t let the mediocre numbers sway you. This guy can throw flames. Texas is expected to counter with Dane Dunning who is 0-1 with a 5.68 ERA, a WHIP of 1.89, and he is a dismal 0-1 in his career against Houston, with an elevated 7.50 ERA. The Astros are 5-2 in their last 7 in Arlington and are catching a Rangers team that is just 1-5 in their last 6 at home.
TONIGHT’S PICK: HOUSTON ASTROS

The Seattle Mariners will go for a sweep over the Kansas City Royals when they wrap up their 3-game set today at T-Mobile Park. The expected starters for today are reigning AL Cy Young winner southpaw Robbie Ray for Seattle and righty Carlos Hernández for KC. Ray’s numbers are not Cy Young material, at 2-1 with a 4.19 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP, but he has seemed to have found his groove. In his last turn against the Rangers, he allowed just 2 runs on 4 hits over 6 innings of work resulting in a 6-2 Mariners win. Hernández has struggled and is winless, at 0-0 with a 7.27 ERA and a 1.96 WHIP. The Royals have had issues with left-handed starters, going 1-4 in their last 5, and are 1-5 in their last 6 meetings with the Mariners. The AL West leading Mariners have been on a roll, winning 5 of their last 6, and are 4-0 in their last 4 home games against a right-handed starter. Seattle should get this one.
TODAY’S PICK: SEATTLE MARINERS

The Toronto Blue Jays will go for a series win over the Houston Astros when they play the middle game of their 3-game set today at Minute Maid Park. The AL East leading Jays have won 3 straight and are expected to send their young flamethrower, Alek Manoah, to the hill. When Toronto drafted Manoah 11th overall in 2019, they got what they expected and then some. Since debuting in 2021, he has shown he is special. In 22 career starts for Toronto, the Jays are 18-4 and he is showing no signs of slowing down. Manoah is off to a 2-0 start this year with a stingy 1.50 ERA, a .092 WHIP, and he goes deep into games. Houston has lost 3 straight and will turn to José Urquidy to right the ship. Urquidy was lit up in his last turn in a 7-2 loss to Seattle, surrendering 6 runs on 8 hits in 4 innings of work. On the season, he is 1-1 with a 7.00 ERA, a 1.44 WHIP, and was 1-1 last year against Toronto with an ERA of 6.35. The Blue Jays are the most talented team in the American League and they are young. Keep an eye on them.
TODAY’S PICK: TORONTO BLUE JAYS

After a 7-game road trip against two of the best in the West, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres, the Atlanta Braves will return home tonight to open a 3-game set with the Miami Marlins. Atlanta’s bats have been quiet but should find a spark tonight against Miami’s expected starter, southie Trevor Rogers. His season has gotten off on the wrong foot. Rogers is 0-2 with a bloated ERA of 12.15, a 2.25 WHIP, and in his career against the Braves he is 0-2 with an ERA of 6.92. Not good. The Braves are expected to counter with Kyle Wright and he has been on his mark. Wright comes in at 1-0, with a 1.64 ERA and a WHIP of only 0.73, and that could spell trouble for a Marlins team that has also been struggling at the plate. The Champs have won 5 of the last 6 against Donnie Baseball’s team and are worth considering tonight.
TONIGHT’S PICK: ATLANTA BRAVES