Category: Baseball

The Houston Astros will go for a series win when they conclude their 3-game set with the Oakland Athletics today at Minute Maid Park. Expected starters for today’s matchup are Jake Odorizzi for the ‘Stros and Adam Oller for the A’s. Odorizzi has solid numbers, at 4-2, with a 3.38 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. Oller is just the opposite, at 0-3, with a 9.00 ERA and a 2.04 WHIP. The Astros have the second best record in the AL, at 59-31, with a homestand of 28-13. Oakland is dead last in the AL, with a dismal record of 31-61 and they are just 11-32 on the road. Houston has won 8 of the last 10 meetings with the A’s, including a 5-0 shoutout in yesterday’s contest. The ‘Stros are 18-4 in their last 22 in Game 3 of a series and 8-1 in Odorizzi’s last 9 home starts.
TODAY’S PICK: HOUSTON ASTROS

The St. Louis Cardinals took Game 1 of their 3-game series with the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium yesterday, cruising to a 7-3 victory. Today they will play a matinée and the Cards will have Miles Mikolas toeing the rubber. Mikolas has good stuff. He comes in at 6-7, with a stellar ERA of 2.62 and a WHIP of just 0.98. He will be opposed by southpaw Nick Lodolo. Lodolo is 2-2 with an elevated ERA of 4.44 and a 1.60 WHIP. The Reds will be without Mike Moustakas, who is sidelined with Covid-19. St. Louis has won 5 of the 7 meetings with the Reds this year and are 7-3 in their last 10 home games against a left-handed starter. The Cards are a better team from top to bottom and should come out on top.
TODAY’S PICK: ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

The Philadelphia Phillies will look to end their 4-game skid when they head to Florida tonight for a 3-game set with the Miami Marlins but it’s not going to come easy. The Marlins will have their All-Star toeing the rubber, Sandy Alcántara. Alcántara has been delivering like the ace he is. The Sandman is 9-3 with an ERA of only 1.73, a 0.91 WHIP, and it gets better. Over his last 2 turns he has not allowed a run and has 14 K’s with only 1 walk in 15 innings of work. Now that’s dominance. Philadelphia is expected to send the veteran Kyle Gibson to the hill. Gibby is 4-3 with a 4.53 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP, and is 0-2 in his career against Miami with a bloated ERA of 6.50. The Marlins are 7-2 in their last 9 against the NL East and 5-1 in their last 6 at home against the Phillies.
TONIGHT’S PICK: MIAMI MARLINS

The Toronto Blue Jays finally came to their senses and fired skipper Charlie Montoyo, after under-achieving in the first half of the 2022 campaign. The Jays are coming off a 2-game sweep of a really good Phillies team and got interim manager John Schneider his first win yesterday. Tonight they will host the Kansas City Royals at Rogers Centre in Game 1 of a 4-game set. Toronto will have Kevin Gausman on the hill. He is better than his 6-6 record reflects. Gausman has a 2.86 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. KC has played better of late but are just 16-26 on the road and 1-5 in their last 6 against Toronto. The Royals have yet to announce a starter for tonight’s game. Usually when a team fires a manager they go on a run and I expect the Jays to do just that.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TORONTO BLUE JAYS

The San Diego Padres had their chances to win the game last night against the Colorado Rockies but due to errors and some bad luck they came up short, falling to the Rocks, 5-3. Tonight they will turn to their ace, Joe Musgrove, in the third game of their 4-game set at Coors Field to right the ship. Musgrove is one of the most underrated hurlers in the majors. He is 8-2 with a 2.09 ERA, a 0.93 WHIP, and has had Colorado’s number. Musgrove is 4-2 in his career against the Rockies with an ERA of just 1.21 and pitched 6 scoreless innings in his last turn against them on June 10th, resulting in a 9-0 blowout. Bud Black will give the nod to Chad Kuhl. He is 6-5 with a 4.02 ERA, a 1.35 WHIP, and was the starter in the 9-0 blowout on June 10th where he lasted just 4-1/3 innings, yielding 5 runs on 8 hits. Colorado could also be without two of their best, Kris Bryant, who is out on paternity leave, and C.J. Cron, who is dealing with a wrist injury.
TONIGHT’S PICK: SAN DIEGO PADRES

After squandering the last two games of their series over the weekend against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway, the New York Yankees will look to get back on track when they host the Cincinnati Reds tonight at The Stadium. The best team in baseball is 34-9 at home and will have their ace on the hill, Gerrit Cole. Cole is 8-2 with a 3.26 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. He will be opposed by the Reds’ Graham Ashcraft, who comes in at 4-2 with a 4.35 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. Cincinnati sits dead last in the NL Central and is a dismal 14-26 on the road. They are also 1-6 in the last 7 meetings with New York and 0-5 in their last 5 trips to the Bronx. New York is #1 in the league in runs scored, home runs, etc., etc., etc. The Bombers will not come cheap but if that’s not an issue, they are the side to consider, obviously.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The 41-43 Miami Marlins should feel pretty good about themselves when they return home tonight to open a 4-game set with the 36-50 Pittsburgh Pirates. Miami took 2 out of 4 from the NL East-leading Mets in Queens over the weekend, including a 2-0 shutout of the Metropolitans yesterday. Donnie Baseball’s team has won 7 of their last 10 and are now only 4 games back for a wild card spot. Who would have thought? The Pirates will also have their chests pumped after taking 2 of 3 from the NL Central-leading Brewers but are in the midst of a 12-game road trip and that takes its toll. Despite winning their last two on the road, the Pirates are still just 16-27 away from PNC Park. The Marlins are 8-1 in their last 9 home games against a team with a losing record and should come out on top against the road weary Bucos.
TONIGHT’S PICK: MIAMI MARLINS