Category: Baseball

The Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves in a familiar situation, on the brink of being swept in a series. Los Angeles lost both games of a doubleheader yesterday to Chicago and will wrap up their 3-game set with the Cubs tonight before heading back to So Cal for a 3-game series with the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim. The Dodgers are in a funk and all teams go through them during the season but there is one thing for sure, it won’t last. LA can score, that’s a given, averaging 4.9 runs per game, and should be able to get going tonight against Chicago’s expected starter, Albert Azoulay, who is 1-2 with a 4.71 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP. The Dodgers will send their ace, Walker Buehler, to the hill and good things happen when he gets the nod. Buehler is 1-0 with a 3.16 ERA, a WHIP of 0.96, and the Dodgers are 5-0 in his last 5 starts in Game 3 of a series, 5-0 in his last 5 road games against teams with a losing record, and 5-0 when he has 7 or more days rest.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS

The Boston Red Sox lost 3 of 4 over the weekend to the Texas Rangers but should turn things around tonight when they return home to Fenway to host the worst team in baseball, the Detroit Tigers. Detroit has lost 5 straight, 9 of their last 10, and are just 4-12 on the road. The Tigers are expected to turn to Michael Fulmer to throw strikes and he has pitched well, at 1-1, with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP, but when your offense is averaging under 3 runs per game, it’s tough to get a win. Boston will give the nod to Nick Pivetta and he has been dealing. Pivetta is 3-0 with a 2.81 ERA, a 1.25 WHIP, and was brilliant in his last outing against Jacob DeGrom and the Mets, pitching 5 scoreless innings resulting in a 1-0 Boston win. The Red Sox have won 5 straight against the Tigers and should notch another tonight.
TONIGHT’S PICK: BOSTON RED SOX

The Tampa Bay Rays got back in the win column yesterday by downing the Houston Astros, 5-4, at the Trop. Tonight they will take it on the arches to southern California to open a 4-game set with the Anaheim Angels. Tampa is 5-1 in their last 6 on the road and will have their ace toeing the rubber, Tyler Glasnow. If anyone can slow down Mike Trout, it’s this guy. Glasnow is 3-1 with an ERA of just 1.67, a nasty WHIP of 0.80, and has no problem hitting 100 miles an hour with his fastball. In his last outing against a really good Oakland team, Glasnow was throwing flames. He pitched 7 scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts and yielded just 5 hits in a Rays 2-0 victory. The Angels have Shohei Ohtani (1-0, 3.28 ERA, 1.39 WHIP) slated to get the start but that could be in question after he was dinged on his throwing arm yesterday against Seattle. If Glasnow is on, and he usually is, Tampa wins this game.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TAMPA BAY RAYS

The Los Angeles Dodgers have not been swept in a 4-game series since April 2019 but are on the brink of that happening today when they wrap up their 4-game set with the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. The Dodgers will turn to southpaw Julio Urías to get the ship back on course and he is the man to do it. Urías has been dealing. He is 3-0 with a 3.23 ERA, a 0.95 WHIP, and is 2-0 on the road this year where he has been lethal, yielding just 1 run with 17 strikeouts in 14 innings of work. The expected starter for Milwaukee has yet to be determined but it appears Craig Counsell is leaning toward Alec Bettinger, who would be making his first big league start. Bettinger was 14-20 in the minors, with a 4.35 ERA, 30 HRs, and 92 BBs in 314 innings of work. Tough spot for a rookie to face the World Champs in his major league debut. Regardless of who gets the nod for the Brew Crew, the Dodgers get back on track today.
TODAY’S PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS

The St. Louis Cardinals dominance over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park continued last night with the Cards cruising to a 7-3 victory. With last night’s win, St. Louis has now won 5 straight against the Bucs and 13 of their last 15 in Pittsburgh. St. Louis will turn to Jack Flaherty tonight to keep the momentum going and he is up for the task. Flaherty is a perfect 4-0, with a 3.18 ERA, a WHIP of 0.95, and is 6-1 in his career against the Bucs with an ERA of just 1.89. That can’t be said for the Pirates expected starter, Trevor Cahill. Cahill is 1-3 lifetime against St. Louis with a 4.02 ERA and has struggled this season with a 1-2 record, a bloated ERA of 7.11, and a 1.42 WHIP.
TONIGHT’S PICK: ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

The Arizona Diamondbacks got off to a horrendous start to the season but have turned things around, winning 8 of their last 10, and find themselves one game above .500. Tonight they will send Madison Bumgarner to the hill when they face the Colorado Rockies in Game 2 of their 4-game set at Chase Field. The veteran southpaw is 2-2 with an elevated ERA of 6.31 but appears to have found the stuff that once made him one of the most dominating pitchers in the Majors. Mad Bum was stellar in his last outing, pitching a no hitter against the Atlanta Braves. Unfortunately it doesn’t count due to the commissioner’s inane rule that double header games will be 7 innings. The Rockies road troubles continue and they find themselves just 1-9 in their last 10 away from Coors Field. The Rockies will have Jon Gray tapping the rubber and he has been one of the lone bright spots for Colorado. Gray is 3-1 with an ERA of 2.54 but is a mediocre 5-5 in his career against the Snakes, with a 4.97 ERA. The Rockies are a dismal 8-20 in their last 28 road games against a left-handed starter and 1-4 in their last 5 at Chase Field.
TONIGHT’S PICK: ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

Refer to yesterday’s blog for game 1 of the Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers double-header.
TODAY’S PICK: CHICAGO WHITE SOX – GAME 1