Category: Baseball

The NL Central leading Saint Louis Cardinals took a rare loss to the Colorado Rockies last night but look for them to bounce back tonight when they conclude their 3-game set at Coors Field. Tonight’s probables will be Dakota Hudson tapping the rubber for the Cardinals and Antonio Senzatela for the Rockies. If there was ever a pitching mismatch, this is it. Hudson has been lights out, with a record of 15-6, a 3.40 ERA, and a 1.41 WHIP. He has won his last 5 starts, including a stellar performance in his last turn where he threw a 1 hitter against the Giants resulting in a 10-0 rout. On the flip side, Senzatela is 8-10, with a bloated ERA of 7.19, a 1.79 WHIP, and is 1-3 lifetime against the Cards with a 6.75 ERA. Saint Louis should light this guy up.
TONIGHT’S PICK: ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

The Houston Astros are hot, winning 4 straight, and ripped off 21 runs yesterday against the Seattle Mariners, but don’t expect anything close to that tonight because the Oakland Athletics come to town. Houston’s Zack Greinke will be tapping the rubber and is having a stellar season as usual. Greinke is 14-5 with a 3.09 ERA and, since joining the Astros from Arizona, he is 4-1 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. Oakland counters with their ace, Mike Fiers, and he has been delivering. Fiers is 14-3, with a 3.51 ERA, and a 1.17 WHIP. The A’s are 7-1 in his last 8 road starts and 6-0 in his last 6 turns against the AL West. Oakland has won 3 of the last 4 meetings with Houston. This is a good spot to take the road dog.
TONIGHT’S PICK: OAKLAND ATHLETICS

The Saint Louis Cardinals put a beating on the Pittsburgh Pirates yesterday, 10-1, and expect more of the same today when they wrap up their 3-game set at PNC Park. Jack Flaherty is expected to take the hill for the Cardinals and, over his last 3 turns, he has been throwing flames. Flaherty is 2-1, with an ERA of only 0.90 and a nasty WHIP of just 0.60. The Pirates are expected to send James Marvel to the bump. Marvel will be making his Big League debut and will need all the help he can get. The Cardinals are 9-1 in their last 10 trips to Pittsburgh and 4-1 in Flaherty’s last 5 turns against the Bucs.
TODAY’S PICK: ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

The Detroit Tigers finally beat the Oakland Athletics last night after losing 16 in a row to the A’s but don’t get too excited – the Athletics bounce back tonight at the Coliseum. The once dominant Jordan Zimmermann is expected on the hill for Detroit. Zimmermann has had a rocky year, mustering just 1 win with 9 losses, an ERA of 6.03, and a 1.43 WHIP. Oakland is expected to counter with Chris Bassitt and he has been delivering. Bassitt is 9-5, with a 3.67 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP, and Oakland is 4-1 in his last 5 turns at home. The A’s sit 1-1/2 games ahead of Cleveland for the second Wild Card spot so losing to the lowly Tigers tonight (whom they have owned) is not an option.
TONIGHT’S PICK: OAKLAND ATHLETICS

The Los Angeles Angels will take their 4-game losing streak to the South Side of Chicago tonight when they open a 3-game series with the White Sox. Los Angeles has had Chicago’s number, winning 8 of the last 10 meetings, but the tide should turn tonight because the White Sox are expected to have Lucas Giolito on the hill. Giolito has nasty stuff and is 14-8, with a 3.30 ERA, and a 1.09 WHIP. He last faced the Halos back on August 16th where he fanned 11 batters and Chicago coasted to a 7-2 win. The Angels are expected to counter with Dillon Peters, who has been mediocre, at 3-2, with a 4.13 ERA, and a 1.38 WHIP. Over his last 3 turns, Peters’ ERA has ballooned to 6.00. Consider the home team in this one.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CHICAGO WHITE SOX

The Washington Nationals’ Stephen Strasburg is having a sensational year and he will be tapping the rubber tonight when the Nats visit SunTrust Park to open a 4-game series with the Atlanta Braves. Strasburg is 16-5, with a 3.47 ERA, and over his last 3 turns, he has been lethal, with a mark of 1-0, a nasty ERA of 0.86, and a WHIP of only 0.62. The Braves will give the nod to southpaw Max Fried. Fried has also been delivering, with a record of 15-4 and a 4.95 ERA, but over his last 3 turns, his ERA has soared to 6.19. Washington is 7-1 in Strasburg’s last 8 starts against Atlanta and 7-0 in their last 7 games against a left-handed starter.
TONIGHT’S PICK: WASHINGTON NATIONALS

The St. Louis Cardinals are firing on every cylinder and will go for 3 straight against the visiting San Francisco Giants but not so fast. The Giants will have Madison Bumgarner on the hill tonight. Bumgarner has been delivering after a slow start to the season. His ERA is 2.81 in his last 13 starts and San Francisco is 8-1 in his last 9 turns. Michael Wacha is expected to get the nod for St. Louis. Wacha’s numbers are not good at 6-6, with a 5.07 ERA, and he will be working on just 3 days’ rest. Consider the Giants.
TONIGHT’S PICK: SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS