Category: Baseball

The Philadelphia Phillies snapped their 3-game skid yesterday thanks to the bats of Bryce Harper and Andrew McCutcheon. Today they will go for a series win against the Colorado Rockies when they play the second game of a 3-game set at Citizens Bank Park. I like the Phillies chances in this one because they will have their ace on the hill, Aaron Nola. He is a perfect 3-0 on the season, with a 4.86 ERA, and a 1.55 WHIP. Over his last 3, that ERA has dropped to 3.07 and Philadelphia is 4-1 in Nola’s last 5 starts. The Rockies will send Antonio Senzatela to the hill and he is 3-2 on the season but his ERA is elevated at 5.35 with a 1.40 WHIP, and over his last 3 turns, his ERA has soared to 7.04. Harper and company should be able to take advantage of that and the Phillies are 4-1 in their last 5 at home against the Rocks.
TODAY’S PICK: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

The Cleveland Indians offense has finally come alive, racking up 23 runs over their last two games, and they put up 14 last night at home against Baltimore in Game 1 of their 4-game set. Their recent surge should continue tonight because Baltimore is expected to send Dylan Bundy to the rubber. Bundy has been shaky at 1-5, with a 5.31 ERA, a 1.30 WHIP, and the Orioles are just 1-9 in his last 10 road starts. The Indians are expected to hand the ball to the young flame thrower, Jefry Rodríguez. Rodríguez has pitched well despite a 1-2 record. He has an ERA of only 2.92, a 1.18 WHIP, and looked sharp in his last turn against Oakland, resulting in a 5-3 Cleveland win. The Tribe has dominated the Orioles, winning 6 of their last 7, and are 35-17 against them in their last 52 at Progressive Field.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CLEVELAND INDIANS

The San Diego Padres will have their young flame thrower, Chris Paddack, on the hill tonight when they open a 2-game set against the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Ravine. Paddack has been nothing but amazing. This kid is 3-1, with a 1.55 ERA, and a 0.69 WHIP with 46 K’s and only 10 walks. Now that is dominance. It won’t be a walk in the park for the Friars because Clayton Kershaw will be tapping the rubber for the Dodgers and he has been a Padre killer. The Dodgers are 8-0 in his last 8 turns against the Padres but he is not the force he once was. Kershaw sits at 2-0, and is lucky to be there, with a 3.31 ERA, and he did not look good in his last turn, yielding 4 runs on 9 hits is 6-2/3 innings of work. The Padres are good on the road, at 12-8, and will be a dog tonight. A wager on the Friars is worth consideration.
TONIGHT’S PICK: SAN DIEGO PADRES

The Houston Astros 5-game winning streak will be in jeopardy tonight when they visit Comerica Park to open a 3-game set with the Detroit Tigers. Detroit will have the flame throwing southpaw, Matt Boyd, on the hill. Boyd has been delivering, with a record of 4-2, an ERA of just 2.86, and a stingy 0.93 WHIP. Houston will counter with Brad Peacock, who has been mediocre at best, with a record of 3-2, an elevated 4.30 ERA, and a 1.09 WHIP. When Matt Boyd takes the hill at home, good things happen. The Tigers win. They are 14-3 in Boyd’s last 17 home starts. Take the home dog here.
TONIGHT’S PICK: DETROIT TIGERS

Jon Lester will be on the hill tonight for the Chicago Cubs when they host the Milwaukee Brewers and he has been delivering. Over his last three turns, Lester is 1-1, with a 0.50 ERA, and a WHIP of only 0.78, and you can’t get much better than that. The Brewers will counter with the ex-Padre, Jhoulys Chacín, and he has been steady, with a record of 1-1, a 3.60 ERA, and a 1.07 WHIP, but Milwaukee is just 1-5 in their last 6 against the National League Central. Chicago is 5-1 in Lester’s last 6 starts against the Brewers so consider the Cubs.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CHICAGO CUBS

The Washington Nationals took game one of a 4-game set last night against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chavez Ravine but I expect the Dodgers to bounce back tonight. Two veteran hurlers will oppose each other tonight. Aníbal Sánchez will be tapping the rubber for Washington and Kenta Maeda will take the hill for LA. Sánchez has yet to get a win this season, at 0-5, with a 5.15 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP, and the Nats are winless in his last four road starts. On the flip side, Maeda is 3-2, with a 4.66 ERA, a 1.42 WHIP, and the Dodgers are 9-4 in his last 13 home starts against a team with a losing record. Washington has struggled against Los Angeles, going 1-5 in the last 6 meetings and they are just 16-35 in their last 51 at Dodgers Stadium. I like the Dodgers in this situation.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Last night the Seattle Mariners put the screws to the New York Yankees, throttling them 10-1, but don’t expect the same result tonight when the two teams meet again in the Bronx. Don’t lose sight of the fact that the Mariners are just 2-8 in their last 10 overall and the reason for that is they are the worst defending team in the league. Tonight Seattle will send Mike Leake to the hill. Leake is 2-3, with a 4.91 ERA, a 1.51 WHIP, and the Mariners are 0-4 in his last 4 starts. Aaron Boone is expecting to send the lefty, J.A. Happ, to the mound. Happ is off to a slow start, at 1-3, with a 4.93 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP but he will come around. The Yankees are 13-6 in his last 19 starts. New York has owned Seattle, winning 23 of the last 31 meetings and 7 of the last 8 at the Stadium.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES