Category: Baseball

The Arizona Diamondbacks’ Zack Greinke has been a San Diego Padre killer and that is who he will face today at Petco Park. In his career, Greinke is 11-2 against the Friars, with a 2.10 ERA, and is 12-8 on the season, with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. Brett Kennedy will be making his third Big League start for San Diego and in his first two turns he has not looked good. Kennedy is 0-2, with an ERA of 11.00, and a 2.33 WHIP. Arizona is 6-1 in their last 7 games in San Diego and should notch another one today.
TODAY’S PICK: ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

The San Francisco Giants fell to the Cincinnati Reds in extra innings last night, 2-1, and will turn to their ace, Madison Bumgarner, tonight to get them back on track when the two teams meet again at Great American Ball Park. Bumgarner is 4-4, with a 2.71 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. The Reds will send Matt Harvey to the rubber and he isn’t the flamethrower he used to be. Harvey is 5-7, with an elevated ERA of 5.19 and a 1.32 WHIP. The last place Reds will be without their superstar first baseman, Joey Votto, due to a bruised leg. Consider the Giants in this one.
TONIGHT’S PICK: SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

The New York Yankees have lost two in a row but should be able to get back on track tonight when they open a 3-game set against the Toronto Blue Jays in the Bronx. The Yankees will go with the newly-acquired Lance Lynn. Since donning pinstripes, Lynn has been paying dividends, going 1-0, with a 0.54 ERA and 22 K’s in 16-2/3 innings of work. The Jays will counter with Marcus Stroman, who is 4-8, with a 5.03 ERA and Toronto is 0-5 in his last 5 starts at Yankee Stadium. Stroman is battling a blister on his pitching hand which is never a good thing. Yankees should get this one.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The Philadelphia Phillies have a golden opportunity to gain some ground on the Atlanta Braves when they play a doubleheader today at Citizens Bank Park against the NY Mets. In game 2, southpaw Steven Matz will be tapping the rubber for the Mets. Matz will be making his first start since coming off the DL and he is 5-9, with a 4.35 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. The Phillies will send Zack Eflin to the bump. Eflin is 8-4, with a 3.57 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, and the Phillies are 4-1 in his last 5 home starts. Philadelphia is tough at home, at 39-19, and at Citizens Bank Park they crush lefties, going 18-6 in their last 24.
TODAY’S PICK: GAME 2 PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

The Los Angeles Dodgers are in a tailspin, losing 5 in a row, but should wiggle out of it tonight because Hyun-jin Ryu will be tapping the rubber. Before Ryu went on the DL, he was 3-0, with a 2.12 ERA and a WHIP of only 0.88. The Giants will give the nod to Derek Holland. The southpaw is 6-8, with a 3.97 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. At the Ravine, the Dodgers are 39-19 in the last 58 against lefties. LA gets back on track tonight.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS

The New York Yankees have had issues with the Tampa Bay Rays in Tampa but it’s a different story when they meet in New York. The two team will open a 3-game set tonight in the Bronx. The Yankees are expected to give the nod to J.A. Happ, who is 12-6, with a 4.07 ERA, and a 1.13 WHIP. Since joining the Yankees from Toronto, he is a perfect 2-0 with a 2.65 ERA and a 0.76 WHIP. The Rays will once again start a reliever and are expected to go with Hunter Wood. Wood will probably pitch an inning or two, and in 25-1/3 innings of work he is 0-0, with a 3.91 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. New York has won 5 of 6 meetings with Tampa in the Bronx this year and the Rays are 6-21 in their last 27 trips to Yankee Stadium.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

There will be a pitching mismatch tonight at Globe Life Park in Arlington when the Arizona Diamondbacks visit the Texas Rangers. Arizona will send their ace to the hill, Zack Greinke, who has been doing what he does best, deliver. Greinke is 12-7, with a 2.89 ERA, and a 1.04 WHIP. Texas will give the nod to Bartolo Colón, who is 6-10, with a 5.18 ERA, and a 1.27 WHIP. The Diamondbacks bats came alive yesterday when they smashed 5 home runs in a 9-2 trouncing of the Cincinnati Reds. They should get to Colón tonight.
TONIGHT’S PICK: ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS