Category: Baseball

Good things happen when Zack Godley taps the rubber for the Arizona Diamondbacks and he better be on his game today at Great American Ball Park if the D’backs want to avoid being swept by the last place Cincinnati Reds. Godley is 12-6, with a 4.35 ERA, a 1.43 WHIP, and Arizona is 4-1 in his last 5 road starts. The Reds will counter with Luis Castillo, who is 6-9, with a 4.91 ERA, and a 1.33 WHIP. Castillo did not look sharp in his last start against the D’backs on May 29th, where he gave up 5 runs in 5 innings of work in a 5-2 Arizona win. Arizona leads the Majors with 92 runs scored in the first inning and they need to jump on Castillo early.
TODAY’S PICK: ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

With the loss to the San Diego Padres last night at Petco Park, the Philadelphia Phillies have now been held scoreless in their last two games, blanked by Arizona on Wednesday, 6-0, and by the Friars last night, 2-0. The Phillies have the arsenal to put up numbers, it’s just a matter of time before they do, and tonight could be that night. The Pads and Phillies will play the second game of a 3-game set tonight and San Diego is expected to send Walter Lockett to the rubber. Lockett will be making his third Big League start and has struggled. He is 0-2, with an elevated ERA of 9.28, a 2.34 WHIP, and he did not look good in his last outing, surrendering 5 runs and 9 hits to the Chicago Cubs. Philadelphia will turn to their ace, Aaron Nola, to get them back on track. Nola is 12-3, with a 2.37 ERA, a WHIP of only 0.99, and the Phillies are 5-0 in his last 5 turns against the National League West. Philadelphia and Atlanta are tied for the National League East lead. The Phillies need to beat bottom feeders like the Padres if they want to keep pace and they know it.
TONIGHT’S PICK: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

The Seattle Mariners put up 8 runs last night at Minute Maid Park to beat the host Houston Astros, 8-6. Tonight they will meet again in Houston for the second leg of a 4-game set. The Astros will have their ace flame thrower, Gerrit Cole, on the bump. He is 10-4, with a 2.64 ERA, a 0.99 WHIP, and Houston is 6-1 in his last 7 home starts. Cole is 1-1 this season against Seattle with an ERA of only 1.32. The Mariners will give the nod to Mike Leake, who is 8-7, with a 4.16 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. Leake has not fared well this year against the Champs, going 0-2 with a 6.00 ERA. The Astros have won 12 of the last 16 meetings with the Mariners and are expected to have their All-Star shortstop back tonight, Carlos Correa, who has been out since June with back soreness. Houston should even it up tonight.
TONIGHT’S PICK: HOUSTON ASTROS

After last night’s loss to the Chicago Cubs, the Kansas City Royals have now lost six in a row. The Cubs will go for the sweep of the Royals when they play the final game of a 3-game set tonight at Kauffman Stadium. Kansas City is just 15-39 at home and will turn to the rookie, Heath Fillmyer, to throw strikes. Fillmyer has made 5 starts for the Royals and has yet to get a decision. He is 0-1, with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. Chicago is 10-4 this year in interleague play and will counter with the lefty, José Quintana. Quintana is 10-7, with a 4.12 ERA, a 1.38 WHIP, and the Cubs are 5-1 in his last 6 starts. The Royals have had issues with southpaws, going 5-17 in their last 22 games.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CHICAGO CUBS

The Milwaukee Brewers, who sit just 1-1/2 games back of the NL Central leading Chicago Cubs, will try to keep pace when they open a 3-game set tonight against the San Diego Padres at Miller Park. The Brewers will give the nod to Chase Anderson and he has pitched well. Anderson is 7-7, with a 3.65 ERA, and a 1.15 WHIP. In his last 3 starts, Anderson is 1-0, with a 2.81 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP, and the Brewers are 5-2 in his last 7 home starts. The Friars will counter with Clayton Richards and he has not been producing. Richards is 7-10, with a 4.99 ERA, a 1.36 WHIP, and he has gone 0-2 in his last 3 starts, with a bloated ERA of 10.38 and a 1.77 WHIP. The Padres are 1-4 in Richard’s last 5 road starts and they are 0-5 in his last 5 turns against Milwaukee. The Brewers should get this one.
TONIGHT’S PICK: MILWAUKEE BREWERS

The New York Yankees, who have lost 5 in a row, will limp into Guaranteed Rate Field tonight to take on a Chicago White Sox team that has won its last 4. New York will turn to the newly acquired Lance Lynn to get them back on track. Lynn made his Yankee debut in relief of Sonny Gray on Wednesday and was sharp, fanning 5 batters in 4-1/3 innings of scoreless ball. Lynn’s numbers on the season could be better, at 7-8, with a 4.89 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP, but he is 2-1 with an ERA of 2.67 in his career against the Chicago White Sox. Dylan Covey will tap the rubber for the White Sox. He is 4-7, with a 5.57 ERA, and a 1.57 WHIP. Covey did not look good in his last turn, yielding 7 runs and taking the loss against a very bad Kansas City Royals team. He has faced the Yankees once in his career, allowing 8 runs on 10 hits with 3 homers resulting in a Yankee victory. The White Sox are 1-7 in Covey’s last 8 starts and 8-17 in their last 25 meetings with the Bombers. New York should be able to get to Covey tonight.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The Philadelphia Phillies will seek their fifth straight win and a 4-game sweep of the Miami Marlins when the two clubs meet in an early one today at Citizens Bank Park. Philadelphia is tough at home, at 37-18, and will have one of the best in the Majors on the hill, Aaron Nola. Nola is 12-3, with an outstanding ERA of 2.35, a WHIP of just 0.97, and the Phillies are 19-7 in Nola’s last 26 home starts. Miami will have Dan Straily tapping the rubber. Straily is 4-5, with a 4.41 ERA, a 1.40 WHIP, and the Marlins are 1-5 in his last 6 road starts. Miami has lost 5 in a row and are 2-5 in their last 7 meetings with Philadelphia. Consider the Phillies in this one.
TODAY’S PICK: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES