Category: Baseball

The Boston Red Sox dominance over the Los Angeles Angels continued last night with a 9-1 shellacking at Fenway Park. Boston has won all 4 meetings against LA this year, outscoring them by a staggering 36-4. It won’t get any easier for the Angels tonight because Rick Porcello is expected to get the nod. The former Cy Young winner is in prime form. He is 9-3, with a 3.44 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, and in his last turn against Minnesota he was throwing flames. Porcello allowed just 1 hit and yielded no runs over 7 innings in a 9-2 romp. The Angels are expected to counter with Andrew Heaney. Heaney has been mediocre at 4-5, with a 3.43 ERA, a 1.12 WHIP, and in his last 3 turns, he is 1-1, with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. If the Red Sox stay focused on tonight’s game and not the 3-game set they have coming up in the Bronx against the Yankees, they should get this one.
TONIGHT’S PICK: BOSTON RED SOX

The Toronto Blue Jays and the Houston Astros opened a 3-game set last night at Minute Maid Park, with Toronto coming out on top, 6-3. Due to their depleted pitching staff, the Jays are expected to reach down to AAA Buffalo and call up Ryan Borucki, who will be making his Major League debut. Borucki was 6-5 in AAA, with a 3.27 ERA in 13 starts. Houston will send Charlie Morton to the rubber. Morton is having a spectacular year, with a record of 9-1, a 2.74 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP, and is a perfect 2-0 in his last 3 turns, with an ERA of 2.30 and a 1.34 WHIP. Houston is 6-2 in Morton’s last 8 starts and 4-1 in his last 5 turns at Minute Maid Park. Toronto has managed to put together 3 road wins in a row but let’s not forget that will make them just 4-10 in their last 14 games away from Rogers Centre. Of all teams for Ryan Borucki to face in his debut, the World Champions and in their own ball park, that has to weigh upon his mind.
TONIGHT’S PICK: HOUSTON ASTROS

The Cincinnati Reds are on a roll and will be at SunTrust Park tonight to take on the Atlanta Braves. The Reds have now won 7 in a row but the last 6 of those wins have been at the friendly confines of Great American Ball Park. Tyler Mahle will get the nod for the Reds and he has pitched well. Mahle is 6-6, with a 3.89 ERA, and a 1.38 WHIP. The Braves are 22-15 at home and will counter with Mike Foltynewicz. Foltynewicz is 5-4, with an ERA of only 2.16, a 1.14 WHIP, and in his last 3 turns he is 1-1 with a nasty ERA of only 0.95 and a 0.68 WHIP. The Reds have not been good on the road, with a record of 15-22, and are just 6-14 in their last 20 against the National League East.
TONIGHT’S PICK: ATLANTA BRAVES

The New York Yankees are on the verge of being swept by the Tampa Bay Rays when they play the final game of a 3-game set today in an early one at Tropicana Field. The Yankees were blanked yesterday, 4-0, and on Friday they mustered just one run in a 2-1 loss. Where have the Yankee bats gone? The Yankees might have a future ace in Domingo Germán and he will take the hill today for the Bombers. The 25 year old Dominican has nasty stuff, getting better and better every time he taps the rubber. In his last outing against a powerful Seattle Mariner team, he struck out 9 and yielded just 2 runs over 7 innings to get the win. Prior to that, Germán faced the team he will go up against today, striking out 10 and giving up 3 runs over 6 innings to notch the victory. You never really know who the Rays are going to throw at you but they are expected to start Matt Andriese. Andriese has mainly worked out of the bullpen and is 1-3, with a 3.68 ERA, and in the month of June he has given up 6 runs over 9-2/3 innings of work, which is not good. Aaron Judge has feasted on this guy, going 7-12, with 3 homers, and 2 doubles. The Bombers should get back on track today.
TODAY’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The New York Yankees’ bats were silent yesterday in their 2-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field but that won’t last very long. The Yankees will get a chance to even the score today when the two teams meet again in a matinee in St. Petersburg. The Yankees will send Sonny Gray to the rubber and it is obvious he is starting to feel comfortable in pinstripes. Gray started the season with a 6.67 ERA in April, which dropped to 5.16 in May, then 2.63 in June, and he has just 7 earned runs in his last 24 innings of work. The Rays are still experimenting with starting relief pitchers and are expected to send Wilmer Font to the rubber. Font has been bouncing around the League and Tampa will be his third stop in 2018. He is 0-3 on the season, with an inflated ERA of 7.56. The Yankees could light this guy up early. New York has a team batting average of .252, an OBP of .331, and a staggering 122 homers. The Bombers are 8-3 in their last 11 meetings overall with the Rays and it’s always like a home game for them when they play in St. Pete.
TODAY’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago Cubs will play the second game of a 4-game set tonight at Great American Ball Park. The Reds won the first game last night, 6-2, and are red hot winning 4 in a row but that streak could end tonight when the Reds send Luis Castillo to the rubber. Castillo has not been getting it done, with a record of 4-8, a 5.77 ERA, a 1.44 WHIP, and has lost his last 4 starts with an ERA of 6.97. The Cubs will send lefty José Quintana to the hill. Quintana comes into tonight’s game with a record of 6-5, a 4.06 ERA, and a 1.33 WHIP. Quintana has been stingy in the run department in his last 4 turns, allowing 2 runs or fewer. When Quintana is on the hill, the Cubs are 16-7 in his last 23 starts and 5-2 in his last 7 road starts. This doesn’t bode well for the Reds since they are 8-21 in their last 29 home games against southies and 9-20 in their last 29 home games against Chicago.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CHICAGO CUBS

The Angels have scratched Tyler Skaggs for tonight’s game due to hamstring tightness and will start the lefty John Lamb in his place.