Category: Baseball

The Washington Nationals and Cincinnati Reds game was postponed yesterday but they will try again today at Great American Ball Park. The Reds are slated to send Homer Bailey to the hill. Bailey was awful in 2017, with a record of 6-9 and an ERA of 6.43. He hasn’t seemed to have made any improvements over last year, going 0-2 with an ERA of 7.50 this spring. Bailey made two starts last year against the Nats and was throttled, allowing 16 runs in 5-2/3 innings of work. Washington is expected to give the nod to NL Cy Young Award winner, Max Scherzer. Scherzer was 16-6 last year, with an ERA of 2.51, and was 1-0 against the Reds where he pitched 6 scoreless innings. Washington is 5-0 in their last 5 trips to Cincinnati and All-Star Bryce Harper torched the Reds last year, going 12 for 29 with 3 home runs.
TODAY’S PICK: WASHINGTON NATIONALS

The Boston Red Sox will open the 2018 campaign on the road when they travel to Tropicana Field to face the Tampa Bay Rays. Boston is expected to send their ace southpaw, Chris Sale, to the hill. Sale, who led the Majors last year with 308 strikeouts, was also dominant against the Rays, going 4-1 with an ERA of 2.66. Tampa is expected to counter with Chris Archer. Archer went 1-1 against Boston in 2017, with an ERA of 5.87, and Tampa is just 3-11 in his last 14 starts against the Red Sox, which is not good. Tampa Bay has lost some key players this season: Evan Longoria, Logan Morrison, Corey Dickerson and Steven Souza, Jr. Both pitchers exited their last spring training outings early, with Sale taking one off the hip and Archer off his throwing forearm, but both say they are fine and ready to go. Boston has won 4 of its last 5 trips to Tampa and 5 of Sale’s last 6 starts against the Rays. The Red Sox are by far the better team. Consider them in this one.
TODAY’S PICK: BOSTON RED SOX

It’s been 29 years since the Los Angeles Dodgers last won the World Series and the Houston Astros have yet to win one. Who gets it tonight? I’m leaning Dodgers in this one. Yu Darvish will take the hill for LA and will have a chance to redeem himself after a poor outing in Game 3. Despite that performance, he is is 2-1 in his last 3 turns, with an ERA of 4.15, and a 1.23 WHIP. The other Game 3 starter, Lance McCullers Jr., will get the nod for Houston. Over his last 3 outings, McCullers is 1-1, with an ERA of 5.17, and a WHIP of 1.28. After last night’s loss, Houston is now 1-5 in their last 6 road playoff games, and 2-8 in their last 10 games at Chavez Ravine. LA figured out Houston’s ace last night, Justin Verlander, and should do the same with McCullers tonight, and oh yeah, Dodger Stadium will be electric.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Do not put a dagger in the Los Angeles Dodgers just yet because the last two games of the World Series are at Chavez Ravine and the Dodgers are 52-19 in their last 71 home games. Impressive. Houston sends Justin Verlander to the hill and LA counters with the lefty, Rich Hill. We all know Verlander has been delivering this post-season, with a mark of 4-0, and an ERA of 2.05, but Hill has been crisp as well, going 0-0, with an ERA of 2.77. Take the Astros out of Minute Maid Park and they are 1-4 in their last 5 road playoff games and 2-7 in their last 9 trips to SoCal. The Dodgers are 5-1 in Hill’s last 6 starts and 4-1 in his last 5 starts at Dodger Stadium. Does the crowd play a factor in these games? You better believe it and it will tonight.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS

The Dodgers bats are alive and Kershaw is on the hill today. Take the Dodgers.
TODAY’S PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS

The Los Angeles Dodgers squandered some golden opportunities last night to get back into the game but came up short and now find themselves down 2-1 to the Houston Astros and need a win tonight or they are in major trouble. Yuli Gurriel’s antics last night were a disgrace to baseball and that should give the Dodgers some extra incentive to bring the hammer down. The Astros will send Charlie Morton to the hill and in the post-season he is 1-1 with an ERA of 6.23. The Dodgers will counter with the lefty Alex Wood, who is 0-1 this post-season, with an ERA of 5.79. Los Angeles is 18-5 in his last 23 starts and 8-3 in his last 11 road starts.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS

We know that both the Dodgers and the Astros can hit the ball so tonight’s contest will come down to starting pitching and the bullpen. Los Angeles will send Yu Darvish to the rubber and he is no stranger to the Houston Astros or Minute Maid Park. In his career against the Astros, he is 5-5, with an ERA of 3.44 in 14 starts, and has been lights out at Minute Maid Park with a record of 4-1, an ERA of 2.16, and a stingy 0.74 WHIP. Darvish has been on his mark this post-season, with a record of 2-0 and an ERA of 1.59. Lance McCullers Jr. will get the nod for Houston. He has also pitched well this post-season but has yet to register a win, with an ERA of 2.08, and Houston is 1-8 in his last 9 starts. The Astros bullpen is awful and that was evident in Wednesday’s wild game. Closer Ken Giles is 0-1 with an inflated ERA of 8.22 over 6 games. The weather is fine in Houston but they are deliberately closing the roof at Minute Maid Park to enhance the crowd noise. Noise or not, I like the Dodgers chances in this one.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS