Category: Baseball

The National League Championship Series will kick off tonight at Chavez Ravine between the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers have a significant edge in this one and this is why. The Cubs spent everything they had on Thursday night to take Game 5 from the Washington Nationals and then they had to catch a flight to the West coast. To make matters worse, due to a passenger’s medical issue, they had to make an emergency stop in Albuquerque which brought them into Los Angeles at noon on Friday. This forced them to skip Friday’s workout so they could catch up on some much needed rest. The Cubs skipper, Joe Maddon, will start the lefty, José Quintana, who is 11-11, with an ERA of 4.15, a WHIP of 1.22, and this bodes well for Los Angeles because they are 24-6 in their last 30 games against lefties. Dave Roberts will send their ace to the hill, Clayton Kershaw. The southpaw is 19-4, with an ERA of 2.43, and a 1.25 WHIP. The Dodgers are 47-10 in Kershaw’s last 57 home starts and 5-1 in his last 6 home starts against the Cubs. Chicago is 2-6 in their last 8 meetings with Los Angeles and 1-4 in their last 5 trips to Dodger Stadium.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS

The Washington Nationals have the momentum over the Chicago Cubs tonight when the series heads back to Washington for the decisive Game 5 of the National League Division Series. The Nationals are expected to hand the ball to Gio González. The lefty is 15-9, with an ERA of 3.01, and a WHIP of 1.17. Washington is 9-4 in his last 13 starts and 5-2 in his last 7 home starts. The Cubs are expected to counter with Kyle Hendricks. Hendricks, who looked sharp in his last turn, is 8-5, with a 2.88 ERA, a 1.17 WHIP, and will need to go deep into the game because of a tired Cubs bullpen. González could pose a problem for Chicago. They are 0-5 in their last 5 games against southpaws and 0-7 in their last 7 road games against lefties. Jerry Layne will be calling the game tonight and Chicago is 2-7 in their last 9 games with him behind the dish. Washington finally gets over the hump.
TONIGHT’S PICK: WASHINGTON NATIONALS

The Washington Nationals and the Chicago Cubs will play Game 4 of the National League Division Series in an early one today at Wrigley. Rumor has it that Dusty Baker may start Stephen Strasburg instead of Tanner Roark but the pick remains the same, regardless of the potential pitching change. Strasburg is 15-4, with an ERA of 2.52 and a 1.02 WHIP. Roark is 13-11, with an ERA of 4.67, a 1.33 WHIP, and has had success against Chicago, going 4-2, with an ERA of 4.06 in 6 career starts. Chicago will send their ace, Jake Arrieta, to the rubber. Arrieta is 14-10, with an ERA of 3.53, and a 1.22 WHIP, but has stumbled against the Nationals. In 9 career appearances, he is 1-2, with an ERA of 5.48. Arrieta has had a lingering hamstring problem which could become an issue as the game wears on. Washington is 4-1 in Roark’s last 5 road starts against a team with a winning record. The Nationals’ bats have been silent but have the potential to be lethal. Taking a shot on the road dog in this one.
TODAY’S PICK: WASHINGTON NATIONALS

The New York Yankees will send Luis Severino to the hill today to try to send this series back to Cleveland for Game 5 of the American League Divisional Series. Severino was not sharp in his last outing but chalk that up to post-season jitters. With that behind him, I see Severino throwing strikes today. He was the ace for the Yankees this year, going 14-6, with an ERA of 3.11, and a 1.06 WHIP. The Bombers are 14-2 in his last 16 starts and 5-0 in his last 5 home starts. Cleveland will counter with Trevor Bauer. Bauer is 18-9, with a 4.03 ERA, a 1.33 WHIP, and he will be on just 3 days rest which could be an issue. Brian O’Nora will be behind the dish and the Yankees are 5-2 in his last 7 when he is pulling the strings.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The New York Yankees are down 0-2 in the American League Divisional Series and on the brink of elimination, but now the series switches to Yankee Stadium. Joe Girardi will hand the ball to Masahiro Tanaka, who finished the season hurling flames. Tanaka was 13-12, with an ERA of 4.74, and a WHIP of 1.24, but in his last outing against Toronto, he struck out 15 with no walks and yielded just 3 hits in 7 scoreless innings. Terry Francona will call on Carlos Carrasco to throw strikes. Carrasco has been lights out, with a record of 18-6, a 3.29 ERA, and a 1.10 WHIP. He has not lost since August 22nd but likes to be active. On nine days rest or more, the Indians are 1-9 in Carrasco’s last 10 starts. New York proved on Friday that they can go toe-to-toe with Cleveland and are tough to beat in the Bronx, with a record of 14-3 in their last 17 home games. Needless to say, the crowd will be up for this one. The Bombers live to see another day.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The Washington Nationals were blanked, 3-0, at home by the Chicago Cubs in Game 1 of the National League Divisional Series yesterday. This game today is vital for Washington because if they are 0-2 going into Chicago for Game 3 this thing is over and they know it. Two lefties will oppose each other, with the Cubs sending Jon Lester to the hill to face the Nationals Gio González. Lester has had a decent year, posting a record of 13-8, with a 4.33 ERA, and a WHIP of 1.32, but against a team with a winning record, the Cubs are just 3-7 in Lester’s last 10 starts. González’s numbers are better. He is 15-9, with a 2.96 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP, and the Nationals are 16-5 in his last 21 home starts against a team with a winning record. As potent as Chicago’s offense is, they are 0-4 in their last 4 games against lefties and 0-6 in their last 6 road games against southpaws. The Nationals bats were silent yesterday, mustering only 2 hits. Remember, Lester is vulnerable to the steal, so if the Nationals bats come alive and they can get on base, they should head to Wrigley with a split.
TODAY’S PICK: WASHINGTON NATIONALS

Chavez Ravine will be the venue tonight for Game 1 of the National League Divisional Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks. The best southpaw in the game, Clayton Kershaw, will get the nod for the Dodgers. The flame-throwing lefty has a record of 18-4, with an ERA of 2.31, a stingy WHIP of 0.95, and has dominated Arizona this year, going 2-0 with an ERA of only 0.59. He will be opposed tonight by Taijuan Walker. The Diamondbacks have gone 0-4 in Walker’s last 4 starts and he is 9-9 on the season, with a 3.49 ERA, and a 1.33 WHIP. Arizona has won the last 6 meetings with Los Angeles but when Kershaw is on the hill it is a different story. The Dodgers are 4-0 in his last 4 starts against the Diamondbacks and 4-0 in his last 4 home starts against the Snakes. The number is high but don’t be afraid – consider the Dodgers.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS