Category: Baseball

The Oakland Athletics have now won 4 in a row after last night’s triumph over the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. The Astros will try to end the A’s surge tonight when David Paulino takes the mound. Over Paulino’s last 3 outings, his ERA is high at 5.28 but he is 2-0 over that span. Houston usually bounces back from a defeat, going 4-0 in their last 4 after a loss. Oakland will send Jesse Hahn to the rubber. Hahn is 1-1 over his last 3, with an inflated ERA of 10.50, and a 2.00 WHIP. Oakland is 0-6 in Hahn’s last 6 road starts and 1-4 in his last 5 against Houston. I’m taking another shot at the Astros tonight.

Tonight’s Pick:

Houston Astros

The Houston Astros should get a win tonight at home over the Oakland Athletics. Oakland has won 3 in a row but their road record is less than impressive at 12-25. Sean Manaea gets the nod for Oakland. Manaea has been average thus far, with a record of 6-4, an ERA of 4.05 and a 1.15 WHIP. The A’s have had issues at Minute Maid Park, with a record of 1-6 in their last 7, and they are 0-5 in Manea’s last 5 starts against the Astros. Mike Fiers gets the call for Houston and he has been throwing flames. Fiers is 2-0 over his last 3, with an ERA of just 0.89, a WHIP of 0.84, and Houston is 5-1 in his last 6 starts. The line seems a little fishy in this one, it should be higher, but all the numbers point to Houston.

Tonight’s Pick:

Houston Astros

Two teams that have been struggling, the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox, will face each other tonight on the south side at Guaranteed Rate Field. New York has lost 10 of its last 12 and will send the young lefty, Jordan Montgomery to the hill to try to straighten things out. Montgomery has been steady, going 5-4 on the season, with a 3.74 ERA, and a WHIP of 1.25 in 74.2 innings, and he is 3-0 in his last 4 starts. Chicago has lost 6 of its last 7 and will send the southpaw, David Holmberg to the rubber. Holmberg is 1-1, with a 2.84 ERA, and a 1.04 WHIP in 31.2 innings of work. In their last meeting on April 19th, the Bombers clobbered the White Sox 9-1, and New York is 15-6 in the last 21 meetings. I like New York’s chances in this one.

Tonight’s Pick:

New York Yankees

The Arizona Diamondbacks own the best home record in the Majors, at 26-9, and will open a 4-game set tonight at Chase Field against the Philadelphia Phillies. Philadelphia recalled Mark Leiter from Triple-A Lehigh Valley and he will make his first Major League start tonight. Leiter did make 12 relief appearances before being sent down and he was 0-0, with an ERA of 4.75. Arizona will send the lefty Patrick Corbin to the hill and he is having a so-so year at 6-6, with an ERA of 5.19, and a 1.55 WHIP. The Phillies have been awful on the road with a record of 9-28, they are 1-4 in their last 5 games against lefties, and 3-7 in their last 10 against the D-Backs. Arizona can hammer the ball and they should get to Leiter tonight.

Tonight’s Pick:

Arizona Diamondbacks

The Atlanta Braves and the struggling San Francisco Giants will play the final game of a 4-game set tonight at SunTrust Park. Matt Cain will tap the rubber for San Francisco and he is not what he use to be. Cain is 3-6, with an ERA of 4.99, a WHIP of 1.69, and is 0-5 in his last 6 starts, with an ERA of 6.25. The lefty Jamie García will get the nod for Atlanta. García is 2-5, with an ERA of 3.59, and a WHIP of 1.26. The Giants are 13-29 on the road, 7-21 in their last 28 overall, and 1-4 in their last 5 road games against southpaws. Atlanta is 4-1 in their last 5 overall and 4-1 in their last 5 home games. Edge Atlanta.

Tonight’s Pick:

Atlanta Braves

The New York Yankees have not had a losing streak like this in ten years, but that should end tonight in the Bronx when they send Jordan Montgomery to the hill to face Ricky Nolasco and the Los Angeles Angels. Over his last 3 outings, Montgomery is 2-0, with a 2.89 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. Nolasco is 0-3 over his last 3, with a 4.82 ERA, a WHIP of 1.45, and the Angels are 0-9 in his last 9 starts. LA is 9-29 in their last 38 trips to the Stadium. Tom Woodring is pulling the strings tonight and the Yankees are 4-1 in their last 5 when he is behind the plate.

Today’s Pick:

New York Yankees

The Minnesota Twins are on a 4-game slide but that should end tonight when they play host to the Chicago White Sox. Ervin Santana is on the rubber for the Twins and he can deliver. Santana is 8-4, with an ERA of 2.56, and a WHIP of just 0.95. The White Sox will counter with the lefty Derek Holland. Holland is 5-6, with a 3.79 ERA, a 1.45 WHIP, and Chicago is 2-5 in his last 7 starts. Minnesota is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings with the White Sox. Edge Minnesota.

Tonight’s Pick:

Minnesota Twins