Category: Baseball

There will be a lopsided pitching duel tonight at Camden Yards when two southpaws face off, with Cole Hamels going for the Texas Rangers and Wade Miley for the Baltimore Orioles. Hamels has been lethal over his last 3 starts, going 2-0, with a ridiculous ERA of 0.82, a WHIP of just 0.50, and has held opponents scoreless in his last 21 innings. Texas bats have been silent but if they’re going to break out of their funk, it should be tonight against Wade Miley. Over Miley’s last 3 starts, he is 1-2, with a bloated ERA of 11.25, a WHIP of 2.75, and was rocked in his last outing by the Chicago Cubs, surrendering 7 runs on 9 hits with 4 walks over 4-2/3 innings. Texas can hit lefties, going 5-2 in their last 7 games, as opposed to Baltimore, who is 3-8 in their last 11 games against southies. The Rangers have lost 4 in a row but I like their chances tonight to get back on track.

Tonight’s Pick:

Texas Rangers

The Arizona Diamondbacks finally got back in the win column with an 11-2 romp last night over the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark. Their odds of making it two in a row look promising tonight, when they send their ace flamethrower Zack Greinke to the hill. Greinke has been spectacular over his last 3 outings, going 3-0, with a 1.42 ERA, and a 0.74 WHIP. Greinke is 8-2 lifetime against the Reds, with an ERA of 2.21 and he last faced them on July 7th where he pitched 7 scoreless innings in an Arizona victory. Tim Adleman will tap the rubber tonight for Cincinnati and he has struggled, going 0-3 in his last 3 outings, with a 6.91 ERA, a WHIP of 1.67, and the Reds are 1-6 in his last 7 starts. Arizona acquired the slugging outfielder J.D. Martinez from Detroit and he should be in the lineup tonight. The Diamondbacks are 6-1 in Greinke’s last 7 starts and 7-2 in their last 9 trips to Cincinnati. All the numbers point to an Arizona victory.

Tonight’s Pick:

Arizona Diamondbacks

The New York Yankees are going in the wrong direction, dropping two in a row, and they are just 9-21 in their last 30 games overall. Tonight they should get back on track when they face 44-year old Bartolo Colón and the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Before he was released by the Atlanta Braves, Colón was awful, posting a record of 2-8, with an ERA of 8.14. The Yankees will counter with Luis Cessa, who is seeking his first win. Cessa comes into tonight’s game with a record of 0-3, and an ERA of 4.18. The Yankees have owned the Twins over the years, going 46-16 in the last 62 meetings, and they are 40-18 in their last 58 trips to Minnesota. The Bombers’ bats should get to Colón tonight.

Tonight’s Pick:

New York Yankees

Fatigue has to be a factor for the Boston Red Sox tonight when they open a 4-game set at Fenway Park against their American League East rival the Toronto Blue Jays. Boston went 16 innings on Saturday in a losing effort to the New York Yankees and then had a double header yesterday with the Bombers in which they split. Toronto will send their ace, Marcus Stroman, to the hill. Stroman has been on his mark, going 2-1 in his last 3 starts, with an ERA of 1.37, and a WHIP of 1.12. Eduardo Rodríguez will tap the rubber for the Red Sox. Rodríguez comes into tonight’s contest with a 2-1 record over his last 3 starts, an ERA of 4.58 and a 1.17 WHIP. Toronto has had success in Boston, with a record of 6-2 in their last 8 trips to Fenway and the Jays are 9-3 in Stroman’s last 12 starts. Toronto needs at least a split in this 4-game set or their post-season chances will be bleak and they know that.

Tonight’s Pick:

Toronto Blue Jays

The Arizona Diamondbacks are in a funk, losing 4 in a row, but I like their chances for a victory today at SunTrust Park against the Atlanta Braves. Zack Godley will tap the rubber for the Diamondbacks. Over his last 3 starts, Godley is 1-2, with a 3.20 ERA, a 0.71 WHIP, and the Diamondbacks are 4-1 in his last 5 road starts. Jamie García will take the hill for the Braves and this guy has been struggling. García is 0-2 in his last 3 starts, with a 9.37 ERA, a 1.84 WHIP, and he is winless in his last 7 starts. Arizona gets back in the win column today.

Today’s Pick:

Arizona Diamondbacks

Madison Bumgarner is back on the hill tonight for the San Francisco Giants, facing Jhoulys Chacín and the San Diego Padres in a late one at Petco Park. If the Bum has any rust in his arm, he had better shake it off because he and the Giants have had issues with San Diego. San Francisco is 5-12 in their last 17 meetings with the Padres and 2-5 in Bumgarner’s last 7 starts at Petco. Chacín has been delivering for the Friars. Over his last 3 starts, he is 2-1, with an ERA of 1.47, a WHIP of 1.09, the Padres are 5-2 in his last 7 starts against a team with a losing record and you can’t ask for anything more than that. I like the home dog in this one.

Tonight’s Pick:

San Diego Padres

The Milwaukee Brewers have been on a roll, winning 9 of their last 11 games, and tonight they will open a 3-game set at Miller Park against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies have struggled on the road, going 13-33, and will send Nick Pivetta to the hill tonight to try to get a rare road win. Over his last 3 starts, Pivetta is 1-1, with an ERA of 5.40, a WHIP of 1.32, and Philadelphia is 2-5 in his last 7 road starts. Pivetta is vulnerable to the long ball, surrendering 7 homers over his last 4 games, which is not good against a Brewers team that has gone yard in 24 of their last 26 games. Milwaukee will counter with Zach Davies, who has been delivering. Over his last 3 starts, Davies is 3-0, with an ERA of 2.84, and a WHIP of only 0.95. Milwaukee is 7-1 in their last 8 home games, 5-2 in Davies’ last 7 home starts and the Brewers have won 10 out of the last 14 meetings with Philadelphia. Get this one early because the number will probably climb.

Tonight’s Pick:

Milwaukee Brewers