The southpaw CC Sabathia will take the hill today for the New York Yankees when they try to even the score against Jharel Cotton and the Oakland Athletics. CC has been on his mark. Over his last 3, he is 2-1, with a 3.06 ERA, and a 1.19 WHIP. Over Cotton’s last 3, he hasn’t been able to find his groove. He is 1-2, with a bloated ERA of 7.04 and a WHIP of 1.70. The Yankees are 8-2 in CC’s last 10 starts and 6-0 in his last 6 starts at The Stadium.
Today’s pick:
New York Yankees
The Toronto Blue Jays and the Texas Rangers do not like each other and that is a fact. Tonight the rivalry continues when the Blue Jays and the Rangers open a 3-game set at Rogers Centre. Both teams will send pitchers to the hill who are mediocre at best. Mike Bolsinger gets the start for the Jays and he has an ERA of 6.32, and a 1.79 WHIP. On the flip side, Texas sends AJ Griffin to the bump and he is not much better, with a 5.02 ERA, and a 1.19 WHIP. Tonight the edge will go to Toronto because of the expected return of Troy Tulowitzki and Josh Donaldson. Texas is 2-7 in their last 9 meetings with Toronto and 0-4 in their last 4 trips to the Centre. The numbers say Jays in this one.
Tonight’s pick:
Toronto Blue Jays
The Pittsburgh Pirates will look to leave Atlanta with a split today when they face the Braves in the final game of a 4-game set. Bartolo Colón, who turned 44 yesterday, will take the hill for the Braves. Colón is 2-4 on the season, with an ERA of 6.38, and a 1.48 WHIP. Pittsburgh will counter with the ex-Yankee, Ivan Nova. Nova has been the steady for the Pirates, with a record of 4-3, an ERA of 2.63, and a WHIP of 1.05. Nova is 1-0 in 2 career starts against Atlanta and in those 13 innings he has not allowed a run.
Today’s pick:
Pittsburgh Pirates
The New York Yankees will have the edge tonight in the Bronx over the Kansas City Royals and this is why. Luis Severino will take the mound for the Bombers. Severino is 2-2, with an ERA of 3.64 and a 1.13 WHIP. The Royals will counter with Jason Hammel. Hammel has been struggling to say the least. The ex-Cub is 1-5, with a 6.20 ERA, a 1.75 WHIP, and the Royals are 1-7 in his last 8 starts. The Yanks faced Hammel on May 16th, when he served up a 2-run blast to Chris Carter and a 3-run bomb to Aaron Judge, in a 7-1 Yankee victory. The Royals are 7-15 on the road and 16-41 in their last 57 at Yankee Stadium. My only concern tonight is Severino’s ERA at home which is 5.09 but that’s still lower than Hammel’s overall ERA at 6.20.
Tonight’s pick:
New York Yankees
The Cincinnati Reds will square off tonight at Great American Ball Park with the Cleveland Indians in the second leg of a 4-game home-and-home series. Cleveland is expected to send Carlos Carrasco to the rubber to even the score. Carrasco is 2-0 in his last 3 outings, with a 3.78 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP, but left his last outing early with pectoral tightness which could be reason for concern. The lefty Amir Garrett is expected on the hill for the Reds and he is 1-1, with an ERA of 5.29, and a WHIP of 1.35 over his last 3 starts. Cincinnati has been struggling, going 2-8 in their last 10 overall and they are 2-8 in their last 10 against the American League Central. The Indians are 6-1 in their last 7 meetings with the Reds, 4-1 in their last 5 in Cincinnati and 4-1 in their last 5 against southpaws. I’m banking on a healthy Carrasco tonight and siding with Cleveland.
Tonight’s pick:
Cleveland Indians
The Chicago White Sox are winners of their last three but will have their work cut out for them tonight when they travel to Arizona to take on Zack Greinke and the Diamondbacks. In Greinke’s last 3 starts, he is 3-0, with a 2.91 ERA, a 0.69 WHIP, and Arizona is 5-1 in his last 6 home starts. Miguel Gonzalez takes the hill for Chicago and he has struggled. Gonzalez is 0-3 in his last 3 starts, with a 6.23 ERA, a WHIP of 1.73, and the White Sox are 3-9 in his last 12 road starts. The edge goes to the Diamondbacks.
Tonight’s pick:
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Washington Nationals have lost a rare 3 in a row but their ace Max Scherzer will take the hill today in Atlanta to try and right the ship. Scherzer is 4-2, with an ERA of 2.80, a WHIP of 0.95, and has been dominant against the Braves. Washington is 6-0 in Scherzer’s last 6 starts against the Braves and the Nationals are 10-4 in their last 14 trips to Atlanta. The 43-year old Bartolo Colón gets the nod for the Braves and he has seen better days. Colón is 2-4, with an ERA of 6.80, a WHIP of 1.47, and Atlanta is 3-9 in their last 12 home games. Chad Fairchild will be calling the shots and the road team is 6-0 in his last 6 games when he is behind home plate.
Today’s pick:
Washington Nationals
