Category: Baseball

The Toronto Blue Jays will try to even things up today in the ALCS when they send the southpaw J.A. Happ to the hill to face the Indians’ Josh Tomlin. Happ has had an incredible year, posting 21 wins, with an ERA of 3.15 and a WHIP of 1.19. The Jays are 4-1 in their last 5 road games and 10-1 in Happ’s last 11 road starts. Josh Tomlin is 14-9, with an ERA of 4.37, a WHIP of 1.18 and has served up 36 homers which will have the sluggers from the North chomping at the bit. Cleveland is 1-4 in Tomlin’s last 5 starts against the American League East, and 1-6 in his last 7 starts on 4 days’ rest. Jim Wolf is calling it today and road teams are 4-0 with him behind the dish. I like Toronto in this one.

Today’s pick:

Toronto Blue Jays

The American League Championship Series kicks off tonight at Progressive Field when the red hot Cleveland Indians host the red hot Toronto Blue Jays. Both teams got to this point by sweeping their opponents, Cleveland taking out Boston in 3 and Toronto taking out Texas in 3. Corey Kluber will take the mound tonight for the Indians. Kluber is 19-9, with a 3.04 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP, and was sharp as a tack in his last outing against Boston, yielding just 3 hits in 7 scoreless innings. John Gibbons gives the nod to Marco Estrada and he is 10-9, with a 3.73 ERA and a WHIP of 1.09. Estrada was equally sharp in his last outing, giving up only 1 run on 4 hits in 8-1/3 innings of work. Cleveland is 6-0 in their last 6 overall and 4-0 in their last 4 against the AL East. Laz Díaz is calling it tonight and the Indians are 6-1 in their last 7 when he’s behind the dish. I give the edge to the Indians tonight for having Terry Francona as their skipper, Corey Kluber as the pitcher and home field advantage.

Today’s pick:

Cleveland Indians

The Washington Nationals will try to win their first playoff series since moving from Montreal, when they host the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight in Game 5 of the NLDS. Max Scherzer will get the call for the Nationals and the 20-game winner will try to redeem himself, after giving up 4 runs on 5 hits in a loss in Game 1 to Kershaw and company. The lefty, Rich Hill, is expected to take the mound for Los Angeles but it’s not confirmed and there is a slight chance Julio Urías could get the start. Hill was battered by the Nationals in Game 2, yielding 4 runs on 6 hits over 4-1/3 innings, resulting in a Dodgers’ loss. Washington is 5-1 in Scherzer’s last 6 starts against the National League West and 5-1 in his last 6 home starts. On the flip side, the Dodgers are 0-4 in Hill’s last 4 starts and the Nationals are 4-1 in their last 5 home games against southpaws. With Scherzer on the bump and the home crowd behind them, I give the edge to Washington. The Nationals should get their first playoff series win since leaving Montreal.

Tonight’s pick:

Washington Nationals

It’s official. Clayton Kershaw will start today for the Los Angeles Dodgers and will try to send the series back to Washington for Game 5. Kershaw is 13-4 on the season, with a 1.81 ERA and a WHIP of 0.76. Washington will counter with Joe Ross, who is 7-5 on the season, with an ERA of 3.43 and a WHIP of 1.30. The Dodgers are 11-1 in Kershaw’s last 12 starts against Washington and the Nationals are 3-8 in the last 11 meetings with LA. I like the Dodgers’ chances today.

Today’s pick:

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Boston Red Sox will host the Cleveland Indians today, in a game that was rescheduled from yesterday. Since the starting pitching remains the same, I’m sticking with the Red Sox.

Today’s pick:

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox have their backs against the wall today when they send Clay Buchholz to the mound to avoid a sweep against Josh Tomlin and the Cleveland Indians. Buchholz has been delivering down the stretch. In his last 3 outings, he is 2-0, with a 1.42 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP. Indians’ Tomlin has been sharp as well. Over his last 3, he is 1-1, with a 1.74 ERA and a WHIP of 0.77. Cleveland is 1-4 in their last 5 meetings at Fenway and the Indians are 0-4 in Tomlin’s last 4 starts against the American League East. Boston lives another day.

Today’s pick:

Boston Red Sox

The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Washington Nationals meet today at Nationals Park for game 1 of the NL Divisional Series. The Nationals will send Max Scherzer to the hill today. Scherzer has been outstanding in 2016, winning 20 games, losing just 7 with an ERA of 2.96 and a WHIP of 0.97. Over his last 3 starts, he is 3-0, but his ERA is 5.09, and his WHIP is 1.42. Scherzer is 2-4 in 8 career starts against the Dodgers, with an ERA of 3.29. The lefty, Clayton Kershaw, gets the nod for Los Angeles and is out to prove the doubters wrong, that he can’t win in the post-season. Kershaw is 12-4 on the season, with a 1.69 ERA, a 0.72 WHIP, and over his last 3, he is 1-1 with a nasty ERA of 0.90 and a WHIP of just 0.70. The Dodgers’ southpaw has dominated Washington over his career, going 10-2, with an ERA of 2.02 and the Dodgers are 4-0 in his last 4 starts at Nationals Park. Head to head, the Dodgers are 7-1 in the last 8 meetings with the Nats and 4-1 in their last 5 in Washington. Dodgers should take game 1.

Today’s pick:

Los Angeles Dodgers