Category: Baseball

Two teams that are moving in opposite directions, the New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins, will open a 3-game set tonight at Target Field. The 86-63 Yankees have won 5 of their last 6 and have a firm hold on the top AL wild card spot and can still catch the Tampa Bay Rays for the AL East title. New York sits 4 games back of Tampa with 13 games left and they have one more 3-game set with the Rays in the Bronx. The 70-79 Minnesota Twins’ post-season aspirations are starting to look bleak. They are 5.5 games back of the Cleveland Guardians for the third AL wild card spot and have only 2 wins in their last 7 tries. Minnesota’s expected starter is former Oriole Dean Kremer. There is a reason the Orioles sent the right-hander packing. Kremer is 3-5 with a 5.65 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. The Yankees are expected to counter with Will Warren. Warren comes in at 10-6 with a 4.05 ERA, a 1.36 WHIP, and in his last turn against the Colorado Rockies he pitched 6 strong innings allowing only 4 hits, 1 run, with 8 K’s and the Bombers went on to a 6-1 victory. New York has played well on the road, at 44-31, and are especially dangerous now that the best player on the planet, Aaron Judge, is back in the lineup.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The Toronto Blue Jays are expected to turn to Dylan Cease to throw strikes when they go for a series win over the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon at Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays ace is 10-5 with an ERA of only 2.40, a 1.04 WHIP, and he is 3-1 in his career against the Orioles with a 3.89 ERA. Trevor Rogers is expected to be toeing the rubber for Baltimore. The southpaw is 10-9 with a 4.15 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. Toronto sits one game back of Cleveland for the last AL wild card spot with Baltimore just two back of Toronto. The Jays are 5-4 on the season against the Orioles and have one more 3-game series with the O’s this year in Baltimore. Toronto needs to win this series.
TODAY’S PICK: TORONTO BLUE JAYS

The Arizona Diamondbacks cruised to a 9-1 victory last night over the Texas Rangers at Chase Field. The D-backs sit just 1/2 a game back of the San Diego Padres for the last NL wild card spot and the Friars are feeling the heat. With last night’s win, the Snakes have now won 5 of their last 6. In tonight’s second game of their 3-game set Arizona is expected to send Brandon Pfaadt to the rubber and he has been solid. Pfaadt is 7-2 with a 3.52 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. The Rangers who sit 3 games back of the Cleveland Guardians for the last AL wild card spot have lost their last 3 games and are expected to send Kumar Rocker to the hill. He is not the answer. Rocker is 5-11 with a 4.61 ERA, a 1.44 WHIP, and was lit up in his last turn against the Tampa Bay Rays yielding 9 hits and 6 runs over 5 frames resulting in a 7-6 loss. Arizona boasts a 42-31 record at Chase Field and has the edge in runs scored, run differential, batting average and hits.
TONIGHT’S PICK: ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

The 80-67 Boston Red Sox had a well-deserved day off yesterday and will be recharged when they open a 3-game set tonight with the 65-82 Kansas City Royals at Fenway. The Red Sox lost their last two to the bottom feeding Los Angeles Angels, but they were tapped and get a pass after playing 14 games in 13 days. Their ace Sonny Gray is expected to be called upon to throw strikes and that is what he does. Gray leads the majors in wins with 17, has only 4 losses, owns an ERA of just 2.69, and a 1.16 WHIP. He last face the Royals on May 18th and delivered, allowing only 1 run on 5 hits, striking out 9, and Boston went on to a 3-1 victory. Seth Lugo is expected to get the start for KC and Boston should be able to put up some runs against the right-hander. Lugo is upside down at 6-8, has an elevated 5.04 ERA, and a 1.44 WHIP. The Red Sox swept the Royals in a 3-game set back in May in Kansas City and could easily do the same in this series.
TONIGHT’S PICK: BOSTON RED SOX

The Pittsburgh Pirates will go for a series sweep of the Chicago White Sox tonight on the south side but not so fast. Chicago still has one of the best home records in baseball at 43-30 and is expected to have Hagen Smith on the bump. The southpaw will be making his first major league start and he has earned it. Out of the pen this year Smith has been lights out with a record of 3-1, a barely visible ERA at 0.56, and a 0.94 WHIP. In his last turn on Sunday against the Minnesota Twins he twirled three strong innings allowing no runs, no hits, while striking out four, and the White Sox went on to a 10-1 rout. Jared Jones is expected to get the nod for the Bucs and the White Sox could send him packing early. Jones does not have great numbers at 3-6 with a 4.46 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP, and the Pirates are 1-7 in his last 8 starts.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CHICAGO WHITE SOX

The 81-64 Philadelphia Phillies lost a close one last night to the 74-71 Houston Astros, 6-5, at Citizens Bank Park but tonight the outcome should be different. In Game 2 of their 3-game set Phillies ace, southpaw Cristopher Sánchez, is expected to be called upon to throw strikes and he is up for the challenge. Sánchez has 16 wins and just 5 losses with an ERA of only 2.58 and a 1.20 WHIP. Hunter Brown is expected on the hill for the Astros. He is 5-3 with a 3.31 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. The Phillies are 5-0 in Sánchez’s last 5 starts against the weak AL West but have lost 5 straight against Houston. Trends end.
TONIGHT’S PICK: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

The Toronto Blue Jays fell to the Athletics last night, 6-5, in Sac but bounce back tonight in the second leg of their 3-game set. Toronto sits a game back of Cleveland for the last AL wild card spot and cannot afford to lose to the lowly A’s. José Soriano is expected to get the nod for the Jays and he will right the ship. Soriano is 11-7 with a respectable ERA of 3.52 and a 1.29 WHIP. The Athletics’ expected starter is Jack Perkins. Vladi and company should crush this guy. Perkins is 3-10 with a bloated ERA of 6.50, a 1.52 WHIP, and the Athletics are 0-7 in his last 7 home starts. Despite last night’s win, the Athletics still own the worst home record in the majors at 26-44. The Jays are the side to consider regardless of the juice.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TORONTO BLUE JAYS