Category: Baseball

The Cleveland Guardians and the Minnesota Twins will wrap up their 4-game set this afternoon at Target Field. The Twins took the first 2 in a double-header on Friday, but Cleveland bounced back yesterday with a 2-1 win. Today’s expected starter for the Twins is David Festa, who looked sharp in his last outing against the Cubs but is still 2-2 with an elevated ERA of 5.55 and a 1.27 WHIP. The Guardians are expected to give the nod to Tanner Bibee. He has been delivering, with a record of 9-4, a 3.48 ERA, and a 1.09 WHIP. Cleveland sits in the top spot in the AL Central, but Minnesota is on their tail, just 2½ games back. The Guardians would love to get out of the Twin Cities with a split and they should. Cleveland is 9-0 in Bibee’s last 9 road starts against a team with a winning record and have won 7 of the last 9 meetings against their AL Central rival.
TODAY’S PICK: CLEVELAND GUARDIANS

The LA Dodgers had better start looking over their shoulder because the San Diego Padres are breathing down their necks, sitting just 2½ games behind them for the top spot in the NL West. With last night’s 6-2 win over the bottom feeding Miami Marlins, the hottest team in the majors, the Padres, have won 6 straight and I expect that streak will continue this afternoon at Loan Depot Park. In the second game of their 3-game set, the expected starters are Matt Waldron for San Diego and Roddery Muñoz for Miami. Waldron is 7-9 with a 3.79 ERA and a respectable WHIP of 1.16. Muñoz is just 2-6 with an elevated 5.68 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. The Friars always take care of business against the Fish and this year is no different. In their four meetings in 2024, San Diego is 3-1 and has outscored Miami 21-4 over that span.
TODAY’S PICK: SAN DIEGO PADRES

The 68-48 Baltimore Orioles will travel south to St. Pete tonight to open a 3-game set with their AL East rival, the 58-56 Tampa Bay Rays. The Orioles have won 6 of the 7 meetings with the Rays this year including a 4-game sweep of Tampa at the Trop back in June. The expected starter for Baltimore is ex-Ray Zach Eflin who was traded to the O’s in July so he knows the mound, the stadium, the players’ likes and dislikes and will make the Rays pay for their mistake. Eflin is better than his record reflects. Ef is 7-7 with a 4.05 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. The Rays are expected to give the go-ahead to Zack Littell who is 5-7 with a 4.06 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Littell had better be in the zone because the Orioles can score, averaging over 5 runs per game.
TONIGHT’S PICK: BALTIMORE ORIOLES

After losing game 1 of their 3-game set with the Colorado Rockies, the New York Mets bounced back yesterday and will go for a series win this afternoon in a matinée at Coors Field. The Mets expected starter, David Peterson, is a Colorado native so he will be extra motivated to deliver, and he has been doing just that. The southpaw is 5-1 with a 3.47 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. The Rockies are expected to counter with Austin Gomber, who comes in at 3-7 with a 4.66 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. New York has played well on the road with a record of 30-25, average more runs per game than Colorado, belt more homers, average more hits per game, and the Rockies are 0-4 in their last 4 games against a left-handed starter.
TODAY’S PICK: NEW YORK METS

The San Diego Padres will not come cheap but should get the job done against the Colorado Rockies when they wrap up their 3-game set today at Petco Park. When you take the Rockies out of the mountains, they are just 17-42. On the flip side, the Padres are heating up, winning 8 of their last 10, and they are closing in on the LA Dodgers for the lead in the NL West. The pitching matchup today favors San Diego. The Friars will give the nod to Matt Waldron who has a 3.89 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. The Rockies will have Cal Quantrill tapping the rubber. He has a 4.50 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. Consider the Friars.
TODAY’S PICK: SAN DIEGO PADRES

The Arizona Diamondbacks and the Pittsburgh Pirates will play the middle game of their 3-game set tonight at PNC Park. The Snakes are hot, winning 4 straight and 8 of their last 10, but all good things must come to an end. Pittsburgh will have Mitch Keller on the hill, and he has been dealing. Keller is 10-5 with a 3.30 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. Jordan Montgomery is expected to get the nod for Arizona. His numbers are not good. Montgomery might be 7-5 on the season but he has an ERA of 6.51 and a bloated 1.69 WHIP.
TONIGHT’S PICK: PITTSBURGH PIRATES

The New York Yankees are hot and will go for their sixth straight win when they host the worst in the AL East tonight, the Toronto Blue Jays. The ex-Jay, Marcus Stroman, is expected to get the start for the Bombers and he will be extra motivated to stick it to his old club. Stroman is 7-5 with a 3.64 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. New York is averaging over 5 runs per game as opposed to Toronto’s 4 and the Jays will be without Bo Bichette, which will not help their cause. The Boys from River Ave. continue to roll.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES