Category: Baseball

The Philadelphia Phillies are clicking and playing with confidence. With a win tonight against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park, they will advance to the NLCS to face the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Phillies pounded the Braves last night, blowing them out 10-2, and have outscored Atlanta 17-7 over the first 3 games. Tonight’s expected starters will be a rematch of Game 1, with Spencer Strider getting the nod for Atlanta and Ranger Suárez for Philadelphia. Strider was sharp as usual in Game 1, allowing 1 run on 5 hits over 7 innings, but 1 run is all the Phillies needed. His counterpart, Ranger Suárez, pitched 3-2/3 innings, allowing just 1 hit and no runs, and Philadelphia went on to a 3-0 shutout win. We know Citizens Bank Park is going to be electric. Bryce Harper is playing like the superstar that he is and always brings his A-game to the postseason, especially against Atlanta. The last thing the Phillies want to do is to head to Truist Park for Game 5.
TONIGHT’S PICK: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

With a loss tonight in the NLDS against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field, the Los Angeles Dodgers will be sent packing back to LA, down 2-0 in the best of 5 series, but not so fast. Keep in mind this team won 100 games in 2023, 47 on the road, and have two of the best in the Bigs, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. Tonight’s expected starters are Lance Lynn for the Dodgers and Brandon Pfaadt for the Diamondbacks. Lynn’s numbers were not off the charts in the regular season, at 13-11, with a 5.73 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP, but he was sharp in his last turn against the San Francisco Giants, yielding just 2 runs on 2 hits over 6 innings of work and LA cruised to a 6-2 victory. He has also been a Diamondbacks killer in his career, with a record of 6-1 and a 2.96 ERA. Pfaadt’s numbers were not good in the regular season, at 3-9, with a 5.72 ERA, a 1.41 WHIP, and he was 0-2 against the Dodgers this year with a bloated ERA of 9.35. If the Dodgers are going to win one, this is it.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS

The ALDS is tied at a game apiece between the Minnesota Twins and the Houston Astros and now the series heads up north today for a matinée at Target Field. The Twins bats came alive in Game 2, racking up 10 hits and downing the ‘Stros, 6-2. They will have the momentum going into today’s home game and will have their ace, Sonny Gray, on the hill. Gray was 8-8 in the regular season with an ERA of only 2.79 and a 1.15 WHIP. He was lights out against the Jays in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card, yielding 5 hits and no runs over 5 innings, and Minnesota went on to a 2-0 shutout win. Houston will counter with Cristian Javier, who was 10-5 in the regular season with a 4.56 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. With the momentum on their side, home field advantage, and Sonny on the hill, the Twins are the team to consider.
TODAY’S PICK: MINNESOTA TWINS

The Atlanta Braves will look to even the score with the Philadelphia Phillies tonight when they play Game 2 of the NLDS at Truist Park. Tonight’s expected starters are southpaw Max Fried for the Braves and Zack Wheeler for the Phillies. Fried has been battling some elbow and blister issues but says he is ready and when he is on there is no one better. Fried was 8-1 in the regular season with a 2.55 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. Wheeler was 13-6 in the regular season with a 3.61 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. Fried was sharp in his lone postseason start against the Marlins, allowing 5 hits and 1 run over 6-2/3 innings but keep in mind that was against Miami, not the best team in the NL, Atlanta. It was no fluke that the Braves won 104 games overall this year and 52 at Truist Park. The Braves bounce back tonight.
TONIGHT’S PICK: ATLANTA BRAVES

The Baltimore Orioles fell to the Texas Rangers, 3-2, yesterday in Game 1 of the ALDS at Camden Yards. They cannot afford to go down 0-2 in the 5-game series, or they will be in major trouble, and they know it. Today’s expected starters will be rookie Grayson Rodriguez for Baltimore and lefty Jordan Montgomery for Texas. Both guys have been dealing. Montgomery is a 1-0 in the postseason with a 0.00 ERA and is 3-1 in his career against the Orioles with a 3.04 ERA. Since being called back up to the Bigs from AAA-Norfolk, Rodriguez is 5-2 with an ERA of 2.58. The O’s looked a little sluggish after being off for a week but with the rust gone and with this, in a sense, being a do or die situation, they should bounce back today at Birdland.
TODAY’S PICK: BALTIMORE ORIOLES

The Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers will open the NLDS tonight at Chavez Ravine. The expected starters for tonight’s game are future Hall of Famer lefty Clayton Kershaw for the Dodgers and Merrill Kelly for the Diamondbacks. Kershaw has had success against Arizona in his career, with a record of 22-12 and a 2.73 ERA. He last faced the D-backs on August 29th where he pitched 5 innings yielding just 3 hits, 1 run, and LA went onto a 9-1 blowout win. The pitcher that opposed Kershaw in that game was Merrill Kelly and that night the Dodgers smacked him around for 12 hits and 7 runs over his 5 innings of work. Kelly is also 0-11 in his career against the Dodgers with a 5.49 ERA. LA has won 5 straight against Arizona, including a 3-game sweep in late August at the Ravine, outscoring them 23-5. If the Dodgers are not affected by the week off, they should get this one.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Are the Tampa Bay Rays going to be swept by the Texas Rangers on their home turf at Tropicana Field? I doubt it. The Rays are 53-29 in St. Pete and will have Zack Eflin on the hill. Eflin is 16-8 with a 3.50 ERA and a WHIP of just 1.05. The Rangers will counter with Nathan Eovaldi and he can deliver. Eovaldi is 12-5 with a 3.63 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. This will be a tight one, with two flamethrowers on the bump, but Tampa is not going down without a fight and will prevail.
TODAY’S PICK: TAMPA BAY RAYS