Category: Baseball

The 6-6 Cincinnati Reds have lost their last two games but a trip to the south side tonight for a matchup with the 2-10 Chicago White Sox might be just what the doctor ordered. The expected starters for tonight’s game are lefty Andrew Abbott for the Big Red Machine and Chris Flexen for the White Sox. In two starts this season, Abbott is 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. Flexen is 0-2 with a 5.91 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP. The Reds should be able to get to Flexen. They are averaging over 5 runs per game and over 8 hits. The White Sox are just 1-4 at home and have had issues with left-handed starters. They are just 1-6 in their last 7 against southpaws and 1-8 in their last 9 against the NL Central.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CINCINNATI REDS

Christian Yelich and his Milwaukee Brewers will go for a series win when they wrap up their 4-game set this afternoon with the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. The Brewers are off to a great start and so is Yelich. The Brew are 8-3 and Yelich is batting .316 with 5 homers. They should be able to do some damage today against the Reds expected starter, Nick Martinez. Martinez is winless thus far with an elevated ERA of 7.20 and a 1.60 WHIP. Freddy Peralta is expected to get the nod for the Brewers. Peralta is 1-0 with a 3.09 ERA and a nasty WHIP of 0.80. He is also 5-2 in his career against the Reds with an ERA of 2.88 and 3-1 in his career at Great American Ball Park with a 2.85 ERA. Milwaukee has won 2 straight against Cincinnati and 8 of the last 10 so they have their number and are the side to consider today.
TODAY’S PICK: MILWAUKEE BREWERS

After last night’s 4-3 loss to the Oakland Athletics at Globe Life Field, the Texas Rangers have now lost three in a row but the Champs get back on the rails tonight when the two teams play the middle game of their 3-game set. The expected starter for the Rangers is southpaw Cody Bradford and he is off to a great start. Bradford is 2-0 with a 2.13 ERA and a WHIP of only 0.47. The A’s, who have won 3 straight, are expected to counter with Ross Stripling. Although winless at 0-2, Stripling has pulled his weight with a 3.75 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP but Texas is the side to consider here. The Rangers are averaging over 5 runs per game, over 9 hits, have a team batting average of .272, and Oakland is 0-4 in their last 4 against a left-handed starter.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TEXAS RANGERS

The New York Yankees just keep on rolling. With last night’s 7-0 thumping of the Miami Marlins at the Stadium, the Yankees are now 9-2 and will go for their fourth straight win when the two clubs play the middle game of their 3-game set tonight in the Bronx. It was evident last night that the Marlins have trouble with southpaws and they will face another one tonight when Carlos Rodón takes the hill for New York. Rodón has pitched well in his first two starts, posting a 2.79 ERA, a WHIP of 1.76, and he is 1-0 in career against Miami with a 1.64 ERA. A.J. Puk is expected on the hill for the Marlins. Puk, who has always been a reliever, made two starts this year and they have not gone well. He is 0-2 with an ERA of 9.00 and a 2.83 WHIP. New York is averaging over 5 runs per game, and if Puk isn’t in the zone, the Yankees will show no mercy.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The Arizona Diamondbacks were just swept over the weekend by the Atlanta Braves and have now lost 4 straight but they head to Colorado tonight to open a 3-game set with the Rockies and that should get them back on track. The D-backs have already taken 3 of 4 this year from the Rocks, outscoring them 32-14. They are expected to have Zac Gallen on the hill and he has been delivering as usual. Gallen has been almost unhittable. He is 2-0 with an ERA of just 0.82 and a WHIP of 1.00, and that is scary. The expected starter for the Rockies is Kyle Freeland and if this isn’t a pitching mismatch, I don’t know what is. Freeland is 0-2 with a bloated ERA of 27.00 (that is not a typo) and a 4.06 WHIP – not good. If the altitude doesn’t get to Arizona, the Snakes cruise to a victory.
TONIGHT’S PICK: ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

The 6-2 Detroit Tigers were unable to muster any runs yesterday and fell to the lowly 2-7 Oakland Athletics, 4-0. Today should have a different outcome for Detroit when they wrap up their 3-game set with Oakland in a matinée at Comerica Park. The Tigers are expected to send Jack Flaherty to the hill. In his season debut against the Chicago White Sox, he didn’t disappoint. Flaherty threw 6 strong innings, allowed 4 hits, just 1 earned run, fanned 7, and the Tigers went on to win, 3-2. The A’s expected starter, Joe Boyle, was just the opposite in his season debut against Boston. The Red Sox scorched him for 8 hits and 7 earned runs over just 2-2/3 innings of work, and Boston went on to a 9-0 romp. The Tigers have the edge in Runs Scored, Runs Against, Batting Average, Home Runs, ETC., ETC., ETC.
TODAY’S PICK: DETROIT TIGERS

The Philadelphia Phillies got out of the gate slowly this year but you knew with all their talent they would turn it around and they have. The Phillies took game one from the Washington Nationals yesterday, 4-0, and will go for a series win when they play the second leg of their 3-game set today at Nationals Park. The expected starters are southpaw Ranger Suárez for the Phils and Jake Irvin for the Nats. Both pitchers had similar outings in their first turn of the season. Suárez pitched 5 innings against one of the best teams in baseball, the Atlanta Braves, where he gave up just 3 hits, 3 earned runs, and the Phillies went on to win that game, 5-4. On the flip side, in Irvin’s season debut he also went 5 innings and gave up 7 hits with 3 earned runs but the Nationals fell to the Cincinnati Reds, 6-5. I like the Phillies chances to come out on top today with Suárez on the hill. Philadelphia is 4-0 in his last 4 starts in game 2 of a series, 4-0 in his last 4 starts against the National League East, and the Phillies superstar Bryce Harper is in the zone.
TODAY’S PICK: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES