Category: Baseball

The 36-25 New York Yankees and the 26-35 Chicago White Sox will open a 3-game set tonight in the Bronx. The Yankees have won 6 of their last 8 and took 2 of 3 over the weekend from one of the NL’s best, the Los Angeles Dodgers in LA. Tonight’s expected starters are Clarke Schmidt for New York and Lucas Giolito for Chicago. Over his last 3 starts, Schmidt has been in the zone going 1-1 with a 1.72 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. Giolito is 2-1 over his last 3 turns with a 4.91 ERA, a 1.77 WHIP, and is 2-2 in his career against the Yankees with a 6.30 ERA. Chicago is 10-20 on the road and 0-8 in their last 8 road games against a team with a winning record.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The Tampa Bay Rays will have their ace on the hill, southpaw Shane McClanahan, when they face the Boston Red Sox this afternoon at Fenway. The Rays have won the last two of their 4-game set with the Sox and are now 6-1 on the season against their AL East rival. McClanahan is 8-1 with a 2.02 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, and last faced Boston on April 11th in St. Pete where he allowed just 1 run with 9 K’s and Tampa cruised to a 7-2 victory. Brayan Bello is expected to get the start for Boston. He is 3-3 with a 3.89 ERA, a 1.47 WHIP, and is 0-1 in his career against Tampa with a bloated ERA of 10.12. The Rays are 10-2 in McClanahan’s last 12 starts and have the edge in runs per game, run differential, batting average, hits, homers…
TODAY’S PICK: TAMPA BAY RAYS

The Texas Rangers offense was at it again yesterday, pummeling the visiting Seattle Mariners, 16-6. Today Texas will go for a 3-game sweep of Seattle in a matinée at Globe Life Field. The Rangers have been on a roll, winners of 11 of their last 14, and will have their ace on the hill, Nathan Eovaldi. He is 7-2 with a 2.42 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP, and it gets better. Over his last 7 starts, Eovaldi is a perfect 5-0 with an ERA of only 1.20. The Mariners are expected to give the nod to the rookie, Bryce Miller, who is 3-2 with a 3.00 ERA and a 0.75 WHIP. Miller looked like the rookie that he is in his last turn against the Yankees on Monday, yielding 8 runs on 11 hits resulting in a Mariners 10-4 loss. Texas is arguably the best in baseball. They are 18-8 at home and should get to the rookie today.
TODAY’S PICK: TEXAS RANGERS

New York’s starter Luis Severino served up 6 runs in the first inning to the Los Angeles Dodgers last night and LA went on to cruise to an 8-4 victory. Today it won’t be that easy. The Yankees will send their ace, Gerrit Cole, to the hill. Cole is a perfect 6-0 with a 2.93 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. He has not been at his best over his last two starts but will be extra motivated to deliver at Chávez Ravine, being a SoCal native. The Dodgers are expected to counter with Michael Grove. Grove is 0-1 with an ERA of 8.44 and a 1.75 WHIP. Yankees saw the return of Josh Donaldson and Giancarlo Stanton last night and they both delivered, with Donaldson going yard twice and Stanton once. The Yankees are 10-2 in Cole’s 12 starts this season and with the Bombers lineup now loaded with heavy hitters, they should get to the rookie Grove early.
TODAY’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

Two teams that match up well will meet in the desert tonight when the Arizona Diamondbacks host the Atlanta Braves. Atlanta is #1 in the NL East with a record of 33-23. Arizona is tied with the LA Dodgers for the top spot in the NL West, with a record of 34-23. Currently the Diamondbacks are a home dog which is perplexing. They have won 5 straight and are coming off a 4-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies. The Snakes are expected to send Merrill Kelly to the hill and he has been dealing. Over his last 3 starts, Kelly is a perfect 3-0 with a 1.96 ERA and a nasty WHIP of 0.87. The Braves have not been playing well. They are 2-4 in their last 6 and will send veteran Charlie Morton to the hill. Over his last 3 turns, Morton is 1-2 with a 4.24 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP. How do you not consider Arizona tonight? They are smoking hot, are at home, and have a starting pitcher who is throwing flames.
TONIGHT’S PICK: ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

The Miami Marlins and the San Diego Padres will play the rubber game of their 3-game set in an early one today in South Florida. Despite all their high priced acquisitions, the Padres are still the Padres. San Diego is 25-30 overall and 13-15 on the road. The Friars will send Joe Musgrove to the hill. He is 2-2 with a 5.64 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. Miami is 29-27 overall and 15-13 at LoanDepot Park. Lefty Jesús Luzardo will get the nod for the Fish. He is 4-3 with a 3.67 ERA and 1.37 WHIP. The Marlins have won 4 of their last 5, and will have momentum on their side after last night’s 2-1 walk off victory.
TODAY’S PICK: MIAMI MARLINS

The Tampa Bay Rays will look to avoid losing their third straight and being swept by the host Chicago Cubs this afternoon at Wrigley Field. The Rays prolific offense has mustered just one run over their last two games but you can’t keep Franco and company down for very long. Southpaw Justin Steele will get the nod for the Cubs. After a great start to the season, Steele has come back down to earth. Over his last 3 turns, he is 0-2 with a 5.74 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. Zach Eflin will be tapping the rubber for the Rays. Over his last 3 starts, Eflin is 3-0 with a 3.60 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. Tampa still has the best record in baseball, at 39-18. They have yet to lose 3 straight, are averaging around 6 runs per game, and get back on track today against the 24-30 Cubs.
TODAY’S PICK: TAMPA BAY RAYS