Category: Baseball

The Baltimore Orioles will have their 6-game winning streak on the line tonight when they open a 3-game set with the Boston Red Sox at Camden Yards. The Orioles are expected to send Dean Kremer to the hill. Kremer is 1-0 but has an ERA of 6.16 and he has not fared well against Boston, going 0-4 in his career with a bloated ERA of 7.76. The Red Sox are expected to counter with southpaw Chris Sale. The future Hall of Famer got off to a slow start due to injury but it appears he is back and when he is healthy there is no one better. Sale is 1-1 with an ERA of 8.00 but was lights out in his last turn against the Twins when he pitched 6 innings, yielding just 3 hits, 1 run, and striking out 11. The Red Sox took 2 of 3 from the O’s earlier this year and are 5-1 in the last 6 meetings overall. Boston has also been hot, winning 3 of their last 4, and are coming off a 12-5 shellacking on the road against a really good Milwaukee Brewers team.
TONIGHT’S PICK: BOSTON RED SOX

The 14-8 New York Mets will go for a series win when they wrap up their 4-game set with the 7-13 San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Today’s probable starters are Ross Stripling for San Francisco and Tyler Megill for New York. Stripling is 0-1 with an elevated 7.30 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. Megill has pitched well. He comes in at 3-1 with a respectable ERA of 3.00 and a 1.43 WHIP. Despite yesterday’s win, San Francisco has not played well. They are just 3-7 in their last 10, 3-6 at home, and following a win they are 0-8 in their last 8. The Mets are a legitimate World Series contender and the Giants are not. Tyler Megil will keep San Francisco’s offense in check and New York’s potent bats should get to Stripling today.
TODAY’S PICK: NEW YORK METS

The 14-7 Pittsburgh Pirates will look to stay hot when they host the 7-13 Cincinnati Reds tonight in the third game of their 4-game series. The Bucs won again last night, downing the Reds 4-2, and have now won 5 straight and 6 of their last 7. Veteran southpaw Rich Hill is expected on the bump for Pittsburgh and he is 1-2 with a 5.57 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Cincinnati is expected to give the nod to Luis Cessa. His start to the 2023 campaign has not been good. Cessa is 0-2 with a 13.50 ERA and a 2.75 WHIP. In his last outing against the Phillies, Cessa yielded 9 runs in the first inning alone, resulting in a 14-3 loss. The Reds are just 1-7 on the road, 2-10 in their last 12 overall against the Pirates, and 0-5 in their last 5 at PNC Park.
TONIGHT’S PICK: PITTSBURGH PIRATES

The Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers will meet for an afternoon delight today at Wrigley. The Dodgers won game one of their 4-game set yesterday, 6-2, and will send their ace, Julio Urías, to the hill today. Urías is 3-1 with a 1.90 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP, and has been lights out except for one outing against the Cubs last Sunday so payback will be on his mind. The Cubs are expected to send southpaw Drew Smyly to the hill. Smyly is 1-1 with a 4.70 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. The Dodgers have not won back-to-back games in over two weeks so they are due. LA is also 12-2 in the last 14 meetings overall with the North Siders and 4-0 in their last 4 at Wrigley Field.
TODAY’S PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS

The New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels will play the rubber game of their 3-game set this afternoon at the Stadium. Two southpaws are expected to oppose each other, with Nestor Cortés Jr. getting the nod for NY and Patrick Sandoval for LA. Both guys have been dealing. Cortés is 2-0 with a 2.60 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. Sandoval is 1-0 with a 1.23 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. After last night’s 3-2 walk off win in extras, the Yankees will have the momentum on their side. They are also 5-0 in their last 5 in game 3 of a series. Nasty Nestor always delivers in the Bronx and that is not good for the Halos who are 2-9 in their last 11 road games against a left-handed starter.
TODAY’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The Tampa Bay Rays will go for another series win when they wrap up their 3-game set with the Cincinnati Reds in a matinée today at Great American Ball Park. The Rays’ bats were busy once again last night, smacking another 4 homers en route to a 10-0 blowout of the Reds. Drew Rasmussen will get the nod today for Tampa. He is 2-1 with a 2.60 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP. The Reds are expected to counter with Levi Stoudt who will be making his Big League debut. Tough spot to be in, making your first Major League start against Tampa. The Rays have launched 41 homers over their first 18 games and it could be an early exit for Stoudt.
TODAY’S PICK: TAMPA BAY RAYS

The Minnesota Twins will look to snap their 2-game losing streak when they head to Fenway tonight for a 3-game set with the Boston Red Sox. The AL Central leading Twins are expected to send their ace, Sonny Gray, to the hill and he has been delivering. Gray is 2-0 with an ERA of only 0.53 and a 1.00 WHIP, and you can’t get much better than that. The Red Sox are expected to send lefty Chris Sale to the hill. Sale has not been the same since returning from his injury. He is 1-1 with a bloated ERA of 11.25 and a 2.08 WHIP. The Twins were idle yesterday and following a day off they are 5-0 in their last 5. Gray will keep Boston’s scoring to a minimum so if the Twins get to Sale early, it’s over.
TONIGHT’S PICK: MINNESOTA TWINS