Category: Baseball

With yesterday’s win over the Oakland Athletics, the Tampa Bay Rays are now 50-22 on the season, 19-15 on the road, and will open a 3-game set tonight with the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. San Diego is still under .500 at 33-35 and 17-19 at home. Tonight’s game will be decided by starting pitching and the Rays have the league’s best, southpaw Shane McClanahan. Sugar Shane is 10-1 with a 2.18 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP, and the Rays are 12-2 in his 14 starts. The Padres will counter with veteran Yu Darvish who is 5-4 with a 4.30 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. The Friars and Rays do not play each other often but Tampa has won 9 of the last 10 meetings.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TAMPA BAY RAYS

The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox will open a 3-game set tonight in SoCal. Tonight’s expected starters are Tony Gonsolin for the Dodgers and Lance Lynn for the White Sox. Gonsolin delivers. He is 3-1 with a 2.21 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. Lynn has seen better days. He is 4-6 with a 6.72 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. The Dodgers are 20-10 at Chávez Ravine and have the edge in runs scored, run differential, batting average, home runs, etc.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS

The best team in baseball, the Tampa Rays, will be visiting the worst team in baseball, the Oakland Athletics. Tampa will have Zach Eflin tapping the rubber. Eflin is 8-1 with a 2.97 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. Oakland will counter with James Kaprielan, who is 1-6 with a 7.21 ERA and a 1.74 WHIP. Enough said.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TAMPA BAY RAYS

The San Diego Padres are starting to click and so is Blake Snell. The southpaw is expected on the hill for SD today when they face the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The Friars have won 3 straight and their heavy hitters will get to the ex-Padre Dinelson Lamet. He has a 12.42 ERA with a 2.46 WHIP. Not good.
TODAY’S PICK: SAN DIEGO PADRES

If anybody is going to slow down the Tampa Bay Rays it will be Nathan Eovaldi and the Texas Rangers. Eovaldi is 8-2 with a 2.24 ERA and a WHIP of only 0.93. Bochy’s boys are 19-13 on the road and get it done today.
TODAY’S PICK: TEXAS RANGERS

The Baltimore Orioles take care of business today at home against the Kansa City Royals. They are 17-12 at the Yard and will have Tyler Walls on the hill. He is 4-2 with a 3.29 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP. Remember, WHIPs are important. Lefty Daniel Lynch is expected to start for the Royals. Lynch is 0-1 with a 4.35 ERA, a 1.45 WHIP, and the Orioles are 12-5 in their last 17 against a left-handed starter.
TODAY’S PICK: BALTIMORE ORIOLES

The New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox will play a doubleheader today in the Bronx. Expected starters for game 1 are Lance Lynn tapping for the White Sox and Luis Severino for the Yankees. Lynn is 4-6 with a 6.55 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP. Severino is better than his numbers reflect. He is 0-1 with a 5.28 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. New York will be without Aaron Judge but it won’t matter. The Bombers have the edge in runs scored, run differential, home runs, etc.
TODAY’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES – GAME 1