Category: Baseball

After squandering the last two games of their series over the weekend against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway, the New York Yankees will look to get back on track when they host the Cincinnati Reds tonight at The Stadium. The best team in baseball is 34-9 at home and will have their ace on the hill, Gerrit Cole. Cole is 8-2 with a 3.26 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. He will be opposed by the Reds’ Graham Ashcraft, who comes in at 4-2 with a 4.35 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. Cincinnati sits dead last in the NL Central and is a dismal 14-26 on the road. They are also 1-6 in the last 7 meetings with New York and 0-5 in their last 5 trips to the Bronx. New York is #1 in the league in runs scored, home runs, etc., etc., etc. The Bombers will not come cheap but if that’s not an issue, they are the side to consider, obviously.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The 41-43 Miami Marlins should feel pretty good about themselves when they return home tonight to open a 4-game set with the 36-50 Pittsburgh Pirates. Miami took 2 out of 4 from the NL East-leading Mets in Queens over the weekend, including a 2-0 shutout of the Metropolitans yesterday. Donnie Baseball’s team has won 7 of their last 10 and are now only 4 games back for a wild card spot. Who would have thought? The Pirates will also have their chests pumped after taking 2 of 3 from the NL Central-leading Brewers but are in the midst of a 12-game road trip and that takes its toll. Despite winning their last two on the road, the Pirates are still just 16-27 away from PNC Park. The Marlins are 8-1 in their last 9 home games against a team with a losing record and should come out on top against the road weary Bucos.
TONIGHT’S PICK: MIAMI MARLINS

The Cincinnati Reds will go for a 3-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays in an early one today at Great American Ball Park but the Rays rookie right-hander, Shane Baz, might have something to say about that. The young gun is delivering. Baz is 1-1 with a 2.92 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. In his last turn, Baz held the high-powered Toronto offense to just 1 run in 6 innings of work, resulting in a Rays 7-3 win. The Reds will send lefty Nick Lodolo to the rubber and he has numbers that do not thrill. Lodolo is 1-2 with a 4.19 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. The Reds were lucky to get the first two games, with both going to extras, but that luck runs out today.
TODAY’S PICK: TAMPA BAY RAYS

With last night’s heated 6-5 loss to the visiting Colorado Rockies, the Arizona Diamondbacks have now lost 3 straight and will turn to the veteran lefty Madison Bumgarner today to get them back on track. MadBum is not what he once was, with a record of 4-8 and a 3.74 ERA, but in his career against the Rockies he is 18-10 with a 3.39 ERA. Colorado will counter with their own southpaw, Kyle Freeland. Freeland is 4-6 with a 4.43 ERA and has not fared well against the Snakes in his career, with a record of 3-5 and an elevated ERA of 5.17. Take the Rockies out of the mountains and they are just 14-26. Arizona has lost 4 straight to Colorado so they are due.
TODAY’S PICK: ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

The Cincinnati Reds and the Tampa Bay Rays will open a 3-game set tonight at Great American Ball Park. The 45-37 Rays have been hot, going 5-1 over their last 6, and they are 5-1 in their last 6 interleague road games. They will also have their ace on the bump, southpaw Shane McClanahan, and this guy can deliver. McClanahan is 9-3 with a nasty ERA of only 1.74 and a 0.80 WHIP. The Reds, who are 29-54 and reside dead last in the NL Central, will have Luis Castillo toeing the rubber. He is upside down at 3-4 but has a respectable 3.09 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. McClanahan is one of the best left-handed starters in the game and the Reds are 0-6 in their last 6 against southies. The side to consider here is Tampa.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TAMPA BAY RAYS

The 30-54 Washington Nationals finally got back into the Win column yesterday with a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Today they will play the rubber game of their 3-game set and won’t be so lucky. The 43-39 Phillies’ bats were silent last night but should come alive today because they are expected to face the Nats’ Joan Adon. He is 1-11 with a 6.97 ERA and a 1.75 WHIP. Philadelphia is expected to counter with the lefty, Bailey Falter. Falter’s numbers are nothing to get excited about, at 0-2 with a 4.88 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP, but the Nationals are just 1-8 in their last 9 road games against a southpaw starter. Philadelphia is 4-1 in their last 5 following a loss and 8-2 in their last 10 against Washington.
TODAY’S PICK: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

The Toronto Blue Jays are on a 3-game losing streak but will snap it tonight in Oakland when they play the worst team in baseball, the Athletics. Alek Manoah will be on the hill for the Jays. Done deal.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TORONTO BLUE JAYS