Category: Baseball

The Milwaukee Brewers sit 2 ½ games back of the Philadelphia Phillies for the last Wild Card spot in the NL so losing to the lowly Cincinnati Reds is not an option. The Brewers took Game 1 of their 4-game set with the Reds yesterday, with a 5-1 win at Great American Ball Park. Tonight Milwaukee is expected to send lefty Eric Lauer to the hill. He is 10-7 with a 3.91 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. The Reds are expected to counter with the veteran southpaw Mike Minor. Minor has not pitched well. He is 4-12 with an elevated ERA of 6.06 and 1.63 WHIP. Milwaukee is 16-6 in the last 22 meetings overall and 4-0 in their last 4 in Cincinnati. The Brew Crew are 9-4 in their last 13 road games against a left-handed starter and should be able to get to Minor.
TONIGHT’S PICK: MILWAUKEE BREWERS

The San Diego Padres are very much alive in the NL Wild Card race and will go for a series sweep over the St. Louis Cardinals in a matinée today at Petco Park. The Friars have won 5 straight, outscoring their opponents 26-4 over that span, and are expected to have their ace, Joe Musgrove, on the hill . Musgrove is 10-7 on the season with a 3.16 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. The Cardinals have a very comfortable 7 ½-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers for the top spot in the NL Central and are expected to send Jack Flaherty to the bump. Flaherty has seen little action this year due to a shoulder issue and is 0-1, with an elevated ERA of 5.09 and a 1.83 WHIP. Perhaps that shoulder is still an issue. The Padres have won the last 7 meetings with St. Louis in San Diego and are worth considering.
TODAY’S PICK: SAN DIEGO PADRES

The New York Yankees have lost two in a row but will get back on track today when they wrap up their series with the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. The Bombers will have their ace, Gerrit Cole, on the hill. Cole is 11-7 with a 3.30 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. The Brewers are expected to counter with Jason Alexander, who is 2-3 with a 5.29 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP. The Yankees get it done today.
TODAY’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

Despite being decimated with injuries, the New York Yankees keep winning. The Bronx Bombers have won 4 straight and 8 of their last 10. Tonight they will be in Milwaukee to take on the Brewers. The pitching matchup is not worth mentioning. Both Adrian Houser and Frankie Montas are mediocre at best but what is worth mentioning is that the Yankees have the edge in runs per game, run differential per game, hits per game, batting average, and the list goes on.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The Tampa Bay Rays will wrap up their 4-game set today with the Toronto Blue Jays in a matinée at Rogers Centre. The expected starters are southpaw Shane McClanahan for Tampa and Kevin Gausman for Toronto. Gausman has pitched well, at 12-9, with a 3.31 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP but McClanahan is in another arena. The lefty is 11-5 with a 2.20 ERA and a WHIP of only 0.86. McClanahan will keep the Jays’ young guns in check. They are just 1-6 in their last 7 against a left-handed starter.
TODAY’S PICK: TAMPA BAY RAYS

The NL Central-leading St. Louis Cardinals will be a home dog tonight when they take on their division rival, the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cardinals fell to the Brew Crew last night, 8-4, but following a loss they are 14-3 in their last 17 and they will have the cagey veteran Adam Wainwright on the hill.
TONIGHT’S PICK: ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

The 85-56 New York Yankees will be at Fenway tonight to take on the 69-72 Boston Red Sox. The expected starters are Yankees ace Gerrit Cole and Nick Pivetta for the Sox. The Bombers’ flamethrower is 11-7 with a 3.20 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. Pivetta is upside-down at 9-11 with a 4.29 ERA, a 1.32 WHIP, and Boston is 0-5 in his last 5 starts against a team with a winning record.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES