Inside the Chalk

The 40-37 Boston Red Sox and the 32-45 Chicago White Sox will lock horns this afternoon on the south side. Boston took game 1 of their 3-game set last night, 3-1, and are starting to get on a roll, winning 7 of their last 9. The Red Sox are expected to send leftie James Paxton to the hill. Paxton has pitched well. He is 3-1 with a 3.29 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, and over his last 3 turns he is 2-0 with a 2.33 ERA and a nasty WHIP of 0.88. Lance Lynn will get the nod for Chicago. Lynn is 4-8 with a 6.51 ERA, a 1.51 WHIP, and Chicago is 1-5 in his last 6 starts against a team with a winning record. Boston has the edge in runs scored, run differential, and batting average.
TODAY’S PICK: BOSTON RED SOX

The 34-40 Pittsburgh Pirates lost again last night, falling to the 43-33 Miami Marlins 6-4, making it 10 losses in a row. The Bucs will try to pick up the pieces when the two clubs play the second game of their 4-game set tonight at LoanDepot Park. Pittsburgh is expected to send Luis Ortiz to the rubber and he is not the answer. Ortiz is 1-3 with a 4.30 ERA, a 1.73 WHIP, and over his last 3 turns he is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA. Miami is expected to counter with southpaw Jesús Lazardo. He is 6-5 with a 4.09 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP, and over his last 3 starts he is 2-1 with a 4.24 ERA. The Marlins have been really tough at home, with a record of 23-15. On the flip side, the Pirates are 16-21 away from PNC and are 0-5 in their last 5 against a left-handed starter. We know the Bucs are going to win eventually but go against them until they do.
TONIGHT’S PICK: MIAMI MARLINS

The Arizona Diamondbacks and the Washington Nationals will play a 1-game makeup game today in an early one at Nationals Park. The NL West leading Diamondbacks are an impressive 22-12 away from Chase Field and have won 4 of the 5 meetings this year with the Nats. The Nationals, who are dead last in the NL East, are just 13-26 on their home turf. If the D-Backs don’t take this one for granted in anticipation of their upcoming 3-game set with the red hot Giants, they win.
TODAY’S PICK: ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

The Oakland Athletics are back to doing what they do best and that is lose. With last night’s lost to the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field, the A’s have now lost 6 in a row. Cleveland will seek their third straight win tonight when the two teams play the middle game of their 3-game set. The Guardians are expected to unveil their top pitching prospect, flamethrower Gavin Williams. This kid tops over a hundred miles on his fast ball and was mowing them down in AAA. The A’s are a pathetic 10-27 on the road and are expected to send Paul Blackburn to the bump. Blackburn has been battling blisters on his throwing hand which is never good. He is 0-0 with a 3.48 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. The Guardians are 5-1 in their last 6 home games and have the edge in runs per game, run differential, batting average, and the list goes on.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CLEVELAND GUARDIANS

After going 3-4 on their 7-game road trip, the Tampa Bay Rays return home tonight to the Trop for a quick 2-game set with their AL rival, the Baltimore Orioles. Tampa is expected to have Tyler Glasnow on the hill. With each start since returning from TJ surgery, Glasnow gets stronger and stronger. He is 2-0 with a 3.43 ERA, a 1.29 WHIP, and in his career against the O’s, he is 4-0 with a 2.08 ERA. Kyle Bradish is expected on the hill for Baltimore. He is 2-3 with a 3.90 ERA, a 1.27 WHIP, and in his career against Tampa, things have not gone well. He is 0-1 with a bloated ERA of 10.24. Baltimore will be without two of their top producers, Cedric Mullins and Ryan Mountcastle, Without these two in the lineup, it will be tough to beat baseball’s best on their home turf.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TAMPA BAY RAYS

If the Colorado Rockies want to snap their 5-game skid, they had better be clicking on every cylinder tonight when they visit Great American Ball Park and the red hot Cincinnati Reds. The Big Red Machine has won 8 straight, 11 of their last 13, and are coming off a 3-game sweep of the world champion Houston Astros, in Houston. Tonight’s expected starters are two southpaws, Brandon Williamson for the Reds and Austin Gomber for the Rockies. Williamson is 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. Gomber is 4-6 with a 7.29 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP. Colorado is just 13-26 away from Coors Field and 1-7 in their last 8 trips to Cincinnati. If Gomber isn’t in the zone, the Reds will rip him to shreds. Cincinnati is 9-1 in their last 10 home games against a left-handed starter. The Reds are hot. Ride them ’til they are not.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CINCINNATI REDS

The 34-35 Seattle Mariners and the 31-41 Chicago White Sox will play the rubber game of their 3-game set this afternoon at T-Mobile Park. The White Sox are expected to give the nod to Lance Lynn. Lynn is 4-7 with an elevated ERA of 6.75 and a 1.56 WHIP. The Mariners are expected to have the rookie Bryce Miller toeing the rubber. Miller is 4-3 with a 4.06 ERA, a very impressive WHIP of 0.92, and was lights out in his last turn against a very good Miami Marlins team. He allowed just 1 run with 6 Ks over 6 innings of work and Seattle cruised to an 8-1 victory. The White Sox are a dismal 14-24 on the road and the Mariners should get this one.
TODAY’S PICK: SEATTLE MARINERS