Inside the Chalk

The San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics will wrap up their quick 2-game set this afternoon at the Coliseum. The 61-50 Giants are 3 games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the top spot in the NL West. They cannot afford to lose to the worst team in baseball if they want to keep pace and they know that. Yesterday San Fran mustered just 3 hits and 1 run in a 2-1 loss but I expect a different outcome today. The Giants will send Alex Cobb to the hill, and he can deliver. Cobb is 6-3 with a 3.05 ERA, a 1.32 WHIP, and the Giants are 7-0 in his last 7 starts against a team with a losing record. San Fran should be able to get to Oakland’s expected starter, Luis Medina, who is 3-8 with an elevated ERA of 5.35 and a 1.45 WHIP. The A’s are 31-80 overall and 16-39 at home. The Giants have the edge in hits per game, run differential, batting average, hits, homers, etc., etc., etc.
TODAY’S PICK: SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

The 67-45 Tampa Bay Rays dominance over the 48-61 Detroit Tigers continued last night with the Rays routing the host Tigers, 8-0. Today they will meet again in a matinée at Comerica Park. Tampa will send Aaron Civale to the hill. He will be making his Rays debut after being traded to Tampa from Cleveland. Tampa got a gem when they picked up Civale. He is 5-2 with a 2.34 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP, and it gets better. Over his last 3 turns, Civale is 2-0 with a 1.40 ERA, a 0.93 WHIP, and has been a Tiger killer in his career, going 7-0 with a 2.06 ERA. Detroit is expected to send lefty Tarik Skubal to the hill. Skubal is 1-1 with a 4.57 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. He will probably be on a short leash due to flexor tendon issues. The Rays have won all 4 meetings with the Tigers this year and 9 of the last 10.
TODAY’S PICK: TAMPA BAY RAYS

The Baltimore Orioles return home tonight to Camden Yards to open a 3-game set with the struggling New York Mets. To say New York’s season has been a disappointment would be an understatement. They are 50-58, 24-35 on the road, were just swept by the lowly Kansas City Royals, and have now lost 4 of their last 5. The Orioles on the other hand are just the opposite. Who would have thought they would be the best in the AL come August? Not many, but they are. The O’s are 67-42, 32-21 at the Yard, and just took 3 of 4 from a really good Blue Jays team in Toronto. Tonight’s expected starter for New York is David Peterson. He is 3-7 with a 5.92 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP. Baltimore is expected to counter with Dean Kremer. He is 10-4 with a 4.66 ERA, a 1.34 WHIP, and the Orioles are 5-0 in his last 5 starts against the NL East. Baltimore is the real deal and worth considering tonight.
TONIGHT’S PICK: BALTIMORE ORIOLES

The Los Angeles Angels dropped their last two games on the road to the Atlanta Braves and will look to get back on track tonight when they open a 4-game set in Anaheim with their AL West foe, the Seattle Mariners. Both teams are battling for a Wild Card spot, with the Angels at 56-53 on the season and Seattle at 56-52. Shohei Ohtani is expected to get the nod for the Halos. Ohtani is 9-5 with a 3.43 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, and has been a Mariner slayer in his career, going 5-0 with a 2.02 ERA. Seattle is expected to counter with Brian Woo. This is definitely a pitching mismatch. Woo is 1-3 with a 4.96 ERA, a 1.27 WHIP, and over his last 3 turns he has a bloated ERA of 8.16 with a 1.74 WHIP. The Angels are 29-23 at home, 4-2 this season against the Mariners, and are expected to have Ohtani on the hill. Consider LA.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES ANGELS

The Texas Rangers and the Chicago White Sox will play the second game of their 3-game set tonight in Arlington. The 61-46 Rangers were definitely buyers at the trade deadline, and they mean business. The AL West leaders took Game 1 from the South Siders last night, 2-0, and have now won 3 of the 4 meetings with the Sox this year. Tonight’s expected starter for the Rangers is Dane Dunning. He is 8-4 with a 3.28 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. The 43-65 White Sox are expected to counter with Dylan Cease, and he is no slouch. Cease comes in at 4-4 with a 4.15 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. The Rangers are 35-20 at Globe Life Field and have the edge in runs per game, run differential, batting average, hits, homers, and the list goes on.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TEXAS RANGERS 

The Philadelphia Phillies and the Miami Marlins will resume their 4-game set tonight at LoanDepot Park. These two teams match up well, with Philly coming in at 57-49 overall and 29-29 on the road. Miami is 57-50 overall and 33-22 in South Florida. Today’s expected starters are the reigning NL Cy Young winner, Sandy Alcántara, for the Marlins and Ranger Suárez for the Phillies. Over his last 3 starts, Alcántara is 1-2 with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. On the flip side, Suárez is 0-1 over his last 3 turns with a 5.82 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP. The Marlins are 4-3 this year against their NL East rival, are at home, and have the Sandman on the hill.
TONIGHT’S PICK: MIAMI MARLINS

The Houston Astros and the Cleveland Guardians will open a 3-game set tonight at Minute Maid Park. Cleveland is 53-53 overall and 25-29 on the road. Houston is 59-47 overall and 28-25 at home. Tonight’s expected starters are Noah Syndergaard for Cleveland and J.P. France for Houston. France has been dealing. He is 6-3 with a 2.87 ERA, a 1.22 WHIP, and Houston is 5-0 in his last 5 starts. Syndergaard will be making his Guardian debut after being acquired from the Dodgers and he has issues. His numbers are not good at 1-4, with a 7.16 ERA, a 1.45 WHIP, and he has been dealing with finger blisters, which last all season long. The Guardians are just 1-5 in their last 6 road games against a team with a winning record and with Thor on the hill, the Stros are the side to consider here.
TONIGHT’S PICK: HOUSTON ASTROS