Inside the Chalk

The Philadelphia Phillies were able to get a split in Atlanta with the Braves and now the venue switches to the Phillies’ turf, Citizens Bank Park, for Game 3. It’s been a long 11 years since Philadelphia hosted a playoff game so you know they will be pumped for this one as well as their dedicated fans. Today’s expected starter for Philadelphia is Aaron Nola. Nola has been dealing. Over his last 3, he is 2-1 with an ERA of just 1.86, a WHIP hardly visible at 0.62, and was spectacular in his last turn against St. Louis where he pitched 6-2/3 of no hit ball, resulting in a 2-0 Phillies win. Atlanta has yet to announce a starter but more than likely it will be Spencer Strider, who is 11-5 with a 2.67 ERA, but he has been dealing with an oblique injury which could been an issue. Philadelphia’s bats were silent in Game 2 but you can’t keep the likes of Kyle Schwarber, Rhys Hoskins and Bryce Harper quiet for very long. The Phillies are 14-5 in their last 19 home games and I like them in this situation.
TODAY’S PICK: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

The Seattle Mariners cannot go down 0-2 to the Houston Astros in the ALDS or they are in major trouble and they know it. So today they will give the nod to the flamethrower Luis Castillo and he has been delivering. Over his last three starts, Castillo is 2-0 with a 2.89 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. On the flip side, Houston is expected to send lefty Framber Valdez to the bump. Over his last three turns, Valdez is 1-1 with an elevated ERA of 5.74 and a 1.72 WHIP. That is not good because Seattle is 5-0 in their last 5 against a left-handed starter. Can the Mariners pull the upset today? Yes, they can. Coming into the ALDS they had won 5 straight and should have won Game 1 on Tuesday.
TODAY’S PICK: SEATTLE MARINERS

The Los Angeles Dodgers dominance over the San Diego Padres continued last night when they knocked off the Friars 5-3 in Game 1 of the NLDS. Tonight they will meet again at Chavez Ravine for Game 2 and San Diego is expected to send ex-Dodger Yu Darvish to the hill. Darvish is having a great year, with a record of 17-8 (including the post season) with an ERA of 3.03 and a 0.95 WHIP. Southpaw Clayton Kershaw is expected to get the nod for the Dodgers and he has been even better. The future Hall of Famer will be making his post-season debut tonight. He is 12-3 with an ERA of only 2.28 and a 0.94 WHIP. Kershaw has owned the Padres over his career. He is 23-9 against San Diego with an ERA of just 2.03 and this year he was 1-0 against them with a 0.75 ERA. With last night’s win, LA is 15-5 this year against San Diego and is worth considering.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS

The New York Yankees and the Cleveland Guardians will kick off their ALDS tonight in the Bronx. The Yankees have the Guardians’ number, going 5-1 over the last 6 meetings and outscoring them 38-14 over that span. Tonight’s expected starters are Gerrit Cole for New York and Cal Quantrill for Cleveland. Quantrill comes in at 15-5 with a 3.38 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. Cole has similar numbers, at 13-8, with a 3.50 ERA, a 1.02 WHIP, and he is 2-0 this year against the Guardians with a nasty ERA of only 1.42. The Bombers are always tough at The Stadium and the bleacher creatures will be in rare form.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The New York Mets are on the brink of being eliminated from the playoffs after yesterday’s 7-1 beating by the San Diego Padres but they have something up their sleeve and that is Jacob deGrom. Arguably the best pitcher in the business, deGrom is 5-4 with a 3.08 ERA and a nasty WHIP of only 0.75. The Friars will counter with southpaw Blake Snell. He is 8-10 with a 3.38 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. Snell is not the threat he was when he was chucking for the Rays. New York is 11-0 in deGrom’s last 11 starts against the NL West and 6-0 in his last 6 home starts against a team with a winning record.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK METS