Inside the Chalk

The 75-59 Kansas City Royals will head to Minute Maid Park tonight to open a 4-game set with the 71-62 Houston Astros. The Royals are just one game back of Cleveland for the lead in the AL Central and will send Brady Singer to the hill. Singer has decent numbers with a record of 9-9, an ERA of 3.38 and a 1.25 WHIP. The Astros own the top spot in the very weak AL West and are expected to send Hunter Brown to the bump. Brown also has decent numbers with a record of 11-7, a 3.72 ERA, and a 1.32 WHIP, but in his career against Kansas City he is 0-2 with a disastrous 36.82 ERA – and that is not a typo! The Royals have owned the Astros, winning 6 straight and 8 of the last 9 meetings. Consider the road dog Royals tonight.
TONIGHT’S PICK: KANSAS CITY ROYALS

The Philadelphia Phillies will open a 3-game set with the Houston Astros tonight at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies will have their ace, Zack Wheeler, on the hill and he has been dealing. Wheeler is 12-6 with a 2.74 ERA and a WHIP of only 0.96. The Astros are expected to counter with Ronel Blanco who comes in at 9-6 with a 3.14 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. The Phillies are 5-0 in Wheeler’s last 5 starts against the AL West and are always tough at home with a record of 42-23.
TONIGHT’S PICK: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

The New York Yankees were bamboozled yesterday by the Colorado Rockies, 9-2, in the Bronx but they will bounce back today in the last game of their 3-game set. The Yankees have a ½ game lead over the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East and are not going to fall again to the lowly Rockies. The Bombers have the edge in every conceivable category. They score more runs, hit more homers, have more hits per game, better batting average, etc., etc., etc. Take the Yankees today.
TODAY’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The Arizona Diamondbacks and the Boston Red Sox will play the middle game of their 3-game set today at Fenway. The D-backs put a beating on the Sox yesterday, winning 12-2, and are averaging over 5 runs per game. They have won 4 in a row and will have their ace, Zac Gallen, on the hill. He is 9-6 with a 3.85 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. The Red Sox will counter with Kutter Crawford, who is 8-10 with a 4.25 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. Arizona sits just 4 games back of the LA Dodgers for the lead in the NL West and are not going to take their foot off the pedal. Take the Snakes.
TODAY’S PICK: ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

The New York Yankees will open a 3-game set tonight with the Colorado Rockies at the Stadium. If you take the Rockies out of the mountains, they are a dismal 18-48. The Bombers are starting to heat up. New York is 34-28 in the Bronx and just took two from a really good Cleveland Guardians team, outscoring them 14-1. Enough said.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The New York Yankees and the Cleveland Guardians will play an early one today in the Bronx. The Bombers lit up the Guardians yesterday, 8-1, and I expect more of the same today. Cleveland will have Gavin Williams on the hill, and Aaron Judge and Juan Soto will be licking their chops. Over his last 3 turns, Williams is 1-2 with a bloated ERA of 7.71 and a 1.57 WHIP. The Yankees will have their ace, Gerrit Cole, on the hill and he will keep it tight. The future Hall of Famer is 1-0 over his last 3 starts with a 1.59 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. New York is averaging over 5 runs per game. They are second in the league in home runs with a team batting average of .251 and they are 24-4 in Cole’s last 28 starts against the AL Central.
TODAY’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES