Inside the Chalk

The NL Central leading Milwaukee Brewers will go for the series win today when they wrap up their 3-game set with the Washington Nationals at American Family Field. The Brewers’ bats erupted yesterday and so did All Star Christian Yelich’s, and that could be trouble for Washington’s expected starter, Sean Nolin. Nolin has made just one start this year in the Bigs and is 0-1 with a 12.00 ERA and a 2.67 WHIP. Not good. The Brewers are expected to have Adrian Houser toe the rubber and he has been on his mark. Houser is 7-5 with a 3.55 ERA, a 1.33 WHIP, and over his last 3 he is 1-0 with a 2.93 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. Houser is returning from COVID-19 protocol so his pitch count could be limited but that won’t matter; the Brewers have one of the best bullpens in the Majors. The Nationals, who underachieved this year and have nothing to play for, are 5-16 in their last 21 road games and 1-4 in their last 5 in Milwaukee.
TONIGHT’S PICK: MILWAUKEE BREWERS

The San Francisco Giants are on a rare 2-game losing streak after falling to the Oakland Athletics last night, 4-1, at the Coliseum. Today they meet again in a matinée and the Giants are expected to have their ace, Kevin Gausman, on the hill. Gausman has been throwing flames. Over his last 3 starts, he is 3-0 with a 2.81 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. Just the opposite can be said for the Athletics expected starter, lefty Sean Manaea. Over his last 3 starts, Manaea has imploded, going 0-2 with an ERA of 12.27 (that is not a typo) and a 2.18 WHIP. The Giants usually bounce back following a loss and I expect them to do just that today.
TODAY’S PICK: SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

The St. Louis Cardinals are very much alive in the wild card hunt and should help their cause this weekend when they open a 3-game set tonight at Busch Stadium against the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates. St. Louis is expected to send Miles Mikolas to the rubber. Mikolas has been sidelined with arm issues and sat out all of 2020 but if healthy, and he says he is, the stuff is there. In 2018, he was 18-4 with a 2.83 ERA. Pittsburgh is expected to counter with Mitch Keller and he is having a season he would like to forget. Keller is a dismal 3-10 with a bloated ERA of 6.86 and a 1.85 WHIP. The Cardinals should win this game. They are 9-3 on the season against Pittsburgh and the Bucs have just one win in their last 14 games.
TONIGHT’S PICK: ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

The New York Yankees are surging and coming off a 3-game sweep of their hated rival, the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees have won 6 straight and are 18-5 in their last 23 overall. Tonight they open a 4-game set with the Minnesota Twins in the Bronx, a team they have literally dominated over the years and especially at Yankee Stadium, where they are 40-11 in the last 51 meetings. John Gant is expected to take the bump for Minnesota. Gant is 4-6 with a decent ERA of 3.49 and a 1.52 WHIP. New York will counter with Jameson Taillon and he has been delivering. Taillon got off to a rocky start but has turned things around dramatically. He is 7-4 on the season with a 3.89 ERA, a 1.22 WHIP, and is 6-0 in his last 11 starts with an ERA of just 2.37. The Bombers are hot, ride them ’til they’re not.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

This is not the time for the AL West leading Houston Astros to go cold, with the Oakland Athletics just 2-1/2 games back of them for the top spot in the West, but they have. Houston has lost 3 straight and the first 2 of their 4-game set with the Kansas City Royals but I expect them to get back on track tonight. Houston’s ace, Zack Greinke, is expected to get the nod at Kauffman Stadium. Greinke has been throwing flames all year. He is 11-3 with a 3.51 ERA, a 1.12 WHIP, and was nearly flawless in his last outing on Friday against the Angels, pitching 7 scoreless innings, surrendering just 2 hits in a 4-1 Astros win. Brady Singer is expected to get the nod for the Royals. Things have not gone well for Singer. He is 3-8 with a 5.42 ERA, a 1.62 WHIP, and has not had a win since June 1st. Kansas City is 0-7 in Singer’s last 7 home starts against a team with a winning record and despite their recent success against the Stros, they are still just 4-11 in their last 15 meetings with Houston.
TONIGHT’S PICK: HOUSTON ASTROS

The Washington Nationals will open a quick 2-game set tonight with the Toronto Blue Jays at Nationals Park. The Nats season is over and they know it but Toronto’s isn’t. The Jays are very much in the playoff hunt. They are expected to have their young gun on the hill, Alek Manoah, and he delivers. The rookie is 5-1 with an ERA of only 2.59 and a 1.02 WHIP. The Jays are averaging over 5 runs per game and should be able to light up Washington’s expected starter, Erick Fedde. Fedde is 4-8 with an elevated ERA of 5.12 and a 1.43 WHIP. Washington has lost 7 straight, 9 of their last 10, and I don’t see the upstart Blue Jays falling to them tonight.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TORONTO BLUE JAYS

The New York Yankees will have their ace, Gerrit Cole, on the hill tonight when they host the Anaheim Angels in the Bronx. Cole has been sidelined with the Covid virus and did not look sharp in his last outing but he still commands a 10-6 record with a 3.11 ERA and is 6-1 lifetime against the Halos with an ERA of just 2.70. Anaheim will counter with Jose Suárez and he has decent numbers, at 5-5 with a 3.90 ERA, but the Yankees can hit lefties. They are 5-2 in their last 7 against a left-handed starter, 5-1 in their last 6 at the Stadium, and 7-3 in their last 10 overall.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES