Inside the Chalk

The San Diego Padres got pummeled last night by the Oakland Athletics, 10-4, before the home crowd but I expect them to bounce back tonight when they host the lowly Colorado Rockies. Last night Colorado fell to the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, which now brings their road record to the league’s worst, 11-38. Lefty Kyle Freeland is expected on the hill for the Rocks and he has struggled, going 1-5 with a 4.85 ERA, a 1.47 WHIP, and in two starts against the Padres this year he is 0-1 with a bloated ERA of 8.31 and a 2.19 WHIP. The Padres are expected to go with hometown boy Joe Musgrove. Musgrove is 6-7 with a 3.13 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP, and let’s not forget he had a no-no against the Rangers back in April. San Diego is 34-20 at home, 9-2 in their last 11 against Colorado at Petco, and 9-3 in their last 12 home games against a left-handed starter. If the Friars want to keep pace with the Giants and Dodgers, they cannot afford to lose at home to teams like the Rockies.
TONIGHT’S PICK: SAN DIEGO PADRES

The Milwaukee Brewers pounded the Pittsburgh Pirates yesterday at PNC Park, 9-0, and I expect more of the same tonight when they play the second leg of their 3-game series. The bottom feeding Bucs’ season is over and they know it. Pittsburgh is 38-62 overall and 21-27 at home. The Central-leading Brewers are 59-42 overall and an impressive 30-18 on the road. Adrian Houser is expected to tap the rubber for Milwaukee and he has decent numbers, at 6-5 with a 3.88 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. The expected starter for Pittsburgh has yet to be determined but whoever it is, it should not matter. The Brewers are 8-2 in their last 10 as a road favorite and 4-1 in their last 5 against the Pirates at PNC Park.
TONIGHT’S PICK: MILWAUKEE BREWERS

Can the Texas Rangers lose 12 in a row? The answer is yes. They are playing the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park and the ‘Stros have Zack Greinke on the hill. Enough said.
TODAY’S PICK: HOUSTON ASTROS

After taking 3 of 4 from the Los Angeles Dodgers, the San Francisco Giants had a bit of a letdown yesterday, losing to the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates at home, 6-4, but that won’t happen tonight. Kevin Gausman is the expected starter for San Fran and numbers don’t much get better than this. He is 9-3 with a 1.84 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP. The Pirates’ expected starter, Wil Crowe, is 1-5 with a 6.12 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP. The Giants are 30-14 at home this season and get it done.
TONIGHT’S PICK: SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

The New York Yankees lost a close one last night in extras against the Boston Red Sox but bounce back tonight in Game 2 of a 4-game set. Gerrit Cole will be on the hill for the Yanks and, next to Jacob deGrom, he is the best there is. Cole is 10-4 with a 2.63 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. Lefty Eduardo Rodríguez is expected on the other side and his numbers are ripe for a Yankees team that is finally scoring runs. Rodríguez is 7-5 with a 5.19 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. After last night’s loss, the Bombers are 0-5 in their last 5 at Fenway but as I have said before, trends end.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

Two of the best flamethrowers in the Bigs will face off tonight at the Ravine when the Los Angeles Dodgers host the San Francisco Giants. Anthony DeSclafani is expected on the hill for the Giants and he has been delivering. Disco is 10-4 with an ERA of just 2.78 and a 0.99 WHIP, but the Dodgers expected starter, Walker Buehler, is just a little bit better, at 10-1 with a 2.37 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP. The Dodgers are 31-16 at home and could have Mookie Betts back in the lineup.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS