Inside the Chalk

After a rocky start to the season, the Oakland Athletics have brushed off the dust, winning 4 straight and 5 of their last 6. Tonight they will look to continue their winning ways when they open a 4-game set against the Detroit Tigers at the Coliseum. Two lefties are expected to oppose each other, with Sean Manaea getting the nod for Oakland and Tarik Skubal for Detroit. Skubal is off to a less than memorable start, at 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA, and the Tigers are 0-4 in his last 4 road starts. Not good. That could also be said about Manaea, who is 0-1 with a 5.06 ERA, but in his career against Detroit he boasts a 2-1 record with a 2.84 ERA. To say the Athletics have dominated the Tigers would be an understatement. Oakland is 21-5 in the last 26 meetings and 7-1 in the last 8 against Detroit at home. They also crush left-handed starters, going 40-14 in their last 54 overall.
TONIGHT’S PICK: OAKLAND ATHLETICS

It could be another pitchers duel at Guaranteed Rate Field when the Chicago White Sox host the Cleveland Indians in the third game of their 4-game set. Zach Plesac is expected to tap the rubber for the Indians and has been throwing flames. He is 1-1 with a 1.38 ERA and a nasty WHIP of 0.85. Lefty Carlos Rodón is slated to take the hill for the White Sox and has been as effective, if not better. Rodón is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. That’s hard to top. Chicago’s an impressive 18-6 in their last 24 home games and are 4-1 in their last 5 following a loss. The reigning American League MVP, Chicago’s José Abreu, is off to a slow start but it’s just a matter of time before he erupts. Maybe tonight is that night.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CHICAGO WHITE SOX

The 8-3 San Diego Padres will try for 5 straight wins when they play the second leg of a 4-game set with the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. San Diego took Game 1, 6-2, and they are living up to expectations, and so is southpaw Blake Snell, who is the expected starter for the Friars tonight. Snell has looked impressive thus far, as he usually does. He is 0-0, with an ERA of only 1.86 and a 1.24 WHIP. The 3-7 Pirates are expected to send Chad Kuhl to the hill and he is off to a rocky start. Kuhl is 0-1 with an elevated 6.43 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. San Diego is 5-0 in their last 5 road games as a favorite and are hot. Ride them ’til they’re not.
TONIGHT’S PICK: SAN DIEGO PADRES

The Toronto Blue Jays are on a 4-game skid and have yet to win their first game in Dunedin but look for that to change tonight when they host the Los Angeles Angels. The Jays are loaded with young talent. They can smack the ball and will do just that against the Angels expected starter, José Quintana. Quintana is off to a blazing 0-0 start, with a bloated ERA of 10.80 and a 2.40 WHIP. On the flip side, Toronto’s expected starter Steven Matz was outstanding in his last turn against Texas and is 1-0 with an ERA of just 1.42 and a 0.47 WHIP. Toronto gets it done tonight.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TORONTO BLUE JAYS

It’s a fact. The Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees do not like each other so it’s going to be interesting when the two clubs open a 3-game set today at The Trop. The Rays got the better of the Yankees last year but that’s when they had Charlie Morton and Blake Snell tapping the rubber. Things have changed. New York will have the edge on the mound when they send Corey Kluber to the hill to square off against the Rays lefty, 41-year old Rich Hill. Hill looked all of 41 when he faced the Marlins on Saturday and already has an inflated 9.00 ERA. Kluber was sharp in his Yankees debut and is 5-2 lifetime against the Rays with a 2.67 ERA. Tampa is on a 4-game skid and we know what the Bombers do to southpaws, crush them!
TODAY’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The Minnesota Twins will host the Seattle Mariners in their home opener today and are feeling pretty good about themselves after going 4-2 on the road to start the season. José Berríos will be tapping the rubber for the Twins and he was flawless in his 2021 debut. “La Makina” pitched 6 scoreless innings against the Brewers and fanned 12. That can’t be said for Seattle’s expected starter, lefty Marco Gonzales. He was lit up by the Giants on Thursday, yielding 5 runs on 8 hits with 3 walks, and that doesn’t bode well for the Mariners. Minnesota is 6-0 in their last 6 against left-handed starters and 5-2 in their last 7 against Seattle.
TODAY’S PICK: MINNESOTA TWINS