Inside the Chalk

When the Cincinnati Reds take the field at Great American Ball Park, they don’t just win, they crush whoever opposes them. They did it again last night, trouncing a really good Cleveland Indians team, 10-3. Today the Reds will continue their homestand against the Indians and will send Sonny Gray to the hill. Gray has had success against Cleveland in his career. He is 5-3 with a 3.15 ERA and was 1-0 last year against the Tribe, yielding just 1 run with 8 Ks in a 3-2 Reds win. The Indians are expected to send Triston McKenzie to the rubber. The young right-hander is 0-0 with a 4.70 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP, and that doesn’t bode well for Cleveland. Cincinnati’s numbers at Great American Ballpark are scary. They are averaging 9.6 runs per game, batting .321 with 16 homers, and have outscored their opponents, 67-29.
TODAY’S PICK: CINCINNATI REDS

The 5-8 Pittsburgh Pirates were throttled yesterday by the San Diego Padres, 8-3, at home and tonight they will travel to Milwaukee to take on the 7-5 Brewers. The Brewers were off yesterday after putting the screws to the Cubs on Wednesday, 7-0, so they will be rested and have been on a roll, winning 4 of their last 5. The Brewers are expected to send Adrian Houser to the hill and he has been delivering. Houser is 1-1, with an ERA of only 1.80 and a 1.60 WHIP. The Bucs are expected to counter with J.T. Brubaker, who has also been on his mark. Brubaker is 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP, but Pittsburgh is 0-4 in his last 4 turns against teams with a winning record and are just 1-5 on the road this season. The side to consider here is Milwaukee.
TONIGHT’S PICK: MILWAUKEE BREWERS

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