Inside the Chalk

The Miami Marlins will look to snap a 3-game skid when they head to Great American Ball Park tonight to face the Cincinnati Reds. The Marlins are not a very good team, with a record of 32-61, and on the road, they are a dismal 14-30. Tonight, they are expected to hand the ball to Yonny Chirinos to throw strikes and he is winless with a 4.19 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP. The 45-49 Reds have been playing well, winning 3 of their last 4, and are expected to give the nod to Carson Spiers. He is 2-2 with a respectable ERA of 3.64 and a 1.26 WHIP. Cincinnati’s bats have been on fire, smacking 14 hits in their 8-1 romp over the Colorado Rockies last night, and I expect more of the same tonight.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CINCINNATI REDS

The AL West leading Seattle Mariners will open a 4-game set tonight with the 4th place Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim. The Mariners are coming off a 2-game sweep of the San Diego Padres and are expected to have Luis Castillo on the bump. Castillo is 7-9 with a respectable ERA of 3.72, a 1.16 WHIP, and was impressive in his last turn when in yielded just 2 hits and 1 run against the Toronto Blue Jays resulting in a 2-1 Seattle victory. On the flip side, the Angels are expected to send Jack Kochanowicz to the rubber and he will be making his big league debut. In AA this season, not AAA, he was not that impressive with a record of 5-6 and a 4.55 ERA. The Mariners swept the Angels earlier this year in a 3-game series and are 9-1 in the last 10 meetings with the Halos.
TONIGHT’S PICK: SEATTLE MARINERS

The 57-34 Baltimore Orioles were pummeled last night by the 43-49 Chicago Cubs, 9-2, but I expect they bounce back tonight when the two clubs meet again at Birdland. The first place O’s are 29-18 at Camden Yard and will have Corbin Burnes on the hill. He has been dealing, like he always does. Burnes is 9-3 with a 2.32 ERA, a 1.02 WHIP, and Baltimore is 4-0 in his last 4 home starts.
TONIGHT’S PICK: BALTIMORE ORIOLES

The Texas Rangers will go for a 3-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays today at Globe Life Field. The Rangers have owned the Rays, winning 9 of the last 10 meetings, and will have Nathan Eovaldi tapping the rubber. Eovaldi has been lights out at home and is coming off a stellar performance last Tuesday against the San Diego Padres when he yielded just one hit against the Friars and the champs went on to a 7-0 victory.
TODAY’S PICK: TEXAS RANGERS

The best team in the American League, the Baltimore Orioles, will go for a series win over the Oakland Athletics when they play the middle game of their 3-game set today at the Coliseum. The Orioles are 27-15 on the road and are averaging over 5 runs per game. Cade Povich is expected to get the nod for the O’s. He is 1-2 with a 4.05 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. The Athletics, who are bottom feeders in the AL West, will send Luis Medina to the hill. Medina is 1-3 with a 4.60 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. The young guns for Baltimore will get to him early.
TODAY’S PICK: BALTIMORE ORIOLES

The Cleveland Guardians will open a 3-game set with the San Francisco Giants tonight in the flats. Cleveland owns the best home record in the majors, at 28-10, and will have Tanner Bibee on the hill. Bibee is 7-2 with a 3.47 ERA, a 1.09 WHIP, and the Guardians are 7-1 in his last 8 starts in game 1 of a series. The Giants have yet to announce a starter which tells you they have issues with their rotation.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CLEVELAND GUARDIANS