Inside the Chalk

The Tampa Bay Rays are starting to spiral out of control, losing 4 straight, but that ends today when they wrap up a 3-game set with the Baltimore Orioles. Tommy Milone is expected to get the start for the Orioles and his numbers against the Rays are not good. Milone is 3-4 lifetime against Tampa with an elevated 6.75 ERA. The Rays are expected to send Yonny Chirinos to the rubber and this guy can deliver but gets overshadowed by flamethrowers Charlie Morton and Blake Snell. Chirinos was outstanding in his 2020 debut against the Atlanta Braves, yielding just one run, resulting in a Tampa victory. The Rays get back on track today.
TODAY’S PICK: TAMPA BAY RAYS

The New York Yankees are on a roll as usual, and will go for their 5th straight victory when they host the Boston Red Sox tonight at Yankee Stadium. New York has owned Boston, winning 4 straight against them and 9 of the last 10. Zack Godley is expected to take the hill for the Red Sox and he could be in for a long night. Godley owns a career ERA of 4.64 with a 1.36 WHIP and the Bombers know that.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The Tampa Bay Rays will have southpaw Blake Snell on the hill when they open a 3-game set tonight at the Yard against the Baltimore Orioles. Snell, the 2018 Cy Young winner, can deliver and the Rays are 16-7 in their last 23 meetings with Baltimore.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TAMPA BAY RAYS

The New York Mets will look to rebound tonight against the Boston Red Sox when the two clubs meet again at Citi Field. Boston came out on top last night, beating New York’s ace Jacob deGrom in a tight one, 6-5. Tonight the Red Sox will have yet another flamethrower to contend with, southpaw Steven Matz. Matz was spectacular in his season debut against Atlanta, yielding just 1 run and 2 hits with 7 Ks in 6 innings of work. That can’t be said for Boston’s expected starter, lefty Martín Pérez. Pérez was awful in his season debut, yielding 5 runs on 6 hits, resulting in a 7-2 loss to the lowly Baltimore Orioles. New York has had its way with the American League East, winning 4 of their last 5, and Matz has been lethal at Citi Field. In 2019, he was 8-2 with a 2.31 ERA. Consider the Boys from Queens.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK METS

The Milwaukee Brewers should have their tail between their legs today after blowing a 6-2 lead late in last night’s game, falling to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-6. Tonight they meet again for the final game of a 3-game set at PNC Park. The expected starters for tonight’s matchup are Brandon Woodruff for the Brewers and Joe Musgrove for the Pirates. Musgrove has faced the Brewers 4 times in his career with negative results, going 0-1 with a bloated 6.46 ERA. Despite last night’s debacle, Milwaukee is still 20-8 in their last 28 meetings with Pittsburgh, 4-1 in their last 5 trips to PNC Park, and Woodruff was 2-0 last year in 4 turns against the Bucs. The Brew Crew get it done.
TONIGHT’S PICK: MILWAUKEE BREWERS

The Los Angeles Angels will be glad to be back in So Cal tonight for their home opener against the Seattle Mariners after dropping 3 of 4 to the Oakland Athletics to open the season where they mustered just 11 runs. The good news is Anthony Rendon is expected to make his Angel debut which will add some pop at the plate and should ignite their staggering offense. Seattle also lost 3 of 4 to Houston and are now a pathetic 17-46 in their last 63 against the American League West. The pitching matchup is sketchy on both sides with two lefties expected to get the nod: Justus Sheffield for the Mariners and Patrick Sandoval for the Angels. In 2019, Sandoval was 0-4 with a 5.03 ERA and Sheffield was 0-1 with a 5.50 ERA. Los Angeles should be licking their chops. They are 5-0 in their last 5 against a left-handed starter, 5-1 in the last 6 meetings with Seattle, and 4-1 in their last 5 against them at home.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES ANGELS

Two southpaws are expected to oppose each other tonight when the Chicago Cubs visit the Great American Ball Park for a matchup with the Cincinnati Reds. Wade Miley will get the nod for the Reds and he was on the money last year for the Houston Astros. Miley was a dominant 14-6, with a 3.98 ERA, and a 1.34 WHIP. Jon Lester takes the hill for the Cubs and is coming off a so-so year where he was 13-10, with a 4.46 ERA, and a 1.50 WHIP. In three turns last year against the Reds, Lester was 0-1 with a 4.02 ERA. Chicago has had trouble on the road against lefties, going 2-8 in their last 10, and are just 4-10 in their last 14 in Cincinnati. This is a good spot to take the home dog.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CINCINNATI REDS