Inside the Chalk

The Tampa Bay Rays will seek their second straight victory and a series win over the Toronto Blue Jays in an early one today at Tropicana Field. Toronto is expected to send Thomas Hatch to the hill. Hatch will be making his Big League debut and has never pitched past AA so expect the Rays to put up some runs. Tampa is expected to send lefty Blake Snell to the rubber. The Rays are 6-2 in his last 8 starts against Toronto and he owns a 2.88 lifetime ERA against the Jays. Tampa has won 16 of the last 23 meetings with Toronto and notch another this afternoon.
TODAY’S PICK: TAMPA BAY RAYS

The Philadelphia Phillies will look to even the score with the Miami Marlins when they play the second game of a 3-game set in a matinée today at Citizens Bank Park. The Marlins took Game 1 yesterday in a 5-2 victory and have had the Phillies’ number of late, winning 9 of the last 13 meetings, but today they have to face Zack Wheeler. Wheeler has dominated the Marlins in his career, owning a 7-3 record with a nasty ERA of 1.91 to go along with a WHIP of only 0.93. Miami is expected to send Caleb Smith to the hill and the last time he faced Philadelphia he was lit up, allowing 6 runs including 2 homers in just 3 innings of work. The Phillies’ bats have yet to come alive and it’s just a matter of time before they do. Today could be that day.
TODAY’S PICK: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

The Cleveland Indians will be at home tonight for their season opener against the Kansas City Royals. KC would like to forget the 2019 season after winning just 59 games and are expected to send the veteran southpaw Danny Duffy to the rubber. Duffy is coming off an injury-plagued year where he was 7-6, with a 4.34 ERA, and a 1.31 WHIP. Cleveland is expected to give the nod to Shane Bieber. Bieber was lights out last year, with a 15-8 record, a 3.28 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP, and he is a perfect 3-0 in his career against the Royals. Kansas City is a dismal 3-13 in Duffy’s last 16 starts against Cleveland and they are just 9-27 in their last 36 trips to Progressive Field. The Indians get it done.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CLEVELAND INDIANS

The New York Yankees will open the 2020 campaign tonight against the World Champion Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. New York’s heavy hitters, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez, are all healthy and expected in the lineup tonight. Gerrit Cole will be making his Yankee debut and that doesn’t bode well for the Nats. In 2019, Cole was 20-5 with an ERA of 2.50, a WHIP of just 0.895, and the last time he faced the Nationals in Game 5 of the Fall Classic, he pitched a gem in a 7-1 Astros win. Washington will counter with Max Scherzer and as usual, in 2019 he was on his mark, posting a 11-7 record with a 2.92 ERA, and a 1.03 WHIP but he is a mediocre 4-3 lifetime against the Bombers, with a 4.04 ERA. Washington is not the same team as last year, with All-Star Anthony Rendon jumping ship to Anaheim and Ryan Zimmerman electing to sit out the season. The edge goes to New York.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES