Inside the Chalk

With a win today at home against the Cincinnati Reds, the Minnesota Twins will clinch the AL Central title for the second straight season. They will have a formidable flamethrower to contend with, Cincinnati’s Sonny Gray. Gray has been getting it done, with a 5-3 record, a 3.73 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. The Twins will turn to the crafty southpaw, Rich Hill, to throw strikes. Hill is 2-2 with a 3.27 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. Minnesota is 5-1 in their last 6 games and own a 24-6 record at Target Field. The Reds know where they are going in the postseason – Atlanta. Good luck. Minnesota needs this game and the Reds don’t.
TODAY’S PICK: MINNESOTA TWINS

The Cleveland Indians are surging and will go for their 7th straight victory when they play the middle game of a 3-game set against the worst team in baseball, the Pittsburgh Pirates, at Progressive Field. The probable starters for today’s matchup are Aaron Civale for the Indians and Joe Musgrove for the Bucs. Civale is 4-5 with a 3.99 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP as opposed to Musgrove who is winless, at 0-5 with a 4.68 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. Edge Cleveland. The Indians sit just one game game back of the Minnesota Twins for the top spot in the AL Central so losing is not in the cards. Cleveland has won the last 5 meetings with Pittsburgh and are hot. Ride them ’til their not.
TODAY’S PICK: CLEVELAND INDIANS

The Oakland Athletics may have clinched the AL West but they still have something to play for, sitting just half a game back of the Minnesota Twins for the second overall spot in the AL. The Athletics are expected to send Chris Bassitt to the hill and he has been delivering, with a mark of 5-2, a 2.57 ERA, and a 1.21 WHIP. The Mariners have southpaw Yusei Kikuchui slated to tap the rubber and has not been getting done. He is 2-4 with a 5.93 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. The Athletics crush lefties, going 44 -14 in their last 58, and are 6-2 in their last 8 against the Mariners at the Coliseum.
TONIGHT’S PICK: OAKLAND ATHLETICS

The San Francisco Giants will wrap up their 4-game set with the Colorado Rockies in a matinée today at Oracle Park. Losing is not an option for the Giants, who are battling the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds for a postseason berth. The Giants are expected to send Kevin Gausman to the hill. Gausman is 3-3 with a 3.76 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. The Rockies are expected to counter with Chi Chi González and his numbers are not good. González is winless, at 0-2, with an elevated ERA of 7.53 and a 1.53 WHIP. The Giants are getting hot, winning 2 straight, and are 4-1 in their last 5 against the Rockies at home.
TODAY’S PICK: SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

The Chicago White Sox are feeling the heat from the Minnesota Twins, who sit just a 1/2 game back of them for the Al Central lead. The Twins, who have won 3 straight, will wrap up a quick 2-game set with the Detroit Tigers tonight at Target Field. With last night’s win, Minnesota is now 22-5 at Target Field and own the best home record in all of baseball. The Tigers are 2-8 in their last 10 and are expected to send the promising rookie, Casey Mize, to the rubber. Mize is 0-2 with a 6.08 ERA and a 6.43 WHIP, and is better than his numbers reflect. The Twins have Kenta Maeda slated to take the hill. Maeda has been on his mark, posting a 5-1 record with a 2.52 ERA and a nasty WHIP of only 0.75. To say the Twins have had the Tigers number would be an understatement. They are 38-17 in their last 55 meetings and 6-1 in their last 7 against Detroit at Target Field.
TONIGHT’S PICK: MINNESOTA TWINS

With a win tonight at Citi Field against the New York Mets, the Tampa Bay Rays can clinch the AL East Division title, a feat they have not accomplished since 2010. The Rays are expected to send their ace to the hill, southpaw Blake Snell. Snell is back to what he does best and that is deliver. He is 4-1 with a 3.05 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. The Mets are hanging by a very thin thread to make the postseason and are expected to turn to Seth Lugo to throw strikes. Lugo is 2-3 with a 4.34 ERA, a 1.31 WHIP, and was lit up in his last turn against the Phillies, surrendering 6 runs in just 1-2/3 innings of work. Not good. New York has had issues against left-handed starters, going 0-4 in their last 4 overall and 1-5 in their 6 against southies at home. Tampa has been killing it on the road, with a record of 18-5 in their last 23 and with Snell on the hill, they are worth considering.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TAMPA BAY RAYS

The Miami Marlins sit 3 games back of the NL East leading Atlanta Braves and will have a chance to gain some ground when they open a 4-game series with the Braves tonight at Truist Park. The probable pitchers do not warrant much discussion. Lefty Trevor Rogers is expected to get the nod for the Marlins. Rogers is 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. On the flip side, the Braves are expected to have Huascar Ynoa on the hill. Ynoa is 0-0 with a 5.30 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP but was sharp in his last turn against Baltimore, where he pitched 4 scoreless innings and yielded just 2 hits. Atlanta has won 23 of the last 30 at home against Miami and annihilated the Marlins in their last meeting on September 9th, 29-9.
TONIGHT’S PICK: ATLANTA BRAVES