Inside the Chalk

In an early one today at PNC Park, the Pittsburgh Pirates will go for a series win against the Miami Marlins. Paul Skenes is on the hill for the Pirates and he will take care of business.
TODAY’S PICK: PITTSBURGH PIRATES

The New York Yankees will win today because Cam Schlittler is on the hill.
TODAY’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The Philadelphia Phillies will be in Milwaukee tonight to open a 3-game set with the Brewers. Philly is a huge dog in this one and rightfully so. Milwaukee is expected to have their ace flamethrower, Jacob Misiorowski, on the hill. To say Misiorowski has been dominant would be an understatement. The Miz is 7-2 with an ERA of only 1.50 and a 0.81 WHIP, but if any team can get to him it’s Philadelphia. The Phillies have been one of the hottest teams in baseball. They are 18-14 on the road and are catching a Brewers team that has lost its last two. Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Alec Bohm are hot. The Phillies got to Misiorowski the last time they faced him, dinging him for 6 hits, 3 runs,1 homer by Bryce Harper over 4-1/3 innings, and Philadelphia went on to win 10-8. You’ve got to take a shot.
TONIGHT’S PICK: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Los Angeles Dodgers will play the rubber game of their 3-game set tonight at PNC Park. The Dodgers should be up 2-0 in this series but like all managers these days Dave Roberts pulled his starter Shohei Ohtani in the 6th then the bullpen gave up 5 runs and the Pirates went on to win 9-8. Tonight if Roberts lets his expected starter, southpaw Justin Wrobleski, go deep into the game, LA should come away with a win. Wrobleski has been in the zone. He is 7-2 with a 2.62 ERA and a WHIP of only 1.00. Wrobleski was stellar in his last turn against the Arizona Diamondbacks allowing zero runs over 6 innings but once again Roberts yanked him, the bullpen blew it, and the Dodgers lost 3-2. The Bucs are expected to send Mitch Keller to the hill. The Dodgers’ potent offense should be able to get to him. Keller is 5-3 but has an elevated 4.81 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP, and was lit up in his last turn against the Atlanta Braves, allowing 6 runs on 7 hits over 4.2 frames and the Braves won 6-3. The Pirates are just 1-9 in their last 10 games against a left-handed starter and the Dodgers are not in the habit of losing two in a row.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS

The Atlanta Braves fell to the Chicago White Sox last night on the southside, 6-5, but will even the score tonight in Game 2 of their 3-game set. Two flamethrowers are expected to face each other, with southpaw Chris Sale getting the nod for Atlanta and Davis Martin for Chicago. Martin and Sale have both been delivering. Martin comes in at 8-2 with a 2.61 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. Sale is 8-4 with a 2.23 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. Sale feels very comfortable on the hill at Rate Field. The Condor was drafted by the White Sox in 2010 and spent 7 seasons mowing them down on the southside. He will be extra motivated to put the screws to his old team. Chicago is 35-31 overall and has won 6 straight home games but all good things must end. The Braves still own the best record in baseball at 45-22 and are 23-11 on the road. They score more runs per game than the White Sox, give up less, and have a future Hall-of-Famer toeing the rubber.
TONIGHT’S PICK: ATLANTA BRAVES

With last night’s 6-2 loss to the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, the Cincinnati Reds have now lost five straight and it is obvious they miss Elly De La Cruz who is sidelined with a hamstring injury. Even without De La Cruz in the lineup for tonight’s second game of their 3-game set, the Reds get back on the rails. Chase Burns is expected to get the nod from Terry Francona and good things happen when he is on the hill, the Reds win. Burns is 7-1 with a 2.05 ERA, a WHIP of only 0.95, and he will keep the Padres’ bats in check, who are averaging just 3.8 runs per game which is dead last in the majors.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CINCINNATI REDS

The Philadelphia Phillies will be north of the border tonight when they open a 3-game set with the Toronto Blue Jays. Two southpaws are expected to get the start tonight with Cristopher Sánchez for the Phillies and Patrick Corbin for the Jays. Corbin is 2-2 with a 3.98 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. He has not fared well in his career against the Phillies, going 6-11 with a 4.83 ERA, and was not sharp in his last turn against Atlanta, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits over 5 frames and the Braves went on to a 7-3 win. Sánchez has been nothing short of amazing. He is 7-2 with a 1.46 ERA, a 1.09 WHIP, and he is 3-0 in his career against Toronto with a 2.00 ERA. Sánchez went 50-2/3 innings without yielding a run until he gave up only one to the Padres in his last turn. Since April 25th, the Phillies are 27-12. They have won three straight against the Jays and have Cristopher Sánchez toeing the rubber. Enough said.
TONIGHT’S PICK: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES