Inside the Chalk

The 44-33 Seattle Mariners have lost their last two but a trip to south Florida to open a 3-game set with the 25-49 Miami Marlins might be just what the doctor ordered. Even though the AL West leading Mariners don’t score a lot of runs, they should get the Marlins expected starter tonight, Trevor Rogers. Rogers is just 1-8 on the season with an elevated ERA of 5.09 and a 1.59 WHIP. Seattle is expected to have George Kirby on the bump and he has pitched well. Kirby is 6-5 with a respectable ERA of 3.54, a great WHIP of 1.10, and the Mariners are 4-0 in his last 4 starts. The Marlins are just 14-26 at LoanDepot Park and the Mariners are 6-1 in their last 7 in game 1 of a series. Seattle is the side to consider tonight.
TONIGHT’S PICK: SEATTLE MARINERS

The Minnesota Twins will go for a series win when they wrap up their 3-game set with the Tampa Bay Rays this afternoon at Target Field. The Twins lost yesterday, 3-2, in extras due to a throwing error but should come on out top today. Zack Littell is the expected starter for the Rays. Littell is 2-5 with a 4.25 ERA, a 1.38 WHIP, and Tampa is 0-4 in their last 4 following a win. On the flip side, the Twins’ expected starter is Simeon Woods Richardson. He is 2-1 with a 3.29 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, and Minnesota is 4-0 in his last 4 home starts. The Twins are tough to beat at Target Field with a record of 23-15. They are 8-2 over their last 10 and also have the edge in every conceivable category.
TODAY’S PICK: MINNESOTA TWINS

If the San Diego Padres want to avoid being swept by the Philadelphia Phillies and losing their sixth straight game, they better have their A-game going today at Citizens Bank Park. Philadelphia boasts a 29-10 home record and will have one of the best on the hill, southpaw Ranger Suárez, whose numbers are scary. Suárez is 10-1 with a 1.77 ERA and a WHIP of only 0.88 which doesn’t bold well for a Padres team that is 0-8 in their last 8 road games against a left-handed starter. The Friars will turn to Matt Waldron to throw strikes and despite being 4-6 he has a decent ERA of 3.66 with a 1.18 WHIP. Even so, the Padres are no match for the Phillies and as they do every year, they underachieve. Philly has dominated San Diego, winning 9 of the last 10 meetings, and as long as Rob Thomson doesn’t do something stupid like rest some of his superstars, the Phillies will sweep the Padres.
TODAY’S PICK: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

The Los Angeles Angels will go for a 3-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants today at Oracle Park and they won’t do it. The expected starter for the Halos is Ben Joyce and he should not be in the bigs. Joyce has a bloated ERA of 12.27 and a 3.00 WHIP over just 3-2/3 innings of work. Pathetic. Take the Giants.
TODAY’S PICK: SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

With yesterday’s win over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway, the New York Yankees have 50 wins and it’s only mid-June. Impressive. Tonight they will go for another one against their archrival and they should get it. Southpaw Carlos Rodón will be on the hill and he has been throwing flames. Rodón is 9-2 with an ERA of 2.93 and a 1.05 WHIP.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

The Kansas City Royals were lucky to get a win yesterday against the Bronx Bombers and now they have to travel to Los Angeles to face one of the best in the majors, the Dodgers. Good luck.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS