Inside the Chalk

The Boston Red Sox need to get back on track in a hurry, sitting 11 games back of the New York Yankees, and that will happen tonight when they pay a visit to Rogers Centre for a 3-game set against the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto will send Trent Thornton to the hill and his numbers aren’t good. Thornton is 2-5, with a 4.60 ERA, a 1.45 WHIP, and the Jays are 1-5 in his last 6 starts against the American League East. Boston will give the nod to David Price. Price is back to what he does best – deliver. He is 5-2, with a 3.36 ERA, a 1.12 WHIP, and the Red Sox are 5-0 in his last 5 starts against his old team. Boston is 20-6 in their last 26 trips to Toronto and they get it done tonight.
TONIGHT’S PICK: BOSTON RED SOX

Two southpaws will oppose each other tonight when the Texas Rangers host the Los Angeles Angels. The Rangers will look to get back on track after losing two in a row when they send the All Star, Mike Minor, to the hill. The reason he was elected this year was because of numbers like these. Minor is 8-4, with a 2.40 ERA, a 1.12 WHIP, and over his last 3, it gets even better. He is a perfect 3-0, with an ERA of just 1.93, and a 0.90 WHIP. Jose Suarez will be tapping the rubber for the Angels. He sits at 2-1 on the season with an elevated 5.57 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. Texas is 5-0 in Minor’s last 5 starts, they are 4-1 in their last 5 against the Halos in Arlington, and at home they have been crushing lefties, going 7-1 in their last 8. Rangers get it done.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TEXAS RANGERS

The Chicago White Sox will go for a series win against the Minnesota Twins in an early one today on the south side. There is no question who the White Sox ace is, Lucas Giolito, and he will be taking the hill today. Giolito has been throwing flames, with a record of 10-2, a 2.87 ERA, and a 1.07 WHIP. The Twins are expected to call up the lefty, Lewis Thorpe, from AAA Rochester. His numbers in the minors were not spectacular, going 3-4 with an elevated ERA of 5.71. Thorpe could get lit up today because the White Sox are 4-1 in their last 5 home games against lefties and Chicago is 5-0 in Giolito’s last 5 home starts. Keep an eye on the White Sox. This is a very talented young team.
TODAY’S PICK: CHICAGO WHITE SOX

There will be a pitching mismatch at Oracle Park tonight when the San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks continue their 4-game set. Zack Greinke will get the nod for the Diamondbacks and he has been delivering, with a record of 8-3, a 3.08 ERA, and a WHIP of only 0.95. Greinke has been a Giant killer in his career, going 12-3 with a 2.34 ERA overall against San Francisco and he is 5-0 with a stingy ERA of 1.37 at Oracle Park. Now that is domination. On the flip side, the Giants will send the lefty, Drew Pomeranz, to the rubber. Pomeranz has been getting lit up. He is 2-8 on the season, with a 6.79 ERA, a 1.75 WHIP, and in his career against the Diamondbacks, he is 0-4 with a bloated ERA of 8.53 – not good. Arizona has won 5 of the last 6 meetings in San Francisco and they are 5-2 in their last 7 against southies. Bochy might be going to the pen early in this one. Consider the Snakes.
TONIGHT’S PICK: ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

The Houston Astros are glad to see the Pittsburgh Pirates leave Minute Maid Park after getting throttled by the Bucs, 24-2, in the last two games of their 3-game set. You can’t hold a powerhouse like Houston down for long and they should bounce back tonight when the bottom dwelling Seattle Mariners come to town. The Astros will turn to the lefty, Wade Miley, to get them out of their funk. Miley sits at a respectable 6-4, with a 3.51 ERA, and Houston is 6-1 in his last 7 home starts. The Mariners are expected to go with a reliever to start the game, who has yet to be named, and more than likely southpaw Tommy Milone will follow. Milone is just 1-2 on the season, with a 3.35 ERA, and owns an elevated ERA of 5.33 in his career against the ‘Stros. Seattle is 1-6 in their last 7 meetings with Houston and a miserable 2-8 in their last 10 road games against southies.
TONIGHT’S PICK: HOUSTON ASTROS

The Boston Red Sox squandered a 6 run lead yesterday, falling to the Toronto Blue Jays, 8-7, but look for them to bounce back today in the rubber game of a 3-game set. Rick Porcello is back to his Cy Young form, going 1-1 in his last 3 starts, with a 2.75 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. The Blue Jays will counter with Marcus Stroman. Over his last 3, he is 1-2, with a 4.82 ERA, a 1.12 WHIP, and Toronto is 2-6 in his last 8 road starts. Boston has won 12 of the last 15 meetings against Toronto at Fenway Park and Porcello is 6-2 in his last 8 homestands against the Blue Jays.
TODAY’S PICK: BOSTON RED SOX