Inside the Chalk

Mike Odorizzi will seek his 13th win of the season and the Minnesota Twins will look to polish off the Kansas City Royals for a 3-game sweep in a matinee at Target Field. Odorizzi is 12 -5 with a 3.73 ERA and when he gets the nod at Target Field, good things happen – the Twins win. Minnesota is 14-4 in Odorizzi’s last 18 home starts. The Royals are expected to send Brad Keller to the hill and he sits at 7-10 with a 4.01 ERA. Keller had better be on his game today if he wants success, the way the Twins have been crushing the ball. In the first two games of the series, the Twins put up 22 runs and Minnesota has won 18 of the last 24 against the Royals at home.
TODAY’S PICK: MINNESOTA TWINS

The Oakland Athletics will open a quick 2-game set tonight with the St. Louis Cardinals at RingCentral Coliseum. The A’s swept the Cardinals back in June in St. Louis and are expected to face Dakota Hudson, and it won’t be a cake walk because he has been delivering. Hudson is 10-5, with a 3.88 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP. Oakland is expected to counter with Mike Fiers and he has also been on his mark. Fiers is 9-3, with a 3.54 ERA, and a 1.14 WHIP. The A’s are 8-2 in Fiers’ last 10 starts and 4-1 in his last 5 turns at home. I like Oakland in this situation.
TONIGHT’S PICK: OAKLAND ATHLETICS

With the departure of Zack Greinke, the Arizona Diamondbacks new ace is southpaw Robbie Ray and he will be tapping the rubber tonight when Arizona opens a 3-game set with the Washington Nationals at Chase Field. Ray is 9-7, with a 3.91 ERA, a 1.30 WHIP, and the Diamondbacks are 4-1 in his last 5 starts. The Nationals are expected to send Joe Ross to the hill. Ross has pitched mainly out of the bullpen and his numbers are not good. He is 0-3, with a 9.85 ERA, a 2.11 WHIP, and he was lit up in his last start, yielding 7 runs on 9 hits to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Washington has had problems with left-handed starters on the road, going just 4-11 in their last 15.
TONIGHT’S PICK: ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

The Cleveland Indians are surging and have added two more weapons to their arsenal, Franmil Reyes and Yasiel Puig. The Indians clobbered the Houston Astros yesterday, 10-4, and will go for the series win when the two clubs wrap up a 3-game set tonight at Progressive Field. It won’t be a walk in the park for Cleveland because Houston will have Gerrit Cole on the hill. Cole is 12-5, with a 2.94 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. The Indians will send Danny Salazar to the rubber, who will be making his season debut after recovering from a shoulder injury, and if he is healthy, Salazar can deliver. Cleveland has won 8 of their last 10 at home and will be a big dog tonight. Consider the Tribe.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CLEVELAND INDIANS

The Minnesota Twins have smacked 206 homers on the season and should add to that number tonight when they go for a series win over the host Miami Marlins. The Twins have won 2 straight and 4 of their last 5. They will have José Berríos on the hill and he has been delivering. Berríos is 9-5, with an ERA of only 2.94 and a 1.14 WHIP. The Marlins counter with Sandy Alcántara. The lone Marlin All-Star is not pitching like one. He is 4-9 with a 4.18 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. Over his last 3, Alcántara is winless with a 6.35 ERA and Miami is 1-5 in his last 6 home starts.
TONIGHT’S PICK: MINNESOTA TWINS

The Atlanta Braves are starting to feel the heat from the Washington Nationals with only a 4.5 game lead over them for the NL East top spot. Atlanta fell to the Nats yesterday, 6-3, in the first game of a 3-game set. They need to bounce back today and they will. Julio Teherán will be on the hill for the Braves. In 118.1 innings of work, he is 5-7 with a 3.42 ERA. The Braves are 4-1 in Teherán’s last 5 road starts and they are 5-2 in his last 7 turns against the Nationals. Washington’s ace, Max Scherzer, is on the IL so they have reached down to AA-Harrisburg and recalled Erick Fedde. Fedde’s numbers are respectable, at 1-1 with a 3.40 ERA in 50.1 innings of work, but the Braves bats will be too much for the young right-hander. Atlanta gets it done.
TONIGHT’S PICK: ATLANTA BRAVES