Inside the Chalk

The Pittsburgh Pirates are spiraling out of control and it won’t get any easier for them tonight when they head to the Great American Ball Park for a meeting with Sonny Gray and the Cincinnati Reds. Jordan Lyles is expected to start for the Bucs and this guy should not be in the Bigs because he’s awful. Lyles is 5-7 with a 5.36 ERA. Over his last 3 turns, his ERA is 14.62 and the Pirates are winless in his last 8 starts. That’s not good. Sonny Gray will be tapping the rubber for the Red Machine and he has been delivering. Over his last 3 turns, Gray has a 1.89 ERA and the Reds are 5-1 in his last 6 starts at home.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CINCINNATI REDS

The Atlanta Braves will go for a sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies in an early one today at Citizens Bank Park, but not so fast. Aaron Nola will be tapping the rubber for the Phils. Nola is 8 -2 with a 3.64 ERA and has been a Brave killer in his career. He is 9-3 lifetime against Atlanta, with a 2.26 ERA, and is a perfect 2-0 this year against them with a 2.95 ERA and 20 strikeouts. Now that’s domination. The Braves will send Kevin Gausman to the hill and he is no match to a flame thrower like Nola. Gausman is 3-5, with a 5.71 ERA, and over his last 3 turns his ERA has soared to 6.28. Atlanta will be without two key players today, shortstop Dansby Swanson and right fielder Nick Markakis. Harper and company get it done.
TODAY’S PICK: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

The pick of the day today is the Cleveland Indians over the Kansas City Royals and this is why. Mike Clevinger will be tapping the rubber for the Indians. Over his last 3, he is 2-0, with a 2.50 ERA, and a 1.11 WHIP. The Royals will counter with Glenn Sparkman. Over his last 3, Sparkman is 1-2, with a 3.48 ERA, and a 1.35 WHIP. Cleveland is 6-1 in Clevinger’s last 7 starts against the Royals and the Indians are 5-0 in their last 5 at Kauffman Stadium. Take the Tribe.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CLEVELAND INDIANS

There are a lot of teams in the hunt for a NL Wild Card birth and the Arizona Diamondbacks are in the thick of it. Tonight they will have their ace on the hill, Zack Greinke, when they travel to south Florida to open a 4-game series with the lowly Miami Marlins. Greinke is throwing flames as usual. He is 10-4, with a 2.93 ERA and a stingy WHIP of only 0.95. The Marlins will send Sandy Alcántara to the hill and his numbers are not good. He is just 4-9, with a 4.25 ERA, a 1.45 WHIP, and he has struggled at Marlins Park this year going 2-6 with a 4.19 ERA. Greinke has never lost to the Marlins in his career, with a record of 7-0, a 3.19 ERA, and the Diamondbacks have won 7 of the last 8 meetings with the Marlins. Arizona needs to capitalize on inferior teams like Miami if that want to see the post-season and they know it. Consider the Snakes.
TONIGHT’S PICK: ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

The Oakland Athletics will be glad to be back home after a grueling road trip against two powerhouses, the Minnesota Twins and the Houston Astros. Tonight they will open a 4-game set against the reeling Texas Rangers at the Coliseum. The Rangers have lost 9 of their last 10 and will send the struggling Ariel Jurado to the hill. Jurado is 5-6, with a 4.92 ERA, a 1.45 WHIP, and over his last 3, he is winless with a 9.60 ERA. Texas is 1-5 in Jurado’s last 6 turns and 0-4 in his last 4 starts against the AL West. Despite going 3-4 in their recent road trip, the A’s are still 15-6 in their last 21 overall and will have the reliable southpaw, Brett Anderson, on the rubber tonight. Anderson has a mark of 9-5, with a 3.82 ERA, and a 1.27 WHIP. The Athletics are 4-0 in Anderson’s last 4 turns and 8-3 in his last 11 starts at home. Oakland has dominated Texas this year, taking 6 out of 9 from them, and winning all 3 meetings against them at the Coliseum. Texas woes continue.
TONIGHT’S PICK: OAKLAND ATHLETICS

The Colorado Rockies and the Washington Nationals will be playing a day/night doubleheader today at Nationals Park. In Game 2, southpaw Patrick Corbin is scheduled to be on the hill for the Nationals and Kyle Freeland will start for the Rockies. Freeland is not what he was a year ago, mainly due to a blister on his throwing hand. He is a dismal 2-7, with an elevated ERA of 7.62, and a 1.65 WHIP. The Rockies are 1-4 in Freeland’s last 5 starts and 1-5 in his last 6 turns on the road. Corbin is paying dividends since being acquired from Arizona in the off-season. He is 7-5, with a 3.40 ERA, and a 1.16 WHIP. The Nats are 5-1 in Corbin’s last 6 starts and 5-0 in his last 5 turns at Nationals Park. Colorado has struggled against the National League East going 1-7 in their last 8 and they are 1-5 in their last 6 against lefties.
TONIGHT’S PICK: WASHINGTON NATIONALS – GAME 2

The Milwaukee Brewers have had problems with the bottom dwelling Cincinnati Reds, losing the last 4 meetings. Tonight they will meet again for the second game of a 3-game set at Miller Park and will have Zach Davies on the hill. Davies has been nothing short of spectacular, with a record of 8-2, a 2.79 ERA, a 1.32 WHIP, and over his last 3, it gets even better. He is 1-0 with a ridiculous 0.50 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. Now that’s delivering. The Reds counter with Tanner Roark. Roark has had issues. He is 5-6, with a 3.97 ERA, a 1.37 WHIP, and over his last 3, he is winless with a bloated ERA of 7.16 and a 1.71 WHIP. The Brewers are 6-1 in Davies’ last 7 home starts overall and 5-0 in his last 5 turns at Miller Park against the Reds. The Brew Crew get it done.
TONIGHT’S PICK: MILWAUKEE BREWERS