Inside the Chalk

The Chicago Cubs will go for a 3-game sweep tonight over the lowly Miami Marlins in South Florida. Donnie Baseball’s team has mustered just 4 wins in 2019 and can’t score runs. With last night’s shutout, the Marlins have been blanked 4 times this season and it won’t get any easier for them tonight because they will be facing Cole Hamels. The southpaw has been on his game, with a record of 2-0, a 3.79 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. The Marlins will give the nod to Sandy Alcántara, who sits at 1-1, with a 4.24 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. Alcántara has struggled since opening the season on a high note. Over his last 9 innings he has allowed 15 hits, 8 runs and 7 walks. The Cubs are hot, winning 4 of their last 5 games and have won 5 straight against the Marlins.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CHICAGO CUBS

Two southpaws will oppose each other when the Atlanta Braves and the Arizona Diamondbacks open a 3-game set tonight at SunTrust Park. The Braves will give the nod to Max Fried and he has been delivering. Fried is 2-0, with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.66 WHIP. Now that is dominance. Arizona will counter with Robbie Ray, who is a respectable 0-1, with a 3.52 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP, but the Braves can hit lefties. They are 4-1 in their last 5 games against left handed hurlers, winning 4 of the last 5 meetings with the Snakes and 17 of the last 25 against them at home.
TONIGHT’S PICK: ATLANTA BRAVES

The Cincinnati Reds fell to the St. Louis Cardinals yesterday, 9-5, in Monterrey, Mexico, and now they have to travel to Chavez Ravine to face Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Good luck.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS

The New York Yankees ended their 4-game skid yesterday by blanking the Chicago White Sox, 4-0, thanks in part to a superb outing by the veteran C.C. Sabathia. Today the two clubs will meet in an early one at the Stadium for the rubber match of a 3-game set. The Yanks are expected to send Masahiro Tanaka to the hill and he has been spectacular. In 3 outings thus far, he is 1-0 with a 1.47 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP, and in his last turn against a potent Houston Astros team, he held them to just 1 run on 3 hits, only to have his bullpen blow it, resulting in a no decision. Carlos Rodón is expected to tap the rubber for Chicago. Rodón is 1-2 on the season, with a respectable 3.38 ERA and a WHIP of 1.25 but was roughed up in his last turn, allowing 4 runs, 5 walks and 8 hits over 4-2/3 frames, resulting in a 5-1 loss to Tampa. When Tanaka takes the hill against the White Sox, the Yankees are 5-1 in his last 6 turns and they are 12-4 in his last 16 starts against the American League Central. Baseball is a streaky sport and the Bombers make it two in a row.
TODAY’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

After a slow start out of the gate it looks like the Chicago Cubs have straightened things out and will go for their third straight win today when they host the Los Angeles Angels in the second game of a 3-game set in a matinée at Wrigley Field. The Angels are just 1-6 on the road in 2019. They are expected to send Chris Stratton to the rubber and he has struggled. Stratton is 0-1, with a 6.48 ERA, a 2.04 WHIP, and has yet to get past the fifth inning in his two starts. The Cubs are expected to counter with Kyle Hendricks. Hendricks has also struggled at 0-2, with a 6.48 ERA and a 2.64 WHIP, but it is well known the right hander can deliver and especially when he taps the rubber at Wrigley. The Cubs are 5-1 in his last 6 home starts and have had the Angels number. The boys from the north side are 5-0 in their last 5 meetings with the Halos and 5-1 in their last 6 against them at home.
TODAY’S PICK: CHICAGO CUBS

It’s been awhile but the San Diego Padres are in sole possession of first place in the National League West and you can chalk that up to a rotation filled with a bunch of young flamethrowers. Tonight they will seek their third straight win when they send Chris Paddack to the bump at Chase Field for the second game of a 4-game set against the Arizona Diamondbacks. In two turns this year, Paddack owns an ERA of only 1.04 with a nasty 0.92 WHIP and has allowed just 3 hits over 8-2/3 frames. The Snakes will send Luke Weaver to the rubber and so far he has not looked impressive, posting a 6.75 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP. The Padres are 6-2 in their last 8 overall and 4-1 in their last 5 against the National League West. I like the Friars chances in this one.
TONIGHT’S PICK: SAN DIEGO PADRES

The New York Mets will open a 4-game set tonight at SunTrust Park against the red hot Atlanta Braves. The Braves have won 3 straight and 7 of their last 8. Atlanta is expected to send Kevin Gausman to the rubber tonight and he was spectacular in his last turn against Miami. He yielded zero runs and just 2 hits over 7 frames, resulting in a 4-0 Atlanta victory. The Mets are expected to give the nod to southpaw Steven Matz. He has had some control issues early on but has been able to wiggle out of jams, yielding just 1 earned run over 10-1/3 innings of work. Matz had better be on target tonight because New York is 5-12 in their last 17 meetings with Atlanta and 2-5 in their last 7 trips to SunTrust Park. The Braves are hot, ride them ’til they’re not.
TONIGHT’S PICK: ATLANTA BRAVES