Inside the Chalk

The New York Yankees are on a roll and tonight they will be in Camden Yards to open a 4-game set against the Baltimore Orioles. J.A. Happ will be tapping the rubber for the Yanks and the southpaw is 2-1 in his last 3 turns, with a 3.94 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP, and the Bombers are 7-1 in his last 8 road starts. Andrew Cashner will get the nod for the Orioles and he had better be on his game because the Boys from the Bronx are 13-3 in their last 16 trips to the Yard. TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES 

The Arizona Diamondbacks will have their best flame thrower on the hill, Robbie Ray, when they go for the series win over the San Francisco Giants in a matinée today at Chase Field. Robbie Ray has been lights out over his last 3, with a record of 2-0, a 1.10 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. In his career, he has been a Giant killer, with a record of 4-1 and a 2.89 ERA. The Giants will counter with Drew Pomeranz and his numbers have not been good. He is 1-4 on the season, with a 5.93 ERA, a 1.62 WHIP, and over his last 3 turns, his ERA has ballooned to 7.71. I like the D’backs in this one.
TODAY’S PICK: ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

The Philadelphia Phillies snapped their 3-game skid yesterday thanks to the bats of Bryce Harper and Andrew McCutcheon. Today they will go for a series win against the Colorado Rockies when they play the second game of a 3-game set at Citizens Bank Park. I like the Phillies chances in this one because they will have their ace on the hill, Aaron Nola. He is a perfect 3-0 on the season, with a 4.86 ERA, and a 1.55 WHIP. Over his last 3, that ERA has dropped to 3.07 and Philadelphia is 4-1 in Nola’s last 5 starts. The Rockies will send Antonio Senzatela to the hill and he is 3-2 on the season but his ERA is elevated at 5.35 with a 1.40 WHIP, and over his last 3 turns, his ERA has soared to 7.04. Harper and company should be able to take advantage of that and the Phillies are 4-1 in their last 5 at home against the Rocks.
TODAY’S PICK: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

The Cleveland Indians offense has finally come alive, racking up 23 runs over their last two games, and they put up 14 last night at home against Baltimore in Game 1 of their 4-game set. Their recent surge should continue tonight because Baltimore is expected to send Dylan Bundy to the rubber. Bundy has been shaky at 1-5, with a 5.31 ERA, a 1.30 WHIP, and the Orioles are just 1-9 in his last 10 road starts. The Indians are expected to hand the ball to the young flame thrower, Jefry Rodríguez. Rodríguez has pitched well despite a 1-2 record. He has an ERA of only 2.92, a 1.18 WHIP, and looked sharp in his last turn against Oakland, resulting in a 5-3 Cleveland win. The Tribe has dominated the Orioles, winning 6 of their last 7, and are 35-17 against them in their last 52 at Progressive Field.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CLEVELAND INDIANS

The San Diego Padres will have their young flame thrower, Chris Paddack, on the hill tonight when they open a 2-game set against the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Ravine. Paddack has been nothing but amazing. This kid is 3-1, with a 1.55 ERA, and a 0.69 WHIP with 46 K’s and only 10 walks. Now that is dominance. It won’t be a walk in the park for the Friars because Clayton Kershaw will be tapping the rubber for the Dodgers and he has been a Padre killer. The Dodgers are 8-0 in his last 8 turns against the Padres but he is not the force he once was. Kershaw sits at 2-0, and is lucky to be there, with a 3.31 ERA, and he did not look good in his last turn, yielding 4 runs on 9 hits is 6-2/3 innings of work. The Padres are good on the road, at 12-8, and will be a dog tonight. A wager on the Friars is worth consideration.
TONIGHT’S PICK: SAN DIEGO PADRES

The Houston Astros 5-game winning streak will be in jeopardy tonight when they visit Comerica Park to open a 3-game set with the Detroit Tigers. Detroit will have the flame throwing southpaw, Matt Boyd, on the hill. Boyd has been delivering, with a record of 4-2, an ERA of just 2.86, and a stingy 0.93 WHIP. Houston will counter with Brad Peacock, who has been mediocre at best, with a record of 3-2, an elevated 4.30 ERA, and a 1.09 WHIP. When Matt Boyd takes the hill at home, good things happen. The Tigers win. They are 14-3 in Boyd’s last 17 home starts. Take the home dog here.
TONIGHT’S PICK: DETROIT TIGERS