Inside the Chalk

All Corey Kluber does is win and that’s who the Cleveland Indians will have on the hill tonight when they host the Minnesota Twins. Kluber is 10-2 on the season, with a stingy 1.99 ERA, a 0.83 WHIP, and he has yielded a mere 7 runs in his last 41-1/3 frames. Now that’s impressive. Minnesota is just 2-8 in their last 10 road games and will turn to Kyle Gibson to throw strikes. Gibson has pitched better than his 1-4 record indicates. His ERA is respectable at 3.45 and he has a 1.19 WHIP however, he has struggled against Cleveland, with a career record of 2-6 and an ERA of 5.60. When Kluber is on the bump against the American League Central, the Indians are 22-6 in his last 28 starts. Cleveland should get this one.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CLEVELAND INDIANS

The Cleveland Indians have now lost two in a row to the lowly Chicago White Sox and will try to get back on track today when the two clubs finish out a 4-game set at Guaranteed Rate Field. The White Sox will have Carlos Rodon on the hill and he will be making just his second start of the season. In his first outing on Saturday against the Red Sox, the rust was evident. Rodon lasted 5 innings and yielded 4 runs on 6 hits. The Indians will go with Mike Clevinger who has been reliable at 4-2, with a 3.31 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. Cleveland has won 10 of the last 13 meetings. Carlos Torres will be calling balls and strikes and the Indians are 5-0 in their last 5 games when he is behind the dish.
TODAY’S PICK: CLEVELAND INDIANS

Chris Sale is on the hill for the Boston Red Sox and they are facing the worst team in baseball, the Baltimore Orioles. Enough said.
TONIGHT’S PICK: BOSTON RED SOX

The Colorado Rockies are in a tailspin and it won’t get any easier for them tonight because they will be at Citizens Bank Park to take on Aaron Nola and the Philadelphia Phillies. All Nola does is deliver. He is 7-2, with a 2.35 ERA, a stingy WHIP of just 0.96, and Philadelphia is 14-3 in his last 17 home starts. Colorado will counter with Jon Gray and he does not deliver. He is 6-6, with a 5.66 ERA, and a 1.51 WHIP. The Rockies have now lost 4 in a row and 8 of their last 10. Consider Philly in this one.
TONIGHT’S PICK: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

Madison Bumgarner will be making his second start of the season when the San Francisco Giants pay a visit to Marlins Park for a 4-game set against the Miami Marlins. Despite taking a loss in his season debut, Mad Bum pitched well and I expect that all the kinks will be worked out for tonight’s turn. Miami will counter with Wei-Yin Chen and he has been disappointing at 1-3, with a 5.86 ERA, and a 1.56 WHIP. The Marlins are just 1-6 in their last 7 home games and have struggled with lefties, which does not bode well against a flame throwing southie, like Bumgarner. The Giants are surging, winning 8 of their last 10 games and they are 4-1 in their last 5 games when the Mad Man is on the hill against the National League East. Look out Arizona, the Giants are coming.
TONIGHT’S PICK: SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

The New York Yankees are clicking on every cylinder and will have their ace flame thrower, Luis Severino, on the hill tonight when they go for a sweep against their cross town rival, the New York Mets. The Mets are a disaster, with a record of 27-34, and they have now lost 8 in a row. They do have a glimmer of hope tonight because Seth Lugo will be on the hill. Lugo’s numbers are impressive, with a record of 1-1, a 2.04 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP in 39-2/3 innings of work. Yankee Luis Severino has been lights out. He is 9-1, with a 2.20 ERA, and a 0.93 WHIP in 86 innings of work. The Bombers’ bats are relentless and they have won the last 6 meetings with the Mets. Tonight it should be 7.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

It is obvious the Boston Red Sox miss their top two sluggers, Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez, after losing last night at Fenway to the lowly Chicago White Sox, 1-0. Martinez, who leads the league with 20 home runs, says he should be in the lineup today for the second game of the 3-game set against Chicago. This should ignite Boston’s sputtering offense. The Red Sox will send the veteran David Price to the rubber. Last year’s season seems to be a distant memory for the flame throwing southpaw, who is a respectable 6-4, with a 4.08 ERA, and a 1.24 WHIP. Price is 2-0 in his last 3 turns, with a 3.18 ERA and a WHIP of 1.18. The White Sox will give the nod to Carlos Rodon. Rodon has been plagued with injuries this year and last. He will be making his season debut today. Last year’s numbers were not great, at 2-5, with a 4.15 ERA. Chicago’s road record is dismal, at 11-21. They are just 1-6 in their last 7 meetings with Boston and 1-5 in their last 6 visits to Fenway. The Red Sox need to get back on track today to keep pace with the Yankees and they know it.
TODAY’S PICK: BOSTON RED SOX