Inside the Chalk

The Washington Nationals have lost a rare 3 in a row but their ace Max Scherzer will take the hill today in Atlanta to try and right the ship. Scherzer is 4-2, with an ERA of 2.80, a WHIP of 0.95, and has been dominant against the Braves. Washington is 6-0 in Scherzer’s last 6 starts against the Braves and the Nationals are 10-4 in their last 14 trips to Atlanta. The 43-year old Bartolo Colón gets the nod for the Braves and he has seen better days. Colón is 2-4, with an ERA of 6.80, a WHIP of 1.47, and Atlanta is 3-9 in their last 12 home games. Chad Fairchild will be calling the shots and the road team is 6-0 in his last 6 games when he is behind home plate.

Today’s pick:

Washington Nationals

The San Diego Padres and the Arizona Diamondbacks will open a 3-game set tonight at Petco Park. The Padres will send Jared Weaver to the hill and he has been struggling to say the least. Weaver is 0-4, with an ERA of 6.05, a 1.34 WHIP and in his last 3 starts his ERA has ballooned to 9.00. The Padres are 0-8 in Weaver’s last 8 starts and the Diamondbacks are 8-3 in their last 11 meetings with the Friars. I’ll take the Diamondbacks in this one.

Tonight’s pick:

Arizona Diamondbacks

The Toronto Blue Jays will try to avoid being swept by the Atlanta Braves when they play the final game of a 4-game set tonight at SunTrust Park. Atlanta will be without their star, Freddie Freeman, after he was hit in the wrist in last night’s game. Julio Teheran will get the nod for the Braves tonight. Teheran is 3-3, with a 4.08 ERA, a 1.42 WHIP and has a 6.60 career ERA against Toronto. The Jays will send Marcus Stroman to the hill. Stroman is 3-2, with a 3.33 ERA, a 1.38 WHIP and has been dominant in interleague play, going 5-1 with a 2.18 ERA.

Tonight’s pick:

Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays lost their last two games to the Atlanta Braves at Rogers Centre but they hope to fare better now that the series has switched to SunTrust Park in Atlanta. The struggling Jays should get a boost in their lineup today as Troy Tulowitzki is expected to return. Toronto will send Joe Biagini to the hill and he is 1-1, with a 2.28 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP. Atlanta will counter with Mike Foltynewicz and he is 1-4, with a 4.04 ERA, a 1.35 WHIP, and Alanta is 1-5 in his last 6 starts. I like Toronto tonight.

Tonight’s pick:

Toronto Blue Jays

The Los Angeles Dodgers will try to even the score tonight with the San Francisco Giants when they play the second leg of a 3-game set at AT&T Park. Two lefties will face off tonight, with Rich Hill going for the Dodgers and Ty Blach for the Giants. Hill is 1-1, with an ERA of 3.38. The Giants Blach is winless at 0-2, with a 4.88 ERA, and San Francisco is 0-4 in Blach’s last 4 starts. The Dodgers can hit lefties, going 5-0 in their last 5 against southpaws. The Giants will be without Hunter Pence tonight, who is out with a hamstring issue. I like the Dodgers in this one.

Tonight’s pick:

Los Angeles Dodgers

Two flame throwers will square off today when Chris Archer and the Tampa Bay Rays travel to Progressive Field to face Carlos Carrasco and the Cleveland Indians. Both of these hurlers have been on their game. Chris Archer is 3-1, with an ERA of 3.04, and a WHIP of 1.12 but has struggled against Cleveland. In 5 career starts against the Tribe, Archer is 0-5 with an ERA of 5.14. Carlos Carasco has been lights out for Cleveland, with a record of 4-2, a 1.86 ERA, and a WHIP of just 0.77. Cleveland’s slugger Edwin Encarnación is 1-17 in his last 5 games and it’s just a matter of time before he gets back on track. Tampa Bay is 1-10 in their last 11 meetings with Cleveland and 0-4 in their last 4 trips to Progressive Field. The numbers say Indians in this one.

Tonight’s pick:

Cleveland Indians