Chris Jordan
My free pick tonight is on the Oakland Athletics against the Cincinnati Reds. And in this game I want you listing Oakland right-hander Daniel Mengden.
The A's 14th-rated prospect prepares to make his Major League debut today and I love the way he has dominated in the Minors this season.
I watch a lot of MLB Network - especially the last few days due to the Draft - and I've heard a lot of good things about this kid.
The crafty northpaw posted a 1.19 ERA in his 11 starts between Double-A and Triple-A, while striking out 67 batters in 68 1/3 innings.
He does good of neutralizing hitters with a fastball (two- and four-seam), a change, a cutter, and a curve. His heater rides in at 93-94 miles per hour, and has been clocked as high as 98 this year.
He loves and uses his changeup as his top secondary offering, but his cutter is probably his most reliable pitch. He's developed a solid curve and isn't afaid to use it when needed.
I'm taking my chances with the road pup and rookie pitcher tonight.
5* ATHLETICS
Scott Delaney
Take the Cincinnati Reds tonight, as my free play.
I'm not listing pitchers, and to be honest, this is more about the Oakland Athletics, who come in mired in a six-game losing streak.
While I know Oakland has fared well in interleague play, posting a winning record in 12 of the past 19 seasons including four straight, Cincinnati is 3-0 at Great American Ball Park against Oakland after last night's win. Granted, the teams haven't met since 2013, when they split the season series 2-2, but the A's aren't playing good at the moment and we have to ride the momentum just as we did last night with the Reds.
Oakland is hitting just .237 this month, the eighth worst in the bigs. On the flipside, Cincinnati has June's fourth-best batting average (.297), while the Reds rank second overall and first in the National League with 58 runs scored this month.
And for the season, at home, the Reds rank second overall and first in the National League with 50 home runs.
Take Cincinnati tonight.
5* REDS
JACK JONES
Cleveland Indians +111
The Cleveland Indians should not be underdogs to the Los Angeles Angels today. The Indians have gone 8-2 in their last 10 games overall, while the Angels have lost five straight coming in. Cleveland also has the edge on the mound tonight.
Trevor Bauer is having a fine season, going 3-2 with a 3.67 ERA and 1.204 WHIP in eight starts. He's also 2-1 with a 3.04 ERA in four road starts. Bauer has never lost to the Angels, going 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA in two career starts against them.
Matt Shoemaker is one of the most inconsistent starters in the big leagues. He has gone 3-7 with a 5.40 ERA and 1.384 WHIP in 11 starts this season. Shoemaker has been at his worst at home, going 1-4 with a 5.51 ERA and 1.439 WHIP in six starts.
The Indians are 5-0 in their last five vs. a team with a losing record. Cleveland is 6-1 in its last seven games following a win. Los Angeles is 3-14 in Shoemaker's last 17 home starts. The Angels are 1-10 in Shoemaker's last 11 starts with a total set of 8 to 8.5 runs.
BRIAN HAY
New York Yankees -127
The New York Yankees are 15-8 over the last few weeks and their bullpen is pitching lights out. New York just needs to play their opponents even thru the first six innings and they're in very good shape. The Yank's send Masahiro Tanaka to the hill today. He comes in with a 2.76 ERA 1.01 WHIP in 12 starts this season. Detroit will counter with Justin Verlander and even though he's been pitching better of late I still believe he garners way too much respect in the betting markets. I expect this to be a tightly contested ball game but when it gets to the late innings the Yankees have a big advantage over the Tigers.
MICHAEL ALEXANDER
Royals vs. White Sox
Play: Royals +125
With Chris Young sporting an 0-5 mark with a 9.70 ERA and 13 homers allowed in five road starts, Kansas City opted to skip his turn in favor of Duffy today. Duffy posted his second straight quality start in a losing effort last time out, giving up two runs over 6 1/3 frames at Baltimore after beating Tampa Bay with six innings of three-run ball in his previous turn. Duffy is 3-2 with a 3.81 ERA in 13 career appearances (11 starts) versus the White Sox. CWS Starter Quintana is coming off his worst - and shortest - outing, lasting only 4 2/3 innings while allowing season highs in runs (five) and hits (nine) at Detroit to lose his fifth consecutive start. He allowed four runs in 6 1/3 innings versus the Royals on May 20 to fall to 1-7 with a 4.34 ERA against them.
DAVE PRICE
Colorado Rockies -1.5 -108
The Colorado Rockies have a massive edge on the mound today over the San Diego Padres and should roll to victory as a result. Tyler Chatwood has been phenomenal, going 7-4 with a 2.79 ERA and 1.151 WHIP in 12 starts this season. Those are numbers that we haven't seen from a Rockies' starter in quite some time. Erik Johnson is 0-2 with a 6.94 ERA and 1.714 WHIP in two starts this season. He was traded to the Padres in the James Shields deal to the White Sox. Chatwood is 2-0 with a 2.59 ERA and 1.068 WHIP in 4 lifetime starts vs. San Diego. The Padres are 3-16 (-12.0 Units) against the money line in day games this season. They are losing these contests by 2.9 runs per game on average. The Padres are 2-8 in their last 10 road games.
Wunderdog
Minnesota @ Washington
Pick: Washington +7.5
Mighty Minnesota is unbeaten, but had to play last night on the road, so this is the second of a back-to-back road spot. It's also their sixth road game in the last nine contests. Washington is fifth in the league in rebounds and has turned its season around after going winless in the first three games. The Mystics have won four of seven despite playing six of the last seven on the road. Washington is rested and has had two full days off, plus those four wins were all as a dog. They swept Minnesota in the regular season series last season. Minnesota is a veteran team with star power in the starting lineup, but not a dominant bench. And young Washington has a decent bench, so they matchup well with the defending champs. They might not win, but the rested home team will keep this close all the way.
Jimmy Moore
Yankees -115
Have to love the Yankees here with Tanaka over Verlander since Tanaka is 3-1 with an ERA of just 2.76 while Verlander is 5-5 with an ERA of just under 4. Justin has been especially bad on the road where his ERA is over 5. Tanaka has been stellar in his last 3 starts giving up only 3 earned runs in 20 innings of work. Take the Yankees at this very small favorite price here.
EXECUTIVE SPORTS
Detroit Tigers at New York Yankees
Play: New York Yankees -126
Yankees have won 5 in a row, and today Tanaka takes the mound, while Verlander starts for Detroit. Verlander is has not had much success against the Yankees, as his team is 0-4 in his last 4 starts against them. Yankees are 12-6 vs. Detroit the last 3 seasons, and 3-1 this season. Yankees bullpen ERA at home this season is 2.26. NY YANKEES are 22-10 after a game with a combined score of 4 runs or less over the last 2 seasons. DETROIT is 2-12 after a loss by 4 runs or more this season.