Baseball has finally reached its home stretch as teams battle for the postseason. Our team of writers and handicappers gathered three of their top picks for Monday’s MLB action.
Atlanta Braves (59-79) at Florida Marlins (70-68)
If the Florida Marlins are serious about making a playoff run, winning back-to-back games would be a step in the right direction.
The Marlins try to win two in a row for the first time in a month on Tuesday when they continue their three-game series against the lowly Atlanta Braves.
Florida (70-68) entered August just 1 1/2 games out of first place in the NL East, but had the league's fourth-worst record in the month (11-17) to fall seven games back of the division-leading New York Mets.
Atlanta's Charlie Morton (4-8, 6.10 ERA) and Florida's Anibal Sanchez (2-3, 4.46) will face off for the second time in a week.
Morton gave up two runs and four hits in six innings in a 4-2 win on Thursday, while Sanchez allowed four runs, five hits and five walks in five innings to take the loss. Morton, a right-handed rookie, had posted a 10.24 ERA in losing his previous three starts.
He's looking to win consecutive starts for the first time in his brief career. In his only other start against the Marlins on July 22, Morton gave up four runs, two hits and four walks in 5 2-3 innings of a 4-0 loss.
Pick: Florida - Best line -155 SBG Global
Philadelphia Phillies (75-63) at Washington Nationals (53-85)
It's apparently going to take a strong effort to beat the Washington Nationals these days. A gem from Philadelphia Phillies ace Cole Hamels may not even be enough.
After slipping in the NL East race, the Phillies hope Hamels can finally parley a strong effort against the Nationals into a win as the teams play the middle game of their series Tuesday night.
Though it has the worst record in baseball, Washington (53-85) has been able to put together the longest current winning streak in baseball. The Nationals won their seventh straight game Monday, beating the Phillies 9-4 to drop Philadelphia (75-63) two games behind the NL East-leading New York Mets.
Putting Hamels (11-8, 3.13 ERA) on the mound seems to give the Phillies a good chance to end their funk, but two of his best starts of the season weren't enough to beat the Nationals. Philadelphia lost both of Hamels starts against Washington 1-0, with the left-hander boasting a .164 opponents batting average and striking out 17 in 15 innings.
He is 4-3 with a 2.25 ERA in 11 career starts versus the Nationals.
Hamels' pitch count might be limited in this game because the Phillies are considering using him on four days' rest against the Mets on Sunday, according to the team's official Web site. He is 2-1 with a 2.04 ERA in his last five starts.
Pick: Philadelphia - Best line -190 SBG Global
San Francisco Giants (59-78) at Colorado Rockies (65-74)
Tim Lincecum's outstanding season has put him in the running for the NL Cy Young Award.
The ace gets another chance to strengthen his case Tuesday night when the San Francisco Giants face the Colorado Rockies in the middle game of their series at Coors Field.
Lincecum (15-3, 2.43 ERA) leads the majors with 210 strikeouts and owns the lowest ERA in the NL in just his second major-league season. He went 7-5 with a 4.00 ERA and 150 strikeouts in 146 1-3 innings over 24 starts last year, and is now considered a serious contender for the Cy Young.
Lincecum is 2-0 with a 1.74 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 20 2-3 innings over his last three starts against Colorado.
He'll now attempt to help San Francisco halt a four-game slide and try to rebound from Monday's 4-0 loss to the Rockies.
Pick: San Francisco - Best line -180 SBG Global