It’s a new week and the baseball season continues to roll on. Our team of writers and handicappers gathered three of their top picks for Monday’s MLB action.
San Francisco Giants (52-71) at Atlanta Braves (56-68)
Outstanding pitching has certainly made a difference for the San Francisco Giants against the struggling Atlanta Braves.
On Monday, Barry Zito will try to help the Giants beat Atlanta for the fifth time in two weeks while he looks to avoid a third consecutive loss.
The Giants (52-71) have won six of their last 13 games, but gone 4-2 against the Braves (56-68) in that span to secure the season series.
Atlanta hopes Jorge Campillo (7-5, 3.09) can rebound from his first loss in seven games as he faces San Francisco for the first time.
The right-hander was reached for five runs - four in the opening inning - and seven hits in five innings of an 8-0 loss to Chicago on Wednesday as Atlanta was swept in a doubleheader. He was 4-0 with a 2.31 ERA in his six previous starts.
Pick: Atlanta - Best line -200 SBG Global
Oakland Athletics (56-67) at Minnesota Twins (70-53)
No team in baseball has been better than Minnesota over the past two months, and it's been even longer since the Twins lost a series at the Metrodome. The woeful Oakland Athletics seem unlikely to threaten that streak.
Tied for first place in the AL Central, the Twins try for their fifth straight win Monday when they open a three-game set against the A's, baseball's worst team since the All-Star break.
Minnesota (70-53) was a sub-.500 team in mid-June, but they have the best record in the major leagues since June 17. The Twins are 36-17 in the past two months - a record that's all the more impressive considering they are 11-11 on the road in that span.
The A's will try to get their offense going Monday against Nick Blackburn (9-6, 3.73 ERA). The rookie right-hander has looked excellent in stretches this season, but struggled in his latest start. He gave up four runs in 4 2-3 innings of a 9-6, 12-inning loss to New York on Tuesday.
Blackburn has never faced the A's.
Pick: Oakland - Best line +120 SBG Global