It seems like just yesterday was opening day. Boy, does time fly; we are now more than a third of the way into the baseball season. While the American League seems to be fulfilling pre-season predictions, the National League is still up for grabs. Well, there is still a lot of baseball to go.
I said it before and I’ll say it again: “This is going to be the most exciting MLB campaign in years.”
Just as exciting, are my picks in GamingToday. With a split last week, my Best Bet plays are 12-6. Here are this week’s top plays (all stats and trends may change as can starting pitchers):
Tuesday
Yankees over Blue Jays: New York not only owns the best record in baseball (37-17), and is riding a four-game win streak, but has also gotten the best of Toronto this season, taking five of the eight meetings. The Yankees possess the No. 1 offense in the majors, leading both league’s in scoring (5.65 RPG) and HR’s (90). The big surprise is their pitching, which ranks 12th overall, with a team 3.80 ERA.
Seasoned veteran C.C. Sabathia gets the road start here. The lefty is 2-1 with a 3.73 ERA on the campaign. Toronto has slipped into fourth place in the competitive AL East at 26-33, including a dismal 12-17 home mark. The Blue Jays send Marco Estrada to the hill. The righty is 2-6 with a 5.68 ERA. Through his 11 years as a pro, he dons a lifetime 57-58 record.
New York is 6-1 in their last seven played vs. AL East opponents, 12-4 on the road, and 15-6 in Sabathia’s past 21 starts vs. the AL East.
Toronto is 0-5 in their last five games played vs. AL East foes, 1-8 in the past nine at home, and 0-4 in Estrada’s last four overall starts. YANKEES
Mariners over Houston: The Astros own the best pitching staff in baseball, with a 2.82 ERA. Of their starters, four have winning records (Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, Charlie Morton, and Lance McCullers Jr. are a combined 27-7). Dallas Keuchel is the only weak link in the chain. The lefty is 3-7 with a 3.65 ERA. This doesn’t bode well for an Astros team that accounts for just 4.16 RPG at home.
Seattle has won four in a row and 13 of 16 to take a one game lead over Houston in the Division. Lefty James Paxton has been solid, with a 4-1, 3.13 ERA mark. The M’s lineup is starting to hit (.257 BA) and once on base, they are dangerous (42 SB’s). Seattle is 4-0 in their last four Game 1’s of a series, 11-5 in their past 16 on the road, and 7-3 in Paxton’s last 10 overall starts. MARINERS
Good luck and have a winning day.