With six days left on the regular-season schedule, the Major League Baseball enters a stirring finish. Three teams are battling for the best record in the league, while the race for wild-card spots in the American League is a pure thriller.
On the other side, the Milwaukee Brewers and Washington Nationals are four games ahead of the Chicago Cubs and four and a half games ahead of the New York Mets in the National League wild-card standings. Those two teams should hold on and clinch the playoff berth.
The things are boiling in the American League. The Oakland Athletics are two games ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Indians, so all three teams are in a must-win situation Tuesday night.
Arguably, the Rays have the tallest task of all, hosting the New York Yankees. While the Houston Astros lead the league with a 102-54 record, the Yankees (102-55) are right behind. The Yanks haven’t decided who will get the ball, so the bookies haven’t announced the odds yet.
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The Rays lost nine of their last 12 meetings with the Yankees and seven of the previous 11 at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay will start Brendan McKay, and the lefty is 2-4 in 11 starts this season, tallying a 5.40 ERA. The Yanks are 32-18 against the southpaw starting pitchers, so we suggest you avoid this clash.
The Oakland Athletics visit the LA Angels, looking for their seventh straight win in head-to-head meetings. Likewise, the A’s are 4-1 in their last five visits to Anaheim and 10-2 in their previous 12 games overall. On the other side, the Angels lost ten of their last 13 contests and are 1-6 in their last seven outings at home.
Homer Bailey will get the ball for the A’s who won seven of his last ten starts. Bailey is 13-8 this season with a 4.55 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. The Angels will start Dillon Peters, and the lefty is 3-3 this term with a 4.81 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP. The A’s dominated the left-handers in 2019, recording 33 wins and 12 losses.
The Cleveland Indians travel to Chicago for the AL Central showdown with the White Sox. The Indians are strong favorites on the road for a reason, starting their ace Mike Clevinger. You can find all tips and analysis for the clash between the Indians and White Sox here.
When it comes to the battle for the top spot in the MLB, we have already mentioned the Yankees’ tough matchup with the Tampa Bay Rays. On the other side, the Astros visit the Seattle Mariners, while the LA Dodgers (100-56) travel to San Diego.
The Astros are massive favorites to beat the Mariners on the road. They will start Gerrit Cole who’s 18-5 this term with a 2.61 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP. Likewise, the Astros won 11 straight contests with Cole on the mound, while Gerrit is 5-2 in his eight starts against the Mariners.
Furthermore, the Astros have won seven of their last eight contests and 16 of their previous 17 meetings with Seattle. The Mariners have won four of their last six games, but they played the hapless Orioles and Pirates.
Finally, the Los Angeles Dodgers are firm favorites to beat the San Diego Padres on the road. While the Dodgers have won eight of their last 12 outings, the Padres are 2-9 in their previous 11 games overall. The Dodgers have beaten the Padres in four of their last five meetings and six of the previous eight in San Diego.
Rich Hill will take the hill for the Dodgers who are unbeaten in his last five starts. The left-hander is 4-1 in 11 starts this season, recording a 2.68 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. Hill is 6-4 in 12 starts against the Padres who lost 19 of their 33 encounters with the southpaw starters this season.
Likewise, the Dodgers’ pitching staff if the best in the league with a 3.44 ERA. Their offense is the fifth-best with 5.47 runs per game. The Padres will start Ronald Bolanos (5.79 ERA; 1.43 WHIP), and the right-hander is 0-1 in two starts and one relief appearance in his rookie season.
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