MLB Play of the Day

This is similar to Cleveland’s four-game sweep of Kansas City recently that was followed the next day by a shutout, no-hitter loss at Cincinnati. Tonight we have the Tigers hosting the Cubs after they, too, swept their AL Central division rival, Kansas City, in a three-game series completed yesterday. The Tigers are now thinking who the heck they are, forgetting that they actually are 13-24 with the worst run differential in MLB, -64. While sweeping the poor Royals, current losers of 11 straight, the Detroit bullpen managed several miraculous escapes from self-inflicted damage, living up to its MLB worst ERA (6.55) and WHIP (1.75). Tonight they ask a lefty with a 1-9 career W/L record, and a 5.67 ERA and 1.59 WHIP after five starts this season, to hold down the Cubs before the bullpen comes in and inevitably gives up runs. Tarik Skubal has appeared in a total of seven games for the Tigers this season and they have lost all seven. The Cubs are only 4-11 on the road but this is the first time they play a road game against a last-place team with a -64 run differential, right? Right.

See how nicely we link one selection into the next? Veteran lefty Wade Miley of the Reds is the guy who threw the no-hitter against the Indians in his last start, the day after the Cleveland had swept the four games at Kansas City. His curveball and slider were moving all over the place that night. They have to. His fastball has topped the radar gun at only 89.5 mph this season. But when a pitcher is throwing in Coors Field, the very different atmospheric conditions prevent the ball from breaking as much as it normally would. Miley normally lasts 5 innings in his starts, 6 innings tops. But he went the full 9 against Cleveland, throwing 114 pitches. With a lesser breaking ball and sub-par fastball, he’ll be lucky to last 3 innings tonight. German Marquez’s overall numbers do not impress. But three bad starts (mixed with five good to “just fine” outings) have played a big part in creating the 5.65 ERA and 1.65 WHIP that we feel are enroute to being lowered.

Matt Shoemaker does great against Detroit, the run-scoring team in what you call your Major League Baseball. Against most other teams, not so good. The former Angel meets a familiar foe tonight as the A’s hit town hot off a sweep in Fenway Park. Bang-zoom, we say. He’s already lost 7-0 and 8-6 games to Oakland and Seattle, two of the teams who chased him out of the AL West so that Minnesota would throw him a bone. Aren’t the A’s happy to meet up with him tonight as they have a nice, fat .905 OPS against Shoemaker from 98 at-bats? After Shoemaker, the Twins bullpen has guys ready to be as detrimental to their team as Shoemaker. Meanwhile, Oakland’s Frankie Montas: 5.50 ERA, 1.44 WHIP. This is on the heels of a 2020 season in which those numbers were 5.60, 1.51. We’re on a track here, Frankie, and it’s a less than ordinary one.

We came for the Side and Total last night, too much. We’ll stay, but for only the Total tonight after the two least-hitting MLB offenses combined for only 8 hits, 6 runs in Thursday’s Under. In recent seasons, the Indians’ organization has said, ‘No big contract for you!’ to Trevor Bauer, and ‘Same to you!’ to Mike Clevinger. Both had the word “ace” in front of their names. But the franchise pretty much knew what was waiting in the wings with last night’s starter, Zach (I Shall Pitch 8 Innings of Two-Hit Ball for the Under) Plesac and tonight’s, Aaron Civale. A mystery to the Mariners, who average the fewest hits per game against pitchers they’ve seen before, Civale’s current ERA and WHIP are 2.91 and 1.04. Chris isn’t Flexen his muscles much so far for Seattle (3.43 ERA, 1.37 WHIP) but as noted yesterday, the offenses average about 6.5 hits per game each.

Toronto went into the tank a while back and they have absolutely nothing to play for here. Dallas still has to hustle and win this game and their last regular season game in Minnesota to be the master of their own playoff destiny. Timmy Hardaway Jr. has been filling it up of late for the Texans and when Toronto beat Dallas early in the season, Luca Doncic only had 15 points. The Canadians were in Chicago on Thursday and the tank performance was in full bloom as the Bulls had a 66 to 47 lead after 24 minutes and the Raptors further relented. Consider that Toronto is 7-47 ATS in games they lose when playing without rest against foes avenging a same season loss of 6 or more points.

OKC competed for the first 24 minutes in the loss on Tuesday but then were outscored by 23 in the third quarter as Sacramento soared. The Thunder have lost 8 in a row and has only won twice in their last 27 games. OKC’s Gabriel Deck has moved into the rotation but he has only played 8 NBA games. Utah is clinging to the top seed in the West. They have lost two in a row. They have never lost 3 in a row this season. In the games this season following 2 losses, Utah has won by 13, 15, 17 and 50 points

Cruel and unusual punishment for the Magic. The league is asking them to play a second of road back-to-backs against the rested top team in the Eastern Conference which, while it doesn’t need a win to stay there, would bring Philly’s magic number to 1 for clinching the East’s #1 seed, from a pool of their next game, also vs. Orlando, and Brooklyn’s two vs. Chicago and Cleveland. It would be classic Doc Rivers to have his team primed and ready to destroy a weakling off two road losses at Indiana and Miami in which the 76ers failed to reach 100 points in either.

You better believe we’re going right back to Coors Field on the Over side with this match-up after they scored 21 runs for us last night. Wade Miley is coming off a no-hitter. When a journeyman like Miley pitches a no-hitter, how can you not expect him to give up 6 runs in less than 5 innings next time out? Miley relies on curves and sliders that move a lot. In the Coors Field air, pitchers don’t get the kind of movement they need on those pitches. That’s why Coors Field scores are so high, and that’s why Miley, who has pitched for about 29 major league teams, more than likely will never be extended a contract by the Rockies. Meanwhile, German Marquez has been a disappointment with a 5.65 ERA and the Reds can hit.

Foligno wasn't satisfied with how the Leafs performed in their most recent game, though Toronto still secured a point in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday. The Maple Leafs have gone nine games (7-0-2) without a regulation loss. The Jets hope Tuesday's 5-0 shutout of the Vancouver Canucks has already served as their turn-around game. Winnipeg entered that game amid what team captain Blake Wheeler described as "as adverse of a stretch as I've been through." The Jets were 1-9-0 with only 17 goals scored in their previous 10 outings.