Pick: Milwaukee Brewers
Sheesh, what pig slop…Matt Garza and Luis Castillo?? These are the tools you give me to paint the masterpiece prediction that is the #BPS??? I feel like I’m in elementary school Art class again and Mrs. Beltz is grading me on my drawing but I’m handicapped because I’m stuck using markers that are dried up because Travis doesn’t know how to put the caps back on correctly. It’s the arrow, not the archer Beltz! And why the hell am I drawing fruits in the 4th grade?! Where’s the papier-mache?? I digress… Neither Garza or Castillo are viable utensils to help either team win the ball game this afternoon, so other factors will need to come into play. On the offensive side of the ball, Milwaukee is clearly the better team. Top 10 in the NL in OPS (On-Base Percentage- gotta get on base if you wanna score runs, and ya gotta score runs if you wanna win games) and Top 4 in the MLB in HR’s are among their highest honors this season and they’ll look to showcase that against Cincinnati’s rookie, Luis Castillo. Drive is the biggest indicator for MLB teams in September as clubs with playoff hopes plunge to the finish, and those out of it begin to dream of winter vacations. We find ourselves in that situation here. The Brewers are 2.5 games back of the Rockies for the last Wildcard spot in the National League and can’t afford any losses to lower echelon teams such as the Reds. Look for the Brewers to avoid the sweep this afternoon and complete the upset against their division rivals.
Pick: Tampa Bay Rays
Battle of the skyscrapers! This afternoon’s matchup consists of two pitchers who literally tower over their competition. Tampa Bay’s Blake Snell at 6’5 and Minnesota’s Aaron Slegers at 6’10 will face off today in a premiere matchup of two highly touted pitching prospects. At first sight, your arrow might point towards Slegers, but don’t judge a book by its cover. Although Slegers pitched well in his only start this season against the Cleveland Indians back in August, Snell is the one playing like a seasoned vet. The lefty hurler went undefeated in the month of August which included a steamy hot 1.91 ERA in his last 3 starts as he slammed the door on his opponents holding batters to a .193 batting average. Translation: cute debut Aaron, but Blake’s arm is the real bazooka here. I look forward to watching Slegers as his career progresses, but Snelly Bean over here is pitching like an All Star, and you know I love pitching. Tampa wins it.
Pick: Texas Rangers
A game of debuts. After being dealt from the Chicago White Sox last Thursday, Miguel Gonzalez will make his first appearance as a starter in a Texas Rangers uniform. Opposite of him is another player making his debut- Luiz Gohara. Gohara was a heavily recruited pitcher out of Brazil who originally signed with the Seattle Mariners as a 16 year old but was later traded to Atlanta in 2016. The Brazilian Nightmare has a lot of talent, reaching speeds of 100mph on his fastball, but consistency issues have hindered his progression. Like Snell and Slegers, Gohara is a prospect I look forward to seeing in the future, but today, I see a rain clouds in his forecast. Texas is a talented team fighting for a playoff spot (there’s that drive again), and Gonzalez is a formidable starter who has played lights out in his last three outings (just under 7 innings a game with a 1.85 ERA). Gohara catches the Rangers off guard at first, but ultimately takes the L in this game.
Pick: Los Angeles Angels
The Angels are movin’ and groovin’. The team has been on a tear lately (wins in 7 of their last 10) as they’ve pushed themselves into a playoff spot. Albert Pujols is hitting like the Albert of old, Mike Trout is stealing bases like a western bandit, and their trade for Justin Upton has been nothing but magic. If it wasn’t for their terrible pitching staff, I’d say Angels in a heartbeat. Luckily for the Halos however, Oakland is sporting a wounded calf of their own. Sean Manaea has been a shell of himself since the All Star break when he once held one of the best ERA/Win Totals in the league. A month ago, Manaea got clocked by Los Angeles, barely getting through 3 innings, I predict it happens again. The Angels win our #BPS finale.