Fernando Tatis Jr vs Detroit Tigers
- Nando has owned Jack Flaherty, sending two balls deep in only 10 at-bats.
Pete Alonso vs Philadelphia Phillies
- The Polar Bear is batting .400 against lefties with one home run to his name already this season. He’s also taken Phillies starter Christopher Sanchez deep in the past.
Dean Kremer (BAL) vs Mitchell Parker (WAS)
Both the O’s and the Nats have enjoyed a day off, but so far that has caused problems for the Birds with Baltimore posting an 0-2 record.
Nats lefty Mitchell Parker has been solid through four starts this season, pitching to a 3.61 ERA with only one homer allowed. The Orioles rank bottom of the league in runs scored and Top 10 in strikeout percentage against left-handed pitching, so I think you can build a case here for the Nationals at home.
Dustin May (LAD) vs Shota Imanaga (CHC)
Could be another good pitchers’ duel here with May sporting an ERA just over 1.00 and Shota coming off a five-inning shutout against the Padres in San Diego last week.
Imanaga shut out the Dodgers for four frames when he kicked off the season in Tokyo last month, while May has made only the one start at Wrigley Field, going 5.1 innings two years go where he gave up only two earned runs on as many hits.
These two high-powered offences could dent the scoreboard, but given the pitching matchup, they might also cancel each other out in a low-scoring Game 1.
This isn’t a bad spot to bet the A’s with the Rangers sending left-hander Patrick Corbin to the mound.
The 35-year-old has fared much better in two starts then he did last year, but he did give up three earned runs to a loaded Cubs lineup a few weeks ago, before lasting just over five innings against the Angels.
This A’s team is still hovering around .500, and although they’ve struggled to score against lefties, they do rank 10th in runs scored over the last seven days.