Handicapper Big Al McMordie Free Sports Picks

At 6:10 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over the Tampa Bay Rays.  The Red Sox got help at the trade deadline in the areas of offense and relief pitching, picking up OF Kyle Schwarber and RP Hansel Robles.  But the starting pitchers -- there were plenty available -- landed in cities other than Boston.  This means the rotation which got the Sox to this point will have to continue to do its job the rest of the season.  That includes All Star RH starter Nathan Eovaldi who gets his 21st start of the season tonight.  It comes against a very tough opponent in the Rays, but Eovaldi should be up to the task.  The 31-year-old is 9-5 with a 3.49 ERA in 116 innings and his only other start this season against the Rays was a good one.  In his second start of the season on April 7, Eovaldi threw seven strong innings, allowing one run on three hits with seven strikeouts in a 9-2 Boston rout.  RH Ryan Yarbrough gets the ball for Tampa, and although he's 6-4 overall in 2021, Yarbrough is just 2-3 with a 5.40 ERA in 10 home games (seven starts).  Take Boston.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the New York Mets over the Cincinnati Reds.  MLB just wrapped up the biggest non-waiver trade period in its history with more All Stars changing teams than at any other time in the past.  Many of those occurred within the last 24 hours, which means that some of the trades that took place earlier in the week are all but forgotten at this point.  One such trade was when the Rays inexplicably traded veteran southpaw Rich Hill to the Mets.  The Mets have since made other, more major moves -- like acquiring IF Javier Baez from the Cubs -- but the Hill trade may prove to be as important as anything they do in the 2nd half.  Hill gets his 21st start of the season and his second for the Mets tonight and although he didn't win his Mets debut last Sunday, his team was victorious in that one over a very good Blue Jays squad.  Hill has a lot of experience against the Reds from his time with the Cubs.  In 13 games (11 starts) vs. Cincy, the 41-year-old is 5-3 with a 3.18 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in just over 62 innings.  Take New York.

At 8:40 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over the Colorado Rockies.  Prior to Friday night, the Padres needed their ace, Yu Darvish to step it up.  Now that San Diego has lost out on the Max Scherzer sweepstakes to their NL West rival Dodgers, the urgency for Darvish to pitch better and win some games is even more intensified.  The 34-year-old Japanese RH is 7-5 with a 3.27 ERA in 20 starts covering just under 116 innings, but Darvish hasn't won a game in more than a month (June 21) and the Pads are 1-3 in his July starts.  But those three San Diego defeats came on the road.  Tonight Darvish is back in his home park where he's done by far his best work this season.  In 12 home starts, Darvish is 5-2 with a 2.79 ERA vs. 2-3 and 4.03 in 8 road starts and the Padres are 10-2 in Darvish's starts here at Petco Park this season.  In five career starts vs. Colorado, Darvish is 3-1 with a 3.30 ERA and 1.07 WHIP.  Despite their victory here on Friday, the Rockies are just 3-10 in the last 13 meetings in San Diego.  Take the Padres.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.