Big Al McMordie

At 6:40 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Cristopher Sanchez will get the start for the Phils, and he's 9-3 on the season, with a 2.13 ERA and 1.10 WHIP.  At home, those numbers get much better:  6-1, with a 0.95 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP.  Certainly, the Phillies are laying a big price this evening.  But they're 21-2 their last 23 as a favorite priced at -150 (or more).  Additionally, the Buccos are a brutal 56-92 (minus 13.1 net games) as a road underdog, and 44-59 (minus 14.8 net games) vs. lefties.  When Sanchez last faced Pittsburgh, he threw a complete game and shut them out, 6-0, and allowed just six hits.  Take the Phillies.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. 

At 7:15 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the St. Louis Cardinals.  If nothing else, Martin Perez knows how to keep a Major League career going.  The 35-year-old Venezuelan pitcher counts Atlanta as the seventh team he has played for over a 15-year career that began with the Rangers in 2012.  It certainly doesn't hurt his longevity that Perez is a crafty southpaw -- a lefthander who doesn't throw particularly hard but who knows how to get hitters out and can stay relatively healthy in the process.  Although he's only been to the post-season three times, Perez won a World Series ring with the Rangers in 2023 (his second stint with them) and now he looks to try to do it again in the NL with the Braves.  He'll get start number 13 tonight (he also has four relief appearances) and it comes against a Cardinals team that he's had success against.  In five career starts vs. St. Louis, Perez is 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA in just under 33 innings.  Take the Braves.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.