It is the second official day of summer, and we have a nearly full slate of baseball on a Friday!
Mets 3, Cubs 4
With Shota Imanaga on the mound, it is hard to not go with Chicago, especially with a home day game. Imanaga has been dominant all year, but statistically is the best when at home (1.31 ERA) and during day games (0.88 ERA). Expect some more of the same against a Mets team that has admittedly been much better as of late.
Rays 6, Pirates 4
I know I personally have been waiting for the Rays to wake up all season. This team has shown year after year that they can get things done regardless of the star power on the roster. At three games under .500, and seemingly already buried by Baltimore and New York, it seems they need to start moving sooner than later if they want to make the postseason. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, got off to a scorching start, but have appeared to come down to earth over the past few months. With near identical records, I have to go with the team who in recent history has had more success in pulling out close games.
Diamondbacks 6, Phillies 3
A rematch of the National League Championship Series, both teams have trended in complete opposite directions since then. The Phillies, for most of the 2024 have looked like the best team in baseball. The Diamondbacks have looked like a completely different squad, struggling to remain at .500. That being said, last time these two teams played at Citizen’s Bank Park, the Diamondbacks shocked the world. Maybe some of that magic still exists (if any magic is left for the D-Backs)
Braves 5, Yankees 9
If you ask Atlanta where they expected to be at this point in 2024, I guarantee they would have been disappointed to hear that they were sitting 7-games out of 1st Place. A barrage of key injuries to MVP Ronald Acuna Jr and Spencer Strider certainly had an impact, but luckily for Atlanta, they are still 10 games over .500. This is a playoff team, regardless of how they get there, yet Atlanta would love to have more home games during the postseason. New York has been the best team in baseball, especially as of late. The duo of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto truly look like 1a and 1b best players in the American League, and Gerrit Cole is now just getting added to a team that is 51-26. Talk about a mid-season acquisition. While Atlanta’s Chris Sale has pitched like the Chris Sale of the past, but Yankees have had the opportunity to see him often during his time in Boston. Expect the Yankees to show out on Apple TV+.
Brewers 5, Padres 4
Colin Rea has been a surprise for Milwaukee, going 6-2 with a 3.29 ERA over 76.2 innings. His performance has been needed, especially with the departure of ace Corbin Burnes, and the injury to Brandon Woodruff. Rea, who started his career in 2015 with San Diego, gets an opportunity to show them how far he’s come. On the other end, Dylan Cease, a major off season acquisition from the White Sox, has not been the ace that they expected, at least as of yet. Over his last 7 games, Cease has struggled mightily, putting up a 6.27 ERA to pair with a 1.50 WHIP.
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