Sunday 5-27-18 Free Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Etc

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Chicago White Sox vs. Detroit Tigers Preview and Predictions 05-27-2018

26th May 2018 by Gracenote
jose abreu is on a tear for the chicago white sox, who will try to ride their hot-hitting first baseman to a series win when they play the rubber match of a three-game set at the detroit tigers on sunday. abreu homered, doubled twice and singled in four at-bats to power the white sox to an 8-4 win in saturday's meeting - his seventh multi-hit effort in the last nine games.

the veteran slugger has 12 extra-base hits and nine rbis in those nine contests, and shortstop tim anderson has gotten into the act with three homers over the last two days. tigers rookie jeimer candelario matched anderson with a pair of long balls in saturday's loss and he has four rbis in two games since coming off the disabled list. detroit may get two-time mvp miguel cabrera, out since may 4 with a hamstring injury, back for the series finale. the timing would be nice for the tigers, as cabrera is 27-for-71 with four homers in his career against james shields, who gets the start sunday for the white sox.
tv: 1:10 p.m. et, nbcs chicago, fs detroit
pitching matchup: white sox rh james shields (1-4, 4.62 era) vs. tigers lh blaine hardy (0-0, 3.46)

shields has four quality starts in five turns this month and held baltimore to two runs in seven innings his last time out. he has finished at least six frames in six consecutive outings, allowing 25 hits in 39 innings during that span. the 36-year-old, who despite his solid stretch hasn't picked up a win since march 29, is 9-8 with a 4.46 era in 26 career starts against detroit.
hardy has made four relief appearances and two starts with the tigers, including five innings of two-run ball at minnesota on monday. he has issued only one walk in 9 2/3 frames over his last three outings. matt davidson has a home run and a double in three career at-bats against hardy, who owns a 5.06 era in 18 career relief appearances against the white sox.

walk-offs

1. davidson has missed four straight games with back tightness.

2. abreu is hitting .343 with 16 home runs in 78 career games against detroit.

3. candelario reached base in each of his last 20 games.

prediction: white sox 5, tigers 4

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Houston Astros vs. Cleveland Indians Preview and Predictions 05-27-2018

27th May 2018 by Gracenote
it will be a battle of former college teammates and top-three draft picks on the mound when the houston astros visit the cleveland indians on sunday afternoon for the finale of a four-game series. houston's gerrit cole was selected first overall by pittsburgh in 2011, while cleveland's trevor bauer went to arizona two picks later and the former ucla bruins meet for the first time in the majors.

cole won his only start against the indians in 2015 and bauer has been victorious in all seven career meetings against the astros, but he missed them in the first series between the teams earlier this month. cole will try to cool off a cleveland lineup that launched four homers in the 8-6 victory saturday night after the indians dropped the first two games of the series and four of the first five versus houston this season. michael brantley hit one of the homers for cleveland - his fifth during a 15-game hitting streak in which he is 23-for-66 with 16 rbis - while edwin encarnacion connected on a two-run shot and is 5-for-7 in the last two contests. the astros lost for just the second time in 10 outings, but reigning american league mvp jose altuve had four hits in saturday's setback and is 6-for-9 in the past two contests with five multi-hit games in his last seven.
tv: 1:10 p.m. et, mlb network, at&t sportsnet southwest (houston), sportstime ohio (cleveland)
pitching matchup: astros rh gerrit cole (5-1, 1.86 era) vs. indians rh trevor bauer (4-3, 2.35)

cole is unbeaten in his last five appearances after allowing two runs on four hits and three walks over six innings with eight strikeouts to beat san francisco on tuesday. the 27-year-old, who boasts 101 strikeouts and 17 walks in 67 2/3 innings this year, has not given up more than three runs in any start and surrendered two or fewer in eight of 10. yonder alonso is 3-for-5 with three rbis versus cole, who gave up three runs in eight innings against cleveland in 2015.
bauer has not permitted a run in his last two outings, yielding 11 hits versus two walks to go along with 16 strikeouts over 14 combined innings. the 27-year-old has struck out 73 in 65 innings overall, giving up three homers and allowing opponents to bat just .214 against him. yuli gurriel is 4-for-8 with a home run while evan gattis and brian mccann have each gone deep twice versus bauer, who owns a 2.89 era in his career against the astros.
walk-offs

1. gurriel has hit safely in seven of the last eight games overall and is 20-for-59 in his career against cleveland.
2. the indians placed lhp andrew miller on the 10-day disabled list saturday with right knee inflammation.

3. astros ss carlos correa is 6-for-17 with four rbis and three runs scored during a four-game hitting streak.

prediction: astros 3, indians 1

[Can'tPickAWinner]

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Preview and Predictions 05-27-2018

26th May 2018 by Gracenote
the st. louis cardinals seek their first series win in three weeks when they visit the pittsburgh pirates for the rubber match of a three-game set sunday afternoon. jack flaherty threw six solid innings and matt carpenter slugged a home run in the cardinals' 4-1 win in saturday's contest, which snapped their three-game slide.

jose martinez added three hits for st. louis, which is 0-2-3 over its last five series. the win did not come without issue, however, as cardinals outfielder dexter fowler left saturday's game in the fourth inning after being hit on the knee with a pitch and he will be re-evaluated sunday. miles mikolas gets the nod in the finale for the cardinals looking to follow up his first career shutout last monday against kansas city. jameson taillon goes for the hosts as he aims to snap an eight-start streak without a win.
tv: 1:35 p.m. et, fs midwest (st. louis), at&t sportsnet pittsburgh

pitching matchup: cardinals rh miles mikolas (6-0, 2.24 era) vs. pirates rh jameson taillon (2-4, 4.56)
mikolas threw 109 pitches and struck out a career-high nine in the 6-0 win over the royals in his last turn. it marked the seventh straight start in which he has allowed two runs or fewer and left the 29-year-old with the best record in the national league. mikolas received a no-decision after tossing seven innings of two-run ball at pittsburgh on april 27.

after opening 2-0 with a 0.89 era through his first three starts, taillon is 0-4 with a 6.97 era in his last seven. he gave up six runs in six innings in a loss at cincinnati on tuesday, although he did strike out eight and walk just one. the former first-round pick is 1-1 with a 4.50 era in five career starts against the cardinals.
walk-offs

1. pirates rhp ivan nova, who is scheduled to start tuesday, has a sprained left index finger and could be placed on the 10-day disabled list.

2. the cardinals placed rhp greg holland (hip) on the dl.

3. pirates cf starling marte is batting .425 during his 10-game hitting streak.

prediction: cardinals 5, pirates 3

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Philadelphia Phillies Preview and Predictions 05-27-2018

26th May 2018 by Gracenote
the philadelphia phillies find themselves atop the national league east this "late" in the season for the first time since they won the division in 2011, and they can thank their stellar play at home for their accomplishment. a winner of an nl-best 19 home contests, philadelphia (29-20) bids to continue that trend against former phillie j.a. happ and the visiting toronto blue jays (24-28) on sunday afternoon.

aaron nola took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning and nick williams belted his third pinch-hit homer of the season in the eighth in saturday's 2-1 win for philadelphia, which has alternated wins and losses over its last eight games on the heels of a 7-1 stretch. maikel franco has answered an 0-for-11 run by going 5-for-13 in his last four games, highlighted by his solo homer saturday. versatile russell martin, who made his first career start at shortstop, ended nola's bid for a no-hitter with an rbi single in the seventh. the 35-year-old has answered an 0-for-14 stretch with a hit in three straight while plating a run in back-to-back contests for the blue jays, who have dropped 10 of their last 13.
tv: 1:35 p.m. et, sportsnet (toronto), tva sports, nbcs philadelphia
pitching matchup: blue jays lh j.a. happ (6-3, 3.97) vs. phillies rh nick pivetta (4-2, 3.23)

happ has dominated the team with which he spent parts of three seasons, posting a 4-0 career mark with a 1.11 era while limiting philadelphia to a .174 batting average. the 35-year-old recorded his second straight victory on tuesday after permitting two runs on three hits in seven innings of a 5-3 triumph over the los angeles angels. happ fanned just five batters in that contest but is averaging a career-high 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings this season.
pivetta has answered a disastrous start on may 4 with three straight victories, highlighted by monday's performance in which he scattered four hits over seven innings in a 3-0 triumph versus atlanta. the 25-year-old british columbia native has allowed just one run on 10 hits while striking out 25 batters against two walks during his winning streak. pivetta, who will make his first career appearance versus toronto, flustered current blue jays curtis granderson (0-for-4) and yangervis solarte (0-for-3) in a small sample size.
walk-offs

1. toronto cf kevin pillar has hits in back-to-back games after going 0-for-17 in his previous six contests.

2. philadelphia rf aaron altherr is 0-for-7 with four strikeouts in his last three games.

3. blue jays 3b josh donaldson has four doubles and scored three runs during his five-game hitting streak.

prediction: blue jays 4, phillies 1

[Can'tPickAWinner]

New York Mets vs. Milwaukee Brewers Preview and Predictions 05-27-2018

26th May 2018 by Gracenote
The Milwaukee Brewers hope to ride the momentum after their best offensive performance of the season when they go for the series victory Sunday afternoon against the visiting New York Mets. The Brewers recorded season highs in hits (19), winning margin and runs scored during their 17-6 destruction of the Mets on Saturday as they won for the second straight game after being shut out in the series opener Thursday.

Lorenzo Cain had three hits and scored three times Saturday to extend his hitting streak to six games (10-for-24) for Milwaukee, while Travis Shaw posted two more hits and is 6-for-12 with a pair of homers, three walks and seven RBIs in the past three contests. Jhoulys Chacin looks to continue his solid pitching when he takes the mound for the Brewers in the series finale and Zack Wheeler hopes to get some reward for another strong outing when he starts for the Mets. New York posted 12 hits Saturday and had a 5-3 lead early on before getting pounded in the middle innings to lose for the fourth time in five contests. Mets outfielder Michael Conforto has homered in back-to-back games and is 4-for-12 in the series, while infielder Wilmer Flores is 5-for-13 the last three games with three RBIs.

TV: 2:10 p.m. ET, WPIX (New York), FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH Zack Wheeler (2-4, 5.32 ERA) vs. Brewers RH Jhoulys Chacin (3-1, 3.32)

Wheeler is winless in four straight games despite allowing one earned run in two of them, including Tuesday when he a suffered a 5-1 loss to Miami. The 27-year-old Georgia native owns four quality starts over his eight outings in 2018 but just two in his last six trips to the mound. Hernan Perez is 2-for-3 with a double versus Wheeler, who is 1-1 with a 2.00 ERA in three turns against Milwaukee.

Chacin gave up two hits, four walks and struck out six across five scoreless innings Tuesday for his second straight no-decision. The 30-year-old Venezuelan has permitted two or fewer runs in seven of his last eight outings after struggling in the first three of 2018. Conforto is 5-for-12 with a homer against Chacin, who is 2-5 with a 5.76 ERA in 10 career appearances (nine starts) versus the Mets.

WALK-OFFS

1. New York OF Brandon Nimmo belted his fourth homer Saturday, added a walk and boasts a team-best .429 on-base percentage.

2. Milwaukee C Erik Kratz had a single and a solo homer in five at-bats during his first game with the team Saturday.

3. Mets 1B Adrian Gonzalez is just 2-for-12 in the series but is batting .390 in his career at Miller Park in Milwaukee.

PREDICTION: Mets 5, Brewers 4

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Kansas City Royals vs. Texas Rangers Preview and Predictions 05-27-2018

26th May 2018 by Gracenote
given how well shin-soo choo has been seeing the ball lately, it is more than a bit ironic he put his name in the record book on what was little more than an educated guess. one day after hitting a milestone home run, choo looks to lead the texas rangers to their second straight series victory sunday when they wrap up a four-game home set with the kansas city royals.

choo is 9-for-27 with 14 walks over the last nine contests and has clubbed solo homers in each of his past two games, including his third career walk-off blast in the 10th inning in saturday's 4-3 victory to give him 176 for his career and pass hideki matsui for the most home runs by an asian-born player in major-league history. "it was tough seeing the ball. ... the ball was really dark (because of shadows covering the infield) and i couldn't see the spin. but it was a 3-1 count so i looked in just one area and swung hard," choo told reporters. while texas has won four of five, kansas city dropped back-to-back contests after a three-game winning streak to fall back into last place in the american league central. the royals went 3-for-8 with runners in scoring position in the setback, but they are still only batting .197 in such situations over the last eight contests.
tv: 3:05 p.m. et, fs kansas city, fs southwest (texas)
pitching matchup: royals rh jason hammel (1-5, 5.70 era) vs. rangers lh cole hamels (3-4, 3.38)

hammel ended a run in which he dropped his last eight decisions dating back to last season with tuesday's victory in st. louis, yielding one run on nine hits while striking out six in seven frames. the outing ended a brutal five-game stretch in which he went 0-4 and surrendered a total of 29 runs (28 earned) over 27 2/3 innings. choo (5-for-14) and nomar mazara (2-for-6) are hitting at least .333 against hammel, who is 1-3 with a 4.66 era in eight appearances (six starts) versus texas.
hamels extended his unbeaten streak to four starts after opening the season 1-4 with tuesday's win over the new york yankees, striking out seven over as many innings while giving up a pair of solo homers among the four hits he allowed. the four-time all-star has permitted two earned runs or fewer in each of his last five turns, posting a 2.08 era over that span. salvador perez (0-for-11) is one of several royals who have struggled versus hamels, who is 3-1 with a 2.86 era in five starts against kansas city.
walk-offs

1. royals 2b whit merrifield is 5-for-13 with three doubles - one in each game - and four rbis in this series.
2. three of the rangers' four wins over the last five contests have come when the opposing team scored first. they went 2-22 over their first 24 such games.

3. kansas city placed lhp eric skoglund (left ulnar collateral ligament sprain) on the 10-day disabled list and recalled lhp eric stout from triple-a omaha on saturday.

prediction: rangers 5, royals 1

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Cincinnati Reds vs. Colorado Rockies Preview and Predictions 05-27-2018

27th May 2018 by Gracenote
with scooter gennett's campaign for national league player of the month in its final push, the second baseman is starting to pull away from the field. the 28-year-old is hitting .392 with eight home runs and 22 rbis this month for the cincinnati reds, who visit the colorado rockies on sunday for the rubber match of their three-game series.

gennett bolstered his candidacy saturday with five hits, including a solo homer, as the reds held on for a 6-5 victory. jared hughes, filling in for injured closer raisel iglesias, worked out of a no-out, bases-loaded jam in the ninth inning for his third save this season and the seventh of his career. colorado has lost five of its last seven games but received a spark on saturday from rookie second baseman ryan mcmahon, who was recalled from triple-a albuquerque prior to the contest and went 2-for-4 from the seventh spot in the order. mcmahon is expected to start again sunday in place of dj lemahieu, who has missed the last 11 games due to a sprained left thumb but hit in the batting cage saturday and hopes to return in the next 2-3 weeks.
tv: 3:10 p.m. et, fs ohio (cincinnati), at&t sportsnet-rocky mountain (colorado)
pitching matchup: reds rh matt harvey (1-2, 5.49 era) vs. rockies rh german marquez (3-5, 4.62)

harvey earned his first victory in three starts with his new team on tuesday, allowing one run and three hits over six innings against pittsburgh. "it was a good step for me," harvey told reporters. "i think there were times this year when i didn't think i was going to get another win in the big leagues. it was good to get one on the board." ian desmond is 6-for-22 with a home run against harvey, who is 2-1 with a 1.88 era in four career starts versus colorado.
marquez turned in his best outing of the season on monday, holding the los angeles dodgers to one run and two hits over seven frames in a 2-1 victory. "it was my tempo, my aggressiveness," marquez told reporters. "i was able to stay in the moment, one pitch at a time." the 23-year-old venezuelan owns a 2.06 era in six starts on the road this season but has struggled at coors field, going 0-3 with a 10.34 era in four turns.
walk-offs

1. colorado 3b nolan arenado has reached base safely in 33 of his last 34 games.

2. the reds opened the season with a 3-15 record but are 16-19 under interim mgr jim riggleman.

3. the rockies optioned inf pat valaika to albuquerque to make room for mcmahon.

prediction: rockies 7, reds 5

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Oakland Athletics Preview and Predictions 05-27-2018

26th May 2018 by Gracenote
after receiving a brief glimmer of hope, the arizona diamondbacks are back to looking for answers on how to win on the road. arizona attempts to bounce back from a futile performance as it concludes a dismal nine-game trek sunday against the oakland athletics.

the diamondbacks lost seven straight both overall and on the road before recording a dominant victory in the series opener but were silenced by daniel mengden on saturday, notching only a pair of singles in a 3-0 setback. arizona is 1-7 on the road trip and has lost 14 of its last 16 overall contests. mengden tossed his second career complete game - and shutout - as he improved to 2-11 lifetime at oakland coliseum while the athletics raised their record to 2-3 on their 10-game homestand. oakland managed only five hits saturday, but all went for extra bases - including solo homers by matt joyce, matt olson and chad pinder.
tv: 4:05 p.m. et, fs arizona, nbcs california (oakland)

pitching matchup: diamondbacks rh zack greinke (3-3, 3.71 era) vs. athletics rh frankie montas (2017: 1-1, 7.03)
greinke had his four-start unbeaten streak halted last time out, as he served up a season-high three homers en route to yielding four runs over six innings in a loss at milwaukee on monday. the 34-year-old floridian did register nine strikeouts, marking the fourth time he has reached that total in 10 turns this season. greinke has had success against oakland in his career, going 6-1 with a 3.12 era in 15 appearances (11 starts).

montas is expected to be recalled from triple-a nashville to make his third major-league start - and first for oakland - in order to give trevor cahill an extra day of rest. the 25-year-old montas came out of the bullpen for the athletics last season after going 0-2 in two starts and five relief appearances for the chicago white sox in 2015. the dominican, who never has faced arizona, has gone 1-5 with one complete game and a 4.39 era in nine turns for the sounds this year.
walk-offs

1. athletics ss marcus semien doubled on saturday to avoid going hitless in back-to-back contests for the first time this season.
2. arizona has scored fewer than three runs six times over the first eight games of its road trip.

3. oakland placed santiago casilla (shoulder) on the 10-day disabled list, optioned josh lucas to nashville and recalled fellow rhps chris bassitt and carlos ramirez from the sounds.

prediction: diamondbacks 11, athletics 3

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Minnesota Twins vs. Seattle Mariners Preview and Predictions 05-27-2018

27th May 2018 by Gracenote
the seattle mariners attempt to extend their home winning streak to six games when they host the minnesota twins on sunday for the finale of their three-game series. seattle won the final three contests of its four-game home set against detroit last weekend and has taken the first two of this matchup, including a 4-3 triumph in 12 innings on saturday.

jean segura belted a solo homer and nelson cruz added a two-run shot in the sixth inning to erase a 2-0 deficit, but minnesota forged a tie before mike zunino went deep with two outs in the 12th to give the mariners their seventh victory in eight overall contests. seattle has played six consecutive one-run games, going 5-1 while scoring a total of only 16 runs, and have recorded a major league-high 15 wins in such contests (15-8) this season. minnesota has lost three straight following a three-game winning streak, producing a total of five runs during the slide. max kepler recorded two hits and an rbi in saturday's setback and is 4-for-8 with a homer and two rbis over the first two games of the series.
tv: 4:10 p.m. et, fs north (minnesota), root northwest (seattle)
pitching matchup: twins rh jose berrios (5-4, 3.82 era) vs. mariners rh mike leake (4-3, 5.46)

berrios is coming off back-to-back home victories in which he allowed three runs and five hits while registering 19 strikeouts over 15 1/3 innings. the 24-year-old puerto rican struggled in his last turn away from home, yielding five runs over 5 1/3 frames in a loss to the los angeles angels that raised his road era to 5.18. berrios is 1-1 with a 4.97 era in two career starts against seattle after surrendering five runs over 4 2/3 innings in a home setback on april 7.
leake notched the victory opposite berrios in that matchup but has won only two of his eight starts since, as he settled for a no-decision at oakland on tuesday after giving up two runs - one earned - and six hits in 6 2/3 innings. the 30-year-old californian has gone 0-2 in four turns at home after defeating cleveland at safeco field in his season debut on april 1. leake is 1-0 with a 5.82 era in three career starts against the twins.
walk-offs

1. mariners rhp nick vincent left saturday's contest in the eighth inning with a groin strain while segura exited a frame later after being kicked in the helmet while sliding into second base.

2. minnesota could be without of byron buxton, who exited saturday's game in the sixth inning after crashing into the outfield wall while trying to make a catch.

3. seattle rhp alex colome will be available for the series finale while of denard span is expected to be in monday's lineup against texas after both were acquired from tampa bay on friday.

prediction: twins 5, mariners 3

[Can'tPickAWinner]

San Diego Padres vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Preview and Predictions 05-27-2018

27th May 2018 by Gracenote
The San Diego Padres aren't exactly sure what they have in rookie third baseman Christian Villanueva, but they have every reason to be optimistic. The 26-year-old Villanueva looks to build on his impressive start when the Padres visit the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday for the rubber match of their three-game series.

Villanueva's average fell to .226 following an extended slump earlier this month, but he's rebounded by going 10-for-34 with five home runs in his last 10 games, including two blasts and three RBIs in Saturday's 7-5 victory. San Diego has won eight of its last 13 contests and appears to have found a critical piece of its rebuilding plan in Villanueva, who leads all rookies in home runs (14) and RBIs (31). The Dodgers saw their three-game winning streak come to end Saturday despite solo homers by Chris Taylor and Justin Turner, who belted his first of the season. Los Angeles continues to exercise patience with Yasiel Puig, who is 6-for-32 with runners in scoring position and batting .215 overall after striking out as a pinch-hitter on Saturday.

TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, FS San Diego, SportsNet LA (Los Angeles)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres LH Matt Strahm (0-2, 4.91 ERA) vs. Dodgers RH Walker Buehler (2-1, 2.38)

Strahm is set to make his first start as a member of the Padres, who are planning on using multiple relievers to fill in for Joey Lucchesi (right hip strain). "We're probably going to use the whole staff on Sunday," manager Andy Green told reporters. "We think this is the way to go, to leverage off the strength of the bullpen." The 26-year-old Strahm appeared in 24 games (three starts) for Kansas City last season but has struggled out of the bullpen with the Padres, issuing eight walks over 7 1/3 innings in six relief appearances.

Buehler bounced back from a shaky outing against Miami by holding Colorado to one run and two hits in a 2-1 victory on Monday. "They couldn't touch his fastball," Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal told reporters. "He ran through that lineup like not too many people can do." The 23-year-old rookie has been as good as advertised in his first six starts, working at least five innings in every outing while recording 40 strikeouts against nine walks over 34 frames.

WALK-OFFS

1. Dodgers OF Matt Kemp is 14-for-31 with one homer and eight RBIs in his last nine games.

2. San Diego LHP Brad Hand has held opponents scoreless in 18 of his last 20 appearances.

3. Los Angeles LHP Clayton Kershaw (biceps) threw four innings in a simulated game on Saturday and could rejoin the team as soon as Thursday.

PREDICTION: Dodgers 7, Padres 2

[Can'tPickAWinner]

San Francisco Giants vs. Chicago Cubs Preview and Predictions 05-27-2018

27th May 2018 by Gracenote
The Chicago Cubs' major offseason signing hasn't yet paid many dividends, and he won't be on the mound as scheduled for the finale of their three-game series against the visiting San Francisco Giants on Sunday night. The Cubs had to shuffle their rotation for the rubber match of the set, as Tyler Chatwood will move up a day after prized free agent Yu Darvish was placed on the 10-day disabled list Saturday with triceps tendinitis.

Chatwood will oppose Ty Blach in the finale after the Giants evened the series with Saturday's 5-4 triumph. Brandon Crawford stayed red-hot for San Francisco, going 2-for-3 with a double and a homer, and is batting .446 with four blasts and 20 RBIs in 23 games this month. The Giants won for just the second time in their last 11 road contests, putting them in position to win their first series at Wrigley Field since 2014. The Cubs have lost five of their last six home games.
TV: 8:08 p.m. ET, ESPN

PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants LH Ty Blach (3-4, 4.37 ERA) vs. Cubs RH Tyler Chatwood (3-4, 3.74)
Blach has failed to get through the fifth inning in each of his last three starts. The 27-year-old gave up four runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings of a no-decision against Colorado last time out. Blach is 2-0 with a 3.21 ERA in two career starts against the Cubs, both of which occurred last season.

Chatwood's control woes continued in his last start, as he issued six free passes while giving up four runs in just 2 2/3 innings of a loss to Cleveland. The 28-year-old has racked up 40 walks in 45 2/3 frames this season. Chatwood is 7-4 with a 2.84 ERA in 17 career games (16 starts) against the Giants.
Video: Condensed Game: SF@CHC - 5/26/18



WALK-OFFS

1. Cubs 1B Anthony Rizzo is 9-for-32 during his eight-game hitting streak.

2. San Francisco OF Gorkys Hernandez is 13-for-31 during his career high-tying eight-game hitting streak.

3. Chicago recalled LHP Randy Rosario from Triple-A Iowa to take Darvish's spot on the roster but are expected to make another move to fill a spot in the rotation on Tuesday.

PREDICTION: Giants 7, Cubs 6

[Can'tPickAWinner]

JEFF BENTON

Your Sunday freebie is the Cards over the Pirates.

After dropping Friday's series opener, the Cardinals bounced-back with a shutdown, 4-1 win last night over the Pirates.

Today in the series finale, the Redbirds send emerging ace Miles Mikolas to the bump to face Jameson Taillon. Mikolas has not lost a decision this season, as he is 6-0 with a just over 2 ERA. His team is a solid 7-2 when he starts too. This will be his second start of the year against Pittsburgh after a no-decision back in April with just 2 runs allowed in his 7 full innings worked.

Taillon is on an 0-4 skid his last 7 starts with an ERA approaching 7, and he is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA in 5 career starts against the Cards.

The Pirates are on a 2-6 slide, and today's pitching matchup is definitely in favor of the visitors.

Go with St. Louis.

2* ST. LOUIS

[Can'tPickAWinner]

JIMMY BOYD
MLB | May 27, 2018
Mets vs. Brewers
Free pick on Mets +121

I'm recommending a play on the Mets as a short road dog against the Brewers on Sunday. New York is going to be chomping at the bit to get on the field for this one, as they were embarrassed on Saturday in a 17-6 loss to Milwaukee.

The key thing to keep in mind is the Mets offense did their part, scoring 6 runs on 12 hits. New York has now scored 14 runs on 32 hits in their last 3 games combined. I like their chances of keeping it going here against the Brewers Jhoulys Chacin, who is a mere 2-5 with a 5.89 ERA and 1.714 WHIP in 9 career starts against the Mets.

New York will counter with Zack Wheeler, who I think is poised for another strong outing. Wheeler allowed just 1 earned run over 6 innings in his last start. He struck out a season-high 7 and didn't walk a single batter. A big reason for the quality start was Wheeler finally got his slider working and I think he carries it over to this one. Take New York!

[Can'tPickAWinner]

INFO PLAYS
MLB | May 27, 2018
Royals vs. Rangers
1* Free Play on Rangers -163

[Can'tPickAWinner]

KENNY WALKER
MLB | May 27, 2018
Angels vs. Yankees
Free Pick on Yankees