TOM STRYKER’S FREE BASEBALL SELECTION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5TH
#962 CLEVELAND with Clevinger (-125) over Cincinnati with Antone at 7:10 PM EST
With momentum off Tuesday’s 4-2 win over the Reds, the Indians will stay on track with another solid performance when Cincinnati visits on Wednesday night. At 6-6, Cleveland is peeking up at Chicago (7-4) and Minnesota (9-2) in the AL Central standings and they need victories in order to stay in the hunt.
On the bump for the Tribe will be reliable right-hander Mike Clevinger. In a pair of July outings against the Royals and Twins, No. 52 was touched for only six earned runs and 10 hits in 11.0 innings of work. Clevinger fanned 11 and walked five en route to an 0-1 mark and a soft 4.92 ERA. Since joining the club in 2016, Big Mike has been a model of consistency. With 99 appearances for the Indians in the bank (86 starts), Clevinger has been nicked for 184 earned runs and 412 hits in 511.2 frames. After the math, that equates to a solid 41-22 record with a sensational 3.24 ERA.
Countering for the Big Red Machine and making his first Major League Baseball start with be right-hander Tejay Antone. In a relief appearance at home against the Cubs on July 27th, No. 70 was nipped for one earned run and one hit in 4.1 innings. Antone struck out five, walked one and served up one dong in Cincinnati’s 8-7 win over Chicago. Last year, in the Triple-A and Double-A minor league system, Tejay appeared in 27 games (26 as a starter) and assembled an 11-12 mark with a 4.00 ERA.
A number of quality angles support this Best Bet. Cleveland has tasted victory in 10 of its last 12 as a home favorite, 41 of its last 55 when battling an opponent that owns a team won/loss percentage less than .500, 48 of its last 69 as chalk and 25 of its last 37 after allowing two runs or less in its previous game. On the other side of the chalk line, Cincinnati has fallen in 18 of its last 23 as a guest in this series and 45 of its last 63 on the road fighting American League opponents.
The Tribe have some work to do in the division right now. In order to stay alive in the race for the AL Central crown, manager Terry Francona’s boys know they will need to protect Progressive Field. Take Cleveland with Clevinger. Thanks and best of luck, Tom.
TOM STRYKER’S 41-18 MLB GRAND SLAM DIAMOND WAGER – 19-2 IN MLB THIS YEAR
Stryker scooped up another pair of diamond wins on the Indians and Nationals last night and now stands 19-2 this season with his Major League Baseball Best Bets. Solid pitching, major motivation and one highly profitable 41-18 power angle all support this money-maker. Grab Tom’s MLB Grand Slam Diamond Wager for $30.