TOM STRYKER’S FREE BASEBALL SELECTION TUESDAY, AUGUST 16TH
#975 HOUSTON with Verlander (-126) over Chicago with Cease at 8:10 PM EST
Checking in hungry off last night’s 4-2 loss to the Pale Hose in the Windy City, the Astros will have no trouble picking up this dub. Chicago has struggled against winning teams this season (27-32) and it doesn’t have what it takes to knock off the AL West’s best two night in a row.
Veteran righty Justin Verlander will take the hill for the ‘Stros. Without question, No. 35 is having one of his best seasons ever allowing only 28 earned runs and 93 hits in 136.0 innings. Verlander fanned 134 and walked 24 on his way to a powerful 15-3 mark with a phenomenal 1.85 ERA. Justin has been incredible on the road too. On foreign soil, Verlander has surrendered only 13 earned runs and 37 hits in 74.0 frames. That’s good enough for an 8-2 record with an elite 1.58 ERA.
Hard-throwing righty Dylan Cease will counter for the ChiSox. So far this year, No. 84 has pitched well allowing just 28 earned runs and 92 hits in 128.2 innings of work. Cease struck out 174 and walked 55 on his way to a 12-5 mark with a 1.96 ERA. Dylan’s numbers at night have been a little bit worse. Under the lights, Cease has been clocked for 16 earned runs and 35 hits in 41.3 frames. That equates to a 4-2 tally with a 3.48 ERA.
There are plenty of powerful team trends that support this Best Bet. Houston has tasted victory in 20 of its last 26 after scoring two runs or less last, 41 of its last 58 when coming off a loss, and 90 of its last 132 when facing opponents from the AL Central. On the other side of Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago has slipped in 20 of its last 29 in this series.
The ‘Stros know how to bounce back off a loss and they’ll do just enough to come out on top in this pitcher’s duel. Take Houston with Verlander. Thanks and best of luck, Tom.
TOM’S 16-1 MLB NEARLY PERFECT MLB BEST BET
Currently on a 7-0 run and off yesterday’s payday on Philadelphia, Stryker is release one more top-shelf investment that will bring home the cash. This key release backs a quality arm in a highly profitable spot and one amazing 16-1 team trend is there for support. Grab Tom’s MLB Nearly Perfect MLB Best Bet for $30.