Big Al McMordie Sports Picks & Handicapper Review

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees minus 1.5 runs over the Baltimore Orioles.  Gerrit Cole was supposed to get the start tonight, but he contracted COVID-19, so he will be quarantined.  Instead, top prospect Luis Gill will be on the hill for the Pinstripes on Tuesday.  But maybe that's not such a bad thing, given that Cole and the Yankees were bombed, 14-0, in his start at Tampa last Thursday.  And New York has dropped five of Cole's last seven starts, overall.  Gil has been tabbed as the best pitching prospect in the Yankees system.  His fastball gets up to the mid-90s, and he averaged 14.7 strikeouts/9-innings at AA Somerset (2.64 ERA) before moving up to AAA Scranton, where his numbers did take a hit (5.64 ERA).  Still, the 23-year-old is ultra-talented.  He'll match up against Baltimore's young Australian southpaw, Alexander Wells, on this Tuesday night.  Wells started 2021 in AAA Norfolk, and had a less-than-mediocre stint there, as his ERA was 5.63 in eight appearances (though his K:BB ratio was solid).  Notwithstanding that relative lack of success, Wells was called up to the Majors on June 25, and he made his MLB debut vs. the Blue Jays the next day.  Overall, Wells' ERA is 5.28, while his WHIP is 1.70.  Neither of those are surprising given his minor league stats, and I believe he'll struggle tonight vs. the Yankees, who are 36-11 as a home favorite priced at -200 (or more).  Lay the 1.5 runs on Tuesday.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.