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927. Reds +1.18 (4:10 PT / 7:10 ET)

Tonight at Daikin Park, the Cincinnati Reds and Houston Astros will play the second game of their weekend series starting at 7:10 p.m. ET. Houston won the opening game 3-0 on Friday.

After recovering from flexor tendon surgery Lance McCullers Jr. returns to pitch for the Astros in his first home appearance since nearly three years ago. During his season debut last Sunday he pitched 3? innings without allowing runs against the White Sox and surrendered three hits and three walks while recording four strikeouts.

Brady Singer takes the mound for the Reds with a 4-2 win-loss record and a 3.66 ERA for his eighth season start. Over 39? innings Singer has demonstrated his effectiveness at minimizing baserunners by maintaining a WHIP of 1.14.

The Astros have not been successful in producing power hitting this season as they currently stand 25th in home run rankings. The team did get 12 hits during their victory on Friday thanks to plays by Jeremy Peña, Isaac Paredes, and Will Wagner. Following six defeats in their last seven games the Reds are seeking a comeback with Singer providing reliable pitching.

The two teams remain close to the .500 win-loss mark while trying to build momentum throughout the season. The pitching battle tonight will pit McCullers as he tries to regain form following an extended break against Singer who hopes to maintain his excellent season performance.

I like Singer  here tonight even though the Reds have not been playing well of late. 

Jim’s Play: Cincinnati Reds

05/10 03:10 PM PT / 6:10 PM ET  

MLB   (923) PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (R SUAREZ)  VS  (924) CLEVELAND GUARDIANS (T BIBEE) 

924. Guardians +1.02 (3:10 PT / 6:10 ET) 

Tonight at Progressive Field the Philadelphia Phillies will face the Cleveland Guardians with first pitch scheduled for 6:10 p. m. ET. Tonight's matchup is the second game in their series of three games. The Guardians dominated Friday's game with a 6-0 shutout thanks to home runs by José Ramírez, Kyle Manzardo, and Ángel Martínez along with starter Gavin Williams who struck out eight batters in five innings.

Ranger Suárez will take the role of starting pitcher for the Phillies during tonight's game. Left-hander Ranger Suárez will make his second season start today following his unsuccessful debut against the Diamondbacks when he gave up seven earned runs in 3.2 innings. He aims to regain his form and deliver reliable performance to complement the Phillies' rotation which needs consistent results from their middle pitchers.

Guardians pitcher Tanner Bibee will oppose Suárez and brings his 3-2 season record with a 4.26 ERA into his eighth start. Bibee excelled at home games with a 1.43 ERA in 17.2 innings at Progressive Field. Cleveland thrives because of his exceptional skill to minimize runs and disrupt hitters' timing.

Kyle Schwarber leads the Phillies offense with 12 home runs and 28 RBIs while Trea Turner contributes with a .315 batting average. Despite multiple opportunities to score during Friday's matchup, the team failed to get any hits in eight attempts with runners in scoring positions. The team must make the most of their scoring chances to remain competitive in the series.

The Guardians have won eight out of their last ten games.  Tonight's game outcome may depend on which team's starting pitcher establishes control early and which offense exploits their scoring chances. The Phillies seek to balance the series as the Guardians pursue another victory to keep their momentum in the AL Central division.

Bibee has been very good at home and  Suárez didn’t look good in his initial debut. I’ll take the home team here tonight. 

Jim’s Play: Guardians

The San Francisco Giants will play against the Minnesota Twins in the second series matchup at Target Field tonight with a first pitch time of 7:15 p.m. ET. The matchup will feature both teams' aces starting on the mound which creates the possibility of a closely fought game.

Logan Webb will start for the Giants. Throughout this season Webb maintains a solid track record with a 4-2 win-loss ratio and a 2.61 earned run average while striking out 56 opponents during 48.1 innings pitched. Webb's success can be attributed to his talent for generating ground balls and maintaining a minimal home run rate with only one allowed this season. Logan Webb's first career game against the Twins introduces an unpredictable dynamic to this matchup.

Joe Ryan from the Twins will face him as his opponent. Joe Ryan enters the matchup with a 2-2 win-loss record and a 2.93 earned run average while pitching 40 innings and collecting 47 strikeouts. His track record against the Giants stands at 2 wins and 1 loss with an earned run average of 3.31 in those games. Ryan has demonstrated excellent control by issuing only five walks this season and will work to maintain this performance when facing the Giants who possess power but frequently strike out.

Matt Chapman led the Giants' offense when he hit his eighth home run of the season in Friday's game. As the lead hitter in the lineup Jung Hoo Lee has maintained a strong performance batting .293 while hitting 11 doubles and delivering 23 RBIs. Byron Buxton for the Twins has been performing well as he recorded multiple hits in 13 out of his last 23 games which included three triples and seven home runs.

The Twins achieved a 3-1 win in Friday's series opener extending their winning streak to six consecutive games. Chris Paddack maintained his perfect game through six innings before Christian Koss managed to break through with a single hit. Danny Coulombe secured his second save this season as the Twins' bullpen maintained the lead.

Expect an exciting pitchers' showdown tonight as both teams strive to improve their standing in the series. The Giants will try to recover and bring the series to a tie while the Twins aim to maintain their winning streak to return to .500 for the season. 

Jim’s Play: Minnesota Twins