The Yankees are tied for first place in the AL East with Tampa Bay one game back as the Rays send Cy Young candidate Chris Archer against Masahiro Tanaka in New York. Archer is blowing away batters this season with 133 strikeouts in 109 innings, with just 25 walks. He is 6-0 with a 0.90 ERA on the road. Tanaka comes off a mixed June. He struck out 32 and walked four in 31 innings, but gave up eight home runs and 34 hits. That number of hits with that number of strikeouts tells me the Yankees defense doesn’t have a lot of range, and UZR seems to confirm that.

Minnesota trails Kansas City by 3 1/2 games in the AL Central as the rivals play a three-game series in KC. Tommy Milone takes the hill against Jeremy Guthrie in game one. Milone comes off an excellent June in which he posted a 2.03 ERA. In April he walked 11 and struck out 13 in 22 2/3 innings. In June, he walked seven and struck out 22 in 31 innings. Guthrie’s low strikeout rate is leading to a ton of hits, as opponents own a .307 BA against him. He owns the fourth lowest K per 9 innings in the majors, minimum 80 IP.

Finally, Noah Syndergaard and the hapless Mets offense take on Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers. Syndergaard is off to a good start in terms of three-true outcomes, with 53 K, 10 BB and four homer runs allowed in 52 2/3 innings. Kershaw’s home run numbers are up this year, leading to his higher ERA. That’s mostly on the road, as his ERA at Dodger Stadium this season stands at 2.31.

Enjoy!