On Saturday, May 17, 2025, the Detroit Tigers will face the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre for their next game which starts at 3:07 p.m. ET. The Tigers maintain their position at the top of the American League Central with a 30–15 record after they secured a 5–4 win to extend their winning streak to four games. The Blue Jays who currently stand at 21–23 look to recover their performance and balance the series.

Right-handed pitcher Reese Olson will start for Detroit as he maintains a 4–3 record along with a 3.38 ERA for the current season. Olson has maintained effectiveness in his pitching with 45 strikeouts across 42.2 innings while holding a 1–0 record with a 0.87 ERA during three games against Toronto. During his most recent appearance, he gave up three runs across four innings while playing against the Texas Rangers.

Toronto sends their left-handed pitcher Eric Lauer to the mound for his season debut. Reliever Eric Lauer played three games this season where he earned a 1–0 win-loss record with a 2.00 ERA across nine total innings. His performance against the Tigers has been challenging as he holds a losing record of 0–2 and a high ERA of 19.80 over two starts.

Spencer Torkelson leads the Tigers' offensive lineup with 11 home runs and 34 RBIs while Riley Greene follows with 10 home runs and 27 RBIs. Bo Bichette of the Blue Jays achieved a .407 batting average across his last seven games while achieving three home runs and collecting 11 RBIs.

I like the visitors in this one. They have been consistent all season and have the better pitcher going on the mound today. 

Jim’s Play: 955. Tigers

The Atlanta Braves face Boston Red Sox in an interleague matchup at Fenway Park with first pitch at 7:15 p.m. on Saturday. The Braves reached their first winning season record of 23–22 after their 4–2 Friday night victory which featured home runs by Matt Olson and Sean Murphy and a strong performance from former Red Sox ace Chris Sale.

Boston has lost four consecutive games and hopes Lucas Giolito can help them stop their losing streak. After allowing only one run across 6 2/3 innings during his recent start against Kansas City, Giolito (1–1, 5.51 ERA) is coming off a solid performance. In his upcoming game against Atlanta he'll make his first appearance since 2023 when he gave up 13 runs throughout under 10 innings in two poor starts against them.

Grant Holmes (2–3, 4.14 ERA) will pitch for the Braves but has struggled away from home with a 6.38 ERA across four road games this season. In his most recent game he pitched effectively against the Nationals allowing just one run through 6 1/3 innings.

Alex Bregman has driven Boston's offense with a .309 average and 11 home runs but the team has failed to convert scoring chances through their recent losses. If the Red Sox want to bring the series back to square one they need Giolito to perform well and their hitters to deliver at crucial moments.

With the Braves hitting over .500 now and the Sox on a losing streak, I’ll take Atlanta in this one. 

Jim’s Play: 973. Braves 

The second game of this series -between the Tampa Bay Rays and Miami Marlins will take place at loanDepot Park on Saturday afternoon. The Miami Marlins won Friday's game 9–4 which ended their six-game losing streak and moved their record to 17 wins and 26 losses. The Rays need to balance their series record through their starter Drew Rasmussen after their current 20–24 season standing.

Rasmussen has performed well throughout his season but has experienced inconsistency in his recent appearances. He began the season strongly but has since recorded a 6.05 ERA throughout his last four appearances. Sandy Alcantara will face Rasmussen after posting a difficult season with a 2–5 win-loss record and an 8.10 ERA. Sandy Alcantara looks to regain his Cy Young Award-winning performance from two years ago.

Jonathan Aranda leads the Rays offensively with a .315 batting average alongside Brandon Lowe who tops the team with 24 RBIs. The team has not been able to score runs consistently and finds itself in 23rd place among all teams. Connor Norby has propelled the Marlins to a recent offensive surge through his three-run double in last Friday's victory and his impressive .324 batting average across his past 10 games.

The Rays have maintained a strong edge in their encounters with the Marlins since 2019 with a 24–5 record while leading the all-time series 81–61. The matchup between Miami and Tampa Bay has become more evenly matched due to Miami's offensive surge and Tampa Bay's pitching inconsistencies.

The Rays dominance in this series is impressive.  Neither starter all that good here today, but I like Rasmussen more than Alcantara.  Alcantara has looked nothing like his former Cy Young self. I’ll take the home team to even the series here on Saturday. 

Jim’s Play: 965. Rays 

Saturday May 17, 2025 will see the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs play their Crosstown Classic game at Wrigley Field beginning with the first pitch at 2:20 p.m. ET. Currently leading the National League Central with a 26–19 record the Cubs just came back from a commanding 13–3 win in their series opener. The rookie pitcher Cade Horton recorded his second team win while Pete Crow-Armstrong impressed by collecting four hits and six RBIs.

The White Sox have endured a difficult season with a 14–31 record which is even worse when traveling where they stand at 5–19. Miguel Vargas stood out during Friday's game with his two home runs and four hits despite the team's ongoing struggles.

The Saturday baseball game will showcase right-handed Sean Burke pitching for the White Sox against left-handed Matthew Boyd representing the Cubs. Sean Burke comes into the game with a 2–4 win-loss record alongside a 4.15 ERA across 43.1 innings of pitching while Matthew Boyd stands at 3–2 with a 2.78 ERA over 45.1 innings.

Always have to look at the winds at Wrigley and today they are blowing out with some vengeance.  I’m taking this game over with the winds blowing out and the way the Cubs have hit the ball this season. 

Jim’s Play: Over the Total.

The Minnesota Twins and Milwaukee Brewers are set to face off in the second game of their Interleague series on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at American Family Field, with first pitch scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET. The Twins, riding a 12-game winning streak, secured a 3–0 victory in the series opener, extending their scoreless innings streak to 24. Joe Ryan led the charge on Friday night, allowing just two hits over six innings and striking out nine batters .

Minnesota will send Pablo Lopez (3–2, 2.77 ERA) to the mound. Lopez has been effective this season, boasting a 0.97 WHIP and 43 strikeouts over 39 innings. In seven career starts against Milwaukee, he holds a 3.07 ERA with 49 strikeouts in 44 innings .

The Brewers, now 21–24, have lost six of their last eight games and have been shut out in three of their past four. They'll counter with Tobias Myers (1–0, 3.86 ERA), who is making his first career start against the Twins. Myers has a 1.53 WHIP over 16.1 innings this season .

Offensively, the Twins are led by Byron Buxton, who has 10 home runs and 27 RBIs with a .261 batting average. The Brewers' Christian Yelich has 7 home runs and 26 RBIs but is batting just .201 .

The Twins are slight favorites with a moneyline of -116, while the Brewers are at -104. The over/under for the game is set at 7.5 runs .

Not going to abandon the Twins here as they continue to win and shutout opponents.  

Jim’s Free Play : Minnesota Twins