Pitching matchups for Thursday’s MLB games

We have a short 10-game schedule Thursday in the majors with the first game starting at 1:05 p.m. ET between the Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees. We are going to look at the best pitching matchup and the sleeper pitching matchup that could turn out to be a pitchers’ duel.

Best Matchup: Zach Davies vs. Walker Buehler

The best pitching matchup on Thursday will not take place until 10:10 p.m. ET as the Chicago Cubs begin a four-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Cubs will have Zach Davies on the mound, while the Dodgers will give the ball to Walker Buehler. Davies is entering tonight’s game with a 4-4 record and 4.68 ERA through 15 starts this season. The 28-year-old starter has had his fair share of struggles on the road this year. Davies is 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA and .291 opponents batting average in seven starts. That should be great news for a Dodgers team, which struggled immensely in their last series against the Padres.

As for Buehler, he’s a perfect 7-0 with a 2.38 ERA in 14 starts this season. The 26-year-old was on the cusp of securing a no-hitter in his last start against the Arizona Diamondbacks, but gave up a hit in the eight inning. He ended the game with 2 hits, 2 earned runs, 2 walks, and 11 strikeouts in 7.1 IP. This will be the second time that Buehler is going up against the Cubs. In his first matchup on May 5 at Wrigley Field, he only allowed 5 hits (1 HR), 2 earned runs, and had 8 strikeouts in 6.0 IP.

Sleeper Matchup: Chris Bassitt vs. Kolby Allard

With it only being 10 games on the slate, it is slim pickings when it comes to selecting the sleeper matchup. However, we might have a solid matchup on Thursday afternoon with the Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers wrapping up their four-game series at 2:05 p.m. ET.

Chris Bassitt will be on the mound for the A’s, while Kolby Allard will make another start for the Rangers. Bassitt has been Oakland’s best pitcher this year and should be in consideration to selected for next month’s MLB All-Star Game. He has a 7-2 record, 3.40 ERA, and 98 strikeouts in 92.2 IP. Furthermore, Bassitt has only allowed two earned runs or less in 11 out of 15 starts this season.

Meanwhile, Allard has become a bright spot for the Rangers’ starting rotation since making the move from the bullpen. The 23-year-old is 2-2 with a 2.93 ERA in 14 games (4 starts) this season. In his last start against the Minnesota Twins. The southpaw had six strikeouts in 6.0 IP.

Here’s a look at the pitching matchups for Thursday’s 10-game MLB slate on Thursday June 24th.

Royals vs. Yankees: Brad Keller vs. Jameson Taillon
Athletics vs. Rangers: Chris Bassitt vs. Kolby Allard
Orioles vs. Blue Jays: Dean Kremer vs. Anthony Kay
Braves vs. Reds: TBD vs. Tony Santillan
Red Sox vs. Rays: Nick Pivetta vs. Michael Wacha
Astros vs. Tigers: Luis Garcia vs. Jose Urena
Nationals vs. Marlins: Jon Lester vs. Cody Poteet
Indians vs. Twins: J.C. Mejia vs. Jose Berrios
Pirates vs. Cardinals: Chad Kuhl vs. Carlos Martinez
Cubs vs. Dodgers: Zach Davies vs. Walker Buehler