Jim Feist

The Diamondbacks plan to finish their weekend series strongly at Chase Field on Sunday, June 15, 2025, when Merrill Kelly faces off against Padres' pitcher Nick Pivetta. Kelly demonstrated impressive performance during this season achieving a 6-2 record alongside a 3.43 ERA by maintaining consistency with his fastball-slider combination. While Pivetta shows inconsistent performance, Arizona’s hitters have been performing exceptionally well leading up to this match.

Arizona’s bats have maintained a strong performance throughout June as they’ve secured eight victories in their first 11 games while producing an average of more than five runs per contest with impressive offensive statistics including a .332 on-base percentage and .449 slugging percentage. Corbin Carroll excels as he hits his 20th home run already and continues to deliver power and speed from the leadoff spot in the lineup. Ketel Marte and Josh Naylor display strong hitting performances while Geraldo Perdomo provides essential lineup balance through his defensive skills and ability to bat from both sides.

The Diamondbacks offense looks to take advantage of Chase Field’s hitter-friendly afternoon conditions if Pivetta leaves any pitches in the strike zone. Kelly has shown strong performance on the mound against San Diego with a 9–4 career record and 3.36 ERA and consistently pitched deep into games this season proving Arizona needs such durability in tight series.

I'll be on the hosts in this one as I play Arizona. 

Jim's Play: Arizona Diamondbacks

The Phoenix Sun head to Las Vegas in the best physical condition of their entire season. The team expects Kahleah Copper to return from knee surgery to join Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally who has been leading in both scoring and rebounding . Sabally's 20-point performance led the Mercury to a 93-80 victory against Dallas while their season rankings show them at eighth in shooting efficiency and within the top five for defensive performance.

Las Vegas secured an 88-84 victory against Dallas but their performance was inconsistent since MVP A’ja Wilson was absent due to concussion protocol. Jackie Young scored 28 points during that match while Jewell Loyd added 21 points to the scoreboard. The Las Vegas Aces experience defensive struggles which let opponents shoot over 47 percent and fail to control rebounds while their offensive output stays around the mid?80s each game.

A healthy Mercury team with good balance faces an Aces side missing their key player. Phoenix will take control in the fourth quarter if both Copper and Thomas perform well alongside Sabally's continued strong play. Las Vegas possesses skilled players in Young and Loyd yet must strengthen its defense and rebounding to maintain competitiveness in this game. 

I expect the Sun to run away with this contest as they are the healthiest they have been all season long.

Jim's Play: Phx Mercury

The Cardinals and Brewers revive their historic I-55 rivalry in Milwaukee on Sunday, June 15 with the game starting at 2:10 p.m. ET (11:10 a.m. PDT). 23-year-old pitcher Quinn Priester takes the mound for the Brewers after compiling a 3.65 ERA and a 4-2 record through 61.2 innings. Veteran right-handed pitcher Miles Mikolas steps up for St. Louis with a 4-3 record and 4.48 ERA through 66.1 innings.

Milwaukee currently stands at 38 wins and 33 losses after losing their latest game against St. Louis by a score of 8–5 where they faced defeat despite Nolan Gorman hitting a three-run homer and Willson Contreras delivering a late homer. This victory ended a six-game losing streak for the Cardinals who now stand at 37–34 and are intent on creating momentum. The Brewers' momentum from May has decreased during June as they experienced a 2-4 start to their current home series.

The Cardinals lead offensively because they have a .255 batting average and a .326 OBP while tying Milwaukee with 63 homers. The Cardinals depend on the strong hitting performances of Nolan Gorman and Contreras while Milwaukee responds with Christian Yelich and Sal Frelick who maintains a batting average close to .300.

The matchup features Milwaukee's rising star Priester who shows impressive stats with a 1.30 WHIP and 43 strikeouts while facing off against Mikolas who shows veteran strength but allows more hits with 70 and maintains a higher ERA. The hitters enjoy a significant advantage at American Family Field where both starting pitchers must navigate a powerful batting order.

I look for the Brewers to rebound here on Sunday and take this final game of their rivalry series on Sunday. 

Jim's Play: 906. Brewers 

Brandon Walter will make his home debut on the mound for Houston as a rookie lefty who permitted just two earned runs across his first 11 innings while striking out 10 opponents and maintaining a .220 opponent batting average despite recovering from a shoulder injury. The Twins respond by selecting Simeon Woods Richardson who stands at a 2-3 record with a 5.74 ERA and 1.61 WHIP after nine starts without any quality performances while struggling with command that lets opponents hit .300.

The Astros have a record of 39-30 which places them at the top of the AL West with a 4.5-game lead while maintaining a three-game winning streak and having won 7 of their last 10 games which results in an 89.8% playoff probability. Despite staying competitive in the AL Central race with their 36-33 record the Twins have shown recent struggles due to heavy scoring losses against Texas in their recent series. Houston's batting performance shows a slight advantage with a .254 average and .711 OPS compared to Minnesota's .244/.706 stats.

This game looks ready to become a battle between the two teams' pitchers. Walter possesses both poise and swing-and-miss capabilities but Woods Richardson has not yet achieved reliable consistency.  The Astros can secure their fourth consecutive win if Walter controls the zone and Houston’s lineup of Pena, Altuve, Paredes, and Christian Walker delivers runs. Minnesota's ability to create early pressure through effective scratching can push Walter into trouble and lead to a tense, low-scoring game.

The game will feature stellar pitching and strong defensive play while small margins like a walk or a timely hit will determine the outcome. I look to the Astros to win this contest on Sunday. 

Jim's Play: 920. Astros 

The Dodgers and Giants battle for the NL West lead as they have split the first two games of this series. The Dodgers took back the lead after Saturday's game where they blew-out the Giants scoring 10 runs behind two Shohei Ohtani home runs. 

Dustin May toes the rubber for LA with a season record of 3-4 and a 4.46 ERA that includes 64 strikeouts across 66.2 innings pitched. He returned to form after recovering from an esophageal tear last summer when he posted six strikeouts over six innings in his April opener. The Giants choose 23-year-old Kyle Harrison as their starter who has a 1-1 win-loss record with a 4.56 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 25 strikeouts across 23.2 innings pitched. Harrison had a difficult time during his initial two June appearances when he surrendered eight earned runs across 9.1 innings and continues to search for consistency.

San Francisco has achieved eight wins in their last ten games because they maintain the second-best team ERA at 3.14 while their bullpen leads with an elite ERA of 2.51. The Dodgers top the league rankings with a .454 slugging percentage and 109 home runs but show inconsistency on the mound with a 4.16 team ERA. 

I'm looking for another big scoring game like we saw last night. I'll take the OVER here on Sunday evening. 

Jim's Free Play: 911. Giants/Dodgers OVER the Total