Pitching matchups for Friday’s MLB games

We have a full 16-game schedule Friday in the majors with the first game starting at 4:10 p.m. ET between the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets. 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: Yusei Kikuchi vs. Carlos Rodon

The best pitching matchup will take place on Friday night as the Seattle Mariners travel to the Southside of Chicago to play the Chicago White Sox at 8:10 p.m. ET. The Mariners, who have been playing solid baseball as of late, will start southpaw Yusei Kikuchi. Meanwhile, the White Sox will start Carlos Rodon, who has been one of the best pitchers in the AL and the majors.

Kikuchi enters Friday night’s series opener with a 4-3 record, 3.46 ERA, and 81 strikeouts in 80.2 IP. The 30-year-old starter has pitched well away from T-Mobile Park this season, with a 2-1 record and 3.07 ERA in seven starts. As for Rodon, he is making a strong case to be the AL Cy Young with his 6-2 record and outstanding 1.83 ERA. After an okay month of May, the 28-year-old has bounced back with a strong month of June, recording a 1.42 ERA in three starts.

Sleeper Matchup: Sean Manaea vs. Johnny Cueto

We have a pretty good sleeper matchup towards the end of the night between two of best teams in the state of California. The Oakland Athletics will put Sean Manaea on the mound, while the San Francisco Giants will turn the ball over to Johnny Cueto. Manaea has lowered his ERA from 4.41 to 3.06. The 29-year-old pitcher has been nothing short of fantastic this month, posting a 3-1 record and 1.04 ERA. Manaea is coming off a 11-strikeout performance against the New York Yankees last week.

Cueto has played a noticeable role in helping the San Francisco Giants be one of the better teams in the National League. The veteran starting pitcher has a record of 5-3 with a 4.03 ERA in 11 starts this season. After starting off the season with a 1.80 ERA, Cueto’s ERA has gone up every month considerably. In three starts this month, the 35-year-old pitcher has allowed six home runs and has a 5.74 ERA. The Giants hope that Cueto can turn it around tonight against the Athletics, who have a potent offense.

Here’s a look at the pitching matchups for Friday’s 16-game MLB slate on June 25th.

Rockies vs. Brewers: Jon Gray vs. Corbin Burnes
Phillies vs. Mets: Aaron Nola vs. Taijuan Walker
Yankees vs. Red Sox: Domingo German vs. Martin Perez
Orioles vs. Blue Jays: Matt Harvey vs. Alek Manoah
Angels vs. Rays: Griffin Canning vs. Andrew Kittredge
Braves vs. Reds: Drew Smyly vs. Vladimir Gutierrez
Astros vs. Tigers: Framber Valdez vs. Wily Peralta
Nationals vs. Marlins: Jon Lester vs. Pablo Lopez
Phillies vs. Mets: Matt Moore vs. David Peterson
Royals vs. Rangers: Mike Minor vs. Dane Dunning
Indians vs. Twins: Cal Quantrill vs. Danny Coulombe
Mariners vs. White Sox: Yusei Kikuchi vs. Carlos Rodon
Pirates vs. Cardinals: Wil Crowe vs. Kwang Hyun Kim
Athletics vs. Giants: Sean Manaea vs. Johnny Cueto
Diamondbacks vs. Padres: Corbin Martin vs. Chris Paddack
Cubs vs. Dodgers: Jake Arrieta vs. Tony Gonsolin