Game Picks - March 31, 2011

And so it begins. It's Opening Day, which means--at least here in this space--that the daily "Game Picks" feature moves back into full swing. This Fan is pretty proud to day that there wasn't one day last year that was missed and 2,529 games were picked including the playoffs and World Series. Last year's final tally was 1379-1050, good for a 56.8 percent correct response rate. That rate might waver slightly between Baseball-reference.com and Fangraphs.com because the defense is rated differently.

Uhh...what?

Anyway, it is exciting to get back in the saddle to load up the pick machine. No, if you're looking for Las Vegas style odds and stuff, the Fan ain't your guy. All we do here is pick who is going to win. That's it. So here are your opening day picks:

• The Braves over the Nationals: Derek Lowe may not be your prototypical Opening Day starter, but he has a better chance to stop the Nationals than Livan Hernandez does of stopping the Braves. A high scoring affair ensues with the Braves coming out on top.
• The Tigers over the Yankees: C. C. Sabathia has started Opening Day three straight years, and for three straight years, it's been one of his worst outings of the season. Two were losses, one was a 10-8 win. Verlander is on a mission and limits the Yankees' bats.
• The Reds over the Brewers: The Reds open at home and Volquez does just enough to get to the bullpen and the Reds win. Gallardo gets hit but also gets a hit when batting.
• The Cardinals over the Padres: There will be no Cinderella season for the Padres. Carpenter and the Cardinals start with a win over Stauffer and the fringy friars.
• The Dodgers over the Giants: The Dodgers have gotten no love this spring. It's almost like the writers have heaped their disdain for the McCourts onto the team. Donny Ballgame gets his first win as a manager. Kershaw out pitches Lincecum.

And the Game of the Day (the one game each day that seems a lock)!

• The Angels over the Royals: Weaver is an ace, though he got dissed and was sent to arbitration. Hochevar is decidedly not an ace. This one should be easy.

Have fun everyone and enjoy Opening Day!