Game Picks - Monday: June 20, 2011

Interleague play has not been kind to this old picker. The .500 level seems to be the norm and yesterday proved to be just barely over that mark. It is true that this picker could have simply picked all American League teams and been correct about 60 percent of the time. But where is the fun in that? The really dumb pick of the day was picking against the Boston Red Sox. But this picker really thought Gallardo would be better than he was. He had nothing to offer against that powerhouse of a team. The Mariners beat the Phillies two out of three and actually sit in first place. Now there's a remarkable development. And while picking the Nationals' winning streak to end was correct, picking Jonathan Niese to continue his remarkable run was not. That's the way the day went.

The bad news for this picker is that interleague continues. Ten games are on Monday's schedule. Here's how they should go:

• The Orioles over the Pirates: Jake Arrieta is starting to make a believer out of this Fan and he leads his club in strikeouts. Meanwhile, Charlie Morton really got lucky with the Astros as he pitched 109 pitches in five innings against them and still got the win.
• The Indians over the Rockies: Fausto Carmona hasn't been pitching well. But he was a little better his last time out. Juan Nicasio was terrific his last time out but it was against the Padres. The Indians, especially at home, are not the Padres.
• The Marlins over the Angels: The Marlins have to win some time. Seriously, it's been one of the worst streaks this Fan has ever witnessed in Major League Baseball. Anibal Sanchez gives the team it's best chance to win, even though he is facing Jared Weaver.
• The Yankees over the Reds: Yeah, yeah, Ivan Nova versus Johnny Cueto seems like a mismatch. But the Yankees will wear down the Reds' ace and will win this thing...once again on National television.
• The Red Sox over the Padres: The Red Sox start reclamation project, Andrew Miller. The Padres start Wade LeBlanc. Doesn't matter. The Red Sox can hit. The Padres can't.
• The Blue Jays over the Braves: Ricky Romero neutralizes Heyward and is the kind of pitcher who can shut the Braves down. Tim Hudson never breaks, but he does bend.
• The Cubs over the White Sox: Carlos Zambrano won't get to hit but he's a better pitcher (most of the time) than Gavin Floyd. Tough game to call.
• The Brewers over the Bay Rays: Chris Narveson makes the Rays feature their righty line up, which isn't as strong as their lefty one. Jeff Niemann makes his first start off the DL. Always nervous about those starts.
• The Dodgers over the Tigers: There is only one reason for this pick: Clayton Kershaw at home. For every other day of the season, the pick would be the Dodgers. Brad Penny goes for Detroit.

And the Game of the Day!

• The Rangers over the Astros: Derek Holland is facing the Astros instead of the Yankees. That should make all the difference in the world. The Astros counter with J. A. Happ. A lopsided affair ensues.

Yesterday: 8-7

Week: 8-7

Month: 141-121

Season: 584-486

Games of the Day: 50-31