The other three incorrect picks were more mundane. Rich Harden was too much for the Blue Jays and that was unexpected. Though it seems like Jose Bautista isn't right at the moment. Bet he is hiding an injury. The Brewers - Cardinals game could have gone either way and it went the wrong way with a Brewers win in the tenth inning. And the last wrong pick was Madison Bumgarner totally shutting down the Pirates and the Giants finally got him some runs to work with.
But that was it. The other picks went beautifully. A.J. Burnett has become as predictable as Old Faithful...in reverse. The Twins couldn't hold back the Red Sox. The Mariners couldn't hold off the Rangers. James Shields was brilliant for the Bay Rays. And Cliff Lee was brilliant (ho hum) against the Dodgers.
Moral of the story? No cuteness. Got it. Wednesday's picks:
- The Dodgers over the Phillies: This pick is logical because Chad Billingsley has his best ERA in day games in a pretty good sample size. On the other hand, Vance Worley's only loss and only bad game this season occurred in a day game.
- The Pirates over the Giants: Jonathan Sanchez has become the West Coast version of A.J. Burnett. Jeff Karstens will have to have a good game though unlike his last outing.
- The Yankees over the Angels: The suspension of Jared Weaver was a lucky break for the Yankees who feature Ivan Nova today. Nova belongs in that rotation and is having a good season. Weaver's replacement, Garrett Richards could pose some problems. All he's done in the minors is win. He throws strikes and if he has good composure could be a surprise.
- The Orioles over the White Sox: The Orioles are down, but the pick here is for Tommy Hunter to have a good outing and for the Orioles' offense to get to Philip Humber, who has fallen on hard times.
- The Indians over the Tigers: The Tigers have seen Ubaldo Jimenez in interleague play this season, so he won't be an unknown. But if the pitcher is on, he can shut the Tigers down. Rick Porcello is also capable of shutting down the Indians. If the pitching cancels itself out, go with the home team.
- The Blue Jays over the Athletics: Gio Gonzalez has struggled on the road all season. The Blue Jays start Henderson Alvarez, a young pitcher who has won four in a row in the minors.
- The Braves over the Marlins: Tim Hudson is back to throwing consistently well and he will need to as Anibal Sanchez has had no luck in his last ten outings, but is still a good pitcher.
- The Reds over the Rockies: The Reds seem moribund lately and have fallen out of the race. But with Kevin Millwood (seriously?) pitching for the Rockies, Mike Leake should get a win. Kevin Millwood??
- The Royals over the Bay Rays: The Royals' young hitters should jump all over Wade Davis' flat fastballs and Felipe Paulino finally gets a well-earned win.
- The Mets over the Padres: Not a solid pick here as neither R.A. Dickey or Aaron Harang engender strong feelings of success. Going with the home team Mets.
- The Nationals over the Cubs: In the stinker game of the day, Ross Detwiler faces Rodrigo Lopez. Oh joy.
- The Red Sox over the Twins: This one won't be close as Jon Lester easily outpaces Nick Blackburn.
- The Cardinals over the Brewers: The Brewers are on fire, but Randy Wolf is their weakest starter. Jake Westbrook isn't much better. Going with the Cardinals at home.
- The Diamondbacks over the Astros: This picker is off the Josh Collmenter bandwagon, but the Astros are starting another so-so rookie (Henry Sosa) making yet another major league debut.
And the Game of the Day!
- The Rangers over the Mariners: Derek Holland should bounce back from a bad outing at home. And the Rangers should jump all over Jason Vargas.
Yesterday: 11-4
Week: 24-16
Month: 69-51
Season: 943-792
Games of the Day: 81-48
No comments:
Post a Comment