Even good days can leave a little sour spot on the tongue. The Yankees rallied back from a 6-0 deficit and game within three feet of a grand slam that would have won the game. They had the bases loaded with one out (Jeter's sacrifice bunt with no outs and a man on first and second was a controversial decision) and two of their best run producers coming to the plate and fell short. The real concern from this game was Bartolo Colon. Has the charm worn off? Perhaps.
That game was offset though by a four run rally by the Reds to beat the Marlins in the ninth inning. That had to be heartbreaking for Marlins' fans. And the writer's man-crush of Ian Kennedy had a very satisfying night in that regard. Here is a breakdown of the picks:
- Good picks: Split double-header, Brewers, Diamondbacks, Phillies, Braves, Orioles, Dodgers, Angels and Padres.
- Stupid picks: Rangers, Blue Jays, Bay Rays and Astros.
- Lucky picks: Reds.
- Unlucky picks: Yankees. Almost.
For the second straight day there will be sixteen games on the schedule as the Reds and Marlins play two. How cool is 32 games in two days? Add in six days games today and that's a bonanza. The picks:
- The Mariners over the Indians: Carp and Wells give the Mariners' line up a different feel. Ichiro is hitting some and Felix Hernandez is on the mound. Add all that up and you get an Indians' loss. Josh Tomlin pitches for the Indians.
- The Phillies over the Mets: Does Terry Collins really want to pitch Mike Pelfrey against the Phillies again? Seriously? Kyle Kendrick with the win.
- The Cardinals over the Dodgers: Rolled this game over several times. The Cardinals look dead, but Jaime Garcia is still tough to pick against at home, even if Hiroki Kuroda is pitching very well.
- The Rockies over the Astros: Are the Astros really going to pitch Wandy Rodriguez against the team that is trying to trade for him? Isn't that a conflict of interest? If this author was Wandy, the decision to pitch half his games in Coors would be a no. Aaron Cook goes for the Rockies and has a stake in these proceedings too.
- The Reds sweep the Marlins: The combo of Bronson Arroyo and Homer Bailey beat Javier Vazquez and Chris Volstad.
- The Diamondbacks over the Nationals: Daniel Hudson has regressed some after a good first half. Livan Hernandez is always a threat to rise up and have a good game.
- The Red Sox over the Rangers: Josh Beckett has been strong but needs to keep the ball in the park. Matt Harrison is 2-0 lifetime against the Red Sox but has an ERA against them of 5.68. David Ortiz might be back.
- The Yankees over the Athletics: C.C. Sabathia at home against the A's seems like a lock. Trevor Cahill does not pitch well at the new Yankee Stadium. Then again, Cahill hasn't pitched well at all this second half.
- The Blue Jays over the Royals: Ricky Romero has been one of the hottest pitchers in baseball and no one has noticed. Luke Hochevar gives up a couple of dingers.
- The Tigers over the Bay Rays: The big Tiger hitters should see a few flat fastballs from Wade Davis but Max Scherzer has to pitch well for the Tigers.
- The Braves over the Cubs: The Braves win either because of or despite Derek Lowe. Randy Wells gets the start for the Cubbies.
- The Twins over the Orioles: Jeremy Guthrie has a real shot at losing 20 games this season. Kevin Slowey isn't a great pick, but a 20-loss season hasn't been seen for quite a while.
- The Angels over the White Sox: You have to give Ozzie Guillen credit for his team playing .500 ball despite the bunch of players that he has. Zach Stewart is going to be a good pitcher. Part of his learning process will be watching Jared Weaver carve up his teammates.
- The Giants over the Padres: Tim Stauffer is very, very good. But Tim Lincecum should win this game and shut down the Padres.
And the Game of the Day!
- The Brewers over the Pirates: Ho hum, another Brewers win. Shaun Marcum goes for the Brewers against Aaron Thompson filling in for Kevin Correia.
Yesterday: 11-5
Week: 26-16
Month: 183-128
Season: 1057-869
Games of the Day: 90-41
No comments:
Post a Comment