Monday was another good day for this game picker. Eight out of twelve games were picked
correctly. The four incorrect picks were the Pirates, the Reds, the Nationals and the Angels.
The Reds pick was somewhat understandable since it was unknown at the time that Joey
Votto was shut down. The Angels' vaunted bullpen has been in disarray since the end of the
All Star Break and showed itself again yesterday against the Tigers. The Pirates got behind
early and just came up short on their comeback attempt. The Nationals just had an off day
against the Marlins.
Tuesday means we are back to a full schedule. Here are the picks:
- The Tigers over the Angels: This pick has to figure out which of two young pitchers will out-perform the other. Jacob Turner was impressive in an early spot start for the Tigers and threw a shutout in his last Triple-A outing. Garrett Richards has been hit hard in his last two starts. So that is the way the pick goes.
- The Mets over the Nationals: The pick is for Jon Niese in this one over Ross Detwiler. Detwiler gave up a whole lot of hits last time out and Niese is a very good pitcher. The Nationals are the better team, but the Mets should grab this one.
- The Yankees over the Blue Jays: If Jose Bautista misses any time with the Blue Jays, that really hurts them. Brett Cecil has been hit or miss in his five starts back from the minors. And there have been more misses than hits. Or more hits to make misses, if you know what this picker means. Plus, C.C. Sabathia is back.
- The Reds over the Diamondbacks: There is a real hole in the Reds' lineup without Votto. But Johnny Cueto has been so good that the pick has to go that way...providing his blister allows him his full arsenal of pitches. Trevor Bauer was much more impressive his last outing than the first two.
- The Red Sox over the Whtie Sox: Jon Lester has been far from scintillating, but he should be better than Phil Humber who has been rehabbing in the minors and was less than successful before he went on the DL.
- The Bay Rays over the Indians: The last time Matt Moore pitched was against these Indians and he was all over the place. Josh Tomlin pitched last against these same Bay Rays and was brilliant. Can history repeat itself? Not thinking so. Matt Moore is going to have a good game.
- The Braves over the Giants: The Braves are red hot right now and Jair Jurrjens is 3-0 since coming back from the minors. He doesn't look great, but you can't argue the results. Barry Zito does not inspire confidence that this game will go any other way.
- The Marlins over the Cubs: This picker has a funny feeling that something is going to happen on the Ryan Dempster front today. That should be a little air out of the Cubs' balloon. Anibal Sanchez is going to pitch a good game and Travis Wood will be good too, but not quite good enough.
- The Orioles over the Twins: This game is a mess to pick. Zach Britton is back and will make his first start of the year for the Orioles. Who knows how that will go. Samuel Deduno was just okay in his first major league start but allowed two homers. Impossible to guess what will happen here.
- The Mariners over the Royals: The Royals have not announced a starter yet and there is a big TBO where a name should be. That always inspires confidence, no? On the other hand, Blake Beavan is back from the minors and based on his record before he was sent down, that is no great shakes either. Ugh.
- The Cardinals over the Brewers: The Cards' comeback win in the ninth had to boost a flagging team after being swept by the Reds. At the same time, it has to deflate the Brewers a bit. Randy Wolf should get hit around a bit by the Cards lineup and Joe Kelly will be good enough to either win or keep his team in the game long enough to get the win.
- The Pirates over the Rockies: Christian Friedrich is the best of the Rockies' 75-pitch wonders. But he is not as good at home, and who could blame him at Coors. Erik Bedard, on the other hand, has had five bad outings in a row and is due for a good one.
- The Astros over the Padres: Ross Ohlendorf has allowed a million base runners and has a 7.04 ERA. But he is 2-0. Umm...that can't last, can it? Jordan Lyles was good his last time out, but he is no great pick either. There are three games like this today. Sheesh.
- The Rangers over the Athletics: This is no ringing endorsement for Roy Oswalt. And it is no knock on Bartolo Colon. The Rangers are simply the better team and should win the game. The A's sure have been surprising though.
And the Game of the Day!
- The Phillies over the Dodgers: Thinking of the Dodgers, that Sting line comes haunting in: "There's a little black spot on the sun today..." Roy Halladay is part of the reason why. He should continue the Dodgers' struggles as he is now healthier than when he left. Plus, the Dodgers don't know who to pitch as there is a TBO in that spot today.
Yesterday: 8-4
Week: 19-8
Month: 96-79
Season: 728-595
Games of the Day: 56-41
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