Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Game Picks - Wednesday: July 18, 2012

Yesterday was a struggle as every other pick the entire evening was incorrect. Jon Lester was terrible...again. The Orioles were terrible...again. The Cardinals had a man on first and third with no outs in the ninth and could not get a run home to lose by a run. Barry Zito won again. But the most fun incorrect pick was the Mets. First that pick looked flat out wrong as the Nationals had a 2-0 lead going into the ninth. But Tyler Clippard had a bad night and the Mets took the lead with a three-run homer. Then the Mets blew the save in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game and go into extras. The Mets then scored a run in the top of the tenth to take the lead again. But then blew yet another save in the bottom of the tenth to lose the game. It must have been thrilling for Nats fans and horrid for Mets fans. For this Fan, it was the hardest a pick has ever had to work to be wrong.

At least in the end, the picks did end up north of the .500 mark and the Game of the Day was correct (Phillies). Six of the fifteen games today are day games as it is getaway day in the majors. Life can't get much better than six day games. Here is a look at the picks:

  • The Yankees over the Blue Jays: The Yankees will complete the sweep as Hiroki Kuroda has a good day and bests Ricky Romero. It's not that Romero is a bad pitcher, he isn't. The Yankees are simply rolling along and will head out west after the game.
  • The Cardinals over the Brewers: If the Cards don't win this one, pack the bags and call the dog. Adam Wainwright gets the start against rookie, Tyler Thornburg and his seven plus ERA and no Ryan Braun in the Brewers' lineup.
  • The Dodgers over the Phillies: This is a terrible choice to pick. Cliff Lee still has the name if not the stats. Clayton Kershaw is one of the best there is. The Dodgers are on a dreadful run and look more like a last place team than a contender. Ugh.
  • The Pirates over the Rockies: James McDonald has rarely let this picker down. Even when he was picked against in his last outing, he obliged by having his worst outing of the year. Coors Field is a tough place for the young pitcher to pitch. But, Jeremy Guthrie is as allergic to his home ballpark as any pitcher in history.
  • The Padres over the Astros: Can't wait for this series to be over. The two teams are so evenly matched. Take today for example. Wandy Rodriguez should be able to shut down a fairly putrid Padres' offense. But then again, at home, Clayton Richard should be able to shut down the Astros' putrid offense. So who wins? Toss a coin.
  • The Rangers over the Athletics: Not thrilled with this pick either. Travis Blackley hasn't pitched since July 1 because he had a stiff back. But the last time he pitched, he held the Rangers down. Colby Lewis starts for the Rangers for the first time coming back from the DL with a forearm problem. Oy. The Rangers get some revenge on Blackley and Lewis is rescued after five or six innings.
  • The Angels over the Tigers: This might be a real low scoring game. The so-called overrated C.J. Wilson has not allowed more than two earned runs in a game in like forever. And Doug Fister looked like last year's version in his last appearance.
  • The Nationals over the Mets: The Nats put the dagger into the Mets' heart for another game. Jordan Zimmermann is the bomb as far as this picker goes and Chris Young is a nice comeback story, but he can't pitch well enough consistently enough to pick him.
  • The Red Sox over the White Sox: So far, this series has been the Kevin Youkilis victory dance. But Felix Doubront is a better choice than Pedro Hernandez, yet another rookie the White Sox are counting on in the rotation. 
  • The Indians over the Bay Rays: The thought here is that Justin Masterson has the kind of stuff to stuff the Rays anemic offense. Plus, Jeremy Hellickson has lost four straight as his straight fastball and lack of strikeouts is catching up with him.
  • The Giants over the Braves: All Ryan Vogelsong does start after start is give you quality starts. The guy has simply been as consistent as it gets. Mike Minor is improving, but is still Mike Minor.
  • The Marlins over the Cubs: Josh Johnson has been a total enigma this season. The line before the season was if he could ever stay healthy, look out. Well, he has stayed healthy and nothing spectacular has happened. Jeff Samardzija bounced back a little lately after his great start and then fade before the All Star Break. He's tough. But he comes up short in this one.
  • The Twins over the Orioles: Man, the Orioles' pitching has fallen apart and can't get up. Tommy Hunter won't help the cause. He's been up and down to Triple-A all season for a reason. And there is the biggest enigma of them all: Francisco Liriano, the only guy who could lose a game when he strikes out fifteen guys.
  • The Mariners over the Royals: Geez, why can't the Royals ever hire themselves a good manager? Ned Yost is just not good. If the Royals get swept by the Mariners, then he should lose his job. Period. Kevin Millwood over Bruce Chen.

And the Game of the Day!

  • The Reds over the Diamondbacks: Heck, the Diamondbacks are so flat that this picker can't even pick Ian Kennedy anymore. Mat Latos keeps the D-backs on their uh...backs and the Reds get another win.

Yesterday: 8-7
Week: 27-15
Month: 104-86
Season: 736-602
Games of the Day: 57-41

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