The last day of July provided a bit of a bounce-back after that debacle of a Monday as the
picks evened up the week. It was not a spectacular day with six incorrect out of fifteen. But, it
was certainly better at least. The Yankees lost...again. Matt Harvey was great again for the
Mets but his defense let him down and Tim Lincecum was better. The Angels got bombs
from Mike Trout and two from Albert Pujols to sink Derek Holland and the Rangers. The
Rays blew up Tommy Milone and James Shields gave up nothing. And Stephen Strasburg
had a really bad day against the Phillies. And Justin Verlander lost...again. Those were the
unexpected developments that helped keep the success lower than hoped.
Wednesday is getaway day as six of the fifteen games will be played this afternoon. Except
for that leading to a light Thursday, days games are the bomb. So here are today's getaway
picks:
- The Yankees over the Orioles: Might as well keep picking the Yankees until they win a freakin' game. Phil Hughes goes for the Yankees and must...MUST...keep the ball in the yard. Zach Britton has an abominable history against the Yankees, but that doesn't seem to mean anything during this particular Yankee funk.
- The White Sox over the Twins: Scott Diamond is that Twins' best pitcher. He is not an ace, however and can be had at times. Plus, he faces Jake Peavy, a pretty good pitcher in his own right. The White Sox continue to surprise.
- The Brewers over the Astros: Mike Fiers has been decent and the Astros don't have much left of their original offense. Jordan Lyles has been decent but golly, he's had no chance with this team.
- The Pirates over the Cubs: Jeff Karstens has held his own this season and has a rebuilt offense around him. The Cubs are decimated for now and Travis Wood was a home run allowing machine his last time out against the Cardinals.
- The Dodgers over the Diamondbacks: Barney Fife...uh..check that...Stephen Fife is the fifth member of the Dodgers' rotation after nothing happened by the trade deadline. Not that this development is necessarily a bad thing. Fife is not going to blow you away, but depends on contact. Fortunately for him, the D-backs are bringing up Patrick Corbin from the minors to face him.
- The Athletics over the Rays: Is the A's hot streak over? Do the Rays have their number? Can the Rays keep putting up some runs with that offense? Jarrod Parker and Alex Cobb will provide the answers. And as you can tell by this pick rationale, this picker has no clue how it will turn out.
- The Nationals over the Phillies: Vance Worley has struggled over his last five starts. This pick is counting on that to continue. If it doesn't, well, heck. Edwin Jackson is not the most fun to depend on for the win, but he hasn't been half bad this season.
- The Tigers over the Red Sox: The Sox are on a roll, but AaRon Cook depends on contact turning into outs. When they don't, he is in trouble. Rick Porcello needs to have a big game or the Tigers are going to continue to spin their wheels in one of the most frustrating seasons ever.
- The Reds over the Padres: Yeah, Kip Wells has won two games more than anyone expected, but seriously? Bronson Arroyo is never a fun pick either as he runs hot and cold and when he is cold, it gets ugly.
- The Rangers over the Angels: Yu Darvish has been a huge disappointment this season. But he can go a long way to make up for it with a big performance here against the surging Angels. Garrett Richards is filling in for Dan Haren and that could go well for the Angels. Big game.
- The Indians over the Royals: Zach McAllister over Luis Mendoza and sadly, that is all there is to say about this game of teams going nowhere.
- The Cardinals over the Rockies: Drew Pomeranz never gets any runs scored for him. Jake Westbrook is again scary to pick in Coors Field. But the Cards can out-slug anyone if the game gets out of hand.
- The Blue Jays over the Mariners: Blake Beavan has won three straight starts but Carlos Villanueva has not lost a decision this season. Six trumps three. But the Mariners have been playing well and the Blue Jays have not.
- The Giants over the Mets: The Mets are a long way from home and their season has tanked. All that is left is the long ride home. Matt Cain over Jon Niese.
And the Game of the Day!
- The Braves over the Marlins: Wade LeBlanc? Uh, no thanks. Ben Sheets? Yes, please. Even if you aren't a Braves fan, you have to be rooting for Ben Sheets. What a cool story.
Yesterday: 9-6
Week: 21-21
July final: 211-170
Season: 843-686
Games of the Day: 64-48
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