Monday was much kinder than Sunday as seven of the ten picks were correct. The three that were surprising (and wrong) were the Blue Jays winning the second game against the Orioles and the Rockies getting a good performance from Tyler Chatwood.at home to beat the Diamondbacks. The last incorrect pick of the Mets beating the Pirates was from a game that could have gone either way with two inexperienced pitchers. The biggest win of the night was the White Sox coming from behind on an Adam Dunn homer to snap their losing streak and stay a game ahead of the Tigers. That was a huge win for them.
Before we move on to the picks, it is hard to believe that folks on Twitter were criticizing John Jay for this catch yesterday. A line drive hit right at an outfielder is the hardest ball to judge. Did he get fooled? Yes. Did he show tremendous athleticism to catch the ball? You betcha. If you think that was an easy play, perhaps you should try it some time.
Okay, now that the chest is unloaded, Tuesday's picks:
- The White Sox over the Indians: That win had to be a big relief for the White Sox yesterday. That will build into today for a team that will play with a lot more confidence. As for the Indians, yesterday might have been their best shot to win a game this series and it went by the wayside. Francisco Liriano over Corey Kluber.
- The Tigers over the Royals: Bruce Chen could always throw seven shutout innings like he did against the White Sox...nah...that won't happen. Anibal Sanchez has to improve over his last outing though for the Tigers to win this game.
- The Orioles over the Blue Jays: While this pick is not a ringing endorsement of Joe Saunders, it would seem to be the correct call since the Blue Jays are pitching Aaron Laffey. The Orioles will fight tooth and nail for every game the rest of the season. The Blue Jays are waiting for the season to end.
- The Phillies over the Nationals: Ross Detwiler is pitching really well and is much better than people think. But that said, he is facing Cole Hamels, who all in all, is a much better pitcher. The Nats do have a better offense than the Phillies and that may factor in here, but the pick is still Hamels.
- The Reds over the Brewers: The odds are getting too long for the Brewers and they are buckling a bit. Every time they put a few games together, their pitching undercuts them again. The prediction here is that Mike Fiers does not have a good start and Johnny Cueto pitches five or six innings and lets his bullpen take over.
- The Pirates over the Mets: Yes, this pick was wrong yesterday. And yes, Collin McHugh could catch fire and dominate the Pirates if he has a good night. But that's a big "if" and Wandy Rodriguez is an established big league lefty starter that should hold the Mets down enough for a Pirate win.
- The Rays over the Red Sox: On paper, this is a terrific pitching duel between David Price and Clay Buchholz. On paper, those pitchers appear to be a wash in innings that end with zero runs. But the Rays will find a way to win while the Red Sox find a way to lose.
- The Rangers over the Athletics: Boy, those poor A's have had it tough in this last week. They get to Texas and Hamilton and Beltre get back in the lineup? Good timing there. And tonight they face Yu Darvish, who had pitched wonderfully in the last month and a half. Tommy Milone doesn't stand a chance of winning this game.
- The Cardinals over the Astros: The Cards can smell the finish line at this point. And this pick goes to them despite knowing that Jaime Garcia is pitching on the road and that Lucas Harrell is the Astros' best pitcher. The Cards will score more runs than the Astros eventually and that means a win.
- The Yankees over the Twins: The Yankees are having things come together and what seems to be the right time. Phil Hughes will have to be very good to beat what is a good lineup for the Twins. But the Yankees should score against Esmerling Vasquez early and often.
- The Rockies over the Cubs: This is a difficult call because of the pitching match up. Jorge De La Rosa is still feeling his way after missing a year with TJ surgery on his elbow. Chris Rusin is inexperienced and has been ineffective and has to pitch at Coors. Not a good combination.
- The Dodgers over the Padres: Josh Beckett is good for five quality innings as the Dodgers are learning. To keep him much longer than that is asking for trouble. The Padres have had a quality second half and part of their resurgence has been better outings by Edinson Volquez. But the Dodgers win this one.
- The Angels over the Mariners: The Angels can take advantage of the A's schedule and slip in past the A's for the last wild card. But they have to win almost all of their games. Zack Greinke should be good at home and the Angels have to find a way to score against Erasmo Ramirez who has a big time arm and is finally figuring out how to use it.
- The Giants over the Diamondbacks: Tim Lincecum has returned to form in the second half and is a big reason for the Giants to hope to go far in the post season. Josh Collmenter just doesn't seem like a good pick in this one.
And the Game of the Day:
- The Braves over the Marlins: Kris Medlen has been amazing. And why should that stop today? The Marlins meanwhile are simply waiting for the season to end so they can make Ozzie Guillen go away. Oh, and Nathan Eovaldi is not exactly an out machine either.
Yesterday: 7-3
Week: 14-12
Month: 174-149
Season: 1260-1007
Games of the Day: 100-65. !
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