Yesterday was a wild day. Fernando Rodney, Jim Johnson and Mariano Rivera all blew saves in spectacular ways. But only two of those hurt the final result. I got most of the earlier games correct and hardly any of the late games correct. So the day ended with a 9-7 result. Hardly what I am looking for.
Saturday's picks:
- The Tigers over the Yankees: This pick is an indictment of Phil Hughes. Hughes proved that Yankee Stadium is not his only problem when he ralphed in his last start in San Diego, one of the best pitcher's parks around. The Tigers should hit at least three homers and Anibal Sanchez just has to limit the Yankees to three runs or so.
- The Blue Jays over the Athletics: Mark Buehrle has been pitching awfully well in the last month and seems like a more likely pick than Sonny Gray making his first Major League start. It's not that Gray does not look ready for the big time. He had very good numbers in Triple-A and that was in the heavy hitting PCL.
- The Orioles over the Giants: I think the Orioles' offense will hit Chad Gaudin hard and if that happens, Wei-Yin Chen only has to be decent for the Orioles to win.
- The White Sox over the Twins: Andre Rienzo makes his first big league start for the White Sox, who seem to be going with the young (hey, it can't get worse). And though I have my reservations about his control and his command, there is no doubt he has a big arm. But more than anything, I don't want to pick Mike Pelfrey.
- The Dodgers over the Rays: The Rays back end of the bullpen really stunk yesterday after David Price gave up just one unearned run. And today, Roberto Hernandez goes for the Rays and he is their weakest starter. The Dodgers, meanwhile, go with Zack Greinke. That seems to be a huge advantage to me.
- The Angels over the Indians: Not only are the Indians going in the wrong direction, but so is Ubaldo Jimenez. The Angels will jump on him early and C.J. Wilson will hold on for dear life for the win. My only fear in this one is the Angels' bullpen.
- The Nationals over the Phillies: No, I probably should not pick against Cliff Lee. But it is not like he is unstoppable. He is merely very good most of the time. Taylor Jordan also pitches better so far at home than on the road, so I am giving him the W.
- The Red Sox over the Royals: The Royals are on fire and have taken the first two games against the Red Sox, which is impressive. I just do not like the match-up of Jeremy Guthrie against the Red Sox. Felix Doubront should get the win and he has been pitching well.
- The Braves over the Marlins: The Braves should have little trouble with Nathan Eovaldi. Heck, they have had little trouble with anybody lately. And Alex Wood has pitched two good games in a row and his numbers are impressive with more than nine strikeouts per nine and a 2.1 ground ball to fly ball rate.
- The Reds over the Padres: Tyson Ross has had three good starts in a row for the Padres. But let's see how he does in a small ballpark in Cincinnati. I would much rather pick Tony Cingrani here.
- The Rangers over the Astros: It is hard for a lefty to pitch at Minute Maid with that short left field dimension. But Derek Holland should be fine and the Rangers should tee off on Brad Peacock who has never made a good impression in the big leagues.
- The Cardinals over the Cubs: Well, this pick did not work out yesterday, but it is the right pick to make. Michael Wacha comes back from the minors to pitch and he has wicked stuff. Carlos Villanueva has not had many things go right this season.
- The Diamondbacks over the Mets: The Mets just are not the same without David Wright. You do not lose a player like than and survive, especially when he is your only superstar. Zack Wheeler has great stuff, but little command. Brandon McCarthy is my big concern with this pick.
- The Rockies over the Pirates: A.J. Burnett lives and dies by his curveball. And curves tend to flatten out at Coors Field. The Rockies will hit him and then get a good start from Juan Nicasio for the win in this one.
And the Game of the Day:
- The Mariners over the Brewers: Hisashi Iwakuma is a near lock at home going against a team without Braun and Weeks. The Brewers go with Tom Gorzelanny, who could have a decent game, but not as good as Iwakuma's.
Yesterday: 9-7
Week: 43-34
Month: 72-46
Season: 975-759
Games of the Day: 75-50 +1
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