At least Saturday finished in the black. Not by much, mind you, but in the black as the blahs continue in my picking odyssey. Naturally, Yu Darvish did not get a win. How silly of me to pick him. Naturally, the Cardinals make any left-handed starter look like a god. But congrats, James Paxton. My man, Chris Tillman, pitched a complete game, but he lost. The Royals shut out the Tigers. Okay. And I depended on Gio Gonzalez and he did not come through. So, yeah, it was still a majorly blah result. Again.
Today starts a new week. There are only two weeks left including this one. I cannot believe how it has all flown by so fast. And quite a bit will be decided in the next two weeks. Sunday's picks:
- The Blue Jays over the Orioles: I have not gotten a single game of this series correct yet. And I should probably go with the Orioles. But Mark Buehrle is just the kind of junk dealer that can shut them down. Besides, Miguel Gonzalez has not been that great and the Orioles have lost seven of nine.
- The Tigers over the Royals: I hate when pitchers get stuck at nineteen wins. I have seen it a dozen times through the years. It is just a number. Why does the pressure get to be so much greater? Jeremy Guthrie and the Royals still hope for a wildcard spot. Good luck with that. Come on, Max Scherzer, get it over with.
- The Mets over the Marlins: I predicted a Mets sweep in the double-header yesterday and they split. But I think I will be correct today because Dillon Gee has had a fine second half and poor Tom Koehler hardly ever wins a ballgame.
- The Pirates over the Cubs: Once again Travis Wood gets to match up against the other team's best pitcher. Good golly, the guy is a really good pitcher, give him a break already. Francisco Liriano has had some bad outings lately though.
- The Nationals over the Phillies: The Nats lost a game to the Reds yesterday in the wildcard race. Can we put an end to that kind of talk. It is such a far-fetched thing. But my guy, Jordan Zimmermann is pitching and he has gotten back on track lately. Tyler Cloyd continues to have a weird name.
- The Braves over the Padres: Apparently, the Braves are not going to shut down Julio Teheran with the playoffs coming. Interesting decision. I am not saying they should. I am just saying that it is interesting. That said, I do not expect him to go deep in the game. Burch Smith will not go deep in the game either for the Padres.
- The Angels over the Astros: Two teams playing out the string. Two pitchers that have had so-so seasons. Take your pick. I will go with Jerome Williams over Paul Clemens though I have no idea. Mike Trout has been quiet lately. He is due for a big game.
- The Brewers over the Reds: The only reason for this pick is Yovani Gallardo at home. He is tough to beat anyway, but even tougher at home. Bronson Arroyo has had a good season, which is sort of surprising at the end of the day.
- The Indians over the White Sox: The White Sox having Chris Sale reminds me of that Armor All commercial where the viking says that the guy doesn't deserve the caddy. The Indians have an OPS as a team that is fifty points higher against lefties. Does that cancel out Sale's greatness? Maybe. Zach McAllister will need to be good either way.
- The Cardinals over the Mariners: The Mariners have really been pitching well as they empty out their minor league prospects onto the big stage. While not a prospect, Erasmo Ramirez has been hugely effective since he joined the rotation. So why am I picking against him? Because I don't think his teammates will hit Shelby Miller either.
- The Athletics over the Rangers: Have the A's dismantled the Rangers or what? Picture the Rangers as the stereotypical cowboy staggering out of the frontier bar after getting his butt whooped. Jarrod Parker is 6-1 in his career against the Rangers. He is 2-1 with a decent ERA when in Arlington. Martin Perez is the only thing standing in the way of an A's avalanche.
- The Rockies over the Diamondbacks: Perhaps it is luck and I would have to study it further, but Jhoulys Chacin has had a very good season and it has gone pretty much out of notice. I think he wins today and that he is better than Randall Delgado.
- The Dodgers over the Giants: This game is trying to sucker punch me. I can feel it. The Giants have played the Dodgers very well over the last couple of games. And I am still under the impression that Ryan Vogelsong is a good pitcher. Silly me. And the awful Edinson Volquez goes for the Dodgers. It is all trying to suck me in for a Giants' pick. But I am going to fight you to the end to pick how I want.
- The Red Sox over the Yankees: Of course ESPN would make these two teams the Sunday Game of the Week. How novel. So why pick the Red Sox? Well, perhaps because Clay Buchholz has not lost a game this season. Perhaps because the Yankees' bullpen has broken down the levy. Perhaps it is because the Yankees have teased us all year and will finally die like we all thought they would earlier. Oh yeah, Ivan Nova goes for the Yanks if that makes a difference to you.
And the Game of the Day:
- The Bay Rays over the Twins: How fortunate has it been for the Rays to hit the Twins when they did? They were scuffling and in danger of falling out of their wildcard lead. Now they have their swagger back. Thanks, Twins. David Price over Pedro Hernandez.
Yesterday: 9-7
Last week: 53-45
Month: 103-92
Season: 1245-987
Games of the Day: 94-67
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