MLB Game Picks - Tuesday: April 1, 2014

The first semi-full day of Game Picks went very well. I was 11-0 until the Mariners beat the Angels and after a great pitching duel, the Indians scored two runs off of Jim Johnson to win that game, 2-0. But 11-2 on the first day of the season is quite nice. Let's see if I can keep it going.

There are nine games on the schedule. Only one is not a night game where the Padres will host the Dodgers for a 3:40 start in Pacific Time. Here are the picks:

• The Dodgers over the Padres: Zack Greinke has pitched really well (SSS) against the Padres in the past and the Dodgers hammered Ian Kennedy pretty hard last year. So the pick has to go with the Dodgers. I'm not sure how long Greinke will pitch in this game though.
• The Rockies over the Marlins: Nathan Eovaldi had a decent spring and looks more solid than in years past and how well Brett Anderson holds up will be a question all year for the Rockies. But I'm going with the Rockies in this one.
• The Bay Rays over the Blue Jays: Jose Reyes hurt already. So sad. And no surprise. Hey, a question. If the Rays sign Alex Cobb to a nice extension, could it be said that they will tie Cobb up? Drew Hutchison is an exciting young pitcher. But the Rays are the pick.
• The Rangers over the Phillies: Wow! Did these two teams look awful yesterday. I like Martin Perez's left arm against the Phillies, though the young mad had a tough spring. A.J. Burnett makes his debut for the Phillies.
• The Braves over the Brewers: Alex Wood has looked terrific this spring. Will it transfer to the season? I am saying so. Besides, I have no real confidence in Kyle Lohse stopping the Braves for long.
• The Giants over the Diamondbacks: Uh oh, the Dbacks are already 0-3. Matt Cain has gotten lost a bit for the Giants and he must rebound to give the Giants a chance. Cain has been pretty effective over the years at Chase Field. Wade Miley is hard to rely on for the Diamondbacks.
• The Athletics over the Indians: Scott Kazmir haunts his old team and Corey Kluber gets off to a rough start.
• The Mariners over the Angels: Maybe my trumpeting for the Angels was misplaced. Which is a nice way of saying dumb. The Angels again cannot seem to pitch. Erasmo Ramirez had a terrific spring but faces a tough lineup. C.J. Wilson goes for the Angels. To be honest, I have no idea who will win this game.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Yankees over the Astros: CC Sabathia has a lot to prove this year with diminished velocity on if he can still be an effective pitcher. He had a very good spring, so maybe he can. The Astros are better this year than last and Scott Feldman is not a bad starter. But the Yanks are the picks here.

Yesterday: 11-2

Games of the Day: 0-1

Season: 13-3