MLB Game Picks - Sunday: May 11, 2014

Sorry folks, I slept in so this post is a bit tardy. Another 8-7 finish, which makes two days in a row like that. What a struggle! At least the Game of the Day feature was finally correct and an extra-inning game actually went my way.

I do feel bad for Jeff Samardzija. He pitched another great game and I picked him in support. But of course, his team could not score for him. They never score for him. The poor blighter.

Sunday's picks:

• The Blue Jays over the Angels: Jered Weaver has more guile than arm and he could run into his share of Blue Jay bats. Drew Hutchison, on the other hand, has a great arm.
• The Tigers over the Twins: Robby Ray won his first start in impressive fashion. But picking him again is very scary. Sam Deduno makes the pick a little easier to live with.
• The Reds over the Rockies: I'm going out on the limb with this one. I think Homer Bailey can shut down the Rockies if he has a good day. Juan Nicasio has been winning, but a bit sloppily. We'll see.
• The Mets over the Phillies: Jon Niese has been pitching well and has run into some hard luck. Cole Hamels over the past couple of seasons has been the definition of hard luck. One of them has to win.
• The Braves over the Cubs: Who the heck knows with this one. Aaron Harang has shown his true colors lately (like I have been telling you would happen) and Edwin Jackson always wins when I pick him to lose. Gosh, I don't know.
• The Rays over the Indians: Whenever I think the Rays are dead and I pick against them, they win. Chris Archer has to have a good game for this pick to be right. Josh Tomlin is okay, but not a pitcher to hang my hat on.
• The Diamondbacks over the White Sox: Let's go nuts here and pick a win for the Major League debut of Chase Anderson. He is a former 42nd round pick who has never lit up anyone's prospect list. But he does have very good control and misses his share of bats. Hector Noesi goes for the White Sox.
• The Yankees over the Brewers: Matt Garza does not have good career numbers against the Yankees. In my mind, he has always been an overrated pitcher. David Phelps needs to have a good game though, which is a tough call to make.
• The Red Sox over the Rangers: After Yu Darvish, the Rangers struggle. Robbie Ross cannot hold a lineup like Boston's. It all depends how well John Lackey pitches in the hot air of Texas.
• The Athletics over the Nationals: The A's just have a way. They never look like a great team. But somehow, they are a great team. It does not even bother me that they are facing Gio Gonzalez. They will get his pitch count to 100 in six innings. Scott Kazmir was a typically great pickup by Beane.
• The Mariners over the Royals: The Royals are frustrating. Just ask its fans. Jeremy Guthrie can be had. I would rather pick Roenis Elias at this point as the latter has showed flashes of good stuff.
• The Marlins over the Padres: The Marlins, once again, are not taking their home mojo on the road with them. I like Henderson Alvarez to win here though over Robbie Erlin. Yes, indeed, it is Robbie day again.
• The Dodgers over the Giants: This is tough, folks. Clayton Kershaw, the best in baseball, against Tim Hudson, the veteran who isn't afraid of any situation. It could go either way or become a bullpen battle.
• The Cardinals over the Pirates: The Cardinals made this pick look bad yesterday. And the same could happen today. I just happen to think that Shelby Miller is better and has more of a chance to win than Charlie Morton.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Orioles over the Astros: The Orioles have been getting fat on a weak stretch of their schedule. Chris Tillman is a good pitcher who should pitch well today. Jarred Cosart is dealing with pitching-for-a-bad-team syndrome.

Yesterday: 8-7, May: 75-64, Games of the Day: 17-20, Season: 308-239