A positive day! And it is about time! There were a few clunkers in there. Jon Niese pitched well as predicted, but his team could not score and lost in extra innings. I knew that the Max Scherzer - Chris Sale duel could go either way and I picked the wrong one. I even mentioned in the pick that Mark Buehrle was due for a market correction and he was and bent a little. And the Rockies demolished Ervin Santana, which I did not see coming.
Other than those four instances, everything else was correct and it feels good to have a better day.
Friday's picks:
- The Phillies over the Cubs: This isn't a ringing endorsement for Roberto Hernandez, but he is pitching against the Cubs. Jake Arrieta gentille Arrieta goes for the Cubbies.
- The Blue Jays over the Orioles: This one is interesting. You have a pitcher in Ubaldo Jimenez who can't stop the bleeding lately facing a Blue Jays team that has had trouble scoring for the past week and a half. Drew Hutchison has to have a good night though.
- The Twins over the Tigers: The Emoticon, Drew Smyly (two Drews in a row) is not having a good season. And Kyle Gibson is having a very good season. That said, if the Tigers' bats get going, this pick will look stupid.
- The Red Sox over the Indians: Justin Masterson beat the Red Sox up in Cleveland, but don't expect a repeat in Boston. John Lackey, on the other hand, has been terrific for the Red Sox.
- The Marlins over the Pirates: The Marlins are back at home where good things happen to them. Nathan Eovaldi is much better at home. Jeff Locke hasn't looked good since early in 2013.
- The Mets over the Padres: This game is a tossup. Bartolo Colon and Andrew Cashner could both be terrific and then the Padres bullpen has a better shot than the Mets. Or "Shrek" Colon could have a clunker and the Padres win. Or Andrew Cashner could continue to make me scratch my head and wonder why he isn't better with his stuff.
- The Braves over the Angels: The Angels playing in a National League park is not a problem because of losing the hitting of the DH. It's more a problem because it will expose the bullpen more and that's not a good thing for the Angels. Aaron Harang and C.J. Wilson are the starting pitchers.
- The Reds over the Brewers: This will depend on which Homer Bailey shows up. If it is the good one we've seen over his last three starts, then the Reds win easily. Otherwise, it will be a win for Matt Garza.
- The White Sox over the Royals: Jeremy Guthrie's bag of magic tricks has vanished and he is getting beat regularly. Jose Quintana is better than people think. I like the White Sox here.
- The Astros over the Bay Rays: This one is interesting too. Will Collin McHugh pitch well again? Can he go deeper into the game? Will Alex Cobb keep looking bad like his first two outings after the DL stint? This could go either way.
- The Cardinals over the Nationals: Jordan Zimmermann has never beaten the Cardinals and has a 7.07 career ERA against them. He is also not good at Busch Stadium. Lance Lynn has to avoid the big inning and he'll be fine.
- The Dodgers over the Diamondbacks: Chase Anderson has been the good luck charm of the Diamondbacks and is 5-0. But his luck will probably run out tonight as he squares up against Clayton Kershaw, the best pitcher on Earth.
- The Mariners over the Rangers: Is it my imagination or is Felix Hernandez thinner and in better shape this year? Either way, he gives Kershaw a run for his money on that best pitcher title. I can't see him losing at home to Nick Tepesch and the Rangers.
- The Rockies over the Giants: Jorge De La Rosa has pitched well against the Giants and pitches really well on the road. Tim Lincecum can get awful messy at times. I think these will be one of those times.
And the Game of the Day:
- The Athletics over the Yankees: This one seems like a mismatch. Sonny Gray is terrific and great at home and faces David Phelps, who has not pitched well at all and needs to be replaced in the Yankees' rotation.
Yesterday: 7-4, June: 78-74, Games of the Day: 35-34, Season: 538-459
No comments:
Post a Comment