MLB Game Picks - Tuesday: June 3, 2014

Hey! I figured out a way to get results with the Game of the Day: Pick the Yankees to lose! That worked. On the short schedule, I ended up with three incorrect. I did not think Alex Cobb would be beat by the Marlins, but he was. Shelby Miller was rolling along against the Royals and then had a lynning. And I guess I picked the Twins to win because my logic was colored by my dislike for Matt Garza. Hey, I'm human.

Back to a full schedule on Tuesday:

• The Red Sox over the Indians: The Indians have gotten back on track, but I do not trust T.J. House against the Red Sox. Yes, he is a lefty, which hurts Ortiz and others, but I think Jake Peavy has a good game and the Red Sox win a road game.
• The Athletics over the Yankees: The Yankees are melting fast and have looked terrible in recent days. Scott Kazmir has been pitching really well and Hiroki Kuroda doesn't seem to have much left in the tank.
• The Nationals over the Phillies: Jordan Zimmermann has not been rock solid, but the Phillies are really struggling. David Buchanan brings some much needed youth but he doesn't blow people away and the Nats should score three or four to win.
• The Blue Jays over the Tigers: The Blue Jays get a real test heading into Detroit. And it all depends tonight on the fortunes of Drew Hutchison. He has been Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Drew so far this season. Anibal Sanchez is throwing the ball better but faces a tough lineup.
• The Braves over the Mariners: The Mariners are starting Erasmo Ramirez who hasn't pitched for them in a month. His last start was a quality one, but he does have an ERA of 6.00. I'm going with Gavin Floyd. Heaven help me there.
• The Reds over the Giants: When you have a hitters park like Great America Ballpark, then you like to take the guy with the greater stuff. Homer Bailey has more of that than Tim Lincecum does at this point in their careers.
• The Marlins over the Bay Rays: I hate long win streaks or long losing streaks. You have to predict when they will end. The Rays have lost seven straight and Chris Archer is a good pitcher. But he's been throwing a lot of pitches. Henderson Alvarez is great at home and has two scoreless games in a row. He doesn't go deep into games either and there is the rub there.
• The Royals over the Cardinals: I keep picking the Cardinals and they keep losing. And I keep picking against Jaime Garcia and he keeps pitching well. I guess something has to give there. James Shields big problem is homers and the Cardinals do not hit many of them, so he should have a good night.
• The Rangers over the Orioles: Oh gosh, I am picking Joe Saunders to win. Am I feeling okay? Ubaldo Jimenez in Texas with that hot air and jet stream does not seem like a good pick.
• The Mets over the Cubs: Two frustrating young pitchers go at it in Zack Wheeler and Jake Arrieta gentille Arrieta. The Mets are flush after their series with the Phillies and Wheeler was impressive in his last start. So let's go that way.
• The Astros over the Angels: I love Collin McHugh, but the Angels beat him last time out by not allowing any Astros runs. C.J. Wilson has shut down ability, so this might be a good pick. The thing is: I don't know if Mike Trout will be playing or not.
• The Brewers over the Twins: Yovani Gallardo at home? Yeah, that's a no-brainer for me. The Twins are pitching Samuel Deduno again and I wonder why they are sticking with that.
• The Rockies over the Diamondbacks: Chase Anderson is 3-0, but he is heading into no-mans-land of Coors Field. Jorge De La Rosa, on the other hand, knows how to pitch there.
• The Dodgers over the White Sox: Jose Abreu picked up where he left off last night with another homer, but the Sox still lost. Dan Haren is not as good as Kershaw, but he should have enough at home to win against Hector Noesi, who has been surprisingly decent.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Pirates over the Padres: The Padres are giving the ball to Jesse Hahn, the team's best pitching prospect. Hahn will make his MLB debut but is making a big jump from Double-A and doesn't have much reps even there. He has pitched well at every level. But the Majors is a different game. Gerrit Cole should win this one.

Yesterday: 5-3, June: 14-9, Games of the Day: 27-32, Season: 470-386