This is it. July has come to a close and another month of the season is in the books. There are two more to go and some of it will be determined by last minute deals that happen today. As always, some fan bases will be happy and some will be disappointed.
Speaking of disappointing, the picking day ended under .500 yesterday. The Game of the Day worked out okay, but little else did. The Kluber / Hernandez match-up could have gone either way, so that's okay. But sometimes teams lose to teams they shouldn't lose to and it's the old saw about on any given day, any one team can beat another. There were a lot of given days yesterday.
Thursday's picks:
- The Tigers over the White Sox: I hesitate to pick the White Sox because starter, John Danks, might be traded before the game starts. While that leaves The Emoticon, Drew Smyly as the alternative, I'll still pick the Tigers.
- The Cubs over the Rockies: The Rockies are starting Pedro Hernandez, a 25-year-old lefty from Venezuela who has logged 60+ innings in the Majors and has given up thirteen homers and only struck out 4.6 batters per nine. Yeah. I'll go with Jake Arrieta gentille Arrieta.
- The Padres over the Cardinals: I don't know which fan base is more restless these days, the Cardinals' or the Yankees'. It's probably a tie. There has been a lot of talk about Shelby Miller and his disappointing season. But despite a bump in his last start, the reason for this pick is Odrisamer Despaigne.
- The Orioles over the Angels: It's silly to pick against the Orioles these days. They just keep on winning and winning and winning. Remember all that Buster Olney talk about their tough schedule after the All Star Break? Forget that. Bud Norris over Tyler Skaggs.
- The Nationals over the Phillies: The Phillies are sort of like the big car manufacturers of the 1980s. They just keep on doing what they are doing despite the world passing them by. If Cliff Lee makes his start tonight for them, it's a complete fail for the Phillies and their front office. Gio Gonzalez for the win.
- The Indians over the Mariners: Zach McAllister's peripherals are better than his results. It looks like a command issue more than anything. If he throws strikes, he can win. Chris Young has to be perfect not to get clobbered. That is a tightrope.
- The Reds over the Marlins: I saw that Tom Koehler was pitching for the Marlins and said, "Oh, I should pick them." But then I saw that Johnny Cueto was pitching for the Reds and say, "Maybe not."
- The Royals over the Twins: How is Kevin Correia still in the rotation for the Twins? Sorry for the disrespect, but the guy has become a batting practice pitcher. Yordano Ventura should be better. If he isn't, I hate you Royals.
- The Blue Jays over the Astros: The Blue Jays are fresh off of pounding the Red Sox into submission after doing the same to the Yankees. The Astros should be next. Drew Hutchison needs to be better, but if he is, he should best Jarred Cosart.
- The Pirates over the Diamondbacks: Both Josh Collmenter and Jeff Locke gave up more than ten hits in their last starts. Ugh. Locke is much better at home than on the road. But the Pirates have the better team if the pitchers are considered equal.
And the Game of the Day:
- The Dodgers over the Braves: Any time you have Clayton Kershaw on the mound and he as at home when doing so, you have to pick him. Julio Teheran is a talented pitcher who has been all over the place for some reason lately.
Yesterday: 7-8, July: 206-194, Games of the Day: 63-49, Season: 889-739
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