Yesterday was not fun. Weather delayed our flights and we got stuck in Portland, Maine overnight and now have to drive back today up to northern Maine, a seven hour drive. Yay! And the picks showed their displeasure by finishing 7-7. But I should not complain about that. At one point they were 2-5 and the day really looked like it was heading for disaster. So a .500 day seems okay after all. Oh! And both extra-inning games yesterday turned into wrong picks. I am back on that dark road again.
I need to get these picks done quickly to get on the road, so apologies and here are today's picks:
- The Reds over the Cubs: The two teams are playing two games today. The first one features regular starters Johnny Cueto versus Travis Wood. The second game features two inexperienced pitchers. As for this one, I have to go with Cueto.
- The Nationals over the Orioles: These two teams played well into the night last night and the bullpens will be toasted. So which starter can get a longer outing? I'd have to go with Doug Fister over Bud Norris. Norris has pitched well lately.
- The Yankees over the Indians: The Yankees are weird this year playing much better on the road than at home. Add to that Masahiro Tanaka on the mound and you have to go with the Yankees. Trevor Bauer goes for the Indians.
- The Tigers over the Dodgers: The Dodgers get an extra bat in the lineup which is good for them with their crowded outfield. And Hyun-jin Ryu is a good pitcher. But I am going with Justin Verlander to build on his last start and win the game today.
- The Braves over the Mets: I like Jacob deGrom, but I don't think he's quite there yet to compete against the likes of Julio Teheran. Then again, the Braves are not the best offense in the world either. Not sure about this one.
- The Red Sox over the White Sox: The Red Sox have lost three straight and are now eleven games under .500 and in last place. Wuh? They were limited to two hits last night and that is the big problem. So you would think that if Carroll could hold them to just a hit in 6+ innings that John Danks could do even better. Instead, I am going with Brandon Workman to turn the tables.
- The Cubs over the Reds: Tsuyoshi Wada was called, "Dr. K," in his Japanese baseball days but has spent the last two and a half years in America in the minors. He gets his MLB debut tonight and I like his Triple-A numbers this year. David Holmberg is a former second round pick and is making his second big league appearance. I don't like his minor league numbers at all.
- The Royals over the Rays: Jeremy Hellickson makes his first start back after being away for a long time with injury. He wasn't that great to start with, so I'm not enthused about his chances. Jason Vargas is having a pretty good year for the Royals.
- The Astros over the Rangers: The Rangers cannot get anyone out right now. Nick Martinez has been hit badly and so I am taking Brad Peacock. Not a much better choice, I know...
- The Brewers over the Phillies: This pick did not work out last night, but Kyle Kendrick is no Cole Hamels. A lot will depend on how good Wily Peralta is in his start for the Brewers.
- The Padres over the Rockies: Tyson Ross has been much better than people think this year and was outstanding his last time out. But how good will he be at Coors? Good question. On the other hand, Franklin Morales is only going to last five innings and that's not good enough for the Rockies:
- The Diamondbacks over the Marlins: Oy vey! This pick is no fun. Brad Hand goes for the Marlins who are pretty terrible on the road this year. He's been a reliever most of the year. The Diamondbacks go with Vidal Nuno, just acquired from the Yankees, where he was terrible most of the time. But at least Nuno is stretched out. Ugh.
- The Athletics over the Giants: Madison Bumgarner will have a lot to say about this pick. The thing is, I think Sonny Gray will stick with him and if that happens and it becomes a bullpen game? Advantage A's.
- The Angels over the Blue Jays: The Jays are on a bad slide losing eight of their last ten. And now losing Edwin Encarnacion is a big blow. To win, they have to have a great effort by R.A. Dickey and I don't see it. Tyler Skaggs has to pitch well though.
- The Cardinals over the Pirates: I can't see Vance Worley beating the Cardinals. So the only shot the Pirates have here is for them to jump all over young Carlos Martinez. It's certainly possible, which makes picking baseball games as tough as it is.
And the Game of the Day:
- The Mariners over the Twins: I will remain to be seen if the Yankees wrecked Phil Hughes. Hughes had a nice bubble going with the Twins until the Yankees reminded him of what happened in the past. The wild card is Chris Young, who has been amazing at home despite no strikeouts and a FIP that is three runs above his ERA. Weirdness.
Yesterday: 7-7, July: 61-38, Games of the Day: 50-43, Season: 744-613
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