Let's recap the bad picks from last night: The Yankees are terrible and cannot do anything right. The Rays and Tigers went back and forth all night, went into extra innings with the Tigers coming out on top. The one time I actually pick Kyle Gibson, he cannot hold a five-run lead. And Kevin Correia was predictably bad like always, but Ian Kennedy and the Padres' defense were even more bad and the Dodgers won. And...and...that's it.
All eleven of the other games were correct. Not a bad night of picking.
Wednesday's picks:
- The Marlins over the Rangers: The Marlins hung tough last night and came from behind to win after blowing a lead. I think the win tonight will be easier. Nathan Eovaldi faces Nick Martinez.
- The Phillies over the Mariners: The only reason I am picking this for the Phillies is Cole Hamels. The Phillies are going to struggle against James Paxton too, but Hamels at home is too tough for me to pick against.
- The Brewers over the Blue Jays: The Blue Jays, like the Yankees, are sinking and R.A. Dickey will give up three or four runs at least. Jimmy Nelson will hold the Blue Jays to less than that and the Brewers win yet another game at home.
- The Mets over the Athletics: This is a tough one. Zack Wheeler has been outstanding. He has given up two runs or less in eight of his last nine starts and in the other won, just gave up three. The only caveat is whether the Mets can score against Jeff Samardzija. Hmm...this could go wrong for me in a heartbeat.
- The Nationals over the Diamondbacks: Imagine Kirk Gibson right now after Tony La Russa contradicted a report that said that Gibson was safe for next year. Gulp. This series isn't helping as the Nats are red hot and the D-backs are flat. Tanner Roark over Trevor Cahill.
- The Braves over the Pirates: It's nice to see Gerrit Cole back, but it won't help. He will pitch well but not last long enough in his first start back from the DL. Alex Wood has had a good season considering he wasn't supposed to be in the rotation.
- The Yankees over the Astros: Sigh. Yeah. I know. But Michael Pineda is pitching. That might be enough to make a difference. Scott Feldman pitches like Tom Seaver against the Yankees though. But then the Yankees' offense makes every pitcher look like Tom Seaver.
- The Angels over the Red Sox: I never know what to do when a pitcher pitches against a team for the second time in a row over a two week span. The batters know what to expect. With Garrett Richards, can the Red Sox hit what they expect? And what of Clay Buchholz, who has really had a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde season?
- The Rays over the Tigers: Let's try this again. Rick Porcello is on a losing streak and hasn't seemed as sharp. Jake Odorizzi has been buried a lot in my column, but gets his share of wins despite my facetiousness. The Trop is so depressing.
- The Cardinals over the Reds: Normally, I would always pick Johnny Cueto. However, first off, Lance Lynn has been great for the Cardinals and secondly, the Reds are now 10-21 since the All Star Break.
- The Giants over the Cubs: The Giants have to be pretty upset the way the field was handled during that rain delay yesterday. That is the second time that has happened in baseball this season where a ground crew could not get the field covered for a rain storm. Jake Peavy got off the schnide last time out and won a game. So we'll go with that over Edwin Jackson.
- The Indians over the Twins: Ricky Nolasco has a 5.99 ERA for the Twins this season and a 1.60 WHIP. Whoa, that's bad! He has given up five or more runs in each of his last two starts. Those are enough reasons to pick the Indians even if T.J. House starts for the Indians.
- The Rockies over the Royals: I am going to go against the grain here with this pick. Danny Duffy has been good, but Coors Field will flatten out his great off-speed stuff. Jorge De La Rosa is used to Coors and keeps the Rockies in the game enough to win this one.
- The Dodgers over the Padres: Okay, I picked the Padres yesterday and got burnt. I picked Eric Stults the last time he pitched and got burnt. Like a dog, I learn by pain sometimes. Roberto Hernandez goes for the Dodgers.
And the Game of the Day:
- The Orioles over the White Sox: Hector Noesi has been surprisingly serviceable for the White Sox this season. But he is facing the Orioles, who are going to win the AL East. And Wei-Yin Chen is a big reason why.
Yesterday: 11-4, August: 149-109, Games of the Day: 76-55 (+3), Season: 1043-858
3 comments:
I take a bit of exception to your comment about the Yankees being terrible. It seems overly dramatic viewpoint given that they are only a handful of games out of the second AL wildcard spot. While that is disappointing given the expectations around the team for the season, they are in a much better situation than say the Rockies, Cubs, or Texas. The latter had just as much playoffs expectations and are doing significantly worse.
The Yankees are a forgettable middle-of-the-pack team at the moment. It's unfortunate, but that's life.
My apologies, forged. My frustration level with the team has reached a boiling point and I shouldn't write with such high emotions. You were right to call me out about it.
For the record, I'm not thrilled with the Yankees performance either. I think the big difference is that I only watch a handful of games a year, so I don't see it first hand, but merely as I read the recaps.
Still, given my local team is the Rockies ... at least they aren't that level of bad.
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