MLB Game Picks - Monday: April 20, 2015

Sunday was not as good as the two prior days, but at least I was (barely) over .500 for the day. That's a far cry better than what I was doing last week. Former Yankees, Shane Greene and Brandon McCarthy continued to shine. And those Yankees swept a series at Tropicana Field for the first time in ten years. But a lot more went wrong such as Jon Lester not winning again.

Today is a short schedule as well as the annual Patriots Day Game at Fenway Park. Here are the picks:

• The Orioles over the Red Sox: I just can't pick the Red Sox when Justin Masterson pitches. Instead, I will go to Wei-Yin Chen. I know he is a Yankee killer, but no so much with Boston. We'll see.
• The Pirates over the Cubs: The Pirates are starting to hit a little bit and they will need to against Jake Arrieta gentille Arrieta, who can be tough. A.J. Burnett should never be counted upon, but he does have a good game now and then.
• The Yankees over the Tigers: Either CC Sabathia will get killed in the first three innings against the Tigers or he'll have an okay day and the Yankees will score freely on Alfredo Simon. One of the two will happen, but I don't know which.
• The Indians over the White Sox: I'm picking too many visiting teams here, but I need to go with what makes sense. What makes sense is that Trevor Bauer has been outstanding and John Danks has not been outstanding for a long time.
• The Royals over the Twins: The Royals were beaten pretty good by the Twins last week and will try to even that score. Edinson Volquez will attempt to do his part and pitch well and Kyle Gibson won't beat the Royals twice in a row.
• The Padres over the Rockies: Jorge De La Rosa takes his four-name act back to the mound for the first time this season after starting on the DL. That always makes me uncomfortable. The Padres have some mashers who might have fun at Coors. The wild card is Odrisamer Despaigne.
• The Angels over the Athletics: I always have to pick Matt Shoemaker. He has always been there for me. Kendall Graveman is still too wild for my tastes and until he has better command, I don't trust him.
• The Mariners over the Astros: Hisashi Iwakuma is very good at home usually so I will take the M's. Randall Asher Wojciechowski is not only tough to spell, but tough to discern on how he will pitch.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Reds over the Brewers: The Reds just got swept by the Cardinals...again. They will be hunting for bear and the Brewers are ripe for the picking these days. Anthony DeSclafani over Wily Peralta.

Yesterday: 8-7, Season: 91-95, Picks of the Day: 6-8