MLB Game Picks - Sunday: May 17, 2015

Oops! I slept in late, so now I'm in a rush! I had another 8-7 day yesterday, the second in a row. Zack Greinke lost. Felix Hernandez lost. What!? I would have picked the Giants if I knew Hunter Pence was coming back. Ah well, the perils of picking baseball games.

I better get right to Sunday, since it's so late here:

• The Braves over the Marlins: Okay, Braves, you win. I'm not getting anywhere picking against you. My gut is telling me that the Marlins' manager will be fired soon. Anyway, Shelby Miller over Henderson Alvarez.
• The Mets over the Brewers: Did I pick the Brewers yesterday? I must have gotten carried away with myself. Wily Peralta goes for them today. He has been nowhere near as effective as last year. Noah Syndergaard gets his first MLB win.
• The Giants over the Reds: There is definitely some kind of magic going on in the Giants' clubhouse. How they keep winning with so-so talent is beyond me. Oh, and Reds, just keep throwing Brandon Crawford first-pitch fastballs. Way to look at your stats guys. Charlton Chris Heston over Anthony DeSclafani.
• The Diamondbacks over the Phillies: The Phillies are giving me fits lately. They aren't supposed to win games. So stop it already. I can't imagine them winning a game started by Sean O'Sullivan. But I could be wrong. Josh Collmenter goes for the D-backs.
• The Royals over the Yankees: Chris Capuano is back for the Yankees. Oh goodie. I can't go there. I'll go with Edinson Volquez instead. Besides, I'm getting nervous picking all these visiting teams to win.
• The Twins over the Rays: I have no idea how the Twins and Kyle Gibson win. But they do.  Chris Archer hasn't been overly ace-like in his last couple of starts.
• The Astros over the Blue Jays: I like Collin McHugh. I have made that clear enough. I also smile at Mark Buehrle because of how he wins. My problem here is that the Blue Jays' bullpen is a colossal mess.
• The Cubs over the Pirates: Boy, am I having fun watching the Cubs play. All that youth! I wish other teams wouldn't hold down their young players (ahem, Yankees). Jake Arrieta gentille Arrieta over A.J. Burnett.
• The Indians over the Rangers: Both of these teams have horrible bullpens as we saw yesterday. Which one will score more? That's the question. I'm going with the Indians and Carlos Carrasco over Nick Martinez.
• The Athletics over the White Sox: The A's will break their slide today with a win behind Scott Kazmir. Jeff Samardzija may have good stuff for the White Sox, but he is a right-handed pitcher and the A's love that.
• The Mariners over the Red Sox: Steven Wright, the knuckleball pitcher, not the comic or my stepbrother, goes for the Red Sox. While I root for him as a knucksie, I have to go with James Paxton, who finally put it together his last start.
• The Dodgers over the Rockies: Mike Bolsinger has been surprisingly good. That makes me nervous here. Kyle Kendrick has been kicking my butt for years here.
• The Nationals over the Padres: Why hasn't Stephen Strasburg become the star that I thought he would be? I don't know really. All I know is that I get killed whenever I pick him. But I keep doing it. Ian Kennedy is solid enough, but the Nats should mash him.
• The Cardinals over the Tigers: The Cards have not figured out how to stop Miguel Cabrera. If they can keep him in the yard, they can win, especially with Lance Lynn on the mound. Alfredo Simon has made me look foolish before though.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Angels over the Orioles: Mike Wright makes his MLB debut for the Orioles. That is something I hardly ever pick for. Garrett Richards is the bomb anyway, so I have to go that way.

Yesterday: 8-7, May: 108-87, Season: 272-252, Picks of the Day: 22-17