MLB Game Picks - Saturday: June 6, 2015

How can you start a night at 5-0 and end up and 7-8? Somehow, that's how my picking day went. How disheartening! But nothing is more disheartening than hearing about that woman in Boston that got injured with a piece of shattered bat last night. How awful and she was sitting there with her husband and son. Gosh, that is bigger than anything else that happened and more important. Let's all pray that she will recover from this injury!

Saturday's picks:

• The Nationals over the Phillies: The Nats are starting a rookie named Joe Ross and he is making his MLB debut. His MiLB numbers look good, so I am going with him. He was born in 1993. Gosh. Jason Hammel goes for the Phillies.
• The Blue Jays over the Astros: Is this where the Astros come back to earth? We've all been waiting for it while hoping the Cinderella story continues. I think Drew Hutchison makes a better pick than Brett Oberholtzer.
• The Twins over the Brewers: J.R. Graham has been a cracker (sorry, I had to) in long relief for the Twins, so it's not stretch for him to start a game. He throws strikes, therefore, I like him. Matt Garza will never be in my good graces after his quote about pitching for the Cubs.
• The Royals over the Rangers: MLB.com does not list pitchers for this game, but Yahoo says it will be Yordano Ventura versus Wandy Rodriguez. If that is indeed the pitching line, I have to go with the Royals.
• The Red Sox over the Athletics: I think Joe Kelly will put it together this game. And the Red Sox score often against Jesse Chavez. That's my pick and I'm sticking to it.
• The Indians over the Orioles: Matt Wieters came back in a good way, eh? And Adam Jones broke out of his slump last night. Normally, that would be good enough for me. But Danny Salazar is a special talent who can, on any given night, shut down anyone. Ubaldo Jimenez goes for the O's.
• The Rockies over the Marlins: This pick did not work out too well last night. But I'll try again. Chris Rusin has been very good in his two appearances. But both of those were away. How will he do at home in Coors? I assume it will be better than David Phelps.
• The Reds over the Padres: Another pick that was way wrong last night. But what the heck. Michael Lorenzen over Andrew Cashner.
• The Pirates over the Braves: I like that Jeff Locke is a lefty against Atlanta and I don't like the mess that is the Braves' bullpen. Unless Julio Teheran can go a complete game, I go with the hot Pirates.
• The Tigers over the White Sox: The Tigers are in a real funk right now. But David Price should help that and should shut down the White Sox. Meanwhile, the Tigers' sluggish offense should get to John Danks.
• The Yankees over the Angels: All the odds here seem to be stacked against a Yankee win. Adam Warren does not strike fear into any heart and Garrett Richards is a stud. But the Yankees have beaten studs all season.
• The Mets over the Diamondbacks: Chase Anderson is pretty good for the Diamondbacks, but there is some kind of charm in watching Bartolo Colon pitch (and bat). So I'm going with Shrek here.
• The Dodgers over the Cardinals: The Cardinals hardly ever lose. But perhaps today against Clayton Kershaw, that might change. Jaime Garcia has been surprisingly effective thus far.
• The Mariners over the Rays: Felix Hernandez got off track when his home mound got muddy against the Yankees. But he should be back to his old self tonight against the Rays. Alex Colome has been up and down.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Giants over the Phillies: I cannot pick against Madison Bumgarner. It's just not in me to do so. Severino Gonzalez is good and can only hope to keep up.

Yesterday: 7-8, June: 35-32, Season: 413-385, Picks of the Day: 32-27

MLB Game Picks - Friday: June 5, 2015

Beware of short schedules. They can hurt you and yesterday's hurt me. I had a terrible picking day and not very much went correctly. The Picks of the Day are definitely in a slump and the month of June just took a decided hit. The sun is shining here this morning, however, and it is hard to get too upset. Besides, there is always another day.

Friday's picks:

• The Nationals over the Cubs: It seems the National's offense should be better than it performs. Sooner or later, it should click in. As it stands, the Cubs match up well with them and today could go either way. Tanner Roark vs. Tsuyoshi Wada
• The Yankees over the Angels: Another game that could go either way and it will depend on which borderline starter will be on his game tonight, Nathan Eovaldi or Jered Weaver.
• The Giants over the Phillies: Jerome Williams has been decent of late, but I like Tim Lincecum on the road here, especially against the Phillies. The Giants have a losing streak to get over.
• The Orioles over the Indians: There are two things I keep waiting for. The first is the shoe to drop on Shaun Marcum, who has given the Indians two good starts in three attempts. The other is for the Orioles to bust out with a big offensive game.
• The Athletics over the Red Sox: This is interesting because you have two teams that struggle to hit left-handed pitching both starting lefties against each other. The battle of the computers! Scott Kazmir over Wade Miley.
• The Reds over the Padres: You can see Raisel Iglesias improving with each outing and getting his footing. I think he wins this one over Tyson Ross, a pitcher I pick less often on the road.
• The Braves over the Pirates: This is a tough call. Williams Perez has been fairly effective, which he'll have to be because the Pirates are hitting better. I just don't trust Charlie Morton.
• The White Sox over the Tigers: Kyle Ryan has already beaten the odds to pitch in the Majors considering where he was drafted. He won't go deep in the game and that is a problem because of the Tigers' bullpen. I'm going with Jose Quintana and the White Sox.
• The Twins over the Brewers: I have never benefited from picking against Kyle Gibson of the Twins. He's like my American League Aaron Harang. So I'll pick him over Kyle Lohse of the Brewers.
• The Royals over the Rangers: Hmm...You have a team that doesn't walk facing Chi Chi Gonzalez that walks too many batters. You have an Edinson Volquez against a power hitting team when a few years ago, he gave up homers left and right. But he doesn't anymore. So I guess that's the pick.
• The Rockies over the Marlins: Another tough game to pick. In this one Eddie Butler has looked good at times and bad in others. Then there is Tom Koehler having to pitch at Coors. I think this will be a Rockies rout. We'll see though.
• The Mets over the Diamondbacks: Jeremy Hellickson was supposed to pitch yesterday and was held back a day. I still think the Mets win behind Jon Niese.
• The Cardinals over the Dodgers: A lot will depend on how dominant Carlos Martinez is. Playing in big Dodgers Stadium should help him if he doesn't strike out a lot of batters. I like this kid. I'm not as confident in Brett Anderson.
• The Mariners over the Bay Rays: J.A. Happ is not a big confidence boost for me. However, I think Jake Odorizzi is the one Rays pitcher who can be had with a good night at the plate.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Blue Jays over the Astros: I have a feeling that Roberto Hernandez will not last long in his outing tonight. Meanwhile, I'm looking for a bunch of strikeouts for Aaron Sanchez.

Yesterday: 3-7, June: 28-24, Season: 406-377, Picks of the Day: 31-27

MLB Game Picks - Thursday: June 4, 2015

When I went to bed last night, both teams with "Los Angeles" in their names were ahead and I figured I was going to finish the day at 11-5. Both teams blew those leads in spectacular fashions and I ended up at 9-7. Bah!

A short schedule on Thursday after 33 games the previous two days. The picks:

• The Athletics over the Tigers: Shane Greene has been getting pounded of late, so I can't really go there. Jesse Hahn looked like an all star against the Yankees, but he isn't. But I'm thinking he'll be better than Greene.
• The Astros over the Orioles: There is no other choice here but to stick with the hot team over the really cold team. Besides, Dallas Keuchel has become one of the game's best pitchers. Wei-Yin Chen is only 1-4 on the season but is much better than that.
• The Red Sox over the Twins: This game is full of contradictions. The Twins are a hot team. The Red Sox are a cold team. The Red Sox do not hit lefties well. But Tommy Milone isn't much of a lefty and has been taking a beating. Steven Wright is a knuckleball pitcher and who knows how that will go. Pick one.
• The Nationals over the Cubs: Gio Gonzalez has been pitching a little bit better. Jake Arrieta gentille Arrieta hasn't blossomed into the star I thought he would be this year. Going with the Nats.
• The Phillies over the Reds: I'm not picking against Aaron Harang. I'm just not. I have too much emotional damage from his wins in the past. The Reds pitch Anthony DeSclafani.
• The White Sox over the Rangers: The hot Rangers' offense will succumb for the second straight day against a power lefty. This time it will be Chicago's Carlos Rodon, who has been most impressive. Yovani Gallardo goes for the Rangers.
• The Mets over the Diamondbacks: The D-backs are fresh off of a bit win and Troy Tulowitzki is perhaps heating up. All that said, Matt Harvey is on the mound for the Mets and the D-backs counter with Jeremy Hellickson.
• The Dodgers over the Cardinals: Carlos Frias stifled the Cardinals the last time he faced them. But that bothers me. Michael Wacha lost his last time out but that bothers me because he is 7-1. So this pick bothers me.
• The Rays over the Mariners: I'm not buying that trade the Mariners just made at all. A #4 and a #12 prospect for Michael Morse and Vidal Nuno!? What is Z, nuts? Apparently so. Meanwhile, the Rays have somehow turned Erasmo Ramirez into some kind of mythical creature and Roenis Elias never fills me with confidence.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Royals over the Indians: I got too cute with this pick yesterday. The Royals are simply the better team here. I'm not sure about super tall Chris Young, but he wins somehow. The Indians go with Trevor Bauer.

Yesterday: 9-7, June: 25-17, Season: 403-370, Picks of the Day: 31-26 (+1)

MLB Game Picks - Wednesday: June 3, 2015

Man! There were a lot of games yesterday. When all was said and done, I finished at 11-6 for the day. I picked three of the four games of the double-headers correctly.  The Pick of the Day was wrong (again) as Noah Syndergaard got roughed around by the Padres...a development I obviously did not expect. My best picks of the day were the Indians over the Royals and Clay Buchholz beating the Twins.

Sixteen more games on tap for tonight! The picks:

• The Red Sox over the Twins: I really like this Eduardo Rodriguez kid. He has poise and no fear and I think he will survive better today better than Phil Hughes does in Fenway Park.
• The Red Sox over the Twins: Yes, I am picking a sweep. I think the Red Sox will hit Trevor May and Rick Porcello will pitch well. The fire the manager talk will settle down for a day or so (unfortunately) .
• The Cardinals over the Brewers: Judging by how this week is going, the Cardinals will either win, 1-0 or love 1-0. I like John Lackey at home in St. Louis, but also think that Jimmy Nelson will pitch well.
• The Braves over the Diamondbacks: I have come to like Mike Foltynewicz because I learned how to spell his name without looking early on. He hasn't pitched poorly either. Rubby De La Rosa goes for the D-backs. Caution: The D-backs have had their way so far this series.
• The Yankees over the Mariners: If the Yankees' middle relief can hold up and bridge Masahiro Tanaka to the late inning guys, the Yankees should take care of the rest with just enough offense against Taijuan Walker.
• The Giants over the Pirates: The Giants will salvage one game of this series with a win today behind Tim Hudson. Francisco Liriano won his last outing, but so cannot be counted upon. The Pirates are hot as a team though.
• The Blue Jays over the Nationals: Taylor and Tyler seem to be the new cool names in baseball. I'm not sure they have overtaken the Brandons, but it seems close when combining those variations. There will be one less if Taylor Jordan doesn't pitch better than he did last time. Mark Buehrle goes for the Jays.
• The Athletics over the Tigers: It's Sonny Gray Day! That's all I've got to say. Come what may from Anibal Sanchez's day, the A's win will be this picking day's halfway.
• The Cubs over the Marlins: Christian Yelich is in a terrible slump and Giancarlo Stanton is on a bit of a strikeout jag. Both of those facts could be exploited by Jon Lester today. Dan Haren has leveled off after a big start to the season.
• The White Sox over the Rangers: The Rangers are extremely hot right now and Nick Martinez has pitched well all season. But I just cannot pick against Chris Sale who is capable of no hitting a team on any given day.
• The Astros over the Orioles: I have no idea who is going to win this game. None. Lance McCullers has pitched really well, but doesn't go deep in the game. Miguel Gonzalez is good sometimes and not sometimes. I have no idea.
• The Indians over the Royals: This is risky picking the Indians to beat the Royals twice in a row. But if Corey Kluber is dominant and the Indians get to Jason Vargas, it could happen.
• The Dodgers over the Rockies: I have been riding Mike Bolsinger so far for his young career and I will continue to do so here. I am, however, afraid of him pitching at Coors. Chad Bettis, meanwhile, almost pitched a no-hitter his last time out. Hmmm
• The Padres over the Mets: I would be hesitant to pick Dillon Gee at this point to win any game. But add James Shields to the mix  and my hesitancy goes even higher.
• The Angels over the Rays: Nate Karns has had a pretty solid start to his MLB career. But I can't pick him against the Angels' offense. He is not Chris Archer, after all. Hector Santiago goes for the Angels.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Phillies over the Reds: Mike Leake has leaked a lot lately after a fine start to the season. I think it was because I jumped on him for my fantasy team. It was all downhill from there. Cole Hamels goes for the Phils.

Yesterday: 11-6, June: 16-10, Season: 394-363, Picks of the Day: 30-26

MLB Game Picks - Tuesday: June 2, 2015

Holy cow, there are seventeen games being played today!! The weather played havoc with Monday night's activities and thus we get bombarded tonight. There are sixteen games tomorrow (so far). Wow.

With so many games on tap, I hope I do better than the measly 5-4 I went on Monday. Don't get me wrong, that record is better than being under .500, but it is still mediocre. Mike Fiers shut out the Cardinals. Not much you can do about that but tip your cap. And Felix Hernandez came unglued after the fourth inning, which was totally out of character.

There is a lot to do, so let's get going with Tuesday:

• The Nationals over the Blue Jays: I'm still thinking that Jordan Zimmermann is better than R.A. Dickey in this one. And the Blue Jays lose the DH.
• The Nationals over the Blue Jays: Yes, I am predicting a sweep. Because directly following Zimmermann, the Nats can throw Max Scherzer out there and take care of the second game. Marco Estrada doesn't do much for me for the Blue Jays.
• The Rockies over the Dodgers: This pitching match-up seems weird. Jorge De La Rosa goes for the Rockies and if anyone is used to pitching at Coors Field, it is him. He faces Juan Nicasio, his old friend and teammate who never had as much success at Coors than De La Rosa has. Besides, Nicasio hasn't started all season and if he goes four innings, that will be a lot.
• The Dodgers over the Rockies: I can't guarantee that Zack Greinke will be as successful in Coors Field than at other places. But I can tell you that David Hale hasn't started all season and is a "put it in play" kind of pitcher. Not good for Coors.
• The Reds over the Phillies: Johnny Cueto comes off the disabled list to pitch this one. I have no idea how he will do. I still like him over Sean O'Sullivan and the Reds are playing slightly better of late.
• The Tigers over the Athletics: The Yankees made the A's look far better than they are. But then again, they have a knack for that. The Tigers won't be as kind. Alfredo Simon is doing much better for the Tigers than I thought he was going to do. I think he will be better than Kendall Graveman.
• The Cubs over the Marlins: I'm still trying to figure out why the Marlins chose the manager they did. The whole thing is surreal. For that reason and a whole lot of others, I like the Cubs here behind Kyle Hendricks. Brad Hand goes for the Marlins. Yeah, that's another reason.
• The Red Sox over the Twins: This is the same match-up as what was planned yesterday and I'm still going with Clay Buchholz over Mike Pelfrey.
• The Rangers over the White Sox: Colby Lewis came down to earth in a big way in his last start and was shellacked. I'm going with a rebound today, plus, his team is on a roll. Let's see what this new kid can do too. Jeff Samardzija goes for the White Sox.
• The Astros over the Orioles: Mike Wright has pitched brilliantly for the Orioles. Fluke? Real deal? I don't know yet. I do know that Collin McHugh is the real deal and should be dominant.
• The Indians over the Royals: Once again, you have a Jeremy Guthrie, whose success this season was punctured by a beating by the Yankees. Does he bounce back? Will it make a difference against a good pitcher like Carlos Carrasco?
• The Cardinals over the Brewers: Lance Lynn is a known quantity. I know what he can do. I have no idea about Tyler Cravy who makes his MLB debut for the Brewers. Cravy was a late round draft pick who has done well in the minors. Can he make the jump?
• The Braves over the Diamondbacks. Josh Collmenter has not pitched well of late and yesterday's whoopin' of the D-backs by the Braves makes me nervous to pick them. Besides, Shelby Miller is very good.
• The Rays over the Angels: Chris Archer can be a shut down pitcher and that's why I think he will be today as the Rays have to bounce back from a loss yesterday to the hands of Albert Pujols and Mike Trout. Take care of those two and you win. C.J. Wilson goes for the Angels.
• The Yankees over the Mariners: This one is really hard to predict. CC Sabathia has been decent on the road. And the big ballpark will help him. For the Mariners, we get the MLB debut for Mike Montgomery, a big first round pick for the Royals way back when who fizzled for them and never got anywhere. Montgomery got into the Rays' system and is their wont, they fixed him and he has had good numbers in the minors since. Who knows how well he'll do tonight. I bet he has a change-up after coming from the Tampa system.
• The Pirates over the Giants: A.J. Burnett is 5-1 and is pitching some of the best baseball of his long career. The Giants start "Charlton" Chris Heston, who has done pretty well for himself in his young career. I'm going with the Pirates and for the Giants to lose their fourth in a row.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Mets over the Padres: The Mets are led by Bartolo Colon and once you navigate him, you get the young studs who can really pitch.  Noah Syndergaard has lived up to all the hype thus far. Ian Kennedy has been pretty awful to be honest.

Yesterday: 5-4, June: 5-4, Season: 383-357, Picks of the Day: 30-25