Whelp...

I have been slavishly writing here for years and years trying not to miss a day. I have written through travel days and business meetings and long trips. I started every vacation day sitting here making sure I didn't miss a day and fulfilling some inner goal.

So, my first day of vacation is here and I slept late. And instead of immediately starting my vacation day plan, I sat here (late) and said, "I have to write my post!" Actually...no, I don't. I am on vacation!

And so, my friends, I am taking a holiday. I will not be writing until July 7. I apologize to my regulars. But I am not apologizing to myself. It's time of a holiday and I am going to enjoy it.

I'll see you in eighteen days.

MLB Game Picks - Friday: June 19, 2015

I will be traveling today and have no way or time to craft a post. As such, I will just give you my picks and see you all for a real post on Saturday: 

Saturday's picks

• The Tigers over the Yankees
• The Pirates over the Nationals
• The Phillies over the Cardinals. Yes, that's right.
• The Blue Jays over the Orioles
• The Reds over the Marlins
• The Rays over the Indians
• The Mets over the Braves
• The Royals over the Red Sox
• The Cubs over the Twins
• The White Sox over the Rangers
• The Rockies over the Brewers
• The Athletics over the Angels - The Pick of the Day
• The Padres over the Diamondbacks
• The Astros over the Mariners
• The Giants over the Dodgers

MLB Game Picks - Thursday: June 18, 2015

Another 10-5 day with another Pick of the Day incorrect! Doggone it! Talk about going 29-15 the last three days and not being able to enjoy it! How could Clayton Kershaw lose on me! Oh well. Those are the breaks.

Friday's Picks:

• The Orioles over the Phillies: The Phillies have a chance in this one as Bud Norris has not been pitching well. But even if this is a high scoring game, I expect the Orioles to win it. Sean O'Sullivan goes for the Phils.
• The Cardinals over the Twins: The Twins finally won last night but have been in a tailspin. They face Jaime Garcia who has been pitching great. Mike Pelfrey will probably not fare well here.
• The Rockies over the Astros: The last few times I've picked Collin McHugh, he has let me down. I will probably turn him around by picking against him. Heh. David Hale goes for the Rockies.
• The Athletics over the Padres: Unless the A's blew their wad last night in scoring all those runs, they should win this one. Kendall Graveman has been pitching well and is opposed by Ian Kennedy.
• The Diamondbacks over the Angels: I had a feeling that Allen Webster would thrive outside of Boston. And I could be right. I am picking him tonight over C.J. Wilson.
• The Yankees over the Marlins: I am probably a fool for picking the Yanks in a game that CC Sabathia starts. But Dan Jennings did not inspire me with his managerial moves last night. How can you not pinch hit for that catcher last night!? Mat Latos goes for the Fish.
• The Rays over the Nationals: The Nats are one big confusing team to me this year. Doug Fister is back from the DL. But I don't trust that. Besides Chris Archer is going for the Rays and expecting them to lose is futile these days.
• The Braves over the Red Sox: So yeah, the Red Sox were supposed to be pretty good and the Braves were supposed to be really bad this year. How has that worked out so far? Shelby Miller over Clay Buchholz.
• The Indians over the Cubs: You know...I am really over the position player pitching thing. Teams have never carried more pitchers than they do these days. There should never be a reason to put position players on the mound. It's ridiculous. Anyway, Danny Salazar over Jason Hammel.
• The Tigers over the Reds: Justin Verlander looked good in his first start. He had is velocity back too. He should go deeper into this game making it easier for me to take him over Mike Leake.
• The Royals over the Brewers: The Royals are simply the better team here and that makes me pick them even though Jeremy Guthrie is pitching for them. Jimmy Nelson goes for the Brewers.
• The Pirates over the White Sox: The White Sox are losing regularly these days and Jeff Samardzija is not getting much help. He won't tonight either with Gerrit Cole going for the Pirates.
• The Mariners over the Giants: The Mariners aren't getting much for offense. But if they pitch, they have a chance. I like Mike Montgomery a lot. So he is the pick over Ryan Vogelsong.
• The Dodgers over the Rangers: I'm still smarting from last night with this pick. The only thing having me pick against the very hot Rangers is that they are starting Anthony Ranaudo. Zack Greinke goes for the Dodgers.

And the Pick of the Day (come on now!)

• The Blue Jays over the Mets: I have a sick feeling that the Blue Jays offense is going to whack Bartolo Colon into submission. R.A. Dickey is usually just fine at home in the dome.

Yesterday: 10-5, June: 126-110, Season: 504-459, Picks of the Day: 37-34

MLB Game Picks - Wednesday: June 17, 2015

Yesterday looked so good. Despite being totally wrong about the Yankees / Marlins game (ahem), I finished at 10-5. But that dang Pick of the Day did me in again. I have struggled mightily with that this year, more so than any other year. And the Tigers had the lead too. They simply couldn't hold it.

Wednesday's picks:

• The Orioles over the Phillies: While I have some reservations on Ubaldo Jimenez, I have more about Kevin Correia against the Orioles lineup right now. I hope he knows how to duck.
• The Yankees over the Marlins: The Yankees are different animals at home than on the road. They are nearly a .600 team at home. My one concern is Michael Pineda. I have questions about his health right now and he hasn't looked good. Jose Urena goes for the Marlins.
• The Nationals over the Bay Rays: The series moves to Washington and they clubbed the Rays yesterday. I know. I am picking Jordan Zimmermann again. Woe is me. The Nats win behind him and against Matt Andriese.
• The Blue Jays over the Mets: The Blue Jays get their DH back and that should help. Drew Hutchison should be better than Jon Niese.
• The Braves over the Red Sox: Joe Kelly has been gruesome. He is the Red Sox' Eovaldi. Alex Wood is solid and the Red Sox lose the DH.
• The Indians over the Cubs: This game seems about even, so I ma going with the home team. It will be Shaun Marcum against Tsuyoshi Wada.
• The Reds over the Tigers: David Price has been so good. But he might be out-gunned by Johnny Cueto tonight. Todd Frazier is going bananas at the plate.
• The Brewers over the Royals: I can't see anything good coming out of a Joe Blanton start and Mike Fiers has been much better of late.
• The Pirates over the White Sox: The Pirates don't have to worry about which outfielder to start today because they have the DH. Jeff Locke should be better than John Danks, which isn't hard to do.
• The Cardinals over the Twins: The Twins' slide continues as the St. Louis Hackers...I mean Cardinals prevail with Carlos Martinez on the mound. Tommy Milone goes for the Twins. That's quite the story in St. Louis...and quite embarrassing.
• The Astros over the Rockies:  I don't know what to do with this one. The last time I picked against Brett Oberholtzer, he threw a gem. But he is pitching in Coors. At the same time, Kyle Kendrick has been dreadful at home, just dreadful.
• The Diamondbacks over the Angels: I just have a feeling the D-backs will get to Hector Santiago. Chase Anderson is usually solid.
• The Athletics over the Padres: I am pretty sure that Jesse Chavez, who has come on strong lately, will be better than Odrisamer Despaigne.
• The Mariners over the Giants: Madison Bumgarner usually comes up big against another ace. He's had the best of the duels with Kershaw, for example. But he is in the home of Felix Hernandez. One swing might determine the outcome of this game.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Dodgers over the Rangers: Clayton Kershaw is back in beast mode and my feeling is that Yasiel Puig will have a big day against Wandy Rodriguez.

Yesterday: 10-5, June: 116-105, Season: 494-454, Picks of the Day: 37-33

MLB Game Picks - Tuesday: June 16, 2015

I effectively reversed the results of Sunday, which makes me feel a whole lot better. Tanaka got out-dueled by Tom Koehler and I never expected the Nationals to lose their starter in the first inning due to injury. But overall, it was a good day.

Tuesday's picks:

• The Cardinals over the Twins: Michael Wacha has already won eight games. He should extend the Twins' slide tonight. Kyle Gibson is capable of staying with him for a while, but the Cardinals will prevail.
• The Astros over the Rockies: Chris Rusin and Vincent Velasquez are two good looking young pitchers. Velasquez is a little more erratic. But I still like Houston in this one, especially at home.
• The Padres over the Athletics: The Bud Black dismissal was not unexpected. Perhaps the team had a hangover about it last night. But they bounce back tonight and Andrew Cashner gets a rare win. Scott Kazmir goes for the A's.
• The Giants over the Mariners: I keep waiting for Robinson Cano to bust out, but he hasn't yet. and Nelson Cruz has hit a wall of sorts. Tim Lincecum will need to be good though. J.A. Happ goes for the M's.
• The Braves over the Red Sox: Again, they are talking about clubhouse issues in Boston. John Farrell's noose is getting tighter. Wade Miley won't help and Julio Teheran shuts them down...again.
• The Pirates over the White Sox: Picking Chicago was a big mistake yesterday. I won't make the same one today. Charlie Morton over Jose Quintana.
• The Orioles over the Phillies: The Phillies are so bad. Gosh. The Orioles should have no trouble here. Chris Tillman vs. Jerome Williams.
• The Yankees over the Marlins: Both Nathan Eovaldi and David Phelps are pitching against their former teams and both will be motivated. I think Alex Rodriguez needs to play third in this one and give Chris Headley a breather.
• The Mets over the Blue Jays: The Mets ended the Jays' winning streak last night and built their division lead in the process. Matt Harvey has had some poor outings lately. He needs to bounce back tonight. Scott Copeland was brilliant in his first start. Is that real though?
• The Nationals over the Rays: The Rays keep rolling and the only games they lose are when Alex Colome pitches. He pitches tonight. Tanner Roark goes for the Nats.
• The Cubs over the Indians: The same match-up as last night's postponed game: Jake Arrieta over Trevor Bauer.
• The Rangers over the Dodgers: Chi Chi Gonzalez came back to earth with a thud in his last outing. Will he bounce back? Can Brett Anderson hold down the Rangers' lineup? We'll see.
• The Royals over the Brewers: I do not know how Chris Young does it. But he does and picking against him has not worked for me. Matt Garza throws strikes. The Royals like strikes.
• The Angels over the Diamondbacks: I was wrong with this one last night and Jeremy Hellickson has been good of late. But I have to go with Garrett Richards and the Angels here.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Tigers over the Reds: I like Michael Lorenzen. But I like the Tigers more than the Reds and I especially like what Kyle Ryan is giving the Tigers right now.

Yesterday: 9-5, June: 106-100, Season: 484-449, Picks of the Day: 37-32

MLB Game Picks - Monday: June 15, 2015

We are not going to talk about yesterday. We are going to pretend that it never happened and move on. If you ask me, I will deny all association with it.

Moving forward, Monday's picks:

• The White Sox over the Pirates: The Pirates have been hot, but have only faced nine lefty starters all season. They have handled them well, but Carlos Rodon is a different animal altogether. Francisco Liriano has been good of late.
• The Tigers over the Reds: Neither this year's Anibal Sanchez or Jon Moscot excite me very much, but the Tigers are home and all things considered equal, should win.
• The Braves over the Red Sox: The Red Sox just got drubbed over the weekend. It was a bloodbath. I'm surprised the manager is still there. How can you pick them to win these days? Rick Porcello hasn't been pitching well. Williams Perez seems to bend but not break too much.
• The Yankees over the Marlins: The Yankees lose the DH so Alex Rodriguez sits. But Masahiro Tanaka should overcome that deficiency. Tom Koehler is a decent pitcher though.
• The Mets over the Blue Jays: The Jays lose one of their big bats and again, the law of averages is weighting heavy here with this win streak. Noah Syndergaard has been disappointing. Mark Buehrle is Mark Buehrle. Take the good and the bad.
• The Nationals over the Rays: I am going with this pick thinking Bryce Harper can at least DH today. Someone needs to tell the Rays they aren't this good. And Erasmo Ramirez has been the shock of the century thus far. Gio Gonzalez better have a good day or this pick is going down too.
• The Cubs over the Indians: I love the Cubs this year. I love what they are doing with their youth. I sure wish the Yankees would do that. Jake Arrieta gentille Arrieta has been great of late. Trevor Bauer is having a pretty good season for the Indians.
• The Rangers over the Dodgers: The Dodgers know Yovani Gallardo but he has a chance to be good today. Carlos Frias hasn't run into an offense like the Rangers yet this year so it will be a test.
• The Astros over the Rockies: Any time Dallas Keuchel is on the mound, I like the Astros' chances. Chad Bettis has has some spectacular games himself this season. If he is on, this becomes a bullpen game.
• The Royals over the Brewers: This is two road interleague series in a row for the Royals, which seems unfair. They need their DH. Even so, they did not fare well in St. Louis, so they might take it out on the Brewers. Kyle Lohse will be intent on not letting that happen. Edinson Volquez goes for the Royals.
• The Cardinals over the Twins: John Lackey is so hard to figure sometimes. I think tonight will be one of his good games. The Twins will go with Trevor May, who has been up and down. No DH for the Twins.
• The Angels over the Diamondbacks: Whenever I bash mouth Jered Weaver, he proves to me he can still win games with his swill. The Angels need to hit for this pick to work and Robbie Ray will try to keep that from happening.
• The Padres over the Athletics: Jessie Hahn goes for the A's who lose the DH. Tyson Ross is usually good at home.
• The Mariners over the Giants: Taijuan Walker has had three good starts in a row, so perhaps he is settling down to be the pitcher we expected him to be. Tim Hudson goes for the Giants and pitches these days on knowledge more than stuff.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Orioles over the Phillies: The Phillies get an extra hitter in the lineup. Is that a good thing? Wei-Yin Chen versus Aaron Harang. The hot Oriole offense should stay hot here.

Yesterday: 5-9, June: 97-91, Season: 475-444, Picks of the Day: 36-32

MLB Game Picks - Sunday: June 14, 2015

Yesterday was a 9-6 picking day. It could have been at least one correct pick better if the Mets' bullpen hadn't crashed and burned. Collin McHugh crashed and burned too. That let me down. The Blue Jays won again, I believe their tenth in a row. That always leaves a picking dilemma because all streaks have to end some time. The entire AL East is weird right now. The Red Sox and Yankees look terrible and every other team in the division is playing gangbusters. Let's see what happens today.

Sunday's picks:

• The Indians over the Tigers: I didn't know what to do with this one. I don't like picking the Indians on the road. And Corey Kluber has only shown glimpses of his last year form. But if he is on, look out. Alfredo Simon goes for the Tigers.
• The Braves over the Mets: I've already shown how when I pick too many road games I get in trouble. But I like Mike Foltynewicz and can now spell his name. And Dillon Gee can't seem to get out of his own way this year.
• The White Sox over the Rays: All that said and I pick my third straight road team. Oy. But it is Chris Sale! I have to! Of course, Nate Karns has been awful tough too. Geez.
• The Marlins over the Rockies: I think it is safe to finally pick a home team. Dan Haren is quietly having a good year. Jorge De La Rosa is probably the Rockies' most reliable starter though.
• The Orioles over the Yankees: Adam Warren has been the most consistent Yankee starter and watch, when Ivan Nova comes back, it will be Warren that gets booted to the bullpen. But the Yankees look terrible right now and the Orioles look great. Mike Wright goes for them.
• The Pirates over the Phillies: A.J. Burnett out-duels Cole Hamels. That is all.
• The Red Sox over the Blue Jays: I have to start picking that the Blue Jays' streak will end. It's the law of averages. And Eduardo Rodriguez has been terrific for the Red Sox. Marco Estrada is someone the Red Sox can tee off against.
• The Astros over the Mariners: I really like Lance McCullers and I think the Mariners' offensive explosion was a one time thing. I am going with the Astros doing well against Roenis Elias and winning this one.
• The Nationals over the Brewers: I haven't been doing too well picking aces lately. but they are aces for a reason. Max Scherzer really should win this one even though Taylor Jungmann was really good in his MLB debut.
• The Cardinals over the Royals: The Royals are one team that really suffers when losing their DH in a National League park. The Cards have already taken the first two games. Now we will see if they can sweep with John Lackey on the mound against Chris Young.
• The Angels over the Athletics: The Angels finish the sweep and beat my favorite, Sonny Gray, in the process. That is because Matt Shoemaker will be good too.
• The Giants over the Diamondbacks: The Giants haven't scored at all in this series, but that could change today as they face Rubby De La Rosa who has been getting hit hard lately. I'm always leery of a pitcher coming off a no-hitter, but Chris Heston is my pick today.
• The Dodgers over the Padres: This pick was wrong yesterday as Ian Kennedy held the Dodgers down (surprisingly). James Shields is currently capable of that as well. But I have had great success picking Mike Bolsinger thus far this year and I'm sticking to it.
• The Cubs over the Reds: Jon Lester has to keep the top of the lineup in check and then deal with Todd Frasier, a good right-handed bat. If he can do those things, he can win. He will have to be on his game because Anthony DeSclafani has been pretty solid for the Reds.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Rangers over the Twins: The Rangers have been on a roll and the Twins are rolling backwards. Phil Hughes will give up a homer or two and Nick Martinez will continue his good pitching. The wild card here is Buxton.

Yesterday: 9-6, June: 92-82, Season: 470-435, Picks of the Day: 36-31