MLB Game Picks - Saturday: September 28, 2013

The American League Wild Card race got much more interesting with the Rays loss to the Toronto Blue Jays last night. R.A. Dickey got the job done much to the delight of the Indians who are now tied at the top with the Rays and it gave the Rangers that much more hope as they are not just one game back. In the NL Wild Card, the Pirates took care of the Reds and are two games clear of the latter team with two games to play. If they win today or tomorrow, they will host the play-in game. Meanwhile, the Cardinals clinched the NL Central with a win over the Cubs.

I got both the Rays and Reds wrong yesterday as well as four other picks. So the night was not as great at the rest of the week has been, but it was still in positive territory.

It is the penultimate day of the regular season. Saturday's picks:

• The Rangers over the Angels: How could you pick it any other way? The Rangers have to win. Losing is not an option. Garrett Richards got popped his last time out by the A's. Derek Holland is the wildcard here. You just never know if he will be great or awful. There is a better chance of the latter at home.
• The Indians over the Twins: Can you ever remember a team just running the table for the last two weeks of a season? It is amazing. They just don't lose against these bad teams. They have two more to go and need them both. Scott Kazmir (woh-oh, woh-oh) over Cole DeVries (rhymes with "he tries").
• The Reds over the Pirates: And now we get to the meatball portion of these rotations. Charlie Morton and Bronson Arroyo will not blow you away. But they will meatball you to death if they are on. I have more confidence in Arroyo.
• The Bay Rays over the Blue Jays: Chris Archer is a bit up and down for my tastes and it is tough to put the season on the line with him. Fortunately for him and the Rays, J.A. Happ is only good against the Yankees. In fact, the Yankees single-handedly keep his career afloat.
• The Giants over the Padres: The Giants are finishing the season on a roll. Yusmeiro Petit has provided a nice little lift too. He should handle the Padres' lineup and the Giants will score a few off of Eric Stults.
• The Brewers over the Mets: Jimmy Nelson, a 2010 second round pick by the Brewers, makes his first Major League start. He has relieved in three games. He has good strikeout numbers in the minors, but his control seems up and down. I still like him better than Aaron Harang. Heh.
• The Athletics over the Mariners: I make this pick with some reservations. First, the A's have already clinched the second seed with little hope of catching the Red Sox for the first seed. There is a chance they stumble in this one if Brandon Maurer pitches like he did his last time out. Jarrod Parker will not go more than six innings I don't think. By the way, Maurer looks a bit like Jack Lord of the old Hawaii Five-0 series.
• The Cardinals over the Cubs: I usually pick against a team after they have clinched and that has worked for me. I call it the hangover effect. And will Adam Wainwright really start this game? There is a chance he doesn't. On the other side, Edwin Jackson tries to avoid his 18th loss.
• The Red Sox over the Orioles: There has been no letup for the Red Sox. Rest? Nah. They have four days to rest next week. Jon Lester has been hot. Wei-Yin Chen cannot contain these Sox. I hope Chris Davis hits another homer though.
• The Tigers over the Marlins: How come nobody hates on Jhonny Peralta? It is weird how we choose who we are going to hate and who we don't. Anyway, the Tigers are not exactly playing sterling ball. And Jim Leyland is still pissed about ending the season in an NL park. But Anibal Sanchez should beat his old mates and Nathan Eovaldi.
• The Royals over the White Sox: There will be two guys named Ventura on the field today. Only one of them should have a job next season. That would be Yordano Ventura. He should handle the White Sox like he did the Mariners. Erik Johnson was pretty good his last start.
• The Braves over the Phillies: If Cliff Lee can strike out 13 and give up less than four hits and still lose, what is Ethan Martin going to do? Martin has not been effective since his call up. Mike Minor makes his last start of the regular season.
• The Diamondbacks over the Nationals: Brandon McCarthy has allowed only one walk in his last six starts and has not walked anyone in his last three starts. That's the good news. The bad news is that he has a 14.5 hits per nine innings pitched rate in those last three starts and a 1.33 homers per nine rate for the season. I still like him over Dan Haren. Plus, McCarthy gets bonus points for supporting the Dodgers jumping into their pool.
• The Dodgers over the Rockies: It would be easier for me to root for the Dodgers if they hadn't signed Brian Wilson. But anyway, Zack Greinke makes his final start of the regular season and if he wins, will finish 17-3. That's pretty impressive. Juan Nicasio goes for the Rockies.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Yankees over the Astros: How remarkably ironic is it that Andy Pettitte will be making his last start in the majors against a guy named Clemens? Paul Clemens that is. I understand that the other Clemens might be making the presentation of the Astros' gift to Mariano Rivera. Awkward. Anyway, if there was a baseball god, Pettitte should win his last start and Rivera should save it.

Yesterday: 9-6

Week: 52-30

Month: 217-158

Season: 1359-1053

Games of the Day: 104-70

MLB Game Picks - Sunday: September 22, 2013

Yesterday was another really fine picking day, the second in a row. I am 22-7 in the last two days. This reminds me of playing with my golf partner. Years ago, I was much better than him and now things have reversed. But we have this one inside joke that I always seem to earn the box (the guy with the lowest score on a hole hits first at the next tee box) on the last hole of the day.

Speaking of that golf partner, it looks like we will be rained out today, which is a shame because he is moving to Massachusetts on Thursday. His job has moved and he must move with it. We have been playing together for a dozen years. With today being Mariano Rivera Day at Yankee Stadium and with Andy Pettitte saying goodbye too, it is going to be an emotional day. I hope they show Mo's ceremony on MLB Network or something. There are a lot of memories in this paragraph.

Life must go on and the picks just keep on coming:

• The Indians over the Astros: The Tribe is doing what it is supposed to do and is taking advantage of their weak schedule down the stretch. What an unlikely turn of events. Corey Kluber over Erik Bedard.
• The Yankees over the Giants: The Yankees HAVE to win during Andy Pettitte's last Yankee Stadium start and on Mariano Rivera Day. They just have to. The only problem is that Yusmeiro Petit has been lights out for the Giants. So even with a Pettitte / Petit coolness, it could spoil the party.
• The Tigers over the White Sox: That had to be the White Sox most embarrassing lost of the season yesterday, right? Chris Sale must be livid. The Tigers need to clinch and then can relax. Anibal Sanchez over Erik Johnson.
• The Pirates over the Reds: Yesterday's game was thrilling and I was thrilled for the Pittsburgh fans. Today is another tough one. Jeff Locke has not been a lock lately and Bronson Arroyo has to have all his trickery going. This is a toss up.
• The Nationals over the Marlins (twice): The Nats and Marlins play two today with their rain out yesterday. The Nats will win both games. Dan Haren beats Tom Koehler in the first game and Stephen Strasburg beats Brian Flynn in the second.
• The Phillies over the Mets: I really kind of think that the Mets will win this game, but I am afraid to be wrong because Cliff Lee is pitching. It's not like Lee is unbeatable. But he does give the Phillies their best chance to win. Carlos Torres goes for the Mets.
• The Red Sox over the Blue Jays: The Red Sox had their little hangover yesterday, but get back down to winning today. Felix Doubront should be good against the Blue Jays who have lost a lot of players to injury and the Red Sox have a lot of hitters that can get to R.A. Dickey.
• The Orioles over the Bay Rays: The Rays must feel pretty good about their position to give a start and a Major League debut to Enny Romero at this point in the season. He looks like he is stingy in hits and homers in the minors but has control issues. He is not a rated prospect. This pick goes with Scott Feldman.
• The Royals over the Rangers: The Royals will keep fighting their losing battle for the wild card, just like the Yankees. But it is over in my opinion. James Shields will out-duel Alexi Ogando.
• The Braves over the Cubs: The Braves should not have a problem with the Cubs here. Julio Teheran has had a good season and probably only goes five innings today. Edwin Jackson is Edwin Jackson.
• The Angels over the Mariners: C.J. Wilson has quietly put together his best season. It is too bad hardly anyone noticed. He beats the M's today despite the appearance of Felix Hernandez coming back from an injury.
• The Athletics over the Twins: It is Sonny Gray Day. Well, it's his turn to pitch anyway. I wonder if he pitches in the post season. The only real thing to say about Cole De Vries is that his last name rhymes with, "he tries."
• The Diamondbacks over the Rockies: I picked against the D-backs yesterday because of their whining and it was one of my few wrong picks. I am somewhat concerned about Patrick Corbin pitching at Coors, but he is the pick over Juan Nicasio.
• The Dodgers over the Padres: Did you see Puig's homer yesterday? Holy cow. I am loathe to pick against Andrew Cashner the way he is finishing his season. But the Dodgers have Zack Greinke. But will it just be a tuneup for Greinke? hmm...

And the Game of the Day:

• The Cardinals over the Brewers: Wily Peralta has had a terrible second half. Joe Kelly has been great for the Cardinals. The Cardinals inch closer to the division title.

Yesterday: 10-4

Last week: 62-36

Month: 165-128

Season: 1307-1023

Games of the Day: 99-69

MLB Game Picks - Tuesday: September 17, 2013

I did not expect both the Cardinals and Pirates to lose. I was worried about the Pirates and mentioned that Andrew Cashner had the stuff to shut them down. My worry was full of merit as he did just that. As for the Cardinals, they could not do much with Collin McHugh and after Lance Lynn threw a decent game, the Cards went to the Trevor Rosenthal well once too often.

I was also worried about the A's having a letdown after the Rangers' series and I should have listened to myself as they got killed by the Angels. And speaking of those Rangers, I figured they would rise up after the A's series. I figured wrong. They were awful and the Rays beat them easily behind Alex Cobb. The Rangers are in serious trouble.

But otherwise, I had a decent picking day. I picked James Shields perfectly. And I also figured Cliff Lee would win and he did. And my worry about Johnny Cueto (though I picked him anyway) was worrying about nothing. He was great.

There are sixteen games on the schedule as the Nationals and Braves will play twice to make up for yesterday's shooting postponement. My heart goes out to those shooting victims in what is a real tragedy.  Tuesday's picks:

• The Braves over the Nationals: I was going to cheat and just predict a split and then it would not matter which team won which. But that would be low so I will not. Mike Minor beats Dan Haren in the first game.
• The Nationals over the Braves: Okay, so Freddy Garcia pitched a great game his last time out. I can't in any lifetime believe that he will do it again. Tanner Roark is having himself some fun in the Majors and should have himself a good game.
• The Phillies over the Marlins: Brian Flynn is the opposite of Roark. He has made two big league starts and they have not gone well. Too many walks and too many hits have sunk him. Roy Halladay is a bit of a concern and he could give up a moonshot to Giancarlo Stanton. But he is the pick here.
• The Pirates over the Padres: I am worried about this game too. Eric Stults has lost his last six decisions even though he has not walked anyone in his last three starts. Sooner or later he is going to win. Will it be today? Jeff Locke will try to keep that from happening and inch the Pirates closer to where they want to be.
• The Yankees over the Blue Jays: I am grasping at straws here for the Yankees. They looked so bad in the Red Sox series and the last time they played the Jays, they were treated rudely. But I think the Yankees will hit R.A. Dickey in the dome and that Andy Pettitte will benefit from having Brendan Ryan at short.
• The Red Sox over the Orioles: Two years ago, the Orioles did a number on the Red Sox down the stretch and eventually knocked the beantowners out of the playoffs. Nobody is beating the Red Sox out of the playoffs this year. Ryan Dempster is a concern. But the Red Sox should beat Scott Feldman.
• The Giants over the Mets: Yusmeiro Petit has been the bomb for the Giants. He has a six to one strikeout to walk ratio and a 1.00 WHIP. That is great pitching. In other words, he has been what Zack Wheeler would look like with better control. It will come.
• The Bay Rays over the Rangers: The Rangers are sliding out of control and I cannot see them beating the Rays on their home turf. Jeremy Hellickson over Alexi Ogando.
• The Brewers over the Cubs: Marco Estrada has quietly put together three good games in a row with 23 strikeouts in his last 20.2 innings pitched. And those were against the Cards, Angels and Reds. Nice. I am picking him over Jeff Samardzija.
• The Reds over the Astros: Mike Leake reminds me of a young Andy Pettitte. His peripherals never blow you away but on a good team, he just wins and wins. He will win today against the Astros that will lose their 100th game of the season. Jordan Lyles will not be able to stop it.
• The Indians over the Royals: Aren't the Royals still slightly in this wildcard race? They why are they choosing to give Yordano Ventura his big league debut? Yeah, the kid has a big arm. But this is a longshot, isn't it? I have to go with Corey Kluber.
• The White Sox over the Twins: My gosh, I am predicting the White Sox to win two in a row. Somebody take my temperature, quick. Jose Quintana and his fiery self wins over Mike Pelfrey, who has been bloody awful.
• The Cardinals over the Rockies: I have to admit that I have no idea who will win this game. Joe Kelly and Juan Nicasio seem like a wash to me. Coors Field means that anything can happen. Both teams are missing key players. I have no idea.
• The Diamondbacks over the Dodgers: The Dodgers are banged up and now have to face Patrick Corbin who is pitching like he caught his second wind after a dead period. Corbin out-duels Zack Greinke in this one.
• The Athletics over the Angels: The A's had their little party hangover yesterday and get back to business today. Sonny Gray should get the job done and the A's should do just fine against Garrett Richards.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Tigers over the Mariners: Brandon Maurer has given up thirteen runs in his last ten and a third innings. Ouch. If that continues, the Tigers will devour him. Anibal Sanchez should be good enough no matter how Maurer does.

Yesterday: 7-4

Week: 18-8

Month: 121-100

Season: 1263-995

Games of the Day: 96-67

MLB Game Picks - Wednesday: September 11, 2013

Tuesday was just another crappy day of picking in what has been a fairly crappy month. It is a good thing that I have had four months to watch these teams to be able to tell what they are going to do. It is a good thing that I have been watching four decades worth of baseball games to get a feel for how this works. It is a good thing that I have been doing this column for four years so I know what I'm doing. Ha!

I mean, look at the Reds. They beat the Cardinals three out of four and then swept the Dodgers to get within a game and a half of the division lead. Now they have had their hats handed to them twice in a row against the Cubs. I can see losing a close game, 2-0, against a very good Travis Wood. But 9-1?

And the A's are grinding it out for the division title. The Rangers have been slipping and the A's have a chance to bury them. But then they lose to the Twins? Geez, Louise.

All I can do is keep plugging along. Wednesday's picks:

• The Indians over the Royals: Scott Kazmir has become quite a story hasn't he? There is nothing like a good comeback story. How can you not root for him? Well, if you are a Royals fan, you can't. James Shields seems to need to be perfect in order to be good. He has not been perfect lately. He is always capable though.
• The Rangers over the Pirates: The Pirates have had their way in this series thus far after taking the first two games. And as one of my Twitter buds, @juniusworth tells me, "the Rangers suck in day games." Which is what they play today. But two things: First, A.J. Burnett pitching in Texas seems like a loss waiting to happen. And secondly, Matt Garza is going to fight for this win.
• The Giants over the Rockies: Can you pick against Yusmeiro Petit at this point? Not until his good pitching streak is over at least. He almost got a no-hitter his last time out. Will that take something out of him for this one? Hmm... Juan Nicasio goes for the Rockies.
• The Yankees over the Orioles: Because I don't know if Scott Feldman can hold down the Yankees for a second straight time and even though I do not have much faith in Andy Pettitte, he at least has the possibility that he could pitch well. But the bullpen at the end for the Yankees is dicey at this point.
• The Padres over the Phillies: When is the last time that Eric Stults won a ballgame? It seems like forever. So he is due for a win against a weak-hitting Phillies team. Cliff Lee could put a monkey wrench into this pick though.
• The Angels over the Blue Jays: I don't know who will win this game. This is a battle of two teams that drive me crazy. R.A. Dickey goes against C.J. Wilson in a game of initials gone wild. I'm feeling the Angels.
• The Marlins over the Braves: I have been telling you all season that Jose Fernandez is a lock at home in Miami right? Well, until proven otherwise, try beating him there with his 1.18 home ERA. Mike Minor can match him and make it a bullpen game and then this pick will be in trouble.
• The Rays over the Red Sox: Okay, now that Clay Buchholz is back, can someone tell me why Ryan Dempster is still in the rotation for the Red Sox? Alex Cobb is better than Dempster by enough of a degree that the Red Sox better offense than the Rays should be overcome.
• The Mets over the Nationals: Dan Haren's season has been an awful sandwich. He started the season awful. They pitched three or four hopeful starts and now has gone back to awful. Zack Wheeler should have an opening to win this game then.
• The Tigers over the White Sox: Sometimes I think the Tigers just toy with us. Oh, we'll score ten runs for two straight games and then none for a couple. We will keep them guessing. Anibal Sanchez over Jose Quintana.
• The A's over the Twins: I bought into Sonny Gray immediately and he rewarded my picks. Until he didn't twice in a row and I picked against him and he won. Then I jumped back on his bandwagon and he lost. Aaaahhh!!! Surely, he can be Mike Pelfrey can't he? Please don't call me Shirley.
• The Cardinals over the Brewers: Lance Lynn has everyone mad at him. First, he would put up this maddening crooked number in the fourth or fifth inning of every game and deflate a victory into a defeat. Then in his last outing, he avoided a crooked number and gave up a single run in every inning he pitched. Either way, he is not popular in St. Louis. But he wins today over Marco Estrada. Take that, haters.
• The Dodgers over the Diamondbacks: This match-up between Patrick Corbin and Hyun-jin Ryu has happened before and Ryu came out on top. He is certainly tough to beat at home. Plus, it appeas that Corbin has hit a wall. Dead arm?
• The Mariners over the Astros: I have no idea. When two teams this bad play each other, anything can happen. The Astros took the first two. Brad Peacock has been decent his last couple of times. But I am picking Brandon Maurer to have a good start after a season of learning stuff.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Reds over the Cubs: Well...this pick has been wrong for two days in a row, so why should you listen to me? Understandable. But I really feel that despite a big arm from Jeff Samardzija, the Reds should win behind Mike Leake.

Yesterday: 7-8

Week: 22-19

Month: 72-66

Season: 1214-961

Games of the Day: 90-67

MLB Game Picks - Sunday: September 1, 2013

A week just ended and a month just ended and neither ended with a good day. The day was only a game under .500, but it was a frustrating day as all kinds of funky stuff happened. Well, that is only partially true. The rest of the reality is that I made some seriously stinky picks such as the Nationals and the Rockies. Both were smoked. The A's beat the Rays again which seriously surprised me. And it makes sense a little bit. The Rays' big pennant drive move was to acquire David DeJesus? D'oh!

How about Ivan Nova though? And Zack Wheeler? I should have stuck with Sonny Gray. And how bad is the Indians' bullpen? Six runs allowed in four innings against the Tigers without Miguel Cabrera!? Ugh.

It was a strange day. And I cannot believe August is over. Where did the summer go? Well, September is still summer for a lot of you. But up here in northern Maine, it is a pretty month but also a month when autumn begins. Sigh.

Sunday's picks:

• The Yankees over the Orioles: The Orioles saved Wei-Yin Chen for the Yankees. That was a little unwise as the Yankees now have right-handed bats like Jeter, Soriano, A-Rod, Reynolds and...yeah, okay...Wells. Andy Pettitte just has to keep the Orioles under four runs.
• The Royals over the Blue Jays: The Blue Jays winning streak ends at two games. But at least they had one. James Shields puts an end to that and J.A. Happ gets beat up a little bit.
• The Tigers over the Indians: Yes, I know Danny Salazar has a real arm. And I also know that Justin Verlander is not the same pitcher this season as he has been. But the Indians have been schmucked by the Tigers all season. Why should today be different.
• The Cardinals over the Pirates: What do you know, Lance Lynn gave up a big inning. Such a surprise. But that is what I get for picking the Cards. And I am picking them again. What is wrong with me? But there is some logic involved. Kris Johnson is a journeyman pitcher for a reason. Yeah, he is a wily lefty. But wily is all he has. Joe Kelly, on the other hand, has a power arm that can shut out the Pirates.
• The Brewers over the Angels: I like Kyle Lohse at home better than I like C.J. Wilson on the road. As strange as it seems, at this point, the Brewers have a better lineup than the Angels.
• The Mariners over the Astros: I kept trying to justify picking the Astros. At the end of the day, the Mariners are on a roll and Hisashi Iwakuma is too inviting to pick against. I like Brett Oberholtzer, but I have to be realistic here.
• The Phillies over the Cubs: I can't believe that Cliff Lee did not win again. Most predictors are predicting the Cubs to win this game. I guess they all feel that Jake Arrieta will pitch well. I have seen too many of his games go awry to believe that. Kyle Kendrick at least is predictable.
• The Rangers over the Twins: The Rangers cannot shake the A's and have to keep winning. The Twins should provide little resistance. Joe Mauer is out with a concussion and Justin Morneau was just traded away. What is left? Travis Blackley should win and Kevin Correia is not someone to realy on.
• The A's over the Rays: The Rays are starting Jamey Wright!? Are you kidding me? They have nobody better in the minors than him? I cannot believe that. They are fighting for the playoffs and Jamey Wright!? I am dumbfounded. A.J. Griffin goes for the A's and he is good at home.
• The Rockies over the Reds: I do not like the thought of Mike Leake at Coors Field. But then again, I feel that way about every visiting pitcher there and am wrong at least half the time. Tyler Chatwood has won his last two home starts and handled the Reds pretty well back in June. His last start against the Braves was a short one though.
• The Dodgers over the Padres: I do not think that the Dodgers and Zack Greinke are going to lose to Tyson Ross and the Padres. That is all.
• The Diamondbacks over the Giants: I have to admit that Yusmeiro Petit is pitching pretty darned well. But Patrick Corbin is a cut above talent-wise. I do not see the Giants hitting Corbin even though Corbin has not been the lock he was earlier in the season. The only thing bad about this pick is that if the starters equal themselves out, the D-backs' bullpen sucks.
• The Braves over the Marlins: Yeah, this one should be a no-brain pick. Young Alex Wood has been great. The Braves are rolling and Nathan Eovaldi and the Marlins should provide little resistance.
• The Mets over the Nationals: The Nats just seem to be rolled over and dead. Yes, Ross Ohlendorf has miraculously won all his starts. But the Mets have Jonathon Niese pitching really well and should be the better team today.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Red Sox over the White Sox: The Red Sox just keep building their division lead. This is their year. And there is no way that Felix Doubront is going to lose today. Andre Rienzo is pretty good, but the Red Sox will be patient and eventually do him in.

Yesterday: 7-8

Last Week: 52-42

Last month: 239-182

Season: 1142-895

Games of the Day: 86-61  +1

MLB Game Picks - Tuesday: August 27, 2013

Monday started bad with the news that Matt Harvey has a partial tear in his elbow. That bites for all baseball fans everywhere. And then the picks went bad which bites for this Fan here. Phil Hughes. The only way to say his name is with a bunch of expletives added. The guy just stinks. Plain and simple. And then the White Sox, who were winners of eight out of ten, lost to the Astros. Cincinnati had the Cardinals down but could not keep them there. Anibal Sanchez politely took himself out of the CYA conversation and on it went.

At least the Game of the Day was right for the second time in a row. Sadly, that is the first time that has happened in weeks.

Tuesday's picks:

• The Nationals over the Marlins: Has there ever been a stranger career than Ross Ohlendorf's? I do not think so. How can a pitcher with that little talent last that long and keep getting shots at the Majors? And then go 2-0? Nathan Eovaldi is no better.
• The Pirates over the Brewers: Jeff Locke has been no lock lately and his season has sort of hit a wall. I am thinking that some home cooking helps and a weaker team like the Brewers does too. But he better pitch well because Kyle Lohse is a smart pitcher who makes the most out of what he does.
• The Yankees over the Blue Jays: Let's try this again shall we? Andy Pettitte has looked a little more like the old Andy in his last two starts and will need to pitch well. J.A. Happ is the kind of pitcher that can either get the Yankees to swing at slop or clobber him. There is no in between.
• The Tigers over the Athletics: This is another pick that did not work out yesterday. Coco Crisp is amazing in small doses. Justin Verlander looked awful his last time out. Perhaps today will be better. I think he will be better than Tommy Milone.
• The Angels over the Rays: This is a scary pick. The Rays win so often at home. But C.J. Wilson is pitching well and his left-hand tosses might throw off Matt Joyce and Loney. Plus, Roberto Hernandez simply is not very good.
• The Red Sox over the Orioles: For those still hoping the Red Sox fall on their faces. Give it up. It is not happening. The Orioles seem to be the favorite of baseball shows down the stretch. But the pitching is not there with the Red Sox and the Rays. Felix Doubront over Wei-Yin Chen.
• The Braves over the Indians: Who like interleague play every day? I do not see a whole bunch of hands raised. The Indians are still relevant in the wildcard race but have a series like this thrown in? Ugh. Two good young pitchers square up and Alex Wood squeaks by Danny Salazar.
• The Mets over the Phillies: Let's try this one again too. Jonathon Niese has been pitching well since coming off the DL. Kyle Kendrick is Kyle Kendrick.
• The White Sox over the Astros: Roger Clemens is pitching! Oh...wait...that is Paul Clemens. Never mind. Unless it is another slugfest like yesterday, Jose Quintana should win this game.
• The Reds over the Cardinals: I keep picking the same mistakes I made yesterday. But this is Mat Latos we are talking about. The guy is a stud. And Joe Kelly is a nice pitcher. But he is not a stud. But that is the same set up as yesterday. And look what happened.
• The Giants over the Rockies: Some dude named Yusmeiro Petit is pitching for the Giants? Who is that? Why have I never heard of him before? He is 29, so he is no spring chicken. So since I do not know him, what am I going to do? Pick him to win, of course. The other option is to pick Chad Bettis. No thanks.
• The Padres over the Diamondbacks: David Holmberg, a 22 year old, former second round draft pick is making his MLB debut and jumping from Double-A. He is a control, BABIP kind of guy from the looks of his stats. But I do not know. Ian Kennedy seems like the better pick here.
• The Dodgers over the Cubs: Poor Travis Wood. Every time he pitches, he gets the best studs in the NL to pitch against. Wood has held his own. But he is just a cut below these guys. Clayton Kershaw is the best pitcher in the game.
• The Mariners over the Rangers: This pick all depends on Derek Holland. If he has one of his nights where he is impossible to hit, the pick will look silly. If he is mortal, then I like Hisashi Iwakuma at home much better.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Royals over the Twins: I do not think I have ever picked Kevin Correia to win a game. Well, maybe I have once or twice. James Shields, on the other hand, I have picked a lot. And sometimes, I have regretted it.

Yesterday: 4-6

Week: 13-12

Month: 200-152

Season: 1103-865

Games of the Day: 84-58   +2

MLB Game Picks - Thursday: August 22, 2013

Only four picks came in incorrectly yesterday, which was a good day. Of the four, Andre Rienzo pitching a good game to beat the Royals was probably the biggest surprise. Both Ross Ohlendorf and Jake Arrieta were terrible and the Nationals won a shootout. Hisashi Iwakuma survived two homers to beat the A's with a well-pitched game. And darned if Ian Kennedy did not mess with my head with his best outing of the year to beat the Pirates and Gerrit Cole. That loss combined with a perfectly predicted Cardinals win tightened up the NL Central to one game. The Reds won too so that race really is complicated.

I am happy with the results for a day at least. I was sad to see what happened to Jason Heyward. That was awful.

There are nine games on the schedule on this off day / getaway day. Five of them are played during the day. Cool. The picks:

• The Reds over the Diamondbacks: It has been a long, long time since Mat Latos lost a ballgame. So he has to be the pick even though Trevor Cahill was mighty good his last time out. If the Reds win, the Diamondbacks might be headed to irrelevancy.
• The Yankees over the Blue Jays: Yes, let us predict a sweep. The Blue Jays are playing so poorly and the Yankees with such new life, that I cannot see any other outcome. Andy Pettitte does have to pitch well. J.A. Happ does have to pitch poorly. But the Yankees are on fire.
• The Tigers over the Twins: Andrew Albers finally got touched up a bit in his last start after two great debut starts. His left-handedness should not concern the Tigers much except for Prince Fielder. Justin Verlander erases the rest of the doubt about the outcome. And just for good measure, Joe Mauer is out.
• The Nationals over the Cubs: When Stephen Strasburg first burst on to the scene, the one thing that stood him apart was his control. That control is gone. And you have to hope he does not have that weird yip disorder that destroyed other pitching careers. So yeah, I am scared for him. But I am picking him over the Cubs in hopes that he will be okay. Travis Wood is always victimized by ace outings.
• The Phillies over the Rockies: Chad Bettis is not having much success in his young Major League experience. A WHIP of 1.77 shows his ineffectiveness. I do not have much more faith in Kyle Kendrick, but he is a better alternative here.
• The Royals over the White Sox: I have been saying all along that the White Sox are playing better. And Jose Quintana is the only pitcher they have with a positive record. But I think Big Game James Shields has a good day and puts the Royals back in the win column.
• The Cardinals over the Braves: The Braves will miss Jason Heyward. Justin Upton has back issues. Paul Maholm is facing the Cardinals for the nineteenth time in his career. They know him. Joe Kelly is my only reservation as he starts for the Cards.
• The Giants over the Pirates: Jeff Locke's last outing was abysmal. Has he hit a wall? Maybe. Matt Cain is pitching much more like Matt Cain lately and the Giants are at home.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Dodgers over the Marlins: The only way the Marlins win this game against Clayton Kershaw is if Henderson Alvarez pitches a terrific game and the Marlins can squeak out a couple of runs. Otherwise, I cannot see the Dodgers losing this one.

Yesterday: 11-4

Week: 33-25

Month: 169-119

Season: 1072-832

Games of the Day: 81-56

MLB Game Picks - Monday: August 5, 2013

Yesterday was another pretty good day with ten out of fifteen correct. I guess I should have picked the Cardinals, eh? And I also guess that Ernesto Frieri is not the most popular member of the Angels right now. But, yeah, it was a good day and August has been excellent so far. I hope I can keep it up.

There are only nine games on the schedule today, but some very interesting match-ups. The red hot Tigers play the red hot Indians. And the Dodgers try to keep their winning streak alive against the slugging Cardinals despite the absence of Hanley Ramirez and Yasiel Puig. It should be an interesting day of baseball.

Monday's picks:

• The Nationals over the Braves: This series would have been interesting if the Nationals had the kind of season we all expected. As it is, the Braves are in front by a dozen and forget about last year's collapse. They have no contenders. Stephen Strasburg, though, will have a good day against Mike Minor.
• The Indians over the Tigers: Anibal Sanchez could show up as the unhitable version and that would put a wrench in this pick. But I like Corey Kluber at home for this one.
• The Cardinals over the Dodgers: This is a big time match-up between Zack Greinke and Adam Wainwright. If Hanley Ramirez and Yasiel Puig both miss the game, then Wainwright will not have much else to deal with. Meanwhile, Greinke has to face the Cardinals with all their guns.
• The Red Sox over the Astros: Brett Oberholtzer will present some problems for the Red Sox' lineup as he is an experienced pitcher who knows what he is doing. But the Astros cannot finish a game. Therefore, if John Lackey can keep the Astros' run total to a minimum, the Red Sox win.
• The Yankees over the White Sox: The return of Alex Rodriguez? The loss again of Derek Jeter. My, what a weird season for the Yankees this year. Andy Pettitte better have a good game because losing to Jose Quintana and the White Sox would be embarrassing.
• The Angels over the Rangers: Will Nelson Cruz be gone? Will he appeal? This is a picking day for the strong of heart. Jerome Williams figured it out last time after five bad starts in a row. Martin Perez is just okay.
• The Mariners over the Blue Jays: You have to figure that Hisashi Iwakuma will be very good at home in Seattle. He is hard to beat there. R.A. Dickey is having an up and down season. If today is one of those ups, the pick gets shot down.
• The Brewers over the Giants: This pick again is my Chad Gaudin phobia. I think the Brewers will hit him. And Tyler Thornburg has been pretty impressive in his early results. There are still too many walks, but he is pitching well.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Royals over the Twins: The Royals are having a good run lately, but still the fans are unhappy and it is hard to blame them. Another third place finish is hardly consolation over losing Wil Myers. But Jeremy Guthrie will have a good game and Kevin Correia will not.

Yesterday: 10-5

Week: 10-5

Month: 39-17

Season: 942-730

Games of the Day: 73-47

MLB Game Picks - Thursday: July 11, 2013

Wednesday was another good day in what has been a good week. Ten out of the fifteen picks were correct. The Cubs pick was a little laughable. Jeff Samardzija had nothing, unfortunately. The San Diego pick was wrong, though it was a close game. The same can be said of the Toronto - Cleveland game. I split the two extra-inning games. The Dodgers gained further ground on the D-backs, which got me a wrong pick. But I cannot complain. It was a good day.

There are twelve games on the Thursday schedule as the schedule maker decided that six teams needed a day off before the four days of the All Star Break. Okay, like whatever. Heh. Here are Thursday's picks:

• The Blue Jays over the Indians: The Indians will feature the Major League debut of Danny Salazar. Salazar has a great strikeout rate in seventeen starts split between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus with a low walk rate. That is a good combination, but there is no telling how he will perform in the big show. R.A. Dickey seems the safer pick.
• The Yankees over the Royals: The Yankees should fight back to a split in this one as long as Andy Pettitte has a decent outing. The Yankees have at least a chance to score against Ervin Santana.
• The Tigers over the White Sox: The only thing that gives me pause in this pick is Chris Sale pitching for the White Sox. The tall one has a chance to shut down anyone in any given start. Anibal Sanchez will match Sale though and the Tigers will win late.
• The Red Sox over the Mariners: MLB has a TBO next to the pitcher's name in today's game. But Yahoo Sports lists the start going to Erasmo Ramirez. Ramirez had a brief look in the bigs last year and was quite decent. His numbers are good in the minors. He could hold the Red Sox in check. But Ryan Dempster will hold the Mariners to even less runs.
• The Rangers over the Orioles: Ross Wolf gets his second start of the season. He has pitched long relief the rest of the season and has done darned well for himself. His one start was successful too. My only reservation here is that he does not strike people out. He only has six strikeouts in 27+ innings. Hmm.. But I think the Rangers will hit Miguel Gonzalez.
• The Nationals over the Phillies: Ah! My guy! Jordan Zimmermann. He is going for his 13th win tonight. He should get it. His batters are finally starting to kick it in gear and should score off of Kyle Kendrick.
• The Braves over the Reds: This is a very interesting series and an interesting match-up of Mat Latos against a lineup that whiffs a lot and the great Tim Hudson. I think the game completely depends on how good Hudson is tonight. If he is on and can get through the first two innings, the Braves win. If not, this pick is bye-bye.
• The Cardinals over the Cubs: This pick is fraught with danger. First, the Cubs have been playing fairly well. Second, as bad as Edwin Jackson can be, he can also be brilliant for a game. Jackson has been better in the last few weeks. Jake Westbrook better have a good outing.
• The Brewers over the Diamondbacks: I think Ryan Braun is supposed to be back today? I am not sure. If so, he gives the Brewers more leverage against Wade Miley, the weakest of the D-backs' big three lefties. Plus, Yovani Gallardo can take advantage of the fact that Arizona is really struggling right now.
• The Dodgers over the Rockies: I hate picking the Dodgers when Chris Capuano is pitching. But I cannot in good faith pick Drew Pomeranz. At one time, Pomeranz was the prospect of prospects. But he is now 4-12 as a Major League starter with an ERA over five and a WHIP over 1.5. It is kind of sad, really.
• The Giants over the Padres: Jason Marquis has not won in a month and always has a good chance to do well at Petco. But the Giants are destined to break their losing streak and there is no better pitcher to do it for them than Madison Bumgarner, who should also enjoy Petco.

And the Game of the Day!

• The Bay Rays over the Twins: The Twins are not having a good time in the AL East. The Rays took fourteen innings to beat them yesterday. With Matt Moore facing Mike Pelfrey, the game should only go nine this time.

Yesterday: 10-5

Week: 38-20

Month: 88-52

Season: 765-598

Games of the Day: 60-39