MLB Game Picks - Friday: June 12, 2015

I picked terribly yesterday. Picture the old knight in the Indiana Jones movie: "He chose...poorly."  Yes, I did. Looking back, I picked way too many visiting teams to win. No matter how bad a team is, home is always an advantage. According to Baseball-reference.com, home teams win 53.4 percent of the time. That is a pretty significant difference. So if I pick six out of nine visiting teams to win, then I am setting myself up for disaster. And disaster it was.

Let's see if I learned anything. Friday's picks:

• The Cubs over the Reds: Heh. Now I am all messed up because I don't want to pick Johnny Cueto because he is not at home. Jason Hammel is pitching very well for the Cubs though and that's my pick.
• The Yankees over the Orioles: I am now worried about the Yankees' bullpen with their closer on the DL. So although I like Michael Pineda much more than Ubaldo Jimenez, the pick has me big time worried.
• The Pirates over the Phillies: It never ceases to amaze me that Kevin Correia somehow always manages to find a job in baseball. But he's back. I will go with Jeff Locke though. Which is my point.
• The Tigers over the Indians: Two very good pitchers square up here in David Price and Danny Salazar. I give the edge to Price because he will go deeper into the game.
• The Mets over the Braves: If Bartolo Colon was pitching on the road, I would take the Braves here because Alex Wood is very good at preventing runs. But at home, Colon can seem to have some really good moments.
• The Rays over the White Sox: This pick is not so much a support of Matt Andriese, though he did pitch well against the Yankees. Rather, it is my long distrust of John Danks as a Major League pitcher.
• The Marlins over the Rockies: Uh...one of these pitchers has to win. Kyle Kendrick is not somebody I ever like to pick. But, Jose Urena hasn't exactly been lighting it up for the Marlins either. Ick. Christian Yelich appears to be over his slump. That helps.
• The Blue Jays over the Red Sox: The Red Sox starting pitching continues to be a problem and I don't see Joe Kelly being able to stop the steamrolling Blue Jays. The key is Drew Hutchison having a good night though.
• The Rangers over the Twins: Is it just me or doesn't it seem that Wandy Rodriguez pitches every other day for the Rangers? I'm not that big on picking him. But Tommy Milone doesn't seem any more appetizing.
• The Mariners over the Astros: You always have to pick Felix Hernandez. The guy is having a phenomenal season. That seems like a much smarter play than Brett Oberholtzer.
• The Nationals over the Brewers: The Nats offense is still a bit of a sputter outfit. Getting Denard Span back helps. Jordan Zimmermann is hard to count on lately. Mike Fiers can't seem to find last year's magic.
• The Cardinals over the Royals: Jaime Garcia traditionally pitches well at home. Yordano Ventura has a history of hitting Cardinal players so that bad blood will need to be watched. This rivalry has become must-see baseball.
• The Angels over the Athletics: One of the few picks from yesterday that worked out. I'm not a big fan of Hector Santiago. But he is pitching better this year than Jesse Chavez.
• The Dodgers over the Padres: Clayton Kershaw is hitting his stride and I don't think tonight will be different. Odrisamer Despaigne has not been very good.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Giants over the Diamondbacks: Madison Bumgarner against Chase Anderson at Bumgarner's home park? Yes. Give me some of that please.

Yesterday: 3-6, June: 73-71, Season: 451-424, Picks of the Day: 35-30

MLB Game Picks - Monday, May 25, 2015

Memorial Day, 2015. Take a moment and reflect and honor our heroes before you barbecue or enjoy the rest of the day. And thanks to the holiday, we have a full slate of Monday games for our added enjoyment.

After two really wonderful picking days on Thursday and Friday to go a combined 21-6, the last two days have been completely the opposite to the tune of 10-21. Holy cow is that a turnaround or what!? How depressing. But, I press on because that's what I do.

Monday's picks:

• The Yankees over the Royals: Yes, I am warped and deranged and a homer. But gosh, the team has to win a game some time. You have two pitchers who don't strike anyone out and two lineups that don't strike out much. So BABIP is key. Can the Yankees take what Guthrie gives them and hit it to all fields? If they don't, they lose. Nathan Eovaldi and Jeremy Guthrie.
• The Rockies over the Reds: The Reds are scuffling as badly as the Yankees. Jason Marquis will be adequate. He is always adequate. If Eddie Butler is better than adequate, he wins.
• The Phillies over the Mets: Severino Gonzalez has been pretty good for the Phillies. The Mets are playing as badly as the Reds and Yankees. Do I see a pattern here? Probably. Bartolo Colon goes for the Mets and he is either great or awful. Which one will it be? The Mets and Yankees are both home. That's interesting.
• The Astros over the Orioles: The Astros have been unbelievable. I have to roll with it until they are not. Wei-Yin Chen has lost a couple of his most recent starts and Dallas Kuechel has been amazing.
• The Twins over the Red Sox: Ricky Nolasco has been good. That's so hard to believe after how bad he was last year. Joe Kelly has been a disappointment thus far for the Red Sox. Both teams have surprised. The Twins in a good way, the Red Sox not.
• The Brewers over the Giants: Tim Lincecum has had a good season so far. But his last two road starts were not good. The Brewers are somewhat hot right now. Kyle Lohse is pretty tough at home.
• The Nationals over the Cubs: Tsuyoshi Wada was pretty impressive in his first start of the season. He is a fly ball pitcher. So a lot will depend on which way the wind is blowing at Wrigley. Tanner Roark gets a start for the Nats. It's about time.
• The Tigers over the Athletics: Shane Greene has done well in the starting role for the Tigers. The bullpen is killing Detroit though. Jesse Hahn will probably get knocked around by the Tigers.
• The Rangers over the Indians: The Rangers just crushed the Yankees so their offense is clicking. Will Josh Hamilton enhance that or change the dynamic and slow it down? Hmm. Phil Klein goes for the Rangers and Shaun Marcum goes for the Indians.
• The Cardinals over the Diamondbacks: Carlos Martinez goes for the Cardinals who just roll along despite some injuries. Chase Anderson goes for the Diamondbacks and he can be tough at times.
• The Pirates over the Marlins: Andrew McCutchen is heating up and that bodes well for the Pirates. Charlie Morton doesn't thrill me though. David Phelps goes for the Marlins.
• The Bay Rays over the Mariners: This game is a toss up. Jake Odorizzi and Roenis Elias seem about the same to me. The Rays don't hit well at home. I don't know. Pick em.
• The Braves over the Dodgers: I'm just feeling this one. Brett Anderson goes for the Dodgers and he should be decent at home in that big ballpark. Williams Perez was really good for the Braves in his first start of the season. I'm going with the Braves in an upset of sorts.
• The Padres over the Angels: Tyson Ross has lost four of his last five decisions. But he has pitched well. The Padres can explode on offense or be dud-like. It goes from day to day. Jered Weaver somehow pitches at MLB level despite a shredded arm and 83 MPH fastball. Who knows.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Blue Jays over the White Sox: This seems like a mismatch, which is always frightening to say. However, Drew Hutchison should be much better than Hector Noesi, the fourth ex-Yankee pitcher starting today and the only one not having a good season.

Yesterday: 5-10, May: 162-143, Season: 326-308, Picks of the Day: 26-21

MLB Game Picks - Friday, May 15, 2015

Alas, my streak is over. As the Cal Ripken of bloggers, I hadn't missed a game during the season for over four years. But the wifi at the hotel I stayed (The Senator Inn) was wofo and was unusable during the times I needed to get my posts done.  I was proud of that streak. Oh well.

Friday's picks:

• The Cubs over the Pirates: The Cubbies are hot and just swept the Mets. I'm not sure how well Kyle Hendricks will do, but I think the big bats of the Cubs will get to Jeff Locke.
• The Diamondbacks over the Phillies: Chase Anderson has been pitching very well and although I root hard for comeback kids like Chad Billingsley, I think the D-Backs with this game.
• The Orioles over the Angels: Jered Weaver tried to tell me his last time out that he was not done as a MLB pitcher. I'm not convinced. Wei-Yin Chen needs to pitch well to keep this pick on track.
• The Marlins over the Braves: David Phelps has been holding his own and I'm sure he likes that big ballpark compared to Yankee Stadium. Julio Teheran is a tough customer though.
• The Mets over the Brewers: The Legend of Shrek...er...Bartolo Colon continues, especially at home. Kyle Lohse will feel the Mets' wrath after they were swept by the Cubs.
• The Giants over the Reds: I have to go with Madison Bumgarner here even if he is pitching in that little band box in Cinci. Jason Marquis goes for the Reds.
• The Rangers over the Indians: If you pitch with your left hand, you can pitch forever if you want to. Take Wandy Rodriguez and Bruce Chen. They still have jobs after throwing soft junk for years.
• The Yankees over the Royals: Two undefeated pitchers who are both very tall. Michael Pineda versus Chris Young. There will be two Chris Youngs at the game. Confusing.
• The Twins over the Rays: There are former Yankees everywhere! Too bad they can't develop ballplayers and pitchers (sarcasm). Phil Hughes at home and not in April is a good pick here. Jake Odorizzi has been pitching pretty well.
• The Astros over the Blue Jays: This pick isn't against R.A. Dickey because last time I did that, he won and I was stupid. This is more a pick for Dallas Keuchel who has become one of the league's best starters.
• The Tigers over the Cardinals: The Tigers go flat once in a while, but when their offense is clicking (read Miguel Cabrera), they are pretty unstoppable. I think they will get to Carlos Martinez and Shane Greene will be good enough to win.
• The White Sox over the Athletics: Carlos Rodon sure was impressive in his first start. I am excited about him. I am not as excited about Chaka Jesse Hahn. I'm going with the White Sox.
• The Red Sox over the Mariners: The Red Sox have been playing well since their players only meeting. And Clay Buchholz pitched well his last time out. Besides, I think they will hit J.A. Happ.
• The Dodgers over the Rockies: Clayton Kershaw pitching in Coors is one thing. Him pitching at home is another. He has to be the pick here. Eddie Butler has been hit or miss in his starts.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Nationals over the Padres: Jordan Zimmermann should have a good day and Odrisamer Despaigne is still one of the hardest names to spell.

The other day: 9-6, May: 91-74, Season: 255-239, Picks of the Day: 20-17

MLB Game Picks - Tuesday: September 16, 2014

Yesterday, I got cute and picked against Stephen Strasburg and he threw a gem. Of course, the Braves offense is similarly futile as the Yankees' offense these days. Jacob deGrom was sailing along, striking a ton of people out and then the Marlins erupted. I didn't see that coming. I shouldn't have picked against the Dodgers and I should not have picked the Giants. All those decisions led to a 6-6 day. At least the Game of the Day feature is on a three-game positive streak.

Tuesday's picks:

• The Pirates over the Red Sox: Why would the Pirates, who need to win every game, pitch Charlie Morton? No matter, the offense will pick him up against Anthony Ranaudo and win a high scoring game.
• The Blue Jays over the Orioles: I have learned over the years not to pick a team the day after they seal the division. Besides, the Orioles are pitching Ubaldo Jimenez. I'll go with Drew Hutchison in hopes he will have a good game.
• The Mets over the Marlins: I know this didn't work out yesterday. And Nathan Eovaldi is capable of a big game. I just think that Bartolo Colon is due for one of his good games at home.
• The Rays over the Yankees: I asked Katie Sharp about the Yankees' line drive rate for the last two weeks and she told me that it was the lowest in the majors. I'm not surprised. They made a 4-A pitcher look like a god last night. Imagine what will happen against Jake Odorizzi. Actually, Odorizzi was the last guy they scored more than three runs against. No matter. The Yankees never score for Michael Pineda anyway.
• The Nationals over the Braves: The Braves are now a .500 team. Amazing. The Nationals are pushing for the clinch. Tanner Roark over Aaron Harang.
• The Reds over the Cubs: This pick did not work out yesterday because the Reds have sipped the same offensive Kool-aid as the Yankees and Braves. But Johnny Cueto goes for his nineteenth win, so I need to go there. Jake Arrieta gentille Arrieta will try to prevent it.
• The Royals over the White Sox: Despite the fact that Jose Abreu might hit a ball thrown by Liam Hendriks to St. Louis, I'm going with the Royals with a win over Chris Bassitt who did pitch well his last time out.
• The Tigers over the Twins: The odds of Ricky Nolasco beating the Tigers? 100-1? Rick Porcello hasn't had a great second half, but he should win this thing as the Tigers inch closer to another danged division win.
• The Cardinals over the Brewers: With a day off, the Cardinals should be fresh as daisies and Lance Lynn has been solid all season. Wily Peralta seems to be running out of steam. The Brewers showed so much promise earlier this season. It all fizzled.
• The Dodgers over the Rockies: Yes, this could be high scoring. But I've learned not to pick the Rockies (again). I must have lost my mind or something. Dan Haren and Tyler Matzek get the starts.
• The Diamondbacks over the Giants: The Giants have been the biggest hot and cold teams all season. They are either great for stretches or terrible for stretches. It's weird. Jake Peavy has been sensational for the Giants. But he is due for a bad game. Josh Collmenter has been one of the bright spots for the D-backs all season.
• The Mariners over the Angels: What did I say about picking against teams that just clinched? Yeah. Roenis Elias is not exactly reliable. But the Angels will be giddy. And I don't get warm fuzzies when Cory Rasmus starts.
• The Athletics over the Rangers: The Rangers have come alive and they are pitching suddenly. So this pick is uncomfortable. It is especially so since Scott Kazmir's wild streak has come back. Nick Tepesch goes for the Rangers. The A's will find a way.
• The Phillies over the Padres: Ian Kennedy simply doesn't do it for me. Ever. I mean, I root for him, but he is just an average pitcher. That might be enough against the Phillies if the Padres could hit. A.J. Burnett goes for the Phillies.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Indians over the Astros: Nick Tropeano did win his first MLB start, but let's not get carried away. He is facing Corey Kluber after all.

Yesterday: 6-6, Sept.: 121-85, Games of the Day: 95-63 (+3), Season: 1251-1019

MLB Game Picks - Friday: September 5, 2014

Following two 8-7 days, the tally for last night was 4-4. How uninspiring. When I looked at my picks this morning, my first thought was: "Why in the world would I have picked the Texas Rangers!?" Yes, exactly. Sometimes in life, we just make choices that don't make sense.

Friday's picks:

• The Cubs over the Pirates: The Cubs are my new obsession. I love how they have been pitching and how they have been fearless in bringing up young players. And today, I like Tsuyoshi Wada over Vance Worley.
• The White Sox over the Indians: T.J. House pitched really well in his last start which gives me pause for this pick. Also, the Indians are tough to beat at home. However, Chris Sale is the great equalizer and one of the best pitchers in the game.
• The Yankees over the Royals: The Yankees have handled James Shields pretty well over the years although he has an occasionally great game against them. If Michael Pineda is on, it won't matter what Shields does.
• The Nationals over the Phillies: Has Stephen Strasburg finally turned a corner? Is he now a reliable pick? We'll see. Jerome Williams will try to continue his hot pitching for the Phillies.
• The Tigers over the Giants: This is a tough one. The Giants will get to put the Panda at DH and get an extra bat. And Jake Peavy has pitched well for the Giants. My feeling is that Peavy will suffer a bit coming back to an AL park and having to pitch to nine hitters. Rick Porcello with the win.
• The Marlins over the Braves: Hasn't this Jarred Cosart - Aaron Harang match-up already happened like seven times this year? No, just once. And Cosart got the better of the day. I like him again at home this time.
• The Orioles over the Rays: I've said it before: Buck Showalter is the only manager that schools Joe Maddon on a regular basis. Wei-Yin Chen has been reliable and Alex Cobb has seemed more vulnerable lately. The O's seem unstoppable.
• The Mets over the Reds: It is so hard to predict the games that Bartolo Colon will be great. There is the expectation that he will be great for one game out of four. But which one? Great America Ballpark doesn't seem like the obvious choice. We'll see. Alfredo Simon will try to keep his bounce-back going. I feel a Curtis Granderson homer here.
• The Blue Jays over the Red Sox: The loss last night for the Red Sox had to have been devastating. But ballplayers are good at taking things day to day. So this all depends on Drew Hutchison and how well he pitches. Allen Webster will go for the Red Sox who should get Captain Jammypants Dustin Pedroia back tonight.
• The Mariners over the Rangers: I would really like to pick the Fabulous Scott Baker to continue his comeback in style. I learned my lesson last night picking the Rangers. Besides, I'm not picking against Hisashi Iwakuma, even if it is at Texas.
• The Brewers over the Cardinals: John Lackey is due for one of his dominant starts. And the Brewers have been terrible. My only reason for not doing the sane thing by picking the Cardinals is that Mike Fiers is pitching for the Brewers. He's my guy.
• The Rockies over the Padres: How do you pick this one? Tyler Matzek and Eric Stults are a combined 10-24. Fun. I'll go for the Rockies at home in what could be a long, long game.
• The Athletics over the Astros: I'm still disappointed that Jeff Samardzija did not go to the Red Sox. I was looking forward to the pronunciation of, "Sahmahdzah," Anyway, he will beat poor Brett Oberholtzer.
• The Diamondbacks over the Dodgers: Vidal Nuno has been surprisingly effective for the D-backs after throwing nothing but meatballs for the Yankees. He has a 3.23 ERA over his last ten starts. He hasn't won any of those starts though. Dan Haren has had a tough season.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Angels over the Twins: There are two pitchers you can't go wrong picking against. Garza is one and the other is Ricky Nolasco. To top that thought off, Matt Shoemaker is pitching. Ah yes. This can't go wrong........can it?

Yesterday: 4-4, September: 28-23, Games of the Day: 87-60 (+2), Season: 1158-957