MLB Game Picks - Sunday: April 26, 2015

Not a good day yesterday. There were two postponements and two more extra-inning games that both went against me. That means I am 0-6 in extra-inning games in the last three days. What are the odds of that?

I don't have much time this morning, so I will have to cut short my normal commentary and just give you the pitching match-ups and my picks for Sunday:

• The Indians over the Tigers: Carlos Carrasco vs. Kyle Lobstein
• The Reds over the Cubs: Anthony DeSclafani vs. Jake Arrieta
• The Rays over the Blue Jays: Mark Buehrle vs. Chris Archer
• The Marlins over the Nationals: Dan Haren vs. Gio Gonzalez
• The Braves over the Phillies: Trevor Cahill vs. Jerome Williams
• The Red Sox over the Orioles: Wade Miley vs. Bud Norris
• The Royals over the White Sox: Edinson Volquez vs. John Danks
• The Cardinals over the Brewers: Lance Lynn vs. Mike Fiers
• The Angels over the Rangers: Hector Santiago vs. Nick Martinez
• The Athletics over the Astros: Drew Pomeranz vs. Asher Wojciechowski
• The Padres over the Dodgers: Brandon Morrow vs. Scott Baker
• The Mariners over the Twins: Roenis Elias vs. Kyle Gibson  The Pick of the Day
• The Pirates over the Diamondbacks: Francisco Liriano vs. Jeremy Hellickson
• The Rockies over the Giants: Tyler Matzek vs. Tim Lincecum
• The Yankees over the Mets: Nathan Eovaldi vs. Jon Niese

Yesterday: 5-8, Season: 131-133, Picks of the Day: 11-9

MLB Game Picks - Friday: April 10, 2015

I am off to such a brutally bad start. Man, I couldn't pick Al Capone out of a lineup of women at this point. At least I did finally get a Pick of the Day correctly. But other than that, I was terrible.  Again.

At least everyone is playing new teams today. Perhaps that will help. I need to believe in something! Heh. Without further ago...

...here are today's picks:

• The Blue Jays over the Orioles: Mark Buehrle usually starts out his season pretty well and should be sage enough to keep the ball away from the O's offense. I do have the feeling that the Jays' offense will nail Bud Norris. The Jays are looking mighty impressive.
• The Rangers over the Astros: These two teams will be battling each other all season for the bottom spot in the AL West. That's the way I see it anyway. I like Derek Holland's chances here if he is healthy. Collin McHugh is pretty good himself, however.
• The Rockies over the Cubs: The Rockies are looking good thus far and it is nice to see their stars healthy. The Cubs' offense might get a boost being in Denver. Tyler Matzek goes for the Rockies and Travis Wood goes for the Cubs.
• The Indians over the Tigers: We'll see how it goes, but the Alfredo Simon signing by the Tigers seemed misguided. However, Zach McAllister will have to have a good game against the Tigers' offense. Alex Avila and Jose Iglesias have both started off really well.
• The Twins over the White Sox: I believe Tommy Milone was a very good pickup by the Twins. But the Twins need some answers on offense. I am a bit stunned that Hector Noesi made the opening rotation for the White Sox.
• The Red Sox over the Yankees: Wade Miley is going to be a good starter for the Red Sox. Nate Eovaldi will be good for the Yankees too, but the Red Sox offense is too much better than the Yankees' right now and this will be their first game with the DH.
• The Reds over the Cardinals: The Reds are off to a great start and their offense looks healthy and happy. Jason Marquis just goes on forever. John Lackey will get beat and will look all surly about it.  Heh.
• The Marlins over the Bay Rays: One of these teams has to get off of the deck this weekend in the battle for Florida. I think it will be the Marlins. Dan Haren goes for the Fish and Steve Geltz, who has a big arm and very little experience, goes for the Rays.
• The Mets over the Braves: Jon Niese has always been better than most people think. If he is healthy, he is fine. Eric Stultz had a bad year last year and has to be very fine to win with his stuff. Both lineups are hampered a bit by lefties, but the combo of David Wright and Michael Cuddyer will shine.
• The Brewers over the Pirates: I am very anxious about the Brewers' offense at this point. But I really like Mike Fiers a lot more than I like Jeff Locke.
• The Dodgers over the Diamondbacks: It is a battle of Andersons today as Brett Anderson gets his first start for the Dodgers and faces Chase Anderson of the Diamondbacks. I like Chase better than Brett, but am double-reversing myself on this pick.
• The Angels over the Royals: This is a really tough one. Hector Santiago is a fly ball guy to the extreme (o.44 last year!). Jason Vargas has to be well-located to do well. I like the Angels at home and the Royals will lose a game at some point this season.
• The Mariners over the Athletics: This is a really good match-up pitting Drew Pomeranz against Taijuan Walker. The A's have really straightened out Pomeranz after years of frustration and Walker has been lights out. It could go either way. I like where the M's bullpen is right now compared to the A's.
• The Padres over the Giants: I am really rooting for Brandon Morrow because I am a sucker for comeback stories. Tim Lincecum is a mystery. The Giants haven't looked as dead as people where predicting. The Padres haven't looked as offensive-minded as advertised. Interesting game.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Nationals over the Phillies. The Phillies are a bad team and facing a lefty is their worst case scenario. Gio Gonzalez had sort of an off year last year and I'm expecting him to bounce back. Jerome Williams usually has about three good starts a year.

Yesterday: 3-6, Season: 19-27, Picks of the Day: 1-3

MLB Game Picks - Friday: May 2, 2014

The Boston Red Sox sure wanted to get those two games in yesterday. The Rays were sure upset about it. Perhaps the sweep of the two games by the Rays is a fitting end to the proceedings. I figured the Red Sox would win one of them, so that was part of the three incorrect picks for the day. Roenis Elias hamstrung the Yankees for the second one and the Dodgers coming back and beating the Twins in extra innings was the other.

But in the large scheme of things, three incorrect picks out of eleven isn't too bad. I was right about the Orioles taking both games against the Pirates but am sad about it. I was hoping the Pirates would be able to sustain last year's success. It's not going to happen.

Friday's picks:

• The Cardinals over the Cubs: Would anyone pick against Adam Wainwright right now? The only caveat here is that he is pitching at Wrigley. But if he pitches like he has been, his sixth win should happen. Travis Wood continues to toil in vain.
• The Indians over the White Sox: Danny Salazar has not put it together thus far. The strikeouts are there but so have been the high pitch counts and the walks. I think he'll have a promising game against the White Sox and the Indians hit John Danks around.
• The Rays over the Yankees: David Price is too tough for the Yankees tonight and Vidal Nuno falls apart a little bit against the Rays who won two games yesterday and that might start a roll for them.
• The Blue Jays over the Pirates: The Pirates are so down and though I like Gerrit Cole, he is a bit homer prone thus far and the Blue Jays can hit homers. Brandon Morrow cannot walk eight guys again though.
• The Phillies over the Nationals: I always root for Stephen Strasburg. But he often lets me down in games like this. Cliff Lee is a worthy opponent. And the Phillies are at home.
• The Marlins over the Dodgers: Tom Koehler has won both of his home starts with very good performances. It's the road he has trouble with. Josh Beckett returns to his roots, but you never know how he will pitch.
• The Reds over the Brewers: I have gone back and forth on this one. I like Wily Peralta better than Mike Leake. But I also like the Reds at home better than the Brewers on the road. Crappers.
• The Athletics over the Red Sox: Dan Straily has only had one bad start out of five. On the other hand, Clay Buchholz has only had one decent start. If Buchholz discovers his old self, this pick is in trouble.
• The Braves over the Giants: I am also really torn on this one. Tim Lincecum is unpredictable. And Mike Minor is making his first start of the year. While that could be a boost to the Braves, I hate picking such scenarios.
• The Orioles over the Twins: Ubaldo Jimenez has to win a game sooner or later. It might be this one as he gets away from the AL East to visit his old haunts in the AL Central. Ricky Nolasco has been hit or miss.
• The Tigers over the Royals: Really tough call here. Both Rick Porcello and James Shields have been off to good starts. Shields might be Scherzer's replacement next year.
• The Mets over the Rockies: If Carlos Gonzalez is out of the lineup, that makes a difference. Zack Wheeler has the stuff to overcome Coors. Jorge De La Rosa still has too many names.
• The Angels over the Rangers: Hector Santiago is due for a win and has pitched with some bad luck leading to his 0-4 record. The Rangers are a bit down on their luck and I am still not convinced about Colby Lewis.
• The Padres over the Diamondbacks: Bronson Arroyo has a better chance to win at a big field like in San Diego. But Andrew Cashner is really good too. I'm going with the Padres.

And the Game of the Day

• The Mariners over the Astros: The M's just beat the Yankees two straight and have Felix Hernandez on the mound. That should equal another win for them. Brad Peacock looked promising in Spring Training, but has not put it together in the season yet.

Yesterday: 8-3, Games of the Day: 14-14, May: 8-3, Season: 241-177

MLB Game Picks - Saturday: April 26, 2014

I needed a good day yesterday after a horrible Thursday and I got it. There were only four incorrect picks. The Yankees were bombed out at home. The Orioles could do nothing with a very impressive Yordano Ventura. The White Sox got a walk-off grand slam from Abreu to ruin that pick. And Josh Collmenter pitched a lot better than I thought he would as the Diamondbacks won the team's third straight.

Those were the only four bad picks. But I will take eleven correct ones every day. Here are Saturday's picks:

• The Yankees over the Angels: Hector Santiago is not C.J. Wilson and the Yankees should get some base runners at least. The only question is about how good Vidal Nuno can be. He was good his first start, but we'll see.
• The Nationals over the Padres: This is a tough one. I love Andrew Cashner, but his ERA is double on the road as it is at home. Tanner Roark has been good his last two starts. I am going with the home team.
• The Blue Jays over the Red Sox: Clay Buchholz has been horrible. If he fixes himself today, this pick is in deep doodoo. Then again, Brandon Morrow hasn't been reliable himself. This looks like a pick that could hurt.
• The Tigers over the Twins: Phil Hughes pitched well his last time out. But this is the Tigers and they bite. Then again, Anibal Sanchez has not been great so far this season either.
• The Indians over the Giants: The Giants aren't hitting much and need good pitching to win. Tim Lincecum cannot be trusted in that department. Zach McAllister, on the other hand, is a bright talent.
• The Pirates over the Cardinals: Ugh, this is a tough one. Neither team is hitting. Francisco Liriano has not been nearly as good as last year. But Tyler Lyons is not a good pick either. Tough one...again...
• The Orioles over the Royals: I feel the Orioles are going to destroy Jeremy Guthrie today. It's a gut thing. Wei-Yin Chen has to be good for the Orioles though.
• The Brewers over the Cubs: I hate picking against Travis Wood. I have a lot of respect for him to go out there and get no support each time. He might even be the best hitter on his team. Marco Estrada will be good enough to win at home.
• The Braves over the Reds: David Hale is the weakest link of the Braves' rotation. But he still might be good enough to be better than Mike Leake. Leake is not a big strikeout guy, which helps the Braves.
• The Mets over the Marlins: When it comes to pitchers, there is slow, then Kevin Slowey and then the slowest. The Mets get another good performance from Jenrry Mejia and win.
• The Athletics over the Astros: I would rate Dan Straily and Dallas Keuchel a wash. That said, the A's are the better team and thus the pick.
• The White Sox over the Bay Rays: Why the heck not. The White Sox are very exciting right now. John Danks has been good so far. And Cesar Ramos pitching for the Rays seals the deal for me.
• The Phillies over the Diamondbacks: I am not sure about Cliff Lee in the desert air, but I am sure that I don't ever like picking Bronson Arroyo to win.
• The Rockies over the Dodgers: I like Juan Nicasio on the road and at home. But maybe I overrate him. And maybe I underrate Paul Maholm because I would almost never pick him to win a game.

And the Game of the Day

• The Mariners over the Rangers. Felix Hernandez? Check. At home? Check. The Colby Lewis story is nice. But to have faith in a nice story? No, not here.

Yesterday: 11-4, Games of the Day: 11-11, Season: 197-148

MLB Game Picks - Sunday: April 20, 2014

Happy Easter to everyone who observes the day.

Yesterday was a better day than the previous two, that's for sure. It still wasn't great, but it was better. Picking the Yankees was a joke. I mean a real haha kind of joke. But again, at least it was a positive day instead of a negative.

Here are Sunday's picks:

• The Blue Jays over the Indians: Carlos Carrasco is probably not as he has pitched so far. But even at his best, he isn't great either. Brandon Morrow is confusing. But he seems the better pick here. The Indians are confusing as a team so far too.
• The Tigers over the Angels: This pick depends totally on how good or not Rick Porcello is today. Hector Santiago is a pretty good pitcher for the Angels and his left-handed offerings will affect some on the Tigers. But I have to go with the Tigers at home.
• The Mets over the Braves: Zack Wheeler and David Hale are both young pitchers. But Wheeler has the superior stuff. But will he be in the strike zone? Ah, one never knows. If he is not, this pick blows up.
• The Marlins over the Mariners: Something is going on down in Miami. That team seems pretty alive this year. I feel stupid picking Kevin Slowey to win, but then again, it feels stupider to pick Brandon Maurer. So there you go.
• The Pirates over the Brewers: The Pirates sure blew that game yesterday and that makes me worry about this pick. But the natural tendency is to question yourself over a bad pick and second guess it. I am trying to avoid that by being more swayed by the match-ups. I like Gerrit Cole more than Marco Estrada especially Estrada on the road.
• The Nationals over the Cardinals: I refuse to believe Stephen Strasburg is not the big old stud that we keep thinking he is. He has not looked like one so far and the biggest concern is that his off-speed stuff looks really flat. Shelby Miller gave hope to Cards' fans his last time out, which is scary for this pick. And of course, we'll have to see what happens from the stupid Williams decision from yesterday.
• The Rays over the Yankees: I am not ever again going to pick the Yankees when they are at Tropicana Field. That place has been such death to them over the years. And I don't care if they are facing Cesar Ramos because they are countering with Vidal Nuno. Oh boy.
• The Royals over the Twins: Good old frustrating and completely undependable Phil Hughes. Picking him would be stupid. On the other hand, Yordano Ventura is always an event when he pitches.
• The Reds over the Cubs: This pick did not work out yesterday and is a bit dicey today too. Homer Bailey should win every game with his stuff. But when he is off, homers happen frequently. Carlos Villanueva was shelled his last time out. So who knows.
• The Rangers over the White Sox: I like Robbie Ross, Jr. I don't like Erik Johnson so much. All other things being considered, this pick seems easy.
• The Athletics over the Astros: Jesse Chavez has been pitching really well. So I have to stick with him for now. Brad Peacock will always seem like a fringe pitcher to me.
• The Dodgers over the Diamondbacks: Josh Beckett is an enigma. I don't know if he will ever be consistently good again. But he is far and away a better option than Josh Collmenter. Collmenter is better in the bullpen. I just noticed that this is a battle of Josh.
• The Rockies over the Phillies: Roberto Hernandez in Coors really scares the heck out of me. Juan Nicasio is a much better pick here.
• The Giants over the Padres: It is amazing how fast the Giants can go flat on offense. I like Tim Lincecum in that big ballpark in San Diego. Robbie Erlin has been pretty good though. If the Giants don't hit, they don't win.

And the Game of the Day!

• The Red Sox over the Orioles: Ubaldo Jimenez has been terrible thus far and faces a patient and potent Red Sox attack. Jake Peavy is the better option here, especially at Fenway Park.

Yesterday: 9-6, Games of the Day: 8-8, Season: 150-111

MLB Game Picks - Tuesday: April 15, 2014

I almost had a perfect night. I was 7-0 with one game suspended and the Angels, which I picked over the A's had a one run lead heading into the last inning. A one-out pinch hit homer by Jaso off of Frieri later, and the pick went bye-bye. I was that close.

Oh well. Even so, the picks are 27-10 over the last three days, so that is a pretty good run.

There are sixteen games to pick today. They have to finish the Reds - Pirates game, which was suspended. Here are the picks:

• The Pirates over the Reds: The Pirates have the better bullpen, so I will lean towards them in a short game.
• The Phillies over the Braves: It seemed like the Phillies just handed the game ot the Braves last night. Weird. Tonight might be different. Cliff Lee usually pitches well against the Braves and young David Hale is having command issues.
• The Yankees over the Cubs: Masahiro Tanaka should have no issues with the Cubs' lineup and the only issue is whether the Yankees can solve Jason Hammel, something they have struggled with in the past.
• The Bay Rays over the Orioles: I like Jake Odorizzi in this one much more than I like Miguel Gonzalez.
• The Tigers over the Indians: The Indians never seem to beat the Tigers. So that is the way I am leaning here. Anibal Sanchez goes for the Tigers and Zach McAllister goes for the Indians.
• The Pirates over the Reds: Gerrit Cole has been pitching really well and Mike Leake is always a puzzle to me. Will Leake win? Depends. Ha!
• The Nationals over the Marlins: I keep picking Stephen Strasburg like he is infallible. But I usually get disappointed. Still, if he does his thing and strikes out ten or more, he should win over Tom Koehler.
• The Rangers over the Mariners: When did it go from Robbie Ross to Robert Ross, Jr.? Anyway, the only reason I am picking Ross is because the Mariners are pitching Blake Beavan.
• The Red Sox over the White Sox: Jake Peavy goes back to Chicago and should pitch well there. He faces Erik Johnson, the kind of young pitcher the Red Sox usually munch up to mulch.
• The Brewers over the Cardinals: I don't know what ails Shelby Miller, but he has not been the same guy as he was early last year. I expect the Brewers to strike here and have a good performance at home by Marco Estrada.
• The Blue Jays over the Twins: Good old Phil Hughes has brought his homer-prone ways with him to the Twins. That is not a good thing against the Blue Jays. Brandon Morrow's last start was encouraging.
• The Mets over the Diamondbacks: If the Dbacks lose a second straight to the lowly Mets, then stuff is going to start hitting the fan. Jenrry Mejia has the kind of stuff to win and should be better than Bronson Arroyo.
• The Angels over the Athletics: Let's try this again, shall we? Garrett Richards has become really good and Dan Straily is just okay. If those two things hold true, the Angels should win.
• The Padres over the Rockies: I like Robbie Erlin quite a bit and so I am going with him over Juan Nicasio. This might be a mistake because Nicasio is usually pretty solid.
• The Giants over the Dodgers: I just don't believe in Josh Beckett. Then again, it is hard to believe in Tim Lincecum these days either. So who knows. The Giants are the home team.

And the Game of the Day!

• The Royals over the Astros: If Yordano Ventura becomes as good as he looks, can we call him Ace Ventura? Please? The Royals have just not gelled yet but should be able to beat Lucas Harrell.

Yesterday: 7-1, Games of the Day: 6-5, Season: 116-77

MLB Game Picks - Wednesday: April 9, 2014

I have had the worst case of bronchitis I have ever had in my life the last week and a half. So I have felt disassociated from the games and what is going on. My sole focus has been on getting rest and getting better. Even so, except for a really bad day the other day, the picks have gone pretty well. I just hope I can shake this thing soon because the season looks like it has started in a very interesting way.

There are sixteen games on the schedule today including a double-header between the Indians and the Padres. Here are Wednesday's picks:

• The Indians over the Padres: I'll take Zach McAllister in the first game over Eric Stults.
• The Padres over the Indians: And then I will take the Padres in the second game. Trevor Bauer is pitching for the Indians and when is the last time that has ever gone well? Robbie Erlin goes for the Padres.
• The Twins over the Athletics: Jesse Chavez pitched well for the A's in his first start of the season, but he is pretty much a journeyman pitcher. So I don't put much stock in that. Phil Hughes will have to pitch much better than he did in his first outing. The question is whether he is capable of doing that anymore.
• The Cardinals over the Reds: Shelby Miller doesn't have a good track record to go by here, but this might be a high scoring game where the bullpens win or lose it anyway. If that happens, it's the Cards. Mike Leake goes for the Reds.
• The Rays over the Royals: This one should go the same as last night with a low score and the Rays ending up on top. Jake Odorizzi goes against Jeremy Guthrie.
• The Rockies over the White Sox: The White Sox blew up Coors yesterday, but Juan Nicasio is pretty good at pitching there for the Rockies. And Erik Johnson has not gotten his feet under him yet in the Majors. Coors won't help.
• The Rangers over the Red Sox: I think Jake Peavy is going to struggle in Texas. I also think that Robbie Ross or Robert Ross or whatever he is calling himself these days, will hold the Red Sox down a bit.
• The Yankees over the Orioles: I saw enough of Masahiro Tanaka in his first outing to believe he is the real deal. He will hold the Orioles down to three runs or less. The Yankees simply have to score more against Miguel Gonzalez.
• The Nationals over the Marlins: Well, the Marlins had a fun first week, but reality is settling in. Today should be another low scoring game. Jordan Zimmermann will pitch well as might Brad Hand.
• The Phillies over the Brewers: I made fun of Roberto Hernandez in his first start and he won. So yeah, me. I will go with him this time over Matt Garza. I don't expect Braun to hit three more homers.
• The Blue Jays over the Astros: Whatever happened to Brandon Morrow? And will he ever make it back to the promise he once showed? Maybe not, but he has a chance to win tonight against the Astros and Lucas Harrell.
• The Mets over the Braves: Here's what I think. I think Ervin Santana is going to make his debut for the Braves and it won't go well and Zack Wheeler is going to steal the show and have a great night. That's what I think.
• The Cubs over the Pirates: Not a real good choice here. But I guess that Jason Hammel has a chance to pitch well and that Wandy Rodgriguez will find a way to hurt himself.
• The Angels over the Mariners: Mariners fans have to be pretty excited as their team has started nicely out of the gate. I don't see them winning this game though. I see Garrett Richards being better than Roenis Elias.
• The Tigers over the Dodgers: Josh Beckett might start for the Dodgers. Or he might not. Who knows. That being the case, let's take Anibal Sanchez for the win.

And the Game of the Day

• The Giants over the Diamondbacks: Tim Lincecum is going to have a good day and the Giants will beat around Bronson Arroyo.

Yesterday: 9-5, Games of the Day: 4-3, Season: 69-46