MLB Game Picks - Monday: June 8, 2015

Saturday was an up and down day with some good picks, some bad picks (I'm looking at you Jordan Zimmermann) and a perfectly mediocre 8-7 final tally with a correct Pick of the Day. I suppose the results are better than the alternative.

A very abbreviated schedule today with only eight games. The picks:

• The Pirates over the Brewers: I don't think Ryan Braun's wrist is ever going to be the same. It's a shame really because the Brewers invested so heavily in him and built a lineup around him. A.J. Burnett is having a terrific season. Jimmy Nelson is not.
• The Blue Jays over the Marlins: Jose Bautista is really heating up and that bodes well for the Blue Jays, especially for as long as Jose Reyes stays in the lineup this time. Two soft pitchers in this one though with Brad Hand going for the Marlins and Marco Estrada for the Blue Jays. Could be high scoring.
• The Phillies over the Reds: Mike Leake has been really off this past month. I had to drop him from my fantasy team! Cole Hamels continues to audition for other teams.
• The White Sox over the Astros: This is a real interesting game here. Lance McCullers has been great for the Astros. But anytime the White Sox have Chris Sale on the mound, that has to be the pick.
• The Royals over the Twins: Another interesting game. The Royals don't walk and Phil Hughes doesn't walk anyone. So what happens to the balls in play? That's the key here. Jason Vargas goes for the Royals.
• The Cardinals over the Rockies: My only fear here is how well John Lackey will do at Coors Field. Otherwise, the Cardinals should have a hearty offensive day against David Hale.
• The Dodgers over the Diamondbacks: I have been doing really well picking Mike Bolsinger and he has been a nice addition to my fantasy team too! Rubby De La Rosa, on the other hand, after some good starts has begun to take a beating of late.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Braves over the Padres: I'm really surprised by how well the Braves are playing. Part of that equation is starting pitching and guys like Shelby Miller have really done well. Ian Kennedy is another story and has been knocked around pretty consistently.

Yesterday: 8-7, June: 52-45, Season: 430-398, Picks of the Day: 34-27 (+3)

MLB Game Picks - Wednesday: June 3, 2015

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

Sixteen more games on tap for tonight! The picks:

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

And the Pick of the Day:

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

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

MLB Game Picks - Friday: May 29, 2015

Short schedules always frighten me because this is little margin for error. Therefore, I am happy to finish at 5-3. Of the three incorrect picks, on one, I am kicking myself. On the other, I am kicking the manager and the other was a battle between two good pitchers and I picked the wrong one.

The latter I don't mind. But I KNEW I should pick the Red Sox yesterday. I had a strong feeling that Eduardo Rodriguez was the real deal. Heck, I even picked him up on my fantasy team. Dumb. 

As for kicking the manager, the Yankees NEVER should have lost that game last night. With the game on the line, Joe Girardi brought in David Carpenter.

Why is that a bad thing? Because the A's have a .767 OPS against right-handed pitching but only a team .611 OPS against left-handed pitching. David Carpenter is right-handed. The Yankees have four left-handed relievers and one of them, Chasen Shreve, was very effective after Carpenter gave up the winning runs (inherited runners Sabathia put on base). Stupid.

Friday's picks:

• The Cubs over the Royals: The Royals lose the DH, which has been very important to their offense. Jake Arrieta gentille Arrieta will benefit from the Royals aggressive swinging and the Cubs will score a few off of Edinson Volquez.
• The Phillies over the Rockies: First, the Phillies have their best pitcher, Cole Hamels, on the mound. Secondly, Chad Bettis is not pick-worthy...at least to me. I like the Phillies at home here.
• The Orioles over the Rays: The Orioles are back home at Camden Yards and that is usually an appealing pick. Miguel Gonzalez is usually good against the AL East. The one problem I see is that Nathan Karns is pitching very well.
• The Reds over the Nationals: I'm not picking Stephen Strasburg again. Never. Ever. Again. Well...at least until he starts winning. Anthony DeSclafani goes for the Reds at home.
• The Red Sox over the Rangers: I don't feel good about either starting pitcher here between Yovani Gallardo for Texas or Steven Wright for the Red Sox. But one of the teams has to win and I'm going with the Red Sox.
• The Diamondbacks over the Brewers: The Brewers lost their hot streak and are back going in the wrong direction. Rubby De La Rosa has been a great pick up for the D-Backs. Jimmy Nelson hasn't put it together yet.
• The Astros over the White Sox: This could be a good one. Lance McCullers Jr. has been pitching well for the Astros, but Carlos Rodon is a real stud prospect for the White Sox. I go with McCullers because he has far better control at this point than Rodon who is walking way too many batters.
• The Blue Jays over the Twins: I like Mark Buehrle in this one. I think he'll have a good game. Trevor May has been inconsistent and you don't want to now be really on against the Blue Jays' offense.
• The Cardinals over the Dodgers: I hate this pick. I hate picking John Lackey for one thing. But he is capable of dominating a game. I also hate picking against Mike Bolsinger who has been terrific for the Dodgers. But this is what my gut is telling me here.
• The Angels over the Tigers: The Tigers are missing Victor Martinez in their lineup. It's still a decent lineup, but not quite the same. The two starters here are hard to pick. Hector Santiago and Anibal Sanchez have had their struggles.
• The Athletics over the Yankees: That was a big loss for the Yankees last night because they get Sonny Gray tonight. I always go with Sonny Gray. I definitely am not feeling Chris Capuano. Although, Capuano is a lefty...hmmm
• The Indians over the Mariners: Robinson Cano is hurting and not himself. Taijuan Walker has not put anything together this year and Trevor Bauer is pitching well.
• The Padres over the Pirates: James Shields just keeps on winning. It's hard to pick against that. Francisco Liriano is such a puzzle. He simply cannot be counted upon.
• The Braves over the Giants: The Braves' bats have gone silent. But they do seem to win behind Mike Foltynewicz. Tim Hudson is pitching at home, which is hard to pick against. But I'm doing it anyway.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Mets over the Marlins: Matt Harvey should bounce back from his anomalous bad outing. Dan Haren may be able to match zeroes though, if he is on.

Yesterday: 5-3, May: 190-165, Season: 357-330, Picks of the Day: 29-22

MLB Game Picks - Wednesday: April 22, 2015

Last night was a good night as I inch closer to respectability. After a disastrous start to the picking season, I am no two games below .500 and at .500 with the Picks of the Day. What a long uphill climb.

Of the five incorrect picks, Chris Archer did indeed pitch brilliantly, but as hinted in the pick, his team can't hit. The Brewers finally scored as I predicted, but they couldn't pitch to save themselves and gave up three grand slams and sixteen runs. Wow! That's bad.

Wednesday's picks:

• The Indians over the White Sox: The Indians can throw some good pitching at you. Carrasco was great last night and Corey Kluber goes today. I don't think Jeff Samardzija will keep up.
• The Cubs over the Pirates: Man, the Pirates sure blew that game yesterday. Or, on the flip side, the Cubs sure put the medal down and made it happen. I like where the Cubs are right now. Jason Hammel over Vance Worley.
• The Phillies over the Marlins: The Marlins never do what I expect them to do. I thought they would have their way with the Phillies and they didn't last night. Today, they face Cole Hamels making it a Hammel / Hamels day. Jarred Cosart goes for the Fish.
• The Nationals over the Cardinals: The last time I picked against John Lackey, he pitched shutout ball. He won't do that twice in a row, will he? Doug Fister is terrific and thus, my pick.
• The Orioles over the Blue Jays: If Aaron Sanchez has another bad start for the Blue Jays, they will have to do some thinking of whether to keep him in the rotation. The better pick here is Ubaldo Jimenez. Now that is a scary thought.
• The Tigers over the Yankees: I think the Yankees are better against lefty starters as a team. But David Price isn't your run-of-the-mill starters. I cannot go with Adam Warren over David Price.
• The Red Sox over the Rays: The Rays are sinking and though Nathan Karns has been impressive, his mates just don't score. Joe Kelly will have a good night.
• The Reds over the Brewers: Jimmy Nelson has been one of the few bright spots for the Brewers, but he is facing Johnny Cueto and that's not good for him. That is unless the Reds are tired from all that running around the bases yesterday.
• The Royals over the Twins: The Twins had the least yesterday the whole game and then blew it at the end. That was troublesome to say the least. Jeremy Guthrie goes for the Royals tonight which gives the Twins a chance. But they can only counter with Mike Pelfrey.
• The Padres over the Rockies: The Rockies also blew it late yesterday after leading by as many as five runs. That was their best chance to win. James Shields has to tame Coors, but he has a good hitting team too. The Rockies are struggling but have the mostly solid Kyle Kendrick on the mound.
• The Diamondbacks over the Rangers: Archie Bradley has been impressive. But then again, Yovani Gallardo has been too and can hit mitigating the lost of the DH some for the Rangers. I'm still going with the D-backs.
• The Athletics over the Angels: The Angels sure pounded the A's yesterday. So much so that Ike Davis pitched. Jered Weaver has had a bad start to the season and lives on guile mostly these days. Sonny Gray is my guy here.
• The Mariners over the Astros: Ugh. I don't like any of my choices here. J.A. Happ doesn't fill me with glee and Roberto Hernandez can be awful. No, I don't like this pick at all. Blech.
• The Dodgers over the Giants: This is the must see game of the day as Clayton Kershaw goes against Madison Bumgarner. Both aces have looked a little human thus far this year and you have to wonder about the post season toll on these guys. I'm giving the edge to the Dodgers. It could go either way.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Mets over the Braves: The Mets keep the streak alive for one more night behind Dillon Gee. While Gee has not been great, I like him better than Eric Stultz. The Mets have been Amazin'!

Yesterday: 10-5, Season: 104-106, Picks of the Day: 8-8

MLB Game Picks - Sunday: September 28, 2014

The last day of the regular season. Or is it? There is a possibility of three ties today if the Cards, Tigers and Oakland lose and the Mariners, Royals and Pirates win. You cannot get much more exciting than that!

I went 9-6 yesterday which isn't bad considering how crazy this all is and how a lot of teams are just playing out the string. The one big takeaway from the season was the party Chicago threw for Paul Konerko. Well done, White Sox. He deserved such a grand exit.

It should be an interesting day!  The picks:

• The Rays over the Indians: This will be a low scoring game I think. T.J. House has been pitching well and the Rays don't hit lefties particularly well. I have to go with Alex Cobb who has been terrific this season.
• The Blue Jays over the Orioles: R.A. Dickey is another pitcher that has baffled me when picking his games. I am never correct with him. I think the Orioles will hit him. But I think the Blue Jays will hit Miguel Gonzalez too. Two great offenses.
• The Tigers over the Twins: David Price hasn't exactly been shut-down for the Tigers on most occasions. And Kyle Gibson can make you hit into a lot of outs. But I can't see the Twins winning this one and the Tigers always tease us and then take the division anyway.
• The Astros over the Mets: There is a lot going on in this game. Nick Tropeano is from the New York area and will want to do well. He has looked good in his handful of starts. Bartolo Colon is always a mystery. His 14-13 record tells you that. He's ether decent or he's very generous. Who knows.
• The Pirates over the Reds: Johnny Cueto goes for his 20th win. That would be cool. It's not going to happen. Gerrit Cole will pitch even better and the Pirates will force the Cardinals to win and waste Wainwright...well, not waste him, but have to use him.
• The Phillies over the Braves: Two teams going home after today. I got this pick wrong yesterday. Cole Hamels is not A.J. Burnett and James Russell is a loogy who has relieved 65 times this year...and he is the starter!?
• The Nationals over the Marlins: Sure, Henderson Alvarez has had a terrific season. His team faces Jordan Zimmermann who will match him for zeroes, and then what happens? It won't be good for the Marlins.
• The Yankees over the Red Sox: The last time Micheal Pineda pitched against the Red Sox, the infamous pine tar incident played out. Jeter's last game, Pineda's revenge and one more Clay Buchholz meltdown and the season will be over for both teams.
• The Royals over the White Sox: Chris Bassitt messed up the Tigers in his last outing with a great performance. Can he do it again against the Royals? Maybe, but he will be more than matched with Yordano Ventura who will come through today where Duffy did not yesterday.
• The Athletics over the Rangers: I have to admit that I am rooting for a tie between the A's and the Mariners. But I don't think it will happen. The A's will beat the Rangers behind Sonny Gray simply because Nick Martinez will not be able to hold back the A's.
• The Giants over the Padres: Chris Heston had very good numbers in the Pacific Coast League, which is impressive since that league eats up pitchers for breakfast. I think he'll have a big day in his first MLB start. Robbie Erlin can be decent.
• The Dodgers over the Rockies: I'm not sure why the Dodgers are starting Zack Greinke. Is that necessary for them to do so? But that's what the pitching line says. The Dodgers win then against Christian Bergman.
• The Mariners over the Angels: The Mariners have only one chance to win the wild card, which means they have to win. That also means Felix Hernandez has to get it done. The M's season is on the line. Hernandez's CYA is on the line. It should be interesting because the Angels are not going to play dead. Cory Rasmus pitches for the Angels.
• The Cardinals over the Diamondbacks: This game has two scenarios: First, getting the late game, the Cards will know whether the Pirates won or not. If the Pirates won, then Adam Wainwright will have to start to win the division. So that would be one pick. If the Pirates lose, the Cards win the division without even playing, put a scrub pitcher in there and Josh Collmenter wins. Tough call for a game picker.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Brewers over the Cubs: Mike Fiers makes the ultimate impression and seals his spot in the rotation for next year. I still can't understand why it took the Brewers half the year to get him in there in the first place. Jacob Turner will keep improving with the Cubs. But he will get beat today.

Yesterday: 9-6, Sept.: 226-149, Games of the Day: 103-67 (-2), Season: 1356-1083