MLB Game Picks - Tuesday: June 9, 2015

I've never been fond of short schedule days. There is no margin for error and the picks can go south in a hurry. Predictably, I went 4-4 yesterday with an incorrect Pick of the Day. Chris Sale was as remarkable as I thought he would be. But I worried correctly about John Lackey, who was pounded. I enjoyed watching the draft last night except that it was drawn out to the nth degree. Wow, that was slow going!  Good luck to all those drafted.

Tuesday's picks:

• The Red Sox over the Orioles: The Red Sox have a good one in Eduardo Rodriguez and he has certainly delivered. He faces Miguel Gonzalez who only seems dominant against the Yankees and no one else in the AL East.
• The Pirates over the Brewers: This pick did not work out yesterday. And it seems a little iffy tonight too. Francisco Liriano is always an adventure and the Brewers are giving a MLB debut to Taylor Jungmann, the team's former #1 draft pick (2011). Jungmann has gotten bashed around a bit this year in the PCL, but that is a tough league for pitchers. Look for a lot of ground balls.
• The Yankees over the Nationals: The Yankees have made it a habit of spanking aces this year (while losing to stiffs) and can deliver their own ace in Masahiro Tanaka. If Tanaka can keep the ball in the stadium, I think he will out-duel Max Scherzer.
• The Blue Jays over the Marlins: I'll take Mark Buehrle at home most of the time. Besides, the Marlins have sunk like a rock since they changed managers. Dan Haren goes for the Fish.
• The Cubs over the Tigers: Anibal Sanchez just doesn't seem to be himself this season. He's usually good in the first half and then fades. He's faded since April. Jon Lester knows these Tigers well (and vice versa).
• The Rays over the Angels: The Rays just keep winning and Nate Karns has been part of that. Matt Shoemaker is capable of being tough though.
• The Reds over the Phillies: Aaron Harang might be safe enough to pick against. I will laugh if he wins though. The guy does do a number on my head. Anthony DeSclafani goes for the Reds.
• The Padres over the Braves: I hate picking against Mike Foltynewicz, especially since I finally memorized how to spell his name. But James Shields doesn't lose.  So I have to go with him.
• The Mets over the Giants: Two good young pitchers toil in this one and it could go either way. "Charlton" Chris Heston has been just fine for the Giants and Noah Syndergaard has shown flashes of brilliance.
• The Astros over the White Sox: Carlos Rodon is certainly capable of striking out fourteen more Astros tonight. But I have to go with Dallas Keuchel, one of my favorite pitchers in baseball.
• The Twins over the Royals: Trevor May has been a complete surprise to me this season as have the Twins as a whole. The Royals are tough but I am going with May over Chris Young.
• The Rockies over the Cardinals: The Rockies, thanks to the re-emergence of Troy Tulowitzki, are flat out raking right now and at home, I think they can still do the same to Michael Wacha. Jorge De La Rosa is the key to this game though.
• The Athletics over the Rangers: It's a Sonny Gray day and that is enough for me, especially when he is home. The Rangers go with Nick Martinez, who has been very good himself this season.
• The Dodgers over the Diamondbacks: Robbie Ray has pitched wonderfully since his call up and has nine strikeouts to only one walk. The Dodgers are just a different team when Yasiel Puig is on the field. Carlos Frias pitches for them.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Indians over the Mariners: I don't care if he is just 3-6. You can't pick against Corey Kluber. I cannot say the same thing concerning Roenis Elias.

Yesterday: 4-4, June: 56-49, Season: 434-402, Picks of the Day: 34-28

MLB Game Picks - Monday: May 18, 2015

Sunday was a 9-6 day. The Pick of the Day (the Angels) was wrong. I just couldn't imagine Garrett Richards losing. But Mike Wright, making his MLB debut out-pitched him and threw up nothing but zeroes. Heck of a debut! I guess I'll need to take another look at A.J. Burnett as the old guy is making me look badly. I did pick Shelby Miller and I cannot believe he was one out away from a no-hitter and then threw that unfortunate first-pitch fastball. So close!

Monday's picks:

• The Blue Jays over the Angels: The Blue Jays as a team feasts on left-handed pitching and that is the arm C.J. Wilson throw from. Besides, Aaron Sanchez is starting to live up to the expectations he has for his career.
• The Brewers over the Tigers: I'm going to get stupid here and pick a lousy team to beat a great team. First, Mike Fiers is getting better. You could even say two of his last three starts have been brilliant. Secondly, Kyle Lobstein can be had and was not very good his last time out.
• The Diamondbacks over the Marlins: The Marlins will have a new manager. By the way, if you look at yesterday's post, I called that firing. I'm going with the Diamondbacks because I have picked against Rubby De La Rosa every game and he is 4-2 and has beaten two very good teams in his last two outings. Dan Haren goes for the Fish.
• The Indians over the White Sox: Wow! What a match-up! Corey Kluber verses Chris Sale! That will be fun to watch. Kluber looks like he found whatever he was missing in his last start against the Cardinals. He was amazing. Sale is one of the best in the AL too. Flip a coin!
• The Astros over the Athletics: For the Astros, the prospects just keep on coming. Tonight features the debut of 2012 first-round draft pick, Lance McCullers Jr. McCullers has a big arm and has baseball pedigree as his father was a pretty darned good pitcher in the 80s. The A's just keep losing and will start Drew Pomeranz, who knows all about being a stud prospect and the perils therein.
• The Rockies over the Phillies: I know. I keep picking against the Phillies. But I can't help it. Cole Hamels has struggled at Coors Field over the course of his career and Jordan Lyles seems to do okay there. That is the rational.

The Pick of the Day:

• The Mets over the Cardinals: The Cards had to travel after a late game and then have to face Matt Harvey? Good luck with that. John Lackey can be very good too. But I'm going with Harvey.

Yesterday: 9-6, May: 117-93, Season: 281-258, Picks of the Day: 22-18

MLB Game Picks - Saturday: May 2, 2015

It is a gorgeous May day here and I overslept. Oops. My picks were kind of sleepy too yesterday. It was a struggle up and down all day and I finally finished one game above the even mark, Hardly impressive. The day is calling me, so let's dive right into Saturday.

The picks:

• The Yankees over the Red Sox: Everyone in Red Sox Nation is hating on Wade Miley these days. That's not a good thing to face at home for the pitcher. Nathan Eovaldi, despite my high expectations, hasn't exactly been great either. I'll either be way right on this one or laughably wrong.
• The Twins over the White Sox: I'll be honest. I have no idea here. Who would you choose of either Hector Noesi or Ricky Nolasco. I don't want to pick either. I'll go with the Twins at home as they are playing better right now.
• The Cardinals over the Pirates: John Lackey has pitched really well so far. Francisco Liriano has had his moments against the Cardinals. It will be another close game decided late. The Cards keep winning, but the fans don't have it easy most nights.
• The Angels over the Giants: I knew the Giants would win last night and they did. I'm not so sure about tonight with Tim Hudson showing his age. Hector Santiago is hit or miss. The bottom line is that I think the Angels will hit Hudson.
• The Marlins over the Phillies: Cole Hamels is pitching well of late. But so is Dan Haren. The Marlins are on a roll and the offense is clicking. The Phillies are piling through a long season. Marlins.
• The Indians over the Blue Jays: The Indians surprised me last night. That's why predicting baseball is like holding onto a fish. Corey Kluber hasn't won a game. He sure is due. Aaron Sanchez is getting better, but is still a starter in progress.
• The Rays over the Orioles: The weird series continues with the Rays' best pitcher, Chris Archer, on the mound. Miguel Rodriguez is decent and will keep his team in the game. But Archer is throwing some serious baseball.
• The Reds over the Braves: I try to always steer clear of any game that Eric Stults is pitching. And, for some reason, Jason Marquis wins his share of games after all these years. The Braves are playing pretty well for a team that was supposed to be terrible though.
• The Tigers over the Royals: There seems to be a lot of concern about David Price in recent days. But I think he'll be just fine today and will shut down a very hot Royals' offense. Edinson Volquez has been pretty good though and could keep it close.
• The Astros over the Mariners: I love me some Collin McHugh and as long as his bullpen can help him out, I like his chances today. Nelson Cruz has been amazing though and sooner or later Taijuan Walker is going to figure it out and go nuts. Tough call...
• The Mets over the Nationals: The Mets are playing with a whole bunch of swagger right now and Jon Niese has been very good. Gio Gonzalez really needs to figure it out, but I don't think it will be today.
• The Rangers over the Athletics: Nick Martinez has given up one earned run this year. One. I keep waiting for the dam to burst. But it hasn't thus far. He is old school, pitch-to-contact kind of guy and he's getting it done. I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop though. Drew Pomeranz goes for the A's.
• The Padres over the Rockies: I am rooting so hard for Brandon Morrow. I've just latched onto the guy as a feel-good story. So this pick is biased to say the least. Jorge De La Rosa was a good pitcher last year but hasn't gotten it going thus far this year..
• The Diamondbacks over the Dodgers: This pick is probably stupid. I just don't think Scott Baker is the answer for the Dodgers. On the other hand, Jeremy Hellickson hasn't been anything to write home about either. His WHIP so far is 1.75. Ugh. It's an Ugh game.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Cubs over the Brewers: Jake Arrieta is a pretty well-kept secret. The guy is really good. Mike Fiers was really good last year, but has come up empty this season. It doesn't help that the Brewers can't hit.

Yesterday: 8-7, May: 8-7, Season: 172-172, Picks of the Day: 14-12

MLB Game Picks - Monday: April 27, 2015

Confound it all! It took me two weeks to dig out of my early month hole and I finally did it and now I'm slipping right back down that slope! The extra-inning game thing is starting to really make me see red. I am now 0-8 in the last eight games that have gone into extra frames. How is that right? The Royals have gone flat. I'm a mess.

Monday's picks:

• The Indians over the Royals: Is Corey Kluber going to get going? This pick is based on what kind of pitcher he is supposed to be. Jason Vargas has always been solid no matter where he has pitched.
• The Orioles over the White Sox: Which pitcher will be worse, Hector Noesi or Ubaldo Jimenez? Good question. The Orioles will hit at least two homers.
• The Yankees over the Bay Rays: I don't think Adam Warren will last much longer in the rotation. We'll see. The Yankees have been on a roll. The Rays keep hanging around though and Nathan Karns is getting better.
• The Brewers over the Reds: I smell blood. Can the Brewers win two games in a row! Wouldn't that be something? I like Jimmy Nelson and am going with him today over Jason Marquis.
• The Marlins over the Mets: The Fish had a great weekend and can continue to do some damage in the NL East here. Giancarlo Stanton has been raking and I like Jarred Cosart's fire. Dillon Gee hasn't inspired much.
• The Nationals over the Braves: So...is there a manager crisis in Washington? What the heck is going on with this club? Doug Fister should elevate the team out of the mire today and Eric Stultz goes for the Braves.
• The Cubs over the Pirates: I keep picking against the Cubs like they are still...the Cubs. But they are not those Cubs. Jason Hammel goes against Vance Worley and I think the Cubbies will score five runs or more.
• The Rangers over the Mariners: Until Taijuan Walker gets better, I cannot count on him. I'll go with Yovani Gallardo instead. I'm not feeling real strong about the pick though.
• The Tigers over the Twins: David Price will bounce back from his start against the Yankees and Tommy Milone should not stop the Tigers attack.
• The Cardinals over the Phillies: Yes, the Adam Wainwright injury is a  blow to the Cardinals, but they will be okay. John Lackey has been pitching well and Cole Hamels has not. I don't think he's very inspired at the moment.
• The Diamondbacks over the Rockies: The Rockies will keep the rotation intact after yesterday's postponement and Tyler Matzek will go today. Chase Anderson goes for the D-Backs. This is a 50/50 pick.
• The Astros over the Padres: I have to stick with a very hot Collin McHugh even if he is going up against James Shields. The Astros will miss the DH though. Two pitchers were hurt batting this week. Can we make the DH universal please?
• The Giants over the Dodgers: The Giants always seem to win these head to head battles between these two teams. Tim Lincecum has been pretty good. Brett Anderson is iffy for me in the Dodgers' rotation which took another hit when Brandon McCarthy left his last outing.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Red Sox over the Blue Jays: Watching the Red Sox without David Ortiz was kind of nice yesterday. But it was just one day. Aaron Sanchez has not pitched well and if that happens today with the Red Sox, he'll get pounded. The Jays aren't the same without Jose Bautista and it has showed. Joe Kelly goes for the Red Sox.

Yesterday: 5-10, Season: 136-143, Picks of the Day: 11-10

MLB Game Picks - Friday: April 17, 2015

I am simply terrible. I don't know what else to say. I can't pick anything thus far this season. There were six games yesterday. I got five of them wrong. The picks are now fifteen games under .500. The Pick of the Day, which is supposed to be my strongest possibility of being correct is 3-8 for the season. Even the Yankees have to be feeling better about themselves than I am.  It's just amazing. By now, reading my daily output must like some morbid obsession. Heh. Oh my.

Let's try Friday. Kris Bryant will be playing. A new era begins? Let's hope a new success streak begins here too.

The picks:

• The Tigers over the White Sox: This seems straightforward. David Price should be dominant and Jeff Samardzija keeps doing bad pitching. At this point, I'm wondering of Samardzija should have stayed in the bullpen all along.
• The Cubs over the Padres: This could be a big day in Chicago. Or it could be a balloon deflating. One just never knows. The pitching match-up is Jason Hammel at home against James Shields. Which way will the wind blow at Wrigley?
• The Pirates over the Brewers: These two teams have really struggled offensively. And both Jimmy Nelson of the Brewers and Jeff Locke won their first starts. That makes this a hard call. Which team will score three or more runs? I'm going with the Pirates.
• The Blue Jays over the Braves: If you've noticed, I'm going with a lot of home teams. I think that's been a big part of my problem--thinking that the away team will win often. The Jays came off a bad series against the Rays and need to bounce back. Drew Hutchison is a very good young pitcher. But then again, so is Julio Teheran.
• The Red Sox over the Orioles: Now, all of these home team picks is making me nervous. If Joe Kelly pitches against the O's like he did the Yankees, he'll be golden. Because either way, I think the Red Sox will rain all over Ubaldo Jimenez.
• The Marlins over the Mets: I know Bartolo Colon is the ninth wonder of the world. But his entire history is a couple of great performances and a big clunker. I'm feeling clunker today. It doesn't help that David Wright is on the DL. David Phelps returns to the Big Apple.
• The Yankees over the Rays: Tropicana has been a graveyard for the Yankees over the years. But it's different now with a new manager and all those pitching nemesis gone. Nate Karns is inexperienced. My only qualm about this pick is Adam Warren starting for the Yankees.
• The Indians over the Twins: Yeesh, now I've gone with three straight visiting teams. That said, Corey Kluber really should be better than Mike Pelfrey, right? The Twins did have a good series against the Royals...
• The Angels over the Astros: Oh, come on. Now that's four straight visiting team picks. Lord help me. I have no faith in Roberto Hernandez. None. Nada. I have a little more faith in Jered Weaver.
• The Royals over Athletics: Do I really think that Jeremy Guthrie has more of a chance than Sonny Gray? No. But the Royals are the real deal. Gotta pick them to bounce back after a tough series against the Twins.
• The Cardinals over the Reds: Have the Cardinals faced any pitcher more than Johnny Cueto? I can't imagine it. Normally, I would go with Cueto. But Michael Wacha is back looking studly and I have to go with the redbirds at home.
• The Dodgers over the Rockies: Clayton Kershaw hasn't won a game yet. What's with that? I'd say he corrects that today and has a good day at home and beats the Rockies fronted by Kyle Kendrick.
• The Rangers over the Mariners: I have this fixation with Yovani Gallardo. I guess I always think he is better than he really is. But I think he'll do well in Safeco and be better than J.A. Happ.
• The Diamondbacks over the Giants: First, Jake Peavy is a homer waiting to happen. Secondly, Josh Collmenter is bound to win one here soon. Third...I can't remember my third point...

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Nationals over the Phillies: This is how this game should turn out. After all, Max Scherzer is as advertised for the Nats. And Sean O'Sullivan has a career ERA of 5.84. But that's been the problem thus far. Nothing goes as planned.

Yesterday: 1-5, Season: 62-77, Picks of the Day: 3-8