MLB Game Picks - Monday: June 15, 2015

We are not going to talk about yesterday. We are going to pretend that it never happened and move on. If you ask me, I will deny all association with it.

Moving forward, Monday's picks:

• The White Sox over the Pirates: The Pirates have been hot, but have only faced nine lefty starters all season. They have handled them well, but Carlos Rodon is a different animal altogether. Francisco Liriano has been good of late.
• The Tigers over the Reds: Neither this year's Anibal Sanchez or Jon Moscot excite me very much, but the Tigers are home and all things considered equal, should win.
• The Braves over the Red Sox: The Red Sox just got drubbed over the weekend. It was a bloodbath. I'm surprised the manager is still there. How can you pick them to win these days? Rick Porcello hasn't been pitching well. Williams Perez seems to bend but not break too much.
• The Yankees over the Marlins: The Yankees lose the DH so Alex Rodriguez sits. But Masahiro Tanaka should overcome that deficiency. Tom Koehler is a decent pitcher though.
• The Mets over the Blue Jays: The Jays lose one of their big bats and again, the law of averages is weighting heavy here with this win streak. Noah Syndergaard has been disappointing. Mark Buehrle is Mark Buehrle. Take the good and the bad.
• The Nationals over the Rays: I am going with this pick thinking Bryce Harper can at least DH today. Someone needs to tell the Rays they aren't this good. And Erasmo Ramirez has been the shock of the century thus far. Gio Gonzalez better have a good day or this pick is going down too.
• The Cubs over the Indians: I love the Cubs this year. I love what they are doing with their youth. I sure wish the Yankees would do that. Jake Arrieta gentille Arrieta has been great of late. Trevor Bauer is having a pretty good season for the Indians.
• The Rangers over the Dodgers: The Dodgers know Yovani Gallardo but he has a chance to be good today. Carlos Frias hasn't run into an offense like the Rangers yet this year so it will be a test.
• The Astros over the Rockies: Any time Dallas Keuchel is on the mound, I like the Astros' chances. Chad Bettis has has some spectacular games himself this season. If he is on, this becomes a bullpen game.
• The Royals over the Brewers: This is two road interleague series in a row for the Royals, which seems unfair. They need their DH. Even so, they did not fare well in St. Louis, so they might take it out on the Brewers. Kyle Lohse will be intent on not letting that happen. Edinson Volquez goes for the Royals.
• The Cardinals over the Twins: John Lackey is so hard to figure sometimes. I think tonight will be one of his good games. The Twins will go with Trevor May, who has been up and down. No DH for the Twins.
• The Angels over the Diamondbacks: Whenever I bash mouth Jered Weaver, he proves to me he can still win games with his swill. The Angels need to hit for this pick to work and Robbie Ray will try to keep that from happening.
• The Padres over the Athletics: Jessie Hahn goes for the A's who lose the DH. Tyson Ross is usually good at home.
• The Mariners over the Giants: Taijuan Walker has had three good starts in a row, so perhaps he is settling down to be the pitcher we expected him to be. Tim Hudson goes for the Giants and pitches these days on knowledge more than stuff.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Orioles over the Phillies: The Phillies get an extra hitter in the lineup. Is that a good thing? Wei-Yin Chen versus Aaron Harang. The hot Oriole offense should stay hot here.

Yesterday: 5-9, June: 97-91, Season: 475-444, Picks of the Day: 36-32

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 - Tuesday: April 14, 2015

Yesterday wasn't a great picking day, but at least it was in the plus column. I had a comment that my count was off the other day and I had an extra incorrect pick. That's all I needed. Heh. So I adjusted my final tally.

Tuesday's picks:

• The Nationals over the Red Sox: Stephen Strasburg was not as great as I thought he would be all last year and lost his first outing this year. But I am still a big believer in the guy. Justin Masterson goes for the Red Sox.
• The Tiger over the Pirates: Shane Greene was terrific his first time out and I have an emotional attachment to him. A.J. Burnett brings out emotions in me too, but they are mostly negative.
• The Yankees over the Orioles: CC Sabathia needs to show he can pitch. I think he'll do that today. The one problem is that the Yankees extended both of their power relievers yesterday. Miguel Gonzalez goes for the Orioles.
• The Blue Jays over the Bay Rays: The Rays took the opening game in the opening Battle of the Ays for 2015. Tonight will be different. Daniel Norris is a rising star. Matt Andriese is an unknown quantity.
• The Indians over the White Sox: Jose Quintana will be a hard luck loser again as he faces a very hot Carlos Carrasco. It should be a low scoring game.
• The Marlins over the Braves: There are going to be some panic reactions in Miami if the Marlins don't start winning soon. Tom Koehler will try to get them tilted in the right direction and Trevor Cahill will try to prevent it.
• The Mets over the Phillies: The legend of Matt Harvey will continue to bloom and David Buchanan can only hope to limit the damage and keep up.
• The Angels over the Rangers: I have no idea what to expect from Drew Rucinski who is making his first MLB start. But he has a pretty big arm, so we'll see. Nick Martinez goes for the Rangers.
• The Athletics over the Astros: Brad Peacock has never been able to spread his tail feathers in the Majors. That's what sinks me for this pick. But Kendall Graveman doesn't give me good vibes either.
• The Padres over the Diamondbacks: I never know what to expect from Odrisamer Despaigne as he is either stellar or gets bombed. But I like him over Jeremy Hellickson. Hellickson's fly ball tendency toward the fly ball won't be as bad in San Diego though.
• The Dodgers over the Mariners: I call David Huff, "David Hassle Huff." In other words, he reminds me of the world's worst actor. At the same time, he is capable of good starts now and then. Hisashi Iwakuma goes for the Mariners.
• The Giants over the Rockies: The Rockies are on fire. I think Tim Hudson will cool them off though. Besides, Christian Bergman doesn't fill me with confidence.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Cubs over the Reds: The Cubs got a bad outing from Lester and still won the game yesterday. Jake Arrieta gentille Arrieta should be better and Anthony DeSclafani at least gives us Italians something to cheer about.

Yesterday: 8-6, Season: 49-56, Picks of the Day: 3-5

MLB Game Picks - Wednesday: September 24, 2014

Five picks from yesterday were incorrect. I had hoped the Yankees would run it and at least give themselves a chance. But their old RISP problem cropped up again and sank them and probably their season for good. The Mariners got pounded. I really thought Felix Hernandez would be better. He had nothing.

I had the Padres and the Rockies wrong. I had the Diamondbacks and the Twins wrong. Good old Kyle Gibson did me in again with his bamboozle balls. And finally, I thought the A's would beat the Angels with so much on the line and Sonny Gray on the mound. But Wade LeBlanc of all people shut them down which just goes to show how badly the A's are hitting.

So those were the bum picks. But speaking of Bums, I did get the Dodgers and Greinke over Bumgarner. I did get the Cubs over the Cards and those were two pretty good picks.

Wednesday's picks:

• The Orioles over the Yankees: The Orioles simply have too much offense for someone like Shane Greene. Buck Showalter shows no letup and is managing each game for the win (which he should). Bud Norris will benefit from the offensive support.
• The Tigers over the White Sox: Justin Verlander is finishing the season strong and he will have to here as the Tigers face Chris Sale. The Tigers are far from clinching the division and have to keep winning.
• The Twins of the Diamondbacks: The D-backs are fighting for the top draft pick, which is about the only positive thing you can say to their season. Vidal Nuno has not won a game for them yet. Phil Hughes should dominate.
• The Athletics over the Angels: This pick did not work out yesterday even though Pujols and Trout and combined oh-fers with five strikeouts between them. Jon Lester is the difference maker, however, and Hector Santiago will keep the Angels in the game.
• The Nationals over the Mets: Gio Gonzalez has won three of his last four starts and is the only reason I am picking the Nats. Gonzalez is going to want one more strong start to see if he can get himself in the playoff rotation. Dillon Gee won't make it easy for him.
• The Mariners over the Blue Jays: Taijuan Walker will try to do what Paxton and King Felix have not been able to do: Stop the Blue Jays' offense. Their own offense has a chance at least against Mark Buehrle.
• The Royals over the Indians: The Royals are playing well down the stretch. They have taken over the wild card lead and still want to run down the Tigers. Jason Vargas is not the guy I want on the mound, but I will pick him over Trevor Bauer.
• The Reds over the Brewers: The Brewers fall from grace is complete. They looked so good in the first half of the season and then pfffttt. I'm taking Danny Corcino over Kyle Lohse. That's how bad the season has ended.
• The Marlins over the Phillies: I have no idea which team will win this game. I don't think I have gotten a Kyle Kendrick game pick correct all season. Brad Hand is not a favored pick. Whatever...
• The Pirates over the Braves: The Pirates can rest easy except they would like to play the wild card game-off at home. Jeff Locke has been good down the stretch and Julio Teheran will hope his team scores something...anything.
• The Rays over the Red Sox: I hope the Red Sox keep playing Cecchini. He is my favorite prospect and I see another Wade Boggs in him. But that is the only reason to watch the Red Sox these days. Jake Odorizzi over Anthony Ranaudo.
• The Rangers over the Astros: The Rangers have totally blown their first round pick status with this hot streak. Lisalverto Bonilla hasn't exactly been gangbusters, but he keeps winning. Scott Feldman will pitch for the Astros. Meh.
• The Cubs over the Cardinals: The Cardinals seem determined to keep this interesting right up to the end. Jake Arrieta gentille Arrieta has looked terrific and John Lackey throws better tantrums than fastballs these days.
• The Padres over the Rockies: This pick did not work out yesterday and today's pitching line is messy. Joe Wieland is the definition of a 4-A pitcher (no offense) and Yohan Flande has not been impressive.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Dodgers over the Giants: What better way for the Dodgers to clinch the division over the rivals than for it to be Clayton Kershaw. Put a cap on your season, bud. Tim Hudson should probably retire.

Yesterday: 10-5, Sept.: 190-128, Games of the Day: 101-65 (+1), Season: 1320-1062

MLB Game Picks - Thursday: August 28, 2014

Holy cow am I on a losing streak! Wednesday was the fourth straight negative day and this one was really negative. At one point, I was 0-6 and then 1-8. How can you be that wrong that often? What the heck happened in Philadelphia to the Nationals? The Yankees....the Yankees got nine straight hits off of David Price. Whuh!? The Brewers' bullpen blows a lead and then loses in extras. Liam Hendriks only gives up four base runners in seven innings!? Adam Wainwright lost again!? Man. What a tough day.

This gig isn't fun when you have days (and a week) like this.

Thursday's picks:

• The Cubs over the Reds: Dylan Axelrod had a good first outing after getting recalled by the Reds. That makes this pick more challenging. Jake Arrieta gentille arrieta is a better pick if he can get some offense behind him.
• The Yankees over the Tigers: This pick all depends on how well Hiroki Kuroda pitches. The Yankees' bullpen should be in good shape for this one so if the team from the Bronx can do some damage on Kyle Lobstein, they should win.
• The Giants over the Rockies: Yusmeiro Petit has not allowed a hit or a walk in his last 12.1 innings of work covering five relief outings. Can that translate to a start? Time will tell. Jordan Lyles has pitched decently for the struggling Rockies.
• The Orioles over the Rays: The Rays are better now that they have Wil Myers back. That deepens their lineup. I think, though, that the Orioles will hit Jeremy Hellickson more than the Rays will hit Bud Norris.
• The Indians over the White Sox: Adam Eaton changes how the White Sox look. That said, Carlos Carrasco has filled in very nicely for the Indians in the rotation and should give them a chance to win over John Danks.
• The Royals over the Twins: Tommy Milone has gotten his shoes shined in his last three outings. I mean, he hasn't been able to get anyone out. I will take Jeremy Guthrie instead, though with reservations.
• The Astros over the Rangers: Nick Tepesch had been doing much better until he ran into the Royals. So now I'm not sure about him. Collin McHugh is a strikeout machine that doesn't go deep enough often enough in games. The Astros' bullpen is messy if that happens today.
• The Angels over the Athletics: Sonny Gray was as much of a lock as there was earlier in the season. Now he is a big question mark. Has he hit a wall? Is his arm tired? Have batters found something on him? In order for this pick to work, C.J. Wilson has to have a good day.

And the Game of the Day:

• That Braves over the Mets: Mike Minor has been a different pitcher in his last two outings and should be a lot more challenging for the Mets than the last time they saw him on July 1. Jon Niese is a good pitcher, so this game will be close.

Yesterday: 5-10, August: 201-166, Games of the Day: 81-58 (+2), Season: 1095-915