MLB Game Picks - Monday: May 11, 2015

On a full day of baseball, I consider nine correct picks a good day and ten a great day. That designation hung in the balance last night until midnight with the Royals - Tigers game. It was 1-1 going into the ninth and the home field advantage of the Tigers was somewhat nullified by the great Royals' bullpen. The bullpen won out and I didn't have a great day. I had a good day.

Monday's picks:

• The Pirates over the Phillies: The Pirates came alive a little bit against the Cards. Gerrit Cole pitches and he has been great. Jerome Williams goes for the Phillies and he will pitch well about a third of the time. I'm counting on this not being one of those thirds.
• The Orioles over the Blue Jays: I don't think the AL East has played anyone but each other for the first six weeks of the season. And anything can happen in any match-up. I don't think the Orioles will have trouble with Marco Estrada. A lot will depend on how well Ubaldo Jimenez pitches.
• The Reds over the Braves: It's so weird seeing the Braves have such a bad bullpen. When is the last time it was like that? Considering this pick, Shelby Miller has been great for the Braves. But Mike Leake has been great for the Reds, I know as I have picked against him several times.
• The Rays over the Yankees: CC Sabathia has thrown a goose egg thus far and is 0-5. That streak has to end some time. Will today be that day? Alex Colome has had two very good outings and has yet to walk a batter. I'm going with the Rays at home.
• The White Sox over the Brewers: The White Sox have come alive and have started winning regularly. They will lose the DH today, but should still have more offense than the Brewers. Jeff Samardzija versus Wily Peralta.
• The Cubs over the Mets: I love me some Jacob deGrom and it pains me to pick against him. But he loves his fastball and the Cubs have all these young guys who can club fastballs. Meanwhile, Jon Lester is rounding into form after a slow start.
• The Nationals over the Diamondbacks: I'm still waiting for Max Scherzer to get all commando on the National League. It hasn't happened yet. Perhaps it will start today against his old team. Josh Collmenter will try to keep up.
• The Red Sox over the Athletics: The A's have yet to get it together this season. Neither have the Red Sox for that matter. But the Red Sox will win their second in a row and everyone will talk about how important that players-only team meeting was. Gag me. Rick Porcello versus Scott Kazmir.
• The Dodgers over the Marlins: Zack Greinke has been about as money as money can get this season. Tom Koehler should be good in a big ballpark. It might be a squeaker but the Dodgers will prevail.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Royals over the Rangers: Even now, I have a hard time believing that the Royals are a world class team. Some day it will sink in. Danny Duffy goes today against Colby Lewis and it may not be pretty for the Rangers.

Yesterday: 9-6, May: 76-64, Season: 240-229, Pick of the Day: 19-16

MLB Game Picks - Wednesday: September 10, 2014

Have you ever noticed that my picks are always more successful west of the Mississippi than they are east of it? For example, I started yesterday with the east coast and was 1-3 before my supper digested. I built that up to 5-5 and then did not get another game wrong the rest of the day. Weird. Maybe in the east, the teams are more on par and play closer games and in the west, there are more differences between the teams. Whatever it is, the west gave me a good night.

I did pick Collin McHugh and Houston to beat the Mariners. That was a nice pick. I was unfortunately correct about the Tigers though Joe Nathan made it interesting as he always does.. I did not see the Phillies beating the Pirates though.

Wednesday's picks:

• The Orioles over the Red Sox: Brandon Workman wants to start and not be in the bullpen. He hasn't exactly made a case for himself. Wei-Yin Chen has a great record but it hasn't changed much in a while. I just pick the Orioles every night and that seems to work pretty well.
• The Nationals over the Braves: Here we go again...picking Stephen Strasburg against the Braves. Hey, he has to have a good outing against them some time...even if it's just lucky or something. Aaron Harang goes for the Braves.
• The Indians over the Twins: This pick did not work out yesterday. Mr. T.J. House has put it together, however, and has two really good outings in a row. Kyle Gibson wins more than he loses, but you got me as to how.
• The Pirates over the Phillies: I told you in the past that Jerome Williams' magic only lasts for a couple of starts with each new team. Then he turns into the guy his team wants to DFA. That's just his history. Vance Worley isn't grooving much better these days...
• The Rays over the Yankees: Jake Odorizzi over Chris Capuano. I don't want to talk about it.
• The Blue Jays over the Cubs: Hmm...which great young pitcher will pitch better, Drew Hutchison or Kyle Hendricks? That's a tough one. I turned it around to which team is better able to hit against each pitcher. There was my answer.
• The Tigers over the Royals: Poof. I knew this series would go down just like it did. Let's see if I'm right through the end. Rick Porcello needs to be better than he has been lately. James Shields is "Big Game" except when it comes to the Tigers.
• The Mets over the Rockies: Location is everything. If Rafael Montero wasn't pitching in vast Citi Field, I wouldn't pick him. But since he is with his fly ball tendencies, he can get away with that and get his first big league win. Tyler Matzek grimly takes the ball every fifth day...
• The Cardinals over the Reds: Despite a bad loss last night in which the Cardinal twitter universe spewed all over manager, Mike Matheny, I am predicting a good game from John Lackey and a bad one from Alfredo Simon.
• The Angels over the Rangers: Until Derek Holland came back and with Darvish out, Nick Tepesch was the best of the Rangers' young starters. That still wasn't saying much. Matt Shoemaker is a machine. Does he have a flaw?
• The Marlins over the Brewers: The Brewers can't do anything right and are sinking like a mafia swimmer. Wily Peralta has had a good season and maybe he can stop the bleeding. I wouldn't count on it. Jarred Cosart has been really good for the Marlins.
• The Mariners over the Astros: Nick Tropeano is from West Islip, NY, so you have to say his name right. Turn your hand up and tough your thumb to your forefinger and say, "Nick Trop-ee-AH-no." The young man, making his MLB debut, has impressive numbers for the PCL (a hitter's league) and good control. Too bad he goes against Hisashi Iwakuma at home. Sorry about that.
• The Dodgers over the Padres: Dan Haren and Ian Kennedy both confuse and confound me, so I'll just pick the home team.
• The Diamondbacks over the Giants: Josh Collmenter has really impressed me this season. Nice job, sir. Ryan Vogelsong has a very nice wife.

And the Game of the Day

• The Athletics over the White Sox: I hate to be a hound, but Chris Bassitt doesn't have the command to beat a team like the A's. Jeff Samardzija should feel at home back in Chicago.

Yesterday: 10-5, Sept.: 71-52, Games of the Day: 92-60 (+6), Season: 1201-986

MLB Game Picks - Saturday: August 30, 2014

There we go! Two good nights in a row have nearly washed from memory the four straight losing nights that came before. The picks came through for eleven correct out of fifteen and are now 17-7 for the last two days.

Of the four incorrect picks, the Nationals hitting four homers off of Felix Hernandez was the biggest surprise. King Felix has not been king-like the last three outings. I did not expect the Yankees to win, but it took a whole lot of sloppiness by the Blue Jays to do so. I should have picked the Indians and not have given the Royals so much credit. And picking Miami to beat the Braves was just dumb.

But that was only four and thus, my coffee tastes that much richer this morning. And I better drink it fast because with two double-headers today, there are seventeen games to march through!

Saturday's picks:

• The Blue Jays over the Yankees: As always, it all depends on Drew Hutchison and which version of him will show up. He has been really good the last two outings. I have a feeling that the Blue Jays will hit a couple of bombs off of Michael Pineda.
• The White Sox over the Tigers: The first of a pair between these two teams today is a really tough choice between Max Scherzer and Chris Sale. Even if they cancel each other out, the two teams have awful bullpens. I like Sale against the Tigers' lineup moer than the other way around and feel like Jose Abreu will hit one out.
• The Cubs over the Cardinals: These two teams also play two games today. Justin Masterson was a huge mistake for the Cardinals in their stretch run. Bad trade. Felix Doubront gets the start for the Cubs and at least he has had some MLB success before.
• The Reds over the Pirates: Will Alfredo Simon's comeback game his last time out be the new norm or a one game reprieve? Can Vance Worley stop his losing streak at two? Tune in today to find out!
• The Orioles over the Twins: It sure seems like these Orioles have the division in the bag. They are just amazing, especially now that Chris Davis is back to being Chris Davis. I'll take Chris Tillman over Kyle Gibson.
• The Bay Rays over the Red Sox: Allen Webster had a big bump in his road his last time out. The Rays are frothing at the mouth for a win. Jake Odorizzi has a good day and the Red Sox stay in the cellar.
• The Royals over the Indians: Let's try this again. Why? Because James Shields is better than Vargas and Trevor Bauer is not as good as Salazar. Hey, that works for me.
• The Tigers over the White Sox: The second game of the double-header features two Major League debuts on the mound. Kyle Ryan and Chris Bassitt were both high round draft picks so have already beaten the odds. Ryan is a lefty with great control and a high contact rate. Bassitt is more of a power pitcher. I think I will go with the control/contact guy.
• The Braves over the Marlins: I am not making this mistake again. Aaron Harang has had a bad August and isn't the ideal pick. And Jarred Cosart has a chance to be dominating. But this may be a knee-jerk reaction to yesterday.
• The Phillies over the Mets: Jerome Williams just might be saving his career. He's had two big starts in a row for the Phillies since joining them. And, yeah, even Ryan Howard can hit a Bartolo Colon fastball.
• The Astros over the Rangers: Robbie Ross Jr. scares me to death with his ERA over six and some of the beat downs he has received. And Scott Feldman is probably a better bet at home than on the road.
• The Diamondbacks over the Rockies: The two starters here are a combined 5-17. What do you do with that? I feel like the D-backs are the better team so we'll go with that. The two pitchers are Tyler Matzek and Vidal Nuno.
• The Cubs over the Cardinals: Wait, the Cards can't lose two games of a double-header, can they? They can if they start Marco Gonzales in the second game. He has walked all kinds of people and has no idea. Tsuyoshi Wada on the other hand has been pro for the Cubbies.
• The Dodgers over the Padres: The Dodgers are playing pretty shabby these days. And the Padres are getting some nice pitching. Did you know, for example, that Ian Kennedy has more strikeouts than innings pitched this season? Blew me away when I saw that. But he is going to lose today anyway to Zack Greinke.
• The Athletics over the Angels: I'm not sure why the Angels would start reliever, Cory Rasmus, in this big game where they could get some distance from the A's. Drew Rucinski from the Arkansas Travelers might have been a better option. But there you go. The default is to go with Jeff Samardzija here.
• The Nationals over the Mariners: Oh, man. I have to pick Stephen Strasburg again. I hate that. I should love it, but he frustrates me every time. The pick is this way because the Nats' hitters are on fire and Roenis Elias won't slow them down much.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Brewers over the Giants: My man, Mike Fiers is on the hill today. I have to ride him like a pony to beat Jake Peavy today.

Yesterday: 11-4, August: 218-173, Games of the Day: 83-58 (+4), Season: 1112-922

MLB Game Picks - Monday: August 25, 2014

Sunday ended up a game below .500 with the game picks. Some picks were really good like the Cubs finishing off the Orioles to sweep the series and the Mets beating the Dodgers. But others such as the Angels pouncing on Scott Kazmir and the Rays squeezing out a game against the Blue Jays threw me. I never expected the White Sox to lose with Chris Sale on the mound. And I was wrong about the Reds as they beat Aaron Harang behind the not-so-dead Alfredo Simon.

And it is official. The Cardinals trading for Justin Masterson was the worst deadline deal in recent memory.

The Game of the Day pick was wrong for the second day in a row. That trend has to stop. And it will be harder today because there are only ten games on the schedule.

Oh, and fantasy baseball is frustrating. This is my first year playing and my team put up unbelievable numbers yesterday both pitching and batting and the result was a zero point day. What!?

Monday's picks:

• The Pirates over the Cardinals: The Cardinals traditionally have trouble with lefties and Francisco Liriano pitches for the Pirates. IF he is on, he can beat anyone. John Lackey against Andrew McCutchen will be interesting to watch.
• The Orioles over the Rays: Baseball is a funny game. The Orioles just got shut down over the weekend by the Cubs, of all teams. But that is all meaningless on a Monday after it's over. Chris Tillman over Jake Odorizzi.
• The Nationals over the Phillies: The Phillies are a proud bunch and can still play spoilers. Look at what they did to the Cardinals yesterday. Tanner Roark is pretty special though and I don't think A.J. Burnett has much left in the tank.
• The Red Sox over the Blue Jays: Which streak will end tonight, the Red Sox' eight-game losing streak or J.A. Happ's three-game losing streak. I'm feeling Boston even if David Ortiz cannot play. Clay Buchholz is a mess right now though.
• The Yankees over the Royals: This is a make-up game from earlier in the season. I like Michael Pineda in this one over James Shields. The weekend for the Yankees with two walk-offs might be a jump starter.
• The Athletics over the Astros: The Astros swing and miss a lot and Jeff Samardzija should benefit from that. Scott Feldman has been decent for the Astros, but only the Lord knows how. I can't figure it out.
• The Angels over the Marlins: I am pretty darned skeptical about the Angels starting Wade LeBlanc. The Angels, however, can mash and Pujols, Trout and Hamilton are firing well right now. Jarred Cosart should not survive the onslaught.
• The Padres over the Brewers: Eric Stults has won his last three decisions and has pitched well in his last four outings. Kyle Lohse has lost his last three decisions and got pummeled in two of those. Of course, baseball being baseball, since I picked it this way, both of those streaks will reverse.
• The Mariners over the Rangers: Hopefully, Robinson Cano is okay and just needed fluids or something. Roenis Elias is the biggest Mariner wild card. But I do believe the Mariners were beat Miles Mikolas and the Rangers handily.

And the Game of the Day

• The Giants over the Rockies: The starting pitchers in this game are a combined 5-21. The difference is that one of them is Jake Peavy and he has won his last two. Tyler Matzek is not Jake Peavy and the Rockies are on the road.

Yesterday: 7-8, August: 185-142, Games of the Day: 79-57 (-2), Season: 1079-891

MLB Game Picks - Saturday: August 9, 2014

The last two baseball picking days have included twenty correct picks out of twenty-eight. That is some nice work after a week or more of barely staying above water. As good as it is, it could have been one better if the Blue Jays hadn't blown that save in the ninth inning against the Tigers.

In other incorrect picks, Stephen Strasburg remains one of the most frustrating pitchers this season. What the heck, man? I did not expect the Red Sox to beat Jered Weaver and get a good pitching performance besides. I should have expected the Royals to win and did not. But if that is all of your mistakes, I'll take that every day.

Saturday's picks:

• The Yankees over the Indians: I really hate to pick against Corey Kluber, but the Indians and Yankees are two teams heading in opposite directions. Plus the Indians are 4-15 at the new Yankee Stadium since it was built. In order for the Yankees to win, Brandon McCarthy has to continue is hot pitching.
• The Tigers over the Blue Jays: The Tigers really aren't hitting that well, unless it is against a closer that is. Marcus Stroman should keep the Tigers somewhat quiet. But Max Scherzer is tough to beat and I give the win to him.
• The Cardinals over the Orioles: I hate picking against the Orioles these days. It looks like the AL East is pretty much firmly in their hands. But they are kind of throwing a game away to start Ubaldo Jimenez. Of course I'll say that and he'll throw a gem. John Lackey knows the Orioles well.
• The Rays over the Cubs: I don't know which pitcher, Jake Odorizzi or Edwin Jackson, will pitch better. Both are inconsistent. The Rays are the better team...I think...
• The Phillies over the Mets: Three out of the first five of these picks have featured very good pitching match-ups. This one pits Dillon Gee against Cole Hamels. Both are very good when on their games. I have to go with Hamels, the much hotter starter right now.
• The Brewers over the Dodgers: This might seem like a stupid pick if you are reading this. After all, it is Zack Greinke against Mike Fiers. That pits a near ace against a 4-A pitcher? I don't know. Fiers has been lights out in the PCL this year, a league known for its ease of hitting. And it seems Fiers comes up once a year to pitch a great game. That's the pick.
• The Reds over the Marlins: Brad Penny!? Are you kidding me? The expression, "A bad Penny always turns up," was coined (pun!) for him. So yeah, I'm picking Alfredo Simon to win.
• The Royals over the Giants: The Royals have put a nice streak together and are fighting hard in leading the wild card race. I rag on them a lot. But thems the facts. James Shields over Tim Hudson.
• The Rangers over the Astros: Do you think Yu Darvish is bored? What else would explain his random losing? Anyway, Scott Feldman has put together two really good starts. But he is a BABIP pitcher who does not strike anyone out. So his luck could turn either way.
• The Braves over the Nationals: Tanner Roark's last start is kind of upsetting me. He was such a lock for my picks for so long and then he gets beat up. I don't know what to do now. Aaron Harang is not one of my favorite picks, but I have learned not to pick against him.
• The Rockies over the Diamondbacks: Even when Trevor Cahill pitches well (which isn't often), he doesn't get a win. Jorge De La Rosa has gone on kind of a sucky streak himself. But he's the pick over Cahill.
• The Angels over the Red Sox: Clay Buchholz has been awful. Maybe he will put it together today or maybe not. Either way, Garrett Richards is a tough task for any opposing pitcher to beat.
• The Athletics over the Twins: Trevor May makes his MLB debut tonight against the A's. He was a former top prospect but stalled in the Phillies system but has put back together a nice season for the Twins' system. I still think he will lose to Jeff Samardzija, but it will be fun to see what happens.
• The Mariners over the White Sox: Hector Noesi has really surprised me this season and good for him for resurrecting his career. His wins have come against mostly bad teams though and I am excited to see James Paxton back on the hill for the Mariners.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Pirates over the Padres: The Padres are not as good against left-handed pitching and Francisco Liriano, when on, is very tough. Eric Stults just keeps on piling up the losses.

Yesterday: 10-5, August: 63-47, Games of the Day: 69-52 (+4), Season: 957-794