MLB Game Picks - Sunday: September 29, 2013

The penultimate day of the 2013 MLB regular season ended the last full week of picking with a thud. After a great week of picking, the bottom fell out with only five correct picks. But, you know what? I will take that since my Game of the Day and Andy Pettitte won his final regular season start of his long and wonderful career. Watching that unfold in Houston was the most amazing experience. And those who say that it was Houston, after all, and the horrible Astros, has no respect for the game. They are still a big league team with big league hitters and you still have to get them out. It was the perfect last hurrah for a great pitcher.

The regular season ends today. Or will it? The American League Wild Card is nuts. If the Indians win, they are in. If they lose and both the Rays and Rangers win, then we have a three-way tie and there will be tie-breaker games before the play-in game. If the Rays and Rangers both win or both lose, and the Indians win, then there will be a tie-breaker game between the Rays and Rangers. Crazy!

Sunday's picks:

• The Rays over the Blue Jays: The last battle of the Ays for the season and it could not be a bigger game. The Rays have to win unless the Rangers also lose. But they will go all out to win. Matt Moore is their big stud alongside David Price. He will take his 16-4 record and try to get the W for the Rays. Todd Redmond will try to deny the Rays. Should be exciting!
• The Tigers over the Marlins: Of all the division winners, the Tigers sure can look awful at times. And they have finished the season so nonchalantly that anything can happen in this game. Justin Verlander is starting. I have no idea why or how long he will go. Henderson Alvarez goes for the Fish.
• The Mets over the Brewers: Jonathon Niese has had a really good finish to his season. A win today would set him up nicely with good feelings for next year. Terry Collins got a contract extension, which I guess is a good thing. Wily Peralta goes for the Brewers. Both teams go home empty-handed.
• The Pirates over the Reds: I picked the Reds in the first two games and was wrong as the Pirates took care of business in Cincinnati. This game is meaningless and both teams know it. As such, they are pitching two pitchers who will probably not factor in the post-season. Brandon Cumpton is better than Greg Reynolds, so that is the direction I am heading.
• The Orioles over the Red Sox: A meaningless game for both teams, but tell that to Buck Showalter. He likes to beat the good teams. Chris Tillman has not pitched well to end his season. John Lackey never gets run support. I am surprised he is starting.
• The Braves over the Phillies: Once again, I am surprised in this meaningless game that Julio Teheran is starting. Perhaps he does not factor in the team's plans for the NLDS. Anyway, the Braves win by beating Zach Minor.
• The Indians over the Twins: Can the Indians finish a historic run to end their season? I believe they will. A lot will depend on how sharp Ubaldo Jimenez is. Scott Diamond is probably the best of the Twins' crap pitchers. A win and the Indians are in. Incredible.
• The White Sox over the Royals: Jose Quintana is the White Sox one good luck charm. They win a lot when he pitches. Bruce Chen is not nearly as good on the road as he is at home. The season ends on a high note for the lowly White Sox. But they should still clean house after it's over. Word is that they are not. Dumb.
• The Yankees over the Astros: David Huff, or Hassle-Huff for those of you who have been following along, gets the start for the Yankees as Kuroda is done as well. Erik Bedard starts for the Astros and he has had a miserable season. Just miserable.
• The Cardinals over the Cubs: Jake Westbrook is getting a "thank you for past services" start for the Cardinals. And it is pretty telling how good the Cards are that Westbrook is the odd man out in the post season but could be a fourth starter on many teams. Jeff Samardzija never really put it together this season like I thought he would.
• The Rangers over the Angels: This game is no lock. For one thing, Yu Darvish is never a lock. He is a great pitcher, but wins are never guaranteed. I know because I have been picking him all year. Plus, Jason Vargas has been brilliant of late. Rangers have to win.
• The Padres over the Giants: I have no idea who is going to win this game. Tyson Ross has been pretty good of late and the Giants have nothing to play for. Guillermo Moscoso is coming out of the bullpen to pitch for the Giants. Who knows.
• The Dodgers over the Rockies: Hyun-jin Ryu tries to win his last tune-up before the playoffs. Jeff Francis, the definition of the "crafty lefty" tries to better him.
• The Athletics over the Mariners: Eric Wedge is managing his last game and going out without leaving any words on the table. Good for him. The M's stand for Mess. Besides, I have to go with Sonny Gray. He's my guy. Erasmo Ramirez has been good for the Mariners though.

The Game of the Day:

• The Nationals over the Diamondbacks: I want this. I want Davey Johnson to go out with a win. He has a good chance with Tanner Roark on the mound. The kid has been awesome. Wade Miley will try to spoil the party.

Yesterday: 5-10  Ugh

Last week: 57-40

Month: 222-168

Season: 1364-1063

Games of the Day: 105-70

MLB Game Picks - Friday: September 13, 2013

Why yes, it is Friday the 13th. That means the picks will have good luck today, right? The 12th was not too bad. Seven out of eleven was not as blah or bad as the previous days. I did not expect the Yankees to win a game that Phil Hughes started. The beleaguered pitcher was yanked after pitching just 50 pitches (and he pitched well). David Robertson tried to give the game back and was so bad that when the Yankees went ahead in the ninth to win the game, the win was given to Mariano Rivera instead of Robertson. Weird.

I did not expect the Cardinals to lose to the Brewers either. But then again, it should not be surprising because Tyler Thornburg is impressive as he starts his big league career. The Cardinals and Pirates are now tied atop the NL Central with 16 games to go.

The other two games that I blew were the Braves game that they won behind Freddy Garcia. That was a surprise. And I did not expect the Rays to win against Boston.

We are back to a full schedule of games today. There is a lot of rain on the East Coast, so we'll see how that goes. The Friday picks:

• The Indians over the White Sox: They are playing this game in the afternoon, which is kind of weird. But the Indians should win it fairly easily. Hector Santiago is Mr. No-decision and the bullpen will lose it. Danny Salazar should have no problems. The White Sox made three more errors yesterday. Amazing.
• The Pirates over the Cubs: Charlie Morton was bombed in his last outing, but he should rebound to beat the Cubs. The Cubs start Jake Arrieta, who just cannot seem to put it together in the big leagues.
• The Nationals over the Phillies: The only big question here is whether the Nats will score some runs to support Stephen Strasburg. You know the pitcher will pitch well. Kyle Kendrick will try to keep the game tight.
• The Blue Jays over the Orioles: The Orioles are really tumbling and it will not help to put Jason Hammel out there on the mound. Todd Redmond has won both of his last starts. He has not been going deep into games, but the bullpen has held them. That will have to happen again today.
• The Tigers over the Royals: The Tigers have not been faring well and Justin Verlander is no longer a lock to win. But I do not like Bruce Chen on the road and thus give the not to Verlander and the Tigers at home.
• The Mets over the Marlins: Brad Hand has lost nine of his ten big league decisions. He has pitched five scoreless innings in relief so far this season. But that is a far cry from a start. Jonathon Niese has had a good second half and I like him in this one.
• The Yankees over the Red Sox: This is the Yankees' best chance to win a game in this series at Fenway. They always seem to get to John Lackey after a while and Hiroki Kuroda and his split-fingered pitches can keep the Red Sox at bay. The Yankees' bullpen is not doing well, so if it's close late, this pick can blow up.
• The Braves over the Padres: The Braves are giving David Hale, a 2009 third round draft pick out of Princeton, his Major League debut. I am not impressed with his minor league numbers. But my theory here is that the game will be high scoring as the Braves get to Ian Kennedy and the bullpen wins it late.
• The Athletics over the Rangers: How upsetting for Rangers' fans to see how futile they have been lately. Dan Straily has not been lights out against the Rangers (or anyone else), but he does keep the A's in the game most of the time and actually pitches better in Arlington than at the Coliseum. Derek Holland has not shown me much.
• The Angels over the Astros: Remember earlier in the season when the Astros were beating the Angels often? The Angels are better now. Not much, but better. One reason is that Jason Vargas has been pitching well. Dallas Keuchel just sort of exists for me.
• The Reds over the Brewers: The Reds are still hoping for a shot at the division and they are still within hailing distance. Mat Latos has had a great year. Kyle Lohse is the only wildcard to this pick. He can pitch well in Milwaukee.
• The Cardinals over the Mariners: The Cards might have a tough time with Hisashi Iwakuma. They do not hit lefties well and this is a good one. But Adam Wainwright is on the mound and the Mariners have little on offense. The Cards win late.
• The Diamondbacks over the Rockies: Tyler Chatwood has had a good season and did not show any ill effects from his hand injury suffered against the Reds the last time he pitched. But I like the D-backs here at home and for Brandon McCarthy to build on his last good start.
• The Dodgers over the Giants: This is a good one. Clayton Kershaw at home against Madison Bumgarner. That is a lot of pitching talent all at the same time. This game could go either way.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Rays over the Twins: This is the Rays' chance to undo a lot of their past damage the last couple of weeks. They should beat the Twins just about every time. Chris Archer should get the win and Kevin Correia should not provide much of an obstacle.

Yesterday: 7-4

Week: 37-30

Month: 87-77

Season: 1229-972

Games of the Day: 92-67

MLB Game Picks - Sunday: September 1, 2013

A week just ended and a month just ended and neither ended with a good day. The day was only a game under .500, but it was a frustrating day as all kinds of funky stuff happened. Well, that is only partially true. The rest of the reality is that I made some seriously stinky picks such as the Nationals and the Rockies. Both were smoked. The A's beat the Rays again which seriously surprised me. And it makes sense a little bit. The Rays' big pennant drive move was to acquire David DeJesus? D'oh!

How about Ivan Nova though? And Zack Wheeler? I should have stuck with Sonny Gray. And how bad is the Indians' bullpen? Six runs allowed in four innings against the Tigers without Miguel Cabrera!? Ugh.

It was a strange day. And I cannot believe August is over. Where did the summer go? Well, September is still summer for a lot of you. But up here in northern Maine, it is a pretty month but also a month when autumn begins. Sigh.

Sunday's picks:

• The Yankees over the Orioles: The Orioles saved Wei-Yin Chen for the Yankees. That was a little unwise as the Yankees now have right-handed bats like Jeter, Soriano, A-Rod, Reynolds and...yeah, okay...Wells. Andy Pettitte just has to keep the Orioles under four runs.
• The Royals over the Blue Jays: The Blue Jays winning streak ends at two games. But at least they had one. James Shields puts an end to that and J.A. Happ gets beat up a little bit.
• The Tigers over the Indians: Yes, I know Danny Salazar has a real arm. And I also know that Justin Verlander is not the same pitcher this season as he has been. But the Indians have been schmucked by the Tigers all season. Why should today be different.
• The Cardinals over the Pirates: What do you know, Lance Lynn gave up a big inning. Such a surprise. But that is what I get for picking the Cards. And I am picking them again. What is wrong with me? But there is some logic involved. Kris Johnson is a journeyman pitcher for a reason. Yeah, he is a wily lefty. But wily is all he has. Joe Kelly, on the other hand, has a power arm that can shut out the Pirates.
• The Brewers over the Angels: I like Kyle Lohse at home better than I like C.J. Wilson on the road. As strange as it seems, at this point, the Brewers have a better lineup than the Angels.
• The Mariners over the Astros: I kept trying to justify picking the Astros. At the end of the day, the Mariners are on a roll and Hisashi Iwakuma is too inviting to pick against. I like Brett Oberholtzer, but I have to be realistic here.
• The Phillies over the Cubs: I can't believe that Cliff Lee did not win again. Most predictors are predicting the Cubs to win this game. I guess they all feel that Jake Arrieta will pitch well. I have seen too many of his games go awry to believe that. Kyle Kendrick at least is predictable.
• The Rangers over the Twins: The Rangers cannot shake the A's and have to keep winning. The Twins should provide little resistance. Joe Mauer is out with a concussion and Justin Morneau was just traded away. What is left? Travis Blackley should win and Kevin Correia is not someone to realy on.
• The A's over the Rays: The Rays are starting Jamey Wright!? Are you kidding me? They have nobody better in the minors than him? I cannot believe that. They are fighting for the playoffs and Jamey Wright!? I am dumbfounded. A.J. Griffin goes for the A's and he is good at home.
• The Rockies over the Reds: I do not like the thought of Mike Leake at Coors Field. But then again, I feel that way about every visiting pitcher there and am wrong at least half the time. Tyler Chatwood has won his last two home starts and handled the Reds pretty well back in June. His last start against the Braves was a short one though.
• The Dodgers over the Padres: I do not think that the Dodgers and Zack Greinke are going to lose to Tyson Ross and the Padres. That is all.
• The Diamondbacks over the Giants: I have to admit that Yusmeiro Petit is pitching pretty darned well. But Patrick Corbin is a cut above talent-wise. I do not see the Giants hitting Corbin even though Corbin has not been the lock he was earlier in the season. The only thing bad about this pick is that if the starters equal themselves out, the D-backs' bullpen sucks.
• The Braves over the Marlins: Yeah, this one should be a no-brain pick. Young Alex Wood has been great. The Braves are rolling and Nathan Eovaldi and the Marlins should provide little resistance.
• The Mets over the Nationals: The Nats just seem to be rolled over and dead. Yes, Ross Ohlendorf has miraculously won all his starts. But the Mets have Jonathon Niese pitching really well and should be the better team today.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Red Sox over the White Sox: The Red Sox just keep building their division lead. This is their year. And there is no way that Felix Doubront is going to lose today. Andre Rienzo is pretty good, but the Red Sox will be patient and eventually do him in.

Yesterday: 7-8

Last Week: 52-42

Last month: 239-182

Season: 1142-895

Games of the Day: 86-61  +1

MLB Game Picks - Tuesday: August 27, 2013

Monday started bad with the news that Matt Harvey has a partial tear in his elbow. That bites for all baseball fans everywhere. And then the picks went bad which bites for this Fan here. Phil Hughes. The only way to say his name is with a bunch of expletives added. The guy just stinks. Plain and simple. And then the White Sox, who were winners of eight out of ten, lost to the Astros. Cincinnati had the Cardinals down but could not keep them there. Anibal Sanchez politely took himself out of the CYA conversation and on it went.

At least the Game of the Day was right for the second time in a row. Sadly, that is the first time that has happened in weeks.

Tuesday's picks:

• The Nationals over the Marlins: Has there ever been a stranger career than Ross Ohlendorf's? I do not think so. How can a pitcher with that little talent last that long and keep getting shots at the Majors? And then go 2-0? Nathan Eovaldi is no better.
• The Pirates over the Brewers: Jeff Locke has been no lock lately and his season has sort of hit a wall. I am thinking that some home cooking helps and a weaker team like the Brewers does too. But he better pitch well because Kyle Lohse is a smart pitcher who makes the most out of what he does.
• The Yankees over the Blue Jays: Let's try this again shall we? Andy Pettitte has looked a little more like the old Andy in his last two starts and will need to pitch well. J.A. Happ is the kind of pitcher that can either get the Yankees to swing at slop or clobber him. There is no in between.
• The Tigers over the Athletics: This is another pick that did not work out yesterday. Coco Crisp is amazing in small doses. Justin Verlander looked awful his last time out. Perhaps today will be better. I think he will be better than Tommy Milone.
• The Angels over the Rays: This is a scary pick. The Rays win so often at home. But C.J. Wilson is pitching well and his left-hand tosses might throw off Matt Joyce and Loney. Plus, Roberto Hernandez simply is not very good.
• The Red Sox over the Orioles: For those still hoping the Red Sox fall on their faces. Give it up. It is not happening. The Orioles seem to be the favorite of baseball shows down the stretch. But the pitching is not there with the Red Sox and the Rays. Felix Doubront over Wei-Yin Chen.
• The Braves over the Indians: Who like interleague play every day? I do not see a whole bunch of hands raised. The Indians are still relevant in the wildcard race but have a series like this thrown in? Ugh. Two good young pitchers square up and Alex Wood squeaks by Danny Salazar.
• The Mets over the Phillies: Let's try this one again too. Jonathon Niese has been pitching well since coming off the DL. Kyle Kendrick is Kyle Kendrick.
• The White Sox over the Astros: Roger Clemens is pitching! Oh...wait...that is Paul Clemens. Never mind. Unless it is another slugfest like yesterday, Jose Quintana should win this game.
• The Reds over the Cardinals: I keep picking the same mistakes I made yesterday. But this is Mat Latos we are talking about. The guy is a stud. And Joe Kelly is a nice pitcher. But he is not a stud. But that is the same set up as yesterday. And look what happened.
• The Giants over the Rockies: Some dude named Yusmeiro Petit is pitching for the Giants? Who is that? Why have I never heard of him before? He is 29, so he is no spring chicken. So since I do not know him, what am I going to do? Pick him to win, of course. The other option is to pick Chad Bettis. No thanks.
• The Padres over the Diamondbacks: David Holmberg, a 22 year old, former second round draft pick is making his MLB debut and jumping from Double-A. He is a control, BABIP kind of guy from the looks of his stats. But I do not know. Ian Kennedy seems like the better pick here.
• The Dodgers over the Cubs: Poor Travis Wood. Every time he pitches, he gets the best studs in the NL to pitch against. Wood has held his own. But he is just a cut below these guys. Clayton Kershaw is the best pitcher in the game.
• The Mariners over the Rangers: This pick all depends on Derek Holland. If he has one of his nights where he is impossible to hit, the pick will look silly. If he is mortal, then I like Hisashi Iwakuma at home much better.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Royals over the Twins: I do not think I have ever picked Kevin Correia to win a game. Well, maybe I have once or twice. James Shields, on the other hand, I have picked a lot. And sometimes, I have regretted it.

Yesterday: 4-6

Week: 13-12

Month: 200-152

Season: 1103-865

Games of the Day: 84-58   +2

MLB Game Picks - Sunday: June 9, 2013

Saturday was a brutal day of picking. If you have been following along, you have seen that extra inning games kill me. They hardly ever turn out with the team I picked winning the game. Three games yesterday took an incredible 49 innings to decide the outcomes and all three ended with the picked team losing. That is amazing.

But as bad as I feel, think of poor Shaun Marcum. The Marlins and the Mets played twenty innings yesterday and Shaun Marcum was not expecting to pitch. He game in and pitched brilliantly for seven shutout innings but gave up the losing run in the 20th for his seventh loss without a win. Poor guy.

Sunday features another double-header as the Twins and Nationals make up their washed out Friday game. They played eleven innings yesterday. And so it is a big day. The picks;

• The Blue Jays over the Rangers: Can the Blue Jays sweep this series? Can Josh Johnson get his mojo back? Can Justin Grimm keep the ball in the park? Will the players fall over after playing eighteen innings yesterday?
• The Indians over the Tigers: The Tigers always seem to beat the Indians but two things prevent me from picking them. First, the Tigers are giving a spot start to young Jose Alvarez. Secondly, the Indians held back Justin Masterson for an extra day of rest to pitch today. That gives the edge to the Indians.
• The Mets over the Marlins: Let's try this again, shall we? Jonathon Niese goes against Tom Koehler. Both pitchers better go deeply into the game for their teams.
• The Red Sox over the Angels: Ryan Dempster against Joe Blanton is not a very savory match-up. Neither has been stellar this season. But Dempster has been better of late. But then again, so has Blanton. The Red Sox are at home so that is the pick.
• The Nationals over the Twins: In this first game of the double-header, my man, Jordan Zimmermann, goes against Scott Diamond. Zimmermann never gets much for run support, but he should win this game if he pitches like he usually does.
• The Royals over the Astros: The Royals have taken the first two games of the series and should finish out the sweep today. Luis Mendoza does not fill me with glee as the Royals starter. And Lucas Harrell usually keeps the Astros close.
• The Athletics over the White Sox: The White Sox came out ahead yesterday but if anything, I am stubborn. A.J. Griffin seems like an ultimately better pick than Hector Santiago. But then again, Santiago is much better than his record when you look at this closely. This pick could blow up on me.
• The Brewers over the Phillies: I cannot figure this series out and have been wrong both days. Kyle Lohse has also let me down for two straight picks. It is time for him to redeem himself. And the Brewers do some damage on Jonathan Pettibone.
• The Pirates over the Cubs: How long did the Cubs commit to Edwin Jackson? Ugh. Going with Jeff Locke for the win.
• The Braves over the Dodgers: MLB.com does not list a Dodgers' starter and lists TBO instead. Yahoo Sports lists Matt McGill. If that is the case, then the pick has to be Mike Minor because McGill was just awful his last time out.
• The Yankees over the Mariners: I might as well go all jiggy with this as the Yankees face Felix Hernandez. A Hernandez start has never guaranteed a win for the Mariners and all it does is give them a fighting chance. My pick is that David Phelps shuts down the Mariners and King Felix loses a low scoring game.
• The Rockies over the Padres: Clayton Richard is just barely passable in his spacious home backyard at Petco. Put him in Coors Field and it will not be pretty. Juan Nicasio, on the other hand, pitches there all the time and should put in a better outing.
• The Diamondbacks over the Giants: What a lousy pick this is. First Chad Gaudin starts again for the Giants. Somehow, he lasted six innings in his last start and got the win. I cannot imagine a repeat. But then again, Tyler Skaggs is young and was beat up in his last outing. Ugh.
• The Twins over the Nationals: Another doozy of a pitching line. Sam Deduno goes for the Twins and might be decent enough. But Nathan Karns does not seem ready for prime time for the Nationals either.
• The Cardinals over the Reds: Bronson Arroyo has been pitching really well of late. But he is due for a clunker. Lance Lynn has power going for him, which helps sway this pick his way.

And the Game of the Day!

• The Bay Rays over the Orioles: I like Matt Moore here at home in a match-up against Chris Tillman. Tillman rarely goes deep into games and Moore should bounce back from a bad outing last time out.

Yesterday: 6-10  ouch

Last week: 48-46

Month: 58-50

Season: 521-400

Games of the Day: 41-26