MLB Game Picks - Sunday: June 7, 2015

Saturday was a pretty good picking day as most, if not all of the aces picked up their wins.  I guess I really need to pay attention to the Padres as they are putting it together right now. Other teams are scuffling like the Mets and the Reds. All these trends need to be followed when doing this day after day.

Can someone tell me why you would bring Vance Worley into a game with that game on the line?

Sunday's picks:

• The Yankees over the Angels: C.J. Wilson has good days and bad days. If he has a good one, that will break this pick. But the Yankees are hot and the Angels are not and hence the pick.
• The Astros over the Blue Jays: The Blue Jays have just destroyed the Astros the last two days. Will it continue with Collin McHugh? I don't think so. How R.A. Dickey fares will be a big factor too.
• The Indians over the Orioles: The O's are really scuffling right now. When they pitch, they don't hit. When they hit, they don't pitch. Carlos Carrasco is consistently good and Bud Norris is not. Nick Swisher is hot for Cleveland.
• The Reds over the Padres: This pick has been wrong every day, William. So why are you making it? But...but...but...Johnny Cueto is pitching! Oh, okay then, carry on. Odrisamer Despaigne goes for the Padres.
• The Red Sox over the Athletics: Clay Buchholz has emerged from a long, dark day and into the light. Kendall Graveman should get knocked around a bit by the Red Sox offense.
• The Giants over the Phillies: Madison Bumgarner once again puts the Giants back on balance and makes those behind him better. Ryan Vogelsong is today's guy and I don't think the Giants will struggle to hit Sean O'Sullivan.
• The Tigers over the White Sox: Jeff Samardzija is so confusing. Is he good? If so, then why does he get banged around so badly on a semi-regular basis? I just can't trust him. Not that trusting Alfredo Simon is any more comforting.
• The Brewers over the Twins: Mike Fiers is my pick here. The guy came to life in his last start and pitched the way he did last year. If he continues there, there is no way the Twins win. That is unless Mike Pelfrey is just as good and it becomes a bullpen battle.
• The Royals over the Rangers: The Rangers have made me look foolish in this series and the pitching match-up of Jeremy Guthrie versus Colby Lewis makes me cringe. The Royals are the better team though.
• The Nationals over the Cubs: I got this wrong yesterday...doubly wrong because I called the Cubs, the Phillies. Yeah, nice one, William! Jordan Zimmermann has been awesome lately, and is especially good after a team loss. Kyle Hendricks is a good pitcher for the Cubs too.
• The Marlins over the Rockies: Despite the loss, Jose Urena was pretty good in his last outing for the Marlins. So I pick him and his team because Kyle Kendrick at home in Coors gives me the willies.
• The Diamondbacks over the Mets: The Mets' offense has gone to sleep. As such, Josh Collmenter has a chance against Jacob deGrom even though I like deGrom a lot.
• The Mariners over the Rays: Mike Montgomery was pretty impressive against the Yankees and he pitches against the team that gave his career new life, and, of course, taught him the change-up. Chris Archer loses a close one.
• The Cardinals over the Dodgers: Lance Lynn will shut down the Dodgers and will get a few runs against Zack Greinke.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Pirates over the Braves: Despite the stupid managerial move yesterday, I'll stick with the Pirates in this one because of Gerrit Cole. The pitcher is 8-2 after all. Alex Wood toils for the Braves.

Yesterday: 9-6, June: 44-38, Season: 422-391, Picks of the Day: 33-27 (+2)

MLB Game Picks - Tuesday: June 2, 2015

Holy cow, there are seventeen games being played today!! The weather played havoc with Monday night's activities and thus we get bombarded tonight. There are sixteen games tomorrow (so far). Wow.

With so many games on tap, I hope I do better than the measly 5-4 I went on Monday. Don't get me wrong, that record is better than being under .500, but it is still mediocre. Mike Fiers shut out the Cardinals. Not much you can do about that but tip your cap. And Felix Hernandez came unglued after the fourth inning, which was totally out of character.

There is a lot to do, so let's get going with Tuesday:

• The Nationals over the Blue Jays: I'm still thinking that Jordan Zimmermann is better than R.A. Dickey in this one. And the Blue Jays lose the DH.
• The Nationals over the Blue Jays: Yes, I am predicting a sweep. Because directly following Zimmermann, the Nats can throw Max Scherzer out there and take care of the second game. Marco Estrada doesn't do much for me for the Blue Jays.
• The Rockies over the Dodgers: This pitching match-up seems weird. Jorge De La Rosa goes for the Rockies and if anyone is used to pitching at Coors Field, it is him. He faces Juan Nicasio, his old friend and teammate who never had as much success at Coors than De La Rosa has. Besides, Nicasio hasn't started all season and if he goes four innings, that will be a lot.
• The Dodgers over the Rockies: I can't guarantee that Zack Greinke will be as successful in Coors Field than at other places. But I can tell you that David Hale hasn't started all season and is a "put it in play" kind of pitcher. Not good for Coors.
• The Reds over the Phillies: Johnny Cueto comes off the disabled list to pitch this one. I have no idea how he will do. I still like him over Sean O'Sullivan and the Reds are playing slightly better of late.
• The Tigers over the Athletics: The Yankees made the A's look far better than they are. But then again, they have a knack for that. The Tigers won't be as kind. Alfredo Simon is doing much better for the Tigers than I thought he was going to do. I think he will be better than Kendall Graveman.
• The Cubs over the Marlins: I'm still trying to figure out why the Marlins chose the manager they did. The whole thing is surreal. For that reason and a whole lot of others, I like the Cubs here behind Kyle Hendricks. Brad Hand goes for the Marlins. Yeah, that's another reason.
• The Red Sox over the Twins: This is the same match-up as what was planned yesterday and I'm still going with Clay Buchholz over Mike Pelfrey.
• The Rangers over the White Sox: Colby Lewis came down to earth in a big way in his last start and was shellacked. I'm going with a rebound today, plus, his team is on a roll. Let's see what this new kid can do too. Jeff Samardzija goes for the White Sox.
• The Astros over the Orioles: Mike Wright has pitched brilliantly for the Orioles. Fluke? Real deal? I don't know yet. I do know that Collin McHugh is the real deal and should be dominant.
• The Indians over the Royals: Once again, you have a Jeremy Guthrie, whose success this season was punctured by a beating by the Yankees. Does he bounce back? Will it make a difference against a good pitcher like Carlos Carrasco?
• The Cardinals over the Brewers: Lance Lynn is a known quantity. I know what he can do. I have no idea about Tyler Cravy who makes his MLB debut for the Brewers. Cravy was a late round draft pick who has done well in the minors. Can he make the jump?
• The Braves over the Diamondbacks. Josh Collmenter has not pitched well of late and yesterday's whoopin' of the D-backs by the Braves makes me nervous to pick them. Besides, Shelby Miller is very good.
• The Rays over the Angels: Chris Archer can be a shut down pitcher and that's why I think he will be today as the Rays have to bounce back from a loss yesterday to the hands of Albert Pujols and Mike Trout. Take care of those two and you win. C.J. Wilson goes for the Angels.
• The Yankees over the Mariners: This one is really hard to predict. CC Sabathia has been decent on the road. And the big ballpark will help him. For the Mariners, we get the MLB debut for Mike Montgomery, a big first round pick for the Royals way back when who fizzled for them and never got anywhere. Montgomery got into the Rays' system and is their wont, they fixed him and he has had good numbers in the minors since. Who knows how well he'll do tonight. I bet he has a change-up after coming from the Tampa system.
• The Pirates over the Giants: A.J. Burnett is 5-1 and is pitching some of the best baseball of his long career. The Giants start "Charlton" Chris Heston, who has done pretty well for himself in his young career. I'm going with the Pirates and for the Giants to lose their fourth in a row.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Mets over the Padres: The Mets are led by Bartolo Colon and once you navigate him, you get the young studs who can really pitch.  Noah Syndergaard has lived up to all the hype thus far. Ian Kennedy has been pretty awful to be honest.

Yesterday: 5-4, June: 5-4, Season: 383-357, Picks of the Day: 30-25

MLB Game Picks - Wednesday: May 27, 2015

I did not have a bad day yesterday. The Cubs over the Nats was a brilliant pick. There were three games that went into extras and two went for me, one against. That matched my output for the day. I did not expect the Red Sox to lose again or the Astros to win again. But both did. Overall, not a bad day.

Wednesday's picks:

• The Indians over the Rangers: This pick was wrong yesterday showing that I just don't get the Indians. Today, Carlos Carrasco is pitching and he is very good. Will that matter? What has gotten into Colby Lewis this year? Is he really this good?
• The Reds over the Rockies: Where are the stars for the Rockies? Why are they OPSing in the 600s? So weird. Mike Leake strikes me better than Kyle Kendrick does.
• The Pirates over the Marlins: Brad Hand is starting for the Marlins. He has appeared in relief a dozen and a half times. I never know what to do with such things. My mind is cleared up some by seeing Gerrit Cole starting for the other side.
• The Blue Jays over the White Sox: This one sounds like a wreck in the making. Marco Estrada versus Jeff Samardzija. The latter has the bigger talent, for sure. But the Blue Jays can hit! I don't know.
• The Yankees over the Royals: Big Chris Young goes for the Royals. Will he again bamboozle the Yankees like the last time? Will the Yankees adjust? Can Michael Pineda bounce back from a really ugly start? We'll find out together.
• The Twins over the Red Sox: Phil Hughes used to get battered by the Red Sox when he was a Yankee. But pitching at home in Minnesota should help today. Rick Porcello is up and down and hard to count on. Is David Ortiz big poopied out?
• The Mets over the Phillies: I haven't picked a visiting team yet. Oh my. I have to go with Noah Syndergaard over Sean O'Sullivan though, right?
• The Mariners over the Rays: Felix Hernandez has never won a game at Tropicana Field. I think that changes today even though he has a tough opponent in Chris Archer.
• The Brewers over the Giants: The Brewers have cooled off a bit and the Giants keep winning. I think that will hit a bump tonight as Ryan Vogelsong should be more to the Brewers' liking than Bumgarner was. A lot will depend on how Mike Fiers pitches.
• The Tigers over the Athletics: There is a lot to think about in this game. Kyle Ryan has been called up to start for the Tigers. He hasn't been faring well in the minors thus far this season and he will not strike out guys. He has decent control though and most importantly, he is a lefty. The A's do not hit lefties at all. That makes me go with him over Scott Kazmir. The one caveat is that Ryan will not go deep in the game and the Tigers' bullpen is a frightening place.
• The Astros over the Orioles: Picking against the Astros has seemed like a futile thing to do. Collin McHugh is one of my favorite young pitchers. If Ubaldo Jimenez has a good outing, things could change, but I'll go with the Astros.
• The Nationals over the Cubs: The Cubs slowed down the Nats yesterday and Jon Lester goes today, which is the good news. The bad news is that Max Scherzer goes for the Nationals. Did you see where Bryant's homer went yesterday!? Wow.
• The Cardinals over the Diamondbacks: Lance Lynn should come up big in this one and I think he will. Josh Collmenter gives the Cards a different look, but he will bend a little at least.
• The Angels over the Padres: This pick didn't go well yesterday and neither team hit at all until the Padres broke out for four runs in extras. It might be low scoring today too as Garrett Richards faces Andrew Cashner.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Dodgers over the Braves: Zack Greinke should do what he does, which is win as a Dodger and Alex Wood should allow a couple of runs at least to give the Dodgers the edge in a close game.

Yesterday: 9-6, May: 179-156, Season: 343-321, Picks of the Day: 28-21

MLB Game Picks - Sunday: May 17, 2015

Oops! I slept in late, so now I'm in a rush! I had another 8-7 day yesterday, the second in a row. Zack Greinke lost. Felix Hernandez lost. What!? I would have picked the Giants if I knew Hunter Pence was coming back. Ah well, the perils of picking baseball games.

I better get right to Sunday, since it's so late here:

• The Braves over the Marlins: Okay, Braves, you win. I'm not getting anywhere picking against you. My gut is telling me that the Marlins' manager will be fired soon. Anyway, Shelby Miller over Henderson Alvarez.
• The Mets over the Brewers: Did I pick the Brewers yesterday? I must have gotten carried away with myself. Wily Peralta goes for them today. He has been nowhere near as effective as last year. Noah Syndergaard gets his first MLB win.
• The Giants over the Reds: There is definitely some kind of magic going on in the Giants' clubhouse. How they keep winning with so-so talent is beyond me. Oh, and Reds, just keep throwing Brandon Crawford first-pitch fastballs. Way to look at your stats guys. Charlton Chris Heston over Anthony DeSclafani.
• The Diamondbacks over the Phillies: The Phillies are giving me fits lately. They aren't supposed to win games. So stop it already. I can't imagine them winning a game started by Sean O'Sullivan. But I could be wrong. Josh Collmenter goes for the D-backs.
• The Royals over the Yankees: Chris Capuano is back for the Yankees. Oh goodie. I can't go there. I'll go with Edinson Volquez instead. Besides, I'm getting nervous picking all these visiting teams to win.
• The Twins over the Rays: I have no idea how the Twins and Kyle Gibson win. But they do.  Chris Archer hasn't been overly ace-like in his last couple of starts.
• The Astros over the Blue Jays: I like Collin McHugh. I have made that clear enough. I also smile at Mark Buehrle because of how he wins. My problem here is that the Blue Jays' bullpen is a colossal mess.
• The Cubs over the Pirates: Boy, am I having fun watching the Cubs play. All that youth! I wish other teams wouldn't hold down their young players (ahem, Yankees). Jake Arrieta gentille Arrieta over A.J. Burnett.
• The Indians over the Rangers: Both of these teams have horrible bullpens as we saw yesterday. Which one will score more? That's the question. I'm going with the Indians and Carlos Carrasco over Nick Martinez.
• The Athletics over the White Sox: The A's will break their slide today with a win behind Scott Kazmir. Jeff Samardzija may have good stuff for the White Sox, but he is a right-handed pitcher and the A's love that.
• The Mariners over the Red Sox: Steven Wright, the knuckleball pitcher, not the comic or my stepbrother, goes for the Red Sox. While I root for him as a knucksie, I have to go with James Paxton, who finally put it together his last start.
• The Dodgers over the Rockies: Mike Bolsinger has been surprisingly good. That makes me nervous here. Kyle Kendrick has been kicking my butt for years here.
• The Nationals over the Padres: Why hasn't Stephen Strasburg become the star that I thought he would be? I don't know really. All I know is that I get killed whenever I pick him. But I keep doing it. Ian Kennedy is solid enough, but the Nats should mash him.
• The Cardinals over the Tigers: The Cards have not figured out how to stop Miguel Cabrera. If they can keep him in the yard, they can win, especially with Lance Lynn on the mound. Alfredo Simon has made me look foolish before though.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Angels over the Orioles: Mike Wright makes his MLB debut for the Orioles. That is something I hardly ever pick for. Garrett Richards is the bomb anyway, so I have to go that way.

Yesterday: 8-7, May: 108-87, Season: 272-252, Picks of the Day: 22-17

MLB Game Picks - Wednesday: May 6, 2015

Tuesday was not a very good day. Stephen Strasburg finally pitched well, but for only two innings and couldn't get any run support. I shouldn't ever pick against Bartolo Colon and I should never pick FOR Scott Feldman. I would say, "Live and Learn," but I never do.

Wednesday's picks:

• The Nationals over the Marlins: See? I never do live and learn. But I believe that Max Scherzer will get the run support his teammate did not get as the Nationals score four or so against Tom Koehler.
• The Rockies over the Diamondbacks: If they ever play a game in this series after two straight postponements. I'm still sticking with Tyler Matzek over Josh Collmenter like I did two days ago.
• The Rockies over the Diamondbacks: Robbie Ray gets his first start of the year for the D-Backs. I'm not expecting that to go well. I'm not sure how much better Jordan Lyles will be, but that's the pick.
• The Giants over the Padres: Ian Kennedy used to be the Giant killer. But not so much anymore. "Charlton" Chris Heston has had all good starts except the one at Coors and you can throw that out.
• The Pirates over the Reds: If Gerrit Cole keeps pitching like he has been, that should be a win. Mike Leake will leak at least a little.
• The Yankees over the Blue Jays: The Yankees have made Mark Buehrle's career miserable. That said, he faces CC Sabathia, of who I have no confidence in at this point. This should be interesting.
• The Mets over the Orioles: Jacob deGrom bounced back nicely from his Yankees' fiasco and has a decent overall record in interleague play. I like his chances better than Ubaldo Jimenez, though the latter looks a lot better this year.
• The Braves over the Phillies: The Phillies are REALLY bad this year. The Braves were supposed to be bad but haven't been. Mike Foltynewicz has an impossible name to spell but makes his second start of the season. Jerome Williams goes for the Phillies.
• The Red Sox over the Rays: The Rays don't hit that much, which helps Justin Masterson quite a bit. Alex Colome is a bit of a wild card and I don't know how he will do. He was great his first time out.
• The Indians over the Royals: Yeah, this hasn't been a good pick for me, but I believe (still) in Carlos Carrasco and think he will do just fine. Danny Duffy is so unpredictable. He could be great or not.
• The White Sox over the Tigers: Chris Sale should win. That doesn't mean he will. Alfredo Simon seems like the real deal after I poo-poohed him so much.
• The Dodgers over the Brewers: I should not pick the Dodgers because they are starting Joe Weiland, who has never really made it in the Majors. Wily Peralta is 0-4. That's pretty scary.
• The Athletics over the Twins: Scott Kazmir is my guy and I hate picking against him. Kyle Gibson seems to win his share despite not striking too many people out. In other words, I have no idea here.
• The Rangers over the Astros: I'm not sure about this pick. I don't really trust Colby Lewis. But then again, neither do I trust the Astros' bullpen as starter, Samuel Deduno will be lucky to last five innings.
• The Cubs over the Cardinals: I really love Lance Lynn. But I also love how Jon Lester is getting better each time out. I think Lester corrals the high-flying Cards.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Angels over the Mariners: I feel so much more comfortable with C.J. Wilson than I do with Roenis Elias. And that's the tune I'm singing here.

 Yesterday: 6-8, May: 38-31, Season: 202-196, Picks of the Day: 16-14