Yankees Set Up Nicely Against Boston

In a series of five games with the Red Sox getting a home, home, away, away, home advantage, it was crucial that the New York Yankees win one of the games in Boston. Thanks to Boston's insistence of starting David Price, the Yankees accomplished the split up in Boston. That sets the team up nicely as the series becomes a best two-out-of-three contest with two of the games occurring at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees could not have given the team a better chance to upset this American League Division Series.

But that means little. The team still has to go out and beat Boston, a great team, and beat them both games in New York. The Yankees will not want to play a fifth and deciding game in Boston. The Red Sox are very capable of winning one or both of the next two games.

The good news is that the Yankees can start Luis Severino tonight and J.A. Happ tomorrow. The former gives the Yankees its best pure talent on the mound to take a lead in the series. The latter is a lefty, something always useful in Yankee Stadium, and Happ should be better than he was in Game 1.

What could go wrong? Plenty. Severino could come out wild or flat and get banged around. He has lost his pinpoint command that he displayed in all of the first half of the 2018 season. He struggles to get through four or five innings with high pitch counts and lots of tension. He still shows flashes of what can make him so dominant. It would be great if he could be efficient and go deep. If he can do neither, that can be a problem.

What else can go wrong? It has been absolutely galling to see Nathan Eovaldi throw sixteen scoreless innings against the Yankees since Boston picked him up from Tampa Bay. Yankee fans have to be totally befuddled by that development since Eovaldi was a subject of derision when he pitched for the Yankees.

Eovaldi's improvement is not a fluke. His biggest problem when he worked with the Yankees was that his pitches had no movement to go along with his velocity. Thus, a team knew what it was getting and could pound him. Now, it seems as if everything Eovaldi throws has great movement and with his velocity, that makes things difficult for a team that swings for the fences like the Yankees do.

What the Yankees need to do is look for a good first pitch fastball to hit and be aggressive. Later in the count, look to the opposite field as he will be throwing cutters away from the right-handed batters.

The Red Sox have announced some lineup changes for Game 3. Brock Holt, Rafael Devers, Christian Vazquez and Steve Pearce will be starting in place of Ian Kinsler,  Eduardo Nunez, Sandy Leon and Mitch Moreland (respectively).

The Red Sox lose defense without Leon, Kinsler and Moreland, but Holt has always been a pain in the neck for the Yankees and Devers has more power than Nunez though they are both sub-par on defense. Pearce has been a Yankee killer since forever. Yankee fans hate that guy.

The Yankees have put themselves in a very good position. But the Red Sox are terrific and rarely beat themselves. While certainly better than coming home down by two games, the task is still great and the odds of the Yankees winning this series are still 50/50.

MLB Game Picks - Tuesday: June 16, 2015

I effectively reversed the results of Sunday, which makes me feel a whole lot better. Tanaka got out-dueled by Tom Koehler and I never expected the Nationals to lose their starter in the first inning due to injury. But overall, it was a good day.

Tuesday's picks:

• The Cardinals over the Twins: Michael Wacha has already won eight games. He should extend the Twins' slide tonight. Kyle Gibson is capable of staying with him for a while, but the Cardinals will prevail.
• The Astros over the Rockies: Chris Rusin and Vincent Velasquez are two good looking young pitchers. Velasquez is a little more erratic. But I still like Houston in this one, especially at home.
• The Padres over the Athletics: The Bud Black dismissal was not unexpected. Perhaps the team had a hangover about it last night. But they bounce back tonight and Andrew Cashner gets a rare win. Scott Kazmir goes for the A's.
• The Giants over the Mariners: I keep waiting for Robinson Cano to bust out, but he hasn't yet. and Nelson Cruz has hit a wall of sorts. Tim Lincecum will need to be good though. J.A. Happ goes for the M's.
• The Braves over the Red Sox: Again, they are talking about clubhouse issues in Boston. John Farrell's noose is getting tighter. Wade Miley won't help and Julio Teheran shuts them down...again.
• The Pirates over the White Sox: Picking Chicago was a big mistake yesterday. I won't make the same one today. Charlie Morton over Jose Quintana.
• The Orioles over the Phillies: The Phillies are so bad. Gosh. The Orioles should have no trouble here. Chris Tillman vs. Jerome Williams.
• The Yankees over the Marlins: Both Nathan Eovaldi and David Phelps are pitching against their former teams and both will be motivated. I think Alex Rodriguez needs to play third in this one and give Chris Headley a breather.
• The Mets over the Blue Jays: The Mets ended the Jays' winning streak last night and built their division lead in the process. Matt Harvey has had some poor outings lately. He needs to bounce back tonight. Scott Copeland was brilliant in his first start. Is that real though?
• The Nationals over the Rays: The Rays keep rolling and the only games they lose are when Alex Colome pitches. He pitches tonight. Tanner Roark goes for the Nats.
• The Cubs over the Indians: The same match-up as last night's postponed game: Jake Arrieta over Trevor Bauer.
• The Rangers over the Dodgers: Chi Chi Gonzalez came back to earth with a thud in his last outing. Will he bounce back? Can Brett Anderson hold down the Rangers' lineup? We'll see.
• The Royals over the Brewers: I do not know how Chris Young does it. But he does and picking against him has not worked for me. Matt Garza throws strikes. The Royals like strikes.
• The Angels over the Diamondbacks: I was wrong with this one last night and Jeremy Hellickson has been good of late. But I have to go with Garrett Richards and the Angels here.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Tigers over the Reds: I like Michael Lorenzen. But I like the Tigers more than the Reds and I especially like what Kyle Ryan is giving the Tigers right now.

Yesterday: 9-5, June: 106-100, Season: 484-449, Picks of the Day: 37-32

MLB Game Picks - Wednesday: June 10, 2015

I got smoked by the results yesterday. Wow. For every correct pick I had, there were two incorrect picks. Yeah, that's bad. Congrats to young Mr. Jungmann winning his first MLB start and appearance. But I did not expect you to win. Congrats Chris Heston on your no-hitter, but I picked against you. Congrats Eduardo Gonzalez on another great start. But your team couldn't score. It was a good day for rookies (if you don't count Noah Syndergaard) and a bad day for me.

Wednesday picks:

• The Reds over the Phillies: I have no idea about this one. Jon Moscot starts for the Reds and I know very little about him. I know Jerome Williams of the Phillies and he throws an occasional good game. But Joey Votto is on fire, so I'll go with the Reds.
• The Blue Jays over the Marlins: This is another one to throw up my hands and go, "I don't know!" Scott Copeland is an overachiever for the Blue Jays as a high round draft pick who worked quickly through the Blue Jays' system. He doesn't strike people out. The Marlins start Tom Koehler, but their team is in such disarray (besides Giancarlo Stanton) that I can't trust them. Eight in a row for the Blue Jays?
• The Yankees over the Nationals: Speaking of eight in a row, that is what the Yankees are shooting for tonight. Nathan Eovaldi will either give them a good outing or get blown up by homers. There is no in between. Get the bullpen ready. Gio Gonzalez can be had right now.
• The Rockies over the Cardinals: Ugh! Another tough pick. Chad Bettis has been spectacular as has Carlos Martinez. Which one cracks tonight? The Cards have some injuries right now.
• The Orioles over the Red Sox: The Red Sox are doing slightly better against lefties lately, but are still poor overall. That's why I give the edge to Wei-Yin Chen over Rick Porcello. The Orioles are hitting again.
• The Cubs over the Tigers: Shane Greene is still in the Tigers' rotation after pitching terribly since the first month of the season. Not good. Meanwhile, Jake Arrieta gentille Arrieta can be very tough.
• The Rays over the Angels: You have to tip your cap to the pitching coach of the Rays. He stayed put while everyone left and look what he has done for Erasmo Ramirez. It's quite remarkable, really. Jered Weaver remains my least favorite player in baseball. What a jerk on the field he is.
• The Braves over the Padres: Tyson Ross is a very talented pitcher whose control has been his worst enemy this season. If he puts it together, this pick is toast. If not, and if Williams Perez keeps being decent, the Braves should win.
• The Mets over the Giants: The young phenom, Matt Harvey, faces the borderline Hall of Fame pitcher, Tim Hudson. Interesting match-up. I have to go with Harvey.
• The Mariners over the Indians: Trevor Bauer pitched great for the Indians last time they faced the Mariners last week. But he lost. Will that change tonight? It all depends on Taijuan Walker, a kid everyone has been waiting for to put it together. If he does, look out.
• The Astros over the White Sox: Carlos Correa has been fantastic thus far. And Vincent Velasquez is making his MLB debut after blowing people away in the minors since he was drafted in 2010. I like his chances tonight against the White Sox and Jose Quintana.
• The Royals over the Twins: The Royals are just the better team here. That said, whenever I pick against Kyle Gibson, I look stupid. And picking Edinson Volquez still makes me queasy.
• The Rangers over the Athletics: The Rangers have been really surprising to me. That being the case, I'm picking them here behind Yovani Gallardo against the A's and Jesse Hahn.
• The Diamondbacks over the Dodgers: Jeremy Hellickson has been on a nice roll and Brett Anderson has not been. So that's the pick.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Pirates over the Brewers: This pick was wrong yesterday and I hate picking Charlie Morton. But he is another pitcher I don't believe in that makes me look foolish all the time. He is 3-0 after all. Kyle Lohse goes for the Brewers.

Yesterday: 5-10 (ouch), June: 61-59, Season: 439-412, Picks of the Day: 34-29 (-2)

MLB Game Picks - Friday: June 5, 2015

Beware of short schedules. They can hurt you and yesterday's hurt me. I had a terrible picking day and not very much went correctly. The Picks of the Day are definitely in a slump and the month of June just took a decided hit. The sun is shining here this morning, however, and it is hard to get too upset. Besides, there is always another day.

Friday's picks:

• The Nationals over the Cubs: It seems the National's offense should be better than it performs. Sooner or later, it should click in. As it stands, the Cubs match up well with them and today could go either way. Tanner Roark vs. Tsuyoshi Wada
• The Yankees over the Angels: Another game that could go either way and it will depend on which borderline starter will be on his game tonight, Nathan Eovaldi or Jered Weaver.
• The Giants over the Phillies: Jerome Williams has been decent of late, but I like Tim Lincecum on the road here, especially against the Phillies. The Giants have a losing streak to get over.
• The Orioles over the Indians: There are two things I keep waiting for. The first is the shoe to drop on Shaun Marcum, who has given the Indians two good starts in three attempts. The other is for the Orioles to bust out with a big offensive game.
• The Athletics over the Red Sox: This is interesting because you have two teams that struggle to hit left-handed pitching both starting lefties against each other. The battle of the computers! Scott Kazmir over Wade Miley.
• The Reds over the Padres: You can see Raisel Iglesias improving with each outing and getting his footing. I think he wins this one over Tyson Ross, a pitcher I pick less often on the road.
• The Braves over the Pirates: This is a tough call. Williams Perez has been fairly effective, which he'll have to be because the Pirates are hitting better. I just don't trust Charlie Morton.
• The White Sox over the Tigers: Kyle Ryan has already beaten the odds to pitch in the Majors considering where he was drafted. He won't go deep in the game and that is a problem because of the Tigers' bullpen. I'm going with Jose Quintana and the White Sox.
• The Twins over the Brewers: I have never benefited from picking against Kyle Gibson of the Twins. He's like my American League Aaron Harang. So I'll pick him over Kyle Lohse of the Brewers.
• The Royals over the Rangers: Hmm...You have a team that doesn't walk facing Chi Chi Gonzalez that walks too many batters. You have an Edinson Volquez against a power hitting team when a few years ago, he gave up homers left and right. But he doesn't anymore. So I guess that's the pick.
• The Rockies over the Marlins: Another tough game to pick. In this one Eddie Butler has looked good at times and bad in others. Then there is Tom Koehler having to pitch at Coors. I think this will be a Rockies rout. We'll see though.
• The Mets over the Diamondbacks: Jeremy Hellickson was supposed to pitch yesterday and was held back a day. I still think the Mets win behind Jon Niese.
• The Cardinals over the Dodgers: A lot will depend on how dominant Carlos Martinez is. Playing in big Dodgers Stadium should help him if he doesn't strike out a lot of batters. I like this kid. I'm not as confident in Brett Anderson.
• The Mariners over the Bay Rays: J.A. Happ is not a big confidence boost for me. However, I think Jake Odorizzi is the one Rays pitcher who can be had with a good night at the plate.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Blue Jays over the Astros: I have a feeling that Roberto Hernandez will not last long in his outing tonight. Meanwhile, I'm looking for a bunch of strikeouts for Aaron Sanchez.

Yesterday: 3-7, June: 28-24, Season: 406-377, Picks of the Day: 31-27

MLB Game Picks - Saturday: May 30, 2015

Another up and down day that saw my picks finish a pick above .500 with an incorrect Pick of the Day. Blah.

Saturday's Picks:

• The Twins over the Blue Jays: Kyle Gibson has his share of very good outings and not so good outings. I never seem to be on top of when each will occur. So I'll probably be wrong with this one again too. Aaron Sanchez goes for the Jays.
• The Rockies over the Phillies: This is my reverse Aaron Harang theory. Since Harang always messed me up last year, I pick him every time to win now. But in this case, if last night's game shows a Troy Tulowitzki getting hot, then the shortstop can carry this team all by himself for a while. Jorge De La Rosa starts for the Rockies.
• The Orioles over the Bay Rays: I'll take Wei-Yin Chen over Erasmo Ramirez just about any day of the week.
• The Brewers over the Diamondbacks: Jeremy Hellickson got mad at me and had a good outing last time out (about time!). Can he repeat it? I'll believe it when I see it. I like Kyle Lohse at home.
• The Astros over the White Sox: Two words: Dallas Keuchel. Two more words. Jose Quintana
• The Mets over the Marlins: I have often said that Jon Niese was better than people thought. Then he goes out and throws three stinkers in a row. Come on, Jon, I can't keep defending you until you have a good game. Tom Koehler goes for the Marlins.
• The Nationals over the Reds: Now that we have Strasburg out of the way, the Nats can start another win streak. Gio Gonzalez should be better than Raisel Iglesias and last longer.
• The Cubs over the Royals: This pick was dumb yesterday and is probably dumb today. But I like the Tsuyoshi Wada match up against the Royals' hitters. Yordano Ventura might really make the pick look stupid.
• The Cardinals over the Dodgers: Say what you want about the money the Dodgers spent, but their offense has been kind of toothless lately. So I like Michael Wacha here to continue his win streak. Carlos Frias has had two good starts and one disaster thus far.
• The Giants over the Braves: It does not appear that the Giants will lose another game this season. That's just how it seems. Tim Lincecum over Williams Perez.
• The Tigers over the Angels: I don't have a lot of confidence in either Jered Weaver or Shane Greene at this point. But somebody has to win the game.
• The Yankees over the Athletics: Sooner or later, the Yankees have to win a road game. Today might be the day as it will be Nathan Eovaldi versus Jesse Hahn. The Yankees have done a nice job so far of making this awful A's team look mighty good.
• The Mariners over the Indians: Another game where I don't like either pitcher to win. Roenis Elias versus Shaun Marcum. :::shrug:::
• The Padres over the Pirates: I do like Tyson Ross at home. Charlie Morton against Justin Upton will be a key match up.

And the Pick of the Day

• The Red Sox over the Rangers: Wade Miley goes for the Red Sox. Chi Chi Gonzalez goes for the Rangers. Chi Chi?

Yesterday: 8-7, May: 198-172, Season: 365-337, Picks of the Day: 29-23

MLB Game Picks - Monday, May 25, 2015

Memorial Day, 2015. Take a moment and reflect and honor our heroes before you barbecue or enjoy the rest of the day. And thanks to the holiday, we have a full slate of Monday games for our added enjoyment.

After two really wonderful picking days on Thursday and Friday to go a combined 21-6, the last two days have been completely the opposite to the tune of 10-21. Holy cow is that a turnaround or what!? How depressing. But, I press on because that's what I do.

Monday's picks:

• The Yankees over the Royals: Yes, I am warped and deranged and a homer. But gosh, the team has to win a game some time. You have two pitchers who don't strike anyone out and two lineups that don't strike out much. So BABIP is key. Can the Yankees take what Guthrie gives them and hit it to all fields? If they don't, they lose. Nathan Eovaldi and Jeremy Guthrie.
• The Rockies over the Reds: The Reds are scuffling as badly as the Yankees. Jason Marquis will be adequate. He is always adequate. If Eddie Butler is better than adequate, he wins.
• The Phillies over the Mets: Severino Gonzalez has been pretty good for the Phillies. The Mets are playing as badly as the Reds and Yankees. Do I see a pattern here? Probably. Bartolo Colon goes for the Mets and he is either great or awful. Which one will it be? The Mets and Yankees are both home. That's interesting.
• The Astros over the Orioles: The Astros have been unbelievable. I have to roll with it until they are not. Wei-Yin Chen has lost a couple of his most recent starts and Dallas Kuechel has been amazing.
• The Twins over the Red Sox: Ricky Nolasco has been good. That's so hard to believe after how bad he was last year. Joe Kelly has been a disappointment thus far for the Red Sox. Both teams have surprised. The Twins in a good way, the Red Sox not.
• The Brewers over the Giants: Tim Lincecum has had a good season so far. But his last two road starts were not good. The Brewers are somewhat hot right now. Kyle Lohse is pretty tough at home.
• The Nationals over the Cubs: Tsuyoshi Wada was pretty impressive in his first start of the season. He is a fly ball pitcher. So a lot will depend on which way the wind is blowing at Wrigley. Tanner Roark gets a start for the Nats. It's about time.
• The Tigers over the Athletics: Shane Greene has done well in the starting role for the Tigers. The bullpen is killing Detroit though. Jesse Hahn will probably get knocked around by the Tigers.
• The Rangers over the Indians: The Rangers just crushed the Yankees so their offense is clicking. Will Josh Hamilton enhance that or change the dynamic and slow it down? Hmm. Phil Klein goes for the Rangers and Shaun Marcum goes for the Indians.
• The Cardinals over the Diamondbacks: Carlos Martinez goes for the Cardinals who just roll along despite some injuries. Chase Anderson goes for the Diamondbacks and he can be tough at times.
• The Pirates over the Marlins: Andrew McCutchen is heating up and that bodes well for the Pirates. Charlie Morton doesn't thrill me though. David Phelps goes for the Marlins.
• The Bay Rays over the Mariners: This game is a toss up. Jake Odorizzi and Roenis Elias seem about the same to me. The Rays don't hit well at home. I don't know. Pick em.
• The Braves over the Dodgers: I'm just feeling this one. Brett Anderson goes for the Dodgers and he should be decent at home in that big ballpark. Williams Perez was really good for the Braves in his first start of the season. I'm going with the Braves in an upset of sorts.
• The Padres over the Angels: Tyson Ross has lost four of his last five decisions. But he has pitched well. The Padres can explode on offense or be dud-like. It goes from day to day. Jered Weaver somehow pitches at MLB level despite a shredded arm and 83 MPH fastball. Who knows.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Blue Jays over the White Sox: This seems like a mismatch, which is always frightening to say. However, Drew Hutchison should be much better than Hector Noesi, the fourth ex-Yankee pitcher starting today and the only one not having a good season.

Yesterday: 5-10, May: 162-143, Season: 326-308, Picks of the Day: 26-21