MLB Game Picks - Friday: September 27, 2013

Last night was about as emotional a night as I have ever had watching baseball. I know some of you haters are going to hate. But that send off of Mariano Rivera from Yankee Stadium has to be one of the most wonderful things I have ever watched. It did not matter that these current Yankees could play twenty more games against the Rays and lose them all. What mattered is that the dynasty in New York ended when Derek Jeter and Andy Pettitte went out to the mound to take Mariano Rivera out of the game. What an incredible moment in baseball.

As for the picks, they went 7-2, which continues the terrific final full week of games I am having. The two incorrect picks were the Mets as Dillon Gee did not have it last night and the Blue Jays as Mark Buehrle did not have it either.

The last full weekend folks. Friday's picks:

• The Red Sox over the Orioles: Who knows how long Clay Buchholz will pitch in this game as it will be a tune up for the playoffs. Scott Feldman has not pitched well for the Orioles overall and the Red Sox bats do not need to take the day off. But the Orioles have a good lineup too.
• The Bay Rays over the Blue Jays: The final battle of the Ays for the season. The Rays are not in the clear yet as they could lose three and not make the Wild Card. So they have to keep winning. Jeremy Hellickson will be on a short leash I think. R.A. Dickey will try to prevent the win.
• The Tigers over the Marlins: What kind of effort will the Tigers bring? Hard to say. Rick Porcello is probably making his last appearance of the season. I will be surprised if he makes the post season roster and if he does, it will be as a reliever. Tom Koehler goes for the Marlins.
• The Brewers over the Mets: Crap, this will be the fourth home team in a row I am picking against. That is not good. But I still think Yovani Gallardo beats Carlos Torres. David Wright got beaned last night, which also is not good.
• The Reds over the Pirates: How weird is it that these two teams will finish the regular season out together and then go right to the play-in game to determine the Wild Card winner? Well, at least there will not be a lot of traveling. They are, I believe, playing for which team will be the home team. A.J. Burnett goes against Homer Bailey in this one.
• The Braves over the Phillies: Again, just a meaningless game. Kris Medlen will look at it like a tuneup. Cliff Lee gets his last start of the season for the Phillies. Lefties do not phase the Braves much.
• The Indians over the Twins: Can the Indians keep winning? Can they run the last two weeks? I have never seen it done before, but that is their only option with the Rangers only a game back. Corey Kluber tries to keep it going against Pedro Hernandez.
• The White Sox over the Royals: Will James Shields have any motivation with nothing to shoot for anymore? He was big down the stretch. My prediction is that Chris Sale will out-pitch him tonight and then it is just a question of if the bullpen can nail it down.
• The Yankees over the Astros: The Yankees get to end the season in Houston and perhaps can win a game or two. They certainly have died the last two weeks though and have not announced a pitcher for tonight. I think either Phelps or someone like that will get the call. Brett Oberholtzer goes for the Astros.
• The Cardinals over the Cubs: You have to give it up for Travis Wood, who has pitched really well all season, stared down the ace of every opposing team and held his own. The Cardinals at home though are tough to beat. Lance Lynn tries to clinch it for the Cards.
• The Diamondbacks over the Nationals: I am sort of not sure why Stephen Strasburg is pitching this game. He has missed his last three starts. Why not shut him down? Either way, he will not go long into the game and Patrick Corbin will and should win.
• The Dodgers over the Rockies: Clayton Kershaw gets the start, but how deep into the game will he pitch? Long enough for the Dodgers to get a lead off of Collin McHugh to win the game.
• The Athletics over the Mariners: This ought to be interesting with Bartolo Colon going against Felix Hernandez. I don't know how healthy the latter is and the Mariners' offense has fallen off again. Colon is the choice then.
• The Padres over the Giants: Ryan Vogelsong will be glad when this season is over. He did not have a good year. Burch Smith, on the other hand, is having fun in his first extended shot at the big leagues.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Rangers over the Angels: I think the Rangers will not give C.J. Wilson a very good feeling to end his season upon. Alexi Ogando will win at home. The Rangers are still hoping to sneak into the Wild Card picture and like a vulture are waiting for the Indians to lose.

Yesterday: 7-2

Week: 43-24

Month: 208-152

Season: 1350-1047

Games of the Day: 103-70

MLB Game Picks - Tuesday: September 17, 2013

I did not expect both the Cardinals and Pirates to lose. I was worried about the Pirates and mentioned that Andrew Cashner had the stuff to shut them down. My worry was full of merit as he did just that. As for the Cardinals, they could not do much with Collin McHugh and after Lance Lynn threw a decent game, the Cards went to the Trevor Rosenthal well once too often.

I was also worried about the A's having a letdown after the Rangers' series and I should have listened to myself as they got killed by the Angels. And speaking of those Rangers, I figured they would rise up after the A's series. I figured wrong. They were awful and the Rays beat them easily behind Alex Cobb. The Rangers are in serious trouble.

But otherwise, I had a decent picking day. I picked James Shields perfectly. And I also figured Cliff Lee would win and he did. And my worry about Johnny Cueto (though I picked him anyway) was worrying about nothing. He was great.

There are sixteen games on the schedule as the Nationals and Braves will play twice to make up for yesterday's shooting postponement. My heart goes out to those shooting victims in what is a real tragedy.  Tuesday's picks:

• The Braves over the Nationals: I was going to cheat and just predict a split and then it would not matter which team won which. But that would be low so I will not. Mike Minor beats Dan Haren in the first game.
• The Nationals over the Braves: Okay, so Freddy Garcia pitched a great game his last time out. I can't in any lifetime believe that he will do it again. Tanner Roark is having himself some fun in the Majors and should have himself a good game.
• The Phillies over the Marlins: Brian Flynn is the opposite of Roark. He has made two big league starts and they have not gone well. Too many walks and too many hits have sunk him. Roy Halladay is a bit of a concern and he could give up a moonshot to Giancarlo Stanton. But he is the pick here.
• The Pirates over the Padres: I am worried about this game too. Eric Stults has lost his last six decisions even though he has not walked anyone in his last three starts. Sooner or later he is going to win. Will it be today? Jeff Locke will try to keep that from happening and inch the Pirates closer to where they want to be.
• The Yankees over the Blue Jays: I am grasping at straws here for the Yankees. They looked so bad in the Red Sox series and the last time they played the Jays, they were treated rudely. But I think the Yankees will hit R.A. Dickey in the dome and that Andy Pettitte will benefit from having Brendan Ryan at short.
• The Red Sox over the Orioles: Two years ago, the Orioles did a number on the Red Sox down the stretch and eventually knocked the beantowners out of the playoffs. Nobody is beating the Red Sox out of the playoffs this year. Ryan Dempster is a concern. But the Red Sox should beat Scott Feldman.
• The Giants over the Mets: Yusmeiro Petit has been the bomb for the Giants. He has a six to one strikeout to walk ratio and a 1.00 WHIP. That is great pitching. In other words, he has been what Zack Wheeler would look like with better control. It will come.
• The Bay Rays over the Rangers: The Rangers are sliding out of control and I cannot see them beating the Rays on their home turf. Jeremy Hellickson over Alexi Ogando.
• The Brewers over the Cubs: Marco Estrada has quietly put together three good games in a row with 23 strikeouts in his last 20.2 innings pitched. And those were against the Cards, Angels and Reds. Nice. I am picking him over Jeff Samardzija.
• The Reds over the Astros: Mike Leake reminds me of a young Andy Pettitte. His peripherals never blow you away but on a good team, he just wins and wins. He will win today against the Astros that will lose their 100th game of the season. Jordan Lyles will not be able to stop it.
• The Indians over the Royals: Aren't the Royals still slightly in this wildcard race? They why are they choosing to give Yordano Ventura his big league debut? Yeah, the kid has a big arm. But this is a longshot, isn't it? I have to go with Corey Kluber.
• The White Sox over the Twins: My gosh, I am predicting the White Sox to win two in a row. Somebody take my temperature, quick. Jose Quintana and his fiery self wins over Mike Pelfrey, who has been bloody awful.
• The Cardinals over the Rockies: I have to admit that I have no idea who will win this game. Joe Kelly and Juan Nicasio seem like a wash to me. Coors Field means that anything can happen. Both teams are missing key players. I have no idea.
• The Diamondbacks over the Dodgers: The Dodgers are banged up and now have to face Patrick Corbin who is pitching like he caught his second wind after a dead period. Corbin out-duels Zack Greinke in this one.
• The Athletics over the Angels: The A's had their little party hangover yesterday and get back to business today. Sonny Gray should get the job done and the A's should do just fine against Garrett Richards.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Tigers over the Mariners: Brandon Maurer has given up thirteen runs in his last ten and a third innings. Ouch. If that continues, the Tigers will devour him. Anibal Sanchez should be good enough no matter how Maurer does.

Yesterday: 7-4

Week: 18-8

Month: 121-100

Season: 1263-995

Games of the Day: 96-67

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 - Sunday: August 25, 2013

A second straight sub-.500 picking day does not make me happy. Not only did it ruin my week, but most of it does not make sense. And nothing makes less sense than my record in extra inning games. Again, the Phillies and Diamondbacks play eighteen freakin' innings and of course the team I picked lost after all that. When you think about it, the Phillies had nine walk-off possibilities as the home team and could not score once. Amazing.

And that one game was the difference between a plus night and a negative night. And then, I have been zero for the Angels - Mariners series, zero for the Giants - Pirates series, and can't the Blue Jays win anything!? You look at the Blue Jays and they have some talent. But then simply cannot win a ballgame. It is the freakiest thing. Here is the startling fact: Only four teams in the MLB have more losses than the Blue Jays. Amazing.

Sunday's picks:

• The Indians over the Twins: I have been rooting for Scott Kazmir all season. I love comeback stories. I am a sucker for them. So naturally I pick him at home to beat Mike Pelfrey and the Twins.
• The Rockies over the Marlins: At least I got it right yesterday with Jose Fernandez. He is spectacular. And at home, he is unbeatable. Jacob Turner is not the same kind of talent. He is not bad, but not like that. He will give up a few runs and Jorge De La Rosa will hold down the Marlins with the help of the big ballpark.
• The Mets over the Tigers: Sometimes it is all about timing. Matt Harvey got Max Scherzer. Dillon Gee gets Rick Porcello. That is the way life goes sometimes.
• The Brewers over the Reds: There are two ways this game can go and unfortunately for me, only one of them gets this pick correctly. Either Marco Estrada holds the Reds to four runs or less and the Brewers score more off of Greg Reynolds, or it is a donnybrook with both teams scoring massive amounts of runs, in which case, the Reds would win.
• The Diamondbacks over the Phillies: The problem for the Phillies is that both of these teams blew through their bullpens last night. That is not good timing for Roy Halladay to be making his comeback appearance when he probably cannot go deep in the game. Patrick Corbin, however, can go deep in the game.
• The Athletics over the Orioles: Yeah, I should not let the previous day's results influence my picks. But they do because I am human. Yeah, I should look at the Vegas odds and all of that. But this has never been a gambling feature. I just pick games. :::shrug::: I love Sonny Gray. Just love the guy. I used to love Scott Feldman. That was a long time ago.
• The Rays over the Yankees: If you were to ask the Yankees if they would rather dive into a volcano or play in Tropicana Field, they would probably prefer jumping into a volcano. They simply have no shot in that crappy dome. Alex Cobb over Ivan Nova.
• The Rangers over the White Sox: The White Sox have been tough to beat for the last couple of weeks and this pick went wrong yesterday when the Rangers could not score for Darvish. And while John Danks pitched really well his last time out, I think he gets bested by Matt Garza.
• The Blue Jays over the Astros: Yeah, yeah, I know. But this becomes a law of averages thing after a while. The Blue Jays HAVE to win a game some time. Why not when it is Mark Buehrle against Dallas Keuchel? I still think it is hilarious that a guy named Dallas plays in Houston.
• The Royals over the Nationals: The Royals, like the Blue Jays are on the tipping point of the law of averages. They too have lost seven straight and all those good feelings Royals' fans were building up. Ervin Santana over Dan Haren.
• The Braves over the Cardinals: The Cards have trouble with lefty starters and Mike Minor has already beaten them badly once this season. Meanwhile, Lance Lynn has big-inning-itis. He will be cruising along nicely and then, BLAM. It reminds me of A.J. Burnett.
• The Pirates over the Giants: Speaking of A.J. Burnett, he is going to win today. He will give up less runs than Ryan Vogelsong and that is what it takes to win a game. Baseball is that simple. Yeah, try and predict that simple game day in and day out.
• The Angels over the Mariners: The Mariners have scored what, like one run in this series? And they have not faced Jered Weaver yet? Snap. They then will score two runs this entire series because Weaver only allows one today. All the Angels have to do is score two or more off of Aaron Harang. Doable.
• The Padres over the Cubs: This is such a nondescript kind of series. The two teams are so similar. Andrew Cashner has great stuff and should win more than he does. Chris Rusin does not strike people out and depends on bad contact. That has its drawbacks.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Red Sox over the Dodgers: I might as well make the game of the day the Game of the Day. Jake Peavy should enjoy that big ballpark. Although it is hard to tell when Jake Peavy enjoys anything. The Red Sox should score on Chris Capuano.

Yesterday: 7-8

Last week: 51-46

Month: 187-140

Season: 1090-853

Games of the Day: 82-58   -2

MLB Game Picks - Wednesday: August 14, 2013

Tuesday was not a good game picking day. There were six extra-inning games last night. Six! Four of them went the opposite way of the pick. So that did not help. Bartolo Colon has not been as automatic. Max Scherzer pitched well, but was hurt by an error and his team's lack of scoring. Austin Jackson, Torii Hunter and Miguel Cabrera went a combined one for sixteen with two walks. That does not happen. It was just one of those nights.

Let's see if Wednesday can become a better day of picking. There are six day games:

• The Twins over the Indians: The Indians turn to Carlos Carrasco. Ugh! There had to be a better choice out there than that! Give the pick then to Kyle Gibson because Gibson is a decent pitcher. The only hope for the Indians here is if Gibson is off and it gets to be a high scoring game.
• The Tigers over the White Sox: John Danks used to be a really good pitcher. Somewhere along the line, his stuff has not been the same and he gets hit hard fairly regularly. The Tigers have no problems with lefties. Rick Porcello needs to have a good game though.
• The Royals over the Marlins: A big reason the Royals started this surge of theirs was when Ervin Santana started throwing zeroes. And his stuff has been magnificent since. Jacob Turner has been throwing well for the Marlins. But the Royals have to be the pick here.
• The Reds over the Cubs: Chris Rusin has been fairly stingy for the Cubs when it comes to base runners and runs. But he has been more of a fly ball pitcher than in the past and that is worrisome, especially against the Reds. Bronson Arroyo never ceases to amaze me. Pitch quick, throw strikes and boom.
• The Rockies over the Padres: There seems to be little difference between these two teams as far as results go. You would think the Rockies would be more talented. I am going with Jorge De La Rosa at home against Andrew Cashner.
• The Diamondbacks over the Orioles: Chris Tillman has had a good season. He is not as good as his numbers, however. Patrick Corbin is having a great season. His numbers are as good as he is. Going with the D-backs at home.
• The Yankees over the Angels: The body language of the players on the Angels says it all. They are a down bunch of players. And everything seems to go wrong from umpire calls to bouncing balls. Jered Weaver is a great pitcher and has made the Yankees look bad before. But I am going with Ivan Nova and the Yankees to go on a roll here.
• The Nationals over the Giants: Tim Lincecum has been pitching much better and Jordan Zimmermann has lost his command in his last bunch of outings. So why, then, am I picking the Nationals? Because Zimmermann is my guy, that's why.
• The Braves over the Phillies: John Lannon can throw an occasional good game but the nod has to go to Brandon Beachy and the high flying Braves.
• The Bay Rays over the Mariners: Aaron Harang has a chance at least when he pitches at home in Seattle. But the Rays should win this one behind the blazing, but efficient tosses of David Price. The Rays have been slumping, but this should be their game.
• The Rangers over the Brewers: The Brewers may have something special in Tyler Thornburg as he has pitched very well for them. But he is a fly ball pitcher and that scares me in Texas where the ball flies far into the night. Besides, Matt Garza was a great pickup for the Rangers and should win.
• The Pirates over the Cardinals: Oh man, that error in the ninth inning last night was a killer for the Pirates. What an bad, bad moment for them. But I think they show some resilience tonight with Francisco Liriano throwing really well and Shelby Miller is not yet the consistently great pitcher he is going to be.
• The Athletics over the Astros: The Astros won last night and that threw me for a loop. And Jarred Cosart has been terrific for them. But he only has one decision (a win) in five starts for them. Jarrod Parker should win for the A's.
• The Dodgers over the Mets: Dillon Gee will give the Mets a good game. He always seems to. And Chris Capuano is hard to bank on. But the Dodgers have been surreal in how many games they win and the nod has to go to them at home.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Red Sox over the Blue Jays: Esmil Rogers has been a batting practice pitcher for his last bunch of starts. It has been ugly. Jon Lester has not had a great season. But I have to think he will be better than Rogers.

Yesterday: 6-9

Week: 24-17

Month: 105-69

Season: 1008-782

Games of the Day: 77-52    -1

MLB Game Picks - Friday: August 9, 2013

Bruce Chen. What is going on there? 5-0 with a 1.79 ERA? And he totally shuts down one of the best offenses in baseball? The world is upside down. Of course that game was the Game of the Day. And it was one of the two out of seven picks that were incorrect yesterday. The other was the Phillies destroying Jeff Samardzija and the Cubs. Samardzija drives me crazy. He is like the new Bud Norris: brilliant at times and awful at times.

And yeah, it looks like the Tigers totally spanked the Indians and told them maybe next year, kids. And you know Max Scherzer's 17 wins are stupid because wins are a stupid statistic. Whatever.

There are sixteen games on the schedule as the White Sox and Twins play two. Double your yuck, baby. Friday's picks:

• The Twins over the White Sox: I continue my Kyle Gibson fetish. But also, with John Danks pitching, the Twins are a much better hitting team against lefties. That seems illogical, but there it is. On the other hand, the Twins have hit .220 as a team in August so far. So there is that.
• The Indians over the Angels: One of two things is going to happen tonight. Either the Indians are going to take out all their Tigers frustration on Jered Weaver and the Angels, Or they will be so down and out after getting whupped by the Tigers that they will be helpless against Weaver. A 50/50 shot here. Scott Kazmir has been great.
• The Yankees over the Tigers: See above with 50/50. I have no business picking the Yankees here. But they are home. Ivan Nova has been great lately. Rick Porcello is the Tigers' most vulnerable starter. Let's see what happens.
• The Nationals over the Phillies. The Nationals now have no shot at all of doing anything this year. What a shocking season. Dan Haren was the most vulnerable pitcher in the NL for most of the season and lately has been throwing amazing. Go figure. John Lannon hardly seems capable of getting in the way.
• The Athletics over the Blue Jays: Esmil Rogers have been getting his butt handed to him for a month now. But Jarrod Parker does not always pitch that well on the road. The Rangers have caught the A's again and the A's have been sputtering. Tough call.
• The Reds over the Padres: You have to look for Bronson Arroyo to bounce back from his last start, which was awful. Andrew Cashner looked great against the Yankees. But then again, that is not hard to do these days.
• The Braves over the Marlins: Brandon Beachy's comeback has not been going well and Jacob Turner has been decent for the Marlins. But the Braves are on fire and their offense is clicking now. So I have to go with them at home.
• The Red Sox over the Royals: I am completely torn about this one. Ervin Santana have been terrific for two months now. He is in one of the best stretches of his career. At the same time, the Red Sox are starting Jake Peavy who the Royals know really well. But he also knows them really well. Gosh, I don't know.
• The White Sox over the Twins: Yuck. For the White Sox, Charles Leesman will make his Major League debut. Leesman has a great track record of winning games in his semi-long career (he is not a prospect) without the corresponding great peripherals to think it will transfer. Liam Hendriks and a whole lot of MLB sucktitude to his credit.
• The Rangers over the Astros: This one should be a no-brain pick. Matt Garza should shut down the Astros and the Rangers should hit Erik Bedard. I hate the word, "should."
• The Cardinals over the Cubs: The Cards had a really tough series against the Dodgers and need to rebound before the Pirates get out of sight. Lance Lynn should help make that happen. The Cubs go with Chris Rusin.
• The Pirates over the Rockies: Speaking of those Pirates, I think they will win again tonight. Francisco Liriano has been brilliant and my only concern is him pitching at Coors. But then again, so is Jorge De La Rosa.
• The Mariners over the Brewers: Joe Saunders is like Bruce Chen. How the heck does he ever get anyone out or win games? Saunders has won ten of them despite being his usual stinky self. Kyle Lohse is an old pro whose hot streak was cut down his last outing.
• The Bay Rays over the Dodgers: David Price should have a good game in this one. Puig is the only real challenge here. I love how Price is killing the strike zone. Chris Capuano will meet Wil Myers for the first time. I bet he will enjoy that.
• The Orioles over the Giants: Funny how two contenders in the AL East are both in the NL West this weekend. I am going with the Orioles because I never am comfortable picking a pitcher fresh off the DL like Ryan Vogelsong is tonight. Chris Tillman pitches for the Orioles who lose a bat from the DH.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Diamondbacks over the Mets: Patrick Corbin has been my guy all season long. Just like Miley was my guy last season and Kennedy the season before that. Now if only the D-backs could get follow up seasons by these guys, eh? Jeremy Hefner goes for the Mets.

Yesterday: 5-2

Week: 34-27

Month: 63-39

Season: 966-752

Games of the Day: 74-50    -3

MLB Game Picks - Saturday: August 3, 2013

Walk-off hits and homers, a young kid striking out fourteen batters, a tumbling catch into the seats and big hits by soon to be suspended players all went in favor of the picks and were only marred by the conspicuous failure of two former lefty aces. Only four picks went south out of fifteen. August has started just fine here at the FanDome. Chris Davis hit his 40th homer too, which is very cool. Still, one has to wonder if CC Sabathia and Jon Lester are done as elite pitchers. It sure appears to be so.

I have a golf tournament today, and I am pumped because I am really playing well these past couple of weeks. But as such, I better get right to Saturday's picks:

• The Mets over the Royals: To make such a pick knowing that David Wright will be out for a long time is problematic. But the Mets have a bunch of punch and Judy hitters which could give Bruce Chen problems. Jeremy Hefner has to pitch better than he has the last three weeks though.
• The Braves over the Phillies: John Lannon threw a good game his last time out. But he is John Lannon after all. Brandon Beachy's first outing back from TJ surgery did not go well. He will have to be a lot better today.
• The Dodgers over the Cubs: The Cubs continue to lose and that lineup is a lot weaker without Alfonso Soriano. Jeff Samardzija is having a good season, but he gets no help. The scary part is wondering when this really good bubble that Chris Capuano is in will burst.
• The Rangers over the Athletics: I got this wrong yesterday and went with the A's. But since Nelson Cruz got to play for the weekend, the Rangers should get the benefit. Matt Garza has been great since joining them and Jarrod Parker is the A's weakest starter.
• The Pirates over the Rockies: I got this one wrong yesterday too. The Pirates have now lost two in a row! Oh no! Nah. Francisco Liriano has been lights out and though Jorge De La Rosa has had a fine season, the pick is the Pirates.
• The Orioles over the Mariners: I am not overly excited about the Orioles picking up Scott Feldman. I felt they could have done better. But Feldman can be okay if he gets his ground balls. Erasmo Ramirez has won his last two starts, but does not go deeper than six innings and that bullpen is a mess.
• The Diamondbacks over the Red Sox: Jake Peavy will make his first start for the Red Sox and I predict that it will not go well. Meanwhile, Patrick Corbin pitches beautifully every time out, even in his losses. And I like power lefties against Boston.
• The Indians over the Marlins: Jacob Turner is a pretty good pitcher, but he is no Fernandez. Zach McAllister will need to pitch a good game and should be aided by the big ballpark in Miami. I am picking way too many visiting teams to win. This is scary.
• The Twins over the Astros: Like I said in his last start (which did not go well), I like Kyle Gibson as a pitcher. He has a little more zip than most of his Minnesota cohorts. Erik Bedard will not get much help and probably will not pitch well.
• The Bay Rays over the Giants: David Price is a seriously good option at home. I do not think he has walked a batter since he came back from the DL. Tim Lincecum should benefit from a bigger park down in St. Pete, but will not be able to match Price.
• The Reds over the Cardinals: The Reds got walloped yesterday by these same Cardinals. But I like their chances better today at home with Tony Cingrani on the mound. Besides, I have no faith in Jake Westbrook.
• The Nationals over the Brewers: I had written off Dan Haren for the season and then he goes and pitches a gem his last time out. So now I am confused. Donovan Hand has been decent for the Brewers since joining the rotation. But he does not strike anyone out.
• The Yankees over the Padres: I really like the way Ivan Nova has been throwing lately and he should be aided by Petco Park. Then again, Tyson Ross is the kind of pitcher that gives the Yankees trouble. This could be a nail-biter.
• The Angels over the Blue Jays: Esmil Rogers has been a batting practice pitcher lately so I do not like his chances against the Angels. That is especially the case since Jered Weaver is pitching for the Angels.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Tigers over the White Sox: I don't think this will only take two hours and seven minutes like Doug Fister took yesterday. But Max Scherzer should get a fairly easy win and give Brian Kenny more time to talk about how stupid the win statistic is. John Danks goes for the White Sox.

Yesterday: 11-4

Week: 50-32

Month: 18-8

Season: 921-716

Games of the Day: 71-47    +2

MLB Game Picks - Tuesday: July 23, 2013

Between all the histrionics and hand-wringing, there was baseball played last night. I watched the ESPN broadcast of the Rangers and Yankees and was pretty disgusted that a third of that broadcast was based on Ryan Braun instead of what was going on in the field. I very nearly turned it off.

But at least I had a decent day with nine correct out of fifteen. I made a couple of stupid picks in the five that were incorrect. I remember even mentioning that pitchers always stink the game after a no-hitter and yet I still picked Tim Lincecum. Duh. I picked the Angels to win a Joe Blanton start. Duh. My belief in Josh Johnson was laughably misplaced.

But otherwise, it was a good picking night. The Seattle pick over Cleveland was brilliant. Here are Tuesday's picks:

• The Reds over the Giants: The Reds and Giants play two games today. In this first one, it will be Tony Cingrani against Eric Surkamp. Surkamp pitched a bit for the Giants in 2011 but missed all of 2012. He has impressive minor league numbers but still walks too many for my taste. That is why I am going with Cingrani.
• The Pirates over the Nationals: I like Gerrit Cole over Taylor Jordan. Jordan is a ground ball machine though and those guys can have really good nights once in a while. But Cole is a guy who can shut the Nats down.
• The Reds over the Giants: The Giants must think the Reds cannot hit lefties as that is all they will get today. Barry Zito could get eaten alive though by the Reds offense, which is deep enough. The wild card here is the start by Greg Reynolds. Reynolds was the number 2 pick in all the nation back in 2006 but never panned out for the Rockies. He is having a brilliant minor league season and will not be a stranger to a Major League mound.
• The Dodgers over the Blue Jays: Yesterday's game caused me to officially give up on the Blue Jays. Gosh, I thought they were better than they are. Todd Redmond will not last long and things are going so well for the Dodgers that even Chris Capuano is pitching well.
• The Mets over the Braves: It was scaring me that I had not picked a home team to win as yet. The Mets are at home. But it is more than that. I like Carlos Torres, who at the age of 30, is not afraid, throws strikes and they are quality strikes. Kris Medlen goes for the Braves.
• The Red Sox over the Bay Rays: Jon Lester has a lot of people scratching their heads, including me. He started out so well! But even a messed up Jon Lester is better than a Roberto Hernandez. Why do the Rays keep pitching him?
• The Rangers over the Yankees: I cannot stomach any more of Vernon Wells / Travis Hafner playing every day. I just cannot. Play the kids already, for crying out loud. And it is time to DFA Eduardo Nunez. How many chances does one guy get? Phil Hughes will give up two or three homers and Alexi Ogando has an easy night.
• The White Sox over the Tigers: Yeah. I know. And I swear that Hector Santiago and Jose Quintana are the same guy who just changes his name for different starts. But Rick Porcello is pitching and needs a new home. And if Miguel Cabrera sits...
• The Astros over the Athletics: Yes, this will probably come back to haunt me. But Jarrod Cosart sure looked good in his first start against the Rays, a good team. I looked like a BABIP start though, so warnings there. Jarrod Parker goes for the A's.
• The Brewers over the Padres: Tyson Ross goes for the Padres tonight. He is 0-4 for the season.  Tyson Ross is 6-22 in the Big Leagues. I cannot take those numbers. Instead I will go with ground ball machine, Donovan Hand.
• The Cardinals over the Phillies: Shelby Miller has had some rest and should come out strong. Jonathan Pettibone has not done poorly for a young guy. But the Cardinals are a really tough test for any young pitcher.
• The Rockies over the Marlins: As much as I like Jose Fernandez, I cannot see him conquering Coors Field. Jhoulys Chacin, however, knows how to pitch there.
• The Diamondbacks over the Cubs: I have been aboard the Patrick Corbin train all season. Why stop now? By game time, Alfonso Soriano might be a Yankee. That will not help Travis Wood's chances any.
• The Twins over the Angels: Gosh, Angels. I thought you were movin' and groovin' there for a while. Now you are back to the same old slow grind. Kyle Gibson has had only one real bad start (Yankees) but is your typical no-strikeout Twins pitcher. This pick is really against Tommy Hanson more than anything. I think the Twins will hit him.
• The Indians over the Mariners: I like the move of putting Nick Swisher in the two-hole. That should work better. Zach McAllister is back. How good he will be is anyone's guess. I am guessing he will be better than Erasmo Ramirez.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Orioles over the Royals: Jason Hammel and Bruce Chen are amazing in that they remain in the Majors year after year. Hammel has not won in a while and Chen, though terrible, is 3-0. He will be 3-1 after tonight.

Yesterday: 9-5

Week: 27-17

Month: 154-103

Season: 831-639

Games of the Day: 65-42