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 - 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

MLB Game Picks - Wednesday: April 8, 2015

Ugh. The picks sure tanked yesterday. Normally untrustworthy pitchers are throwing gems. But I seriously can't make much of a defense if I chose Mat Latos to win. He was brutal and Jon Hart in Atlanta is starting to look like a genius. Oh well, I need to shake it off and try another day.

Wednesday's picks:

• The Tigers over the Twins: This scares me right off the bat because Ricky Nolasco was terrible last year. By the trend established this week, that means he will pitch a two-hitter. Anibal Sanchez goes for the Tigers.
• The Cardinals over the Cubs: This is the same pitching line that was supposed to happen yesterday but didn't because it became the first game in MLB history to be postponed because of pee. I still think Lance Lynn beats Jake Arrieta, gentille Arrieta.
• The Nationals over the Mets: This is a really fun pitching match-up between Jacob deGrom and Jordan Zimmermann. The latter starts his walk year and that will be interesting. I'm going with the home team because the pitching seems even.
• The Yankees over the Blue Jays: The Jays are a pretty cocky bunch right now and seem to talk smack all the time. R.A. Dickey can be tough as he is back in New York. I'm thinking that Michael Pineda is going to have a great year and it starts tonight.
• The Marlins over the Braves: If I keep picking the Marlins, it has to be correct at some point, right? It's the law of averages? Shelby Miller goes for the Braves in his first start with that team. He had a disappointing season a year ago as his strikeouts went down and his walks went up. Tom Koehler goes for the Marlins.
• The Orioles over the Bay Rays: Jake Odorizzi will no doubt have a better year than last year. But the Orioles are starting hot and should win despite Miguel Gonzalez being on the mound.
• The Pirates over the Reds: Gerrit Cole is one of my picks for guys to really get to the next level in 2015. I like him a lot. Mike Leake is a fifth starter type who will mostly keep you in the game. I like where the Reds' offense is right now though.
• The White Sox over the Royals: Jose Quintana is so much better than people think and I like his chances as a lefty against the Royals. Danny Duffy gets the start for the home team.
• The Indians over the Astros: Carlos Carrasco exploded onto the scene last year and was rewarded with a nice contract. Can he repeat it? We shall see. What I do know is that he is a strikeout pitcher pitching against a strikeout-prone team. Besides, I have little confidence in Scott Feldman.
• The Brewers over the Rockies: I have not been very successful picking the Brewers thus far. But we now start heading into the real iffy part of the Rockies' rotation with Eddie Butler getting the start. I think Wily Peralta will win this one.
• The Diamondbacks over the Giants: With Matt Cain out, the Giants turn to the little-tested Chris Heston. The D-Backs counter with Jeremy Hellickson, who I have never been too high on either. I have no idea...
• The Athletics over the Rangers: I have become a big fan of Scott Kazmir. I love where he has come back from in his career. Ross Detwiler is finally out of Washington, DC and gets his chance to shine. Will he?
• The Angels over the Mariners: The Mariners have had their way this series. And it will be interesting to see if Matt Shoemaker can repeat his success from a year ago when he surprised everyone. There are questions about the health of Hisashi Iwakuma, so we'll see.
• The Dodgers over the Padres: I really wanted the Yankees to resign Brandon McCarthy after what I saw last year. But his contract is too rich for my blood. I do think he will win this one over Andrew Cashner who has had his ups and downs.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Red Sox over the Phillies: Rick Porcello just got a new deal. It's time for him to earn it. The deal seems a bit rich for a guy not really fully established yet. Aaron Harang goes for the Phillies and he punished me good last year.

Yesterday: 1-6, Season: 9-13, Picks of the Day: 0-2  Bad!

MLB Game Picks - Sunday: September 21, 2014

Three straight great picking days crashed down in a pile of goo yesterday. That's the way it goes sometimes. I was too silly to think the Royals would beat the Tigers with their best pitcher on the mound. The Giants lost again. The Mariners got crushed by the Astros and I should have listened to myself about Dallas Keuchel. The Yankees lost. The Pirates lost while their best player acted as a bulls-eye all game. I picked the wrong young pitcher as T.J. House beat Trevor May (easily). It just wasn't a good day.

A week left to go in the regular season! Sunday's picks:

• The Yankees over the Blue Jays: How can you call this one? Masahiro Tanaka hasn't pitched in forever, so how can he be picked. At the same time...what if he is his brilliant old self? Hmm...  Drew Hutchison gets the start for the Blue Jays.
• The Nationals over the Marlins: How long will Stephen Strasburg pitch? What will happen after. Can the frustrating Nathan Eovaldi put together a great game? Will he? I have nothing but questions this morning.
• The Red Sox over the Orioles: Joe Kelly might be the best Red Sox' starter left. Heaven knows their other starters aren't doing anything. Miguel Gonzalez goes for the Orioles. Does he fit into their post season plans? If not, will he go longer than the other starters?
• The Brewers over the Pirates: Wily Peralta has had a very good season and his last two starts have been quality. The Pirates have to be concerned about how many times Andrew McCutchen is getting hit. Vance Worley starts for the Bucs.
• The Mets over the Braves: Jacob deGrom cements his ROY credentials while the Braves still can't hit a lick right now. Ervin Santana has had a nice season, but he needs support. He won't get it.
• The Indians over the Twins: The match-up of Corey Kluber and Anthony Swarzak should end all questions here. But baseball is played on the field and not in the mind or on paper.
• The Tigers over the Royals: I'm sorry to say this, Royals' fans, but goodnight. Rick Porcello will take advantage of aggressive-swinging Royals and Jeremy Guthrie is a offensive charge waiting to happen.
• The Astros over the Mariners: The Astros were a bad team for the Mariners to run into right now and Collin McHugh is the wrong pitcher for their offensively-challened team. If Hisashi Iwakuma can hang with McHugh for six innings, the M's have a chance.
• The Cubs over the Dodgers: Jamey Wright is starting for the Dodgers!? Did I read that right? Uh. Okay. He is a good relief pitcher, I'll say that. Jacob Turner continues to try and make progress with his new home.
• The Angels over the Rangers: Cory Rasmus gets stretched out a little bit more with each start and is doing quite well. Nick Tepesch has been the better of a really weak Rangers' rotation (until Derek Holland came back).
• The Athletics over the Phillies: I have no confidence in this pick. If A.J. Burnett is sharp, then the A's offense will be the same old crap one it has been for weeks now. And Scott Kazmir has begun to walk people again, which is frightening. But I can't give up on the A's as they have been too resilient over the years.
• The Rockies over the Diamondbacks: I'll be glad when this series is over. I haven't picked one game right yet. Christian Bergman goes for the Rockies and Wade Miley goes for the D-backs. Your guess is as good as mine.
• The Padres over the Giants: It seems like no contenders want to actually win these days and the Giants are no different. Ryan Vogelsong has been awful lately and that isn't promising. Ian Kennedy is my pick today.
• The Cardinals over the Reds: Remember when Alfredo Simon was an All Star pitcher? Yeah, me too. What happened with that? He is 2-7 with a 4.46 ERA since. Lance Lynn, meanwhile, is becoming an ace for the Cardinals.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Rays over the White Sox: Nate Karns was great in his first start, but I still can't believe it. Except the Rays are brilliant with turning around pitchers. Either way, John Danks can't be counted on for anything.

Yesterday: 6-9, Sept.: 163-113, Games of the Day: 100-63 (+8), Season: 1293-1047

MLB Game Picks - Tuesday: September 16, 2014

Yesterday, I got cute and picked against Stephen Strasburg and he threw a gem. Of course, the Braves offense is similarly futile as the Yankees' offense these days. Jacob deGrom was sailing along, striking a ton of people out and then the Marlins erupted. I didn't see that coming. I shouldn't have picked against the Dodgers and I should not have picked the Giants. All those decisions led to a 6-6 day. At least the Game of the Day feature is on a three-game positive streak.

Tuesday's picks:

• The Pirates over the Red Sox: Why would the Pirates, who need to win every game, pitch Charlie Morton? No matter, the offense will pick him up against Anthony Ranaudo and win a high scoring game.
• The Blue Jays over the Orioles: I have learned over the years not to pick a team the day after they seal the division. Besides, the Orioles are pitching Ubaldo Jimenez. I'll go with Drew Hutchison in hopes he will have a good game.
• The Mets over the Marlins: I know this didn't work out yesterday. And Nathan Eovaldi is capable of a big game. I just think that Bartolo Colon is due for one of his good games at home.
• The Rays over the Yankees: I asked Katie Sharp about the Yankees' line drive rate for the last two weeks and she told me that it was the lowest in the majors. I'm not surprised. They made a 4-A pitcher look like a god last night. Imagine what will happen against Jake Odorizzi. Actually, Odorizzi was the last guy they scored more than three runs against. No matter. The Yankees never score for Michael Pineda anyway.
• The Nationals over the Braves: The Braves are now a .500 team. Amazing. The Nationals are pushing for the clinch. Tanner Roark over Aaron Harang.
• The Reds over the Cubs: This pick did not work out yesterday because the Reds have sipped the same offensive Kool-aid as the Yankees and Braves. But Johnny Cueto goes for his nineteenth win, so I need to go there. Jake Arrieta gentille Arrieta will try to prevent it.
• The Royals over the White Sox: Despite the fact that Jose Abreu might hit a ball thrown by Liam Hendriks to St. Louis, I'm going with the Royals with a win over Chris Bassitt who did pitch well his last time out.
• The Tigers over the Twins: The odds of Ricky Nolasco beating the Tigers? 100-1? Rick Porcello hasn't had a great second half, but he should win this thing as the Tigers inch closer to another danged division win.
• The Cardinals over the Brewers: With a day off, the Cardinals should be fresh as daisies and Lance Lynn has been solid all season. Wily Peralta seems to be running out of steam. The Brewers showed so much promise earlier this season. It all fizzled.
• The Dodgers over the Rockies: Yes, this could be high scoring. But I've learned not to pick the Rockies (again). I must have lost my mind or something. Dan Haren and Tyler Matzek get the starts.
• The Diamondbacks over the Giants: The Giants have been the biggest hot and cold teams all season. They are either great for stretches or terrible for stretches. It's weird. Jake Peavy has been sensational for the Giants. But he is due for a bad game. Josh Collmenter has been one of the bright spots for the D-backs all season.
• The Mariners over the Angels: What did I say about picking against teams that just clinched? Yeah. Roenis Elias is not exactly reliable. But the Angels will be giddy. And I don't get warm fuzzies when Cory Rasmus starts.
• The Athletics over the Rangers: The Rangers have come alive and they are pitching suddenly. So this pick is uncomfortable. It is especially so since Scott Kazmir's wild streak has come back. Nick Tepesch goes for the Rangers. The A's will find a way.
• The Phillies over the Padres: Ian Kennedy simply doesn't do it for me. Ever. I mean, I root for him, but he is just an average pitcher. That might be enough against the Phillies if the Padres could hit. A.J. Burnett goes for the Phillies.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Indians over the Astros: Nick Tropeano did win his first MLB start, but let's not get carried away. He is facing Corey Kluber after all.

Yesterday: 6-6, Sept.: 121-85, Games of the Day: 95-63 (+3), Season: 1251-1019