MLB Game Picks - Monday: June 8, 2015

Saturday was an up and down day with some good picks, some bad picks (I'm looking at you Jordan Zimmermann) and a perfectly mediocre 8-7 final tally with a correct Pick of the Day. I suppose the results are better than the alternative.

A very abbreviated schedule today with only eight games. The picks:

• The Pirates over the Brewers: I don't think Ryan Braun's wrist is ever going to be the same. It's a shame really because the Brewers invested so heavily in him and built a lineup around him. A.J. Burnett is having a terrific season. Jimmy Nelson is not.
• The Blue Jays over the Marlins: Jose Bautista is really heating up and that bodes well for the Blue Jays, especially for as long as Jose Reyes stays in the lineup this time. Two soft pitchers in this one though with Brad Hand going for the Marlins and Marco Estrada for the Blue Jays. Could be high scoring.
• The Phillies over the Reds: Mike Leake has been really off this past month. I had to drop him from my fantasy team! Cole Hamels continues to audition for other teams.
• The White Sox over the Astros: This is a real interesting game here. Lance McCullers has been great for the Astros. But anytime the White Sox have Chris Sale on the mound, that has to be the pick.
• The Royals over the Twins: Another interesting game. The Royals don't walk and Phil Hughes doesn't walk anyone. So what happens to the balls in play? That's the key here. Jason Vargas goes for the Royals.
• The Cardinals over the Rockies: My only fear here is how well John Lackey will do at Coors Field. Otherwise, the Cardinals should have a hearty offensive day against David Hale.
• The Dodgers over the Diamondbacks: I have been doing really well picking Mike Bolsinger and he has been a nice addition to my fantasy team too! Rubby De La Rosa, on the other hand, after some good starts has begun to take a beating of late.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Braves over the Padres: I'm really surprised by how well the Braves are playing. Part of that equation is starting pitching and guys like Shelby Miller have really done well. Ian Kennedy is another story and has been knocked around pretty consistently.

Yesterday: 8-7, June: 52-45, Season: 430-398, Picks of the Day: 34-27 (+3)

MLB Game Picks - Saturday: May 23, 2015

It is the first day of Memorial Day Weekend and I woke up early to play golf...and it is snowing. What!? Snowing!? Sheesh.

Anyway, my picks are snowballing too as I went 12-3 yesterday after going 9-3 the day before. I'll take a 21-6 run. The only three incorrect picks were two emotions driven ones. I had the Yankees and they couldn't pitch or field. I had the Cubs and they couldn't hold a lead and I had the Rockies who were beat by the voodoo-driven Giants.

Saturday's picks:

• The Yankees over the Rangers: I know. The Yankees are terrible lately. I know. But amidst that terrible is CC Sabathia who has been pitching really well. I'm going with him over Nick Martinez. Martinez has been very consistent and decent for the Rangers.
• The Mariners over the Blue Jays: Robinson Cano hits a homer off of Mark Buehrle and James Paxton continues his good pitching of late.
• The Mets over the Pirates: A.J. Burnett has been pitching really well for the Pirates but in this case, I have to go with Matt Harvey. Harvey has simply been outstanding.
• The Nationals over the Phillies: This pick makes me a bit nervous because picking Stephen Strasburg never works out for me. But he does do better at home and the Nationals are being carried on Bryce Harper's shoulders. Cole Hamels goes for the Phillies.
• The Tigers over the Astros: The Tigers don't have the offense they had a year ago, but they score enough to win if they get good pitching. Kyle Lobstein has been inconsistent, but I like him in this one over Lance McCullers.
• The Indians over the Reds: Well, welcome back Mr. Corey Kluber. Where have you been? Judging from Kluber's last performance, picking against him would be stupid. Anthony DeSclafani is going in the wrong direction for the Reds.
• The Braves over the Brewers: Probably the only thing that could stop the Brewers right now is a very good Shelby Miller. Mike Fiers would have to match him. I don't know, this is a tough one.
• The White Sox over the Twins: You didn't expect the Twins to be that good, right? Chris Sale over Trevor May.
• The Giants over the Rockies: Charlton Chris Heston has been a nice story for the Giants. How will he do at Coors? He faces Jordan Lyles who hasn't been as good as last year. Giants...
• The Giants over the Rockies: Yeah. I'm going with a sweep. Yusmeiro Petit is a nice swing man for the Giants to have. Meanwhile, the Rockies have to dip and give David Hale a start. Not pretty.
• The Marlins over the Orioles: Dan Haren is 2-0 at home in Miami with a 1.80 ERA there. That seems like a good pick even though Mike Wright was outstanding for the Orioles in his debut start.
• The Angels over the Red Sox: I'm not buying Steven Wright as a starter for the Red Sox. And the Red Sox cannot hit lefties. Though Rusney Castillo might help there. I'm going with the Angels behind C.J. Wilson.
• The Cardinals over the Royals: It's hard to pick against the Royals these days. And John Lackey versus Edinson Volquez is a tough pick. I'm going to pick the Cardinals. And much to Bob's surprise, I have been fairly accurate with my Cards picks this season.
• The Diamondbacks over the Cubs: The Diamondbacks are playing well right now and Rubby De La Rosa has been very good. Jake Arrieta gentille Arrieta hasn't been as fine as last year to this point.
• The Dodgers over the Padres: Mike Bolsinger has been terrific for the Dodgers. Ian Kennedy is your average fourth starter. He'll keep the Padres in the game. No more, no less.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Rays over the Athletics: Shield your eyes. The A's are gruesome right now. And Kendall Graveman has a good name to be pitching for them. Nate Karns or Nathan Karns, whichever B-R wants for it's linker, has been very consistent for the Rays.

Yesterday: 12-3, May: 152-122, Season: 316-287, Picks of the Day: 25-20

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 - Thursday: April 30, 2015

The Game Picks had another good day yesterday to give me a shot at finished this awful month in the black instead of the red. The only thing that annoys me is that I never pick the Yankees as the Pick of the Day and I did and they lost. Not only did they lose, but they lost in extra-innings. I am now 0-9 in the last nine games that have gone into extra frames. That's amazing.

Thursday's picks:

• The Cardinals over the Phillies: Tim Cooney, a former third-round draft pick for the Cards in 2012, makes his MLB debut tonight against the Phillies. He is a left-hander with good control. Not a combination you see a lot. He faces David Buchanan.
• The Angels over the Athletics: Yes, I will take Garrett Richards over Jesse Chavez pretty much all the time.
• The Braves over the Reds: The Reds will be very familiar with Shelby Miller from his days as a Cardinal. That said, I'm not a big believer in Mike Leake and think the Braves should win this one. Of course, I'm still thinking of the Braves of past years and not the new reality.
• The Mets over the Nationals: I just can't pick Stephen Strasburg anymore. It never works out for me. And I like him too. So maybe he'll win when I don't pick him. Jacob deGrom goes for the Mets and hopes to put that Yankees game behind him.
• The White Sox over the Twins: Chris Sale is amazing. What a great pitcher! Trevor May has been pitching better. But I have to go with Sale.
• The Tigers over the Royals: These series will be huge all season. The Royals are at home and Danny Duffy has great stuff. It doesn't always translate to wins though. Alfredo Simon is 4-0 and will be someone the Royals are not familiar with. Going with the Tigers.
• The Astros over the Mariners: James Paxton is not having a good season thus far. The Astros are surprisingly good so far this season. Scott Feldman is a liability. I'm just going to ride the Astros for a while.

The Pick of the Day

• The Blue Jays over the Indians: Daniel Norris was really good his last time out. So maybe he is settling into his role now. On the other hand, I think the Blue Jays' offense will be all over T.J. House.

Yesterday: 10-5, Season: 160-161, Picks of the Day: 13-11

MLB Game Picks - Saturday: April 25, 2015

I went 9-5 yesterday with one game awaiting completion after being suspended. The day finally brought me out of a deep early hole and I am above .500 for the season. Gosh, that was an uphill battle. At my lowest ebb, I was seventeen games below .500. At least I feel a little better about things. Once again, there were two extra-inning games and once again, both went against me. That was a common theme last year.

Saturday's picks:

• The Royals over the White Sox: I have little faith in John Danks, I have a little bit more in Edinson Volquez. I am also worried about the health of the White Sox' first baseman.
• The Tigers over the Indians: Alas, Shane Greene did not do well yesterday and that brings us today to Alfredo Simon who is also entering this game at 3-0. Will he fall too? Trevor Bauer has been outstanding for the Indians. Tough call.
• The Reds over the Cubs: Both teams are going to have gassed bullpens. So which team will have a starter rescue it today? I'm going with Anthony DeSclafani, who has been amazing over Jake Arrieta gentille Arrieta.
• The Athletics over the Astros: The A's bullpen blew this yesterday. Perhaps that won't happen today. Scott Feldman goes for the Astros. Meh. Kendall Graveman goes for the A's. Meh. I don't like the match-up. So I'll go with the home team.
• The Yankees over the Mets: The Yankees have been killing aces lately and breaking streaks. And the team nobody likes is tied for first. CC Sabathia is 0-3 and Matt Harvey is 3-0. Something either has to give, or it will continue going in that direction. I am encouraged by the Yankees lately.
• The Nationals over the Marlins: I don't understand either of these teams right now. They are just spinning around going nowhere. Stephen Strasburg has to figure out how to win on the road and in Miami. Tom Koehler will keep his team in the game.  Not confident here.
• The Blue Jays over the Rays: The Rays got a big boost from getting James Loney back and the Rays are slugging remarkably well, which has been unexpected. The Blue Jays suffer when Jose Bautista is hurting and Daniel Norris has struggled thus far. So why am I picking the Jays? Because Erasmo Ramirez is starting for the Rays. That's why.
• The Red Sox over the Orioles: The Orioles have lost five in a row. Wei-Yin Chen isn't a great match-up against the Red Sox who like to go with the pitch. Justin Masterson has been encouraging with recovering strikeout and ground ball rates. Going with Boston.
• The Cardinals over the Brewers: The Brewers are really bad. I mean, they are tank city bad. Wily Peralta is capable of a good day. But the Brewers cannot hit and Adam Wainwright should exploit that.
• The Diamondbacks over the Pirates: Rubby De La Rosa is one of two De La Rosa pitchers pitching today. I'm not sure about him other than that the Pirates won't be familiar with him. A.J. Burnett goes for the Pirates.
• The Rockies over the Giants: The other one, Jorge De La Rosa pitches against the Giants in his second start of the season. The first start didn't go well at all. Tim Hudson has to pitch at Coors. The winner of this game will score double-digits in runs.
• The Dodgers over the Padres: Ian Kennedy is coming off the DL to pitch this one. That makes me uncomfortable. Brandon McCarthy has been really good for the Dodgers and is pitching in a big ballpark. I like his chances. Puig is dinged up again though.
• The Angels over the Rangers: Old friends C.J. Wilson and Colby Lewis square up here and I prefer Wilson at home.  The whole Josh Hamilton thing still bothers me when it comes to the Angels.
• The Mariners over the Twins: James Paxton is such a key for the Mariners and as of yet, has not pitched well. They need him to if they want to dominate the AL West. Trevor May pitched very well his last time out, but I don't trust that. Nelson Cruz is amazing.

And the Pick of the Day

• The Braves over the Phillies: These two teams will struggle this year and will play each other a lot. The pitching match-ups will mean a lot here. That being the case, I'll take Shelby Miller over David Buchanan.

Yesterday: 9-5, Season: 126-125, Picks of the Day: 10-9