MLB Game Picks - Tuesday: August 5, 2014

August is stuck in the mud. Heading into the fifth day, and after a 3-4 crappy Monday, the month's tally stands at 26-26. Blech. Not only that, but the Game of the Day, which went on a roll in July, has now been wrong two days in a row and three of the last four. Come on, William! Let's get going!

Tuesday's picks;

• The Reds over the Indians: The Tribe is on a nice roll. Johnny Cueto, however, is a tough customer for the Reds. I don't believe Josh Tomlin can keep up with him and the Reds take this one.
• The Yankees over the Tigers: This pick might be foolish. But here is what I think will happen. David Price will try too hard to produce in his first Tigers' start and will run into a couple of homers. The big key is if Hiroki Kuroda can get the Yankees to the seventh inning.
• The Astros over the Phillies: Possibly another stupid pick. It all depends on how well Dallas Keuchel pitches. If he does well, the Astros will score a few off of Kyle Kendrick and win the game.
• The Marlins over the Pirates: Charlie Morton has not won a start since July 2 and his ERA has gone up over that time span. Brad Hand has been doing a nice job in the rotation without the wins to show for it. I like a lefty against the Pirates right now without McCutchen in the lineup.
• The Mets over the Nationals: You know what is kind of silly? I don't even know who is playing in the Mets' lineup these days. I know Granderson is in there. I know Wright. Duda. But who else is over there? I guess I will have to look some day. I do know that Zack Wheeler has been unbeatable lately and have him over Gio Gonzalez.
• The Orioles over the Blue Jays: The Orioles are darned tough right now. They just might win this thing going away. Bud Norris has been steady, a word he has never had in his arsenal before. Mark Buehrle might be good here. Or, he might get himself tattooed.
• The Padres over the Twins: Phil Hughes may have a good night. But I have to go with my boy, Chaka Jesse Hahn. He has been my go-to guy for a while now.
• The Brewers over the Giants: Jimmy Nelson is starting to settle into this Big League thing and keeps getting better with each start. His WHIP is an impressive 1.12. The Giants are offensively challenged, did not address that at the trade deadline and Tim Lincecum could be fantastic or the opposite.
• The White Sox over the Rangers: This game features two starting pitchers I don't trust in Colby Lewis and John Danks and two bullpens I don't trust either. Ugh. Somebody has to win, so I'll go with the home team.
• The Cardinals over the Red Sox: The Red Sox have to choose at first base between David Ortiz and Mike Napoli. Either way, without the DH, they will lose one of their two best hitters. Cespedes might make up the difference. Lance Lynn seems the better pick over Rubby De La Rosa.
• The Rockies over the Cubs: Gosh, what a mess to pick here. Brett Anderson has not exactly lit anything up and neither has Travis Wood. Your guess is as good as mine here.
• The Royals over the Diamondbacks: Here is a strange way to look at this game: Wade Miley is much better on the road than at home. The split is not even close. Danny Duffy, on the other hand, is much better on the road than at home. If that stays true to form, the Royals should win despite losing the DH.
• The Athletics over the Rays: I'm not a big believer in Jason Hammel. But the same goes for The Emoticon, Drew Smyly. While I think Smyly will improve in St. Pete, he won't right away. Did you see Balfour's reaction after the walk-off loss last night? It seemed he was blaming the way the infield was set up. Not good team spirit there.
• The Dodgers over the Angels: I have a sneaky feeling the Angels will beat Clayton Kershaw tonight. I just do. But it would be crazy against the odds to pick it that way. Hector Santiago starts for the Angles.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Mariners over the Braves: This might be too much of a good thing and it may blow up in my face. But, gosh, you have to go with Felix Hernandez at home don't you? Alex Wood will try to ruin my day as he starts for the Braves.

Yesterday: 3-4, August: 26-26, Games of the Day: 65-52, Season: 920-773

Questionable judgement call costs the Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates lost a game in extra innings yesterday when a double play was broken up when Nick Ahmed threw up his arm and deflected a throw that might have been an inning ending double play. In the judgement of the umpires, the runner did not intentionally interfere with the play. I find that ruling a bit spurious.

Here is the play:

Ahmed certainly threw his arm up and it wasn't just a natural part of his slide. That's my humble opinion anyway. And if you look at the Interference Rules as listed on Page 17 of the official MLB rule book, intentionally interfering with the act of fielding the ball is interference.

Many old timers like me can remember a similar play in the World Series past when Reggie Jackson did the same thing and got away with it too. It was wrong then and it is wrong now.

I would be okay if Nick Ahmed had slid in a normal motion and got hit with the ball. No harm, no foul there. But Ahmed's arm went up in a not natural motion and was clearly trying to block the baseball.

I think the umpires got it wrong here and the play was not reviewable (which is not really a word but has become one in baseball parlance).

One thing I got a kick out of was MLB.com's spin on the play. The headline and writing go a long way out of the way to back up the umpire's call and not give any inkling of a doubt that perhaps there is a problem here.

The bottom line is that the Pirates are in the middle of a battle for the division and the wild card and a judgement call cost them a game.

MLB Game Picks - Monday: October 4, 2014

Mediocrity continues with another 8-7 day. The Astros surprised me all weekend. Scott Kazmir lost. The most laughable incorrect pick was the White Sox. What the heck was that!? They did not have a relief pitcher that could get anyone out no matter who they put out there. After Jose Quintana threw too many pitches through five, but had a 3-1 lead when he left, the White Sox bullpen gave up 15 runs with 23 base runners in four innings. Nice. Way to make me look totally stupid.

In one of the slowest days since the All Star Break, Monday only features seven games. That makes little room for error today. The picks:

• The Giants over the Mets: This first one is a tough call. Dillon Gee has really struggled in his last three starts. But he is a much better pitcher than that. Tim Hudson is one of the best pitchers of his generation, but can have a bad game occasionally at his age. Tough one.
• The Nationals over the Orioles: This is a make-up game from earlier in the season. And two good, young pitchers are matched up. I've rarely gone wrong picking Tanner Roark this season, but the Orioles' lineup and Kevin Gausman make it difficult to be confident about any pick here.
• The Indians over the Reds: Corey Kluber has been terrific and Alfredo Simon has been fading. But the Reds have gotten hot and get an extra bat in the lineup. This isn't easy today! I like the Indians better without Asdrubal Cabrera.
• The Tigers over the Yankees: The Yankees' lineup has gotten deeper with the additions and Brandon McCarthy has been really good. But Max Scherzer is hard to beat and Miguel Cabrera loves Yankee Stadium III.
• The White Sox over the Rangers: How can I go back to the White Sox well after Sunday's debacle? It was just a game. I have no faith in either starter today. Hector Noesi goes for the White Sox and Nick Martinez for the Rangers. It's hard to understand the Rangers throwing Martinez out there game after game with his results. I don't get it.
• The Rays over the Athletics: All of these games are tough today! Alex Cobb has been unbelievable his last two outings. I mean big-time great. I am worried about the A's offense without Cespedes. His OBP might have been low, but his presence in the middle of the lineup just made a difference. Jeff Samardzija goes for the A's.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Dodgers over the Angels: I love Garrett Richards. But he has faced two tough teams in a row and he did not hold up against either. This will be his third one in a row and I think Zack Greinke will best him. The Angels losing the DH hurts them less than most since they have a weakness there anyway.

Yesterday: 8-7, August: 23-22, Games of the Day: 65-51 (-1), Season: 917-769

MLB Game Picks - Sunday: August 3, 2014

The picks are still stuck in Mediocre-ville, but at least they were a game over .500 instead of a game under like the previous three days. I can't seem to get anything going lately. The picks have started to resemble Tiger Woods' golf game. Oof. That wasn't very nice. Things would have been a little nicer looking if Robin Ventura had not left Scott Carroll on the mound for one inning too long and if his bullpen did not totally blow chunks. But, oh well.

Sunday's picks:

• The Rangers over the Indians: The Rangers have been so bad. As bad as they are, you have to give Yu Darvish the benefit of the doubt whenever he pitches. While it is never a guaranteed win, it's a good pick. Trevor Bauer goes for the Indians.
• The Tigers over the Rockies: Anibal Sanchez has thrown stinkers in four of his last five starts and has never been a second half beast. The Rockies, however, are not a good team and are worse outside of Coors. That said, Jorge De La Rosa is one of their better starters.
• The Reds over the Marlins: Thanks to someone I know, I am self-conscious of these pick now. I know the Marlins are a good team. And I know they excel at home. But I use as much logic here as possible. Mike Leake is a better pitcher than Jacob Turner. That's the gist of it. The Reds' offense is the only concern of this pick.
• The Giants over the Mets: Questioning Bartolo Colon is pretty stupid these days. He will have his clunkers, but more often is very good. The difference here is that so is Madison Bumgarner. I just don't see the Mets doing much against him.
• The Nationals over the Phillies: Cole Hamels is on fire. Stephen Strasburg is questioning his own team's offense. Hey, bud, don't give up runs and you win. Perhaps he won't today and harness is prodigious talent.
• The Orioles over the Mariners: Does Chris Tillman pitch ever third day? It sure seems like he does. While I do not think he is as good as Hisashi Iwakuma, the Orioles will find a way to win the game.
• The Rays over the Angels: Jake Odorizzi has won his last three starts and four of his last five. Did you know he has more strikeouts than innings pitched this season? Jered Weaver just doesn't do it for me any more.
• The White Sox over the Twins: I always pick against Kyle Gibson because he doesn't strike anyone out and relies on the ball being hit at people to win. But I am wrong at least half the time. Jose Quintana, on the other hand, has been great all season with great stuff and cannot get ANY support from his team. I like lefties against the Twins.
• The Blue Jays over the Astros: This pick has blown up on me all weekend. But I think I got it this time with Marcus Stroman. I can't believe I dropped him from my fantasy team. What a dope I am. Scott Feldman goes for the Astros.
• The Cardinals over the Brewers: I have no idea what to expect from John Lackey for the Cardinals. It will seem so weird. And you never know what to expect from Matt Garza either. Oh well, one of them has to win.
• The Athletics over the Royals: I guess the A's answered my questions about their offense without Cespedes with the blowout win yesterday. James Shields may have a big day. I'd rather go with Scott Kazmir. Wo-oh Wo-oh.
• The Padres over the Braves: The Braves have fallen and cannot get up. They should have never gotten rid of Dan Uggla. Heh. I am going with Tyson Ross over Aaron Harang. It will be low scoring.
• The Dodgers over the Cubs: Josh Beckett over Edwin Jackson. That is all there is to say.
• The Yankees over the Red Sox: I haven't gotten one game of this series correctly yet. If the good Clay Buchholz turns up, I'll look stupid. If the one most often seen this season turns up, then I'm good. David Phelps will keep his team in the game.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Pirates over the Diamondbacks: Kirk Gibson has got to go. It's plain and simple. His tactics and his macho crap just reek. Sorry D-Backs fans. That's how I feel. Francisco Liriano over Trevor Cahill.

Yesterday: 8-7, August: 15-15, Games of the Day: 65-50, Season: 909-762

MLB Game Picks - Saturday: August 2, 2014

Friday made it three days in a row where the picks finished just under .500. Mediocrity is my name. Hey, did you notice that my Game of the Day was the Oakland A's and they were shut out a day after trading Yoenis Cespedes. Coincidence? Something to keep an eye on at least. Another bad pick was when Peralta was more Wily than Adam Wainwright. Oof. Another wrong pick was when Mike Minor's problems got more major on Friday as he was wrecked by the Padres.

I did get the Cubs over the Dodgers as Dan Haren continues to get hammered. And I also got the Red Sox over the Yankees. The young Anthony Renaudo did pitch well, but it really was a BABIP game as the Yankees hit a lot of at-em balls. And that Mookie Betts catch? Unbelievable...

Saturday's picks:

• The Athletics over the Royals: Jon Lester has arrived in Oakland and makes his debut against the Royals. Jason Vargas is the Royals' pitcher and he has good his last two starts. Runs will be at a premium today.
• The Red Sox over the Yankees: First, Shane Greene does not fill me with overwhelming hope for the Yankees. Secondly, Cespedes is going to have a big day and him and David Ortiz will be partying it up. The only question is how Allen Webster pitches. The Yankees' offense just cannot get going.
• The Nationals over the Phillies: This pick was wrong yesterday. And if A.J. Burnett has one of his good day, it could be bad today too. Will the real Jordan Zimmermann please stand up?
• The Orioles over the Mariners: James Paxton is a major talent. But he hasn't pitched since early April. Miguel Gonzalez is not a major talent, but he is a typical Oriole that seems to rise to the occasion--not to mention three great starts in a row. The M's offense is mired.
• The Indians over the Rangers: Ugh, this one is ugly. Miles Mikolas can shut down the Yankees, sure. But he has been awful against everyone else. But then there is T.J. House who hasn't exactly been impressive. High scoring game?
• The Angels over the Rays: C.J. Wilson has had a really bad stretch of starts (four bad ones in a row) and Chris Archer has been very good. So the Rays seem to be the pick. But this feels like a trap and the roles will reverse today. Ah, you know I was just looking to pick a road team to break up the program.
• The Reds over the Marlins: I have been getting some outside pressure for not picking the Marlins and rightly so as they were hot and at home. So I went with them last night and they lost. Well screw that then. Besides, I trust Nathan Eovaldi as far as I can throw him. Homer Bailey with the win.
• The White Sox over the Twins: Did I dream somewhere that Yohan Pino is not very popular with his teammates? I must have because I cannot find a reference. Weird. Anyway, Scott Carroll doesn't fill me with peace about the pick, but there he is over Pino.
• The Mets over the Giants: This pick was way wrong yesterday. However, Jacob deGrom is my guy. He has been great. And Jake Peavy seems cursed for some reason and cannot get run support from any team he pitches with.
• The Blue Jays over the Astros: I would feel better about this pick if I knew Houston's roof would be closed with R.A. Dickey pitching. I still think the Jays win despite a nice outing last time out by Brett Oberholtzer.
• The Brewers over the Cardinals: Forgive me for not being excited about Justin Masterson pitching for the Cardinals. Unless his velocity picks up from before his DL stint, he is not the same guy. Besides, Kyle Lohse is going to give his former team fits in his old haunts.
• The Pirates over the Diamondbacks: Both Vance Worley and Chase Anderson have been winning pitchers for their respective teams. That seems to even out the pitching equation here. If that is the case, then the Pirates are the pick as the much better team.
• The Padres over the Braves: The Braves seem to be fading a bit. That uneven offense has to get them in trouble eventually. I will say that Ervin Santana is earning himself a nice contract when he hits the market after the season. But despite his walks spiking, Ian Kennedy has been pretty good since the start of July and frankly, I am surprised he wasn't scooped up before the deadline.
• The Dodgers over the Cubs: It is Korea versus Japan in this one as Hyun-jin Ryu goes against the 33-year-old rookie, Tsuyoshi Wada. Wada picked up his first MLB win his last time out. Ryu should best him at home.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Tigers over the Rockies: Dang, all home teams picked so far. I hate when that happens. Rick Porcello should win though. Tyler Matzek seems perpetually frozen at a 2-5 record.

Yesterday: 7-8, August: 7-8, Games of the Day: 64-50, Season: 901-753

MLB Game Picks - Friday: August 1, 2014

July started very strong and ended with two days just under .500. But yesterday's results were totally swallowed up by the amazement and buzz created by the trade deadline. The flurry of activity and the names of the players involved were simply amazing. Keeping track of them all will be of vital importance for me moving forward as I try to pick these games. The clear winners to me were the Athletics and the Red Sox. The latter was a seller but picked up a lot of talent in return. The former was a buyer and got their big pieces.

Let's see how it all plays out. Friday's picks:

• The Nationals over the Phillies: Much was made during the deadline of the Phillies doing diddly with their aging, overpriced team. But hey, they won yesterday. I don't think they will today with Doug Fister on the mound for the Nats. Roberto Hernandez starts for the Phillies.
• The Mariners over the Orioles: The last time Wei-Yin Chen faced the Mariners six days ago, he threw eight shutout innings. This time, the Mariners will have right-handed bats Chris Denorfia and Austin Jackson in the lineup (I think). That makes a difference. But Roenis Elias must pitch well.
• The Indians over the Rangers: Did the trade deadline signal that the Indians have given up? Maybe. But they are still better than the Rangers. Danny Salazar over Jerome Williams.
• The Tigers over the Rockies: Justin Verlander used to be the Tigers' ace. Now he is more famous for his girlfriend. He has been pitching a bit better though. The Rockies are moribund and Franklin Morales might get himself killed here.
• The Angels over the Rays: What will the Rays' demeanor be like today? What did selling Price tell them? Jeremy Hellickson is doing his normal stuff since coming back: A high FIP and WHIP and only one run allowed. How does he DO that? But he hasn't gone five innings yet. Matt Shoemaker for the win.
• The Marlins over the Reds: The Marlins didn't waste any time by putting Jarred Cosart immediately into the fire tonight as the starter. I always liked him and he should enjoy that nice fat ballpark in Miami. Mat Latos doesn't scare me nearly as much as he used to.
• The Red Sox over the Yankees: These teams will look totally different when they take the field today. I have no idea what it will feel like and how it will play out. I don't trust Chris Capuano and you know Dustin Pedroia will play over his head and Ortiz will hit one out. Anthony Ranaudo makes his debut for the Red Sox. He is going to be fun to watch.
• The Mets over the Giants: The Mets are still sort of in this thing which explains why Colon is still there. Jon Niese is a good pitcher and I am predicting he will keep the Giants' lineup in their current funk. Ryan Vogelsong will break just enough.
• The White Sox over the Twins; Logan Darnell did not exactly have a great time the last time he faced the White Sox and this time he is up against Chris Sale. Good luck with that.
• The Blue Jays over the Astros: I'm trying to remember...the Astros already won their one game of the week right? Yup. So I am all set. J.A. Happ over Collin McHugh.
• The Cardinals over the Brewers: The Cardinals have fully committed to Matt Adams and we'll see how that plays out. They did not address the offense which is been their problem. They just got more pitching. Speaking of pitching, Adam Wainwright needs to ace-up tonight against Wily Peralta.
• The Pirates over the Diamondbacks: What a surprise that the Pirates stayed pat. Would you expect anything different. With all of the D-Backs problems, they trade Gerardo Parra, one of their better players? Okay. Edinson Volquez over Vidal Nuno.
• The Braves over the Padres: I don't think the Braves are good enough and did not overly help themselves yesterday. But today is about the pitching match-up, which isn't great. But I guess I will take Mike Minor over Eric Stults.
• The Cubs over the Dodgers: Upset pick! The Dodgers did nothing in the deadline!? Strange for them. And Dan Haren is still in the rotation and he has been brutal. Hmm.. I'll take the Cubs and Kyle Hendricks, who has been pitching great.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Athletics over the Royals: It's Sonny Gray Day in Oakland and that is always one of my favorite picks. The guy is 12-3 after all. Jeremy Guthrie does not move me. But I am interested to see how the A's offense reacts without Cespedes.

Yesterday: 5-6, July Final: 211-170, Games of the Day: 64-49, Season: 894-745