Game Picks - Friday: August 20, 2010

Things didn't look very good at the start of the day and this picker was in a deep hole. But the late games pulled through and the Fan ended the day at .500. Normally, that would not be a happy condition, but at one point, the Fan was at 2-6 and dying on the inside. Thank goodness the A's beat the Bay Rays and the Dodgers got the expected gem from Lilly. On the flip side, the Fan even mentioned the possibility of a Matusz gem and that's exactly what happened as the Rangers lost again. Hamilton has gone cold as have the rest of the Rangers' bats.The Mets left young Misch in there one inning too many. He was great until the seventh inning and had a 2-0 lead. But his manager just sat in the dugout while the young pitcher lost the game. 3-2. Inexcusable. The Mets need to clean house. Are you listening Wilpon?

And so it's on to Friday:

• The Braves over the Cubs: This year can't get over fast enough for the Cubs. Jurrjens wins.
• The Indians over the Tigers: Can't feel good about either team or either team's starters (Galarraga, Masterson). But one of the teams has to win.
• The Rangers over the Orioles: Wilson versus Arrieta. Wilson looks better every start. He'll win.
• The Mets over the Pirates: Pelfrey over Karstens. Not even close.
• The Yankees over the Mariners: Hard to pick against King Felix and to pick for Burnett, but call the Fan crazy.
• The Astros over the Marlins: Houston has been playing well. The Marlins are as always, a puzzle.
• The Red Sox over the Blue Jays: Can't pick against Lester no matter how much it hurts. Cecil won't be enough.
• The Brewers over the Padres: LeBlanc is probably the Padres softest starter. Gallardo is the Brewers' best starter. Makes sense.
• The Twins over the Angels: Dueinsing gets run support as the Twins shake off last night's debacle.
• The Giants over the Cardinals: Maybe the Fan is all wrong and the Cardinals aren't as good as thought. And now they have Pedro Feliz. Ewww. Bumgarner over Westbrook.
• The White Sox over the Royals: Jackson has been awesome for the White Sox. O'Sullivan is decent, but not enough here.
• The Diamondbacks over the Rockies: Really thought the Rockies would roll in the second half, but they've been sleepwalking. Kennedy over Rogers.
• The Bay Rays over the Athletics: Hellickson is a stud. Mazzaro is very good, but not as good as Hellickson.
• The Dodgers over the Reds: The Dodgers are on a roll, especially at home. They get to Homer Bailey.

And the Game of the Day

• The Phillies over the Nationals: Halladay versus Marquis? Yeah, that looks like a lopsided win.

 

Yesterday: 6-6
Week: 40-25
Month: 133-100
Season: 1034-755
Games of the Day: 68-52