Game Picks - Thursday: April 28, 2011

"So then because thou are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."  Yesterday was another day of exactly .500 picking. This picker is neither cold nor hot. And this mouth is "spueing" alright. Yet another postponement led to yet another 7-7 finish in what has become a frustrating week of picks. First, the Orioles got to Josh Beckett, who had been red hot. And then the Red Sox stormed back to tie the game late. The old Orioles would have crumbled. These didn't and came back with a run of their own and won the game. The Brewers roared back several times to overcome deficits. But the Reds scored one more run and it was too much. The Marlins scored four early, but couldn't contain Andre Ethier, who is on fire. The Mariners scored ten runs. The Mariners? Seriously? The Giants couldn't crack James McDonald and the Pirates won the game. The Angels' fielding left Dan Haren with an unearned run and couldn't touch Tyler Ross and win the game. It took three straight late game correct picks just to salvage the lukewarm. And so it went.

With all this boiling inside the Fan's head, the thoughts turn to Thursday and its short schedule that still features eleven games thanks in part to a make-up double-header in Minneapolis. And a glance at that games sees a tangled web. It's not going to be easy:

• The Pirates over the Giants: This game is impossible to pick. The current Pirates are a plucky bunch. They don't just roll over and die like so many Pirate teams in this decade. Karstens was certainly plucky last time out. He faces old Pirate friend, Ryan Vogelsong, who gets an emergency start for the Giants. Vogelsong started way back in 2006 for the Pirates and it didn't go well. He then went to Japan and Korea and now is asked to beat his old team. Seems too long for the odds.
• The Mariners over the Tigers: Pineda versus Penny. Penny was super his last time out. Pineda is one of the big stories of 2011.
• The Bay Rays sweep the Twins: Hellickson will beat Blackburn and then Niemann beats Swarzak making a start for the still Mauer-less and toothless Twins.
• The Blue Jays over the Rangers: The Jays get to Ogando and Brandon Morrow comes up huge in his second game back from injury.
• The Red Sox over the Orioles: Lester pulls the Red Sox out of last place and beats Bergesen, who will be ground down to dust by the fourth.
• The Yankees over the White Sox: You can't pick against Sabathia at home, can you? Jackson is so unpredictable though. He could be brilliant or he could suck. The Yankees may have to play without Teixeira.
• The Indians over the Royals: The Fan is sooooo sick of these two teams playing over and over. Carmona over Davies. The Royals need to call up Hosmer or something.
• The Mets over the Nationals: Might as well ride this Mets' wave a while. Capuano over Livan, who seems to have a scandal on his hands.
• The Cardinals over the Astros: Kyle McClellan and Nelson Figueroa are two pitchers heading in opposite directions.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Cubs over the Diamondbacks: Dempster and Enright have been among the worst starting pitchers of the 2011 season. But picking the one of them that doesn't have a history of this kind of sucktitude.

Yesterday: 7-7
Week: 24-28
Month: 191-163
Season: 191-163
Games of the Day: 14-14