Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Game Picks - Tuesday: October 4, 2011

This picker was a perfect 2-0 yesterday and 7-2 for the playoffs. But there is no joy in picking correctly against your favorite team. Sometimes you'd rather be wrong than right. But that's baseball. There is always a winner and a loser. Our sport doesn't end in a tie.

Today we have playoff Nirvana as there are four games on the schedule. Three of them feature teams on the brink of elimination. Here's what will probably happen:

  • The Rangers over the Rays: Matt Harrison will need to be very good to make this prediction look good. The two o'clock start should not bother Josh Hamilton since they are inside a dome. Jeremy Hellickson is very good, but a good offense can wear him down and get him out of the game early.
  • The Cardinals over the Phillies: What!? Does this picker believe suddenly in the Cardinals? Not seriously. But the Cardinals have a better chance against the lefty, Cole Hamels, than the Phillies have against lefty, Jaime Garcia. That said, Garcia has to command the strike zone and pitch deep into the game. That's hardly a guarantee with him this season. Garcia will likely face John Mayberry, Jr. and will need to be careful with him.
  • The Yankees over the Tigers: A.J. Burnett throws the game of his life. His only great performance in the past few years came with Dan Iassogna behind the plate.  The Yankees get to Rick Porcello or knock Jose Valverde's goggles off. And yes, hobbits do exist.
  • The Diamondbacks over the Brewers: It would be nice if after a dream season, the D-backs could pluck a win in this series. Josh Collmenter is a good choice for them as the Brewers have yet to score off the pitcher. Shaun Marcum is very good though. Should be a fascinating game.

Yesterday: 2-0
Week: 7-2
Month: 3-2
Season: 1370-1067

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