Wow! That was a struggle just like the Yankees - Mets game that clinched a positive day. To
start things off, the Phillies were picked to sweep the Rays. Heck, with Hamels and Lee
pitching, that sounded good, right? Uh...wrong. The the Indians lost. And the Giants lost on a
walk-off by a rookie A's catcher, bless his furry face. The Aroldis Chapman blew a save. The
the Pirates lost a heart-breaker. And yet, somehow the picks rallied like some kind of Rocky
character. You could almost hear the music as he was running up those steps.
Interleague is finally over. Only one AL pitcher was hurt running the bases. But there were a
lot of ugly at bats. For the last time, the DH should be the rule in all interleague contests. But
anyway, we are back to normal today. Thank goodness. Here are Monday's normal picks:
- The Yankees over the Indians: Josh Tomlin can be good. But the Yankees are back home and unless they have a letdown after a big win against the Mets, that should be the difference. As usual, Hiroki Kuroda needs to limit the damage. Johnny Damon comes back to Yankee Stadium.
- The Pirates over the Phillies: The Phillies just had an awful Sunday. Do not see them recovering with a spent bullpen and tired players. Jeff Karstens (Egads!) over Joe Blanton.
- The Reds over the Brewers: Mat Latos is looking mighty fine lately. Yovani Gallardo is iffy on the road. The Brewers just aren't very good this season. Not like last year.
- The Cardinals over the Marlins: The Cardinals are the better team. The one thing is whether Jake Westbrook can have a decent game or if Ricky Nolasco is the good version or the bad version.
- The Red Sox over the Blue Jays: Can't you see it now? Middlebrooks makes an error at third and strikes out with men in scoring position and the fans pine for Youkilis. Strange times. All that said, Felix Doubront has been the most consistent Red Sox starter. He should beat Henderson Alvarez.
- The Rangers over the Tigers: The Rangers at home? Check. An inconsistent opponent starter? Rick Porcello. Check. A top quality starter...uh...Justin Grimm...No check. But the Rangers still win.
- The Mets over the Cubs: The Mets had a tough weekend, but they are a resilient bunch. Johan Santana shuts down the Cubs and the Mets dink and dunk Travis Wood to death.
- The Astros over the Padres: Let's see. The Astros lost Altuve, but Wandy Rodriguez is pitching. Ross Ohlendorf is a Fan favorite, but let's be realistic here.
- The White Sox over the Twins: Jake Peavy has a good night and Kevin Youkilis gets three hits in his White Sox debut or walks three times facing the erratic Francisco Liriano. Either way works.
- The Bay Rays over the Royals: The Royals had a dreadful weekend. But Luke Hochevar has been good lately. Is that hard to trust? Yes. Alex Cobb goes for the Bay Rays who swept the Phillies yesterday.
- The Athletics over the Mariners: Erasmo Ramirez anyone? No takers? None? Yeah, you're right. Going with Tommy Milone in this one. Though Ichiro Suzuki is on a hot streak.
- The Giants over the Dodgers: Nathan Eovaldi never gets any runs to play with. Wait...this pick is counting on Barry Zito? Uh oh.
And the Game of the Day!
- The Nationals over the Rockies: Stephen Strasburg's stuff will transfer to Coors Field just fine. And the Nats get to face Jeff Francis. Michael Morse is going to do something good in this game.
Yesterday: 9-7
Week: 9-7
Month: 184-136
Season: 585-477
Games of the Day: 49-30
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