The American League East Division got infinitely more interesting last night as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Yankees behind Brandon Morrow. If you read the picks yesterday, you know that the "official" pick was for the Yankees to win, but the same pick also said it was wishful thinking and probably wouldn't happen. And it did not. That game was one of five bad picks on the day out of twelve. Other clunkers included one that looked like it was going to be correct right until the end and that was the Brewers' pick over the Reds. Wily Peralta was indeed brilliant and so was Mat Latos. The Brewers got a 1-0 lead and turned the ball over the John Axford. Axford had been much better in the second half. But he coughed up this one and the Brewers' season is all but over.
Six more days. Holy cow. Six more days for all the marbles. This is going to be amazingly difficult to predict. As always, we will go one day at a time. Friday's picks:
- The Orioles over the Red Sox: The Red Sox do not appear to be in the position to spoil anyone's party. And Aaron Cook still in the rotation is a case in point. Chris Tillman should be better and the Red Sox get one day closer to their new manager's search.
- The Pirates over the Reds: Well, yeah, picking against the Reds did not exactly work out yesterday. But again, they have nothing to play for and are just running out the string. Besides, A.J. Burnett has had a very positive season and it would be nice for him to go out with a win. Homer Bailey goes for the Reds and admitted he was a little hung over his last time out. Heh.
- The Royals over the Indians: Both pitchers have pitched well this season against the opposite club. Will Smith has pitched well, especially against the Indians. David Huff's last start was a win over the Royals. But Will Smith can go deeper in the game than David Hassle-Huff can and who knows how the Indians will react to their manager getting fired.
- The Yankees over the Blue Jays: Every game for the Yankees is like a playoff game. Teams are trying to knock them off and they have to win to get in. Hiroki Kuroda will need to come up big and keep the ball in the park. Chad Jenkins is a total wild card for the Yankees to face.
- The Phillies over the Marlins: The Phillies are now officially dead but still a proud team and the Marlins are just playing out the string waiting for Ozzie Guillen to get fired. Cliff Lee over Mark Buehrle.
- The Braves over the Mets: Tim Hudson will make his last start of the regular season and it will most likely just be a tuneup. Jon Niese has had a good finish to his season and wants to finish strong. Still think the Braves win at the end.
- The Angels over the Rangers: Neither Jered Weaver or Ryan Dempster have pitched well against the team they are facing today. The Rangers need to put this season away. The Angels still have an outside shot at the playoffs and are two back of the wild card lead. Weaver is more likely to come up big.
- The Twins over the Tigers: The Tigers aren't going to win this easy, are they? They never do anything easy, do they? The Emoticon, Drew Smyly makes another emergency start for Max Scherzer and Scott Diamond is a pretty good pitcher.
- The Brewers over the Astros: Edgar Gonzalez is a nice story for the Astros, but he hurt his hamstring his last time out. Cannot believe he is all better already. Yovani Gallardo has been unbeatable at home and has really had a good season.
- The White Sox over the Rays: Both teams are desperate for wins. Both teams have been going in opposite directions. Both are two back from where they want to be but those don't feel the same, do they? But Gavin Floyd is going to shut down the Rays and Jeremy Hellickson is the most vulnerable of the Rays' starters.
- The Cardinals over the Nationals: Boy is this a big series for the Cardinals and a tough draw since they are trying to lock down the wild card. Adam Wainwright needs an ace-like outing and Edwin Jackson will try to prevent his old team from getting back to the post season.
- The Athletics over the Mariners: Boy was Blake Beavan good in his last time out! Can he do it again against the A's? The A's desperately need wins to hold off both the Angels and the Rays. That's a lot to ask of A.J. Griffin. But then, they have been depending on these young kids all season.
- The Giants over the Padres: Is Ryan Vogelsong over the hurdle now? He will have to be to get a start in the post season. A good outing against the Padres will help his cause. Andrew Werner started really well in his career this season, but has thrown two clunkers in a row.
- The Dodgers over the Rockies: The Dodgers are three back and realistically, their chances are slim. That is why playing Russian Roulette with Clayton Kershaw is NOT a good idea. Yeah, he'll be Jeff Francis and the Rockies, but at what cost?
And the Game of the Day!
- The Diamondbacks over the Cubs: If Ian Kennedy wins this game, it will be his fifteenth win of the season. Not a bad follow up to his twenty-win season. He should hold down the Cubs and the D-Backs should score on Travis Wood.
Yesterday: 7-5
Week: 37-31
Month: 197-168
Season: 1283-1026
Games of the Day: 102-66
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