The picks were just ordinary as September slogs on disappointingly. I feel like the Texas Rangers who cannot get anything going this month. Speaking of them, I keep picking them like an idiot. I also picked Cleveland and worried that James Shields would come up big. He did. I picked the Rays again and good old Roberto Hernandez faustoed that. I picked the wrong young gun between Ryu and Patrick Corbin. Dan Haren totally bamboozled me by throwing a shutout. It has been one of those months.
But at least Jose Fernandez won his last start of the season. And he hit a homer that the Braves got all panty-twisted about. Come on, seriously? Justin Upton has never posed for a homer? Get over yourselves. Jose Fernandez is an entertainer in a city that needs baseball entertainers. Let him do his thing.
Thursday's picks:
- The Marlins over the Braves: Nathan Eovaldi is pitching pretty well and the Braves are starting Freddy Garcia. Put it this way, I don't think Freddy Garcia will be on the Braves' post season roster.
- The Nationals over the Mets: This Tanner Roark kid is making the Majors look pretty easy, isn't he? 5-0 with an 0.94 ERA!? His charm should hold true against the Mets, especially since they are starting Aaron Harang. Speaking of Harang, have you noticed that he always lands on a team with a big ballpark? He knows.
- The Pirates over the Cubs: My reservation in this one is what happened to the Reds when they came in flying and the Cubs beat them twice in a row. The Pirates just totally schmucked the Rangers and this sure feels familiar. But I am still going with Jeff Locke over Chris Rusin.
- The Orioles over the Yankees: The Yankees beat up Wei-Yin Chen pretty good the last time they faced him. But gosh, the Yankees are starting Phil Hughes. Granted, it is not in Yankee Stadium. But it is in another homer friendly park. I cannot pick Hughes. I just cannot.
- The Phillies over the Padres: I would like to pick Tyson Ross, but I am chicken. Ha! Did you get it? No? Oh well. Anyway, it is not that I believe so much in Roy Halladay at this point in his career and season, but the Padres are terrible on offense...even more terrible than the Phillies.
- The Angels over the Blue Jays: I am putting my marbles here for Garrett Richards. It looks like he is coming into his own. However, the Jays can really hit the ball. So it will all depends on how well J.A. Happ pitches.
- The Red Sox over the Bay Rays: This might be the first time ever that Yankee fans are rooting for the Red Sox. And the Red Sox have sure beaten up on the Rays. The Rays have really gone south the past three weeks. I do not see Jeremy Hellickson holding up against the Red Sox. I do see Jake Peavy stopping the Rays.
- The Indians over the White Sox: The White Sox are done getting pounded by the AL East and are now letting their own division do the trick. What a lifeless bunch this is. John Danks is not a bad pitcher. But will he get support? Will his fielders catch the ball? Probably not. Corey Kluber for the win.
- The Cardinals over the Brewers: Tyler Thornburg might give the Cards' offense some problems. But probably not. Joe Kelly has made the most of his latest turn in the rotation. The kid is winning his share of starts.
- The Dodgers over the Giants: Zack Greinke is the difference in this game. Normally, I would lean toward Matt Cain in a start like this. But Greinke is terrific for the Dodgers. And he is at home in that big park.
And the Game of the Day:
- The Athletics over the Twins: To this day, I cannot understand how the A's are so good. You look at the lineup...the pitchers...and nothing overwhelms. But here we are. A.J. Griffin over Scott Diamond in a game that should be an easy win.
Yesterday: 8-7
Week: 30-26
Month: 80-73
Season: 1222-968
Games of the Day: 91-67 +1
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