Thursday, May 01, 2014

MLB Game Picks - Thursday: May 1, 2014

Happy May! Despite the four games washed out yesterday, I went to bed last night knowing I was having a really good day. The way it looked, I was going to be 10-1. But Rex Brothers pitched like Joyce Brothers and blew the save and I ended up 9-2. That is still very good and puts me at 18-6 for the last two days, but 10-1 would have been really cool.

The other game that messed me up was the Cubs beating the Reds. Tony Cingrani seems to be a stumbling block for me this season. The Cubs box score is fascinating. Anthony Rizzo went 1 for 1 with a homer and walked four times.

There are eleven games on the schedule, but six of them involve only six teams as there are three double-headers today. Those are so hard to pick! But here goes:
  • The Red Sox over the Rays: I always like the Red Sox at home and Jake Peavy rather than Cesar Ramos seems preferable here.
  • The Dodgers over the Twins: Dan Haren is off to a good start with the Dodgers and Mike Pelfrey is a pitcher I very rarely pick to win. The DH allows all four of the Dodgers' outfielders to get in the game.
  • The Orioles over the Pirates: I think the Orioles are going to sweep today. In the first game, I don't like Bud Norris, but he seems better than Charlie Morton. The O's are going to miss Chris Davis though.
  • The Orioles over the Pirates: Chris Tillman gets the tougher of the two assignments as Brandon Cumpton seems pretty impressive after his last start. But the Pirates' offense does not scare me very much.
  • The Yankees over the Mariners: Hiroki Kuroda is usually good at home, though he wasn't his last time out. Roenis Elias looks pretty good for the Mariners, but the pick is still the Yankees at home.
  • The Marlins over the Braves: I'm going for the sweep! Henderson Alvarez holds down the Braves while the Marlins take a little chunk out of Ervin Santana's unblemished armor.
  • The Twins over the Dodgers: This is a tough one because two pitchers are being called up from the minors to start the game. Of the two, Kris Johnson of the Twins has a little Big League experiences and is 29 after being picked in the first round by the Red Sox way back in 2006. Red Patterson is 27 and was a really late round draft pick for the Dodgers. Touch call...
  • The Reds over the Brewers: Everyone is down on Homer Bailey, but if my team were to pick him up, I would be really happy. The guy is going to win, folks. Just because he has struggled does not mean he is not worth the effort. Marco Estrada isn't a bad pick either though.
  • The Rays over the Red Sox: The Rays are pretty angry they are making up this double-header today. Apparently they were pretty vocal in the team's displeasure. Angry is motivating. Chris Archer over Felix Doubront.
  • The Blue Jays over the Royals: Mark Buehrle had his bad start. Now it's time for him to get back to pitching well. Jeremy Guthrie is the same kind of junk as Buehrle, but with a different arm. I can see Edwin Encarnacion hitting a homer today.
And the Game of the Day
  • The Rockies over the Mets: I cannot see Bartolo Colon doing well at Coors Field. Juan Nicasio, who is used to pitching there, seems a better option.
Yesterday: 9-2, Games of the Day: 13-14, Season: 233-174

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