For the third time in the last six days, I correctly picked eleven out of fifteen games. That's pretty sweet. July has been a good month, but I should not say that too loudly or I'll jinx myself.
Of the four incorrect picks yesterday, the Yankees finishing the sweep of the Reds was fairly impressive and lucky as it turned out. Tim Lincecum had another good outing but made two mistakes, one to Casey McGehee and the other to Giancarlo Stanton. John Danks finally returned to 2011 - 2013 form and the Marlins pounded out seven extra base hits. And lastly, I never should have picked the Cubs to win.
There are twelve games on the schedule today. Let's take a look at them:
- The Pirates over the Dodgers: The Pirates have done it again by taking a terrible pitcher and rebuilding him. After Burnett and Liriano of the past, they have again done the impossible and made a good pitcher out of Edinson Volquez. It's shocking really. I'm taking him over Hyun-jin Ryu. Maybe I'm just crazy.
- The Giants over the Phillies: Cliff Lee is back and the Phillies really want him to pitch well for trade purposes. But it is just his first game back. So I think the Giants will win as long as Ryan Vogelsong has a decent game.
- The Yankees over the Rangers: This pick depends on two things. First, it depends on whether or not Shane Greene can continue pitching as well as he has, which would be surprising. Second, it depends on woods elf, Miles Mikolas to continue being as bad as he has been. Poor Mikolas has been lit up more than 42nd Street on a Friday evening.
- The Red Sox over the Blue Jays: For all of you who hoped that the Red Sox and Rays were dead, sorry. They are not. Yes, they have a lot of teams to hop over. But they have a good vibe lately. I think John Lackey will out-pitch Drew Hutchison tonight.
- The Braves over the Marlins: Julio Teheran has been sort of confusing lately. The obvious first thought is that he will dominate the Marlins. But there is doubt there in the mind. Tom Koehler has been pretty good for the Marlins.
- The Brewers over the Reds: Wily Peralta bounced back in his last start after three bad starts in a row. The Brewers are playing well at home. The Reds just got swept by the Yankees and might be on their heels a bit. A lot will depend on how Mat Latos pitches.
- The Indians over the Twins: I hate picking games where I do not believe in either pitcher. T.J. House goes for the Indians and Kris Johnson for the Twins. See what I mean? I'm going with House because Johnson hasn't made it to the fifth inning in either of his starts.
- The Rockies over the Nationals: Perhaps I am out of my mind here. But I do think Franklin Morales will pose some problems for the Nats throwing from the left side and Doug Fister's amazing pitch movement will mostly disappear in Coors Field. Scary pick.
- The Tigers over the Diamondbacks: Yes, the Tigers lose a batter as there will be no DH. But that shouldn't matter much against Vidal Nuno. And no, I don't believe in the success Nuno has had for the D-backs. Justin Verlander spent the All Star Break with his model girl friend. The poor schlub. Does "pillow talk" take on a different meaning here? Anyway, he has to pitch better than he has been.
- The Angels over the Orioles: Look at those Angels go! They have become such a good team and they expect good things to happen every night. Trout, Pujols and Hamilton have done it all. Bud Norris shouldn't hold that back and though Matt Shoemaker has been a little shaky lately, he has still won seven of nine decisions.
- The Mariners over the Mets: This one is really tough. Jon Niese is a quality pitcher who hasn't pitched since early July. Roenis Elias is a quality pitcher who has had three really rough outings in a row. I wish I knew on this one. When in doubt, go with the home team.
And the Game of the Day:
- The White Sox over the Royals: You can forget about the Royals being buyers in the trade deadline. Instead, you can put a fork in them. I will continue to scream in the wildnerness: "Ned. Yost. Is. Not. The. Right. Guy!" Chris Sale over Jeremy Guthrie.
Yesterday: 11-4, July: 134-98, Games of the Day: 57-45, Season: 817-673
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