MLB Game Picks - Wednesday: May 6, 2015

Tuesday was not a very good day. Stephen Strasburg finally pitched well, but for only two innings and couldn't get any run support. I shouldn't ever pick against Bartolo Colon and I should never pick FOR Scott Feldman. I would say, "Live and Learn," but I never do.

Wednesday's picks:

• The Nationals over the Marlins: See? I never do live and learn. But I believe that Max Scherzer will get the run support his teammate did not get as the Nationals score four or so against Tom Koehler.
• The Rockies over the Diamondbacks: If they ever play a game in this series after two straight postponements. I'm still sticking with Tyler Matzek over Josh Collmenter like I did two days ago.
• The Rockies over the Diamondbacks: Robbie Ray gets his first start of the year for the D-Backs. I'm not expecting that to go well. I'm not sure how much better Jordan Lyles will be, but that's the pick.
• The Giants over the Padres: Ian Kennedy used to be the Giant killer. But not so much anymore. "Charlton" Chris Heston has had all good starts except the one at Coors and you can throw that out.
• The Pirates over the Reds: If Gerrit Cole keeps pitching like he has been, that should be a win. Mike Leake will leak at least a little.
• The Yankees over the Blue Jays: The Yankees have made Mark Buehrle's career miserable. That said, he faces CC Sabathia, of who I have no confidence in at this point. This should be interesting.
• The Mets over the Orioles: Jacob deGrom bounced back nicely from his Yankees' fiasco and has a decent overall record in interleague play. I like his chances better than Ubaldo Jimenez, though the latter looks a lot better this year.
• The Braves over the Phillies: The Phillies are REALLY bad this year. The Braves were supposed to be bad but haven't been. Mike Foltynewicz has an impossible name to spell but makes his second start of the season. Jerome Williams goes for the Phillies.
• The Red Sox over the Rays: The Rays don't hit that much, which helps Justin Masterson quite a bit. Alex Colome is a bit of a wild card and I don't know how he will do. He was great his first time out.
• The Indians over the Royals: Yeah, this hasn't been a good pick for me, but I believe (still) in Carlos Carrasco and think he will do just fine. Danny Duffy is so unpredictable. He could be great or not.
• The White Sox over the Tigers: Chris Sale should win. That doesn't mean he will. Alfredo Simon seems like the real deal after I poo-poohed him so much.
• The Dodgers over the Brewers: I should not pick the Dodgers because they are starting Joe Weiland, who has never really made it in the Majors. Wily Peralta is 0-4. That's pretty scary.
• The Athletics over the Twins: Scott Kazmir is my guy and I hate picking against him. Kyle Gibson seems to win his share despite not striking too many people out. In other words, I have no idea here.
• The Rangers over the Astros: I'm not sure about this pick. I don't really trust Colby Lewis. But then again, neither do I trust the Astros' bullpen as starter, Samuel Deduno will be lucky to last five innings.
• The Cubs over the Cardinals: I really love Lance Lynn. But I also love how Jon Lester is getting better each time out. I think Lester corrals the high-flying Cards.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Angels over the Mariners: I feel so much more comfortable with C.J. Wilson than I do with Roenis Elias. And that's the tune I'm singing here.

 Yesterday: 6-8, May: 38-31, Season: 202-196, Picks of the Day: 16-14

MLB Game Picks - Sunday: April 26, 2015

Not a good day yesterday. There were two postponements and two more extra-inning games that both went against me. That means I am 0-6 in extra-inning games in the last three days. What are the odds of that?

I don't have much time this morning, so I will have to cut short my normal commentary and just give you the pitching match-ups and my picks for Sunday:

• The Indians over the Tigers: Carlos Carrasco vs. Kyle Lobstein
• The Reds over the Cubs: Anthony DeSclafani vs. Jake Arrieta
• The Rays over the Blue Jays: Mark Buehrle vs. Chris Archer
• The Marlins over the Nationals: Dan Haren vs. Gio Gonzalez
• The Braves over the Phillies: Trevor Cahill vs. Jerome Williams
• The Red Sox over the Orioles: Wade Miley vs. Bud Norris
• The Royals over the White Sox: Edinson Volquez vs. John Danks
• The Cardinals over the Brewers: Lance Lynn vs. Mike Fiers
• The Angels over the Rangers: Hector Santiago vs. Nick Martinez
• The Athletics over the Astros: Drew Pomeranz vs. Asher Wojciechowski
• The Padres over the Dodgers: Brandon Morrow vs. Scott Baker
• The Mariners over the Twins: Roenis Elias vs. Kyle Gibson  The Pick of the Day
• The Pirates over the Diamondbacks: Francisco Liriano vs. Jeremy Hellickson
• The Rockies over the Giants: Tyler Matzek vs. Tim Lincecum
• The Yankees over the Mets: Nathan Eovaldi vs. Jon Niese

Yesterday: 5-8, Season: 131-133, Picks of the Day: 11-9

MLB Game Picks - Tuesday: April 14, 2015

Yesterday wasn't a great picking day, but at least it was in the plus column. I had a comment that my count was off the other day and I had an extra incorrect pick. That's all I needed. Heh. So I adjusted my final tally.

Tuesday's picks:

• The Nationals over the Red Sox: Stephen Strasburg was not as great as I thought he would be all last year and lost his first outing this year. But I am still a big believer in the guy. Justin Masterson goes for the Red Sox.
• The Tiger over the Pirates: Shane Greene was terrific his first time out and I have an emotional attachment to him. A.J. Burnett brings out emotions in me too, but they are mostly negative.
• The Yankees over the Orioles: CC Sabathia needs to show he can pitch. I think he'll do that today. The one problem is that the Yankees extended both of their power relievers yesterday. Miguel Gonzalez goes for the Orioles.
• The Blue Jays over the Bay Rays: The Rays took the opening game in the opening Battle of the Ays for 2015. Tonight will be different. Daniel Norris is a rising star. Matt Andriese is an unknown quantity.
• The Indians over the White Sox: Jose Quintana will be a hard luck loser again as he faces a very hot Carlos Carrasco. It should be a low scoring game.
• The Marlins over the Braves: There are going to be some panic reactions in Miami if the Marlins don't start winning soon. Tom Koehler will try to get them tilted in the right direction and Trevor Cahill will try to prevent it.
• The Mets over the Phillies: The legend of Matt Harvey will continue to bloom and David Buchanan can only hope to limit the damage and keep up.
• The Angels over the Rangers: I have no idea what to expect from Drew Rucinski who is making his first MLB start. But he has a pretty big arm, so we'll see. Nick Martinez goes for the Rangers.
• The Athletics over the Astros: Brad Peacock has never been able to spread his tail feathers in the Majors. That's what sinks me for this pick. But Kendall Graveman doesn't give me good vibes either.
• The Padres over the Diamondbacks: I never know what to expect from Odrisamer Despaigne as he is either stellar or gets bombed. But I like him over Jeremy Hellickson. Hellickson's fly ball tendency toward the fly ball won't be as bad in San Diego though.
• The Dodgers over the Mariners: I call David Huff, "David Hassle Huff." In other words, he reminds me of the world's worst actor. At the same time, he is capable of good starts now and then. Hisashi Iwakuma goes for the Mariners.
• The Giants over the Rockies: The Rockies are on fire. I think Tim Hudson will cool them off though. Besides, Christian Bergman doesn't fill me with confidence.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Cubs over the Reds: The Cubs got a bad outing from Lester and still won the game yesterday. Jake Arrieta gentille Arrieta should be better and Anthony DeSclafani at least gives us Italians something to cheer about.

Yesterday: 8-6, Season: 49-56, Picks of the Day: 3-5

MLB Game Picks - Wednesday: April 8, 2015

Ugh. The picks sure tanked yesterday. Normally untrustworthy pitchers are throwing gems. But I seriously can't make much of a defense if I chose Mat Latos to win. He was brutal and Jon Hart in Atlanta is starting to look like a genius. Oh well, I need to shake it off and try another day.

Wednesday's picks:

• The Tigers over the Twins: This scares me right off the bat because Ricky Nolasco was terrible last year. By the trend established this week, that means he will pitch a two-hitter. Anibal Sanchez goes for the Tigers.
• The Cardinals over the Cubs: This is the same pitching line that was supposed to happen yesterday but didn't because it became the first game in MLB history to be postponed because of pee. I still think Lance Lynn beats Jake Arrieta, gentille Arrieta.
• The Nationals over the Mets: This is a really fun pitching match-up between Jacob deGrom and Jordan Zimmermann. The latter starts his walk year and that will be interesting. I'm going with the home team because the pitching seems even.
• The Yankees over the Blue Jays: The Jays are a pretty cocky bunch right now and seem to talk smack all the time. R.A. Dickey can be tough as he is back in New York. I'm thinking that Michael Pineda is going to have a great year and it starts tonight.
• The Marlins over the Braves: If I keep picking the Marlins, it has to be correct at some point, right? It's the law of averages? Shelby Miller goes for the Braves in his first start with that team. He had a disappointing season a year ago as his strikeouts went down and his walks went up. Tom Koehler goes for the Marlins.
• The Orioles over the Bay Rays: Jake Odorizzi will no doubt have a better year than last year. But the Orioles are starting hot and should win despite Miguel Gonzalez being on the mound.
• The Pirates over the Reds: Gerrit Cole is one of my picks for guys to really get to the next level in 2015. I like him a lot. Mike Leake is a fifth starter type who will mostly keep you in the game. I like where the Reds' offense is right now though.
• The White Sox over the Royals: Jose Quintana is so much better than people think and I like his chances as a lefty against the Royals. Danny Duffy gets the start for the home team.
• The Indians over the Astros: Carlos Carrasco exploded onto the scene last year and was rewarded with a nice contract. Can he repeat it? We shall see. What I do know is that he is a strikeout pitcher pitching against a strikeout-prone team. Besides, I have little confidence in Scott Feldman.
• The Brewers over the Rockies: I have not been very successful picking the Brewers thus far. But we now start heading into the real iffy part of the Rockies' rotation with Eddie Butler getting the start. I think Wily Peralta will win this one.
• The Diamondbacks over the Giants: With Matt Cain out, the Giants turn to the little-tested Chris Heston. The D-Backs counter with Jeremy Hellickson, who I have never been too high on either. I have no idea...
• The Athletics over the Rangers: I have become a big fan of Scott Kazmir. I love where he has come back from in his career. Ross Detwiler is finally out of Washington, DC and gets his chance to shine. Will he?
• The Angels over the Mariners: The Mariners have had their way this series. And it will be interesting to see if Matt Shoemaker can repeat his success from a year ago when he surprised everyone. There are questions about the health of Hisashi Iwakuma, so we'll see.
• The Dodgers over the Padres: I really wanted the Yankees to resign Brandon McCarthy after what I saw last year. But his contract is too rich for my blood. I do think he will win this one over Andrew Cashner who has had his ups and downs.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Red Sox over the Phillies: Rick Porcello just got a new deal. It's time for him to earn it. The deal seems a bit rich for a guy not really fully established yet. Aaron Harang goes for the Phillies and he punished me good last year.

Yesterday: 1-6, Season: 9-13, Picks of the Day: 0-2  Bad!

MLB Game Picks - Thursday: August 28, 2014

Holy cow am I on a losing streak! Wednesday was the fourth straight negative day and this one was really negative. At one point, I was 0-6 and then 1-8. How can you be that wrong that often? What the heck happened in Philadelphia to the Nationals? The Yankees....the Yankees got nine straight hits off of David Price. Whuh!? The Brewers' bullpen blows a lead and then loses in extras. Liam Hendriks only gives up four base runners in seven innings!? Adam Wainwright lost again!? Man. What a tough day.

This gig isn't fun when you have days (and a week) like this.

Thursday's picks:

• The Cubs over the Reds: Dylan Axelrod had a good first outing after getting recalled by the Reds. That makes this pick more challenging. Jake Arrieta gentille arrieta is a better pick if he can get some offense behind him.
• The Yankees over the Tigers: This pick all depends on how well Hiroki Kuroda pitches. The Yankees' bullpen should be in good shape for this one so if the team from the Bronx can do some damage on Kyle Lobstein, they should win.
• The Giants over the Rockies: Yusmeiro Petit has not allowed a hit or a walk in his last 12.1 innings of work covering five relief outings. Can that translate to a start? Time will tell. Jordan Lyles has pitched decently for the struggling Rockies.
• The Orioles over the Rays: The Rays are better now that they have Wil Myers back. That deepens their lineup. I think, though, that the Orioles will hit Jeremy Hellickson more than the Rays will hit Bud Norris.
• The Indians over the White Sox: Adam Eaton changes how the White Sox look. That said, Carlos Carrasco has filled in very nicely for the Indians in the rotation and should give them a chance to win over John Danks.
• The Royals over the Twins: Tommy Milone has gotten his shoes shined in his last three outings. I mean, he hasn't been able to get anyone out. I will take Jeremy Guthrie instead, though with reservations.
• The Astros over the Rangers: Nick Tepesch had been doing much better until he ran into the Royals. So now I'm not sure about him. Collin McHugh is a strikeout machine that doesn't go deep enough often enough in games. The Astros' bullpen is messy if that happens today.
• The Angels over the Athletics: Sonny Gray was as much of a lock as there was earlier in the season. Now he is a big question mark. Has he hit a wall? Is his arm tired? Have batters found something on him? In order for this pick to work, C.J. Wilson has to have a good day.

And the Game of the Day:

• That Braves over the Mets: Mike Minor has been a different pitcher in his last two outings and should be a lot more challenging for the Mets than the last time they saw him on July 1. Jon Niese is a good pitcher, so this game will be close.

Yesterday: 5-10, August: 201-166, Games of the Day: 81-58 (+2), Season: 1095-915