MLB Game Picks - Saturday: June 13, 2015

With a 10-5 final tally yesterday, I had a good day except, the Pick of the Day was wrong again as the Diamondbacks beat Madison Bumgarner, 1-0. Sheesh. Of the four other wrong picks, one was Felix Hernandez not making it out of the first inning against the Astros. Say what!? Michael Pineda was totally gruesome against the Orioles. And, of course, I again could not count on Jordan Zimmermann. I am wondering about the health of Pineda and Hernandez too as that is the second time in his last four outings that he has been pulverized.

Saturday's picks:

• The Red Sox over the Blue Jays: This pick assumes a couple of things. First, it assumes that the Red Sox get to R.A. Dickey. I have run into trouble predicting that before. Secondly, it assumes that Clay Buchholz is back to form and will pitch well. Lastly, it assumes that winning streaks have to end some time.
• The Rangers over the Twins: The Twins are starting to come back to earth and the Rangers are really playing well. Colby Lewis and Mike Pelfrey seems like a draw of starting pitchers, so the better offense and home team should win.
• The Indians over the Tigers: At long last, Justin Verlander again takes the mound for the Tigers. He will not go deep in the game and the Tigers' bullpen is suspect. Plus, Carlos Carrasco has the ability to shut down the Tigers.
• The Mets over the Braves: It all depends on Jacob deGrom. If he is good, the Mets win. if not, then Shelby Lewis is also a very good pitcher. How are the Mets winning? Did you see their lineup last night? It's a head scratcher.
• The Rays over the White Sox: I can never trust Jeff Samardzija and Chris Archer has become one of the best pitchers in the AL. The Rays continue to win with mirrors while the White Sox continue to flounder around.
• The Rockies over the Marlins: David Hale has been surprisingly efficient in this his latest MLB incarnation. Mat Latos is just off the injury list and those things always bother me because of pitch limits and rust.
• The Cardinals over the Royals: I don't know why the Cardinals always go back to the same guy when someone gets hurt. But Tyler Lyons again gets the call. Even if Lyons is moderately successful, I think the Cards win as they get to Jeremy Guthrie because they are willing to go to the opposite field. But if Lyons totally sucks, look out.
• The Astros over the Mariners: Mike Montgomery has pitched two great games for the Mariners and has nothing to show for it. It would be great for him to get his first MLB win. But I think he will again be thwarted as Collin McHugh shuts down the Mariners.
• The Brewers over the Nationals: It would be nice for the Nats if someone besides Bryce Harper would start swinging the bat. If the Nats lose, they fall to .500. Not good. Joe Ross goes for the Nats and Jimmy Nelson for the Brewers.
• The Diamondbacks over the Giants: I have always been a big believer in Allen Webster. He is getting his chance for the D-backs tonight and I think he can thrive in a less pressure situation than Boston. He has to keep the walks down though. Ryan Vogelsong is always pretty tough at home.
• The Cubs over the Reds: I like Kyle Hendricks and I like the Cubs chances against Mike Leake. So that's the pick.
• The Orioles over the Yankees: The Yankees have handled Bud Norris in the past. But I don't trust CC Sabathia against a good lineup like the Orioles.
• The Angels over the Athletics: Kendall Graveman has pitched better of late and should be solid tonight. But the fact remains that the A's do not hit lefties well and C.J. Wilson is certainly that. The A's sink deeper into the AL West hole.
• The Dodgers over the Padres: Zack Greinke has had two sub par outings in a row, but I'm guessing he'll break out of that tonight. Ian Kennedy is just not somebody I feel comfortable picking...ever.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Pirates over the Phillies: Both bullpens will be a little gassed, so it will be important for the starters to go deep. I think Gerrit Cole becomes a ten-game winner in this one with Sean O'Sullivan getting the short end.

Yesterday: 10-5, June: 83-76, Season: 461-429, Picks of the Day: 35-31 (-2)

MLB Game Picks - Thursday: May 21, 2015

Doggonit! Another sub-.500 day! And the Pick of the Day was wrong again. Geez, Louise! I should have picked the Giants as the pick of the day since they ALWAYS beat the Dodgers.  At least I got that pick right. And look at Houston go! How fun!

Happy birthday to my son, Bill. I can't believe you are 36!

Thursday's picks:

• The Diamondbacks over the Marlins: First of all, that was a dumb managerial choice by the Marlins. Secondly, will Mat Latos really pitch since his shin is so bruised up? Thirdly, I like Archie Bradley.
• The Orioles over the Mariners: This pick didn't work out yesterday, but I'm nothing if not stubborn. J.A. Happ never thrills me. But Chris Tillman isn't pitching that well either. The Orioles really miss that big slugger playing in the other dugout.
• The Tigers over the Astros: David Price is just too good not to pick and even though the Astros are winning every day, they have to lose some time. Scott Feldman goes for the Astros.
• The Cardinals over the Mets: Jaime Garcia is pitching? How novel. They might get a few decent starts from him and I like lefties against the Mets. Jacob deGrom has been inconsistent.
• The Rockies over the Phillies: The Rockies have been terrible. Just terrible. And the Phillies are playing well. But I'm still going with Jorge De La Rosa against Jerome Williams.
• The Giants over the Dodgers: And so Madison Bumgarner and Clayton Kershaw go at it again. Why do teams match their aces like that? You know the Giants are going to win. You just know it.
• The Angels over the Blue Jays: I've been saying it for a long, long time. The Blue Jays hired the wrong manager. They need to fix that. Matt Shoemaker over R.A. Dickey.
• The Athletics over the Rays: The fall of the Athletics has been stunning. They are really bad this year. The Rays aren't playing much better this week. I'm not big on Jesse Chavez or Alex Colome. It's a toss up.
• The Rangers over the Red Sox: The Red Sox are not hitting left-handed pitchers. And though Wandy Rodriguez is left-handed, it's not like he's great or anything. Clay Buchholz was very good his last time out. We'll see what that means.
• The Indians over the White Sox: The Indians are a really strange team and it is hard to figure them out. I like Danny Salazar though and I'm going with him over John Danks who, after all, is John Danks.
• The Cubs over the Padres: Odrisamer Despaigne has been really creamed in his last three appearances. I mean, he has been hammered! Watch him pitch great today. Heh. But I'm going with another bad appearance and a win by the Cubs behind Kyle Hendricks.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Braves over the Brewers: The Brewers have been playing well, but so have the Braves. So it will be an interesting series. I'm liking Julio Teheran over Matt Garza in this one.

Yesterday: 7-8, May: 131-116, Season: 295-281, Picks of the Day: 23-20

MLB Game Picks - Saturday: April 18, 2015

Finally. I broke through the mire to post a good day of Game Picks. What a relief after two weeks of futility. It would have been even better if Corey Kluber could have held on and let those pesky Twins tie the game and eventually win it in extra innings. And it would have been better if the Blue Jays hadn't brought in Brett Cecil. But no matter, it was a good day and I'm so very relieved.

Saturday's picks:

• The Nationals over the Phillies: Aaron Harang confronts me again. The guy just fills me with dread. Jordan Zimmermann should win. Shouldn't he?
• The Blue Jays over the Braves: R.A. Dickey was bashed up good in his last start. I am hesitant to pick him in this one. And Alex Wood is a pretty good pitcher for the Braves. At the end of the day, the Blue Jays can just bash the baseball and that's what I'm thinking will happen.
• The White Sox over the Tigers: Anibal Sanchez is a good pitcher who got beat badly his last time out. But I'm thinking that is a fluke. However, on the other team is a guy named Chris Sale who is very hard to pick against.
• The Twins over the Indians: The Twins have had a good week of baseball. You might not have noticed, but they slowed the mighty KC train and won that series and now have won the first against the Indians. Phil Hughes will keep it going and Danny Salazar will continue to make us scratch our heads.
• The Cardinals over the Reds: Homer Bailey starts for the Reds after starting the season hurting. Carlos Martinez pitched well in his last start but didn't factor in a decision. I think he'll pitch well again today.
• The Cubs over the Padres: This pick didn't work out yesterday but I'll try it again today. First, Kyle Hendricks is much better than what happened his first start. Secondly, this is the day Chicago falls in love with the bat of Kris Bryant. Tyson Ross, of course, will try to prove otherwise.
• The Orioles over the Red Sox: Clay Buchholz was reviled after his start against the Yankees. He looked terrible and acted worse. And while I'm piling on, make the guy wash his hair for heaven's sake.  It's disgusting. Chris Tillman has to be mighty good to hold back this Red Sox lineup.
• The Pirates over the Brewers: I'm not real confident on this pick. With Kyle Lohse, anything can happen and Jeff Locke never seems like a lock.
• The Angels over the Astros: I really wanted to pick Dallas Keuchel as I think the guy is really good. But the Astros have not played well and C.J. Wilson should have a good day.
• The Mets over the Marlins: Mat Latos will try to improve on his 17+ ERA, but even if he is much better today, Jacob deGrom is one talented young pitcher. Of course, Giancarlo Stanton could always hit like three homers...
• The Yankees over the Bay Rays: The Alex Rodriguez story is so fun right now. Until the next shew drops, I'm having a blast watching him cause curmudgeons to gnash their teeth. Masahiro Tanaka over Jake Odorizzi.
• The Royals over the Athletics: If Yordano Ventura is on, the A's will be able to do little with him. Jesse Hahn was not good in his one loss but his good pitching last year is still in the memory bank.
• The Giants over the Diamondbacks: I keep wanting to call, Chris Heston, "Charlton."  But what I will call him is a good looking young pitcher who has pitched well in both his games. Rubby De La Rosa has started really well. I'm not sure he is the real deal.
• The Rockies over the Dodgers: I'm going for a bit of an upset here. Puig has a hamstring problem and that changes things. Zack Greinke is reliably great, but I think he will be out-pitched by Jordan Lyles. Yeah, Jordan Lyles.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Mariners over the Rangers: The M's are kind of scuffling right now and need a big performance by Felix Hernandez. Colby Lewis has been strangely effective. I still can't really believe it or in it.

Yesterday: 11-4, Season: 73-81, Picks of the Day: 4-8

MLB Game Picks - Wednesday: September 17, 2014

Last night was fun to watch for a lot of Beltway fans as the Nationals and Orioles clinched their divisions. I feel happy for the fans of those teams as they get to celebrate (for now) the accomplishments of the teams. For others seeking the wild card, last night was a problem as several of them lost and that became a problem for me as I did not have a good night of picking at all.

I should have picked Jake Arrieta. Wow, what a game he had. I shouldn't have picked the Royals when the best they could do was start Liam Hendriks. But KC's vaunted bullpen let them down too. Speaking of bullpens, Trevor Rosenthal blew his sixth save and caused the Cards - Brewers game to go twelve innings and the Brewers won. And I lost. Heh.

Wednesday's picks:

• The Rockies over the Dodgers: Carlos Frias? Seriously, Dodgers? The poor guy hasn't started since the minors and has to pitch at Coors Field. Nice. Jorge De La Rosa is my pick by default.
• The Giants over the Diamondbacks: While the Dodgers are frittering around, they have kept the hopes alive for the Giants. The D-backs start Andrew Chafin, their 2011 first round draft pick. He was pretty good in his first start. I worry about his control in the long run. Madison Bumgarner becomes the difference here.
• The Pirates over the Red Sox: Playing in an NL park hurts the Red Sox more than anyone else in the AL. Besides, the Pirates are playing for a goal and the Red Sox are just playing. Francisco Liriano over Clay Buchholz.
• The Orioles over the Blue Jays: This will be the norm for the Orioles for the rest of the way with starters going five innings or so and Spring Training like lineups. I still have them beating J.A. Happ who has turned to mush. Bud Norris starts.
• The Mets over the Marlins: The Mets have pretty much owned Henderson Alvarez in his last two starts against them. Besides, Dillon Gee is a reliable starter for the Mets who are playing well despite their circumstances.
• The Rays over the Yankees: The Yankees cannot beat Alex Cobb and they cannot hit to save themselves. Brandon McCarthy has been a nice addition for the Yankees but like all Yankee pitchers this year, he'll have to be perfect. I hope there are no head huntings in this one.
• The Braves over the Nationals: The Braves cannot hit either but have a chance at least against Blake Treinen. Alex Wood is good, which rhymes, and the Nationals might be hung over.
• The White Sox over the Royals: Adam Eaton can be a force when he is healthy. Jose Abreu has been too quiet. But most importantly, Chris Sale is pitching. Yordano Ventura will try to keep up.
• The Indians over the Astros: Carlos Carrasco has had a really nice season that nobody knows about. Brett Oberholtzer, again, is a hero for taking the ball week after week and doing his best with little support.
• The Tigers over the Twins: Weird game last night. Joe Nathan blew it again and then blamed it on his outfielder. Nice. Hopefully for the Tigers, David Price will go deep and the Tigers will score often on Kyle Gibson.
• The Cardinals over the Brewers: These are games an ace is supposed to win. Adam Wainwright needs to win. I am worried about how Mike Fiers reacts in his first start since breaking Giancarlo Stanton's face.
• The Mariners over the Angels: I just love James Paxton. The kid is amazing. Of course, sooner or later, picking him is not going to work out. This might be the night as the Angels are mighty good. C.J. Wilson starts for the Angels.
• The Rangers over the Athletics: Derek Holland has been amazing since returning to the Rangers. Three starts, seven innings in each start, 21 innings, two runs, no walks. Until he falters, I have to ride him. Jeff Samardzija goes for the A's.
• The Phillies over the Padres: This pick is based solely on the fact Cole Hamels is pitching. It doesn't help that Eric Stults is going for his 17th loss.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Cubs over the Reds: I like Kyle Hendricks a lot better than I like Daniel Corcino. In this stage of their respective careers, Hendricks is much more polished and has better command.

Yesterday: 6-9, Sept.: 127-94, Games of the Day: 96-63 (+4), Season: 1257-1028

MLB Game Picks - Friday: August 29, 2014

Finally a positive day! The day games all went wrong but everything after was positive and the picks went six out of nine for the day. The one big surprise was the Twins exploding in the tenth inning to beat the Royals. You could say the Royals took it off the Bruce Chen.

I don't have much else to say as I am simply relieved to have a positive day, so let's just get to Friday's picks:

• The Pirates over the Reds: I like Mike Leake but I see how his team is playing and I have to think that the Pirates (at home) will be all over the Cincinnati team all weekend. Edinson Volquez goes for the Pirates.
• The Blue Jays over the Yankees: The Yankees have two positives going for them. First, Mark Buehrle has had a heck of a time beating them over the years. And secondly, the Yankees have had the upper hand in the season series against the Blue Jays the past several seasons. But my gut is telling me that the Blue Jays will hit Chris Capuano hard and will win a high scoring game.
• The Red Sox over the Rays: Anthony Ranaudo has not been over-the-top fantastic since he was called up, but he has won both of his starts. So let's call him a good luck charm. Chris Archer is very good but the Red Sox beat him the last time they faced him.
• The Mets over the Phillies: The Phillies are fresh off of sweeping the Nationals so why pick them to lose here? Just because they had a good series, doesn't necessarily make them a good team. David Buchanan will try to prove me wrong. Jacob deGrom has been good for the Mets.
• The Marlins over the Braves: Tom Koehler impressed me very much by having a great outing at Coors Field. So I am picking him to win a pitchers' duel against Ervin Santana.
• The Royals over the Indians: I've looked at this one from every angle. Danny Salazar has been much better in his last two outings and the Indians are better than people think. But they do struggle against lefties and Jason Vargas is one of those. Royals.
• The Tigers over the White Sox: It is hard to predict how good or bad Justin Verlander is going to be these days. So there is that. Scott Carroll has looked awful at times and good at others. I have to go with the Tigers here.
• The Rangers over the Astros: The comeback by Scott Baker has been smile-inducing. It's just nice to see him back. He has pitched well too and beat the Royals his last time out. He doesn't walk people and is a contact pitcher. So the BABIP gods will determine his fate. Brett Oberholtzer keeps taking the ball every fifth day. That's about all you can say there.
• The Cubs over the Cardinals: Kyle Hendricks has had a great start to his MLB career. And some of the young studs recently promoted to the Cubs will ambush Shelby Miller and put the Cubs over the top.
• The Diamondbacks over the Rockies: Both of these teams have big problems. So which one is worse? I would say the Rockies. Josh Collmenter hasn't had a bad season while I have less faith in Christian Bergman.
• The Angels over the Athletics: This is going to be a dramatic game and I like the fact for the Angels that they are at home. Jered Weaver scares me a bit and Jon Lester was brought in to win games like this. What it boils down to me is that the A's are sruggling offensively and that will key the win for the Angels.
• The Padres over the Dodgers: Dan Haren is too iffy to me to pick. Andrew Cashner was rusty in his first outing back from the DL, but I think he'll have a very good game against the Dodgers, especially at home.
• The Mariners over the Nationals: Felix Hernandez has not been as dynamic in his last couple of starts. He will have the benefit of being unfamiliar to the Nationals. Jordan Zimmermann can shut down the Mariners too and then I like the Mariners' bullpen better.
• The Giants over the Brewers: I never like picking Ryan Vogelsong. Ever. And I have been extolling the virtues of Wily Peralta who wasn't very wily his last time out when the Pirates roughed him up. This pick comes down to see the way the Giants have played lately and how hot Buster Posey is at the plate.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Orioles over the Twins: The Twins could continue to play spoilers. They are not that bad of a bad team. That said, I have no confidence in Trevor May after what he has done thus far. Miguel Gonzalez is the O's weakest starter, but I still like his chances here.

Yesterday: 6-3, August: 207-169, Games of the Day: 81-58 (+3), Season: 1101-918