MLB Game Picks - Tuesday: June 10, 2014

I knew the picks were in deep trouble last night when they started 1-6 and despite the late rally, they finished at 4-7. Lonnie Chisenhall had one heck of a night with three homers and nine RBIs (and 15 total bases!) which certainly blew apart that pick. I didn't expect the Rays to get blanked again! Something is totally weird going on down there and David Price can't buy a win. I guess Gavin Floyd had a good game. Stranger things have happened. It was just a night full of bad picks.

But...the Game of the Day was right and I have climbed back to .500 with that feature. Let's see if that nightmare is finally over.

Tuesday's picks:

• The Diamondbacks over the Astros: It is very difficult to pick against the Astros these days. That team is on fire and they are having fun. This pick was wrong yesterday, but I still hate picking Brad Peacock. I don't really like picking Bronson Arroyo at his home park either. Maybe I should just pick the Astros every day for the rest of the season.
• The Orioles over the Red Sox: I was totally shocked by Bud Norris last night, but that guy's career has always baffled me. Chris Tillman has to be so fine to be good, but he has a better chance of that happening than for Brandon Workman to shut down the O's attack.
• The Pirates over the Cubs: I keep picking Francisco Liriano like it was 2013. But it is 2014 and he is 1-6. So I have been wrong a lot with him. But I am stubborn if nothing else. He has the ability to shut down the Cubs. He faces a tough competitor in Travis Wood though.
• The Padres over the Phillies: The Phillies are just a bad team. They keep sinking to lower depths and what can they do? A.J. Burnett was a mistake signing with occasional brilliance every fourth start or so. Today could be one of those days. Ian Kennedy goes for the Friars.
• The Blue Jays over the Twins: J.A. Happ and his mysterious +2 MPH fastball (where did that come from?) will shut down the lefty-struggling Twins. Kevin Correia is still in baseball and that's all I'll say there.
• The Dodgers over the Reds: The Dodgers decided to get well with Puig out and against the Reds? Seems so. Josh Beckett over Mike Leake.
• The Brewers over the Mets: The Mets are heading in the wrong direction after a promising start to the season. Daisuke Matsuzaka could give them a good outing. But I like Marco Estrada better.
• The Marlins over the Rangers: Tom Koehler has had three rough outings out of his last five starts. Colby Lewis has allowed ten earned runs in his last 10.2 innings pitched. Hmm..
• The Indians over the Royals: The Indians caught a bit of a bad break when the Royals got rained out yesterday because then they get Jason Vargas, who is pretty tough on them. But Corey Kluber has become an ace and I am riding him.
• The Tigers over the White Sox: John Danks has had three really good starts in a row. And Justin Verlander hasn't been the ace of old. Miguel Cabrera is hobbling a bit. But I'm still going Tigers.
• The Rockies over the Braves: Mike Minor has been only so-so and I don't like him at Coors. Juan Nicasio is the Rockies' best pitcher at home. I was wrong with this same pick yesterday.
• The Athletics over the Angels: There are certain pitchers who are just good at losing. Hector Santiago is one of those. He is 8-16 in his career. Drew Pomeranz, on the other hand, has been winning, something I wondered if ever would happen for him.
• The Mariners over the Yankees: So the Yankees got rained out yesterday, which means they could skip their weakest starter in Vidal Nuno and go with the scheduled Tanaka. But no, they pushed back Tanaka depriving us of a Tanaka - Hisashi Iwakuma match up that would have been fun to watch. Heck yeah, let's give Nuno all kinds of starts then.
• The Giants over the Nationals: This one could be decided by the bullpens because it wouldn't surprise me if Doug Fister and Madison Bumgarner both threw up eight zeroes apiece.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Cardinals over the Rays: This is a trap, right? There are no games today that look more like a sure thing than this one. Adam Wainwright is the ace. The Rays can't hit. Jake Odorizzi has done nothing. So why does this feel like a trap. It does. I can see it coming...

Yesterday: 4-7, June: 67-56, Games of the Day: 33-33, Season: 520-434

MLB Game Picks - Saturday: April 26, 2014

I needed a good day yesterday after a horrible Thursday and I got it. There were only four incorrect picks. The Yankees were bombed out at home. The Orioles could do nothing with a very impressive Yordano Ventura. The White Sox got a walk-off grand slam from Abreu to ruin that pick. And Josh Collmenter pitched a lot better than I thought he would as the Diamondbacks won the team's third straight.

Those were the only four bad picks. But I will take eleven correct ones every day. Here are Saturday's picks:

• The Yankees over the Angels: Hector Santiago is not C.J. Wilson and the Yankees should get some base runners at least. The only question is about how good Vidal Nuno can be. He was good his first start, but we'll see.
• The Nationals over the Padres: This is a tough one. I love Andrew Cashner, but his ERA is double on the road as it is at home. Tanner Roark has been good his last two starts. I am going with the home team.
• The Blue Jays over the Red Sox: Clay Buchholz has been horrible. If he fixes himself today, this pick is in deep doodoo. Then again, Brandon Morrow hasn't been reliable himself. This looks like a pick that could hurt.
• The Tigers over the Twins: Phil Hughes pitched well his last time out. But this is the Tigers and they bite. Then again, Anibal Sanchez has not been great so far this season either.
• The Indians over the Giants: The Giants aren't hitting much and need good pitching to win. Tim Lincecum cannot be trusted in that department. Zach McAllister, on the other hand, is a bright talent.
• The Pirates over the Cardinals: Ugh, this is a tough one. Neither team is hitting. Francisco Liriano has not been nearly as good as last year. But Tyler Lyons is not a good pick either. Tough one...again...
• The Orioles over the Royals: I feel the Orioles are going to destroy Jeremy Guthrie today. It's a gut thing. Wei-Yin Chen has to be good for the Orioles though.
• The Brewers over the Cubs: I hate picking against Travis Wood. I have a lot of respect for him to go out there and get no support each time. He might even be the best hitter on his team. Marco Estrada will be good enough to win at home.
• The Braves over the Reds: David Hale is the weakest link of the Braves' rotation. But he still might be good enough to be better than Mike Leake. Leake is not a big strikeout guy, which helps the Braves.
• The Mets over the Marlins: When it comes to pitchers, there is slow, then Kevin Slowey and then the slowest. The Mets get another good performance from Jenrry Mejia and win.
• The Athletics over the Astros: I would rate Dan Straily and Dallas Keuchel a wash. That said, the A's are the better team and thus the pick.
• The White Sox over the Bay Rays: Why the heck not. The White Sox are very exciting right now. John Danks has been good so far. And Cesar Ramos pitching for the Rays seals the deal for me.
• The Phillies over the Diamondbacks: I am not sure about Cliff Lee in the desert air, but I am sure that I don't ever like picking Bronson Arroyo to win.
• The Rockies over the Dodgers: I like Juan Nicasio on the road and at home. But maybe I overrate him. And maybe I underrate Paul Maholm because I would almost never pick him to win a game.

And the Game of the Day

• The Mariners over the Rangers. Felix Hernandez? Check. At home? Check. The Colby Lewis story is nice. But to have faith in a nice story? No, not here.

Yesterday: 11-4, Games of the Day: 11-11, Season: 197-148

MLB Game Picks - Friday: April 4, 2014

I started yesterday at 0-3, so I was happy to finish up with a 6-4 record for the Game Picks. That Twins - White Sox game was wild, wasn't it? Seattle and Oakland played a great game with great pitching throughout. Coco Crisp does a lot of those walk-off kinds of thing, or so it seems. He hit his homer against old friend, Hector Noesi. There was one postponement, the second of the season, as the Tigers and Royals were rained out.

We are back to a full schedule today. With lots of day games! Yay! Here are the picks:

• The Nationals over the Braves: The Nats have opened the season with a bang and seem really deep. MLB has a TBO next to who is pitching, but there are reports elsewhere that Jordan Zimmermann is pitching. David Hale goes for the Braves. He was not very impressive this spring.
• The Tigers over the Orioles: It was nice for the Tigers to have Anibal Sanchez held back by yesterday's rain to start this one. He is tough and faces a tough lineup. Miguel Gonzalez goes for the Orioles and should be fine after taking a liner off his shin at the end of Spring Training.
• The Brewers over the Red Sox: This is a big stretch, but Jake Peavy worries me and Marco Estrada is the kind of pitcher that can shut down Boston. The Brewers get an extra bat in the lineup too.
• The Cubs over the Phillies: I have zero confidence in Roberto Hernandez. None. Nada. I do like Travis Wood a lot and especially his left arm against the Phillies.
• The Indians over the Twins: Danny Salazar did not have a good spring, so that worries me. But despite the Twins' win yesterday, they don't look very good. And Mike Pelfrey never scares anyone.
• The Rockies over the Diamondbacks: Neither Juan Nicasio or Randall Delgado set my heart aflutter. So without knowing what will happen, I will settle for the home field advantage.
• The Royals over the White Sox: Jeremy Guthrie wins his share of games despite lousy peripherals. And Erik Johnson has yet to translate his winning ways in the minors to the Major League level. This is one of those coin flip games.
• The Dodgers over the Giants: Isn't Matt Kemp back today? That will confuse the outfield situation. Who sits? Anyway, Ryan Vogelsong no longer worries me as a pitcher, which is not good. And Hyun-jin Ryu is pitching very well.
• The Cardinals over the Pirates: Shelby Miller did not have a very good spring, but he has been a very solid pitcher since hitting the Majors. He and Gerrit Cole are both making their season debuts. I think it will be the Cardinals on top.
• The Yankees over the Blue Jays: This game confuses me. I worry about Masahiro Tanaka against a lineup like the Blue Jays. I love Dustin McGowen's story, but doubt his ability to succeed as a starter. The Yankees had to fly all night. We'll just have to see what happens.
• The Reds over the Mets. The Mets look dreadful. It could be a long season. But they have had stretches where they recover. I think they have to make a decision at first base and stick with it. Anyway, Mike Leake over Jenrry Mejia.
• The Marlins over the Padres: I have no clue in this one. Tom Koehler versus Eric Stults. I don't know. I just picked four visiting teams to win in a row and it made me shake. So I picked the home team here. Yeah, this is weird.
• The Rays over the Rangers: Joe Saunders? Oh please, no. I am looking for Wil Myers and Evan Longoria to clean his clock. Jake Odorizzi goes for the Rays an he looks like another good one.
• The Angels over the Astros: The Astros are better offensively this season. But they still have a long way to go. The Angels have struggled out of the gate. I think Garrett Richards will be better than Lucas Harrell.

And the Game of the Day!

• The Athletics over the Mariners: If you want to see something really funny, look up Chris Young's player page on MLB.com. He looks like Peewee Herman throwing a baseball. Dan Straily never does wow me, but I think he will win.

Yesterday: 6-4, Games of the Day: 2-2, Season: 30-20

MLB Game Picks - Tuesday: September 17, 2013

I did not expect both the Cardinals and Pirates to lose. I was worried about the Pirates and mentioned that Andrew Cashner had the stuff to shut them down. My worry was full of merit as he did just that. As for the Cardinals, they could not do much with Collin McHugh and after Lance Lynn threw a decent game, the Cards went to the Trevor Rosenthal well once too often.

I was also worried about the A's having a letdown after the Rangers' series and I should have listened to myself as they got killed by the Angels. And speaking of those Rangers, I figured they would rise up after the A's series. I figured wrong. They were awful and the Rays beat them easily behind Alex Cobb. The Rangers are in serious trouble.

But otherwise, I had a decent picking day. I picked James Shields perfectly. And I also figured Cliff Lee would win and he did. And my worry about Johnny Cueto (though I picked him anyway) was worrying about nothing. He was great.

There are sixteen games on the schedule as the Nationals and Braves will play twice to make up for yesterday's shooting postponement. My heart goes out to those shooting victims in what is a real tragedy.  Tuesday's picks:

• The Braves over the Nationals: I was going to cheat and just predict a split and then it would not matter which team won which. But that would be low so I will not. Mike Minor beats Dan Haren in the first game.
• The Nationals over the Braves: Okay, so Freddy Garcia pitched a great game his last time out. I can't in any lifetime believe that he will do it again. Tanner Roark is having himself some fun in the Majors and should have himself a good game.
• The Phillies over the Marlins: Brian Flynn is the opposite of Roark. He has made two big league starts and they have not gone well. Too many walks and too many hits have sunk him. Roy Halladay is a bit of a concern and he could give up a moonshot to Giancarlo Stanton. But he is the pick here.
• The Pirates over the Padres: I am worried about this game too. Eric Stults has lost his last six decisions even though he has not walked anyone in his last three starts. Sooner or later he is going to win. Will it be today? Jeff Locke will try to keep that from happening and inch the Pirates closer to where they want to be.
• The Yankees over the Blue Jays: I am grasping at straws here for the Yankees. They looked so bad in the Red Sox series and the last time they played the Jays, they were treated rudely. But I think the Yankees will hit R.A. Dickey in the dome and that Andy Pettitte will benefit from having Brendan Ryan at short.
• The Red Sox over the Orioles: Two years ago, the Orioles did a number on the Red Sox down the stretch and eventually knocked the beantowners out of the playoffs. Nobody is beating the Red Sox out of the playoffs this year. Ryan Dempster is a concern. But the Red Sox should beat Scott Feldman.
• The Giants over the Mets: Yusmeiro Petit has been the bomb for the Giants. He has a six to one strikeout to walk ratio and a 1.00 WHIP. That is great pitching. In other words, he has been what Zack Wheeler would look like with better control. It will come.
• The Bay Rays over the Rangers: The Rangers are sliding out of control and I cannot see them beating the Rays on their home turf. Jeremy Hellickson over Alexi Ogando.
• The Brewers over the Cubs: Marco Estrada has quietly put together three good games in a row with 23 strikeouts in his last 20.2 innings pitched. And those were against the Cards, Angels and Reds. Nice. I am picking him over Jeff Samardzija.
• The Reds over the Astros: Mike Leake reminds me of a young Andy Pettitte. His peripherals never blow you away but on a good team, he just wins and wins. He will win today against the Astros that will lose their 100th game of the season. Jordan Lyles will not be able to stop it.
• The Indians over the Royals: Aren't the Royals still slightly in this wildcard race? They why are they choosing to give Yordano Ventura his big league debut? Yeah, the kid has a big arm. But this is a longshot, isn't it? I have to go with Corey Kluber.
• The White Sox over the Twins: My gosh, I am predicting the White Sox to win two in a row. Somebody take my temperature, quick. Jose Quintana and his fiery self wins over Mike Pelfrey, who has been bloody awful.
• The Cardinals over the Rockies: I have to admit that I have no idea who will win this game. Joe Kelly and Juan Nicasio seem like a wash to me. Coors Field means that anything can happen. Both teams are missing key players. I have no idea.
• The Diamondbacks over the Dodgers: The Dodgers are banged up and now have to face Patrick Corbin who is pitching like he caught his second wind after a dead period. Corbin out-duels Zack Greinke in this one.
• The Athletics over the Angels: The A's had their little party hangover yesterday and get back to business today. Sonny Gray should get the job done and the A's should do just fine against Garrett Richards.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Tigers over the Mariners: Brandon Maurer has given up thirteen runs in his last ten and a third innings. Ouch. If that continues, the Tigers will devour him. Anibal Sanchez should be good enough no matter how Maurer does.

Yesterday: 7-4

Week: 18-8

Month: 121-100

Season: 1263-995

Games of the Day: 96-67

MLB Game Picks - Monday: June 3, 2013

Yesterday was not a good picking day. It would have been better if not for bullpens. The Reds had a 4-2 lead on the Pirates until Jonathan Broxton happened. The Tigers had a lead on the Orioles until Phil Coke happened. Without those two events, the day would have been decent. But that is a four game swing on the final tally. One of those baby Cardinal pitchers finally lost a game. Matt Harvey of the Mets was uncharacteristically shelled. And unbelievably, the Angels were beaten by the Astros again!

There are nine games on the schedule today with three of them being on the West Coast. Here are Monday's picks:

• The Yankees over the Indians: Lots of questions on this one. How good will Andy Pettitte be coming back from the disabled list? Will it be the good Justin Masterson or the bad one? Can the reeling New York Yankees get their act together? Will Terry Francona and Joe Girardi spend more than fifteen minutes praising each other?
• The Reds over the Rockies: Yes, Tyler Chatwood is 3-0 and has been lights out. No, I am not quite buying it. Yes, Bronson Arroyo can give up runs in bunches and no, he will not today.
• The Pirates over the Braves: The Pirates are a legitimately good team. Their record is not a fluke. I am not quite convinced by their offense, but the pitching has been there. A.J. Burnett could strike out ten Braves today as they are prone to do that. Then again, Burnett could give up half a dozen gopher balls too. Kris Medlen is 1-6. I never expected that to happen.
• The Brewers over the Athletics: Tough game to call. The A's always seem to find a way to win. Tommy Milone is the key to the game. He really has not pitched well since his May 7 start and that was five starts ago. The Brewers feature Ryan Braun, who loves him some lefty pitching. Marco Estrada is probably under-appreciated.
• The Cardinals over the Diamondbacks: Trevor Cahill has been much better the last few weeks. But Lance Lynn is a stud and the Cards' offense is terrific. I like the Cardinals here, especially at home.
• The Angels over the Astros: I have been picking it this way all weekend and have gone down in flames all weekend. I might as well finish the series being stubborn. If the Angels lose again, their manager should get sacked. Plain and simple. Joe Blanton and Erik Bedard are the starters.
• The White Sox over the Mariners: The White Sox have not won in a while, so they are due. John Danks has looked pretty good since coming back. Joe Saunders is always capable of baffling Major League batters for a game. This one can go either way.
• The Dodgers over the Padres: I might as well continue my season long streak of being zero for picking Eric Stults. I pick him to win and he loses. I pick him to lose and he wins. I think he will win today, so I picked him to lose. Desperation leads men to do strange things. Chris Capuano needs to have a good game. Eek.

And the Game of the Day!

• The Phillies over the Marlins: The Marlins just mashed the Mets for most of the weekend and are getting some offense all of the sudden. But Kyle Kendrick just somehow wins all the time. He just does. It is best not to think about it too much because your head will explode. Tom Koehler goes for the Fish.

Yesterday: 7-8

Week: 7-8

Month: 18-13

Season: 480-363

Games of the Day: 38-23