MLB Game Picks - Saturday: May 9, 2015

The numbers were good, getting ten out of fourteen correct with one postponement. But the Pick of the Day was Matt Harvey and he got beat by Cole Hamels. And I shouldn't have picked against those plucky Twins. But overall, a good day of picking. I hope David Price isn't injured seriously. Oh. and I still can't figure the Indians out. Why are they so bad?

Saturday's picks:

• The Yankees over the Orioles: I do worry about Warren and Chase Whitley being featured back to back. They are too similar. But at this point, the Yankees are tough to pick against the way they are playing. Wei-Yin Chen will try to even the series for the O's.
• The Blue Jays over the Red Sox: Both Drew Hutchison and Joe Kelly are struggling. I like the match-up of the Blue Jay batters against Kelly's fastball.
• The Tigers over the Royals: These two teams really play tough and the margin for error is small for either team. Anibal Sanchez is really throwing well now and Jeremy Guthrie can give up three or four runs.
• The Nationals over the Braves: Bryce Harper is out of his mind right now. Doug Fister is in a groove and I'm not sure even a great performance by Julio Teheran would beat the Nats.
• The Reds over the White Sox: The two teams will play two today after yesterday's cancellation. In the first game, Johnny Cueto should beat Hector Noesi.
• The White Sox over the Reds: I'm going with young phenom, Carlos Rodon over Jason Marquis in the second game.
• The Twins over the Indians: I'm done picking the Indians and against the Twins. That combination just isn't working for me. Phil Hughes showed promise in his last start that April is over and he'll be good now. Bruce Chen lives to fight another day for the Indians.
• The Rangers over the Rays: I have a good feeling that Ross Detwiler is better than he has pitched thus far and being in a big park will help him. Matt Andriese is an unknown for me as just another young Rays pitcher.
• The Phillies over the Mets: I will not pick against Aaron Harang. I will not pick against Aaron Harang. Even though I love Jon Niese against the Phillies. Hmmm...
• The Cardinals over the Pirates: What is this fatigue thing with Carpenter? What's that all about? He is a key player for the Cards. But I still think they win as Carlos Martinez has been really good and Vance Worley shows that the Pirates are too think in their rotation.
• The Cubs over the Brewers: Travis Wood relies on contact being fielded. That is troublesome. But it often works. Kyle Lohse is pretty much the same. This might be fun for the batters today. Whatever happened to Ryan Braun?
• The Dodgers over the Rockies: I'm not sure about Clayton Kershaw at Coors Field. But I also know that Jorge De La Rosa hasn't looked good so far. It looks like Puig is going to be out a while.
• The Diamondbacks over the Padres: The Padres are so hard to read. Great offense on paper. No defense. It's such a different mold for them. I like Chase Anderson today in a match-up against Tyson Ross.
• The Angels over the Astros: As one of my favorite commenters said the other day, It's weird when Dallas pitches for Houston. And Dallas Keuchel is very good. But he has to lose some time and to Matt Shoemaker seems like the right time to pick against him.
• The Mariners over the Athletics: I like this match-up for the Mariners when they are at home. I'm not sure I like J.A. Happ being their pitcher today. But then again, Jesse Hahn hasn't been great either.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Giants over the Marlins: David Phelps has pitched really well for the Marlins but has little to show for it. I don't seem him winning a head to head with Madison Bumgarner.

Yesterday: 10-4, May: 61-49, Season: 225-214, Picks of the Day: 18-15

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 24, 2014

Five picks from yesterday were incorrect. I had hoped the Yankees would run it and at least give themselves a chance. But their old RISP problem cropped up again and sank them and probably their season for good. The Mariners got pounded. I really thought Felix Hernandez would be better. He had nothing.

I had the Padres and the Rockies wrong. I had the Diamondbacks and the Twins wrong. Good old Kyle Gibson did me in again with his bamboozle balls. And finally, I thought the A's would beat the Angels with so much on the line and Sonny Gray on the mound. But Wade LeBlanc of all people shut them down which just goes to show how badly the A's are hitting.

So those were the bum picks. But speaking of Bums, I did get the Dodgers and Greinke over Bumgarner. I did get the Cubs over the Cards and those were two pretty good picks.

Wednesday's picks:

• The Orioles over the Yankees: The Orioles simply have too much offense for someone like Shane Greene. Buck Showalter shows no letup and is managing each game for the win (which he should). Bud Norris will benefit from the offensive support.
• The Tigers over the White Sox: Justin Verlander is finishing the season strong and he will have to here as the Tigers face Chris Sale. The Tigers are far from clinching the division and have to keep winning.
• The Twins of the Diamondbacks: The D-backs are fighting for the top draft pick, which is about the only positive thing you can say to their season. Vidal Nuno has not won a game for them yet. Phil Hughes should dominate.
• The Athletics over the Angels: This pick did not work out yesterday even though Pujols and Trout and combined oh-fers with five strikeouts between them. Jon Lester is the difference maker, however, and Hector Santiago will keep the Angels in the game.
• The Nationals over the Mets: Gio Gonzalez has won three of his last four starts and is the only reason I am picking the Nats. Gonzalez is going to want one more strong start to see if he can get himself in the playoff rotation. Dillon Gee won't make it easy for him.
• The Mariners over the Blue Jays: Taijuan Walker will try to do what Paxton and King Felix have not been able to do: Stop the Blue Jays' offense. Their own offense has a chance at least against Mark Buehrle.
• The Royals over the Indians: The Royals are playing well down the stretch. They have taken over the wild card lead and still want to run down the Tigers. Jason Vargas is not the guy I want on the mound, but I will pick him over Trevor Bauer.
• The Reds over the Brewers: The Brewers fall from grace is complete. They looked so good in the first half of the season and then pfffttt. I'm taking Danny Corcino over Kyle Lohse. That's how bad the season has ended.
• The Marlins over the Phillies: I have no idea which team will win this game. I don't think I have gotten a Kyle Kendrick game pick correct all season. Brad Hand is not a favored pick. Whatever...
• The Pirates over the Braves: The Pirates can rest easy except they would like to play the wild card game-off at home. Jeff Locke has been good down the stretch and Julio Teheran will hope his team scores something...anything.
• The Rays over the Red Sox: I hope the Red Sox keep playing Cecchini. He is my favorite prospect and I see another Wade Boggs in him. But that is the only reason to watch the Red Sox these days. Jake Odorizzi over Anthony Ranaudo.
• The Rangers over the Astros: The Rangers have totally blown their first round pick status with this hot streak. Lisalverto Bonilla hasn't exactly been gangbusters, but he keeps winning. Scott Feldman will pitch for the Astros. Meh.
• The Cubs over the Cardinals: The Cardinals seem determined to keep this interesting right up to the end. Jake Arrieta gentille Arrieta has looked terrific and John Lackey throws better tantrums than fastballs these days.
• The Padres over the Rockies: This pick did not work out yesterday and today's pitching line is messy. Joe Wieland is the definition of a 4-A pitcher (no offense) and Yohan Flande has not been impressive.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Dodgers over the Giants: What better way for the Dodgers to clinch the division over the rivals than for it to be Clayton Kershaw. Put a cap on your season, bud. Tim Hudson should probably retire.

Yesterday: 10-5, Sept.: 190-128, Games of the Day: 101-65 (+1), Season: 1320-1062

MLB Game Picks - Friday: September 19, 2014

Derek Jeter hit a home run. That being the case, everything else that happened was icing on the cake. And it was good icing as the picks went 7-3. I didn't have to worry about Jered Weaver as the Angels won with most of their stars sitting down. I had to laugh though when I finally broke down and picked Kyle Kendrick and he got his butt kicked. Heh.

I was quite surprised when both extra-inning games went my way. That hardly ever happens. The Cardinals won despite the team's entire fan base getting mad at Mike Matheny. And the Indians gutted it out to win their game after blowing the lead late in the game.

Friday's picks:

• The Dodgers over the Cubs: Clayton Kershaw is going to win his 20th game. The Dodgers will find a way to score enough runs off of Edwin Jackson and more accolades will follow for the Dodgers' lefty.
• The Orioles over the Red Sox: The Red Sox get their DH back, which should make things a bit easier. But otherwise, things are really sad for the Red Sox these days. The O's are on the other end of the emotional spectrum and Kevin Gausman has been much better than Allen Webster.
• The Pirates over the Brewers: The Brewers are officially sunk after last night's loss in extras to the Cards. Well, maybe not officially, but they might as well be. Yovani Gallardo hasn't had a great season and that's part of the problem. I'll go with Jeff Locke instead.
• The Yankees over the Blue Jays: The Yankees have one more chance this season to beat up on Mark Buehrle, a guy who just loves to pitch in Yankee Stadium. Not. Hiroki Kuroda needs to have a good night against the tough Blue Jays' lineup though.
• The White Sox over the Rays: Jose Quintana has had a brilliant season and is only 8-10. He did win his last start, however with 14Ks. That was impressive. Jeremy Hellickson goes for the Rays.
• The Nationals over the Marlins: I have to go with Doug Fister even if he only goes five or six innings. Tom Koehler is tough at home though.
• The Mets over the Braves: The Braves stopped hitting. The Braves stopped winning. The Braves are a sad, sad team this month. Facing Zack Wheeler will not improve things and Julio Teheran won't get any support.
• The Rockies over the Diamondbacks: This is a series that is too close to call. I got it wrong yesterday, but that is to be expected when you can't figure out what to do. Picking between Jordan Lyles and Chase Anderson is impossible too.
• The Twins over the Indians: The Indians are not hitting. Phil Hughes has had a very good season. Trevor Bauer is unpredictable and 1+1+1 equals a Twins win.
• The Tigers over the Royals: I wish it weren't so, but the Tigers always come through in times like this and the Royals usually do not. Justin Verlander sounds like a better pick than Jason Vargas anyway.
• The Cardinals over the Reds: I heard that John Lackey was upset that he had a turn skipped over. Well, then, pitch better, Big Fella. He is a good guy I am told, but boy, what a hot head. Meanwhile, David Holmberg is a lefty that might give the Cards some trouble.
• The Athletics over the Phillies: The A's keep losing, but not when Jon Lester pitches. Lester should get some consideration on the CYA ballot. David Buchanan will try to match Lester and might even be capable of doing so.
• The Angels over the Rangers: Some of the regulars should be back in the lineup. Hector Santiago is better than his record and, despite his win his last time out and the movement of his pitches, Lisalverto Bonilla just doesn't have enough command for my tastes.
• The Padres over the Giants: Tim Hudson looks old and tired and is dealing with minor injuries. He will not have a winning record for the first time in his illustrious career. Odrisamer Despaigne is hard to predict though.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Mariners over the Astros: Taijuan Walker has been brought back cautiously but he has pitched well when given the opportunity. He should beat the Astros and Brad Peacock. The M's are still in a good spot for the wild card and only one game back.

Yesterday: 7-3, Sept.: 144-102, Games of the Day: 98-63 (+6), Season: 1274-1036

MLB Game Picks - Wednesday: August 27, 2014

My home network decided not to work this morning so I am late and flustered. Not to mention the fact that I cannot seem to get over the .500 hump lately. I suppose I should look at the bigger picture in that at one point I was 3-8 and finished at 7-8. But still. Come on now. The A's are really struggling. The Reds are awful. The Cubs and Padres keep making noise. And, of course, both extra-inning games went against me. What else is new.

I need to turn this around! Wednesday's picks:

• The Cardinals over the Pirates: I haven't been helped by picking Adam Wainwright lately. At the same time, it feels so dangerous to pick against him. Jeff Locke could give the Cards problems. But if Wainwright is Wainwright, the Cards win.
• The Mariners over the Rangers: I figured this pick should be easy until I saw that Erasmo Ramirez was pitching for the Mariners. Oh. Okay. Hmm. Oh what the heck, Colby Lewis isn't that great shakes either.
• The Orioles over the Rays: The Orioles have clearly showed their superiority over every other team in the AL East and that includes the Rays. If Kevin Gausman keeps pitching the way he has, he is going to be a star. The Emoticon, Drew Smyly, will always be (IMHO) a middle-to-bottom of the rotation guy.
• The Nationals over the Phillies: I have been wrong with this pick for two straight days, but I am nothing if not stubborn. Doug Fister should always beat Kyle Kendrick. But baseball will always be baseball.
• The Red Sox over the Blue Jays: The Red Sox can enjoy being spoilers now and with Allen Craig back, can do some damage. I like Joe Kelly better than the erratic youth of Marcus Stroman. The undeniable truth though is that Stroman can kill it when he is on his game.
• The Tigers over the Yankees: David Price with each start is getting himself closer and closer to a paycheck that will change his name to T. Rowe Price. He prevents the Yankees from getting to the Tigers' weak bullpen by throwing strikes. Shane Greene will try to keep it close.
• The Mets over the Braves: Weak Mets' offense or not, Zack Wheeler has arrived and he has been phenomenal. Julio Teheran can force it to the bullpens and if so, the Braves have the advantage.
• The Reds over the Cubs: On paper, Mat Latos is better than Jacob Turner. But Turner was a wise pickup by the Cubs along the same lines as Arrieta was and the Cubs can turn him into a good pitcher. But that takes a little time. The Reds shouldn't get a ringing endorsement, but they are the pick.
• The Indians over the White Sox: I like that Adam Eaton is back for the White Sox. That said, I like Corey Kluber over Hector Noesi too much to fool around with this pick.
• The Twins over the Royals: That was quite exciting for the Royals last night and I like that they have a chance for the division. That city deserves it. But I don't like Royals starting Liam Hendriks.Yeesh. Phil Hughes has become a stud.
• The Athletics over the Astros: Brad Peacock has three problems. The first is his high ERA. The second is his 1.68 WHIP and the third is that he almost never goes more than five innings in his starts. He has pitched beyond the sixth inning only once in his last ten starts. That is too much exposure for those last twelve outs. Drew Pomeranz goes for the A's.
• The Brewers over the Padres: This pick hasn't gone well this week, but I'm feeling pretty good about this one. Yovani Gallardo will start for the Brewers, so that is reason one. The second is that Odrisamer Despaigne hasn't exactly been stingy in giving up runs in recent starts.
• The Angels over the Marlins: I hate to pick against Henderson Alvarez. He certainly has had a very good year. And the Marlins are no pushovers. But the Angels are home and Hector Santiago has been pitching well enough that I think they have the advantage.
• The Giants over the Rockies: For years I have thought that Hector Santiago and Franklin Morales were the same exact guy. But while Santiago plays for a great team like the Angels, Morales plays for a challenged team like the Rockies. Tim Hudson isn't a solid pick, but he is the pick tonight.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Dodgers over the Diamondbacks: Wade Miley has been better than earlier in the season, but he runs up against Clayton Kershaw. Sorry about that, Wade.

Yesterday: 7-8, August: 196-156, Games of the Day: 80-58 (+1), Season: 1090-905