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 - Sunday: August 18, 2013

The week finished with a whimper on a day just barely over .500. I felt good about predicting one AL ERA leader (Felix Hernandez) would not fare well, but the guy right behind him (Hiroki Kuroda) faltered too and I did not pick that to happen. It was that kind of day. Edinson Volquez and Ubaldo Jimenez both had good days on the mound and as shocking as that is in tandem, it explains how they continue to pitch in the MLB. They have just enough glimmer of hope every once in a while to keep a team trying to "right" them. Call it the stuff conundrum.

Elsewhere, Rafael Soriano blew another save which I thought would save a pick. But the Nats held on in 15 innings with Dan Haren getting a save. As Mel Allen would have said, "How about that." And did you see that bomb that Giancarlo Stanton hit? Wow!

Sunday's picks:

• The Tigers over the Royals: What do you do when the starting pitchers are a combined 22-1? Uh. Bruce Chen is 5-0 and has not lost since last year. His whiffleballs seem to totally confuse people. And of course, Max Scherzer is 17-1. I will go with Scherzer at home. Somebody has to lose the game.
• The Giants over the Marlins: I hate making this pick because Stanton has a history of hitting his homers in bunches. But Madison Bumgarner over Tom Koehler is the right call.
• The Pirates over the Diamondbacks: Well...I guess Locke was not a lock after all. Will Charlie Morton throw salt in my wounds? Ha! I kill me. What do you mean you didn't get it? Oh well, after getting 20 hits yesterday, the D-backs will get bamboozled by Morton and Wade Miley will give up four or so.
• The Rockies over the Orioles: Perhaps getting Scott Feldman was not that great an idea. But usually, those kinds of trades work out for the Orioles. This one has not so far. Instead, I am going with Jhoulys Chacin who can go deep into the game with the DH.
• The Phillies over the Dodgers: Sandburg gets his first win as Cole Hamels out-pitches Ricky Nolasco, just like he has for a half a dozen years now. But maybe picking against a team that has won 42 of 50 is sort of a dumb idea.
• The Braves over the Nationals: Julio Teheran had his worst game in a while his last time out, but it was only four runs in six innings and he still struck out six. He bounces back and Gio Gonzalez is not quite healthy and it shows in his pitching.
• The Bay Rays over the Blue Jays: Chris Archer has not had any golden arrows in his pack lately. His last three starts have been less than stellar. He bounces back today and the Rays jump on Todd Redmond for a win at home in the latest installment of the Battle of the Ays.
• The Twins over the White Sox: The White Sox are on a little bit of a roll, but maybe that is because they are playing the Twins. Samuel Deduno has been letting me down lately with three bad appearances in a row and two straight losses. This must be my day for picking pitching redemptions or something. Hector Santiago goes for the Pale Hose.
• The Reds over the Brewers: Okay, maybe I should have picked Yovani Gallardo yesterday. But that does not mean I am going to pick Wily Peralta today. Instead, I will go with Homer Bailey who should have a better record than he does.
• The Cardinals over the Cubs: If I recall correctly, the last three times I have picked Adam Wainwright to win, the pick went south. But geez, he is supposed to be an ace, right? And who knows what you will get when Edwin Jackson pitches. Why did I pick this hobby again?
• The Astros over the Angels: I really like this Brett Oberholtzer kid and he has pitched three straight good games. I also like a lefty against the Angels. I am torn about picking him over Garrett Richards though, but that is my first instinct and I will stick with it.
• The Indians over the Athletics: After pitching really good for a while, Scott Kazmir's last three games sat there like a dead zeppelin. Did you see what I did there? Anyway, I am looking for him to have a good day today and for the Indians to scratch enough off of Tommy Milone for the win.
• The Mets over the Padres: Yeah, Matt Harvey let me down in his last start, but he is way better than the Padres and Eric Stults, so that is the pick IF the Mets can score a few runs for him. That is the big problem.
• The Red Sox over the Yankees: The Yankees should hit Ryan Dempster. But CC Sabathia always is terrible against the Red Sox and if you watched the game yesterday, every thing in the world seems to go the Red Sox way. It is their year.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Rangers over the Mariners: Erasmo Ramirez is 4-0 and has pitched really well. Who knew? But Yu Darvish has to be the pick here.

Yesterday: 8-7

Last week: 55-42

Month: 136-94

Season: 1039-807

Games of the Day: 79-54   +1

MLB Game Picks - Sunday: June 30, 2013

Saturday was another tepid picking day, which completed another tepid week, which nearly completed another tepid month. Bah! There were two Major League debuts by pitchers yesterday. I picked Taylor Jordan to win. He lost because his defense played like Little League behind him. I picked Kyle Gibson to lose and he won. Two more extra inning games finished the wrong way. And my zero for Eric Stults streak continued. At least the Game of the Day Pirates continued to win.

Sunday is my favorite baseball day of the week with all the day games. Here are the picks:

• The Marlins over the Padres: I picked against the Marlins yesterday and they won. I picked against Nathan Eovaldi last time and he won. So I guess somebody is trying to tell me something. Did you know the Marlins have a winning record in June? I probably picked half of them wrong. Andrew Cashner goes for the Padres.
• The Mets over the Nationals: Zack Wheeler has one problem as a pitcher: he walks people. The Nationals have one big problem on offense: they do not walk and are twelfth in the NL in that category. That makes me want to pick Wheeler over Gio Gonzalez. The bullpen is the key though for the Mets.
• The Braves over the Diamondbacks: I am not thrilled with either pitcher here in Trevor Cahill and Paul Maholm. That being the case, I will go with the home team and the Braves' bullpen.
• The Brewers over the Pirates: Look, I am sure that Charlie Morton is a great guy who works very hard at what he does. But he is a link to the old Pirates with his soft tosses and up and down pitching. I do not like him back in the Pirates' rotation. Going here with Kyle Lohse instead.
• The Red Sox over the Blue Jays: With Mark Buehrle and Ryan Dempster on the mound for these two teams, this could be a shoot out. Or one of those very experienced guys can have a good day. They seem even to me. So, whenever that happens, I go with the home team.
• The Angels over the Astros: Early in the season, the Angels lost regularly to the Astros. That was then, this is now and the Angels are playing much better baseball. Josh Hamilton is doing better as is C.J. Wilson. They still aren't head and shoulders above others on their team, but their resurgence helps. Lucas Harrell goes for the Astros.
• The White Sox over the Indians: The Indians have really beat on the White Sox this entire series. But Chris Sale should slow the Indians down and salvage a game for the White Sox. If Justin Masterson comes out hot though, this pick could get dicey.
• The Twins over the Royals: This is a hard game to pick. The Royals have been playing much better and Ervin Santana has pitched pretty well. And Chick Kevin Correia is not exactly reliable. But I expect the Twins to put it together for a game and get a win in this one.
• The Reds over the Rangers: I watched Yu Darvish against the Yankees and was really confused. He threw nothing but sliders and was hardly dominant. The Reds have a better lineup than the Yankees and Mat Latos has been very good. So the pick is with the Reds.
• The Cardinals over the Athletics: Tommy Milone has had three bad starts in a row. If he turns it around in this game at home, the pick is in trouble. I am not that big a fan of Jake Westbrook either. But he finds a way to win somehow.
• The Mariners over the Cubs: Jeremy Bonderman is a true underdog and you always have to root for an underdog. I am not sure that means he will win, but at least he has a chance against the Cubs and Edwin Jackson.
• The Giants over the Rockies: The Rockies have won the last two of these and the Giants are really scuffling. But despite Drew Pomeranz's terrific numbers in Triple-A this season, his Major League history is too much for me to overcome. I would much rather take a chance on Madison Bumgarner.
• The Dodgers over the Phillies: I am not a real big Stephen Fife fan, but then again, I have never been a fan of Kyle Kendrick either. Hanley Ramirez is on fire...at least on offense. The Dodgers are playing animated baseball lately. Going with them at home.
• The Orioles over the Yankees: The Yankees have reached a new level of sadness and have lost five of their last six. Frankly, watching them every day is so disheartening because it does not look like they have any chance at all to win. Hiroki Kuroda gives them a chance, but Chris Tillman will come out on top.

And the Game of the Day!

• The Bay Rays over the Tigers: Jeremy Hellickson is not my favorite Rays' pitcher for reliability. But he has been winning lately. And I like him better at this point than Rick Porcello who has gone backwards lately.

Yesterday: 8-7

Last week: 48-41

Month: 203-190

Season: 668-539

Games of the Day: 51-37

MLB Game Picks - Wednesday: June 19, 2013

I went 4-0 in double headers yesterday including predicting the Mets would sweep the Braves. But then  I went 6-6 on everything else. Sheesh. I had three aces going in Justin Verlander, Yu Darvish and Adam Wainwright. They all lost. And Verlander was for the Game of the Day. I should start calling that feature the poop pick of the day. The Game of the Day is not the most exciting game. It is the game each day that I think is the easiest pick. It is a game that should be a slam dunk of a pick. The feature is 23-24 since May 1, when it stood at 22-8. I love my job here.

At least the 10-6 total record yesterday finally pushed the month of June back over the .500 mark.

Wednesday's picks:

• The Yankees over the Dodgers: The rained out game yesterday actually gives the Yankees a better chance to win both games against the Dodgers. I would have easily picked Hyun-jin Ryu over Phil Hughes. But matching up against Hiroki Kuroda is an entirely different thing. Kuroda is good at home and is good during the daytime when this game will be played. It changes everything.
• The Orioles over the Tigers: These two teams seem really evenly matched to me. The Orioles' power is impressive. Chris Tillman has been winning consistently. Rick Porcello has been good too. This is a toss up and I hope I end up on the right end.
• The Marlins over the Diamondbacks: This pick is a bit of a stretch. Trevor Cahill has shown some signs of pitching better but is still 3-8. I am a bit concerned of how Jose Fernandez will fare in Arizona and that hot air. But Fernandez has made three straight terrific starts. So the pick slides that way.
• The Giants over the Padres: Madison Bumgarner has not been a lock so far this season. But I like him at home today against the Padres. The Giants ended the Padres' streak yesterday. Eric Stults has frustrated me all season though.
• The Indians over the Royals: What a tough loss for the Royals yesterday. They had that game under control the whole way until the end. It will not get any easier today as Justin Masterson is having a good season. I like Masterson over Luis Mendoza.
• The Yankees over the Dodgers: This is what I mean. I did not like Phil Hughes against Ryu. But I do like him against Chris Capuano. The games have to be played as there is no way for the Dodgers to get back to New York after this. Dumb scheduling.
• The Nationals over the Phillies: How do you look at these two teams? Are the Phillies now just as good as the Nationals? Or are the Nationals now as bad as the Phillies? Tough call. So is this game. Gio Gonzalez is not the same pitcher as a year ago and has been inconsistent. Kyle Kendrick, after a good start to the season, has regressed back to his FIP and has been roughed up lately.
• The Blue Jays over the Rockies: Here we go again with a winning streak where you have to wonder how long it will last. The Blue Jays have been rocking despite Jose Bautista struggling with a .591 OPS in June. I think the streak will continue for another night with Mark Buehrle against Juan Nicasio.
• The Pirates over the Reds: I am very torn on this one. I like Jeff Locke a lot. But the Pirates' offense is inconsistent and can go to sleep on you. Bronson Arroyo is tough, but he is also vulnerable to the long ball. Tough game. to pick.
• The Red Sox over the Rays: The Red Sox kicked some serious Ray booty yesterday. Jeremy Hellickson is one of those pitchers I rag on all the time. But he is capable of a good game. Ryan Dempster has been a disappointment that I still believe in. I like the Red Sox at home.
• The Rangers over the Athletics: The Rangers are at home and Tommy Milone is not unbeatable. Justin Grimm has not pitched well lately either. I am never quite convinced the A's are a good team. But they just win and win, so what do I know?
• The Twins over the White Sox: Picking Chick Kevin Correia to win a game is dicey and probably stupid. Picking against Chris Sale is probably not a good idea either. But the White Sox are a bad team and I am not convinced Sale is healthy right now.
• The Brewers over the Astros: Gosh, the Astros are really holding their own lately. Unfortunately, Kyle Lohse is a good and smart pitcher who is much better than his record. And Erik Bedard has run out of magic bullets.
• The Cardinals over the Cubs: I still think the Cardinals are better with Michael Wacha than Jake Westbrook. But Westbrook makes the most of what little stuff he has. Edwin Jackson actually pitched well in his last start. That confuses this pick just a little bit.
• The Angels over the Mariners: The Angels have a hot Albert Pujols and Mark Trumbo and the consistently great Trout. Their offense is coming around (other than Hamilton). Joe Saunders should yield a few runs and C.J. Wilson should be okay against the Mariners' spotty offense.

And the Game of the Day

• The Braves over the Mets: After Harvey and Wheeler, the Braves will welcome Shuan Marcum with open arms and big bats. Kris Medlen is still struggling to hold on to his starting role.

Yesterday: 10-6

Week: 24-19

Month: 124-121

Season: 587-471

Games of the Day: 45-32

MLB Game Picks - Sunday: June 9, 2013

Saturday was a brutal day of picking. If you have been following along, you have seen that extra inning games kill me. They hardly ever turn out with the team I picked winning the game. Three games yesterday took an incredible 49 innings to decide the outcomes and all three ended with the picked team losing. That is amazing.

But as bad as I feel, think of poor Shaun Marcum. The Marlins and the Mets played twenty innings yesterday and Shaun Marcum was not expecting to pitch. He game in and pitched brilliantly for seven shutout innings but gave up the losing run in the 20th for his seventh loss without a win. Poor guy.

Sunday features another double-header as the Twins and Nationals make up their washed out Friday game. They played eleven innings yesterday. And so it is a big day. The picks;

• The Blue Jays over the Rangers: Can the Blue Jays sweep this series? Can Josh Johnson get his mojo back? Can Justin Grimm keep the ball in the park? Will the players fall over after playing eighteen innings yesterday?
• The Indians over the Tigers: The Tigers always seem to beat the Indians but two things prevent me from picking them. First, the Tigers are giving a spot start to young Jose Alvarez. Secondly, the Indians held back Justin Masterson for an extra day of rest to pitch today. That gives the edge to the Indians.
• The Mets over the Marlins: Let's try this again, shall we? Jonathon Niese goes against Tom Koehler. Both pitchers better go deeply into the game for their teams.
• The Red Sox over the Angels: Ryan Dempster against Joe Blanton is not a very savory match-up. Neither has been stellar this season. But Dempster has been better of late. But then again, so has Blanton. The Red Sox are at home so that is the pick.
• The Nationals over the Twins: In this first game of the double-header, my man, Jordan Zimmermann, goes against Scott Diamond. Zimmermann never gets much for run support, but he should win this game if he pitches like he usually does.
• The Royals over the Astros: The Royals have taken the first two games of the series and should finish out the sweep today. Luis Mendoza does not fill me with glee as the Royals starter. And Lucas Harrell usually keeps the Astros close.
• The Athletics over the White Sox: The White Sox came out ahead yesterday but if anything, I am stubborn. A.J. Griffin seems like an ultimately better pick than Hector Santiago. But then again, Santiago is much better than his record when you look at this closely. This pick could blow up on me.
• The Brewers over the Phillies: I cannot figure this series out and have been wrong both days. Kyle Lohse has also let me down for two straight picks. It is time for him to redeem himself. And the Brewers do some damage on Jonathan Pettibone.
• The Pirates over the Cubs: How long did the Cubs commit to Edwin Jackson? Ugh. Going with Jeff Locke for the win.
• The Braves over the Dodgers: MLB.com does not list a Dodgers' starter and lists TBO instead. Yahoo Sports lists Matt McGill. If that is the case, then the pick has to be Mike Minor because McGill was just awful his last time out.
• The Yankees over the Mariners: I might as well go all jiggy with this as the Yankees face Felix Hernandez. A Hernandez start has never guaranteed a win for the Mariners and all it does is give them a fighting chance. My pick is that David Phelps shuts down the Mariners and King Felix loses a low scoring game.
• The Rockies over the Padres: Clayton Richard is just barely passable in his spacious home backyard at Petco. Put him in Coors Field and it will not be pretty. Juan Nicasio, on the other hand, pitches there all the time and should put in a better outing.
• The Diamondbacks over the Giants: What a lousy pick this is. First Chad Gaudin starts again for the Giants. Somehow, he lasted six innings in his last start and got the win. I cannot imagine a repeat. But then again, Tyler Skaggs is young and was beat up in his last outing. Ugh.
• The Twins over the Nationals: Another doozy of a pitching line. Sam Deduno goes for the Twins and might be decent enough. But Nathan Karns does not seem ready for prime time for the Nationals either.
• The Cardinals over the Reds: Bronson Arroyo has been pitching really well of late. But he is due for a clunker. Lance Lynn has power going for him, which helps sway this pick his way.

And the Game of the Day!

• The Bay Rays over the Orioles: I like Matt Moore here at home in a match-up against Chris Tillman. Tillman rarely goes deep into games and Moore should bounce back from a bad outing last time out.

Yesterday: 6-10  ouch

Last week: 48-46

Month: 58-50

Season: 521-400

Games of the Day: 41-26

MLB Game Picks - Tuesday: June 4, 2013

The Astros swept the Angels! Four straight and last night the Astros tallied only three hits and still won the game. How bad can the Angels be? This is really amazing. And it is perhaps time to also acknowledge how bad the White Sox are. And Domonic Brown is playing demonic right now. Wow, is he hot. Now if only the picks could go on a hot streak. Mediocrity has been the norm and I am sure sick of being ordinary.

Perhaps Tuesday will start my own hot strike. The picks:

• The Yankees over the Indians: Last night was encouraging for the Yankees except that Pettitte was not very good. But the runs scored were hopeful and the relief pitching was brilliant. David Phelps should bounce back from his awful start last time out. Scott Kazmir will not last long.
• The Marlins over the Phillies: Ricky Nolasco is always capable of a shutdown game and I am still not convinced about Jonathan Pettibone. This pick is a bit of a stretch, but that is what I am feeling about it.
• The Bay Rays over the Tigers: It is the Matt Moore Show and it sure has been fun to watch. Of course, Miguel Cabrera can hit anybody. Anibal Sanchez could totally shut down the Rays, so that is something to think about. But the sane pick here is Moore.
• The Reds over the Rockies: The Reds and Cardinals are the two best teams in the National League. Homer Bailey had a great start and then a bad start. I wish he was more consistent. If he is the good Homer, the Reds win easy. Juan Nicasio can be pretty decent though.
• The Braves over the Pirates: Great match-up here. Mike Minor has been fantastic and so has Jeff Locke. So if two pitchers cancel each other out, the rule here is always going with the better offense.
• The Red Sox over the Rangers: I would be considerably concerned about Ryan Dempster if I did not know that he is so much better than he has shown so far. And picking him against the Rangers would seem stupid except that the Red Sox should do really well against a young pitcher like Justin Grimm.
• The Orioles over the Astros: Wow! How can you pick against the Astros!? They have won four straight. And they get the Orioles' weakest pitcher in Chris Tillman. But let's be real here. This is the Astros. Lucas Harrell is the pitcher the Orioles will beat.
• The Twins over the Royals: Ugh. Remember going to the lunch line in high school and having to pick one ugly looking slop to eat over another one? :::shiver::: Sam Deduno and Luis Mendoza. Yay! Great choices there.
• The Brewers over the Athletics: I would think that the A's have never seen Kyle Lohse before, so that gives the crafty pitcher an advantage. At the same time, Lohse is 1-6. Whoops. A.J. Griffin goes for the A's.
• The Cardinals over the Diamondbacks: How fun is this! In a battle of first round picks, Michael Wacha and Tyler Skaggs get to go head to head. Both of their first starts were lights out. This is going to be fun to watch. The Cardinals will win though.
• The Angels over the Cubs: It would be easy to pick against the Angels after their last four days, and their season for that matter. But Jered Weaver pitching is a whole other thing. Scott Feldman has been very good for the Cubs, but he is not as good as Weaver.
• The Mariners over the White Sox: Wow. The White Sox are terrible. Why is that just sinking in? Even Jake Peavy has been subpar. And tonight they go against Felix Hernandez at home. Good luck with that.
• The Dodgers over the Padres: I am back on that bad lunch line again and the choices this time are Ted Lilly and Clayton Richard. Yeesh. At least Lilly used to be good before his 157 injuries. So perhaps he has a good game in him. Plus, it is Puig-mania in LA.
• The Blue Jays over the Giants: This one is really tough to call. The Giants are at home. But Tim Lincecum is pitching. The Blue Jays are bashing the ball, but Josh Johnson is coming back from the disabled list. What is a picker to do? Flip and hope I guess.

And the Game of the Day!

• The Nationals over the Mets: My man, Jordan Zimmermann is going to shut down the Mets and the Nats are going to hit Jeremy Hefner. Nats, Nats, Nats.

Yesterday: 5-4

Week: 12-12

Month: 23-17

Season: 485-367

Games of the Day: 39-23

MLB Game Picks - Thursday: May 23, 2013

Wednesday was a decent day. The Game of the Day feature is on a bit of a losing streak. And a couple of games were surprises. The Nationals / Giants game was fantastic, but the pick got the final tally wrong. The Rangers winning behind Ross Wolf was a complete surprise. But overall, at least it was a positive day after several not so positive days.

A comment from yesterday provides me one more opportunity to tell you what this daily post is not. This is not some competition to Vegas betting lines. In fact, this daily post is not even about betting at all. If some of you use it that way, God help you. I am not picking by odds or by what experts say. All I do is simply look at the games each day, see the pitching match-ups, see who is home, weigh how teams are playing and then make a prediction. There is no science here. If that is not your cup of tea, that is fine. But again, I thought it was a good time to take a moment to tell you what this is and what it is not.

There are only five games being played today making this the lightest MLB day since early in the season. And the five games are fraught with difficult to decipher pitching match-ups.

Thursday's picks:

• The Cubs over the Pirates: I have never been a fan of Edwin Jackson. Perhaps neither have Major League GMs considering how often he has been traded in his young lifetime. But even if I have not been a fan, I know he is not as bad as he has pitched thus far. Jeanmar Gomez has had a couple of good outings and is due for some slippage.
• The Orioles over the Blue Jays: The Blue Jays just took two of three from the Rays. But Brandon Morrow has not looked good this season. The Orioles have not even announced their pitcher for today and I still think they will win.
• The Tigers over the Twins: Rick Porcello gets no love in Detroit and he is pitching at home today. And that is enough to give this pick some pause. But even if this becomes a slugfest, the Tigers should outhit the Twins, especially with Scott Diamond on the mound.
• The Red Sox over the Indians: I love how the Indians are playing and I really wanted to pick them today. But with the Red Sox at home, I simply have to go with them despite the fact that Ryan Dempster has been rocked a couple of times there this season. He will have his share of good games and today will be one of them. Zach McAllister will keep it close.

And the Game of the Day!

• The Angels over the Royals: Book it. Joe Blanton is going to get his first win today. The Angels have finally gotten their offense rolling. The Royals look flat and lifeless, which is a shame. Ervin Santana coughs up some homers against his former team.

Yesterday: 9-6

Week: 31-26

Month: 170-137

Season: 399-291

Games of the Day: 34-17

MLB Game Picks - Tuesday: May 7, 2013

May continues to be a struggle for the picks. I had a pretty good day going and then both games on the West Coast involving the Dodgers and Giants both went awry. I did not expect Madison Bumgarner to give up five runs to the Phillies. And I should have known better than to pick Chris Capuano. Earlier in the day, Scott Feldman exacted revenge on his old Rangers team and beat them handily. And next time, it would be a good idea for the Royals to let James Shields finish his own shutouts instead of letting the bullpen blow the game for him.

About the only thing going really well is the Game of the Day feature which is now 26-9 for the season.

We are back to a full schedule today, so let's get to Tuesday's picks:

• The Nationals over the Tigers: This is a fun match-up but hard to pick. I have to go with my man, Jordan Zimmermann to out-duel Anibal Sanchez. Both pitchers have been terrific this season but Zimmermann has been lights out. Plus, the Tigers are in an NL park and lose a bat in Victor Martinez (not that Martinez is doing much).
• The Orioles over the Royals: While I am not much feeling Wei-Yin Chen as much as last year, I think the Orioles will hit a couple of homers off of Ervin Santana and are tough to beat at home.
• The Indians over the Athletics: The Indians are the most improved team in the last couple of weeks. The A's are tough too so this will be interesting. It comes down to whether Tommy Milone or Zach McAllister pitches better.
• The Pirates over the Mariners: Yet another American League team losing its DH for a series. And the Mariners cannot afford to lose bats. The Pirates still are not hitting well, but if James McDonald has a good night, he should be better than Aaron Harang a-dang-dang.
• The Reds over the Braves: The Braves struck first in this series and tonight features a couple of pitchers that have been disappointing thus far this season. Which one will step up tonight? I will go with Homer Bailey for his pure strikeout stuff. Kris Medlen goes for the Braves.
• The Mets over the White Sox: This will be a low scoring game. Matt Harvey will strike out his share of Sox batters and Hector Santiago's lefty slinging could defeat most of the Mets' lineup. Look for David Wright to be the difference.
• The Red Sox over the Twins: Ryan Dempster has been up and down for the Red Sox. When he gets hit, he gets hit hard. But he should be okay against the Twins' lineup and the Red Sox should hit Scott Diamond.
• The Blue Jays over the Rays: I was correct in picking the Blue Jays yesterday even though it took a Herculean comeback to do it. For the Rays, Ramon Hernandez is simply a stop-gap starter until they decide to pull a young kid from the minors. Now that he is no longer invincible, can Fernando Rodney straighten out his hat please. J.A. Happ goes for the Jays.
• The Angels over the Astros: Doesn't Jordan Lyles sound like a soap opera name? There will not be much drama in this one as C.J. Wilson should have no problem putting up a W.
• The Rangers over the Brewers: There are four interleague series this week and all four cost the AL a DH. The Rangers should still have enough offense to do some damage against Wily Peralta. The rest will depend on how good young Justin Grimm will be.
• The Rockies over the Yankees: Hiroki Kuroda has pitched four times in Coors Field and has an ERA over eight there. The Yankees' offense cannot afford to lose a bat. Jorge De La Rosa should win this game.
• The Diamondbacks over the Dodgers: Between Brandon McCarthy and Josh Beckett, the two pitchers are a combined 0-7. One of them has to get off the schnide thought. That is unless it becomes a bullpen game and the D-backs have the advantage there too.
• The Padres over the Marlins: I am still zero for Eric Stults this season. Maybe tonight will fix that. He gets a weak team and the Padres should be able to score a few off of Alex Sanabia.
• The Giants over the Phillies: Tim Lincecum is about as unpredictable as a pitcher gets. The Phillies present a poor-hitting lineup and could give Lincecum the advantage here at home. Kyle Kendrick is surprisingly good though for a guy that has little stuff.

And the Game of the Day!

• The Cardinals over the Cubs: This is a series the Cards should win. But will they? Well, tonight should be a good start as Lance Lynn is off to a flying start. If he pounds the strike zone, he should do well again tonight. Travis Wood should yield four runs or so.

Yesterday: 5-4

Week: 13-11

Month: 38-37

Season: 268-201

Games of the Day: 26-9

MLB Game Picks - Monday: April 15, 2013

Happy Jackie Robinson Day and Patriots Day to all of you in Massachusetts and Maine. Nine games are taking place today, so Jackie Robinson Day might not have as big an effect as it would otherwise.

When is finishing at 7-7 a good day? When the day starts out 1-5. The Braves really wiped me out over the weekend along with the Nationals. I never thought they would completely whip the Nats like that. Picking the Rays to win is problematic because they cannot hit. And yes, Clay Buchholz was great too.  Jonathan Broxton had a complete meltdown for the Reds to cost that pick. The Cardinals and Blue Jays lost and the entire day looked like it was going to be a disaster.

So, yes, finishing at 7-7 feels like a win. Monday's picks:

• The Red Sox over the Bay Rays: Boston hosts its annual Patriots (and Marathon) Day game at eleven o'clock in the morning. Ryan Dempster looked much better in his last start and other than Ben Zobrist and Evan Longoria, the Rays cannot hit. Jeremy Hellickson starts for the Rays and he is their weakest link.
• The Cardinals over the Pirates: The Cardinals' bullpen cannot keep giving away games. But the Cards' offense should score more off of James McDonald to give Lance Lynn a big enough cushion.
• The Blue Jays over the White Sox: Mark Buehrle faces his old team for the first time. As always, Buehrle's success will depend on where his batted balls land. Gavin Floyd goes for the White Sox and the Blue Jays should have enough offense to take care of him.
• The Phillies over the Reds: Picking the Phillies is difficult since their offense is just not that good. But Cliff Lee has looked terrific this far and even though he is facing a tough Reds' offense, if he pitches like he has, he will be great. Bronson Arroyo will keep it a game if he keeps the ball in the park.
• The Angels over the Twins: The Angels are starting to hit finally but will need Joe Blanton to have a good game on the mound. The Twins can make that possible on any given night. Since they were snowed out yesterday (and it is supposed to snow today), Kevin Correia gets the start for the Twins.
• The Rockies over the Mets: Anything can happen at Coors Field but it seems that Juan Nicasio has a better chance at succeeding there than Dillon Gee does. The Rockies offense is rocking it too.
• The Athletics over the Astros: The A's got beat up over the weekend by the Tigers and have lost Cespedes for a while. But Tommy Milone should hold the Astros down and the A's should be able to score three or four against Erik Bedard.
• The Dodgers over the Padres: Chad Billingsley better be good in this one or Eric Stults could sneak in with a win. All things considered, you have to take the Dodgers at home in this one.

And the Game of the Day!

• The Nationals over the Marlins: What better way for the Nationals to lick its wounds after a really bad weekend than to face the Marlins, who are hopeless. Wade LeBlanc is capable of keeping the score down, but the Marlins will not hit Jordan Zimmermann.

Yesterday; 7-7

Week: 7-7

Month: 111-69

Games of the Day: 10-4

The Game of the Day is not the most exciting game, but it s the pick that looks the safest to turn out the way it is predicted.