Last night was strange. The Yankees won using only five innings because the skies opened up and the grounds crew could not get the tarp on the field. Bartolo Colon three a no-hitter into the seventh and beat the Mariners. Hunter Pence broke a 0-0 tie with a three-run double in the ninth. Yangervis Solarte made his presence felt in San Diego.
The only thing not strange was the Rays winning again. My goodness they are going crazy. Never leave a Joe Maddon team for dead. They never stay dead.
There are eleven games on tap today. Here are the picks:
- The Blue Jays over the Red Sox: I am very torn over this one because the two young pitchers have shown flashes of brilliance but are susceptible to being hit by a good team. And David Ortiz is hot again with homers in his last three games. But I am going with Marcus Stroman over Rubby De La Rosa.
- The Phillies over the Giants: I picked against Cole Hamels last time and paid for it. And it's not that I think the Phillies will hit any better against Tim Hudson, but they at least have a chance to.
- The Yankees over the Rangers: The rain really helped the Yankees last night and both teams got a break for their bullpens. However, the Rangers just lost their closer, who was traded to the Tigers. Brandon McCarthy has looked great for the Yankees. Colby Lewis is more concerned about bunts with a 2-0 lead than with winning.
- The Athletics over the Astros: I am getting antsy about picking all home teams. But I cannot pick Scott Feldman and the Astros in this one. Jeff Samardzija should win and the A's should keep on rolling.
- The Braves over the Marlins: Hmm...another home team. I have learned my lesson picking against Aaron Harang. And also for picking Henderson Alvarez. Alvarez can be brilliant. You just have to pick when and that is difficult. The Braves should win.
- The Padres over the Cubs: Okay, here is a game I can go with the road team. The Padres seem to enjoy the Cubs and Wrigley. Who can blame them. Tyson Ross should shut down the Cubs and the Padres should get a few runs of of Edwin Jackson.
- The Twins over the White Sox: Three of the last four starts by Hector Noesi have not been very good. I'm a little worried about Phil Hughes and the long ball with Dunn and Abreu to pitch to. But the Twins should win this one.
- The Brewers over the Mets: I trust Matt Garza not at all. But every once in a while a blind squirrel catches a nut. I usually trust in Dillon Gee, but his first start back from the DL was bad and it shook me. Maybe I will regret this.
- The Angels over the Tigers: What a superb match-up of Max Scherzer against Garrett Richards. The last time such a match-up occurred was Richards against King Felix and Richards came out on top. He has been unbelievable and that's the way I'm going.
- The Orioles over the Mariners: This one is difficult. Hisashi Iwakuma has thrown four gems in a row. Can he keep that up? Wei-Yin Chen hasn't be as good but has won his last three starts. Which will win? Iwakuma has a more difficult lineup to face and the Mariners don't do as well against lefties.
And the Game of the Day:
- The Indians over the Royals: In Corey Kluber do I trust. In Danny Duffy I do not trust. Kluber is very good and the Royals just aren't hitting very well with the exception of last night.
Yesterday: 8-7, July: 158-120, Games of the Day: 59-46, Season: 837-695
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