Another Friday is here! Time to see if we can beat the books with two MLB picks.
Jason Motte: I'm not a big fan of yours right now. Thanks
for giving up two solo home runs in the top of the ninth inning to kill my Cardinals
winner. I'll remember that, punk.
This is a tough business though and I've learned to move on
quickly and focus on the games ahead. Not much use in reflecting on what could have
been.
What are the MLB odds looking like today? Here are my
favorite plays of the day.
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Texas Rangers
A lot of people may see Yu Darvish's 12-8 record and think
he's performing at a high level, but delve deeper and you'll find out that
hasn't been the case, at least over the past couple of months.
Darvish's stock has taken a dramatic fall. His ERA has risen
month-to-month, as he finished June with a 4.15 ERA but then followed that with
a 5.74 ERA in July. So far, in three August starts, he's posted a 7.85 ERA.
The main problem for the Japanese fire-thrower? Command.
Darvish has a WHIP of 1.46 this season and has walked 15 batters over his last
18 innings of work.
So, there's one reason I like the OVER in tonight's game.
Toronto may be without Jose Bautista, but the Blue Jays still have guys that
know how to work a count and hit the ball with power. As a team they're ranked
sixth in the MLB in runs scored
It just so happens that J.A. Happ is on the mound for
Toronto, meaning the Rangers could very well score nine runs themselves
tonight. Happ hasn't gotten out of the sixth inning in either of his first two
starts for the Blue Jays and he's now working with a 5.04 ERA this season.
Who knows what version of Darvish we'll see? At times he's
been brilliant. Still, even if he does pitch a gem, the Rangers should be able
to score plenty of runs tonight to help this OVER hit the mark.
Pick: OVER 8.5 runs
Los Angeles Angels vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Not a great start to the series for the Angels. They were
thoroughly dismantled by Tampa Bay ace David Price.
We can't really fault the Angels too much though. No team
really has an answer for Price at the moment. Maybe they can rebound nicely and
make life difficult for James Shields, who takes to the mound for the Rays
tonight.
Shields has had electric stuff over his past few starts, but
it must be noted that he hasn't faced a team nearly as dangerous offensively as
Los Angeles in that span.
Plus, Jered Weaver's pitching for L.A. and that normally
means good things. Though he got a losing decision (despite pitching well) his
last time out, Weaver is 15-2 with a 2.22 ERA and 0.92 WHIP this season.
Moreover, he's 8-1 with a 1.23 ERA at home and 13-1 with a 1.86 ERA in 17 night
assignments. Those numbers are just disgusting.
Tonight I've got an inkling the Angels will bounce back.
Shields has been excellent lately, but he's still no Price. Albert Pujols and
company are going to their darnedest not to get shut out for a second night in
a row.
For tonight's MLB picks, I'm taking Los Angeles to even up the series by winning by
two or more.
Pick: Los Angeles Angels -1.5 (+145)