So my picks have been more and more sporadic and spaced apart lately, and for that I must apologize. With my summer Graduate School session kicking into high gear coupled with frequent meetings with Human Resources for the new School District that employs me, and playing golf whenever humanly possible (see: when it hasn't poured, which has been almost never lately), my adoring fans have been the ones to suffer. For that, there are no excuses. I'd like to promise that in the immediate future I'd be back to my daily grind like in April and early May, but I don't want to lie. I will, however, keep this up through the end of the season, to see how I finish up, and will try to continue making my picks as often as possible. If anybody's got beef with that, well, I'll let you know where you can stick it (where?). On to more important things, like tomorrow's picks...
Kevin Correia (R), SD (3% Owned) vs Felix Hernandez (R), SEA
Correia is coming off of back-to-back Quality Starts and is lucky enough to face the M's tomorrow, who sport the MLB's 27th ranked OPS (.703) vs RHP, which Kevin just so happens to be. Playing in PETCO Park, with -115 juice on Under 7 Total Runs, even as a +125 underdog, I'll take Correia to throw up a Quality Start, despite more than likely not looking at a Win opportunity. He's struck out 4 in each of his last two outings, so that seems like reasonable expectation for tomorrow, as well.
Dallas Braden (L), OAK (44 % Owned) @ Clayton Kershaw (L), LAD
Forty Four percent owned. Forty four. How does this guy continue to go unowned? Quality Start after Quality Start after Quality Start. He isn't mowing batters down, but a 3.33 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP is hardly anything to shake a stick at. All this guy does is not hurt you, which is more than you can say for a lot of other guys you're currently starting on a weekly basis. At any rate, despite the Dodgers having the league's 7th ranked OPS (.823) vs LHP, the -125 juice on Under 7.5 Total Runs is just too sexy for me to pass up. Kershaw may very well no hit Oakland; it wouldn't surprise me with the way they hit lefties, but I think Braden handles Los Angeles as well. He's just been too good too consistantly for me to waiver on picking him.
Until next time...
I think it is crazy to expect you to make your picks daily. Seriously. I appreciate reading them, no doubt, and look forward to the rest of the season and beyond, but a daily post, that turns this into a job. wheres the fun in that
AD writes up those novels, and every time i see one i think to my self, wow, just wow .. that must have taken 5 hours ..
that reminds me .. I told ya you needed a blog Ray, do i lie? I am rarely wrong.
wow. just wow.
No, it doesn't take me that long. What I do is write one big chunk spontaneously for 10 minutes, go back to work, write another chunk, go back to work, and so on. I have too many thoughts dangling in my head which takes me a while to organize them together. Shoot, there's some stuff I wanted to add on upon a second read, but it just fell through the cracks. I'm more or less the poster child of multitasking gone mad or for chaos theory writing.
That's called ADHD. Go get your prescription.
I am going to predict that Correia destroys your ratios with a insane bombardment of walks, and nets you the loss .. He will barely make it 5 innings.
I am not going to look this up, but if memory serves the Mariners own the Padres. The friars dread inter league. Not that this will matter for tomorrow, but they pulled Cliff Floyd out of the garbage pail just to be the dh for inter league. There is no depth to this team.
The Padres are at home, so no DH necessary, and Correia will get to face Felix Hernandez each time through the order. Have faith in your team; this is one of the few times they have a chance now that Jake le Snake is on le DL.