Hello everybody. It’s been more than a week so I feel obligated to greet you once again. You are all most welcome here for our final full month of regular season baseball. If you’re new to our baseball picks thanks for coming aboard for a ride full of marginal profits and fun. Last month was far and away our best this season and was one of the best I’ve ever recorded at SBL. We won eight and pushed once, which left room for only one loss.
Thursday’s card was small and yesterday was a great sit-and-watch day because of two matchups that particularly caught my eye. Toronto/Tampa Bay and Detroit/Kansas City each feature two teams that are playing the most competitive baseball at the moment, at least in the American League. And I think the team that lost game one in each series must be looked at as a good side to target in the second. Toronto fell to Tampa and I think will handle Blake Snell on Saturday. Unfortunately there isn’t a line available on the Jays yet. Kansas City lost a back and forth game in the ninth last night and is barely a favorite back and home for game two tonight.
Free Pick
Pucker up, Detroit.
The Royals have only recently got back into the playoff hunt because they’ve been so hot for the last three weeks. They’re just on the fringe of a wild card race that’s, as of now, still primarily between two of the three AL East teams and the Tigers. Kansas City needs to stay hot if it wants any chance to hop two of those three and get into the dance. That’s why two straight one-run losses to New York this week hurt. And it’s why Wade Davis giving it up in the ninth last night hurts even more. A team in Kansas City’s situation could lay down after last night’s let down (even if it was to King Miggy Cabrera). But I don’t think this team will. A third straight one-run loss was certainly hard to swallow, but it should make the Royals tough enough to keep things interesting with a win tonight. Their relentless offense does battle with Michael Fulmer, who has failed to get through six innings his last two times out and, may be, (just may be??) hitting a bit of a wall 130 innings into his fine, fine rookie season.
I sure hope so. And I expect the Royals to play with some extra urgency today behind Yordano. We’re playing our first September spot for the usual half a unit.
Gut Says: KC -108
YTD: 29-22-1 +3.40
2015: 31-25-5 +1.09
2014: 45-28-3 +9.02
al • American League • detroit tigers • kansas city royals • michael fulmer • playoffs • wild card • yordano ventura