Game Day: Thursday, June 4th

No posts, no picks yesterday.  I woke up to a potential disaster and it ruined my entire day.  I made an effort and I couldn't budge it.  I decided to watch a film to relax.  

I feel like I made the right choice.  "13 Tzemati" was the film I chose.  It's a weird French film, black and white, subtitles, I like foreign films.  I only made it 20 minutes and fell asleep.  I'm going to try and finish the film this evening.  I liked the first 20 minutes.  

If you like weird films, and there are some really fucking weird ones on this site (I don't watch the really weird ones anymore), MUBI is a good streaming site.  They always have a good selection.  Films from Sundance and Cannes, Oscar-nominated films, a good selection from the avante garde and independent cinema.  Last year, they did an entire month of kung fu and samurai films and it was pretty great.  I watched "The 36th Chamber of Shaolin" and a few other kung fu classics.  This month, "Bull Durham", is playing.  

https://mubi.com/t/android/global/NexCyp2V?utm_source=app_share&utm_medium=android

30 days free at the link above.  Sign up if only to watch "Bull Durham", a classic baseball film starring Kevin Costner, Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon.  

And now, back to the MLB report:

Freddy Is a Stopper

Freddy Peralta has pitched well all season and is as consistent as it gets.  6.0 innings, one earned run, 6 K's and a pair of walks. Freddy has been good for a quality start his entire career and it's been no different in New York. 

The Mets' bullpen continues to put in good innings.  Luke Weaver has hit his stride and Brooks Raley could be in the All-Star game this season as one of the NL's best left-handed relievers.  Bo Bichette is getting hot at the plate and rookies AJ Ewing and Carson Benge are playing great defense in the outfield.  Eight games under .500 but I feel like this Mets' team is going to make a run and make it exciting down the stretch.  

Mets win last night, 7-1, ending the Mariners' eight-game winning streak.

Mariners (-165) to Win the AL West

Speaking of the Mariners, they haven't had their best team on the field all season.  To win eight in a row without two of your best players in the lineup is impressive.  Cal Raleigh and Brendan Donovan will both be returning to games in June and will add significantly to a team that has been hitting the ball well one through nine.  Seattle looks like the cream of the crop in the AL West.  The Rangers and A's are hanging around and could pull off the upset but both teams have holes and are unlikely to make much of a splash at the trade deadline.  I'd count both teams as sellers by July.  Houston strikes me as a seller too.  

The Mariners were (-105) to win the division before the season and are currently sitting at (-165).  The books have the AL West as the most competitive division in MLB.  I think they are mistaken.  This looks like a good bet to me.  The Mariners are as likely to win the AL West as the Dodgers are to win the NL West and the Dodgers are posted at (-5000).  

Rangers Are Short a Pair of Cowboys

Staying with the AL West, the Rangers had a five-game winning streak snapped by the Cardinals, a 5-3 loss.  Rangers' lefty Mackenzie Gore had been highly regarded this off-season but he hasn't pitched any better than Patrick Corbin, who gave the Rangers 155 innings last year.  Gore is a nice 4 (fourth man in a five-man rotation) and the Rangers have a good rotation but it's only June and both Jacob DeGrom and Nathan Eovaldi have shown their age.  The bullpen has been shaky all season and they don't have many reinforcements on the IR or on the farm.  Gore isn't the ace they thought he could be and Kumar Rocker looks good as a five.  Texas has gotten some outsized production from some unheralded players, Ezequiel Duran, Alejandro Osuna, Justin Foscue, have all played well and contributed with Corey Seager, Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford out of the lineup but they can't get everybody in the game when Seager, Carter and Langford return.  Jordan Montgomery could add to the rotation, Robert Garcia could return and bolster the bullpen but it feels like the Rangers are an impact player or two away from having a playoff team.  It will take heroic efforts from DeGrom, Eovaldi and Jack Leiter to keep their ship afloat into August.

Pirates Arrrghh In the Race

The Pirates four-game winning streak ended with an 11-9 loss to the Astros.  Paul Skenes took the ball yesterday and had another mediocre start.  Mediocre for Skenes.  He threw 109 pitches and couldn't get out of the fifth inning.  The Pirates' bullpen gave up eight earned runs.  Their bullpen hasn't been all that good lately and is starting to look like a real weakness.  Skenes, Ashcraft, Keller, it's been good at the top of the rotation.  They need Jared Jones to hit the ground running in his return from Tommy John surgery.  He made his first start of the season last week and gets the ball tonight against the Astros.  Carmen Mlodzinski could potentially bolster the bullpen if he can wrap his head around the assignment.  The Pirates can hit, have a good rotation and are stacked with prospects.  The bullpen has some good arms that could get hot.  Mlodzinski is very important to this team.  

The NL is far more competitive than the AL.  The NL Central is the most competitive division in MLB through May.  It will be difficult for the Pirates to emerge with a playoff birth but they have a team and won't pass on the opportunity to improve at the trade deadline.  I'd say the Pirates arrrghh in prime position to make a trade or two.  They will be active at the trade deadline and that will likely entail adding a starter and a pair of bullpen arms.  Shea Langeliers would explode minds and light hearts on fire all across Pittsburgh.  

Aces on the Mound

It's a light schedule today with a handful of teams traveling ahead of the weekend.  There are some aces on the mound.  Zach Wheeler (4-1) gets the Padres in a home start.  That game tips at 12:05 PM CDT from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA.  Carlos Rodon (1-2) is on for the Yankees at 12:35 PM CDT from Yankee Stadium.  Rodon loves to pitch at Yankee Stadium.  Chris Sale (8-3) is on for the Braves in a 6:15 PM CDT start from Truist Park in Atlanta.  

I'll be back with a pick later this afternoon.  Pickstreak has lost two in a row and is down 4.0 units on the season.  A win tonight would set us up nicely for the weekend.  Stay tuned.


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