MLB Picks & Predictions for Thursday, Sept 23, 2010
By Drew Sharper
The San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres continue their battle for the NL West title in Thursday’s MLB Picks & Predictions.
The Padres defeated Los Angeles 3-1 last night while the Giants were shutout by the Chicago Cubs 2-0, giving the Padres a ½ game lead in the NL West. Colorado fell to Arizona 8-4 on Wednesday to drop to three games back in the chase.
All three teams have went .500 over their last 10 games as neither team can establish momentum for the stretch run. San Diego has won its last two games, but the Giants not only need to win to stay in the hunt in the division, but also in the Wild Card Standings, where they are ½ game behind Atlanta.
Here are three picks to consider for Thursday’s baseball schedule centering around the NL West:
Houston Astros at Washington Nationals, 4:35PM ET
The Astros are 4-3 against the Nationals this season but starter Nelson Figueroa is 1-3 on the mound against Washington in his career. Ross Detwiler makes his first start against Houston as the Nationals looks to win their third straight.
MLB Free Pick: Washington | Best Line: -118 SBGGLOBAL.com
San Francisco Giants at Chicago Cubs, 7:05PM ET
The Giants are ½ a game back in the standings and send Madison Bumgarner to the mound. Chicago starter Ryan Dempster is just 2-7 against the Giants with a 4.54 ERA and the Giants are 18-7 after getting shut out over the past two seasons.
MLB Free Pick: San Francisco | Best Line: +108 SBGGLOBAL.com
San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Dodgers, 10:10PM ET
The Padres try to maintain their lead in the division as they send Mat Latos to the mound. He has a 2.57 ERA against the Dodgers while L.A. pitcher Hiroki Kuroda has a 5.21 ERA against the Padres. The Dodgers are also just 5-14 in the month of September.
MLB Free Pick: San Diego | Best Line: -106 SBGGLOBAL.com