Posted by Brian Joseph on Saturday, April 11, 2009 at 3:44 am

BDD’s BBB took a hit yesterday with a 1-3 effort. It looked like the Mets were about to get to Anibal Sanchez (like I thought) but he was yanked after escaping the fifth. New York even tied up the game but the Marlins won it in a walk-off and celebrated like it was September. The Indians continued to lose after they got to Scott Richmond early but a rain delay turned the game over to the bullpens and the Blue Jays fought off an Indian comeback to blow the doors off of Cleveland. I was wrong about Shawn Hill and even more wrong about Barry Zito. James McDonald was the only thing I nailed (along with the D-backs offense who chased the youngster early) and Arizona beat the Dodgers.

The Marlins are unbeaten and I know I said I’d ride the Mets until they win but I’m not risking anything on the arm of Livan Hernandez. And the Indians and Nationals have to win eventually but that means picking against the ever-consistent Roy Halladay and unknown-to-the-States Kenshin Kawakami. So, instead…

TODAY’S PICKS

Chicago Cubs (-134) over Milwaukee Brewers

THE BET: 100 x 2 Units – Win = +200 / Loss = -268

After an Opening Day gem, I think good things continue to happen for Carlos Zambrano. In his return to the site of his no-hitter, Zambrano looks to keep the Cubs from dropping two in a row… something the club rarely did last year en route to 97 wins. Zambrano is 7-5 with a 3.24 ERA at Miller Park and carries a 17 inning scoreless streak and four game winning streak in Milwaukee (including the no-hitter against Houston). The only concern I have with picking the Cubs x2 is their shaky bullpen. I didn’t think Kevin Gregg was the right choice for the closer but I didn’t think he’d be as bad as he has been this early in the season.

Houston Astros (+120) over St. Louis Cardinals

THE BET: 100 x 2 Units – Win = +240 / Loss = -200

If you agree that Roy Oswalt is an elite pitcher then you should also pick the Astros like I did. Guess which park Oswalt produces the best numbers in the Majors at? (Hint: He’s playing there today!) Although his record doesn’t reflect it — he’s 1-1 there — Oswalt owns a 1.83 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in five starts. He was also pretty good at old Busch with a 3-1 record and 2.31 ERA. There’s something about the air in St. Louis that brings out the best in Roy.

YESTERDAY’S RECAP

Season-to-Date: (5-6, -271 Units)

Yesterday’s Winners
Arizona Diamondbacks (+101) over Los Angeles Dodgers (D-backs, 9-4)

Yesterday’s Losers
Cleveland Indians (-149) over Toronto Blue Jays (Blue Jays, 13-7)
New York Mets (-119) over Florida Marlins (Marlins, 5-4)
San Francisco Giants (-104) over San Diego Padres (Padres, 7-3)