CORY’S PICKS

SATURDAY

 
***Burnett @
***Danks

Chen @
***Niemann

***Beckett @ D.
Hernandez

Porcello @ Sowers (Porcello is out
of gas)

Saunders @ Swarzak

***King Felix @
Hunter

***Romero @
Cahill

***Wolf @
***Lowe

Stammen @ Vasquez

***Scherzer @
Perez

***Zambrano @
Badenhop

***Ubaldo @
Bailey

***Wandy @
***Carpenter

***Blanton @
***Lincecum

TBA @ Mujica

 
SUNDAY

 
***Galarraga @ Pavano
(Galarraga pitching better of late)

***Buchholz @ Berken

Bannister @
***Shields

***Sabathia @
***Buehrle

Jered Weaver @ Perkins (Weaver has a
7 ERA since mid-June and is much worse on the road)

***Romero @
Mazzaro

TBA @ ***Millwood

Garland @ Pelfrey

***Marquis @
Arroyo

***Billingsley @
***Jurrjens

Balester @
***Maholm

***Oswalt @
***Wainwright

Villanueva @
Correia

***Hamels @
Zito

***Dempster @
***Nolasco

 
MONDAY

 
Mock @ Morton

***Wells @ Harang
(Harang just awful lately)

***Haren @
TBA

***Cain @
Hampton

***Kawakami @
***Latos

Parra @
***Kershaw

***Greinke @
***Kazmir

Tillman @ French

Feldman @
***Anderson

***Siano says:

Porcello cut in AL
Tout , think about it.

Saunders does well
here maybe he gets back on radar.

I
say start Tommy Hunter, yeah that’s right.

I
roll dice on Weaver.

Keep
an eye on Charlie Morton but ditch.

CLEVELAND, OH — The Cleveland Indians today announced
the club has acquired RHP JUSTIN MASTERSON, LHP NICK HAGADONE & RHP BRYAN
PRICE from the Boston Red Sox for C VICTOR MARTINEZ

He
was Boston’s 2^nd round selection (71^st overall) in the
2006 First-Year Player Draft out of San Diego State University and is a native
of Beaver Creek, Ohio.  Masterson is the first Jamaican-born pitcher in Major
League history and just the 4th player overall, joining Chili Davis (1981-99),
Devon White (1985-2001) and Rolando Roomes (1988-90). He split the 2007 season
between A Lancaster and AA Portland and was a combined 12-8 w/a 4.33 ERA
(153.2IP, 152H, 74ER) and was 10-0 over a 12-start stretch from June 7-August
5.  He now owns a 2-year Major League career record of 9-8 with a 3.76 ERA in 67
games (15GS, 160.1IP, 140H, 67ER), 135SO).

Price, 22, was also a sandwich round selection
(45^th overall) by the Red Sox in the 2008 draft out of Rice.  He
entered the 2008 draft as the 47^th overall prospect (25^th
pitcher) in the 2008 draft according to Baseball America.  So far
in 2009 the Freer, Texas native has split the season between A Greenville of the
South Atlantic League and A Salem of the Carolina League where he has gone a
combined 4-8 w/a 4.67 ERA in 19 starts (96.1IP, 99H, 50ER, 6HR, 31BB, 97SO),
averaging 9.1 strikeouts per 9.0IP.  He was 1-3 w/a 3.83 ERA in 12 games/9
starts at A Lowell of the New York-Penn League (40.0IP, 47H, 17ER, 43SO) last
season after signing out of Rice and was named the 12^th best prospect
in the NYPL and the 20^th best prospect in the Boston organization
according to Baseball America. 
Martinez, a 3-time AL All-Star, is hitting .284
(107-377) with 21 doubles, 1 triple, 15 home runs and 67 RBI in 99 games so far
in 2009.

SIANO’S PICKS

Smoltz @
Guthrie

Ponson @
Price

***Big
Erv
@ Blackburn *I’m staying on the
train.

Richmond @
Braden

***Davis @
Livan

***Cook @
TBA

Moehler @
Boggs

***Blanton @
Sadowski

***Cory says Ditch on Big Erv, Davis and Cook.  Pitch on Smoltz and Braden.

SIANO’S PICKS

***Hochevar @
Bergesen

Olson @
Holland

De La Rosa @
***Niese

Martin @
***Gallardo

***Vazquez @
VandenHurk

Lopez @ Sanchez  *Too big a risk, Phils are very good road team…31-15.

***Cory says to pitch Bergesen, De La Rosa, Kuroda and Sanchez and ditch Niese.

MARINERS ACQUIRE SHORTSTOP JACK WILSON & RHP IAN SNELL FROM PITTSBURGH

SEATTLE, Wash. — Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Jack Zduriencik announced today that the Mariners have acquired shortstop Jack Wilson and right-handed pitcher Ian Snell from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for shortstop Ronny Cedeño, minor league catcher/first baseman Jeff Clement and minor league right-handed pitchers Nathan Adcock, Brett Lorin and Aaron Pribanic.

“This was an opportunity for us to acquire a veteran shortstop, a former All-Star player, with leadership qualities and above average defensive skills. As we move forward over the next few years it is nice to know that we have solidified the shortstop position.”

 ”We also acquired Ian Snell, a talented pitcher with Major League experience who now has an opportunity re-start his career after a very successful re-assignment in Indianapolis.”

Wilson, 31, has spent his entire Major League career with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Since 2006, Wilson has the 4th-highest fielding percentage among all Major League shortstops (.980), and since his debut in 2001, he has made 1,112 starts at shortstop, 6th-most in the Majors. Wilson has a career .978 fielding percentage at shortstop, 4th-highest among active players (min. 650 G).

Wilson, a National League All-Star and Silver Slugger Award Winner in 2004, is a career .269 hitter (1158-for-4305) in 1159 career games with the Pirates since making his debut in 2001. He is hitting .267 (71-for-266) with the Pirates this season with 18 doubles, 1 triple, 4 home runs and 31 RBI.

Snell, 27, is 2-2, with a miniscule 0.96 ERA in six starts with AAA Indianapolis this season. He has struck out 47 in 37.1 innings. He started the season with the Pirates and was 2-8 with a 5.36 ERA in 15 starts. Since making his Major League debut with Pittsburgh in 2004, Snell has compiled a 33-46, 4.75 mark in 128 games, 116 starts.

Cedeño, 26, was hitting .167 (31-for-186) with 4 doubles, 2 triples and 5 home runs. He appeared in 59 games with the Mariners after being acquired from the Chicago Cubs over the winter.

Clement, 25, was hitting .288 with AAA Tacoma this season. In parts of two Major League seasons in Seattle, he hit .237 (52-for-219) with 11 doubles, 1 triple and 7 home runs.

Adock was 5-7, 5.29 in 21 games, 19 starts with High Desert in the California League this season. Lorin (5-4, 2.44 in 16 GS) and Pribanic (7-6, 3.21 in 17 GS) were both pitching with Clinton in the Midwest League.

CORY’S PICKS

Laffey @
***Lackey

***Greinke @ ***Tillman
(great debut scenario
for Tillman)

Anderson @
***Penny (Anderson pitching well lately and Red Sox not scoring much, but
still…)

Colon @
***Liriano

***Duke @
***Cain

Hammel @
***Johan

Mock @
Parra

***Happ @
Petit

***Siano says “I’m anti-Penny and skeptical on Latos and Tillman.”

SIANO’S PICKS

Bannister @
Berken

***Sabathia
@
Kazmir

Mazzaro @
***Buchholz

French @
Padilla

***Buehrle @
***Baker

Huff @ ***Jered
Weaver

Rzepczynski @
***Washburn

***Jurrjens @
***Nolasco

***Marquis @
Pelfrey

Correia @
***Arroyo

***Oswalt @
***Dempster *Usually avoid guy after first day back
but Astros aren’t exactly ’27 Yankees. 10^th in NL in runs scored

Balester @
Dillard

***Billingsley @
***Wainwright *Nice

***Hamels @ ***Haren *Nice

Morton @ Zito *Morton a sleeper here

CORY’S PICKS

***Contreras @
***Verlander

Colon @
Bonine

Anderson @
***Chamberlain

***Garza @
***Halladay

Bergesen @
***Penny

Feldman @
***Greinke

***Liriano @
***Lackey

Laffey @
***Bedard

***Harang @
***Wells

Latos @
Mock

Pineiro @ ***Happ  (Pineiro pitching well on the road lately, but still scary at
Philly)

***Vazquez @ ***Parra  (Parra much better since return from AAA)

***Johan
@
***Hampton  (I’d start ANYONE against the Mets right now…the ultimate “pick on”
team)

***Cain @
Hammel

Duke @
Petit

***J. Johnson @
***Kershaw

***Siano says “Ditch
Contreras, I’m off the boat. I’ll
be at Pineiro vs Happ. Ditch Parra. I don’t trust him. I know he’s been good last two but look at
rest.”

CORY’S PICKS

Berken @
***Burnett

Perkins @
Cahill

***King
Felix @
***Galarraga

Pavano @
***Romero

Wakefield @
Padilla

Saunders @ Bannister
(Saundo untouchable right now vs. anyone, anywhere, although this could be the
right opponent to turn him around)

***Shields @
***Danks

Suppan @
***Maholm

***Zambrano @
Moyer

Garland @
***Ubaldo

***Nolasco @
Geer

***Lincecum @
***Jurrjens

Pelfrey @
Stammen

***Carpenter @
***Oswalt

***Arroyo @ ***Billingsley
(Arroyo is hot but untrustworthy, Billingsley is ice-cold but facing a terrible
offense… deuces wild!)

SATURDAY
***Verlander @
***Sabathia

Guthrie @
***Buehrle

***Washburn @
Ohka

Baker @ Feldman *Can’t trust Baker in Texas.

***Lilly @
***Zimmermann

Parra @
***Harang

***Haren @
***Wainwright

***Hampton @
***Kershaw *Yeah that’s
right.
SUNDAY
***Bedard @
Laffey

Bergesen @
Contreras

***Garza @
Hochevar

Liriano @
Holland

***Happ @
Miller

***Cain @
***Duke

***Marquis @ Stauffer *in SD and looking for a W

Nieve @
***Vazquez
MONDAY
D. Hernandez @
***Pettitte

O’Sullivan @
***Meche

Blackburn @
Gonzalez

Hart @
Lopez

Livan @
Olsen

Davis @ De La
Rosa

Owings @ Jeff Weaver