MLB Picks o' the day from Eckel: Rangers vs A's, Reds vs Indians, Brewers vs White Sox, and HR picks including Luis Robert

First the good news: The Angels/Mariners game went over and George Springer hit a home run Wednesday night.

Now the bad news: The Nationals somehow lost to the Mets and the Rays, who I’m beginning to think aren’t as good as I thought, lost to the Red Sox.

Let’s try again Thursday and attempt to do a little better.

Texas Rangers at Oakland A’s, 3:40 p.m. EDT

Pitchers: Mike Minor vs. Mike Fiers

Odds: Rangers +130; As -150

Cincinnati Reds at Cleveland Indians, 6:10 p.m. EDT

Pitchers: Luis Castillo vs. Carlos Carrasco

Odds: Reds +110; Indians -120

Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago White Sox, 8:10 p.m. EDT

Pitchers: Lindholm vs. Gio Gonzalez

Odds: Brewers -105; White Sox -115

The Cycle

Single: I’ve always liked Gio Gonzalez. He’s a competitor and he’s with a good, young team in Chicago. I like the White Sox, with rookie phenom Luis Robert, to beat the Brewers Thursday night.

Double: The Reds gave Luis Castillo an extra day of rest after a so-so outing his last time out. That should help against an Indians team struggling to score runs. Carrasco gives up home runs and that’s all the Reds seem to do.

Triple: In an afternoon special, I’m going with Oakland to beat Texas to get the day off to a good start.

Home Runs: Here’s a trio to go deep Thursday: Oakland’s Matt Chapman; Cincinnati’s Eugenio Suarez; and Chicago’s Luis Robert.